Down Home Chicken Corn Soup

"Sometimes I lifted a chicken that warn't roosting comfortable, and took him along. Pap always said, take a chicken when you get a chance, because if you don't want him yourself you can easy find somebody that does, and a good deed ain't ever forgot. I never see Pap when he didn't want the chicken himself, but that is what he used to say, anyway." - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

"Knee-high by the Fourth of July" - American corn farming maxim

This soup is absolutely delicious during cold seasons, but is best made in summer, during the height of corn season. And in Fall. And Spring. Pretty much whenever you need a taste of home is a good time to make a huge pot of it.

Recipe: 

• 6 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1-lbs. can cream style corn
• 6 ears of fresh corn
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 2 tbsp. shredded carrot
• 1 tbsp. finely minced parsley
• 2 pinches ground cloves
• 1 cup dried Spaetzel
• 1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken

 In large saucepan, cook butter, onion and celery over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 5 to 6 minutes longer, until mixture is golden. Add broth and whisk until smooth, raising the heat a little. With a sharp knife, take the ears of corn one by one and, holding them with one end sitting on a cutting board, cut the corn off all around the cob. Add ALL the remaining ingredients except for the chicken, the fresh corn and Spaetzel, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add chicken, Spaetzel and fresh corn just before serving - allow soup to stand for a few minutes to heat completely before serving.

Enjoy!