Skippers Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe

I've searched the interwebs far and wide and no one has a a decent Skippers knock off recipe for their amazing clam chowder. Several "claim" to have something similar yet include bacon or hot sauce which are definitely NOT in Skippers' version. So, I did what I always do, test, test and test and came up with my own version!

Give it a try and let me know what you think. I love reviews! Good and bad. Suggestions are welcome. 

Skippers Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe
1 small yellow onion, chopped or 1 Tbsp. dried minced onion or 1 tsp. onion powder

3 Celery stalks finely chopped

1 Tbsp butter

2 (5 ounce) cans minced baby clams, strained, with juice reserved

1 8oz. jar clam juice OR 1 c water + 3 tsp. clam base

5 medium potatoes, peeled and finely cubed

3 (10 1/2 ounce) cans cream of celery soup

2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ t pepper

Pinch dried dill weed

Add onion, celery and butter to large pot and cook until translucent

Add clam juice from both minced clams and the jar of clam juice.

Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally so potatoes don't stick.

Add clams, soup, cream, parsley, pepper and dill weed. Stir together.

Cook for about 30 minutes on low until heated through. Don’t let it come to a boil or cream separates. Mix occasionally to prevent burning. 

Some of the ingredients are more difficult to find. Here are the brands I use, most can be found at Walmart. The clam base is difficult to find in any store, but of course Amazon carries it all and you can have it delivered to your doorstep too.

Clam juice

Minced clams


Clam base


My favorite cooking pot!

Rebecca's Chicken Pot Pie & Butter Flake Crust

Makes 1 pie with either single or double crust

*Pie crust needs to chill 4 hours before baking. Pre-bake bottom crust and let cool before starting pie filling. *

Pie Filling

3T butter

½ c celery, chopped

½ bag frozen carrots and peas

1-2 medium potatoes, chopped

2-3 t minced garlic

2 c cooked chicken, chopped

1-2 T dried minced onion or 1 small onion, chopped

½ t dried parsley

¼ t dried thyme

¼ t celery seed

¼ t poultry seasoning

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1-2 c water

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper to taste

*if sauce is too runny, add premixed 3T cold water & 3T cornstarch to thicken

In a medium-large pot, saute celery until softened. Add peas and carrots and potatoes and cook 5 min. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add chicken, onion, parsley, thyme, celery seed, poultry seasoning, bouillon cubes, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 5 min. Add cream of chicken soup and salt and pepper. Adjust sauce consistency if needed with cornstarch mixture. 

Butter Flake Crust

Makes 1 crust, make 2 batches separately for a top and bottom crust

1 ¼ c flour

¼ t salt

½ c chilled butter, cubed

¼ c ice water

In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add butter and use two forks or a pastry blender (if not using processor) to mix until coarse crumbs form. Add water a tablespoon at a time until mixture comes together slightly. Don’t over mix, and don’t use all the water if possible. You want little bits of butter not mixed well to make dough flaky. Dump mix onto floured counter top and knead a couple times. Form into a round disc and wrap in wax paper. Fridge 4 hours or overnight.

Dough can be made and baked right away and still turn out fine, it will just be harder to work with. Keep dough in freezer to help it chill faster if baking right away.

Roll out dough into a circle. The edges will be crumbly. Fold edges to center and roll out again. Fold circle in half, then fold in half again. Transfer to deep dish pie plate. Have dough come all the way to pie plate edge and even a slight overhang. The dough shrinks about one inch while cooking. Poke holes with fork all over crust. Cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, or rice or beans to weight down. Bake 400 ° for 6-8 minutes until no longer dough looking. Let cool completely while cooking pie filling. Fill pie crust with pie filling. Roll out second disc of dough and transfer to pie. Seal edges well to avoid overflow while cooking. Brush dough with beaten egg. Make several slits to allow steam to escape. Bake Pie at 375° 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown. Line oven rack with foil or a cookie sheet for any overflow. Let pie rest for 10-15 minutes to let sauce thicken up before serving.

Rebecca's Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice

2 T. olive oil

2 (13 oz.) Kielbasa or Andouille sausage sliced into ½” medallions

Green pepper, finely diced

3 celery ribs, finely diced

2 T. minced garlic

1lb dry small red beans

8 c. chicken broth

1 t. Liquid Smoke, hickory flavored

1 T. Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning

1 Bay Leaf

2 T. dried onion flakes

½ t. parsley

1/4 t. basil

1/4 t. oregano

1 T. Soy sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

In a large frying pan, brown the sausage in 1T olive oil until dark brown and crispy. Add meat to crock pot. In same pan add 1T olive oil, green pepper and celery. Cook on medium high until veggies are cooked through. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from pan and add to crock pot. Rinse beans and check for any stones. Add to crockpot with all remaining ingredients.  Heat on high for 6 hours.  During last 30 min, cook 4 c. uncooked rice in rice cooker. 

While rice is cooking, remove 2 c. beans and place in medium bowl(pick out any meat and return to crock pot). Blend with immersion blender until saucy. Return to crockpot and mix well to thicken.  Serve over rice. Add more Cajun seasoning if you like it spicy! Store in fridge separately from rice to keep rice from getting soggy.

The BEST Ramen Asian Salad

I love a good ramen salad! This one turns into a full meal packed with protein from the chicken and edamame and just the right amount of sweetness thrown in with some mandarin oranges . Plus, I usually have everything in stock in my pantry so I don't have to take a trip to the grocery store if I get a craving for it! 

You'll want to make the dressing first so it can chill in the fridge while you chop up your other ingredients.

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. rice wine vinegar

2T. soy sauce

¼ t. sesame oil

Pepper

1 ramen seasoning packet (this is purely optional, but I think it adds great flavor and a bit of salt - my one weakness)

Just mix up in a bowl or measuring cup and stick in the fridge. The layers will settle, but just a quick whisk before adding it to the salad will fix that.

1 (16oz.) bag multi colored coleslaw mix (no chopping needed!)

1 can mandarin oranges, drained well

1 c. shelled, cooked and cooled edamame

½ c. sliced green onions

1 can chicken breast (or 2 chopped up chicken breasts)

Next, take your ramen and almonds and spread them on a baling sheet. this step is vital!

½ c. sliced almonds

2 (3oz.) pkg. Ramen, crumbled (best done in Ziploc with a rolling pin)

Broil them until golden brown making them nice and crispy.

 After your ramen and almonds cool, combine everything and toss well so everything gets coated.

Viola! You have an edible masterpiece! Try not to eat it all on one sitting :)

Here is my method of eating this salad for lunch all week. Portion out the salad into containers but keep the ramen and almonds separate so they don't get soggy. Come lunchtime, sprinkle on the topping like croutons and enjoy!

The best Ramen Asian Salad

1 (16oz.) bag multi colored coleslaw mix

1 can mandarin oranges, drained well

1 c. shelled, cooked and cooled edamame

½ c. sliced green onions

1 can chicken breast (or 2 chopped up chicken breasts)

½ c. sliced almonds

2 (3oz.) pkg. Ramen, crumbled (best done in Ziploc with a rolling pin)

Dressing:

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. rice wine vinegar

2T. soy sauce

¼ t. sesame oil

Pepper

1 ramen seasoning packet

Toast almonds and ramen under broiler until golden brown. After cooled, combine all ingredients. Add dressing and mix well. Serve immediately. 

Kiwi Freezer Jam

(I haven't made this yet, but seeing how kiwi is my favorite fruit, I definitely will be doing it sometime soon!)

Kiwi Freezer Jam

From Blue Ribbon Recipes

(Found on Yankeemagazine.com)

Yield: 6 cups

Mary Schmaltz reminds cooks to keep these rules in mind when making jam: don't double jam recipes and don't reduce the amount of sugar. Doing either of these things may result in having liquid jam. Also, if you are canning, consider your altitude and add 1 minute of cooking time for each 1,000 feet of altitude.

§                 2-1/4 cups mashed kiwi fruit (about 9 kiwis; see note)

§                 4 cups sugar

§                 1 pouch (3 ounces) liquid pectin

§                 1/4 cup lemon juice

Prepare the containers by rinsing with hot water. Use plastic containers or small canning jars with lids. Put the kiwi in a large bowl. Gradually stir in the sugar. Mix well and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pectin and lemon juice. Add to the fruit mixture and gently stir (do not beat in air) for 3 minutes. Pour into the containers, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Put on the lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year.

Comments

Note:Peel the kiwi fruit and remove the hard white core. Cut into cubes and mash with a potato masher. Do not puree.

Baked Acorn Squash

  I LOVE acorn squash and can't wait for fall when it's super cheap. The way to cook it to make is amazing, is to bake it. Slice it up, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with a bunch of olive oil, and douse with salt and freshly ground pepper.I drizzle oil on the pan and on top of the squash so they don't dry out.

 Mmmm, innards.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 min. Just test with a knife occasionally, and when it's soft and the knife easily slides through the flesh, it's done. Let the squash cool for 10 minutes. You'll burn your hands if you handle it too soon (I know from stupid past experience!). Scrape out the squash into a bowl and enjoy! I sometimes add a couple tablespoons of real butter and mix it all up to make it taste even better!

Taco Bell Border Rice Bowl Copycat - Zesty Chicken Recipe

At my previous two jobs I had a taco bell within walking distance (doesn't mean I walked, they were just close!). I love taco bell for their good food and also that they serve Pepsi products (read: Mountain Dew).

Once a week I'd get the Zesty Chicken rice bowl (they called them border bowls I guess?). They're like a really REALLY good salad, with not too much lettuce. Healthy too, as nothing is fried, it's full of veggies, brown rice, beans and cheese. Of course they eventually decided to discontinue their border bowls and I was devastated. Thankfully, I have some decent cooking skills and I was able to recreate what I consider an almost perfect match of Taco Bell's version. So, here goes the recipe!

This serves 2 people by the way. Brown 2 chopped chicken breasts in 1-2 Tbsp of oil.

Halfway through the cooking, add pepper to the chicken and sprinkle a good amount of taco seasoning on the chicken. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water if the seasoning doesn't distribute well.

Next up, the rice. I used Uncle Ben's rice in a bag (SO easy to make!), again added more taco seasoning as well as some taco bell mild taco sauce.You don't want it super flavorful, but enough you can taste the seasoning. You could also use any quick or long grain rice as long as you add some taco seasoning to the water. Some commenters cooked the rice in chicken broth for more flavor too.

 Warm up a can of Taco bell's refried beans in the zapper.

 Spread about half the can in the bottom of a bowl

top with a cup or so of rice

then half of the cooked chicken

Then tortilla strips. I found these at walmart in the salad dressing aisle

Then top with chopped tomatoes, shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese, and shredded lettuce. (Sorry no pictures of the last two)

 The finishing touch is the topping. Taco Bell Mild Taco sauce (also found at walmart) and Spicy Ranch dressing. The picture doesn't show Spicy Ranch because I didn't have it at the time. But I assure you, It tastes exactly like the sauce at Taco bell. *Update: They now sell a Kraft brand "Taco Bell Spicy Ranch Dressing" that I use. You can find it with all the other Kraft brand dressings at the grocery store.

Trust me, this Rice bowl is SO good! If you've made it and like it, Comment! Tell me what you changed to make it better. I love suggestions for other copycat recipes too.

Becca

Wedding Day - The making of

**UPDATE**  I found 10 more pictures from the morning of. They're at the end of the post fyi.

I have tons of picture from the last 4 months, I figure I'll just start from the beginning.  The day before our wedding was spent finishing up center pieces for the tables. Becky's sister lent us the vases and I bought all the flowers for them. Steven helped for a while and then Kristi and Heather saved me by coming over until about 10pm and we finished them all. They also helped me put together all the corsages and boutineers. Even Jake came over at the end and helped box up all the decorations to take to the church. Rachel made all the wrist roses for the girls of the family and I made my own bouquet. Costo and Sam's club roses baby!!! It turned out beautiful and $200 less than having someone else make it.

Steven got about 1-2 hours of sleep that night and me none. We met everyone at the church that morning at 5am to help set up. When I pulled into the parking lot I couldn't help but cry when I saw how many people showed up to help. We have such wonderful family, friends and ward members!!!

The Bride and Groom dead tired, but ready to get married!!

Randy and Becky helped us out so much with the reception. Becky's sister's family did most of the backdrop, the tablecloths and tons of other decor. Thank you!!!! See my dad in the backround mopping? He's such a perfectionist and I'm so glad he helped make everything shine.

This is Lori Tucker, our bishop's wife who did the other half of the decorations and was in charge of the set up. She organized everything for me and made it gorgeous! Even her kids came to help that morning along with Bishop Tucker. We would not have had such a beautiful reception without her.

Next to her is Randy Martin, a good friend of Steven's family who is also in the bishopric. He and his wife Debbie were there all day setting up too. Randy ordained Steven as an Elder and is our home teacher too. I was so glad the bishop and his wife and Randy and Debbie were able to come to our sealing and reception.

More helping hands from Jodi Stromberg and Another Tucker helper. The Stromberg's taught our Temple prep class in their home. It was so fun getting to know them and prepare for the temple together with Steven and them. 

Our lovely cake that was beautified by Michelle, Rachel and Becky after the cake lady kind of ruined it with her flowers. They fixed it up perfect!! Exactly how I wanted it!

Our gift table. It was fun to see Garry (Steven's step dad), Brad(Steven's brother) and Steven underneath the tables hanging up all the lights. Lori Tucker put all the decor together.

Steven's sister Jennifer was our "caterer". She was AMAZING!!!!! I told her what ideas I had and it's like she could see the pictures in my head. The food and drink was delicious and pretty too! I've always wanted something other than dessert at my wedding reception, so we had ham and chicken sandwiches, cream puffs, carrots and celery in ranch dressing, cinnamon rolls glazed with pink frosting, and fruit skewers. Oh and some yummy peach lemonade created by my mom.

Jennifer made up two very big plates of food for us to take with us. We had stuff to snack on all through our honeymoon!

When Steven and I pulled up to the reception after the luncheon, the church had been transformed. I don't know how everyone pulled it all together in such a short amount of time. Becky set up these lanterns outside. I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was.

Steven's sisters and nieces kept the food table stocked throughout the reception.

Funny story on the guest book. Well, more like an angry story. We ordered a photo book of all our engagements for our guestbook. We had it overnighted days before the reception. come wedding day, nothing. So after our luncheon, Steven and I sped to MIchael's (scary as heck because Steven' kept falling asleep at the wheel, we were DEAD tired) I grabbed a bunch of scrapbook paper, wedding stickers and a pink photo album. Again my sister's came to the rescue and put it all together in record speed.

To the right you'll see boxes of gifts from my bridal showers. To the left, the aftermath of the flower making. Green thumbs all around.

The flowers for everyone taking up the whole fridge.

Our centerpieces all boxed up and ready to go.

Our Marriage license, temple clothes and temple bags set out. We didn't forget anything!

Brand Steven and Janeen setting up lights.

Cute Garry helping out.

Kristi helped out SO much! She and Heather are wonderful!

Becky supervising the backdrop set up.

Debbie Martin and Michelle beautifying the food table.

We had chairs set up around the edges of the room for people to sit at.  Jared and Clarissa helped us out.

Daddykins moppin' away.

So much ironing had to be done for the tablecloths!

Getting close!

So, that was the set up and part of our wedding day story. Next up, the temple!