Cheeseburger Corn Chowder

Tonight my husband wanted cheeseburger soup and I wanted corn chowder.  This is the compromise.

1 lb. Ground beef
1 med. Onion, diced
4 med. Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3/4 c chopped carrot
2 cups chicken broth
1 can corn kernels, drained
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 c flour
2 1/2 c milk
2 c shredded cheddar blend cheese
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef.  Add onion, potatoes, celery, and carrot and saute until onion is translucent.   Add chicken broth, cover and simmer 25 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.  Add in corn.  In a small pan, make roux with butter and flour.  Cook roux for 3 minutes to get rid of raw flour taste.   Soup pot should be simmering while you whisk in the roux to the ground beef mixture.  Keep stirring until completely mixed and soup starts to thicken.  Add milk and stir to heat through, then add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and mixed in thoroughly.   Finally, add parsley and salt & pepper to taste.

I'm sorry, but I  couldn't take an appetizing photo of this soup :(

White bean pork chili

We had a nice pork loin for dinner last night.  Besides one of my kids and me, no one else likes to eat leftovers in this house, so I have to get creative to make sure food doesn't go to waste. 

I like the typical white bean chicken chili and since white meat pork is mild like chicken, I thought it would translate well to this chili.  It is very quick to put together since the meat is already cooked.  Perfect for a weeknight meal!

Quick white bean pork chili

1/2 large white onion, diced
2 cups cooked pork loin, shredded
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 lg chicken bouillon cube
2 - 15.5 oz cans Bush's white chili beans
1 bean can full of water
1 bean can full of medium salsa verde
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
Shredded Fiesta blend cheese to garnish
Cooked white rice

Sauté onion in 1 tbsp. oil until translucent.  Add cooked pork and stir until heated through.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese.  Stir to make sure everything is fully blended.  Simmer 20-30 minutes on low.  Serve over white rice and garnish with cheese. 

**Cooked chicken can be substituted for pork.