My Family's Favorite Soup - Clam Chowder

Today I want to share with you how I make my family's favorite soup- Clam Chowder. My hubby does not like milk based chowder, so I came up with this recipe. It has several steps but it tastes wonderful and it's worth the trouble. 

*I do not use exact measurements.* 

This soup can be altered to suit your taste. 

Lets get this Chowder started!

You will need:

Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Bacon, 

Chicken Broth, Clams

Not shown here- You also need a blender and large pot.

*Crackers are optional*

1. Cut the bacon in small chunks and fry it in a large pot. I used the whole package making this batch of soup. I cook it on low heat so while it's cooking, I have time to cut up my veggies.

2. While the bacon cooks, cut the carrots, celery, and onions about the same size so that they cook equally. You can rough chop the garlic.

3. Use a slotted spoon and scoop out the bacon onto a paper towel to drain. Leave some bacon fat in the pot to flavor the soup. The amount of bacon fat you use is your choice.

*Hide the bacon until dinner, people tend to stand around eating it. The microwave seems to be a good place to hide it ;-)

4. Put all the veggies into the pot with the bacon fat and add the chicken broth. I used 2 cartons for this big pot. Cover and boil the veggies until tender.

5. While the veggies are boiling, I peel and cut up the potatoes. By the way, I hate peeling potatoes! This is the sacrifice I make for my family when making this soup. I put them in a bowl and cover them with cold water (while I do the happy dance because the task is over) so they won't turn brown while I'm waiting for the veggies to finish cooking.

6. When the veggies are tender, use a slotted spoon and dip them into the blender. Blend and then put the mixture back into the pot. It usually takes me about three times dipping and blending until I get all the veggies blended. Always use caution, and don't fill your blender too full- this mess is HOT!

7. Now that you have all the veggies blended, the soup has a creamy, thicker texture, it tastes good just like this.  

8. Add the potatoes to the blended mixture and boil them until they are tender, stirring occasionally.

9. Add clams to the pot and simmer for a few minutes.

I used a huge can of clams for this pot, but I usually buy the small cans of chopped clams from Walmart. 

10. Garnish with the bacon bits, add your favorite cracker and you have a satisfying soup that is perfect on a cold day - like today!

Thanks so much for stopping by!