Looks like I'm gonna have to try Rachel Ray's recipe for Bacon & Crab Chowder...

[Amerigo Vespucci]

...it's like the song of the siren, leading my ship right into the effin' ROCKS:

Bacon and Crab Chowder

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/30-minute-meals/bacon-and-crab-chowder/article.html



Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1 large onion, chopped
4 celery ribs from the heart with leaves, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
6 cups whole milk
12 ounces lump crabmeat, from the seafood counter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay (a palmful)
3 tablespoons dry Sherry
4 tablespoons snipped chives
Oyster crackers
Hot sauce

1. Put a medium pot over medium high heat, add a drizzle of EVOO and the bacon and cook until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
2. Pour off a little of the bacon fat, leaving a thin, even layer. Add the potatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper and bay leaf to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the milk, cover the pot and bring to a simmer.
3. Run your fingers through the crabmeat to check for shell bits, then combine with the thyme and seafood seasoning. Uncover the pot, stir in the crabmeat and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender and the soup has thickened. Finish the chowder with the Sherry and serve with the crispy bacon, chives, oyster crackers and hot sauce.

[Tyler Durden]

1. Yikes.

THAT could take me right off my new regimen.

[MagsDem]

2. That sounds totally yummy

... or should I say yummo! LOL!