Holiday Break - Cookie Exchange!

Friday December 12th from 4pm to 6ish. Plan on having dinner at home after the exchange. Check your email for directions to my house.

Results are in and the consensus is that we each bring TWO DOZEN cookies to exchange. Haul out the holly and get baking! Let's sign up for what type of cookie we are bringing so we don't have 300 gingerbread men. First-come-first-serve for picking the type, just add your name and cookie to the list here:

Rachel: Big Soft Ginger (BSG) Cookies (recipe here)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup demerara or other raw sugar

Sift the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and white sugar in a second bowl. Add the egg, water, and molasses. Stir in the dry bowl slowly. Roll into walnut sized balls and toss them in the raw sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes, until they are puffed and cracked.

Sarah: Chocolate Mint brownies

OK, big confession. The brownies were Betty Crocker and so was the Frosting. Chocolate Fudge to be exact. But the mint frosting was from scratch. Supposedly it's from the kitchen of the infamous "BYU mint brownies". Here it goes. This is for one pan of brownies.

5 T margarine ( I used butter)
Dash of salt
3T Milk

1T light corn syrup

2 1/3 C pwdr sugar

1/ t mint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring

Soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup, pwdr sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting. Spread mint icing over cooled brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully cover with a layer of chocolate icing. Enjoy!

Miranda: Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

14 T Unsalted butter (that's right 14...not 1/4)

1/4 C Granulated sugar

2 C Packed dark brown sugar

2 C Unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 T.

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

1/2 t table salt

1 lg. egg

1 lg. egg yolk

1 T vanilla extract.

1. Heat 10 T butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 min. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 min. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 T butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 min.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets w/ parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 C packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 C brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl w/ rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 min. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pocket remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 T., rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet.

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone) 12-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

via: America's Test Kitchen

Christy: Chocolate Cookies with white chocolate chips

2 1/4 c all purpose flour
2/3 c baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c butter or margarine (I used 1/2 c margarine and 1/2 c vegetable shortening)
3/4 c granulated sugar
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c white chocolate chips (I used about a 1 c)

preheat oven to 350
combine flour, cocoa, soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips, drop by well rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until centers are set, cool on baking sheet for two minutes and then cool completely on wire racks. (I made them bigger than a rounded teaspoon, and I flattened all the cookies slightly so they were all the same thickness. I cooked them for closer to 8-9 minutes, until they looked nearly but not quiet done and had cracks in them. I then let them cool for about 4 minutes on the baking sheet before removing, this allows them to finish baking but not over bake)

Amanda: M&M/Pecan/Chocolate Chip cookies

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Semisweet chocolate chips
M&Ms
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Sugar and kosher salt for sprinkling

1. In a bowl stir together flour, baking soda, and salt to combine thoroughly; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325. Mix butter and sugars; beat until fluffy and well balanced. Beat in egg. Add vanilla and mix well.
3. Gradually add flour mixture with flour sifter until just blended. Stir in goodies.
4. If possible, let sit in refrigerator for a while.
5. Drop onto cookie sheets and bake until done (about 14 minutes).
6. As soon as they're out of the oven, sprinkle them with a mixture of sugar and kosher salt.
7. Enjoy!

Nicki: Peppermint white chocolate cookies

Diana: Chocolate Swirls

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (3-ounce) package of cream cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
In large mixing bowl, combine sugars, butter, cream cheese, egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. Fold melted chips into dough until lightly marbled. (Do not over mix.)
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely before storing.

Serin: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

April:

Tracy:

Neve:

Nutella Puppy Chow

1 c nutella

1 c peanut butter chips

1/2 stick butter

1 pound powdered sugar

8 c chex cereal (rice or corn)

1 large paper bag

In sauce pot melt nutella, peanut butter chips and butter until smooth. Mixture should be honey thick. Add more butter 1 tbsp at a time if needed. Put cereal in large mixing bowl and pour nutella mixture over cereal. Mix with rubber spatula until evenly distributed.

Put mixture into paper bag and add 1/4 pound of powdered sugar. Fold bag tightly and SHAKE. Add powdered sugar until all of the mixture is coated.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: This is a made up recipe so the amounts may vary (as well as results)

Sweet Home Alabama!

Oh Yes! I did it. Whew.

Ladies, it looks like we will be doing a Southern Living theme on October 25th at 6:00. Any excuse to make mashed potatoes. Plus, when the weather turns crisp some good old comfort food is order. I will be making oven fried chicken as the main dish. (By the way - I am a no recipe gal..)

Need ideas try looking on http://southernfood.about.com or http://easysoutherncooking.com.

Think Paula's Home Cooking from the Food Network.

Rachel and Amanda here. We spoke with our friend from Raleigh for ideas. She said we MUST have pecan pie for dessert. Also collards and fried okra are appropriate vegetables, with herbal ice tea and something with mint to drink. We also brainstormed mashed sweet potatoes, biscuits, peach cobbler or pie, corn spoon bread, hush puppies, and navy beans with ham or red beans and rice. So we should start a list now of who is making what!!

Neve: Oven Fried Chicken
Miranda: Gumbo
Rachel: Biscuits and Apple Butter
Amanda: Drinks (Herbal Iced Tea or Non-alcoholic Mint Julep, I believe)
Sarah:Appetizer
Diana:
April: Pie- either Sweet Potato Pie or Pecan Pie, maybe one of each!
Ania: Cornbread
Tracy: Fried Green Tomatoes

If you're new and would like to bring something just include it in the comments!



Oven Fried Chicken
1 small box corn flakes
6-10 pieces chicken breast
pint buttermilk
garlic powder
sea salt
pepper
paprika

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour buttermilk into medium sized mixing bowl.
Pour corn flakes into cake pan and crunch up with hands into peas sized flakes.
Cut chicken breast to desired size.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Using grilling tongs dip seasoned chicken into buttermilk bath until coated.
Drop into cornflakes. Coat completely.
Place on cookie sheet (parchment paper prevents sticking) with tongs. Repeat.
Cook for 25-35 minutes until completely cooked.

Gumbo

(I cut this recipe in half, left out the chicken and the file powder, added 1/2 a bag of frozen okra, and improvised the ESSENCE seasoning.)

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Cook Time:

3 hr 30 min

Serves:

6 to 7 cups, 6 to 8 servings

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces
4 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tablespoon Essence or Creole seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
tablespoon file powder
White Rice, recipe follows
Hot sauce

In a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the
vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until well browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the
sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Season the chicken with the Essence and add in batches to the fat remaining in the pan. Cook over
medium-high heat until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, let cool, and then
refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the flour in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring slowly
and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.

Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the reserved
sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring, slowly add the chicken stock,
and cook, stirring, until well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook,
uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add the reserved chicken to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.

Remove the pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a
cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Pull the chicken meat from the bones and
shred, discarding the bones and skin. Return the meat to the gumbo and stir in the green onions, parsley, and
file powder.

Spoon rice into the bottom of deep bowls or large cups and ladle the gumbo on top. Serve, passing hot sauce on
the side.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.


Southern Sweet Potato Pie With a Kick
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons bourbon or whiskey
sprinkle of nutmeg
1 unbaked pie shell
2 egg whites
4 Tablespoons superfine sugar
Peel and mash potatoes, add butter while still hot. Beat eggs and sugar until light. Mix into sweet potatoes. Add milk, lemon extract, and bourbon. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cover with meringue (see below) and put back into oven just until peaks are brown.
Meringue: Beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form, SLOWLY add 4 Tablespoons of superfine sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Pile onto pie and seal to pie shell by bringing the meringue up to and touching the shell.

Pecan Pie

1 Cup Karo Dark Corn Syrup

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Stir the first 5 ingredients thoroughly using a spoon. Mix in pecans. Pour in crust. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool for 2 hours.

(This recipe is the adjusted for high altitude, since that is how I made it.)

Pie Crust Recipe
1 Cup flour
1/2 cup butter
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp ice cold water

Cut in the butter to the flour and salt-mix well. Add water. Do not over mix. Put directly in pie plate.

Hush Puppies

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 C self-rising cornmeal

1/2 C self-rising flour

1 C buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

6 C vegetable oil

Using a large skillet, preheat oil to 350 degrees. Using a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal,flour baking soda, and salt. Stir in the onion. In a small bowl stir together the buttermilk and eggs. Pour the wet into the dry. Mix well until blended. Drop the batter one teaspoon at a time into the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning the hush puppies while they cook.

Buttermilk Biscuits (From Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 tbs cold butter
7/8 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450.
Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Add the buttermilk and stir until it forms a ball. Fold and roll out on flour 2-4 times (folding instead of kneading creates flaky layers). Roll out to 3/4 inch thick and cut with a sharp round biscuit cutter. Bake 7-9 minutes. Makes 10-14 biscuits.

Apple Butter (Kind of improvised here, I think this is what I did)
Take 3 pounds apples and halve and core them. Put them in a pot of water to cover with 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Boil until very soft, about 30 minutes. Run the apples through a food mill to remove the peels and grind down the flesh. Put apples and juice back into the pot with 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tbs cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg. Stir and simmer all day (seriously, cook for hours), until the mixture is dark brown and thick like butter. Adjust sugar and spices to taste.

The Drinks:
Herbal Iced Tea (from recipezaar.com)
8 cups
Ingredients
* 4 lemon herb tea bags (like Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger)
* 4 red herb tea bags (like Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger)
* 4 cups boiling water
* 4 cups pure apple juice
* lemon slice

Directions
1. Steep the tea bags in boiling water for ten minutes, and discard tea bags.
2. Combine herb tea with the apple juice and refrigerate until cold.
3. Serve over ice with lemon slices.

Pineapple Mint Julep (non-alcoholic)
(I hunted, but the recipe seems to have disappeared from the web. So here's my best guess, based on memory)
Directions:
Make a simple syrup of sugar and fresh-squeeze lemon juice (about 1 oz total). Crush mint leaves into the syrup and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Strain and stir into 8 oz pineapple juice. Add the same amount (ish) of ginger ale and serve over ice. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Yield

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices

Vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

Southern Living, JULY 2003

For Fresh Tomato Dill Dip:
2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup fresh dill
3 green tomatoes chopped in food processor
1 cucumber chopped in food processor
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground mustard

To make the dip, combine all ingredients in bowl and mix together. Refrigerate and serve with Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes.

B-B-Q Night

I have decided that half of the joy of barbecue is a simple meal with few dishes. Therefore, I will be simply marinating chicken for dinner (it is really good marinade though). I can't remember what time we decided. We can keep it at 7, but I thought that people wanted it earlier... So I guess everyone should just let me know what time works for everyone. If anyone needs directions, just let me know... other than that, we need the usual sides, dessert, drink, appetizers, and so on. Also it would be helpful to have an idea of how many people will be there.

Okay, I have decided that we should have it earlier, I think that works better. We can meet at 6pm.

Main dish: Christy - marinated chicken
Appetizer: Miranda - Quesadillas with Pesto
Side: Amanda - Russian Potato Salad
Side: Rachel (Christy's neighbor) - chips and dip
Dessert: Rachel - Frozen yogurt


Chicken Marinade


12 oz Sprite
6 oz Oil
6 oz Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix together, add chicken and marinate 4 to 24 hours (I marinated for about 8 hours this time).

Fro-yo
Oh No! I didn't get a picture of the Fro-Yo! So sorry. (Here's a pic from another day)


(from recipe found here)
3 cups (720g) Greek-style yogurt - the higher the fat the better
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
Toppings as desired

Combine sugar and yogurt in ice cream maker and run for 20-30 minutes or until firm. The texture is best right out of the machine. Top with fruits, candies, or my favorite: Fruity Pebbles.

By the way, I found Greek yogurt called Athenos for $3.59 at Sunflower. One container is 680 g, so I added 142 g of sugar to keep the right ratio.

Russian Beet and Potato Salad


Adapted from the recipe found here
Remember - in Russia, the finer you chop the ingredients, the fancier the meal!
2 med-lg Beet
3 lg Potatoes
1 med Yellow Onions
3-4 Carrots
8+ Russian-style pickles
Salt, pepper to taste
Oil, white wine vinegar for dressing
Parsley for garnish

1. Chop the veggies, with skin (see note above)
2. Boil the veggies (separately) until soft, but not mushy.
3. Toss the veggies, including the pickles.
4. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper according to taste.
5. Top with parsley garnish.
(Serves a LOT!)

Quesadillas with Pesto

From: Weber's Real Grilling

Paste:
2 lg. garlic cloves
1 Jalapeno chile pepper, stem removed
1 C. tightly packed cilantro leaves
3 T. EVOO
2 T. Sherry vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

In food processor, mince garlic and jalapeno. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

1 Large Red Onion, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
2 C. grated Monterey Jack Cheese (I used cheddar)
4 Flour tortillas

Brush or spray onion with oil. Grill onion over DIRECT MEDIUM HEAT until the onions are tender, 8-12 minutes, turning once. Remove onions from the grill and allow to cool. Cut the onions into 1/4 inch pieces.

Evenly divide the onions and cheese over half of each tortilla. Spread paste on top of filling. Fold the empty half of each tortilla over the filling. Grill over DIRECT MEDIUM HEAT until well marked and cheese has melted 4-6 minutes, turning carefully once.

Housekeeping

Hello all!
We had a wonderful time at light night and missed those that could not be there. While we were dining we made a few decisions about the cooking club.

We will hold cooking club on the 2nd Saturday of each month. We know it won't be possible to get everybody together every month so a standing date is probably our best option.

Be sure to post your recipes on the blog! If you haven't posted a recipe by the time we meet again...you're out of the club. (kidding...kind of)

Everybody is welcome to edit and add to side-bars. I've added a few hosts (Christie in September and Neve in October--this is negotiable) and I'll try to add ideas that we kick around during club nights. You can also volunteer to host by just putting your name on the calendar.

I believe that is all.

Light Night!

Light night will be on Tuesday! I think I said it would be at 7:00 let me know if that is wrong. (I guess I should let you guys know I have short term memory loss, so correct me if it is wrong!)
Our main dish will be Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote from ATK. I've never made it before but I am thinking Cooking Club is a good time to try something new, right?!? I think pretty much any kind of side will go with it. I kind of need a count on who will be attending though, since you make them in single serving packets. Can I get a roll call?

Diana- Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote
Rachel-Fruit salad
Miranda-Mini Fruit Pizza
Serin - Artichoke Dip
Christy- Ratatouille Casserole
April-Oven-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Did I forget anyone...remember, short term memory loss! See you all Tuesday!!

Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote




Ratatouille Casserole


1 small (about 3/4-pound) eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 large yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
4 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 onion, very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tomato, thinly sliced

1. preheat oven to 400; spray nonstick baking sheet and 1 quart casserole with nonstick spray. In large bowl combine the eggplant, both squashes, and 3 teaspoons of the oil Spread in a single layer on the baking sheets (depending on their size, you may need 2 or 3) bake 12 minutes; turn the vegetables over and bake 8 minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 350
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Cook, covered, shaking the skillet occasionally, 5 minutes longer
3. in a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, water, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. In the casserole, combine the roasted vegetables, bell pepper mixture, tomato slices and tomato paste mixture. Cover with foil and bake until the vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until browned on top, about 15 minutes longer.



Oven-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan


1 pound (about 6 1/2 cups) broccoli florets
2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim broccoli, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem attached to the florets. Toss broccoli in a large bowl with the Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and toss again until all of the florets are thoroughly coated.
2. Transfer to a medium nonstick baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, and then toss the broccoli again and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the florets are lightly browned and tender. Serve immediately.



Fruit Salad



1 honeydew melon
3 nectarines
1/2 pound purple seedless grapes
2 limes
1 bunch mint

Scoop melon using fancy melon baller you hardly ever use. Chop nectarines and halve the grapes. Toss in a bowl with chopped mint. Sprinkle with lime juice, toss again, and serve.


Roasted Artichoke Dip


Dip
• 2 (9 oz) boxes frozen artichokes (They recommend Bird's Eye, I could only find Private Selection in 12 oz - I bought one)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 med. onion - minced
• 2 med. garlic cloves - minced
• 1 cup reduced-fat mayo (Here I was thinking all along that it called for fat-free and I just could not make myself buy fat free mayo, so I got reduced fat. Good thing)
• 1/2 cup light cream cheese, at *room temperature*
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese - grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
• pinch cayenne pepper (didn't use)

Topping
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable or olive oil spray

Heat oven to 450°, toss artichokes (still frozen) in 1 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until evenly coated. Spread on baking sheet lined with foil (or disposable pan) and bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are brown on middle rack, rotating front to back halfway through. Let cool and then chop coarse. Reduce oven temp to 400°.

Combine onion, garlic, 1 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in non-stick skillet. Cover and cook over med-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until softened - 8-10 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl.

Add the mayo, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme and cayenne to the onion mixture and stir to combine, making sure to smooth any lumps of cream cheese. Gently fold in the chopped artichokes. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into ungreased 8-inch square baking dish (or the pan you cooked the artichokes in).

Topping - Toss the bread crumbs and Parmesan together until combined, then sprinkle evenly over dip. Spray the bread crumbs lightly with oil (forgot) and bake until browned, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.


Dessert Pizza

(You can make this with your favorite sugar cookie recipe or store-bought cookie dough if you're in a pinch. Remember...they're light because they're small!)

Crust:
3/4 C. Shortening or Margarine
1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Topping:
1 Package Cream Cheese (reduced fat)
1/2 C. Sugar
Assorted fruit

Mix together shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in flour, salt, and baking powder. Cover and chill if you have time. Divide dough in two equal parts (or cut with cookie cutters). Roll onto pizza pan or pat onto large cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Blend cream cheese and sugar together. Spread on cooled crust and decorate with fruit.
1 tsp. Salt

Italian Night

This was very hard for me! I felt sooo much pressure to live up the previous cooking nights, but here it is:

Italian Sausage Cavatelli will be the main dish. It is a pasta dish (cavatelli) with a sausage mixture over it. I don't have a picture, but if you really want to see the recipe before you pick what you are going to bring let me know and I will post it.

So have at it. Drink, sides, maybe bread this time could be fun, dessert, etc.

My house, Tuesday July 29th 7:00. See you there.

So here is the line up for Tuesday:

April: Italian Sausage Cavatelli
Serin: Bread w/ dipping herbs/oils
Sarah: Dessert (fruity and creamy)
Amanda: Antipasto platter/salad
Diana: Italian Cream Sodas
Christy: Strawberry Spinach Salad

Italian Sausage Cavatelli

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. or 3 links sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 lb. or 2 cups dried Cavatelli or other small
shell-shaped Italian pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch broccoli
1 1/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbls. unsalted butter
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
To cook sausage, squeeze from casings and saute in a heavy skillet or cast iron frying pan. Stir until no longer pink and sausage has broken down into small chunks. Remove with slotted spoon leaving juices in pan.
Cut broccoli into 1 inch pieces and saute in juices or drippings. Stir gently til it begins to brown. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add broth and raisins and simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Do not over cook.
Finally, add butter and stir to melt. Add, with sausage, to cooked cavatelli pasta and serve with parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 large bag fresh spinach
as many strawberries as you like
bagged, sugared, sliced almonds (to sugar almonds, mix 2oz almonds with 3 tbsp sugar on medium heat, stir constantly until sugar dissolves and almonds are coated)
Dressing:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire's sauce
1 tbsp minced onion
Put all ingredients for dressing except olive oil in blender. Blend. Slowly pour in the olive oil until blended and thick. Chill for 1 hour before tossing
with the strawberries, spinach and almonds.

Italian Cream Sodas

4 oz Italian Syrup (any flavor you like but I used Raspberry)
4 oz Half and Half
10 oz Club Soda

Mix all ingredients together.
2 servings

Antipasto Salad

Put lots of yummy things on top of lettuce. Pour on dressing (or oil/vinegar). Our version had:

• Black forest ham, Sweet sopressata, Pepperoni
• Provolone cheese, Parrano cheese
• Marinated artichokes, Olives, Roasted red peppers, Pepperdews, Balsamic glazed cioppini onions
• Cucumbers, Grape tomatoes

Carrabas Italian Butter

1/8 t oregano
1/8 t basil
1/8 t rosemary
1/8 t salt
fresh ground pepper
dash of red pepper flakes
1 lg clove garlic (crushed)
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Serves about 2

Mexican night!!

OK! I'm making some divine smothered burritos and they are usually ginormous but for this occasion I'll make them miniature so there will room in your bellies for all the other yummy food that will be coming. I vote for two sides, a drink and a dessert unless someone has a really good recipe for a very mexican salad. I can't wait to eat!!!!

Diana-Spanish Rice
April-Fried Ice Cream
Rachel-Limonada
Christy-Salsa
Miranda- Black Beans
Sarah-Burritos

Burritos

1lb ground turkey 1 onion chopped

1 can diced green chilies 1/4 C taco seasoning mix

1 can black beans 1 can corn

Saute onion in a little butter until tender. Add meat and brown. Add rest of the ingredients and warm thoroughly. Spoon into tortillas with a little cheddar cheese.

Sauce

2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 can diced green chiles

1 t cumin 1 t onion pwdr

1 t garlic pdwr 1/2 t oregano

1/2 t sage 1/2 chile pwdr

Mix all ingredients in sauce pan until boiling. Spoon over burrito, sprinkle cheese on top. Heat in oven or microwave until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro.

Black Beans

4-8 oz. Chorizo*

1 T olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

2 or 3 cans black beans

1 T Coriander

2 tsp. Cumin

1-2 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

red pepper flakes (as desired)

salt to taste

Saute onion, garlic, and chorizo until fragrant and tender. Add 1 can of beans and mash if a thicker consistency is desired. Add additional beans and seasonings and heat through. Taste frequently while adding salt and coriander.

*I used chorizo for this recipe but any high flavor meat such as ham, bacon, or sausage would work just as well.

Salsa
I found a recipe on Bettycrocker.com but I didn't really follow it, so here is what I did.
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
1 small to medium onion
1 jalapeno (seeded)
1 lime
cilantro (to taste, I used 1/2 of the bunch I bought)
Combine all ingredients in food processor until it is finely chopped.

Limonada (adapted from this recipe)
Limes
Water
Sugar

Quarter the limes, I usually start with 4 limes. Put them in your blender (skins and all) with 4 cups of cold water and sugar, I start with about 1/2 cup. Blend on high for 30 seconds or so. Strain out the lime bits, leaving an opaque, frothy concentrate. Dilute with more water (usually another 4 cups) and add sugar to taste. You can replace the limes with lemons to make a strong lemonade with no muscle work!

FRIED MEXICAN ICE CREAM

1 pt. vanilla ice cream
1/2 c. crushed corn flakes or cookie crumbs
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
1 egg
Oil for deep frying
Honey
Whipped cream

Scoop out 4 or 5 balls of ice cream. Return to freezer. Mix crumbs, cinnamon and sugar. Roll frozen ice cream balls in half the crumb mixture and freeze again. Beat egg and dip coated balls in egg, then roll again in remaining crumbs. Freeze until ready to use (for thicker coating repeat dipping in egg and rolling in crumbs).
When ready to serve, heat oil to 350 degrees. Place a frozen ice cream ball in fryer basket or on a perforated spoon and lower into hot oil 1 minute. Immediately remove and place on dessert compote. Drizzle with honey and top with a dab of whipped cream. Continue to fry balls one at a time. Balls will be crunchy on the outside and just beginning to melt on the inside. 4-5 servings.