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I learned this recipe at the 3rd Annual Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival in Fairmont. The co-founder's father taught it. His tasted way better than what I made last night. Buttery. I'm not sure if he added butter because people were so loud and rude that I missed a lot of his presentation unfortunately. Even if I missed something, what I made still tasted pretty good. I used a whole pound of pasta and we have a couple of lunches' worth of leftovers. It was easy to make, too, and just expensive enough to feel like a splurge. PASTA WITH SHRIMP, CLAMS AND ARTICHOKES From Larry Colaianni 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 1 8-ounce package angel hair pasta 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 can of clams 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup chopped parsley 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese Pepper flakes Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to directions or until al d...

Of all the memorable parts of dirty Judy Blume books, there is one that makes my mouth water in a wholesome way. Might've known it'd be food writing. "Justine was the ultimate caterer, the finest, the classiest, the most gourmet. Sandy knew the menu by heart. So did all the other guests. There would be no palatable surprises. But no one would go hungry. Crab fingers, marinated mushrooms, miniature pizzas, cheese and spinach quiche, tiny shells filled with chicken a la king, giant shrimp to hold by the tail, and later, at midnight, Justine herself would emerge from the kitchen, offering whole fillets of beef, slice before your very eyes and placed on squares of hot garlic brea, eliminating the hostess's need for renting china or silverware. And later still the buffet table would be laden with delectable French pastries and freshly brewed coffee." -- "Wifey" by Judy Blume (Pocket Books, 1978) I learned a lot of things from Judy Blume, not least of which wa...

I got myself a copy of "The Comfort Table" by Mrs. Billy Joel, Katie Lee, as she was known growing up in West Virginia. I plan to review it here later. The first recipe I tried after a quick flip-through is the Polar Bear, which she describes as a grown-up coffee milkshake that will warm you up in the winter and cool you down in summer. Well... it's kind of a glorified White Russian. Or maybe a watered-down cousin of a White Russian. It was OK. And my husband, who doesn't drink alcohol at all, said "I've had better shakes." Hey, it got us to take the 2-year-old hand blender that I *had to have* on its maiden voyage. Polar Bear From "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee Joel (2008, Simon Spotlight Entertainment) 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar 1 pint vanilla ice cream 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur Cocoa powder Put four dessert glasses in the freezer. Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. ...

On Christmas morning at my house, I want some easy but special nibbles to enjoy while we open presents. This is probably the most relaxed I'll be all day. As soon as we clean up wrapping paper, we change out of our PJs and start packing the car to go to my mom's house across the county for lunch. Not only do I take presents, I find myself taking more and more of the meal -- either dishes I've made ahead or the ingredients, recipes and kitchen equipment to prepare them. This year I'll be doing everything at her house. But that's another post. I make these easy rolls to treat myself and others throughout the year. They are just different fillings for crescent roll dough. CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BRUNCH ROLLS 3 tubes of crescent rolls dough (If it's the traditional triangle cut, you'll have to push the perforations together. For this recipe, try to get the new variation where the dough is in strips or one big sheet.) Jar of Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread (look f...

If you need something to fill in your Christmas Eve dinner party buffet or if you were asked ot attend a holiday potluck at the last minute, try these elegant and supremely easy little wonders. Buy some whole pitted dates, some goat cheese and some walnuts. I'm assuming you have powdered sugar and orange juice on hand. Split one side of the whole date. Grab a little piece of goat cheese and stuff it in the date. Plop a walnut half or piece (depending on the size of the date) on top. Drizzle the whole batch with some icing you whip up by mixing a little orange juice into some powdered sugar.

Well, I don't cheat at all cookies, but close readers will see my Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich cookies from an early post start with a boxed cake mix. And this Christmas cookie, rugelach, which I have never attempted to make from scratch, starts with a storebought pie crust. I saw it on the Rachael Ray TV show and had to try it. If I ever make it again, I'll try different jams for the filling or use Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread instead of fooling with the melted butter and cocoa. This isn't bad tasting but it's not spectacular either. But it's a good way to get a little visual variety on your cookie tray, which is what I was going for. For Rachael Ray's recipe and a video demonstration, click here .

I almost added the word "easy" to the headline on this post. The recipe for Christmas Spice Butter is easy. Admittedly, the other technique -- for making dinner rolls shaped like doves -- requires some time and an eye for detail. If you like the sweet, spicy butter at Texas Roadhouse, this is a good knock-off. It is great on rolls and sweet potatoes. CHRISTMAS SPICE BUTTER 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon sugar Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and well-combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 cup. Shaping the doves is the hardest part of making the rolls because you're using thawed frozen rolls. It's no harder than rolling the bread dough into a rope and tying a knot. You'll need clean kitchen shears to snip the tail into feathers. Whole cloves are the eyes and sl...

On Friday I interviewed an artist, Morgantown metalsmith Amy Johns, at her shop in the historic Seneca Center. She shares The Little Studio with business partner and fellow crafter Carolyn Schuessler and the glass factory's original freight elevator that dates to 1902. Amy and Carolyn had set up Christmas cookies, punch and hot wassail for a holiday open house. At their urging, I grabbed a cup while they helped a customer. Then, without much urging, Carolyn shared her recipe. I made it for the church youth group Christmas party at my house tonight. A few of the teens tried it with no complaints and the oldest youth adviser, probably in his 70s, went back for more than one glass. I just had a little myself with a nip of brandy in it ... but only after all the guests have gone home. Wassail 1 gallon apple cider 1 large can frozen orange juice concentrate 1 large can pineapple juice 8 short cinnamon sticks or 4 long ones 27 whole cloves Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot. Simmer ...

Held the first Christmas cookie exchange with the church ladies' group Wednesday night. Only three people showed besides me. Heavy fog and prior commitments kept people away. I hope it will catch on in subsequent years. Here are three recipes (one woman didn't bring hers to copy.) REESE BALLS 1 1/2 cups graham crackers 1 1/3 cups crunchy peanut butter 1 box confectioners' sugar 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips 2/3 block food-grade paraffin (Gulf Wax brand) Note: Paraffin is no longer receommended for consumption. You can add a small amount of Crisco to the chocolate to make it shiny Crush graham crackers until fine. Add peanut butter, sugar and melted butter. Roll mixture into balls. Melt paraffin wax with chocolate chips. Dip balls with toothpick into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper until dry. Should make approximately 5 dozen depending on the size of the balls. HARVEST COOKIES 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ba...

I guess I just gave it away. Let me explain ... . I had a wish come true this holiday season, two actually, sort of. I grew up occasionally wondering where my family came from but I could never get a satisfactory answer, or really much of an answer at all, about our origins, our heritage. My maiden name is Molisee. I thought maybe we were German but I settled on us being regular ol' American mutt. And I was sad. Though not sad or curious enough to dig into genealogy. My Aunt Mary was spurred by her desire to join the Daughters of the American Revolution to unearth the roots of our family tree. She ascertained that the Molisees are from the Molise region of Italy, beneath Abruzzo (kinda the Achilles heel of the boot) on the Adriatic Sea. So my first wish -- to know my heritage -- came true. And my second wish, which I am almost too shy to publish, was to be Italian. I was romanced mainly by the food, by travel stories and movies to a lesser degree, and by the rich traditions -- of w...

I was in a better humor on the first snow day of the school year, Oct. 28, when I started this post. I had nothing planned that day, unlike today when I am supposed to be working like a regular person in a city with adults and lunching with a dear friend. But enough about my troubles. The day I was in a good mood I made my daughter and her cousin waffles from-scratch because I had the time and inclination and patience... with the children and circumstances ... not the waffle-making process. Actually homemade waffles are not all that hard to make. Consider treating your family or just yourself this cold, snowy weekend. And if there is just one of you, freeze the extras and pop them in the toaster on the "defrost" setting on weekday mornings. This is where a vacuum sealer comes in handy. I own a Reynolds Handi-Vac and I will review it at the end of this blog and give you the recipe I use for "regular" waffles that you can add blueberries or other mix-ins to or just se...

"Gobs" is such an ugly word. But the cookie called by any other name is just as sweet. And if you get the commercially made ones...you know, spelled Gobz and sold at Sheetz convenience stores...they taste like nothing but sweet. These, ahem, chocolate-peppermint sandwich cookies I started making last year have distinct flavors besides just sweet. And the texture of the cookie is distinctly chewy and crackly compared to the soft creaminess of the buttercream filling. Divine. I recommend using more schnapps than milk when thinning the frosting for optimum punchiness. I prefer King Leo peppermint sticks for the same reason, plus they crunch up better, but I couldn't find them this year and had to settle for some generic bulk candies that are just OK. It's OK if the frosting is a little stiffer than you'd use on a cake because you are not spreading it, it's a filling and you want it to be able to hold up the weight of the top cookie. DEVIL'S FOOD COOKIES 1 18....