SK week 17 | Penne a la Vodka

One of the things I was excited to do in this year of Smitten Kitchen recipes, in addition to trying new things, was trying other versions of something I already make. One example was this week's penne a la vodka. I've made my mom's version a million times, and we've tweaked it over the years. More recently I've done a combination of my mom's recipe and Pioneer Woman's penne a la Betsy. I'm always intrigued at how many different ways there are to make one classic dish! So here we go with this version. :)

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced (again, I had larger-than-normal shallots, so I did one)
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken broth
1 32-ounce can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 pound penne
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 basil leaves, shredded or torn

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallot. Saute 3-5 minutes.

Add the vodka and reduce by half (2-3 minutes).

Add the chicken broth....

And the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a bubble and reduce to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

In the meantime, you should be cooking your pasta and making a salad. After the sauce simmers a while, stir in the cream. Return to a simmer and then turn off heat.

Drain pasta and add to sauce.

Stir in the basil.

Top with parmesan cheese. This was not listed, but I think it's kind of vital. :)

Final verdict? It was fine. Nothing to write home about. I prefer my other recipe(s) more. There was something oddly sweet about it--maybe the shallot, or maybe I needed more salt. Anyway, it was definitely a decent dish, and it came together nice and quick, which is always a plus in my book. From my other version(s), I missed a protein component (Italian sausage, shrimp, or prosciutto all work well). I also missed actual pieces of tomatoes. But now I'm just being picky. ;)

Happy Friday!

Spring Top 5

Now that it's officially been spring for over a month and it's currently 70 degrees and sunny, I guess I'll get to my spring list. You know, before it's summer. :)

1) Audiobooks!!!

You guys, I feel like I am super late to the party on this one, but I'm in love. I usually throw a podcast on when I'm working in the kitchen or going for a walk, but I run out of episodes and don't always feel like listening to music. I have Annie F. Downs and Emily P. Freeman (side note, stay tuned for when I start going by Erin M. Bennett--apparently there's a middle initial thing going on and I'm not a part of it. Jamie B. Golden too. Dang these women and their middle initials) to thank for the introduction to audiobooks. Both of their recent releases (Downs' Remember God and Freeman's The Next Right Thing--see below) included a free audiobook as a pre-order bonus. Both were released by Christian Audio, so a couple weeks ago I decided to peruse the Christian Audio app to see if they had any other deals on audiobooks. Well, as it turns out, they have a FREE audiobook EVERY MONTH!! (If you hop on in the next few days, April's free book is Lecrae's Unashamed).

THEN I discovered that I can digitally "check out" audiobooks from the library. I'm a happy camper. :) (Also, if you've never done Audible on Amazon before, I believe they have a free 1-month trial--I did it last summer with a book I had to read but wasn't really enjoying) ;)

2) Schitt's Creek

Dan and I flew through the four available seasons of this on Netflix a couple months ago. It is laugh-out-loud funny and so quirky. The fifth season just ended (but it's on Canadian TV, dang it), and next year's season six will be its last.

3) Brooklyn 99

More TV--come on, it's been winter. We were pleasantly surprised by this one. It's on NBC on Thursday nights, but we realized that all the past seasons are on Hulu. Again, SO funny. Amazing characters. Really enjoyable pick.

4) These almonds

You need a dark chocolate covered almond in your life. And if it's also salted? Bonus. These are from Target and they're ridiculously good. Get some.

5) Books and lots of 'em. Again, #winter.

Carnegie's Maid is a fictional work about the real Andrew Carnegie. It's a fascinating and enjoyable read with a definite "Downton Abbey" upstairs/downstairs feel.

Love & Gelato and Love & Luck are two fun teen fiction books. (Read them in this order--it's not necessarily a book and its sequel, but the second does reference characters from the first). Super cute stories that will make you want to travel to Europe. :)

I talked about this one when it was up for Giveaway Day last month, but it was so incredibly inspiring! These two friends, one in a wheelchair, take on the Camino trail in Spain. So good.

Born Survivors is the account of three women who had babies in concentration camps during World War II. You honestly can't even believe that these women survived, much less their babies. This is not a weekend read. I literally took the whole three weeks that I had this from the library, and I read some lighter novels in between sections of it. It's heart-wrenching and fascinating, and every time I read anything about that period of time, I can't believe the horror of what went on.

I chose this one for book club last month and we all really enjoyed it. :) She's a fantastic writer (or her ghostwriter is...) and her life story was really interesting to read about.

Maid was another fascinating nonfiction read. I learned a lot about poverty and the working poor. Land's story was eye-opening and inspiring.

Freeman's podcast of the same name is one of my favorites, and her book is mostly past episodes with some new content. It was a delight to listen to the audiobook, and the actual hardcover is beautifully crisp and clean. :)

I read Thomas' The Hate U Give last year and was excited when it was finally my turn at the library for her new book On the Come Up. I really enjoy her writing, and both books have been eye-opening about life among gang and drug activity in Los Angeles.

Okay, happy spring, friends! We all survived another winter, so go pour a drink to celebrate. :)

SK week 16 | Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad, but I rarely make it. Well, now that I’ve tried this recipe, that might change. :) It’s a perfect recipe for spring and summer, delicious on a croissant or just a bed of lettuce.

(Here’s the Smitten Kitchen post)

You’ll need:
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup diced celery
2 or more tablespoons finely diced shallot
1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayo
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (or tarragon if you can find it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine the chicken, walnuts, celery, shallot, cranberries, and parsley. 

Combine mayo, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well. 

Mix the dressing into the rest of the ingredients.

Make a sandwich or serve on lettuce. Enjoy!

I doubled the whole recipe because I served it at bookclub and wanted enough for a few lunches.

Final verdict: Definite winner! So easy to throw together and so tasty. Looking forward to making this one lots more. :)

Happy Easter weekend!

SK week 15 | Big Cluster Maple Granola

Happy snowy spring day! Ridiculous, right? :)

Well, this week's post is going to be short and sweet because I made a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, and it wouldn't be fair for me to share the exact recipe since you all don't own the book. :) But here are my pictures and process!

The cast of characters. :)

Oats, coconut, and walnuts. She also uses wheat germ, but I obviously skipped that.

The wet ingredients--maple syrup and olive oil--as well as salt and cinnamon. (Note for next time, Erin--it needs more salt)

Stir that into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Whisk an egg white until frothy. Stir it into the granola mixture.

Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake, stirring halfway through.

Comes out looking all beautiful. :)

Sprinkle with dried fruit.

Final verdict: It's really good! I would add a little more salt next time. I like that it's not a ton of sugar and oil and still really tasty. The egg white helps with the clusters, so it's a little chunky. Quick and easy recipe!

SK week 14 | Meatballs and Spaghetti

I have a decent meatball recipe, but I wanted to try something different, so here we are. :) (And you'll notice on her post that she links to a more recent meatball recipe that's even better--I didn't see that in time, and I had already gotten ingredients for this one. Maybe I'll try that newer one someday).

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:

(for the meatballs....)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1 1/4 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil
olive oil

(for the sauce....)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 teaspoons minced garlic
pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup red wine
2 14-ounce cans pureed tomatoes
2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Get all your meatball ingredients into a big bowl (minus the vegetable oil and olive oil)

Two notes:
The recipe calls for an extra-large egg, and I only had large. Then I cracked my one egg into a bowl and behold, it had two yolks. Kismet.
She adds 3/4 cup warm water to the meatball mixture, but she only listed it in the directions and not in the ingredients list, so I accidentally skipped it. You do whatever you want. I liked the consistency without the water just fine.

Mix it all up really well. I think using your hands is really the only way to do this well.

Form the mixture into meatballs. I got 30 roughly golfball-size meatballs.

Coat a pan with vegetable and olive oil and heat it up. Carefully place meatballs in the oil (don't crowd your pan--I did this in two batches).

Flip them once they look like this, and continue to cook on all sides for about 10 minutes total.

She has you make the sauce in the same pan as the meatballs, but I realized I was on more of a time crunch than I intended, so I started the sauce in a different pan while the meatballs were cooking. Coat pan in olive oil and start sautéing the onion.

Remove your meatballs to drain and get started on the next batch.

Once your onion is starting to get translucent, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute.

Note: This is where you would add the wine and deglaze the pan. I decided to skip it altogether because I don't love wine and it would have been a waste of a bottle. But have at it if that's your jam.

Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Throw in the parsley, salt, and pepper, and stir. Basil would be delightful too. I might do that next time.

Bring it to a simmer and add the meatballs to the sauce, nestling them right in there.

Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. While that's cooking, make your spaghetti!

Plate it up and sprinkle with parmesan cheese because cheese makes everything better. :)

Final verdict: So good. I really loved it all. The sauce was a little basic, but the meatballs were so delicious, so it didn't matter. Definitely a great go-to meatball recipe if you need one!

Have a great weekend! :)