Homemade Shamrock Shakes!

Now that we're almost to St. Patrick's Day, who wants SHAMROCK SHAKES?!?

2 C vanilla ice cream
1-1⁄4 C 2% low-fat milk
1⁄4 tsp. mint extract
8 drops green food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Stop blender to stir with a spoon if necessary to help blend ice cream.

Pour into 12-ounce cups and serve each with a straw.

Be ready for cool weather with this amazing homemade beef stew

3/4 pound shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup red wine (I use a good Cabernet)
4 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch slices
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Season the beef liberally with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring as needed, until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Discard any excess oil from the pan and return to medium-high heat. Add the shallots, onions, and celery and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir, scraping the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Stir in the stock, thyme, rosemary and marjoram. Return the meat and any juices that have collected to the pot. Add the potatoes and carrots, then cover and bake for 3 hours. Stir in the peas and bake for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(MDG Note: The only changes I make to this are I use 4 large potatoes and I cut them into eighths - quartered pieces seem too large.)

Pasta e Fagioli that's almost as good as Mom's

My mom was an amazing cook! Growing up, she'd make just about everything from scratch and it would be just perfect. Since she passed in 2001, I've been trying to find recipes for all her "regular" meals. While I've found (and perfected) my own recipes for pasta sauces, chicken soup, beef stew, and fried chicken, I hadn't found a good substitute for one of my favorite soups that she made all fall and winter - Pasta e Fagioli - until now.

1 lb. ground beef
1 C diced onion
1 C julienned carrot
1 C celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato soup (or you can substitute V8)
1 tsp. vinegar
1-1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1⁄2 tsp. pepper
1⁄2 tsp. thyme
1⁄2 lb. ditali pasta

Brown beef in a large stock pot over medium heat; drain off fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

After 50 minutes, boil pasta to al dente. Drain well. Add pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.  

Italian Grilled Cheese, please!

On those (soon to be here) cold nights, this super easy and VERY delicious Italian grilled cheese (Mozzarella en Carozza) is the perfect quick dinner and would pair especially nice with tomato bisque soup.  

8 slices brioche bread
8 slices fresh mozzarella
5 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

Top each of 4 slices of bread with two pieces of mozzarella.  Cover with remaining 4 slices of bread, to form sandwiches.  Trim the crusts from the bread. 

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, and salt.  Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, to coat.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick saute pan.  Add sandwiches; cook 2 minutes, until golden brown.  Flip; cook another 2 minutes on other side, until it's also golden brown.

Mangia!

Cranberry/White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking for a little something different than just your standard, run of the mill chocolate chip cookie?  How does dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts sound?  Yeah, I thought so...

Cranberry/White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes (at least) 4 dozen cookies

2 1/4 C unsifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 C white chocolate chips
2 C dried cranberries
1 C chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries, and nuts (if using.) Drop by tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

**Note: You can also add 2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips to make them extra special!

Cleveland Cassata Cake

In honor of DD#3's birthday today, I thought I'd share the recipe for the cake she requested: Cleveland-style Cassata Cake (this one is very close to Corbo's in Cleveland's Little Italy.)

Yes, I know it looks like a strawberry shortcake but, trust me, it's SO much more!

Cleveland Cassata Cake

2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/4 and 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large egg yolks at room temperature
8 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the custard:
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups half and half
3 tablespoons cornstarch

For the strawberries:
3 pounds strawberries
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

For the whipped cream:
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk together all of the custard ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Turn down the heat so that the mixture just simmers, and whisk until thick, 1-2 minutes. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a round of wax paper, and cool. Then, chill custard, covered, for at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with lightly oiled parchment paper. Sift together the flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt two times into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat together the yolks, water, oil, zest and vanilla until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture. In another large bowl beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat on high until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

Using a rubber spatula, fold about a quarter of the fluffy egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Then very gently fold in the remaining whites. As soon as the egg whites are no longer visible, stop folding. Scrape the batter into the two prepared round cake pans and spread evenly. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in their pans on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When completely cool, run a knife around the sides to release the cakes, cover each pan with a wax paper-lined plate, and flip. Gently lift the pans off of the cakes.

Slice the strawberries thinly and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and stir. Allow the strawberries to soak up the sugar for 1 hour, giving them a stir every so often. Strain the berries, reserving the released juices.

When the cakes are thoroughly chilled slice them in half so you have four layers. Place each layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet or plate. Whip the cream and sugar together until stiff.

Place one cake layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with 1/3 of the reserved strawberry juice. Cover with a layer of strawberries, and then a layer of custard. Repeat for the following layers. Then, ice the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream. Top with fresh strawberries.

Chill the cake for at least 8 hours before serving, so that the cake has time to absorb the strawberry juices. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.

Calvin & Hobbes crochet project?!? Yes, please!

I found my newest crochet project... Hobbes! As a huge fan of "Calvin & Hobbes", I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. If it turns out nice, there will be pictures posted. If not, well... eh... maybe not. lol

(Not my photo.  Like I said, if it comes out "right", I'll post my own later.)

Crochet Hobbes Doll

Looking for a unique Father's Day gift for the dad with a sweet tooth?

After seeing examples of it all over Pinterest, last year my girls decided to make DH one of those candy-based cards for Fathers' Day. Here's a picture of how it turned out:

If you're wondering what it said, here's the "transcript" (candy name in CAPS):

Dad, we were going to give you a WHOPPing 100 GRAND for Fathers' Day, but the money slipped through our BUTTERFINGERs. We didn't have an EXTRA WHATCHMACALLIT to sell and it wasn't PAYDAY. We didn't think a pet kitKAT, a trip to New YORK, or an ORBIT around the MILKY WAY would be appropriate. We do want to wish you MOUNDS of Almond JOY both NOW & LATER as you eat this card. We hope it doesn't make you ROLlover and get sick. If it does, we promise not to SNICKERs. Love, your favorite AIRHEADS.

(Note:  I wish they had used Nerds instead of Airheads but this was their idea.)

Homemade "Cream of" Soup Base

You know how most "quick" casseroles have cream of chicken/mushroom/whatever soup in them? I usually try to avoid using these canned soups because of the excess sodium, MSG, and other ingredients that I know my grandmothers wouldn't recognize. (BTW, that's my standard when buying canned or pre-made items. If there are ingredients that my grandmothers wouldn't recognize, I don't usually buy it.)

Anyway, I was reading the comments on a blog (sorry, I didn't write down the blog's name - bad MDG! lol) and someone posted a recipe for homemade "cream of" soups. You make the base, then add the flavoring you want/need. GENIUS! I'm going to have to give this a try.

HOMEMADE CREAM SOUP SUBSTITUTE
2 C instant nonfat dry milk
3/4 C cornstarch
1/4 C instant chicken bouillon
2 tsp dry onion flakes
1 tsp each basil and thyme
2 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients and mix well. Store in jar in cupboard. Makes the equivalent of 9 cans of soup.

To flavor: Add mushrooms, celery or onion when cooking to make whatever cream-of-soup you are replacing.

To make the equivalent of one can of soup, use 1/3 cup of the mix and 1.5 cups water and cook until thickened.

Alton Brown's homemade lemon curd recipe is AMAZING!

Do you like lemon curd?  Of course you do!  Do you hate paying $5 (or more) in the grocery store for a tiny jar that you can polish off in an afternoon?  Duh, yeah!  Did you know you can make your own and it's even better than the store bought stuff?  Yeah... no... well...

No more excuses!  Here's a recipe form Alton Brown that makes the easiest, tastiest curd you've ever had.  And, best part, you can sub in mashed raspberries for the lemons for raspberry curd, or limes for lime curd, or... well, you get my point.

Now it's time for me to make some pound cake, to enjoy this with.  Maybe even add a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh berry on top.  

Recipe: Lemon Curd
(Originally from Alton Brown)

Ingredients
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure citrus juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup. Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth. Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place bowl on top of saucepan. (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water.) Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE: I used a double boiler instead of a bowl over a pan of simmering water. And I canned this recipe in a water bath (10 mins. for each 4 oz. jelly jar) because, well, I like to can things. lol

Advice From Billionaires

Forbes magazine put together a list of advice from billionaires for recent graduates; however, I think it fully applies to everyone.  Some of the bits contradict (don't plan vs. plan your decades) but they're all pretty spot on.

Speak up and fight back.  (Michael Bloomberg)

Negativity is noise.  (Tory Burch)

Speak up anyway.  (Sheryl Sandburg)

Live each day as if it was your last.  (Steve Jobs)

From those to whom much is given, much is expected.  (Bill Gates)

We all need makeovers from time to time.  (Oprah Winfrey)

Never be the smartest person in the room.  (Michael Dell)

Don't stay down long.  (Michael Bloomberg)

Failure can be the foundation of success.  (JK Rowling)

Gifts are easy, choices are hard.  (Jeff Bezos)

It's easier if you do something you love.  (Mark Zuckerberg)

Don't have passion, have tenacity.  (Steve Ballmer)

Tackle big dreams, there's no competition.  (Larry Page)

Don't bother to have a plan.  (Eric Schmidt)

You can't be successful by being timid.  (Eli Broad)

Prepare for the unexpected.  (Pierre Omidyar)

Plan your decades.  (H. Ross Perot, Sr.)

Work like hell and advertise.  (Ted Turner)

Be contrarian and be right.  (Reid Hoffman)

Think for yourself.  (Carl Icahn)

The people around you matter.  (Steve Case)

Don't let the news get you down.  (Jerry Yang)

In other words:  Work hard,  be a good person, fight for what's right, don't be afraid of making waves or changes, surround yourself with smart people, and do something you find meaningful.  (MDG)

Yep, that sounds like what I've told my kids (and the kids I've mentored at work) all along.

Infused Water? Yes, please!

I was given a Grosche Atlantis Water Infuser Pitcher to test and review.  And, I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical.  I mean, infused water?  Really?  What, is it supposed to make me think that I'm at the spa when I'm really at home (surrounded by the kids, DH, and the fur baby)?  Yeah... probably not something I'd like.  Or so I thought!

After a couple of weeks with this pitcher, I've gotta say that I'm impressed.  It's really cool!  It's a 50 oz. pitcher with a plastic, perforated insert that screws onto the lid.  You simply place your cut up fruit (or veggies or herbs or tea) into the tube, attach it to the lid, and place it in the pitcher.  Let it sit in the fridge for a while, and voila! you have a refreshing and tasty beverage.

My favorite use for it is to make iced tea -- I place tea bags into the insert, let it steep until at the desired strength, remove bags, add a couple of slices of lemon, and enjoy.

There's also another insert (solid plastic) that fits inside the perforated tube, which you can fill with water and freeze.  That way, you can have chilled drinks without melted ice diluting your beverage.  Genius!  (This works great with the iced tea mentioned above.)

I'm looking forward to using my new Grosche Atlantis Water Infuser Pitcher all summer.

Grosche Atlantis Water Infuser Pitcher

$26.95 if you have Amazon Prime

DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Homemade Dog Treats (it's easier than you think!)

We adopted a little mutt named Brody last year.  He's loving, sweet, a little hyper, and (perhaps) the only one in the house who actually listens to me the first time.  As such, I spoil the little guy.  I'm convinced he eats better than most humans and, well, I started baking him homemade treats.  They're super easy to make and he just loves 'em.  The peanut butter ones are his favorite.  In fact, we baked them for all his little doggie friends during the holidays.  (Yeah, I've become one of "those" dog owners.)

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray or parchment paper
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup low sodium turkey broth
1 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats and baking powder. Stir in the broth and peanut butter until the mixture forms a crumbly dough. Press the dough together to form a ball.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for 30 seconds until smooth. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Using whatever shape cookie cutter desired (I usually use a round one but a bone-shaped one would have been cute), cut out treats and place on the prepared baking sheet (any scraps of dough can be formed into a ball and re-rolled).

Bake until light golden, 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

**Using a 2-1/2" round cutter, I get between 50 and 60 treats out of this recipe

Looking for a good "make ahead" Sunday morning breakfast or brunch? How about my Breakfast Bake?

MDG's Breakfast Bake (serves 8)

3/4 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
1/2 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1-1/2 C frozen hash browns (I like the Alexia yukon gold ones)
3/4 C grated cheddar or swiss cheese
1/2 C flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 C milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a square baking dish and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion and pepper, breaking up the meat, until the meat is cooked (7 to 8 mins.)

Transfer the meat mixture (including the fat) to the casserole dish and stir in the frozen hash browns and cheese.

In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the milk and eggs until well combined. Pour over the sausage mixture, ensuring even coverage.

Bake uncovered until light brown on top and around the edges, about 35 to 40 mins. (If you want your casserole extra cheesy, you can sprinkle another 1/2 C of shredded cheese on top and bake for another 2 minutes.)

Enjoy!

(Weight Watchers note: If you use 1% milk and don't add the extra cheese, this comes to 7 WW points per serving)

Ranting About Yesterday and Today

This week, my employer has been the "host organization" for our industry's largest annual professional conference.  While it's been great to actually get to attend one of these events (tickets are upwards of $700 for 3 days, plus travel, meals, etc., so it isn't something I'd be able to attend if it weren't happening in our city and if we weren't hosting), it's been a little stressful.

I spent the full day Wednesday at the conference site, walking around, checking out the vendors, making sure my intern was set up with our volunteer coordinator, etc.  Nothing too crazy.  Well, according to my pedometer, I walked over 3 miles inside.  That's kind of crazy.

Yesterday, though...  I needed to be there by 11am for a seminar.  Naturally, I received a panicky email from a coworker about needing to finalize some foreign transfers.  I was promised they'd be ready for review by 8am, 8:30 at the latest.  

So, stupid me, I arrive at the office for 8am and... wait... and... wait... and... wait.  

Naturally they weren't ready until 9:45am.  Yeah.  At least I was able to use the lag time in between to finalize a few reports for my boss, so I wasn't just sitting around.  Apparently the traffic gods were on my side because I managed to get over to the convention center (about 4 or 5 miles away) and find parking (not always a "given") in about 25 minutes.  Whoo-hoo!  I then spent the rest of the day attending seminars and getting to know people.

Then I get home, which is when I remembered that Friday (today) is the last day of school and that DD#4 probably needed a thank you gift and note for her teacher.  So, we ran out, bought a box of gourmet chocolates (her teacher is a HUGE choco-holic), treated ourselves to ice cream for dessert, went back home, made a card (and DD#4 included a very nice letter of appreciation), and I was ready to crash. 

About 8pm, I remembered DD#3 is supposed to attend a Science Olympiad team dinner Friday (today) and she promised to bring brownies.  Of course, I remembered that DH promised that he would make them with her after school and, well, that totally didn't happen.  So, last night, when I should have been preparing for the last day of conference today, I baked 2 batches of homemade brownies.  And made a pitcher of homemade lemonade because DD#4 asked for some.  (I mean, at this point, why not?  It's not like I was getting to do anything for myself, right?  lol)

Today, though... today was supposed to be the "easy" day.  I needed to be at conference (final day) at 8:45am.  But DD#2 needed to be dropped off for work on my way.  Okay, not too bad, as I wasn't running too late.  Hit a bit of traffic.  Not too bad, it gave me a chance to mentally prepare (today's seminar was totally about my field of work and promised to be good.)  I get into the convention center about 20 minutes early and the security guard wants to talk about how awesome this event has been and how much he loves my employer organization. Nice to hear but I need to get to session, dude, please wrap it up.  (My mom raised me to be too polite to just cut him off.)  Finally I manage to get to the conference room exactly on time.  Whoo-hoo!  Then I spent the next hour and a half, listening to the presented proceed to rip apart the major parts of my job.  I mean, she literally said that it's a no longer necessary part of finance for non-profits and that it's a waste of time and money.  WTF?!?  I didn't walk out because, well, I was hoping she was going to change her tone a bit.  But nope.  Just more talk about how it's a totally outdated model.  (Which it isn't, BTW.  In fact, it's pretty common at all levels of non-profit organizations.)

I finished up that seminar and came back to the office.  After filling in my boss with the update that our work is for nothing (and her having the same WTF reaction I did), I decided that today was not going to be my most productive day and that I should plan on just cleaning up my office, answering emails for the past week, and that's about it.

In the meantime, to the seminar presenter who so thoroughly crapped on my work for the past (almost) 5 years... bite me.  My particular area is something that is very much needed, it's not a waste of resources to allocate funds to this area, and we (actually accountants and finance personnel) probably know it better than a consultant who's never worked in our field. 

Oh, and her calling fundraising "sales just tarted up with cheap lipstick and perfume" generated a ton of laughs from our philanthropy department.  I think they dislike her almost as much as I do.

There... rant off.

Have a good rest of Friday, everyone!

Homemade pizza... it's easier than you think

Friday nights in our house is "pizza night." Typically this means that we order in because, well, that's my usual night off from cooking dinner. However, because we live in Ohio and it's hard to find good pizza (we've found one place that comes close to what I remember from Italy and living in New York), I occasionally make my own homemade pizzas (dough recipe to follow below in comments) for dinner.

The top one is roasted red pepper, fresh tomato, garlic, pepperoni, and cheese, and the bottom one is just pepperoni. Yum!

1 package dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp.)
1 - 1/2 C lukewarm water
3 - 3 1/2 C unbleached flour, sifted
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until it begins to be foamy. Add 1 cup flour and stir well. Add an additional 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water and mix again. Mix in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and the salt, 1/2 cup water, and an additional 1/4 cup of flour. The dough should form a ball and be a little sticky. Add more flour or water if it's either too wet or too dry. By this point, you'll probably be using your hands to mix it.

Sprinkle some of the remaining flour onto a board and knead dough on it 8 - 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form dough into a ball. Oil a large clean bowl with 1 tsp. olive oil and place dough in it, turning so all sides are lightly oiled. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough with your fist, turn onto floured board and knead 1 - 2 minutes. Form dough into either 2 or 4 evenly sized balls, depending on what size pizza you wish to make (either 2 - 12" or 4 - 8" pizzas.) You can freeze the dough balls up to a month, individually well wrapped in plastic.

Homemade Brownies (2 ways)

Looking for a way to treat your kids as they finish up the school year?  Heck, looking for a way to treat yourself?  How about brownies?  No, not that stuff that you buy from a bakery or that you make from a box of who knows what.  Real, homemade brownies.  Here are 2 different recipes that turn out the most fabulous little treats you'll eat this week.  So, whether you like cake-like or fudgy brownies, MDG has you covered.

HOMEMADE BROWNIES (original - more cake-like)
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
Mix sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla; gradually add flour and salt. When that is mixed, blend in butter. Spread in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

HOMEMADE BROWNIES (revised - more fudgy)
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
Mix sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla; gradually add flour and salt. When that is mixed, blend in butter. Spread in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

Both are awesomely good!

Tortellini with Pancetta & Gorgonzola Cream (serves 4)

Looking for a recipe that's super delish and easy to make?  Oh, and looks like you've spent hours in the kitchen?  Then, try my tortellini with pancetta & gorgonzola cream sauce.  It takes about 30 minutes, from start to finish, and is as perfect with company for dinner as it is on one of those "Oh crap!  I forgot to take something out for dinner!" nights.

Enjoy!

2 packages of refrigerator tortellini (or 1 bag of frozen) 
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Pancetta, cooked, chopped

Cook tortellini as per the package instructions.  Drain and set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and sauté till it begins to turn light brown.  Add white wine and deglaze pan.  Add heavy cream, Gorgonzola cheese, and Parmesan cheese.  Reduce heat to a simmer until cheese melts and ingredients are all incorporated.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Add tortellini to sauce and stir to combine. 

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with pancetta.

Looking for a fancy, restaurant-quality recipe to serve at home? Try this... Ravioli al Forno

2 Cup Alfredo Sauce (see recipe below)
1 lb Cheese Ravioli, cooked
½ Cup Bread Crumbs, toasted
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 oz. Pesto Sauce
2 oz. Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

In a large casserole dish, place 1 cup Alfredo. Top with ravioli and remaining cup Alfredo. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Place dish in oven and bake until sauce bubbles (approx. 15 minutes). Remove from oven. Top with pesto and marinara in a stripe pattern if desired.

Alfredo Sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup grated Romano cheese
Salt, to taste
1 egg yolk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted. Mix in egg yolk. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Bacon Potato Salad (and it's Weight Watchers friendly! Seriously.)

I made this over the weekend and OMG! Super yummy, rather light (only 4 WW points per serving), and a nice side dish for the impending summer barbecues you're bound to either be hosting or attending. Enjoy!

Bacon Potato Salad

1 lb. small potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small chunks
3 slices bacon
5 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1/4 C mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain and cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon until it's crisp. Drain the cooked bacon on paper towels, to absorb the grease. Then cut or crumble into small pieces.

In a serving bowl, combine the mayonnaise and vinegar. Then add the potatoes, bacon, and scallions, and toss until well coated.

Chill at least an hour before serving.

Serves 6 "side dish" portions