A little over a year ago, Shawn, the kids and several of our friends were on the Cape (Cape Cod, that is) for a wedding. One evening, we got takeout from a little place in Orleans, Massachusetts called Sir Crickets. We all ordered something different — fried clams, fried oysters (mmm!), clam chowder, fish and chips … there was just an array. We all shared a bit, which I love to do. It allows you to try so much more without going crazy. Total bliss.

The fried oysters — the first ones I’ve ever had — were amazing: tender, meaty and beautifully cooked. But as delicious as the fried oysters were, the standout dish was the New England clam chowder, which was ridiculously creamy, well-seasoned, a little smoky and loaded with clams and potatoes. It had taken some convincing to get me to try it, but when I did it totally reawakened a long dormant love of chowders in me.

Unfortunately, my friends and I skipped our annual fall trip to the Cape this past year, so I didn’t get to indulge in my favorites again. Maybe that’s why I have become a little obsessed with New England-style cooking. Why should it take a trip to the Cape for me to enjoy things like New England Clam Chowder?

This recipe for New England Clam Chowder comes from my family cookbook, which was created about 30 years ago with personal recipes from my grandmother, her sister and cousins. It also has journal entries from my great-great grandmother. The first time I saw the cookbook, I read through from cover to cover soaking in every word. It was almost like eavesdropping, but better. There’s such a special connection to my family’s past in that book.

New England Clam Chowder is a big thing here in the Northeast. Sold everywhere from grocery stores to fine restaurants, making a good chowder is no small feat. It should be creamy, but taste of the sea, and clams and have a meatiness to it. The potatoes give it a little more bulk. It should never be overwhelmed by the cream though. This recipe, which comes from a cousin (I think) named Peggy, is all of these things. It also has a very, very faint sweetness from the caramelized onions. But since it uses milk instead of heavy cream, it’s a little lighter. That means that the clam flavor shines through beautifully.

Make sure you use really good clams. I bought frozen ones from a local market that has a dedicated fish section. They came from Rhode Island. My clam juice was from Maine — both perfect for a true New England chowder.

It’s important to note that while this New England Clam Chowder is lighter than more traditional recipes, it’s still not exactly light. The base starts with a lot of diced salt pork, after all. But you can enjoy this one with a little less guilt — so that’s something, right?

On a side note, I have discovered that New England cooking really loves salt pork and cream. Just sayin’. Considering I plan to do more New England-style cooking, I wonder what that might mean for my waist? Eh, better not to worry …

Did the family like it? Yes! The kids, Shawn and I all really enjoyed this recipe. Shawn’s hoping for a slightly creamier version to hit our table soon, but I was really happy with this less creamy version. Try serving it with Fluffy Baking Powder Biscuits.

So, are you a chowder fan? What’s your favorite variety?

Lighter New England Clam Chowder, A Family Recipe
serves 8

1/4 lb salt pork, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
6 large potatoes, diced
1 quart chopped clams (I use frozen fresh ones)
1 pint clam juice
1 quart low-fat milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large pot on the stove (I used my cast iron Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the salt pork and cook for about 10 minutes until the fat renders and the bits are golden. Remove the salt pork bits from the pot and reserve for later.

Add the onions to the pot and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly browned. Add the potatoes and stir well to combine.

Add the clams and clam juice. (You can just add the clams frozen, but it will add more time to the cooking time.) Stir well. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

While the clams are cooking, separate the fatty bits from the meaty bits of salt pork. Discard any fatty ones — they are tough and inedible. Stir the meaty salt pork bits back into the chowder.

Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the milk. Enjoy immediately.

This soup reheats well.

More from Sarah W. Caron of Sarah’s Cucina Bella…

• Game Day Brownie Bites on BettyCrocker.com
• Chocolate Raspberry Parfait on Tablespoon.com
• Top 10 Tips for Healthier Dinners on BettyCrocker.com (an oldie but goodie)
• Make Your Own Empanadas on Pillsbury.com

When you plan your meals ahead of time, the evening goes much smoother. It becomes simpler to just finish up whatever you need to (work, laundry, whatever) and then move into a speedy dinner prep. Unfortunately, I fell back into bad habits recently and wasn’t planning dinners. Heck, I wasn’t even thinking about dinner … until it was time to make it. We consumed a lot of pasta. It was really chaotic, and I hate chaos.

But I am working on it (we’re on day five of planning success!). Honestly, the stress of having dinner roll around without a plan is something I don’t need. No one needs it. And it’s just too easy to skirt the issue with a little bit of planning.

The slow cooker really comes in handy. It’s just so simple. You toss the ingredients in early in the morning and then when dinnertime rolls around, you have a hot, ready to go dinner. If you are struggling with dinners, you should totally get your slow cooker out and give it a shot. Having this stew bubbling away the other afternoon provided such sweet peace of mind so that I could focus on what I needed to without stressing over what I would toss together for dinner.

Oh, and this Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew is a great dish to re-start your slow cooking adventures with.

This stew has a faint French onion-ness to the broth, but not so much that onion haters will balk (and the onion pieces are big so they can pick ‘em out anyway). And the roasted garlic adds dimension to the broth. The slow cooking blends the flavors as it renders the stew meat completely fall-apart tender. The vegetables – carrots, broccoli stems, potatoes and sweet potatoes – give the stew bulk so that it fills you up.

Did you catch that it has broccoli stems. Stems! The part that no one loves to eat. I keep stems in my freezer for using in recipes like this. And honestly, after slow cooking the stems for so long, the kids and I really enjoyed them in this stew. It was an unexpected but welcome element.

Eat this with a slice of buttered bread. Just divine.

Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew
serves 6

1 1/4 lb stew beef, cut into 1″ chunks
1 small onion, quartered
1 Yukon gold potato, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2″ thick pieces
6 cloves roasted garlic, sliced and crushed
1/2 cup diced broccoli stems
4 cups beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
salt and pepper, to taste
flour (for thickening)

Combine all of the ingredients except the flour in the bowl of the slow cooker. Stir gently. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Remove a ladle of broth from the stew to a container with a cover and add flour (2 tbsp to start). Cover and shake vigorously until combined. Stir into the stew. Repeat until you reach desired thickness.

Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Last weekend, I was thinking up new recipes to work on when this idea for a veggie-filled chili came to mind. I’d almost call it a girl’s chili, but I truly hate when people refer to certain dishes as “man food,” so I surely shouldn’t be hypocritical and call this “girl food.”

It’s anyone who loves veggies food.

Really, this chili is all about fall produce. It begins with peppers, eggplant, leeks and kale — all from the farm where I get my CSA box … but you could easily find these in the grocery store or at the farmers market. The veggies, which are plentiful, bulk up the chili and make it feel substantial as you eat it. Once the veggies are all softened, you add in the (antioxidant-rich) tomatoes and beans … oh and the seasonings too. Then it just has to simmer.

You’ll notice that in the recipe, I am decidedly vague about the seasoning amount. Seasoning chili is a hard thing for me. While I love knock-your-socks-off hot chili, my husband and kids don’t. Not even close. So I always have to go mild for them. For myself, I and then doctor mine so that it has that bite that I crave.

Maybe someday we can be on the same page about the heat? Maybe? Eh, who am I kidding …

Autumn Vegetable Chili
serves 4

2 tbsp canola oil
1 bunch leeks, rinsed and chopped
1 cup chopped sweet bell peppers
1 cup chopped fresh kale
1 cup peeled and chopped fresh eggplant
1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
1 29-oz-can tomato puree
1 6-oz-can tomato paste (plus two cans of water)
chili powder (1 tbsp for mild, 2 for medium, more as desired)
1 tsp cumin
pepper, to taste
1 15-oz-can dark red kidney beans

Heat the canola oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook 3-5 minutes, until softened.

Add the peppers, kale, eggplant and salt. Stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir well.

Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, water, chili powder, cumin and pepper. Stir well. Stir in the kidney beans. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your favorite chili toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado and sour cream.

Ok. Maybe Split Pea Soup isn’t just for spring, but I do associate it with it, especially because I make it using a leftover ham bone (did you save one from Easter? I did … and I have one in the freezer too). But really it’s perfect for any time of year, especially if you remember to save your ham bones for later.It’s not the prettiest thing to come out of the kitchen, but I love it anyway.

The first time I remember having Split Pea Soup was in the springtime with my grandparents. We ate it outside in the backyard from little paper bowls with plastic spoons. I remember sitting at the black metal table, my feet swinging from the chair and being surprised at how good the sweet, smoky soup was.

Whenever I taste it, I think of that day. Amazing how flavors can become so intertwined with memory, isn’t it?

My recipe for Split Pea Soup is simple and easy, just the way I like it. It only takes a few ingredients to combine and create just the right flavor. Making it does take a little while though — close to two hours, plus soaking time for the peas. But much of that time is hands off, so it’s not that bad. Nonetheless, this isn’t for a busy weeknight — save it for the weekend instead.

And speaking of the weekend, I hope you really enjoy yours.

Split Pea Soup
serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock or broth (I prefer Kitchen Basics)
4 cups water
1 ham bone with a little meat still attached
1 lb dried split peas, soaked according to package directions
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot set over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the onions are softened and begin to brown ever so slightly.

Add the stock or broth, water, ham bone and split peas. Stir well to combine. Bring to a slow boil and then set the timer for 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, stir again. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring a couple times, for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Remove the cover  and taste. Season, as needed, with salt and pepper to desired taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

This is fabulous served with a buttery grilled cheese sandwich.

Earlier this week, a farm in our town started their preliminary work for the growing season. They begin by readying their greenhouse and planting seeds for their crops (and they sell some of the started plants too). In a month or so, the first crops will be planted in the fields, and their garden center will be hopping with hopeful people with fanciful dreams of amazing gardens.

As I look outside at our disheveled gardens, I am struck with how much work will have to happen before we can grow anything this year. Rocks from our gravel driveway were pushed far onto our lawn this winter. They need to be moved back again. Leaves, long forgotten under the snow, wait to be raked up and moved to our compost pile. My fenced garden of raised beds for growing veggies needs to be cleaned up, fertilized and planned. And will this be the year that I turn the grassy paths in it to gravel ones? I’m not sure.

And all this has to happen fast — between rainy days and chilly winds — so that it’s all picked up before the first blades of grass and rapidly growing weeds start appearing. It’s a race against Mother Nature, and I’m cold and sore just thinking of it.

I never really thought much about growing seasons and yard prep and all that until I had kids. It’s amazing how those sweet little people can make you so much more mindful about everything — where your food comes from, how you eat and living kindly with nature.

While I am in the beginning stages of planning for spring, it’s still soup season. And heck, when it’s cold like it still is (even on lovely sunny days like today), soup is just about the best thing ever — warm, comforting and belly-filling.

This Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a perfect late winter soup. It’s creamy, though it contains no cream, and flavorful, though the ingredients list is relatively short and simple. One of the greatest discoveries I ever made about soup making was that pureeing potatoes in a soup can give it that lovely creamy texture without the added fat of stirring in heavy cream.

The flavor reminds me of a broccoli and cheddar baked potato (which is especially good if you love broccoli … and broccoli and cheddar baked potatoes … like I do), except it’s in a comforting, warm soup.

Here I’ve topped it with some chopped roasted red peppers and Westminster Oyster Crackers. The cool, sweet peppers and crunchy, almost buttery crackers are a fabulous compliment to the soup.

A few months back, I received a box of these crackers in the mail, and was instantly smitten. Oyster crackers and I have a long relationship, dating back to my days in Catholic elementary school. I used to sneak them during band practice (I played the clarinet. Poorly. Um, yea. Might have helped if I didn’t eat during practice, I suppose).

So, these Westminster Oyster Crackers. They impressed me. First, there was the flavor and texture — an almost buttery flavor, and a satisfying puffy crunch. Then there was the ingredients list, which is simple and 100 percent pronounceable. They contain ingredients I have not only heard of, but own! So, we’ve been munching on these for a few months now — as snacks, in soups, etc. The kids love taking them for snack time at school.

It’s still chilly here, so this soup is perfect. With the crackers and roasted red peppers, of course.

Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup
serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb broccoli, cut into 1″ pieces (including the stem!)
4 cups low sodium (or no salt) chicken stock
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown.

Stir the potatoes and broccoli into the pot and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and stir it all up. Cover and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat (or until the broccoli and potatoes are tender).

Remove the soup from the heat, and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s mostly smooth (a few chunks are a good thing). Stir in the cheddar a little at a time, until melted. Taste and salt and pepper, as needed.

Serve immediately.

NOTE: The soup thickens as it cools, so if you have leftovers add a little extra chicken stock or broth to the soup when reheating for a looser consistency.

Giveaway!

Entries Closed. Congrats to Jacquie, the winner of the prize pack!

Westminster Crackers was kind enough to offer a fabulous prize pack for one of my readers. Seriously, I am jealous — it’s really awesome, and would be a great addition to any soup lover’s kitchen.

Here’s what one lucky winner will get:

• Samples of Westminster Crackers (oyster, rounds and squares)
• Set of 4 soup crocks from Sur La Table
• Soup Socks from Sur La Table
• Ladle from Sur La Table

To enter, leave a comment on this post, sharing what your very favorite soup is, before March 25 at 11:59 p.m. A winner will be chosen by March 27 and notified via email. Be sure to include an email address so that I can contact you.

Bonus entries (up to 3):

After you’ve commented, you can earn up to three bonus entries (one/task):

• Like Sarah’s Cucina Bella on Facebook (and leave a separate comment on this post saying that you did)
• Twitter about the contest (and leave a separate comment on this post saying you did)
• Give Sarah’s Cucina Bella a thumbs up on Babble’s Top 100 Food Mom Bloggers list (currently listed on Page 3) (and leave a separate comment on this post saying that you did)

DISCLOSURE: Westminster Crackers provided me with samples of their crackers. They are also providing the prize pack. I was not monetarily compensated for this post, and receiving the samples and prize pack didn’t influence my opinions in anyway.

Once upon a time, what feels like a bazillion years ago, I interviewed for a job at Taunton Press, publishers of Fine Cooking. But the job wasn’t for that fabulous magazine, it was for another of their great enthusiast titles – Fine Woodworking.

I’ll pause for a second while those that know me personally snicker a bit. It’s okay. I totally understand.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Fine Woodworking is a wonderful magazine for woodworking enthusiasts. But I am not one of them. I walked into the interview knowing very little about woodworking. Fortunately, I was plenty qualified for the position, which was working in editorial/web development — so they could look past the fact that “dove-tailed corners” was about the only woodworking phrase I could think of.

In the end, it came down to me and one other applicant and I didn’t get the job. That was okay too. I ended up working at an awesome children’s publisher instead. Ironically, I was later interviewed for a grad school project on blogging by the woman who beat me out for the job.

Anyway, I digress. While interviewing for Fine Woodworking, I fell head over heels in love with Fine Cooking. I had seen the magazine before and enjoyed it, but that was when I really embraced the title and its amazing recipes. From homemade tortillas to fabulous cookies, they’ve never disappointed me. (And I harbor a not-so-secret dream of working there some day. Just sayin’.)

So, when I saw the recipe for Tomato Bisque in their Soups & Sandwiches special issue, I knew I would love it. Moreover, I knew it would be perfect for the big Sunday family dinner that I hosted this week. I couldn’t have been more right … everyone adored the soup, and the leftovers made a fabulous lunch yesterday. And when I was digging up the links for this post, I discovered that Abby Dodge, who actually founded the Fine Cooking test kitchen, wrote the recipe. I’ve admired her work for a long time, as someone to look up to in the food writing and recipe development field.

The Tomato Bisque starts with caramelized onions — the original recipe calls for a small white onion, but I used a large Vidalia one, since I turned the soup for two into soup for 12 and wanted the inherent sweetness of the Vidalia. Paige, of course, was quick to mosey up with her little pink stool to watch the progress as I made the soup.

Anyway, once the onions are caramelized, you add the thyme and garlic and stir it for just about a minute. Then the remainder of the ingredients, except for the cream are added. It boils, reduces and then you finally mix in the cream and serve.

All in all, it was really easy to make too. The recipe instructs to make cheese toasts with it. But I decided to serve this with my Gorgonzola Bison Sliders, and that was an awesome combination.

Try this Tomato Bisque. It’s amazing.

What’s your favorite cooking magazine?

Tomato Bisque for 12
serves 12, plus leftovers
adapted very slightly from Fine Cooking

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
a handful of fresh thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine
5 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
6 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
a scant cup of honey
sea salt and ground black pepper
1 2/3 cups heavy cream (whipping cream is fine too)

Heat the oil in a deep stockpot over medium heat. You will need a really large pot for this. It makes a lot of soup.

Add the onions to the pot and saute for 10 minutes or so, until the edges begin to brown lightly. Add the garlic and thyme, stirring for one minute until fragrant.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth or stock, honey, salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20-30 minutes, until slightly reduced.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream.

Serve immediately.

When Will came home from school today, my house smelled incredible. The the lingering scent of slow-cooking beef mixed with red wine, garlic and more was mouthwatering and hit me as soon as we stepped through the door. I couldn’t wait until dinnertime.

The stew, which the kids both ate a lot of, was hearty and well cooked. After hours of cooking, the potatoes with silky soft and the meat was fork tender — just as it should be. When I asked Shawn what he thought, he said, “Very good.” That’s a sentiment that I haven’t heard about a stew in a long, long, long time.

I’ve really fallen for this slow cooking lately. The whole idea of tossing ingredients in a pot and letting it take care of itself is so incredibly helpful at the conclusion of a busy day when the last thing I want to do is create a fabulous meal. Are you a slow cooking fan? What’s your favorite slow cooker recipe? Share! I am dying to try more!

Sarah’s Waist-Friendly Slow Cooker Beef Stew
serves 6

1 1/2 lb beef stew meat
4 cups beef broth or stock
1 cup red wine (something you’d be happy to drink!)
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lb Idaho potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a slow cooker and stir well. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 5-6 hours or on low and cook for 10-12 hours. The stew is done when the vegetables are tender and the meat is falling apart. Remove the sprigs of thyme (for easier removal, tie them together with kitchen string before cooking). Season with salt and pepper.

Now, you can serve it just like this, or you can thicken it as you desire … your choice. I use a little cornstarch mixed with a little of the broth to thicken it ever so slightly.

Enjoy.

Pretty much everyone who knows my family knows that my husband Shawn hates onions … or at least he says he does. The truth? He doesn’t like the texture of onions, but he does appreciate the flavor that a sweet onion can add to a dish. Don’t tell him I told you though, he’s very sensitive about it. (I jest. He reads my blog. I am sure to hear about this paragraph very soon).

Beef stew? It’s one of those dishes that absolutely needs to have onions in it. I love big bits of onion, personally, but everyone knows that life and marriage is about compromise, so over the years, I have tried different methods of incorporating onions: dried onions (from the spice aisle), finely chopped onion, even onion free … but I finely found the method that works for us.

My stew starts with a puree of onion, carrot and potato, fresh from the food processor. What I love about this is that it adds the flavors while also thickening the stew a bit (you can thicken it more, if you want, but you totally don’t have to). It’s important that the onion is a sweet onion though. The flavor of yellow onions just isn’t as good for this. Oh, and beware, the puree is known to make your eyes water a bit. Small price, I say.

Next comes the beef. I buy natural grass-fed stew meat, usually from a local farm because it’s fresh and very tender. One of my local grocery stores also sells a decent version of this. However, use whatever type of stew beef you prefer. As for amount, I usually add about 1 1/3 lbs, but if you want a meatier stew, make it 2 lbs. Once the meat is browned and mixed up with the puree, I deglaze the pan with red wine. Choose a good red wine that you enjoy. Also, know that different varieties will add different sub-flavors … for instance, merlot adds a slight peppery flavor while a cabernet can add a warm richness. Use one that you like (and avoid cooking wines!).

Finally, water, seasonings and veggies are added. The stew cooks for about an hour total, from beginning to end, and then it’s ready to thicken or serve. The rich stew is a family favorite here. Paige could (or rather does) drink the stew liquid. Will can’t get enough of the veggies. Shawn is sure to go back for seconds … and usually take leftovers for lunch the next day.

Yes, it’s that good.

Beef Stew
serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, peeled
4 potatoes, washed and 1 peeled (I use either Yukon gold or russet)
1 sweet onion, peeled and ends removed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 lb stew meat
1 cup good red wine (Merlot or Pinot Noir are my favs)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups water
salt and pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
dash balsamic vinegar

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.

Combine 1 carrot, 1 potato, the onion and the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and puree. Add to the hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Push the puree to one side of the pan and add the beef. Brown lightly on all sides and then mix with the puree. Let cook for a few minutes (it’s about 10 minutes of cooking from the point of adding the beef to the next step).

While the puree and beef is cooking, slice the remaining 3 carrots and cube the remaining 3 potatoes.

Add the red wine to the pan and stir well, scrapping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the water. Stir in the salt and pepper, paprika and oregano. Add the carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes, stirring well to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Stir in a dash of balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately, or thicken **, if desired.

** You don’t have to thicken this, but if you want to, combine equal amounts of cornstarch and water and add to the completed stew (about 2 tbsp of each works beautifully).