Mardi Gras - Let the Good Times Roll - February 2009

Diva: Stacey

Drinks: Tamara
Mardi Gras Hurricanes

Serves 10-12

12 ounces light rum
12 ounces dark rum
10 ounces grenadine, or passion fruit syrup (I used grenadine)
10 ounces fresh orange juice (I doubled it.)
10 ounces sour mix, or fresh lime juice (I used lime juice)
3 T superfine sugar, or more to taste
1 large orange, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Mix all the ingredients in a tall pitcher or large pot and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a punch bowl and add the ice cubes and orange segments. Serve in tall glasses over ice with straws. (Omit alcohol for virgin version and increase the orange juice to taste.)

**These turned out to be very strong. In future you may want to decrease the rum a bit and increase the orange juice. For the non-alcoholic you will want to increase the juice and maybe add bubbly water.)

Appetizer: Erin
Hearts of Palm

1 14 oz can hearts of palm
3 T green onion, chopped
¼ c sour cream
1/8 tsp cayenne
¾ c parm cheese
2/3 c mayo
2 T pimento, chopped (little jar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain hearts of palm and chop finely. Reserve 1 T of parm cheese and green onion. Mix hearts of palm thoroughly w/ remaining ingredients. Spread mix into shallow baking dish and sprinkle w/ reserved parm cheese and onion evenly over top. Bake 20 min or until hot and bubbly. Run quickly under broiler to brown top.

Serve with crackers or bread. Wheat thins or baguette slices are perfect.

Salad: Sara
Citrus Sunburst Salad

For the Vinaigrette (I doubled the recipe)
1/8 c Raspberry (or Pomegranate) Vinegar
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Honey
1 tsp Orange zest
1/3 c Vegetable (or Grapeseed) oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey and orange zest until well incorporated. Pouring slowly, whisk in the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Salad
1 c Pecans
1 ½ T butter
2 T Sugar
2 tsp Chili powder
6 c Mixed Salad Greens (I used romaine and red leaf)
½ c Dried Cranberries
4 0z Feta, crumbled (I omitted for the Mardi Gras Theme)
2 Medium oranges peeled with a knife and cut into segments (I used blood oranges)
1 Pomegranate separated (I was unable to find one, but it really is a nice addition to the salad)

Melt butter in a non-stick saute' pan on high heat. Stir in the pecans and cook for about 2 minutes. Toss the sugar and chili powder in with the nuts. Continue to cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until the sugar has just started to melt. Remove to a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and let cool completely.

Portion out the salad on to plates and serve with cranberries, orange segments, pecans, and in lieu of pomegranate I use red pepper strips for added color. Very yummy and good for you salad!

Soup: Bonnie
Potato Garlic Soup

Equal parts russett potatoes and red potatoes. (I used about 4 c. each)
1 large T of minced garlic
4 heads of garlic w. the top 1/3 of the heads cut off and the paper removed for the most part
2 large leeks
2 T veg broth paste
1 c heavy cream
fresh chopped thyme (few tbs)
few bay leaves
about 3 T butter
1 T oil
salt and pepper

On med heat butter and oil, add leeks. Cook until half done then add minced garlic and cook for while longer. Add potatoes water, bay leaves, veg paste and garlic bulbs. Cook until done then lower heat. Remove bay leaves and garlic. Smoosh garlic out of bulbs and use how ever much you want. (I used it all.) Use submersion blender to puree to desired consistency, add thyme and cream.

Side Dish: Mariah
Smothered Green Beans

1 quart green beans, broken in short pieces
1 small onion, sliced
2 T shortening
1/3 c water
1 small sprig of parsley
Pinch of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Worcestershire
Add Blacken Cajun Seasonings to taste

Sauté beans and onions in grease for a few minutes, until onions are wilted. Add water, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (A large can of green beans can be substituted for fresh, using 1/3 cup of the liquid, & adding beans and other ingredients after onion is sautéed.) Servings: 4

Entree: Ashley
Brown Sugar and Bourbon Ribs

Be sure to remove (or score) the membrane on the underside of the ribs so that the seasonings can penetrate and fully flavor the meat. Even better, ask the butcher to remove the membrane.
For Divas, I used boneless pork ribs

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Basting sauce
½ c (packed) golden brown sugar*
½ c apple butter*
½ c bourbon whiskey
¼ c apple cider vinegar
3 T apple cider*
2 T Dijon mustard

*I pressed apples from my tree instead and decreased the sugar.

Ribs
1 T coarse kosher salt
1 T (packed) golden brown sugar
1 ½ tsp dry mustard
1 ½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 2- to 2 ¼ -pound racks baby back pork ribs (I used 5 lbs of boneless and 2 pkgs of firm tofu)

1 large onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
6 thin rounds peeled fresh ginger
1 ¼ c apple cider

For basting sauce:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend.

For ribs:**
Mix first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Using small sharp knife, loosen membrane from underside of each rib rack and pull off (or score membrane). Rub 1 tablespoon seasoning mix into each side of each rib rack. Place ribs in large roasting pan. Cover and chill at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lift ribs from pan. Scatter onion, cinnamon stick, and ginger in pan. Pour in cider. Return ribs, meat side down, to pan; cover pan with foil. Roast ribs until meat is tender and begins to pull away from bones, about 2 hours. Uncover; cool at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill ribs until heated through and slightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Brush generously on all sides with basting sauce. Grill until sauce becomes sticky glaze, about 3 minutes longer per side. Transfer rib racks to cutting board. Cut racks between bones into individual ribs. Arrange on platter and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

**I let the ribs sit with the rub for 2 hours, then put the ribs and the ingredients listed for the roasting pan part into my crockpot and cooked it on low for about 8 hours. I then followed the grill part except I had to use a veggie grill pan since the meat was practically falling apart at that point.














Dessert: Aven
Apricot Raspberry King Cake

Dough

1 c milk
¼ c butter
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 c warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
½ c white sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
5 ½ c all-purpose flour
1 baby doll!

Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Filling
1 pkg cream cheese
½ cucp powdered sugar

beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth

½ cup raspberry jam

Glaze

1 ½ c sugar
¼ c water
½ c butter
¼ c apricot rum
1 tsp rum extract (optional)

Boil sugar and water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add butter and simmer until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and add rum and extract.

Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the dough, then the jam over the cream cheese and roll up each half tightly like a jelly roll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With a knife make cuts 1/4” deep at 1 inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the glaze. Another layer of glaze can be added when cake is cool.

Whomever receives the baby in their slice is supposed to have good luck and is supposed to throw the next party and/or make the next cake!

Wild Card: Tina (sub for Lovina)
Tabasco-Cheddar Biscuits

1 ½ c cake flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ c low-fat buttermilk
1 tsp Tabasco red pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 400 F and coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and alt in large bowl. Stir in butter and cheese. Stir in buttermilk and mix until dough just comes together. Scrape out onto well-floured work surface and pat dough to ½ inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with 2 ½ inch diameter round cutter. Repeat with remaining scraps of dough until you have 8 biscuits and transfer biscuits to prepared baking sheet.

Sprinkle red pepper sauce on tops of biscuits. Bake 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve hot.

Lottery: Colleen

Quick Fix (42 minutes or less) - January 2009

Diva: Colleen


Drinks: Aven

Aven brought boxed wine, a red and a white, because she figured that opening a box is faster than opening four bottles.

And she brought flavored waters (sparkling lemon, sparkling berry and chocolate mint).

Because that all seemed too easy she also made some hot cocoa mix for everyone. Simple and easy recipe to make your own is as follows:
1 part cocoa powder,
2 parts milk powder,
and 3 parts powdered sugar.
For really rich cocoa add a few mini chocolate chips.

Appetizer: Stacey
Baked Brie

1 Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheet
½ c dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/3 c chopped toasted pecans
¼ c honey
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 (13.2 oz.) brie cheese round--trim most of rind off with paring knife

Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 mins. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll sheet into a 14-inch square. Stir cherries, pecans, honey and rosemary in a bowl. Spread cherry mixture onto the center of the pastry square. Top with cheese. Brush edges of pastry with water. Fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides of square to 2 inches from edge of cheese. Fold sides up onto cheese and press edges to seal. Place seam-side down onto baking sheet. Decorate top with pastry scraps and additional rosemary sprigs if desired. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until pastry is deep golden brown. Let stand for 15 mins. Serve with apple slices and crackers. Enjoy!!

Salad: Bonnie
Panzanella

1 jar (1-2 c) drained capers
2 T plus ½ c red wine vinegar
3 loaves of few day old wheat country bread
5 lb tomatoes chopped cored and scored on the bottom
2 T plus 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 T crushed garlic
1 T sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1- 1 ½ c sliced basil
1 whole jar red peppers drained and chopped
1 12 oz pkg of fresh mozzarella chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 large purple onion thinly sliced and soaked in vinegar and little salt
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Soak the capers in 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes. Drain.
Cut the crust off of the bread. Cut into 2-inch slices and toast at 400 degrees. Once toasted, rub each slice with a clove of garlic. Cut or tear bread into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
Submerge the tomatoes into a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl of ice water to cool slightly. Using a small sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of oil, ½ cup of vinegar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, and basil; toss to combine.

Transfer half of the bread mixture to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish.

Arrange half of the roasted peppers, drained capers, and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining roasted peppers, capers, and olives. Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend, at least 1 hour.
Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.

Can make any variation of bread salad: some suggestions: thyme, roasted butternut squash, brusselsprouts & parm or mushrooms and mustard greens/arugla

Soup: Erin
Curried Lentil Soup

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 red potato, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 T curry powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
5 c water or 3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
2 c lentils (about 12 ounces), rinsed, drained

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and
sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry
powder and cayenne and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water or
broth, tomatoes with juices, carrots, potatoes and lentils and bring to
boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are very
tender, about 30-45 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can
be made up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold; cover and keep
refrigerated. Before serving, rewarm soup over low heat.)



Side Dish: Sara (the momma-to-be!)
Mean Mixed Greens

¼ c olive oil
2 T fresh minced garlic
1 T fresh minced ginger
one bunch each of Green Kale, Red/Purple Kale, and Collard Greens
2 T lemon juice
salt to taste

Sara used her new cast iron wok and heated up the olive oil, once hot, added the garlic and ginger. Add the greens and saute', then add lemon juice and some salt to taste. Cook until vibrant in color but not soggy.

Very easy--prep time 15 minutes to wash and slice greens and chop garlic, cook time about 8 minutes. Yummmmmmm! and really healthy too.

Entree: Mariah
Beef Szechwan with Cashews also made as Veggie Szechwen

1.5 pounds beef cut into strips
1 T soy sauce
1 T Chinese rice wine vinegar
2 T additional soy sauce
1 T corn starch
1 tsp white vinegar (can use rice wine)
¼ c vegetable oil
½ to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (you can go big here if you like the heat, we do)
3 green onions slices
½ c unsalted cashews (or nut of your choice)
Cooked Rice

For vegetarian
Green Beans
Carrots cut into strips
Broccoli
Any veggie that you love to stir fry will work great

Marinate meat/ vegetables with 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and rice wine vinegar while you prep other items

Combine 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, cornstarch, and vinegar and set aside.

Stir fry the meat/vegetables for until just slightly under cooked remove from burner.
Heat oil in the same skillet until VERY HOT add red pepper flakes to oil and cook until they are black.
Add cashews and stir fry for about one minute or until lightly toasted
Add meat/vegetables to skillet and stir fry until cooked to your liking.

Add soy sauce, cornstarch and vinegar mixture and stir fry for a few more moments.

NOTE: the spice from the pepper flakes will fill your kitchen for be prepared to open a window!

Serve over cooked rice or serve it over fresh spinach!

Dessert: Tiffany T. (sub for Tamara)
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)
1/3 c 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 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 used 30 ladyfingers, and there still weren't enough to cover a 9x13 dish. Midway through I switched to my springform pan.
*** My prep would have been under 42 minutes if I didn't need to make the dish change midway through.


Wild Card: Ashley
Bon Bons (aka Dark Chocolate Truffles)

These can be popped into your mouth for a "quick fix" but also can represent all the time you saved in the kitchen. You now have time to sit around eating Bon Bons.

Makes about 60 truffles

16oz Bittersweet (60%) Chocolate
2/3 c heavy whipping cream
12 T butter, cut into small pieces

Coating:
2/3 c unsweetened cocoa
0r 1 ½ c finely chopped nuts

Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add butter and stir until melted. Add chocolate to saucepan. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and pour chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Roll mixture into 1" balls. Roll each ball in coating.

Lottery: Lovina