Good and evil

I picked the day of a work dessert competition to decide to stop eating sugar.  Needless to say, that did not happen.  So AFTER this dessert took 2nd place in the competition, I went to the gym and vowed to start again at dinner.  One meal at a time!

The white chocolate crumb bars were rich and creamy.  I used 2 - 4 oz white chocolate bars and strawberry jam.  I would recommend using a spoon and not a tablespoon to put thinner dollups of jam on top of the white chocolate.   And do not stir.  Bake so the center is pretty much set.  Even after cooling and refrigerating the very center was still too gooey.  I ate those pieces and they were delicious yet messy.  UGH!  I am OUT OF CONTROL!  Ha!

I also wanted a chocolate entry into the competition, hence these Snickers Brownie Cookies.  I thought that they would take the prize but nope, did not even place.  I could not find the Snickers bites (because I was on the Valentine's aisle and not the candy aisle - see, I do not even know where to buy candy except at the cash register) so I used 1 chopped up Snickers in the batter and 1 to press extra pieces into the dough prior to baking.  I froze the Snickers for easy chopping.  I liked these cookies and I will make them again.

Now, for the good and healthy.  I made a quinoa salad with Brussels sprouts and butternut squash.  I started with this quinoa because I found it at Sprouts and it seemed like a good introduction to this new ingredient that I have not cooked with before.  This salad was so delicious!!  I could not find the shaved Brussels sprouts so I pulsed them in my food processor a few times.  This resulted in a mixture of tiny pieces and almost whole sprouts.  Next time I will just quarter them.  I do not like peeling butternut squash so I halved it, removed the seeds, sprinkled on some brown sugar and roasted it.  Then I cut and scooped it out of the skin.  Much simpler.  I used salted, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) that I found in the bulk bins from Sprouts.  I will definetly be making more quinoa as it is so versitale and tasty.

To go with the quinoa, I prepared a super simple, super flavorful salmon dish.  I bought enough salmon for 4 or 5 servings for only $7.  It took about 2 minutes to put this dish together and in 15 minutes it was tender and flaky.  It also reheats beautifully.  I am thinking that the next time I prepare this that I may put in some asparagus in the foil packet. 

Carol's gift: Chef Ellen

We met at Janet's to share in Carol's gift to us:  an evening with Chef Ellen.

We started with appetizers and cocktails.

There was Apple Brie Bread with Almonds.  This was sweet like a breakfast bread or dessert.  It would be great for brunch.  Great choice, Tonya!

Mary prepared Mushroom Canapes with Red Onion Jam.  Very pretty and flavorful.

Tonya mixed up our cocktails.  These were dangerous because it went down so smoothly!

There were also some toasts with cheese and bacon from Janet and Angie's cream cheese and cranberry jalapeno sauce.

And bread wrapped brie with jam and pecans.

Chef Ellen was wonderful.  She was full of energy and shared a new cooking concept.  She discussed cooking using flavor profiles of sweet, salt, bitter, sour and heat.  You combine these to make a sauce that you serve over simple proteins like fish, chicken and pork.  In about an hour she prepared fish, chicken, pork and served a salsa and cheesecake.  Carol would have loved Chef Ellen's presentation and we are so grateful to her for leaving this to us.

Pork Loin being seared on the stove and then finished in the oven.  She made a rub with cocoa powder, salt, and Old Bay.  The dish was finished with a mango salsa with avocado, shallots and cilantro.

 Fish that was steamed in a steamer and topped with a sauce with orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, butter, garlic, chipotle and cilantro.

Chicken, after poaching, was dressed with a sauce of lemon, olive oil, parsley and mustard. 

Finally, Chef Ellen brought us a cheesecake that she made at home and had mascarpone cheese and cream cheese with no eggs and no baking.  There was an Oreo crust and it was very creamy and delicious.

Carol

Rest in peace, dear Carol.  Your lessons, both life and cooking, will never be forgotten.

November 24, 2013

We meet at my house and missing were Teresa and Carol.  The theme was brunch, which sounded simple for this busy time of year.

Cocktails:  Janet, Sparkling Cranberry Blush and The Best Bloody Mary
Main Dish:  Mexican Eggs in Purgatory
Sweet:  Janet, Breakfast Carrot Cake
Sweet:  Mary, Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Fruit:  Tonya, Yogurt Parfait
Starch:  Tonya, Best Breakfast Potatoes

Janet started us off with Sparkling Cranberry Blush.  This cocktail was sweet and bubbly.  It is also a beautiful color.  Very festive for the holidays!

I served cream cheese covered in pineapple and habanero sauce and a spicy cranberry salsa.  I also wanted to share my Christmas gift of Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar and Lemon Olive Oil.  Put both on the same plate and dip with bread.  YUM.  So delicious.

For sipping during our meal, Janet prepared The Best Bloody Mary which she garnished with bacon and gherkins.  OH MY!  Anything that has bacon as a garnish is a winner in my book. This recipe has a homemade tomato base that was quite healthy with tomatoes, carrots, beets, fennel and garlic.  Wow!  No need to have a V8 when  you drink this for brunch.

Janet's third contribution to our meal was Breakfast Carrot Cake.  It was divine!  I loved the almonds which gave each bite a mild crunch.  Janet reduced the sugar to 1 tablespoon and 1/4 cup, added seeds from one vanilla bean and used 2 teaspoons of baking powder.  Great, mildly sweet cake with lots of texture.

For the parfaits, Tonya layered vanilla yogurt with granola, diced apples, pears, dried cherries, dried cranberries and dried pomegranate seeds.

Tonya also brought Pioneer Woman's Best Breakfast Potatoes Ever.  These are baked in the oven which makes the potatoes crispy and cooks down the vegetables creating a delicious medley.

Mary is our bread pudding guru and today she dished up Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Crumble.  YUM.  The addition of sweet potatoes make me think this is healthy but it is really very decadent.  And I like a sweet brunch so this was perfect!

The main dish that we prepared together is called Mexican Eggs in Purgatory.  Essentially it is  sunny side eggs on top of a a tomatillo sauce.  I purchased the tomatillos at Fiesta.  What a wonderful store.  It sells EVERYTHING!  Not just products you think of being popular in Mexico but from all over the world.  I liked the flavor of this dish and it is a dramatic presentation with the eggs nestled in the green sauce. 

Soup and cake

I enjoy preparing soups because they make such wonderful, filling, left overs.  I liked this chicken and black bean soup because all the seasonings were in the salsa and taco mix.  I did not add the sour cream or cheese because I did not want the extra fat.  I did add some zucchini and a can of diced tomatoes because the more vegetables the better!  This was super easy in my crock pot and the flavor was wonderful.

For dessert I wanted to use a bag of cranberries.  This cake, with the cranberry and apple compote, was healthy enough that I decided it would be a great breakfast.  I think that was a stretch but I had the super healthy soup to counterbalance the cake breakfast!

This cake was not only delicious but beautiful.  The red berries and apples were sweet and colorful.  I cooked them until the berries popped and they continued to caramelize while the cake baked.  I used almond milk instead of real milk and there were no issues. 

Holy Cow Cake!

I planned to make this Holy Cow Cake for my coworkers.  I had all the ingredients, or so I thought, and I started preparation.  Where is my boxed, chocolate cake?!  Oh no.  I forgot to buy it.  I also didn't have any cocoa so I decided to prepare, FROM SCRATCH, a yellow cake.  I am so glad I forgot the chocolate cake because it was fun to make a cake without using a mix.  The yellow cake recipe I found was quick, easy and delicious.  Next time I want a cake I will follow this recipe, including the cream cheese frosting. 

For the caramel component I used a bag of caramel balls.  I can never find the caramel topping (I think it is by the ice cream and I try and avoid that aisle!) so these balls are perfect.  I think this is a new addition to the baking aisle because in the past I would have to remove the plastic wrappers from the caramel squares.  The bag of caramel balls is perfect for baking!

This cake received rave reviews from my colleagues plus two requests for the recipe!  I think the yellow cake is better than using a chocolate one because it cuts through the sweetness of the caramel and butterfingers.

October 20, 2013

Janet hosted in her new home and all were in attendance except for Carol and Teresa.  Janet's friend, Natalie, was not able to join us but she did send over our appetizer.

Angie:  Cocktail, Evening in Kingston
Natalie:  Appetizer, Squash Casserole
Janet:  Bread, Sweet Cornbread Muffins
Tonya:  Salad, Orzo Salad
Mary:  Side, Parsnip, Potato, and Turnip Purée
Janet:  Main, Chicken Marsala
Angie:  Dessert, Roasted Pear Crumble

This cocktail, Evening in Kingston, was potent though tasty.  We added some agave syrup to not only sweeten but also dilute. 

For our appetizer, Janet's friend Natalie sent over a squash casserole.  It had a crunchy topping with squash mixed with a cream.  This dish would also be an excellent side dish.

Janet whipped up some cornbread muffins for the bread course.  This was a good recipe that equally balances the sweet with the corn meal so it does not taste like a cake.

A perfect side dish for the Chicken Marsala was Mary's Parsnip, Potato and Turnip Puree.  It was a fancy take on mashed potatoes and the fresh dill not only looked pretty but made a huge flavor impact.  Mary cautioned that the vegetables do not cook at the same rate so you may want to do them separately.

Tonya's Orzo Salad had chick peas and tomatoes mixed with a vinaigrette along with fresh herbs.  This was a refreshing and light pasta salad.

The chicken Marsala was delicious.  Mary expertly flattened the chicken breasts and the rest of us assisted with chopping, slicing and stirring.  If I were to prepare this again I would use much less prosciutto and more mushrooms than called for.

To finish our meal we had Roasted Pear Crumble.  This was a simple dish to make and it can all be done ahead of time.  I simply warmed up the pears prior to serving.  The granola is delicious and I added some cinnamon to it as well as used both almonds and pecans..  The mascarpone cheese is sweet and creamy.