I made a simple green bean dish for this month's Thanksgiving-themed Cooking Club - here's the recipe. I used dried thyme instead of fresh, because fresh thyme was only sold in a huge portion that I knew I wouldn't be able to use all of. I think I overcooked the beans a smidge, so you might want to reduce the cooking time by a minute or two - the beans are still supposed to be crisp.

Thanksgiving Stuffing and Gravy

Happy Thanksgiving!
This month I made stuffing and gravy for dinner at Diana's beautiful new house. I modified Barefoot's recipe for stuffing, I took out the sausage and added walnuts and a little more parsley, salt and pepper. I also made a mushroom gravy with a recipe from Bon Apppetit. I got to rehydrate mushrooms for the first time ever. I felt kind of fancy but must say I was underwhelmed. I thought the fresh ones tasted so much better and will probably leave the dried porchinis out next time.

Brownie Pudding

We had another great Cooking Club on the 10th. We went to Carol's for "Comfort Food" - she had the cutest fall decorations!! I decided on chocolate: a Brownie Pudding made following a recipe by the always fabulous Barefoot Contessa. It turned out delicious and I'm definitely planning to make it again. It can be made the day before and put in the fridge, just bring it up to room temp before serving.

One note, the recipe calls for a 9"x12" OVAL baking dish. This is the same size as a 7"x11" rectangular pan.

Japanese Salad

Salad:
-3 heads Boston (butter) lettuce
-Green onions or scallions (4-5 sprigs)
-One package dry ramen noodles (throw out the flavor packet)
-Pat of butter
-Sesame seeds
-Slivered almonds

Dressing:
-1/4 c. oil
-1/4 c. rice vinegar
-1 tsp. sesame oil
-1 tblsp. sugar
-1/2 tsp. salt
-Pepper to taste (finely ground white pepper preferred)

First (I usually do this earlier in the day so they can cool):
-Break up ramen noodles in package
-Saute noodles in butter on low to brown
-Once noodles are halfway there, add sesame seeds and almonds to the pan to brown
-Once browned, turn off heat and let mixture cool

Second:
-Wash and tear up lettuce
-Slice white/light green part of onions in small rounds, discard green ends

Third:
-Mix together dressing, pour over salad to taste
-Sprinkle ramen mixture on top for crunch!

Barefoot Contessa Mac and Cheese

Here is the link to the Mac and Cheese recipe I tried for Carol's Comfort Food party. The only thing I changed was the quantity of nutmeg. (I thought it sounded like a lot, so I cut the amount in half). This is a dish you can make the day before, refrigerate and then bake to serve when hot and bubbly!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe2/index.html

Vietnamese Tofu-Noodle Lettuce Wraps

I'm finally adding another post to our blog! For so many months now I've been trying recipes that just didn't warrant anyone else bothering with but I really liked the lettuce wrap appetizer I made for Asian-themed CC at Marie's this month. The most time consuming part was all the chopping but buying shredded carrots would have helped.

Ingredients:
2 ounces thin rice noodles or rice sticks
1/4 C water
5 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup snow peas, very thinly sliced
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
1/4 C chopped fresh mint
8 large green-leaf lettuce leaves

Directions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add rice noodles (rice sticks) and cook until just teder, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Gently squeeze noodles to remove most of the water.
2. Combine 1/4 cup water, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and crushed red pepper in a small bowl.
3. Coarsely chop the noodles and combine in a large bowl with tofu, carrot, snow peas, basil and mint. Pour the sauce over the salad and toss to combine. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup salad onto each lettuce leaf and roll up.

Delicious!
I found the recipe on delish.com.
Photo by Ken Burris

Frozen Custard

Here's how you make frozen custard!
-Go to Old School Frozen Custard
-Buy some pints
-Bring them to Cooking Club and enjoy!

Here's the deets on how frozen custard is different than ice cream.

Easy Paella

After seeing Barefoot Contessa's Easy Lobster Paella recipe here, I still thought it looked too hard. Mainly because I was lacking the essential Dutch Oven, but also because I am not willing to dedicate a sunny Saturday afternoon to slaving over a hot stove, when I could be on a boat in Lake Washington. I am willing to dedicate an hour though. Instead of having the ingredients cook together and simmer in each others sauces for hours, I sauteed the veggies and spices together, steamed the rice in the chicken broth and then cooked the meat all separately. Then, I just threw them all together, added some Spanish white wine and topped with parsley and lemon wedges.


A few other modifications included substituting the lobster for a combination of shrimp, calamari and scallops, using chicken sausage, white wine for Pernod and adding extra peas.

I am really looking forward to making it again! Yum!

I must admit the tapas party was a huge success! Lianna's new house is awesome, her sangria to die for and you girls are so much fun - see you soon!

Greek Panzanella

...courtesy of Ina Garten/foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
-Olive oil
-French bread loaf, cut into 1" cubes (6 cups)
-Kosher salt
-1 cucumber, peeled & large diced
-1 red bell pepper, large diced
-1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
-1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
-1/2 red onion, large diced
-1/2 lb. feta cheese, sliced in 1/2" cubes
-1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted*

For the vinaigrette:
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
-1/4 cup red wine vinegar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-1/2 cup olive oil

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Note: I ended up needing to make more dressing to coat everything - I almost doubled the vinaigrette recipe.

*Isn't it spelled kalamata? Also, I left out the olives b/c I don't like them!

Crispy Fried Olives (for Tapas Party)

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_112660_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

Note: I learned several things while making this recipe...

1. Anytime you have to individually hand-dip olives, plan for it to take half the day!

2. If your oil is too hot, things will obviously burn. Medium seems to be a more 'friendly' temp.

3. If breading and frying something, it is best to serve them immediately (and not try to re-heat later)

Hope that helps. Great party Lianna:)!

Mexican Breakfast Casserole

I love that we had a breakfast theme this month - great ides, Whitney! I decided to make a Mexican Breakfast Casserole I found on foodnetwork.com. I was really excited to try a breakfast casserole because I love the idea that you can make it the night before and bake it in the morning - I bet you could make it and then freeze it too, but our freezer is so small it would never work. I think this would be perfect for big family gatherings with hearty eaters and for those lovely hungover mornings.

I found all of the ingredients at Trader Joe's and found it was really easy to put together (probably because I did not roast the peppers or cook the sausage.) :)

I made the following changes to make the dish easier:
- Peppers in a jar that were skinned and roasted
- Pre-cooked sausage and just added it in

I made the following changes to make it healthier:
- Egg Beaters (egg whites) instead of real eggs
- Chicken sausage instead of real sausage
- Non fat milk instead of half and half
- Low fat Mexican cheese mix


The other dishes were amazing too! It is always great to see you all and I am already looking forward to next month!

Israeli Edam Cheese Fondue

INGREDIENTS
3 cups Edam cheese (finely grated)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, halved
3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 avocados, halved and stoned
2 teaspoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons thick sour cream
2-3 green veggies (I used asparagus and broccoli)
2-3 potatoes, cut in wedges
1 lb. Pork, Chicken or Beef
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
1. Scoop out the flesh from the avocados into a bowl and mash until smooth. Mix in the lemon juice. Rub the inside of a medium saucepan with cut clove of garlic. Pour in wine and heat until bubbling. Over a gentle heat, stir in cheese by the handful and cook until melted.
2. In a small bowl, blend the corn starch with the sour cream. Add to cheese mixture with mashed avocados. Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes until thick and smooth, stirring frequently.
3. Light toss green veggies and potatoes in olive oil, salt and Peppers. Salt and pepper the meat to taste. Put green veggies, potatoes and meat on grill, staggering so the veggies aren't overdone.
4. Transfer to a cheese fondue pot and keep warm with burner. Serve right away.

Bailey's Chocolate Mousse Pie

Here is the recipe for the Bailey's Chocolate Mousse Pie that I made for our March Cooking Club!

Ingredients:
1 Chocolate Ready-Made Crust
1 pkg. Unflavored Gelatine (envelope)
1 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 cup Milk
3/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
6 oz. Chocolate Chips
2 Cups Frozen Whipped Topping

In saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatine over milk. Let stand about 1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatine is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Add chocolate chips and continue cooking; stirring constantly until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and stir occasionally; adding Irish cream about 5 minutes after removal from heat. When mixture forms mounds when dropped from spoon, fold in the whipped topping. Turn mixture into crust. Garnish with more whipped topping or real whipped cream before serving. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Tips:

- Rather than using the ready-made crust, I made my own. To make your own, mix about 2 cups of chocolate wafer or Oreo (sans cream) crumbs with about 6 or 7 tablespoons of melted butter. I just buy 1 pkg. of "Famous Chocolate Wafers", which ends up being the perfect amount. Press mixture into a greased pie pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Use whole milk
- Definitely chill the pie for 4 hours before serving. I didn't have that much time when I made this the first time and it was too soft when I served it at Cooking Club. If you are short on time, pop the pie in the freezer for a while.
- I have since made this pie again and I added more chocolate chips and about 1/3 to 1/2 of a second gelatine pouch to give it more structure. It turned out better that way!
- For presentation, you can garnish the pie with nuts, strawberries, etc... I used chocolate shavings.

Smoked Salmon Hors D'Oeurve

I went for a quick dish this month. As writen by Martha Stewart:

"Mix cream cheese with lemon zest and pepper, spread on rye bread and top with smoked salmon."

I've had similar hors d'oeurve but really liked the addition of lemon zest to this recipe.

German Style Oven Fries by Annika

I tried to find a Scandinavian recipe to make for our Cultural Heritage theme, but the only options appeared to be Swedish meatballs or pancakes. I decided to give the Deutsche side of me a chance and perused the Food Network for any appealing recipes in the German Food section. I came across this recipe which reminded me of some delicious potato wedges I had recently eaten at my mother-in-laws. I added chives and lots of Parmesan cheese to give them a little more flavor and cheesy goodness.

Spicy Grits Casserole

(Grits are kind of like Cream of Wheat made from corn, not wheat, and they're commonly eaten for breakfast in the South. This casserole should be a little soft on the inside with brown edges.)

6 c water
1 teaspoon salt
1+1/2 c quick-cooking grits
2 c shredded cheddar
1/4 c chopped jalapeno
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in grits.
Cook using package directions (usually for about 5-6 minutes). Stir in the cheese.
Cook over low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in the jalapeno, hot pepper sauce, eggs, pepper and butter.
Spoon into a greased 3 quart baking dish.
Bake at 350 for one hour.

Kroppkakor (Filled Dumplings)

Ingredients for 4 - 6 servings
10 medium-sized potatoes
2-3 egg yolks
150g flour
1tsp salt
1 onion
200g salt pork
2tsp cracked allspice

Preparation
Peel and boil the potatoes, mash them and mix with the egg yolks and salt. Let the puree cool, then mi in the flour.  Knead the dough thoroughly and shape into a roll. Chop the pork into small cubes and dice the onion.  Fry the pork and onion quickly and mix with the allspice.
Cut the potato roll into 2cm thick slices, make a depression in the middle of each slice and fill with the pork mixture.  Flatten each dumpling so the pork mixture is in the middle and roll into a smooth, even ball. Boil the dumplings slowly in a pot of lightly salted water without a lid for 5-6 minutes after the dumplings rise to the surface

Sun-Dried Tomato Mousse, by Whitney

Two things I know to be true thus far: 1) You can't go wrong with the Barefoot Contessa 2) Join a cooking group, it takes the pressure off of new recipes turning out perfectly because everyone is in the same boat!

For this last party I made 'Sun-Dried Tomato Mousse' from the 'Savor the Moment' cookbook (which is from a Junior League in Boca Raton). Random I know, but I have a collection of Junior League cookbooks from different cities and they always seem to have interesting recipes.

Here is the recipe:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, chopped (I used the Italian-seasoned)

1 garlic clove, crushed (I omitted this because I forgot it at the store!)

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 T. dried basil

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, but not fluffy. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, basil, salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a 6-7 inch spring form pan. Chill for 8 hours until very firm. Place pan in hot water for 15 seconds. Release spring and invert mousse onto a serving plate. Garnish by pressing parsley onto the side. (Put two pieces of parchment paper under serving plate first so you don't have a parsley party!) Serve with crackers or bread sticks. *The breadsticks are best when right out of the oven, Pilsbury only gets you so far:)

How (not) to Roast Beets

I'm looking forward to next month's cooking club already. Not only because I had a great time with you ladies but because perhaps I'll be willing to post the recipe I selected.

This month I made a beet salad for two reasons
1) I liked the pretty picture in my new cookbook and
2) because I've never tried roasting beets and decided my time had come.

After reviewing conflicting ideas online about how to successfully roast beets I went with the cookbook (I should never have doubted you Martha). After roasting for 45 minutes and cooling as instructed the beets were still hard. So I cranked up the heat, put them back in the oven and had about 10 minutes before the smoke alarm went off. Faced with undercooked beets and no groceries for a different dish I peeled the beets, chopped them into small cubes, tossed with olive oil and s&p and tried roasting them again. 45 minutes later I had beets that I was satisfied with but not ultimately what I was hoping for.

The beets, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese and basil went on top of salad greens (I used a mix of fancy lettuce and arugula). The dressing the recipe called for was a mix of lemon juice, raw garlic and olive oil which, not surprisingly, tasted like lemony olive oil with raw garlic. I should have know better but I was giving the cookbook a chance to get something right. I made a Dijon vinaigrette instead.

Overall the salad was fine but I don't think the recipe deserves to make the blog. I'm putting my hopes on March. And a new cookbook.

Arugula Salad with Warm Goat Cheese by Annika

Hello Ladies! I must admit, Cooking Club has quickly risen to one of my favorite pastimes. My goal is to become more familiar with basic recipes and eventually be more adventurous.

For this Valentines themed event, I decided to try the Barefoot Contessa Warm Goat Cheese atop Giada de Laurentis' Arugula Salad, with the recipes found here and here, respectively. After Inger Johnson stole every last beet in Seattle, I used strawberries and pomegranate seeds in lieu of the red root vegetable.

Obviously, the key to this salad is bread crumb crusted goat cheese medallions. I hope to use it as a key ingredient with any type of salad I make in the future because they were delicious and easy with only three quick steps: 1.) slicing the cheese log with dental floss, 2.) dipping in egg whites then bread crumbs (which are now conveniently sold at Trader Joe's) and finally, 3.) pan frying. Oddly enough, I have a picture of the salad I left for my husband because he got me a brand new camera for Valentines Day and apparently everything has become a Kodak moment for me.

Thanks again for making it a great night and I am already looking forward to next month! - Annika

Mediterranean Pizza Bites

Hi Ladies! Had such a wonderful time chatting and eating with you all last night. So excited we've started this club and I look forward to many more delicious meals with you all.

Here is the recipe for the little pizza bites I made-in the future you don't need to cut them into hearts:) and you can use this "sauce" on pasta and veggies if you prefer that.

• 1 large roasted red pepper (or combine red and orange)

• 2/3 cup of ricotta cheese

• 2 teaspoon of salt

• ground pepper to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, or Italian mixed herbs of your choice

I added a little shredded mozzarella, and I would recommend thinning this out by adding some juice from the roasted red pepper.

I topped the pizza with sliced kalamata olives and fresh basil. Baked for 8 minutes on 450 degrees.

Click here for the recipe.

Vegan Mocha Cupcakes w/ Vegan Buttercream Frosting

I'm finally catching up on posting my recipes! Here are the recipes for the Vegan Mocha Cupcakes with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting that I made for the February Cooking Club...

Vegan Mocha Cupcakes

(Makes 1 Dozen)

Ingredients:
1 cup Soy Milk
1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 cup Organic Vegan Granulated Sugar (or evaporated cane juice)
1/3 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract, Chocolate Extract or More Vanilla Extract
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder (Dutch-Processed or Regular)
2 Tbs. Instant Espresso or Coffee
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. and line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2) Whisk together soy mill and vinegar in a large bowl. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
3) Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and other extract (if using) to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy.
4) In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso or coffee, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in 2 batches to the wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are ok).
5) Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Non-Hydrogenated Shortening
1/4 cup Non-Hydrogenated Margerine (recommend Earth Balance)
1 3/4 Cup Confectioner's Sugar (sifted, if clumpy)
3/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs. Plain Soy Milk or Soy Creamer (or cold, strong coffee if you want a coffee flavor)

Directions:
1) Beat the shortening and margerine together until well combined and fluffy.
2) Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
3) Add the vanilla and soy milk (or creamer or coffee). Beat for another 5-7 minutes, until fluffy.
4) Pipe onto each cupcake using a pastry bag w/ #21 or #32 tip; or cut a small hole in the corner of a plastic zip-top bag. Optional: Dust lightly with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Balls

Here is another treat that I made for our January Cooking Club...

Ingredients:
2 (1.4 oz.) Chocolate Covered Toffee Candy Bars
2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
16 Regular-Size Marshmallows
1/4 cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Canola Oil

Directions:
1) Leaving candy bars in wrappers, use a rolling pin to pound and crush bars into small pieces. Place Rice Krispies in a large bowl and set aside.
2) Place peanut butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high heat until hot (about 45 seconds). Add marshmallows and microwave on high until softened (about 30 seconds).
3) Working very quickly, stir to combine mixture with Rice Krispies. Stir until evenly coated. Add crushed candy bars and chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
4) Coat your hands with oil and shape mixture into spheres the size of golf balls (makes approx. 16 treats).

The balls will keep for 1 week at room temperature.

Artichoke Crab Dip

I made this Artichoke Crab Dip for the January cooking club that I hosted...

Ingredients:
14 oz. Artichoke Hearts, Chopped
1 cup Crab Meat
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Romano Cheese, grated
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Paprika, to taste

Directions:
Rinse and drain artichoke hearts, then chop. Mix with all of the other ingredients, blending well in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Dust top with paprika. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or bread. Refrigerated leftovers. Serves approximately 12 people.