Penne Alla Vodka

And now, for a recipe that is sure to become a staple in our house: Penne Alla Vodka. I first became aware of the magic that is a vodka cream sauce in a Smart Ones frozen meal: 

Granted, the frozen dinner was not the most amazing thing I've ever eaten, but as far as frozen dinners go, it was pretty good. Then, I found this recipe here from Divine Bite--and it was amazing. Not only did my husband clean his plate and go back for seconds (which is how I gauge how successful any recipe is), but he even finished the scraps I left behind on my own plate. I don't believe I have ever witnessed my husband have a third helping of any food, so that should give you an idea of just how tasty this recipe was!

To start, you will need the following ingredients: 

1 lb. penne pasta
¼ - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¾ cup vodka, good quality
4 tbsp butter
½ large onion, diced
3 tbsp tomato paste
¾ cup heavy cream (I used light to make it a bit healthier)
½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
Salt & pepper to taste

First, cook your penne in well-salted water according to package directions. When it is finished cooking, be sure to reserve a couple tablespoons of the cooking liquid in case your sauce ends up too thick. Add the crushed red pepper flakes to the vodka and allow it to steep before moving on to the next step.

Next, melt the butter in a large skillet, add your onion, and cook over medium-high heat until translucent. Add in the vodka/red pepper flakes and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and turn heat to low. (I only had leftover homemade marinara sauce, so I simply used 3 tablespoons of that).

Add the cream and parmesan cheese and stir well. Heat through, then add your penne to the skillet to coat evenly with the sauce. If at this point your sauce is too thick, add the reserved cooking liquid.

Serve with an extra sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some parsley, and enjoy!

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

Looking back over my last few blog entries, I could easily imagine someone thinking that I am not feeding my husband all that well--unless you count cake balls and brownies as a balanced diet. However, I promise that I have been cooking actual food too! Case in point: cheesy ham and potato soup (with lots of veggies!).

I found the recipe here and intend to use the base again in future soup recipes. To get started, you will need:

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

First, chop all your vegetables (onion, celery, carrot, potatoes). Place the vegetables, ham, and chicken broth in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil, and then continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes (or until potatoes are soft). Add in salt and pepper.

Next, in a separate sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and stir in the flour until thick and all lumps are removed. This is called a roux, if you've never made one before! Once this step is complete, add in your two cups of milk a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add in the shredded cheddar cheese. Continue cooking until thick and the cheese is melted, about another 4-5 minutes.

Finally, add the milk mixture to the broth/veggie mixture in the sauce pan, and cook until heated through. And that's it--homemade soup that's better than Panera's with minimal effort! How easy is that?

And if you are concerned about the thickness of the soup (I *heart* a thick soup), this one not only starts out fairly thick, but if you refrigerate it over night and reheat it the next day, it takes on the thickness of a chowder and is even more delicious! (You can also always add more chicken stock to thin it out if you prefer a thinner soup, as well). Either way, serve it warm, with an extra sprinkling of cheese on top if desired!

Enjoy, and be sure to check back this winter for new soup recipes! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie-PB Cup Brownies

And now for the grand finale of the girls night recipes, the turducken of baked goods, the most sinful dessert you will ever consume: the cookie dough peanut butter cup brownie:

I found this recipe here, through food gawker or one of those other compilations of blog postings, and knew that this needed to come out of my kitchen. And oh my goodness was it worth it! It was so decadent that a one inch square was enough to satisfy--and of course, you're actually getting three desserts in one, so how could it not?

Here are the ingredients you will need:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
18 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
1 box family size brownie mix (9 x 13) (and the accompanying ingredients listed on the box)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and get ready to make the cookie layer. Beat together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt, then add dry ingredients to dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread dough into a well greased 9 x 13 inch pan. 

Next, add a layer of Reese's peanut butter cups. The recipe didn't specify size, so I used the fun-size ones. Push the peanut butter cups directly into the cookie dough, three rows of six to ensure peanut butter in every bite!

(I had extra...it seemed wrong not to find a place for them :p).

Finally, make the brownie mix according to package directions, and pour over the top of the cookie dough/peanut butter cups, making sure every inch is covered with brownie goodness.

Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes (mine were done after about 45 minutes) and allow to cool for at least fifteen minutes before cutting, as the chocolate from the Reese's is a bit melty. Once the wait is up, cut the brownies, taste, and die of pleasure (or, you know...stick around for a second brownie ;)).

I mean really--do you see the layers in this thing?? Stop drooling now and go make these! Enjoy!! :)

Mini Twice-Baked Potatoes

Continuing with the girls night recipes, I present to you the appetizer you will never make enough of: the mini twice-baked potato! I wanted to get something delicious and potato-y on the menu for my Irish sister and cousin, and thought of this. Now, I've made twice-baked potatoes before, so I searched Google to make sure that it was possible to make a twice-baked potato this small; I found this: Tiny Twice-Baked Potatoes.

Assured that this appetizer was possible, however, I used my own recipe for twice-baked potatoes. You can use the ingredients in the link I posted, or the ingredients I used, which are as follows:

-1 bag of baby red potatoes

-A few tablespoons of milk

-1/2 stick of butter

-3 slices of bacon, cooked and roughly chopped

-1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

-1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped

-1/4 cup of olive oil

-Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your potatoes in a bowl, pour oil over the top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place oiled potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes, or until potatoes are cool enough to handle.

When cool, carefully cut off the top 1/4 of each potato, doing your best to keep the potato and its skin intact. See below:

Then, using a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of each potato and place in a separate bowl. Be sure to leave enough potato behind to form a stable shell for the twice-baked potatoes.

Add the butter, cheese, green onions, bacon, and a little extra salt and pepper to the potatoes in the bowl, as well as enough milk to achieve the consistency of mashed potatoes. When finished, use a small spoon to fill each potato shell with the mashed potato mixture, overfilling slightly as pictured below:

Increase the temperature of your oven to 450 degrees and return the potatoes to the oven. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes until heated through (cheese will have melted and the potato tops will brown slightly). Serve with sour cream:

One bag of baby red potatoes made about 15 potatoes for my guests and I...and two of my guests ate all but two, so you may want to double or even triple this recipe. My sister-in-law, who hates potatoes, couldn't get enough of these either, so give these mini-twice baked potatoes a try. ENJOY!!

Cake Pops: Funfetti Cake Ball Edition

Yay for long weekends! Since I have some extra time, let me continue with my girls night recipes! Since my cake pops were so tasty the first time I made them, I decided to try making them again with a different flavor (and without the sticks). So, I decided on funfetti cake mix with funfetti frosting (i.e. vanilla frosting with pastel-colored sprinkles). You can look at the cake pops link for the recipe and instructions, but I wanted to add a few more pictures for clarity (and appeal to the taste buds!).

First, this is what the cake balls look like prior to being covered in chocolate: not too pretty, a bit rough around the edges, although I love that you can see the little multi-colored sprinkles characteristics of all funfetti cakes:

Here they are after having been dipped in chocolate and sprinkles! I think these looked visually more appealing than the red velvet ones...or maybe they just look more fun with the multiple colors:

At any rate, while I LOVED me some chocolate-y red velvet cake pops, the light, almost lemony white funfetti cake balls are my new favorite. I hope you give them a try!

Pomegranate Martini

Hello, fellow food lovers! The next few blog posts will probably be spread out a bit...school has started up again, and this year I am starting my master's degree program, so I am already fairly busy. However, I did want to share a couple of treats that I made for my "Weekend Before School Starts" girls night with my sister, sisters-in-law, and cousin. The first is a first for the blog, since it is a beverage. I give you: the Pomegranate Martini.

I found the recipe here: http://www.martinirecipe.net/pomegranate-martini-recipe.html and am so glad I did! Here are the ingredients:

1 oz vodka (or citrus vodka, if you have it)
1/2 oz Cointreau orange liqueur (or triple sec)
3 oz pomegranate juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
lemon slice, for garnish

1/2 cup of sugar (for rim)

First, pour the 1/2 cup of sugar onto a plate. Make sure that the sugar is spread out enough that the entire rim of your martini glass will be covered. Wet the tip of your finger with water and run it around the rim of your martini glass. Set top-side down into the sugar (the sugar should stick to the rim where the water touched). Set aside.

Mix the vodka, pomegranate juice, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. I have read that martinis actually should NOT be shaken, so be sure your pomegranate juice has been chilled for a cold cocktail. Pour the mix into the martini glass.

Finally, chop up a lemon, and add a half slice to the edge of the glass as a garnish.

Drink and repeat (just be sure to keep re-sugaring your guests' martini glasses, as my sister was disappointed when her second drink was mostly sugar-free :p). Taste-wise, I had no complaints from any of my guests and was pleased with my own drink-making abilities! The pomegranate tasted sweet, and was a nice change from your standard cranberry cosmo. And of course, you can't help but feel sophisticated (if a bit tipsy) with a martini glass in hand. 

So grab some friends and some pomegranate juice, and enjoy (responsibly)! 

"Chipotle" Burrito Bowls

I feel almost sacrilegious blogging this, but...today I attempted to make a Chipotle burrito bowl at home. To give you a bit of context here, my husband and I *LOVE* Chipotle. My husband discovered this heavenly burrito establishment when he was still in college and ate there at least once a week (sometimes more), since he lived right down the street from one (he's still a slender guy, too, for all that!). Then, as part of our second date, we went to Chipotle for lunch. I'd only been there once, and hadn't been overly-impressed (I just had a taco salad--lettuce, pinto beans, salsa, cheese--and so didn't see what all the fuss was about). BUT, I wanted to look like a regular burrito-eater to impress him (because clearly, an affinity for burritos is what men look for in a woman), so I ordered a vegetarian burrito: rice, black beans, salsa, sour cream and cheese, and guacamole. And holy crap was that thing good! The rice, guacamole, and tortilla really make the whole meal, and from that moment on, Taco Bell had to watch its back (in terms of my keeping my stomach's affection--Chipotle is not actually making threats against Taco Bell, in case that was unclear).

 Mmmmmmm.......

Since that moment, two things have happened. One, I married the most amazing man in the world. Two, we have made regular visits to Chipotle, celebrating Chipotle Saturday every week, ever since. We always go for lunch, we order the same exact thing each time (he is a chicken burrito lover, whereas I heart my veggie burrito), and the employees know our order and often comp us for our drinks. Once, my husband was out of town during one of our scheduled Chipotle Saturdays. I still went, but sent him an email from my burrito, saying that his burrito was missed. I even attached a picture:

Yes, the frown is made out of guacamole...as an English teacher, I reserve the right to personify my lunch.

ANYWAY, the idea is, Chipotle is a ritual for us, and it felt kind of wrong to attempt to re-create something so sacrosanct. But, we're on a budget now as we save for a house, so I decided to take on the challenge after all. This is a recipe for a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl (vegetarian). I figured that, so long as I wasn't messing with my husband's specific burrito of choice, we'd be ok ;).

So, let's begin with the foundation of our lovely burrito bowl: our rice. I found a recipe for the rice here: Chipotle Copycat Lime Rice. I doubled the recipe, and I would use the following ingredients:
-2 teaspoons of veggie oil for cooking rice (if specified by your package of rice)
-1 tablespoon of veggie oil for mixing at the end
-1 and 1/3 cups of basmati rice
-1 lime (juice and zest)
-1 tablespoon cilantro
-1 teaspoon of salt
-3 cups of water

*Note that I say "would use." I read PAGES of comments about how sticky the rice turned out due to too much or too little water in the basmati rice. I ended up using 4 cups of water (about 2 cups per 2/3 cup of rice), but that was just too much, and my rice ended up a bit mushy. So, I would use 3 cups instead (1.5 per 2/3 cup of rice) to fix that. I also did not zest the lime and used half the juice in my guacamole and salsa when I should have had a separate lime reserved for that purpose. Otherwise, the rice was actually really tasty and close in flavor to Chipotle's!

(Had to add in a quick shot of the lime--the view is gorgeous, but the smell was heavenly!)

To make, cook your basmati rice according to package directions (mine said to rinse the rice, cook the grains in a bit of oil, THEN add in the water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes). Just be sure to use the amount of water specified above. When finished, fluff with a fork and add in the cilantro, oil, lime zest and juice, and salt. Set aside.

Next prepare your salsa. I always get the mild salsa from Chipotle, which is more of a pico de gallo. To make, mix together the following:
-1 large, chopped tomato (or 2-3 roma tomatoes)
-1  medium red onion, finely chopped (I had some leftover vidalia onion, so I used that--still delicious)
-2-3 tablespoons of cilantro (or more or less to your taste)
-1 Jalapeno pepper, no seeds, finely chopped
-Salt to taste
-Lime juice (1/2 a lime, squeezed)

The ratio of tomato to onion in the pico de gallo should be pretty close to 1:1, with perhaps a bit more tomato. And if possible, make the salsa an hour in advance of your meal to give the flavors a chance to meld together a bit prior serving. Set aside.

The last part of the meal that needs to be prepared is the guacamole. If you have an avocado masher, this is extra fun (it's like a mini-potato masher, so it fits inside your little prep bowl), but a fork will do just fine if not. You will need the following:
-1 RIPE avocado
-cilantro to taste
-lime juice (the other 1/2 of the lime from your salsa)
-garlic powder to taste
-salt to taste

The star of the show, of course, is the avocado. Make sure it is ripe, or it will be impossible to mash and make into a smooth guacamole. Use the avocado masher or fork to mash into a green mush (I know it doesn't sound appetizing, but guacamole is another one of those foods I would take with me if I were stranded on an island. It is also a source of good-for-you fat, so love the green mush, people!). Squeeze in your lime juice, then add as much cilantro, garlic powder, and salt as you need to flavor it to your liking. In fact, you may want to add them one at a time and taste your guacamole between each addition. Because you need to be sure that it is flavored sufficiently. This is definitely not an excuse to eat additional guacamole. Ahem.

Finally, heat your beans on the stove (I simply bought a can of black beans from the store--you could absolutely cook up a batch of your own if you were so-inclined, however!) and shred some fresh cheese of your choosing (I used colby jack). Then, assemble in the following order:

-Rice (about 1 cup)
-Black beans (about 1/2 cup)
-Salsa (about 1/2 cup)
-Cheese (about 1/4 cup)
-Guacamole (all of it!!!--ok, just kidding. But at least 1/3 cup)
-Sour cream if desired

I had to dive into this right away, and it was worth all the prep work--my husband even said it was really good, and this is one dish where I KNOW he would tell me if he disliked it! Of course, nothing will ever beat Chipotle's burritos for either of us, but if you're looking to save some money by eating in and still enjoy the delicious-ness that is Chipotle, give this recipe a try. Enjoy! :)