Clam Chowder!!!

Ok, pics looks like they're all out of order again. Sorry about that. I try uploading them in the order in which they're supposed to happen, and then this blogger rearranges them all wonky on me. *sigh* Maybe one day I'll have time to play around with it. Not now though.

So, here's my Clam Chowder recipe.

Dice then fry up 1 pound of bacon in large dutch oven. Remove bacon and most of the drippings, leaving about 1/4 cup drippings still in the pot. Dice up 1 onion and 1/2 celery heart, lightly salt (though I forgot this step last night) and saute till translucent. Dice up (bite-size chunks) 3 scrubbed but unpeeled potatoes & toss into pot with onion & celery. Drain 2 cans of chopped clams, reserving the juice. Pour clam juice over the potatoes, and then top with enough chicken stock (I use the good quality store-bought stuff) to cover the potatoes. Cover with lid & simmer about 20 minutes, or till potatoes are tender, but not mushy. If needs be, take the top off the pot & simmer some of the broth down (you want room in the pot for the half&half). At the last minute you're going to want to add in at least 1 pint of half&half (or cream, if you REALLY wanna heart-attack) and the clams. Give it a stir to heat the clams & half&half, but don't boil (or clams will become rubbery). Ladle into bowls, top with a handful of crumbled bacon, and enjoy!

I go really light on seasoning, usually just a dash of salt & pepper to taste. The bacon & onions & clams have soooo much flavor you really don't want to do too much, or you'll take away from the simplicity. And this makes a big ol' dutch oven full of soup, enough for about 6 servings or so (depending on how much you put in each bowl). As you can see, it's not a terribly thick & creamy soup, it's got half & half, but it's not extremely heavy. It's just perfect. And it really is best right off the stove-top. It's good the second day, but it's best fresh.

To store, stir in any remaining bacon, & refridgerate. Reheat carefully & slowly.

Oh, and in case anybody looks at those pictures and thinks "That looks like a heck of a lot more than 1 pound of bacon" or onions, or celery, etc.... That's because I doubled the batch so DH could share some with his best buddy. *grin*

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Well, gotta go get ready to go out. DH decided that in celebration of his new job (he's warehouseman for a local chemical company), we're going out to one of our favorite resteraunts for dinner. They've got incredible nachos that'll feed a family, for VERY reasonable prices. I mean, they fry up the tortilla shells when the nachos are ordered, top with your chosen toppings (chicken, beef, or no-meat, cheese, fresh tomatoes, onions, olives, jalapeno slices, sour cream, guacamole), stack another tortilla shell & more toppings, then cut into wedges. Last time we were up the 3 of us ate & were full (ok, we did have desert, also) for 11.95 for this huge platter of nachos. For the 3 of us to eat well, and enjoy the meal (and a drink each, including DD's "Shirley Temple") we spent just under 30 dollars with a 5 dollar tip. Anyway, it's been over a year, so we're going up tonight for nachos at Ivory Jacks. YUM!

See ya!!!!

Have a Blessed Day!