HungryChris

With the exception of over thickened clam chowders, in which you can stand up a spoon, I like most, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the one I made today, based on this recipe from Matunuck Oyster Bar. https://www.almanac.com/recipe/matunuck-clear-broth-clam-chowder. I served this with Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. It all started with 8 pounds of clams I recently harvested, steamed until they opened. HC

Sometime this stuff just fills the void. Deb and I are both fond of the Hot and Spicy Chicken. HC

The illusive, but satisfying, mortadella club. HC

Hot sliced meatball, provolone and sauce sandwich. HC

I made sauce and meatballs yesterday, before going out clamming, because I knew I would be worn out when I got back. HC

The tide was low at 4:45 PM, but Deb had a hair appt at 5:PM and would not be home until 7 PM, so I ventured out to the clam beds yesterday, leaving the house around 3:PM. It was a beautiful day, and even though the water was plenty warm, I chose to wear the waders, as I did not want to ride home in wet clothes. I made out pretty well, "raking in " a total of 7 dozen clams (a mixture of littlenecks, middle necks and chowder clams) and told Deb she can't get tired of clams just yet. She said that was not a problem. HC

Chourico stuffed littleneck clams, a pretty decent salad, made for a good dinner last night. The salad included some hearts of palm that I simply took out of the can and shoved in with my marinated asparagus for a few days, a new fave! HC

Unfortunately, crappy seafood is easy to find around here, even though we live in the midst of some of the greatest fishing fleets in the world. I have lived near the docks as a kid, worked in and around them as an adult. I used to scoff when locals approached the unloading vessels with cash in hand, but now feel that that may be the best way for a local to go. With complex distribution chains, too many middle men, such a perishable product, only the most fastidious and persistent purveyors do it right. Experience and a good knowledge of the product is your best friend and next to having a fish monger, you know and trust, is your only hope. I was lucky enough to work in a few good restaurants and at a great fish market and developed the ability to identify a good product when I see it. That, in itself, is one of my most prized possessions. HC

As my zucchini plants begin to sport flowers, it was time to get back into the groove, using a preseason stand-in from Wally World. HC

My first job in a restaurant was when I was in high school. It was in a seafood place that specialized in shore dinners, clams in all their forms, including steamers, chowder and clam cakes. They had boiled and baked stuffed lobsters, shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp and baked stuffed shrimp. Fresh fish of all kinds. I was privy to watching it all being prepared, and often allowed to help. It is part of my childhood as well and I grew to love it. I would greatly miss it too! HC

Fresh picked, washed and spun dry lettuce for a salad tonight. Bonnie Plants, a regular truck shop patron where Deb works, brought her in a gift a few days ago. HC

Beautiful hard shell lobsters were on sale and we couldn't resist. HC

Cheeseburger with kimchi and mayo. HC

Burgers and bakers, both from the outside grill. I was hoping for soft shell crab, but nobody had them, so Deb chose burgers. and I opted for bakers over fries, to keep it simple. HC

Steaks from the freezer with a baked potato, both cooked outside on the grill last night. It was about 90 F and humid yesterday. I did a lot of yard work, but had to make frequent retreats into the house with the A/C. HC

Sore spot for me. My older brother lives in Chicago and has often bragged that there are more than a thousand restaurants within walking distance from his front door. My response: There is only one restaurant within a twenty minute drive from mine, a pizza place, and they don't deliver. I'm glad I learned to cook! HC

The catfish came to the surface, briefly, this morning. Just long enough to clean up the leftovers from a cold dinner last night along with the untouched berries I packed in Deb's lunch yesterday. HC

My name is Chris and I have a weird neighbor. He refuses to look at me, will turn away or look at the ground, when I go by. He never returns my wave and seems to get agitated whenever I do anything to improve the look of my humble abode. I just don't get it. My only response, of course, is to do everything I can just to piss him off. There, I've said it! Yesterday, I spent the early morning in the garden, cut the grass, trimmed everything up, clipped the hedges and raked up all the clippings. Which of course drove him mad and forced him out to do some yard work of his own. When it came time for dinner, I was hot and beat, so I chose to do a little hot weather spread. Knowing that dinner was going to be an issue, I had done hard boiled eggs earlier, along with a Thai cold noodle salad. So dinner, last night was a kind of cold buffet. Deb was underwhelmed, at first, but seemed to warm up to it as things went along. Everybody likes deviled eggs, right? Assorted crackers and a homemade lemon and garlic white bean hummus. Cold cuts and cheese.That pinwheel thing is a prosciutto panino and the soft brie, I left out on the counter all day, are both favorites from Aldi. Palm hearts, marinated artichoke hearts, homemade pickled tomatoes, homemade marinated asparagus and olives we brought back from Italy. Cold Thai noodle salad. HC

I was out in the garden early this morning, cut the grass, clipped the hedges and raked things up. Littleneck clams on the half shell, with cocktail sauce and a cold beer just seemed right to me. HC

I put up the deer fence yesterday with a few trips for more posts and some cordage. I believe every year, without my intending to, the area gets a little bigger. When I first put it up, a few years ago, I had quite an overlap of fencing material. This year, I ran into a bit of a shortage and had to get creative with a fix. I was happy to see blossoms on the sugar snaps today and hope to be picking them soon. I also had to give the peonies a bit of structural support this morning, as I noticed they had started flopping over in the night. HC

I have the first one and find it just about perfect for frying things. It is a huge help in determining when to put stuff in to fry ( usually at 375 F), when I have added too much at a time (I.E. the temp drops well below 350 F) . I also use it when I bring SV water up to speed on the stove. I get it within a few degrees of where I want and then put the Anova in to the bring it up the rest of the way. It has made life easier for me. HC

It was a hot day here. I put up the deer fence around the garden, had to make a few trips to the hardware store to pull it off. I dug a few holes to remove rocks, so the fence posts could go where they needed to be, and chose to have sandwiches for dinner. I so greatly enjoyed the strawberry shortcake we had last night, I chose a repeat performance but added some giant blackberries . It was Deb's suggestion to add crème de menthe to the mix for color, and I just went with the flow. HC

If there was a crawfish boil that I could attend within many miles of here, I would gladly attend, pineapple or not. I intend to have my own CB in July, expect to pay dearly for the experience, but it will not include pineapple. HC

Clams casino, a nice salad and strawberry shortcake. HC

There is an oyster bar in neighboring RI, that has a mussel dish in wine and garlic that is killer and I have labored over trying to replicate this dish. I am an avid fan and regular producer of salsa, so I always have cilantro on hand. In one attempt to reproduce, their mussels in wine sauce, I used cilantro as part of the mix, and bingo! I hit it out of the park. It is a winner with both clams and mussels, even for cilantro haters, as it is somewhat denatured by the process. Give it a try!!! HC