Birthday Divas - November 2009

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

Drinks: Stacey
Cava sparkling wine

Raspberry Frapé
Add Sprite to raspberry sherbet and mix well.

Appetizer: Mariah
Deviled Eggs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Salad: Aven
Mediterranean Layered Party Salad

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


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

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

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

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

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

(Modified from grouprecipes.com)

Side Dish: Ashley
Phyllo Squash Presents



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


In the mean time, saute:

1 carrot diced

½ parsnip, diced

1 c onion, diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 T fresh sage, minced


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


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


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

Entree: Lovina
Chicken Mole Poblano

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

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

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

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

(From Tyler Florence, foodnetwork.com)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wild Card: Sara
Chicken Pinata!

Lottery: Bonnie

Breast Cancer Awareness - October 2009

Diva: Ashley

Drinks: Lovina
Boob Grabbers (modified from recipe on drinkmixer.com)

Johnny Walker Red Label Whiskey
Bailey's Irish Cream

Mix 1 part Johnny Walker Red Label Whiskey to 2/3 part Bailey's Irish Cream.
Pour over ice and serve.

Pinkies (non-alcoholic)

Pink Lemonade
Acai Berry Sparkling Water

Mix together equal parts of pink lemonade and flavored sparkling water.
Serve over ice in a tumbler.

Appetizer: Bonnie
Cranberry Chipotle Chutney

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

2 10 pkg frozen cranberries

1 ½ c sugar

5 T lemon juice and zest

3 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp cardamom


Put 1st 4 ingredients in a pot and cook over med-low heat until cranberries pop, stiring occasionally. Add last 4 ingredients and simmer until sauce thickens stirring often.

Use submersion blender lightly just to break up chipotle and few cranberries.

Room temp goat cheese with truffle oil to taste.
Mix and spread on cracker. Top with chutney

(Modified from Bon appetit Nov 09)

Soup: Mary Ellen (sub for Erin)
North African Chickpea And Kale Soup

1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced or diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp paprika
1/8-1/4 tsp chilli powder or cayenne
1/4 tsp allspice
½ tsp ground ginger
generous pinch saffron, lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
3 c cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
8 c vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon)
1 large bunch kale, thick center ribs removed and chopped (at least 8 cups)
about 2 c water
salt to taste

Spray a large saucepan with olive oil spray and heat it. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to brown (about 5 minutes).

Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the spices, including bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and cook, stirring, for another minute.
Add the chickpeas and stir to coat them with the spices. Pour in the 8 cups of vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped kale and stir. If necessary add water to cover the kale and cook until it is tender, about 10-25 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your kale. Check frequently to see if it is becoming dry and add water as needed. Add salt to taste and serve.

(From Susan Voisin at FatFreeVegan)


Salad: Brenda (sub for Mariah)
Edamame Salad

1 lb frozen shelled edamame (soy beans)
3 c frozen petite corn kernels
1 chopped red bell pepper
¾ c sliced green onion
½ c chopped red onion
¼ c chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 T chopped fresh oregano or marjoram or basil
***I used 1 tsp of dried oregano and it turned out fine

Dressing:
1/3 c lemon juice
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T olive oil
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp black pepper

Prepare Edamame according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside to drain thoroughly.

Combine Edamame, corn, red pepper, green onion, red onion, parsley and oregano.
In a large bowl whisk lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add veggies to bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(from recipezaar.com)

Side Dish: Tamara (absent)

Entree: Aven
Pink Maple Ginger Pressed Chicken & Tofu

Press tofu, cut into 1/2" slabs, pour 2-3 Tbsp of pomegranate juice over tofu and let soak for 10 minutes

Fillet chicken breasts and cover in pomegranate juice

1/4 c maple syrup
1 T soy sauce
1 T pomegranate juice
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

combine ingredients and use as marinade for chicken
add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and use as marinade for tofu

Pound chicken between two pieces of wax paper.

Add a little oil to skillet on med-high and cook tofu/chicken until brown (~4 min), then flip and cook a few more minutes until done. Remove from skillet and add marinade to pan. Cook glaze until slightly thickened. Add meat back to pan and coat with glaze.

Garnish with pomegranate seeds

Turns out the pomemgranate juice did not make anything pink so feel free to leave it out.

(Modified from a recipe from America's Test Kitchen)

Dessert: Sara
Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with Raspberry Chambord Buttercream Frosting

Vegetable oil cooking spray
3 c all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp coarse salt
15 ounces (3 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 c sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 T pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray, line bottom with parchment, then spray parchment.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until chocolate melts.

Attach bowl to mixer, add sugar, and whisk on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Spread remaining batter in square pan. Bake until set but still soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins and pan on wire racks.

Frost cupcakes with buttercream. Cut out 24 hearts from brownie in pan using a 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter. Top each cupcake with a heart.

Frosting:

12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ tsp Raspberry Extract
1 tsp Chambord
3-4 Drops Red Food Coloring

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add Raspberry extract, red food coloring and Chambord, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)

(From foodbuzz.com adapted from Martha Stewart)

Think Pink Cupcakes

2 ¼ c all purpose flour

1 1/3 c sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ c shortening

2 large eggs
1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with your choice of paper wrappers or liners

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Next, add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat the mixture for one minute on medium speed and scrape side of bowl with a spatula often.

Next, add eggs to the cupcake mixture. Beat for one minute on medium speed and scrape the bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until the cupcake batter is well mixed.
Spoon cupcake batter or put into pastry bag and pipe into your paper liners until about 2/3 full. Try to keep all the liners filled evenly.

Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are golden brown, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean without crumbs attached.

(From Weddingcupcakes.org)

Mascarpone Buttercream Frosting

1 container of fresh Mascarpone Cheese
1 stick salted butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

Combine Mascarpone Cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Beat cheese and butter until light and creamy. Add vanilla and then lemon juice. Add powdered sugar and continue beating until smooth. Once frosting is prepared, pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.

(From the-cupcakery-blog.blogspotcom)

Raspberry Chambord Buttercream Frosting

12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ tsp Raspberry Extract
1 tsp Chambord
3-4 Drops Red Food Coloring

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add Raspberry extract, red food coloring and Chambord, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)

(From foodbuzz.com adapted from Martha Stewart)

Wild Card: Colleen
Berry Muffins



As wild card in the past I have typically contributed something that was non-food related. Knowing that we always have plenty of food at divas, I thought it would be fun to send everyone home with a breakfast item for the next day. Berries, flax, and citrus zest are said to be helpful in preventing cancer. I thought a mixture of berries would be fun so instead of using all blue, I added the raspberries.

1 ¾ c of all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
¼ c ground flax seed
1 T baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
10 T salted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ c plain yogurt
1 ¼ tsp orange zest
1 c blueberries
½ c raspberries

Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.



Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat.

Fold in the berries. The berries I used were still mostly frozen but were separated. 

Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Put in muffin cups. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups.

Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.



This recipe made about 18 muffins and I filled the cups almost up to the top. The mix was much thicker than I thought it would be, but they turned out relatively well.



(Modified from elise.com)

Lottery: Stacey