Bacon-licious Corn Chowder

This weekend I made two soups with bases of bacon, onion and garlic. The corn chowder was so yummy that I had to post the recipe! (The other soup is awaiting taste testing in my fridge because we had a date night last night. :)

This is another 'use up things in my pantry' recipe, and I must apologize for those who can't tolerate dairy as it is most definitely NOT dairy-free! I am able to have dairy again, so have been relishing the taste of real cheese and milk. Milk by itself is not a good option all the time, but milk in things like soup is fine for me! Hooray!

Ashley's Quick and Easy Bacon-licious Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced (or use a Garlic Press - I love my Pampered Chef one!)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock (or 1 tsp bouillon paste + 1 cup hot water)
4 cans corn, drained
2 cans whole new potatoes, quartered - reserve water from 1 can, drain other
1 can condensed milk (12 oz)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Process:
Place large pot on stove, turn burner to medium-low. Add olive oil, garlic, onion, and bacon. Cook until onion is soft and bacon is at your preferred level of doneness (mine was medium, ~10-15 minutes), stirring often to avoid burning. Add corn, potatoes, chicken stock, and water from 1 can of potatoes. Stir and let cook for 10 minutes so that the corn and potatoes get the taste of the bacon (keep stirring every so often to avoid burning). Add condensed milk, cheddar cheese soup, Parmesan, and spices, stir until well-combined and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically. Turn off burner and remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes (or you'll burn your tongue like I did!) and serve with garlic bread, cornbread, or rolls. Serves 8-10.

This was a great lunch on a cold, rainy Rochester day! My husband, brother-and-sister-in-law, and three nephews all liked it too. Enjoy!

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

While feeling down (due to PMS) and walking through Wegmans, I came across this book: In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I've been dealing with some mental/emotional issues with my decision to stay at home, so thought I might give the book a look-through and see what it had to say. I am so glad I bought it!

As a working mother with two college degrees, I have had a range of reactions to my decision to leave work. Some have supported my decision and said "That's great!" Others have been more negative and implied that I was going to lose my skills/intelligence/usefulness by leaving my job. Granted, the naysayers are fewer in number than the encouragers, but it can be hard to deal with when they are people you respect (or thought you respected).

This book was totally helpful to me in that it a) helped to validate my decision to stay home and b) offered wisdom on dealing with the changes that will occur and the various emotions that will come as I change my perspective. I also agree with Dr. Laura's assessment that colleges train women to think that their best contribution to the world should come from being 'career women.'

I went back to work after Joseph was born because I felt like I 'had to' for financial/benefits reasons, and, honestly, because I felt like I 'needed to' in order to prove that I could do both (since I'm so 'educated'). As a result, I've had more struggles with trying not to cry as I leave my son every morning--although thankfully I have had the privilege of having my sister, a very loving auntie, watching him instead of an institution--than I ever have had with leaving work at the end of the day. My entire life has changed, and I no longer want to put my energy into primarily supporting work instead of my family.

Don't get me wrong - I love my job, have a great boss and co-workers, and feel very blessed to have been able to earn income doing something I like for 4+ years. I know many other people would trade places with me in a heartbeat. However, my son is more important, and there is no one else in the world (not even my mom or sister or mother-in-law) who can be his MOM!

Here's to all the stay-at-home moms out there - HIP, HIP, HOORAY! I look forward to joining you soon.

Poopy Picasso

We have finally experienced one of the 'parenting horror stories' that are hilarious and a turn-off for potential parents all at once! Hooray! Below is my abbreviated reenactment of yesterday morning:

7:00 am - Wake up to baby crying, change his diaper and put him into a disposable because the cloth ones are downstairs, nurse. (I do not replace the pajama bottoms as I am planning to change him into his church clothes soon. This will be important to note in a few.)

7:30 am - Decide to go back to sleep for a few, hubby puts baby in crib. All is quiet on the western front, which was, in retrospect, unusual because Joseph screams when he's in his crib normally.

8:00 am - Joseph starts crying - we think, oh, he must need a diaper change. Hubby gets up to get himself and baby ready for church, while I stay in bed and am a bum because I don't feel too hot. He walks by the baby's room to go get a cloth diaper to change him into.

Suddenly, I hear "Ashley! Get the bath running!" I sit up in bed and say "What?" as I am still sleepy. "Joseph took his diaper off and there's poop everywhere! Start the bath!" Again, I say "WHAT?" as I am hoping this is a joke.

I get out of bed and walk down the hallway. Joe already has the baby in the tub with water running. I walk into the baby's room, smell poop, look at the crib, and see poop EVERYWHERE!

Somehow Joseph took off his diaper (either before or after pooping), and then decided it would be a good idea to smear poop all over his crib - all over the sheet, all over the toys in the crib, over some of the bars on the side. It was disgusting! I instantly grabbed the Clorox wipes and started cleaning gingerly, trying not to dislodge more of the stuck on fecal matter from the sides of the crib. GROSS!!!!

After about 45 minutes of elbow grease, order was restored. However, I now have to call the doctor's office and tell them that Joseph ate poop!

Any other 'parenting horror stories' out there worth sharing?