Creamy Corn and Turkey Chowder

 If you know me at all, you know I love a good homemade soup. You also know that I'm one of those cooks that wings it and just throws this and that into a pot until it looks and tastes right. I'm trying to pay more attention to measuring ingredients and writing things down so that I can tweak and replicate recipes and share with others. So here you have a post Thanksgiving recipe for Creamy Corn and Turkey Chowder. Whether you  follow the recipe or not, I hope you enjoy it!

 Creamy Corn and Turkey Chowder

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 cup  chopped onions

1 red pepper, chopped, divided

2 Tbsp.  butter or margarine

6-8 oz.   cream cheese, cubed

2 cups   shredded cooked turkey (or chicken)

1 can  (14.75 oz.) corn, cream-style or regular

3 cups  turkey stock or chicken broth

1 1/2 cups  milk

1/2 tsp.  cracked black pepper

Toppings: 
red peppers
shredded cheese
crumbled bacon
green onions

Directions:   
 Melt butter in large saucepan and add onions and half the red peppers. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
Add the cubed cream cheese; cook on low heat 3 to 4 min. or until melted, stirring constantly. Stir in turkey, corn, broth and milk.
Cook approximately 5 minutes or until soup is heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with remaining red peppers, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and/or black pepper. 
  
Notes:  
As with any soup, there's plenty of wiggle room for changing it up. I made this right after Thanksgiving so I had lots of leftovers to work with - turkey stock, shredded turkey, corn, and mashed potatoes. Yes, I used mashed potatoes to thicken it up a bit. If you'd like a thicker soup and you don't have leftover mashed potatoes or a packet of instant potatoes, whisk some flour in with your milk before adding it to the pot. Then simmer a bit longer until the soup thickens up.