Smothered Pork Burritos

I think this would be Kev's favorite meal and definitely one of mine too. Every time we eat it, we think of something new to try and it always turns out great! The long recipe may seem like a lot of work, but it pulls together faster than it looks and the meat cooks in the crock pot. Worth every minute of work though!

You'll need:
1 recipe of shredded pork

1 recipe lime rice

2 cups shredded cheese, we like Pepper Jack, but Colby Jack and Cheddar are also great.

8-10 flour tortillas and we highly recommend the ones you cook yourself!

PORK: (We like pork , but I've used chicken and beef would be great too)

3 lb pork roast- buy whatever is the cheapest!

1 lg can of green chile enchilada sauce

1 med onion- diced

1 tsp kosher salt

4 crushed garlic cloves

1 sm can green chiles

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Pour half the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Put in the meat. Cover the meat with all the remaining ingredients. The pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Cook on low for 8 hours. Pull meat out and allow to rest. Puree the sauce in a blender, which sounds like a pain, but it needs it. I've tried without and the flavors don't meld quite as well. If the sauce still needs a little thickening, just reduce it in a saucepan on the stove. Shred the meat and mix with about a 1/2 cup of the sauce.

Lime Rice (we've also used Taco Rice, which is a Lipton Rice packet. That's really good too, just depending on the flavor you want.)
3 c chicken broth
1 1/2 cups rice
2 tsp lime zest
2 garlic cloves- crushed
1 T butter
black pepper
Cook all ingredients together, either in a rice cooker, or according to rice directions. When finished, stir in the juice of one lime and 2 T chopped cilantro.

Assembly:
Cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with sauce from meat. In a tortilla layer 1/4 cup rice, 1/4 cup meat and sprinkle with cheese. Roll or fold and place in pan. Repeat with all the tortillas. Pour sauce over the top of the finished burritos. You probably won't need it all, but there's no shame if you want to. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 min or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Potato, Egg and Cheese Skillet

We loved this! It started out as a recipe from Kraft, but it needed a little help, so we tweaked it and were quite pleased with how it turned out. Served with grape juice, it was perfect.

Recipe:

3 T melted butter

1 pkg dry Ranch seasoning

3 med-lg potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

1 T oil

6 eggs, beaten

salt

pepper

2-3 slices of thick sliced ham, diced

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or whatever you cheese you like or have on hand, I used white cheddar, and that was awesome)

Toss the potatoes with the melted butter and Ranch seasoning. Stirring until well coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet, over med heat. Pour seasoned potatoes into the skillet. Cover and cook until browned and fork tender, stirring often to avoid sticking (about 15 min). Generously season the eggs with the salt and pepper and pour over potatoes, top with diced ham and cover. Cooking until the eggs are set, do not stir (about 8-10 min). Sprinkle with cheese and cover again, cooking until melted.

This is a good one to mix it up with. You could substitute the ham for cooked sausage or bacon. Try a different seasoning packet with the potatoes. Whatever sounds good. This was really easy and really good. Perfect for a busy weeknight!

Vampire Donuts

Ty, my four year old, wanted vampire donuts for his little birthday party. So after trying a few ideas, this is what we came up with. Not the greatest, but they turned out pretty cute!

We melted frosting and dipped candy corn in and then let them set in the fridge. Then after specially ordering donuts with no holes, which was too hard, so we switched to donuts with no filling, we created the face. And opted for a happy vampire, for a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday soon Ty. I love you and can't believe you are already turning five!!!

Perfect Pulled Pork

I've seen this recipe in just about every magazine I flip through. It looked good and easy, so we gave it a whirl. It was well worth it. This is one of the best new recipes I've tried in a long time!

The recipe was from the people that do the 'pork, the other white meat' ads. You know the ones. So I guess they really know what they're talking about. We topped ours with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, and it was perfect pulled pork.

Recipe:

5 lbs boneless pork butt shoulder (I did not buy this much and I used a picnic roast)

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c water (I used less since I had a smaller roast)

soft sandwich buns

Combine all seasonings in a small bowl and rub evenly over roast. Place meat in 6 qt slow cooker. Add water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hrs or high for 4-5 hrs until pork is very tender. Place pork on cutting board or platter and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Pull, slice or chop to serve. Serve on buns with BBQ sauce.

I probably would have just tossed all the meat with sauce, but I used the left over meat for quesadillas the next day and didn't want BBQ pork for those. Either way would work great!

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

I tried this recipe out of a magazine and it turned out really good!

I made some changes of my own and they did not disappoint.

You start by cooking bacon. Not a bad way to start.

Cook your chicken in the bacon drippings.
(The original recipe calls for pork chops, but I had chicken, so that's what I used)

Make your mustard cream sauce and finish cooking your meat in all the good flavor.

Top your veggies (they wanted brussel sprouts, my kids eat beans) with the bacon and enjoy your chicken, or pork chops, with or without rice.

**When I make this again, and I will make it again, I will maybe double the sauce. We liked the chicken with rice, and the sauce adds good flavor over the rice.**

Recipe:

Cook 4 slices of bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain bacon on a paper towel and reserve drippings in pan.

Season 4 (3/4 inch thick) boneless pork chops (or use chicken, I used tenders) with pepper and kosher salt. Lightly dust with flour. Cook in bacon drippings over medium heat for about 7 minutes, turning once, or until nicely browned.

Remove meat to a plate; add 1 minced shallot (I diced green onions and added some minced garlic) and saute 30 seconds.

Deglaze skillet with 1/2 cup white wine (I used apple juice), then whisk in 2/3 cup heavy cream and 1 tsp Dijon mustard; let sauce reduce by half. Return meat into skillet and simmer until cooked through (about 3-5 min).

Serve with veggies topped with crisp bacon bits.

Fajita Tostadas

I realize I've posted about tostadas before, but this is a twist on the original. Delicious and easy, and that's my biggest goal in cooking, so why not?!

I actually got this from a friend's blog and she got it from her friend, that I don't know. I've made my own adjustments and have loved this meal every time I've made it.

You start by roasting the veggies and chicken with some corn and salsa.

Then melt some cheese and brown up your tostada shells

Then assemble with all the fixings.

It really is as good as it looks.
Not judging by the photography of course.

This time around I forgot that I didn't have any chicken and didn't have time to go to the store. So we skipped out on chicken and I just added beans to the veggies when I roasted them. I also tossed my onion and pepper in a marinade for an hour or so before hand. Both changes worked out beautifully!

Recipe:

1 med onion- sliced

1 bell pepper- sliced (we love red or yellow the best)

1 box of frozen corn or one can of corn, drained

about 1 cup prepared salsa- you can use jarred or bottled, but fresh, like pico de gallo, is best

olive oil

1-2 cups cooked and shredded chicken, depends on how meaty you like your meal, we like less so the veggies can shine

6 corn tortillas or tostada shells

1 c cheese, cheddar or pepper jack are good choices for this

Move rack to highest setting, under the broiler and preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil and put your onion, pepper, corn, and about 1/2 cup of salsa on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss together. Roast veggies, tossing occasionally until tender and lightly browned. That takes about 15-20 minutes. Add the chicken, toss and roast an additional five minutes. Transfer all that into a bowl and discard foil.

Now you can use tostada shells and sprinkle with grated cheese and toast. Or you can use tortillas. Brush them with olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, then sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the cheese melts.

Then top the tostadas with the chicken and veggies and then top like you would a fajita. Lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, and your remaining salsa. So good!

Turkey Tacos

Don't let the turkey scare you away. It cooks up just like ground beef and tastes great! My friend from work that suggested them, his wife doesn't eat red meat, so this is a great alternative. I'd never used ground turkey before, but I really liked it and may start throwing it some of my other dishes.

This was a nice toss up to the traditional taco seasoning taco. It was a little sweet but still a lot of good flavor. I didn't add the dried cranberries, I was going to, but it was the last thing on my list and they weren't where I thought they were at the store and my kids were done with the shopping thing. Maybe next time. If you like that sort of thing, I'm sure it would add another level of flavor, and good color.

Turkey Tacos:
1 lb ground turkey
1 pkg taco seasoning
3/4 c water
3/4 c green onions
1 T sugar
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 c dried cranberries
4 tsp chopped cilantro

Cook turkey until browned. Drain off fat. Stir in all the other ingredients except cilantro and cranberries. Cover and cook over med-low heat, simmering for two minutes. Uncover and stir in cilantro and cranberries. Simmer five more minutes. Serve on a tortillas with sour cream, cheese, guacomole, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

This is a pretty quick and easy enchilada recipe. I've tweaked a few things to make it a little more our style.
Recipe:
8 flour tortillas *I highly recommend the uncooked tortillas*
2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg enchilada seasoning
2/3 c water (this wasn't quite enough, I think I'd go closer to 3/4)
1 10 oz can enchilada seasoning- we like medium, if you can handle the heat!
1 c sour cream
shredded cheese- the pepper jack I used turned out really good, but use whatever you have or like

In skillet, mix water and seasoning packet, then stir in the beans. Let that simmer til the sauce thickens and beans are tender. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream.
Assemble the enchiladas by spreading 2 T enchilada sauce on the tortilla, 1/4 c bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Roll and put in greased 9x13, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining 7 tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of rolled tortillas.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes at 375. Uncover and sprinkle the top with cheese, bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve with remaining sour cream.

**This is a great dish to make ahead and then refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Just add an additional 10 minutes of baking time to warm through!

Teriyaki Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This is an easy crock pot dinner that only requires a few ingredients. I think I got it from some magazine, but I don't really remember. It's been too long.

Start with a pork roast. Top it with some diced onions, teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice.

After it has cooked all day, pull the roast out and shred it.

Top it with some pineapple slices, served on buns and served with garden fresh veggies.

Perfect summer meal.

Recipe:

3 lbs pork shoulder roast (or whatever is on sale)

1 c finely diced onion

1 c teriyaki sauce, divided (if you can find low sodium, use it)

1/2 c unsweetend pineapple juice (I use the juice from the can of slices, and just save the slices)

3 T flour

sliced pineapple

Place the roast in the crock pot with onions. Pour over 1/2 c teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. About 45 minutes before you are ready to eat, pull the roast out onto a plate. Mix the remaining 1/2 c sauce with the flour and whisk it into the crock pot. Cover and cook that on high for 30-40 minutes allowing the juices to thicken. Shred the meat and return to the crock pot to warm it through. Serve on buns, topped with pineapple slices.

Corn Salsa

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it is always a hit. I made it the other night for a get-together and everyone wanted the recipe! It's great for this time of year when tomatoes are in season.

(Sorry, this was taken after the event)

Corn Salsa:

3-5 tomatoes

2 c frozen corn (or fresh if you are that ambitious)

1 bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of green onions

1 can black beans- drained and rinsed

1 pkt dry Italian seasoning

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

1/4 c oil

Put tomatoes, cilantro and onions in a food processor, each seperately scraping into a bowl when finished. Mix with corn and beans. Mix vinegar, oil and seasoning in processor and stir into salsa. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Tomato and Artichoke Spaghetti

Just tried this from the Pioneer Woman's site and loved it! It went together really quickly and has basic, simple ingredients. Go HERE for pics and recipe.

Simmered Chinese Chicken

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Jenny, and she got it from her mother-in-law, Mary, and I don't know where she got it from. We took a family trip to visit them in Oregon, and Jenny made this for us. It was really good, and goes together really quickly. The original recipe calls for chicken thighs. I rarely cook recipes that serve each person a full piece of chicken. It's less expensive to cut up a few breasts or tenders. So if I can adjust the recipe, I do, and that's what I did here. The thighs are delicious, but take a little longer to cook. The pieces brown up and cook in just a few minutes. You could do either, they are both good!Recipe:
-1 T oil
-chicken thighs, enough for your family, or a couple chicken breasts or tenders, diced into bite size pieces
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c water
1 T ketchup
1/4 c apple juice
dash of red pepper
1 clove of crushed garlic
2 T cornstarch mixed into 2 T water (if using thighs, wait to add this until the end)
If using thighs, skin and trim them if needed. Heat oil in skillet. Brown chicken in oil, on both sides.
Mix all the other ingredients and pour over chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 35-45 min for thighs, turning the chicken twice. For pieces, leave uncovered and cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.
If using thighs, remove the chicken and add cornstarch mixture to thicken juices, then pour over chicken. If you did pieces and mixed it in the beginning, the juices will have already thickened.
Top with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Perfect Sugar Cookies

This is my mom's recipe and a family favorite. Actually, a favorite of anyone that tries them. They are also my go-to holiday cookie (if you can't tell). If there's a holiday, we usually have an excuse to make these cookies.

Recipe:
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c margarine
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk (you can make you own by mixing 1 T lemon juice into milk and letting it sit and curdle for 5 minutes)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
6 c flour (this isn't exact, add 5 and then check the consistency of your dough)

Cream sugars, margarine, eggs, vanilla and milk. Add sifted dry ingredients until you get a stiff dough. Don't add too much flour! Refrigerate the dough for several hours or overnight. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then frost and decorate. Have fun!

Pasta and Alfredo Casserole Style

You can't really call this fettucine alfredo, because I wouldn't use fettucine. Besides that noodles are hard for kids, a noodle isn't great for this dish.

Kev's grandma was making this one day when I went over to cut hair. She was just sort of inventing it as she went along and I took the idea and tried it out too. It turned out pretty good and the kids seem to like it too, which is always a bonus.

I've tried all sorts of sauces and all work, but so far, homemade is my favorite. I really like this one by Shirley J, but you have to have their universal mix. So any recipe you have will work, and you can do jar alfredo, it just isn't quite as good.

Boil pasta, but make sure it isn't too soft. Then mix with sauce. I like to add chopped canadian bacon or ham, and crumbled bacon would be great too. You could also throw veggies in. I was going to add small pieces of cauliflower, so the kids couldn't tell, but so they'd get some vegetable nutrition, but that will have to be next time.

Put what you've combined into a 9x13 and then I top mine with seasoned bread crumbs. You could also just grate fresh parmesan on top, or both. Bake for 20 or so minutes at 350.

I like to make this early in the day and then put it in my fridge until dinner time. If you do this, bake it for closer to 35-40 minutes. You can also eat it without baking. We've done that and it is really good and creamy.

Teriyaki Noodles and Vegetables

This is one of those easy meals that you can just throw what you have into and make it work.

Cook some pasta (just according to package), whatever you may have. I happened to have spaghetti, but when I do this again, I will do somthing different, since thin noodles are really hard for kids.

While the water is boiling and noodles are cooking, prep your veggies. You can use whatever you have or like. This time I used carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and onions. After they are cut and washed, saute them in a small amount of oil or butter. Depending on how much time you have or how picky you are, add the veggies in the pan in the order of how much time they'll need. For example, onions take a little longer to tenderize than mushrooms, so I would start my onions first and then add the mushrooms towards the end.

When the veggies are cooked to your liking, add in about 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce for about 8 oz of pasta. If you make more, add more. Then add your cooked, drained pasta. If you have sesame seed oil, add in a generous teaspoon and toss together. Done. Not bad for a healthy, quick and fresh meal, huh?

Red Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans

I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and it looked pretty good. And I always like meals that are one pot. Less dishes are always a good thing.


It turned out really good and even warmed up great for lunch the next day. A little sour cream and homemade guacamole on the side topped it off great. Go here for the full recipe.

Coconut Crunch Fudge

I was recipe blog hopping the other day and came across this. I honestly can't remember where I found it and the odds of me finding it again are slim to none. So I give credit where credit is due, I just don't know where it is due.

I love coconut. I'm not sure love is a strong enough word.

And I love fudge. So putting the two together was nothing short of amazing.

Here is the recipe that I found on the blog. I actually used my mom's fudge recipe instead, but still used the coconut idea and it turned out perfect!

11.5 oz chocolate, semi sweet or milk chocolate (I used semi-sweet)

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp coconut extract (I used a generous tsp)

1 T butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup toasted coconut, plus some for topping (I used way more, but it was so good)

1/4 cup crumbled graham crackers, plus some for topping

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a small sauce pot and turn on med heat. Add the chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted. Add the butter and extract and mix til creamy.

Take chocolater mixture off the heat and stir in the toasted coconut and graham cracker pieces.

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment or plastic and pour in chocolate mixture (I just buttered mine) Decorate with extra toasted coconut and graham crackers. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

*The directions can vary depending on which fudge recipe you use.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Kev's grandma made this for us one Sunday dinner, and it was divine. The kids devoured it, okay, except the green pepper, who are we kidding. But I've been making it since then and it is one of our favorites. I usually make it in the morning when the kids are happy and the baby is napping and then keep it in the fridge until it's time to bake it.

Here are my chicken tenders all breaded and browned, although the lighting isn't helping much.

Slice a green pepper, open a can of pineapple slices and layer with the chicken.

Mix up the sauce and boil until it thickens up a bit. Then pour it over the chicken layered in the pan and bake it.


Serve over rice.

Mmmm.

Recipe:

5-6 chicken breasts, or tenders (a few more of those)

1/3 c oil

1/2 c flour

salt and pepper and season salt

Heat oil in frying pan. Coat chicken in flour, shaking off any excess, then season with salt and pepper and season salt. Brown both sides in oil.

1 16oz can of pineapple slices

1 green pepper, sliced thinly, reserving juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sauce:

1 1/4 c pineapple juice, adding water if you don't have quite enough

1 c sugar

3/4 c cider vinegar

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp chicken bouillon or base

2 T cornstarch

Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan, then add other ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until thickened.

Layer in 9x13 chicken, green pepper slice and pineapple slice. Repeat. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. If you use tenders they will cook quite a bit while browning, so you will only need 1/2 hour or til chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is a pretty basic chicken salad recipe that you could use and embelish any way you like. I like it simple, so that's the way we eat it.

First you boil your chicken. How much depends on how much chicken salad you want. Sorry no real precise measurements in this recipe.

Dice some celery and green onions.
(If you are one of those that likes grapes in your chicken salad, dice those too)
Sliced almonds would be good too!

When you chicken is done, cool it down in cold water and then shred it in a bowl.

Add as many veggies as you'd like and then some mayo. Sprinkle some garlic powder on the mayo, it'll mix in easier. But go light on both the mayo and the garlic, you can always add more.

Mix it all up just how you like it. I don't love loads of mayo, but if you do, go ahead and throw more in.

Then taste it. Make sure the seasonings are right.

Then assemble. We top ours with lettuce, tomato, cheese and pickles.

This works great on any bun, bread or even a fresh tortilla, wrap style.

And sometimes it flops...

I made cookies the other day. Cake mix cookies which are easy and delicious. But as I was pulling the second batch out, this happened...

I grabbed the pan but missed with the hot pad. So I jerked to adjust so I wouldn't get burned and I dumped the whole thing everywhere!

This is just what was in the oven. There was more on the oven, on the floor and smooshed on the cookie sheet. What a mess!

Here's the heap of cookie disaster. Good thing they're easy or else I might have been really mad.

Tostadas

A while back I was scrambling to get the menu made, again. Kev suggested we try tostadas. I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but I thought we could give it a whirl. He always eats what I cook without a single complaint, so I thought it was only fair to take and try one of his ideas.

Now, they are one of my favorite go-to meals. We eat these all the time. They are so quick and easy and we usually have the ingredients on hand. Even my mom, whom we lovingly gave the nick-name of 'food-snob', likes these.

Start with tostadas, refried beans and shredded cheese.

Assemble like so and put them under a broiler until they are bubbly and melted, like so.

My boys don't like tostadas. I don't know why, they are just picky eaters and just don't. So they felt left out when their dinner wasn't being photographed. So here is one of their lovely bowls of mac and cheese, straight out of the box.

Here is our delicious dinner. A bit better than mac and cheese and just about as easy. We topped ours with what we had on hand. Tomatoes, olives, green onions and corn. But you can do whatever you like. Put all your favorite things on top and then dig in!

Easy Garlic Cheese Rolls

I saw someone do an onion cheese roll, with swiss cheese. It looked good, but I don't love swiss cheese, so this is my version.

First you set out 12 frozen rolls. Let them rise for a bit, so they aren't frozen anymore, but not totally risen either.

Then brush them with melted butter. You could roll them in butter, but I have a hard time not smashing the dough, so this is easier.

Then sprinkle cheese over the top. We like the bag of pre-shredded Italian cheeses. It gives a lot of good flavor and makes it super easy. Again, you could roll, but, this is easier.

Then sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. I've also thought about mixing garlic into the butter, but that requires a bit more effort and I usually makes these when I am in a hurry, and this is easier.

Then let them fully rise. Bake them at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Don't worry that the cheese fell off a bit. When you bake them, all that cheesy deliciousness is on the bottom and sides.

Here's what they look like finished. As you can tell, we ate before I remembered to get a picture. They are that good.

Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from Judy, my mother-in-law, and I think she got it from ABC 4. I've made a few adjustments to fit my family, but it is still one of our favorite meals.

What's this you ask? My boys, especially Ty, cannot handle even the smallest piece of onion or celery. So I put them in my food processor and make them unrecognizable. Still giving us the flavor and veggies, but too small for Ty and Jordo to know they're there.

Careful though. Chopping onions this finely causes a lot of tear-producing juices.

Here's the veggie mush added into my pot where I was crisping my chopped bacon. Here's another of my switch-ups: I don't like cooking bacon. I feel like that is all I can smell on me and in my house for days after. So I use the pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for the base.

Yet another weird picture. I've cracked a blender before putting the hot soup so I pre-heat my blender with warm water so there isn't the hot-cold shock.

Blend some of the soup to thicken it up. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but I like to do a lot more. Just go until you like the consistency.

And here is dinner. Served with this easy to make fresh baked bread, it was just what this cold spring day needed.

Corn Chowder

4 slices of bacon, chopped

4 T flour

1 sm onion-diced

2 celery stalks- chopped

6 cups corn kernels

4 1/2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 T butter (I don't use this)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon over low-heat til crispy. Add onions and celery, cook til tender. Add flour and stir til smooth. Add milk, broth, corn, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook, covered over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender. Puree 1 1/2 cups of soup in a blender and then add back into the soup. Add butter and stir til melted. Garnish with scallions if you'd like.