Capellini and White Clam Sauce

This is one of my favorite dishes. Perfect for a weeknight and the only seafood dish I can cook for myself, this is a treat that I try and enjoy one a month. The recipe calls for 2 cans of minced clams, but I usually use 1 can minced and 1 can chopped. Before you scoff at canned clams - they are delicious and a lot less work than buying, scrubbing and cooking whole fresh...

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Creamy Cocktail Sauce

During Culinary School we were often called upon to develop our own recipes for things. My partner in crime was fellow chef Patti Smith. She and I would spend lots of time brainstorming of new items for us to try. Some things wouldn't work out so well, but most of our creations I still use today and on a regular basis. Here is one of my favorites - this is perfect for steamed or boiled shrimp and has a regular place on our Kentucky Derby Party...

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Baked Pork Chops with Parmesan-Sage Crust

This is one of my favorite week night, somewhat easy to do after work meals. I am a fan of pork chops and you can buy them at such a great deal at Costco. I buy them and freeze them in small batches. On nights I want to cook with them, I put them in the fridge the night before to defrost. These have an amazing flavor and form a great crust. I prefer to use boneless...

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Garlic Marinated Lamb with Garlic Chive Mashers

I've always been a fan of Ming Tsai as he does an excellent job with fusion food. My dad brought home some 2-inch thick lamb loin chops and we wanted something new to use for a marinade. I did a little searching and found this at Food TV and it looks delicious. We didn't have 12 hours to marinate, but we were able to squeeze in 4 or 5 hours and that did the trick. I can...

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Cool Zucchini Soup

I heard about this on NPR a few weeks ago and after a quite fruitful trip to a local Farmer's Market on Saturday, I had some of the freshest zucchini I has ever seen in my hot little hands. I decided it was the perfect time for making this soup. The zucchini was so fresh that the soup had a slight sweetness to it. I garnished it with some freshly sliced basil from my parent's...

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Citrus Marinated Pork Chops

Citrus Marinated Pork ChopsServes 44, 8-oz double thick cut boneless center cut pork chops2 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 Tbls grainy mustard10 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems and choppedZest and juice of 1 limeZest and juice of 1 lemonZest and juice of 1 orangeIn a gallon plastic bag or a high-sided baking dish mix, whisk together the orange, lemon, and lime juice and zest, thyme leaves, grainy mustard, and oil. Place meat into the marinade...

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