CORN CHOWDER, CORN SALSA, CORNBREAD - THIS IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN CORN IS ON SALE, PEOPLE.

If you are lucky, you have a soup pot that has lasted you years and years, and never lets you down.

And pretty ceramic serving bowls never hurt.

This past week one of our local farmers markets had corn, 5/$1. I rushed to that market, shucked the corn ears there, brought 'em home, and served them to kids at a dinner party Saturday evening. Sunday afternoon during football, I sliced the left over corn off the ears and made three dishes out of that one produce sale: corn chowder, corn salsa, and what I call Righteous cornbread.

If you are lucky, you can get the vegetables in little mouths one way or another.

I always think of corn as a summer staple, but I wasn't questioning why it was being offered so ridiculously reasonable. The combined thrill of saving money on fresh produce with the prospect of baking, stewing and sauteeing it overwhelmed the subtle domestic side of my personality so that I almost neglected to buy our pumpkins (also on sale).

If you are lucky, you have similar farmers markets, where sustenance is simple and beautiful.

Here is the corn chowder recipe for what you see above - I like to tell myself that the vegetables in in offset the butter and cream (read: fat) factor. But soup is such a comfort food (forgive me for inserting that overused term) that sitting down with a steamy bowl of chowder on a cool, windy day with a book or to watch a ball game that your spirit will be lifted, pleasant memories will be evoked, and your system will be better for it. Calorie excess or serotonin boost?

If you are lucky, you have such dilemmas.

CORN CHOWDER

5 slices bacon, diced

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 stalks of celery, washed and sliced

32. oz chicken stock

2-3 red potatoes (unpeeled, gives the soup needed color), cut into small cubes

2 cups of corn, cut off cooked ears (if you don't have corn, I suggest frozen, NOT canned)

8 oz. heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. Old bay seasoning

handful of washed flat leaf parsley, cut well

In your large soup/stock pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat, rendering out all of the fat and crisping the meat.

When bacon is crisped, remove and set out onto a plate covered with a paper towel.

Into bacon fat, add butter and melt.

Add garlic and celery, sautee until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add flour to form a roux, stirring with a wooden spoon or whisking constantly.

When your roux is formed (butter/fat and flour have a paste-like consistency), add chicken stock.

Bring to a boil.

Add potatoes, have soup on a high simmer/low boil until potatoes are soft, about five minutes (they shouldn't take long to cook through, as they are chopped small).

Add corn, cream, milk, Old bay, and parsley.

Cook over medium-low heat just until all ingredients come together (taste to check for seasonings, too).

Serve right away.

ROASTED CORN SALSA

This is so subjective. The corn provides so much sweetness. I use whatever I have on hand for this. Sunday, it happened to be...

1 cup of left over, steamed corn

1/2 red onion, diced fine

1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped

yellow teardrop tomatoes

fresh basil leaves

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt (no more than 1/2 tsp.) and pepper to taste

squeeze of lime juice

optional: 1 can of black beans, strained and rinsed

Dry-sautee the corn over low heat in an omelette pan, like the way you would toast pine nuts, until the corn gets fragrant (about 1 minute, pushing it around with a wooden spoon all the while). You can also put the shucked corn under the broiler for a few seconds until it starts to brown.

Slice the teardrop tomatoes in half.

Chiffonade the basil leaves, use as many as you want, I use about 8-10, depending on size.

In a bowl, add corn, red onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Squeeze lime juice over all ingredients.

Mix well.

RIGHTEOUS CORNBREAD

Nothing beats this with slaw in the summer, or with chili on the fall. Great with honey butter.

2 cups buttermilk baking mix

4-6 tbsp. cornmeal

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk - or 2/3 cup milk + 1/2 cup sour cream *

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup corn (fresh, left over, defrosted, canned, will do but freshly cooked is best)

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Optional: 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese

(1) 4 oz. can mild fire-roasted green chilies (or 1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped extra fine)

Preheat oven to 35 degrees.

Mix all ingredients and bake for 35-40 minutes.

* I plan on using only buttermilk next time. I'll let you know how it goes.