Couples Night- Kristi and Staci

Strawberry Salad

 

Dressing:

1/2 c mayo

1/4 c milk

1/4 c sugar

1/8 c vinegar

1 T poppy seeds

1 head romaine (or bunch of spinach)

thinly sliced red onions (to your liking)

1 c sliced fresh strawberries

1/2 c sugared pecans

Cowboy Honey Dijon Chicken

1/2 cups dijon mustard

1/2 cups honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 whole chicken breasts

1 pound bacon

sharp cheddar cheese

canola oil

Make the marinade by mixing mustard, honey, lemon juice, and  salt.  Set aside.  Rinse chicken and place between waxed paper.  Pound until 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Put chicken in marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-3 hours.

Fry up the bacon and reserve 1/4 cup of the grease.  When chicken is done marinating heat equal parts bacon grease with equal quantity canola oil in pan over medium high heat.  Add 2 or 3 chicken breasts to pan.  Cook until brownish/blackish about 1-2 minutes per side.  Remove chicken to large baking sheet.  Repeat process until all chicken is ready.  Place in oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes (until done).  Lay a piece (or 2) of bacon on top of chicken then sprinkle sharp cheese over the top.  Return to oven additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling.  Serve immediately.

Rice Pilaf

1 onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 clove garlic

1 cup mushrooms 

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup rice

2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup bacon crumbled

1/2 tsp.pepper 

Saute onion, garlic, celery and mushrooms in butter just until tender.  Add the pepper, rice, and broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and turn on low for 20 min or until cooked and fluffy.  Sprinkle crumbled bacon in and serve.

Ice Cream Cakes

Chocolate Cake

Mix 2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups hot water

1 Tbsp vanilla

Then add:

 3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cocoa

Mix well.  Pour into 2 rounds or one bundt and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

When cooled slice cake horizontally and spread softened ice cream of your choice then sandwich cake together and freeze.

Yellow Cake:

1 yellow cake mix

1 small box of vanilla pudding

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

Mix well and follow box instructions for baking times.

When cooled slice cake horizontally and spread softened ice cream of your choice then sandwich cake together and freeze.

Apple Pie

Here is the link to the Apple Pie I told you all about with a whole wheat crust!
Like I said - he uses a half a stick of butter cut into pieces and placed on top of the apples and under the top crust.  Then he bastes the crust with melted butter before he bakes it (and even more basting with butter halfway through the baking!).
Amy

"Stuffed" Couples Night - Monica Bell and Hollie Andrus

Stuffed Peppers (click here for link)

Brittany Majors

Marinated Lamb Chops

So start with lamb loin chops.... Cheapest at cost co.
Put lamb chops in a ziploc with the following and marinade overnight:
1/4 cup olive oil
Rosemary (fresh or dried) lots
Salt
Pepper
crushed fresh garlic lots
Lemon juice(go with your gut I made this from a scanty recipe a friend gave me. No exact measurements sorry.)
Water: enough to bring the mixture in the bag to a 3/1 ratio.

When ready to cook place on a broiler pan. Broil for 5-8 mins until browning occurs than flip and do the same to the other side.

Reserve the the marinade and reduce in a sauce pan. Can add corn starch or flour to thicken quickly. Than use the gravy to pour on top of lamb when plated.

Crumble fresh goat cheese on top.

Ratatouille
(I got this from a blog called smittenkitchen.com )
1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (Italian eggplant works great
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 long red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. Carefully trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

For the next part you will need a very sharp knife or some sort of slicing apparatus to cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.(This takes much longer than you would imagine)

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside.

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.(I used couscous for my dinner night.)

Amy McReynolds- Pasta, Pasta, Pasta!

Butternut Squash Ravioli-

Fresh Pasta (serves 8)

3 C. Semolina flour + more as you knead the dough (you can find this at Tony Capputo’s deli)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

4 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.) As you knead you will need to add little bits of flour at first so that it isn't too sticky.  Let dough rest on counter, wrapped in plastic, for about 30 minutes to an hour. Cut ball into quarters. Wrap the dough balls up that you are not using and flatten one into a rectangle.

*Feed the rectangle shaped dough 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 in half lengthwise then into roughly 3" squares, place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of each square and fold one corner to the other, seal shut with water.  You can cook it immediately or let the pasta dry on your counter top (on top of plenty of flour so it doesn't stick!) for about an hour then put it in ziplock bag and freeze it.  Or put your finished raviolis on a cookie sheet with flour on it and put that right into your freezer, once frozen you can put them all together in a ziplock.

*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 while rolling it out.

To cook – bring a pot of salted water to a boil then add the pasta and cook for only about 2 – 3 minutes, it is very fast so keep an 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.

Here is the link for the butternut squash  filling.  This recipe makes just over 50 raviolis.  You will only use half of the pasta dough to make the raviolis, so you could double the butternut squash filling to use all of your pasta dough or you could cut your remaining pasta sheets into fettucini noodles and freeze those for later!

Here is a link to a youtube video for homemade raviolis you may find helpful.  It is a different (and larger) recipe but gives you a good idea of how to make them!

Green Fruit Smoothie
Blend in a blender: a handful of baby spinach (the tubs come already pre-washed and ready to eat!), one banana, 1 1/2 to 2 Cups of frozen fruit (I use the pineapple, mango, strawberry mix from Costco) and 1 to 2 Cups of apple juice (or water if you want less sugar!).

Strawberries
I washed off the strawberries then immediately rolled them around in a bowl of sugar so that the sugar would stick.  Sprinkle lemon zest and balsamic vinegar over top and enjoy!


Chicken Picatta

1. 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2. all-purpose flour, for dredging
3. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4. 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 
6. 1/2 cup chicken stock (or White Wine)
7. 2 TBLSP.  brined capers, rinsed 
8. 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
9. 2 cloves of minced garlic

Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.  In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.  Add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers, and garlic. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter (or Cream mixed with a little cornstarch) to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.



Cauliflower "Alfredo"
Link found here.  The only thing I add is about 1/4 c. of parmesan cheese to the sauce.

Trifle Brownie Dessert
Cook a batch of brownies (I just use a box mix).  Cut it up in small pieces, layer them in the bottom of a trifle dish.  For the chocolate layer melt in the microwave 2 and 1/2 of the Giant size (6.8 oz) Hershey's Almond bars with one cube of butter.  Mix well then layer on top of the brownies (if the chocolate is too hot and "melty" let it set up a little in the fridge- you want it to spread like frosting).   For the whip cream layer beat a pint of whipping cream with a teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4C. of powdered sugar.  Repeat layers once or twice more.  On top you can shave the sides of your remaining chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler for pretty chocolate curls on top.

This recipe was adapted from a triple layer chocolate cake that is also delicious, the chocolate frosting and whipping cream layers are the same - only the cake is different.  Here is that recipe if you are interested!

Grease and flour just the sides of either 2 or 3 round pans.  Trace and cut out parchment paper to place in the bottom of the pans. (you can buy parchment paper at the store near the baking items)

In a large bowl combine 8 tblsp. of cocoa with ½ C. of water.  Stir until cocoa dissolves.

Add-

2/3 C. Shortening, 

1 tsp. Salt

1 ¾ C. flour,

¼ tsp. Baking powder

1 ¾ C. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

and 1 ¼ tsp. Baking soda dissolved in 1 ¼ C. of water.

Beat together, then add 3 eggs and beat again.

Pour in either 2 or 3 pans. Bake at 350 for 18 min (3 pans) or 30 min. (2 pans)

Once baked run a knife along the edges of pan, turn upside down and simply pull the parchment paper of the bottom of the cake.  Put a layer of cake down put chocolate frosting on top then whip cream then the next layer of cake.  Top with chocolate shavings.

*This cake can also be made as a sheet cake with all the same measurements!



Popcorn
I use a popcorn popper I found at Target  (I have also seen them at the DI for just $3) but really any pot with a lid could be used.  Add about 1/3C of kernels and 2-3 TBLSP of vegetable oil to the popper (you want a layer of oil the oil in the bottom of the pan that should just be covering the kernels - you can't skimp on the oil or the kernels will be hard instead of fully popped and fluffy).  Cook the kernels on a heat just above medium (about a 6).  As it pops gently shake the pan (or turn the crank) so that the kernels fall to the bottom.  Once a good amount is popped pour into a bowl, then continue cooking the rest until it's done.  I then put butter in the empty but still hot popper, once it's melted pour over the popcorn along with salt.  Toss to coat.  FYI -I don't ever wash my popcorn pot, it has all kinds of "seasoning" as a result!

Couples Night- Rachel Anderson and Michelle Beattie

Chicken and Vegetable Stir fry

Sugar Snap Peas (2 cups)

Fresh Mushrooms (1.5 cups)

Carrots (chopped) (1 cup)

Water Chestnuts (2 cans)

Sprouts (1 can)

3-4 lbs. chicken (chopped)

Sauce:

2 packs Chicken gravy

½- ¾ c. soy sauce

thickener-I used baking power 

*I made an insane amount of stir fry for 20 adults, use as many veggies/chicken as you want, these are estimated amounts

Jaudz

2 pkg. wonton skins

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

½ head, finely shredded and chopped cabbage

3 Tablespoons finely chopped green onions

4-6 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

4-6 Tablespoons LaChoy Soy Sauce

1-2 Cloves garlic – minced fine

1-2 teaspoons ginger – chopped fine

Combine ingredients for filling.  Place 1 teaspoon of filling inside each round jaudz skin.  Moisten the outer edge of each skin – then crimp closed.

Place 4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and add jaudz when the oil is hot.  Fry until golden brown on each side, on medium heat, then turn the heat down and cover, cooking for an additional minute or two.  Place on a paper towel in a pan in the oven (180 degrees) to keep warm.

Sauce –

Equal parts of white vinegar and soy sauce

They may be steamed as well.  Just place cabbage leaves in the steamer – and place steamer in a wok that has been filled with water.  Boil on medium for about 30-40 minutes.

Homemade Cinnamon Ice cream

2 cups milk
1 ¾ cups sugar
Stir together and then microwave in a glass bowl for 3 min. to scald the milk

Cool in the fridge for about ½ hr. if you want the ice cream to mix more quickly in your ice cream machine.

If you don’t cool it first, it takes about 30 min. extra to freeze the ice cream=more ice

Add ½ t salt
1 c milk
1 T vanilla
5 c cream
1-2 T cinnamon (I used 2)

Mix ingredients together and pour into ice cream freezer.  Add about 1 ½ “ ice cubes then 2-3 T rock salt on each side of freezer until you reach the top.

Continue to add salt and ice as needed.

Freezing time is about 40 min.  

Kymberly Burgess -Pasta and Cannoli's

Cranberry Lime Drink

100 % Cranberry juice

Sprite

Limes, sliced or cut in wedges

Equal parts juice and Sprite, or start with Sprite and add juice until you feel good about yourself. 

Watermelon, Mint, Feta Salad

½ medium watermelon

½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 handful baby greens

Cut the watermelon into large dice, or approximately ¾-inch cubes. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, baby greens and mint leaves. Combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk until combined. Drizzle the salad with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Makes about 6 servings.

Creamy Balsamic Vinegar Pasta 

1 lb. Italian sausage or turkey sausage

8 oz. mushrooms

1-2 butternut squash, peeled & cubed

1 bundle spinach

2 TBSP olive oil

1 lg onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper

8-16 oz. penne pasta

1 c heavy cream

1/2-3/4 c milk

2 tsp. sage

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1/2 c parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375⁰ . Coat roasting pan or glass dish w/ olive oil. Place squash, onion, garlic in pan & season w/ salt & pepper. Roast for 30 mins. to 1 hr., or until squash is tender. 

Cook sausage, add mushrooms. Once mushrooms are cooked, add cream, milk, sage, garlic, cheese & vinegar. Combine well, but do not let too much liquid cook off. Toss in roasted vegetables.

Make a bed of fresh spinach; add cooked hot pasta to wilt spinach, and then top with sausage sauce. 

Cheesy Garlic Bread Rolls 

1 TBSP yeast

1 ½ c warm water

1 ½ TBSP sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 TBSP vegetable or canola oil

1 egg yolk

5 ½ c flour

Combine the yeast, water and sugar and let stand 10 mins, until yeast is bubbly. Add salt, oil and yolk, then up to the 5 ½ c flour. Dough should be soft, and barely sticky. Knead for 2-3 mins. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour. Mix up your butter mixture. 

½ c butter, softened

1 ½ TBSP garlic bread seasoning ( ¼ c parmesan cheese, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1 TBSP garlic powder, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. basil, 1 tsp. marjoram, 1 tsp. parsley. Keep this in the fridge and use it often.)

When dough is ready, roll it into an 18x6” rectangle on a lightly floured or Pam sprayed surface. Smear butter over entire surface and cover with 1 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese (I use a bit more.)

Roll up dough jelly roll style and use dental floss to cut into 12 or more equal slices. Place in two greased pie pans or greased muffin pan. Cover with cloth and allow to rise while oven is preheating to 350⁰. When the oven is ready and the rolls look like a good size bake for 18-22 mins. Lightly place a sheet of foil over them if the cheese starts to brown too much. 

Stuffed Strawberries

2 lbs strawberries - Use fresh, firm berries. Leave the leafy cap on. Wash & slice them from the tip almost to the stem, and slice again 90⁰ away (make a plus sign in the bottom of the berry). Lay them out to air dry on a flour sack towel while you prep the filling. They need to be thoroughly dry, and can’t be filled a day in advance, or the berry starts to weep.  

Combine:

8 oz cream cheese, beat smooth

¾ c powdered sugar

1 tsp. almond flavoring (can use any flavoring – vanilla, orange, lemon are also good)

Fill decorator bag and pipe the mixture in the berries. 

Cannoli

Cannoli shells:

1 ¾ c unsifted, all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

2 TBSP granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 TBSP firm butter, cut in small pieces

¼ Sauterne (white wine, so I used white cooking wine)

Sift flour with salt and sugar. Make a well in the center; add in egg and butter. Stir with a fork, working from the center to moisten mixture. Add wine, 1 TBSP at a time until dough begins to cling. Form into a ball, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Roll out dough on floured surface 1/16” thick. Cut into 3 ½ circles, and roll with a rolling pin into very thin ovals. Wrap around cannoli forms, seal edges in the middle with the egg white, and flair the ends slightly. 

Heat oil to 350⁰ and fry a few at a time until golden, about a minute. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels, cool a few seconds and slip the form out of the shell. Proceed with the rest of the dough. Cool shells completely before filling.

Ricotta filling:

4 c ricotta (2 lbs) (Drain ricotta overnight for a thicker filling.)

1 ½ c powdered sugar

4 tsp vanilla

¼ - ½ c lemon and orange zest 

¼ chopped chocolate or mini choc chips

Blend ricotta until smooth. Fold in powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix in lemon and orange zest and chopped chocolate or mini choc chips. Chill mixture for several hours or overnight. Pipe filling in shells, and garnish with chocolate. 

These shells are yummy with other fillings as well, cream cheese mixtures, mascarpone mixtures. Look up cannoli recipes, there are hundreds of variations. Shells can be made in advance and stored in a dry container on the counter. The filling can be made in advance, but do not fill them in advance.