Vegetable chowder

1. Warm your dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. If there isn't a good amount of bacon grease add a tbs or two of olive oil to the pan (I needed to). Saute your onion/celery/carrots until soft, roughly 5 minutes.

3. Add in your zuchinni/red pepper/broccoli/cauliflower and saute an additional 5 minutes until soft. Remove all veggies from the pot and set aside.

4. Melt your butter and whisk in the flour, stirring constantly, cooking for a minute or two. Slowly add your chicken stock, whisking constantly. Do the same with the milk.

5. Add in your corn, herbs, bay leaf, potatoes, and the cooked veggies to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cover to cook until the potatoes are softened and the flavors have blended together. I left mine going a half hour or so and checked it a few times.

6. Season to taste with salt & pepper. It needs a good amount.

7. Note, you can make this entirely vegetarian by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock.