Cut bacon strips lengthwise and then strips cut into ½-inch pieces. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon until golden, stirring frequently. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on several thicknesses of paper towels to drain.

Pour bacon fat from Dutch oven into a small bowl, then measure 2 tablespoons and return it to the pot. Discard remaining bacon fat or use for another purpose. Add diced onions and cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft and translucent. Stir the onions occasionally . After they cook for a few minutes, you’ll be able to scrape the bacon “frond” (brown stuff) from the bottom of the pot. This will add wonderful flavor to your soup. Add flour and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring continually.

Add chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of the rosemary and salt and pepper to the pot with the onion mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are very tender. Try one of each before you proceed to the next step to make sure they’re done, since every stove is different.

While the soup is simmering, combine milk and one bag of thawed corn in a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until mixture is silky smooth. You may have to stop a few times to stir the mixture and keep it moving.

When carrots and potatoes are tender, remove bay leaves then add the corn/milk mixture to the pot along with the other 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary, the turkey and the second bag of corn. Return to a simmer then taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve in bowls garnished with a small scoop of the bacon bits and a little extra chopped rosemary, if desired.