This clam chowder is so good you will think you are sitting at a dockside diner in Maine. Don’t tell anyone how you made it and stand back and wait for the complements.

Melt butter in large soup pot or Dutch oven on low heat. Finely chop onion and add to butter. Drain canned clams, reserving liquid for later, and add to onions and butter. Cook over low heat until the onion is clear. Add all five cans of soup and gradually stir in the full quart of half- &-half. Add all of the seasonings and mix well. If soup gets too thick, add some of the reserved clam juice as desired. After everything is well blended and heated, you can pour into a slow cooker (Crock-Pot) and cook for 2 hours on low. I have also cooked it in a 175-degree oven in the oven proof Dutch oven for 2 ½ hours. The trick is not to scorch the soup - low & slow. Enjoy with oyster crackers and hot sauce on the side.