Clam Chowder

I am not a seafood fan at all!  However, I grew up on this recipe for clam chowder, and I LOVE it!  In my own humble opinion, this is the best one out there!   Serve this up for dinner with a side salad, and sourdough bread.  Delicious any night of the week!

1 cup chopped onions (finely chopped)                  1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup celery chopped                                             1/2 tsp sugar

2 cups potato, peeled and chopped                         Pepper to taste (I always put pepper on the table also.)

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 cubes)                                    3/4 cup flour

1 quart milk (4 cups)

2  6 1/2 oz. minced clams, drained (If you want a more seafood flavor then drain one of the cans into the soup.  My family prefers that.)

In a pot place all the veggies, onions, celery, potatoes - with just enough water to cover them all.  Bring to a boil, slightly reduce heat.  Cover, and simmer about 15 minutes, until all the veggies are cooked.  I test by poking a larger potato piece with a fork.  DO NOT DRAIN!  

In a separate sauce pan, melt butter over medium-hi heat.  Take off heat.  Whisk in flour, salt, sugar and pepper.  Put back over heat, and add in milk a little bit at a time, whisking the whole time.  As it heats it will thicken.  

Add white sauce to the cooked veggies.  Stir to combine the white sauce with the water.  Stir and heat over medium-hi heat.  Add in clams.  Season with pepper.

Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

This has become a go to dinner for our family, meaning that I pretty much always have the stuff to make it and I make it often.  It is healthy with brown rice and a meatless option. This has been a new favorite to take to friends who just had a baby, or are in need of a meal.

 It has a bit of heat to it with some south of the border flavors.  we like to eat it with Cornbread. they taste good together, and I can use the cornbread to bribe picky eaters to eat  more rice and veggies.

On days when I know we are eating this for dinner I will cook the rice in the morning.  Brown rice takes awhile to cook, so be aware of that.  If i have time, I will cut up all the veggies earlier in the day also to make dinner prep easier later on. 

I found this scrumptous dish on Pinterest.  HERE is the original.  I have changed a couple ingredients and changed all the measurements.  The original was not enough to fill a full 9x13 pan.  

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
•  2 1/4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth also will work)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 3 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced or chopped mushrooms 
• 1 tsp. teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained (I always use a fresh minced Jalapeno pepper.)
• 1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese-depending on how much cheese you like (Swiss cheese and Monterey Jack cheese would also work well!)

How To

1. Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large 9x13" casserole dish.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.
4. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, and 1/2 the cheese. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. 

This would also make a great vegetarian dish- just omit the chicken!

Pad Thai

When my mom and I get together or when my mother in law and I get together, a recipe swap always happens.  I was recently in Denver, and my mom made this recipe she got from her sister Judy.

I love that this is first of all, delicious!  Secondly, not a traditional Pad Thai.  I love all the extra veggies in it.  Now we have a complete meal in one bowl!  Perfect!

1-2 pounds of chicken cut into small strips

2 Tbsp oil (I use grapeseed oil for this.)

2 Tbsp Siracha hot chili sauce

1 Lime juiced 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

3-4 shakes soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 package fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package then toss with a little oil

3/4 cup carrots julienned

2 cups broccoli florets cut bite sized

1 bunch green onions sliced

For Garnish - 

chopped peanuts

cilantro

limes

Peanut Sauce

In a sauce pan combine till well blended and heat - 

1 cup chicken broth

6 Tbsp (heaping) creamy Peanut Butter

2-4 tsp. Siracha Hot chili sauce (2 is mild 4 is hot - my mom used the full amount.  I thought it was perfect, and I am usually very sensitive to heat.)

3 Tbsp. Honey

6 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp. Ginger, minced

4-5 tsp Garlic, minced

Sauce will thicken as it sits.

In a large skillet or wok saute chicken in oil.  As it is cooking add in the chili sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste.

While chicken is cooking cook the pasta, and prepare the peanut sauce.

After the chicken is cooked add in the carrots, green onions and broccoli.  Also add in some of the cilantro and chopped peanuts saving a small amount for garnish.  Saute veggies with the chicken with a stir-fry technique.  Continue till veggies are crisp-tender.  Take off heat.  

Add noodles and sauce to skillet with the chicken and veggies.  Toss all together till all is evenly distributed.  

Garnish with more cilantro, peanuts and lime wedges.  

Shepherd's Pie

This is not your mother's Shepherd's Pie!  This is a copy cat of the Cheesecake Factory's recipe.  My friend Alyssa and her husband discovered it, and loved it.  I finally tried it when one of them mentioned how well it froze.  Really?  A delicious freezer meal!  I love to freeze individual portions in larger ramekins, then I eat them for lunch.  

Find the original recipe HERE.

The version I grew up with was very "70's".  A layer of ground beef, a layer of canned green beans, a layer of cream of mushroom soup, a layer of mashed potatoes and then sprinkled with cheese.   In defense of my mother, she is a fabulous cook and she has changed with the trends and styles of cooking.  I was recently looking through one of her old recipe collections from the 70's, and I was laughing because almost every recipe called for condensed cream soup or other heavily processed foods.  I feel like those kinds of ingredients are very frowned upon these days.  I try to cook with fresh and real food as much as possible.  That is why I love this recipe!

This is a dry house.  Ain't no alcohol in our home.  When a recipe calls for wine I use cooking wine found next to the vinegars at the grocery store.  Yeah yeah yeah... I know there is some alcohol content, but it is minimal and they say the alcohol cooks out.  It is more for flavor.  If you do not like the flavor then substitute it. In this recipe beef broth is a good substitute.  

prep 20 min, cook 40 min

• 2 tbsp oil, divided
• 12 oz white mushrooms,sliced thinly 
• 8 oz red wine, divided (I use less than this.  I use cooking wine or beef broth.)
• 1/2 cup carrots,julienned 
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground lamb or beef
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chicken or beef stock
• 2 medium zucchini,julienned 
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 cupsmashed potatoes(6 medium yellow potatoes, 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup cream)  
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1. If you happen to have left-overmashed potatoesskip to step 2.  Boil diced potatoes in salted water until soft, about 30 minutes.  
2. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Butter a large casserole dish.
3. Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat.  Add sliced mushrooms.  Saute mushrooms until soft and brown.  Add 2 oz red wine to the hot pan, stirring and scraping the pan.  Remove mushrooms to a plate.
4. Wipe out the pan and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, heat to medium.
5. Saute carrots until beginning to soften, then add onion and garlic.
6. When onions are soft add ground meat and brown, breaking meat into large chunks.
7. When meat is browned, season with salt, pepper and thyme.  Add mushrooms, peas and 1 tbsp butter.
8. Sprinkle mixture with flour and stir.  Then add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and remaining 6 oz wine.
9. Cook and stir mixture for several minutes.  Add stock and simmer until sauce is thick and somewhat reduced.
10. Remove from heat and stir in zucchini.  Season to taste.
11. Pour meat mixture into the prepared casserole.
12. Drain and mash potatoes with butter and cream as needed.
13. Spoon mashed potatoes over meat and spread and smooth the top. (At this point you can refrigerate or freeze the dish as desired.  I freeze individual servings in ramekins.)
14. Brush potatoes with a beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan.  I also like to sprinkle some more fresh thyme on top.  
15. Bake casserole 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling and potatoes are browned.  Cook time will be longer for a cold dish.

Creme Brulee

I have a confession.  I am in love with Creme Brulee!  I love to order it at restaurants for dessert.  The day I realized I could make it at home was a blessed day!  I was in Target, many years ago, the day after Valentines Day, and there was a lot of Valentines stuff on clearance.  One of the shelves had a few "Creme Brulee Kits" complete with a couple of ramekins and a kitchen torch!  I grabbed it!  I was so very excited!  

Here we are about 10 years later.  I am on my third torch, and I make its several times a year including on Valentine's Day.  My children are spoiled.  I never had creme brulee before I was an adult.

When Gourmet Club first started my partner Alyssa and I knew we had to do creme brulee for a dessert at some point.  Lucky for us, two years in we decided on the Titanic as our theme, and creme brulee was served on the last night before the ship sunk.  For all the party details and recipes click HERE.

If you need a torch, I have bought my last two Butane kitchen torches at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  BB&B also carries butane for refilling.

**If you do not have a kitchen torch look below for an alternate option.

I always at double or triple this for my family.  This recipe only makes 4 smaller puddings.  For gourmet club I quadrupled it.

Ingredients

2 cups half and half         

5 egg yolks, beaten                                                                                                    
⅓ cup sugar  

1 tsp. Vanilla extract   

⅛ tsp salt    

¼ cup sugar for topping

Heat half and half in saucepan till slightly foamy/bubbly.  In a separate bowl combine egg yolks, ⅓ cup sugar, vanilla and salt.  Slowly add half and half to eggs, while mixing.  Be careful not to curdle eggs.

Pour evenly into ramekins placed in a large baking dish.  Bake in a water bath (pour water in and around the ramekins in the baking dish) at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Chill for at least an hour.  Sprinkle a couple tsp of sugar evenly over the top and fire with a kitchen butane torch till caramelized.

**If you do not have a torch - Lay a single, solid layer of white sugar in a hot frying pan.  DO NOT STIR.  Wait for it to caramelize, watching carefully.  As soon as it turns brown, drizzle of the tops of the creme brulee’s in a as light a layer as possible.  

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad

photo credit - www.greensnchocolate.com

I love getting as many meals as I can out of a Rotisserie Chicken.  As part of my most recent meal planning adventures I have been buying 1-2 Rotisserie Chicken's a month.  To see all the fun stuff I have been doing go HERE.  

This Salad is a different and fun meal to throw in the mix.  We all love it!  I will always be grateful for the day when I found this recipe on Pinterest.  Her picture turned out way better than mine, so until I get a better one I am using it.  HERE is the link to the original post.

southwestern chopped chicken salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes          Total Time: 15 minutes                                                               4 dinner-sized salads

Ingredients

for the salad:
• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can sweet yellow corn (or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed)
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 head ice berg lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips


for the dressing:
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp ranch seasoning
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips.
2. In a small bowl stir all dressing ingredients together.
3. Pour dressing over salad, starting with about half of the dressing.
4. Toss to combine, then gradually add more dressing until it is dressed to your liking.
5. Top with tortilla chips. Enjoy!