Time for Clam Chowder - Manhattan Style

Can you believe it?? It was raining yesterday here in the Bay Area!

Perfect day to watch Giant's baseball, (they lost)  make some chocolate chip cookies (only so that I could have cookie dough to eat) and make some clam chowder. Thought we'd try something new, and make clam chowder with a red sauce, not the traditional New England cream sauce.  

Tom can vouch for it - he even had second helpings!


Clam Chowder in Red Sauce
Very simple recipe - here's what you need + a big pot!
1 pound of clams (or 2 cans of canned whole clams)
3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 yellow onion - chopped
2 stalks of celery - chopped
2 generous cloves of garlic chopped

3 potatoes chopped- I like mixing red and Yukon Gold, leaving on the skins for the best flavor

1 can of tomato paste

1 can of diced tomatoes (I like the ones with olive oil and garlic)
1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. dried basil or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 cups of chicken broth
kosher salt and fresh ground to taste

Saute' onion, celery and garlic in olive oil. Give the veggies about 5-7 minutes to become translucent, then stir in the chopped potatoes.  Dump in the spices, the tomato paste and the canned tomatoes, give it all a  good stir, then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, simmer gently until potatoes are becoming soft, about 10-15 minutes.  Add clams, if using clams in the shell, simmer gently until shells pop open and then serve.  If using canned clams, simply cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve with a nice sourdough. Voila' - a very nice rainy Sunday afternoon clam chowder!

....One of my favorite pictures, great memories of a cold, windy, misty day at Point No Point, in Hansville, Washington.  The water was wild, and the rip tides were fierce.  The best kind of day to walk on the beach and simply be amazed at nature's power and beauty.  A school of Puget Sound dolphins swam by on the Point in front of the Lighthouse, and 2 VERY large sea lions glided by after them....

We came home that October day, our pockets full of sea glass and made a big pot of soup too.

Vintage Bottles and Seashells

You may have seen these sea shell creations before - many manufacturers have tried to copy them, but they just don't look quite right as a mass produced coastal decorating accent.  

Fake shells?  Painted glass bottles? 

I am so thankful that there's just no way to really duplicate nature's art. 

These little sculptures combine two of my favorite things; the absolutely stunning beauty

of nature's sea shells, and vintage  beach-washed glass. When looking for the best of these shell art pieces, I look for vintage glass that has the most interesting colors of the sea; aqua, violets, and ambers... 

I also look for curves and different shapes - the more unique the better! 

I simply adore them.  


I love scouring art fairs, flea markets, and have even spotted them on Etsy and Ebay. Can you believe that there are so many talented coastal artists???

Here's a great example from my friend Cheryl's Etsy site - Cross Bottles!      Love her designs - many of which are carried by Wisteria. 

Each vintage bottle is different, and each shell has its' own personality. Every single one of these shell bottles is a one-of-a-kind small art piece.

Group them together for maximum impact...fabulous mixed with other sea treasures! (Picture taken at the Warmth Company in Aptos, CA - see previous blog post for more info! - Warmth Co.)

Or maybe just one spectacular example by itself....

Sea Glass Bookends

As you all know.... I have a real problem with collecting sea glass.   I just like it, no other excuse than that - have jars, boxes, bowls, full of sea glass from the West Coast.  (Let's not even get started with my shell collection addiction!)

Thought you all might like this idea for displaying your treasures!  These glass jars used to be for sale in my old store, "Caron's... the finest in coastal living" - kept them because they are so large, perfectly suited for showing off beach combing treasures.

 Now they are partially full, (yay - I can pick up more sea glass!) and make wonderful bookends on my entry way bookshelf.

Any jar would work though.  Hmmm.... I do have a box packed with vintage aqua blue mason jars.  Now where did I put that box??






Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Mermaid Beauties.....

During the month of October, we will be turning the Everything Coastal blog PINK,  (coral pink, of course!) in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Because this is an issue that is near and dear to my heart,  I have teamed up with my friend Crabby Chris with a plan to donate to the Susan G. Komen foundation... with the purchase of our Mermaid Beauty pillows.

Here they are! 

Blue Green Tail

Pink Tail

In celebration of our girlfriends... and to bring awareness to the important work being done for cancer research, during the month of October we will be donating 15%  for each Mermaid Beauty pillow sold, to the Susan G. Komen foundation. 

Hand painted to order with your choice of hair color, or no hair color!   Chris will hand paint these to order and ship them where ever you need them to go - 

Our mermaid has been hand painted onto weatherproof acrylic indoor-outdoor fabric with durable, nontoxic textile paints. The finish is smooth and soft, refined enough for indoors but tough enough for outdoors. The 19" x 19" cushion fits perfectly in your Adirondack or wicker chair; it would look great gracing your dining banquette or sofa, thrown on your favorite reading chair or even on your yacht!

Polyester fiberfill insert removes easily for laundering, although spot cleaning or a quick hose-down is usually all that is needed to keep the cover fresh. Designed, copyrighted, painted, sewn, stuffed and signed on a real island by a real human who swears she once saw a mermaid!

Thanks for your support! 

Click to add to your shopping cart -  Mermaid Beauty Beach Cottage Pillow

P.S. For every comment and purchase Caron's Beach House will send a special "Thank-You" coupon code