Mom's Clam Chowder

Oh, Winter-day goodness! I can't think of a more comforting food (and if it's complemented with a pan of sweet cornbread, so much the better).  Thanks to my Mommy for always making the creamiest comfort food on cold days!

 There are two things that set this clam chowder apart: the bacon and the red wine vinegar. Bacon needs no explanation, but that splash of red wine vinegar at the end adds so much zest . . . it livens up all the flavors and turns a delicious, hearty chowder into something worth sharing with your friends (or everyone on the World Wide Web).

I usually add more vegetables than it calls for.  Five small potatoes
made about three cups worth.

If you don't have celery . . . don't bother making this.

Cast-iron skillet: accept no substitutions.

Drained clam juice and drained bacon "juice" . . . not for vegetarians :)

Add the chopped veggies to the mixture, then add water
until the vegetables are just covered.

Start the roux: thoroughly mix flour with melted butter and
then add a quart of half and half (I often use a half-cup
of butter & flour instead of 3/4 cups)

Whisk the roux while the vegetables are getting tender

The difference between so-so clam chowder and the last
clam chowder recipe you'll ever need.

After you add the roux to the veggies, add the chopped, cooked
bacon and clams, then that essential splash of vinegar. 

Serve immediately.

We had this chowder on a day when the HIGH was one degree.
ONE.  The low was in the negative twenties.  It really was the
best possible dinner, and we sopped it up with sweet cornbread.

Bex Deluxe Cheesecake

The reason this is my favorite cheesecake is because it calls for almond extract instead of lemon juice.  It's such a warm, subtle flavor--I feel like lemon overpowers other cheesecakes I've tried.  And I always prefer a Nilla wafer crust over a graham cracker one.

Bonus: it feeds a CROWD.  You can easily slice it into 16 or even 20 pieces.

1 box of Nilla Wafers, pulsed in the food processor to a fine crumb

Add one half cup melted butter (+ a pinch of salt) and mix till moist

Grease your springform pan with butter or shortening, then press
the crust into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan

You can use a hand mixer or your industrial mixer.  I like to to add
the eggs one at a time while the dough hook on my Bosch is still
spinning.  Because I live on the edge of culinary DANGER, yo . . .

Notice it's not completely smooth--a hand mixer
(or not the dough hook) will beat it much more
smoothly . . . but it was still delightful.

Ready for the oven.  YOU MUST SET THE TIMER so you won't
forget to turn the heat down after 12 minutes.  I have learned
this lesson the hard way, alas.

And here it is.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Cori's Frosted Brownies

These have been favorites of mine since I was a teenager. And they are ridiculously fast and easy to make.

My best friend Cori always whipped these up when she needed a quick dessert, and it was my favorite thing to have at her house (she is waaaaaaaaaaaaay older than I am).  Now I whip it up for my company and kids' friends when I need a dessert quickly, deliciously, and chocolate-ly satisfying.

My almost-five-year-old, Mollie
{She likes the brownies more when I add sprinkles}

You know how sometimes food tastes better in your memory than it does when you try it again years later?  This is not like that.  I can't believe the only chocolate ingredient is cocoa powder--these are so rich and satisfying.  If someone tells you you can't make brownies as good as "from a box," . . . RUN.  That is patently FALSE, and these brownies are the proof.

Plus, why not put frosting on your brownie?  Live a little.

These brownies will have a perfect, light brown crust when
they are  finished baking. Let the pan cool before frosting.

Perfect dessert for a neighbor gift or thank-you!
Include the recipe and write a note on the back.

If you think this is good, you should check out Cori's other contributions.  Two of my all-time favorite dinners are from Cori: Oven-Fried Chicken Monterey and Chicken Parmesan Magnifico.

Greek Feta Dip with Baguettes

My sister Bonnie is one of the best hostesses around.  Not only does she make delicious food that people love, she is also better at setting a pretty table and arranging everything to look its best than anyone I know.  When she told me about this Feta dip, and raved about how quickly it had been devoured, I knew I had to try it.

I made it when I last hosted book club, and it was a hit!  I had people calling me the next day for the recipe.

The best part is that this has got to be one of the easiest recipes on this blog.  There is no actual cooking involved.  It's all knife and spoon work, people.  In fact, you can make it by looking at these pictures--you don't even (gasp!) need the recipe card.

Step 1: drizzle olive oil in large platter

{Dice your tomatoes & chop your green onions}

Step 2: scatter diced tomatoes over olive oil

Step 3: add green onions

Step 4: crumble Feta over top of tomatoes & onions

Greek seasoning is what MAKES this.  You can find it with the
spices in almost any grocery store.  I have never had it before this
recipe, but it's delish!  Plus "an ancient Greek formula" sounds
soooooooo official . . . 

Step 5: Sprinkle generously with Greek seasoning

Step 6: gently combine all ingredients in platter

Serve and enjoy!

I made TWO platters of this stuff at book club and they were all gone before the night's end.  I loved it so much I made it again three days later so my husband could enjoy some.  Thanks for the great party food, Bon!

Book club party food.  We read the book The Egg and I by
Betty MacDonald--one of my all-time favorites.

Dutch Apple Cheese Muffins

These muffins are just a tad more time consuming than most, but so worth the effort. I got the recipe from Cook's Country, the best cooking magazine ever [click here for more of my C's-C favorites].  The picture in the magazine was so mouthwatering I had to try them myself.

The only "extra" things you are doing with these muffins is coring, peeling, and slicing two apples, and making a yummy glaze that you brush on halfway through the baking time.  They really don't take that long, particularly if you have a corer/peeler/slicer.  I used one Pink Lady and on Jonathan apple this time around, because that's what I had in my fridge.

Arrange the apple slices on top of the thick muffin
batter, pressing gently to help them adhere

It looks pretty even before you bake it . . .

This is after it's baked for 15 minutes.  Remove the pan
and brush glaze on top of each muffin

Mmmmm . . . Glaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaze . . .

Bake till it gets all caramelly on top . . . mmmmm . . . caramelly

I had to make fancy muffins to use the totally
fancy and beautiful muffin tier that my sister
Bonnie MADE for me!!!  It was such a thoughtful
gift and it really dressed up the table. 

Muffins + oatmeal + pretty place settings = perfect breakfast

The glaze makes the muffin liners sticky, so I put each muffin in an
extra liner so they wouldn't stick to the tier or the table.  Bonnie
also gave me a ton of cute muffin liners for my birthday . . .
you can never have too many, people.

Muffin, Undressed.

The cheddar cheese in each muffin is what puts them over the top.

You cannot go wrong with these ones.  Not only are they delicious and satisfying---they're so pretty that they put cupcakes to shame!