Cooking Night # 4 - FRENCH

August's cooking night was a new genre for most of us - French food!

We were all excited to give it a shot - and we had our best turn out to date!

Here's who came:

Jen Andelin (!), Kristin, Kami, Sydney, Marci, Aurelia, Jenny and Sheryl

Ugh  . . . I accidentally set the automatic timer wrong . . . guys, it's still taking photos . . . 

 

HA!

Sheryl Garrison was our gracious host and she did it up RIGHT!

I particularly loved all her framed pictures from France and her Eiffel Tower centerpiece! Beautiful! 

Now, down to business. Here are the goods.

Sydney brought whole wheat crepes.

Aurelia brought the filling for them.

Sheryl's Provencal Tomato Rice Soup

Jenny made a yummy Ratatouille

Jen made the ultimate: Beef Bourguignon!

with yummy bread

Sydney also made Bean and Pepper salad

Kami made Brussels Sprouts Browned with Cheese

(I took my photo at home before I left for Sheryl's, that's why the lighting is different.)

Marci brought the best thing! French dressing! Ha!

Jenny also made scrumptious chocolate mousse

Sheryl also made Eclaires!

Sheryl's little party favor was AWESOME!

Measuring spoons that read: Drop, Smidgen, Pinch, Dash, Tad

It was, by far, our yummiest event yet! Way to go ladies! Can't wait for next month!

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Choux de Bruxelles a la Milanaise

(Brussels Sprouts Browned with Cheese)

Julia Child - Mastering the Art of French Cooking

These cheese-coated brussels sprouts are good with steaks and chops.

  1 1/2 quarts brussels sprouts braised in butter
  1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese mixed with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  2 tablespoons melted butter

Follow the master recipe for braising the brussels sprouts (below), but when they have been in the oven 10 minutes, turn them into a bowl. Reset set oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of cheese in the casserole or baking dish to coat the bottom and sides. Return the brussels sprouts, spreading the rest of the cheese over each layer. Pour on the melted butter. Place uncovered in upper third of oven for 10 to 15 minutes to brown the cheese nicely.

Choux de Bruxelles Etuves au Beurre (Brussels Sprouts Braised in Butter)

Serve braised brussels sprouts with roast turkey, pork, duck, or goose; steaks, chops, hamburgers, or sauteed liver. You may dress up braised brussels sprouts with cream, cheese, or chestnuts, as suggested in the variations at the end of the recipe.

For 6 people

  1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter
  A 2 1/2 quart, fireproof, covered casserole or baking dish large enough to hold the brussels spouts in 1 or 2 layers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and smear butter inside the casserole or baking dish.

  1 1/2 quarts blanched brussels sprouts (partially cooked)
  Salt and pepper
  2 to 4 tablespoons melted butter
  A round of lightly buttered waxed paper

Arrange the blanched brussels sprouts heads up in the casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and then with the melted butter.

Lay the waxed paper over the brussels sprouts. Cover and heat on top of the stove until vegetables begin to sizzle, then place in the middle level of preheated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sprouts are tender and well impregnated with butter. Serve as soon as possible.

Oven-Baked Ratatouille

(Mark Bittman: How to Cook Everything)

1.5 to 2 pounds eggplant, preferably small, sliced and salted if you have time

(salt the eggplant liberally then let it rest in a colander for 1 hour: then rinse, pat dry, and proceed with recipe)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, sliced

1 pound zucchini, cut into large chunks

2 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced

4 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped (canned are fine too)

Fresh herbs, I used fresh rosemary and thyme, to taste

Freshly ground salt and pepper

10 cloves of garlic, halved

Head oven to 350.  Grease casserole dish with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, make a layer of onion, followed by eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper and half of the garlic. (The order doesn't matter at all).  Repeat. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and put in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour, pressing down the vegetables occasionally with a spatula, until they are completely tender.  Garnish with herbs and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.  

Note: These leftovers are awesome when heated up and tossed with a pasta like penne.  While this is a great vegetarian meal, it is also really good served with sausage links that have been grilled and sliced. 

Chocolate Mousse

(Mark Bittman: How to Cook Everything)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 eggs, separated

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Use double boiler to melt chocolate and butter together.  Just before chocolate is melted, remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Our #3 Event: BBQ!

For our third get together, we decided to go for a BBQ theme. 

Anything you want to grill - or sides you would bring to a backyard BBQ.

Jenny Kimball was our awesome host and her daughter, Ada, had provided lots of colorful and creative decorations to make our party even more festive. So cute!
(She also helped make a sign for Jenny's BASIL lemonade . . . you'll see what I mean in a minute!)

Here's who came!
Sheryl, Kristin, Jenny, Bethany (and me!)

The afore-mentioned lemonade. Quite unique! 

(Did I mention there were also JALEPENOS in it?!)

Jenny also made some chicken . . .

and a yummy salad with homemade dressing!

Sheryl made Grilled Corn Salsa - this was a 3 hour labor of LOVE in the 100 - ish heat!

It was totally worth it, though! It was amazing!

Here's a close up so you can see the yumminess better.

Kami brought the good old BBQ standard, Coleslaw! 

(I think this is a particularly good one, though!)

Kristin brought a sweet classic, Frog Eye Salad.

 (Is it just a Mormon classic? I'm not sure . . . either way - we all scarfed it!)

Sadly, Bethany's Gaspacho ended up all over her kitchen floor (and cupboards and ceiling and lights and fridge . . . ) So - we missed out on that. It's the thought that counts though, poor girl!

It was another great event! Thanks, ladies! 

See you - and others - next time (8/23) for 

FRENCH CUISINE!

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Kimball Dressing (I don't know the real name, it is just what my, the Davis family, calls this because Mike's family always makes it)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup red onion

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine ingredients in blender.  Slowly drizzle in 1 cup vegetable oil while blending.

Serve on romaine with avocado, tomato, shredded carrots and chow mien noodles.

Chicken Cutlets with White Wine and Garlic (everyday food, martha stewart)

 freezing and thawing the chicken in the marinade infuses them with flavor. you can also cook them without freezing - just marinate them for 30 minutes.

8 chicken cutlets (1 1/4 pounds total)

2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup dry white wine (I've also substituted with white wine vinegar, both work great)

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

coarse ground salt and pepper

Stack cutlets in a 1 gallon freezer bag.  In a small bowl, combine butter, wine, garlic, and thyme and whisk to combine. Season with pepper.  Pour marinade into bag with cutlets and freeze. (Up to 2 months)

To serve, thaw chicken in refrigerator overnight.  Remove cutlets from bag and gently shake to remove liquid.  Grill them up and enjoy! 

Sparkling Basil Lemonade (better homes and gardens)

4 cups water

3 cups sugar

2 cups fresh basil leaves (about 1-1/2 ounces)

2 one liter bottles club soda, chilled

2 cups fresh lemon juice

Ice cubes

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, sliced*

Fresh basil leaves

directions

1. For basil syrup, in a large saucepan combine water, sugar, and basil. Bring to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Strain syrup and discard leaves. Cover and chill syrup for 2 to 24 hours.

2. For lemonade, in a very large punch bowl combine chilled syrup, club soda, and lemon juice. Serve over ice and garnish with jalapeno slices and fresh basil leaves.

GRILLED CORN SALSA

Ingredients

10 large ears corn, husked 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing 

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

8 vine-ripened tomatoes, about 1 pound total 

1 cup diced red onion, 1/4-inch dice 

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste 

1/2 cup julienne fresh basil leaves

Directions

Brush the corn liberally with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every few minutes, until light gold all over and cooked, about 12 minutes. Let cool and cut off the kernels. Discard the cobs. 

Core the tomatoes and cut a small X on the bottom of each. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill, X side down, away from direct heat. Cover the grill and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften but are not cooked all the way through (or they will melt through the grate!), about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out the juice and the seeds through a sieve into a bowl. Reserve the juices and chop the flesh. 

Put the onions in the non-reactive medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Let marinate until the color changes, about 10 minutes. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, onions, basil, and 1/3 cup olive oil to the corn. Toss well. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper, and remaining vinegar. The salsa is best eaten the same day but will keep, covered and refrigerated, a day or so. 

Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos.

CREAMY COLESLAW
(Martha Stewart, Martha's American Food)

1 Tbs Dijon mustard (I used 1/2 Tbs - cuz I don't love mustard)
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs sugar
1/2  C mayonnaise
1/4 C sour cream
Coarse salt (make sure to get enough in there to pull out the flavors)
1 small green cabbage (abt 1 3/4 lb), finely shredded
2 Carrots, cut into 1/8-in-thick matchsticks, or coarsely grated
1/2 small onion, coarsely grated (optional, but I used it for sure!)

* Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mayo, and sour cream in a small bowl; season with salt. Cover and refrigerate dressing until ready to use, up to 2 days.

* Combine cabbage, carrots and onion in a large bowl. Pour in dressing, and toss thoroughly to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until slaw begins to soften, 1 to 2 hours or up to 2 days. Before serving, toss coleslaw again.

Cooking Night #2 - SUMMER SALADS!

We were grateful to Sydney Rombola for hosting our second get together! She really made everything beautiful and even had a little "take home" from Penzey's Spices for each of us! Yeah!

Once again, everything was scrumptious - and since it was salads - no one felt too guilty about indulging a little! 

Sheryl Garrison made Criss Cross Salad

and some yummy muffins!

Kristin Robertson brought this nice twist on a fruit salad - coconut!

Sydney made this awesome salad - "Aunt Patti's."

Kami Matthews tried a new recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' new cookbook, Weeknights with Giada:

Couscous with watermelon, watercress and feta cheese. (Weird, I know!)

Criss- Cross Salad

Provided by Sheryl Garrison

                                                                                                                        Dressing (3/4 C)

1 lb. broccoli, chopped                                                           ½ C vegetable oil                

½ red onion, diced                                                                  1/3 C red wine vinegar

2 tomatoes, diced (or grape tomatoes                                     1 tsp. crushed dried basil

1 can kidney beans drained (16 oz.)                                        ½ tsp. salt

1 C shredded cheese                                                               ½ tsp. Dijon mustard

                                                                                                ¼ tsp. sugar

May also add:                                                                          ¼ tsp. paprika

            Crumbled bacon                                                          ¼ tsp. garlic salt

            Red bell pepper, diced                                                Shake together to mix

            Cauliflower, chopped

            Raisens

Toss all ingredients with dressing and refrigerate 24-48 hours.

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Coconut Fruit Salad

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j192o-rHIc2t4lXrS4wB8ue37yuI7Kh-rlBgzyEr-Go/edit

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                                                     Aunt Patti's Salad 

Salad:

2 heads Romaine lettuce

1 lb. cooked, chopped bacon

2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

1 C grated Swiss cheese

2/3 C slivered almonds

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 C croutons

Dressing:

Juice of 1-2 lemons, strained

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

While beating with a whisk, slowly add

3/4 C vegetable oil

Mix lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and almonds in a large bowl.

Just before serving add the Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Chill the dressing for at least 3 hours before serving. Mix again and toss over salad just before serving.
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Couscous with watermelon, watercress, and feta cheese

Kosher Salt & Ground Pepper

1 C Israeli couscous

Grated zest & juice of 2 lemons
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp honey
1 (4 lb) piece of watermelon, rind removed, flesh cut into 1/2 in. cubes
2 (4 oz) blocks of feta cheese cut into 1/2 in cubes (I used crumbled)
2 packed cups (2 oz) watercress or arugula

*** In a med. saucepan, bring 3 cups of water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil over med-high heat. Stir in the couscous and reduce heat so that the mixture simmers. Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 min, until couscous is tender. Drain and set aside to cool for 15 min.
In a salad bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the cooled couscous, watermelon, feta, and greens. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4 (I think it serves about 8!)

Our #1 Cooking Night: Something you make really well! (In other words - "Yeah, this is what I make when I want people to know I can make something fabulous!" :)

I will apologize right now for these photos. I actually have a pretty great camera, but couldn't get the lighting right to do this food justice. (In other words: Operator Error!!!) 

So . . . just imagine - this food looks even better in person!

You will find the recipes at the end of the post.

Jenny Kimball brought "World's Best Rolls" (with Cinnamon Butter! YUM!)

Sheryl Garrison baked "Vegetable Lasagna"

Sydney Rombola shared "Whole Wheat Raisin Nut Bread"

Kami Matthews brought "Chicken Tetrazzini"

Kristin Robertson made two goodies - "Oriental Noodle Salad with Chicken"

and "Oreo Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes" 

Delicious!

It was a night full of excellent food, good planning - and as I'm sure Jenny can tell you - MUCH, MUCH conversation about food! 

(We're a little bit passionate about/obsessed with the good stuff!)

Thanks to all who came in May!

Those who missed out - we hope to see you THIS THURSDAY at 8:00pm at Sydney's home!!!

Our food genre is Salads and/or Summer Drinks.

Buon Appetito!

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World’s Best Rolls

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/10/worlds-best-dinner-rolls/

Vegetable Lasagna

6 lasagna noodles
1 small yellow squash
1 small zucchini
1/2 onion
1 red pepper
1 jar Francesco Rinalde chunky garden pasta sauce
1 lb mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 Tbs parmesan cheese
parsley flakes
onion salt
ground pepper
*** Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Meanwhile, wash and slice yellow and green squash, red pepper and onions. Saute onions until clear, add squash and red peppers and cook till crisp. Assemble: Put 1/4 jar of sauce in bottom of an 8x8 baking pan. Cover with one layer of noodles overlapping. Add sautéed veggies and 1/2 jar of pasta sauce. Cover with another layer of noodles. Add mozz mixed with park and parsley flakes, keeping a little out for the top. Cover with another layer of noodles and remaining 1/4 jar of pasta sauce. Top with remaining mozz. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 min. Take off foil and bake another 5 min. Serves 4-6.

Whole Wheat Raisin Nut Bread

2 C milk

3/4 C sugar

1 C raisins

2 T salad oil

1 C walnuts, chopped

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

3 C whole wheat flour

*** Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into 1 large well-greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Chicken Tetrazzini

4 1/2 lb roasting chicken
3 C hot water
salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 lb. thin spaghetti
6 Tbs butter
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
1 Tbs lemon juice
3 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 C heavy cream
2/3 C parmesan cheese

*** (This is admittedly a lot of steps, but the flavor of this meal is SO worth it! Plus, it feeds a lot of people!)
Put chicken in water with 2 tsp. salt, onion and celery salt and simmer, covered until fork tender - about 1 1/2 hrs. (You can also put all this in a crock pot for 6 hrs. I usually do it that way.) Add more water as needed during cooking. Remove chicken from bone. Reserve 2 1/2 cups of the broth. To the REMAINDER of the broth - add 3 quarts water, 1 Tbs. salt. When the liquid boils, add the spaghetti and cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and place in a 9x13 baking dish, coated with PAM or butter.
In a medium skillet, heat 3 Tbs butter, add mushrooms, sprinkling with lemon juice and sauté until soft (not brown). Toss them with the spaghetti (butter and all).
In another sauce pan, melt 3 Tbs butter, remove pan from heat and stir in the flour, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in 2 1/2 C. reserved broth. Cook till thickened.
Add cream, then pour over the chicken pieces. With a fork, stir chicken and sauce, then pour over spaghetti. Sprinkle all with parmesan and paprika. Bake in a preheated oven 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Serves 10.

Oriental Noodle Salad with Chicken

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11T_WclqT8lNFam0SMUC0uDmfJJR7Bs9BPzmHIb2TcVo/edit

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xbk1FzHVG_tECbqUKLhsihsiQgVXMPo0KehZ_aYn6hE/edit?hl=en_US