Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook. Debbie Macomber

      August Corn Chowder

      M ade in August, this soup highlights the sweetness of just picked fresh corn. But it’s still good made other times of the year using a 16-ounce bag of frozen corn.

      Serves 4

      2 tablespoons unsalted butter

      1 medium onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped

      3 cloves garlic, minced

      1 teaspoon dried whole thyme or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

      Salt and pepper

      3½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

      4 medium boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, unpeeled and diced

      5 ears corn, kernels scraped off

      2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, chopped

      1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar Sour cream and chopped fresh tarragon, for garnish

      1. Melt butter in medium saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add broth and 1 ½ cups water; bring to a simmer.

      2. Add potatoes to simmering broth; cook 20 minutes, until cooked through. Stir in corn kernels and tomatoes; cook 15 minutes.

      3. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar. Garnish servings with sour cream and tarragon.

      TIP

      Substitute always-available cherry tomatoes in the winter months, when beefsteak tomatoes aren’t available.

      Homemade (with Help) Chicken Noodle Soup

      T his classic soup is made easy by using a precooked rotisserie chicken. You’ll need one small roasted chicken for the soup.

      Serves 6

      2 tablespoons olive oil

      1 small onion, finely chopped

      2 large carrots, peeled and very thinly sliced

      1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

      1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried whole thyme

      8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

      3 cups shredded meat from a purchased rotisserie chicken

      3 ounces wide egg noodles (about 1 cup dry)

      ¾ cup frozen peas (about half of a 10-ounce box)

      Salt and pepper

      Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

      1. Warm oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and thyme; cook 8 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally. Pour in broth, shredded chicken and about 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer; let cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender and flavors combine.

      2. Add noodles and peas; cook about 8 minutes, until noodles are tender. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

      TIP

      Because the recipe calls for a large amount of chicken broth, use the reduced-sodium variety.

      Wonton Soup with Pork and Bok Choy

      M aking wontons is a fun activity for the whole family. Look for dumpling skins (sometimes called wonton wrappers) in the refrigerated section of your supermarket or at Asian markets.

      Serves 4

      WONTONS

      1 head baby bok choy, coarsely chopped, stems and leaves separated

      ²/₃ pound ground pork

      2 scallions, minced

      1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

      1 tablespoon soy sauce

      1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

      2 teaspoons granulated sugar

      1 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar

      36 dumpling skins or wonton wrappers

      SOUP

      4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

      2 scallions, minced

      1 clove garlic, minced

      6 ounces snow peas, trimmed

      Asian sesame oil

      1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add salt and bok choy stems; cook 1 minute. Add bok choy leaves; cook 1 minute. Drain; run under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer bok choy to a cutting board; press with a clean dishcloth to squeeze dry. Coarsely chop.

      2. In a large bowl, combine bok choy, pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and vinegar until combined.

      3. Place one wonton wrapper on the countertop. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of dumpling. Dip your finger in a bowl of warm water and moisten the edges of the dumpling. Fold the wrapper over the filling to make a half-moon shape, pressing the wet sides together to seal. Gently bend dumpling to make the classic crescent shape (this looks sort of like a nurse’s cap). Repeat until all dumplings are finished, storing finished dumplings on a baking sheet under a damp dish towel to keep them from drying out.

      4. For soup: In a medium saucepan, combine broth, scallions, garlic and 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add wontons and snow peas and simmer, until filling is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. The dumplings will rise to the top when done.

      5. Ladle the soup into serving bowls; garnish with a dash of sesame oil.

      TIP

      If baby bok choy is unavailable, regular-sized bok choy is a fine substitute.

      Tea

      at 6 RAINIER DRIVE and the VICTORIAN TEA ROOM with

      Justine Gunderson

      I f it wasn’t for Justine I probably wouldn’t have assembled all these recipes. My granddaughter asked me to compile my favorites when she decided to open the Victorian Tea Room. Needless to say, I was honored by her request.

      As any grandmother does, I cherish my grandchildren. However there’s a unique bond between my only granddaughter and me. Tragedy struck Justine’s life early when her twin brother, Jordan, drowned. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Jordan’s death changed her life forever. It affected all of us, but it touched her more deeply than anyone else. That stands to reason, of course, since they were so close—and because she was with him when it happened.

      I didn’t mean to start this chapter with such sad thoughts, especially since my granddaughter’s experienced so many positive changes in the past few years. The day she married Seth Gunderson was surely one of the happiest of her life—her mother’s and mine, too.

      Justine and Seth are well suited and have a solid marriage. I don’t mean to suggest that everything’s gone smoothly for them because I know it hasn’t. But they’ve worked out their problems, some of them caused (deliberately caused!) by a former boyfriend of Justine’s.

      The tea room has replaced The Lighthouse, the restaurant Seth and Justine used to own and which they lost to arson. They’d worked long and hard to make it the success it quickly became. There are