Mussels and Clams with Linguine in White Wine Sauce

What a happy Mother's Day to me! Breakfast in bed followed by reading all my favorite foodie magazines on the deck and my favorite dinner! Like many of my dinner selections, Mussels and Clams with Linguine in White Wine Sauce is super easy to prepare and includes something for everyone in the family. Don't like mussels - have clams. Don't like clams - have mussels. Don't like clams or mussels - have the linguine. We rounded out the meal with crusty bread, a mixed green salad and s'mores or strawberry shortcake for dessert. My Oldest whipped up the shortcakes, and I ate them all. The only change I would make in the meal is that we used a pinot grigio in the sauce. It was too light and I like a chardonnay better. Fire up the grill and melt a marshmallow!

Mussels and Clams with Linguine in White Wine Sauce

serves 5

2 dozen littleneck or mahogany clams
4 pounds mussels
1 cup white wine, prefer a chardonnay
1 cup chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
pepper
red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

1 pound linguine, cooked and drained

Rinse clams and mussels in cold water to remove any grit and sand. Only use the ones that have tightly closed shells. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and cook for about 5 -8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Drink a glass of wine and add a cup of wine to pot. Simmer about 3 - 4 minutes. Add the clams and mussels and simmer about 12 minutes until all shells open. Toss out unopened shells. These dudes are bad. Serve clams and mussels over linguine with a sprinkle of pepper, red pepper flakes, parm, and parsley. Don't forget the sauce!

EAT S'MORE!!!

Herb Shrimp w/ Mango Salsa and a Sunset Margarita

Thanks to the Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook for supplying the recipe for Friday's happy hour. Herb Shrimp with Mango Salsa is quite delightful. The recipe calls for grilling the skewers. I didn't feel like firing up the grill so I just roasted them instead. I have had this recipe when the shrimp are grilled and it is much better. Love that char-taste. I also made a roasted onion and garlic hummus dip with tortilla chips. The dip is pretty good but, there is something missing from it. It isn't great so the recipe already has been thrown in the trash. There are too many other recipes out there to hang on to a so-so one. I paired the appetizers with a Sunset Margarita so I got my supply of vitamin C for the day. I'll give all three recipes so you can have a happy hour of your own.

Herb Shrimp Skewers

adapted from this recipe in the Barefoot Contessa Parties!cookbook

serves 4
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup red onion, small dice
small hand full chopped parsley and basil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
few grinds of pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
about 30 shrimp, (21 - 25 per pound), peeled

serve with Mango Salsa, recipe follows

Mix all the ingredients except the shrimp in a bowl. Add the shrimp and marinate for about 1 hour at room temperature. Skewer about 3 shrimps on each 6 inch wooden skewers. Roast in a 425 degree oven for about 6 - 8 minutes. Better yet, grill for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Mango Salsa

1 TB olive oil
3/4 cup red onion, diced
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
about 3 cups diced mango (I used frozen from Trader Joe')
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
a few shakes of hot sauce

Saute onions in olive oil. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mangoes and cook about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook about 6 - 8 minutes until thick. Chill.



Sunset Margarita

serves 3
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup triple sec
4 cups orange juice
cranberry juice

Mix tequila, triple sec, and oj in a pitcher. Have a beer while you wait for it to chill in the frig. rim your galss with salt, pour a little cranberry juice and fill the rest with the oj mixture. Add some crushed ice and drink up.

Great Aunt Rose's Pound Cake

The absolute best pound cake ever! While growing up, there was always a homemade cake or plate of cookies sitting on our kitchen counter. Even after we moved out of the house, you could always count on a sweet treat when you unexpectedly dropped by. One of my favorite dessert recipes is courtesy of my great Aunt Rose. This pound cake was a frequent visitor to the cake stand on the counter.

After my Mom passed away about 14 years ago, I tried to make this cake on my own. It always looked great coming out of the oven. But, when I tried to unmold it, it was a catastrophe. I tried tube pans with removable bottoms, ones without removable bottoms, and nothing worked.
My step mom had mastered this recipe and her cakes always came out beautifully. When I told her of my unmolding predicament, she surprised me with my Mom's old pound cake pan! Now I never have a problem getting the cake out of the pan.

Here is the recipe that I have been using for the past 14 years. I tried making it with butter and it never came out right. It's Imperial margarine all the way. It is my kids' favorite and now many of their friends ask for extra slices in my kids' school lunches. Hopefully if you try the recipe, you will be able to get it out of the pan even if you don't have my magic pan.
Guess what we are having for dinner tonight!

BTW - the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon salt

Fish and Shrimp Tacos and Chocolate Cherry Cake

The Husband had a birthday a couple weeks ago. He was out of town on the actual birthday day so, we celebrated the next day with his favorite Fish and Shrimp Tacos. I left the apples out of the coleslaw recipe this time.

The only cake he wants for his birthday is a Chocolate Cherry Cake made with a box mix and a can of cherry pie filling. For years I have been making every possible kind of cake for his birthday. Trying new, funky recipes. He didn't want the Strawberry Shortcake I made when we were newlyweds. Or the Boston Cream Pie the next year. I was even looking for a favorite chocolate cake recipe of mine when I realized that he wants the Chocolate Cherry Cake. Finally got it right this year. The cake is actually really moist with a gooey frosting. Sorry - no picture of the cake. It was devoured before I snapped a shot. Wait until next year when I'll probably try to make him a 3 layer coconut cake and be upset when he says all he wants is the Chocolate Cherry Cake.


Fish and Shrimp Tacos

1 pounds of tilapia or other white fish
1 pound medium (31 - 40 per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined
flour
chipolte powder
olive oil
10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
3 cups shredded cabbage

limes
chipolte mayonnaise - 1 cup mayonaise mixed with 1/2 teaspoon chipolte powder


Dredge the fish and shrimp in and little flour and sprinkle with chipolte powder. Heat a large saute pan to medium high and add fish.  Cook for about 3 minutes per side.  Repeat with shrimp.  Alternately, drizzle the fish and shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with chipolte powder and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 6 - 9 minutes.

To serve, put a couple shrimp and 1/2 of a fish fillet in a tortilla.  Top with cabbage and some chiplote mayonnaise.  Squeeze lime over the filled tortilla.


The Famous Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients by hand until combined. Spread into prepared dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.  When cool, pour frosting over.

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Melt together first 3 ingredients and boil for 1 minute. Take off heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Let cool slightly before pouring over cake.

Brown Sugar Flank Steak and Creamed Spinach

I kinda lost my posting enthusiasm for a while. I have been working on my personal chef business.  My first job went well.

A request from my family was for STEAK last weekend. I tried a new marinade for the flank steak that I will be using with my cheffing clients. The Husband kinda poo - pooed the idea of flank steak at first. He said I only make it because my family had it a lot when we were growing up. He changed his mind after trying it! We all thought it was really tasty. Even had a guest taster that night. A friend of My Oldest. The thumbs up from her too. I marinaded the steak for about 4 hours. You could even marinade overnight for more flavor. Could even try the recipe with a pork tenderloin. I served it with a side of creamed spinach and smashed cheesy potatoes. I bought one of those ginormous bags of spinach from Costco and had to figure out how to use it up. I had already made a gallon of spinach dip and we were all sick of it. A real meat and potatoes meal. And it made great leftovers for the next day.

Fire up the grill and make it beef tonight.

Brown Sugar Flank Steak

serves 5

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 - 2 lbs flank steak

Combine marinade ingredients and mix well. Put into a large resealable bag with the steak and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or up to 30 minutes at room temperature. Heat grill to medium high and grill steak on each side for about 6 - 9 minutes. Cook to medium rare. The steak will get too tough otherwise. Let the steak sit for about 10 minutes before slicing it. Slice it thinly on an angle.


Creamed Spinach

This recipe is adapted from one in the The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook It is full of great basic and not so basic recipes. I usually read it just for fun. I'm weird that way.

3 bags (10 ounces each) of baby spinach
2 tablespoons butter
3 shallots, finely chopped
salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
nutmeg
1/2 cup half and half
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large stockpot to medium high and add the butter. When the butter has melted and just begins to sizzle,  add the spinach and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir occasionally to redistribute the cooked and uncooked spinach. Add the shallots, salt, garlic, and pinch of nutmeg. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the half and half and Parmesan cheese and cook for a minute to thicken the sauce. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.