Snowman, Quilt and Chowder

I have been in full swing with crafting, and cooking. It has been fun finishing up projects, and trying fun new recipes. Here are a few.

9 patch Christmas quilt. Who would have thought it first started out as a tree skirt.









Mr. Snowman

And finally, chowder.
We love going to Market Street Broiler and they have the best Chowder. It is a little too spicy for the kids, so I changed up a few things. Here is how I did it.


1 cup potatoes, diced ½ inch
1 cup celery, diced ½ inch
1 cup onion, diced ½ inch
¾ cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)
¾ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoon salt
¾ tablespoon whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Tabasco
2 cups water
¾ cup clam juice (drained from canned clams or purchased separately in can)
¾ cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 quarts half-and-half ( I used 1 quart and just added a little bit of milk)

Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. In large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half-and-half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.