Soup's On!

It's pretty chilly here in MA and what's better on a chilly day than a nice bowl of soup! Soup will always have a special place in my heart b/c it'll always remind me of my awesome friends in TX and our soup exchanges.

Since I'm not doing the soup exchange this year I've decided to do my own. :-) I loved having a freezer stocked with soups and I figured this would be perfect when I get snowed in. LOL Today I made a Corn Chowder from Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook that my wonderful mother-in-law gave me. (If you haven't read any of Debbie Macomber's book you need to!!!) I think adding a little ham in this soup would be awesome! I'll be saving some Thanksgiving ham and ham bone this year for sure!

August Corn Chowder

2 TBSP butter
1 medium onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried whole thyme or 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
4 medium boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, unpeeled and diced
5 ears corn, kernels scraped off (or 16 oz frozen corn)
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
sour cream and chopped fresh tarragon for garnish

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add broth and 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a simmer.
2. Add potatoes to simmering broth; cook 20 minutes, until cooked through. Stir in corn kernels and tomatoes; cook 15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar.