Cromwell Clam Chowder

Cromwell is a Connecticut town of 14,000 in Middlesex County located in the middle of the state. Until now it was notable for, well, nothing.  But Cromwell is exactly half way between Boston and Manhattan, which makes it the ideal name for our incredibly delicious clam chowder that is a intermingling of the best of what makes Boston Clam Chowder (chowda if you prefer) and Manhattan Clam Chowder. Once you taste this indulgent concoction you will again never open a can of Campbells or Snows.

What makes it unique are actually a few things. One is that it is prepared in a Vitamix (or similar) blender then slow cooked for hours in a crock pot.  The other is the richness of healthy ingredients. And of course, the juxtaposition of everything that makes Boston Chowder great and Manhattan Chowder just as great.

Stop the bickering already which is “better” … the answer from now on is Cromwell Clam Chowder!

INGREDIENTS:

·         14-16 oz fresh whole baby clams – these are usually available at most fresh fish counters most of the year. If off-season you can buy whole canned clams

·         ¼ cup clam juice

·         6 small whole white potatoes – wash but leave the skins on

·         1 carrot - peeled

·         ½ cup scallions – use the white part and save the stems to cut into the crockpot

·         ¼ turnip (don’t ask what to do with the rest of it, maybe something will turn up)

·         ¼ cup roughly minced parsley

·         ¼ lb dairy butter (I use Kerrigold)

·         1 pint heavy cream – if you’re on a low-fat diet maybe this recipe isn’t for you

·         ¼ cup sherry

·         ½ large beefsteak tomato

Put 4 potatoes, the carrot, 1/4 turnip, scallions and the tomato half into the blender and puree together with the clam juice for 8 minutes (if your blender has a “soup” position use that setting).  After you have blended the ingredients, then cut the remaining two potatoes into rough chunks about ½” square. Cut a handful of scallion stems into ¼” pieces.  Put the above blended puree into your crockpot together with the chopped potatoes, scallion stems, parsley, clams, butter, heavy cream and sherry.  If you desire, add one can of tiny shrimp (do not use fresh shrimp, the canned type will actually survive the cooking better).  Start the crock pot on high for 2 hours then reduce to the low setting for another 2 hours.  Serve with crusty sourdough bread and enjoy.

Makes about 4 servings – adjust proportions to suit your needs

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation.”

Clementine Paddleford - Charles Wysocki's Americana Cookbook



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Shrink those plastic bags

It seems no matter what you buy at the supermarket those plastic bags that you tear off to put it in are always too large. Whether you’re buying a single apple, a bunch of radishes or from the serve-yourself bins in the bulk section you end up with a cupboard at home with large plastic bags all competing for space.

 

Here’s a simple solution. Just take your scissors and cut the bag down just above the tie wrap. You instantly have bags that are much more manageable and easy to sort.

This also works if you buy quantities of things like nuts, cereals, etc. in the bulk section. As you use the product, just cut the bag down to a smaller size.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
 
"Everything is perfect and there is always room for improvement"

- Shunryu Suzuki



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Your heart … and water

How many people do you know who say they don't want to drink anything before going to bed because they'll have to get up during the night?

The reason some people have a need to urinate often at night is that gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright (your legs swell). When you lie down and the lower body seeks a level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier.

Your body needs a minimum amount of water to help flush the toxins out of your body. There is never a bad time to drink water but consider the following as being especially good times:

·       Drinking 2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs

·       Drinking 1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

·       Drinking 1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure

·       Drinking 1 glass of water before going to bed – may avoid a stroke or heart attack

Water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse. My doctor told me that this is a very common occurrence but wasn’t sure what caused it. Now you know how you may be able to prevent it.

Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 A.M. and noon. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual happened.

1. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night. The reason: aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the aspirin would be strongest in your system. This was confirmed to me by a long-time doctor friend.

 2. Aspirin can last a long time in your medicine chest, for years. You can tell when it gets old because it begin to smell like vinegar.

3. Keep a bottle of at your bedside. By now you should have researched the symptoms of a heart attack regardless of your age. But there are other symptoms of a heart attack, besides the pain on the left arm. You should also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however, these symptoms may also occur less frequently. You should also know that there are instances in which there may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack.

Unfortunately, the majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However if chest pain does wake you up from your deep sleep immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Then call 911. Say "heart attack!" - Say that you have taken 2 aspirins.  If you are able, try to also call a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by. Then take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and ... DO NOT LIE DOWN!

[Source: edited from www.healthdigeZt.com]

 

Quote of the Day:

 

"Water is the driving force of all nature"

- Leonardo da Vinci

 

 

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Sodium: Don’t ya love it?

A shake of salt makes everything taste better. Right?

Salt on your eggs at breakfast, salt on your burger at lunch, salt on your steak at dinner, salt on your popcorn for an evening snack. The list goes on. I recently tested a new “improved” taco seasoning mix for McCormick and was unpleasantly surprised that they suggested using the whole packet, a whopping 2280 mg of sodium in a 1.25 oz packet, adding to what’s already in the other ingredients. But then, that’s for 6 tacos and my appetite usually tells me that 3 is my limit.

Even so, that’s 1140 mg of added sodium which is getting pretty close to the 2300 mg that the Institute of Medicine recommends per day as the Adequate Intake level for most Americans. Note that if you are in only one of the categories below your sodium limit drops to no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

•You are 51 years of age or older.

•You are African American.
•You have high blood pressure.
•You have diabetes.
•You have chronic kidney disease.

So, how well do you do on a daily basis when you grab a bite at your favorite restaurant?  Check it out below (these are all PER PERSON):

Red Robin: A-1 Peppercorn Monster Burger, with Steak Fries and Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake - 6,280mg

The Cheesecake Factory: Bruléed French Toast with optional bacon - 2,230

Famous Dave’s: The Big Slab - 4,320mg

The Cheesecake Factory: Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic - 1,370mg

BJ’s Brewhouse: Small Deep Dish Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza (small) - 4,680mg

Chevys: Super Cinco Combo - 3,950

Joe’s Crab Shack: The Big “Hook” Up - 7,610mg

Maggiano’s Little Italy: Prime New York Steak Contadina Style - 5,260mg

I know “but it all looks so good”. If you eat this kind of stuff often do your heart a favor and at least don’t reach for the shaker to add even more salt.

[Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest]

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food

- William Hazlitt



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Bacon wrapped chicken

This is an exceptionally easy recipe to prepare but looks and tastes great. Start with 5 oz lean chicken breasts, rub them with your favorite choice of dry seasonings and wrap each filet with two slices of bacon.  Bake them in a 400 degree oven for 40 - 45 minutes and serve. The bottoms will be quite greasy so I like to place them first on a few folded paper towels on a paper plate to drain.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

"I want to grow my own foods but I can't find any bacon seeds"

- Unknown


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Nantucket Pie

Nantucket pie is great all year around but especially festive for Autumn through the Holidays. This recipe was given to me by my friend Benita who brought it to a post-Christmas Julbord festival. It is easy to make and was a big hit at our event.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups chopped cranberries
• 1-1/2 cut chopped pecans
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 sticks melted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a deep pie dish with non-fat cooking spray. Mix the flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter, salt and almond extract. Spread the cranberries and pecans in pie dish and sprinkle the sugar over the top, then pour the mixture prepared above over the top.

Bake 30 - 40 minutes.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

"There are four unbroken rules when it comes to Thanksgiving: there must be turkey and dressing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.”

- John Hadamuscin


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Low fat carrot cake

I love the spicy flavors of carrot cake!  Especially around the holidays.  However with all of the other sweets and treats I like to find ways of cutting back on some of the excess.  Here's a recipe that is lower in fat but gives up none of the goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

(for a 9 x 13 cake)

• 6 egg whites
• 1-1/3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple with juice
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-fat cooking spray. Beat egg whites in large mixing bowl, slowly adding in sugar, then applesauce, skim milk and vanilla.  Stir in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda and flour.  Stir in crushed pineapple with juice, then carrots followed by walnuts and raisins.  Pour into baking pan.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes.

HINT:

To test "doneness" of a cake insert a toothpick into the center.  The cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much"

- George Harrison


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Chef Oh Boy Are Deez Good

I love ravioli. It's the universal food that no matter where you are in the world there is some regional variation stuffed with goodness.

But somewhere along the way I've lost my taste for traditional red spaghetti sauces from Ragu and Prego and all the others. Too salty, too bland (even those that promise a kick).

So I experiment. These are some of the easiest and best tasting I've had, at home or anywhere else for that matter.

INGREDIENTS:

• One package of frozen ravioli, cheese or beef or spinach or whatever else you find locally
• Fresh sweet Maui onion
• Fresh mushrooms
• Olive Oil
• Powdered or ground garlic
• Fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

PREPARATION:

Cook ravioli according to package directions, usually about 8 minutes.  Drain.  In same pot, reduce heat to medium-low and pour about 1/4 cup olive oil and sauté two thin onion slices (quartered) for 2-3 minutes.  Then add sliced mushrooms for only about a minute while adding garlic.  Put the cooked ravioli back into the pot and stir gently until warm over very low heat.  Plate and sprinkle with freshly ground hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano.  Serve with garlic bread and a side salad.

WHY NOT JUST COOK WITH RAGU?

Tomato sauce covers up much of the delicate flavors that are found in many ravioli and are high in sodium while this method is rich in two of the most desired foods for good nutrition ... olive oil and garlic. Not only does it make for a gourmet presentation but there are is far more taste than simply soaking the ravioli in spaghetti sauce.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

"Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy"

- Wolfgang Puck


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