Grandma's New England Clam Chowder

I have great memories from when I was a kid and my parents and grandparents used to rent a condo near the beach. During that time, my grandfather and I used to dig around for clams which I would then put in a pail and bring back to where we were staying. Later that night my grandmother would use those clams to make a wonderful homemade clam chowder. Now that I am a little bit older, I don't get to the beach as much as I used to, but we can still re-create those memories with my grandmother's New England clam chowder. This recipe serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

2 large potatoes - peeled and diced small

1 large onion- diced small

1 cup celery - diced small

1/2 cup carrots - diced small

3 slices of bacon

2 cans of clams (6.5 oz) - save the clam juice for the veggies later

1/4 cup flour

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup butter

1 quart half n half cream

salt n pepper to taste

1 Tbl Thyme- freshly chopped

Directions

1: In a large skillet pour the clam juice from the cans of clams over the onions, celery, potatoes, and carrots Add water to cover the vegetables and cook until tender

2: Saute the bacon until cooked crispy. Remove bacon and dice up. Keep the bacon grease.

3: In a large soup pot, add the bacon grease and butter. When the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk constantly until thick. Next add the half n half a little at a time until it is all added. Whisk constantly until almost at a boil and thick.

4: Stir in clams and let it heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and stir in the bacon, vinegar and thyme. Add salt n pepper to taste. Serve with crackers.