Friday, May 4, 2018

On The Menu - Clam Chowder

From Brenda's 'I Hate To Cook' Kitchen

Clam Chowder
Soup can be a whole meal if it’s rich and thick the way we like clam chowder. Add a side salad using pre-cut lettuce and you’ve got a good “I Hate to Cook” dinner.

I’m going out on a limb today and listing amounts for the ingredients. I cook mostly by feel and taste. I’d say this will feed four people of normal appetites if you include a salad. You could serve warm bread or crackers with it, too.

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes (white potatoes are my choice, unpeeled)
2 medium carrots
3 tbs butter
1 large onion
2 cans chopped clams
Milk
Half and half
Juice from canned clams

Dice the potatoes into ½ to 1-inch pieces. Boil until soft but not mushy. Mash about half of them. You want chunks, and the mashed ones give the soup its thickness.
Cook carrots and cut into small pieces.
In a large kettle, spoon in about three tablespoons of butter. Real butter is best. And if you really like butter and richness, add more. Chop the onion then sauté in the butter.
Once the onions are translucent, mix all of the above together in the kettle and add enough half and half, milk and a bit of clam juice to the consistency you like. We like ours thick. I tend to use more half and half than milk. Rich, rich, rich. 

About Brenda: Brenda and her husband are gypsies at heart having lived in six states and two countries. Currently, they split their time between the Lake Roosevelt basin in Central Arizona and the pines in the north. Wherever Brenda opens her laptop, she spends most of her time writing stories of discovery and love entangled with suspense.

In the first book of my Love and Murder Series, The Art of Love and Murder, Lacy and Chance have dinner at the California inspired restaurant called the Brie in the small college town of Flagstaff, Arizona. They have seafood.
The Art of Love and Murder, book one in the series:
A mother she never knew, the identity of her father disputed – secrets, threats and murder. Lacy’s past and present collide spinning her deeper into danger and further from love.
All of the Love and Murder Series books can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8

8 comments:

Jannine Gallant said...

Sounds yummy, Brenda. If you want to add a whole lot more calories, hollow out sourdough rounds, and serve it in a bread bowl you can eat with the chowder.

Brenda Whiteside said...

I feel fatter just reading that, Jannine.

Cat Dubie said...

I'll have to try that delicious-sounding recipe – clam chowder is my husband's favorite soup/meal. Best of luck with The Art of Love and Murder!

Joanne Guidoccio said...

YUM...your clam chowder sounds heavenly. Good luck with The Art of Love and Murder! :)

Ilona Fridl said...

Soup and salad makes a wonderful supper. I've made that often. Great idea!

Brenda Whiteside said...

Hi Cat. Hope you do. If you like spicy, I some times add a dash of cayenne pepper.

Brenda Whiteside said...

Thanks, Joanne!

Brenda Whiteside said...

I agree, Ilona. Perfect, especially in the summer.