Party Pleaser

Because fate is cruel and for whatever reason we can never seem to live in the same place at the same time for more than 2 months in a row, Paul had to move back to San Diego to start his new job and my evil committee refused to let me leave until after I defend my thesis (a mere 81 days from now but who's counting?). Of course instead of working on said thesis, I decided to throw him a going away party. One of his friends was nice enough to volunteer to bring duck tacos made with a duck he had shot and killed that morning, so I decided to stick with the Mexican theme and try my hand at making a seven layer dip.

Seven layer dip is one of those dishes that always looks so elegant and delicious when other people make it, but I was sure that I was going to manage to ruin it somehow and make it look unappetizing. I read some tips online and was encouraged when I read that the nice thing about seven layer dip is that you really can layer the ingredients in pretty much any order that you like (basically the only rule is to be sure to put the guacamole layer below the sour cream layer so that the sour cream does not turn brownish) and it will still be delicious (in other words, a dish that is pretty much impossible to mess up, which is right up my alley). I thought I would share it with all of you because a.) it is super easy but looks fancy and time consuming, b.) it is delicious, and c.) I think it would be the perfect thing to make ahead and take to a New Year's Eve or Super Bowl party.

Seven Layer Dip

1 oz package of taco seasoning (I used Old El Paso, pictured below)
16 oz can of refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1 cup salsa
16 oz sour cream
1 small tomato, diced
6 oz can sliced black olives
2 cups cheddar cheese (or Mexican cheese blend)
1 bunch green onion, sliced

Mix refried beans with taco seasoning and spread over the bottom of a 13" x 9" casserole dish.


Top bean layer with guacamole and spread with spatula to cover.


Top guacamole layer with salsa. Top salsa layer with sour cream.


Garnish sour cream layer with diced tomato, olives, cheese, and green onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

A Cornucopia of Cookies

When the holidays roll around there is only one thing on anyone's mind in the Weems household - cookie baking. We show no restraint. Each year we end up with so many cookies that we can't even find enough tupperware containers to store them in. So naturally with Christmas creeping up, I kept finding myself dreaming of holiday cookies, but fearing the thought of having hundreds of cookies floating around my house (I have no will power when it comes to dessert). But then I got to thinking about how life is short and the holidays only come around once a year (thank god), so I threw caution to the wind and made a batch of my favorite holiday cookie of all time. You can thank me later.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter (or shortening if it strikes your fancy)
1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling cookies in
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses (make sure that you do not use a molasses that is too dark - I recommend Grandma's Original Unsulphured Molasses with the yellow lid)
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinammon

Mix butter (or shortening), sugar, egg, and molasses well in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredient mixture in thirds and stir after each addition to incorporate completely. After all ingredients have been incorporated, chill dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

After chilling dough for one hour, preheat oven to 350F. Roll tsp sized balls of dough in your hands:


and then roll each ball of dough in sugar:


Place balls of dough on a cookie sheet (only place 8 - 10 balls of dough per average sized cookie sheet - although the balls of dough start out small, they spread out to be much larger during the baking process). Bake cookies for 12 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks and allow to cool completely. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

It's So Nice, I Want to Eat the Same Meal Twice

My entire life, I have never liked leftovers, aside from the occasional slice of cold pizza or Chinese food. I know, I know - I am a horrible, food wasting person, but I really cannot help it. But with the holidays upon us, it being finals week, and me hunting down my committee to sign off on a date for my thesis defense, I am coming home everyday exhausted and not wanting to cook. So I started searching through my recipe book and looking for something that I could eat for several days in a row without losing my mind. I stumbled across this old recipe which is a tried and true favorite in my house - and one that I dare say actually tastes better the second time around (and that means a lot coming from me). Enjoy!

Penne alla Vodka

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz of penne (or rigatoni)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh basil

Melt butter with oil over medium heat in heavy medium sauce pan. Saute garlic and shallot for 3 to 5 minutes. Add vodka and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir cornstarch into cold cream and add to sauce. In the meantime, cook pasta in salted boiling water. When the sauce returns to a boil, remove from heat and stir in chopped basil. Pour over pasta and mix to coat completely. Serve topped with grated parmesan.