New Cookbook tryouts

This year for my birthday my husband planned an overnight at a favorite Inn near our home.  The Aurora Inn is a collection of a 5 different Inn's in a picturesque small town on Cayuga Lake.  There is also a wonderful  fine dining restaurant in the main building and a bar and grill across the street.  Each of the Inn's are beautifully decorated.  It is always a relaxing and fun stay.  

That was scheduled for the weekend after my birthday, so on the actually day he gave me Steve and Kathy Doocy's Happy in a Hurry Cookbook.  I had seen several ads about it and wanted to give it a try.  

Two weeks later and 2 recipes down!  The Pasta Bolognese with Bacon was very easy to make -within 40 minutes of getting home one night and the Peanut Butter Pie was delicious.  I have always loved Peanut Butter Pie, and this one with a Ritz Cracker Crust did not disappoint. 

Pasta Bolognese with Bacon

Cooking Spray

4 slices of bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 yellow onion roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4" slices

1 1/2 pounds of meatloaf mix

1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon of table salt

1 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

1- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

3/4 cup red wine (Cabernet is best)

1 lb. of Rigatoni

1/3 cup half-and -half

Garnish (optional) Whipped Ricotta Cheese, fresh basil

Coat a large saucepan with a little cooking spray.  Add bacon and fry it over medium high heat, separating the pieces so they don't stick together.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes to soften the onion, scraping up the browned bacon bits in the pan. Add the carrots and celery and sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to remove the vegetables to a plate.

Add the meat to the pan and cook over medium high heat, mixing in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and the nutmeg and breaking up the meat until as it browns.  When the meat is cooked through, with all the pink gone, reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine and cooked bacon and vegetables.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wine reduces a bit and the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. 

Twenty minutes before it is time to eat, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Let them in the water until serving.  

Just before you are ready to serve, remove the Bolognese from the heat and stir in the half and half.  Give it a minute to warm up.

Drain the pasta and serve it with the Bolognese.  We love to top it with a healthy scoop of whipped ricotta and basil leaves. 

Cracker Crust Peanut Butter Pie

50 Ritz Original Crackers

1 stick ( 4 ounces) butter, melted

4 oz. of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup Chunky Peanut Butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

One 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed for 4 hours in refrigerator

1/4 cup salted peanuts

Chocolate syrup, for serving

Crush the Ritz Crackers in a zip locked bag with a rolling pin. Finely crush but do not pulverize. Dump the crumbs into a 9 inch pie plate, reserving a couple tablespoons of crumbs to garnish pie.  Add the melted butter.  Mix thoroughly and press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the pie plate to form a crust. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth, scrapping down the sides occasionally.  Slowly pour in the milk and mix on low speed  until you have a perfectly smooth slurry.  With a rubber spatula fold in the entire container of Cool Whip which makes it fluffier than a mixer.  

Pour the mixture into the cracker crumb crust, smooth it out and garnish the top with the remaining crumbs. Freeze at least 4 hours - the longer the better.

When ready to serve, take pie out about 10 to 15 minutes before serving to soften.  Top with salted peanuts and chocolate syrup.  Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and return to freezer.