Maine Corn Chowder and Baconized Cornbread

When I began planning for this project I started by flipping through the cookbook and reading some of the recipes. Reading the cookbook is like having a conversation with Marjorie; she has a running commentary mixed into her directions and I feel like I can hear her talking in the background. Some of her words and phrases are this side of ridiculous, i.e. "Allow chowder to ripen for an hour to develop flavor" but I found it captivating and easy to read.

Deciding which recipe to tackle first was no easy task as there are well over 300 recipes in this cookbook alone. I know that soups are well received at the Blue Elephant, so I thought making one would be a nice segue into the project. With this in mind, I settled on making Maine Corn Chowder. The recipe called for few ingredients and had minimal prep time. I was able to prepare and have it ready to go on the stove in under an hour.

To go with the chowder, Baconized Corn Bread. No I'm not making up the phrase, it actually says "Baconized." I have never seen bacon in corn bread but it turned out looking very nice and again the recipe took seconds to assemble and only fifteen minutes in the oven.

The simplicity is one of the things that I love about Marge. That and her high quality food. Come into the Blue Elephant Cafe today and try Marjorie Standish's Maine Corn Chowder and Baconized Cornbread!

Stay tuned for tomorrows recipe...