Spaghetti with Brooklyn Clam Sauce

http://www.marthastewart.com/330129/marks-spaghetti-with-brooklyn-clam-sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 pound dried spaghetti, or linguine
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) chopped clams, with their juice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup milled or crushed canned Italian plum tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large covered pot, heat a gallon of water to a boil. When water boils, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta, stir well, and cover until boiling. Uncover, and boil until just tender to the bite all the way through.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a skillet (with a lid) large enough to hold the pasta later on, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and slowly cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add clams with their juice, wine, tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that the clams are quite salty. Stir, reduce the heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, drain pasta in a colander. Add the drained pasta, parsley, butter, and salt and pepper to taste to the sauce, and mix well, adding a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water if needed to coat the pasta evenly. Cover, and cook 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Tres Leches Cake

Cake

• Shortening or cooking spray, for pan
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2.5 oz)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1/4 cup half-and-half (60 mL)

Topping

• 1/2 cup half-and-half (120 mL)
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (160 mL)

Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (120 mL)
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar (13 grams)

Follow the instructions in the book.

Page 100

Shan Butter Chicken Mix

• 1/2 box Shan Butter Chicken mix
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into small cubes
• 4 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 cup basmati rice, uncooked.

Mix butter mix and lemon juice in half a cup of water and apply to the meat cubes. Marinate 30 minutes.

Heat the oil and add the marinated chicken. Stir fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and milk. Cover and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the basmati rice.

Stir in cream. Add the melted butter and remove from heat and serve.

Makes 6 servings, 393 calories each

*** Homemade Cheeze-Its

• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 4 oz extra-sharp orange cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Put the butter, cheese, salt, white pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and pulse until the butter is broken up into bits and the mixture forms small curds, like cottage cheese. Add the flour and pulse until well combined. It will now look more like wet couscous. Add the Worcestershire sauce and pulse again. The dough should be moist and come together in your hands.

Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead it once or twice until ti forms a ball. Pat it into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Roll the dough out a scant 1/4 inch thick. (If the dough seems sticky, flour the work surface, though you probably won't need to.) Using a fluted wheel cutter and a ruler, cut the dough into long 1-inch-wide strips, and then cut the strips into 1-inch squares. Gather and reroll the scraps and continue cutting.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. The crackers won't expand, so you can fit them fairly tightly. Make a small hole in the center of each cracker with a skewer or the stem on an instant-read thermometer. A toothpick isn't quite big enough.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crackers darken just a bit. Cool completely on a rack and store in a cookie tin for up to a week. Makes 70-80 crackers.

Makes 8 servings, 220 calories each.

Cajun Lasagna

http://creolecontessa.com/2014/10/cajun-lasagna/

Rustic French Toast

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 8 slices of day old rustic bread cut into ~1 inch slices
• Drippings from two slices of bacon OR 2 Tbsp butter

Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a shallow baking dishes that can hold the bread in a single layer (may have to be done in batches).

Lay the bread in the mixture and then flip. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. Flip again, and soak for an additional 10 minutes.

At the start of the second 10 minute soak, begin cooking the bacon in a pan until crispy and the fat is rendered. Eat the delicious bacon, leaving the fat in the pan to cook the french toast.

Fry the bread slices in the bacon fat until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side.

*If making a large batch, preheat oven to 250 and keep finished slices warm on a wire wrack.

*** Polenta Cornbread

• 1 cup stone ground cornmeal (OR polenta!!)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• spray oil or butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with butter or spray. Line the bottom with parchment.

Whisk together dry ingredients: cornmeal (or polenta!), flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.

Add the wet ingredients: olive oil, buttermilk, eggs. Whisk it together until it all comes together. (NOTE: Mine was really wet)

Either scrape (if it’s dry?) or pour (if it’s wet like mine) into pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  It’s done if it springs back when you press on it, or when a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Makes 8 servings, 315 calories (9 WW PointsPlus each).

https://muffintop.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/polenta-cornbread-a-happy-mistake/

*** Cold-Proofed Pizza Dough

Pulse:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (6 3/8 oz)
• 1/2 cup bread flour (2 1/8 oz)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Whisk:

• 3/4 cup lukewarm water (6 1/4 oz)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey

Pulse flours, salt, and yeast in a food processor until combined.

Whisk together water, oil, and honey. With processor running, pour water mixture into the flour mixture; process just until dough forms a ball around the blade, 10-15 seconds.

Remove dough from processor (it might be sticky) and knead once or twice, on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands, adding a little more flour as necessary, just until smooth and pillowy.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap coated with nonstick spray; chill dough at least 24 hours, or up to 3 days.

Remove dough from refrigerator; if desired, divide into two or three even portions. Shape dough into a ball, by pulling down sides, tucking under, and pinching dough closed on bottom. Roll ball under your palm until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray; arrange dough ball on baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap coated with nonstick spray, and let dough rest in a warm place until room temperature and pliable, 1-3 hours.

Press dough ball out on a lightly floured surface. Turn dough, pressing on its center, then roll into 10-12 inch round.

1,008 calories total.

Black-Top Peanut Butter Pie

• 90 gm of graham crackers (3-6 sheets)
• 1.375 oz unsalted, roasted peanut halves, DIVIDED
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp granulated sugar, DIVIDED
• Pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (the really tiny ones)
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, DIVIDED
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tsp powdered sugar
• Extra peanut, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and have ready a 6-inch pie pan.

In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, 2 Tbsp of the peanuts, 2 teaspoons of the granulated sugar, and salt. Pulse until finely ground. Alternatively, you could crush everything in plastic bag. Next, add the melted butter. Pulse the good processor to combine.

Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pie pan and halfway up the sides, and bake on a small sheet pan for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly stream in 1/4 cup of the cream while constantly whisking. Once everything is fully dissolved, slowly add the milk while whisking. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens. It should have a consistency like runny pudding.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and peanut butter. Pour this mixture over the pie curst.

Let set in the fridge for at least 4 hours. If you don't want a skin to form on the top of the pie, place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pie. When serving, whip the remaining 1/4 cup of cream until soft peaks form, then mix in the powdered sugar. Spread over the pie.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips and remaining peanuts over the top of the pie.

Makes 8 servings, 324 calories each.

JELL-O Pudding Pops

• 1 package (3.9 oz) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding or (3.4 oz) JELL-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 2 cups cold milk

Beat ingredients with whisk 2 minutes.

Pour into molds. There will be some excess.

Freeze for 5 hours, or until firm.

To remove the pops, place bottoms of molds under warm running water for 15 seconds. Pull gently to release the pops. Store frozen.

Makes 6 pops.

Chocolate: 120/110/100/90 

Vanilla: 110 / 100 / 90 / 80 

For whole / 2% / 1% / fat free milk, respectively

*** No-Cook Pizza Sauce

• 1 can tomato puree (10.75 oz)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp grated garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Makes 1 1/4 cup. 252 calories total.