Golden Clam Chowder Recipe

Comfort food at its best! Yes, you can have a warm, homemade bowl of Clam Chowder for dinner tonight. This soup is seasoned expertly and the thyme adds a great dimension of flavor.

Ingredients

2 celery ribs

2 medium carrots

1 medium onion

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) minced clams, undrained

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Finely chop the celery, carrots and onion. In a Dutch oven, saute vegetables in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, clams, clam juice, 1 cup water, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Gradually stir in milk; heat through. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into chowder. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in bacon. Yield: 7 servings.

14 Thanksgiving Recipes 2012

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  We get up early at my house to start cookin' and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My daughter loves watching Santa Claus come through at the end. She'll stand in front of the TV and wave back at him.  Later on, all the family comes over.  The boys usually go outside & play football or croquet while the women hang out indoors chatting & cooking.  Sitting around & enjoying good food with family & friends is always much needed.  As night falls, we all retreat outdoors in front of a bonfire, share stories, songs, and sip hot cocoa.

Thanksgiving isn't too far away.  I always plan ahead of time.  My relatives love the new recipes I try out every year.  Are you a traditional stick-with-the-same-recipes-year-after-year type, or a switch-it-up type?  Either way, these Thanksgiving recipes should help you prepare a incredible, comforting meal for your family.  Click titles for recipes.

Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Stuffing with Celery & Mushrooms

Recipe From Skinny Taste

Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes 

Recipe from Southern Living

Vermont Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe from Almanac

Pecan Pie Stuffed Cupcakes

Recipe from Betty Crocker

Roast Turkey with Brown Sugar & Mustard Glaze

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Festive Potato Leaves

Recipe from She Knows

5 Minute Pumpkin Pie Dip

Recipe from Cooking Classy

Cranberry Turtle Bars

Recipe from Pixelated Crumb

Spiced Roasted Cornish Hen with Brown Rice Pilaf

Recipe from Kiran Tarun

French Green Beans with Baby Bella Mushrooms

Recipe from Pham Fatale

From Scratch Green Bean Casserole

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Sourdough Stuffing with Sage Sausage and Apples

Recipe from Munchin with Munchkin

Easy Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Biscuits

Recipe from Skinny Taste

More sources for great Thanksgiving recipes:

Southern Living Thanksgiving
Better Homes & Gardens
Moms Who Think Thanksgiving

Chicken & Mushroom Rolls, Honey Sesame Chicken, Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball, & Melt-in-your-Mouth Oven Roasted Potatoes

Please do yourselves all a favor & try this recipe from Adora's Box. I thought it looked good. I know well enough to trust my intuitions. Putting these on the table tonight made me very excited because my family loves hearty dishes like this. It's like eating a sub sandwich except the filling is contained and therefore doesn't fall out the sides. Good enough to make my monthly dinner rotation. 

Chicken & Mushroom Rolls from Adora's Box
Click here for recipe

More noteworthy recipes:

Honey Sesame Chicken from Sea Salt with Food
Click here for recipe

Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball from Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Click here for recipe

Melt-in-your-Mouth Oven Roasted Potatoes from My Adventures in the Country
Click here for recipe

Effortless Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Let's face it; summer is over. The kids are back in school, football season has begun. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are beginning to cool.  Pretty soon our wood stove will be pumping heat throughout our cozy home. Ugh, I love it. We have this large stone fireplace in our living room surrounded by the two most comfortable micro-suede armchairs ever.  Nothing feels as much like home as sitting in front of the fire, room dimly lit, covered up in a fleece blanket, eating a bowl of this hearty and very easy beef stew after a long day.  The best part is, this beef stew recipe uses a Crock Pot, so it's effortless. Set it & forget it! 

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef stew meat

4 potatoes, chopped

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 14.5 can diced tomatoes

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 TBS basil

1 TBS oregano

½ TBS paprika

2 TBS minced garlic

½ TBS salt

1 tsp pepper

3 cubes of beef bouillon

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

4-5 cups water

Directions:

1. Brown stew meat in a large nonstick pan over high heat.

2. Add all ingredients to the crock pot and stir a bit to mix.

3. Cook stew in the crock pot for 7-8 hours on low.

The Patriot's Potato Salad

No better way to celebrate our nation's independence than by showing our colors. Well, and uh, fireworks of course.  Here's a colorful side dish to add to your menu, The Patriot's Potato Salad.  A trio of potatoes comes together to make this festive side.

• Ingredients:
• 2 cups fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise (about 10 ounces)
• 2 cups small red potatoes, quartered (about 10 ounces)
• 2 cups small blue potatoes, halved lengthwise (about 10 ounces)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 3 hard-cooked large eggs, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

1. Place fingerling and red potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Place potatoes in a large bowl.
2. Place blue potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Add blue potatoes, onion, parsley, dill, chives, and eggs to bowl; toss gently.
3. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients. Pour over potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Note: Blue potatoes are starchier than the others and tend to bleed, so cook them separately. If you need to, prepare this dish a day ahead, but add the blue potatoes just before serving. If your potatoes are larger than the ones we call for, cut them to a uniform size.

Summer Salad Line-up 2012

  What comes to mind when you think about summertime?  How about the fact that it’s grilling season?  Around my house, grilling & summer food are a big deal.  All the fresh ingredients...ugh…like heaven.  Well anyways, what accompanies grilled food oh so well?  Creamy, delicious, summer salads.  Here is a compilation of the tastiest for your Summer 2012.

Garden Pasta Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing

This one uses fresh garden vegetables and herbs and a super easy lemon dijon dressing to make it the perfect barbeque or picnic accompaniment. This recipe is just a starting point; switch up the vegetables and herbs depending on what's available. Use what you like in whatever combination you like, it's all good. Crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese is also a great addition to this simple salad.

Ingredients:

6 cups cooked cold pasta (rotini and fuscilli work well)

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs (here I've used mint, basil, oregano and chives)

Lemon Dijon Dressing:

1/2 cup plain mayonnaise

1/4 cup lemon juice (alternatively apple cider vinegar is very good too)

zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to season

3 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard

1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

Whisk or shake together and toss with all of the ingredients above. This salad is best when left for a couple of hours or overnight for the flavors to meld.

Roasted Potato Salad

A new take on an old favorite.  This updated potato salad also features artichokes and bell peppers,  all coated in a creamy, blue cheese sour cream dressing. 

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped

4 cups red potatoes, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

6 oz artichoke hearts, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp deli mustard

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425.

Directions:

On a baking sheet, place the red onions, potatoes and pell pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, toss to coat. Roast at 425 for 25-35 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender, tossing every 10-15 minutes while roasting. Allow to cool.

In a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, along with the roasted vegetables and toss to coat. You can serve this either warm or cold, depending on your preference.

Gemelli with Tomatoes, Olives & Ricotta

Light and fresh, and topped with a cool dollop of fresh ricotta. Simply said – it’s just plain good.

Ingredients:

Coarse salt

8 ounces gemelli (or fusilli or penne)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons capers, rinsed

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1/3 cup fresh basil, torn

Fresh ricotta cheese, for serving

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain. Drizzle with just enough oil to coat, so the pasta doesn’t clump.

Pulse sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, capers, and garlic in a food processor. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss together pasta, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, grape tomatoes, olives, basil, and salt. Transfer to serving plates. Top with a scoop of ricotta, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with pepper.

Creamy Grape Salad

This creamy grape salad is fresh and light, with just the right balance of sweet and tart. 

Ingredients: 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 

1 cup sour cream 

1/3 cup sugar 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 pounds seedless red grapes 

2 pounds seedless green grapes 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Mix in the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir in the grapes until evenly coated. Mix in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and toasted almonds.

Serve chilled. Top with the remaining brown sugar and almonds.

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill

Ingredients: 

4 cucumbers, thinly sliced

2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or to taste  

1 small white onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp. sour cream whisked with 3 tbs of White Vinegar

1 tsp cracked pepper

Directions:

Toss together the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Gently toss in the sour cream mixture, then srir in pepper and dill, cover, and refrigerate until cold. This can also be eaten at room temperature, but be sure to allow the cucumbers to marinate for at least 1 hour. 

Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes

A Thanksgiving meal just isn't the same without some good ol' mashed potatoes.  This year I'm using red potatoes to make these Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes from Food.com.  

Ingredients:

 2 1/2 lbs unpeeled quartered red potatoes

3 cloves peeled garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

2 -4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream

 

Directions:

Place potatoes & garlic in water.

Add salt.

Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender.

Drain potatoes.

Add pepper and butter.

Add sour cream and mash all together until creamy.