Painter at Heart

Painter at Heart

Guest written by our friend Mason Abbott

Being at home all day has inspired me to try out some of the hobbies I’ve always wondered about and as it turns out, painting is exactly where my passion lies. I never would have thought I’d be into art but I bought myself a set of oils and now I’m painting just about every day. I got Randsburg Internet at home so I could look up and read about techniques and I can definitely tell I’m getting better just in the paintings I’m producing, you know? My mom says she would buy my stuff if she didn’t know it was mine and that’s one of the biggest compliments I can imagine getting! I think I’m going to sign up for an art class soon and see if I can actually get good enough to try and sell some of my work at a local coffee shop or something. I sure wish I could skip all this learning and go straight to the being a famous artist part! I wish!

Homemade Olive Garden Dinner

After trying my Alfredo sauce, my wife wanted me to make a salad dressing that tasted like Olive Garden's.  I did some searching and found a pretty easy looking recipe.  I went for it.  I also made homemade fettuccine noodles and the Alfredo sauce again.  I didn't make bread sticks but, I did make my garlic bread.  We set up some candles and had a glass of wine to make an enjoyable, romantic dinner.  Here is what went down:


Homemade Olive Garden Dinner

Salad Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Put everything in a blender and blend until well mixed.  This tastes much better after sitting in the fridge overnight.  Don't be disappointed with the white color of the dressing.
• Serve with lettuce and your favorite veggies.  I had onions, tomatoes, and banana peppers.  And croutons and Parmesan.

Homemade Fettuccine Noodles
1 1/2 cups Semolina Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

• Combine flour and salt.  Add beaten egg, water, and oil.  Mix to make a stiff dough.  Knead for 10 minutes or until dough is elastic.  Wrap dough in towel and let rest 20 minutes. 
• On lightly floured surface, roll out to desired thickness and cut or use a pasta roller.
• Add to large pot of boiling water and cook until tender, just a few mintues.
• Drain and mix with Alfredo Sauce.  Top with grilled chicken.  Serve with Garlic Bread.

Yummy yummy in my tummy!  This was a lot cheaper and fresher than going out. 

Boston Bruins Clam Chowder

OK, so I've never been to Boston before.  But I'd love to.  Boston is home to the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins!  Boston is the most Irish city in America.  The Dropkick Murphys love Boston.  I have my brother to thank for my love of Boston and really just the whole Irish culture.  I may have never discovered what we were all about if it wasn't for him.  So Matt, thank you!

My friend, John Keel, and I have made clam chowders before that were delicious.  I don't remember the recipe exactly.  I did some searching on the net for recipes that looked similar.  I found one that was pretty close to what we had made.  It is Emeril's Boston Clam Chowder.  I tweaked a few things here and there according to what I had on hand.  Here is what happened:

Boston Clam Chowder
6 slices thick bacon, medium sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs butter
1/4 ts poultry seasoning
1/4 ts Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
3 tbs flour
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 bottles clam juice
5 cans chopped clams, drained with juice reserved
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 ts dried parsley
Sharp cheddar cheese
Croutons

• Render bacon in large pot on medium heat, until crispy.  Add butter.  Stir in onion, celery, and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add the poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf.  Stir in flour and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and all clam juice.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender.
• Add milk and heavy whipping cream and bring to a simmer.  Add the clams and cook for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the parsley.  Season with salt and pepper is desired.
• Spoon into bowl and top with cheese and croutons if desired.

This wasn't as thick as I was hoping it would have been.  It was more of a soupy consistency.  Next time I will probably omit the milk or even one bottle of clam juice.  Perhaps more flour is called for...however the flavor was amazing!  I will be making this again as soon as we get some more cold weather!