Last week, I made my sister’s famous clam pasta on Instagram Stories, and so many people messaged, asking for the recipe. I’ve never cooked with canned clams before (I’ve never even bought them), but when my sister visited last year, she made this; and we all went nuts. It’s so easy and quick to make and doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients, but it makes a grand impression (perfect meal for company!). Last night, I made it for dinner in Florida, my sister made it for dinner in Michigan; and we chatted over wine on the phone while we cooked. With no further ado…

Carin’s Clam Pasta

1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 C flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chopped or minced clams
1/2 C dry vermouth (or white wine)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 C half and half
3/4 C milk
1/2 lb linguine or pasta of choice
Salt & pepper to taste. Boil water and prepare pasta. While pasta is cooking, melt butter and olive oil in frying pan (I used a 12 inch, non-stick). Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and stir until garlic is cooked.

Add clams. I do not drain or rinse as I like the added flavor of the clam juice. If you’re worried about sand (some brands are better than others at removing it), you can drain and rinse — and, if you wish, add the equivalent amount of clam juice (purchased separately). Add parsley, dry vermouth, and lemon juice.

Reduce heat to low and stir a few minutes until cooked down a bit. Add half & half and milk and continue to stir a bit (careful not to burn). Serve over pasta or mix in and stir.

I usually don’t measure when I make this — so tweak ingredients as you see fit. If you want it lower in fat, omit the cream/half & half and add flour to thicken. If you want it a little tangier, add more lemon. Other ideas for add-ins might include prosciutto, bacon, pine nuts. This serves about four modest portions — so you might want to double!

We made ours last night with bowtie pasta, and I put a lot of sun dried tomatoes in ours. My kids loved it! We couldn’t believe Nella liked it because she is so picky about her pasta only having marinara on it. But she asked for a second helping last night!

On our sister/cousin/family text thread this week, we were discussing things that make us feel like we have our shit together–“feel like” being the operative phrase here because, admittedly, we’re daily falling apart. For my sister, it’s matching pajamas–J Crew’s classic button-up, to be exact. For my cousin, it’s prepping meals ahead of time. Other cousin–freshly painted nails. Mine? Among others, bringing a hostess gift to someone’s house makes me feel like I’m a poodle, not a wolf. People who bring nice hostess gifts certainly don’t have backseats covered in important school papers they never read, stale Cheetos from two weeks ago and a broken hanger from God knows where. I’m not saying I’m always good at remembering the hostess gifts, but when I do, it’s an invigorating Poodle moment. My friend Meredith is so good with hostess gifts–nothing over the top, but a quick handover of a simple gift when she drops her daughter off, before she turns to leave. The orchid she brought me a few months ago is still going strong on my windowsill. Last week’s hydrangeas held us through Easter. Another friend of mine is so good at hostess gifts, she has a cabinet dedicated to storing small gifts that can work for any hostess–candles, napkin rings, fancy wine bags, her favorite scone mix.

In my lifelong effort to bring more Poodle to my instinctive Wolf-ness,  I have gathered seven easy, thoughtful hostess gifts that don’t cost much and can work for anyone at any time.

1. Homesick Candle, Mini – A fun way to recognize your recipient if you know where they’re from. Or, you can gift your own state or “New Home” scent for a housewarming gift.

2. Tea towel and olive wood ladle  (Hearth & Hand has the loveliest 2-pack of flour sack towels)

3. A small house plant in an artsy planter (I love this one or this one or this beautiful tabletop terrarium)

4. A pretty mug with a pouch of your favorite coffee or tea inside

5. A homemade all purpose cleaner you made, in an amber bottle with a handwritten label

6. A pair of earrings packaged on a photo you took (the stud earrings here were only $4.99 each at World Market and photos are the small square prints from Social Print Studio). I love this one–so simple and inexpensive and yet personal and thoughtful.

7. The “Crappy Day” grab bag: a mini bottle of wine/champagne (World Market has so many good ones to choose from) with a good chocolate bar & a package of bath salts

 

Before we move on to important business, a quick Oscar recap.

For years–even before kids–I’ve watched the Oscars in my pajamas with Heidi. We put our hair up, wear costume jewelry and eat all the food the nominees have been denying themselves the last three weeks to fit in their dresses. When kids came along, we made them part of our tradition, eventually adding a red carpet, plastic Oscar statues and made-up games with no point that keep the kids watching and writing things on paper throughout the night. We eventually named our little soiree “Pajama Glama Oscar Party,” and I love our archive of memories from this evening.

This year we turned an Oscar drinking game into a fun contest for the kids (without the drinks, of course), and they were ALL IN. Basically, I printed a list I bought on Etsy of 30 things they had to watch for (winner stumbles over opening speech paper, someone stumbles over teleprompter script, someone cries, winner puts reading glasses on, wardrobe malfunction, etc.), and whoever called it first received a point. Most points at the end of the party won a prize. Dash was DEDICATED, holding his little paper and pencil front and center.

The candy platter was a major hit. And despite the fact that I showed the kids how to properly hold an award, they kept flipping it over butt-side-out because butts are funny.

Now on to a few wrap-up thoughts.

1) Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. LORD. HAVE. MERCY. I can’t handle the chemistry. I know they’re actors and used to making out with costars, but we are beyond that now. WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON THAT STAGE? Dear Lord, my heart was racing.
2) Green Book – I just saw the movie over the weekend and loved it. I was so happy to see Mayershala Ali win for Best Supporting Actor.
3) Fave Dresses of the night:

Gemma Chan’s dress was heaven–the color, the high neck, the pockets…LOVE.
Charlize Theron could easily pull off a garbage bag, but that minimalistic dress with her dark hair and jewels…perfection.
Didn’t love the hip jut-outs on Lady Gaga’s dress, but it was so Gaga. She pulls off classic Hollywood so beautifully.

4) Besides the musical performances and a few memorable speech/presenter moments, I thought the whole show was a bit of a sleeper this year without a host to pull the energy together. Leave it to the old SNL stars to pull together what they could.
5) The teary “I worked so hard for so long for this moment” speeches always get me the most. People can poo-poo the Oscars all they want, but behind all the Hollywood “extra” is artists who stayed dedicated to their dreams and worked for pennies and dealt with self doubt and showed up over and over and over, through rejection and failure, to stay committed to their craft. I love seeing them win and fall apart a little up there remembering the journey it took them to get there. I love those heartfelt speeches. Last night’s favorites: Lady Gaga, Regina King and Olivia Colman.

There you have it–a quick Oscar wrap-up. Off to make lunches.