Browny's Clam Chowder (revisited)

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped celery
1/2 C chopped carrot
1 tsp minced garlic
4 strips bacon, chopped
1/4 C flour
3 C low-far (1%) milk
1 1/2 lbs red thin-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-in chunks
4 cans (6.5 oz each) chopped clams, drained
2 bottles (8 oz each) clam juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 C half-and-half

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-qt pot over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, carrot and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a plate.
2. Cook bacon in pan, stirring, until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; discard all but 1 Tbsp drippings.
3. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly browned, about 1 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly and letting mixture bubble between additions. Add potatoes, clams, juice, salt, pepper and reserved vegetables.
4. Simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced, about 25 minutes. Add thyme and half-and-half. Sprinkle with bacon.

Serves 6-8

My notes:
This was so good!  My mom made this for us tonight and it was very tasty.  The only bad thing about this was that we finally realized that all that clam chowder we had consumed over the years during Lent actually contained bacon...not really a good thing, haha.

Butterscotch Bars

Butterscotch Bars

Ingredients

1 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cooking spray
3/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups butterscotch morsels (about 8 ounces)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla and egg. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add oat mixture to sugar mixture; stir with a fork until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Place 3 cups oat mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; press into bottom of pan. Set aside.
3. Place sweetened condensed milk, butterscotch morsels, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until butterscotch morsels melt, stirring every 20 seconds. Stir in walnuts. Scrape mixture into pan, spreading evenly over crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining oat mixture, gently pressing into butterscotch mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Place pan on a cooling rack; run a knife around outside edge. Cool completely.

My notes:
So good! I used a slightly smaller pan to cook these in and it affected the bars (by increasing cooking time and time needed to brown the top), but they were still delicious. Can't ever have enough non-chocolate dessert recipes!

Antipasto-Style Penne

Antipasto-Style Penne

Ingredients

1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup refrigerated pesto
3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
1 (7-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and chopped
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 8 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop bell pepper; place in a large bowl. Stir in olives, pesto, prosciutto, tomatoes, and artichokes.
3. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Add cooked pasta and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to bell pepper mixture, and toss gently to combine. Spoon about 1 cup pasta mixture into each of 6 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons remaining cheese and 2 teaspoons pine nuts.

My notes:
My mom made this and it was so good. Everything in this is delicious on its own so it makes sense that it would be great all put together. The hardest part was probably the peppers since ours just wouldn't peel, but otherwise it's very easy to put together.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray, and dust with the breadcrumbs.
3. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Beat the butter in a large bowl at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar and vanilla, beating until well-blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
4. Spoon the batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes (then at five minute increments until done) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake.

Note: You can use a 12 cup Bundt pan instead of the 10-inch tube pan. Just reduce the oven temperature to 325º.

My notes:
This was so good! It was so moist and delicious. Big crowd pleaser at the Super Bowl party!