A Bishops' Storehouse Recipe

March is an unpredictable month. It can be bright and sunny with the promise of spring, or it can turn into a blizzard at the drop of a hat. I am constantly scouring the internet and cookbooks looking for recipes that I can make for my family. Soups are one of my favorite things to make. They're warm, comforting and nourishing. Serve with a warm loaf of homemade bread or biscuits, and -- voila! -- dinner is served.

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. It's a hearty soup, perfect for a cold March evening. Most of the herbs I have in my pantry. I found the chicken soup base at Sam's club for around $4.00 for a fairly large jar. Everything else, including the ingredients for the bread or biscuits, I was able to get from the Bishop's Storehouse. Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Ham and Potato Chowder

3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup cubed ham
1 cup corn kernels
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon celery seed
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Whisk 3 cups warm water and chicken soup base in slow cooker until soup base has dissolved; stir in cream of chicken soup until almost smooth.

Stir potatoes, ham, corn, yellow onion and butter into the soup mixture.

Place flour and 1/2 cup water into a small container with a lid and shake well to combine into a smooth mixture; stir flour mixture into soup Mix in parsley, dill and celery seed. Season soup with salt and black pepper.

Cook chowder on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking.