Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce

So contrary to what I wrote before, there are times when I don't have to persuade Mr. Smith too much to watch Food TV. It's usually when the bobble head chef with the giant knockers is on- yeah, you know the one. Doesn't it figure that this is also his favorite sauce. The man never eats leftovers and ate this for three days straight.... what the ....? This takes about an hour and a half to come together, so it may be tough for a weeknight, and is reminiscent of a puttanesca sauce. I played with the ingredients and added a bit more crushed red pepper and garlic than the recipe below, and it came out perfect for us, but I leave that up to you.

Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce
From: Everyday Pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 dried bay leaf
8 anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, minced
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf. and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add 1 cup of water if the sauce gets too thick. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Place the minced anchovies and some of their oil in a medium, heavy skillet. Stir over medium heat until the anchovies melt, about 2 minutes. Add the olives, capers, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Saute until the olives are heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir the olive mixture into the sauce and simmer over medium heat until the flavors blend, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the penne to the sauce and toss to coat, adding enough of the pasta water to moisten. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Cinnamon Banana Wake-up Cake

Damn, it's been a while! Mr. Smith and I have had a few busy weeks with travels and whatnot, the most recent being to the Big Easy where we chowed down here and here. If you haven't been to NOLA~ GET.THERE.NOW... Anywho- back to the kitchen. With all that traveling, another bunch of bananas hit the skids and turned up in my favorite coffee cake- so here it is. The cookbook is a bit kitchy, but it was the first one I ever bought so it has a special place in my heart.


Cinnamon Banana Wake- Up Cake
From: Keeping Good Company

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 bananas, coarsely mashed (not pureed)
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are good)
2 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat together first four ingredients until well blended. Stir in bananas and next six ingredients and mix well. Spread batter into a greased bundt pan and sprinkle top with nuts and cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan.

Brownie Cheesecake

So, Easter was a bit of a bust for Mr. Smith and I. It seems that on high traffic days, there is always a chance that the traffic gods will not look on us favorably and we are inevitably stuck in the city. After an hour in the car, and only going 5 miles we made the executive decision to turn back and grab brunch (raw bar and bloody Mary's?- yes please). So this morsel never made it to it's final destination, and will instead be a mid-day treat for the ladies tomorrow. Although there are a few steps, it comes together easy and can be made the day before without a problem. Brownie, cakey, heaven- Enjoy!

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
From: Smitten Kitchen

Part One: One Bowl Brownies
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Baker’s chocolate, optional of course)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 3/4cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.
Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes, or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not over bake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.
Cool brownies, then cut* them into 3/4- to 1-inch squares for use in the cheesecake. You will have more than the two cups of cubes, loosely measured, than you will need. Add cubes to cake batter as directed below.
* I find that brownies are easy to cut once they’ve been refrigerated–you end up with nice clean lines, and in this case, a sharp pizza wheel was especially helpful.

Part Two: Crumb Crust
3 cups or 10 ounces finely ground cookies such as Chocolate Teddy Grahams
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 9- inch spring form pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.

Part Three: Cheesecake
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups brownie cubes (from recipe above)
Make crumb crust as directed above for 9- inch cheesecake. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make filling and bake cake: Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla and sugar, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put spring form pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.
When completely cool, top with following glaze.

Part Four: Ganache Glaze
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up, or 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
Grind the chocolate into powder in the food processor, scald the butter and cream in a saucepan (or in a Pyrex cup in the microwave). With the machine running, pour the hot cream/butter mixture slowly through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Blend until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down sides once or twice. Add the extract and sugar and process until smooth. Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Chill until ready to serve.

Chunky Monkey Cookies

When my favorite little person had a big birthday party last weekend, I knew I had to bring something with bananas in it. Well.... that and the fact that chunky monkey ice cream has a very special place in my heart. So I present you with Chunky Monkey cookies. Cake like banana cookies studded with walnuts and chocolate chips and frosted with yummy vanilla and banana frosting. These are truely trashy.


Chunky Banana- Chocolate Chip Cookies
From: Betty Crocker's Cookies & Bars no.48
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies

2 1/2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup vanilla frosting (I totally trashed it up and used Rich and Creamy out of a tub)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts and/ or mini chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mash 2 of the bananas to measure 1 cup mashed; reserve the remaining 1/2 banana. Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs and mashed bananas in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chips and 1/2 cup walnuts.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased large cookie sheet.

Bake 11- 15 minutes or until edges begin to turn light golden brown. Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely- about 30 minutes.

Mash enough of remaining 1/2 banana to measure 2 tablespoons mashed. Mix frosting an mashed banana in medium bowl with spoon until well blended and spreadable. Spread each cookie with about 1 tablespoon of the frosting and sprinkle with mini chips or walnuts if you are using them.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! When Mr. Smith and I first met, the wee lad was still in college and whoopin' it up with the rugby team (yep, I dig younger guys). On Saturday afternoons said rugby team would have a game followed by a "drink up" (very technical name) where songs would be sung about peoples girlfriends and sisters, and beer would be drunk out of a smelly boot, aka "shooting the boot" (also another technical name.. did I mention these guys were engineers?). It was at one such gathering that I was introduced to the Irish Car Bomb shot (a shot of baileys and Jameson dropped into a half pint of Guinness and drank quickly before it could curdle), and a lovefest with the rich velvety goodness ensued.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
From: Annie's Eats
Yield: 20-24 cupcakes

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:
1 cup stout (Guinness)
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi-sweet chips here)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. Bailey's Irish cream or Jameson's whiskey

For the Bailey's buttercream frosting:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4-8 tbsp. Bailey's Irish cream

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined. Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.) Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Bailey's until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Spice Bread

With all of the rain we've been getting here in Boston, I was housebound most of the weekend and itching to play in the kitchen. Of course that meant I hadn't been food shopping either, which made for slim pickings in the ingredients section. After browsing I found this simple bread recipe from a book I hadn't yet used. No eggs, no sugar, no problem! And you know I love me some molasses, and the addition of honey leaves the bread sweet and tender. The recipe suggests leaving the cooked loaf for a day to help the flavors develop, and they sure did. The simple, moist bread would be perfect for a brunch, the holidays, or snacking anytime!

Honey Spice Loaf (Pain d'Epice)
From: Chocolate and Zucchini

1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg and ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Combine the milk, honey, and molasses in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat without boiling and with a spatula until combined. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a smaller bowl combine the candied ginger (if using) with 2 teaspoons of the flour mixture and set aside.
Form a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the milk mixture slowly and whisk in a circular motion, starting from the center, until all the flour has been incorporated- the batter will be thin. Fold in the ginger if using.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.
Transfer to a rack and cool. Wrap and let rest at room temperature until the next day.

Banana Nut Bread

Banana bread has always been one of my favorite things to make, but somehow the bananas in my house are always gone before they have the opportunity to brown. Last week I picked up an extra bunch with this bread in mind, and while I was walking out of the farm stand this recipe was staring me in the face. I think it was fate.

Banana Bread
From: Wilson Farm

Cream together:
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened

Beat in:
2 eggs

Stir in:
1 1/4 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
2 tablespoons milk

Sift together and stir in:
2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Stir in:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan,
Bake at 350 degrees 50-60 minutes, or until done.