Did you get hit with crazy cold temperatures this past week? Snow for some, overnight freezing temps for many more. Rita, my mother-in-law, would always say it’s “the Iceman” making mischief when there’s a cold snap in late April or early May. She warned not to plant crops (and flowers) too early in the spring.

Tuesday afternoon, Farmer Gary dashed over to the home place to cover the geraniums his sister Sharon and her husband, Mike, planted a few weeks ago. Rita was known for her beautiful geraniums and would be so pleased to see the next generation carrying on the tradition in her memory.

Back in 1982, we even planned a wedding photo in front of the geranium garden. The photographer told me to strike a Gone With the Wind pose. I figured this (see below) was preferable to dropping to my knees and scratching the dirt for a dramatic “As God is my witness …” scene. (I did consider it, though. Briefly.)

Tuesday night’s chilly weather felt like a last-chance call for cooking up certain foods.

For example, Clam Chowder. New England style.

I’d searched for a good recipe for years – and tried half a dozen or so. The problem was, the results were never thick enough. John and James are both chowder fans and, as my culinary advisors, encouraged me to keep searching.

AllRecipes.com provided a good starting place. Since then, I’ve played around with some of the ingredients and moved the cooking process to a slow cooker.

Wicked, Thicked New England Clam Chowder

Chop 10 slices of bacon into small pieces and cook until crispy in your slow cooker. Chop a medium yellow onion and add it to the bacon, stirring and cooking until the onion is translucent. At this point, I sprinkle some Old Bay Seasoning over the mix and stir.

Drain the “juice” from four (5 ounce) cans of minced clams. Add just the juice to the bacon/onion mixture. If you can find a small bottle of “clam juice,” add that, too.

Next, add 8-10 peeled potatoes, chopped into small, even pieces. Cover and cook until potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally. (If there’s not enough liquid to cover the potatoes, add water to the set-aside minced clams and and, after mixing, drain the clammy water into the cooker.)

Slowly add one can of cream of celery soup and two cans of cream of potato soup; stir till smooth and heated throughout. Next, slowly stir in two cups of heavy cream and then two cups of whole milk. When all is warm and smooth, add a tablespoon of butter and watch it melt. (By now your kitchen should be full of hungry family members plus the neighbor’s cat.)

Put the cover back on and keep warm on low for at least half an hour.

The final step: Add the minced clams and stir well. At this point, turn off the heat, as you don’t want to further cook the clams (or, as Dad says, you might as well just add minced rubber bands). It’s okay to leave the slow cooker on “warm,” but not any higher.

This freezes well, in the off chance there’s any left over. If you’re a fan of corn, throw some in the chowder and/or cook up some corn bread to go with it.

Now it’s time to think about dessert.

Do you have some apples stashed in your fridge from your early coronavirus food hoarding? Once they lose their crispness, apples may not appeal as a fresh fruit, but they are perfect for baking.

Get some help with the prep. Cameron is an excellent sous chef.

Can’t Resist Apple Crisp

2 cups dark brown sugar (Splenda brown sugar works well)
2 cups oatmeal (not cooked)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter, melted
6 cups apples, peeled cored, uniformly chopped into small pieces (Granny Smith are our favorites)
1 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons (at least) ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a “brownie pan” lightly.

Note: there’s lots of sugar in this recipe. It’s fine to cut back the above amounts by 1/4 or so. Substituting some Splenda in works well, too.

Combine brown sugar, oats, flour. Add melted butter and stir until crumbly. Lightly press half the mixture into pan. I usually sprinkle some cinnamon on, too. Next layer: spread the apples evenly and top with white sugar and more cinnamon. Final layer is the rest of the oat mixture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown. (I watch for a bit of thick bubbly brown liquid, as the apples declare they are fully cooked. I’m not crazy about “al dente” apples and keep the pieces small.)

Opinions differ about best serving temperature. I like it still warm from the oven, while others prefer it chilled. Either way, a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream is never a bad idea.

Whether it’s a chowder or a crisp on your menu, remember the Iceman cometh, but he also eventually goes away. Stay healthy, happy, and safe!

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