Quick, Simple, Cheap Clam Marinara

What had happened was...

When my cousin comes to visit he and I like to cook, and I mean COOK. He used to be a chef and a lot of the things I learned about cooking is from him. Okay so anyways, one night we were hanging out at home thinking about what to do for dinner. We went to the pantry, freezer, fridge, and every rectangular shaped storage space looking for food. Our search was unsuccessful. Everyone in my house was pretty tired so we didn't want to do anything to strenuous. After having found no food we made a trip to the local grocery store and picked up a few things to make dinner. We didn't have anything particular in mind so we just grabbed some stuff and left. Literally, in and out. 

Our Loot:

• 2 Cans of Newman's Own Marinara sauce (just plain)
• 2 Cans of baby clams
• 1 Package of Angel Hair Pasta
• Some fresh bread from the bakery

The Process

We decided that these ingredients were enough to make a pretty good meal so we headed home. We broke out the pots and pans and the cooking was underway. First, we brought a pot of water to a boil. Next, we poured the marinara into a smaller pot and started to heat it up. While those were working we opened our clams and did one last look in the house for some more potential ingredients. To our luck we had some fresh garlic. We minced that up and added it along with our clams (drained) to the marinara. We also added some of the juice from one can of clams for more clam flavored goodness. We let that cook until the water was boiling, added the pasta to water, turned down the heat on the marinara, and let the stove do its thing. When the pasta was done we strained it, put some extra virgin olive oil over it to prevent sticking, and dinner was served. As for the bread we sliced it up and put out a little dish with some olive oil and pepper for a side/ appetizer. All in all it was pretty good. An added bonus was that it was super cheap. 

 

Fridge Cleanout: Cheese Dip

The Issue:

Today I stopped at Chipotle to pick up some lunch and they didn't have any Queso (if you don't speak Spanish that means cheese). Most people would be outraged at this but not I. Why you ask? I thought, "I can make my own". When I got home I scoured the fridge for cheeses. We haven't been to the store in a while and just cleaned out our fridge so there were slim pickings. Here's what I had:

• 2 Slices of Swiss cheese
• 1 Slice of American
• A tub of Gorgonzola (I only used a little because it is very strong)
• A quarter inch thick slice of Lite Havarti
• 1 String Cheese
• Parmesan (The grated kind)- I used a tablespoon or so

The Process:

What I did was put a little milk into a saucepan on high heat until it began to steam. Next, I added my conglomeration of cheeses, some fresh parsley, ground Oregano, white pepper, paprika, minced garlic (fresh), and some salt. Then, I put the heat on low and let it simmer until I had a sort of chunky, liquid, cheesy mess. It was a little too runny so I added a spoonful of flour and let it dissolve into the mixture.  Then I brought the heat up a little. I did this because the cheese started to coagulate. (I just thought I would use that word for fun, it's not blood but it was a liquid that began to harden so whatever). After five or ten minutes I had some delicious cheese dip. In order to keep it warm I stuck it in a bowl and then put it in the oven with my Chipotle lunch.  

The Aftermath: 

After making this I researched how to actually make cheese dip and based off of what I learned.... let's just say Gordon Ramsay would not be very happy with me. But still, it worked.

1. In a sauce pan melt two tablespoons of butter (this can be changed depending on how much dip you want to make
2. Then add 2 spoonful's of flour until the butter thickens (again, varies depending on the quantity of butter you use).
3. Next add whatever cheeses you wish to dip your (Insert food of choice here) into and a little salt. Note: You have to be careful adding salt, if you are using salty cheeses I wouldn't recommend it but if you are a salt lover then by all means.

4. Whisk until the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and violà- cheese dip.

   Note: If you want to keep your cheese dip warm for use later (like if you are making it ahead of time for a party or something) put an OVEN SAFE bowl into the oven at about 300˚. Don't use too high of a temperature or you may crack your dish when it comes out due to the temperature change. You can also put your cheese dip in the bowl and put it back in the oven. Depending on how long it will stay in there the temperature will vary, be careful because you don't want to cook it any more and burn it.

   If you wish to garnish your dip chop some fresh parsley or other leafy herb and put it in the middle or next to the bowl on a dish. You could also sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. 

Personally, I think that Queso should actually be called "Queso Fundido". It's much catchier and literally means Melted Cheese.

If you want to know how I made the meme I used the Internet: Link

I don't care if you borrow my meme but could you at least credit my blog?

Thanks for reading!