Would You Like Something From the Dessert Menu?

Mother's Club was tonight! So enjoyed a night out with friends!  The home guys were on their own for dinner - what did they have? Leftovers!! Woo Hoo!!! Oh, but wait,  I already blogged about the chowder.  So I have to cook on my night off? Hmmm what will it be?  I know! I know! CHOCOLATE!  I haven't posted any desserts yet.  It has to be a recipe that is quick, easy and can be made with the ingredients that I have at home.

Today's Feature Recipe:

Quick and Easy Bars

1/2butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 bag miniature marshmallows
1 cjup peanut butter minus 2 tablespoons

Melt chips, peanut buttter, and butter over low heat.  Stil until melted and hot, but not boiling.  Pour over small marshmallows into the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan.  Refrigerate.

Diggin' the Clams

Ok, so we've already established the fact that I love soup.  Tonight, I made a soup that I had never had before - Manhattan Clam Chowder.  I've had the other version many many times - New England Clam Chowder that is.  I never knew there was a different clam chowder.  So what's the story behind Manhattan Clam Chowder?  Are the clams from Manhattan? Are they from New England, but wanted to "move on up to the east side", to the thriving metropolis of Manhattan?  I'm sure someone knows the story behind the multiple clam chowders.  Honestly, I do not care - I am just thrilled that they both exist.  This was wonderful soup.  I definitely recommend it.

Today's feature recipe at Table 4 Five:

Manhattan Clam Chowder

2 tablespoons chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
4 (6 1/2 oz) cans minced clams
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (5.5 oz) cans V8
4 small potatoes, cubed
1 small carrot, chopped
Dash marjoram
Salt
cayenne pepper
1 slice bacon cooked and crumbled (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
Simmer covered for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Easy Pleasey!

I'm learning with this bloggery commitment that even if I'm not going to be home for dinner, I still have to prepare something for the rest of the table.  Today was one of those days.  I wasn't supposed to be home for dinner, so I needed something quick, yummy, and easy.  Solution - Quesadillas.

You can make quesadillas out of just about anything.  Mix meat, veggies, cheese.  Put in tortilla and bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Can it get any easier?

Tonight at Table 4 Five, we had Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas and Salmon Quesadillas.

Pasta By Any Other Name...

Sometimes bloggery buddies, it's about substitution.  Perhaps it is not the best practice when it comes to recipes, but if a recipe calls for penne pasta and I have rotini - guess what I'm going to use?  I won't substitute any pasta for another, it has to at least look a little bit alike. Nobody will ever know the difference unless you tell them.  A noodle is a noodle is a noodle.

Today's feature recipe at Table 4 Five:

Rotini with Spinach and Feta

8 oz rotini pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped tomatoes
10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz tomato basil feta cheese
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Set Aside

Heat oil in large pot.  Add tomatoes, spianch, garlic. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until mixture is heated thoroughly.  Add pasta and cheese; cook 1 minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper

Where'd You Get That App?

Finger Food...why do they call it finger food? No, no I understand "why" they call it finger food - because you eat it with your "fingers" - but you don't call soup - "spoon food"; you don't call salad - "fork food".   Oh well, let's just call them appetizers. Small little bite size food wonders.  Other courses are probably jealous of appetizers - appetizers are THE party food.

Today's feature recipe at Table 4 Five:

Spicy Seafood Shell Appetizers (allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
10 drops hot pepper sauce
1 (4 oz) can small shrimp drained
1 (6 oz) can crabmeat, drained and flaked
2 (2.1 oz) package mini phyllo tart shells
paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.  Gently stir in shrimp and crabmeat.

Form phyllo dough into shells.  Fill shells with the mixture.

Arrange stuffed shells on baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Yes I Can Can!!

When it comes to dinner, what's easier than opening a can?  I know that fresh is better, but some recipes do not call for fresh - they call for easy.  Easy can be healthy too, don't you think? 

As I said a few bloggerys ago, I love soup. There's nothing like hot soup on a cold winter's night.  One good thing about soup is that you can put pretty much anything in it.  Even if you don't like something, you can usually throw it is a pot of soup, and magically you will like it.  Soup has that kind of power.  Soup is also the ultimate for leftover concoctionery (I know you so enjoy these words that I make up) - just get a large pot and start throwing those leftovers in and heat it up.  Not only do you have some tasty soup, but your fridge is cleaned out too.  Two birds, one stone.  How wonderful.

Although leftover concoctionery soup is a fabulous meal, it is not the soup that we had tonight at Table 4 Five.  Tonight was all about opening a can. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't just open a can of Campbells, this is actually a recipe - a very good one I might add.

Tonight's feature recipe at Table 4 Five:

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can chunk chicken
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained

Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies.  Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot.  Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through.

TGIF

I have got to start making my bloggery recipe before 11pm on Friday night.  As usual it is almost midnight and I'm posting away trying to beat the clock.  Sorry bloggery buddies, but this will be a quick post.

Tonight's late night snack at Table 4 Five:

Baked Scallops (allrecipes.com - submitted by John Bragg)

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds bay scallops, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Pour melted butter into 2 qt oval casserole dish. Distribute butter an scallops evenly inside the dish.
Combine the bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika parsley, minced garlic and parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle mixture over the scallops.
Bake in pre-heated oven until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes.