Friday, August 3, 2012

Pasta in Clam Sauce



I saw this recipe in It's Yummilicious! and just had to make this.  It was just as delicious as it looked.  We served it with Garlic Bread (which we cooked on the grill) and my seafood haters gave me their clams so all was good. 




PASTA WITH CLAM SAUCE

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:


2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced (more or less, according to taste)

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried

2 cans (12-ounces each) chopped clams

1/2 cup dry white wine (for alcohol-free cooking, substitute with fish stock)

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound quinoa spaghetti (or your favorite variety and shape of pasta)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:

  1. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. 
  2. Add garlic and onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned. 
  3. Add clams with the liquid, wine, parsley, and oregano. 
  4. Bring to a boil and simmer until liquids are reduced, about 10 minutes.


  1. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. 
  2. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water. 
  3. Add the pasta to the sauce. 
  4. Add the butter and toss well, then cook about one minute, adding some of the reserved water if needed to loosen the mixture.

If desired, add a little more fresh parsley for color. Serve, offering the Parmesan cheese separately.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Sausage Breakfast Casserole


I made this recipe when the boyfriend of my oldest daughter, and his Mom, came to our house so that the kids could go to the prom together. They live six hours apart - across the state from one another and had never met before in the 1 1/2 years of their relationship. (If you want to read their story, you can find it in my family blog.)  

Since they drove through the night and arrived at breakfast time I had planned to have this ready when they arrived. But I doubled the bread and it took forever to bake - although it was still yummy. 

Borrowed photo


Ingredients
  • 1 lb of Italian pork sausage, (then cooked, drained, crumbled)
  • 4 1/2 cups cubed day old bread
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 10 eggs slightly beaten
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
  • 1/2 cup peeled, chopped tomatoes (optional)
Directions

1 - Heat a skillet on medium high. Break up the sausage into chunks and cook, working in batches if need be, until browned all around. Make sure the chunks of sausage have some space around them or your meat will steam and not brown. Remove the cooked sausage from the pan and let sit on some paper towels on a plate to soak up the excess fat. Crumble into smaller pieces.

2 - Place bread in a well buttered 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, onion powder and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage and optional ingredients over the top.

3 At this stage you can cover and chill overnight, if you want to prepare ahead. If not, let sit for 10 minutes before putting in the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about one hour. Tent with foil if top begins to brown too quickly.

Serves 6-8.