Delicious Dish : My Best Clam Chowder

Okay, so I fibbed.  It's not completely MY best clam chowder recipe but I did made several modifications after this month's book club for Orphan Train (by Christina Baker Kline)  to make it worthy of the chowders I remember back home in Southern California (you can find the original recipe here). 

 ...and I know what you're thinking.  Clam chowder? Whoa there.  Red light. That's where some of your eyes go glossy and you head over to another recipe.

I get it.

Any new recipe that has seafood or meat has my heart pounding and all sorts nervous too.  I'm more of a banana-zucchini bread/oatmeal chocolate chip/pumpkin pie kind of girl myself.

But maybe you're trying to get out of your comfort zone, away from your old boring recipes, or even getting more of an adventurous palate...there's every reason to make this chowder.  It's not "fishy" at all (if you have an aversion to seafood) and it is an insanely easy recipe that no one can screw up...except if you don't follow the most important golden rule below:

The Last Artichoke Dip Recipe You'll Ever Need

THIS dip.  You guys. This has been one of my favorite recipes since high school.  I cannot control myself around it and it's even more addicting than Lipton's French Onion Soup dip paired with Ruffles, if you can believe that.

Harry Potter Inspired Pumpkin Pastie Recipe

Yesterday on Instagram I posted a photo of my BEAUTIFUL Illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone book next to these scrumptious Pumpkin Pasties I made and got several requests to post my recipe so here it is!

And don't think that these pumpkin delights are just for Harry Potter fan, oh no. These mini pies are for any PUMPKIN and/or DESSERT FANS. These pasties are a glorified mini pumpkin pie that are the perfect size to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Without further adieu, here's the recipe, enjoy!

Harry Potter Inspired Pumpkin Pasties

Filling makes about 4 dozen miniature pasties.

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1- 1 lb. can pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk (1 can)
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 boxes of 9 oz pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts per box)

DIRECTIONS: Add all pie filling ingredients into bowl and mix well until smooth. Bake the pie filling only (no crust) in a large casserole dish in hot oven (425 degrees) for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temp. to 350 degrees and continue baking for 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean.

1. Cool filling on wire rack.

2. Make or purchase pie crust pastry. Roll thin and cut into circles approx 4" in diameter. (I used a dessert bowl to make my circles since I didn’t have a cookie cutter that would work.)

3. Add a spoonful of cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the cut out pie crust circles. Fold circles over the crust into a half-circle and firmly crimp the edges closed with fork.

4. Brush pasties with egg white wash (with a dash of salt) and slice three small slits in the top for venting. Place pasties on a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 400 degrees until crust is a light golden-brown, around 9-12 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. As another option, you can brush butter on top instead of egg white wash and sprinkle cinnamon sugar for an even sweater treat.

DOWNLOAD RECIPE

Delicious Dish : Best (Gluten Free!) Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I've seen this recipe all over Facebook and Pinterest and had heard fantastic things about this pizza crust, but never got around to making it.  

Well friends, this recipe fit perfectly into our book club "school theme" for WONDER and since we have a few gluten intolerant (me included) and vegetarian gals in the group I thought it would be perfect timing to test it out.

Delicious Dish: Tropical Lime Punch

Well, summer is officially here and everyone needs a go-to punch recipe.  This is, in my opinion the punch of all punch recipes.  You may have been like me and have tasted and gulped, and gone back for seconds (and even thirds) at picnics, reunions, showers, or parties, but have yet to track down the recipe and make it for yourself.

Well, you're in luck!

Delicious Dish: Pickled "Under the Sea" Cucumber Salad

Food Ideas for "The Devil in the White City" {by Erik Larson}

The Book we read this month was "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Many of us started reading this book without knowing what it was about. About a third of the way through it some of us thought, "Is this fiction or non fiction?" The H.H. Holmes plot was like something out of a fiction novel, truly an unbelievable story that unfortunately, really happened.

Delicious Dish: Mini Pies - Cherry & Apple

Everything is better when it's done in the mini version, right? Then why not pie? For our amazingly fun book club for The Devil in the White City, we decided to play off of the idea of the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. That meant we had to have our very own BOOK CLUB FAIR! And what's a fair without some homemade pie?!

Mini Cherry Pie

Food Ideas for "My Life in France" {byJulia Child}

How can you read a book about food and not go all out on the menu for book club night?
We certainly didn't scrimp on anything and brought our "A food game!"

Whitney did such a great job picking the food for tonight and put a lot of thought into which dishes she wanted to highlight while making sure not to choose recipes that were over our head.

I mean, have you read this book and all the food they talk about?? You can gain 5 lbs just reading about it all because it makes you so hungry!

(PS. I'm loving this Eiffel Tower)

{Food}

Julia wrote this book with her two French friends. She spent many years perfecting the recipes and deciding which ones to put into the book. You should buy it if you want to Master French cooking OR if you're like me and just LOVE how darling it looks on your bookshelf.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking

I was so inspired I wanted both of her books so I bought them in this set. Aren't they beautiful?

We did a fuzzy drink with Fruit Puree but if you are not opposed to alcohol Julie talks extensively about Wine, well her husband Paul talks a lot about Wine and the different types and which ones to eat with each food type.

French Bread

Cheese, Meats and Cracker Platter

Winter Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Stuffed Tomatoes Provencale

The Star of the Night, Beef Bourguignon

Crepes with every topping imaginable!!

All the Chefs in the Kitchen

Let's Eat!

Our beautiful group!

We wanted to imitate the cover picture on the book. Here are our results. It was so hard to stay serious we were laughing so much.

(Source)

Don't forget to download our delicious BEEF BOURGUIGNON recipe for your next special occasion.

Check out our other post on My Life in France

and our Book Review

xoxo,

Kellie

Delicious Dish: Heavenly Lemon Chiffon Cake

 Several years ago, my husband and I were visiting Capitol Reef National Park and decided to drive scenic Highway 12 to a destination restaurant about an hour from where we were visiting. Hell's Backbone Grill and Farm was extremely remote, but incredibly memorable.

Delicious Dish: Fast and Easy No-bake Mini Cheesecakes

I love to try out new recipes and every once and a while I do like to delve into some of the insane Pinterest desserts and appetizers. BUT, as a mom of five, sometimes I don't have the time or money to do something extravagant. That's why I like to have a few fall backs when it comes to bringing something fun to book club or any other event for that matter.

I try to always keep a no-bake cheesecake mix in my cupboard at all times. I stock up on these when they are on sale or I have a coupon. I love making things from scratch, but I have found that it is cheaper to do it by the box

Delicious Dish: Butternut Squash Sauce Over Capellini

When I am bored of what I have been cooking, this is one of my favorite refresh meals. It jump starts my cooking creativity and reminds me that I love to cook good food. This combination of sauce and garnishes has many nice rich flavors. Serve this dish twice by preparing the sauce once and then freezing half and have it ready for an easy meal the next week, or you might just want it two nights in a row like I do.

Delicious Dish: Mini Pavlovas with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream and Raspberry Sauce

Just thinking about this dessert is making my mouth water! Pavlova is the perfect dessert to bring to a holiday party, book club event, and family get together. It's gluten-free and nut-free and totally different than the normal cookies or cupcakes everyone brings.

Imagine fluffy, sweet, marshmallow-like clouds entirely surrounded with a delicate, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth shell. Now imagine that candy-like shell smothered with a decadent, cheesecake inspired, cream topping that's drizzled with a tart, fresh raspberry sauce. You won't be able to wait to press a fork longingly through each of those layers. If you are like me, you will have to lift that beautiful dessert into your mouth with your hand. As the delicate meringue melts against your tongue and you devour the remaining creamy and tart goodness, don't forget to lick the sauce off the side of your mouth - you won't want to miss out on even a drop of this dessert.

Summer Nicole Photography

Pavlova is an Australian dessert that originated sometimes in the 1920s. The story is told that it was created during one of tours of the famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Since the dessert is so light and airy, I can imagine that this dessert really was inspired by the exquisite dancing of this legend.  

Mini Pavlovas with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream and Raspberry Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Oven Cool Time: 45 Minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

6 large egg whites

1/4 + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh mint, for garnish (optional)

Raspberry Sauce

3 Tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp cornstarch

18 oz fresh raspberries (frozen would work too)

1/3 cup water

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

8 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Make Glazed Baby Carrots with Brown Sugar

Directions

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add egg whites** to cream of tartar and salt and whip with an electric mixer/beaters on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add in sugar mixture (Add only 1 -2 Tablespoons at a time one right after the other, otherwise your egg whites will lose their thickness), then increase speed to high and whip until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes, adding in vanilla during last minute of mixing. **Note – if the mixture doesn’t stiffen after about 7-8 minutes, you probably added the sugar too quickly or yolk or water got into the mixture (if even one tiny bit of yolk gets into the egg white, discard it and start over). You could still cook this in a lined pie dish or cake pan as a whole pie-sized dessert that you cut into slices, but the mini meringues won’t hold their shape or be as fluffy.

Spoon and dollop meringue into 3 to 4-inch circles (depending on how large you want them) onto parchment paper lined baking sheets (foil can work if you don’t have paper) then use the back of the spoon to create slight dips in their centers. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes, then leave in oven with door closed, turn off oven and allow to rest in oven 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

To assemble, top meringues with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream then Raspberry Sauce and garnish with mint. Assemble just before serving.

For the raspberry sauce:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in 1/3 cup water. Add half of the raspberries, then cook mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and cool completely. Stir in remaining raspberries. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

For the cream cheese whipped cream:

In a mixing bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form then add sugar and vanilla and whip until nearly stiff peaks form. In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese to whipped cream mixture and whip until stiff peaks form. Store in refrigerator.

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE RECIPE

Xoxo,

Robin