Potato Chowder & Corn Bread

same outfit, but with sneaks!

I bought some new sneakers today for our exciting trip to . . . 

NEW ZEALAND!!!

Yes, indeedy, we are headed to the country that stood in for Tolkien's Middle Earth.

We have been interested in going for a long time, and the Lord of the Rings movies (filmed there) increased the desire, and we just bought our plane tickets last night.

Woo hoo!

More details to come on our itinerary,

flight info, and packing (that's the fun part!)

This year (March 16) is a big anniversary for us, and we are celebrating by taking some BIG trips and sharing the adventure that comes our way by going out of our normal routines.

I am EXCITED to see what we learn and see

(and you'll be with us on the journey by reading along!)

Now let's talk about these really cute sneakers

(from Target!)

 I don't have any comfy sneakers that are cute enough to wear when I'm not exercising, and these fit the bill.

I bought black . . . 

And gray!

For $16.99, it's hard to go wrong.

They are much comfier than Converse, too - 

the toes and heels on Converse KILL my feet, and the soles are like plywood.

I love the look of them, but not the feel!

Surprisingly, I like the feel AND the look of this Target version much better.

The rubber part on the toes doesn't come up as far

and the sole is softer and more flexible and cushy.

They're also less canoe-like and more rounded.

I won't wear the two colors together like this,

but it was fun to wear un-matching shoes!

Then I got to cooking!

Tonight I made potato chowder.

To me, "chowder" is any stew with a white or yellow-ish sauce that has potatoes 

and corn kernels in it.

Here's what it really means.

I chopped up all the vegetables (onions first, then carrots and taters) 

and cooked them in a big pot.

I started out with a recipe as a guideline,

but adjusted and threw things in as I went along,

after I had decided what I wanted the results to be

(thick, chunky, flavorful, slightly spicy, full of veggies, but simple veggies only).

Then I added vegetable broth, spices, and 1/4 cup of buckwheat groats in there.

Buckwheat groats act like barley in a soup/stew, but they're gluten-free!

They add a nice texture and flavor, as well as thickening up the broth.

I also made corn bread.

I followed a recipe to the letter for this one except for altering it to make it gluten-free. 

I got a thumbs-up review from The Man, and everything was very tasty and satisfying to me, too, so this meal will be going in our rotation!

Hooray!

Happy Friday!