triple layer mud pie

i usually make this for thanksgiving as the 'chocolate option', along with eggnog pumpkin and bourbon pecan pies. i'm making this for my brother's birthday celebration, because he loves oreos and chocolate pudding. here's a tip if you try it though: leave out the pecans; they get gummy.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/triple-layer-mud-pie-51081.aspx

tonight's bean and sausage soup

1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. hot italian sausage (out of it's casing)
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
1 lg. can diced tomatoes
1 can each: kidney, cannellini, red, pinto, great northern (all drained and rinsed)& spicy refried beans
4 cups water
salt & pepper to taste

saute the onion until translucent. add sausage and brown. add garlic, and remaining ingredients in order. bring to a boil and simmer at least 1/2 hour before serving.

i love beans.

LA Times Gingerbread People

(i haven't tried these- just posting for my own reference!)

3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 egg
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the molasses until incorporated, then the egg. Mix in the grated and ground ginger, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, cloves and cardamom until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least two hours -- and up to one week.

3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Take half of the dough and roll out on a floured work surface to slightly less than one-fourth inch. Using cookie cutters in the desired shape, cut out the dough and place the shapes on a cookie tray lined with parchment, about 1 inch apart. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to color slightly. Do not over-bake. Cool cookies thoroughly on racks before frosting.

Royal icing and assembly

2 egg whites
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 recipe gingerbread cookies
Decorations, as desired

1. Place the egg whites and lemon juice in the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a mixing bowl, if using a hand mixer) and mix until combined. Gradually add in the sugar, mixing until well combined. Pipe onto cookies with a piping bag (remember to cover the unused portion of the icing with plastic wrap to prevent drying out). Garnish the cookies as desired with decorations, then dry at room temperature until the icing is hardened. Store in airtight containers for up to 3 weeks at room temperature.

Each of 42 servings: 118 calories; 1 gram protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 14 mg. cholesterol; 126 mg. sodium.

martha and kelly's chewy gingerbread cookies

i made these cookies today, from marthastewart.com. they definitely don't roll well (i tried that a few years ago), but make excellent ball(?) cookies. i made a few changes, because generally i don't like to copy other people's recipes. i like to make a recipe my own:

-i added one egg, because i thought it needed an egg
-used light brown sugar, because we didn't have any dark,
-omitted the cocoa because we didn't have any of that either (living in someone else's house is hard!).
-omitted the fresh ginger (see above) and added an extra 1/2 tbsp of ground
-added another tbsp of flour
-added 1/8 tsp each of allspice and ground black pepper

ETA: these were phenomenally good. and the most beautiful cookies i've ever made! since i made so many changes to the original recipe, i'm changing the title. i hope martha doesn't mind. i think it could stand another egg and i might try that when i make another batch tomorrow. but these are gorgeous, super spicy, almost perfect gingerbread cookies.

best compliment ever.

"Your brownies are a symphonic extravaganza for the taste buds. They are like the clarion call of trumpets that herald the approach of kings. Nothing in the world is as delectable as your sweets!"

thanks, Mark Lear!

Brownie Mix Cookies

Holy Crow, these are fantastic. I've already eaten three. I made them to sneak into 'Twilight' tonight.

1 box brownie mix, pref. Ghirardelli (the kind with chocolate chips in the mix)
2 eggs
3 tbsp coffee
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup veg. oil
1/2 tbsp orange extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup (or more) chopped nuts. i used pecans because thats what i had.
1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 350'. mix everything together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. spoon onto parchment paper-lined pan and bake 9-10 minutes or until just set.

edited to add: i was freshly pregnant when i made these. in hindsight, they sound absolutely foul.

martha's cranberry chutney

This is the recipe for the absolute best cranberry sauce i've ever had. It was featured in Martha Stewart Everyday in 2005 and has been a part of my Thanksgiving meal every year since! After the big day, I eat sandwiches made of sourdough, this sauce, mayo, and turkey. For every meal. For at least a week.

sopapilla cheesecake

this is similar to cheesecake bars served to us while on a group trip to Albany, Texas, after a recital. I altered it a bit.

2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese
2 cans crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg

1/2 cup melted salted butter
ground cinnamon
honey

preheat oven to 350'. spray the bottom of a 9x13" pan, sealing the perforations and spreading to the edges. combine cream cheese, sugars, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and egg, and mix until smooth. top with remaining can of crescent rolls. pour melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon. bake 30 minutes or until crescent rolls are puffed and golden. drizzle honey over the top and cool before serving.

mariotti cake

a cake i came up with last year for amanda's birthday. named after a delicious chocolate orange gelato!

1 devils food cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup veg. oil
1/2 cup frozen oj concentrate, thawed and microwaved 1 minute
1 (12 oz) bag semisweet choco chips
1 tbsp (or to taste) orange extract

mix all ingredients together, folding in choco chips last. grease and flour baking pan/s. bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

and here's the dark chocolate orange buttercream:


1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1+ cups dutch process cocoa, sifted with the powdered sugar
4-6 tbsp orange juice concentrate, room temp
2-4 tbsp milk (as much as necessary)
2+ tsp orange extract, or to taste

whip the butter until fluffy, then add in sugar, cocoa, and oj. add milk until smooth and spreadable. add extract and taste as you go!

this is indescribably delicious. i had to restrain myself from licking the bowl clean.

fruitcake 2008

this year's fruitcake is in the oven as i'm typing it.  i've made a few changes from last year's recipe, so here is the new one.  

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour (i used organic, unbleached)

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, fresh if possible

scant 1 tablespoon allspice

scant 1 tablespoon ground cloves

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

zest of 2 oranges*, finely chopped

1/2 cup calmyrna figs, chopped

1/2 cup mission figs, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried cranberries, chopped if necessary

1/2-1 cup dried blueberries

1/2-1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried strawberries, chopped

1/2-1 cup prunes, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried pears, chopped

1/2-1 cup dried apricots, chopped

3 cups dark rum

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

soak chopped fruit in rum for at least 24 hours, in an airtight container at room temperature.  

grease and flour two tube pans, and line bottoms with parchment cut to fit.  preheat oven to 225 degrees farenheit.  

cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color and fluffy.  add eggs and beat until combined.

in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger.  

beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well-combined.  stir in fruit (which will have plumped considerably), nuts, and orange zest.  divide between two pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, one to two hours.  the idea is to bake slow to get rid of some moisture that will be reintroduced in the form of rum during aging.  

remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for ten minutes.  while cooling, lay out a layer of cheesecloth that has been soaked in rum.  flip fruitcake right side up onto cheesecloth.  sprinkle approximately two tablespoons of rum onto surface and wrap tightly in parchment.  seal in an airtight container.  let age for at least two months, sprinkling with rum every five days.  

*i tried using a spice grater rather than a zester, to see if it would grate so fine that i wouldn't have to chop the zest.  it worked great and produced so much juicy zest that i only used one orange.  but, if using a zester, the resulting zest will be bigger and drier, so use two oranges.  

spicy black bean dip with goat cheese

inspired by stephanie over at http://crockpot365.blogspot.com!

-1 big can + 1 small can black beans (because thats what i had)
-4-5 cloves garlic
-1 tsp grains of paradise (which i used because i had them, NOT essential! this is a kind of pepper. you can substitute ground black pepper).
-1 tbsp potlatch seasoning (or sub 1 tsp cayenne and 1 tsp chili powder. potlatch is available at williams sonoma and is our favorite spice blend! it also includes paprika, crushed red pepper, and oregano, i think.)
-2 tsp salt or to taste
-several dashes tobasco. i used garlic tobasco.
-2 tbsp olive oil.
-2 tbsp lemon juice

-5-6 oz. goat cheese

drain beans and rinse well. combine all ingredients (except goat cheese) in food processor and process until smooth. stop the machine and taste a few times and adjust and fiddle with your spices if necessary. layer half the mixture in a small casserole dish. crumble half the goat cheese and layer evenly over the bean mixture. repeat.

bake at 350 until cheese is melted and golden and beans are heated through. (mine is still in the fridge. i'll update this later)

ETA: this didn't turn out as well as i'd hoped, but i think i just left it in the oven for too long and it got pretty dry. next time i might just microwave it (covered) for a several minutes and then stick it under the broiler to finish it off. this had potential to be delicious but fell short.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt (if desired)

combine pb and butter, blending until fluffy. add remaining ingredients and whip until light and fluffy, adding more or less milk depending on the thickness you want!

Ariadne auf Naxos Opening Night Party Menu

BYOB

Pigs in Blankets (as per my husband's request)
Bean Dip (don't know what kind yet)

Sausage Lasagna
Green Salad w/cranberries, nuts, and gorgonzola
Garlic Bread

Liz DeShong's Blueberry Grenadine Pie (SO excited to try this!!)
those cookies from 2 posts ago (SO much chocolate to use up!!)
S'mores!

healthier version of those last cookies

in place of the oil, substitute 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 cup oil. the results are cakey. very yummy.

chocolate chip cookies made with oil

these are TO DIE. the only thing i would change would be to add a little butter-flavored extract in addition to the vanilla.

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (i used dark brown)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups chopped hershey bars, plus another 1 cup to roll dough in.

preheat oven to 350'.

whisk together flour, salt, and bakng soda. in another bowl whisk together sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla. add flour mixture to sugar mixture and stir until blended. stir in chopped chocolate.

line your baking sheet with parchment paper. form dough into balls using a tablespoon. add chocolate chunks to any 'empty' spots. bake for 8-9 minutes. cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.