Tag: #easyrecipes

Friday’s Flavors: One Pan Creamy Pasta With Clams

Hey, Foodies! Happy Friday!

I don’t know about you, but my least favorite thing about cooking is the cleanup. Dirty dishes aren’t my idea of a good time, so over the years I’ve developed certain hacks to reduce the work I have to do when the meal is over.

And every once in a while, I strike gold!

I first tried this recipe because my dishwasher was almost full and I didn’t want to have to wash a bunch of dishes by hand or have a sink full of dirty pots and pans overnight until the dishwasher was done doing its thing in the morning. Little did I know at the time that the result would be the creamiest, most savory pasta I’d ever had!

Ingredients:

1 box pasta

2 cups bone broth

1.5 cups milk

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Old Bay

garlic powder

garlic salt

2 dozen clams

Preparation:

In a large braising or frying pan with a tight fitting lid, add your pasta, bone broth, milk, crushed garlic, and spices. Cover. Bring to a simmer.

Stir every minute or 2 to keep pasta from sticking.

After 5 minutes, add well cleaned clams (so you don’t make your pasta gritty) and cover.

Keep stirring every minute or 2. Once the clams start opening, stir the unopened ones towards the bottom. After most if not all are open (approximately 5-6 minutes), remove lid and test tenderness of pasta. It should be about done. If it’s not, recover for another minute or 2. If it is, add a handful of fresh grated cheese, stir, and allow the remaining liquid to cook down, which should only take a minute, as most of the liquid should have absorbed into the noodles.

Serve, topping with more fresh grated cheese.

If you make it, please let me know how you like it!

Check back next Friday for another Foodie Flavor!

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Friday’s Flavors: Lamb Meatballs With Fontina Fondue

Hey, Foodies! Happy Friday!

For a long time my experience with lamb was a bad one. Memories of inedible hunks of undercooked, gamey meat served to me overseas left me traumatized. Seriously. I never thought I’d make my peace with that particular protein.

My husband had no such qualms, however, and after a tense round of rock paper scissors during an anniversary dinner years ago, he won the right to pick the appetizer. Imagine how I felt when he chose lamb. >.<

But I tried it – and I liked it. A lot.

Had it not been for those meatballs, not at all gamey, served with a savory cheese sauce and just a hint of sweetness from a balsamic glaze drizzle, I’d probably still hate lamb. And once the door was cracked, I kicked it wide open. I’ve since expanded my horizons with multiple cuts and preparation styles, but nothing compares to the good old lamb meatball, and if you’ve been looking for a way to (gently) expand your diet to include lamb, this recipe’s for you!

This works well as an appetizer, an entrée, or as part of Fondue night!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb

1 large shallot

6 large garlic cloves

yellow curry powder

tumeric powder

ground cumin

garlic powder

garlic salt

1 tablespoon butter

spray oil

balsamic glaze

Cheese Fondue Kit

OR

1.5 cups shredded Fontina cheese

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cloves garlic

corn starch

Preparation:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with spray oil.

Chop shallots. Melt butter in pan, add shallots and sauté until translucent. Add 4 cloves garlic, crushed, mix until fragrant, and put in a mixing bowl.

Add lamb.

Spices are subjective to taste, but I use about 1.5 tbsp yellow curry, 3/4 tbsp tumeric, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp garlic powder, and a touch of garlic salt.

Add the remaining 2 garlic cloves, crushed, and mix well. (I use gloves for this part.)

Shape into meatballs. If I’m serving them with the Fontina sauce and balsamic drizzle, I make large meatballs, 8-10. However, if I’m using a cheese fondue kit, I make smaller, bite sized meatballs, 24, and serve with an array of veggies for a fun, interactive meal.

Bake 20-25 minutes for larger meatballs, 15 minutes for smaller.

Some Fondue Fruits & Veggies

To make the Fontina sauce, grate the cheese and dust with just enough cornstarch to coat. Heat wine to a simmer, add garlic, then slowly mix in cheese, constantly stirring. You can get creative and add some spices, or keep it simple.

Then, either plate the meatballs, spoon some cheese sauce over them and drizzle with the balsamic glaze, or gather your fondue dippers and have at it!

If you try it, please let me know if you like it!

Check back next Friday for another Foodie Flavor!


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Friday’s Flavors: Easy Air Fryer Chicken

Hey, Foodies! Happy Friday!

I’ll admit it – when air fryers first broke onto the scene, I jumped on the bandwagon. I mean, frying food without actually frying it? Healthy ‘fried’ food?!?!

And while us air fryers quickly parted into two different camps – those who hated it and those who loved it – I found myself somewhere in the middle. No, it’s not an excellent imitation of deep fried food without all the oil, but yes, it does cook some things very well and I still use mine at least several times a month.

One of the great things about air fryers is being able to cook meals in a fraction of the time. Game hens in 25 minutes. Entire roaster chickens in 45-55 minutes. And if you do it right, the skin is crisp and the meat is tender and juicy. So here’s my secret for perfect (and EASY!) air fryer chicken.

Ingredients:

1 whole 3-4 pound chicken

butter, ghee or olive oil (I use about 2 tbsp of butter)

spices (I use large quantities of garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and a bit of Old Bay, paprika and garlic salt)

Preparation:

Spray the air fryer basket lightly with a little cooking spray to make clean up easier.

I mix some of the spices I’m going to use in a small dish, as well as my butter or oil so I don’t spread raw chicken germs everywhere. Rinse and dry your chicken, including the inside, removing any neck, gizzards, etc..

Starting with the breast side up, work your fingers underneath the skin. Rub some of your butter or oil and your spice mixture under the skin, then on top of the skin. Flip and repeat. Do the same to the inside of the cavity.

Begin cooking breast side down.

After washing your hands, sprinkle more spices on the bottom of the chicken. Keep spices out for when you flip the bird.

Cook bottom side up at 350 for 25 minutes. Flip, sprinkle skin with more spices, then set timer for another 20 minutes. (If chicken is closer to 4 pounds than 3, 23 minutes.)

When time is up, check with a cooking thermometer, inserting into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone. Chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees. If it’s within a few degrees, you can let it sit for a few minutes to continue cooking before slicing. If it needs more time, do so sparingly to keep the meat juicy.

And that’s it! Juicy chicken with crispy skin in half the time it takes in the oven! (If cooking game hens, simply cook for 20-25 minutes at 350 breast side up, no flipping necessary.)

If you make it, please let me know how you liked it!

Check back next Friday for another Friday Flavor!

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