Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

It's that time of the year that I start craving soup. This is the first of many that will be featured. This clam chowder didn't turn out looking like the original recipe but I'm sure it tasted just as good. Its a nice thick chowder and does not have the heavy clammy flavor that some chowders in cans do. If you have good eaters in your family you will need to double the recipe. As written this recipe makes 4 servings.

2 10oz. cans chopped or whole clams, chopped
1 bottle clam juice
4 strips bacon
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 potatoes, cubed
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crisp in a large pot. Remove bacon and add to the bacon drippings the onion, celery, carrots and potatoes. Stir for a couple of minutes and add in the clam juice plus the juice from the 2 cans of clams (do not add clams at this point). Let simmer on medium heat until potatoes are tender.

While waiting add butter to a sauce pan and once melted add in flour and stir to combine well, add in milk and stir till it begins to thicken. Then add in the heavy cream. Continue to stir until it thickens up to a thin gravy consistency. Once potatoes are tender pour in cream mixture and stir to combine. Add in seasonings to taste, then add in clams and cook for 5 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and stir in crumbled bacon. Enjoy!

Original recipe Janet's Appalachian Kitchen

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Sausage and Sauerkraut

I am such a sauerkraut fan. When I saw this I immediately started drooling. I had to make it soon and I did. We had this last night for dinner with the boiled potatoes on the side. It was so good. My husband does not like the sour sauerkraut or the super sweet sauerkraut. This was a happy medium. What makes this even better is its super cheap to make. Makes this momma happy about the savings.

Make 4 Servings
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 pounds carrots, halved crosswise
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 pounds  precooked link sausages, such as kielbasa or bratwurst, cut into 4 inch pieces
3 scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately
1 16 ounce bag sauerkraut, rinsed
2 bay leaves
mustard and sour cream, for serving (optional)

In a large saucepan, bring the potatoes and enough cold water to cover to a boil. Add carrots, lower the heat and simmer until crisp-tender, 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the carrots to a plate. Cook the potatoes until tender, 6 to 10 minutes more. Drain, then return the potatoes to the pot, toss with the butter and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausages and fry until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.

Wipe the skillet and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; add the scallions whites and cook over medium high heat for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water, the sauerkraut, bay leaves, reserved sausages and carrots and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the scallion greens; discard the bay leaves.

Serve the sausages and sauerkraut with the potatoes, mustard and sour cream alongside.

Original recipe from Rachael RayPin It

A little hiccup...

My computer has had some issues for some time. It's not updating like it should. It's running really slow so I will be limited in how much I can update till I get it fixed. I'm going to go next week and take it in and see what can be done with it. I hope its a quick and cheap fix as I'm totally strapped for cash due to me being in the hospital here recently. That's another story in itself. I'll share after I see my doctor again on Tuesday.

There's a few recipes I have been wanting to share with you all. I hope that I can use one of my lunch breaks and update this week. As you know I work in a flower shop, this week is going to be incredibly busy for us as a young girl has died that has a huge catholic family. I may only beable to update later in the week. Who knows but we'll see what I can get done.

Hope everyone is well and cooking and canning like crazy!

~ FarmgirlPin It

Picture sharing moment....

Sharing some of the critters here on the farm at the moment.

Bonnie and Clyde on April 6th

One month later. They are growing nicely!

Titus getting brushed out. April 6th

Titus One Month Later. Getting bigger

Johnny and June

These are some of our animals here on our crazy farm. Share more next week. Hopfully by then we'll have some baby bunnies. I saw Jenny making a nest. 

~ Farmgirl

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Where has time went?

It just seems like yesterday that I was here doing some maintenance on the blog and ready for a whole bunch of recipes to go up and some normal winter chatter. But, here it is spring and I don't think I got anything accomplished at all, that I wanted too. The good thing is that my husband did heal up from his bouts with MRSA. That sure was consuming a lot of my time. Making sure he was doing what he was suppose to and cleaning up after him as men always make more messes than necessary.

Towards the end of January, I decided that I had enough at the bakery I was working for. The employees that had no respect for others, and the management that thought you were suppose to drop what you were doing to cover others had just gotten to me, way to much. So I decided it was time for a change in jobs. I have found myself working for a florist, one of the oldest ones in our area. I am very happy there. I am learning how to make arrangements and many things about the flowers. Although my main job is in the office I sneak out of there and into the design room often for some extra work. I'm really enjoying it. The only negative thing about my job is that I don't have days off together to get everything I need accomplished. But, all in all, I'm very happy where I am.

It's spring now. We have our garden plowed and disc'ed and ready for planting if we can get the weather to straighten up. We have bred most of our rabbits. Some for just meat, some for fair bunnies and now its just a waiting game to see what we have to work with.

My son is taking more Duroc hogs for his FFA project. My daughter is taking rabbits for 4H and a Steer for FFA. We have plenty of small projects to work on that's for sure. Jordan my daughter has to make her a box for the fair. That's going to be an interesting project. It will need to hold her show stick, her grooming supplies and halters for her steer.

I know that I have a few followers her on my blog and I'm sorry that I have left you all hanging for such a long time. I will do my best to keep up with things here hopefully I can figure out how to update from my smart phone. Oh yeah, I finally ditched my stupid phone for a smart phone. I'm moving up in the world! LOL

You all have a fine afternoon and I'll be posting soon!

BarefootPin It