Spicy Clam Chowder

One of the traditions at the high school where I used to teach was a Christmas staff pitch-in lunch. On one of the days leading up to Christmas break we'd all meet in a big room off of the library and and share some of our best dishes. Don't you just love a pitch-in?! It was at one of these pitch-in lunches that I was introduced to this Spicy Clam Chowder. It was my first year teaching at this high school, so I'd never before experienced the smorgasbord that the pitch-in offered. These people could cook! When the bell chimed after my third period class, a couple of the ladies from my department swung by my room and picked me up. We made our way down to the pitch-in. As we chose a table, I noticed a traffic jam forming at a certain point in the buffet line. Everyone seemed to be stopping in front of this one crock pot and ladling soup into their bowls. "Oh," one of my fellow teachers whispered, "I bet that's _______________'s clam chowder." I left the blank, because for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the teacher that made this chowder. Clearly, it was a favorite at pitch-ins. The name-less cook had even taken the time to print copies of the recipe, which he'd placed beside the crock pot. I guess he was tired of writing it out. He must've have gotten a lot of requests. When my turn in line came, I ladled a little bit into my Styrofoam bowl. Just a little, because if you're like me, pitch-ins are strategic. I take tiny little portions of everything that I can fit onto my plate. I'm not picky and I want to try as many things as possible. I know...oink, oink! After returning to my seat and tasting the chowder, I saw what all of the fuss was about. It was love at first bite! You can bet that I left with a copy of that recipe. Since that day, I have copied the recipe into my "favorites" notebook. I've changed it a little here and there, but it's basically the same. I know that I altered the recipe to have a little less butter. Not that 2 sticks of butter doesn't taste good, but I really love this chowder and I didn't need the guilt. One stick of butter is enough to make me do my penance with a Jillian Michaels DVD. Still, I wish that I had the original recipe and could give credit to the author. We've moved 4 times since I obtained the formula for this fabulous soup and I'm not sure where I lost it along the way. I may have even tossed it out. I get on these organizing kicks from time to time. I can't stand clutter. I'm sure that it went something like this: Oh well, I've already re-copied all of these recipes to my notebook, I might as well throw them out.

I have made this Spicy Clam Chowder for parties and dinners and most recently the Super Bowl. It's always a hit!

I start by melting a stick of butter in my soup pot and tossing in a diced onion. Saute until the onion is tender.



While the onion sautes, assemble your spices. That's seasoned salt, basil, rosemary, cayenne pepper, black pepper (not pictured) and parsley.



Stir 1/2 cup of flour into the onion and butter with your spices.



Now whisk in 3 cups of milk. Add the milk gradually while whisking...you don't want flour lumps in your chowda. Gross!



You need carrots and potatoes too. I was so excited that I finally got to use the shredder attachment on my new KitchenAid Mixer. While the recipe only calls for 2-3 shredded carrots, I ended up shredding a whole bag. One, because I was having so much fun AND two, because my kids are crazy about shredded carrots. They were actually fighting over the carrots that I had shredded. I had to stop the mixer and intervene. I love it when I find a healthy snack that my kiddos like! Check out my shredder attachment in action...



Okay, so add in the carrots and potatoes...



and the minced clams. Don't drain em'! The original recipe called for 6 cans of minced clams. Usually I add all 6, but when I was shopping for the clams, I realized that I was getting awfully close to budget on my shopping trip (the clams were in the last 4 aisles of the store) and I started to cut some corners. I figured that no one would miss that extra 6.5 oz., so I only added 5 cans. Once the veggies and clams are stirred in, bring the chowder up to a boil. You'll want to stir it often, because milk based soups tend to stick to the bottom of the pot. Once you've achieved a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour. Don't forget to stir from time to time!



Before serving, stir in a cup of sour cream and heat through.



I wish that I'd gotten a prettier picture of this chowder to really do it justice. I was racing around, getting ready for our Super Bowl party guests, and completely forgot to get a picture until after the first guests arrived. I just pulled up a ladle-full and snapped a shot. If you're un-impressed with the picture, but you like clam chowder and don't mind little bit o' heat, then try this! You will not be disappointed!



I'm away from home and of course I left the notebook with my favorite recipes behind. I'm pretty sure that I have this correct from memory. Lord knows, I've made it enough! I'll double check when I return next week.

Spicy Clam Chowder

1/2 cup butter
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 t. seasoned salt
1 t. basil
1 t. rosemary
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
3 cups milk
2-3 carrots, shredded
2-3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
5-6 cans minced clams, undrained
1 cup sour cream

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onions and saute until tender. Stir in flour and spices. Add in milk gradually while whisking to keep mixture smooth. Add in potatoes, carrots, and clams. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve.

A Break from the Meal Plan

Hello friends! I hope you all had a fun time watching the Super Bowl. Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints! If my beloved Indianapolis Colts had to lose to any team in the NFL, I'm so glad that it was The Saints! A little part of me was rooting for them all along. Now that the Super Bowl party is over, it's time for me to do the dishes and start packing. I'm going home to Indiana to mourn the loss with family and friends. Just kidding! I'm heading back to spend some quality girl time with my mom and sisters. But stick around, I'm taking my laptop on the road and I'll be posting some recipes that I just haven't gotten around to yet, starting with the Spicy New England Clam Chowder that I served at our Super Bowl Party tonight.

I'm excited to play a little catch-up!

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll be back next Sunday with an all new meal plan!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

This one goes out to all of my peanut butter lovin' friends! If this doesn't cure your sweet tooth, I don't know what will. Holy cow are these good! I know it's a little late notice to get the ingredients and make them for your Super Bowl party, but DO file this one away. Make em' for a crowd, because not only are they are sure to please, but you really don't want too many of these sitting around your kitchen. Why test your will power like that? It'd be self-abusive.

This recipe arrived in my inbox by way of the Pillsbury newsletter. It's full of delicious ideas and coupons too. If you're interested, you can sign up here. Not only did the picture and the flavors catch my interest, but the fact that this recipe is so easy and only uses 5 ingredients made this a "done" deal.

Here's the line-up: peanut butter cookie dough, peanut butter chips, creamy peanut butter, a tub of vanilla frosting, and strawberry jelly.



The recipe called for an 18 oz. roll of peanut butter cookie dough. My local grocery didn't have rolls of peanut butter cookie dough in stock. What they did have were 14 oz. packages of Pillsbury simply... Cookies on sale for 2/$5 (or was it 2/$6? I can't remember). Anyway, I had a coupon for 50 cents off that doubled to a dollar. I bought one peanut butter and one chocolate chip. I normally just buy the generic store brand if I need cookie dough (actually, I "normally" just make my own) but the coupon, coupled with the fact that these "simply...Cookies" boast 0 grams of transfat, no high fructose corn syrup, and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives encouraged me to toss these into my cart. It seemed like they'd taste more homemade without the "extras". While I love store bought cookie dough, I do notice that it usually tastes different from the homemade. Not bad, just different. Apparently not different enough to keep me from eating it straight from the tube when I'm "just having one of those days..." Whatever! You know that you've all done it too. Which is exactly why I don't keep the stuff in my house. It rarely makes it into cookie form. Just give me a spoon!

My evaluation: the "simply..." cookies actually do taste more like homemade. In dough and in cookie form. Good for them. I'd buy it again...if I had a coupon.

To make these PB&J Bars, just place the dough in the bottom of a greased (I used cooking spray) 13 X 9 in. baking dish. Because I only had 14 oz. of peanut butter cookie dough and the recipe called for 18 oz., I threw in a couple of chocolate chip cookies too.



Press the dough down until the bottom of the pan is covered and then sprinkle it with 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips. Press em' down into the dough and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.



While the bars cool, mix 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter with the tub of vanilla frosting.



Spread over the bars.



In small bowl, stir your jelly until smooth. Then, drop the jelly by teaspoonfuls over that yummy peanut butter frosting.



With the tip of a butter knife, swirl the jelly for a marbled design.



Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows and serve!



Pillsbury Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Prep Time: 10 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr
Makes: 24 bars

INGREDIENTS:
1 roll (18 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated peanut butter cookies
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 container (16 oz) creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
1/4 cup strawberry jelly or seedless raspberry jam

User Rating: DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark pan). Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Break up cookie dough into pan; press evenly in pan. Press chips evenly into dough.
2. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In medium bowl, stir peanut butter until smooth. Stir in frosting until well blended. Spread over cooled bars.
4. In small bowl, stir jelly until smooth. Drop jelly by teaspoonfuls over frosting. With tip of knife, swirl jelly for a marbled design. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Stir 2 tablespoons flour into cookie dough before pressing into pan.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:
1 Bar: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 90); Total Fat 10g (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 115mg; Total Carbohydrate 31g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 24g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 0% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

I hope that you all have a fun and safe Super Bowl Sunday!

Ham Pot Pie

I was talking to a friend on the phone yesterday and we ended up discussing what we were making for dinner. I told her that I was making ham pot pie. "What?" she asked, thinking that she had probably heard me wrong. So I repeated, "Ham.Pot.Pie." To which my dear friend replied, "Oh, that SO does NOT sound good." We'll see, I thought. I found this recipe on Kim's blog, Stirring the Pot and I knew from the pictures and the description of Ina Garten's biscuit topping that this had to be good. Like Kim, I had some ham that needed to be used up, so this recipe came along at the perfect time. Ham Pot Pie was a delicious way to use up leftover ham. Heck, I'd even purchase ham just to make this. Why wait for leftovers? Kim was right, Ina's biscuit topping was the way to go. She described the biscuits and this dish perfectly in her post:"The biscuits really made this dish. The tops of the biscuits had the lightest crispness and the inside of the biscuit was fluffy and wonderful. I loved the little specks of parsley flakes going throughout the biscuits. The creamy filling had bubbled up over top the biscuits and was so comforting."

Doesn't that just make you wanna whip up a pot pie for dinner? If so, here's how it all went together. First, I chopped a cup each of potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion.



Saute onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in butter for 10 minutes. Then, add flour to sauteed mixture, stirring well. Cook one minute stirring constantly. Combine chicken broth and half and half. Gradually stir the liquid into the vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.



Add ham and stir well. As I was executing this step I looked to my right and noticed the carton of half and half. I'd forgotten to add it to the broth. Oops.



So I stirred in the half and half and let the mixture cook for a couple more minutes.



Pour into shallow 2 quart casserole dish and top with biscuits.



To make the biscuits combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add diced butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.



Then pour in 3/4 cup of half and half...or in this case, milk. I used my last bit of half and half for the ham filling. Combine the milk on low speed.



Mix in some parsley too.



You're supposed to dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Then cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Instead, I took Kim's suggestion and formed the biscuits in my hand and laid them on top of the pie. I brushed the tops with an egg wash and popped the whole thing into a 375 degree over for 30 minutes.



Tah-dah! It comes out looking all puffy and bubbly and golden brown and delicious! The only thing that I'd change is next time I'll make it in a bigger casserole dish. The filling bubbled over the edges of my 2 quart casserole dish and would have been a big mess if I hadn't heard the drips hitting the bottom of my oven and sizzling. I shoved a cookie sheet underneath the casserole to catch the overflow, but next time I'll save myself the trouble and just make it in a 13 X 9.



Mmm. Comfort food. Those biscuits really are SO good!



You can find the recipe for Ham Pot Pie right HERE at Stirring the Pot.

And now, for an award....



Not only has Kim given me this pot pie recipe, she also recently passed along this Sweet Friendship Award to me. Thank you Kim, for this award and for all of the yummy food and good ideas that you share with your readers!

Now I am supposed to post the award (see above), mention ten things that make me happy and pass this on to ten people who brighten my day.

Here goes with my happy things...it was hard to narrow it down to 10. I can't complain about that!

1. My daughters. Even on those days that they're drivin' me crazy, they still make me smile or laugh at least a hundred times a day. In fact, right now, they're in the next room playing some kind of make-believe game that requires them to answer the phone. My five year old keeps saying, "Hello! City halls. What's your emergency?" City halls? That's "halls", the plural pronunciation. Maybe she reasons that there has to be more than one hallway in that building. Who knows...but everytime she "answers" with her authoritative little greeting I crack up.

2. Hangin' out with my husband. I chose well. : )

3. A clean house. Consequently, a messy house makes me the opposite of happy. I can be a real grouch when the house looks like a tornado hit the inside.

4. Hiking, camping, and just about any time spent in "the great outdoors". I love to sit by a campfire.

5. Food. Obviously. Cooking it. Eating it. Reading and writing about it. Top 5 foods that make me happy: Dark chocolate, a good cut of perfectly cooked steak, seafood/sushi, Thai food, and Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. Honorable mention goes to the McDonald's cheeseburger. Just keepin' it real...

6. A good book, and the time to actually sit down and read it.

7. Catching up with my sisters and girlfriends. Gotta have my girl time!

8. Vacations. I don't care where. It actually makes me happy to plan em' too. I get a strange satisfaction from planning all the little details.

9. A massage...in a spa. Love those!

10. Singing. I don't really have a good voice, but I've got a whole lotta soul. Some days I love nothing better than driving with the wind in my hair, radio up, and belting out my favorite tunes. These days my daughters join in too... and that makes me extra happy.


I'd like to pass this award along to:

1. Teresa @ A Blog About Food
2. Julie @ The Sporadic Cook
3. Dave @ My Year on the Grill
4. Stephanie @ The Creative Side of Me
5. Heidi @ Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
6. Kim @ The Ungourmet
7. Elizabeth @ Elizabeth's Edible
8. Chicago Mom @ What's for Dinner
9. Ty's Mommy @ The Seventh Level of Boredom
10. Rachel @ Rachel vs. "The Kitchen"

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup is what I made for my birthday dinner. Yes, I cooked dinner on my birthday...but only because I wanted to. My in-laws came to town over the weekend to watch our daughters so that we could go out and celebrate with friends. After a magnificent sushi dinner, followed by an impulsive trip to the bowling alley on Saturday night, we made it home well after midnight. Sunday morning I woke up early with our daughters and then we were off to church, a trip to the mall, a 3-D movie, and out for hot wings before returning home on Sunday night to make cinnamon rolls (for my parent's group snack) and watch a t.v. marathon of our favorite shows with my mother-in-law. It was another late night followed by the usual busy Monday morning of my weekly parenting group meeting, a trip to the library, and back to the pre-school to pick up my daughter. Next, there was a goodbye lunch with my departing in-laws and the kiddos, and finally my daughter's evening dance class. I was completely ready to just stay in, relax, and make this easy and delicious soup by the time that my birthday rolled around on Tuesday. I was beat! My husband kept calling from work to ask if I was sure and telling me to pick where I wanted to go for dinner. I held my ground. I was tired after all of the weekend festivities and a busy Monday. I didn't want to get dressed to go out.(Confession: I didn't want to shower and relinquish my sweat pants) I wanted to "chill". So that's what we did. I made soup. Really, really good soup. And of course there was a cake. And candles. And singing. My kids love that part.

This recipe is based on a recipe that I found on Tasty Kitchen called Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup. Here's how it came together.

First, cook the chicken. You can actually cook the chicken in a skillet with the taco seasoning. However, I was preparing a large amount of chicken (some for this recipe, some to freeze for a later date) so I just tossed the diced chicken with a packet of taco seasoning.



Melt 1/4 cup of butter in your soup pot and toss in 1/2 cup of onion. Cook until the onion is tender. Note: If you wanted to make this soup lighter you could cut the butter in half or even cut out the butter completely and spray your soup pot with a little nonstick cooking spray.



Stir 1/3 cup of flour into those onions.



Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of broth and bring it to a boil. Cook until thickened. I ended up using vegetable broth here because I had an open box in my fridge, leftover from the African Sweet Potato Stew that I made earlier this week.



Add in the cubed Velveeta, shredded Jack cheese, and salsa. The original recipe called for 1/3 cup of canned, diced tomatoes and 1/3 cup of salsa. It occurred to me that salsa has diced tomatoes in it and it's more flavorful than plain diced tomatoes anyway. So, I began with 2/3 cup of salsa. This soup was so thick and I love my homemade salsa so much that I ended up pouring the whole jar of salsa into the soup pot.



Once the cheese is melted, stir in the chicken. I stirred my for a minute or two, until the taco seasoning was sufficiently incorporated into the soup.



Now stir in a cup of half and half. The original recipe called for heavy cream. I lightened it up a bit with the half and half. If you really want to cut the fat in this recipe, go ahead and use skim milk.



This is such an easy soup to make and SO tasty! With a sprinkle of green onions, a dollop of sour cream, and a handful of Fritos, it was a wonderful meal for a cold February night!



Here's the perfect first bite...



Honestly, I wasn't the only fan of this soup. I packaged the leftovers last night and my husband took them to work this morning. My phone beeped with this late morning text from him: Soup soooo good I'm on second helping today-will have eaten it all by 11 am--high in calories? (He often leaves for work at 5 am and skips breakfast, eating his "lunch" in the morning).

Uh-oh. We're trying to be more health conscious. I had to own up and let him know. Oh well, next time I'll make it even lighter. And there WILL be a next time. This recipe gets two thumbs up from my kitchen.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Servings: 8 Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
•1 envelope Taco Seasoning
•1-½ pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Diced
•½ cups Chopped Onion
•2 T Butter
•⅓ cups Flour
•2-½ cups broth, chicken or vegetable
•8-12 oz. 2% Milk Velveeta, cubed
•8 oz. Shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican 4 cheese blend shredded cheese
•1 jar salsa (any Variety)
•1 cup half and half or milk
•Fritos, green onion, and sour cream (for garnish)

Preparation Instructions

In a skillet, add seasoning and diced chicken. Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Drain, and set aside. (or cook chicken and toss with seasoning mix like I did)

In large saucepan (or pot), saute onion in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended, then gradually stir in the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes longer, or until thickened slightly. Add Velveeta, shredded cheese and salsa. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted.

Stir in half and half. Add the chicken back in. Stir. Heat through but do not boil. Remove from heat. Garnish with Fritos (you can also use guacamole, sour cream, and green onions). Enjoy!