Tags
bourbon spice cake, Dried Cranberries, fireball, Fireball Cake, Garlic Bread, Gorgonzola Cheese, Italian Feast, Italian Food, marinara sauce, meat sauce, Pasta Sauce, penne, pine nuts, Red Leaf Lettuce, salad, Ziti
The weekend was an interesting one. There’s no denying that owning a small business will test you to the very limits of your soul. (You can see more about owning a small business on my other blog – What the Hell Was I Thinking.) Even with some pretty unique situations hurling themselves in my path on Saturday, I still pulled off a feast of Baked Penne (I couldn’t find Ziti), Garlic Bread, Salad, and our ever popular Bourbon Spice Cake with Fireball Whiskey Glaze. The weirdest part is, after all the work I put into it, I totally forgot to take pictures! Obviously, my head was elsewhere, but my tastebuds were front and center. I did snap some pictures of the salad I made last night…which was identical to Saturday’s salad.
Doxy’s Baked Penne (serves 10+)
- A double batch of Doxy’s Meat Sauce
- 2lbs Penne Macaroni, cooked to al dente
- 1lb Mozzarella, grated
- 3lbs Ricotta
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
While the Penne is boiling, mix together the cheeses and the Nutmeg. Drain the Penne and put it back in the pot. Add a few good-sized scoops of Meat Sauce to the Penne and then pour equal amounts into two aluminum baking pans. Evenly divide the cheese and mix it into each batch of Penne, you may want to add more sauce at this point. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350* for about 60 minutes. Save the remaining Meat Sauce to top the Baked Penne.
Doxy’s Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf French Bread
- 1 packet Doxy’s Pasta Sauce Herbs
- Butter
- Olive Oil
Cut the French Bread in half, lengthwise. Generously butter the soft side of each half and sprinkle with a generous amount of Doxy’s Pasta Sauce Herbs. Then, drizzle a little Olive Oil on each half and broil for about 4 minutes. Keep an eye, though, broiling goes quickly and you don’t want to burn it.
Doxy’s Salad
This recipe is by far a fan favorite. We would love for you to be able to use our Pasta Sauce Herbs to create this salad, but the measurements for pasta sauce are different than those of Red Wine Vinaigrette…so here’s how we do it.
- 1 head Red Leaf Lettuce
- 1 handful dried Cranberries
- 1 handful Pine Nuts
- 4oz Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
- 1 Tomato, cut into quarters
- Salt
- Olive Oil (not Extra Virgin)
- Red Wine or Balsamic Vinegar
- Granulated Garlic
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Basil
- Dried Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Wash and tear Red Leaf Lettuce and place in a large bowl. Add dried Cranberries, Pine Nuts, and Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, place cut tomatoes and salt them with about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Allow the juice to begin to come out of the tomatoes and then add about 1/2 cup Olive Oil (I usually use just under a half cup) and 1/2 cup Vinegar. Add about 2 teaspoons Granulated Garlic, and 1 teaspoon each – Dried Oregano, Dried Basil, and Dried Parsley – squeezing each between your fingers to crush the herbs into finer pieces. Add just a shake or two of salt and about 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper. Mix well with a fork. Taste, adjust your seasonings.
The key to a great salad is not to pour on the dressing until you’re ready to serve it. No soggy salads for us!
Doxy’s Bourbon Spice Cake with Fireball Whiskey Glaze
This cake has become our signature item! The recipe is fairly straight forward and the result is absolutely spectacular! Just click the card below for the complete recipe.