Hannah's Corn Chowder

My friend Hannah shared a corn chowder recipe she made for her husband's birthday. I made it last week and it was so good! We will definitely be adding this into our soup rotation.

Corn and Potato Chowder

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth or stock
4 cups peeled, finely diced all-purpose potato
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

Sling the butter into a soup kettle and melt over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook till crisp. Scoop out the bacon and drain on paper towels. Save for later--don't nibble too much. Pour off all but 1/4 cup of fat from the pot. Toss in the onions and peppers, seasoning them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook till soft and then throw in the garlic, cooking it all for 1 minute more. Sprinkle on the flour and mix into the veggies.Dump in the broth and potatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or till the potatoes are tender. Add the shredded carrots and corn.Cover and simmer everything 5 to 6 minutes longer to blend the flavors. Stir in the half-and-half. Season with the thyme, cayenne (I left this out of the main pot and just sprinkled it on individual bowls as desired), some more salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and the bacon bits you've been saving.
Ladle up and enjoy. Yum. So, so good.