looking up

Have a job interview tomorrow for the crepe place down the street. Also stopped by Panera and, while I didn't get a flat-out no, the manager said she had to talk to her district manager about bringing me back in. So, work options maybe, which is better than I had yesterday.

Managed to write through the scene that caused my stargate_summer to stall out last year, and did some basic outlining of the gaps I need to fill in what's already written and what needs to happen after that. Now I just need to write, a lot. Haven't felt motivated the last few days, but I'm hoping I can break that today. Or maybe I'll work on something else. I just really need to write today.

soup!

So, I was stuck with 2/3 of a cup of heavy cream after making gorgonzola polenta a couple days ago, and to use it up I decided to make clam chowder, which is one of my favorite soups. It's also super-easy to make, I was surprised how simple it was.

No-Celery Clam Chowder
modified from this recipe
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 (10oz) cans chopped clams in juice (not water)
1 cup heavy cream (you can cut this with up to half milk, if you don't have a full cup of cream)
1 pound Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in large pot. When melted, add onion and saute until softened, mixing often. Add flour and stir until evenly distributed. Add stock, clam juice (reserve clams for later), cream, potatoes, and bay leaves, and bring to a simmer. Mixture will thicken. Reduce to medium-low heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender, stirring often. Add clams and season with salt and pepper and simmer for another 2-4 minutes, until clams are just firm.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

Also, this makes a lot (though it's easy to halve), but it's easy to portion out in tupperware and put in the fridge or freezer. Reheat by pouring portion into a saucepan and heating until soup is simmering. Enjoy!