Crockpot Manhattan Clam Chowder

This is a savory, wonderful chowder. It’s perfect for rainy summer days, or winter evenings. I don’t know if it will win you any Vegas vacations in a cook-off but it will definitely win the heart of your family! And it’s so easy on the budget, it’s amazing. My kids all love it, and it is so easy to make. My recipe is not very soupy- it’s got lots of chunky goodness. Make all your ingredients slightly smaller than bite-size. And this chowder is even better made a day before and heated up.

Like everything I do, this is completely customizable. If you like spicy chowder, add a dash of Tabasco sauce. Don’t like bacon or sausage? Use ground turkey sausage. Like more greens or yellows? Throw in some freshly chopped spinach or leftover corn. Just keep in mind that the more you add to your chowder, the more dilute the seasoning becomes. Always do a taste test before serving, and add salt or pepper or garlic powder accordingly. This is my tried-and-true chowder recipe.

Crockpot Manhattan Clam Chowder
Serves 6-9

1/2 pound of bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped
1/2 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
4 cans undrained, minced clams– save that juice!
2 28oz cans of petite, diced tomatoes
4 medium potatoes, diced into small cubes (I leave the skins on the potatoes)
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped well
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 Tablespoon basil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
Throw everything in the pot, including the clam juice. Stir a few times. Cover and set on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 8-9 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool off a little before serving.

This chowder is terrific served with garlic bread and a small, light salad.

Photo courtesy of LATimes.

Featured Content Photo:

Wow Chow Chili

This is not your average American-style chili recipe. I actually made it up when I was out of a certain number of ingredients (isn’t that how all recipes are eventually created, lol?). Wow Chow Chili, as most of my recipes are, can be completely customized according to your likes. I like my chili only a *little* on the spicy side, so this is a milder recipe. Feel free to add your own toxic spices to make this a hottie. Here’s how I do mine:

Wow Chow Chili
serves 10

• 1 large can (28 oz.) petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 green pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 4-5 pounds beef or pork, cubed into bite-sized pieces (I used both uncooked beef cubes and some leftover grilled pork steaks, cubed)
• 3 cans black beans, drained
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt

Throw everything into the crockpot and stir well. Turn on HIGH for 6-8 hours (or LOW for 10-12).

Serve with rice and a little cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top.

If you want to add some heat to the recipe, you can add tabasco sauce, or something like hot pickled cherry peppers. I always have a can of these on hand for my Chicken Riggies recipe. My kids don’t like spicy foods, so I don’t make them (not too often, heh heh).

A Great and Simple Marinade for Meat

Easy easy easy! I love it when cooking is this easy. Here’s a really simple, DIY marinade for meat. I used it on beef steak, but it’s delicious with chicken or pork, too. Also, it’s verstaile enough for vegetables.

5 pounds beef steak (I slice mine into chunks for quicker cooking)
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dried basil

In a large bowl, pour all ingredients over the meat. Allow to stand at room temperature for an hour. Heat up the grill, and lay the meat on the grates. Sear the meat for about 15-20 minutes. Once seared, move the meat over to one side of the grill (pile them up if you have to, they won’t stay there long). Then, lay a sheet of aluminum foil across the grates. Place the seared meat on top of the aluminum foil, and throw a few sliced white onions on top. Allow to cook for 15 minute smore or so (depends on how you like your meat– I like mine medium rare to well done).

Serve with fresh green salad, sliced cantaloupe, and potato salad. DELICIOUS!

Wow Chow Meatballs

These are perhaps the most succulent meatballs you will ever eat.

All the meatball recipes that I have seen bake the balls in the oven. This pretty much destroys the savory goodness of the meatball. Plus, you may as well hand out the nutcrackers when serving the meatballs, they get so hard. My meatballs are boiled in tomato sauce, and turn out soft and savory.

Just like all of my recipes, this one is customizable. I usually hunt around in my refrigerator, looking for leftovers or other savory things to dump into the meat mixture. This time I had some leftover cubanelle peppers and tomato slices. In the past, I’ve added cooked spinach (make sure its FULLY drained if you add it), shredded cheese, or oatmeal. Keep in mind that the more leftovers you add, the more dilute the meat and the spices are, so be sure to add more meat and/or spices accordingly.

Also, this is a big recipe. I was able to make 135 meatballs with these ingredients. The great thing is that meatballs freeze very well. Even though this recipe has raw eggs, the uncooked meatballs can be frozen for up to 4 months. So, next time you want to have a spaghetti dinner, just pop the meatballs into a can of tomatoes, cook for an hour and there’s your dinner.

OK, on with the show.

Wow Chow Meatballs

4 lbs ground beef
2 lbs ground bulk sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs
4 eggs
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup diced white onion
small saucepan with 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Caesar or Italian salad dressing
2 28oz cans petite diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/2 cup to 1 cup leftover veggies or etc (optional)

Read more

Super Easy Chicken Florentine

This is one of my easiest recipes. The family likes it so much that I make it every week. It can be served with egg noodles, rice, or linguine. It is SO EASY to make!

Super Easy Chicken Florentine
serves 6-8

Chicken breasts, boned, skinned, and cubed
2 cans Alfredo sauce
1 28oz. can spinach -or- three handfuls of raw baby leaf spinach
Parmesan cheese
Paprika

optional: shredded mozzarella cheese
Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »