White Clam Sauce

I am a big fan of Italian food, ….well ok, I have only ever met 1 food I was afraid of. Regardless, this is my blog and we are talking about what I like =-). I love white clam sauce. It is wonderful on Linguine and other pastas. Here is what we’ll need:

1/4 C Virgin Olive Oil ( I use Bertolli )

4 cloves Garlic ( pressed and minced )

1.5 C fresh Clam Juice

1/4 C fresh Parsley ( chopped )

1/2 t Oregeno

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 C Clams ( minced )

1/2 C White white ( I use a chardonnay )

10-12 fresh clams

In a large skillet, heat Garlic in oil till browned, add Clam Juice, followed by remainder of Ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low till fresh clams are cooked through.

Enjoy.

Penne Rustica

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. It’s relatively easy to make and feeds about 3 folks.

Here is what we will need for this:

8 oz. Penne Rigate ( I use the 100% whole wheat )

1pk Polska Kielbasa ( sliced thin )

1 clove garlic ( pressed and minced )

1/3 red bell pepper ( sliced thin )

1/3 green bell pepper ( sliced thin )

1/3 yellow bell pepper ( sliced thin )

1/4 medium red onion ( halved, then sliced from center out )

1/2 C Virgin Olive Oil ( I use Bertolli )

1 C grated fresh Romano cheese

Favorite pasta sauce ( cooked thoroughly )

Prepare Penne, and Pasta sauce as directed on packaging.

In seperate skillet, heat Olive oil, and cook sausage till browned, add vegetables and cook for 2 min.

Place bed of Penne on plate and top with pasta sauce. Add meat and vegetables over top of sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Enjoy

Black eyed peas

Some folks just can’t eat black eyed peas plain. I don’t blame them. As a bean they are fairly bland. So I doctor them a bit and they are pretty damned good.

Here’s what we will need.

1 quart fresh shelled black eyed peas ( snaps in is fine )

1 pound ground beef ( browned and drained )

2 Large red Tomatoes ( diced )

1 Jalapeño pepper ( diced )

1 medium red onion ( diced )

2 slices bacon ( cut into 1 inch pieces )

2 t. Cajun spice seasoning

2 T. salt

1 T. coarse ground black pepper

Place peas and bacon in large stock pot with ample water to avoid scorching. Bring to a boil and cover. let simmer 1 hr 30 min, stirring occasionally . Add rest of ingredients and let simmer 30 min. Serve over fresh cornbread.

Enjoy

Spanish Rice

This recipe is courtesy of my mother, who is responsible in the most part for my love for cooking.

Here’s what we’ll need:

2 cups Long Grain Rice  ( DO NOT USE INSTANT )  I personally use Mahatma rice

1/2 medium Onion ( diced )

1/2 Bell pepper ( diced )

1 clove Garlic  ( pressed and minced )

2 T. Butter  ( REAL BUTTER )

4 C  Beef broth   ( 1cube or teaspoon of bullion granules = 1 cup )

1t. ground cumin

2t. chili powder

1t. salt

1 Jalapeño  ( diced)

4 roma tomatoes  ( diced )

Saute  onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño .  set aside

Heat Oil and butter in a large skillet or heavy pot.  Stir in rice and cook till brown ( approx 5 min. ) Stir constantly to avoid scorching the rice.

Stir in broth spices, and vegetables

Bring to a boil, reduce heat cover and simmer for 30 min ( or until all water is absorbed )

Hint :  you can also add a touch of cilantro to add a little more flavor

Enjoy

Pico de Gallo

Ok, so now you get to see the Texan in me coming out. It’s my personal estimation… there are two kinds of sauce people: all sauce, or show me the veggies. Well I am the later. This is a little prep intensive but it’s worth it.

Here’s what you will need:

10 Roma tomatoes ( diced )

1 medium white Onion ( diced )

4 Jalapeño peppers ( diced )

1 Habanero pepper ( minced )

1 clove garlic ( pressed and minced )

1/2 bunch fresh Cilantro ( finely chopped )

2 small limes ( quartered for squeezing )

2 t salt

Again, pretty straight forward … As you dice the veggies, put them in a large bowl. once all the veggies are in the bowl, squeeze the limes over them then add the salt. Toss and serve

Enjoy

P.S. If you are of the grp that can not eat very spicy or very hot food items I have 2 things to say.

1.) Sorry bout yer luck

2.) Remove Habanero from recipe, and de-seed the Jalapeños.

Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad

This is pretty damned tasty for those seeking a break from just….. Salad

This salad keeps pretty well refrigerated so again, this is what I do.

1 head Broccoli ( remove fowerettes from stems and discard stems )

1 head Cauliflower ( remove fowerettes from stems and discard stems)

1 Cucumber ( sliced )

4 medium roma tomatoes ( quartered )

6oz.  can sliced mushrooms or 6-8 fresh sliced mushrooms lightly sautéed

2 cups light Balsamic Vinaigrette

In a large bowl combine Veggies and dressing. Toss thoroughly to ensure a total coating of dressing.

Serve Cold.

Enjoy

Bloody Mary Roast

When I saw the name, I knew I just had to try it =-)

This meal will serve 6 comfortably.

Here’s what you’ll need.

A big ass roaster  ( I use a large turkey roaster cause I like leftovers )

5-6lb Beef roast  ( prefer blade roast or rump roast )  p.s.  Do yourself a favor, and use 100% Angus beef.

1 bottle Tabasco brand Bloody Mary Mix

1 C. Wine ( i use a Cabernet Sauvignon but any blush or red will do, DO NOT use a white)

1 Medium ( baseball sized) red Onion     quartered

1 Medium white Onion    quartered

5-6 medium potatoes    quartered

1 16 oz. bag baby carrots

* add any other veggies to taste*  I use fresh mushrooms and celery sometimes

1 sleeve Liptons savory garlic and herb spice/dip mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place roast in pan and surround with veggies

pour wine over meat and veggies to give a nice coating on all.

pour in 1/2 of the bottle of bloody mary mix

sprinkle spice mix over the top of the meat/veggies

cover and cook for 1hr 45 min

Enjoy.

Home Fried Potatoes

This is prolly my favorite side dish. I could make a meal out of these… So what we need is this:

4 C. diced fresh potato ( I leave the skins on )

1/3 Red Bell Pepper ( diced )

1/4 C. diced Onion ( I use the red onions for the flavor )

1/2 t. ground cumin

1 t. coarse ground black pepper

It’s pretty straight forward….. Mix all the veggies and spices then fry till done. I know it’s oxy-moronic to consider health when talking about fried food, but I use canola oil to fry vegetables.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This will feed 4 comfortably and 6 if they eat like birds.

So here is what you will need to start this off proper.

1 10 oz pkg boneless, skinless chicken breast. ( boiled and shredded )

1 8 oz can cream of mushroom soup. ( I use Campbells Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic)

1 can RoTel Tomatos with Diced green chilis

1/3 Block Velveeta cheese ( cubed in 1/4″ cubes )

10 uncooked Corn Tortillas ( quartered )

7 1/4″ x 12″ Baking Dish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large Microwave safe bowl, or double boiler… Combine the velveeta, cream of mushroom soup, and rotel and heat till the cheese is melted and smooth. Add boiled shredded chicken

Spray bottom of dish with a non stick cooking spray ( makes the clean-up part easier)

Arrange tortilla quarters on the bottom to have close to full coverage on the bottom of the pan, spread 1/2 chicken/cheese mixture over the tortillas, then tortillas then chicken/cheese.

place in oven and bake for 20 min. Serve with a salad or Spanish rice.

Enjoy

Ok, so here it is

I have been asked.. ” why aren’t you a chef? ” “why don’t you do this for a living?” and all the other stuff. My deal is this…. I love to cook. I love to see the enjoyment of folks faces when you place a meal in front of them that they enjoy. To hear the complete silence as folks actually eat what’s in front of them and enjoy it. If I did it for a living, I believe the passion would go out of it. So what I can do for those of you I can’t actually cook for…. is give a some of my favorite recipes. So that’s what this is all about. There are a few things that are a bit on the pricey side, but the vast majority are meals that can be made readily on ANY budget. So enjoy.

FYI I will only be putting a few up a day so I don’t get burned out.

P.S. For all the legal weenies that make our society so litigious, I am not claiming any of these as original art, more of a collection of ones that I use and enjoy…. so ppppffffffffttt.