My Tattoo & Recipes

It's coming up on the 13yr anniversary of my dad's death. I mourned for my dad for 10yrs, in my own way and on the 10yr anniversary of his death I went with my friend Mike to get a tattoo, a little sunflower on the small of my back, my way of ending the mourning, accepting his death and hopefully moving on. It was warm that day, the shop was crazy busy, random people, some bikers, one in particular who I think I hugged after a short crying jag. I don't know if my little plan worked I still miss him like crazy, although, it now comes in spurts.

This is not that good of a story but I have nothing else, so it's staying. :p To make it up to you and because I am missing him like crazy today, here is my daddy's corn chowder recipe more or less (am winging it here as there is no "offical" recipe):

1 lg or 2 sm cans corn niblets (drained)
1 lg can cream style corn
4 slices of bacon or a chunk of pork fat cut into small strips (i usually cut it directly into the pan)
1 onion chopped
1 pint of cream
1/2 gallon of milk(won't use it all) can use 2% or even 1% , although I don't recommend skim
2 lg potatoes or 1/2 bag of baby potatoes cut into good size chunks (use as many as you I like potatoes so I use allot)
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes if you want, although i've never tried it, but it's good in the haddock chowder so...

get a heavy bottom pan, cook the bacon, remove the cooked bacon, leave the fat, add the onions and a pince of salt and cook until soft and kinda see through. Add the potatoes, corn niblets and cream corn along with the cream and milk start off with about 1/2 of the 1/2 gallon see how it looks if you want to add more, add more. cook about 20 minutes or untill potatoes are done. season with salt and pepper to taste and serve and enjoy.

I like to eat mine from a bread bowl. My sweetie likes his in a regular bowl with oyster crackers.

and what's dinner without dessert?

Dead Day Cake
(growing up, it was only served at funerals on my dads side of the family, hence the name)

1 box white cake mix
maple extract
1 bag chopped walnuts (about 1 cup for the cake and some for decoration)
1 lg can vanilla frosting

preheat oven to whatever the box says. your basically making the cake according to the directions, just add 1 capfull of maple extract and add the nuts to the mix.

while that's cooking add a capfull of maple extract to the frosting and give it a good stir. i find it easier to dump it into a bowl and mix in the maple that way, but by all means if you want one less dish, mix it in the container. taste it, if you want it to taste more mapley, add more extract.

frost your cooled cake, decorate with nuts and enjoy.

=)