Clam Crunch!

contributed by Susie Schmidt, Stamford, CT
CHEX® Create-A-Recipe Book, 1977

A recent thrift store find was the CHEX® Create-A-Recipe Book (1977) which is filled with "proof that Chex is much more than just a breakfast cereal...not only a great way to start the day but a wonderful way to make good things taste better."

ALL RECIPES IN THIS BOOK HAVE BEEN TESTED AT CHECKERBOARD KITCHENS the frontispiece proudly proclaims, and though I forgot to get a rating from Dr. Husband on this recipe, it's safe to say that it's a "1" screaming husband.

I mostly chose Clam Crunch for the name (I'm a sucker for alliteration) and because clams are something that Dr. Husband has historically not cared for, but this turned out surprisingly well and I would not hesitate to serve these as an appetizer or perhaps as part of a tapas evening. (I've never hosted a tapas evening - but it sounds lovely, doesn't it?)

Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon snipped parsley
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) minced clams, drained (reserve liquid)
1 egg, beaten
2 cups Rice Chex cereal

In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and parsley. Slowly stir in clam liquid until smooth. Add egg and clams. Mix well. Stir in Rice Chex to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir to combine.

Heat oil (1/8 inch deep) in skillet. Drop 1 heaping tablespoon clam mixture into hot oil. Pat with spoon to form 3-inch patty. Repeat to form 8 patties. Brown over medium heat. Turn. Brown . Drain on absorbent paper. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

The proof's in the pudding, so here's what Dr. Husband thought:

Our Rating: One Screaming Husband!
(all dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce proceedings.)

Herb-Glazed Triple-Decker Ham-Clam Sandwiches

The Midnight Cookbook (1971) and Joys of Jell-O (1962)

Happy Valentine's Day!  To demonstrate my everlasting love for you, I've crafted a composite recipe from two different sources, because that's how much I care. 

Source number one: The Midnight Cookbook: A Guide to Intimate Dining (1971) by Thomas Mario. From the frontspiece:
The Midnight Cookbook offers an escape into the debonair world of late-night feasting...whether you're a swinging single on a late date, a housewife or husband eager to seduce your partner with gustatory delights, or a party-giver planning mouth-watering specialties of the house, Thomas Mario offers step-by-step instructions on food preparation and gives suggestions for drinks to precede and complement the meal.

From the cover art, I think it's safe to assume that "swinging" is the operative word in the above description.

A

Also, "gustatory" is apparently a word.

The basic recipe, for "Triple Deck (sic) Clam and Ham Sandwiches" is found on page 43. My own alterations are noted:

24 thin slices white sandwich bread (I used a mini pumpernickel loaf)
Soft butter or margarine
2 cans (10 ounces) baby clams, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pound boiled or baked ham, thinly sliced
1 pound firm ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt
Pepper 

Chop clams fine. Combine clams with mayonnaise, celery, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread bread with soft butter. Spread clam mixture on one slice bread. Place second slice on top. Place ham and tomatoes on second slice of bread, keeping both within bread margin. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Continue in this manner until 8 sandwiches are assembled. Crust may be left on or sliced off with very sharp knife. Wrap each sandwich individually with clear or plastic wrap. Chill. (The recipe goes on to suggest broiling the sandwiches and serving them with a dill cream sauce. I ignored this bit. Instead...) 

Source number two:  The bountiful 1962 Joys of Jell-O has a whole section devoted to extended Jell-O techniques. Among them, on page 75, is "Herb-glazed sandwiches".   

"Your luncheon or tea sandwiches stay fresh and flavorful under a glaze," the booklet joyously proclaims!

1 2/3 cups water
1/8 teaspoon peppercorn (I used a bit more)
1/2 bay leaf (I used a whole one)
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 package (3 oz.) lemon Jell-O Gelatin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of cayenne
3 tablespoons vinegar (I used tarragon vinegar)
6 to 8 open-faced sandwiches, 0r 12 to 14 appetizer-size sandwiches

Combine water, peppercorns, bay leaf, and dried dill in a saucepan. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes; strain. Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin, salt, and cayenne in the hot liquid. Add vinegar. Chill until syrupy. Place sandwiches on a rack and pour syrupy gelatin over them, allowing about 1/4 cup for each large sandwich or 2 tablespoons for each small sandwich. Chill until glaze is firm. Makes about 1 3/4 cups glaze.

By now, you must be thinking, "This is going to make a plate of sandwiches that look like they're covered in yellow mucous."  

Yep, you got it!

 Our Rating: One Screaming Husband!
(all dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce proceedings.)

Eggplant Clam Casserole

Eggplant Clam Casserole
contributed by Dr. Michelle Kunz, friend of Dr. Bobb

I don't know if I've made anything thus far with two prominent ingredients which are wholly unappealing to me. I mean, to say, I do like both clams and eggplant in very specific contexts - like, when they are deep fried and covered in marinara sauce and melted cheese, or perhaps combined with pasta and doused in a garlicky butter sauce - but, on their own, with no adornment, neither one appeals to me much.

Which, naturally, is why I was compelled to try it.

Today's Eggplant Clam Casserole is my very first reader submission, brought to us by my old friend and Doctor-in-arms Michelle Kunz, about whom I won't say much save that she is what one would have called "fierce" in the early two-thousand-aughts.

Fierce or not, if you'd like to submit a recipe of your very own for Husband to taste, email me!

From her original submission, she reports that:
Don't have any other details on this. It's handwritten in my mother's writing and dated 1973, from a family friend.

Family "friend"? I'LL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT.

So, here's the recipe:

1 eggplant
1 egg
1/4 lb butter or margarine
1 can minced clams, with liquid
1 1/2 c. cracker crumbs

Pare, dice, & boil eggplant until soft. Drain, add butter, cracker crumbs, egg, & clams (including liquid). Season to taste. Pour into buttered casserole & bake in moderate oven 30-45 mins.

Optional: top with buttered cracker crumbs before baking

Since I was using already-buttery-tasting Ritz crackers for my crumbs, I halved the amount of butter called for, because just in case you weren't aware, 1/4 lb. is a stick of butter. A girl has to be mindful of her figure, after all. 

I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "moderate oven" but I baked it at 350, uncovered, for 35 minutes, which seemed to be plenty of time.

The result was quite a bit soupier than what I was expecting, more like what Mother might've called "scalloped" something-or-other. And what did Husband think?

Our Rating: Two Screaming Husbands!

(all dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce proceedings.)