Thin Or Thick?

O.K. so a couple of posts ago, I posted about a book and I told you that the last line of the book was "CLAM CHOWDER FOR LUNCH!" I told you I was craving clam chowder at the end of the post. I really was craving clam chowder the other day. Then my aunt called. That changed everything. She said that I better post about thick clam chowder not thin. But my Nana said to post about thin clam chowder.  I was torn. So, I decided to blog about both. My poll in June  is "Which Type Of Clam Chowder Do You Like?” Please vote on the blog, as I would love to know which type you like.  Either way there is a thick recipe and a thin recipe included in this post. Tell me what you think of both.

I LOVE clam chowder. Like my aunt, I like thick, creamy ones. I mean I live in New England. How can I not LOVE clam chowder? I grew up with oyster crackers on the side of my soups...and have grown to love oyster crackers just plain (are making oyster crackers in my future?) Does that mean I am a New Englander at heart? And the potatoes. How I love potatoes in rich, creamy clam chowder. My favorite clam chowder is not from where you would think. Not the ocean –front seafood restaurant, where I spend my summers...no, the one I love and crave is from the soup place at my local market...The Fruit Center. I LOVE their clam chowder. I wish that it were on the menu 24/7 so I could get it whenever I want. Instead, they vary their soups each day so... I can only get it on certain days.  Why! Oh why?!

Clam Chowder recipes to come!

May: The Month Of Cooking

Hello everybody! Have you heard of the blog Orangette? Well, the creator of Orangette (also named Molly) has published a book (she is working on her second). For my birthday, my parents got me the book. While I was reading the book, I came across  a recipe called Tarte Tatin.

Tarte Tatin is another French recipe (I know!) . I think I am becoming obsessed with French food. I mean it makes perfect sense. I have gone to France, I speak French, and I go to school where some of my day is spent speaking in French. I think I am just destined to love French food.

Do you know the history of Tarte Tatin? While according to Wikipedia, it was first made by the sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin at a hotel in France called Hotel Tatin. There are conflicting stories about how this recipe originated but either way... it did. Both stories say that the recipe was created by accident. The stories also say that it was not originally called Tarte Tintin. Only after the sisters death was it named that. Wikipedia also states that you can make this with other fruits, such as pears, or peaches. Tarte Tintin can be also made with vegetables such as onions. 

I really had wanted to make this recipe since I got the book. It was the first recipe on my list to make.  It sounded really good. I was a little bit nervous at first as I had never worked with puff pastry before.  I decided that April vacation would be the perfect time to attempt this as I have more time to cook. This year we spent the week at my cousins' house.  I decided I would make it there. But, as the week went on, more and more apples were eaten.  Friday, I realized I would have to wait, not an apple was left!  I decided to make this the day I got back home, with freshly purchased apples!

Here's something to know... puff pastry, you can buy it or make your own.  I didn't go through the hassle of making my own. I just bought store-bought. My brand was Pepperedige Farm. This brand was very good and it comes with two sheets. So, the next time I make this I have some puff pastry waiting in my freezer for me, so I just need to thaw it. Yippe! If you do buy your puff pastry, you should make sure to thaw according to package directions. 

This post is called the month of cooking because I have less homework, therefore more time to cook and blog. I have this because I have two weeks of state standerized testing. Teachers are supposed to not pass out homework for the week. So, I can cook instead of having to do homework!!!!!!!  It will truly be a month of "after the bell cooking"!

I made this over vacation, for a dinner over at my grandmother's house. Everybody loved it. Here is the recipe.

Last Week In Dinners! Edition #1

O.K., so last week was a crazy week, back to reality after a nice, relaxing vacation. This week was crazy, with sports practices. On Monday, I had soccer and my brother had baseball. We were going to have an arugula steakhouse salad but we ended up just having pasta. The arugula steakhouse salad was from Parade Magazine. Since pasta is nothing special, the recipe is not included. 

Tuesday, I had a good recipe called Baked Panko Shrimp With Oregano And Garlic with Steamed Rice And Peas. On Tuesday, we only were supposed to have one sports practice (!) but because of the rain was canceled. But, because my Mom had 4 tutors, it was still a little crazy. The recipe was from a site called The Six O'Clock Scramble. You have to be a member in order to go on the site though. This is a good website for weeknight dinners as it gives you 5 recipes, and  a shopping list. We do not use all of the recipes every week. This week, we had for dinner 2 of this recipes (the other was on Wednesday). My aunt suggested this recipe, for us and she says that her kids love this. I agree with her, as this recipe is easy and delicious at the same time! The recipe is at the bottom of the post.


Wednesday, we had another Six O'Clock Scramble recipe. This was called Beef And Broccoli Terriaki. My family had had it a while back and we loved it. So, we decided to have it again this week. This time was better than last time because the beef was not too hard to bite.  We had two practices and my mom was tutoring 4 kids so, it was a really crazy day. I made the terriaki before I went to my practice, then when I came home I ate it. The recipe was super good and I am definitely going to share it with you.

Thursday we had 1 sports practice and we had a really good really yummy soup from Dinner A Love Story. It was called Chicken Soup With Orzo.  I was going to make homemade broth but I did not end up doing it. The soup was delicious. When I get home from school, it is usually around 3:30. This recipe takes 1 hr, 30 mins. So, if I started it when I get home I could finish it around 5:00, which is in between my hours of dinner which are 5:00-6:30. This is also a good recipe to make in advance, and is easy to freeze. One suggestion I would make is freeze the soup in single-serving batches and then defrost them as needed. That way you do not have to defrost the whole batch of soup, if you just want to have a little soup for lunch. Recipe is to follow.

Friday, we had take-out from a pizza place.

Saturday, we had take-out from a Chinese food place.