Stout cupcakes
This is also one of the easiest cupcake recipes in Martha's entire book, which leads me to believe that she pretty much assumes you will sample some beer before you start baking, so you'd better not have to do anything too difficult. Just one bowl of wet ingredients (eggs, vegetable oil, molasses, stout, orange zest) and one bowl of dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg) - almost too easy!
The cupcakes are glazed with a mix of stout and confectioners' sugar. When we tried them, we pretty much agreed that they taste like a normal spice cake. But I wonder what they would taste like if you used a typical stout, like Guinness. I'm sure the coffee flavor in the New Glarus beer gave it a bit of complexity. Oh, and I didn't have any cinnamon, so I used garam masala, but it turned out delicious just the same.
Dave has been begging me for these ever since we had them at Twist. They're very simple, and our party guests Ed & Mandy helped us with them: wrap dates in bacon and bake.
As you can see, mine are a little crispy. I didn't have a recipe in front of me, so I followed the bacon package and baked them at 400 degrees. Well, other recipes suggest 350, which will heat it much slower, so maybe that would be better net time. Anyway they were good and were definitely a hit at the party, although maybe next time I'd make a red pepper sauce to serve them with.
This was a very flavorful lasagna and was a big hit at the party. We've still got a few slices left for lunch this week - woo!
So, it was a very busy cooking weekend, winding up with today's vegetable omelette for my overnight guests and sweet potato fries for dinner. 2011 is looking pretty good so far!
As you can see, mine are a little crispy. I didn't have a recipe in front of me, so I followed the bacon package and baked them at 400 degrees. Well, other recipes suggest 350, which will heat it much slower, so maybe that would be better net time. Anyway they were good and were definitely a hit at the party, although maybe next time I'd make a red pepper sauce to serve them with.
The main meal at the party was sausage lasagna, from Ina, of course. This recipe comes from a new cookbook - Barefoot Contesssa: Family Style - given to me for Christmas by my mom, and although the cookbook isn't a new release, it's one I still didn't own. (I haven't made anything from her new one yet.)
The idea is to make the sauce while you simultaneously (1) soak the noodles and (2) mix the cheeses. The noodles aren't boiled, which makes them easier to work with, and honestly they tasted just the same in the finished product. (I used whole wheat.) The sauce was easy to make, and I could see Ina's M.O. - add tons of flavor by adding copious amounts of basil and parsley toward the end of the simmering process.
The Italian sausage was really flavorful, too. I usually don't do meat sauces in lasagna, but this worked well. Ina suggests using uncooked Italian sausage, but I didn't have time to get to Whole Foods (which is pretty much the only place in my area you can find it).
The cheese mixture contains ricotta, Parmesan, salt & pepper, and basil. When you are making the cheese layer, you smear this mixture atop chunks of fresh Mozzarella cheese.
You layer as follows: 1/3 of the sauce, 1/2 of the noodles, chunks of fresh Mozzarella, the cheese mixture, then another set of layers, then more sauce on top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
The idea is to make the sauce while you simultaneously (1) soak the noodles and (2) mix the cheeses. The noodles aren't boiled, which makes them easier to work with, and honestly they tasted just the same in the finished product. (I used whole wheat.) The sauce was easy to make, and I could see Ina's M.O. - add tons of flavor by adding copious amounts of basil and parsley toward the end of the simmering process.
The Italian sausage was really flavorful, too. I usually don't do meat sauces in lasagna, but this worked well. Ina suggests using uncooked Italian sausage, but I didn't have time to get to Whole Foods (which is pretty much the only place in my area you can find it).
The cheese mixture contains ricotta, Parmesan, salt & pepper, and basil. When you are making the cheese layer, you smear this mixture atop chunks of fresh Mozzarella cheese.
You layer as follows: 1/3 of the sauce, 1/2 of the noodles, chunks of fresh Mozzarella, the cheese mixture, then another set of layers, then more sauce on top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
This was a very flavorful lasagna and was a big hit at the party. We've still got a few slices left for lunch this week - woo!
So, it was a very busy cooking weekend, winding up with today's vegetable omelette for my overnight guests and sweet potato fries for dinner. 2011 is looking pretty good so far!
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