Grandpa Dave's Clam Chowder

Hi everybody! How was your week? You made it! Happy weekend! I have been crafting like crazy, getting ready for the Pender Island Christmas craft fair next weekend. Just today I started making all of the candy I'll be selling there. I have the filling done for the peppermint patties, some hazelnut praline made (for truffles), and a batch of marbled halva ready to slice! I think I'll have to break into the chocolate tomorrow! So, now that we've discussed dessert, which should always come first, how about some real food?

Here's another Grandpa recipe for you! In case you hadn't figured it out yet, my grandpa is a pretty cool guy! I loved growing up with delicious food all around! Now, I am really enjoying trying all of his recipes myself. This is a good one, so be prepared to bolt for you kitchen as soon as you're done reading!

Grandpa Dave's Clam Chowder
5-6 small slices of ham, if desired (I didn't use any)
3 med. red potatoes (I used 6 tiny yukon golds)
1 bottle clam juice
2-4 cans clams (I only used 2, but do what you like)
1/2 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp tabasco
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
dash of pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups half and half
2 Tbsp butter
1 carrot, sliced very thin
1 stalk celery, sliced very thin (I would have used this, but I didn't have any!)
3 large cloves garlic, minced

-Saute vegetables in butter until soft.

-Deglaze pan with white wine

-Add potatoes and clam juice

-Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer until potatoes are tender. About 15 minutes. Have some wine while you wait!

-Stir in bay leaf, tabasco, pepper, worcestershire, thyme, cream and ham.

-Stir in clams and their juices shortly before serving. Just long enough to heat them through, but not make them tough.

This freezes well!

I decided that it wasn't quite as thick as I like, so at the very end I stirred in a bit of roux. Not really the way it should be done, but it worked! I used about 2 Tbsp flour, and made a paste of it with some olive oil, then brought it all to a boil quickly.

Perfect clam chowder! YUM! Just right for a cool evening. Enjoy!

Question of the day: What is your favorite cool weather comfort food?

Grandpas Gingerbread

Wow! This is post 100! My how time flies when your blogging for fun! I'd like to thank all of YOU, my readers, for making this so fun and rewarding! Love hearing from everyone! As a giant thank you from me, here is something special!

My grandpa makes the BEST gingerbread. He has always been a baker, and always has a kitchen stocked with the yummiest baked goods available. All of my friends in junior high and high school wanted to be adopted by my grandparents, probably because of the perks!

After so many years of having grandpas baked goods available at all times, moving 1000 miles away from him and his kitchen has been quite a shock. Calling him for recipes has become a common occurrence. I love being able to re-create all of those smells from my childhood.

Now that the holidays are on the way I am craving the warm scent of spices in my kitchen, and some of grandpas gingerbread. Now you can have that warm fuzzy feeling in your home too!

Grandpas Gingerbread
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg

-Preheat oven to 325*, and pull out an 8x8x2" baking dish. No need to grease it.

-Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

-Combine the molasses, sugar, melted butter, buttermilk and egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and pour into the dish.

-Bake about 40-45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.

I immediately downed a warm square, just to make sure it was good,of course. We happened to be going over to a friends that day, so I stuck four pieces on one of my palm leaf plates from Marx foods and we were on our way. Luckily I have the type of friends that happen to be whipping cream when I arrive, so that went on top of the still-warm gingerbread. Heaven!

Make this for your family and friends this holiday season. Then memorize the recipe, because everyone will be asking for it! Happy eating!

Now I'm on my way out into the fog and mist to have another bonfire! The temperatures are cooling down...maybe there is snow in the near future? Well, hopefully there will at least be snow this season! I want to go tobogganing! Happy weekend all!