Clam Chowder

As I mentioned in the last post, December is a hectic time for us. Anniversary, birthday, and Christmas. Our 3 year anniversary was on the 18th. I told Cory that we could count our Florida trip as our anniversary present to each other. But since we have friends who share our anniversary date with us, we went to see the Hobbit on the 15th with them. Great movie!

I worked on the 18th, but Cory took the day off. So when I came home, he was all dressed up looking all fine and sexy -he took me out for lunch. I wasn't expecting this at all. He is so sweet. But for dinner, I wanted to make something special. Clam Chowder. I'm pretty proud of myself. This is the recipe:

Clam Chowder

3 cans (6.5oz) minced clams -I used chopped clams
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots -I didn't have any carrots, so I didn't use any, and it was still good!
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half & half -I used evaporated milk
2 TBSP red wine vinegar -I didn't have any, so I used balsamic vinegar, but you can also use apple cyder vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Directions

1. Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. (It will get VERY thick) Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
3. Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
4. If it is too thick, add milk.

 

When I made this, I wasn't expecting the butter, cream, and flour mix to get so thick, so I sacrificed my potatoes and celery because I was afraid it was getting too thick. I think next time I will let the veggie mix cook for a while before I start the flour and cream mix. But it still ended up delicious.

 

 I love this recipe, but I want to explore a little with other recipes. If you have a clam chowder recipe that you love, please let me know. Also, if I find one that we like more, I will post it. 

 

 Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas! Stay tuned.

I fail

So, this is the biggest fail of my life. Last post was before our trip to Florida. That's sad. So..... This is going to be a BIG update.

September: Florida was amazing. We really want to go back. We have a goal of visiting all 50 states together throughout our life, but, we liked Florida so much, we might keep going there. Since we came back I keep dreaming of the beach. It happens pretty much every night. I miss it so much. The beach is breath taking, and the same can be said about the harbor. We went on a dolphin tour, which was amazing. I had never seen a dolphin before, and I could not get enough of it. We went deep sea fishing. 5 hours on sea. Loved it. I could live on sea. I didn't want to dock (except for the fact that we had fish we wanted to eat). We held a baby alligator. We spent a lot of time on the beach. Definitely want to go back.

October: There was General Conference which is always amazing. One of my good friends, Robyn, spent that time with us. We made apple pie, went on walks, and what not. Then, my parents came down! I missed them so much! They stayed for the weekend, and it was so much fun! We did a whole puzzle in one weekend, it was demanding, but lots of fun. We made pie....again. Went to the Amish Cheese House and got some super awesome cheese. It was a very fun weekend!!! Halloween comes, and Robyn comes again. We spend our Halloween watching Harry Potter and drinking Butter beer.

November: I think the only thing notable was thanksgiving. Yum. Cory had to work Thanksgiving day, and some of his siblings had to as well, so we celebrated it the the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I love family! It was so nice seeing Cory's family again. After our celebration, Cory had to go to work, but I stayed up and my sister in law and I had a Twilight movie marathon. Watched all movies in 2 days. Way too much twilight. But it was fun. Mainly it was the company, but we did enjoy ourselves. We went to the theater to watch the last movie with our mother in law and other sister in law. There were moments in the movie where we just cracked up, and the only ones in the theater laughing. I think it was mainly too much exposure to twilight.

December: I have a job!! I love it! I have never had a job that I truly enjoy, but this one I do. I substitute teach. So far I have done elementary and high school. Did I say that I love it? Because I do! My money is fun money, and can you guess what we are saving up for? Another trip to Florida. :) This month also brings our anniversary, which we share with our dear friends, Mike and Robyn, so we are celebrating together by going to see The Hobbit! So excited. My birthday follows, so that's sweet. Then Christmas!!! Cory and I aren't doing much for Christmas. He has to work, and we already spent a lot for Black Friday, so we are only doing one small gift each other. Other news, my friend, Robyn, is leaving me. Her husband got a job in Kansas City (Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!), so they are moving. Bitter/sweet. I'm so excited for them to start living more comfortably, but we will miss them terribly.

Anyway, that's it. Hopefully I will be better about updating this more often. Have a wonderful December. Merry Christmas! And remember, God loves you!