A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

food

20 Days of Chill: What’s cookin’ (Day 18)

The finished product! Yum!

Mmmmm New England clam chowder (errr… chowdah!)

This is, by far, my favorite type of soup. I don’t like Manhattan clam chowder. But New England… that’s chowdah!

I’ve made some different types of it in the past, but I had recently been scouring pinterest in the hopes of finding another one to try.

What I stumbled across was a slow-cooker recipe and, with a few small tweaks, I think I’ve found a great recipe that is well worth keeping.

If you want to see the original recipe at Baked by Rachel, click on the above link. I cut a few things out (namely red pepper flakes), and added more clams, as well as going with a shallot instead of just onion. Below is how I did it – and my thoughts on how I might change it up a tad more next time (and, mark my words, there will be a next time)!

Ingredients:

  • 3.5 cups of potatoes (I would have gone with the 4.5 in the original recipe, but didn’t have enough …)
  • 1 tsp garlic (I used minced)
  • 1 cup onion chopped (about half of mine was shallot)
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 6-8 slices of bacon (I put a bit more than the original recipe)
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tbsp bacon grease
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 1/4 cup of half and half
  • 5 6-ounce cans of clams (I used more than in the original recipe
  • 8 ounces of clam juice (basically the juice out of two of the above cans of clams

What to do

Get everything prepped. It’s the best way to do it, isn’t it? Do all of your cutting and chopping and measuring. Get the clams ready and the juice. Peel the potatoes and put them into the size pieces that you like in your chowdah! (I like them a little smaller in mine).

Prepping!

And then …

Heat the olive oil in a decent size skillet. Then drop in the veggies, cooking over a medium heat. And it will smell divine. Once those onions get translucent, add the garlic and thyme for another minute or two, or until fragrant. Once ready, put all of that in your crock pot/slow cooker.

Now drop those potatoes in the crock pot, along with the clams, the clam juice and all the seasonings. Stir it up and take a whiff (hint: it smells good) and set your timer – 5 hours on high (that’s what I did), or the original recipe noted 10 hours on low.

If it didn’t smell good enough already, well, it’s about to get better. Cook all that delicious bacon. Get it nice and crispy. Take the 1/2 tablespoon of bacon grease and add it to the slow cooker. Chop up that bacon and add that to the pot as well (though, you should keep a bit of it aside, so you can have it on top of the chowder later!), cause … everything is better with bacon! Let everything continue to cook

With about 45 minutes remaining, add the flour to the half and half and whisk it really well. Like, take the time and do it right. Once you hit 30 minutes remaining, add it to the crock pot and let it cook the rest of the time.

When done – ladle some of that chowder out, have some awesome bread and enjoy how amazing this is. I mean, it’s crazy good. It also freezes pretty well, so portion it out and pull some out any time you want this chowdah!

Enjoy!

*****

This post is part of the 2018 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the link if you’d like to see others or join in. You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants! This is also part of the 2018 HooHaa Blogging Challenge. 

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Chicago deep-dish pizza: Malnati’s vs. Giordano’s

There are no “losers” in this comparison, that’s for sure.

In late July/early August, two of us took an annual baseball trip, with this one happening in the Midwest. For a couple of days, Chicago was the base area.

Several years ago, on my first trip to the Chicago area, I had some of the famous deep-dish pizza and I had gone with the original Pizzeria Uno, and it was quite divine.

Like, truly divine. The spot felt old-school. It was smaller and tighter (at least the area we sat) and the pizza pans were worn and aged — making it perfect.

This time around, though, the chance for a comparison came to fruition. On back-to-back days, pizza was the choice for the day and it came down to Lou Malnati’s vs Giordano’s.

Again, there’s no real loser here. Both were amazing. But let’s take a look.

Lou Malnati’s

The first stop for pizza came on a day when we were seeing the Chicago White Sox in the afternoon, and the Chicago Cubs at night. In between was a perfect stop for some pizza, wouldn’t you say?

Lou Malnati’s it was.

Sauce on top … was very good!

We got here at a good time as we had a seat right away. By the time we left, there were a lot of people waiting in line for a table.

First off, this pizza was delish. But it was a little different than I am obviously used to. First, it’s very heavy on sauce. And the sauce sits on top of the pizza, with a lot of glorious cheese in the middle. Therefore, a fork and knife was a must.

But the taste … oh my. Fantastic. The sauce was very tasty and the cheese was plentiful and gooey. Good lord it was fantastic.

Being hungry, though, as an appetizer, we got their cheddar cubes, which were delightful. Think Mozzarella sticks, but in cubes and cheddar. Fantastic.

The pizza was tremendous, though. I fully enjoyed it.

Giordano’s

The following night, Giordano’s was on tap. This worked out well as we were coming back from Milwaukee and had plans to go to an independent baseball game that night.

So, so good …

However, it was the one night on the trip where weather took control and we decided not to go to the independent game (which, it turns out, was the right direction as the game only made it to the fourth before the rain uncorked, and that was after a delay before the game even started!), so with a Giordano’s not far from the hotel, it was the perfect decision.

I’m glad it worked out this way.

This pizza was crazy good. The sauce was where it was supposed to be, and with getting a meat lover’s pizza, it was loaded!

The first bit was divine. The rest was crazy good as well. But the beauty of it was this — you didn’t necessarily need a fork and knife! This was cooked to perfection. The crust was excellent, there was the right amount of cheese and sauce, and the rest was perfect.

No appetizer this time around, but a cannoli to finish off the meal was excellent.

The verdict

As stated earlier, you can’t lose.

We were split down the middle on which pizza was the winner. One preferred the more sauce, one didn’t. My choice was Giordano’s because I liked less sauce, and liked it on the inside with the toppings on top.

But the reality is, I’d go back to either one and wouldn’t complain. They were both amazing and the difference of opinion basically came down to the placement and the amount of sauce.

Tremendous experience to have these on back-to-back nights. Whenever I might get back to Chicago, I know I’d love to dig in again!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Can overnight oats help the battle?

I’ve been reading on what kind of things can help with diabetes.

Over the past several years, I’ve backed away from oatmeal because the carb count was so high. It worried me and I didn’t want to do something that could throw me out of whack.

Alas, I’ve been seeing a lot – and I mean A LOT – of recipes on Pinterest for overnight oats. Several years ago, I tried it and didn’t like it, though I am starting to think it was because of the chia seeds, which I don’t think I enjoyed. That being said, I haven’t fully given up on chia seeds as I have been reading that they have some serious benefits for one’s health, including fighting aspects of diabetes. I think, however, if I start adding these to these recipes, it will be in a much smaller quantity.

Prepping some overnight oats.

So oats … seem to have some healthy aspects, too. Despite having a decent amount of carbs, it seems they can help overall. According to Healthline, “Because oatmeal has a low glycemic index, it can help maintain glucose levels. This can be beneficial for people with diabetes.” The website also warns, however, that pre-packaged oatmeal can be packed with sugar, which is why it’s better to create your own wonderful mixtures.

The first few nights, I followed recipes pretty much to the word. But I also realized there was a lot of ways to do overnight oats. Nothing had to be set to a recipe as you could do what you needed to make it taste the way you want. And, though many people eat it cold, I’ve found putting it in the microwave for about 1:30 warms it enough to make it really tasty!

I found a recipe that seemed interesting, but I tweaked it a bit to my liking. See below:

 

  • 1/2 (ish) cup of oats
  • 1/2 (ish) banana mashed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 3/4 (ish) cup of almond milk (or regular milk) (I use “Almond Breeze Vanilla with a hint of honey”)

Put a small layer of oats at the bottom of a pint-sized mason jar (I use the wide-mouth ones). Add the mashed banana. Then put the rest of the oats. On top of that, add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and milk. Mix up either with a spoon or shake vigorously to mix everything together. Refrigerate overnight.

I came up with this, in regard to carb count:

  • Oats: 30g
  • Banana: 12g
  • Maple syrup: ~7
  • Almond milk: ~6
  • Total: ~55 grams of carbs

This seems like a pretty safe bet for breakfast and with so many ways of making overnight oats, the tastes can be different each day. I’ve made ones with blueberries and such as well, which adds to it. I’m going to keep trying and see where it goes.

So far, I’m not sure if it’s been good, bad or indifferent. I’ve had these a few days so far (different flavors) and it hasn’t been perfect. But I am wondering over time. I have to see the diabetes educator in about a week, so I am hoping she can shed some light on things.

I know this much — it’s filling and tastes good. So I’m not as hungry later in the morning/day. It’s all part of the process, so hopefully I can keep going in the right direction.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Getting the in on In-N-Out

For those of you who have knowledge of Philly cheesesteaks, you know there’s a specific way to order.

“One wiz wit.”

Pretty simple, right?

Basically, that comes down to a steak, with Cheez Wiz (duh!) and “wit” onions. It’s the best way to have a steak, I always said. But it’s also the way to order.

in-n-2

The first… without knowing about the secret society.

You don’t go up to the window at Geno’s or Pat’s or one of many other steak places in Philly and say something along the lines of “Hello, my good man. I’d like a cheesesteak, preferably with Cheez Wiz, as well as adding some of those delicious grilled onions you have back there!”

It just doesn’t work.

Turns out, it’s that way other places, too.

On the trip to California this past weekend, a stop at In-N-Out was a must. After all, I’ve heard all about it from West Coast friends and from others who have been there. It was time to try it.

The second ... animal style -- after knowing all about the secret society!

The second … animal style — after knowing all about the secret society!

The flight time worked out extremely well as we landed right near lunch time and we couldn’t check into the hotel yet. And, well, there was an In-N-Out a couple of miles from the hotel, so …

Duh.

A burger. Some fries. It all worked out well. The problem was, apparently, it wasn’t done correctly. There’s a secret (well, apparently not-so-secret) menu that those on the “inside” know all about. Well, damn.

I posted a photo on Instagram and other social media. I didn’t do it all right, so I was told. Another stop was going to have to happen.

The second time happened toward San Diego and we were with somebody “in the know.” He ordered up and it almost sounded like it was in a secret tongue. I was waiting for him to be welcomed as a brother of the secret society. A secret handshake had to happen, right? Or at least some crazy sound that only those on the “inside” know?

Right?

Apparently not.

But we learned enough to order. It was all about animal style on the burger and the fries. I felt like I had stepped up my In-N-Out game. The burgers were delish. The fries – with cheese and the sauce and everything else that makes them so much more than … just fries – were excellent. And the satisfaction of knowing we made it into some secret place makes it even better.

Now to learn the handshake…

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Sorghum or exhausted… might not take the chance again!

I don’t have any food allergies, that I know of anyway.

In fact, there’s only a couple of things I am allergic to, again that I know about. Both are actually medicines (one is Benadryl, that took me on one heck of a trip). Outside of that, I don’t know about being allergic to anything else. I also know allergies can develop later in life, so who knows?

Let me also say that I’ve had one or two long work days lately and I’ve been pushing it a bit, as I do this time of year each year. But this year it hasn’t been as bad as the last two. So … that’s why I’m not sure what did this to me.

Wednesday, I had the chance to try something with sorghum in it. I had been feeling fine and such and after seeing that it’s something that helps with blood sugar control — I was all for it.

The sample size I had wasn’t big, and it was mixed in with other stuff (all things I’ve had before).

About 30-60 minutes later, I felt like I hit the proverbial wall. At times, I struggled to stay awake at work. I was sluggish. I needed to stretch a lot and I wasn’t drinking as much water as normal.

That night, I was supposed to go to a baseball game. It was a beautiful night, too, so perfect for a game. I skipped it and went home and was out within 15 minutes of coming home. Through the night, I napped a lot and decided to throw in the towel and go to bed around 10, which is earlier than normal. I felt like I had a slight fever (nothing major) and just felt rundown.

I slept through the night (OK, I lie — I was up and restless a few times), but I got a lot of sleep. I was OK to start the day at work but was definitely moving slower than normal. Then around noon or so — about 24 hours later — I started feeling like myself again. I was getting better. Then tonight, I had to go to events at each school I work at and was fine. While I feel a tad tired as I write this blog post, it’s also 100 times better than yesterday.

So I’m curious — could this be something to do with the sorghum or was I just over tired?

I don’t know how food allergies work, so I don’t know. I have a checkup with my primary on Wednesday, so I plan on asking him what he thinks. And it might have been the tired aspect and all, but it all seems pretty coincidental, so the odds are I won’t try sorghum again. I don’t think I’m missing much though as the texture of it was weird anyway, and I’m not sure how much I would have wanted to have it again.

How about any of you? Do you have food allergies? What do they do? Could this be something my body just didn’t want?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!