Sausage and Corn Chowder

I love soup.  Love it.  I never really used to make it at home, but now that I've found a few soup recipes that are really good and really easy, I've been making it more.  That, and the weather is frigid, so soup really hits the spot this time of year.

I think I saw this recipe on a message board somewhere, but I didn't really keep track of where.  Whoops.  I've made several changes to that recipe, so it's kind of turned into a Leanne original anyway.  It's quickly becoming one of my favorite things to make and eat. 

Sausage and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

Tube Jimmy Dean pork sausage with sage (the sage makes the dish - get the one with sage!)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic

1 can creamed corn

16 oz. frozen corn

5-6 medium sized diced potatoes (you can use any kind of potatoes - red, Russet, whatever...you can also skin them if you want)

2 C water

Flour

1 bay leaf

1 can evaporated milk

Black pepper

Hot sauce (optional)

Assembly:

In a large soup pot (I like to use my stock pot), drizzle some olive oil.  Saute onion and garlic until onion is soft.

Add the pork sausage and brown.  Add in your diced potatoes, can of creamed corn and bag of frozen corn.  Mix a bit of flour into your 2 C water to thicken it, and pour into the pot.  (Add more flour to pot if you still want it a bit thicker.) 

Add in bay leaf and bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft.

Add one can evaporated milk and stir well.  Cook until heated through.  Remove bay leaf.

Serve with black pepper and hot sauce, and maybe some warm crusty bread on the side.