Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

I adapted this recipe from one given to me by a friend. It's nice and warm and so good on a cold Winter day! 1-1/2 cups water 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed small 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced (I use the garlic in a jar) 1 Tbs beef bouillon granules 1/2 tsp salt 1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained 2-1/2 cups milk (divided) 3 Tbs flour 8 oz process American cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta) 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled In a large Dutch Oven, combine the first 6 ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk; heat through. Combine flour and remaining 1/2 cup milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add bacon, stir until mixed. Makes 6-8 servings. This soup is even better the next day, when the flavors have had a chance to blend.

Bacon-Corn Chowder

I found a basic recipe for this dish online and tweaked it to suit our tastes. It's wonderful, and cooking it in the crockpot makes the whole house smell SO good! 1 lb. bacon, diced small 1 medium onion, diced small 2-1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced small 3 cans whole kernel corn (NOT drained) 1 can creamed corn 2 cans cream of chicken soup 2 cans cream of potato soup 1 can evaporated milk salt and pepper to taste Cook potatoes in large pan in water until done. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup potato water. Place potatoes and water into crockpot. While potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet cook bacon and onion together until bacon is cooked but not crisp, and onion is golden. Drain off grease, place bacon and onion in crockpot. Add cans of soup, kernel corn (liquid and all), creamed corn and evaporated milk to crockpot. Stir until well blended. Cover crockpot, turn to low, and forget about it for a few hours! NOTE: If chowder seems a little thin, use instant potato flakes (about 1/4 cup at a time) to thicken it up during the last hour of cooking. NOTE: With bacon being in the recipe, I did not need to add any additional salt. However, I did add some pepper to give it a little extra flavor.