"I kept the weight off until it came back!"- Jessica H.

Thursday October 7th Jessica provided us with limitless entertainment while describing how she will be going back on the Adkins diet. Today's blog post title was a quote from Jessica explaining to us how well the diet had worked for her in the past.  We also heard from Tiff about her Homecoming week from Hell (how long until summer break Tiff?).  Teresa, Lauren, Danielle, Megan and Lisa shared pictures and stories from their trip to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest. What a bunch of busy girls we are!


 We went back to our early days of "girl's night" for one of our favorite recipes-Vodka Penne! Here's the recipe:


Vodka Penne

• 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
• 1 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 pound penne

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

I also attempted a new dessert, Truffle Tarts with Raspberries.  Here is the recipe...not too difficult and super tasty!!!


Truffle Tarts with Raspberries

• 1 1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer crumbs (from Oreo cookies or chocolate wafers)
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 recipe Dark Chocolate Truffles, recipe follows, whipped but not shaped into balls
• 6 fresh raspberries, plus extra for serving

Directions

Use a fork to mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs and butter. Spray the cups of a 6-muffin tin with a vegetable spray. Line the cups with strips of parchment or waxed paper, cut so that they are as wide as the diameter of each cup and long enough to overhang the sides (you'll need this overhang to remove the tarts). Use the bottom of a small glass to press the crumbs over the bottom and sides of the muffin cups, building the sides up to only about 1 1/2 inches. Place a raspberry in the center of each crust and with apastry bag or small plastic bag with the corner snipped off, fill the tarts with the truffle mixture. Smooth the tops and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Dark Chocolate Truffles:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces good-quality (70 percent) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup cocoa powder, for dusting

In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl and let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then beat the chocolate at medium speed until it gets thick and light colored. Spread over the bottom of a baking dish and smooth the top. Refrigerate about 2 hours, until firm.

Pour the cocoa powder onto a deep plate or shallow bowl. Use amelon baller or small ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of chocolate; place them on the plate with the cocoa powder and roll between 2 forks to completely coat with the cocoa powder. Then use the forks to carefully transfer them to a parchment or waxed lined baking sheet.




~Em