Sunday Dinner

Boy did my tiny kitchen get hot yesterday. Corn chowder AND tomato and bacon jam? Whew. I had to kick up my AC, that's for sure.

As a college student living on a very tight budget, I've been missing Sunday dinner. Growing up, my family always had dinner on Sunday evening after church. We would have pot roast or homemade chicken pot pie--you know, the usual delicious home cooking. I missed being in the kitchen for the better part of the day and then enjoying what you make in the evening. Working full time doesn't really allow for much of that.

That's why I decided yesterday that I was going to make a Sunday dinner, and I would do it cheaply. I found a great recipe in my hometown newspaper for tomato and bacon jam. It sounded quite tasty, so I gave it a shot. It only called for one relatively expensive thing: bacon. It wouldn't be expensive if I found a recipe for Sunday dinner that called for bacon too, so I tried to find one. There was a recipe for corn chowder in the newspaper and well, I had to. Let me just say how much I love soup. I love soup. There. Now you know how much I love soup.

I thought a corn chowder would be a good compromise for soup in the summer. It would still be soup, but the corn would help make it taste summery. It was an easy recipe, but I changed it quite a bit. I added potatoes and chicken, and I used more chicken stock then it called for. The only hassle was frying bacon (which I hate doing). When I made the bacon for the jam, I just went ahead and fried up the bacon for the chowder too and got both starting at the same time. Hence the air conditioning.

The corn chowder was delicious, hearty, and everything a Sunday dinner is supposed to be. The brownies I made while dinner was cooking didn't hurt!

When I was done eating dinner, I poured the cooled jam into little jars and stuck them in the fridge. This morning, I made a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and spread some of the jam on top. It was pure heaven.

Sunday dinner and an awesome Monday morning breakfast? This week HAS to be good!

Tomato and Bacon Jam (recipe originally printed in The Columbia Daily Tribune on July 22, 2009)

2 lbs very ripe tomatoes, chopped and cored
1/2 lb bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 T. cider vinegar
Salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium-high, cook the bacon until crispy, about five minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain excess fat, blotting it dry with additional towels as needed.

In a large saucepan, combine the tomatoes, onion, sugar, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat to medium. Crumble the bacon into the tomato mixture.

Simmer until very thick, about one hour. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Let the jam cool, then ladle into jars. Can be refrigerated for three to four days, or frozen for as long as two months. If freezing, divide the jam among several small jars. When ready to use, let a jar thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Corn Chowder

6 strips crispy bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced green bell pepper
6-7 small red potatoes, chopped
2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken breast tenderloins, cooked and cut into small chunks
1 T. ground cumin
1/2 T. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2-2 1/2 cups chicken stock (use for desired consistency)
1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1 16- to 17-ounce can whole-kernel corn, drained, liquid reserved
Salt and pepper to taste

In stockpot, fry up the bacon. Remove the bacon and leave the fat. Sauté onion, peppers, potatoes, cumin and cayenne until veggies are soft. Add in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring the whole time. Stir in chicken stock, milk, and reserved corn liquid. Let mixture come to a boil and whisk until smooth. Stir in corn and chicken chunks. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When ready to serve, crumble bacon into chowder. Serve with shredded cheese on top if desired.