Coastal Comfort

Even though Del makes all of the food around here, I sometimes flip through his cookbooks and foodie magazines. A few years ago, I came across this Philadelphia Clam Pie Recipe in Gourmet. It sounded so good that I asked Del to run out and get some clams so he could make this dish as a pre-New Years Eve treat. Did I ever mention that I have the most wonderful husband on earth :) ? Anyway, we had a friend in town (who happened to be having a birthday), and we invited him over to join us. The weather was cold and snowy, but the delicious clam pie warmed our hearts and filled our bellies. This year, that same friend was here, and he requested this comfort food for his birthday meal.

Del makes the clam pie according to the recipe with a couple of modifications. Rather than shucking the clams, he steams them until they open. Then instead of using clam juice, he just sautes veggies in the steaming broth. He also uses a basic shortcrust rather than puff pastry.

Last night, the "sous chef" helped make the crust for the first time.

The filling went into the bowls with bottom crusts...




which were covered with the top crust.

The end result is sooooooo delectable. If you love clams, and you love pot pie, try this recipe!

On the subject of comfort, here is the runner that I made for my mom's Christmas gift. She specifically requested it for her guest bedroom. She'd seen one at a hotel in Florida, and loved the look, but couldn't found one to match the blues in the room. I had so much fun with the embroidery! The beautiful floral motifs are from Designs by Juju's Jacobean 2 and Jacobean 4 SWAK packs. The runner adds so much to the bed (which I get to sleep in when we visit :) ).