Homemade Sockeye Salmon Chowder

1 14 3/4 oz can salmon
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 T margarine or butter
2 c diced potatoes
2 c diced carrots
4 c chicken broth
1 t thyme
1/4 t bl pepper
1 c chopped broccoli or zucchini
1 13 oz evaporated milk
10 oz frozen or canned corn
minced parsley

Drain and flake salmon reserving liquid. Saute onions, celery and garlic in margarine. Add potatoes, carrots, reserved salmon liquid, chicken broth and seasonings. Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes. Add flaked salmon, evaporated milk and corn. Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with minced parsley to serve.

That is the original recipe as I received it from my Aunt Eunice Little Gautsche.

However, I make my own salmon flakes by requesting all of the scrap when I have a salmon filleted at the store. I then steam that on the stove until it flakes off the bone in about 1/4 cup of water. I then drain off the liquid and use it to saute the onions and celery instead of the butter/margarine. After the salmon has cooled I debone by hand the meat, discarding the bones.

I have also never made it with the broccoli or zucchini because we do not eat it fast enough and the broccoli or zucchini won't reheat well (at least in my opinion). It is very good however when I have had it at my aunt's.

Meteorologists in Portland Receive A++++++++++!

Definitely newsworthy is the fact that meteorologists in Portland correctly predicted Arctic Blast 2008 complete with 4 inches of snow at Fanno Lodge! YIPPPEEEEE! Predictions are for the final snow fall to be between 6 to 8 inches depending on where you live here in the Portland meto area!

For a week now the news has been that this Arctic Blast is coming. Yesterday we were not too sure they were going to be right but we ventured out to the mall to get some time away from the house in hopes that the meteorologists would be right. Since I do not have any rain boots, Arthur found me some Lands Ends rain boots on sale at Sears. They are beautiful pink.....color officially called Cherry. It has been years since I have owned anything from Lands End and so I feel very blessed!

This morning we woke to dimness in our bathroom which is unusual because it has a sky light. That was my first clue that maybe we had some snow....I figured is was just a dusting.

I opened the blinds.....to pure white winter DELIGHT! SNOW everywhere and coming down (at that time) in big flakes and quite hard.

Here we are at about 3:45 in the afternoon and it has been snowing all day. Dacia Grace and Daddy went out to play for about a hour but she is now down for a nap. She is tired but so happy to have the snow here at her house!

While she was sleeping, Arthur and I went out did the final touches to the house in preparation for the cold temperatures that are coming....you can feel the temperature dropping! We are officially hunkered down, warm, and ready for a frigid week with temperatures in the 20's. We have electricity! YIPPPEE! This is very unusual weather for Portland and we are loving it. While outside I told Arthur that if you were just looking at a picture of our street, one would think we were in Kansas not Portland, Oregon!