June 28, 2020

We met at Mary's and while we were short two Gourmet Gals, Tonya and Michelle, we were joined by two MEN.  This was a historic day as we have never allowed such shenanigans before.  Oh sure, we have had drive-by "hellos" by the male species but never sat down and broke bread that I can recall.  We will perhaps let it happen again.

Mary welcomed us with a beautiful, sweet cocktail with yellow sugar rimmed glasses. This limoncello sangria had in Keith's words "a lot going on".  It was delicious and did go down smoothly.  But not so smoothly that we could not have a shot of blueberry cream from Aldi's as a chaser.

For an appetizer I prepared two different naan pizzas.  I wanted something a little more hearty since our main dish would be light.  The roasted tomato and spinach pizza had Italian spiced roasted tomatoes and steamed spinach that were cooked beforehand.  Once they were finished the pizza came together quickly with some sliced, fresh mozzarella. A garnish of fresh basil added a taste of summer.   With the second pizza I got a little fancy.  It had roasted pear, walnuts, prosciutto and honey goat cheese.  The original recipe calls for brie cheese and I opted for goat cheese because I like it with sweet toppings.  HEB had HONEY flavored goat cheese which was even better.  I also drizzled some honey and Mary had a balsamic glaze to add even more sweetness.  I think using naan as pizza crusts makes for a quick week night meal with any toppings you can think of. Mary's Mr. Wonderful tried some of the more traditional tomato pizza and said it was good though did not go back for seconds (or thirds like some).

When Mary requested suggestions for a main dish I said "something light!"  She searched the interweb and found Pioneer Woman's gazpacho.  You prepare the vegetables, and blend half (but all of the garlic) with spices, some of the tomato juice and then stir in the remaining half of the diced vegetables and tomato juice. It is topped with grilled shrimp, avocados and BOILED EGG.  What?  I don't know.  I did not put egg on mine. The gazpacho was very tasty, light, refreshing and gets better each day it sits. The shrimp and avocado are a nice addition to take this chilled soup to a main dish.

Angelica brought individual servings of coconut milk panna cotta garnished with strawberries, blueberries and lemon zest.  Panna cotta is a simple dish yet seems so decadent. Angelica has successfully used alternative, non-dairy milks lately in luscious dessert and my digestive system appreciates it!  On another note, So Delicious has desserts of many varieties with alternative milks and these are snack choices without the guilt.  My latest find are the mini ice cream sandwiches that are heavenly and only 100 calories.  

March 1, 2020

Pre-covid apocalypse at Angelica's with a breakfast or brunch theme.  All were present except for Michelle.

Tonya gifted us with two different mimosa cocktails.  The beautiful Hawaiian Mimosa and the refreshing Lemosa .  Tonya garnished both with fresh fruit which was perfect for our spring gathering.  

Our appetizer were these sausage and cream cheese biscuit bites by Mary.  These are very good and remind me of the the type you make with Bisquick!

For the main dish Angelica picked sweet potato hash. This is a hearty breakfast food that is full of healthy vegetables and vibrant colors.  We sprinkled the bacon on top rather than stirring in with the kale because it is a pet peeve of mine to crisp up bacon and then put back in a dish where it wilts.  Not on my watch.

For dessert was apple cinnamon roll cake.  I used two apples as called out in the recipe and I would suggest adding one or two more to have even more crunchy apples in your cake.

January 19, 2020

We met at my house on an EARLY Sunday morning!  

Mary started us off with a tray full of appetizers: Greek meatballs with taziki sauce, spinach triangles and stuffed peppers.

Michelle made mules with fig vodka, limoncello and ginger beer.  These were delicious and who knew fig vodka was a thing?  It's thick and tastes great on its own, over ice.

Mediterranean Mule

3 oz fig vodka (pictured right)

1 oz limoncello

1/2 cup ginger beer

1 thyme sprig for garnish

1/2 fresh fig for garnish

ice cube

Pour vodka and limoncello in copper mug with ice.  Top with ginger beer and gently stir.  Garnish.

Tonya prepared this awesome Greek Salad  that has a secret ingredient for emulsifying the dressing; dijon mustard. For Greek salad you can add so many different vegetables as long as you stick with the mainstay of cucumbers, red onion, olives and feta cheese.

For the main dish I wanted simple. This Greek chicken kabob was perfect. The marinade is a bit complicated but gave so much flavor and the cooking is very simple. We made it on a sheet pan, pouring off the liquid half way to keep from poaching it.

A mildly sweet, overly decadent dessert was brought by Angelica.  This Lemon Posset set up in the freezer and Angelica prepared it with Silk heavy whipping cream which made it dairy free!

November 24, 2019

We gathered together at Tonya's house and the theme was charcuterie.  This came out of our love for all things Aldi.  Lately the nerds of Aldi have been putting together these boards and we decided to try our hand at them.  Tonya put up photos for inspiration and it seems like the most important idea is NO OPEN SPACES!!  Fill that in with some nuts!  Some greenery!  A dried apricot!

What is charcuterie, you ask? 

Charcuterie (pronounced "shahr-ku-tuh-ree") is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and other meat products. But, many people use the term charcuterie to refer to an assortment of meats that are paired with different accompaniments, such as toast, fruit, cheese, and sauces.

Behold our creations - a delicious cocktail mixed by Mary, two charcuterie boards and a knock off dessert board, put together by me and Vivian.

Amaretto Sour

3 oz Amaretto
2 oz Sweet and Sour Mix
Diet 7-up (because Mary)
Maraschino cherries
Orange wedge

Combine Amaretto and sweet and sour mix in glass with ice.  Top with 7-up.  Add as many cherries as you like and garnish with orange wedge.





Overall spread.

Close up of that delicious jam...

Beautiful LEAF tray

Assorted chocolate treats and gourmet marshmallows.  These were not very sweet and I think I will take Tonya's suggestion of trying those carried by Sprouts (sprouts, sprouts, sprouts).  I should have filled in my empty spaces with some colorful candied cranberries or green jelly beans.

October 20, 2019

We met at my house for a fall gathering.  I put together some snacks as Mary could not be bothered to bring an appetizer.  NO!  Well yes... but the reason was acceptable and given with prior notice. 

Michelle brought a beautiful and delicious fall sangria as our cocktail.  The 100 pound container full of elixir went down smoothly for our gathering plus the rest of the week for me!  It was lightly sweet with apple cider.

Angelica made this Italian salad with pepperocini peppers and shaved Parmesan cheese. It was simple and reminiscent of Olive Garden!

The main dish was chicken cacciatore over spaghetti. This was a hearty, one pot meal for a fall day and it reheats very well for left overs.

Tonya's beautiful apple tart was our dessert.  She reheated it in the oven for serving and added vanilla ice cream.  I love the combination of fruit and nuts and apples are the quintessential fall fruit.

Pam's Peach Cobbler

This weekend we visited friends and what a treat - I was served home cooked meals for dinner both nights!  For dessert there was homemade peach cobbler and it was the best cobbler I have ever had.  Fortunately, I scored the recipe!!

Pam’s Peach Pecan Cobbler

6 large peaches, peeled and sliced

1 cup white sugar

1 stick butter

1 cup Bisquick

½ cup brown sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

¾ cup milk

1 tbs vanilla

2 tbs whiskey

Topping:

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup pecans (Pam used halves)

Pre-heat oven to 325

In bowl, gently mix peaches and 1 cup sugar.  Set aside.

Melt butter in casserole dish (to be used for baking the cobbler) in pre-heated oven. Do not let burn!  Set aside.

In small bowl mix Bisquick, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk and vanilla.  Set aside.

Pour peach and sugar mixture over melted butter in casserole dish.  Sprinkle with whiskey. Pour batter on top.  Sprinkle pecans and brown sugar for topping.  Bake for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown.

September 22, 2019

We gathered at Angelica's house for our monthly, cooking extravaganza!  

Mary started us off with the most beautiful appetizer, blackberry basil ricotta pizza.  This is like summer on a plate.  She used Caulipower plain pizza crusts and the thin crust was perfect for this dish.  Plus, #lowercarbsyall.  Mary finished the pizza with some dashes of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness of the berries.  

Our main dish was out of a Chrissy Teigen cookbook.  Garlic Honey Shrimp served over rice is sauteed shrimp tossed in a sweet, spicy and citrus sauce.  Mary showed us her trick to heat the oranges in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to release more juice.

Garlic-Honey Shrimp

2 medium oranges
3 tbs honey
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs cornstarch
1 pound large shrimp (we used EZ peeled and de-veined)
salt and pepper
3 tbs canola oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs finely minced fresh garlic
2 scallions, white thinly sliced, greens in 2 inch lengths
1 tsp red pepper flakes
cooked rice for serving

Using a vegetable peeler, pull off a 1-inch wide strip of zest from 1 orange.  Zest half an orange with fine zester.  Juice both oranges to achieve 1/2 cup of juice.  Whisk the honey, soy sauce and vinegar into the juice.

In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with 1 tbs of the orange juice mixture to form a paste.  Stir this back into the rest of the orange juice mixture.

Pat the cleaned shrimp with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet heat 1.5 tbs oil until hot and add shrimp.  DFWI (google it, this is a family blog) and cook until underside is bright pink, about 1 minute.  Flip and cook another minute and transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1.5 tbs oil to the skillet.  Add the garlic, ginger, scallion whites and red pepper flakes (caution, 1 tsp is pretty spicy) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the orange juice mixture and strip of zest and cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Return shrimp, add green onion tops and toss to coat in the sauce.  Serve over rice and garish with grated orange zest.

On the side was an Asian Chopped Salad by Tonya.  She omitted the chicken and added some honey to the dressing.   Tonya added cashews too and I love nuts in salad.  They add crunch and flavor. 

This was a great salad that would keep well in the refrigerator for days (sans chow mien noodles and dressing) and make for great sack lunches.  Add back in the chicken or shrimp and you have a main dish.

For our dessert I baked S'mores Pie from a Cast Iron magazine that I found at my happy place, Sprouts.  I paid for a subscription to the magazine so there will be more cast iron recipes to come!  The 2 bottom layers of the pie are nothing special yet they are essential beds for the melty chocolate and gooey marshmallows. 

S'mores Pie

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
6 tbs unsalted butter (duh), melted
1 large egg

Filing:
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter (duh)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Topping:
1 1/2 cups marshmallows (I used the whole bag)
Hershey's milk chocolate bars (I used 2-3 bars)
coarsely chopped graham crackers (I used crumbs)

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray and flour (or use spray WITH flour) a 9-inch cast iron skillet.

For the crust:  in a large bowl combine crumbs, flour, sugar and salt.  Add melted butter and egg, stirring to combine.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Press into bottom of pan and up sides (mine didn't make it up the sides).

For the filing:  microwave butter and chocolate (broken into pieces) in 30 second intervals to melt, stirring between intervals, for a total of about 2.5 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar and eggs.  Add cocoa, vanilla and salt, whisking until smooth.  Pour into crust.  Using a knife, fold some crust over filing (it will crack).  (Again, I didn't do that part because maybe my pan was bigger.)

Bake until crust is brown (I couldn't see it) and filing is set, about 27 to 30 minutes.  DO NOT go outside to yell at barking dogs during this time.  I think a little under cooked is best.  Let cool 30 minutes (or 5 hours like I did).  

For topping, top pie with chocolate bar then marshmallows and some sprinkling of crumbs and bake at 350 until marshmallows are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Remove from oven and add a couple of chocolate pieces for presentation.