Cooking Night #6 - FREEZER MEALS

We decided to combine our January event with a mini shower for Kristin Robertson, one of our cooking group "regulars!" :) Jenny thought it might be a great idea to bring meals that freeze well - and bring extra to stock Kristin's freezer before baby came! Smart. Jenny hosted and Stacy made adorable decorations . . . see? Aren't they so cute?

The January girls!

And . . . of course, here's the food:

Stacy made a cheeseball (who doesn't love a cheese ball?!)

and she made this yummy, chicken and bean soup.

Jenny made these oh-so-yummy chicken pot HAND pies.

I made a beef chili with black beans.

I also made this rice pudding. It was okay, not the best - I'm not even including the recipe. 

(Jenny and Kristin both said they have a better recipe for me! Yay! I always love the HUNT to fine the "perfect" recipe for something! That's one of the things this group is all about, right?)

Now - here is something worth talking about! In her words, Jenny made "heaven in the form of dessert" and I think she was right. Beautiful and melts in your mouth. Yum!

Again - good times! (Clearly . . . ) Ha!

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THE RECIPES:

BEEF CHILI WITH BLACK BEANS

Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home

3-4 Tbs canola oil

3 pounds lean beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 3/4 in cubes

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 yellow onions

4 tsp chopped garlic

3 Tbs all purpose flour

1/4 C cili powder

3 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 1/4 tsp dried oregano

salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cans (28 oz each) plum/roma tomatoes, drained and chopped

5-6 cups beef stock

2 chipotle chilies

2 cans black beans

1 C shredded monterey jack cheese

1 C sour cream

2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro 

Pour enough oil into a large, heavy, deep-sided pot to film the bottom and place over medium heat. Working in batches, and adding more oil as needed, add the meat to the hot oil in a single layer and cook, turning often, until browned on all sides, 3-5 min. AS each batch is ready, transfer to a plate.

Add more oil to the pot to film the bottom and warm over medium heat. Add carrots, 2/3 onions and the garlic and cook, stirring often, till softened, about 2 minutes. Return browned meat to pot, sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring vigorously for one minute. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 tsp salt, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, 5 cups stock and chipotle chilies. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for abt 30 min. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the eat is fork tender, 1 1/2 -2 hours longer. If the chili becomes too thick during simmering, thin with as much of remaining broth as necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove the chilies and discard them.

Rinse the beans, drain and pat dry. In a large, heavy frying pan over medium high heat, warm 2 tsp of oil. Add remaining onion and cook, stirring often, until softened about 3 minutes. Add beans and cook stirring until hot, 2-3 min longer. Mix with rest of chili. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and cilantro. 

Serves 6

THREE LAYER BERRY AND BROWN SUGAR PAVLOVA

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Three-Layer-Berry-and-Brown-Sugar-Pavlova-354211

Jenny's note: I substituted plain pomegranate seeds instead of the berry mixture in this recipe, which was amazing if I do say so myself.  I'm pretty sure any sort of fruit/berry would work great in this. 

Our #5 Gathering: SOUPS & STEWS

I am SO late in posting about our October event, which I hosted. (There wasn't one in November.)

 In December, we opted to combine cooking night with my annual Snowman Swap - which had a fantastic turn out (HOORAY!) and, even though it was extremely cozy in our little place - it was a good time as always. So, this is really the only "make up" I have to do to finish up 2012.

Jenny brought this creamy Butternut Squash pureed soup. Yum!

I made my mom's version of Marie Calendar's Corn Bread. 

Kristin made this wholesome, yummy Lentil Soup.

I made Pumpkin Basil Soup (I know it may sound weird, but it's a favorite of mine!)

Sheryl Garrison made this really fantastic Potato Sausage soup. 

The little "take-home" - Halloween candies in old time medicine jars.

Once again, yummy food - and good laughs - to give us all a great night "out."

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THE RECIPES:

PUREED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

http://www.marthastewart.com/312415/pureed-butternut-squash-soup

LENTIL SOUP

http://www.marthastewart.com/341776/lentil-soup

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH BASIL

1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely minced

1/4 cup butter

1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 1 14oz can diced tomatoes)

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

3 3/4 C chicken broth, divided

1 can (16 oz) solid-pack pumpkin

salt and pepper, to taste

pinch of granulated sugar

2 Tbs minced fresh basil (or 1 Tbs dried)

3 Tbs heavy cream

grated swiss cheese, for garnish

toasted curried pumpkin seeds, or croutons, for garnish - optional

In a large soup pot, saute onion in butter for 4-5 min. Add tomatoes; simmer gently for 5-6 min, or until tomatoes become slightly mushy.

In another saucepan, simmer carrots in 2 1/2 cups chicken broth until soft. Combine cooked carrots, hot broth and pumpkin in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth, adding the remaining 1 14 cups chicken broth as necessary to achieve a thin, creamy consistency.

Add pumpkin mixture to onions and tomatoes in soup pot. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and basil. Fold in heavy cream. Heat to serving temperature, but do not boil. (1/2 t. salt, 1 1/4 t. sugar)

Pour soup into tureen. Top with grated swiss cheese and pumpkin seeds / croutons - if desired.

*Makes 6 servings

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!)