EASY Pumpkin and Chipotle Corn Chowder

A few things: I'm posting the original recipe, but I made modifications, so it was less chipotle and more pumpking and corn. And maybe a little healthier. BY THE WAY, THIS WAS EXCELLENT.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
Flesh from 3-4 lb pumpkin OR 1.5 cans of Pumpkin from a can (I used the canned pumpkin)
1 large onion, diced (I used 2 onions)
3 tablespoons flour (I used 4 tbs)
1 quart chicken stock
1 lg (12 oz) can of corn, or a bag of frozen corn, or get crazy and put fresh corn in there... It should come to a bit over two cups
2 chipotle peppers. (I used 1 and it was enough to add a little heat, but the soup wasn't hot). Make sure to slice thinly, and get all of the seeds out. Careful when seeding, these things will make you cough.
1/2 cup whipping cream - I used 1/2 cup of Cream of Chicken Soup.
5 Sprigs fresh thyme (I used the prefab thyme)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed, leaves chopped.

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1. Heat butter/oil., over med heat into a pot, Add pumpkin, Add onion. Sautee for about 5 minutes in the pot.

2. Stir in flour.

3. Gradually add stock, stirring.

4. Add corn.

5. Add cream or cream of chicken soup, cilantro, thyme and bring to simmer.

Reduce heat to low simmer for appx 20 minutes. Stir this ALOT or it gets gooey at the bottom.

ALSO: I found that mine was initially too thin, so I ended up adding the rest of my cream of chicken and about 1/3 cup of milk.

I served this with the cranberry pecan corn bread. It was very good. My husband even liked it.... he isn't into "exotic recipes" that I enjoy... but he liked this. Good luck. Email me if you want more info or help with this one.

Turtle Candy

This turtle candy actually was more like Turtle Candy Fudge. It was AWESOME, but it wasn't anything like a little caramelly turtle...

4.5 c sugar
12 oz condensed sweeted 2% milk
1/2 cup milk (any kind will do)
3/4 stick butter
2.5 cups pecans
2 cups small marshmallows
1 pkg (or 2 c) of chocolate chips
Wax Paper or (I prefer cupcake papers )


combine sugar, condensed milk, regular milk and butter into large cookpan. This seems to bubble up and the heat it contains will require you to have a larger cookpan... Or it will bubble over your stove. Cook on medium High heat until it comes to a slight boil. Turn the heat down and cook on med for 7 minutes. Don't overcook.

While cooking the milk mix, put the pecans, marshmallos and chocolate into a big glass bowl.

Combine the boiling hot milk mix with the mix in the glass bowl. Stir until the marshmallows melt.

Spoon into cupcake tins/papers or onto wax paper. Makes about 3-5 lbs of this confection. Prepare to send it to friends and family.

MMM. Good.