Homemade Bailey's - Making Spirits Bright!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to my friend Jess' aunt's house for a Bailey's-making party.  I didn't even know you could do such a thing!  Since I've been known to enjoy a glass (or two) of Bailey's over ice around the holidays, I agreed.  It is super easy and we had a great time eating, and making batch after batch of the holiday treat.  Below is the recipe for 1 batch, which fills up about a wine bottle and a half.  I'm also including the Crusty Sausage-filled Bread recipe in here from my uncle Duane, since that's what I brought to the party, and it is delicious and Christmas-y.  Enjoy!

Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream
1 3/4 cups of booze (we used bourbon, but you could also use whiskey if you want a little more of a bite)
1 cup heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp instant coffee (you can use more if you want a more pronounced coffee flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 pasteurized eggs (if you don't use pasteurized eggs, the Bailey's will not last more than 1-2 days)

Put all ingredients into a blender, and blend for 30-60 seconds until everything is incorporated. Pour the Bailey's into an old wine or liquor bottle.  The Bailey's will last 2-3 months in the refrigerator.  We ended up making WAY too much and I ended up with 4 bottles.  So if anyone wants to stop in for some Bailey's at any point between now and the end of February, please feel free!  :-)

Crusty Sausage-Filled Bread (from NPR's The Splendid Table, courtesy of my Uncle Duane)
1 1/2 pounds ground pork sausage
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups coarsley grated mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 packages pizza dough (I used Pillsbury, and they work wonderfully)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for working the dough
1 cup whole grain mustard, for garnish/dipping

Preheat the oven to 375.
Break up the sausage into small pieces and saute it in a skillet over medium0phigh heat until completely brown and cooked through.  REmove it from the pan with a sloted spoon and drain on paper towels.  When drained, place the cooled sausage in abowl with the eggs, basil, cloves, allspice, sage, salt, pepper, mozzarella, and Parmigiano.  Mix well.

Set one pound of the pizza dough on a lightly floured board.  Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour and roll it out into a 10x12 inch rectangle, 1/2 inch thick.

Spread half the sausage filling over the dough, allowing a 1 1/2 inch border on all sides. Fold in the border of dough and press down.  Roll the dough into a jelly roll, begining witha short side.  Place the dough, seam-side down, on a baking sheet.  MAke the second filled bread with the remaining ingredients and place it on the same baking sheet.  BAke the breads about 40-45 minutes, until they are crusty and brown.  Cool the breads on a wire rack.

Serve the breads warm, with the mustard on the side.

Post-Thanksgiving Sick House Feast

I arrived in Prior Lake at my parents' house for Thanksgiving, only to find them both practically on their deathbeds, due to the dreaded H1N1 flu.  In spite of that, they hosted 30+ people for the big meal, without letting on that they were feeling horribly (and after cooking with facemasks, and disinfecting EVERYTHING...twice).  As usual, the meal was amazing, and went off without a hitch.  The next day left them both completely drained, so I offered to cook dinner with some of the leftovers that night.  On the menu: Bacon Cups with Sweet Potato Hash (double bacon? yes please!), Turkey Tetrazzini ("I don't know what she do with that chicken tetrazzini but Paul sure love it!" - see link below), a beautiful salad, and carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Bacon Cups with Sweet Potato Hash (from "What Would Brian Boitano Make?" on the Food Network)

Bacon Cups:

24 1/16 inch thick slices pancetta (we had some imported proscuitto courtesy of our Italian exchange student, and my sister volunteer to slice it up for these, and it worked really well!)

Hash:

4 strips of bacon

1 large sweet potato, small diced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy!)

salt & freshly ground pepper

24 tsp sour cream (for garnish)

24 italian parsley leaves (for garnish)

Make the bacon cups: Preheat oven to 400.  Place and press slices of pancetta into the cups of a sprayed, non stick mini muffin tin. Carefully place a second mini muffin tin on top of the first, so that the slices of pancetta are sandwiched between the two.  Flip the muffin tins over and place on a baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven, and let the cups cool slightly before removing them from the tins onto paper towels.

Meanwhile, make the hash: In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon.  Remove the bacon from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels. In the skillet with the bacon fat, add the potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.  Saute over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Crumble in cooked bacon, and combine. 

Assembly: Fill each bacon cup with a tablespoon of the hash, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a parsley leaf.

Turkey Tetrazzini (Recipe is Giada DeLaurentis' for Chicken Tetrazzini, but this turned out amazingly with leftover Thanksgiving turkey)

The inspiration for this dish came after I saw an episode of the soup that featured this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RZxbKvD1YQ

Naturally, I became intruiged with what "chicken tetrazzini" actually is, since apparently it was used to seduce Alycia's man.  Most people use pasta, a can of cream of mushroom soup, chicken, and frozen peas- not so appetizing, but when I found a Giada recipe for it, I knew it had to be good.  I've made it several times, and it only gets rave reviews!

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk, room temperature

1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 450.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.