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.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

It's been freakin' cold lately. Comfort yourself by making a hot & hearty supper like this Broccoli Cheese Soup. This simple soup has basic ingredients, but it tastes so good. The green broccoli florets and the brilliant orange carrots make this creamy soup a colorful addition to any table.

Ingredients

2 cups sliced fresh carrots

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup sliced celery

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed chicken broth, undiluted

4 cups whole milk

1/2 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add carrots, broccoli and celery; cover and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In the same saucepan, saute onion in butter. Add flour and stir to make smooth paste. Gradually add chicken broth and milk. Cook until mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Add vegetables; heat until tender. Add cheese; heat until cheese is melted. Yield: 6-8 servings (2 quarts).

Slow-Cooker White Bean and Sausage Stew

Ingredients

• 6 (3 oz.) Italian sausages
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 (15 oz.) cans white beans (Great Northern or navy), rinsed and drained
• 1 (28 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Poke holes in sausages and put in a large nonstick skillet. Add 1/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook sausages, turning, until lightly browned and water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes and thyme.
2. Put half of bean mixture into a slow cooker. Arrange sausages on top, followed by remaining beans. Cook on high for 4 hours. Check after 2 hours and add water if mixture looks dry.
3. Remove sausages; slice thickly. Season beans with salt and pepper. Return sausage to stew. (Stew can be kept, frozen and tightly sealed, for up to 1 month.)

All You 

OCTOBER 2006

Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients

 4 (6-ounce) red potatoes

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup pre-chopped onion

1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 bacon slices, halved

1.5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/3 cup)

4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions

 Directions

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.

While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.

Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.

Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon.

Note:

This recipe originally ran in Cooking Light October, 2010 and was updated for the November, 2012 25th anniversary issue.

7 Easy Chicken Recipes

Simplify dinner with these quick and easy chicken recipes that will get you in and out of the kitchen in no time. Click on the titles or photos below for recipes.

7.  Crispy Chicken Wraps

A delicious crispy chicken wrap that can be on the table in less than 15 minutes.

6. Baked Chicken & Roasted Red Pepper Taquitos

A healthier and tastier taquito!

5. Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

4. Chicken Bacon Wild Rice Soup

3. Tennessee White Chicken Chili

Easy white chicken chili is a lighter alternative to ground beef and tomato chili. Ready to expand your chili repertoire?

2. Chicken Gyros

1. Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

Good Ol' Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

(Recipe below)

If you are a cat owner, please do me a favor: (besides spay &  neuter), try whistling at a very high pitch & see how your cat responds. I'm not sure if it works on all cats, but my kitties become very affectionate and silly. I've read all sorts of things about why this might be. One place said it could be because kittens have a very high pitched cry & instinctively hearing the whistling makes them think you're in distress & need comforting.  If you know why this is, feel free to comment! Love hearing from my readers! 

Meet my felines:
<--Smokey & Gabriel-->

Now, on to the soup. Yes, the soup. What's the scoop on the soup, Scotty! No, but seriously. Homemade Chicken Noodle. Ya' know, I'm kind of surprised at how cold it's been today. I mean 62 ° F isn't that low, but in comparison to this summer's heat, it's a tad chilly. There's a wicked draft that comes through the french doors toward the back of the house that needs to be fixed before winter.  Go figure my office is the room with the french doors. Har, har.  Though we haven't fired up our wood stove yet, I am guilty of using the space heater today.  I am also guilty of wearing fuzzy socks; very warm fuzzy socks.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

2 cups uncooked yolk-free wide noodles

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

Directions:

In a stockpot, saute the onion, carrots and celery in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning until blended.

Gradually add the broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat. Stir in milk; heat through (do not boil). Yield: 8 servings.

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.

Creamy Slow Cooker Seafood Chowder

You'll have to try this one for yourself! It's very rich and fills ya' up quick, but man, is it good! My mom makes this every year for our town's annual Clam Bake.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 quart (4 cups) half & half

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) whole white potatoes, drained and cubed

2 cans (10.75 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen shredded has brown potatoes

1 medium onion, minced

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 cans (about 6 oz. each) minced clams

2 cans (about 4 oz. each) tiny shrimp, drained & rinsed

Directions:

1. Combine half & half, canned potatoes, mushroom soup, frozen hash brown potatoes, onion, butter, salt & pepper in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Mix well.

2. Add clams and shrimp; stir gently.

3. Cover; cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours.

I want to hear what people think of this. To me, the frozen hash browns give this chowder a nice texture and consistency. Everyone at the Clam Bake loves it!

Chilly Day Chili

Bet you can't eat just one bowl of this flavorsome sausage and ground beef chili!  This is the amazing chili recipe (courtesy of my mom) I was talking about in the last post.  Scoop into parboiled bell peppers for Chili Stuffed Peppers like Ellie and I enjoyed a few nights ago. Yum!




Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sweet or hot sausage
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz  each) diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cans chili beans (16 oz each)
1 can beef broth (14.5 oz)
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
shredded cheese (optional)


Directions:
Cook sausage and ground beef until no longer pink.  Drain and place in slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Serve.  Top with shredded cheese, if desired.  Enjoy!

As you may or may not know, Vermont experienced its first snow of the season yesterday.  (I guess this means I finally have to retire my flip flops for the year! )  When I woke this morning, I was greeted by a bright and sunny day, though the snow still coated the ground and the tops of trees.  So, before my morning walk, I had to dig my gloves, hats, and scarves out of the back of the closet.  By the time I arrived back home, I looked like Rudolph.  I figured, what’s a better way to warm up in this chilly weather than with a toasty bowl of your favorite soup!  Split pea with ham was calling my name! 

Growing up, I can remember running around in the bitter cold with my brother.  When it was time to go inside for supper, mother often had a bowl of steaming split pea ready on the table and my family would sit down for a comforting meal together.  Man, how I miss those days!  Now that I have mother’s recipe, I can go back to the memories every time I make this satisfying soup, and now YOU can, too! 

Check out the recipe below.  Would love to hear what you think of this!  Don’t hesitate to share your own Soup Stories! 

Mom’s Split Pea with Ham Soup

Prep Time: about 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Makes about 8 servings

You will need:

1 package green split peas

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups ham chunks

2 whole carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium potato, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

Directions:

Rinse split peas well.   Remove bad peas or small pebbles that “snuck in” during processing. Put  rinsed peas in a large pot and cover with at least 2-1/2 inches of water. Turn your burner on medium- high heat.  Next, dice up at least half of your medium sized onion and add the onion to the pot. Add some salt to the water, and allow it to cook.

After they’ve cooked for at least an hour, throw in your ham chunks.

While your soup is cooking, dice up remaining vegetables and set aside. When the peas are just about how you like them, toss in the remaining veggies and continue to cook.  Mom’s soup was always thick and chunky.  She allowed it to cook on the stove for at least another hour and a half, if not two hours.

If you prefer, add salt and pepper.  I usually don’t.  It’s so tasty without extra seasoning.  Serve with buttered rolls. 

And there you have it!  Enjoy folks!  I’m enjoying a nice bowl right now!  I’ll be happy to answer any questions if you have them.