Drunken Clams

These are like pimped out steamers...I used Little Necks, because that is what I like, but I like them a little more flavorful than just steamed in water...you can reserve the leftover broth (there is quite a bit) for a stock for clam chowder or like I did make it into a pasta sauce the next day.

50 live Little Neck clams
1/3 C Kosher salt (not iodized...which will kill the clams)
1 C Cornmeal
2 T unsalted butter
3 large cloves garlic (or to taste), minced
1 C dry white wine (the rule is 1/4 c per dozen roughly)
1/4 C fresh lemon juice (two lemons), plus extra lemons to squeeze over top
zest of one lemon
Red Pepper Flakes to taste (I used a lot and it gave it a nice kick)
fresh parsley (about 2 T), finely chopped

1/2 hour before cooking mix kosher salt, cornmeal and cold water to fill a very large bowl. Place the clams in gently and put back in fridge (this will get all the sand out). Then scrub the clams under cold running water with a stiff brush and place in another bowl and back in the fridge until ready to use.

Melt butter over medium heat in very large pot or stockpot. Add garlic and saute while stirring constantly for 1 min (you dont want burnt garlic). Add wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and stir..add clams gently in one layer to pan.

Bring liquid to a boil and then cover tightly and lower heat so it is gently simmering. You will let them steam til all clams open (took me about 11 minutes). Discard any clams that did not open once most of them have. Sprinkle fresh parsley over top of clams.

To serve: Place clams in a bowl and ladle broth over top. Serve with some warm crusty sourdough to sop up the broth after...Squeese lemon juice over top and voila!

PB and J Bars

So this recipe is lifted from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)....almost verbatim.. you know me...I cant just make a recipe the way it is specified. I used my own homemade strawberry jam instead of the raspberry that she used. The jam is embarrassingly easy...the recipe is in any package of pectin...strawberry freezer jam...the worst part is the chopping of the fruit. It is soooo worth it! They taste like a grown up version of the kiddie favorite!

Ina Garten's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Ingr:
1/2 lb (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, whisked
2 C (18oz container) peanut butter ( I like Jiff)
3 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 and 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 and 1/2 C (18 oz) rasberry jam (I used my homemade strawberry jam...rasp jam eww with pb)
2/3 C salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 X 13 in pan ( I just used non stick aluminum foil...worked great!)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on med. speed until light and yellow, about 2 min. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingr. are combined.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Wiht the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture, mix until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or spatula. Spread the jam evenly over hte dough. Drop small globs of remaining dough evenly over the jam. Sprinkle wiht chopped peanuts, and bake for 45-50 min, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Fresh Summer Salsa

I love fresh salsa, but I always thought it was so much work, it's not and it is soooo worth any little bit of effort it takes: *(warning....spicy, if you dont like it spicy, decrease Jalepeno to a half or remove the seeds)

Karen's Fresh Summer Salsa

4 med vine ripened tomatoes,
1 large or 1 and 1/2 small jalepenos, roughly chopped
2 shallots, cut up
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T Lime Juice (juice of 2 limes)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c fresh cilantro
1 tsp Balsamic Glaze (Blaze makes a good one and now Wegman's has one too)
salt to taste

Peel and seed tomatoes (bring salted water to a boil and make an x in the top of the tomato...just barely piercing the skin...drop the tomatoes into the water and boil for about 30 sec until skin starts coming off...immediately drain and put into a bowl of ice cubes and water to cool for a few seconds....peel off skin, it should come off like a jacket...cut in half and squeeze seeds out with fingers, discard seeds).

In food processor, add garlic, cilantro, shallots, and jalepeno, pulse until chopped into fine pieces. Scrape down bowl and add remaining ingredients except salt and process until desired consistency. Season with salt to taste

Spicy Crabby Cakes

I went to the Belmar Seafood Fest and had some mediocre crab cakes, I thought, I can do better than this....I liked how they turned out.

Ingredients:
1 lb lump crabmeat (Costco has a great one)
1 Jalepeno, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices hearty white bread (I used a white whole grain), processed into breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 dashes cayenne
2 1/2 Tbsp Creole Mustard
1/4 C scallions (the green parts only, sliced thin)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
tsp lemon zest
4 Tbsp low fat mayo
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 C vegetable oil
flour for dredging

1. pour crabmeat into strainer and pick out any shells/cartilage if needed (the costco one had none)
2. Combine crabmeat, scallions, salt, pepper,cayenne, jalepeno in a large bowl...careful not to break up the crabmeat too much
3. In another bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, lemon zest, worcestershire sauce, garlic, mustard, hot sauce, whisk together until combined
4. Mix the two bowls together into the larger one (gently) and then gently fold in the breadcrumbs.
5. Form into patties (mine made about 9). and refrigerate for at least two hours.
6. Heat oil in skillet on med. I brushed the crabcakes with a little melted garlic butter (but this step is optional) and then dredge lightly in flour. Cook in oil about 5 minutes per side (can turn up to med high if not browning enough. Serve with
Horseradish sauce: (amounts approximate)
1/2 C sour cream
1-2 Tbsp horseradish
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Srachi chili sauce to taste (very spicy)

Hungry Girl Chicken

There is this new great website called www.hungrygirl.com and she makes healthy versions of unhealthy things. I made "fried" chicken, inspired by hungry girl.

2 chicken breasts (thin cut)
1/2 C egg beaters
1 T dijon mustard
1 C Fiber one cereal ground in food processor
1/4 parmesan cheese
thyme, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper all to taste
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat dish with cooking spray. Mix egg beaters and dijon mustard together in one bowl and ground fiber one, spices and cheese in another bowl. Coat chicken in egg mixture and then in breading mixture. Put in cooking dish and spray with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes and turn and spray with cooking spray and cook another 10-15 minutes, until no longer pink inside.

White Corn Muffins with Jalepeno and cheese

1 1/2 C white corn meal
1 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 C low fat buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 Jalepenos
1/2 C Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Add buttermilk, egg, oil and stir until moistened. Slice 12 slices from Jalepenos and chop the remainder. Add chopped Jalepenos to batter and stir. Fill muffin pans 3/4 full. Sprinkle cheese over each muffin and lay once slice Jalepeno on top of each. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes

Red Sangria

1 (750ml) bottle Malbec or other fruity dry red wine
3/4 C Capt Morgans Spiced Rum
1/4 C Triple Sec
1/2 C OJ
1/2 C sprite zero
2 T sugar
apples and oranges for garnish

mix all liquid ingredients the night before you need the sangria for best results. Cut apples into small cubes, and oranges into slices and add to mixture.