Lasagna Bolognese

This is worth every second of preparation. It's probably one of the best I've ever had.

Lasagna Bolognese
A variation on this recipe from Food Network Magazine

For the Ragu:
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
10 ounces white button mushrooms
2 carrots, cut into 4 pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 4 pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh parsley
1 6-ounce piece prosciutto, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds Italian sausage
2 cups dry white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes

For the Bechamel:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups whole milk

For the Lasagna:
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh lasagna sheets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 pound parmesan, grated (2 to 3 cups)
1 pound fresh mozzarella or fontina, grated (4 to 5 cups)

Make the ragu: Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid.

Finely chop the porcini and white mushrooms in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and prosciutto to the processor; pulse until finely chopped.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook the ground beef and pork in batches, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Add the wine to the pot, scraping up the browned bits. Add the liquid to the bowl with the meat.

Melt the butter in the pot; add the onion, chopped carrot mixture, the rosemary, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 8 minutes.

Return the meat mixture to the pot. Add the cognac and scrape up the browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Crush the tomatoes with your hands over the pot and add with their juices. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours, 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, whisking, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, 10 more minutes.

Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a wide saucepan. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Line a baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel. Working in batches, boil the pasta until partially cooked, about 4 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and transfer to the ice water to cool. Remove the pasta sheets, shake off the excess water and arrange in a single layer on the towel. Cover the pasta with another damp towel.

Brush the bottom and sides of a deep 11-by-13-inch baking dish with the butter. Spread 1/2 cup ragu in the pan. Cover with a layer of pasta, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spread 1 1/2 cups ragu over the cheese and top with 1 cup bechamel. Repeat with 3 more layers each of pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, ragu and bechamel. Top with a layer of pasta, then cover with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella. Tuck the edges of the pasta into the baking dish with a knife.

Place the lasagna on a baking sheet to catch any drips; bake until bubbly and golden, about 40 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Martinis

Yes, you read that right. And it's delicious. And yes, I really need to get some martini glasses...

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Martinis
Courtesy of Daydreamer Desserts



Reese’s Peanut Butter Martini:
2 1/2 ounces Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cup Infused Vodka, recipe below
4 ounces (1/2 cup) milk
1 teaspoon Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
4 mini peanut butter Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, for garnish

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Infused Vodka:
6 ounces good quality vodka
1/4 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

To prepare the infused vodka, combine vodka and Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups in a clean mason jar. Close jar tightly and store in a cool dry place for 7 days. Give it a good shake once or twice per day.

Once vodka has been infused, strain into a clean mason jar using a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth. Store in a cool place or in the freezer.

To prepare the martini, combine infused vodka and milk in a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake for 30-40 seconds and pour into two small martini glasses. Garnish with mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Cranberry Vodka Tonics

I made these for the cocktail and hors d'oeuvres portion of Thanksgiving. I liked them, but they didn't really taste like cranberries at all. They tasted a lot more like vanilla. Which definitely wasn't a bad thing. It seemed like a lot of fuss for something that didn't really taste like what it was supposed to taste like, so I'm not sure I'll do it again, but it was fun to give it a shot.

Cranberry Vodka Tonics
Courtesy of Michael Chiarello



1 pound fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 cups vodka
1 liter tonic
Lime slices, for garnish

Combine the cranberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the vanilla extract or split vanilla bean and cook, stirring, until the cranberries burst, 5 to 6 minutes.

Divide the cranberry mixture between 2 large mason jars. Divide the vodka between the jars. Cover and refrigerate for 1 week. Strain out the cranberries. Store the flavored vodka in a clean jar in the refrigerator.

For each drink, pour 2 ounces cranberry vodka over ice in a tall glass; top with tonic. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Cranberry Rosemary Digestif

Meh. Apparently, whiskey is not my libation of choice. I will be using the rest of the digestif base to liven up my sparkling water. But if you like whiskey, then this is for you.

Sunny's Family Therapy Cranberry Rosemary Digestif
Courtesy of Sunny Anderson



For the cranberry syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup cranberries
1 cup sugar
3-inch cinnamon stick
2 sprigs rosemary
Pinch salt
1 lemon, zested

For the drinks:
Ice
200 ml bottle whiskey

Add the water, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon stick, rosemary, salt and lemon zest to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer until slightly reduced in volume and thickened to a syrup. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard the solids. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.

To make a drink: Put a handful of ice in a drink shaker along with 1 1/2 ounces of whiskey and 1 tablespoon of the cranberry syrup. Shake gently a few times and strain into a glass. Repeat for the remaining drinks and serve.

Coffee Cordials

Wow. These totally surprised me. I made them because they sounded interesting, I wanted to bring a hostess gift to a party I was going to, and I had all of the ingredients on hand. They're perfect little after-dinner treats.

The kids are a little annoyed that they can't have any since Jonathan and I have been raving over them, but oh well. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy need treats of their own.

Coffee Cordials
Courtesy of Everyday with Rachael Ray



1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 large egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons whiskey
36 chocolate-covered espresso beans

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons espresso powder at high speed until fluffy. Beat in the egg, baking powder, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt at medium speed. Beat in the flour and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar at low speed.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Using a glass with a flat bottom, flatten the balls 1/3 inch thick. Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through, until just soft in the center, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder, 1 pinch salt and the whiskey. Using a pastry brush, coat the hot cookies with the glaze; press a chocolate espresso bean in the center of each cookie, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.