Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

Happy holidays! I hope you all had a peaceful holiday, and got to spend some quality time with family. H and I definitely had a wonderful few days off, and were lucky enough to be able to visit with both of our families, as well as enjoy some quiet time to ourselves.

Santa was extremely kind to me as well! I got a number of kitchen toys- an immersion blender, a couple mini crock-pots, another set of Pyrex containers (you can never have enough of those babies), and a mini egg pan with egg flippers from joie. I am so excited to try them all out!

I also continued the tradition ( can I call it that yet?) of our seafood dinner on Christmas Eve. I used a couple recipes from last year, and changed another up. Here is one that is oh-so-easy, and absolutely delicious! I have to admit, I am torn between keeping it a Christmas tradition, and making it way more often. As usual, I apologize for the none-too-appetizing photo, but I promise it tastes a whole lot better than this picture looks!

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
Serves 6

2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup of tomato paste
2-3 Tablespoons of capers

6-8 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons of white sugar
2 teaspoons of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of dried basil
1 pinch of ground black pepper
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

2 (6 oz.) cans of minced clams
1 (12 oz.) can of whole baby clams

12 oz. of linguine pasta (3/4 of a box)

Directions: Combine all ingredients, up until the clams, in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 45-60 minutes. Add the clams, and some of the juice (I use about half) and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve over linguine. Enjoy!

Adapted from allrecipes.com, original recipe here.

One Year Ago Yesterday...

 

I married my best friend. I absolutely cannot believe it's already been a year!

We enjoyed a low-key weekend together at home. No trips or anything fancy, just some quality time together. We slept in, went to the farmers' market, had a picnic, watched baseball, went hiking, had some wine, and enjoyed a candlelit dinner at home- perfect. I look forward to many more years together!

An Exchange with the Husband

I try not to be the type of girl who plays mind games with her husband. The one who comes home and asks if he notices anything different about her, and then gets all hurt he didn't notice her new pedicure or subtle, 1/2" hair trim. I try not to be, but I'll admit I do it a little bit. My hopes are never high, and I never get upset if he doesn't notice what I want him to. But I have to say it's amusing for me to see what he notices sometimes.

Take the linen closet- I added the linen closet to my declutter/donate/organize list and attacked it Sunday while H was taking down the Christmas lights outside. I went through the whole closet and I was able to put two whole sheet sets, a comforter, and 8 full size towels (in perfectly good condition, mind you- I don't know what I was thinking with the colors I chose for my first apartment. Nothing matched, I picked one of every obnoxiously bright color towel I could find), which is about 1/3 of what was in the closet. I refolded and organized everything too, so it looked even emptier. As I was sitting back admiring all the extra space, H comes in. And the following exchange takes place...

Me: "Honey, do you notice anything different about the linen closet?"

H: "Yeah!"

H sounds enthusiastic, like he knows he's right and I'm going to be impressed with his response. My heart skips a beat (it doesn't take much), thinking he's going to compliment my fabulous organization skills.

H: "It's filled with linens!"

Me: "No... no, not quite"

Sigh, oh well.

Christmas Eve (only a little late)

I just realized I never posted any pictures of our Christmas tree this year. I took a few, and meant to, but just never got around to it. And as I sit here and think about how I already miss the holiday season, it seems like a perfect time to!

We had an amazing holiday. We had Christmas Eve all to ourselves, which was absolutely wonderful. I compromised and made a 4 Fish feast: linguine with red clam sauce, shrimp and scallop scampi, and Parmesan tilapia. Everything was delicious, and we even cracked (popped) open a bottle of champagne we received as a wedding gift. Afterward we cuddled on the couch and watched Love Actually (love that movie!), and H only asked how long it was once. We then opened our presents and called it an early night. It was a wonderful first married Christmas together.


Sorry for the crappy image quality- we had "romantic" lighting that night.

It's Been a Busy Decade...

I've heard so many people say "I can't believe it's 2010 already!!" Well, I can't believe it either...kinda. I can certainly believe it's a new year; they fly by fast enough now that's it's not exactly a big deal. A whole new decade though... I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around that one. I was 15 when the last one started and I cannot believe how much has changed and everything I've gone through in the past 10 years.

I went to prom / got my drivers' license / graduated high school / had my first real, "grown-up" boyfriend / started college / lived in and explored a city of 1.5 million on my own / traveled to Europe / lived through being completely and totally broke / got over the "just a friend" stigma to start dating the most perfect man in the world / fell in love / went to Vegas (haha, not what it sounds like there) / graduated college / traveled to Hawaii / created a portfolio of work I put my blood, sweat, and tears into throughout college (literally, I've cut my fingers with xacto blades more times than I can count) / saw my little sister start high school / watched my brother go away to college / landed my first full-time, real-world, adult job / rented my first apartment on my own / helped one of my best friends look for apartments in NYC / got engaged / got laid off / used professional connections and a revamped portfolio to score a new job / became a home-owner / was a bridesmaid for one of my best friends / became someone's wife / had a kick-ass wedding celebration with all of our friends and family / had someone I truly loved pass away / celebrated our first holiday season as our own family...

I've met so many incredibly people and learned a lot about myself and those around me. I've become so much more confident and sure of myself. I am so grateful I gave a "friend" a chance and ended up marrying the most perfect person for me. I've developed a whole new love and appreciation for family, I've become closer to my siblings, and I am so proud of the amazing adults they've become.

I can't even begin to imagine what the next decade brings. But whatever it is, I'm ready for it!

Christmas Traditions

It's that time of year...

I have been thinking a lot lately about Christmas traditions and how I long to start some with H as our own family. We have spent 4 Christmases together as a couple, but have very few constants that remain from year to year.

The only one we have so far is going up to NYC to enjoy the city decked out in it's Christmas best and to take in the hustle and bustle holiday atmosphere. Actually, I am afraid that that one won't even happen this year- between getting our tree last weekend (what an adventure); H's office Christmas party and my girls' night out with friends planned for this weekend; and then my mom's birthday, my office party, and our friend's holiday soirée next weekend, I'm not sure when we'd be able to fit it in. And the weekend after that is Christmas! When did that happen?

Anyway... we are planning on spending Christmas Day with our families- my parents, brother, and sister for brunch and most of the afternoon and then H's parents, his brother, and girlfriend for dinner and the rest of the evening. I can say that we are truly blessed that our families live less than a 5 minute's drive apart from each other and we're able to do that. Therefore, we are spending Christmas Eve together as newlyweds to do a nice dinner and exchange gifts. I'm really looking forward to it!

Our families have their own traditions that we love being a part of, but Christmas Eve is where I would truly like to develop our own. H wants us to go to Mass since he loves the music and the Christmas Eve service. One that I would really like to try is the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. I can't decide if it's a silly idea though, since it's a Catholic tradition celebrating the seven Sacraments- I'm not Catholic and my non-belief in all of the Sacraments is part of the reason why. Oh well, maybe traditions aren't something you can plan out like that...

But here is my hypothetical menu:

• Tomato fish stew with tilapia and cod: this is one of the recipes in our regular rotation, so that would be easy. It also can be made ahead and kept warm.

• Fried calimari: I've never made this, but would love to try it.

• Shrimp scampi: I've made this many times in the past- easy, delicious, can't be made in advance, but not too hard to keep warm either.

• Linguine with white clam sauce: I really don't want to use the clam sauce from a can, but then again I'm no Martha Stewart...

• Seared jumbo scallops with spinach and garlic: easy enough

I just need one more fish, I'll have to keep thinking... or maybe I could just do the six fishes, that may make more sense to me anyway!

On a More Somber Note...

I debated for a while whether to acknowledge this on my blog or not, since I don't really delve into very many personal subjects, but I felt like I'd be lying if I didn't mention it at all. My grandmother passed away earlier this week, so it's been a bittersweet Thanksgiving week for me.

Her health started going downhill this spring. She bounced between the ICU, the hospital, and rehabilitation, and for a while it looked like she might have gotten out completely but it didn't last too long. She was 93, but you never would have guessed it. She was so youthful in spirit and incredibly sharp. So, in a way I am relieved that she's no longer suffering; the past few months have been rough for her and it was awful to see her in that condition.

I don't think it's really hit me yet that she won't be around any more. She was an extraordinary woman and will truly be missed.