If it's Friday, it must be Tacoma. Back from both sunny So-Cal and the frigid North, Tacoma feels like home—moist, raining, temperature in the 40s. Seeing more four-door sedans, Smart Cars, and bicycles than pickup trucks is a sure sign that I'm not in Duluth anymore. Joggers, walkers, and gardeners are other elements missing from a Duluth screenshot. When the high is one degree (that's right—1), staying inside looks good. Even Bob, who has the world's record for most days days started with a walk, suited up, went out the door and was back in ten minutes. Nose and ears red, fingers blue and numb, feet unavailable for comment—Lake Superior winds take no prisoners, one false step and you're frozen to the sidewalk. For the winter, he'll be a treadmill sort of a guy.

So in spite of the onset  of darkeness in Puget Sound at 3:30, the consistent grey skies during our short winter day, a much heavier traffic pattern, and the constant rain—this is me not complaining. Throw another log on the fire, crank up the music, and make yourself some chicken soup,

Ginny's Chicken Chowder with Cheddar
 
Chicken and broth:
• 1 cut up fryer
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 3 quarts water
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into eighths
• 1 rib celery, cut into 2” chunks
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 Tbs. whole
•  black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. salt

Soup:
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 ribs finely chopped celery
• 1 medium red pepper, finely chopped
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/8 to ¼ tsp. cayenne
• ½ to 1 tsp. salt
• Ground black pepper
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 1 cup grated medium sharp cheddar cheese
 
Put into an 8-quart stockpot. Add water, thyme sprigs, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and salt. Bring to a boil and skim the foam from the top. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the pieces of chicken and let cool.

Continue simmering broth for 30 minutes. Strain broth and reserve four cups. (The remainder can be saved for another use.) When the chicken is cool, tear meat from bones into bite sized shred. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In 6-quart pot, cook the bacon on medium heat until browned and cooked through. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Pour bacon fat from pan, put olive oil into pan and add onion. Sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, celery, and pepper. Cover pot and cook 5 minutes. Pour 4 cups reserved broth into the pan and add bacon, potatoes, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Puree about 2 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor, adding the half-and-half and cheese. When smooth and well blended, stir back into soup. Stir in chicken and reserved thyme.