Quick and Easy Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder can be tedious to make, so I hear.  But this recipe is anything but tedious!  It goes from pot to plate (bowl actually but that doesn't rhyme) in 30 minutes.  It's great for a busy weeknight or a simple appetizer at a dinner party.  Try it once and you'll love it.

Quick and Easy Clam Chowder

• 4 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams
• 3 (8 oz) bottles clam juice
• 1 1/2 pounnds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp minced fresh thyme
• 6 slices bacon, chopped fine
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

Drain clams through strainer set over medium bowl.  Add bottled clam juice to drained liquid to measure 5 cups (add water if necessary).  Bring potatoes, clam juice, bay leaves, and thyme to boil in medium saucepan over high heat.  Reduce heat to low to maintain gentle simmer.

While potatoes are coming to boil, cook bacon in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Pour potatoes and cooking liquid into pot with onion mixture, using wooden spoon to sccrape bottom of pan.  Add clams, cream, and parsley and simmer until potatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

 



Seriously, The Best Cake I Ever Made...

I'm no Trish McGath, owner of One Eleven Cakery, but this weekend I made the best stinkin (expression, not smelly) cake in the world.  Now my husband disagrees, slightly:  he thinks that my chocolate mousse cake is the best, but this one runs a very close second. 

I made it for my father-in-law's birthday.  He requested a chocolate cake with white icing.  I found the recipe for this one and it was titled "Chocolate Shadow Cake".  It requires three layer cakes according to the directions, but my layer cake recipe only provided two.  The frosting was very simple to make.  And you can't go wrong pouring chocolate over the top of anything.
I think in the future I'll go to the trouble of making an extra set of layer cakes just so I can have a larger piece.  And I won't be afraid to pile on ALL the frosting next time either.

Here are the recipes...

Chocolate Layer Cake

• 1/2 cup Hershey's natural cocoa powder
• 2 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat two 8 inch cake pans w/ Pam for baking.

Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth.  Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla.

Beat butter in mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.  Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.  With mixer at lowest speed, add 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter followed with 1/3 cocoa mixture.  Mix until ingredients are mostly incorporated.  Repeat process two more times.  Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat until batter is shiny, about 15 seconds.

Divide batter evenly between pans.  Bake for 23 to 30 minutes.

Chocolate Shadow Cake

• 4 large egg whites
• 3 Tbs water
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 (8 inch) chocolate cake rounds
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 Tbs unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs light corn syrup

Whisk egg whites, water, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in large heat-resistant bowl set over medium saucepan filled with 1/2 inch of barely simmering water (don't let bowl touch water).   With hand-held mixer on medium-high speed, carefully beat egg white mixture to stiff peaks, 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove bowl from heat, add vanilla, and continue to beat until icing is very thick and stiff and cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Spread 1 cup icing on bottom cake layer.  Repeat with second cake layer and additional 1 cup icing.  Top with final cake layer and spread top and sides with remaining icing.

Place chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in large heat-resistant bowl set over medium sauce pan filled with 1/2 inch of barely simmering water (don't let bowl touch water).  Stir until melted and smooth, then remove bowl from heat and let cool 5 minutes.  Spoon 1/4 cup chocolate mixture over top of cake and then drizzle remaining glaze along top edge of cake, allowing it to drip about half-way down the sides.

"Revival" Brownies

I came across this recipe as I was getting ready to bake treats for the revival meeting.  It's original title was "Knock You Naked", but of course I can't go around calling them that.  So after being told by several tasters that one bite of these delicious brownies brought revival to their soul, I decided to call them "Revival" brownies, but my husband calls them turtle brownies.  Doesn't matter what you call them, they are delicious!