Chicken and Corn soup

My mom makes an AWESOME Chicken and Corn chowder that my kiddos love.  But I’m trying to be healthier so I just can’t have cream and mashed potatoes in my soup(sorry mom) !  So this is what I came up with – its easy peasy and very yummy!!!

Ingredients:
4 Tbl butter
1/2 onion, chopped (or ground to a paste so your kids don’t complain that there’s onion in the soup!!!) hehehe
1 can corn kernels with juice
1 can creamed corn
6 cubes of chicken bouillon
4 cups of water
5 pieces of bacon (I used turkey bacon) cooked and crumbled
2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken ( I used a breast and thigh from a leftover rotisserie chicken)
salt to taste
Directions:
1.  Melt the butter in a dutch oven, add chopped onions and cook until translucent.
2.  Add both cans of corn with all the juice.  Dissolve 6 cubes of bouillon into 4 cups of hot water.  Add to soup.
3.  Add crumbled bacon and chicken.  Simmer until warmed through.  Salt to taste. Serves about 6

Cheesy Garlic Bread Knots

Most my recipes are found online or given to me from someone else.  However, I can NEVER leave things alone!! I tweak or substitute, sometimes to meet the needs of my family, sometimes because I don’t have a specific ingredient.  However, THESE BABIES ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY THEY ARE (I do leave out the dill though)!  Here is the link to the original recipe http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=912708

These are so so yummy – and so versatile.  I usually make a bunch and freeze so that we can reheat later.  Sometimes I leave out the cheese, sometimes I leave out the parsley (my kids and hubby have an aversion to most things green!)  But no matter how I make them, they are usually gone quickly!
And just in case you have problems accessing the recipe– here is how I make them!

Ingredients:
3-4 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp instant yeast
1 cup water
1 Tbsp oil
1 egg
1/4 cup butter
parsley
garlic salt
cheese (optional)

Directions:
Mix together 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast.  Add water, oil and egg and mix. Add the rest of the flour until the dough is able to knead easily.  Knead 8 minutes and then cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Roll out dough into a thin rectangle.  Spread butter on it.  Sprinkle with parsley and garlic salt to taste.  Add cheese if desired.
Fold the top down to the middle and the bottom up to meet.  Cut vertically into 1 inch strips.  Twist and tie into a knot and place on baking sheet or stone.  Cover and let rise about 25 minutes. 
Bake at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes.  Serve warm or freeze to warm up later.