Week 5 = Try Everything at Least Once

Clam chili? Really? That's a thing?

It's a thing. You can get at least one recipe here. And there were others - most of them kind of weird, but they are out there. Someone must be eating them. 

And since I was stuck for something to represent New England and Cincinnati, I became one of them. Originally, I thought I'd take my sister-in-laws suggestion to make a thick New England clam chowder and pour it over spaghetti, like Cincinnati chili,  but I was afraid that was too much of one and not enough of the other. Hence...

Note the Sam Adams. 

Could've been brewed in Cincinnati. 

Could've been brewed in Boston. Clever, right? 

Thanks, Chuck!

I am pleased to report that clam chili does not suck. In fact, I just had the leftovers for lunch, and they were really good. 

I followed the recipe from Sea Watch International - at least I kinda did. That recipe makes 16-20 servings, so I cut it in halfish. I used bacon instead of Italian sausage, dried cilantro instead of fresh, and dumped in maybe double the chili powder. The bacon was probably the most important addition, but I also threw on some Cholula hot sauce, the green kind. That was probably my favorite part.

This is just an extra picture. Didn't want it to go to waste.

So the lesson this week is keep an open mind...clam chili is easy, healthy, and not horrific. Give it a shot...

As for me, I hope I never have to do Cincinnati or New England again.