Tuesday, July 3, 2012

New England Clam Bake Dinner



We love seafood.  Lobster, fish, raw oysters.  It it was aquatic at one point in its life chances are Mr. J and I will love it. 

In fact as much as Mr. J is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I wonder in fact his true food passion is seafood.  He goes nuts over the fisherman's patters.  Nuts!


We went to Joe's Crab Shack once.  It was one of those places that we saw commercials for all of the time but the closest one was hours away. It is mean and taunting have that flash in your face.  We waited years to try it out.  Then there was a vacation when one was spotted and of course we had to stop.  I thought it was disgusting. I didn't enjoy it.  Never again.


I tried to forget about that experience.  It didn't dispel my love of seafood though...just of chain restaurants.  I saw this recipe recently and knew we had to have it. A massive clam pot filled with potatoes, corn, shrimp, mussels, and of course clams.

What I loved was that it was a simple throw it into one pot and be done recipe.  Totally delicious.  You use white wine which I forgot to pick up.  I sent Mr. J to the liquor store literally across the road to grab some cheap dry white wine.  It was for cooking but we ended up finishing off the bottle.  Five dollars.  Good times.

Serve with garlic bread. Who needs Joe's Crab Shack?  Not us.


Summer Clam Pot

by Emily Morris
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes



Ingredients (serves 4)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 ears of corn, cut into thirds
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, halved
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1 pound little neck clams
  • 1 pound raw shrimp
  • 1 large lemon, quartered
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add sliced onion and cook until it starts to brown, stirring frequently, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add potatoes, corn, wine, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are just barely tender, about 20 minutes.

Add mussels, shrimp and clams, toss to combine, cover pot and cook, shaking pot occasionally, until clams and mussels have opened, 12 to 15 minutes more. Discard any mussels or clams with unopened shells.

Transfer onions, potatoes, sausage and seafood to serving bowls with the cooking liquid. Serve with lemon quarters.

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Monday, July 2, 2012

Blueberry Cake for the 4th of July

What could be more perfect for the fourth of July than a blueberry cake.


I was hankering for some blueberry muffins this weekend when it dawned on my that I haven't made this cake in quite some time. In fact it has almost been one year exactly.


I don't normally bake with fresh fruit mainly because I eat it all before I can even think of what to make.  Berries are just to good not to be eaten right then and there.


But with the fourth of July and all I though why not?  Blueberries were only $1.48 a pint. I could barely believe it. Mr. J and I are hanging around locally for the 4th and so the blueberry cake is a little treat for ourselves.


Of course this is my mom's cake and it never comes out quite the same way.  This time it seemed a tad dense still delicious.  Just not the same.


To make up for it I added some ice cream.  Ice cream and blueberry cake is one divine combination.


Lots of blueberries.

Lots of cinnamon.

Vanilla ice cream.

I wish I had blueberry ice cream.


It is hard not to go back for a bit more.  This blueberry cake is one that as so as you finish you are reaching for another piece.



Blueberry Cake

by Emily Morris
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert blueberries cake



Ingredients (serves 24)
    For the Cake
    • 2 C flour
    • 1 C wheat flour
    • 1 1/2C sugar
    • 3 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 C milk
    • 1/3 C oil
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla
    • 2 C blueberries
    For the Topping
    • 3/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1/2 C sugar
    Instructions
    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.

    Sift dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and beat vigorously for about 2 minutes.

    Fold in blueberries gently.

    Pour batter into prepared pan.

    Combine 3/4 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon with 1/2 C sugar. Sprinkle on top of batter.

    Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

    Serve warm. The cake freezes well but you probably won't have any left to freeze.
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    Sunday, July 1, 2012

    Weekend Edition: Brave and Bake Sale

    A few random things:

    The garden at my office is gigantically overstuffed with veggie plants. I love it!  Hopefully everything will continue to somehow find room to grow.  Soon we should have cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. Yum!

    I am debating about running a 5K August 5th. I haven't run 3 miles straight in I don't know how long and it is in August.  I don't like hot weather.  At least I don't like running in it.  Decisions, decisions.

    We are off to see Brave this afternoon.  Mr. J picked the movie. I heard it was good though and I am excited to sit in a cool theater for 2 hours.  The other option was Ted.  No my kind of movie.  

    Remember today is the bake sale over at Running Ricigs from10am-8pm. It is to raise money for Kisses from Kaite, a non-profit dedicated to helping parents and nurses care for young children in the ICU.  They supplies iPads for research, pillows and blankets for comforting and even parking passes to ease the burden on parents.  

    There are some seriously delicious looking sweet treats. If you don't want any for yourself you can mail them to me :)  I am going to be auctioning off the Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I might be bidding on them myself they are that good.  

    This is what I have been up to this week:





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