AWESOME CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Sauté celery, onions, and carrots (if using fresh corn add it now) and in oil in a large skillet until softened.
• Add potatoes, frozen corn, bottles of clam juice, plus enough drained liquid from canned clams to cover vegetables*, and cook over medium heat until tender. *If not enough liquid add only enough water until vegetables are covered.
• After about 10 - 15 minutes, when vegetables are almost tender, melt the butter in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat.
• Whisk flour into melted butter until smooth and fully cooked.
• Whisk in half & half and chicken stock, stir constantly until thick and smooth.
• Stir in vegetables, cooking liquid, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams and shrimp - If they cook too much they get tough - do not allow it to boil. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar.
• At this point I took it off the heat and let it cool down enough to put into the fridge covered as I was serving it the next day.
• A couple of hours before serving I just put it into the crock from one of my slow cookers, put the lid on, then put it into the microwave at 10 minutes at 50% power to get it started and then into the slow cooker on slow.