Linguine w/Fresh Clam Sauce (dinner)

by Irene Lindvall

Recipe number two for today was fantastic. I love a good clam or mussel pasta so I've been quite excited to make this dish. I found cherrystone clams at my local grocery store and I was quite surprised at their size in comparison to their cousin, the manila clam. I went with just over two pounds of them which equaled four large clams each. After the first six minutes of cooking only two of them had opened. I decided not to remove the unopened ones as the recipe suggested and kept cooking them in the hopes they would open. Two more of them opened and Eric managed to pry open three more. All that work (not really any work at all) was worth it because this dish was fantastic. Eric thought the sauce was tasty and fancy, and for me, it was everything I hoped for - a great clam linguine like I would order from any nice restaurant.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I learned this before: I always need back-up clams. I forgot they occasionally choose not to open and it is quite inconvenient when it is the only source of protein for the meal.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe - That magazine again.

Guacamole Salad

by Irene Lindvall

I decided to make this a two recipe day. I made turkey soft tacos/taco salad for lunch and used this guacamole salad as a topping. The only change I made was cutting the jalapeño in half because I just couldn't stand another recipe that was too hot. It turns out I probably could've used the entire jalapeño but it was just fine. Serving this dish was a spoon is a must (not slotted) because the oil mixture at the bottom is delicious. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Tomatoes + salt = tasty.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe - The magazine 

Filipino Chicken Adobo (dinner)

by Irene Lindvall

I was supposed to make this for dinner last night, but we got a really late start to the day and didn't start to think about dinner until 9pm. That was when I noticed the chicken needed 30 minutes - 1 hour to marinate. I decided that couldn't happen so last night was a bust. Today I happened to notice that the dish also needed significant cooking time (more than 35min) but we managed to eat by 7:30pm. Other than the dish taking a long time to cook, everything was great. There was basically no prep, the coconut mixture is made while the chicken is in its first phase of cooking and there is barely any clean-up. Overall, we thought the dish was good, but agreed we wouldn't want to eat it all the time. It is quite rich from the coconut milk and for me, it was a little sweet - perhaps from that and a combination of the apple cider vinegar.

Things I learned form this recipe:

Even though a dish can take a long time to cook, it doesn't seem like it when there is no prep and little clean-up.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe - The magazine

Stir-fried Shrimp (lunch)

by Irene Lindvall

Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law! We had dinner out together which means I needed to make lunch for us. I went with another recipe from the Best Ever Cooking for Two Magazine. It seemed like an easy recipe but there were a lot of steps. The prep took a lot longer than I expected. Step two was to clean the shrimp and marinade them for at least 10 minutes so I turned that into step one. They ended up marinating for at least 15 minutes while I was preparing the sauces and other steps. Everything was easy to cook and the taste was great. The pineapple was extremely juicy, and I ended up serving the shrimp over 1/2 a cup of rice. Another great dish for a cold day.

Things I learned from this recipe:

The pineapple chunks would've been better smaller. However, I am glad I went with the fresh pre-cut from the grocery store instead of the canned.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe 

Thai Chicken w/Basil (dinner)

by Irene Lindvall

We're back from Vegas and I've got the rest of the month planned out. I'm going to be relying heavily on my "Best-Ever Cooking for Two" from America's Test Kitchen & Cooks Illustrated up until Thanksgiving and that is just fine by me. This dish caught my eye because it had few ingredients, is simple to make and it's warm - a necessity thanks to the weather outside. The flavors were all great in this dish, but I'd say two serrano chiles was probably a little too much heat for me (my supermarket didn't have Thai chiles). As the recipe suggested, I added more fish sauce and vinegar after serving, and that cut the heat slightly, but I definitely stayed away from adding too many pepper flakes. All that said, I'd definitely eat this again but with slightly less heat. It was all I had hoped for in such an easy dish.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Two serrano chiles for two people + the seeds is extremely hot.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe - A link to the magazine that everyone should own or gift to a cook they love.