~Lunch on the Deck~

Stop by Designs by Gollum, each Friday, for delicious inspiration from kitchens around the blogosphere.

Wednesday was a beautiful day in the Ozarks.  A perfect day for lunch on the deck.

I prepared Clam Chowder and served it with hot rolls.

 CLAM CHOWDER

4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

2 or 3 ribs of celery, chopped

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 or 3 6.5 ounce cans clams, packed in water.

8 ounce bottle clam juice

4 slices bacon

1/2 stick butter

1 pint heavy cream

1 cup half and half

Thyme

Parsley

Bay Leaf

Cracked pepper to taste.

No salt needed.

Cook potatoes, covered in water just to the top, until slightly underdone.  While potatoes are cooking, cut bacon into small pieces and cook in skillet.  Drain on paper toweling.  Add celery and onion to skillet and cook until translucent, not brown.  Add minced garlic at the end. 

Drain clams, reserving a portion of the liquid.  Rinse clams removing any remaining sand.

Drain potatoes and return to pot.  Add 1 bottle of clam juice, about a cup of the juice from the canned clams and the drained clams.  Add onion, garlic, celery, approximately 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, tied in cheesecloth and 1 bay leaf, simmer about 15 or 20 minutes.

Remove thyme and bay leaf.

Prepare a roux of melted butter and 1 tablespoon flour, stir into chowder to thicken.

Add bacon, heavy cream and half and half. Heat, do not boil.

Garnish with a pat of butter and chopped parsley.

Serve with multigrain rolls

6-8 one cup ladle servings

Enjoy!

 Lunchtime View

There are lots of Clam Chowder recipes.  I sort of combined a few to make this pot of chowder.

One of the easiest chowder recipes, I know of, was prepared by an old St Charles, Missouri restaurant, Noah’s Ark, now closed and demolished.  That recipe includes 3 canned soups; celery soup, potato soup and clam chowder.  This is the chowder I make for big gatherings. I prepare a potato soup, add the canned soups and extra clams, a couple of cans of evaporated milk and butter.  I throw in a handful of instant potato flakes to thicken.  It’s okay, but not quite a tasty as the chowder I prepared Wednesday.

Family…..are you reading this?

~Spring Fluffing in Pink~

~A Hint of Pink at the Condo~

A Work in Progress

While shopping at Marshall’s Osage Beach, the other day, I found a pink plaid duvet cover and shams.  I immediately thought of the smallest of the three bedrooms of the condo.  Last year, I did the room in mostly white.  When I saw the pink, I couldn’t resist a mini makeover of the mini room. 

As you can see in one of the photos of the collage, the bed is just about a foot and a half from the closet door.  There is a space for a narrow table on the other side of the bed. 

Next time we drive down, we’ll bring the truck so we can take the headboard home.  It will be painted a creamy white.  I’ll bring a small wicker table from home and white pillows for the shams.  The ticking pillows show through the fabric, in these photos.  I’ll also bring a small chair, for one corner of the room, where the pink pillow will be used.  The N is for Nautica.  The shams and duvet cover (also from Nautica) and initial/logo pillow were at bargain prices. 

I’ve had the floral pillow a couple of years.  It keeps migrating from room to room at the condo.  I’m having some of my photos printed in sepia, to use in the square frames, above the bed.

I think the grandgirls will like this little makeover.  The grandfellas, on the other hand….not so much.  Perhaps I’ll do a mini spiff up of the other bedroom, for them.

More photos and a post when I’ve finished the Spring fix up, in this room.