Clear as day, I remember the first time I had white clam sauce. I was probably 8 or 9 and out to dinner with my family at this great pasta restaurant on the Connecticut shoreline. The restaurant is not there anymore, but when it was it could be relied on for amazing, delicious housemade pasta dishes served with bread so fresh it was still warm from the oven. I remember reading the menu and wondering why the white clam sauce was so different from the red sauce, which I knew I liked. I asked and was told it wasn’t as good as the red sauce. Still intrigued, I ordered it anyway.

White clam sauce is a different world from its red counterpart. It’s nuanced in flavor, lighter in texture and ultimately lets the clams really be the star, supported by garlic and other flavors. Usually, it has butter and white wine in it to round out the flavors as well — though not always, as this recipe attests.

And yes, that first time I tried it, I did like it.

When I recently received a review copy of Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love: Delight Family and Friends with More than 150 Simple, Fabulous Recipes, I totally and immediately gravitated to Cristina Farrare’s recipe for clam sauce. It’s a simple version made with ingredients you probably have in the pantry (plus fresh parsley). For the fresh parsley, I ran out to my herb garden and cut some to use, but it’s also readily available at the grocery store. Then, the pasta came together super fast. Less than 20 minutes later, I was taking photos of the final dish. I loved that it’s this easy and simple to make. Also, the infusion of lemon really makes it amazing.

So far, I am loving Cristina Ferrare’s cookbook. When I opened it, it instantly inspired me to get into the kitchen and try something, which is a reliable sign of a well-done cookbook.  The recipes and photos (and let’s face it: photos are a must in today’s cookbooks) make you want to try everything. And if this recipe is any indication, the flavors are worth the effort.

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My husband knows that when I want to make a dietary change (like when I decided to cut way back on red meat last year), the whole family is going to be in on it with me. Hey, I am no short order cook, and I am confident that whatever healthy meals I serve will be fine for all. When I told him about Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011, he was right on board with eating healthier. (Color me lucky, right?)

So, Shawn did a little reading up and discovered Cook This, Not That! Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals, a handy little cookbook all about low-calorie, high-taste meals. Of course, he ran right out and bought it. Like that day.

This cookbook is super visual, pitting the healthy meals that are roughly 350-calories or so each (the book says this one was 390 calories, but since I used low-fat milk, it was slightly higher) against high-calorie restaurant meals. It’s really interesting to see how the meals are slimmed and how many calories are saved. Eye-opening really.

At my suggestion, Shawn made us this Red Pepper Alfredo for dinner from the book. He cooks breakfast often, but dinner rarely — mostly because I like to do it. But I am warming to sharing the responsibility again a bit. A little, little bit.

So, anyway, the alfredo. Oh. My. Goodness. If I didn’t know that it was low-calorie, I would never ever guess it. The rich, slightly sweet, creamy sauce is amazing. Actually decadent is a better way to describe it. I swear, we all nearly licked our bowls. Loved it.

We’re really liking this cookbook and cannot wait to try something else from it. What’s your favorite healthy cookbook?

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About a month ago, Shawn came home with a cookbook for me and I started cooking from it. This is the fourth recipe I have made (and blogged!) from Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals. Classic Tomato Spaghetti (which I made with farfalle) is anything but classic. It starts with red chile, garlic and basil cooked in oil. Then you add tomatoes (canned, that is) and more basil. Toss it with pasta and serve. All in all, it takes under 20 minutes to prepare. Read the rest of this entry…

Two hours ago, I edited this photo and sat down to write about it … but then I realized the Grey’s Anatomy season finale was on and I had to watch it. OMG, Grey’s. (And yes, that is all I am going to say about that.)

We tried another recipe from Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals tonight. This time, it was Chicken Fajitas. They were just eh. We love fajitas, but these lacked some punch … Flavored with lime juice, smoked paprika and a dash of cumin, it could have used a pinch of something spicy and perhaps some salt. Read the rest of this entry…

So I made an awesome dish on Saturday, knowing full well that I was going to write about it this week. I plated it in a white bowl, mounding it just so. I even carefully placed bits of bacon in strategic spots. My camera was there at the ready …

Apparently, I never actually photographed the finished product. Um. Yea.

So, my prep photos will have to do, since I really want to tell you about this delicious Braised Cabbage from Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals. This is the second recipe I have made from the book. Last week I made a pasta from Jamie’s Food Revolution that was really tasty.

For this one, bacon is chopped and cooked to crispy in a saucepan. Then shredded cabbage is tossed into the pan and mixed up. Add some liquid, cover and braise … then devour.

OMG did I devour this. Will wasn’t as much of a fan and Paige wasn’t interested. But me? I couldn’t get enough. It was a fabulous mix of salty bacon and sweet bits of cabbage.

This time, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly — I made a few changes. I traded bouillon for chicken stock and halved the Worcestershire sauce (I ran out). I also cut out the olive oil in this, since I just didn’t think it was necessary — and the dish was perfect without it. I wouldn’t make it any other way.

Like last time, I found the directions in the book a little hard to follow. In this case, there is no separate list of ingredients followed by numbered steps. Instead, it’s presented as one paragraph — something that I find off-putting. However, this is a great recipe with an amazing flavor.

So, the book? I like it. Next week, I am going to write about other recipe too, so be sure to check back. Read the rest of this entry…

Did you watch Jamie’s Food Revolution? The show followed Jamie Oliver as he sought to change the way people in Huntington, West Virginia, eat. Huntington, which was recently named the fattest town in the country, responded with some resistance. However, with Oliver’s persistence, school lunches went from frozen processed foods to healthier, fresh meals. As for the people of Huntington? He won many over, and introduced so many to easy cooking.

The show did a lot of good — not just for that one town, but for the many, many people who turned in, started talking about it and began taking steps to free their eating from the clutches of unhealthy, fattening foods. I hope there ends up being a second season.

Last week, my husband, knowing that I religiously watched the show, bought me a copy of Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals.This new cookbook from the man famously known as The Naked Chef, is a thick book of recipes with photos galore. The dishes range from British Beef and Onion Pie to Crunchy Garlic Chicken to Mini Shell Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce, which is what we tried tonight.

When I was putting together our meal plan for the week, I selected this pasta since it’s fast and filled with flavors that my family adores. Read the rest of this entry…

Making food from scratch is one of those things that I take pride in. Pancakes? We have ‘em at least once a week, always from scratch. Biscuits? When I get the hankering I turn to a great recipe that I found on The Perfect Pantry. Cookies? Always from scratch. Macaroni and cheese? Usually from scratch.

But that said, I have a strong aversion to any recipe that strikes me as being fussy. Making puff pastry from scratch? Too fussy – I am happy to purchase the Artisan Puff Pastry from Trader Joe’s instead. Croissants? I would love to know how to make them, but I’ve read recipes for them dozens of times and it’s just too time consuming.

So, when it comes to the rare occasion when I pull out the trusty Crock-Pot, I expect that whatever I make will be easy and fast to pull together. Isn’t that the whole point of using it? I thought so.

This is all a very long lead in to saying that I really find the recipes in Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook to be way too fussy. I’ve tried several recipes from this book over the years. Every time, I find that they have too many steps. Brown in a frying pan, cook this, mix that … it’s stealing the ‘quick and easy’ from the whole Crock-Pot idea.

So, it was with great reluctance that I decided to make the Tangy Tomato Brisket recipe from this book (worst name ever — it’s more like a BBQ joint brisket). As usual, I prepped my mise en place and reread the recipe to find that there were way more steps than I wanted. That meant the brisket got into the pan later than I wanted and I had to adjust the heat and time to accommodate it …

But I wouldn’t be telling you about this recipe if it wasn’t good. And good it was. I loved it. The sauce was rich and spicy-sweet, like my favorite BBQ joint’s brisket. It was fork tender and tasted delightful with the onions …

It’s not for a busy mom on a work day – it cooks too fast (5-7 hours on low) and takes too much to pull together (prep time is roughly 30 minutes, maybe 40). But for a lazy Sunday? Perfect. And if you cook it just a little longer than you can shred it with two forks and serve it up on rolls … I bet a little cheddar would be good too.

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When I saw the cover of Sweet Melissa Baking Book, my mouth watered. The confectioner’s sugar topped dessert looked too good to be true. And when I later read the book (during my breaks at work), I was intrigued. I love author Melissa Murphy’s style. Her brief tidbits with each recipe really make the book for me. And her recipes for delights like chocolate peppermint meringues are the stuff dreams — at least my dreams — are made of.Melissa Murphy owns Sweet Melissa’s Patisserie in Brooklyn. She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute who has appeared on the Food Network. I had the opportunity to ask Melissa some questions and got some great answers. As my son often says, here ‘a goes!

Why did you decide to write The Sweet Melissa Baking Book?

MM: A literary agent from Regal Literary’s Culinary Cooperative approached me in my Cobble Hill store. I tried to write this book 8 years ago, but I wound up too busy baking for Sweet Melissa’s, and had no time to do the book the way I really wanted, so we decided to wait a while. I am glad I did, I had that much more experience 8 years later when it was finally the right time. Read the rest of this entry…

Happy New Year!

Do you make resolutions? I do. Every year. I don’t necessarily keep them every year though. Wish I could say that I did, but honestly like most people I fall away from the resolutions after a few weeks or months.

But this year is different. My resolutions are grounded in things that I really want and need to do to lead a healthier, happier life. That’s really important for both me and for my family. So, here they are in no particular order:

• Lose 50 lbs.: I know, it sounds like a lot but really it’s about 50% baby weight (which should melt away with just a bit of effort). The second 25 lbs will be the real challenge.
• See that darned cookbook published (and the wonderful sales that will follow).: I don’t have a whole lot of control over this one. My draft is done and it’s a waiting game until the publisher/editor returns it to me for corrections and whatnot. But, once it’s returned, it’s up to me to turn it around and approve the changes (and make my own).
• Successfully pitch a second cookbook.: I already have the idea, though it needs to be fleshed out a bit. Read the rest of this entry…

I’ll be back tomorrow with the recipe . . . sorry, don’t mean to be a tease, but I am awfully tired.