Clam Chowder

Source: Barbara Olson, a woman from my ward growing up, with a few slight alterations by me and my mom

Ingredients:
2- 6 oz. cans clams
1 cup onions (chopped very fine)
2-3 cups diced potatoes
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced carrots
1 ½ quarts milk and cream, mixed (can use canned evaporated milk in place of, or as part of cream.  Usually use 1 quart milk and ½ quart cream or canned milk)
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook vegetables and clams in clam juice, until tender, adding a small amount of water as needed for cooking (I added two cans-worth of water so all the vegetables and clams were covered in the pot).  In separate large kettle, heat butter.  Add flour; stir till well mixed.  Add milk and cream to make a white sauce.  Cook over medium heat until thickens, stirring to prevent scorching.  Add vegetable-clam mixture to white sauce mixture, and heat slowly, stirring often to prevent scorching.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  (At this point I added the white sauce mixture to the vegetables and clams, which I had moved to my large crock pot.  I cooked the soup on low or warm for a few hours, till it was time for dinner.  It started out really runny but soon thickened up nicely.)  As it warms, you may add an additional amount of milk if you feel it is too thick.  Makes 12 servings.

Notes:
Definitely not a lo-cal soup, but totally oh-so delicious.  It's especially tasty served in fresh bread bowls.  A perfect fall treat.