Crab Chowder

       I had planned to blog all my holiday recipes, days of delicious meals but I got so busy cooking most didn't get pictures and some recipes now escape me.  I will have to plan ahead next year if I want them blogged.  We enjoy our many heritages highlighting them in different ways throughout the year but especially at the holidays when so much of what we do is about family.  Christmas Eve we have a big meal of seafood, while we don't do the traditional Italian 7 fishes we do a few seafood dishes we enjoy.  The Italian heritage comes from my husbands side his mom is half Italian, so through the years I have learned of their traditions.  Her other half is English, German, & American Indian.  My husbands father is 100% Irish and my family is Irish, Welsh, English, German, and American Indian.  So our traditions come from many different backgrounds but we enjoy them all and passing them on to the next generation.

This chowder is quite easy and I will make it throughout the year, but it definitely gets made for Christmas Eve.

Crab Chowder

bacon
carrots
onion        >vegies all chopped to similar size
celery
potatoes
corn--optional
pepper
old bay
broth (fish stock, chic broth, veg broth whatever you prefer)
1/2 & 1/2
crabmeat ( I don't make this often so when I do I splurge on jumbo lump)

Saute bacon in large pot, remove when browned leaving drippings, saute carrots, onion, celery when onions have started to brown add broth, spices to taste and potatoes.  Let this simmer for a while (an hour or more) to get all the flavors to merge together you can add more broth if it starts cooking down.

When you are ready to serve add corn (if you like it in your chowder) add the 1/2 & 1/2  till you like the consistency, then gently fold in crab so as not to break up the lumps to much.  Serve & enjoy.

      *Spices I would taste to my liking while broth is still simmering they need to be blended in before adding cream and crab.

{I don't have measurements here because it is really to taste, I add broth to cover vegies completely and if I am making this for just the 2 of us i would probably use 1 large onion, 2 med carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 large potato and about 1/2 lb crab, in which case the rest of the crab could be used for the meal either crabcake, on top of steak, chic or fish, or in a pasta dish.}

I had served this with  broiled seafood, cheese tortellini with red sauce, and a spinach casserole.

Spinach Casserole 

Finished Spinach casserole with a crunchy onion edge.

Cheese Tortellini with Red Sauce.