I woke up so happy the other morning. I was dreaming about making clam chowder with my mom.

My mom, who passed away from Covid on January first this year, believed strongly in two main foods to make anyone feel better. Clam chowder and wild blackberry pie. I could count on both each time I’d visit her in Olympia, Washington after moving to California.

I have collected a series of cookbooks (photo above) that my great-grandmother published in the 1890s and early 1900s. My great-grandfather was a newspaper man and owned a printing press. To earn extra money, great-grandmother Nellie published and sold her cookbooks across the country as a fundraiser for church auxiliary groups.

Just think, she had to typeset these beauties by hand!

I decided to check out my great grandmother’s cookbook to see if my mom followed the recipe for clam chowder. There are a few differences. For example, we use bacon today instead of pork. We don’t use fresh clams. And what the heck are common crackers?

I love this quote from the Soup cookbook:

“Soup preceding sumptuous meal,

Preparing well the way

For happiness and joyous weal,

To brighten every day.”

This is how I make clam chowder — the way Mom taught me:

Dice potatoes and boil in water. Chop onions and bacon into small pieces.

Brown onions and bacon, drain the grease.

Add flour to onions and bacon and brown. Add milk or heavy cream and allow to thicken. Add potatoes with boiled water. Add a can of clams with liquid.

Sometimes she would throw in a can of creamed corn.

I’ve written about comfort foods HERE and what my daughter finds as her comfort food. It surprised me.

What’s your favorite comfort food? Is it from a family recipe?