I'm doing something I almost never do by posting a recipe the night I made it.We just finished eating about 10 minutes ago and here I am, writing. While this is not the Shrimp with Green Bean with Garlic I planned to make tonight, I'm ok with that. Actually, I'm more than ok with that because this impromptu Shrimp Chowder blew me away! So much so that I needed to tell you about it right away, giving you a chance to make it before the weather gets too warm (I personally can't eat soup in warm weather).

Upon getting home from work, JR declared he wanted soup because he hadn't been able to warm up all day. We went from having 80 degree temperatures a few weeks ago down to 20 degree lows this week. I wish Mother Nature would make up her mind and stop teasing us! But had that been the case, I may not have been able to share this with you so I'll accept it for what it is.

I did a quick Google search for Shrimp Chowder and came up with this recipe from Epicurious. It was a good starting point from which I adapted to boost the flavors and use up what I had on hand. This was creamy, chunky, mild yet flavorful and definitely satisfying!

Here is what you'll need:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp sofrito (I used Goya frozen)
• 1 ginormous potato, diced (~2 medium-large potatoes)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups seafood stock
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 lb raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 cup 2% milk

In a large hot Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add olive oil, onions and sofrito. Saute until the onions become translucent. Add potato, salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring as needed, until potatoes begin to brown. Add garlic, stir and cook for about 1 minute until garlic becomes fragrant.

Add seafood stock and simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot from time to time to loosen the brown bits, until potatoes are cooked. Meanwhile season shrimp with seasoned salt.

When potatoes are cooked, add remaining ingredients to the Dutch oven. Bring chowder up to barely a simmer for about 5-8 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Be careful to not bring this to bubble or boil. Serves 6.

Source: Adapted from Epicurious