Indulgent Noms: Reese's Cup Pie

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8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 ½ tablespoons milk
3 cups of heavy cream, 1-2 cups of it whipped until medium peaks form*
1 9-inch prepared chocolate crust
8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate

Using a stand or hand mixer, whip the cream cheese and sugar together. Then add the milk and peanut butter and beat until well combined. Fold in 1-2 cups of whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, then pour into the crust, making sure it is slightly below the top of the crust, and the filling is not mounded up in the middle. I usually have some extra, but it never goes to waste. Chill the pie in progress while making the ganache.

Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heavy ceramic or glass bowl. Then heat the 1 cup of cream to boiling in the microwave. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over, or you will have a nice mess to clean up. When the cream has come to a boil, pour it over the chocolate and start stirring until the chocolate has melted and it is completely combined. Let the ganache cool down, as you don’t want to cook your peanut butter and cream cheese mixture. Once it has cooled, pour over the peanut butter pie, and chill 2 hours before serving. Once again, you may have a some ganache left over, depending on how thick you want the topping. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

* I probably use somewhere in between 1 and 2 cups. If you do not use the full amount, throw a little sugar and vanilla in and whip it a little longer, then use it to garnish the pie when serving. That kind of stuff is classy, anyways.

Make this dish!

This is super fast and easy, plus it is damn tasty.

The base of this recipe is taken from the Joy of Cooking, which you should really consider buying if you don’t already own a copy.


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1 lb of fettuccine noodles
1 stick of salted or unsalted butter, room temperature (It depends on how much you want to control the amount of salt in the dish. I personally use salted butter, and think it works well.)
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese*
1 cup of heavy cream
1 – 1 ½ pounds of chicken breast, cut into medium sized chunks
10 oz of cremini or baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

Start boiling your big pot of salted water for the pasta. Meanwhile heat a pan and sauté the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil until the water has been cooked out of them. Set aside. In the same pan add a touch of butter and some more olive oil and sauté the chicken. Meanwhile cook the noodles, following the instructions on the package. It usually takes me around 13 minutes to cook the noodles, and that is plenty of time to cook the chicken through. When the chicken is done, drain out any excess fat from the pan and add the mushrooms back in. Drain the noodles, and place the pot back on low heat. Throw in the stick of butter and let it melt. Put the noodles back in and add the cream. Stir to coat, and then start adding the parmesan cheese a little at a time. Once the noodles are nice and coated, add the chicken and mushrooms and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Seriously, try this dish. It is indulgent but SO much better than most of the Fettuccine Alfredo you get in restaurants. Of course it is rich, but not overly so. You can also easily adapt this in many ways. You can just go plain, more mushrooms, seafood, etcetera. Essentially whatever strikes your mood that day. It is also easily doubled, just in case you need to feed a crowd.

* PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not use crappy parmesan cheese for this dish. I’m looking at you Kraft stuff that doesn’t come refrigerated. You will notice the difference in the final product. It will not be as creamy, and the flavor will somewhat resemble kindergarten paste. If your supermarket offers BelGioioso parmesan cheese, go with that. If you live in Pittsburgh, Giant Eagle carries this at most stores. And it is available either in a wedge form or pre-grated.


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It is my Thanksgiving, and I’ll keep my Stove Top if I want to!

I was having a discussion with my crazy cafeteria cook mother last night about who is doing what for Thanksgiving. I offered to make the stuffing ahead of time and bring it over, especially because it is pretty easy. Two packages of Stove Top, a few add ins, and done. Having this as one of the key items on my Thanksgiving table may not fit in with my overall cooking style. I do generally prefer as homemade as I can get. I have even drifted away from using jarred pasta sauces even in weeknight meals such as baked ziti. BUT there is something very pleasing about keeping that dish as is. No tweaks, nothing fancy, and it is perfect.


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I have consumed homemade stuffing, and it was fine. Nothing was wrong with it, but it just didn’t have that THING I was looking for. I have zero interest in finding a new recipe, especially because most read like this to me:

3 cups Challa bread – homemade by an old Jewish grandmother – cut into chunks and sun dried under cheese cloth on a perfect 60 degree day
2 organic eggs (from your own hens is best)
1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, 2 carrots (again, home grown, or purchased from an organic farmer that only uses imported water buffalo shat as fertilizer)
½ cup cherries (picked yourself and dried yourself)
½ pound pork sausage (from freshly slaughtered pigs, please)
½ teaspoon thyme, and ½ teaspoon sage – soaked in ¼ cup warmed holy water blessed by the Pope

And people do all this for something that is going to be shoved up a birds ass and then baked for 4 hours? Yeah, I’ll pass.

What classic and not at all fancy family recipe is in the “do not mess with” zone for you?

Rage Against the Machine?

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is slowly loosening their grip on alcohol sales in the state. First six packs of beer in the supermarket (only 2 at a time, though, you naughty child) and now wine vending machines will slowly make their way through the state. Currently there are plans for Western Pennsylvania locations, but no specific stores announced. Giant Eagle, which is the largest supermarket in the area, is listed as the one likely to receive the contracts.


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The wine kiosks offer a small approximately 40 item selection, that range from 6 to 40 dollars a bottle. You must first scan your license, and then blow into breathalyzer to confirm that you are not intoxicated. You will not be allowed to complete the transaction if your blood alcohol level measures above .02. Keep in mind that the legal limit for being considered a drunk driver is .08. If you weigh around 160 pounds, .02 is one drink. If you weigh 140 or less, you are already at the .03 to .04 level. Also keep in mind that the average person that has one drink will not appear to be impaired, which is when if you go to a state store, you will not be allowed to purchase any product.

The wine kiosks present as a step forward and backward at the same time. Pennsylvania is the only state (besides Utah) that does not allow wine and beer to be purchased in a supermarket. The kiosk is Pennsylvania’s solution to appear moderately progressive, while still protecting the state store system. I do believe that some people argue for state stores because they believe that having too open of access to alcohol is problematic, but most reasons for keeping our archaic system relate to the loss of jobs. I sympathize, I do not like to see job loss of any kind, but this Byzantine outdated system needs to go. If supermarkets become the main wine suppliers, there will be a need for additional jobs. How about allowing the ex-state store employees dibs on these positions? There has to be a fair balance that can be struck between retailers and the unions, especially because the amount of money that would be generated for grocery store chains would be impressive. To me this suggests that the stores should allow themselves to be more amenable to the requests of the state store employees’ union.

The end of state stores has been touted for years in Pennsylvania. The kiosks are a chip in the wall, but the adult citizens of Pennsylvania deserve a full on Berlin Wall-esque teardown of our current system.

What do you think? Would you buy your wine from a kiosk? Do you dislike the state store system in Pennsylvania, or does it not really matter to you?

Myself? I’m not sure. Subjecting myself to a breathalyzer is too invasive in my book. BUT not having to run an extra errand is also intriguing. Obviously I have a marked disdain for the current system, and would love to see a full selection of wine and beer at my local grocer.

The Good Kind of Dutch Oven!

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Even if you only cook from time to time, I believe you need a good heavy Dutch/French oven pan. You can make just about anything in that sucker, and it can be used on the stove or in the oven. Soups, braises, risotto, pasta, etc. etc. etc. I really do use my Le Creuset French Oven for just about everything, except for deep frying. If you need to fry, and do not have an electric fryer, please opt for the non-coated cast iron Dutch oven instead.

The best part for me is that it even works well on my crappy rental home electric stove. The pan still heats evenly, and will hold the desired temperature for a good long time. I have also found that it cleans easily, even if there is oven-baked splatter on it.

I know it is not a cheap product. I own three French ovens and they were all gifts (my wedding and Christmas). But if I were not lucky enough to have such good gift givers in my life, I would have most certainly saved the money and bought one on my own. I know I will eventually end up buying different sizes when I do have the extra income. You can also look for Le Cruset seconds, which have only the smallest imperfections and are offered at a 40 percent discount.

What cooking vessel is your favorite, and why?

Zuppa del Giorno: Butternut Squash

One of my cool weather favorites is butternut squash soup. Paired with a simple salad, it makes an excellent and easy meal.



Baby picture of the squash. Source


3 lbs of butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into half inch pieces
6 cups of chicken broth or stock
1 large onion, diced
1 cup of half and half
1-3 tsp of fresh rosemary
cayenne pepper to taste – I usually add 1 tsp, please keep in mind that the flavor profiles and texture of this dish allows the cayenne to really stand out
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in your favorite soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent and soft. Don’t let the onions brown too much. Add the squash and rosemary, and cook for an additional five minutes. Add the chicken broth, cayenne, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Partially cover the pot and simmer the squash until it is soft. Puree the soup using an immersion or regular blender (small batches, please, as hot soup spraying out of a blender will hurt).

Once the soup is pureed, return to heat and add the cream, and any additional salt and pepper if necessary.

This soup is excellent topped with candied pecans.

1 cup of pecans, cut in half
1 tablespoon of butter
½ to 1 teaspoon of cumin
2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and add the pecans. Toast briefly, then add the cumin and brown sugar. Cook until the sugar melts and it coats the pecans. Turn the pecans out of the pan onto a sheet of wax paper and cool. Take care to not overcook this, as the sugar and nuts can burn easily.

Meat soaked in gravy? YES PLEASE!

Yesterday I was on the lookout for “an excellent” recipe for pot roast. One Google search later, I stumbled upon the extremely simple sort of recipe I was looking for.

Original Recipe

Of course, me being me, I had to tweak it some.

3 lbs chuck roast – silver skin/thick fat on the outside trimmed, but no additional fabrication necessary
2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup (use the Healthy Request variety of sodium intake is an issue for you)
1 package dry onion soup mix (1 ounce)
1 Knorr beef bouillon cube - This is optional, I like a little more beef flavor. You can add half of it, or none at all.
1 ½ cups of water
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 stalk of celery finely diced
4 carrots cut into ¾ to 1 inch chunks
8-10 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp corn starch
salt
pepper
flour

Lightly salt and pepper the meat, then dust with flour. Brown the meat on both sides in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Combine the water, condensed soup, onion soup mix, and bouillon cube. You will have about 4 cups of liquid at this point.

Place half of the vegetables and thyme in the bottom of a crock pot. Add the meat and then top with the remaining vegetables and herbs. Pour the sauce on, and let this sucker cook for at least 4 hours on high, and 8-10 on low heat.

When the meat is done, pull it out of the pot and chunk/shred it up. Or don’t, serve it in slices. Do whatever you want with it. Although I do suggest putting the cut up meat back in the gravy, because it makes it even better.

While the meat is out of the pot add the teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved with a little bit of cold water. This will help tighten the sauce up a little bit.

Serve with potatoes or noodles. I personally can’t get enough potatoes, so that is my default option.


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That isn't my rig, but it sure is pretty!