Fettuccine with Red Clam Sauce
Fettuccine with Red Clam Sauce
This is a great recipe for when you don’t have a lot of time but still want a home cooked meal. This whole dinner can easily be made in under 30 minutes, but will taste like you spent a lot more time than that. By the time the pasta is cooked, you can have the sauce ready. Toss the pasta and sauce together and you’re good to go. I often make the more traditional version with linguine- but since I was out- fettuccine was our winner today.
Fettuccine with Red Clam Sauce
1 T. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans, 10 oz. each, whole clams, drained of about half of their liquid
1 c. finely chopped parsley
2-3 c. marinara sauce
pepper to taste
1 lb. linguine
Parmesan cheese, grated
Heat oil in large skillet and sauté garlic until tender. Add clams and parsley and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Most of the liquid from the clams should cook off. Add marinara sauce and pepper and simmer 5 more minutes. Meanwhile prepare pasta al dente. Drain pasta and transfer to a large warm serving bowl. Toss with the sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 6 servings.
Sweetheart Cookies
Sweetheart Cookies
For Valentine’s Day not every dessert has to be chocolate. These sugar cookies would be a great way to share the love. I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe and cut out hearts. I then used a smaller heart cookie cutter and cut out smaller hearts from half of the cookies. Sandwiched the baked cookies together with homemade strawberry preserves. Since I also had a bunch of tiny heart cookies from the cut outs, I used melted chocolate to turn them into tiny sandwich cookies.
Sweetheart Sugar Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
3 T. milk
Extra sugar for sprinkling, if desired
Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Beat in milk. Heat oven to 375-degrees. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/3- inch thickness. Cut out with lightly floured cutters and sprinkle with sugar or colored sugar if you like and if you are not going to frost them. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 3 minutes before placing on wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cooled. Makes about 4 dozen.
Yellow Split Pea Soup
Yellow Split Pea Soup
While a lot of people think of green split peas when they think of pea soup, I enjoy making pea soup with yellow split peas, too. The color of the peas leaves you with a pretty golden yellow soup. For this batch I had a ham bone so I cooked the bone in water with aromatic veggies to make a soup stock. I then strained and used the stock for the water in the soup- adding extra flavor. I also added some of the ham, cubed to the soup. Simple and satisfying this is a soup that is also a meal in itself.
Swedish Yellow Split Pea Soup
1 lb. yellow split peas, rinsed
2 qts. Boiling water or stock
1 bay leaf
2. c. chopped onion 2 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 t. ginger
dash nutmeg
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. salt, or to taste
2 cups diced ham
Note: you can use 1 teaspoon liquid smoke if omitting meat.
Combine peas, boiling water or stock and bay leaf and simmer, covered, about an hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Add remaining ingredients, except diced meat and salt, and cook, covered, over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add meat and cook 1 hour more, stirring occasionally. Season to taste. Serve with a pumpernickel bread. Freezes well. Serves 6-8.
Minty Cocoa Hearts
Minty Cocoa Hearts
If you are looking for a simple chocolate treat- that requires no cooking – try Minty Cocoa Hearts. This easy to make candy is made with just a few ingredients. The “dough” is mixed and rolled out. Then you just cut them out into little hearts. They taste great and they are also a nice project for kids. There is no special equipment needed other than a tiny heart-shaped cookie cutter. So if time is short and you really want to make something homemade this Valentine’s Day- these could be the answer.
Minty Cocoa Hearts
9 c. powdered sugar
1 c. cocoa
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. water
2 t. peppermint extract
In large bowl combine ingredients until well blended. You can add more water, if needed, 1 teaspoon at a time. Divide mixture into 2 pieces and shape in balls. Place each between sheets of wax paper and roll out to 1/4 -inch thickness. Cut out with tiny cutters and place on foil-lined tray. Chill several hours, then wrap up in colored foil or place in tiny candy bags. Makes 80 (1-inch) candies.
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
I love a good quiche. It is a great brunch dish with endless variations. I was asked recently to prepare several quiches for a family event. I knew I wanted to make a quiche with artichoke hearts. When I was starting to put the quiches together it occurred to me that I had also just brought home a giant bag of spinach. Made sense to put the 2 together. Sort of like spinach and artichoke dip. I used about a pound of fresh spinach, cooked, drained and chopped, but a box of frozen spinach would work, too.
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
1 unbaked pie crust – enough for a deep dish pie
4 oz. diced cheddar cheese
2 T. flour
1 lb. fresh spinach or 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, cooked, chopped and squeezed dry
3-4 artichoke hearts, drained and chopped coarsely (about 1.2 of a 14 oz. can)
1 c. milk or half and half
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
Hot pepper sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
In 9-inch (deep dish) pie pan place the crust. Toss cheese with the flour and place in crust. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts. Combine milk with the eggs and add seasonings to taste. Pour over the spinach mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet to collect any drips and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn down over to 325 and continue baking until quiche is firm near the middle, about 25-30 minutes more. To test for “doneness” insert a butter knife about an inch from the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean the quiche is done. Serves 4-6.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This cake is made without any flour and trust me, you will never miss it. This is a dessert everyone seems to love whenever I make it. This is also a great dessert option for those who can’t tolerate gluten. The texture is dense, but not heavy. With only 5 ingredients, it is also pretty simple to make. While it can be baked in any cake pan, I chose a heart shaped pan this time. Once baked and cooled the cake can be served as is, or garnished with any number of things. Fresh berries are always a nice touch, or a light dusting of powdered sugar. Sometimes I’ll pipe some whipped cream around the edges.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
½ c. each sugar and water
1 stick butter
12 oz. semi sweet chocolate
6 eggs
¼ dark rum or other liqueur
Butter an eight inch cake pan and line with parchment. In saucepan heat together water and sugar until they boil. Stir in butter and bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Beat in eggs until smooth and stir in rum. Pour batter into prepared pan and place pan in a roasting pan. Pour boiling water into roaster to come up sides of pan 1 inch. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool, invert onto plate.
Serve cake topped with whipped cream and decorate with raspberries, other fresh fruit or even toasted nuts. Dense and rich this cake serves 8-10.
Finished with powdered sugar and chocolate whipped cream
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
I never met a shortbread cookie I didn’t like. These are no exception. With the addition of cocoa you end up with a cookie that has the traditional delicate texture of shortbread with the added bonus of a rich chocolate flavor. They are great just plain, dusted with powdered sugar or, my favorite way, brushed with a little melted bittersweet chocolate. Simple, tasty and a nice treat for the chocolate lovers you love.
Chocolate Shortbread
1 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 t. salt
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
Beat together butter and sugar until well blended. Mix together dry ingredients and slowly beat into butter mixture, stirring it in at the end. Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters. Re-roll scraps and cut out the remaining dough. Place on an un-greased baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees until cookies are firm around the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool. Melt chocolate and dip cookies in it or use chocolate to hold 2 cookies together. Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on the size.
Chicken with Herb Dumplings
Chicken and Herb Dumplings
There are foods I will always associate with my childhood. Chicken with dumplings is one of those dishes. I can remember watching my Mother spooning the dumpling batter over the simmering pot of chicken and vegetables. She’d cover the pot and wait. When she uncovered it the dumplings had puffed up and pretty much covered the whole dish. It was magical to me. The dumplings were so tender and light. I can’t make this dish, all these years, later without thinking of her.
Chicken and Herb Dumplings
1 T. oil
1 (3 lb.) broiler, cut into pieces
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3-4 potatoes, cut into chunks
2-3 c. chicken stock
1 t. each marjoram and thyme
1 c. buttermilk baking mix
1/3 c. milk
2 t. fresh parsley
2 t. snipped chives or green onions 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge pieces in flour. Heat oil in large skillet and brown chicken pieces on all sides. Remove chicken pieces and sauté onion until tender. Add carrots, potatoes, broth and chicken to skillet and cook, covered, 20 minutes. Sprinkle herbs over the chicken. Combine baking mix with milk, parsley, chives and red pepper flakes and spoon batter in skillet in 8 mounds. Cover and cook over low heat 20 more minutes. Serves 4.
Chocolate Orange Scones
Chocolate Orange Scones
These scones are a great addition for breakfast or a brunch. The dough is flavored with orange zest and they are studded with chocolate chips. They would also be a nice start for Valentine’s Day. They aren’t really sweet, which I like. You can serve them with strawberry preserves and whipped cream. They can also become dessert by splitting the scones and using them as the base for a berry shortcake.
Chocolate-Orange Scones
1½ c. baking mix, like Jiffy or Bisquick or homemade
1 T. grated orange peel
¾ c. heavy cream
½ c. milk chocolate chips or 3 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
Combine baking mix and orange peel in medium bowl. Stir in cream to make a soft dough that forms into a ball in the bowl. On floured surface gently knead in chocolate and press or roll dough to 3/4- inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/4 -inch rounds, rerolling scraps. You should get 8. Place on and ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 8-10 minutes.
Double chocolate version: Knead 3 tablespoons of cocoa into dough with the chocolate chips.
Vanilla Flan
Vanilla Flan
I made flan for a recent dinner with friends. Flan is a simple and yet elegant dessert. There are many variations out there. I’ve made flan with different additions like lemon zest, coffee and even chocolate. I still go back to the simple vanilla flan most of the time. The prep is pretty similar. Sugar is melted and poured into a pan. A mix of eggs, dairy, sweetener and flavoring is added. This custard is mixed well and poured over the melted sugar in the pan and baked. When finished the pan is inverted and the custard is covered in caramel sugar syrup. It is dense and rich, so a little goes a long way.
Vanilla Flan
8 eggs
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups white sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Have ready 9 inch round cake pan. In blender or food processor, or using electric mixer, combine eggs, condensed milk and vanilla and blend until smooth. In medium saucepan, cook sugar, stirring constantly, until it liquefies. When it starts to turn light brown, remove from heat and pour into waiting pan. Pour egg mixture over liquid sugar. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with water to reach half way up the sides of the baking dish. Bake 70 minutes in the preheated oven, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from water bath and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Run a knife along the edge of the pan, place a serving plate on top and invert. Serve. Serves 6.
