Dining Divas of the Palouse

WWSD - What Would Stacey Do? - December 2011

2011-12-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Diva: Erin

Drinks: Tiffany

Selection of wines.

Appetizer: Aven

Cauliflower and Carmelized Onion Tartlettes

1 large head of cauliflower (~2 lbs)

2 large thinly sliced yellow onions

4 T butter

2 pkgs puff pastry dough

6 oz. pancetta (omit for vegetarian version)

2 T dijon mustard

2 eggs

8 oz. mascarpone cheese (2 pkgs.)

½ c whipping cream

pinch nutmeg

1 c grated gruyere

½ c grated parmesan cheese

salt and white pepper

makes 24 tartlettes

Melt butter in saute pan. Chop cauliflower and toss with half of the melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 425 for 40 minutes or until tender, turning once. Add onions to remaining butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 40 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. While onions and cauliflower are cooking cut and arrange puff pastry in muffin tins. Spread a dollop of mustard on pastry and lay pancetta inside.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake pastry for 20 minutes. While pastry is baking whisk eggs with mascarpone, white pepper and nutmeg. Stir in gruyere. When cauliflower is cool enough to handle cut into small pieces.

To assemble tarts spread a layer of onions on top of pancetta, arrange cauliflower on top of onions, pour as much egg and cheese mixture as will fit in shells over veggies and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, until filling is set and top is golden.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit March 2007)

Soup: Mariah

Broccoli Cheese Soup

3 T unsalted butter, plus 2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 c yellow onions or sliced leeks (white parts only, well rinsed)

½ tsp salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Pinch nutmeg

½ tsp minced garlic

½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

3 T all-purpose flour

3 c chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth

1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed and separated

½ c heavy cream

1 ¼ c shredded medium Cheddar

Croutons, for garnish, recipe follows

In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. (Alternatively, in batches, puree in a blender or food

processor and return to the pot.) Add the cream and bring to bare simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend. Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle croutons over the top of the soup and serve immediately.

Croutons:

1 c 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubed French bread

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

¼ tsp Essence or Creole seasoning, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bread in a medium bowl and toss with oil and Essence. Spread

evenly on a small baking sheet and bake, stirring twice, until light

golden brown on top, about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool

slightly before serving.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2½ T paprika

2 T salt

2 T garlic powder

1 T black pepper

1 T onion powder

1 T cayenne pepper

1 T dried oregano

1 T dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

(From New New Orleans Cooking by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch.)

Salad: Colleen
Red Cabbage Slaw

1 ½ heads read cabbage shredded
dried cranberries
chopped pecans

dressing:
equal parts mayo and apple cider vinegar
sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix, refrigerate for a couple of hours and serve.

Side Dish: Stacey

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

2 T butter--cut into pieces, plus more for buttering the dish

kosher salt

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, outer leaves and stems removed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup grated white cheddar cheese

½ cup breadcrumbs

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and butter a glass baking dish (double this recipe if you use a 9X13 dish). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until just tender--about 10 mins. Drain the sprouts and coarsely chop. Transfer the sprouts to the prepared baking dish and toss with the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, then spread out evenly. Pour the cream on top, sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumbs and dot with the butter pieces. Bake the gratin until bubbly and golden brown--about 15 mins. Enjoy!!

(From Food Network Magazine, November 2010)

Entree: Lovina

Gratineed Chicken in Cream Sauce (Poulet à la Fermiere)

4 pounds chicken thighs

3 T butter

8 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 leeks, chopped

1 c dry white wine

2/3 c chicken broth

1½ T Herbs de Provence

2 pounds small potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used organic French fingerlings)

1 c sour cream

½ c heavy cream

salt and fresh ground pepper

2 c frozen baby peas, thawed

1 ½ c coarsely grated Gruyère

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. In a large (6 or 8-quart) ceramic dutch oven (with tight fitting lid), heat butter over medium high and brown the chicken in batches (about 4-5 minutes each side). Transfer to a plate and cover. Spoon out all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Add carrots, onions and leeks and saute over medium heat until soft and beginning to brown. Add wine to deglaze the pot, stirring and scraping up brown bits over high heat, until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add broth, Herbs de Provence, and chicken (skin sides up) along with any juices from plate. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Stir in sour cream, heavy cream, peas, and salt and pepper to taste, then turn chicken in sauce to coat. Sprinkle dish all over with Gruyère and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until browned and sauce is bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes.

(Adapted from epicurious.com)

Dessert: Hallie

Bread Pudding

1-pound loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)

3 c milk

¼ c heavy cream

½ c coffee-flavored liqueur

1 c granulated sugar

1 c packed light brown sugar

¼ c cocoa powder

1 T vanilla extract

2 tsp pure almond extract (I skipped this and doubled the vanilla)

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread in the baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur.

In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled.

Serve it warm or cold, with whipped cream or a dessert sauce.

For the mint cream drizzle I whipped heavy cream with creme de menthe-- DON'T ADD SUGAR. I just dumped the booze in 'till it tasted good. The booze kept the cream from getting truly whipped, but it drizzles nicely.

(Adapted from Paula Deen)

Peppermint Popcorn

Preheat oven to about 200

Use air popped corn- microwave varieties have oil on them and might interefer with the process.

2 batches of air popped corn put in a deep roasting pan

Crush about 6 candy canes, or a bag of red and white starlight mints

Melt a bag of white chocolate chips, or about 2 bars of white chocolate

pour the melted white chocolate over the popcorn

mix the crushed candy with the popcorn/white chocolate

throw the pan onto the oven for a minute or so then mix again.

Let it cool and break it up. Sprinkle on top of bread pudding for a little crunch.

Honey and Hazelnuts - November 2011

2011-11-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Diva: Stacey

Drinks: Erin

Lychee Martinis

¼ c sugar

¼ c water

1 c drained canned lychees(15 to 20, from a 16- to 20-oz can)

2 T fresh lemon juice

6 oz (¾ cup) vodka(preferably Skyy)

1 ½ oz (3 T) Cointreau orother orange-flavored liqueur

Heat sugar and water in a1-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then pourinto a heatproof bowl set in a large bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand,stirring occasionally, until syrup is cold, about 3 minutes.

Purée lychees with sugarsyrup and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, then force through a fine-meshsieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids and then discarding them. Fillcocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes and add lychee purée, vodka, andCointreau. Shake 15 seconds and strain into Martini glasses.

Appetizer: Hallie

Brie and Honeycomb

Serve slices of a baguette with a wheel of brie and oozing hunk of honeycomb. Allow your inner diva revel in the lusciousness of those flavors combined.

Soup: Mary Ellen

Honey Carrot Soup

16 oz baby carrots or 3 ½ c sliced carrots

1 c chicken broth

½ medium onion, chopped

½ c

2% milk

1/4 c honey

ground nutmeg, to taste

In large saucepan, combine carrots, chicken broth and onion. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Transfer mixture to blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Return to saucepan. Add milk and honey. Return to simmer. Serve hot or chilled, sprinkled with nutmeg.

(From the National Honey Board)

Salad: Mariah and Sara

Inspired Salad

Organic Greens

Hazelnuts

Fresh Blackberries

OMG - GORGEOUS!

Romano Cheese

Salt/Pepper

White Balsamic

Olive Oil

Honey

Mix tbsp of honey with adash of salt and ¼ tsp cayenne, add water until the mixture softens to a stirpour mixture over 2 cups of hazelnuts, place in over for 20 minutes at 350(check often). Set hazelnuts aside and drizzle a generous amount of oliveoil on a large cutting board appropriate for serving, salt and pepper the boardthen place the greens on the slab, using two kitchen knives toss the salad onthe cutting board coating the leaves with olive oil, drizzle white balsamicover the greens and coat again using the kitchen knives. Using a carrotpeeler, peel a generous amount of cheese on top of the salad the salad isnearly ready to serve! To put the finishing touches on this inspired pilethe berries and nuts in each on the four corners. As inspired by JamieOliver – serve on the cutting slab!

Side Dish: Lovina

Twice BakedBourbon-Hazelnut Sweet Potatoes

2 T. veggie oil

3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 round, not skinny)

½ c crème fraiche or cream cheese

6 T melted butter, divided

2 T. pure maple syrup

2 T bourbon

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg, divided

¼ c chopped hazelnuts (or pecans, walnuts…)

¼ c panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil the sweet potatoes androast on rimmed baking sheet until very tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. (You can nookthem in the microwave to speed the roasting time!)

Cool slightly. Cut each potato in half and placethe flesh of the top halves in a bowl—it should just fall out of the skin.Gently scoop the flesh out of the bottom halves and add it to the bowl, leavinga little around the edges for stability. Mix in the crème fraiche, 4 Tbs.butter, syrup, bourbon, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt andpepper to taste. Using a hand mixer (or immersion blender), puree until smooth.

Scoop the potato puree back into the bottom halves.Mix the remaining 2 Tb. of butter and ¼ tsp. nutmeg with the panko and choppednuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the sweetpotatoes.

Bake another 15-20 minutes until warmed through andgolden on top!

* These can be made 2-3 days in advance. If comingout of the fridge, bake 30-40 minutes–until warmed through or cheat and rewarmin the microwave. *smile* I won’t tell!

(From aspicyperspective.com)

Entrée: Colleen

Polenta with Caramelized Onion, Pear, and Hazelnuts

Polenta:
4 c cornmeal
8 c water
10 cloves garlic
olive oil for sauteing
finely copped rosemary to taste
2-3 T honey
1 ⅓ c heavy cream

I make polenta in my multi cooker because it is so easy. I made this in two batches (half of the ingredients per batch). On brown setting, saute garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add polenta, water, rosemary, and honey and stir. Set to rice cook. When finished with the cycle, stir in cream. Put polenta in a 9x13 pan in an even layer. I refrigerated mine overnight.

Caramelized onions
this is a pretty basic recipe - but you can follow a recipe like this one.

2 pears thinly sliced
8 oz of smoked gruere grated
hazelnuts finely chopped

Bake the polenta at 350 for ~45 minutes or until warmed though and starting to get golden on the top. Take out of the oven and layer with caramelized onions and pear. Bake for another 10 minutes. Layer with cheese and hazelnuts and bake for another 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, cut and serve!

Dessert: Ashley and Tamara

White Chocolate Mocha Hazelnut Layered Mousse

(served with Ashley's Hazelnut Honey Brittle, see below)

200g dark chocolate, chopped
200ml soya whipping cream, chilled
3 T icing sugar, sifted after measuring
3 T Kahlua

200g vegan white chocolate
200ml soya whipping cream, chilled
3 T icing sugar, sifted after measuring
3 T Frangelico

First a warning - this needs a lot of load of bowls so get prepared! **Now completely linea standard size loaf tin with cling film so that it overhangs all edges. Meltthe dark and the white chocolate separately, I did this placing bowls overpots of simmering water but you could also microwave. Once they have meltedscrape them into separate bowls to cool down, they will take too long to coolif you leave them in the bowl you melted them in. Keep giving them a stir tohelp them cool.

Place the whipping cream into 2 large bowls (200ml in each bowl) and whisk in the icing sugar. Now you have to waituntil the chocolates are close to room temperature, if you whisk hot or toowarm chocolate into the cold soya cream it will seize up. When ready start withthe dark chocolate and scrape it slowly into the whipping cream whisking all the time. When it looks all combinedthen you can slowly start to whisk in the Kahlua a bit at a time then set itaside.

Repeat the same process with the white chocolate and Frangelico but don't worryif this one seems floppier than the dark chocolate, they set the same.

Now take 1/3 of the dark chocolate mousse and place in another bowl (told youit takes a lot of bowls!) and take 1/3 of the white chocolate mousse and addthat and whisk these together well. Now you should have equal bowls of darkchocolate, white chocolate and mixed mousse. Being precise as I am I weighedthe mousse to figure out exactly 1/3, but you could just eyeball it of course!

**Spoon the dark chocolate mousse into the loaf tin and level off as best youcan. Top with the white chocolate mousse then the mixed mousse levelling offeach layer. Now place it in the fridge to fully set, best to leave it overnightbut 5 hours should do it.

(From maplespice.com)

**I made these in individual ramekins and servedwith a chunck of Ashley’s brittle.

Ashley’s Hazelnut Honey Brittle

3 c hazelnuts
¾ c honey
¾ c butter

Toast and skin hazelnuts. Curse alot while spending an inordinate amountof time rubbing the stubborn skins off and chasing after the ones that pop outof your hand and roll across the floor.
In a heavy saucepan, bring honey to a simmer, whisk in butter and cook untilsaucelike, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Spreadon a parchment-lined or generously greased cookie sheet. Place in freezerfor at least 2 hours. Cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper and store inthe freezer.

Say Cheese! - October 2011

2011-10-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

Diva: Ashley

Drinks: Stacey

Selection of red and white wines

Perrier with lime and lemon

Appetizer: Mary Ellen

Gjetost, Apples and Pecans

Gjetost, a brown goat cheese

Honeycrisp apples

Pecan halves

Slice the gjetost cheese very thin (I had the delido it for me!)

Slice the apples very thin

Place the gjetost cheese on the apple slices andtop with 1 or 2 pecans

Soup: Hallie

French Onion Soup

2 lb medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinlysliced lengthwise (use a food processor- save yourself a few tears)

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

¾ tsp salt

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 tsp all-purpose flour

¾ c dry white wine

4 c reduced-sodium beef broth (32 fl oz) (I usedvegetable broth instead)

1 ½ c water

½ tsp black pepper

6 (½-inch-thick) diagonal slices of baguette

1 (½-lb) piece Gruyère, Comte, or Emmental (I useda Swiss Gruyere from the 3rd Street Wine Co.)

2 T finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy potover moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very softand deep golden brown, about 45 minutes (be patient and wait till the onionsreally are browning). Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine andcook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer,uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

While soup simmers, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once,until completely dry, about 15 minutes.

Remove croûtes from oven and preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow bakingpan.

Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks, then floata croûte in each. Slice enough Gruyère (about 6 ounces total) with cheese planeto cover tops of crocks, allowing ends of cheese to hang over rims of crocks,then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2minutes.

(From Gourmet December 2006)

Salad: Erin

Pear, Pancetta, and AppleSmoked Gruyere Salad

¾ tsp whole corianderseeds

1 T fresh lemon juice

½ small shallot, minced

3 T extra-virgin oliveoil

1 ½ ounces thinly slicedpancetta, chopped

1 large head of butterlettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups) or mixed greens

1 large red Anjou (orother, I used home grown Bartletts) pear, peeled, cored, sliced (I used 1/2 pearper person)

¼ c coarsely choppedtoasted walnuts (optional)

gruyere cheese, thin cutwith peeler

Toast coriander seeds insmall skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer tomortar and grind coarsely with pestle. Transfer to small bowl. Mix in lemonjuice and shallot. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste withsalt and pepper.

Heat heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and sauté untilcrisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate. Place lettuce inlarge bowl. (Dressing, pancetta, and lettuce can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Letdressing and pancetta stand at room temperature. Cover lettuce with dampkitchen towel and refrigerate.)

Toss lettuce withdressing. Top with pear slices, then cheese and pancetta.

(From epicurious.com)

Side Dish: Aven

Macaroni and Cheese with Vegetables

1 ½ c small pasta shells

1 clove garlic, minced

kale

zucchini

2 c small cauliflower florets

2 T milk

1 c cottage cheese

½ tsp mustard powder

¼ tsp ground black pepper

⅛ tsp salt

1 ½ c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add thepasta, onion, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the peas and carrots andbroccoli. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the pasta is just tender. Drain andreturn the pasta and vegetables to the pot and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, cottage cheese,mustard, pepper, and salt. Add to the pasta mixture. Stir in the Cheddar.

Return the pot to the heat and cook over low heat,stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the mixtureis hot. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

(Adapted from recipes.prevention.com)

Entrée: Mariah

Mariah’s Cheezy Lasagna

Sauce

1 large can stewed toms

1 large can chopped toms

1 small can tom paste

1 medium handful of Italian Seasoning

1 medium zucchini grated

2 heads garlic

1 large yellow onion

Garlic Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large pot simmer all day,taste often

The Layers

Sauce

Noodles

Ricotta (recipe below)

Sauce

Spinach

Noodles

Ricotta

Sauce

Noodles

Sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for one hour

Remove foil and broil for 3 minutes or until cheesebubbles

Fresh Homemade Ricotta

2 quarts whole milk
1 c heavy cream
½ tsp salt
3 T fresh lemon juice

Line a large sieve with a layer of heavy-duty (fine-mesh) cheesecloth and placeit over a large bowl.

Slowly bring milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil in a 6-quart heavy potover moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add lemonjuice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until themixture curdles, about 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain 1 hour. After discardingthe liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; it will keep in the refrigerator 2days.

(From Gourmet April 2006)

Dessert: Colleen

Mascarpone Brownies

Brownies
1 c unsalted butter
3 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 c white sugar
½ c cocoa powder (sifted)
½ c mascarpone cheese
3 large eggs, at room-temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ c all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Ganache
6 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 T whipping cream
3 T unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325F and grease or parchment papera 8x8 pan. Set aside.

In glass mixing bowl melt butter in microwave onfull power. Stir in chocolate and mix until combined (a few additional secondsin the microwave may be needed). Add sugar to chocolate/butter mixture untilcombined. Heat for an additional 30 seconds on high, remove and stir until itlooks shiny. It will still look a bit grainy.

Add mascarpone, vanilla, eggs and mixing untilsmooth.

Sift flour, salt and cocoa into mixture with asieve and stir just until combined, making sure to scrape all sides of thebowl. (Mixture will be rather light in texture, instead of dense and heavy likemany brownie batters)

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top toensure even baking. Bake for 40-50 minutes (ours is usually done around 47minutes) until tester comes out clean. Use the flat end of a potato masher tolightly tamp down the surface of the brownies while they are still warm. Do notsquish, merely flatten any parts that might have raised more than others(typically the edges). This will help the ganache coat evenly. Leave in pan andset on wire rack to cool.

While brownies are cooling, make your ganache topour over the top (which you will want to do while your brownies are stillwarm). To do so, simply heat butter and cream on medium power (taking care not toboil) in the microwave and add chocolate. Stir until all lumps disappear.Immediately pour over brownies. Let cool completely (we find placing them inthe fridge helps up stay out of the pan until they the ganache is set 100%).Once chilled a knife will cut through them cleanly, make sure to clean yourblade for each cut for a more polished look.

The mascarpone keeps things moist and dense withoutthe same thin, underdone taste of a normal fudgy brownie. It also allows thechocolate to shine through without feeling a sugar coma after eating one(although we make no promises that you can eat just one).

(From thkitchn.com)

Ode to Tomato - September 2011

2011-09-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Aven's mom

Tomato Martini

2 very ripe tomatoes cucumber

fennel

1 garlic clove Kosher salt

For each cocktail: 

2.5 ounces cucumber vodka

Cherry tomatoes (to garnish)

Chop tomatoes, garlic, fennel and cucubmber roughly. Place in a bowl with 3 tablespoons kosher salt and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, then transfer tomatoes and juice from bowl into food processor and pulse a few times until roughly chopped. Line a mesh sieve with a cloth napkin and pour tomato mixture into it. Let drip into a container overnight. Discard solids, and reserve liquid.

For each martini, shake 2.5 ounces tomato consommé with 2.5 ounces vodka and serve strait up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.

(Adapted from esquire.com)

Tomato Veggie Juice

Juice tomatoes, celery, cucumber, beets, carrots, garlic, onion, fennel, and herbs of choice.

Appetizer: Ivy (sub for Mariah)

Tomato Confit and Marinated Tomato Tart  

Tomato confit

2 ½ pounds large plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed

4 large fresh thyme sprigs

3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

½ c olive oil

1 tsp coarse sea salt

Marinated tomatoes

1 pound large plum tomatoes

2 large fresh thyme sprigs

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

½ tsp coarse sea salt

1 ½ c (or more) olive oil

Crust

1 ¾ c plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

¾ tsp fine sea salt

10 T chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 large egg yolks

2 T (about) water, room temperature

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water to blend (for glaze)

Salad topping

8 c loosely packed arugula

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp fine sea salt

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

6 large fresh basil leaves

For tomato confit: 

Preheat oven to 300°F. Oil large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes on baking sheet. Scatter thyme sprigs and garlic cloves over. Drizzle with 1/2 cup olive oil, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake tomatoes 45 minutes. Turn tomatoes over; continue to bake until tomatoes shrink slightly but are still plump and moist, about 1 hour longer. Cool completely. Peel off skins.   

For marinated tomatoes:

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add tomatoes; blanch 30 seconds. Drain. Cool tomatoes. Peel, quarter, and seed tomatoes. Cut away membranes. Transfer tomatoes to glass jar or bowl. Add thyme, garlic cloves, and salt. Pour enough oil over tomatoes to cover. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

For crust:

Blend flour and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in butter until coarse meal forms. Add 2 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon water; process just until moist clumps form, adding more water if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured parchment paper to 12-inch round. Transfer parchment with crust to baking sheet. Pierce crust all over with fork; brush with egg glaze. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 27 minutes. Cool crust completely on parchment on baking sheet.   

For salad topping: 

Toss greens with oil and sea salt in large bowl. Place crust on platter. Arrange greens atop crust, leaving 1-inch plain border.   Starting at outside edge and working toward center, alternate tomato confit and marinated tomatoes in slightly overlapping concentric circles atop greens. Top with Parmesan shavings. Garnish with basil leaves. Cut into wedges and serve.

(From epicurious.com)

Salad: Aven

Summer Salad  

really ripe tomatoes 

freshly picked cucumbers

basil  

white balsamic vinegar  

olive oil 

salt & pepper

chop tomatoes, cucumbers and basil however you like and sprinkle with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper toss lightly and eat immediately

Soup: Mary Ellen (Sub for Sara)

Roasted Veggie Gazpacho Soup

8-12 tomatoes

4 large garlic cloves

2 large red bell peppers

2 large orange bell peppers

1 large onion

2 T vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp crushed red pepper

3 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 T red wine vinegar

¼ c chopped cilantro

Roast the vegetables. (The oven worked for me, but you could also grill them.) Meanwhile, remove the garlic cloves from the skewers, peel them and transfer to a large bowl. Peel the peppers and add them to the bowl along with the onion, cumin, crushed red pepper, lemon juice and vinegar.

Working in batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour the gazpacho into a clean bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Just before serving, stir the cilantro into the gazpacho. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the cilantro, avocado, sour cream, croutons, or a bit of fresh salsa and serve.

(Adapted from foodandwine.com)

Side Dish: Lovina
Grilled Panzanella 

1 ½ c fresh basil leaves 

½ c plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

1 large shallot, thinly sliced 

5 dashes hot sauce (I used cholula) 

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 T fresh lemon juice 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, assorted colors and sizes 

1 12-ounce loaf rustic or sourdough bread, cut into 1/2"-thick slices

1 garlic clove, halved  

Chop basil leaves and add to large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup olive oil, shallot, hot sauce, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir with fork to blend then season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice tomatoes into assorted wedges, rounds, and cubes; add to bowl with dressing. Toss to coat; let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to high. Brush bread with remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill bread until charred in spots, about 2 minutes per side. Rub grilled bread with cut sides of garlic clove. Tear bread into 1"–2" pieces. Add bread to bowl with tomato mixture; toss to coat. Season panzanella to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

(Adapted from epicurious.com)

Entrée: Stacey
Pasta with Homemade Meatballs

3T olive oil 

1 onion diced

kosher salt and pepper 

3 garlic cloves minced

2 c torn pieces of crustless white bread

½ c buttermilk 

1 tsp fresh thyme 

2 lbs ground beef

¼ c italian parsley-chopped

8 oz. mozz. cheese-cut into 1-inch cubes 

7 c good tomato sauce (your choice) 

1 ½ lbs pasta (I used orchiette)--cooked and drained

grated parmesan for garnish   

In a large saucepan heat up 1 T. olive oil, add onion and generous pinch of salt, and cook for 10 mins. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Let cool. In a bowl combine bread and buttermilk. Add beef, onion mixture, parsley, thyme, 2 1/2 t. salt, 1 t. pepper. Mix gently with hands. Form 12 large meatballs and lay on a baking sheet. Stuff one mozz. cheese cube into center of each one. In the same pan over med-high heat, add 2 T. olive oil. Brown the meatballs--will take two batches--about 10 mins. Transfer to a plate. Pour tomato sauce in pan. Add meatballs and simmer over medium heat--turning once--for 30 mins. until meatballs are cooked through. Serve over hot pasta with plenty of parmesan cheese.  

**meatballs can be made in advance, and frozen (uncooked). Lay the meatballs on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight. Transfer to a large freezer ziplock bag and put back into freezer until you need them.

(Adapted from Williams and Sonoma Catalog recipe) 

Dessert: Ashley
Tomato Tarte Tatin

1 ¾ lbs plum tomatoes (8 large) 

3 T unsalted butter, room temperature 

¾ c sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed, corners cut off to make very rough 9- to 10-inch round 

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Cut shallow X in bottom of each tomato. Add 4 tomatoes to boiling water. Blanch tomatoes just until skins at X begin to peel back, 15 to 30 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer blanched tomatoes to bowl of ice water to cool quickly. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Peel tomatoes. Cut out cores, halve lengthwise, and remove seeds.

Spread butter over bottom of 9 1/2-inch diameter, 2- to 3-inch-deep ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron). Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar over butter. Arrange tomato halves, rounded side down and close together, in concentric circles in skillet to fill completely.

Place skillet over medium heat. Cook until sugar and butter are reduced to thickly bubbling, deep amber syrup (about 1/4 inch deep in bottom of skillet), moving tomatoes occasionally to prevent burning, about 25 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Immediately drizzle vanilla over tomatoes. Top with pastry round. Using knife, tuck in edges of pastry. Cut 2 or 3 small slits in pastry. Place skillet in oven and bake tart until pastry is deep golden brown, about 24 minutes.

Cool tart in skillet 10 minutes. Cut around sides of skillet to loosen pastry. Place large platter over skillet. Using oven mitts as said, hold skillet and platter firmly together and invert, allowing tart to settle onto platter. Carefully lift off skillet. Rearrange any tomato halves that may have become dislodged.

Serve tart warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

(From Bon Appetit August 2010)

With a Splash of . . . - August 2011

2011-08-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Diva: Colleen

Drinks: Lovina

Lemon Splash  

1 oz Effen vodka :)

1 oz triple sec

1 oz amaretto

juice of 1/4 lemon

3 oz soda water

Mix together the liquors and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pour over ice and top with soda water. Get your effen splash on!

(modified from drinkmixer.com)

Mango nectar spritzer  

6 oz mango nectar

splash of soda

garnish with a wedge of fresh peach

Appetizer: Mariah
Peach Relish with a Splash of citrus Vinaigrette

8 Peaches chopped
1.5 inches of fresh ginger peeled and grated
1 Purple pepper diced
One hand full of fresh basil chopped
3 Greens onions diced
1 Garlic Scape diced

For vinaigrette, mix lime juice, honey, salt, pepper and fresh garlic to taste.

Sauté ginger in a splash of olive oil for 3 minutes until, add half the chopped peaches and purple pepper and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes over medium high. Remove from heat place in a bowl and add remaining ingredients, then pour the vinaigrette over the relish and stir gently. Serve over toasted sourdough baguette.

Salad: Ashley
Greens with cherry tomatoes, basil, marinated artichoke hearts and a splash of mozzarella cream

Mixed greens

chopped fresh basil 

chopped marinated artichoke hearts

whole heirloom cherry tomatoes 

1 tub of fresh mozzarella  

To make the mozzarella cream:  In a food processor, puree fresh mozzarella, about 2 T of the liquid whey, and 2-3 T of the oil from the marinated artichokes. Process until smooth. Add more oil until the cream becomes smooth and loose and the desired consistency.  

To make the salad: Place greens on the plate. Top with about 2 tsp shopped fresh basil, ¼ c (or desired amt) of chopped marinated artichokes, about 4 tomatoes, and a splash of the mozzarella cream.

Side Dish: Sara
Jalapeño Wild-Rice Cakes

¾ c water
⅓ c wild rice
½ tsp salt, divided
1 T all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 jalapeño pepper,* finely chopped
2 T minced onion
1 T freshly grated ginger or 2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 T vegetable or olive oil

Combine water, rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain rice, if necessary; place in medium bowl. Add flour, baking powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; mix until blended.

Whisk egg, jalapeño pepper, onion and ginger together in small bowl. Pour egg mixture over rice; mix until well blended.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons rice mixture into pan and shape into 3-inch cake. Cook, 4 cakes at a time, 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels. Serve immediately or refrigerate rice cakes for up to 24 hours.

(From recipes.howstuffworks.com)

Entrée: Erin
Baltimore Crab cakes with Spicy Avocado Sauce  

For sauce

½ ripe medium California avocado, pitted and peeled
1 T low-fat mayonnaise
1 T fresh lime juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
1 fresh jalapeño or serrano chile (including seeds), stemmed and quartered lengthwise
¼ c fat-free (skim) milk

For crab cakes 
¼ c mayonnaise
2 scallions, thinly sliced (didn't use these, just used chives)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 T Dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice plus wedges for garnish
1 ½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
½ jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 ¼ c panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided (I used Ritz crackers, finely crushed)
1 T thinly sliced chives
¼ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 head Bibb lettuce (thought this sounded awesome, but didn't do it)
2 T vegetable oil

Whisk first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add crab; fold to blend. Stir in 3/4 cup panko, chives, salt, and pepper. Divide into 6 equal portions. Form each into 1"-thick patties. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Line a platter with lettuce leaves.  

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place remaining ½ cup panko on a plate. Coat cakes with panko. Fry until golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side. Arrange atop lettuce; serve with lemon wedges.

(From epicurious.com)

Dessert: Aven
Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies

1 ⅔ c all-purpose flour 

⅔ c unsweetened cocoa powder 

1½ tsp baking soda  

½ tsp salt 

4 T unsalted butter, at room temp

4 T vegetable shortening

1 c (packed) dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ c milk 

Marshmallow filling*

1½ c Marshmallow Fluff 

1¼ c coconut oil 

1 c confectioners’ sugar 

1 T vanilla extract 

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt on a sheet of waxed paper. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, and brown sugar on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium; beat for 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat 2 more minutes.  

Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to batter; beat briefly on low. Beat in remaining flour mixture and milk.  

Using a spoon, drop batter 1 Tbsp at a time onto one of the baking sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes, or until pies spring back when pressed gently. Remove from oven; let pies cool on sheet for 5 minutes; transfer to a rack to finish cooling.  

To make filling: Beat Fluff and shortening for 3 minutes on medium. Reduce speed to low, and add sugar and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Increase speed to medium; beat until fluffy. 
Sandwich filling between the flat sides of two pies; repeat.

* I divided the filling up to make three flavors; mocha (added cocoa powder and coffee), raspberry (added raspberries and chambord), and vanilla (didn't add anything).

(Adapted from dashrecipes.com)

Oh, Canada - July 2011 (Divas in the Canyon!)

2011-07-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Diva: Mariah

Drinks: Colleen

The Maple Leaf

2 oz Bourbon 
¾ oz Maple Syrup
 ¾ oz Lemon Juice

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass filled with crush ice.
(From drinkdogma.com)

Autumn Maple Leaf

Cranberry Juice
Canada Dry Ginger Ale

Appetizer: Lovina

Pork Pies with Spicy Tomato Cranberry Preserves

For filling
1 pound lean ground pork (I used Morning Star Vegetarian Crumbles)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp dried savory, crumbled
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp black pepper
3 T all-purpose flour

For pastry
1 ½ c all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 T cold vegetable shortening
2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
½ c whole milk

Special equipment: a 3-inch round cookie cutter; a 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter (preferably maple*); 2 mini-muffin pans, each with 12 (1/8-cup) muffin cups

Make filling:

Cook pork with onion, garlic, savory, salt, allspice, and pepper in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently and breaking up lumps with a fork, until pork is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Cool filling completely.

Make pastry while filling cools:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Blend in shortening and butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and stir with a fork just until a dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 10 to 12 times. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a rough 18-inch round (1/8 inch thick), dusting with just enough additional flour to keep dough from sticking. Cut out 24 rounds with 3-inch cutter and 24 leaves with leaf-shaped cutter. Make decorative lines on leaves with tip of a sharp paring knife.

Fit each round into a muffin cup and fill with a rounded tablespoon of filling. Arrange leaves on filling.

Bake pies until crusts are golden, 15 to 17 minutes. Lift pies out of muffin cups and transfer to a rack. Cool to warm, about 15 minutes.

(From Gourmet, December 2003)

Spicy Cranberry Tomato Chutney

1 small red onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 (14- to 16-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, including juice

1 c fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped in a food processor

⅔ c sugar

⅓ c cider vinegar

2 (4- by 1-inch) strips fresh orange zest

1 (4- by 1-inch) strip fresh lemon zest

¼ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

⅛ tsp salt

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart heavy nonreactive saucepan over moderate heat, stirring and breaking up tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until thick, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool preserves, then chill, covered, at least 8 hours (for flavors to develop).

(From Gourmet, December 2003)

Salad: Tamara

Canadian Salad

1 package baby spinach leaves (very fresh)
1 red onion
1 Jicama, cut into match sticks (let sit in Ice Water awhile, to crisp)
1 sweet red pepper (chopped)
¾ c carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 c toasted Pecans, whole or chopped

Maple Salad Dressing

¾ c pure maple syrup
1 tsp salt
½ c rice vinegar
1 c canola oil (or other mild flavored vegetable oil)
1 ½ tsp ground mustard

Place mixture of all vegetables on a bed of spinach and drizzle with dressing. Top with pecans.

(Adapted from recipejoint.com)

Soup: Stacey

Canadian Cheese Soup

1 lg potato, finely chopped

1 lg onion, finely chopped

¼ c carrots, thinly sliced

¼ c finely chopped celery

1 c water

2 c chicken consommé‚ or 2 c chicken broth

1 c grated sharp Cheddar cheese

½ c half and half

2 T chopped parsley

In a deep, 3-quart, heat-resistant, non-metallic casserole place 1 cup water, potatoes, onion, carrots and celery. Heat, covered, in Microwave Oven 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add remaining ingredients, except parsley, and heat, covered, 5 minutes or until soup bubbles and cheese has melted. Stir occasionally. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

(From recipesource.com)

Side Dish: Erin

Maple and Tangerine Glazed Carrots

1 ¼ c fresh tangerine juice
 3 T pure maple syrup
 2 T (1/4 stick) butter 
1 tsp fresh lemon juice 
½ tsp grated tangerine peel 
2 ½ pounds large carrots (about 12), peeled, cut on diagonal into ½ inch-thick ovals (about 6 cups) 
Pinch of cayenne pepper 
½ large tangerine, seeded 
Chopped fresh parsley 

 Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Boil until sauce thickens and coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 2/3 c. , whisking occasionally, about 8 minutes.   Steam carrots until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Mix carrots and cayenne pepper into sauce. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)   Simmer carrots in sauce over medium heat until heated through and sauce reduces to thick glaze, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl, squeeze juice from tangerine half over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Entree: Sara

Baba’s Perogies and Fried Cream Dip

Dough

9 ½ - 10 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 c hot water

2 c cold water

1 c melted butter or margarine

Combine and knead dough well. Roll out and cut out circles. Place filling in center and fold over. Crimp the edges well.

Cheese filling

Dry cottage cheese (1 pkg)

1 egg

salt/pepper

Potato filling

Boil potatoes and mash well. Add grated cheddar and sautéed oinions.

Sauerkraut Filling

Cover 1 can sauerkraut, drained, with water and boil for half an hour. Strain and squeeze out the water. Sautee one onion in 3 T oil and 3 T butter. Add to sauerkraut and salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Cream

½ onion chopped

lots of dill (~¼ c)

1 T butter

1 ½ - 2 c whipping cream

salt

Sauté onion and dill in butter. Add whipping cream a little bit at a time. Sal to taste and turn on low until thickens.

Dessert: Ashley

Nanaimo Bars

2 eggs

1 c melted butter

⅔ c cocoa

½ c sugar

3 c graham cracker crumbs

2 c shredded coconut

1 c finely chopped walnuts

24 oz white chocolate chips

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate

2 T butter

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper and grease.

Whisk eggs, butter, cocoa, and sugar. Add in graham cracker crumbs, then coconut and walnuts. Press mixture into the pan. Bake 10 minutes and cool on a rack.

Melt the white chocolate chips and spred it over the cookie layer. Let set for 45 minutes.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate ships and butter together and spred over top. Let layers set up but not harden. Score the top, put in the fridge and allow to fully set.

(Adapted from the Swilly’s recipe in Pullman, WA)

Lottery: Aven

Stuffing the truck full of the essential
ingredients for a fun-filled, divalicious weekend!

Setting up camp in Mariah's yard.

Veggie Nachos for dinner on the deck. Yum!

Pop-rock fun!

Hooray! We get to celebrate Colleen's birthday with her!

Aven made Chocolate Pudding Cake for the celebration. She doubled the recipe, added a teaspoon of cinnamon, used almond milk and left out the chocolate chips. It was divine!

Saturday morning Breakfast, Diva style, included Mariah's quiche, Lovina's Mojito fruit salad and coffee!

Oh Canada Quiche

Plain Pastry Double Crust

2 c sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

⅔ c butter

7 T cold water

Sift Flour and salt, cut butter into pea sized pieces and add to flour mixture, sprinkle water one tablespoon at a time are you mix the dough. Form into a ball, the roll out flat on a floured surface.

(From Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

Beat 8 eggs per quiche, mix in about ½ c milk then add your favorite fixin'. For Oh Canada we added Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Red Peppers and Broccoli for the vegetarian and Canadian Bacon, Red Pepper and Sharp Cheddar for the meat lovers.

Bake the Quiche at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Making perogies in bikinis

Life on river time!

Pre-dessert walk to the river.

Nothing like good friends, good food and a good fire!

Sunday morning breakfast included Aven's awesome scramble, Colleen's banana bread, Stacey's killer biscuits and homemade jams by Ashley. Oh, and LOTS of coffee! (We had quite the mess to clean up before heading home.)

Sunday Morning Breakfast - Divas do it right!

Divas Dine Out - June 2011

2011-06-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

With so many divas out of town this month, four divas enjoy a meal at Bank Left Bistro in Palouse, WA. Before heading out, Aven, Lovina and Ashley join Diva Stacey, for cocktails at her home.

Raspberry Smash  

2 lime wedges
½ c fresh raspberries 
6 T vodka 
4 tsp sugar (plus more for glass rims) 
1 ½ c ice cubes
1 c champagne--chilled

 Run 1 lime wedge around rims of 2 old-fashioned glasses. Dip rims in sugar. Place both lime wedges, raspberries, vodka, and 4 t. sugar in cocktail shaker; using muddler or wooden spoon handle, smash fruit together. Add ice and shake for 15 seconds. Divide between glasses (do not strain), and top with champagne. Serve and enjoy!! (Makes 2)

(From Bon Appetit magazine)

Spicy Rosemary Peanuts

2 lbs. unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
⅓ c melted butter
3 T fresh rosemary-finely chopped
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ t salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spread peanuts out in an even layer. Toast in oven until golden--about 8-10 mins.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine melted butter, rosemary, and spices. Add hot peanuts to bowl and toss until thoroughly coated. Enjoy!!

(From Bon Appetit magazine)

Macedonian Cuisine - May 2011

2011-05-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Stacey

Red wines
Perrier with lime

Appetizer: Colleen
Macedonian Feta Cheese Spread

½ lb greek feta cheese -- crumbled 
3 T olive oil 
2 small dried red chile peppers 
3 dashes black pepper

½ lemon, juiced

Place crumbled feta, olive oil, dried red chile peppers, a few grinds of black pepper, and the lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and blend until very smooth.   Transfer to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours so that the flavors develop and the cheese spread sets up.   Bring to room temperature. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Serve with kalamata olives and pita.   Will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week.

(From cdkitchen.com)

Salad: Erin
Macedonian Salad

1 large eggplant, peeled or not, and cut into 1-inch cubes, or even smaller
a little oil for the baking tray
4 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar

1 medium clove garlic, minced
½ tsp salt (more, to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon basil
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp marjoram or oregno
1 T fresh lemon juice
¼ c (packed) finely minced parsley
2 small scallions, very finely minced
½ medium red bell pepper, minced
½ medium green bell pepper, minced
1 medium tomato, diced

Optional Garnishes
Olives (Greek, oil-cured, or Nicoise)
Yogurt
Crumbled Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the eggplant cubes onto a lightly oiled baking tray, and roast in the oven about 15 minutes, or until tender enough so a fork can slide in easily. Remove from oven.  Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl. Add the still-warm eggplant and stir. Cover, and let sit for at least 2 hours. (At this stage, it will keep in the refrigerator for several days.) the remaining vegetables within an hour or two of serving. Serve garnished with olives and yogurt or crumbled feta cheese.  

**I doubled the recipe and didn't include parsley or scallions. I included a slice of feta, a couple of greek olives and two cherry tomatoes on each plate.

(From Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen)

Soup: Ashley
Macedonian White Bean Soup with Basil-Mint Oil

Basil-Mint Oil: 
¼ c whole fresh mint leaves 
¼ c whole fresh basil leaves
¾ c olive oil  

Bring 2 cups water to boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Blanch herbs for 20 seconds and immerse in ice water. Dry and put in a blender. WIth motor running, add oil in a slow steady stream. Set aside.

Soup:
3 T olive oil 
1 c onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced into 1/8" half rounds 
3 15oz cans Great Northern beans, drained 
1 28oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
4 c vegetable stock 
3 T paprika 
¼ tsp chipotle powder 
1 tsp each chopped fresh basil and mint 
salt and pepper to taste
lemon to squeeze over soup just prior to serving

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and sautee about 3 minutes, or until onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer partially covered for about 30-45 minutes or until carrots are tender. Adjust seasoning to your liking.   To serve: Ladle soup into a bowl. Drizzle 3-4 tsp of basil-mint oil over the top and squeeze some lemon juice to add brightness

Entrée: Aven
Stuffed Cabbage

3 T good olive oil
1 ½ c chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
¼ c red wine vinegar
½ c light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ c raisins
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves

For the filling:
1 8 oz package of tempeh
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
½ c finely chopped yellow onions
½ c plain dried breadcrumbs
½ c uncooked white rice
1 tsp minced fresh oregano leaves
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ c roasted red peppers, diced
1 tsp paprika

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it s flexible. Set the leaves aside. Depending on the size of each leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.

For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a small paring knife. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you ve placed all the cabbage rolls in the pot. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender. Serve hot.

(Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten)

Dessert: Colleen
Sutlijash (Rice Pudding)

4 c milk
⅔ c sugar
1 T unsalted butter
1 lemon zest strip
1 cinnamon stick
6 c water
pinch of salt
½ c white rice
3 egg yolks
ground cinnamon for garnish
almonds for garnish, optional

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk, sugar, butter, lemon zest and cinnamon stick. Heat until small bubbles appear along the edge of the pan, then remove from the heat. Let stand for 30 minutes to develop the flavor.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and rice, reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the rice kernels have swelled and are tender (15-20 minutes). Drain.
Place the saucepan holding the milk mixture over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and simmer uncovered, stirring often, until thickened, 15-20 minutes. Remove the lemon zest and cinnamon stick and discard.

In a bowl, using a fork or whisk, beat the egg yolks until lightly frothy. Gradually add about 1 cup (8 fl oz/ 250 ml) of the hot pudding to the yolks, beating constantly. Gradually pour the warmed yolks into the remaining pudding, stirring constantly. Cook over very, very low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.

Spoon the pudding into individual dessert bowls or one large serving bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with toasted almonds (optional). Serve at room temperature.

(From faq.macedonia.org)

Spirits - April 2011

2011-04-18T19:25:00.001-07:00

Diva: Ashley

Drinks: Erin
Dirty Martini

Approx 4 oz Vodka or Gin 
Approx ¼ oz Dry Vermouth
Approx ⅛ oz olive brine 
3 green olives
small wedge of lemon  

Into a cocktail shaker, pour the Vodka/Gin, Dry Vermouth and olive brine.  Add ice. Shake well. Rub the rim of the martini glass with the wedge of lemon.  Strain and pour contents of cocktail shaker into a martini glass.  Drop the olives into the martini before serving.

Cosmopolitan Cocktail
2 oz vodka 
1 oz triple sec 
½ oz Rose's lime juice or fresh lime juice 
1 oz cranberry juice (I also brought pomegranate juice)  

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve.  

Appetizer: Aven
Whiskey Cheese Ball

1 shallot, quartered
6 ounces white chedder cheese, cubed (I used Cahill's Whiskey Chedder)
4 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed 
¼ c butter, cubed 

2 T whiskey 
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
½ c pecans, chopped fine  

In food processor, process shallot until finely chopped, add cheddar and pulse until cheese is crumbly. Add all remaining ingredients except pecans and process until smooth and fully mixed. Refrigerate for at least one hour then shape into a ball and roll in chopped pecans. Chill overnight for flavors to blend, serve at room temperature. 

(Adapted from the KitchenAid food processor instruction manual)

Brandied Chutney

2 cups dried apricots, quartered 
2 c blackberries, frozen or fresh
½ c raisins 
¼ c crystallized ginger, sliced thin
1 c shallot, chopped 
½ lemon, thinly sliced and quartered 
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 ½ c brown sugar 
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper 
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground clove 
½ tsp allspice
½ c brandy
½ apple cider vinegar  

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick, about 45 minutes.  

(Adapted from Culinary Crafting by Doris McFerran Townsend)  

Soup: Mariah
Roasted Red Pepper Soup

6 red bell peppers
2 cloves Garlic (roasted)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, whole
1 T olive oil
½ c Tequila
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
¾ c sour cream
1 T tequila
salt to taste

2 c water

Roast the bell peppers. Place on a baking sheet. Place under a broiler and turn occasionally until charred and black on all sides. Put in a paper bag to cool. Now the peppers should be easy to peel. Remove peel and all seeds. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix sour cream and the juice of two limes set aside until serving time.

Set heavy saucepan over medium-high heat add olive oil, add chopped onion and salt cook until lightly browned. Add ½ cup of tequila, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat, simmer partially covered for a few minutes. Add roasted garlic and peeled bell peppers. Puree with stick blender until smooth. Whisk in sour cream. Adjust seasoning with salt. Stir in 1 tbsp of Tequila. Add water to adjust consistency.

Serve with a wedge of lime and a dollop of sour cream.

Salad: Colleen
Avocado Mango Salad with Tequila Citrus Dressing

Dressing (makes almost 2 cups of dressing): 
zest of 1 lime 
zest of 1 small orange 
juice of ~1.5 limes
juice of ~3/4 an orange 
4 T balsamic vinegar 
4 T Tequila
just under 1 c of olive oil 
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp salt 
1 tsp chipotle tabasco
fresh ground pepper  

Salad: 
mixed greens 
avocado, sliced
fresh mango, sliced 
dried mango, cut in pieces

Build salad, dress and serve!

(Dressing adapted from laurasbestrecipes.com)

Side Dish: Sara
Spicy Drunken Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts, removed from stalk
Mezzetta roasted red peppers (about 4 large pieces, chopped)
½ red onion, chopped
1 c Spanish red wine
3 tsp agave nectar (I used honey)
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients except for the Brussels sprouts and bring o a boil. Lower heat to simmer until the onions soften substantially. Place each sprout face down into the bubbling wine mixture and let simmer together, uncovered, until the sprouts soften and wine mixture reduces to a syrupy glaze.

(From traveleatlove.com)

Entree: Lovina

Dessert: Ashley

Rum Raisin Ice Cream 

1 c (packed) raisins
⅔ cup dark rum

7 large egg yolks
1 c sugar
3 c milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1 ½ c whipping cream

Combine raisins and rum in small bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature 24-36 hours.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar in large bowl until blended. Bring milk and whipping cream to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan; stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens, about 15 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into bowl. Refrigerate until cold.

Transfer custard to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Add raisins and rum that has not been absorbed by the raisins in the last 5 minutes of churning. Freeze ice cream in covered container until firm, about 4 hours.

Serve with a dollop of homemade whipped cream

(Adapted from Bon Appetit December 1997)

Lottery: Tamara

Amuse Bouche - March 2011

2011-03-13T07:53:00.001-07:00

Diva: Tamara

Drinks: Emily (Sub for Ashley)

Jalapeno Cucumber Margaritas

8 ⅛-inch slices of jalapeno 

8 ⅛-inch slices of cucumber 

¼ c sugar

8 oz. Cointreau or orange juice 

10 oz. Milagro Silver tequila 

Juice from 2 limes

4 lime wedges 

Large ice cubes

Kosher salt  

Using a mortar and pestle, grind 4 slices jalapeño, 4 slices cucumber into ¼ cup sugar. Pour mixture into a shaker. Add tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. Fill shaker with ice and shake heavily. Serve in cucumber cups, rims salted.

Appetizer: Erin

Stuffed Mushrooms 

½ c Italian-style dried bread crumbs
½ c grated Pecorino Romano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 T chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ c extra-virgin olive oil
28 large (2 ½-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.   Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend.   Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve.

(From Giada De Laurentiis, foodnetwork.com) 

Soup: Sara

Roasted Basil Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Bites

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
¼ c plus 2 T good olive oil
1 T kosher salt
1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 c chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 T unsalted butter
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
4 c fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 quart water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, ¼ cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

(From the Barefoot Contessa, foodnetwork.com)

Salad: Aven

Endive Amuse-Bouche over Green Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing  

3 endives 

1 pear 

¼ lb gjetost cheese

⅓ c crystallized ginger

¼ c coarse bread crumbs

¼ c cranberry reduction (2 c cranberry juice, ½ c balsamic vinegar and 2 T sugar, simmered until syrupy)  

Cut thin slices of pear, gjetost and ginger. Trim ends off endive leaves and layer each leaf with a slice of cheese, a slice of pear, and a few slices of ginger. Drizzle with cranberry reduction and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Makes 10-12   For each serving place one endive leaf over a salad of mixed greens, dried cranberries and red onions (I marinated the onions overnight in vinegar and cranberry juice). Drizzle endive and salad with honey mustard vinaigrette.  

Honey Mustard Dressing

⅓ c white balsamic vinegar

⅓ c olive oil 

2 T honey 

2 T stoneground mustard 

1 tsp mustard seed salt and white pepper to taste

Side Dish: Colleen

Sweet potato polenta cakes with chipotle yogurt sauce

Polenta:

olive oil to sauté

5 cloves garlic minced 

2 c course polenta 

4 c water 

⅔ c heavy cream 

1 c mashed sweet potato  

I use a multi-cooker to make my polenta. I use the "brown" setting to sauté the garlic then add the water and polenta. Stir and set on the rice setting. When finished cooking, stir in mashed sweet potato and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper and push into a baking pan in a flat layer to cool. You can make the cakes as thick as you'd like. When cool, cut to size and crisp edges in a pan on each side. I used an electric griddle with a thin coating of olive oil. Would also be delicious cooked on a grill outdoors!  

Chipotle yogurt sauce: 

1 c greek yogurt 

3 tsp pureed chipotle in adobo sauce  

mix and salt to taste.  To serve, warm polenta cakes, smear with additional sweet potato if any is left from cooking, place an avocado slice and top with yogurt sauce. Would be best if served fresh from the griddle after crisping but can also be warmed in the oven prior to serving.

Entrée: Mariah
Tempeh Club Sandwiches

3 cloves garlic sliced
5 slices fresh ginger (about ⅛ inch thick)
½ c water
1 T brown rice vinegar
1 T mirin
1 T soy sauce
1 (8oz) package tempeh (cut in half, then bisect each half in half)
1 T coconut oil
8 slices whole grain bread

Add any garish that you love! Try grated raw beets they are divine! Also try the Lentil Dijon Spread on these yummy sandwiches for a little extra protein kick!

Combine garlic, ginger, water, vinegar, mirin and soy in a glass container with that lid, add tempeh and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Heat Oil in skillet to medium hot, brown the tempeh on each side for about a minute or so until warm throughout. Sever on bread with your favorite garnish.

Lentil Dijon Spread

2 T walnuts
1 c cooked lentils
4 mushrooms sliced
2 scallions, sliced
1 T whole grain mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp pepper
water

Finely grind or chop walnuts -- place all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth -- add water for desired consistency. This spread will last in the refrigerator for several days.

(From Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair)

Dessert: Kirsten (sub for Lovina)
Almond Cake  

¾ c sugar 

⅓ c plus

1 T almond paste

1 c flour 

1½ tsp baking powder 

½ tsp coarse salt 

1 c butter (room temp) 

½ tsp vanilla  

3 large eggs 

⅓ c boysenberry jam 

powdered sugar 

lightly sweetened whipped cream 

parchment paper (or brown paper bag) cut to size of pan bottom  

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter 8-inch round pan, line with paper, butter paper. Blend sugar and almond paste in processor until finely ground. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer beat almond paste, butter, and vanilla in large bowl about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Fold in dry ingredients. Transfer to pan, bake 40 minutes w/o opening oven. Rotate pan; bake until gold about 8 min more. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run knife around pan sides. Invert cake, remove paper, cool. Using a long serrated knife cut cake in half horizontally. Put bottom on plate, spread jam over cut surface. Place top back on, cut side down. Use screen or strainer to dust cake with powdered sugar.

(From Bon Appetit)

5 - February 2011

2011-02-16T19:42:00.001-08:00

Diva: Aven

Drinks: Mariah

Pain Killers

1 oz coconut milk
2 oz orange juice
4 oz pineapple juice
2 oz rum
sprinke with nutmeg

The Soother

1 oz coconut milk
2 oz orange juice
4 oz pineapple juice
club soda
sprinkle with nutmeg

(From Amy Sinclair of Riggins, Id)

Appetizer: Colleen

Raspberry Chipotle Cheese Dip

This recipe is from my friend Kirsten, whom I met 5 years ago, who now lives 5 states away, it has 5 ingredients, takes 5 minutes to make, and is so good that if you serve it, you’re sure to get high fives!

2 c cheddar cheese 

3 to 4 c finely chopped pecans 

5 to 6 green onions, chopped (white and green parts separated) 

mayo 

raspberry chipotle sauce  

Mix the cheese, pecans, white parts of the onions with enough mayo to have the dip hold together. press onto a plate and cover with raspberry chipotle sauce. garnish with the green parts of the onions.  

(From Kirsten Hawley)

Soup: Lovina

Cream of Five Wild Mushroom Soup 

Assorted wild mushrooms -- equivalent to 36oz (My 5 mushroom combo including porcini, shitake, morel, chanterelle, crimini; a variety of fresh and dried were used)

2 T olive oil 

1 stick (½ c) unsalted butter 

2 c chopped onion 

3 carrots, chopped 

3 sprigs fresh thyme plus 2 tsp minced thyme leaves, divided 

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper 

4 tsp vegetable bouillon 

3 tsp brown rice miso 

4 c chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3-4 leeks)

½ c all-purpose flour

2 c dry white wine 

2 c half-and-half 

½ c heavy cream 

1 c minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Boil about 8 cups water. Place dried mushrooms into a large bowl. Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms until fully submerged and allow to soak for approx. 30 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and plumped. Clean the fresh mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Remove the stems from the fresh mushrooms and chop coarsely. Slice the fresh mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and set aside.  

To make the stock, heat the olive oil along with 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot. Add the fresh chopped mushroom stems, the onions, carrots, the sprigs of thyme, 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the reserved liquid into large pot containing softened vegetables. Add bouillon and miso and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 9-10 cups of stock.  

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until the leeks are softened and just beginning to brown. Add the sliced fresh mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

(Adapted from Ina Garten, foodnetwork.com)

Salad: Stacey

Grilled Corn Salad

4 fresh corn on the cob, shucked
½ red cabbage, sliced
juice and zest of 1 lime
½ c crumbled queso fresco
handful fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the corn on the hot grill pan, turning periodically, until cooked and grill marks are all around the corn. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the lime juice, season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Once the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off the cob and add it to the bowl with the cabbage. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add the crumbled queso fresco and cilantro leaves and str to combine. Add a pinch of smoked paprika of desired.

(From foodnetwork.com)

Side Dish: Ashley

Fennel Gratin  

6 fennel bulbs, cut into 1/4 inch slices 

½ tsp salt 

⅛ tsp freshly ground white pepper

½ c heavy cream 

½ c grated Gruyere cheese (I doubled the cheese)

Preheat the oven to 350. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and blanch the sliced fennel for 5 minutes. Drain, toss with salt and pepper. and spread in a buttered 6x10-inch casserole dish. Pour in the cream, toss to coat, and then settle the fennel into an even layer. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle the grated Gruyere over the top, and slip under the broiler until the cheese browns to a crisp coating, about 3 minutes.

(From The Balthazar Cookbook)

Entrée: Tamara

Lemon Pepper Tofu Steaks over 5 Grains

1 block of firm tofu

5-ingredient Marinade:
Juice and zest of one lemon
1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 T tamari
1 tsp balsamic
1 T olive oil

Press block of tofu for at least a half hour to remove water. Cut into 1x2x4 inch slices and place in baking dish. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over the tofu, coating both sides. Marinade overnight, turning tofu pieces at least once. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes on each side.

Server over a bed of five grains; I used white rice, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa and black nile barley. I dressed it with a splash of lime juice and freshly chopped parsley.

Dessert: Erin

Gooey Butter Cake (gain 5 pounds eating this one!) 

Cake: 

1 18 ¼-ounce package yellow cake mix 

1 egg 

8 T butter, melted   

Filling: 

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened  

2 eggs  

1 tsp vanilla  

8 T butter, melted  

1 16-ounce box powdered sugar    

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare Filling  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. 

Lottery: Sara

Iconic Americana - January 2011

2011-01-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Diva: Sara

Drinks: Aven
Velvet Elvis

1 ½ shots Jack Daniels (*cola)
1 shot Chambord berry liqueur (*blackberry syrup)
½ shot lime juice
Sprite/7-up
Lime wedge

*non-alcoholic substitution

(From diffordsguide.com)

Appetizer: Mariah
Garlic Roasted Potato Skins

3 lb russet (baking) potatoes (6 to 8 medium; preferably organic)
1 small head garlic (2 inches in diameter)
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prick each potato once or twice with a fork. Cut off and discard top fourth of garlic head, then wrap garlic tightly in foil. Bake garlic and potatoes on same rack in lower third of oven until potatoes are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove potatoes from oven and cool on a metal rack 15 minutes. Continue to bake garlic until tender, about 15 minutes more, then cool in foil on rack. While garlic cools, halve potatoes lengthwise, then quarter each half (to form short wedges). Scoop out potato flesh (reserving it for another use), leaving 1/4-inch-thick potato skins. Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Squeeze garlic into a small bowl, discarding garlic skins, and mash to a paste with butter, salt, and pepper using a fork.
Divide garlic paste among potato skins (about 1/2 teaspoon each), spreading evenly, then roast skins in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

(From epicurious.com)

Onion Spinach Dip

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (1 3/4 cups)
½ lb shallots, chopped
½ lb baby spinach, coarsely chopped
3 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion and shallots, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes more. Add spinach and cook, stirring, just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Transfer spinach mixture to a bowl, then stir in cream cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper until combined well. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour.

(From epicurious.com)

Potato Balls Rolled in Corn Flakes

1 egg, separated
½ tsp dried parsley flakes
1½ c seasoned, very stiff mashed potatoes
⅔ c Corn Flake Crumbs
2 T margarine or butter, melted

Combine egg yolk and parsley flakes in small mixing bowl. Add potatoes. Mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In small shallow dish, beat egg white until foamy. Set aside. Portion potato mixture by level measuring-tablespoon. Shape into balls. Dip balls in egg white. Coat evenly with crushed Corn Flakes. Place in well-greased or foil-lined shallow baking. Do not crowd. Drizzle with melted margarine. Bake at 450° F about 10 minutes or until lightly browned

(From www2.kellogs.com)

Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce

¼ cup Dijon Mustard
¼ cup Brown Mustard
2 tbsp Apple Cider or Rice Wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey

Mix Well

Salad: Lovina
Cobb Salad

Cobb salad was the invention of restaurateur manager, Bob Cobb, who in 1926 at The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, California, found a way to use up leftovers. Cobb had been improvising with the salad for years."

For the salad:  
½ head of romaine, chopped 
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
4 boiled eggs, sliced or diced 
half roasted chicken, boned and chunked
2 avacados, peeled, pitted, and diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced 
8 thick-cut bacon strips, crisped and chopped
1 wedge danish bleu cheese, crumbled
several chives for garnish, long lengths  

Arrange the eggs, bacon, chicken, avocados, tomatoes, and the bleu cheese crumbles in neat rows atop the lettuce, covering the lettuce almost completely.  

For the dressing:
¼ c red wine vinegar (I used white balsamic) 
¼ tsp sugar 
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp salt 
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper 
¾ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp Dijon mustard 
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
⅓ c olive oil 
2 T water  

In a small bowl, whisk together the wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form a thick dressing. You can also add an ounce of bleu cheese crumbles to the dressing if you like.  Pour a little of the dressing over the salad and garnish with chive lengths. Serve immediately. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.

(Modified from whatscookingamerica.com)

Soup: Colleen
Ocean Chowder

¼ c arame (seaweed)
2 T butter
2 medium yellow onions, diced
salt
1 T garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, diced
2 bay leaves
4 c vegetable stock
2 c heavy cream
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T fresh thyme, chopped
black pepper

Place arame in strainer and rinse well. Transfer to bowl, add cold water until barely covered, and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain, chop very coarsely, and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat, add onion and ½ t salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute, then add celery and carrot. Cook 5 minutes, then stir in arame, potatoes, bay leaves, and stock, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and let simmer about 20 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are just cooked.
Add cream and herbs, and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

(From theveggietable.com)

Side Dish: Tamara
Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese

Russet potatoes (1 per person)
Coarse sea salt
Olive oil
Broccoli
Butter
Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Fork potatoes all over. Rub with olive oil and salt. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake for 90 minutes. Cut up broccoli and steam till just cooked. Plunge in cold ice water to stop cooking. Slit potatoes down the middle and push in to open up. Put a pat of butter on potato. Stuff with broccoli and top with cheese. Put potatoes back into the oven and warm through until cheese is melted.

Entrée: Stacey
Uncle Dennis’ Pineapple Glazed Baked Ham

1 7-10 lb good quality bone-in oven ham
1 20 oz can pineapple rings
2 c brown sugar
1 T mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Score ham in diaganol pattern. Roast in oven in roasting pan for about 2 hours. Add a little water to the pan if it starts to burn. Cover with foil half way into cooking time.

Make glaze – drain juice from the can of pineapple and mix with brown sugar and mustard.

Pull out ham and lay pineapple rings all over and around it. Baste 3 times every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes. Then carve. Spoon some juices over each slice before serving.

Buttermilk Biscuits

1 package yeast
½ c warm water
5 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1T baking powder
2 T sugar
34/ c Crisco shortening
2 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in shortening and add yeast and buttermilk. Mix well. Turn dough onto lightly flavored surface. Pat out to about 1 ½ inches thick. Cut with biscuit cuter andplae on greased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, until golden brown.

(From pauladeen.com)

Dessert: Ashley
S’mores Cupcakes

1 ½ c graham cracker crumbs (about 15 whole crackers ground in processor)
½ c all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ c sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ c whole milk
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
½ c (scant) heavy whipping cream
¾ c plus one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
12 1-inch pieces broken graham crackers (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk graham crumbs, flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in vanilla. Add graham-cracker mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with graham-cracker mixture. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center come out clean, about 22 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack; cool completely.

Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream just to boil in small saucepan; pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool ganache until lukewarm.

Push apple corer about 1 inch into top of each cupcake; remove cake, forming hole. Spoon 3/4 cup marshmallow creme into resealable plastic bag, pushing into 1 bottom corner. Cut 1/2 inch off corner. Pipe into holes in cupcakes. Spread 2 teaspoons ganache over each cupcake. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat broiler. Coar rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spoon dollops of marshmallow creme on sheet. Broil until slightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon dollop of charred cremem over each cupcake; garnish with piece of graham cracker.

(from Bon Appetit)

Lottery: Erin

Pepper: The Spice of Life - December 2010

2010-12-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Mariah

Dirty Bloody Martini

2 oz Absolute Peppar Vodka 
1 oz Dry Vermouth 
2 oz V8 Juice 
1 T Olive Juice 
2 Olives 
2 Ice Cubes

Put all ingredients into a shaker, except olives, and shake until shaker is frosted. Pour into cocktail glass, add olives and serve

(Adapted from drinksmixer.com)

Sunday Bloody Sunday

One part Sparkling Apple Cider
One Part Pure Cranberry Juice
A Pinch of White Pepper
Stir vigorously and sever over ice

Appetizer: Sara
Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade

1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 (6 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
¼ c drained capers
¼ c black olives, minced 
½ c jumbo green olives stuffed with jalepenos and garlic, minced 
½ c fresh red pepper 
1 tsp garlic, milled in mortar and pestle
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse all ingredients in food processor until well mixed. I made the tapenade about 3 hours in advance so it marinated in all the yummy juices for a while. I served it with parmesan cheese slices and a variety of crackers. Another variation is that it could be served on cucumbers.

Salad: Colleen

Pear and Brie Salad with Lemon Pepper Dressing

2 tsp mixed peppercorns
1 c extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp lemon zest
Juice from 2 lemons
2 T white rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar

Lightly crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle.
Pour crushed peppercorns into a medium bowl, add remaining ingredients and whisk until blended.

(Adapted from grouprecipes.com)

Serve over salad of mixed greens, slices of pear, slices of brie and walnuts.

Soup: Aven
Squash, Chipotle and Apple Soup

2 T vegetable oil, plus 1 cup for frying
½ medium white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 fuji apples—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, thinly sliced crosswise
half sunshine squash, peeled and thinly sliced
1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
3 c water
1 small canned chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sugar
3 yellow corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

In a medium soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the apples and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the fruit and vegetables are very tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in the chipotle.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper and return to the pot.

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Heat the remaining 1 cup of oil in a medium skillet. Add the tortilla strips and fry over high heat, stirring, until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve the soup in shallow bowls and garnish with the fried tortilla strips.

Side Dish: Erin

Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeño Cream  

1 spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs.) 

2 c milk

2 to 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 T butter, plus more for pans 

3 T flour

1 tsp salt

1 c shredded jack cheese  

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon or melon baller to remove seeds and surrounding fiber. Put squash, cut side down, on a lightly buttered baking sheet and bake until tender when flesh is pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes. Or poke several holes in skin of squash with a fork and microwave it on high 10 minutes. Squash should be tender when pierced with a fork; if it isn't, microwave on high in 1-minute intervals until tender. Let sit until cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and jalapeños until bubbles form along the edge of the pan. Remove mixture from heat and let sit 15 minutes. Strain and discard jalapeños.

When squash is cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scrape the strands out of the skin and into a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter. Whisk in flour and salt and cook, whisking, until flour smells cooked (like piecrust), about 3 minutes. Slowly pour in jalapeño-infused milk while whisking. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour mixture over squash and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with jack cheese and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 30 minutes.

(From myrecipes.com)

Entree: Ashley
Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs

4 lbs beef back ribs (about 8 ribs)
2 T freshly cracked black pepper 
1 T kosher salt 
1 T dark brown sugar 
1 tsp smoked paprika 
1 tsp ground chipotle
spray canola oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with foil and/or parchment paper. Spread beef ribs out on the pan so they’re not touching. Leave them on the counter to knock the chill off them while you mix up the spice rub.

Grind up the black pepper.

Put the black pepper, kosher salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and ground chipotle in a medium-sized bowl. Mix to combine with a fork or whisk.
Sprinkle the ribs with the spice rub. Pick the ribs up to coat all sides. Press the spice rub down with your hands to help it stick to the meat.

Give the top of the ribs a very light spritz with spray canola oil.

Roast for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. After 15 minutes, drop the heat to 300 degrees and roast for an additional 1 hour 20 minutes. Your final roasting time will depend on the size and meatiness of your ribs.

Remove from the oven when they have a handsome brown crust and the meat comes away easily from the bone when pulled at with a fork.

(From the hungrymouse.com)

Vegetarian option – dredge slices of portobello mushrooms with spice rub mixed with matzo meal. Roast 20 minutes.

Dessert: Stacey

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper

2 lbs. fresh strawberries--cut in half 
½ c white sugar
¼ c balsamic vinegar
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper  

Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar over strawberries and then sprinkle with sugar. Stir gently to combine. Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least one hour--but NOT MORE than 4 hours. Just before serving grind pepper over the berries. I served berries over vanilla ice cream.

Lottery: Tamara

Divas Dine Out - November 2010

2010-11-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

Brunch at the Broiler!

Cinnamon - October 2010

2010-10-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Diva: Aven

Drinks: Erin
Glogg

2 bottles red wine
2 oz dried orange zest
2 oz cinnamon sticks
20 whole cardamom seeds
25 whole cloves
1 pound blanched almonds
1 pound raisins
1 pound sugar cubes
5 fluid ounces brandy

Pour wine into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Wrap orange zest, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and cloves in cheesecloth, tie with kitchen string and put into pot. Let boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in almonds and raisins and continue to boil for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Place a wire grill over the pot and cover with sugar cubes. Slowly pour on brandy, making sure to completely saturate the sugar. Light sugar with a match and let it flame. When sugar has melted, cover pot with lid to extinguish flame.

Stir and remove spice bag. Serve hot in cups with a few almonds and raisins.

Erin’s Note: Don’t add as many raisins/nuts, definitely take the spice bag out prior to flaming the brandied sugar, and don’t add as much sugar as it calls for

(From allrecipes.com)

Appetizer: Mariah
Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese and Apple Chutney

1 c (packed) golden brown sugar
¾ c rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into -inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 c golden raisins
1 French-bread baguette, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
Olive oil
Roasted Garlic
12 ounces soft fresh goat cheese room temperature

Stir sugar and vinegar in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add next 4 ingredients and simmer until mixture is syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Mix in apples and raisins. Increase heat to high and boil until apples are tender, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. (Chutney can be made 3 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Spread each toast with roasted garlic; top with goat cheese and chutney.

(Adapted from Bon Appétit October 1999)

Salad: Aven
Fall Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Mixed Greens (lettuce, mizuna, arugula)
1 Pear, sliced thin
1 Fennel Bulb, sliced very thin 
¼ pound dry Gouda, grated   
Toss greens, top with pears, fennel, cheese, and dressing  

Cinnamon Vinaigrette  

¼ c white balsamic vinegar 
¼ c olive oil 
1 T lemon juice
2 T agave syrup
½ tsp cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom
¼ tsp cayenne

Side Dish: Colleen
Corn on the Cob with Cinnamon Honey Butter  

Place corn in pot with cold water. Bring water to a boilover medium-high heat. When water boils, corn is done.

Cinnamon Honey Butter  

1.5 sticks of butter, softened
¼ c honey 
1 tsp cinnamon  

Whip butter, honey and cinnamon until smooth.  

This butter recipe yields a large batch - enough for many ears of corn and leftovers for toast or rolls or anything else you'd like to eat buttery and sweet!

Entrée: Sara
Cider Brined Pork Loin with Dijon-Brown Sugar Glaze served with Apple Compote

1 center cut half boneless pork loin (4.5-5.5 lbs)
4 c apple cider
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 c light brown sugar
3 T orange juice concentrate
1 T honey
2 tsp cinnamon

Whisk together the ingredients in a heated sauce pan, then allow the marinade to cool.
Take a gallon slide lock freezer bag and stick your pork loin inside it. Make sure you can zip it shut before you pour in any liquid. If necessary, cut the pork loin into two parts so that it fits in your freezer bag (or use two). Pour in the liquid, squeeze out the air and zip the bag shut. Refrigerate 2-3 hours. 
Take the pork out of the refrigerator, pour out the marinade, pat the pork dry and let sit for 30 minutes. At this time preheat the oven to 350.  Place the pork loin on a rack fat side up. Cook 25 minutes per pound and check with a meat thermometer.

At 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, glaze the top of the loin (see below). When internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, pull it out, cover it with foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.  Glaze

1 ½ c light brown sugar, packed
2 T flour
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 T cider vinegar

Heat the ingredients in a sauce pan and allow to cool (5 mins).

(From baorao.blogspot.com)

Lentil Loaf
3 ½ c water or vegetable broth
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T olive oil
2 c pre-cooked rice
½ tsp salt
¼ c ketchup or barbecue sauce
½ tsp sage
½ tsp Italian seasoning

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large soup or stockpot, simmer the lentils in water or vegetable broth until cooked, about 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly then mash the lentils until they are half mashed.
Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft.
Combine the onions, garlic and olive oil with the mashed lentils and add the rice, salt, ketchup or barbecue sauce, sage, and Italian seasoning.
Gently press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Drizzle a bit of extra ketchup on top if desired.

Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly before serving, as this will help the lentil loaf to firm up.

(From about.com)

Apple Compote

2 c water
⅓ c sugar
½ vanilla bean, split in half
1 T Calvados or brandy
½ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground cloves
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
8 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cubed

In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, Calvados, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt and bring to a boil. Boil gently until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the apples and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very tender and the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla bean pods. Let cool to room temperature before serving. (The mixture will thicken as it cools.)

(From foodnetwork.com)

Dessert: Tamara
Baked Pears with Cinnamon Soy Ice Cream and Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Points

Pears

6 pears, peeled, halved and cored
melted butter
1 T cinnamon
¼ c brown sugar

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat and stir in cinnamon and sugar. Baste both sides of pears with butter mixture. Bake in baking dish, 350 degrees until desired tenderness.

Cinnamon Soy Ice Cream

2 c vanilla soy creamer (or any non-dairy milk) 2 c vanilla soy milk (or any non-dairy milk) ¾ c sugar
2 T arrowroot
2 T cinnamon 

Mix 1/4 cup of soy milk with the 2 tablespoons of arrowroot and set aside.
Mix the soy creamer, soy milk, and sugar together in a saucepan. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and stir in the arrowroot slurry. This should immediately cause the liquid to thicken (not a lot, but a noticeable amount; it will be thicker when it cools). Mix in cinnamon.

Set the ice cream mixture aside to cool. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

(Adapted from veganicecream.blogspot.com)

Cinnamon Tortilla Points

2 whole wheat flour tortillas
cinnamon
sugar
spray oil

Lightly spray tortillas with oil on both sides. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake in oven at 350 until desired crispiness.

Serve pears with ice cream on top and a tortilla point.

Lottery: Ashley

Locavore - September 2010

2010-09-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Diva: Ashley

Drinks: Stacey

Palouse Falls Brewery: Idaho Gold Ale and Steptoe Stout

Local Apple Cider mixed with ginger ale.

Appetizer: Lovina
Palouse Harvest Hummus

2 c raw garbanzo beans (Genessee, ID -- 16 miles)
1 c organic pumpkin seeds (central Oregon -- 250 miles)
grapeseed oil
salt
pepper
4 heads garlic (from local CSA - grown in Moscow)
1 large lemon
olive oil
fresh parsley (from my backyard herb garden)

To prepare the garbanzo beans, add the dried beans to a pot and fill with water to at least a few inches above the beans. Place pot in fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight. After the beans have soaked, drain in a colander. Refill the pot with fresh water to at least a few inches above the beans. Generously salt the water and bring to a boil. Lower the temp, allowing the beans to simmer for about an hour. Drain cooked beans in colander.

To roast the garlic, place 4 heads of garlic on tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Tightly enclose the garlic in foil and bake in toaster oven for 30 minutes or until garlic is softened and the outer surface of the garlic is lightly caramelized. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the pumpkin seed tahini, place about 1 cup pumpkin seeds into a food processor bowl. Process seeds for about 1-2 minutes until a fine grain is obtained. Slowly drizzle about 1-2 Tbsp grapeseed oil in using the feeder slot. Process until a smooth paste is obtained. Salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the hummus, place cooked garbanzo beans into food processor bowl. Add roasted garlic and tahini. Squeeze in juice of one lemon. Add pinch salt and pepper. Process and add olive oil until the desired consistency is obtained. Lastly, add in rough chopped parsley and pulse to mix together all ingredients. Transfer to bowl and serve with Lavash Crackers with Pumpkins Seeds (recipe below).

Lavash Crackers with Pumpkin Seeds

1 ½ c unbleached bread flour (Harrington, WA -- 101 mi)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp instant yeast
1 T honey (Princeton, ID -- 22 miles)
1 T canola oil
⅓ to ½ c water, room temp
½ c organic pumpkin seeds, finely chopped (central Oregon -- 250 mi)

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, honey, oil, and enough water to bring everything together in a ball. Sprinkle the counter with flour and transfer the dough from the bowl. Knead for several minutes until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. You'll know you have the right consistency when the dough becomes satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Grease a bowl and transfer the dough, rolling it around to get an even coat of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temp for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. After the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly greased counter surface. Using your hands, press the dough into a square and dust lightly with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a paper-thin sheet (roughly 15 by 12 inches). You should periodically lift the dough from the counter and allow it to relax to get the desired thickness. Cover the dough with a towel or plastic while it relaxes. When you get the dough to the desired thickness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and carefully transfer the dough to the sheet. Snip off the excess overlap with scissors.

Preheat the over to 350 and place the rack in the center of the oven. Mist the dough with water and sprinkly a covering of finely chopped pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough diagonally, creating unique shapes of crackers. There is no need to separate the pieces as they will do so on their own while baking. Alternatively, you can leave the dough entire then break into shards after baking. Bake dough for 15 to 20 minutes or until the dough has evenly browned on top. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the crackers to cool for 10 minutes.

If crackers are made in advance, store them in a paper bag for up to 24 hours.

(adapted from the "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of
Extraordinary Bread" by Peter Reinhart, 2001)

Salad: Tamara
Lentil Salad with Roasted Beets and Carrots

½ dozen small beets, peeled and cubed
salt
cumin
nutmeg
8-12 carrots (Moscow, ID, GT Farms)
2 c cooked green lentils (the Palouse, Lentil Capitol of the World!)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 T oil
salt, pepper
1 T toasted fennel seeds
Lettuce (Santa, ID)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets in a baking dish and sprinkle with salt, cumin and nutmeg. Roast for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Add carrots, sprinkled with salt, after the first 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Combine lemon juice, zest, oil, salt and pepper to taste toasted fennel seeds and mix well. Serve lentils, beets and carrots over a bed of lettuce and drizzle with dressing.

Side Dish: Aven
Roasted Ratatouille Stacks

Eggplant  
Tomato 
Bell Pepper 
Zucchini 
Onion 
Garlic 
Basil  Oregano
some form of alcohol 
some form of vinegar  

My vegetables and herbs came from Affinity Farm, Backyard Harvest and my own garden. I used homebrewed mead and the juice from some pickled garlic scapes I made this spring - both of which had many not local ingredients (vinegar, salt, yeast, etc.). However, I didn't use any salt or other spices in the dish and I thought it tasted great.

Mix alcohol and vinegar with finely diced herbs and garlic; this is your marinade for the veggies. Cut veggies into round slabs, preferably all the vegetables are about the same diameter. Marinate the eggplant, zucchini, and onion for an hour or so. Stack the veggies in a casserole or roasting pan with one of each veggie in each stack pouring a little marinade between each, order doesn't really matter but the tomato will end up the softest so it should go on top. Extra garlic cloves can be sprinkled on and around the stacks.

Bake at 400, covered for about 45 minutes and uncovered for about 15 minutes or until everything is soft.

Entrée: Mariah
Walnut Crusted Salmon

1 Onion
2 T butter
3 T Honey
1 clove garlic – spicy variety
2 tsp savory, dried
dash Salt/Pepper
⅓ c walnuts, ground (from a friend’s tree in Riggins)
Half a Salmon Fillet (caught in Riggins)

Sauté onions and butter until onions are very soft add ½ cup of water, let simmer for 15 plus minutes add honey and garlic and dash of salt/pepper. Reduced to mostly onions. Let simmer another 10 minutes. Put salmon (tomato steaks) in a foiled baking dish. Check mixture, it should have a slightly watery consistency, if not add 2-3 Tbsp of water and let simmer for 30s-1min for flavors to meld. Pour mixture over salmon (tomatoes) keeping onions on top, let mixture cover bottom of pan. Salmon should not be immersed in water, cover and put salmon in fridge for a couple hours. Mix finely chopped walnuts, a pinch of savory, salt and pepper -- store walnut mixture in fridge. Preheat oven to 400 F. before putting salmon into oven pack walnut mixture on top of salmon - leaving onions in place. Bake uncovered about 10mins per inch of thickness of salmon at widest part or until salmon flakes apart.

Vegetarian option is made with beefsteak tomato “steaks” (from Moscow Farmers’ Market); cut toms into thick slices, prepare as Salmon is prepared and bake for approximately 6 minutes.

(adapted from sparkpeople.com)

Dessert: Ashley
Blackberry Clafoutis  

½ c all-purpose flour (WSU wheat lab)
¼ c plus 2 T sugar
salt
3 large eggs (from my neighbor) 
3 T unsalted butter, melted
finely grated orange peel 
¼ c plus 2 T milk (from Spokane's Family Farm)
3 cups blackberries (from my garden) 
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch gratin dish. In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the eggs, butter and orange zest until smooth. Add the milk and whisk until light and very smooth; about 3 minutes. Pour the batter into the gratin dish and top with the blackberries. Bake for 30 minutes or until the clafoutis is set and golden. Let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar, cut into wedges and serve.

(adapted from Food and Wine April 2010)

Lottery: Erin

L'Shana Tova!

Asian Fusion - August 2010

2010-08-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

Diva: Erin

Drinks: Colleen
Mango Mojitos without the Muddle

2 lb mango flesh, pureed 
juice of 8 limes
mint simple syrup (1 c sugar, 1 c water, 1+ c roughly chopped mint) 
2 + 750 ml bottles sparkling water 
mango rum  

To make the mint simple syrup, bring sugar, water and mint to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain mint leaves and chill simple syrup.  For drinks, add pureed mango, lime juice, simple syrup and sparkling water (start with 1 of water bottle and add to taste) in a pitcher and stir. For non-alcoholic version, serve over ice with a lime wedge. For alcohol version, add a shot of mango rum to a glass of ice then top with mango puree mixture and a lime wedge.

Appetizer: Sara
Veggie Tempura Fries with Wasabi Ranch and Ginger-Citrus Sauce  

1 c Ice Water
1 Large Egg 
1 c All-purpose Flour 
3-4 T Black Sesame seeds (I couldn't find any, so I used poppy seeds and regular sesame seeds) 
Vegetable Oil for Deep Frying (I used a fry daddy) 
Salt and Pepper to taste.  

I blanched green beans and snap peas, carrots, beets, and zucchini (unblanched). Coat in batter, Deep fry until golden brown.  

Wasabi Ranch 

1 c mayonnaise 
½ c Greek yogurt
½ tsp dried chives 
½ tsp dried parsley 
½ tsp dried dill weed 
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder 
⅛ tsp salt 
⅛ tsp ground black pepper 
1 T wasabi powder ( I also added about 2 inches of wasabi paste from a tube)
more salt to taste.  

Citrus Ginger Sauce 

1 ¼ c water 
1 T corn starch
¾ c dark brown sugar
¼ c soy sauce
2 T minced fresh ginger 
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T lime juice
1 T lemon juice
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

(From Kitchen on Fire)

Soup: Ashley
Mushroom Wontons in a Lemongrass Ginger Soup  

For the wontons: makes alot. I was making this up as I went so amounts are approximate.
2 c finely chopped crimini mushrooms 
1 pkg firm tofu, drained and finely chopped or crumbled 
3 green onions finely sliced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 pkg wonton wrappers
salt to taste  

Saute mushrooms and tofu in 1 tbs butter or oil until soft and cooked through. Add green onions and garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Fill wontons according to pkg directions. Set aside.

For the broth: 
1 carrot, sliced

2 leeks, sliced
8 c vegetable broth 
4 stalks lemongrass 
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced 
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced 
1 T sesame oil 
1 T Siracha hot sauce or to taste  

In a soup pot, heat sesame oil. Add carrot and leeks and cook until softened. Add broth, lemongrass, ginger, green onion, garlic, and hot sauce. Simmer for about an hour.   

To make the Wonton soup:  Drop filled wontons into the simmering broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls.

Salad: Stacey
Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing

⅔ c rice vinegar
1 c canola oil
2 T sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T soy sauce
½ c sugar
4 tsp sesame seeds

Place all ingredients in a quart jar. Shake and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Serve over a salad of shredded cabbage, cucumber, red onion, red pepper and chives.

Side Dish: Mariah
Braised Dino Kale (or bok choy)  

1-2 T of vegetable oil
5 bunches of kale 
1 c veggie or chicken stock 
1-2 T Soy sauce 
1-2 T Sesame Oil 
Salt and Pepper to taste.  

Heat the oil in a large saute' pan over high heat. Add the kale, and sear until outside is nicely browned. Deglaze the pan wit the stock and some soy sauce. Reduce the heat until the liquid is at a simmer. Continue to cook, covered or not, until the bok choy is nice and tender. Adjust the seasoning with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.

(From Kitchen on Fire)

Entrée: Tamara
Asian Pizzas

Pizza Dough

1 c warm water
1 ¼ tsp yeast
3 T olive oil
3 T wheat gluten
3 c flour
1 ½ tsp salt

Combine ingredients in bread machine and run on dough or pizza dough cycle. Roll out dough into desired shape (to make enough for everyone I made my pizzas in rectangle cookie sheets) and let rise for about a half hour. One recipe will make one rectangle or 2 round 10” pizzas. For the Japanese pizza I added in chopped up nori.

Thai Pizza

3 T peanut butter
3 T brewed black tea
2 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 T minced ginger
2 tsp honey
2 T sesame seeds
1 T paprika
1 tsp salt
4 green onions, chopped
1 larger carrot, grated
tofu, crumbled and pan fried
chili oil

Combine peanut butter, tea, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and honey. Mix well and set aside. Toast sesame seeds and combine with the remaining ingredients. Add 3 tablespoons of the sauce to the vegetable mix. Spread remaining sauce on the dough and top with vegetable mixture. Cook at 550 for about 6 minutes. Sprinkle finished pizza with a bit of chili oil, if desired.

(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Chinese Pizza

3 T hoisin sauce
3 T tomato paste
1 T rice vinegar
1 T chili pepper puree
1 tsp soy sauce
2-3 slices of ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ can of water chestnuts, drained and sliced
⅓ c red onion, diced
½ c small snow peas, halved
½ can bamboo shoots
1 can baby corn
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 tsp sesame oil

Combine hoisin, tomato paste, vinegar, chili pepper puree and soy sauce. Mix well and set aside. Heat some oil on high heat and sautee garlic and ginger, about a minute. Add vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add in sesame oil. Toss well. Spread hoisin sauce on pizza base and top with vegetables. . Cook at 550 for about 6 minutes.

Japanese Pizza

2 sheets of toasted nori
1 block tofu
flour for dredging
2 T soy sauce
1 T orange marmalade
1 tsp honey
⅛ tsp ground ginger
bok choy, chopped
ramen noodles

When making pizza dough, add in 1 sheet of crumbled or chopped nori to the bread machine. Press block of tofu between two plates to remove some water for about a half hour. Cube the tofu and dredge in flour. Pan fry the tofu on medium-high heat, turning often to sear each side of each cube. Remove from heat and cool. Combine soy sauce, marmalade, honey and ginger and mix well. Pour over tofu and allow it to marinade for at least an hour. Steam the bok choy (adding in white parts first then green parts at the last minute) with a bit of salt. Plunge in an ice bath to halt cooking. Spread marinated tofu over pizza crust and top with bok choy. . Cook at 550 for about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the second sheet of crumbled or chopped nori on top. Serve with crumbled ramen noodles on the side for sprinkling.

Dessert: Lovina
Lemongrass Cheesecake with Raspberry Coconut Milk Sauce

20 shortbread cookies, like Lorna Doone
2 T melted butter
2 pounds cream cheese
pinch of kosher salt
10 ounces sugar
4 stalks lemongrass, white parts only, minced
4 extra large eggs
Juice of 2 lemons
5 ounces cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees convection. In a bowl, combine crushed shortbread cookies and melted butter. Press cookie mixture into bottom and sides of 8-inch cake pan; a springform pan is
recommended. Bake in middle of oven for about 10 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool. Turn oven down to 300 degrees. In a stand mixer, cream together cream cheese, salt, sugar and lemongrass. Add eggs one at a time, alternating with the lemon juice, allowing each egg to be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next, scraping the bowl constantly. Add cream. Spoon mixture into baked crust and place in a water bath. (You'll need to foil the edges of your springform pan to prevent leakage.) Bake cheesecake in middle of oven for about 60 minutes, until edges become browned and cake is set in the center. Remove from water bath, remove foil and place on a rack to let cool, then refrigerate until chilled and serve.

(From ming.com)

Raspberry Coconut Sauce
1 can coconut milk 
⅓ c fresh raspberries (plus a few extra for garnish) 
⅓ c sugar 
2 tsp corn starch

In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk over medium heat. Crush the raspberries in a small bowl using the back side of a teaspoon. Add the raspberries and sugar to the coconut milk. Heat until simmering. Whisk together cornstarch with 1 TBSP water. Add cornstarch mixture to pan. Stir gently until sauce thickens. Cool to serve. Pour over slices of Lemongrass cheesecake and garnish with mint and raspberries.

Lottery: Aven

Birthday Girl Aven!

Wild Wild West: Divas in the Canyon - July 2010

2010-07-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Diva: Mariah

Drinks: Ashley
Cowgirl Cooler

⅓ c water
⅓ c sugar
5 fresh mint sprigs
4 c pink grapefruit juice
2 ½ c bourbon
12 dashes Angostura bitters
1 c ginger ale

Stir water and sugar together in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Add mint sprigs. Remove from heat; cool syrup completely. Strain syrup into a pitcher. Add grapefruit juice, bourbon, bitters and ginger ale. Serve over ice.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit Dec 2007)

Appetizer: Colleen
Canyon Queso

2 lb shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 beer
4 small cloves garlic, pressed
1 small bunch green onions, chopped
3 T cilantro, chopped
4 oz can diced green chilies
¼-½ c diced, deseeded tomatoes
3 T pickled jalapenos, dices
1-2 T chili powder
1-2 T cumin

flour to cover cheese

Heat beer in a pot with pressed garlic and green onions. Add tomatoes, chilies, jalapenos, and stir. Mix chili powder, cumin, flour and coat cheese with mixture. Add cheese to pot and stir occasionally until melted. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

Soup: Erin
Vegetable Chili

¾ c olive oil (I didn’t use this much)
3 zucchinis, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large red/green bell peppers, chopped
2 cans tomatoes w/ juice
1 c tomato juice
1 c uncooked bulgur wheat

4-5 stalks celery, chopped
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano*
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt/pepper
½ c chopped cilantro
1 ½ c kidney beans
1 c sour cream
2 c grated cheese
4 scallions, white bulb and 3 in green

Heat the tomato juice to boiling. Add it to the bulgur in a small bowl, cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Heat ½ cup of the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the zucchini and sauté until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to another bowl. Heat the remaining ¼ c oil in the soup pot over low heat. Add the onions, celery, garlic, and bell peppers. Saute until just wilted about 10 minutes. Place over low heat. Add the canned tomatoes and their juice, chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, pepper, salt. Cook (I simmered) uncovered, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and bulgur. Cook for another 15 minutes. Stir well and adjust the seasonings to taste. Add cilantro. Serve with bowls of sour cream, grated cheese and sliced scallions alongside.

Salad: Tamara
Cowgirl Coleslaw

1 head of red cabbage, shredded or sliced
2 carrots, shredded
2 apples, cut in match sticks (I used Fuji)
1 T Dijon mustard
¼ c balsamic vinegar**
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix mustard, balsamic, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper in a jar and shake to mix well. Toss with cabbage, carrots and apples. Serve cold.

**Note: Next time I make this, I would use white balsamic or cider vinegar instead to keep the crisp white color of the apples. The red balsamic darkened the apples too much.

Side Dish: Stacey
Not-too Sweet Baked Beans

1 15.5 oz can great northern beans
1 15.5 oz can navy beans
1 15.5 oz can baby butter beans
1 15.5 oz can pinto beans
2 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
⅓ c molasses
2 T light brown sugar
2 T prepared mustard
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
6 oz bacon
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Reserving two sliced of bacon, cook the remaining bacon in a large skillet. While it’s cooking, place all beans in a colander and rinse and drain. Transfer to a large baking dish.

Pour tomatoes over beans. Add molasses, brown sugar, mustard, salt and pepper.

When the bacon has cooked, remove bacon from the pan and cook the onions in the bacon drippings stirring frequently. While the onions are cooking, crumble the cooked bacon over the beans. Add onions and combine all the ingredients well. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Adapted from The Big Book of Backyard Cooking.

Entree: Sara
Buckaroo Stew

I cooked both stews partially on the stovetop and partially with charcoal outside.

Vegetarian:
6-quart cast iron Dutch oven

¾ large white oven chunked
2 carrots chopped
2 potatoes (I used red and russet)
2 celery sticks chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
½ can kidney beans
½ can black beans
1 c red wine
1 c veggie stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion. Add potatoes and carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes, wine and stock. Put about 5 hot coals on the bottom, and 5 hot coals on the top. Cook until potatoes are done and folks are hungry!

Meaty:

12-quart cast iron Dutch oven
1 lb bacon, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1 ½ lbs London broil beef, chopped into 1-inch chunks

1 ½ large white oven chunked
4 carrots chopped
3 potatoes (I used red and russet)
4 celery sticks chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
½ can kidney beans
½ can black beans
1 ½ c red wine
1 ½ c veggie stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in Dutch oven, remove. Sear beef, remove. Sauté onion in olive oil. Add potatoes and carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes, wine and stock. Put about 8 hot coals on the bottom, and 10 hot coals on the top. Cook until potatoes and beef are done and folks are hungry!

(Adapted from Grandpa Bob’s recipe)

Dessert: Aven
Wild Berry Honey Buckle with Honeyed Cream

Cake
¼ c unsalted butter
1 c honey
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 c berries (I used raspberries and blackberries)
1 ½ c milk
5 c flour (I used 6 ½ whole wheat pastry & 1 white)
2 c oats
2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt

Streusel
⅔ c flour
⅓ c brown sugar
4 Tbsp salted butter

Cream
2 c cream
6 T honey
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and honey, add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in milk and dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in 2 cups of berries. Grease a 10” springform pan, pour in batter and sprinkle with remaining cup of berries. Sprinkle streusel on top of berries. Bake for 60 minutes (if center is still slightly gooey turn oven off and leave cake in for another 30 to 60 minutes.

Whip cream until soft peaks form, gently stir in honey and vanilla.

Lottery: Lovina

June Wedding - June 2010

2010-06-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Diva: Colleen

Drinks: Mariah
Red Faerie

3 oz. Pinot Noir
 ½ T sugar
 ½ oz. apple juice  
Dash of lemon juice
 Dash of grapefruit juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker full of ice, shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with skewered, frozen red grapes offset by slices of green apple.

Wedding Cake Martini

1 ½ oz. Amaretto (Disaronno)
½ oz. Vodka, vanilla
1 oz. Pineapple Juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker full of ice, shake vigorously, and strain into a martini glass.  

Appetizer: Tamara
Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus

4 sheets of phyllo dough thawed
1 c dairy free cream cheese mixed with fresh chives (chopped)
1 bunch of fresh asparagus
½ c vegan butter
panko breadcrumbs
fresh parsley (for garnish)

Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on the phyllo sheets, doubled up slice the phyllo sheets into 4ths then again into 3in x 3in squares take the asparagus and wrapped into the dough from one corner to the next, creating a triangular shape  brush each wrap with the vegan butter and sprinkle with the panko breadcrumbs bake for 20-25 minutes (or until the breadcrumbs have browned)  chop the parsley and sprinkle on top for garnish and serve

(from RhymeswithVegan.com)

Salad: Ashley
Arugula and Mixed Greens with Strawberry Vinaigrette and Cheddar Crisps

 8oz cheddar cheese 
1 egg
 ¼ c all-purpose flour
 ½ tsp salt
 ¾ tsp ground red pepper (optional)
 24 strawberries, hulled 
6 T extra-virgin olive oil
 6 T balsamic vinegar 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
4 tsp chopped fresh lemon thyme 
1 tsp salt 
½ tsp ground pepper
 8 c arugula 
8 c mixed baby greens 
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
 1 green onion, finely chopped  

To make the crisps: Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or use a Silpat. Cut the cheese into ½ inch cubes. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 2 tbs cold water. In another bowl, combine the flour, red pepper, if using, and salt. Working in batches, toss the cheese in the flour, then in the egg and again in the flour. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

To make the salad: Put 20 strawberries in a food processor and process until pureed. You should have a little more than a cup. Slice the remaining strawberries and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the strawberry puree, oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add honey or sugar to sweeten if necessary.  Divide greens evenly among plates, drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with the green onion, sliced avocado, sliced strawberries and cheddar crisps. (Serves 12)

(Adapted from Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool) 

Soup: Aven
Avgolemono Soup (Greek Egg-Lemon Soup)

2 c milk
2 T cornstarch
6 egg yolks, beaten
2 quarts vegetable stock
½ c aborio rice
¼ c butter
chopped parsley
½ c fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
1 lemon, rind of, grated
salt and pepper
mint

Stir the milk and cornstarch together and beat in the egg yolks. Set aside.
Bring the stock to boil in a 4-quart soup pot and add the rice. Cook, covered, until the rice is puffy and tender, about 25 min. Remove the soup from heat, add milk and egg mixture, stirring carefully. Continue to cook for a moment until all thickens. Remove from the heat again and add the butter, chopped parsley, lemon juice, and finely grated lemon peel.

(Adapted from Recipezaar.com)

Side Dish: Sara
Spinach and Artichoke Twice Baked Potatoes

1 very large Idaho baking potato
2 c chopped baby spinach (heaping)
2-3 artichokes from a can, stem removed and chopped fine
1 shallot chopped
1 clove of garlic grated
salt and pepper to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes
¼ c + 1 T of Greek Yogurt
⅓ c Grated Swiss Cheese + extra for sprinkling
Olive oil for sautéing

Bake the Idaho potato till it is done and soft in the middle. You can do this however you bake potatoes (please say not via microwave). Cut the potato in half and allow to cool.
In a skillet, heat olive oil (about ½ T) over medium heat. Add in shallot and start to sauté. When the shallot starts getting a bit soft then add in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and grated garlic. Combine and sauté for about another minute watching the garlic to make sure it doesn’t burn. Add in the spinach and artichokes, sauté until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Scoop out the inside of each half of the potato and add to a medium sized mixing bowl. Make sure to not scoop out the entire inside but leave about a quarter inch or so border so that the potato will hold together. Mash the insides of the potato in the mixing bowl till it’s smooth. Add in the yogurt and the spinach and artichoke mixture. Stir till combined then add in the ⅓ c of grated Swiss cheese.

Scoop mixture back into the potato halves, distribute equally between each half. The potatoes will be stuffed and over-flowing, this is what you want.
At this point you can heat them up and serve or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready for them.

Right before pulling them out of the oven upon reheating, sprinkle with remaining swiss cheese allowing it to melt. Serve immediately and enjoy! (Serves 2)

(From offhercork.com)

Entree: Stacey
Triple-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

  6 medium chicken breasts--trim and cut slit in thicker end 
1 c ricotta cheese 
1 c shredded gouda cheese
 ⅔ c shredded parmesan cheese 
3 T fresh basil, chopped 
2 T fresh oregano, chopped 
1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
 2 T olive oil salt and pepper 
½ c white wine 

 Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. Combine cheeses, basil, oregano, lemon-pepper seasoning and a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Stuff about 1/3 of a cup of stuffing in chicken breasts.
Place the chicken in a baking dish. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 mins. until chicken is no longer pink. Pour wine over the chicken and bake for the last five minutes. (Serves 6)

(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

Dessert: Lovina

Southern Red Velvet Cake

Vegetable oil for the pans
2 ½ c all-purpose flour
1 ½ c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 ½ c vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 T red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 c sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Yield: enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake

(From the foodnetwork.com, Sara Moulton)

Lottery: Erin

Italian Al Fresco Family Divas - May 2010

2010-06-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Diva: Stacey

Drinks: Lovina

Red and white wines and flavored sparkling waters

Appetizer: Mariah and Colleen
World's Best Artichoke Dip (Mariah)

8 oz artichoke hearts
8 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese
8 oz whipped cream cheese
8 oz mayonnaise or sour cream
Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes for a little flare

Mix in large bowl. I don't recommend blending this in a food processor, as artichoke heart leaves are best in larger pieces. Spread in baking pan, up to 3" deep. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling with brown edges. Cool and serve whatever strikes your fancy I am a serious fan of raw asparagus!

(Modified from luxuryresorttravel.suite101.com)

Caprese 3 ways (Colleen, for 27):  

3 lb fresh mozzarella
a little over 2 lbs of tomatoes 
fresh basil 
pesto 
olive oil 
salt  

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes in approximately 1/4 inch slices. Rinse and dry basil. For 1st variation, stack mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaf and arrange on a tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. For variation 2, stack mozzarella and tomato and arrange on a tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. For the 3rd variation, I used pesto (recipe follows) that I had added extra olive oil to to make it fairly thin. Stack mozzarella and tomato and arrange on a tray. Spoon thinned pesto over "stacks". Sprinkle with salt to taste.  

Pesto: 
2+ cloves of garlic 
~2 inch chunk of parmesan
~1/4 c pine nuts 
lots of basil 
olive oil 
salt 
pepper

Place first 3 pesto ingredients into a food processor. Fill the rest of the food processor with basil. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Food process until smooth. Add more olive oil until desired consistency is reached.

Salad: Aven
Tortellini Salad Al Fresco

Dressing

⅓ c olive oil
1⅓ c white basalmic vinegar
⅓ c raspberry jam
1 T mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste

1 c sundried tomatoes
½ red onion, sliced thin
¼ c capers
1 c olives, quartered
1 ½ to 2 lbs asparagus, cut into bite size pieces
1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped
24 oz. tortellini (3 boxes)

Mix dressing ingredients.
Marinate onions and tomatoes in dressing while preparing other ingredients.
Cook tortellini according to package directions, during last 3 minutes of cooking add asparagus, add broccoli rabe during final minute.
Drain and rinse under cold water.
Toss pasta and veggies with remaining ingredients.

For vegan/gluten free version use brown rice in place of tortellini.

Side Dish: Bonnie
Asparagus with Gremolata

1 bunch parsley
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon,
5 cloves garlic
½ c olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Put in a food processor and whirl until it is a thick sauce. Thin with additional olive oil if desired. Spoon over roasted or steamed asparagus.

Entree: Ashley
Braised Beef Braciole Stuffed with Basil and Fresh Mozzarella

1 2-lb flank steak
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ c shredded Parmesan cheese
1 c shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
⅓ c bread crumbs
12 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
¼ c olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
½ c red wine
1 28 oz. can (3 c) whole tomatoes and their juices, pureed
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
8 oz. white mushrooms, quartered
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Set the flank steak on a large cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, slice the steak lengthwise along one side and open it up like a book. Using a meat pounder, flatten the meat so it’s about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle both sides of the meat with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. For the stuffing, put the mozzarella, parmigiano, breadcrumbs and basil in a mini chop or food processor and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the stuffing evenly over one side of the beef and roll it up lengthwise jelly roll-style with the mixture inside. Secure with kitchen twine in 5 or 6 places.

Heat half the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering hot. Add the beef and cook until it browns and releases easily from the pan, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until browned, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the onion to the pan, and lower the heat to medium. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and cook, stirring until the onion wilts completely and turns a light brown, about 8 minutes. Add the red wine and cook, stirring until it almost completely reduces, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and tuck the meat and mushrooms into the broth. Cover and cook, repositioning the meat occasionally, until the meat becomes tender and cuts easily with a paring knife, about 1-½ hours. Set the meat on a cutting board and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Thinly slice and serve topped with the sauce and vegetables.

Dessert: Erin
Chocolate Tiramisu Mousse

1 c double strength coffee OR 1.5 T instant espresso powder dissloved in 1 c water 
¼ c granulated sugar
¼ c rum (light or dark) 
⅓c unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 ¼ c whipping cream, divided 
2 c mascarpone cheese
¼ c powdered sugar, more for optional garnish 
2 tsp vanilla extract 
4 oz semisweet choclate, grated, divided 
24 ladyfingers, hard or soft  

In a shallow dish, combine the coffee, granulated sugar, and rum. Set aside, stirring occasionally to ensure sugar dissolves.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cocoa powder with 1/4 c (I used 1/2 c) of the cream and stir to mix, then stir in the mascarpone cheese until smooth and evenly blended.  Whip the remaining 1 c. of cream with an electric mixer at a medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, then fold in half of the grated chocolate.  Dip 1 side of half the lady fingers in the coffee mixture. Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan** (or a 10" springform pan or trifle dish) with ladyfingers espresso side up. Cover them with half of the mascarpone filling. Dip 1 side of the remaining ladyfingers into coffee mixture. Lay them, espresso side down, over the filling. Spread the remaining filling. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours*** or overnight. Just before serving sprinkle the remaining grated chocolate over the tiramisu. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and cut into squares to serve.  

Makes 12 16 servings and can be made up to a day in advance. I doubled the recipe for our Divas and Dudes picnic.

Wild Card: Tamara
Italian Herb Bread

1 ½ c water
2 T butter
4 c bread flour
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
3-4 T of an Italian herb mix or or any combination of your favorite Italian herbs.
1 ½ tsp fast rise or 2 tsp active dry yeast

If using fresh herbs, double amounts.

Use the dough cycle of a bread machine and bake in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Lottery: Sara

Istanbul - April 2010

2010-04-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Diva: Bonnie

Drinks: Sara
Selection of Mediterranean wines

Turkish Apple Tea (Elma Cayi)

2 red apples, do not peel and do not remove the seeds, cut in 4 or 6 1 orange, do not peel, cut in 4 or 6 1 stick cinnamon 2 whole cloves 4 c water  Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the fruits are tender. Strain into the bowl pushing gently with the back of the spoon to remove all the liquid. Then pour into the tea glasses.  If you like you may sweeten with honey. 
(From turkishcookbook.com)

Appetizer: Ashley
Ali Nazir

2 lbs lamb, chopped 

2 T shallot, minced 
½ a green pepper, diced
1 T ancho chile powder
3 T sundried tomato paste 
salt and pepper to taste 
2 c whole milk plain yogurt, drained 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 eggplants

Call your friend Jen from Palouse Prairie Farm the morning you need to make your dish and ask for some lamb. Have a 20 min conversation about what will defrost in time and what cut of meat will taste/work best. Run over to her farm and grab said meat. Defrost in a water bath. Cut meat off of bone, trim and coarsely chop so you have about 2 lbs of tender meat (I used shoulder chops). 

Drain yogurt for 1 hour, min. Mix with garlic. set aside. 

Drive all over the place looking for decent eggplants 

Prick eggplants and roast in broiler until the skin starts to blacken and cave in. Scrape out pulp, puree, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you have an open flame, roast eggplants over the flame for a smokey flavor. 

Heat a large skillet over med heat. Add about 1 tbs of canola oil. Add lamb and shallot. Cook for a few minutes and then add green pepper, tomato and spices. Cook until lamb is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Combine eggplant puree with garlic yogurt. 

Put puree in a bowl. Top with meat and garnish with parley. Serve with flatbread, pita and crackers.

Soup: Lovina
Red Lentil and Mint Soup (Ezo Gelin Corbasi)

½ c red lentils, washed and drained 

¼ c fine grain bulgur, washed and drained 
¼ c rice, washed and drained 
2 T olive oil or butter
1 onion, chopped 
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ c diced tomato, in a can
2 T tomato paste 
4 or 5 c chicken stock 
1 tsp paprika 
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 T dry mint 
Salt 
Pepper  

Garnish:
2 tbsp butter 
1 tsp dry mint  

Sauté the onion with olive oil for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and saute until the smell of the garlic comes out. Throw the diced tomatoes in and let them soften for about 10 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. First cook on high heat to bring to boil then turn the heat down to simmer. Cook for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Pour it into the blender and pulse 3-4 times. Pour it back into the pot. If it's too thick, add a little bit more hot chicken stock or water.  Melt the butter in a small pan. When you see the bubbles turn the heat off. Add the dry mint and stir. Pour it into the soup, stir and serve with lemon wedges.

(From turkishcookbook.com)

Salad: Colleen
Shepherd's Salad  

2 lbs cherry tomatoes, halved 
2 English cucumbers, quartered and chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, diced 
1 small red onion, diced, salted, and rinsed 
1 jar Kalamata olives, halved
lots of Feta, cubed 
1 bunch flat leaf parsely, chopped 
½ c fresh lemon juice
⅓ c olive oil 
salt and pepper to taste

Put all veggies in a bowl and mix. Top with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with olives and feta. For my salad, I only mixed the tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers in the main salad and left the rest of the ingredients as a garnish because I like choose your own adventure eating.

Side Dish: Aven

Saffron Pilaf

¾ c dried apricots
¾ c honey wine
Soak the apricots in wine for about an hour.

2-3 saffron threads
¼ c hot water
Soak the saffron in hot water while sautéing the other ingredients

¼ c butter
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 c long grain brown rice

Sauté bay leaf, garlic and onion until onion is soft, add rice and cook until rice turns opaque

1 cinnamon stick
2 strips lemon peel
3 ½ c veggie or chicken broth

Add cinnamon, lemon peel, saffron and water, chopped apricots and wine and broth.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 45 minutes.
At this point rice should be almost done and there should still be some liquid.

Add 1 c orzo and cook for 20 more minutes.

I did have to add a little more liquid toward the end.
I added the orzo after only 30 minutes and it was overdone by the time the rice was cooked. I think cooking the rice for 45 minutes should help.

Entrée: Erin
Ali Nazik Kebabi 

(eggplant purée with yogurt and ground meat)  
4 long, thin medium-sized eggplants 
3-4 “sivri” peppers or 2 Anaheims 
1 T oil
2 ½ c yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp salt 
1 pound ground lamb (or beef or ground Quorn) 
1 T butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper 
½ tsp red pepper
1 large green bell pepper, chopped

Roast the eggplants and Anaheim chiles over a flame to char the skin. Cool. Peel skin and mince the flesh (I used a blender). Sauté in oil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add yogurt, garlic and salt and mix thoroughly. Set aside, keeping warm. Brown the meat in butter. Drain. Add salt and spices. Evenly spread the eggplant mixture in a shallow serving dish. Arrange the ground meat mixture in the center. Top with green pepper and serve warm.

(From GlobalGourmet.com)

Dessert: Stacey
Turkish Lemon Cake (Limonlu Kek)  

1 stick plus 2 T butter, room temperature 
1 c sugar 
2 egg yolks
½ c milk, room temperature
3 T lemon juice

zest from one lemon
1 ⅔ c flour 
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt 
3 egg whites, beaten until VERY stiff   

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan very well. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat the butter with sugar until creamy. Add in the egg yolks, one by one. Add the lemon juice, zest, and milk, continue to mix. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl and slowly add to the butter mixture. Mix until the batter is creamy. Slowly add egg whites to the batter. Spoon batter into cake pan. Place pan on middle rack. Bake for 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let sit for 15 mins. then turn out cake onto a wire rack to cool. Serve cake with freshly whipped cream and berries. 

(From www.turkishcookbook.com)

Wild Card: Mariah
Turkish Spice Mix

3 T allspice berries
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp cloves

When you are ready to spice it up Turkish style --combine the spices in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder and grind to a powder.

(From foodnetwork.com)

Lottery: Tamara

The Dining Divas of the Palouse Make their Debut in MaryJanesFarm Magazine

2010-03-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

After 5 years of dedication to good food and good friends, MaryJanesFarm Magazine writes an article about the success of our group. If you are interested in starting a Dining Divas group in your community, let us know and we can help get you started.

Click here to read the article!

Alice in Wonderland - March 2010

2010-03-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Diva: Tamara

Drinks: Aven
White Rabbit

2 oz. vanilla vodka 
1 oz. vanilla liquer 
2 oz. vanilla simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water with 1-2 vanilla beans) 
1 oz. half and half

shake together and serve over ice   

Egg Cream 

cream soda and with a splash of half and half over ice

Appetizer: Sarah M. (Sub for Erin)
Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-Dried Tomato

24 mushrooms (about 2 1/2 pounds), the stems removed and chopped fine, reserving 1 cup, and the caps left whole
12 ounces sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, reserving 4 tablespoons of the oil, and the tomatoes minced
⅓ c finely chopped shallot
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped fine
3 T heavy cream
3 T cream cheese
freshly grated Parmesan for sprinkling the mushrooms 

Brush the mushrooms caps with some of the reserved tomato oil and arrange them, stemmed sides down, on the rack of a broiler pan.  Broil the mushrooms caps under a preheated broiler about 6 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, or until they are barely softened, and arrange them, stemmed sides up, in one layer on a baking sheet.
In a large skillet cook the shallot and the garlic in the remaining reserved oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, or until they are softened. Stir in the reserved mushroom stems, the tomatoes, the basil, cream, cream cheese, and salt/pepper to taste. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes.  Divide the mixture among the mushroom caps, and sprinkle it with the Parmesan. Bake the stuffed mushrooms in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 12 to 18 minutes, or until the filling is heated through.

(Modified from Epicurious.com)

Soup: Bonnie
Mock Mock Turtle Soup

1 ½ pound turtle meat (I used fake chikin’ meat since everyone says turtle tastes like chicken anyway!)
2 ¾ tsp salt, in all
¾ tsp cayenne, in all
6 c water
1 stick butter
½ c flour
1 ½ c chopped onions
2 T minced shallots
¼ c chopped bell peppers
¼ c chopped celery
3 bay leaves

½ tsp dried leaf thyme
2 T minced garlic
1 c chopped tomatoes
½ c Worcestershire sauce
3 T fresh lemon juice
½ c dry sherry
¼ c chopped parsley
½ c chopped green onions
4 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
2 T chopped green onions
2 T chopped hard boiled eggs

Put the turtle meat in a large saucepan with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and the water. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer the meat to a platter. Cut the meat into 1/2 inch dice and reserve the liquid. In another large sauce pan, combine the butter and flour over medium heat, stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minutes to make a dark roux. Add the onions, shallots, bell peppers and celery. Stir occasionally and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the vegetables are slightly tender. Add the bay leaves, thyme and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the turtle meat. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the Worcestershire sauce, the remaining salt and cayenne, the turtle stock (about 6 cups) lemon juice, and sherry. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the parsley, green onions, and eggs and simmer for 45 minutes. Garnish with green onions and chopped eggs.

(From FoodNetwork.com, Emeril Lagasse)

Salad: Mary Ellen (Sub for Mariah)
Blackened Portobello-Mushroom Salad

¼ c red wine vinegar
¼ c balsamic vinegar
¼ c tomato juice
1 T olive oil 
2 tsp Dijon mustard 
2 tsp stone-ground mustard
¼ tsp coarsely ground pepper
4 (4-ounce) portobello mushroom caps (about 5 inches wide) 
1 T Cajun seasoning for steak (such as Chef Paul Prudhomme's Steak Magic) 
2 tsp olive oil Cooking spray
16 c gourmet salad greens 
1 large tomato, cut into 8 wedges
½ c thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings 
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
¼ c (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese 

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add mushrooms to bag; seal. Marinate 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove mushrooms from bag, reserving marinade.   Sprinkle mushrooms with Cajun seasoning. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes on each side or until very brown. Cool; cut mushrooms diagonally into thin slices.   Arrange 4 cups salad greens on each of 4 plates. Top each with mushroom slices, 2 tomato wedges, and onion rings. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup beans and 1 tablespoon blue cheese. Drizzle the reserved marinade evenly over salads.

(From Cooking Light)

Side Dish: Ashley
Caterpillar Rolls

sushi rice
rice vinegar
sugar 
toasted nori sheets
avocado, sliced thin 
cucumber, some matchstick and some sliced paper thin lengthwise
carrot, matchstick
garlic tamari marinated tofu, matchstick  

Cook rice with the ratio of 1 1/4 cups water to 1 cup rice (I tripled the recipe). Cook until rice is fairly dry but not totally stuck to the bottom of the pot. While rice is cooking, mix vinegar and sugar together at a ratio of 1tsp of sugar to 2Tbs of rice vinegar. Warming the vinegar helps the sugar to dissolve. Dump rice into a bowl. Pour vinegar solution over rice and gently mix together being careful not to crush the rice.  

To make rolls:  Scoop a layer of rice onto a piece of plastic wrap covered bamboo roller. Spread into a square. It helps to have wet hands. Place a sheet of nori over the rice. Place your filling lengthwise about 3/4 of the way across the bottom edge. Roll and gently squeeze into a log. Lay avocado or cucumber slices over the roll.

With a sharp wet knife, cut into slices.

Serve with soy sauce and wasabi

Entrée: Lovina

The tea party scene in Alice in Wonderland undoubtedly influenced my entrée selection. Seems like all small girls at some point are fascinated by all the action of a tea party. However, how many of us have ever been to a real tea party? I decided to make some yummy tea sandwiches and finger foods to reminisce on my childhood memories of this movie and enjoy my own delightful tea party with friends.

Cucumber and Mint Sandwiches

½ c butter, softened
2 small English cucumbers
¼ fresh mint leaves
2 tsp orange zest
1 loaf salted french bread, thinly sliced

Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, and cut crosswise into very thin slices. Combine mint leaves, butter, and orange zest in a small bowl and stir together until creamy. Spread butter mixture generously over bread and top with cucumber slices. Cut bread into 4 small squares or triangles and arrange on a serving plate. Garnish with orange slices and mint leaves.

Radish Flower Sandwiches

1 c cream cheese
2 T chopped chives

2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 T chopped radish
4 T radish jelly (This was a home-made gift from my dear friend Kathy)
Salt and pepper
1 loaf salted french bread, thinly sliced

To decorate:
20 small radishes, thinly sliced
Fresh chive blades
Fresh parsley springs

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese with the chives, parsley, radish, and jelly under mixture is smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture over bread and top with radish slices. Cut bread into 4 small squares or triangles and arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped chives and garnish with parsley springs.

Mushroom Profiteroles

I promised Ashley I would make some yummy mushrooms to go with her sushi "caterpillars", just like the caterpillar and the mushroom from Alice in Wonderland, but I just wasn't finding inspiration to go along with my tea party cuisine. But this recipe turned out to be a good one!

For the pastry:
4 T butter
salt
ground white pepper
1 c flour
4 large eggs

For the mushroom filling:
½ pound mushrooms
3 T butter
2 large shallots, minced
2 tsp dried tarragon
½ c half and half (or heavy cream)
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
fresh ground pepper
several whole flat-leaf parsley leaves

Prepare the pastry: Preheat over to 400 degrees. In a heavy saucepan, combine butter with 1/2 cup water and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil then reduce heat to low and add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add 3 of the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes after the addition of each until the batter becomes smooth and satiny. Combine the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water to make a egg wash and set aside.

Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto a buttered baking sheet, rounding into little mounds with the spoon. Mounds should be about 3/4 inches in diameter. Brush the tops of the mounds with egg wash. Bake in the center of oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mounds are puffed and golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Prepare the filling: Finely chop mushrooms in a food processor with a bit of liquid. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and tarragon. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and nutmeg and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes or until the cream has been entirely absorbed by the mushrooms. Season with lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Keep mixture warm.

To assemble: Make a small slit on the side of each pastry puff and spoon about 1 teaspoon of the filling into the center. Arrange a parsley leaf on the filling of each puff so that it extends over the edge of the puff and pat the tops in place. Arrange puffs on a platter.

(All recipes adapted from Crabtree and Evelyn Cookbook: A book of light meals and small feasts, 1989)

Dessert: Sara
A tart for when Alice is small and tartlets for when she is tall!

Chocolate-Espresso Kahlu’a Tart

With a press-in-the-pan cookie and hazelnut crust and liqueur laced mousse filling, this deep, dark, chocolate dessert is impossible to resist. Serve it with cups of strong coffee or espresso or snifters of Kahlu’a:

Makes one 11-inch tart
For the crust:
2 c hazelnuts (9 oz)
1 ⅓ c finely ground chocolate wafers (~22)
½ tsp instant espresso powder (I used decaf ground espresso)
¼ tsp salt
½ c (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

For the mousse:

½ c Kahlu’a (I used coffee flavored liqueur)
½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs, separated
1 tsp instant espresso powder (I used decaf espresso)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 T unsalted butter
1 c heavy cream
6 T sugar

Make crust: Preheat oven to 375. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until skins split and flesh turns deep golden brown, tossing halfway through, 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce oven to 325. While still warm, rub nuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove skins (some will remain). Let cool completely, then finely grind in a food processor.

Stir together ground nuts, cookie crumbs, espresso powder, salt, and butter. Press into bottom and up sides of and 11-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Chill 30 minutes.

Place tart pan on a baking sheet; bake until firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Mousse: In a bowl, whisk together Kahlu’a, cocoa, egg yolks, espresso powder and salt. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Whisk in liqueur mixture. Cook, whisking until mixture is thickened and registers 160 on an instant read thermometer. Let cool completely.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beet cream just to stiff peaks. Whisk egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking, until sugar is dissolved and meringue registers 160 on thermometer.
Attach bowl with meringue to mixer. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Raise speed to high, and beet until peaks are stiff and glossy but not dry, and meringue is completely cool. Using a flexible spatula, gently but thoroughly fold chocolate mixture into meringue, then fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly in cold tart shell. Chill until set, at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
(From Martha Stewart’s Holiday Sweets)

Chocolate-Caramel Tartlets

Makes 40(ish)
If you cant find fleur de sel, us another type of sea salt (I used large).

For the tart shells:
2 ½ c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
½ c sugar
¾ tsp fleur de sel
½ c (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the filling:

1 c sugar
½ c water
½ c heavy cream
3 T ruby or tawny port
2 T cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
1 c roasted salted blanched almonds finely chopped
fleur de sel for sprinkling

Make tart shells: In a food processor, pulse flour, cocoa, sugar, and fleur de sel until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles course meal. With machine running, add eggs through the feed tube; process just until dough comes together. Turn out dough onto a work surface; shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut 10 rounds from dough. Transfer remaining dough to a flour dusted baking sheet; chill.

Fit dough rounds into ten round tartlet pans (each 2 ¼ inches in diameter). Trim edges of dough flush with rims. (Chill scraps on baking sheet.) Chill shells 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Prick bottoms of dough all over with a fork. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool completely before unmolding.
Working in batches of 10 and using remaining dough (reroll scraps), repeat steps 2-4 to make 40 shells in all.

Make caramel filling: Heat sugar and the water in a small saucepan over medium-high, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, occasionally washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Let boil, swirling pan to color evenly, until syrup is dark amber. Remove from heat.

Carefully stir in cream and port (mixture will spatter). Add butter and chocolate; stir until melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon chopped almonds over bottom of each tart shell. Spoon caramel mixture into shells, filling almost to the top. Sprinkle with remaining almonds and fleur de sel. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 hours.

(From Martha Stewart’s Holiday Sweets)

Wild Card: Stacey
Lillet-Basil Cocktail

1 c Ice
½ c Lillet Blanc
2 T Gin
2 T orange juice
¼ c basil
1 cucumber spear
1 cinnamon stick

Shake ingredients in shaker and serve with cucumber and cinnamon garnish.

(From foodnetwork.com)

Lottery: Colleen

Bonnie - the Queen of Hearts!