The Chowdah Project Archives - Page 2 of 2

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone so quickly! I had a small gathering at my house and decided to incorporate chowder into the meal and continue The Chowdah Project.

Many restaurants serve it as an appetizer and I decided to follow their lead. Since time was a factor and I thought it would be interesting to try some different brands at home, I bought Bar Harbor New England Style Clam Chowder.

Bar Harbor has several types of chowder and I may try a few in the future. I debated about which flavor to choose. One of a few types of corn? Lobster? Salmon? Fish? I stared at the cans for a while! Finally, I settled on the clam chowder, because most people like it and I was taking too long deciding.

The directions call for you to add butter, milk or cream, and salt and pepper to taste. My mom helped me with the meal and took over the chowder preparation. Because we weren’t sure how many people would want it, we used five cans. My mom added a whole stick of butter!

Not sure how much cream, salt and pepper she added. But it was certainly flavorful and there were a decent amount of clams. I would have preferred more and bigger chunks of potatoes, but overall people seemed to enjoy it. The leftovers were good too!

+ + +

Bar Harbor ~ New England Style Clam Chowder
15 0z. can
Regular Price: $4.39
Sale Price: $3.00
Stop & Shop: 65 Newport Ave., Quincy, MA

While I’m more of a baker than a cook, and known for my sweet tooth, there’s another side to me. A savory side.

That side especially shows itself when the temperature dips and the winds pick up. Unless I’m outside in the sweltering heat of summer, I’m probably feeling cold.

Growing up in New England, chowder was a staple – especially clam chowder. So when there’s a chill in the air and I’m thinking about food, I think about chowder.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking that I’d like to try the chowder at different restaurants and make a chowder catalog. I decided to set up a separate Twitter account to do this. Because so much of my main Twitter is politics, this will be a dedicated feed of chowder.

My plan is to share chowder recipes, history, trivia and places where you can eat some good chowder.

Since I’m all about creating different fun projects for myself, this one is named The Chowdah Project. A cup of chowder is a great way to begin a meal. A bowl of chowder can be a perfect meal by itself. Both are relatively cheap and a great way to warm yourself up. So welcome to The Chowdah Project!

Why chowdah? Cause that’s how we say it here!

+ + +

Yesterday, I visited a new restaurant in Quincy called Brick & Beam. It was my first time trying the restaurant and I was pleased. The ambiance is nice and it’s very close to where I live. The service was good too and I plan to go back for a full meal at some point.

I had a cup of clam chowder for a warm late afternoon snack. It was piping hot and soothing for the soul. The wind was whipping outside and I was glad to escape the chill. The flavor of the chowder was good. But it was a bit thicker than I prefer. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to consistency. For someone else, it would have been just right.

+ + +

Brick & Beam ~ N.E. Clam Chowder
Cup: $6.00
Bowl: $8.00
Location: 705 Adams Street, Quincy, MA