Quick Clam Chowder

serves:6

4 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams
3 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
4 ounces bacon (4 slices), minced (turkey bacon works)
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (5med), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
1 TSP minced fresh thyme or 1/4 TSP dried
1 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP fresh parsley, minced

1. Drain the clams, reserving the juice. Add the bottle clam juice to the reserved clam juice to measure 5 cups (if short after adding the 3 bottles, add water to make up the difference).

2. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until the onion has soften and the bacon is crispy, about 5 minute. (If you use turkey bacon, get the dutch oven hot, add oil, then add minced bacon heat until it gets crisp 5-10 minutes)

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec. Stir in the flour and coat the vegetables, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the 5 cups of clam broth. Stir in the potatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Stir in the clams, cream, and parsley. Return to a simmer briefly, then remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Oven BBQ Chicken

Oven-Barbecued Chicken
Original recipe from Cooks Illustrated 5/2004
Modified by Denny Wayson

Real maple syrup is preferable to imitation syrup, and "mild" or "original" molasses is preferable to darker, more bitter types.

Serves 4

1 cup ketchup, use Measure all cup
2 tablespoons grated onion (about 1/4 large onion), use ultimate mandolin-grater
Measure the following using the Easy Adjustable Measuring Spoon, staring with the dry ingredients:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less if you like less spice)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, easier to use if you buy the mustard in a squeeze bottle
3 tablespoons molasses, Recommended by Cooks Illustrated: GRANDMA'S
2 tablespoons maple syrup, Recommended by Cooks Illustrated Spring Tree Grade A
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 6 to 7 ounces each (with tenderloins), patted dry with paper towels
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, about 5 inches from upper heating element; heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the ultimate mandolin and grate onion into a mason jar. Then add ketchup, chili powder, cayenne, onion, Worcestershire, mustard, molasses, maple syrup, vinegar and shake the jar. If you don't have a jar, place ingredients in bowl and whisk together using the Stainless Whisks; set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 12-inch stainless skillet on high heat until you can feel the heat coming off the pan with your hand. Then add oil.
4. Brown chicken skinned-side down (where skin was) until very light golden, 2-3 minutes; using tongs, turn chicken using the Chef’s tongs and brown until very light golden on second side, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
5. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Discard fat in skillet; off heat, add sauce mixture to the 12-inch stainless skillet scraping the entire sauce mixture our of the bowl using the Mix ‘N Scraper and, using Bamboo beveled edge spatula, scrape up browned bits on bottom of skillet.
6. Simmer sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently with Mix ‘N Scraper until sauce is thick and glossy, and scraper leaves clear trail in sauce, about 4 minutes. Off heat, return chicken to skillet, and turn to coat thickly with sauce; set chicken pieces skinned-side up and spoon extra sauce over each piece to create thick coating using Mix ‘N Scraper.
7. Place skillet in oven and cook until thickest parts of chicken breasts register 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 10 to 14 minutes.
8. Set oven to broil and continue to cook until thickest parts of chicken breasts register 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven using Oven Mitt and keep the oven mitt on the handle to remind yourself that it’s hot.
9. Transfer chicken to Rectangle Platter and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, use the Stainless Whisks to whisk to combine sauce in skillet and transfer to small bowl. Serve chicken, passing extra sauce separately.

Chicken Stock

http://www.westonaprice.org/Broth-is-Beautiful.html

Chicken Stock
1 whole free-range chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings*
gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

*Note: Farm-raised, free-range chickens give the best results. Many battery-raised chickens will not produce stock that gels.

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and the gizzards from the cavity. Cut chicken parts into several pieces. (If you are using a whole chicken, remove the neck and wings and cut them into several pieces.) Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

Taco Soup

1. In a large pot brown 1 lb of ground beef and drain off fat.
2. In the same pot brown 1 large chopped onion and 1 pepper (your color choice)
3. Return meat to pot.
4. Add: 2 cups of water
5. 4 TBSP of Chile powder
6. ½ tsp of cayenne
7. 1 package Simple Organic Ranch Mix
8. 2 15 oz can of 365 diced tomato
9. 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
10. 1 16oz bag of whole kernel corn
11. 2 15 oz cans of 365 pinto beans
12. 2 4 oz cans of Diced Green Chiles (you could sub 2 cans Rotel here and leave out the 15oz can diced tomatoes)
13. Simmer until hot then serve with corn bread.

Hamburgers--How do they get them so even at the store?

I used love to buy my pre-made hamburgers from Whole Foods until the butcher told me the secret to making even round hamburgers.

You will need a baking sheet with a lip, a rolling pin that is long enough from end to end to touch the baking sheet from end to end, your hamburger meat, and a round cylinder.

For my cylinder I used the plastic part from my Pampered Chef Chopper (see picture below) You really want the cylinder to not have a top or bottom.




Step One: Start by placing the hamburger meat on a try and mushing it together with your fingers.
Step Two: Then use the roller to make a square that is the same height. You may need to keep pushing the edges in.
Step Three: Use the cylinder to "cut" out the circles.

Once your circles are cut out use your hands to mush the meat back together into a square and repeat step two and three until all your meat is gone.


Step 1

Step 2




Step 3

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced or chopped into same size pieces apples, tart is recommend

1/4 cup orange juice (or apple)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, 1 stick, semi-soft cut into chunks

Preheat Oven to 375. In a 9-inch pie pan (I use glass) add apples, pour juice over apples. In another medium bowl, combine sugar, flour cinnamon, and nutmeg. Drop the chucks of butter into the flour mixture and with your fingers incorporate the butter with the flour until the mixture is course and chunky. Sprinkle mixture on top of apples. Bake for 45 minutes.

Note: The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of sugar and flour...that is way too many carbs for my family so I cut in way down and it works fine. Most of the ingredients a have on hand all the time, so when apples are looking like they have seen better days--we have a apple crisp for dinner.

Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Spinach

YUMMY! I have made this three times and it just keeps getting better!



1 TBSP olive oil (I used coconut oil or butter)
1 pound sweet (mild) or hot Italian Sausage or heat and serve (precooked)
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used 365 and homemade stock-see Chicken broth post)
1 bay leaf
1 (9oz) fresh cheese tortellini (I used LaPasta-Local to Maryland and sold at Whole Foods)
3 cups baby spinach

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over med-high heat until just smoking: FRESH PORK/CHICKEN SAUSAGE: cook by rolling occasional, until browned all over, about 10 mins. OR HEAT and SERVE-FULLY COOKED SAUSAGE, slice in to 1/4 inch thick slices and brown all over for about 10 mins. Transfer to a paper towel-plate and pour off all but 1 TBSP fat from pot.
2. Cook onion in the sausage fat until soften, about 5mins. Add garlic, 30 sec. Add broth and bay leaf, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil.
3. FRESH SAUSAGE, cut up into 1/2 inch round and return to pot. OR RETURN heat and serve sausage to the pot. Stir in tortellini and simmer over medium heat until tender 4-8 minutes. Stir in Spinach until wilted and serve. Season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.