If you each give me a dollar: I'll stop writing run-on sentences. Ha! Just kidding!
Anyway, I know we're all trying to get away from "boxed dinners" and "boxed sides" and I'm all preachy-keen on telling you that you can make the same thing easily without over-processed ingredients. But let's face it -- sometimes those "Sides" are on sale. Or we have coupons. Or we're just busy/lazy. . . and so this post on my non-foodie blog is how to make a FREAKING awesome, gourmet-tasting din-din with boxed Pasta-Roni sides (2). A can of Baby Clams (1 -- Large can). A cheap little box of wine. A half a head of garlic. And half a stick of butter.. .
So basically buy the large can of baby clams (and if you young mommas are all like "ewww, no! Gross! I'd never eat that, nevermind my kids!" will you please just trust me? If you won't? Well I guess that's yer problem! Because even my pickiest eater -- who won't even eat corn -- LOVED this. Just sayin'. And YOU will be the one missing out.)
So yeah. . . back to the quick, easy recipe. . .
If you're going to use two different flavors like I did, make sure it's the same pasta and/or cook times, with relatively the same amount of liquid ingredients. I went with two angel hair pastas, one parmesan, one herb. . . both require the exact same amount of butter and liquid.
Pour 1/2 cup white wine -- that cheaper boxed wine (which is very tasty by the way) like Bandit, and the rest can be reserved for other dishes, or drank to cure your headache that you must be having> Obviously. Because you are trying to make something simple and quick here. Which means you either started the day with a headache, or ended with one . . . either way . .. . . put just a 1/2 cup white wine into a large measuring cup of AT LEAST 3 cup capacity.
Use 4 TBSP butter like the recipe for the boxes say, or stay on the larger end of what the recipes on your boxed-sides call for. So if they say 2-4TBSP butter -- go 4. You need the extra butter-fat for sauteeing. Melt in large pot. Dice/press your garlic. Drain the can of clams but RESERVE THE CLAM JUICE into that large (3-4 cup) measuring cup your 1/2 cup of wine is already sitting in. Don't worry it won't make your dish "fishy" it'll make it all the MORE awesome. Sautee garlic and clams in butter for 2-4 minutes over high heat.
According to the back of your packaged meal boxes, add water to the clam juice and wine in your large liquid measuring cup to total the amount of "water" you would need for cooking both packages (in my case with the two packages shown above: it came to 2 and 2/3 cups). Add to your hot pot of sautee'ing garlic and clams. Add the required milk to your pot (in my case with the two packages I made shown above came out to 1 and 1/3rd cup of milk). Bring all to a boil, then add the pasta and "spice packets".
Cook for time suggested on your packages (4 minutes for me) stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let thin sauce thicken (about 5 minutes). Add some fresh chopped parsley if you have it around. Stir well. Serve with some nice crusty french bread and the rest of the butter . . .
Voila! Nice seafood pasta dish made on the cheap and easy (unlike myself, I am never cheap and easy) that doesn't taste fishy nor over-processed, that my kids love because it does taste kinda processed and not at all suspect of "fishy"!! Thanks Pasta-Roni! And Baby Clams! and trust us, we know you aren't chicken-clams, Oh Chicken of the Sea!
So voila, not everyone is perfect and bakes perfect bisquits in the morning and prepares kale fried salmon & clam cheeks with a perfect Bento pink-dyed- rice & sauteed star fruit over a kimchee salad. Just keeping it real.
PLEASE NOTE! I do have friends whose children could live or die by their diets -- and I give them a huge hats-off for all they do to cook everything down to the inth investigation of what is in their children's food. This post is not for them, obviously.
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