Italian Night - hosted by Amy McReynolds

Margherita Pizza

Cornmeal

1 recipe “thin crust pizza dough”

1 C. fresh tomato sauce (recipe below)

1 ½ C. sliced fresh mozzarella

5 fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone set stone in oven to preheat as well.
2. Divide dough in half (other half can be frozen and used later), shape into 2 balls. Roll dough on a floured surface using a floured rolling pin to 12-inch rounds. Remove the Stone from the oven once it is done “pre-heating” and sprinkle with cornmeal, transfer dough to the stone.
3. Spread with warmed tomato sauce and top with mozzarella. Drizzle olive oil on top and a small amount of fresh ground sea salt. Bake about 8-9 min. or until crust is golden and crisp. Scatter with basil leaves and serve.

Thin crust Pizza Dough (makes 2)

1 tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

2 Cups flour

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ cup olive oil

Directions

1. Stir the yeast, sugar, and ¾ C. warm water together and set aside for 5 min.
2. Pulse flour and salt together in a food processor. Stream in the yeast mixture and oil through the feed tube while continuing to pulse until a shaggy dough is formed.
3. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for 5 min. until dough is elastic. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl. Cover with a dampened towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Punch the dogh down to deflate, cover and let rise for 30 minutes more.

Meatballs (makes 13)

1 lb. ground chuck

4 eggs

4 oz. pecorino Ramano cheese, grated

¾ C. fresh bread crumbs

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ to ½ Cup of parsley, minced

¼ to ½ Cup of onions, minced

Form into the size of a large egg and cook at 400 degrees for 25 min.

Fresh Tomato Sauce (serves 6)

8 large tomatoes, very ripe

Coarse sea salt to taste

4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

½ cup Italian parsley, or Basil minced

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425

Slice each tomato in half, remove seeds and set, cut side up, in a lightly oiled oven dish in one layer. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt, garlic, and parsley or basil. Drizzle olive oil over all. Place in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are very soft and juicy. You can serve as is and just toss with pasta or let cool a little then pour contents in to a blender to mix (blended sauce is what you will need for pizza sauce).

*when tomatoes are in season I make about 4 casserole dishes of this all at once, blend it up, then pour it into Tupperware containers and keep it in the freezer to last the whole winter!

Creamy Tomato Sauce

In a sauce pan melt 2 TBSP. of butter over medium heat, stir in 2 TBSP of flour. Slowly pour in 1 to 2 Cups cream, stir over medium heat until thickened then add to fresh tomato sauce until you achieve a good ratio of red and white sauce.

Fresh Pasta (serves 8)

3 C. Semolina flour (you can find this at Tony Capputo’s deli)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 to 3 TBSP water

1 TBSP olive oil

Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl, then move flour to sides of bowl to create a well in the center. Add the remaining ingredients to center of bowl. Mix wet ingredients with a fork and slowly mix in flour from sides of bowl. Should look like bread crumbs once all mixed together. Dump out onto a counter and knead for 10 minutes (a long time but the dough really needs that long to moisten and soften.) Let rest on counter, wrapped in plastic, for about 30 minutes to an hour. Cut ball into quarters. Wrap the dough balls you are not using and flatten one into a rectangle.

*Feed through the pasta machine starting at #1 setting. Fold into thirds and feed through #1 setting again – (keep folds on the sides and open end into machine). Continue this process of feeding through largest setting, folding into thirds, and feeding into widest setting again a couple more times. Then feed through #2 setting, #3, and on down to #7 (just one time for each setting and no more folding dough). Dust well with flour throughout the process as needed. Cut the long pasta sheet into 8” segments , then feed through the cutter. Let the pasta dry on your counter top for at least an hour then cook it or you can put it in ziplock bag and freeze it.

*Or if rolling out by hand roll dough until it is so thin you can see the table through the dough. Dust the dough with a good amount of flour then very loosely roll up the dough. Cut into 1/2” wide segments, gently toss pasta with fingers in flour until strands unravel. Let dry for at least an hour on counter, then cook or put in ziplock bag and freeze it.

To cook – bring a pot of salted water to a boil then add the pasta and cook for only about 1 – 2 minutes, it is very fast so keep and eye on it! The frozen pasta cooks the same way.

*****This dough does not save, so when you make it, you must roll out and cut all of it because it goes bad – even in the fridge.

Oreo Truffles

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Let cool in refrigerator for about 30 min. then roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Put balls in refrigerator for at least an hour before dipping in chocolate.
2. Melt chocolate in microwave, then refrigerate so the chocolate is still melted but not too hot. Dip balls in chocolate by using a fork and spoon chocolate sauce over the ball; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

This recipe can be done with nutter butter cookies, or mint oreo cookies. Also almond bark can be used instead of Semi-Sweet chocolate for the coating. You can also dip in the semi-sweet chocolate then after hardened swirl white chocolate over the top.

Marlee & Michelle Thurber's Couples Night

Cajun Night

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

Ingredients

• 20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
• 2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

Preparation Instructions

If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep… Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.

You’ll love these so much, you’re gonna come out of your skin. Or something like that.

Shrimp Boil

Shrimp Boil Shopping list:

serves 10-12

2 Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil in Bags (I found these at Smiths and Walmart in the spice section, also in Smith's specialty section by the mustard)

1/2 bottle Zatarain’s Crab “n” Shrimp Boil oil (I just barely found this at Walmart! I didn't have it for dinner group.)

1 Cup salt

3-4 large onions (peeled and quartered)

2 lemons cut in half

6-10 whole ears of corn cut in half or 12-24 frozen small corn n the cob

3 lbs Kielbasa cut into 2 inch pieces

3 pounds large raw shrimp in shells (about 25 per lb)

2 whole bulbs garlic, unpeeled with top sliced o

18-24 small red potatoes

Freezer paper

Squeezable butter, spicy mustard and cocktail sauce

2 baguettes sliced into 1 inch slices

1 34 quart turkey fryer with strainer basket that goes almost to the top of the pot

Instructions:

Bring water to a boil in a covered pot with large strainer basket (-ll pot 2/3 full)

Add garlic, Zatarain’s spice bags, Zatarain’s oil and salt - boil for 15 minutes

Add potatoes - boil for 7 - 8 minutes

Add corn - boil for 5 minutes (if corn is frozen you may need to turn up heat to get the water boiling again)

Add kielbasa - boil 8 minutes

Squeeze lemons into pot and then throw them in along with the onions - boil 3 - 4 minutes

Add Shrimp - boil for about 5 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink --don’t over cook.

If you don’t want to eat right away, turn o heat, pour a bag of ice into pot and let sit 15 minutes,

drain and pour onto table.

OR

Turn o heat lift basket out of pot, allow to drain and then immediately pour onto your table covered

with freezer paper (shiny side up).

Sprinkle sliced baguette down the table. Serve with squeezable butter, mustard and cocktail sauce--

squeezed directly on the table. Encourage guests to squeeze cloves of garlic onto corn and potatoes.

Backyard Baby Back Ribs

2 full racks/slabs (about 4 1/2 pounds) baby back pork ribs

Kosher salt

6 TBSP Rub Number Nine, recipe follows

1/2 cup orange juice (not fresh squeezed)

1/2 cup margarita mix

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup ketchup

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Place each rib rack on a sheet of extra-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil. (The foil should be 4 inches longer than the ribs on either end.) Season racks liberally with kosher salt and sprinkle each rack with 3 tablespoons of the rub. Turn the ribs, meat side down, and tightly seal each foil pouch. Place on a half sheet pan and refrigerate overnight. The next day, heat the oven to 250 degrees F. Combine the orange juice and margarita mix in a liquid measuring cup. Open 1 end of each pouch and evenly divide the liquid between the 2 pouches. Reseal the pouches and place the sheet pan in the oven for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the oven, carefully open 1 end of each pouch and pour the braising liquid into a heatproof measuring cup. Reseal the pouches and place them and the measuring cup of liquid into the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. The fat in the braising liquid will have solidified on the top and can be removed at this time. Transfer the liquid to a small saucepanand add the honey, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, espresso powder and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine. Set over medium high heat and reduce to a glaze, approximately 10 minutes. Set a gas grill to medium-high and allow to heat for 10 minutes. Cut each slab in half and place them on the grill, flesh side down, close the lid and decrease the heat to medium. Leave alone for 3 minutes. Flipand cook for another 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on each side 1 more time or until each rib has a nice char. Remove the ribs from the grill to a cutting board. and cut into 2 rib portions, using kitchen shears. Add the ribs and half the glaze to a large serving bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve the remaining glaze on the side.

Rub Number Nine:

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

3/4 cup chili powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

2 TBSP ground thyme

1 TBSP cayenne pepper

1 TBSP allspice

Place all of the ingredients in an airtight container and shake to combine. Store for up to 3 months.

Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches

I just used a box mix of brownies (ghiradelli is my favorite) baked with foil underneath, so it is easy to get out of the pan. THe secret is to freeze the brownie first. Then take both sheets of brownie, fill with store bought mint ice-cream and wrap in plastic wrap, then foil. Cut into squares before serving.

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 recipe chocolate cookies, just until the cookies cool (below)

Nutella

1/2 gallon ice cream (I used Dreyers dark chocolate silk 1/2 cal)

toasted hazelnuts, chopped (1 cup)

spread half of the cookies with Nutella. freeze until hard, approx. 15 minutes. meanwhile, let ice cream soften just a little. remove cookies from freezer. scoop 1 reg. scoop of ice cream onto each hazelnut spread cookie and top with other half of cookies. freeze for another 15 min. then remove and roll sides into the nuts. freeze until ready to use.

Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 cups (15 ounces) milk chocolate chips

4 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter*

3 TBSP confectioners' sugar

Use the peanut butter filling between your favorite chocolate chip or sugar cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium, microwavable bowl, melt together 2 cups chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter on medium power until almost melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir just until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla at high speed until thickened and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the melted chocolate at medium speed; whisk in the flour mixture. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough until firm enough to scoop, but still soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

Onto each prepared pan, drop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart. Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies appear bubbly and still soft, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely. In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the peanut butter. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; beat until fluffy. On the flat side of each of 8 cookies, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture; sandwich with the remaining cookies.

* Can omit the peanut butter if desired.

* Do not make cookies into the peanut butter sandwiches if using for the ice cream sandwich recipe.

Michelle Cannon's Mexican Night

Lemonade
5 qts water
3 c sugar
1 Tbsp lemon extract
1 Tbsp citric acid

Black bean salsa
1 15 oz can black beans drain and rinse
1 15 oz can black eyed peas drain and rinse
1 c corn
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1 jalepeno pepper chopped and seeded
1 large tomato chopped
1-2 c zesty italian salad drssing
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Combine and cover. Refrigerate 1-2 hours

Chili Con queso
3 lb velveeta
1/4 c half and half
3 small can green chilies
3 jar pimento's
1 green pepper diced
1/2 c diced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
1-3 tsp chopped jalepenos
1 lb spicy sausage cooked and drained
Melt in microwave dish for 3 min. Stir and continue in microwave until melted

Chili Rellanos
1 can fire roasted whole green chilies- about 12 chilies
Monterey Jack cheese cut in strips small enough to fit into chilies trying not to tear chilies
Dip stuffed chilies in egg mixture:
7 eggs
4 Tbsp flour
dash salt and pepper
Separate eggs. Whip whites till stiff, whip yokes separately and add flour and salt. Fold together and add more flour as needed as you dip.
Fry in hot oil, on both sides, until brown. Let sit on paper towel. cover and keep warm in low oven. Poyur sauce in between layers and over top and bake on 350 for 5 min.
Sauce:
saute 1 diced onion in olive oil
add 1 qt tomates
1 can chicken stock
1-2 tsp chicken bouillon paste
simmer till boil andpour over rellanos in pan.

Spanish Rice:
1/2 onion chopped
1 bell pepper
Garlic clove crushed
1 c long grain rice
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c beef broth
1/4 c water
1 can black beans
Saute onion, pepper and garlic cloves together in olive oil. When tender add remaining ingredients to boil and then simmer with lid until rice is tender. Add the black beans at the end so they heat through.

Spicy Creamed Corn
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion chopped
2 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
1 small red pepper chopped finely
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 10 oz boxes frozen corn kernels
2-4 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c cream
1/4 c fresh flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Preheat skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oi land butter. Add onions, peppers, jalepenos, garlic, corn, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour adn continue to cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth and cream. Bring the corn to simmer and then lower heat to medium low adn cook until it is thick and creamy, about 5-10 min. Finish the spicy corn with parsley and cilantro.

Decadent Chocolate Pie
2/3 c butter softened
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 c corn syrup
2 eggs
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
2 cup chopped walnuts optional
Ganache:
1 c heavy cream
8 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
Cream butter and sugar till fluffly. Beat in corn syrup. Add eggs one at a time. Combine flour, cocoa and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixutre alternately with milk. Beat well after each addition. Fold in nuts. Spread batter into greased 10 in springform pan. Bake 325 for 40-45 min or until toothpick inserted 1 in from side comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. cool on wire rack.
For ganache, in sauce pan bring cream to boil. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until melted. Set aside till cool. Remove brownie from pan. Place a wire rack over waxed apper and set brownie on rack. Pour ganache over brownie; spread over top and let drip down sides. Refrigerate till ganache is completely cooled. Top with chocolate shavings or fresh fruit.

Raspberry sauce:
1 12 oz frozen raspberries
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c water
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
In small saucepan sitr together cornstarch and sugar. Add water and 1 cup of berries. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly till boils. Cook mixture for additional minute, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Let stand until cooled. Stir in remaining berries and chill for at least 1 hour. Strain through sieve for a smooth sauce and remove seeds.