I’ve been trying to get back on track.  In fact, there’s a number of people trying to do this on Twitter, rallied by one of the local Chucktown twitterdom (@HeatherSolos) with the hash tag #backontrack.  The rallied many cheer people on because motivation’s always good fuel when you’re trying to implement lifestyle changes of some kind.  Motivation’s easier to come by when you hit the results phase, but it’s the push start that can hinder your stride.

The Story

For some reason, I’ve been wanting to bake things.  New things.  I have no idea why.  I also have wanted warm tasty comfort food as well.  I blame the remnants of having the Crud in conjunction with the cooling weather.  My theory is baking myself means I control ingredients.  And this is a good thing, since I really need to get back on track with that aspect of my weekly accomplishments.  Cooking things myself, not the uh..baking.

I started with a mental raid of my pantry, then consulted the Great and Wise Internets (GWI) for recipes that used the ingredients I had on hand because I’m also working to stay within a monthly food budget.   I wanted to see what I could do with oat flour.  I stumbled across this Pumpkin Cookie recipe, took a look at the ingredients and violated my first rule of Beta Cooking by having my first run be an altered version of the recipe.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose doing this.  I won.  And I’m certain I can attribute that to having tried and tasted variations of a beloved fall time favorite: Pumpkin Bread.  Since I’ve never made cookies from scratch, [not even joking], I made this my Fearless Friday endeavor, despite that technically I was accomplishing this on a Wednesday.  It kinda ensures I get the post all typed up and ready for sharing.  And as if it couldn’t get any better: freezable- the dough AND the baked cookies.  A quick wiki is at the bottom of the recipe

How’d It Go

I had no way to gauge if my mixing was on target, since I’ve never made cookie dough and my quick GWI consultation didn’t include in progress photo viewing.  I just hoped the adjectives in the recipe were spot on along with my interpretation of ‘fluffy.’  I’m fairly certain my alterations increased cooking time, because these make dense cookies and they needed cooking more along the 20 min time frame in the cited 16-20.  Also, ovens vary.  But this a good thing.  Unless you’re not a fan of toasted outside, moist chewy soft inside cookies.  Then you can try and spread them a little with a spoon before baking, because they don’t spread a lot on their own.

Prep time: Your usual measuring out ingredients and coordinating combining wet and dry ingredients.  The butter needs to be softened, so that’s all dependent upon ambient kitchen temperature.  The wet ingredients have a two phase process before you add in your dry ingredients.  Reserve a little over an hour for start to finish for this ~20 cookie yield.

What you may not have handy: European style butter [ a good baking butter or margarine really], whole oats/oat flour, baking soda, pure pumpkin, walnuts, chosen add-in [chocolate chips, etc], brown sugar

Budget: European butter, walnuts, semi-sweet chips [depends on your brand preference] and since there’s a shortage of pumpkins this year, I imagine canned pumpkin is among the pricier items on the shopping list.  I had some because I’m still on the lookout for a pumpkin bread recipe I lost.  I would have been up the creek, because the store I went to for the walnuts and chocolate chips..didn’t have any in stock.

What I Used

I used Plugra unsalted butter and if you know from other baking endeavors of mine, that’s a staple if I’m not substituting.  I do want to try and see what happens when I go and substitute for diabetics and lower fat.

Store brand semi-sweet chips were fine, and I used black walnuts because I only needed 6 oz of those.  I don’t use walnuts often to merit a bigger bag and that was the only kind in a 8 oz size.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

I started my search with using oat flour.  The recommendation I kept seeing is to go halves with substitution.  If two cups of all purpose flour is being called, then use a cup of oat flour and a cup of APF.  Since the recipe doesn’t get too complicated measures wise to scale..I can make smaller batches and see how different substitutions affect outcome compared to the full on naughty version.

I’d also like to see how different grain based flours pair with pumpkin.  I know whole wheat and fruit pair nicely, so the oat flour and something else would be an interesting ’study’  I also would be interested in changing out the butter.

Options to consider:

The original recipe calls for raisins instead of chocolate chips.  Basically if you like pumpkin bread…attack this cookie recipe as such.  I’ve had pumpkin bread with nuts and chocolate chips as variations…which is what inspired my deviation outright.  The addition of raisins opens the door for playing with flour types..again it’s a fruit.  You’ve got cinnamon already in the recipe, so scale the recipe and have ‘playtime’ based on your tastes.

Pumpkin Bread Cookies  Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

I got the original recipe here.  Below is how I modified it.  I used steel cut oats.  They lent a crunch to the cookie that paired well with the walnuts.  You can use any whole oats you want, but try for steel cut old fashioned versus quick oats.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened [you should be able to make a dent with your finger w/ little effort]
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup pure pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prep baking sheets
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars untl light and fluffy
4. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract; mix well
5. Add flour mixture and mix well
6. Add walnuts and your add in [in this case, the chocolate chips]
7. Drop dough on prepared cookie sheet.  They don’t spread much so you can easily bake 12  on one sheet- makes 2″ cookies when baked
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes; cookies are done when firm and lightly browned on top.
9. MPORTANT: cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then move to wire racks to finish cooling.  The bottoms will be moist and give the impression of not done, BUT THEY ARE.  Cool completely before enjoying

Saving it for later

I made a couple right after the dough came together.  I also made some after the dough chilled in the fridge overnight.  The latter needed to cool a little longer before they were ready to enjoy.  Also, you can prepare this ahead of time and freeze the dough so you only need to cut rounds and place on a cookie sheet.  Anything that makes any holiday baking easier, right?

Freezing Baked Cookies [with thanks to All Recipes]

Freezing baked cookies is a great way to preserve their freshness.  Similarly, you do the same thing for the dough.  Shelf life for dough is 4-6 weeks. Defrost in the fridge, be mindful of size because it will take hours- so divide, wrap and freeze accordingly else you’ll be waiting a while for the whole thing to defrost.  And you can only refreeze so many times before they loose that tasty deliciousness.

• Baked cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 or 4 weeks.
• As with freezing cookie dough, double-wrap the cookies securely and write the date and the type of cookie on the outside of the package.
• When you are ready to eat your frozen cookies, just let them come to room temperature, or, for you impatient types, pop them in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds. (Times will differ depending on the size of cookie you’re defrosting.)

The type of cookie determines the best way to freeze the dough.  Edumacate yourself here.  Worried about the pumpkin? Don’t be.  People have frozen pumpkin cookie dough with success.

Suggested double wrap from Real Simple Magazine:

Roll it into a log; wrap it in wax paper, then plastic; and freeze. Later, cut off the portion you want, thaw, slice, and bake for hot, fresh cookies anytime. Keeps up to 2 months.

The latter half of my trip out west has me in San Diego. On the tail end of my vacation to Vancouver, I came down early to San Diego. I have family here, so I spent a few days with them, then took the train up to LA to visit some friends there. While there, I was dead set on attending a taping of Craig Ferguson’s Late Late Show. I DVR his show and that’s how I start off my mornings. I’m sure there’s some partiality because not only is he a Scotsman, but he hails from the same area as my family does. I love Craig’s show and I figured I had to at least try to attend a taping since I was going to be in the neighborhood as it were.

So I hopped the Surfliner up to LA. The three hours passed before I knew it, because I got a business class ticket so I could plug in and do some geekery offline. I had cashed in hotel points at the Hilton that was next door to Universal. Things like that are the upside to being on the road multiple times a year for weeks to months at a time. So is the fact that the level it puts you as as a member.

Guest services: Since you’re a $level member, we’ll put you on the executive floor.
Chells: -blinsk- Ok

I tweeted more than once that I LOVED that hotel. Even if it was weird being called a Mrs [because that's my mom, I don't think of myself as a Mrs]. I get in and settled at the hotel by noon or so. I get in touch with the friends I was trying to meet up with and get that all squared away. I can say I’ve been to Universal..for five minutes or so simply because I took the shuttle up, thinking that maybe sorta possibly it made stops by the two hotels along the way. It..does not. However walking downhill’s more appealing that uphill and fiveish minutes later, I was on the walkway to the hotel anyway. Which brings me to the second part of the Guest Services discussion that gave me pause

Guest Services: It looks like the room we have for you isn’t ready…but we have one that overlooks the park.
Chells: -blink, it’s like Hong Kong all over again- $Ok [it could have been thank you or OK...I'm positive it wasn't Awesomesausen!]

I had reserved my ‘ticket’ for being part of the audience but needed to call the number. Part of the wiki they give is stating that there’s no bags, cells, etc allowed. BUT, I wasn’t driving myself, so I kinda needed to be able to pay the ferryman and have my phone on me…because let’s be honest…iChells is pretty much a lifeline. It gave me a scare later in the week- I think it was feeling vulnerable while I geeked out in Vancouver. I was hoping that there’d be some way to check the not alloweds for those of us not driving ourselves. The kind lady on the other end confirmed that I could check my phone and retrieve it after and a small change purse that fit into a pocket was OK. I was all set.

Next, a call to the front desk to arrange transportation – I figured it was perhaps the most expeditious way to get to Stage 58. I can say I hated LA traffic inside of 2 minutes and I wasn’t even the one driving in it. And here’s where it made with the interesting: It took fortyish minutes to get to CBS Television City, I had only general instructions about where to go to be led in, etc. I get there with little time to spare, dropped off at a main entry, by appearances. I follow the audience check in signs, breathe easier seeing a CBS security guard because now I had a person to ask wherefore and how. I tell him I’m there for audience check in, but beyond following the signs to where I was standing now..I had no idea what I was doing and where I needed to go. He told me to enter just off to the left and they’d get me all set. So off to the left I go, and I notice the sign ‘Artist Entrance’ above the entryway. With a perked brow I press on, because little good comes from going against instructions by Security. I’ve been in enough places where if someone was where they were not supposed to be, they’re enlightened. I figure if that applied, the fellows at the desk would do as the guard outside said- they’d get me squared away. I walk in, go to the desk, telling them why I was there when they ask what could they do for me. They tell me to sign in, ask me for what show, and then say ‘Alright, go ahead and have a seat.’

And there I sat, fairly certain I was turned about, as I didn’t see another audience check in sign beyond the first point, moreover, there’s no one else there but CBS staff. It’s teetering past 5 pm, and the instructions said, don’t be late. Now I’m sitting thinking I’ve manage to get all the way there and I’m going to have to call the car back to come get me and lament I was THAT.CLOSE. to experiencing a taping of Craig’s show. I’m also nearly certain I heard over security’s radio that they weren’t taking anymore audience members for that show’s taping. I was getting my phone out at that point, but the gentlemen [and guard] that had gotten me situated told me that someone should be down shortly to get me and lead me upstairs.

Considering this is my first taping ever, I went with the flow, and well, the whole do as Security hath commanded. So I saw a LOT of CBS news while waiting, made small talk with one of the other members of security briefly. The gentlemen that got me situated initially, had gone on break and Brain’s telling me that they’ve got a schedule to keep, they’re taping, I’ve missed it. I was at the point where if I called to get the car, it’d be that moment where someone was there to take me upstairs…you know that point, the just wait a little longer to see how things end up, yet it becomes apparent you should have taken action the first time it entered your brain for consideration point. I was there.

Just as I was about to power up my phone and call the car back, the aforementioned gentlemen was back off his break and saw that I was still there.

‘Follow me ma’am, I’ll escort you up there’

He explained they usually had someone come down, but he’d take me up and get me to where I needed to be, and I thanked him muchly for this. He wasn’t sure about the floor and because of that, I saw from the elevator where they stored the prizes and such for The Price is Right briefly. I waved at the inanimate objects.

Next floor, intimidating filming studios, people in maroon blazers, security and guidance signs. I was led to Stage 58, where Gentlemen told the Maroon Blazers there that I’d been downstairs for a while and no one had come down to retrieve me…as per what usually goes down. I’m surprised I heard that because intermixed in that explanation was the term ‘VIP.’ I felt my eyes widen a bit, my mouth open and my voice trying to escape my throat in time to clarify I’m pretty dead on in my certainty that I’m not a VIP anything. Gentlemen disappears into the stage, one of the Maroon Blazers does as well to talk with someone. At this juncture I was able to say that I don’t know about my being a VIP audience member, I just went where I was instructed [though it seems serendipity led me delightfully astray]. Moments later I’m guided to an open spot in the back, it’s clear that they’d gotten under to a degree because Chunky D was already doing his thing keeping the energy up and the vibe high. Clips from previous shows were on the monitor, highlighting some great and funny moments on the show.

For those unawares, Chunky D is the warm up comedian for the show mainly, but he also signals the audience for applause when segments are starting up taping wise and the cues here and there for laughter [mostly as in 'it's OK to laugh at this point, so laugh.']. Great, funny guy, that Chunky D. What 1UPd the awesome was he was up by where I sat for a lot of the taping. So there I sat, watching Sept 11th’s show being taped and I enjoyed every single damned second of it. Drew Carey and Mindy Kaling were the guests. Saw a piece taped for a later sketch [promo for Craig's book, American on Purpose, where guests read excerpts of it]. In between, Craig talked with the people present. At times, the audience, at times Chunky and the production personnel. A key thing I recall was getting ready to film the opener. He told the audience to feel free to laugh..if it’s funny. If you saw the show, or you click the link later in the post, you’ll see why. [apart from the self- deprecation Craig throws at himself and abilities or lackthereof if you believe him and the show being funny]

I thought the stage he filmed on was bigger than it was, despite the whole ‘camera’ magic. Not the case. A few shirts were handed out in between taping bits, the candy was at the ready. The energy was great, and it’s quite something to see the show taped live. Quite the tight ship really too- that’s what watching everyone work reminded me of. A few times I had to watch the monitor when Craig was in front of the camera. And, like all things when you’re having a good time, it went by so quickly. After they’d taped the last bit, Craig waved bye to everyone, thanking them for being there and took his leave. There was pause, then I was tapped lightly on the shoulder. I looked over and there was Chunky D, handing me a LLSw/Craig Ferguson mug; I went slightly wide eyed from surprise, since my brows were already raised in that ‘Yes, how can I help you?’ fashion [tapped on the shoulder], processing I was being handed a gifty, and thanked him. [I've made mention the awesome factor, yes?].

So here’s the link to the show, broken into the segments between commercials. I saw everything taped, but the actual Prince Charles bit, as it was taped earlier..possibly during the earlier taping session. Afterwards, we’re led out, and I see the entrance I was supposed to have gone to, but the interesting thing is, unless I drove myself, there was little chance of me finding that unless I’d seen a crowd of people that I took to being potential audience members, the last audience check in sign I’d seen was prior to the security guard post where I asked for directions really.

Post scrīpts of what else I can recall:

I may have saw Reba leaving the building.
Craig asked what they were going to use as a bleeping tone since it was the 9/11 show and they couldn’t very well use the Oo la la they’d been using. He said go for the regular bleep.
Seeing Craig live is awesome.
Craig, upon seeing the candy at the ready, lined it up while remarking he saw that it was set out. [It's usually thrown into the audience. This taping, it taunted anyone looking forward to that, as it wasn't thrown. At least, not towards the third row I was in].
I tried like hell to not cover my mouth when laughing, a reflex I’ve acquired no thanks to my ‘friends’ that like to send me notes at random during the work day trying to get me to literally LOL at my desk. Bastards.
The audience clapping along to the music played in between the taping of segments got ribbed on by Craig.
Pursuant to that, I’ll never think of penguins in the same fashion again and will most likely have them and seals co-associated because of it. And it’s all Craig’s fault.
‘But was the custard good?’ [you have to watch the clip]
Even though, just like that, it was all said and done, I’d gladly do it again. Though maybe if I get a next time, I’ll find my way to the right check in. Assuming they never move it.
Being mistaken for a VIP audience member..even now at the recollection, despite it makes for a story, is still quite a ‘waitwhathuh?’ moment. It endcapped an overall weird day of almost but not quite yet humorously unfortunate events.

The Story

I happened upon a link on my Twitter timeline about Pie Lollipops [which can be viewed here].  That blog post pretty much had me at the first pictures..it was PIE in a handy to go form.  Let’s just pause for processing.  PIE…on a stick.  Two to three bite morsels you can grab and go.  The perfect size to go with however you take your pie without having to buy in bulk. What’s even better?  You can freeze these unbaked.  That’s right, you can spend a few hours in your kitchen putting these together, then freeze them for later and pop em in the over when you’re ready for them.

I was going to make these.  Which meant I was also going to learn how to make pie crust from scratch, as well as an assortment of fillings.  I made this my Fearless Friday endeavor, despite that technically I was accomplishing this on a Saturday.  See, I was gonna try a few combinations and see which worked out best.  No surprise that from scratch was just better all around.  Also? Most everything was easier to make than it seemed.  There’s  a lot of recipes used here, so I’ll really be linking to them.  All I did was scale down the yield.  If for some reason, those links are no longer working…just shoot me an email via the contact form and I can send you PDFs.

How’d It Go

I was in my kitchen most of the day, but this was largely due to I was making a LOT of these little tasties.  I made four from scratch crusts, and used four ready made.  Two crusts it turned out were better suited for any kind of pie crust that was a crumbly kind, like say using a graham cracker crust.  This resulted in an impromptu batch of mini quiches.  That was actually fortuitous because I used some leftover veggies that had been growin tiresome palette wise..even for me.  And I can easily eat leftovers for a week.  They turned out delicious.

Prep time: This varies depending on which route you go with for crusts and fillings.  Your prep time for any fresh made fillings will be fruit prep.  Like say, pitting cherries.  You can use the already sliced apples [in fact I did and they were scrumptious].  Pie crusts used came together quickly, however, they needed to chill for about four hours before use.  Also, cutting each round is a bit consuming with the six crusts I made. Of note, if you’re going to make the pecan pie filling, have that lined up and ready to go about the time you make your crusts.  That bad boy calls for a four hour chill time too.

What you may not have handy: European style butter, fruit for your fillings, baking cocoa, whole wheat pastry flour, whole wheat flour, ready made pie crusts, apple cider vinegar, and possibly cornstarch dependent on how much you make your own sauces/bake.

Budget: Pastry flour, fresh fruit, European butter are the pricier items on the shopping list.  Canned filling is also up there.

What I Used

I used Plugra unsalted butter and if you know from other baking endeavors of mine, that’s a staple if I’m not substituting.

After the first batch, I opted to just bake the remaining with the from scratch fillings because I found the canned fillings..well awful after biting into a freshly made lil apple pie..on a stick.  I’d go from scratch at least with the fillings whenever I make these again, the end result is very much worth it.  I used the already sliced Granny Smith Apples you can get at the store [and skipped the soaking them in water with a Tb of lemon juice to prevent browning, no need] .  They turned out great.  They didn’t cook to the point of mush- they were softened just right after a 15 minute tussle in the oven.  I used Bing cherries  because we already had some [they were uber cheap, so we couldn't resist]

Also, if you’re scaling down the provided recipes, a scale is your friend as well as this site.  I can also give you the breakdown for the fillings I tried so you don’t have to do the rework.  I had a cup of apple, a cup of the cherry and I made the full recipe for the pecan and chocolate, but scaling those won’t be hard.  Three cups of pecan was way more than I needed.

All my fillings had two hours in the fridge getting happy.  Having made a batch of apple filling and turning around and filling a pie pop or eight, I can say the only difference is after chilling, I needed to add a little more flour to thicken up the sauce for the apples.  The cherry filling was fine.  If you have the time, let them get happy.  Resting and marinating’s never a bad thing, right?

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

I’d prolly try the white whole wheat flour and make a crust using regular all purpose flour.  I prefer the texture from the homemade pie crust to the premade.  They paired better with the fillings and it was much more tender and flaky in comparison too.  Also, a whole wheat crust will probably be an acquired taste for most.  I did find they went extremely well with fruit.  I bet on a more breakfast-y slant, using oatflour could be delicious.

As it was mentioned in the original Pie pops post practice makes perfect as you find what works.  I found that the base was OK if it wasn’t extremely thin.  I did roll out the top piece after it was cut to cover, treating it much like you’d stretch a pie crust on a two crust pie.  This way, by the latest batch I did, I got more filling without not being able to seal them.  Also, you can see the fruit through them a bit, which visually appealed to me as well.  It’s all up to your preferences really.  But having at least the top layer be as thin as you can manage seemed to work the best for me.  Sometimes it was enough to just pull from the center slightly to account for the mound of filling on there.  I also ran out of sticks, but kept making them.  When they’re wrapped, they’re still small and ready to go.

Also, Trex is keen to know how they’d taste with lemon curd, so that’s something for next time.

Options to consider:

Whatever you’ve had as a pie…you can use it for a filling as long as you can get it thick enough it will hold it’s shape.  I managed to make a chocolate custard used for chocolate pies to use as a filling and the pecan pie filling is a cake filling recipe.  I added some ultra fine chopped pecans and some rough chopped pecans at the finish.  It doesn’t look like pecan pie filling [dark, thicken syrup color] but it tastes like it.

I found I needed to add a lil more of a cornstarch slurry [equal parts water and cornstarch until thick yet runs] and bring the custard to a boil again in order for it to thicken up.  I may have just not let it cook long enough, but it thickened nicely and held shape so I could add some cookie piece sized pecans to them.

Pie Lollipops  Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Pie Crust recipe here.  Crumbly pie crust from Homesick Texan as well as the Chocolate Custard.  Apple Pie filling from here.  Pecan Pie filling here.  Cherry pie filling here.  Since I linked the recipes [I didn't alter any, just scaled them where needed], there won’t be any recipes posted.  Instead, I’ll elaborate more on the combinations I tried and how each of them turned out.  If for some reason the links stop working, I saved the recipes..send me an email via the Contact link and I’ll send you the PDFs I have.

I had a crust that used Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, one that used just whole wheat flour, and then four ready made pie crusts.

Chosen fillings were cherry, apple, pecan and chocolate.  I picked up canned cherry and apple fillings to try.

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Crust

This was a very tender crust that went well with all fillings.  I’d say the pecan,chocolate and apple fillings stood out the most with this crust.  When Trex tried these, the biggest thumbs up had to be the Cherry.  Trex doesn’t like a whole lot of her fruit cooked, but when she said the Cherry was delicious, I knew I had a winning combination.  She agreed with me on the homemade crust, it was by far better than the premade.  The premade was good, but if you had the time for homemade..homemade’s the way to go.

Wheat Crust

Again, homemade is the way to go.  I didn’t have any more cherry filling, but I did have lots of pecan and chocolate.  I made a batch of apple filling because that takes about as long to chop up apples and I wanted to see how going smaller in chunk size went [very well, more fruit in each one].  This also gave me the opportunity to go super thin on the crust and see where that got me.  With the wheat crust, this paired deliciously with the apple filling.  The chocolate was alright, but it’d definitely be for anyone that has acquired a taste for whole wheat baked goods.

Ready Made

While I preferred the homemade crust, this is a decent alternative in a pinch.  Rolling it out thinner doesn’t take a whole lot of time coupled with the fifteen minutes needed to let it come to room temperature before you play with it.  They all came out very tasty.   I even put a dot of the pecan filling with some apples for a candied apple flavor and it was an extremely delicious combination.

Filling Combinations

I combined chocolate with some pecan chips and juice from the cherry filling.  Verdict: couldn’t go wrong with that

I also tried the apples with some of the pecan; the result was a caramel candied apple flavor.  Extremely delicious and I’m not a huge candied apple fan.

I also combined the chocolate and pecan fillings for a turtle flavor.  Again, DELICIOUS.

I got a new ‘toy’ in the kitchen to play with.  A tasty broth base to be exact.  In thinking about ‘what else would be good in here’ I also was wondering what I could do with some clam meat I had.  While taking inventory in my freezer I saw I had a few nice large scallops.  In the next moments I was thinking I could make a variation of the Hot Pot I’ve recently come to enjoy.

So I built my ingredient base and went about seeing how it’d turn out.

How’d It Go

I’d make this again.  Easy.  Adding in some clam stock made this for me.  As I can’t enjoy Clam Chowder but on the rarest of occasions [i.e. when I feel motivated to make my own], this comes close.  In fact, I dare say that even if I didn’t have any way to get some clam meat..using a cup of clam stock still makes this a tasty dish.

Prep time: Most of the ingredients I used were frozen, so thawing them overnight or under cold water along with chopping the veggies is the most prep needing to be done.  If you’re using fresh shrimp, or clams still in the shell, prepping those will be more than a few minutes.

What you may not have handy: Scallops, clams, shrimp, clam & seafood stock, chard, celery and the spices.

Budget: scallops, clams, shrimp,   and if you have to get the spices , those will be the high dollar items for you.  Spice wise, if it’s not something you use regularly, try for the smaller container or buy in bulk where you can.

What I Used

I use Butterball’s Turkey Smoked sausage when I need a healthy alternative for smoked sausage [which is honestly, every time].  I’ve found it versatile and it adds that hint of smoke flavor when that’s what I’m looking for.

For stocks, I use Kitchen Basics.  When I have seafood in the mix, I like using seafood stock and their line is extremely diverse. Also, they make 1 cup quantities as well as the usual 4 cup offerings which is perfect when you know you don’t need 4 cups of stock and face not being able to use it up before it goes bad.  They make clam stock in those 1 cup quantities.

I experimented with a mix of the red and green chard, mainly to appeal to my eye with the color variation [the more colorful, the more appetizing a dish is usually for me].

Also, I had some clam meat already harvested from the shells [frozen], that I wanted to do something with, so I used that.  Though getting a couple of fresh live clams to steam would be best.  Remember to debeard them, toss any that won’t close when tapped, and after steaming, toss any that didn’t open.

What I’d Do Differently Next Time

When I can have potatoes..I’d add some cubed pieces in there and see where that gets me.  And as mentioned before…I’d use fresh clams to steam.

Options to consider:

Use seafood chowders to draw inspiration from for flavors that go well with each other.

As with all recipes…the variations are limited by your personal tastes.

Green onions and thinly sliced mushrooms.   Just add these towards the end since they won’t take long to cook

Seafood Chowder Hot Pot  Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

I started with Heidi’s Chick Pea Hot Pot, then derived the soup base that I like to use from that.

Ingredients [Soup Base]

• 4 cups seafood stock [I've made it with Chicken and Veggie stock as well]
• 1 cup Clam Stock [if you choose to use clams]
• 1 14-ounce can of chopped tomato [fresh is always an option if you can get ripe ones]
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom
• 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander seed
• 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp celery seed
• 2 pinches ground black pepper
• dash of dill

Ingredients [Hot Pot]

• 1 cup water [for sauteing]
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped or sliced
• 1/2-1 cup diced celery
• a splash of olive oil [or a non fat olive oil/canola oil spray]
• a couple pinches of salt
• 1 sm green or red bell pepper, chopped  [color of your choice]
• 8-10 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 oz  Turkey Smoked Sausage, sliced on the bias
• 16 oz large shrimp, peeled, deveined.
• 6-7 large scallops, halved
• 4 oz of clam meat*
• 2 cups Chard, deveined  cut into ribbons or torn into med pieces

NOTE: the amount of scallops and clam meat is purely up to your tastes.  If you don’t want clam meat or only a little, opt for just using clam stock to get that flavor.  You can also get a handful of fresh clams to steam.  In fact, after having this, that’d be the way I’d go next time.

Instructions

1. In a deep pot or saute pan if you’re transferring, render what fat is present from the meat for a few minutes.  Add water if they start to stick to the pan bottom to saute them.
2. Add onions, celery,  olive oil or use a spray to lightly coat and saute until the point of carmelization
3. Add peppers, [and mushrooms if they're aren't thinly sliced]saute until the peppers brighten [the color brightens indicating they're tender crisp]
4. Add stock, spices and tomatoes.  Stir to combine.
5. Add chard in phases [unless your pot is deep enough to handle it].   Cover and let simmer until it wilts into soup
6. Add clams and scallops, cook until scallops are no longer translucent
7. Add shrimp [they won't take long] and mushrooms if you used thinly sliced ones
8. Simmer until shrimp are cooked through.
9. Cool before storing.