Salmon Chowder

It's finally soup weather here in Texas, so I was excited to make it all day! My husband requested Salmon Chowder, which I have made before from a recipe from my sister. I adjusted it to our tastes/what I had, and we loved it even more, so here is the new and improved soup:

Salmon Chowder
3 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups diced potatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 (6 oz.) can salmon, skinless & boneless
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cooked corn on the cob, kernels cut off
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper, and dill weed. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. In a small bowl mix the corn starch and about 1 tbsp. of cold water to a smooth consistency. Add to the soup and stir in. Stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn and cheese and cook until heated through and thickened.

Pumpkin Smoothie

I found the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Pumpkin Smoothie's and couldn't wait to try it. It calls for a 15 oz. can of pumpkin pie filling, but I could only find the 29 oz. cans in my store, so I bought a 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin puree. I tried it today and loved it, though my ingredients and quantities differed some. Here's what I threw together (and my version is healthier!):

15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
3 cups 2% milk
1/2-1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup sugar (or less, to taste)

AT LEAST A FEW HOURS BEFORE, put the pumpkin puree in a small freezer-safe dish and place in the freezer. This gives it the icy texture needed for smoothies.

Pull out the pumpkin and scoop it into the blender. I actually only used about 2/3 of the can and it was plenty pumpkiny for me. It wasn't all that "icy" so if you like thickness in a drink, you could add some ice. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend. Simple, quick and delicious! No pictures because my friends and I drank them up too quickly. :)