Clam Chowder

Tomorrow is our friend's Julie's birthday so we are having them over for some birthday fun.  I've been planning on making chowder this weekend for a few weeks now, so that's what Julie is getting for her Kam & Bren hang out birthday dinner.  That and a pie thing I made, beer bread, and champagne cocktails!  I kind of made this chowder recipe up, I don't think traditional chowder calls for Old Bay or oregano, but what the heck!  

Clam Chowder
1 1/2 cups bacon
3 cups celery
3 cups carrots
6 cups potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
4 14.5oz cans chicken stock
1 Costco Giant Can Clams (51oz)
4 or 5 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon old bay
3 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
2 cups half and half
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Cut bacon into small pieces using kitchen scissors and fry in a large pot.  Once bacon is crispy, remove some of the bacon fat so you have about 2 tablespoons remaining and add butter, onion, celery, carrots and potatoes.  Sweat veggies for about 10 minutes over medium low.  Add chicken stock, clams and juice, bay leaves, salt, oregano, old bay, pepper and 1 cup half and half.  Over medium low bring to a boil then reduce and let simmer until veggies are cooked through. About an hour.

In a small bowl whisk flour with one and half cups milk until smooth and add to chowder with remaining milk and half and half.  Return to a boil stirring fairly often, reduce and eat when ready!  Top with extra bacon and parsley or oyster crackers.

I haven't made chowder in so long, and I know I've never added Old Bay to it. That stuff is becoming one of my favorite on hand flavor boost spices.  So good on popcorn!  Also, this made a giant pot of soup.  I wanted enough to feed 4 people, send some home with Eric and Julie and have left overs for us.  So I you don't want that much chowder, half the recipe.  Hope everyone is having a fun Halloween weekend!  Enjoy!

Kielbasa Dump Soup

I have two things to say before I get to the recipe.  First.  I'm really happy that it's fall.  I had a wonderful and crazy busy summer and seeing the fall leaves and feeling the cool air has been so refreshing.  A really great and much needed change of pace.  Not saying that I didn't have an AMAZING summer that I will never forget and always remember fondly, but living in Spokane with no AC, it's always nice when fall finally rolls around.  Second. With fall comes less day light, with less day light comes cooking in low light situations.  With low light situations comes crappy looking food photos.  Get my drift.  I'm thinking of buying lights so my process and food pictures don't look fake and weird because of too much yellow or green light.  My only reservation on getting lights is my apartment is small and all I need is one (or two) more things cluttering up my space.  If you see a picture that is blurry or weird, please bare with me, believe me, it pains me more than you.  Now, on to...  

Kielbasa Dump Soup
What you'll need:
1/2 onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery including the heart and leaves from the center (tons of flavor in the center leaves)
1 cup diced red pepper
1 1/2 cups yukon gold potato cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups sweet potato cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups cauliflower cut into bite size pieces
1 kielbasa cut into bite size pieces
1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno thinly sliced (OPTIONAL, if you don't like too much spice, skip it)
1 can diced tomato
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup barley
2 cups spicyV8
8 cups chicken broth or  8 cups warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons ground oregano
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chill powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon worcestershire
1 teaspoon turmeric

In your large soup pot, add oil, onion, carrot and celery and saute for about 3 minutes. While that is cooking, peel sweet potato.  Now, add everything else and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low and simmer until barley is done.  About an hour.  Eat.

This is the other mystery gift from my wedding that came with the awesome green zester.  Whoever gave me these gifts, knew their way around good kitchen gadgets. Best peeler I've ever had.  Thank you again who ever you are!

Just before I added all the liquid.

So, pretty basic instructions, I know.  This soup is something really close to one of my favorite soups my mom made once or twice a winter for as long as I can remember.  The fact that I called it dump soup is a tribute to her.  The only thing that I left out of the original recipe is about a half a head of sliced cabbage.  Kam doesn't like it.  Boo.  I made it his way this time. So if you looking for a tasty fall warm up, give this beauty a try.  I know we will be having it at least once more before the cool weather travels on again.  Enjoy!

Avocado Potato Salad

Ok, so I said I wasn't done with this whole avocado dressing thing.  I was skimming through some recipes on tastespotting last night and was inspired.  Someone had made a sort of mexican themed potato salad, but their dressing was weird and all wrong.  Actually the whole salad seemed a little off, but it was just enough to spark my creative mind, which in turn became this...

What you'll need:

2 pounds red potatoes
1 cup diced red pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup cotija cheese

Dressing
2 medium avocados
1/2 of lime juice
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon green tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pickled jalapeno juice (or just pickle juice.  if you skip the tabasco, use three)
1 tablespoon water

Boil potatoes until fork tender.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Once cooled, dice into small pieces and add to large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients.  In your food processor or blender add all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth.  If after a few minutes it still seems too think, add another tablespoon of water.  Once smooth, pour over salad and gently mix until everything is nice and coated.  Chill for an hour or eat when its still a little warm, either way, you will be in love.

So this is Avocado dressing #2.  Still not done experimenting with this.  I'm wondering if this whole idea can completely substitute mayonnaise permanently?  Too bad avocados are so expensive, especially in the winter.  Maybe I need to move to Yuma.

Hope all of you have some fun plans for the weekend.  I have about 15 different projects to either start or finish, time is ticking and the days are FLYING by.  I can't wait to take pictures of all the hand made wedding creations, and share them all.  I'm so excited! =)  Happy weekend! Enjoy!

Pea Potato Salad

What do you do when you can't decide which salad to make? Answer: You mix em' up into a new awesome salad.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to make Pea and Cheese salad or a bacon potato salad, so I made both...in a way.  It turned out really good, and I will totally make it again.

What you'll need:

6 cups potatoes (6 cups when they are cooked and diced)
6 eggs
1 cup cheddar diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 cup bacon crumbles
1/4 green onion chopped
2 cups frozen peas (not defrosted)

Dressing
1 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons pickle juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried ground mustard
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 teaspoon salt

Removed peas from freezer and set aside to thaw a bit.  (Do not defrost in microwave.  You want them still a little froze to hold together when you mix into salad).  In a large pot, boil potatoes until fork tender.  Place eggs into cold water a second pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, time for 15 minutes then run under cold water.  Slice raw bacon into pieces and cook.  Sometimes I like to chop before I cook so I don't have to crumble it up once its cooked.  Scissors work really well to do this.

In a large bowl, add diced potato, celery, bacon, diced cheese and green onion.  Mix up your dressing and pour over salad.  Gently fold into salad until well combined.  Slice eggs and add with peas.  Gently fold those in now.  You want to be as easy as you can to not smash peas, eggs, or cooked potatoes.

There you have it.  A hybrid summer salad that is awesome! Enjoy!

Bring'n out the bacon~

I don't cook with bacon very often, but I always have some high quality thick cut in the freezer for when I get the urge.  It turned into Saturday morning breakfast bowls and Sunday potato salad.  I was so happy that it was a sunny and beautiful May 1st that potato salad and bbq'd steaks were the best way to celebrate.

I got these bowls the other day with the handles on them, they kinda look like giant coffee cups.  When I made the pot pie I noticed on the bottom that they were oven safe, JACK POT!  So I couldn't wait to try my hand at baking something in them.  Saturday morning breakfast bowls it is!

What you'll need: (for 2 bowls)

1 medium russet potato diced
1 green pepper chopped
1/2 or 1 cup onion chopped
3 or 4 slices bacon (precooked)
4 mushrooms sliced
teaspoon salt
teaspoon pepper
eggs
shredded cheese (about a cup or so)
toast

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Cook bacon, set aside.  Drain fat but leave about a tablespoon in the bottom of pan.  Add potatoes, onions, salt and pepper to pan and cook over medium high until potatoes are brown and crispy, about 10 minutes.  Add green pepper and mushrooms.  Cook for another 5 minutes or until peppers are soft.

Add as much potato mixture into the bottom of your bowl and you'd like, just make sure you leave an inch on the top for eggs.  Add a layer of large bacon pieces over potatoes.  Crack desired number of eggs over bacon.  Place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until whites just about set.  Sprinkle cheese and put back in oven until cheese is melted, eggs should be set by then.  Serve with toast.

If you don't have oven safe bowls, add your bacon to the potatoes and create holes into the potatoes where you can crack the eggs.  Cook the same way as above, if your frying pans are oven safe.  If not, crack eggs like I mentioned before and reduce heat to low and cover.  Eggs should still set.

Kam got a double yoke, score!  It was actually the first time I've cracked a two yoke egg.

My breakfast was a little smaller.

Garnished with toast and bacon!  What could be better than that?

Simple breakfast.  I am going to love my new oven safe bowls, or should I say Kam is going to love my new bowls. Enjoy!

Our new staple Potato Salad

I have made this version of potato salad so many times that it has become our favorite.  I don't know if I will ever make the traditional kind again.  It was so refreshing yesterday to have the sun shining, the smell of fresh cut grass, and a big bowl of potato salad.  We even sprung for some really nice ribeye steaks.  We never spend that much on meat for a single meal, so it was a treat!  Our bacon weekend ended with steaks...we are carnivores...I admit it.

What you'll need: (this is a fairly big salad, I wanted left overs)
12 yukon potatoes (about baseball size, maybe a little smaller)
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 cup bacon crumbles
6 boiled eggs
1 cup sliced kalamata olives (Reserve the juice.  Make sure you get the pitted ones, because I didn't. If you are a fan of the kalamata olive, I suggest buying them at costco.  If you do not like them, then substitute for regular black.  If you don't know what they taste like, then if you don't like green olives, you might not like kalamata.  I suggest giving them a chance.)
1 bunch green onions sliced
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil mayo (or regular)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive juice

Boil potatoes until done and fork slides through easily.  Remove from pan and allow to cool. Boil eggs, allow to cool with potatoes.   Dice into bite sized pieces. Add olives, blue cheese, bacon, green onions.  In a separate bowl, combine greek yogurt, mayo, salt, pepper and olive juice.  Mix until well blended.  Pour over salad and fold until even distributed.  Slice eggs and add to salad.  I like to add those last so they won't get too broke up in the mixing process.  Gently fold them into salad.  I also usually leave out the yokes, just a personal preference.

Finger lick'n good!

Your done, shovel into mouth hole.  Good luck stopping at just one bowl.  Enjoy!