Crystal Lake Park/ Simple Corn Chowder

Today is sunny and a brisk 52 degrees. A beautiful Fall day perfect for a walk in the park. Time to snuggle up with a sweater, jacket, a scarf and boyfriend. Today I'll be channeling my inner Kermit the Frog, cuz it ain't easy being green.

50 shades of green... well, actually three, but who's counting? Cheek is feeling better after work incident, but squishy face still hurts. Ouch.

Despite the sunshine, the chilly air and winds killed my drive to stay outside and kick started my appetite for a hot beverage and hot meal. At the first sign of cold, my nose turns bright red like Rudolph and I start to get grumpy. Luckily, boyfriend was nice enough to buy me some goodies at Kaldi's: Mayan Mocha (mocha latte with cinnamon), almond biscotti, apple cinnamon muffin and butter cake.

Unfortunately, he said the cake is for after dinner and the muffin is for tomorrow morning :-(. At least we have something else to look forward to. Now, onto corn chowder for dinner and the soul.

Simple Corn Chowder

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ham steak, cubed
• 1 small onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice 
• 2 ribs celery, strings removed, cut into 1/2-inch dice 
• 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/4-inch dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 cups low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat
• 3 ears yellow corn, kernels removed (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 3 medium yellow potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Cook ham in pot until golden brown. Take ham out of pan and set aside. Add remaining olive oil into pot with onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute until onions are translucent.

De-glaze pot with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add corn and potatoes and cook for around 10 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked. Add half-and-half and cooked ham and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot with fresh herbs, bacon bits, or warm blanket.

-Akemi-chan