July 24, 2022

For Angelica's turn to host she chose not to host and instead picked out a cute brunch place.  Liberty's Kitchen was a perfect spot for us, minus Talia.    It had ample (free) parking, took reservations, was not too loud and had a nice mix of sweet and savory brunch dishes.  There also was a HUGE cocktail list.  

Eggs Benedict.  AMAZING - crisp English Muffin, even more crisp prosciutto and crisp yet creamy breakfast potatoes. CRISP.

Tonya's breakfast board appetizer plus slaw (for some vegetables) and a summer sangria.

Angie's sangria flight.  The right most was the sweetest and my favorite.  I donated the left one to Mary.

Mary started with fried oyster topped deviled eggs and then had an omelet with cheesy grits (boxed up to go).

Angelica had red velvet waffles with chicken strips. 

May 22, 2022

We met at Talia's and were joined by little dogs, big dogs, rabbits and HEDGEHOGS.  One of each.

Tonya started us off with this rich, creamy dip served with vegetables and crackers and a beautiful cocktail.  Tonya layered the liquids to create a beautiful pattern. This drink is one of the dangerous varieties that goes down way too smoothly so you want to have one after the other.

Mary put together an Asian salad or slaw with almonds, and splash of lemon juice. The fried wontons gave a crisp crunch.

I prepared Lo Mein for the side dish. I liked this recipe because it is full of vegetables.  Add shrimp or chicken and it is a main dish.  I did add more spices than called for so taste and add more as necessary.

For the main dish, the Gourmet Gals finally tackled duck.  Thanks, Talia for conquering this seemingly insurmountable challenge by choosing a recipe for duck breast. We also made the five spice, grinding and heating up the spices.  The breasts were coated in the spice, seared and finished in the oven.  

Our meal was finished with these cute tartlets prepared by Angelica. As with many Asian desserts, it is lightly sweet with a creamy texture.  Less (sugar) is more after the end of a meal with the rich duck.

April 25, 2022

Thanks to Keith for our appetizer!  He's always great in a crunch! We had homemade summer sausage, Colby cheese and Aldi assorted crackers.  The crackers come in a "serving dish" with a closable lid that makes emergency appetizers very convenient.

I wanted a light cocktail and I love grapefruit juice. In this Greyhound I infused the vodka with rosemary for days and the dash of vanilla makes for a sophisticated drink.  We're *&%^! classy after all.

Tonya made a delicious salad THAT HAD MEAT and beans for some protein.  Hooray!  She understood the assignment.

The Main dish was VEGETARIAN much to everyone's shock. Narrator: Only Keith was shocked.  I added eggplant and I think broccoli would have been nice too.  Any vegetable you have, throw in!

Talia, having been excluded from bringing dessert, did a stuffed mushroom that I will definitely be making again. It was so good and went perfectly with the pasta.  These mushrooms would also make a great appetizer.  

Mary procured a beautiful atart that we finished off. A nice platter makes everything fancy.

March 20, 2022

We met at Mary's fabulously decorated home for our March get together.  Mary started with a strawberry mule.  She changed it up using sugar free ginger ale and sugar free ginger syrup.

Angelica brought a strawberry spinach salad like this one.  Very summery and always a good mix of sweet and crisp.

Appetizer stuck with the strawberry theme and this whipped feta with roasted strawberries was refreshing.  I mixed the left over strawberries with yogurt for breakfast and it was decadent.  

Our side dish was this spring asparagus .   So pretty and the tomatoes went wonderfully with the tomatoes in the cod.

Main dish light and flavorful.  This cod was covered with the tomato sauce and blended together well.

Our dessert course were these delicious meringues and lemon curd. I really love meringues and their lightly sweetened crispness.

Perfect recipes...

 As a home cook for 20+ years and as someone that loves trying new recipes, looking for the "perfect" one, I have found two perfect recipes.  The quest for banana bread and corn bread are complete.

Pioneer Woman's corn bread is everything.  Easy yet unique with the melted shortening (I use bacon grease) it isn't sweet and it IS moist.  These are two things I do not like in corn bread - tasting like cake and being dry.  I rarely have buttermilk so I make it with regular milk and vinegar.  I let this sit for a few minutes before adding the additional regular milk.  I use a large measuring cup for the wet ingredients.

The perfect banana bread recipe is this one from Talia.  It seems too simple, right?  Maybe that's what makes it THE BEST.  I used 3/4 cup of sugar and that's plenty.  I also stirred in 1 cup of pecan pieces.  If you wanted to jazz this up of course you can add some shredded coconut and pineapple for a Hawaiian version though if you want a simple banana bread recipe, this is the one.

February 27, 2022

We grouped at Tonya's along with new member Talia.  

Angelica started out our evening with a delicious cocktail.  This Pink Champagne Sangria was very refreshing.  The color was gorgeous and you can easily make a pitcher full to keep 'em flowing!

Next up was appetizers by Mary.  She put together a flat bread pizza with red onion jam.  This could be a main dish with the addition of some prosciutto.  Her recipe is a spin on this one. 

For the salad I picked this winter salad and I did cheat and buy a champagne vinaigrette.  Ssssh. This is a classic combination of greens with pears, dried cranberries, pecans and blue cheese.  You could also use apples instead of pears and goat cheese instead of blue cheese.

Our main dish, picked by Tonya, was Instant Pot Pasta Bolognese.  It tempts me to buy yet another appliance but... NO!  This was so good and like most pasta dishes, reheats beautifully and even seems more flavorful the next day.

New member Talia and dessert queen brought a trifle with many layers, each would have been enough on their own!  Wow, this is rich and decadent!  The fresh whipped cream balances the chocolate pudding and brownie layers.

Salted Caramel Brownie Trifle

Ingrеdіеntѕ:

 Brownies, сut іntо 1″ squares

 2 lаrgе рkg. іnѕtаnt chocolate pudding

 1 jar homemade salted саrаmеl ѕаuсе, recipe below

 4 Hеаth саndу bаrѕ, rеgulаr ѕіzе

 16oz whipped cream

 

Dіrесtіоnѕ:

1. Prераrе brоwnіеѕ, using the recipe below, or your favorite brownie recipe. Make sure to double it.

Onсе thе brоwnіеѕ аrе bаkеd аnd сооlеd, сut uр іntо ѕmаll, bіtе-ѕіzеd ріесеѕ.

2. Prераrе сhосоlаtе рuddіng ассоrdіng tо dіrесtіоnѕ.

3. Cruѕh thе Hеаth саndу bаrѕ іntо ѕmаll, bіtе-ѕіzеd ріесеѕ.

4. Sрооn about a thіrd оf уоur рuddіng іntо a trіflе dіѕh.

5. Add a lауеr оf brоwnіе ріесеѕ.

6. Sрrіnklе оn ѕоmе оf thе crushed Heath.

7. Drіzzlе оn ѕоmе саrаmеl ѕаuсе.

8. Tор wіth аbоut hаlf of thе whipped cream

9. To make whipped cream, pour however much heavy whipping cream into a bowl. Whip

until stiff peaks form, adding a tablespoon or 2 of sugar as you go.

10. Repeat аll layers.

11. Kеер іn thе rеfrіgеrаtоr untіl rеаdу tо ѕеrvе.

Homemade Fudgy Brownies

Ingredients

 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled

 2 1/4 cups (450 grams) granulated sugar

 4 large eggs room temperature

 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 1 cup (85 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

 ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, making sure to

leave some overhang for easy removal, spray the foil well with nonstick cooking spray, and set

aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until well combined,

then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined. 

3. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and continue whisking until just combined,

stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it around into one even layer.

Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 26-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out

clean with just a few moist crumbs. 

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing into bars.

Notes

Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freezing instructions: Brownies will freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the

refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. 

Room Temperature Eggs: I suggest using room temperature eggs for this recipe. To get your

eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water and let them sit for 5-10

minutes before using them.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

 1/4 cup (60 ml) water

 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

 2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy whipping cream

 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter , cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the water and sugar over medium heat. Make sure

to use a saucepan that's a little bigger than what you think you will need. Stir constantly until the

sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble just a little.

2. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stop stirring completely. Let the mixture

continue boiling until it turns an amber color, this could take anywhere from 4-12 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up

quite a bit, so make sure to do this very carefully. Then, mix in the butter, vanilla, and salt one at

a time.

4. Pour the caramel sauce into a dish and allow to cool completely, then cover tightly and

store in the refrigerator. The caramel sauce will thicken up some once it's cooled and

refrigerated.

Notes

For a regular caramel sauce, just use a pinch of salt or about 1/8 teaspoon.

Store any leftover salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Reheat in the

microwave before using.

This recipe will yield about 1 and 1/2 cups of caramel sauce.

We are BACK! November 2021

Wow.  I could barely remember this web address.  But HERE WE ARE!  

We met at Angelica's. Michelle was away on location.

Appetizer: Angie, Pear, prosciutto and goat cheese pizza

Side Dish: Mary, Green Chile and Cheese Rice

Main Dish: Angelica, Chicken and chirizo shish kabobs

Dessert: Tonya, Ina Garten Apple and Pear crisp 

Angelica provided us with cute wine party favors which reminded us all of sweet Carol.  She was the queen of little presents.

I combined several recipes for the appetizer.  I bought a dry pizza crust mix and put it together.  While the dough was resting I caramelized a red onion.  To assemble the pizzas I placed slices of honey goat cheese, the onions, thinly sliced pear and prosciutto.  After baking I drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of arugula.  

The pizza is fine served room temperature and can  also be prepared with a pesto base and then all savory toppings.  The one I made had many sweet components with the honey goat cheese, sweet onions, pear and balsamic.

Our main dish were shish kabobs.  We grilled on Angelica's cast iron grill and finished in the oven JUST IN CASE because chicken is involved and no one wants pink chicken.  It also can be challenging to finish the meat and vegetables at the same time though the skewers sure look pretty and colorful.

Mary always picks decadent recipes and her cheesy rice was no exception.  It was fabulous.  I love rice cooked in any way and combine the tiniest bit of heat with cheese.. yes, please.  This is a great make ahead dish and it re-heats perfectly.  The left overs were just as delicious the next day.  It was the perfect side dish with the meat and vegetable skewers.

The dessert was a crisp with apples and pears and Tonya added some fresh cranberries for some holiday cheer.  The topping makes A TON and Tonya persevered and was able to get it all on top.  Thank you, sweet Jesus, because we all know that topping makes or breaks a crisp.  Canned whipped cream was served on the side, elevating the entire dining experience.

Finally, our gang was all together for brunch post Thanksgiving at Max's Wine Dive.  It was great to catch up and talk about important topics and try and solve the world's problems over mimosas.