The Sauce

This sauce is a base for lots of things I like to make.  I have not bought jar sauce for years.

2-28 oz. jars of diced tomatoes with puree
1 half of a sweet onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 or 4 garlic cloves
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
about 1 tablespoon Penzey pasta sprinkle

In a large, heavy sauce pan saute the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add the red pepper and mushrooms, cook until the mushrooms are reduced.
Add the tomatoes and pasta sprinkle. Simmer for an hour or so or place in a crock pot on low for 3 to 4 hours.
You can add meat to the sauce such as sausage.

lazy girl lasagna

A few Sundays ago I had a hankering for lasagna but didn't feel like pulling it together so decided to make a baked ziti version.

• The Sauce
• Hot and sweet sausage, about a pound, pound and a half, cooked, cut into bit sized bits
• Box and half of Dreamfields ziti (cooked)
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
  
• 1/4-1/2 cup of grated Romano and Parmesan cheese
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the ricotta, half of the grated mozzarella, Romano/Parmesan, and pepper cheese in a small bowl set aside.

"Dot" cheese mixture over the pasta, cover with the remaining pasta.  Top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly (20-30 minutes)

the great meatloaf experiment

I like meatloaf, my darling husband thinks he doesn't.  Since we have been together I have avoided making meatloaf, saving it as a "treat" for myself when we eat out.  Well, today the wait has ended.  There was a package of ground beef in the fridge that needed to be used today (the foodsaver ended up in the storage unit, buried) so I decided today was the day. Two servings later, Steve is a meatloaf convert.

I found this great recipe on Epicurious, it is originally from Gourmet (RIP)

• 1 cup fine crumbs (I used non-fresh bread crumbs and it worked out ok)
• 1/3 cup half and half (the original recipe called for milk, we didn't have any)
  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet onion)
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced, plus one for luck
  
• 1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
  
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• dash of cinamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 5 slices of bacon
  
• 1/2 cup pitted prunes
• 1  pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F
Soak bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl.
I chopped the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot very finely with a food chopper.
Cook onion, garlic, celery, and carrot in butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low, then cook until carrot is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, spices, salt, and pepper. Add to bread-crumb mixture.

Finely chop bacon and prunes in a food processor, then add to onion mixture along with beef, pork, and eggs  and mix together with your hands.

Pack mixture into a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish or pan.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatloaf registers 155°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

my favorite cheese

When I go to the cheese department at Wegmans I just cannot get past Brillat-Savarin. It is the most luscious triple cream brie this cheese naive girl has ever tasted. My entire family is hooked. You can do the fancy fruity nutty brie thing, but in my opinion that is intended to dress up sub par cheap brie. This brie is best slathered on pieces of fresh baggette.Yum.

Hot Mustard Dip

I forgot I made this until I was cleaning out the fridge tonight, so I broke out the pretzels to appease the hunger of the masses until dinner was ready.

Hot Mustard Dip

• 1/8 cup mustard powder
• 1/8 cup crushed brown mustard (both mustards I use are from Penzeys)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp honey

In a saucepan combine the mustard and vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes. 

Whisk in the sugar and egg yolk until smooth.  Cook over medium heat, constantly whisk until it begins to simmer and thickens.  Remove from the heat and mix in honey.  Cool. 

You can store in the fridge for several weeks. 

Serve with pretzels or you can use as a sauce for baked chicken.  Double for a party or for use in other recipes. 

I *think* I like this

Pumpkin, smoked gouda, pasta...what is not to like? I am not sure, I wasn't wowed but I wasn't repulsed by this recipe. I used "baby" neck pumpkins from Central Market for this recipe. I baked them in the oven and then scooped out the pumpkiny goodness.

I altered this recipe from Cara's Cravings blog after a nestie suggested it for a vegetarian meal.

Pumpkin and Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

• about 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• about 3/4 cup milk (ok I didn't have milk so I used heavy cream with some water, that is milk isn't it?)
• 2 cups of cooked pumpkin
• about 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 8 oz grated smoked gouda
• salt and pepper
• grated nutmeg about 1/2 teaspoon (I eyeballed it)
• 1 box of Dreamfields elbows cooked al dente

In my new "old" iron skillet I cooked the onion in butter until tender, then I added the pumpkin and milk and continued to heat. I turned off the heat and added the cheeses and stirred until melted. I then added the drained pasta and placed in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan (I used stoneware). I cooked at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Who knew coconut cake was so good!

I must be getting older because I need to really think about how I found this recipe. I think my mom was in the hospital having knee surgery and we were watching Martha Stewart on the tv in her room. My mom asked me to make this for her when she was feeling better, so I did. Since then I have cut the recipe in half when I make it because the whole recipe makes a HUGE cake that is so incredibly rich our small circle could never eat it all.

This is my altered version of the original recipe (found on the MS website under ultimate coconut cake)

The cake (the full recipe)

• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 3 cups sugar, I use Domino organic
• 6 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, I use King Arthur unbleached
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder, I usually end up making my own
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract, I use more!
  
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour pans; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until creamy, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl using a spatula.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together cream, vanilla, and coconut extract. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing cakes from pans.

My "Wicked" Syrup

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Malibu Rum

Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, cool.

The Sinful Filling

• 5 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, again I use more
  
• 9 cups shredded sweetened coconut

1. Place cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water. Add to cream mixture, bring to a boil, and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Place coconut in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coconut is finely chopped. Remove cream mixture from heat and stir in coconut until well combined. Transfer to a large baking dish; let cool.
4. Cover filling with plastic wrap and chill overnight (you really don't have to do this overnight). Just before using, place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes

The Frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped, if I am feeling cheap after spending all my money on butter and cream I skip this

1. Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until creamy.
2. With mixer on low speed, slowly add vanilla extract, seeds from vanilla bean, and confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Putting it Together

1. Slice each cake into three slices, sounds hard and scary but you can do it! Use a long serrated knife and just do it.
2. Place a slice on a cake stand (if you are making the effort to make this cake you HAVE to put it on a beautiful cake stand)
3. I do not drizzle the bottom layer with the syrup because in my mind it needs to be "solid"
4. put 1/5 of the filling on this layer, spread
5. Place cake layer on top, lightly drizzle with syrup
6. Repeat until you do all the layers
7. Frost, pat roasted coconut on the side of the cake if you want (takes about 2 cups of roasted coconut)

Suggested Alterations:
Half the recipe unless you are going to feel more than 10 people
Use the filling as a cupcake frosting

The half recipe version (minus the roasted coconut, just as good)