Birthday Divas - November 2009

Diva: Erin
To celebrate Erin's birthday and the start of the 5th year of Dining Divas of the Palouse!

Drinks: Stacey
Cava sparkling wine

Raspberry Frapé
Add Sprite to raspberry sherbet and mix well.

Appetizer: Mariah
Deviled Eggs

Set eggs flat in pot, bring to rapid boil remove from heat and cover for 12-17 minutes, prep eggs for the devilish deliciousness === slice, mash and mix.

Mix cooked egg yokes light canola oil mayo and Dijon to taste and until nice and creamy -- add three pinches of white pepper and a few dashes of black pepper. After filling the egg whites with the yummy filling, sprinkle paprika atop the eggs and devour!

Soup: Tamara
Birthday Soup - based on the book Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik

2 onions, chopped
3 T olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced thin
4 carrots, roughly chopped
6-8 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
64 oz of vegetable broth
2 15 oz cans of white beans
1 bag of frozen green beans or peas
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice

In a large stock pot, cook onions on low-medium heat until soft but not brown. Add zucchini, potatoes, carrots and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 1-2 hours.
Add beans, peas and tomatoes and cook for another half hour. Season to taste.

(You can also put shredded cabbage in it before simmering for 2 hours - i recommend green cabbage. The purple turns it really dark.)

Salad: Aven
Mediterranean Layered Party Salad

2 cucumbers -- seeded and chopped
½ tsp salt
1 c sour cream
1 c yogurt
2 large cloves garlic -- minced
3 c spinach -- washed and stemmed
2 c garbanzo beans -- drained
1 tsp dried oregano
2 T lemon juice
1 c roasted red peppers -- chopped
sundried tomatoes
½ c chopped basil
1 ½ c artichoke hearts -- prepared artichoke hearts, chopped
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 c kalamata olives
Freshly ground pepper
¼ small red onion -- thinly sliced
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese


Place chopped cucumbers in a strainer, sprinkle with salt and place over a bowl to drain. Transfer to another bowl and stir in the sour cream, yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Fill the bottom of the serving bowl with the spinach. Spoon garbanzo beans on top and sprinkle with lemon juice and oregano. Layer roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes. Sprinkle chopped basil over tomatoes. Follow with artichoke hearts, crushed red pepper and olives. Spread the cucumber/sour cream mixture to cover the top.

Chill, covered, for at least 3 hours (or overnight).

When ready to serve, garnish the top with red onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

(Aven decorated the salad to look like a birthday cake, cucumber/red pepper candles and all! Truly the most beautiful Diva salad ever!)

(Modified from grouprecipes.com)

Side Dish: Ashley
Phyllo Squash Presents



roast a medium winter squash (I used kabosha) and 1 russet potato at 400 for about an hour.


In the mean time, saute:

1 carrot diced

½ parsnip, diced

1 c onion, diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 T fresh sage, minced


When vegetables are soft, add about 2 cups of vegetable broth. Simmer to reduce slightly. Carefully pour into a blender and puree until smooth.


In a large bowl, mash the squash and potato. Add the vegetable puree and season with salt and pepper to taste.


Lightly grease a muffin tin. Preheat oven to 350. Take 4 sheets of fillo dough. Cut into squares large enough to put in a muffin cup with a hangover large enough to be pinched shut and have a decorative "pouf". Put the dough square in the cups and fill 1/3 with squash mixture. Pinch closed and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Entree: Lovina
Chicken Mole Poblano

2 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
2 dried anaheim chilies, stemmed and seeded
2 dried chipotle chilies, stemmed and seeded
¼ c golden raisins
¼ c whole almonds
¼ c sesame seeds
1 T whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican, broken in pieces
1 T dried oregano, preferably Mexican
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 serrano peppers, stemmed and seeded
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Mexican, chopped
1 capon or large chicken, cut into 10 pieces (Quorn Chikin’ Cutlets for the veggie option)
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 c chicken stock (vegetable stock for the veggie option)
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Cooked white rice, for serving

For the mole: Tear the ancho, anaheim, and chipotle chiles into large pieces and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes. Put them into a bowl with the raisins and cover them with hot water. Soak unti softened, about 30 minutes. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the almonds, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, oregano, and thyme. Toast for 2 minutes, grind in a spice grinder, and add the powder to a blender. In the same skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and serrano. Cook until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 15 minutes, then add to the blender. Add the chocolate and the soaked chiles and raisins to the blender along with some of the chile soaking liquid. Puree, adding more soaking liquid as needed, to make a smooth sauce. (This makes about 4 cups sauce, the recipe uses 2 cups, the extra can be frozen).

Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and season it well with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet and brown the chicken on all sides; remove the browned chicken to a plate leaving the oil in the pan. Pour 2 cups of the mole sauce into the hot skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and return the chicken pieces to the pan. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the onion and radish slices into a bowl. Add the lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Mix well and serve with the chicken.
Serve over cooked white rice with the onion and radish salad. Garnish everything with cilantro leaves.

(From Tyler Florence, foodnetwork.com)

Dessert: Tiffany (sub for Colleen)
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sundaes

Chocolate Sauce
1 ½ c whipping cream
10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Streusel
½ c all purpose flour
¼ c sugar
3 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt

Blondies
6 T (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ c sugar
¼ c (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¾ c all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
½ c semisweet chocolate chips
2 pints dulce de leche ice cream

Chocolate Sauce: Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate. Whisk until smooth.

Streusel: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Rub together with
fingertips until small clumps form. Spread on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Cool streusel on sheet.

Blondies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Using
electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in bowl to blend. Beat in egg, then vanilla.

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt over; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spread batter in pan. Bake until golden around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.

Cut blondies into 1-inch squares. Arrange 5 squares in bottom of each dish. Rewarm sauce; spoon over. Top with ice cream, more sauce, then streusel.

Wild Card: Sara
Chicken Pinata!

Lottery: Bonnie