New England Clam Chowder

Hot Dogs & History

When planning Spring Break vacations, most people think sun and surf. I admit that a comfy spot on a beach with a Piña Colada does sound pretty good right about now, but at this point of our lives, my family is playing beat the clock when it comes to the traditional family vacation.

Right now, my kids are still alright with being seen in public with us—we don’t know how long it is going to last before we are subject to a lot of eye rolling and sulking in the corner. We are by no means cool in their eyes, however we are least okay enough that they aren’t embarrassed…much. (We don’t make it easy on them.) This year we are trading in the warm weather and sand for Boston and our Nation’s Capital, with a few side trips.

First stop is Boston for a little history, a little chowdah, and the chance to pour some tea in the harbor. (The boys can’t wait. Apparently tossing tea into the water is cool.) Anyone who has been reading these posts knows how baseball-crazy my family is, so of course, no trip to Boston would be complete without seeing Fenway and the Green Monster. We are going, but the Sox are still in spring training. My boys convinced us that we should drive to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. (Sure! Why not? It’s only a four-and-a-half hour ride…in good weather.)

From Cooperstown its south to Gettysburg, PA, a place I have wanted to go for a long time, and a must-see for anyone who can. As a History major, this was my one side trip demand. My kids have told me that they are okay if I geek out, which is good ‘cause it will happen whether I have their permission or not.

After that it is on to the crazy adventure that is Washington DC. Last time I visited was in 8th grade when Dinosaurs roamed the earth.

It should be a fun trip,, I know there will be some funny stories and I hope a lot of good memories. Below is a delicious recipe for clam chowder. The original calls for salt pork. I prefer the smokiness of bacon ’cause everything is better with bacon, so that’s how I make it.

New England Clam Chowder
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Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

The Cookbook Club
Four years ago, my sister was inspired by the Food 52’s annual Piglet cookbook competition (it’s going on right now) to start a cookbook club with a group of five friends, and their families, who she knew were interested in cooking. Though some us had met before, and in some cases knew each other pretty well, it was a random group of people thrown together in pursuit of good food. The common denominator was my sister, and her love of friends and cooking.

This past weekend we celebrated our 20th Cookbook Club dinner—which is pretty remarkable considering that to make it happen five families have to coordinate their busy schedules. The cooking and choosing of books is the easy part. Try navigating through the sports, school, and work demands of 21 people. Our cookbook was the Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook by Tanya Holland. To say we ate well would be an understatement.

When the club started, nobody thought it would last this long. We hoped it would, but you know how these things go…they eventually fizzle out, or there’s drama between group members.

What makes this group different is it has ceased to just be about the food. The food is fantastic, but the real draw is wanting to spend time and catch up with each other. (If we can do that while having some rockin’ chicken wings and a cocktail, so much the better.) The change happened, I think, the night we went to The Slanted Door for dinner.

In February of 2013, we chose Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan as our cookbook. (See Bo Luc Lac: Shaking Beef, our What’s For Dinner Wednesday post from February 2013.) But, instead of having a dinner at someone’s house, we decided this time we would do it a little differently. We made reservations for 10 (Adult swim. No Kids.) at the Slanted Door and had Charles Phan (sort of…who knows who was on the line that night?) cook us our cookbook club dinner. (We were hoping he could sign our cookbooks while we were there. Didn’t happen.) We ordered all of the dishes we had made at home, and discussed them as we would at any club dinner. We laughed. We drank. We were loud and it was a blast. (The club is looking at doing the same thing for our next cookbook, Mustard’s Grill Napa Valley Cookbook by Cindy Pawlcyn. Brace yourself, Napa!)

They say food brings friends and family together, and if the friendships that have come out of this genius idea of my sister’s are any indication, it’s true. We call ourselves a cookbook club but it is so much more than that. We’ve bonded over so many other things besides food: woodworking, medical emergencies, teen angst, kids leaving for college… But it started when all of us sat around the table together and ate a really good meal.

If you’re curious, the list of cookbooks we covered can be found here.

Spicy Baked Chicken Wings
Adapted from Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook by Tanya Holland
Makes about 20 wings
Her recipe is about perfect. The only thing I would do to improve it is to marinate the wings in buttermilk before baking.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Downhill Racer

When I was in grade school, we always got a week off in February. The school called it Presidents Week but we called it what it really was, Ski Week.

The concept of Ski Week brings to mind a lovely European scene complete with tall snow covered mountains, quaint Alpine lodge, mulled wine, schnitzel, cheese fondue and the always faithful St. Bernard. Reality is quite different.

I had the opportunity to ski a lot as a kid, and I have no idea how my mother did it. It’s one thing if you are an adult who presumably can manage to haul your gear and get yourself on the mountain. It is a very different (read: painful) thing entirely when you are dragging your children up the mountain, But Mom did it, often, and it was awesome. I have been semi-successful at getting my kids to ski. The biggest obstacle, of course, has been the lack of snow. This year was better, but our one outing was not that enjoyable do to blizzard-like conditions. Who knows when we’ll go back…

The best I can do is recreate that blissful scene from the Alps. As hard as it is to get in the mood with this unseasonably warm weather, it’s harder to pass up the opportunity for melted cheese.

Classic Cheese Fondue
Fondue possibilities are endless, and you can get pretty creative, so mix your cheeses and dippers. Try a gorgonzola fondue with cut up pears—the bomb!

Although it is great to have a traditional fondue pot, don’t let that stop you! What you need is a pot with a source of heat underneath so the fondue stays melted. You can even use a cast iron pot with sterno or a tea light underneath. Read more…

Spiced Lamb Sliders with Harissa Mayonnaise and Cucumber

Super Bowl, Schmooper Bowl

I sat down to write a post about Super Bowl food, but find myself less than excited about the entire thing. I’m not sure if it’s because I have no real interest in the two teams playing, or if it’s because I see the potential for mass hysteria on the roadways. Or maybe I’m just kinda cranky…it’s been known to happen.

It’s weird, really. I have always been a football fan. Some might say a rabid football fan. (Go Ducks!) But for some reason, this year I don’t care all that much. Don’t get me wrong, I will watch the game, and I may even invite a few folks over to join us. But my excitement will be more for the commercials and food than any thing else.

However, if there is something to be excited about it’s these sliders—they are the bomb! (Just ask my kids, who couldn’t stop eating them—even with the Harissa Mayo.) They are the perfect finger food, and therefore they are perfect for your Super Bowl spread…with our without the game.

Spiced Lamb Sliders with Harissa Mayonnaise and Cucumber
Adapted from Market Math Cookbook by Food & Wine Magazine
Yields 12 sliders Read more…