Okay....this recipe hails from Bon Appetit...in the reader's favorite restaurant section......I always go to that section first...because the recipe must be the bomb if someone is willing to sit down and write into a magazine...I wonder how long they have to wait for a response.....are they checking their mail everyday in hopes of it's arrival?? Or do they have to check the magazine for their recipe??.....inquiring minds want to know!!! This I wonder about....along with.... why is the shavings container on pencil sharpeners so dang small....pencil shavings get everywhere.....why put a container on it, just let it pour out onto my desk....it's going to anyways...another wonder....why do I always get stuck behind someone in the grocery store that writes a dang check...it's 2012....who writes checks anymore.....you people DRIVE me crazy....you....check-writers' you!!! I guess I should put a recipe on this now:) By the way.....have I mentioned my love of bacon....and mushrooms???
3 cups beef broth
2 cups dry red wine
3 TBSP olive oil, divided
12 oz assorted fresh mushrooms cut into large pieces, I used oyster and shiitake....
salt and pepper
1/2 pound bacon, coursely chopped (original recipe calls for pancetta....I like bacon better)
6 TBSP butter
1 TBSP chopped fresh sage
1 lb penne pasta.....now....here's what I found after I made this recipe....it's better with a smaller pasta shape, mini penne, bow-tie, small shells.....cooked.....reserve 1 cup of the pasta water...
1 cup parmesan cheese
In a large saucepan...bring the broth and wine to a boil over med-high heat and cook until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups.....takes about 18-20 minutes. Heat 2 TBSP of butter in a deep skillet, add chopped bacon and mushrooms....season with salt and pepper, saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth/wine reduction and sage to the bacon and mushrooms...
Stir the pasta and mushroom mixture together...along with 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese....add TBSP of the pasta water if needed....only a TBSP at a time.....once it's nice and moist....pour into a serving dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese on top......so yum....!!!
I have a picture...but my camera is being stupid....I mean stubborn....
We do adore salmon at our house.....we....meaning "the hubby"......I try and serve a salmon dish every other week to keep "we" happy!!! Here's another winner in the marinade department.....:)
Marinade:
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 1/2 TBSP minced fresh ginger
2 TBSP white wine
1 TBSP lemon juice
3 TBSP honey
pinch of salt and pepper
Glaze:
6 TBSP butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 lb Salmon, cut into 4 servings
Prepare the marinade, and pour it over the top of the salmon....refrigerate for 2-4 hours....i liked the 4-hour version better:) Preheat oven to 375......after marinading is complete, transfer the salmon to a baking dish, place in the oven for 15 minutes. to prepare the glaze, combine the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and melt until it's goopy goodness.....spoon the glaze over the salmon....and place directly under the broiler for 5 minutes.....YUM!




Can you ever wrong with chocolate??? Everyone loves brownies including me, but I have yet to find a food that I am not totally in love with....hence the hard-core workouts that I have to put my body through every morning so I don't have to be lifted out of my house with a crane. The only slight problem I have with this recipe is the unwrapping of 60 caramels....not that I'm lazy, I just have issues holding an unwrapped caramel and NOT putting into my mouth. I have tried to hire my kids to do the unwrapping but had to fire them....as half of the caramels disappeared into their bellies. No worries, there was a generous severance package for each of them:) This recipe hails from thepioneerwoman.com a blog that I visit multiple times a day, simply because she shares my love...ok let's be honest: obsession with butter! This didn't actually "knock" my clothes off...probably because of the 6 cinnamon rolls that I chowed down on the day before....clothes were feeling pretty darn tight!
1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
½ cups Butter, Melted
60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼ cups Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.


