happy birthday, food porn!

A year ago today, I started Food Porn. So I thought, what better way to celebrate than by returning to its roots: bacon.

Here, we have brown sugar bacon, with brown sugar ice cream.

To make the bacon, coat with a mixture of 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and a pinch of black pepper. Arrange on a wire rack, set on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (the grease & some of the sugar will drip down into the pan. The foil makes for an easy cleanup). Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

The ice cream is Häagen-Dazs brown sugar. One of the flavors in their new "Five" line. It is so named because they only use 5 ingredients (which means it's...uh...good for you).

brownie sundae

Freshly-baked brownie + mint chocolate chip ice cream = heaven.

pasta with mussels & clams

1/2 a box of pasta shells

2 bunches broccoli

1 package grape tomatoes, roasted

2 lbs mussels

1 dozen littleneck clams

1 c. white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)

garlic

red pepper flakes

Roast the tomatoes: toss a pint of grape tomatoes with olive oil & coarse salt, and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Add some stalks of fresh thyme if you have it. Bake in a 450-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Set aside when done.

Cook pasta in well-salted water. About 5 minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli to the pot.

While pasta is cooking, heat a pan with a couple of TBSP olive oil, sliced garlic & red pepper flakes, until fragrant. Add the mussels & clams, and 1 cup white wine. Cover and cook until the shells open (about 5 minutes). Keep an eye on them, because you don't want to overcook them (they're done as soon as they open).

Drain the pasta & broccoli, add to the mussels & clams, and toss. Top with the roasted tomatoes (they'll get crushed if you add them pre-tossing). Season with salt & pepper. Keep in mind that the broth will probably be pretty salty already, so taste before you season.

(made enough to stuff 3 people and have leftovers)

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This was my first time cooking mussels & clams myself, because I always felt intimidated by it (worried about food safety issues). The key is making sure they stay alive until you cook them. Turns out, it's very easy to tell:

Before cooking: discard any whose shells are open or do not shut when you tap on them.

After cooking: discard any that do NOT open.

Recipe based on watching Giada De Laurentiis.

potato rosemary pizza

Whole wheat pizza crust topped with paper-thin slices of red potato, rosemary, olive oil, salt & pepper. Finished off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction.