Golden Clam Chowder

I have a love-hate relationship with clam chowder.  I love the taste, but have a hard time finding one that is a good consistency -- thick and hearty, but not terribly pasty and heavy.  This recipe is a winner.

from Taste of Home magazine

2 celery ribs, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp. butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) minced clams, undrained
1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice
1 c. plus 1 Tbsp. water, divided
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In a Dutch oven, saute vegetables in butter until tender.  Add garlic;  cook 1 minute longer.  Stir in the potatoes, clams, clam juice, 1 c. water, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat;  cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Gradually stir in milk; heat through.  Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth;  stir into chowder.  Bring to a boil;  cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in bacon and serve.

Cauliflower Gratin

Another recipe for when the standard sides get a bit boring.

from Everyday Food

1 large head of cauliflower
1 c. heavy cream (I use 3/4 c. low-fat milk)
1 Tbl. flour
1 c. grated Parmesan/Pecorino Romano
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/2 c. breadcrumbs (I love using Panko breadcrumbs with this)
Butter

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, cored and cut into florets, cream or milk, flour, and 3/4 c of cheese.  Season with salt and pepper, tossing to combine.  Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish , cover tightly with foil, and bake 30 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c. cheese and breadcrumbs.  Sprinkle over cauliflower.  Dot with 1 Tbl. butter, cut into small pieces, and bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown and cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife, 10 - 15 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

My family would probably choose broccoli for their vegetable at every meal, and while I can't complain about that, steaming it in the microwave does get a little old.  I adapted this from a Barefoot Contessa recipe and it is delicious!

A few bunches of fresh broccoli, washed and trimmed into florets
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper (freshly ground is best)
1-2 Tbl. lemon juice
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan (or...wait for it...Pecorino Romano, my personal favorite)

Heat oven to 425.  "Blanch" broccoli (I usually put it in a covered dish with a bit of water and microwave it for a couple of minutes -- you don't want it completely cooked) and then toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sliced garlic, salt, and pepper.  Place on a half-sheet pan or cookie sheet in a single layer and roast for 10-15 minutes, just until the tips start to brown.  Immediately toss with lemon juice and Parmesan and serve.

Lemon Twisted Cheesecake

I had a can of lemon pie filling sitting in my cupboard for-ev-er. I’ve been trying to use up stuff I have on hand so when I saw this recipe for cheesecake on the back of the can I thought “Bingo!” So, I made this for Valentine’s day. It was easy and delicious. It made two pies so we have another one to eat tonight.

2 graham cracker pie crusts (you can make your own but I often just buy the cheap store brand ones)

Filling:

3 8oz packages cream cheese (I used Neufchatel), softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 21oz can lemon cream pie filling (I used Lucky Leaf Lemon Creme)

1 tsp lemon extract (I left this out—you could also substitute lemon juice and lemon zest)

Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Slowly add eggs to creamed mixture while mixer is running. Mix for two minutes or until smooth. Add pie filling and extract and mix thoroughly. Pour into two graham cracker crusts and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Cool completely and then chill. (Center will not set until cooled). Serve chilled with a spoonful of cherry pie filling and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream if desired. Fantastic!

Marsha’s Caramels

My mother-in-law is famous for these little confections. She was good enough to share the recipe with me and after losing it once I don’t want to chance it again so I am posting it here for safe keeping.
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
Combine all and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils (approximately 45 minutes). Turn down heat. Continue cooking until candy reaches soft ball stage (235° F–240° F if using a candy thermometer), pour into a well greased 9x13 pan. Cool, cut and wrap in waxed paper. Scrumptious!

Nicole’s Three Day, Triple Layer, $40 Chocolate Cake

 

Also known as “Three Layer Chocolate Cake with Blackout Filling” (slightly adapted from Oprah.com) When we were in Utah for Christmas, my brother’s girlfriend, Nicole made this divine chocolate cake for the family. Nicole used Valrhona cocoa powder and baking chocolate anywhere the recipe called for it. Valrhona is a French chocolate specifically formulated for baking and can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma and many other baking specialty stores or online (google “buy Valrhona chocolate and you will get tons of sites). We figured the cost of the ingredients using the expensive chocolate is around $40 so we started calling it the $40 chocolate cake. It tastes like a million bucks though. In case you don’t have $40 to shell out for a cake (who does, really?) I’m sure it would still be fantastic with run of the mill chocolate and I plan to try it that way soon. Wouldn’t it be fantastic for Valentine’s Day?

Filling:

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn syrup
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder , sifted  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 13 tablespoons (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces 60% semisweet chocolate (Nicole used Valrhona)
• 3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Nicole used Valrhona)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• 5 large eggs

Cake:

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
• 3 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder , sifted (Nicole used Valrhona)
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups hot water

Directions

To make filling: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally to prevent scorching. Meanwhile, in a separate small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Remove boiling cocoa mixture from heat; whisk in cornstarch mixture.
Return saucepan to heat, and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil about 1 minute, until cornstarch is cooked and mixture is very thick.
Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into a shallow, heat-resistant bowl; immediately cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent film from forming. Cool completely, and refrigerate until firm, or overnight.
To make frosting: In a large glass bowl, combine butter and chocolates; heat in microwave (or on stovetop in a double boiler) until melted. Stir until thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, combine sugar and salt. In a medium saucepan, thoroughly whisk eggs; whisk in sugar mixture, combining thoroughly. Whisk in a scant 1/2 cup water, combining thoroughly; place over medium heat and bring to 160° on a candy thermometer, whisking constantly to prevent sticking, but creating as little foam as possible.
Strain mixture through fine sieve into heat-resistant container. Whisk into chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Cool completely, then refrigerate until stiff enough to spread, or overnight.
To make cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans with butter; line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the paper.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium speed, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and vanilla; add to brown sugar mixture in two batches, mixing on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape bowl thoroughly; beat 1 minute on high speed.
Sift together cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; add to brown sugar mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
Sift flour. Add 1 cup to batter and beat on low speed until just combined. Add 3/4 cup sour cream to batter; beat on low speed until just combined. Alternate adding flour and sour cream to batter until there's none left. With mixer still running on low, slowly add hot water, beating until just combined.
Scrape bowl thoroughly; beat batter on low speed about 20 seconds. Scrape bowl thoroughly once more, then divide batter evenly among the three pans, about 3 cups per pan. Bake 30 to 33 minutes, or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Remove from oven. Cool layers in pans about 30 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to one night before assembling.
To assemble, level cake layers by slicing off their tops. Place bottom layer on a serving platter cut side up. Spread 1/2 cup filling on top. Place middle layer cut side down on top of bottom layer. Spread remaining filling on top. Place top layer cut side down on top of middle layer. Spread top and sides of cake with frosting.

Using More Quinoa

I really like the nutritional value of Quinoa. My family has been uncertain about the texture or how it looks when it is cooked. I was able to get 4 lbs of it at Costco for $8 and I started sneaking it in to the recipes that we already eat. They all seem to be on board now and even prefer the texture to regular rice.

I prepare it with 2 cups of rice, 1 cup quinoa and five cups of liquid. I usually just use water, but adding a cup of broth makes it really yummy.

Follow the directions for cooking the rice.