When I first saw this recipe I thought yes, I would like to make clam chowder but no, I cannot use three cups of heavy cream! So I went about trying to lighten it up. First I jettisoned the guanciale, upped the potatoes a bit, and cut out the three cups of heavy cream. Sometimes I make it with 2tablespoons of heavy cream but last night I used a cup of half and half. I think I like it better with the heavy cream. You can use however much your own personal taste and requirements allow. Using part of the potatoes as russet potatoes instead of all waxy potatoes gives it a creamier texture as well. In the recipe the soup is served over a big slab of bread. We opted for oyster crackers instead.

The salad was simply a bagged product. It said it had a Dijon dressing. It was so sweet that we ended up putting a lot more mustard in. I have noticed that most of the pre-packaged salads come with really sweet dressings. Certainly it would be easier for people to add more sweetness if they wanted it than find ways to make the dressings less sweet. (This is a pet peeve of mine!)

Here’s my recipe for lighter clam chowder.