Easy Clam Chowder with Shirley J

I have issues with white sauces or cream based soups or sauce. Maybe, I am just a snob. I like a cream sauce to be perfect and I so rarely can get it to be perfect. So, I was pretty excited to try Shirley J's Universal Cream Sauce. They sent me a huge bag of the stuff to review, enough to try and use with several meals. I decided to try cooking a meal that has me just a tad frightened. CLAM CHOWDER. My husband loves a good clam chowder. And I have been just a little squeamish at rejection. So here comes Shirley J, an easy recipe and easy solution.

Shirley J carries a signature line of bulk foods like Universal Sauce (that can be used in literally hundreds of recipes), universal biscuit and baking mix, bullion, seasonings, dessert and bread mixes. They can be bought online or through various stores, like Bosch. The cool part is that they have already developed dozens of recipes so you know how to use their products.

OK on with the review of the clam chowder. It turned out pretty good. However their particular recipe was a little heavy on the cumin and although I am a self avowed cumin lover my next batch of clam chowder will have less cumin. It was just too strong. I have reduced the cumin in the recipe below. Feel free to season with this spice to your own personal taste. Other than that I will say that a totally from scratch chowder (made by some people other than myself) may taste better but this was easy and pretty tasty. In fact the most dissapointing part of the chowder was the clams I used. But we only have one choice for canned clams where I live. One lousy choice. I will be adding Shirley J to my food storage. It is competively priced and so versatile.

1 Cup Shirley J Universal Sauce
3 Cups Water
1 Cup clam juice
3 Cups potatoes (diced and cooked with skin on)
1 Cup celery chopped
1 Cup carrots (diced small)
1 Cup yellow onion (diced small)
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t chicken bullion (I had to use my beef bullion because that is what I had)
1/2 tsp of cumin
1 can of clams drained
pinch of cayenne
1 tb of butter or margarine

Saute onions, carrots and celery in butter in a saucepan until onions are brown. Add water, clam juice, and Universal Sauce to sauteed veggies. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.