Two Recipes: Crab Chowder and Pork Chops and Rice

I've been cooking up a storm during the month that our oldest has been home for college. It's fun to cook for someone who has been eating college food for a few months and is desperate for a home-cooked meal.

Last night was his last supper at home until spring break, so I gave him a choice of pork chops and rice or crab chowder. It was a hard choice for him, but eventually he settled on the soup. This was my first attempt, and he said it was the best soup ever.

Crab Chowder

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 lb. crab meat, drained
1 can corn, drained
1-2 potatoes, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
a few dashes of hot sauce

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Stir in everything else. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings.

And here is the recipe for pork chops and rice, which I'll make later this week and miss him.

Pork Chops and Rice

6 pork chops
3 TB oil
1 large onion, cut into 6 slices
2 tsp. chili powder
1-1/4 c. water
2 tsp. salt
1 c. uncooked rice
1 eight-ounce can tomato sauce

Brown chops well on both sides in skillet. Remove and brown onion slices. Remove, stir in chili powder and cook 1-2 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and heat to boiling. Pour into a 9 X 13 baking dish. Arrange browned chops over rice and place an onion slice on each chop. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about an hour or until liquid is absorbed.

Linked up on Tasty Tuesday and on favorite soups at Raising Olives, Smockity Frocks, and The Common Room