I’ve never made a vodka sauce before, but this was easily the best homemade sauce I have ever made. I found a bunch of recipes online. Some asked for one cup of vodka, others called for only 2 tbsp (!?!). Very few used spinach, but that was a key ingredient of mine.  So, without a clear recipe I ended up combining elements of  to create this amazing sauce. I served it with lobster ravioli, but it would also be an amazing vegetarian dish if you substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock. Here’s what I did (the recipe is behind the cut):

Spinach Vodka Sauce

• 1 shallot, diced fine
• 1/2 small onion, diced fine
• 4 cloves garlic, diced fine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4–6 cubes Dorot frozen basil (get it at Trader Joes in the freezer section)
• 1 cup chicken stock (I’ve been singing the praises of Kirkland Organic Chicken Stock from Costco lately)
• 1 can (28 oz) chopped or crushed tomatoes
• 1 large bunch spinach leaves (or a bag of baby spinach). Leave baby spinach leaves as they are, but cut large leaves down.
• Splash of half & half (what I had on hand) or heavy cream
• 2–4 tbsp fresh grated asiago, parmesan or romano cheese
• Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste
• 1 cup plus 1 splash vodka (we used whatever we used to refill our Crystal Head Vodka bottle; a Russian vodka in a less awesome bottle, I thnk… but I digress)

Heat your oil and butter in a large skillet or saucepan. Add the garlic, onions, shallots and basil and sauté for about 5 minutes or so. Add 1 cup of vodka (keep the bottle around for a splash later) and reduce by about half. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes (with juice). When it starts bubbling, reduce the heat. Taste often and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

After the mixture reduces and starts to become thick and saucy, add the cheese, fine-tune the flavors and add the splash of vodka. Reduce a bit more, then add the spinach until wilted. Before you serve it, add a splash of cream to taste. I like a little, but you can use up to 1/2 cup or more if you want it creamier. The little bit of creaminess will help it stick to your pasta. Taste again and adjust seasonings as necessary before serving.

Serve over pasta and garnish with some freshly grated cheese.

We saw a segment on 190 North, a Chicago alternative-news program, about Pizza Beer, brewed in St. Charles, IL with oregano, basil and tomatoes, and were curious. When the people who made it were at our local Binny’s Liquor Store, we had to try some. It’s actually quite good, and was rumoured to be excellent for making beer bread. So I decided to try it with our gloomy-day dinner of slow-cooker pot roast.

While there’s a great recipe on Mamma Mia’s Pizza Beer site, I used a trusted favorite, Tastefully Simple Bountiful Beer Bread Mix and ended up with an amazing bread, full of that delicious beer bread tang and accompanied by the hints of oregano and tomato in the beer. It was outstanding!!

As for the pizza beer, we’ll probably buy a four-pack for the next time we order a pizza. It’s really yummy stuff!!

Well, here it is, the inaugural post to my new food blog. I’m opening the site with a favorite special breakfast recipe adapted from a recipe by The Parish House Inn B&B in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The quiche pictured included sautéed spinach, red peppers and onions with some provolone cheese and pork sausage, but the recipe behind the cut was also outstanding! That’s the best part — you can add ANYTHING to this super simple recipe.

The secret? My beloved Reduced Fat Bisquick.

This also settles great overnight and the slices make a great quick breakfast for busy mornings.

INGREDIENTS:

• *3/4 cup Bisquick mix
• *3/4 cup milk
• *3 eggs
• *1/4 cup mayonnaise
• *2 tablespoons mustard
• *1 cup cheese, shredded (I used marble jack because it’s what I had; original recipe calls for cheddar, and I imagine swiss would be awesome too)
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 small green pepper, chopped finely
• 1 small shallot, chopped finely (or substitute 1/4 small onion)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
3. Place ham, green pepper, shallot/onion and cheese in pie pan; mix together. Reserve a little cheese to sprinkle on top.
4. Blend together eggs, milk, Bisquick, mayo and mustard until combined, then for one minute. The mixture will seem impossibly runny. You will be sure you did it wrong, because there’s no way something this runny could become solid. It just can’t! Trust me, you did it right. Pour over ham and cheese.
5. Bake for 40–45 minutes minutes, or until puffy and knife inserted in center comes out clean. *Check it often after 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top for last few minutes.
6. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve!! (Or, if you’re like me, wait for it to cool down, cover with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge and *voila!* breakfast for at least the next couple days.)

*Base ingredients. Any combination of veggies and meat can be added to this mix.