Recipe Box - Cheddar Chowder

Josiah strolled into the kitchen this evening with a question on his lips, one that I hear more and more often from him these days:  "What's for supper?"  

"Sausage and bean soup" was my answer, as I lifted the lid of the pot and gave it a stir.

"Oh."  His excitement was noticeably lacking.  "We've been having a lot of liquid food recently, a lot of soup."

Out of all my boys, he's the one who is least likely to complain about food, so rather than coming at him with a "you should be grateful for this food, and think about all the starving children in the world" tactic, I simply smiled and said, "What do you think I should cook tomorrow?"

Enthusiasm now.  "Pot roast!  Steak!  Canned peaches!  Applesauce!"

Yep, that's my Josiah.  Although he eats what is set before him with very little objection, it's clear that the way to his heart is through red meat and fruit.  ;-)  Tomorrow morning, I'll scrounge around in the freezer and see if I can find a roast to cook for the dear boy.  :)

Truth is, we have been eating a lot of soup recently; after all, when the weather turns chilly, my thoughts turn to warmth, and what food fits the bill better than a steaming bowl of soup?  This is one of the (endless, in Josiah's mind) varieties of soup we've eaten this fall.

Cheddar Chowder

2 cups water

2 cups diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup cubed ham

Combine water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper in large kettle.  Boil 10-12 minutes.  Meanwhile, in small saucepan, make a white sauce by melting the butter, adding flour, and stirring until smooth (about 1 minute).  Slowly add milk; cook until thickened.  Add grated cheese to white sauce; stir until melted. Add white sauce and cubed ham to vegetables that have not been drained.  Heat through.  Yield: 6 servings.

I made a few changes to the recipe, substituting turkey that I had on hand for the ham, for example, and also using a blend of cheeses, rather than just cheddar.  Although I didn't measure the veggies, I'm sure I put in more than 1/4 cup of onion, since 1/4 cup is barely anything when it comes to those fragrant beauties!  :)  I'm also sure the sprinkle of pepper I put in was more than the 1/4 teaspoon the recipe calls for; but oh well, cook's prerogative, right?  :)  

Although I still like my mother's potato soup more than any other potato soup I've ever had, this chowder was nice for a change.  When I'm in the mood for "liquid food" that's hearty and creamy, I'll turn to this recipe.  And to delight the tummy of my oldest son, maybe I'll reach for a jar of peaches to go with it.  ;-)