Chicken and Corn Chowder

Our first foray into Williams-Sonoma's Month of 30-Minute Meals feature is Chicken and Corn Chowder.

We had to make a few substitutions this time because our grocer had run out of required ingredients:

• We used chicken tenders instead of boneless, skinless chicken thighs


• We subbed in 1 tablespoon of dried thyme instead of fresh

We should also point out that the carton of half-and-half we used provided us with only 2 cups worth, whereas the recipe calls for 2.5 cups. We didn't notice anything wrong with the texture of the chowder, though, so it was a great way to save ourselves a few calories.

The recipe called for dry white wine, and because we're often at a loss for what that means, we did some research. Savignon blanc and chardonnay are the most notable of the dry whites; pinot grigio and riesling are considered "medium-dry" whites, and can also be used. We had two bottles of savignon blanc hanging out in our wine cabinet, so we went with that.

First, the bacon is prepared in a large stock pot or dutch oven and set aside. Three tablespoons of the bacon fat are retained in the pot and are used to sautee the potatoes, corn, and red bell pepper. (Those with an aversion to bacon fat could substitute an equal quantity of canola or extra virgin olive oil.) We happen to love all things bacon, so we stuck to the recipe there.

After sauteeing the vegetables at medium heat for 5 minutes, the broth and wine are added and the mixture is brought to a boil. Once boiling, the pot is covered and cooked for 5 more minutes.

Then, the chicken is added and cooked, covered, for 5-7 more minutes.

The green onions, half and half, thyme, salt, and pepper are added, and the mixture is brought to a simmer, at which point the heat is reduced to medium low and cooked for one last 3-minute segment. The chowder can then be ladled into bowls and topped with (delicious) bacon.

Although advertised as a 30-minute meal, this took slightly longer (45 minutes) to prepare. Still, it was a low-maintenance dish and perfect for a weeknight meal. It received rave reviews from our tasters, and is definitely something we'd look to make again (although not very often - it's so rich that we're sure it's not waistline friendly!). All-in-all, a solid, easy to prepare dish to fend off the winter blues!

Tiny Twice-Baked Potatoes

Our next recipe comes from an appetizer issue of Fine Cooking that we picked up in the grocery line one day: Tiny Twice-Baked Potatoes. As we skimmed through the pages for inspiration, these tiny taters caught our eye, perfectly evoking the home-style appetizer theme of our party.

Regrettably, we only managed to capture a single picture, but it should give you an idea of the scale you'll be working with before you begin. Our grocer was out of small Yukon gold potatoes, so we grabbed some new red potatoes instead.

First, the potatoes are roasted in olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Once out of the oven, they're cooled to room temperature and the top one-quarter to one-third of each potato is removed. (Try not to eat the tops as you slice them off - we dare you!)

Scooping out the potato flesh is a time-consuming operation. We did it with a tea spoon, but we'd be willing to bet that a melon baller would have been much easier to work with. The flesh is reserved in a small bowl and, once all of it has been collected, it's mixed with bacon, chives, and sour cream (or creme fraiche, which is the path we chose). The mixture is spooned back into the potatoes, topped with grated Parmesan, and baked for about 10 minutes in a 450-degree oven.

As the recipe suggests, you can do most of this prep ahead of time, provided that you diligently wrap the potatoes and filling separately in plastic so they don't dry out. We wrapped out filling bowl a little too loosely, so it was a little difficult to work with when we went to spoon it into our spuds.

We've had several guests from our party call and e-mail us for this recipe, some of them planning to use it for their own holiday meals. We'd guess that makes it a success, although we couldn't provide a ruling ourselves - by the time we made it to our buffet table for a sample, the potatoes were already all gone! So we're relying on reviews from our critics as we proudly bestow upon this appetizer the label of "YTK Favorite"!