Chowderhead

Spent the last couple of days pounding the keys for a new tale, which I'm writing for a specific market. For all the pounding, it doesn't seem to be moving very quickly, but at least it's heading in the right direction. It's been a rather ugly week, which I won't get into here, and certain situations have about left me quite spent, energy-wise, so I'll take whatever consolation in having made this much progress.

Possible (very) good news on another of the writing fronts, but I'm not at liberty to disclose details at the moment, so I won't. I shall happily keep you-who-really-want-to-know in suspenders.

The day's highlight was easily the batch of spicy clam chowder I made for dinner. Mine is a Manhattan-style concoction, which I devised just by throwing stuff in a pot. Tell you what, I'll give you my recipe. Bear in mind, when I make it, all of the below are subject to much variation.

Ingredients:

Four 6.5-ounce cans of minced clams

Four or five stalks of celery (diced)

Four or five carrots (or equivalent in baby carrots) (diced)

Whole white or yellow onion (diced)

Two jalapeno or habanero peppers (diced)

Two whole lemons

Two tbsp. soy sauce

Two tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

One tbsp. Tabasco sauce

Two–three tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

One tsp. salt Dash of dill weed

Dash of garlic salt

Two 10.75-ounce cans Campbell's Tomato soup

32-oz. bottle of Mott's Clamato juice

Next...

• Dump the clams, diced veggies, spices, and sauces into a large pot.

• Squeeze in the juice of the lemons.

• Heat on medium-high until liquid is bubbling happily.

• Stir in the cans of tomato soup.

• Once the liquid begins to bubble again, add the whole bottle of Clamato juice and stir vigorously for several minutes.

• Reduce heat to simmer, and let it cook for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Makes eight to ten servings. I often add more in the hot pepper department, but I'm a masochist.