Hearty Corn Chowder - I'm Still Stocking the Freezer

I'm really enjoying stocking our freezer with soups and casseroles.  It makes these cold, windy days a little more bearable when I know I can pull out a bag of soup from the freezer for lunch.  Even better, I was able to whip this up one day while the kids were eating their lunch and let it simmer while we read our story.  There's nothing like a hot soup and a great book to make naptime even sweeter!!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 1/2 cups hot water
2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups frozen kernel corn
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons flour
1 quart half-and-half

Saute onions and celery in butter until tender.  Add water, potatoes, corn, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.  In a small bowl, whisk flour into 1 cup of half-and-half.  Stir into soup, then add remaining half-and-half.  Heat until desired thickness, stirring frequently.

Serving tip:  Top with shredded cheese and bacon pieces.  This soup is actually begging for bacon and I definitely need to fry some up for the leftovers!!

Freezing:  If you're going to freeze this, cool completely and freeze in freezer bags.  Make sure to remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing and lay flat to freeze.  You can also stack them in a cake pan to help them lie flat and contain any leaks.  Before serving, thaw completely and heat on the stove until heated through, but do not let it boil.