The story behind the name....and my first recipe!

Dancin' in the Kitchen.While I was trying to find a name for this blog I kept thinking about when my husband Ryan and I used to dance in the kitchen when we were first married. It was pretty darn romantic. We'd be waiting for our super fancy dinner to finish cooking *cough, boxed mac and cheese* Frank Sinatra's "Come fly With Me" would be playing in the background. It was a lot of fun. Now any time we try to do any type of dancing, Lily our 3 year old is trying to cut in. Although I miss the days of us being in the kitchen and cooking together, I love that the kitchen has become my domain. It's where I can get creative and try new things. I usually find a recipe I like and then turn it into a recipe I love. I never follow a recipe exactly; I always make little changes and add things here and there. I like to make a recipe my own. I'll be posting a lot of recipes on this blog that I've found in food magazines, cookbooks, online and from our family with my own twist.

The first recipe I’m going to share is my all time favorite soup recipe. Guys, this stuff is so good. Like unbelievably good. Like, I make this once a week in the winter time good. So because it’s still frigid and snowing here, I’m still making soup. Make this, you’ll love it and you won’t want to stop eating it.

Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder

4 slices of bacon

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 Jalapeno, seeds removed

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken stock

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 large red potatoes, diced,  or any kind will do…

1 cup half and half

16 oz frozen corn

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups chicken, diced or shredded

1bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional toppings: Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, parsley

In a large soup pot, sauté the bacon until crispy. Leave 4 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan. Discard the rest. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, and set aside.

Add the onions and bell pepper to the pan and sauté on medium heat. About 3 minutes or until the bell pepper is tender and the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I usually end up using about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Don't under salt!) Add the jalapeno and garlic, sauté for about 1 minute more.

Whisk in the flour until combined. Cook for a minute or two until it turns a light golden color. Whisk in the chicken stock and potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the half and half, corn, chicken, cayenne and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Garnish with reserved chopped bacon and optional toppings. Enjoy!