There’s been a lot going on around here lately. Busy busy busy*.

Saturday morning, I woke up and watched The League in my boxers while I drank my coffee. I admit I’m not a football fan, so about 1/3 of the jokes are kinda gibberish to me. But I am married to Dan Shannon, fantasy football addict, which allows me to find another level of humor in this show–one that I have come to adore. I hope they bring back Mr. McGibblets this season. After my morning chuckles, I turned on the Xbox and played Fable II for 10 hours. It might have been more like 14. Somewhere in all that busy, I ordered some Thai food and ate soup with my husband, but it is all kind of a blur of shooting Hollow Men with fire balls and keeping that Bandit Coast free of the, well, bandits.

Sunday I was more productive.

We have a pretty good little system around here. Every Sunday, I try to make a casserole or soup that we can eat all week. It usually works out pretty well, although some recipes are better than others. This Sunday, I not only put our kitchen floor on blast (see link above), I also made New York Cheesecake and this soup. This creamy, wonderful, meal-in-a-bowl soup.

Now, if you’re following along in your own Big Red, you’ll notice some additions to our version. Here’s why: as much as we freaking love corn and potatoes, it needed some protein to be eaten as a meal–hence the garbanzo beans and extra veggies (note the peas and green beans). Betty’s version would be perfect with a side salad or sandwich, but for our needs, the recipe was a solid building base for this hearty fall soup that we’ve been enjoying all week.

I think you’ll enjoy it too.

Oh and did I mention there was an article about Meet The Shannons is on The Food Channel website? Please take a minute to check it and share it with friends.

Double Corn Chowder

1/2 Red Onion (diced)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Red Potatoes (cubed and boiled until tender; I like to leave my skins on, but that’s your call)
1 can Creamed Corn
1 cup Frozen Corn
1/2 cup Frozen Peas
1/2 cup Frozen Green Beans
1 can Garbanzo Beans (drained and rinsed)
3 Tablespoon Braggs
1 cup Frozen Hash Browns (thawed)
1cup Soy Milk
1 cup Better Than Bouillon – Vegetable (made per instructions on the package)
1/2 teaspoon Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper (you may want to add more if you like your soup with more kick)
1 teaspoon Dried Rosemary (crushed)
1 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
Some Fresh Parsley and/or Bac-Os to toss on top

In a large soup pot, add Onions and Olive Oil and cook on a medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once the Onions become tender, add remaining Ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Once your soup begins to boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer.

Let simmer for around 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll know it’s done when the Hash Browns have begun to disintegrate and soup is a desired thickness.

I don’t like to tell people what to do… but eat this with some Sourdough Bread, and take a minute to look out the window and see if any leaves have changed color in your neighborhood. Just do it.

*Civilization V came out yesterday at 10 am. Prepare to hear more about it once we’ve developed our official opinions. Stay tuned, nerd-bots.