Rojoy's Kitchen

Sometimes this weekend I am planning to make clam cake. Hopefully it wil be good and I can add this here for my recipe to keep. There was also another recipe cought my eye and it is interesting it it the mozzarella sticks wrap in egg roll wrap and fry. I bet this is good. Plan to make this sometime this months.

This is why very hard for everyone to loss weight. I keep on making foods. Foods that are sellable to my family.

Every year my company always do holiday basket with different theme depend on what every department decide to do. There will be at least 2 weeks to do the raffle. Employees will buy tickets and they can put on the selected basket they want to win. And all the money will go to charity of their choice.

For this year my department decided to have a chocolate theme for basket. We can put candies, bake goods or what ever chocolate it is. But one thing that pretty sure this basket will be the popular is because of the chocolate liqueur brands.

Yes chocolate liqueur brands, this is the new flavor for this year. My husband and I saw this couple weeks ago at a liquor store.  My coworker bought this chocolate liqueur brands to add into our holiday basket.  I know I will be excite to win this basket but if my youngest daughter will the one the choose she probably rather to have  a bottle of juice.  Like gatorade to which gatorade prices is ok to m y budget.  I know everyone in my family call me I am cheap.  I am just trying to find a way to spend our money wisely.

Anyway back to holiday basket.  Wither I win anything or not the important is I able to help out the charity my company chooses.  Christmas is about helping others anyway.  It is better to give than to receive right? 

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold butter
3/4 cup (6 ounces) lukewarm water

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Work in the cold butter, using a pastry blender, your fingers, or a mixer. Stir in the warm water to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll into a thin 5" round.

Heat ¼" vegetable oil to 375°F in an electric frying pan, or in a pan over a burner. If you’re not using an electric frying pan, you’ll have to guesstimate the temperature of the oil in your stovetop pan.

Pick up one dough disk, and carefully lower it into the pan. Let it cook for 45 to 60 seconds (it’ll puff up on top and become brown on the bottom), then flip it over and cook till brown on the other side, about 45 seconds. Remove from the oil and set on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Place in a 200"F oven to keep warm while you make the remaining fried doughs.

Serve warm, with maple syrup or cider syrup; confectioners’ sugar, or cinnamon cugar; or the topping of your choice.
Yield: 8 fried doughs.

This old-fashioned authentic Cape Cod version of New England Clam Chowder is a hearty dish for the dwellers of a harsh climate. The old recipe has been passed down through generations without a nod to modern preferences for low-fat fare. As such, if you're on a low fat diet, this dish may not be for you. But for a special occasion, this original version will not be beat for flavor.

Ingredients:

2 quarts Little Neck clams, steamed, liquor reserved
3-4 lbs potatoes, peeled
1/2 lb lean salt pork
3 large sweet onions, sliced
2 whole bay leaves
1 thick slice bacon (optional)
2-3 celery stalks with green tops
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2-3 green onions or 1 leek, finely chopped (optional)
1-2 lbs frozen sweet corn (as desired)
3 cloves garlic
1 pint cream
1 quart clam broth or water
1/2 gallon milk
pinch celery seed (optional)
3-4 tablespoons flour
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste
Thoroughly wash clams, scrubbing shells. If you're using freshly dug clams, sprinkle the washed clams with corn meal the night before use, and refrigerate overnight to allow the clams to be sand free.
On the day the chowder is to be prepared, steam, clean and shuck enough clams to have at least 2 quarts of clams (more is better!). Save the clam liquor (broth created while steaming). Refrigerate the cooked clams in their liquor.

Meanwhile, prepare the chowder base. Using a sharp knife, slice the salt pork (pancetta can be substituted) into 1/8" inch dice (including rind).

In a large stockpot, on the lowest heat setting, add salt pork to pan; add bacon (also chopped). Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, allowing salt pork to render. Remove from heat and allow to sit for another 15 minutes. Add olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter (save remaining butter for later).

Sauté thinly sliced celery (save green celery leaves for later), and sliced onion in the rendered salt pork and bacon until onions take on color, adding minced garlic during the final few minutes of browning. Add clam liquor or water, scraping browned onion bits from bottom of pan. Add 2 whole bay leaves and a pinch of celery seed, if desired. Add minced green onions or leeks. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into one inch cubes. Add to the pot, bring to a boil for 30 seconds, reduce heat to barely a simmer.

Chowder may be thickened with a small amount of all purpose flour, Wondra flour, or a few tablespoons corn starch stirred into a cup of cold broth. When adding thickeners, be sure to allow at least 30 minutes of cooking time in order to prevent an uncooked flour taste. More thickener can be added if you like a thicker chowder base; remember that milk/cream are still to be added later, so add more than you think you'll need to compensate.

After 20-30 minutes, check potatoes to see if they are tender. When potatoes are nearly done, add frozen corn. Be sure to use a good quality of frozen corn; the sweeter varieties improve the overall flavor of the chowder.

Stir in clams and strained clam liquor (be careful not to pour in the bottom of the clam liquor which usually contains sand! Add milk and cream in the ratio you desire; for a richer chowder, add more cream and less milk.

Simmer for another 15 minutes and add remaining butter, minced parsley, chopped green celery leaves and salt and pepper, to taste. Remove bay leaves (or simply don't let them make it into a serving!).

When butter has melted and clams are heated through, serve in warmed bowls, sprinkled with paprika and garnished with fresh parsley. Milk crackers are a traditional accompaniment.

Variations: To add additional flavor to this soup, especially when clam broth is not available, use a few teaspoons of clam base, available at restaurant supply stores. Large chunks of white fish or lobster can be added during the last 20 minutes in addition to (or as a substitute for) the clams, for a seafood chowder.

Have no clams or fish? Try a broccoli chowder variation, using chopped broccoli as a substitute. When corn is in season, let corn be the main ingredient!

Submitted by: CM