We will be celebrating the First Sunday of Advent on November 30. Some friends will gather with us at our home, have a small Advent service and eat a meal together. Everyone will most likely bring some dish to share, and I am planning on making my favorite recipe for New England Clam Chowder. (In case you missed it last week, you can find a list of my favorite Advent resources HERE.)
In the weeks to follow, I'll be posting a few of my favorite Christmas recipes. These will be repeats for those of you who have read this blog for a while, but I tend to
My mom's Christmas dishes
New England Clam Chowder Recipe, my version:
10 slices of hickory-smoked bacon, fried crisp, broken into tiny pieces
4 small potatoes, skin on, diced
3 small carrots, diced
4 ribs of celery, minced
1 med. onion, minced
1 Carmen red pepper or red bell pepper (sweet), diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
3-4 cans of clams. Do not drain. If minced, use as is. If chopt, run through food processor first. This is simply a preference. I don't like big, rubbery hunks of clam. Ew!!!Also, I prefer Gorton's brand.
2 quarts of whole milk
3/4 c. flour
1 bay leaf, broken in pieces
1-2 t. thyme (I used 2 t.)
black pepper
sea salt to taste
Open 3-4 cans of clams, pour all (incl. juice) into saucepan. Add potatoes and carrots and cook til they are just tender, not mushy.
In a skillet, saute celery, onion, peppers in a couple T. butter until tender.
In a separate bowl, whisk flour into a couple cups of the milk. Add remaining milk little by little, whisking as you add so there are no lumps.
Pour all (including the liquid from the potato/carrots/clams) into my large Martha Stewart stainless steel pot which doesn't let anything stick on the bottom. Heat on Low, stirring. Add seasonings.
Bring to near boil, but DON'T BOIL. At this point, you can then cool the chowder and keep refrigerated overnight OR (if you're going to eat in a couple hours,) let sit covered, then bring back to temperature and serve.
A great accompaniment to my clam chowder: popovers (an old post, but the recipe is still good).
Misty, Christmas 2003
I'm thinking that today might be a good time to get the Christmas tree that will go on the front porch. I like to get a tall balsam. Maybe we'll get another very small, tabletop tree to put in the house. Do you get a large tree? small tree? When do you put up your Christmas tree? What kind of tree do you prefer? Did you eat too much Thanksgiving dinner yesterday?
Front Porch Christmas Tree, December 2013
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lthough I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties: Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage) and Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above and Artsy Corner Thursday and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Saturday's Critters
38 comments:
Hi Judy!
You know I order clam chowder often when dining out and have never made it at home. It sounds sooooo good - and I am loving the idea of something from the sea after having so much turkey yesterday, haha.
Thanks for your recipe.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I have never had clam chowder but, believe it or not, I do have a recipe for it. Bet it's nowhere near as good as yours - will suggest this to Head Office and see what she says. Christmas trees? Bah, humbug (well for the time being, anyway). Have a great weekend.
Oh Clam chowder I love it but rarely get it here in the middle of Canada but still think of it:)
I am not sure when to put up my tree this year. Hug B
yes, i did eat to much yesterday and loved every minute of it.. i put up the tiny 2 foot tree and cleaned all the glass in the nook, but no ornaments. took me two hours to get it clean and the little tree plugged in.. it is glowing now and the candles are flickering and i sit thinking maybe no ornaments this year. LOL
love the dishes and would like this recipe but leave out the clams and add more taters.
My Husband LOVES clam chowder:) Thanks for this recipe! Enjoy your day dear friend, HUGS!
Hi, Judy...I'm going to try this recipe as my husband is a big fan of clam chowder. We put up a prelit 7' tree and then decorate from there. It will go up this Sunday or maybe Monday. I'm slowly bringing out all the stuff.
Looking forward to learning about your traditional family food favorites! Clam Chowder looks very good!
Fresh greens in the house, artificial very tall tree inside and decorated this weekend. Used to be all fresh trees for us. Large vases, containers of greens of White Pine, Douglas Fir, Hemlock and Cedar from our woods, gives us a wonderful Christmasy fragrance. Boxwood and Holly here and there in small vases. My mothers beautiful Hummel Nativity will be put in place tomorrow.
Family Food Favorites will be made by us too . . .
The sleds are ready at the front door and the snow keeps snowing . . .
Hello Judy, your clam chowder sound yummy.. Perfect for a cold winter day... I want to put my tree up soon too. Your porch tree is pretty and I love your Misty, pretty dog.. Have a happy weekend!
I love clam chowder, and your recipe looks delicious!
I also love your Christmas tree on the front porch! We will put up our living room tree sometime this weekend. We also have a pencil tree in our farmhouse kitchen and a tabletop tree in the dining room!
Judy, I'm one of those who is not a fan of clam chowder, but if I were going to make it for someone else I'd try your recipe as it does sound good! I like how you crossed out 'get in a rut' -- I'm all about heritage cooking, food traditions!
More than the chowder, I am looking at your gorgeous soup bowl and plate! Goody on the recipe postings! They will all be NEW to your newer followers like me!
I ate very little yesterday. I just wasn't in a mood to eat, even though everything looked good and smelled good. I can't do clams..too much like an oysters to me. But hey, potato soup sounds good. :) I like your porch tree and your dog Misty. Blessings to you, xoxo,Susie
Hello Judy,
I do like clam chowder but rarely make it. Perhaps it's time to change that. We can get fresh clams here quite reasonably, but I'd use canned ones like you recommend. Your recipe sounds delicious!
No Christmas tree yet - I like to wait for a bit. This weekend, being the first Sunday in Advent, I'll put out the Nativity set and the Advent candle wreath on the table. I like to savour the moments and let Christmas come gradually.
Hi Judy! You know what, I have never had Clam Chowder. Yours looks very tasty so I think I will have to give it a try :)
Have a beautiful weekend! Hugs to you!
I will save your recipe...I personally do not care for clam chowder, but I have 2 ppl here who do,wink. I just love your tree on the front porch. Blessings
My husband's fav soup. I'll take the recipe, thanks, as I rarely make it for him from scratch. It looks good and so pretty in your festive bowl.
Just in time! John is from Virginia and loves clam chowder. Living in the middle of the country (Arkansas) we don't get many clams here! lol I'll treat him this weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Hugs,
Dru
We LOVE New England Clam Chowder and I will copy your recipe - thanks!!
Love the tree on your porch!!
Oh mercy me...I haven't felt that stuffed in ages (yesterday).
How nice to have a gathering for Advent. Your soup looks delicious.
I love real green trees that have the aroma of Christmas...
How exciting to look forward to the beginning of Advent. I am too!
What a lovely tree on your front porch...and what a spectacular view from that porch!
Do enjoy your clam chowder and your time with loved ones on Sunday.
Wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places.....
Brenda
What a wonderful time together. We would love this recipe. We don't decorate like we once did but I will enjoy seeing everyone else's decorations. Have a good night.
Advent seems to come quicker every year! Enjoy your celebration, the chowder sounds yummy and just the thing for this chilly season.
Traditional food and recipes make the holidays memorable, so I wouldn't call it getting in a rut.
Love the idea of a tree on the porch. How do you keep it from falling on a windy day/night?
Hi Nancy, the tree on the porch is in a huge, beastly heavy cast iron base and anchored to the rafters with two wires. A strong wind does at times move it a bit at the base, but not much.
The clam shower looks tasty, i love the time that is ahead of us now, to put up the lights and decorations. Enjoy your 1st of advent get together, that sounds really nice.
We have had an artificial tree for over 30 years. Of course, not the same...they do need replacing after a while. But I like the idea of not having to buy one, saving the living trees for nature and wildlife...and the no fuss of choosing 'the right one' each season.
To have a tree on the porch would be so cool!!! Our tradition is to decorate a tree while the turkey is roasting in the oven for Thanksgiving. The decorations go down the day after Christmas...another tradition 'cause when we worked we always took the day after Christmas off to get our house back to 'normal'...
Dang...by the way, I LOVE clam chowder. And your festive looking bowls and saucer with holiday theme is very pretty.
I love clam chowder.
Your right, not everyone does.
From what I can see of your porch I think I would love your house.
Merry Christmas! Stay warm!
I've been reading and reading and reading trying to catch up on your blog and am having a bear of a time commenting. But it was a Bloglovin' issue. I've got it now. LOL Doodlebug and her dad love New England clam chowder but I don't love clam anything. However, if she's really good, I might be persuaded to make this for Doodlebug. :)
WOW! That last shot is saying " CHRISTMAS! Just beautiful scene. Have a lovely weekend.
I like chowder. The last time I had a real one was in Ireland, some... years ago! My tree will be up the night of the Winter solstice.
It looks and sounds very good. The only sound that beats this stuff is lobster bisque, I do love both!!
Oh, it does look delicious! I dropped by from Lady of the Manor. Your tree on the porch and the view were beautiful.
Please drop by!
Happy Christmas,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Just stopping back to say thank you for linking up your sweet Misty! Enjoy your weekend!
That looks so delicious! =) Maybe I will give it a try with coconut milk. ;) I love that photo of your porch with the tree last Christmas. How beautiful!
Hope your Thanksgiving was simply lovely.
Blessings,
Valerie
Your clam chowder looks so good! I love clam chowder and thanks for sharing this recioe. Your Christmas tree from last year looks so pretty! I hope you are enjoying the holiday season.
Julie67
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