Linguine con vongole

For some reason I have been on a seafood kick.  This is very strange for me, because a couple of years ago, I would not have touched any kind of seafood with a ten-foot pole (besides shrimp and tuna fish from a can, that is).  Almost everytime I've gone out to eat, I've been finding myself gravitating towards the seafood and ordering that. Very risky on my part as well.

Not to brag (okay, maybe I'm bragging a little), nothing I've ordered at a restaurant has tasted better than this one pasta dish I made with clams, shrimp, and scallops. 

Shrimp and scallops I had no problem with...clams however... If you asked me 3 years ago to eat a clam, I would have laughed and thought you were joking. My boyfriend, being the adventurous eater that he is, convinced me to try it. And guess what? I love them! I love the saltiness, although I do warn that a grain of sand can throw you off at first if you chew too vigorously. 

I'm so happy he convinced to me try it, because in addition to clams, he has helped me try many new foods that I've never tried before. I am also proud of myself for being brave enough to try things that once scared me. Hooray for trying new things!

Linguine con vongole (and shrimp and scallops)

1 pound pasta (linguine or angel hair)
1/4 C olive oil
4-5 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
12 little neck clams (thoroughly cleaned from any sand debris)
1/4 pound shrimp
1/2 pound scallops
3/4 C white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
1 C fresh parsley, chopped
sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, cook to package instructions, and drain well. 

Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter over medium flame in a deep saute pan. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes if desired, and saute about 2 minutes.  Add clams, wine, and lemon juice.  Cover the pan with a lid to allow clams to cook.  Shake the pan periodically until all the clams have opened up--if some clams have not opened up, remove them from the pan and discard.  Add the shrimp and scallops and cook until shrimp is pink and scallops are opaque throughout.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce in the pan, season with salt and pepper, and toss pasta until it is coated with the sauce.  Extra olive oil may be used here if necessary.  Garnish pasta with the freshly chopped parsley.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi everyone!  It has been very stressful the past couple weeks for me.  The lease for my college house ended at the end of July, so I have been busy packing things up and moving things out to go back home. Once I got home, my room looked as if a hurricane came though and I just couldn't deal with the chaos for a few days before I was able to start tackling the mess and organizing it bit by bit.

Before I packed everything away, I had been scanning through my pantry to see what food I could use up... one less thing to take back (and I hate throwing away food). I noticed I had a bag of coconut that I had used just a little bit of for coconut shrimp. I was wondering, what could I use the rest of this coconut for? I knew I wanted it to be something sweet versus savory and I had asked my boyfriend if he wanted any cookies for when I went to visit him.

Enter coconut chocolate chip cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies are always a great cookie to make, because who doesn't love them? I thought it would be a fun and interesting twist to incorporate coconut into them as well!

I modified the chocolate chip cookie recipe I normally use and went from there! They were the perfect combination of crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time and until well blended. Add the vanilla. Making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the flour mixture a little at a time until well blended.  Add the coconut and then the chocolate chips

Drop dough, about 1 inch in diameter onto a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Depending on your oven, bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on a wire rack or a spare piece of parchment paper.

You can keep these in an airtight container for about a week, although they probably won't even last that long!  Cookies are best enjoyed with a glass of milk :)