Cheddar and Potato Corn Chowder

It isn't often that Ben LOVES a healthy recipe. But he LOVES this one. It probably the bacon.  And the cheese. And don't forget the potatoes. Yum. You wouldn't even guess that it is only around 250 calories a serving. With some cornbread on the side, you have a perfect meal for any season.

Ingredients:
4 ears of corn, shucked, kernels removed, cobs reserved
1 quart of reduced sodium chicken broth
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (I used Idaho)
1/3 cup white wine
2 slices of bacon
1/2 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Place broth and corncobs in a large saucepan; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, but reserve the grease (if you don't have any grease, add 1 Tbs butter to the pan now). Add onion; cook 4 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in wine. Remove the corn cobs from the broth. Add onion mixture to broth, also adding the potatoes, thyme, bacon, and salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are done. In a small cup, whisk together the milk and flour. Add to broth with corn kernels and return to a boil. Cook until slightly thickened. In a blender puree 1 1/2 cups of the chowder until smooth. Return puree to remaining chowder. Add cheese and hot sauce.