In Honor of Game 1 of the World Series

Baseball fans that we are, the menu for Wednesday will be:

UPDATE:   We had these dishes tonight (Wednesday) and they were wonderful!  My anti-seafood husband took one look at the clam chowder and said "I'm not eating that!"  He ended up going back for seconds! 

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER:

• 5 cups bottled clam juice
• 1 stick of margarine
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1/2 cup cooked bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup flour
• 3 1 1/2 oz cans choppped clams
• 2 boiled potatoes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper, to taste
• oyster crackers

1. In a large, thick-bottomed pan, heat the clam juice
2. In a separate pan, melt margarine over medium-high heat.  Add celery and onions and saute until they appear translucent (about 3 minutes)
3. Add bacon and flour and stir continuously for another 5 minutes.  This mixture is your roux.
4. Increase heat on juice to medium-high, and with a wire whisk, add roux mixture to liquid.  Stir constantly, and make sure to break up any lumps that may form.
5. Add clams (and the liquid that they are packed in) to chowder and stir.
6. Chop potatoes coarsly and add to chowder.
7. Add milk and light cream and stir.  Add salt.
8. Decrease heat to medium-low.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring very frequently
9. Serve piping hot with black pepper and oyster crackers

My friend Pame suggested that we soak the clams in milk during preparation to take out the "fishy" taste. It worked!

MILE-HIGH STRAWBERRY DESSERT

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup melted butter

1. Mix all ingredients; spread evenly in 9 inch shallow baking pan
2. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
3. Let cool and sprinkle 2/3 of crumb mixture in a 1 quart square dish

• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding sugar.
2. Fold in the whipped cream and remaining ingredients
3. Spoon this over the first mixture of crumbs and smooth out
4. Top with the remainder of the crumb mixture
5. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight

This is from the book Eat Your Way Through the USA by Loree Pettit

UPDATE:  Yum Yum!

Comments

[Shelly]

Yeah, that last game [well, the last 3 games] were pathetic! Way to go to Boston for making such an incredible comeback. Congrats!
At least it wasn't the Braves - there lies my loyalty :O)

[Megan D.]

How very clever! What time should we be over? We are actully making clam chowder on Friday when my dad gets here. Another book suggestion I have to write down on my list! If I ever win the lottery I might be able to afford everything on it!

[vicki]

I know what you mean, Megan. I could spend a fortune on books!