Penne Alla Vodka

So, this is most definitely one of my favorite dishes in the world.

Place it in front of me at any time and I will devour it.

(then promptly get myself another bowl)

It’s rich and creamy and comforting.

Basically, it’s perfection.

I had a sudden urge to make this when something else was on the menu and sent my husband out into the night to buy vodka just so I could have this dish. Thank God there is no last call in Nevada. Because sometimes, this pasta just can't wait. It is totally that good. 

I urge you to seriously consider putting all other plans on hold, going forth into the night (or morning, or afternoon, whatever) to find vodka and make this dish right NOW.

Penne Alla Vodka

adapted from Cooks Illustrated Best-Ever Recipes (December 2010)

makes 4-6 servings

1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes*

2 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup minced onion

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ tsp. sea salt, plus more for finishing

1/3 cup vodka (it doesn’t have to be Grey Goose, but it shouldn’t come in a plastic bottle)

½ cup heavy cream

1 pound penne

2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil

Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is light golden around the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes and salt. Remove from heat to add the vodka. Cook over medium-high heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the alcohol flavor has cooked off, about 8 to 10 minutes. (You can lower the heat if the simmering becomes too vigorous and messy). Stir in the heavy cream and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until almost al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water before draining pasta and returning to pot. Stir in the sauce and toss to combine. Add reserved water as necessary to achieve a good consistency (I almost never need to use the cooking water). Stir in the basil and season with additional salt to taste (sometimes I also add a bit of freshly ground black pepper to finish the dish). Serve with plenty of fresh grated parmesan.

*The original recipe calls for a can of whole tomatoes, draining them, pureeing some of them and chopping some of them and adding liquid back in to achieve some extraordinary tomato sauce…I’ve been there and done that and let me tell you, crushed tomatoes are not only a million times easier, but they make the consistency of the sauce better too.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

This recipe sort of speaks for itself. It's spinach artichoke dip, I mean, who doesn't love it? It's my most requested appetizer for parties and movie nights. It's spectacular.

Once you try this you'll never go back to store bought again.

Seriously, I could eat this stuff with a spoon (and occasionally I do). But it's great to have with tortilla chips or my personal favorite, a loaf of homemade french bread. Yes, the whole loaf...don't question me.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
a Gemma Louise Original Recipe

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded mozzarella

½ cup shredded parmesan, divided

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed

15 oz. canned artichokes, drained and chopped

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. hot sauce

¼ tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

 Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add in sour cream and mayo and beat until combined. Stir in mozzarella and ¼ cup of parmesan.

Wring out spinach in a towel until mostly dry. Add spinach and artichokes to creamed mixture. Season with Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Spread into a shallow gratin dish and even out with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of parmesan and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until slightly brown around the edges. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.  

White Chocolate Raspberry Torte

I’m getting fancy with you today.

I bring you the White Chocolate Raspberry Torte.

It’s my special occasion cake. The newlywed Mr. and Mrs. Laster stopped by last night and since we’ve owed them dinner since…um…when I hadn’t yet found out the sex of my baby who is now eight months old, they deserved a spectacular cake.

And this cake is a showstopper, in my opinion. The white chocolate in both the cake and frosting make it rich, while the raspberry filling offsets that with its tangy sweetness. The frosting is super light and airy thanks to…wait for it…Cool Whip.

A little ghetto-fabulous, you say? Try it.

It.

Is.

Awesome.

This cake takes a while to prepare, but it’s well worth the effort. If you have a stand mixer, it’s really quite easy. (Sometimes I don’t know how I lived without that thing, I swear.) So whenever you’re feeling fancy too, give this cake a try. It will not disappoint.

White Chocolate Raspberry Torte

adapted from Taste of Home Magazine (December/January 2010)

For the Cake:

¾ cups butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup white chocolate (use Guittard…always, for everything), melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

For the Filling:

12 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries

¾ cup water

½ cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

For the Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup white chocolate, melted and cooled

½ tsp. vanilla

12 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed

Fresh Raspberries for garnish, optional

For the Cake:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in melted chips and vanilla. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and soda; beat into creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk (starting and ending with flour).

Divide batter evenly between two buttered and floured 9 inch cake pans (I recommend Calphalon, they are heavy duty and cook so evenly. I use them for all my baking needs). Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool for 10 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cooled, take a serrated knife and even out the cakes by cutting off the top (crusty) layer. This is best done on a cake turntable where you simply hold the knife parallel as you turn your cake, but you can make it work without on as well. Once the cakes are even, brush off any crumbs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

For the Filling:

In a small saucepan, bring the raspberries and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain raspberry mixture through a fine sieve and discard the seeds. You should be left with about 1 ½ cups of liquid. Let cool.

In the same saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Pour in cooled raspberry liquid and cook over medium heat until boiling. Stir while boiling for 2 minutes, until considerably thickened. Cool completely. Spread between cake layers (cut sides should hold filling) and refrigerate until ready to frost.

For the Frosting:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in melted chips and vanilla; fold in whipped topping. Take a small amount of frosting and go over the top and sides of the cake to hold down any crumbs, refrigerate until set. Generously frost tops and sides of the cake. Pipe frosting around edges and garnish with fresh berries if desired.

Simple French Bread

I love making bread. It fills the house with the best smell. I can’t wait until fall; I think that is when warm, fresh bread is the most comforting. When the air is nippy and the oven keeps the house warm. Mmmm.

Baking bread in 100° weather is worth it, but my goodness you better have a jug of ice water nearby.

This is a favorite bread recipe of mine. My first bread recipe actually. My Nana used to make it all the time when I was just learning to cook. It holds good memories. Like the time our dog Murphy ate a ball of dough rising out on the porch and just lay out (a black lab mind you!) expanding in the afternoon sun. (By the way, that dog ate everything and was perfectly fine the next day)

So back to the bread. It is so incredibly simple, it doesn’t even require kneading! It requires minimal hands-on time and only bakes for around 20 minutes in the oven. Plus it makes two loaves and freezes incredibly well.

Need I persuade you more?

…okay then…

It’s delicious and crusty too. 

Oh yeah, and it fills the house with that fresh bread smell that you just can’t get enough of.

Simple French Bread

from Taste of Home Annual Recipes (2000)

makes 2 loaves

1 package active dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. shortening, melted

4 cups all-purpose flour

Cornmeal for sprinkling

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. Add sugar, salt, shortening and remaining water and whisk until combined. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir until smooth.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Let rest for ten minutes.

Roll each portion of dough into a 10 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Roll up from a long side and pinch to seal. Place loaves seam side down on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Before baking, take a sharp knife and make five diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf. Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Thin Crust Cheese Pizza

This pizza is bomb.

It is seriously the best homemade pizza ever. I found it on Annie's Eats, my favorite food blog of all time. I am such a fan of thin crust pizza and this has become my go-to recipe. I love everything about it.

The perfect, easy to make crust. 

The delicious homemade pizza sauce.

The slightly browned, bubbly cheese.

I also love it as a quick weeknight meal. I make the dough (sometimes a double batch) and sauce in advance and freeze it. Whenever I want a pizza I just thaw out the dough and sauce, grate up some cheese and dinner is on the table with about as much effort as making ramen noodles.

But way, WAY better.

Thin Crust Cheese Pizza
adapted from Annie's Eats

Makes 2 Pizzas

For the crust:
3 c. bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. instant yeast
1 1/3 c. ice water
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. salt

For the sauce*:
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

For topping:
Olive oil, for brushing
½ cup (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded whole-milk mozzarella

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the machine running on low speed, add the ice water until fully incorporated.  Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Add the oil and salt to the dough.  Process until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that clears the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead briefly on a lightly oiled work surface, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. (After the period of refrigeration, the dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for later use.)

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use. (This makes way more sauce than you'll need for the two pizzas, but it freezes well so hang on to it!)

Preheat the oven to 500˚ F.  Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and divide in half.  (If you plan to freeze a portion of the dough, this is the time to wrap in plastic, place in a freezer bag and freeze for later use.) Form each half into a ball and place on two lightly oiled 12 inch pizza pans. Spray the dough balls lightly with cookies spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

To assemble the pizza, use your hands to gently stretch the dough to a 12-inch circle. Lightly brush the thicker edge of the disk with olive oil.  Spread ½ cup of the pizza sauce over the dough.  Sprinkle evenly with the grated Parmesan and the shredded mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned, 10-12 minutes.  Let cool about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Doughnut Muffins

Glorious. That is what these muffins are.

Do not be fooled by their muffin shape. 

These taste like giant cake doughnut holes.

Oh, and by the way, they are super-duper easy.

I'm pretty sure they're like the best kept secret in breakfast foods.

Aside from bacon of course...but that's no secret.

 I'm sure they would be great all golden delicious like this.

 But I'm all about rolling them in powdered sugar...

...or brushing them with butter and rolling them in cinnamon sugar

Or both. Why not?

Serve these warm, and they are simply heaven. The cinnamon sugar ones are reminiscent of Trish's Mini Doughnuts on Pier 39. They fill the kitchen with that warm, comforting fresh doughnut smell. They are a must try. Seriously, you should drop what you're doing and make them right now. You won't regret it.


Doughnut Muffins
adapted from Mac & Cheese Review
makes 1 dozen

For Muffins:
3/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

For Topping:
2 Tbs. butter, melted
Confectioners' sugar & cinnamon sugar for rolling

Lightly grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and egg on medium-high until fluffy and light in color, about 1-2 minutes. Add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla; stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to sugar mixture and stir until just combined.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Run a knife around any that are sticking, let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool for additional 10 minutes.

For powdered sugar muffins, simply roll in sugar until coated, shake off excess.

For cinnamon sugar muffins, brush with butter then roll in cinnamon sugar.

Rustic Tomato Tart

This has recently become one of my favorite meals. It's hearty, it's beautiful and it's vegetarian. Which is why I could not help but make it for dinner when our vegetarian friends came over last night (only to find out they eat meat as of this week, go figure). I stand by my choice. It's a show stopper, but honestly, it's easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal.

I was a little intimidated when I first saw it on Monica's Blog, mainly because of the tart crust. It looked so pretty and finicky, but let me tell you it isn't! This dish has become a regular on the menu rotation already. It is that good.

So, let's get to it. You make the tart crust, pretty simple stuff. Roll it out into a 13-14 inch circle on a pie board (or other lightly floured work surface) then transfer to a greased 14 inch pizza stone or pan.

Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard within 1 1/2 inches of the edge. This is what makes the tart, I swear, that flavor is just amazing. Oh yeah, and the flaky tart crust, mmm.

Lay out your tomatoes in a single layer over the mustard.

Then sprinkle with minced garlic, sea salt, fresh pepper and dried herbs.

Top with mozzarella and finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan and more herbs.

Fold the edges of your tart crust up and over the filling. Just pinch the dough so it overlaps as you go around. The tart dough is easy to work with, and it doesn't have to look perfect.

Bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Let it cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

It tastes even better than it looks. Seriously, don't wait around to try this. It's so easy and wonderful (plus the ingredients are pretty cheap and you probably already have most of them on hand). You have no excuses. Make this tonight!

Rustic Tomato Tart

adapted from Lick the Bowl Good

For the crust:

1 1/2 c. flour

4 Tbs. butter, cold, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 large egg

3-4 Tbs. cold water

For the filling:

3-4 Tbs. Dijon mustard

5 Roma tomatoes

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. Italian mix dried herbs

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

8 oz. grated mozzarella

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425

For the crust, whisk together the salt and flour. Cut in butter until it has a cornmeal consistency. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 2 Tbs. cold water. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in egg mixture. Mix until a non-sticky dough forms, adding 1 Tbs. water. If dough is too dry, add additional water 1 tsp. at a time.

Knead dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough out to a 13-14" circle then transfer to a greased 14" pizza pan or pizza stone. 

For the filling, spread mustard in a thin layer over crust within 1 1/2" of the edge. Slice tomatoes and arrange in a single layer over crust. Sprinkle with minced garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt, pepper and dried herbs over the tomatoes. Top with mozzarella and finish with Parmesan and a sprinkle of additional herbs.

Bring the crust over the filling, working in a circle while pinching to fold edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is brown and bubbly. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.