Dip and Drinks

I am not sure why, but appetizers are one of my real weaknesses when it comes to cooking. Just look to the left at the number of times I have posted about appetizers since I started blogging… six, just six appetizers in over a year. Now, to my credit there are plenty of times we have served cheese and crackers, fruit, chips and salsa, or cashews as appetizers and while these are all tasty they are not creative, exciting, or different. I think part of my issue is that if I am cooking the entire meal then I don’t leave enough time or don’t start preparing far enough in advance to include a more creative appetizer. Also, there are plenty of appetizer recipes out there that would take you just as long to prepare as a main course and somehow on nights like tonight when that is all I am preparing then I feel like I should get a break and not have to work as hard for just an appetizer. The thing is though when we eat out appetizers tend to be my favorite. I love the idea that they are tiny dishes that can still have all the flavor, complexity, and texture of a main course, but in a nice small package. Tonight I decided to not go the super simple / quick and easy route, but to not get too elaborate or involved either. I flipped through my cookbook from Magnolias and found a recipe for their Spinach and Artichoke Dip. After reading through the ingredients I was sold on it. You might be thinking in my excitement over the recipe that I forgot about dessert. Me… forget about dessert… are you kidding! We planned what we were doing for dessert a week and a half ago! More on it later.

To make the Spinach and Artichoke Dip you start by sautéing the onions in butter. Once they are soft you add the garlic and let it sauté for a few minutes. Next add the flour and stir everything together to make a roux. Keep stirring it for a couple minutes and then add half the cream until it thickens. Then add the rest of the cream and let it thicken. Next add the spinach (thawed and drained), artichokes (chopped), Havarti cheese, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir this together and let it cook for a few minutes. Serve warm with herb toasts. Russ made the herb toasts and he started by making the olive oil, herb mixture. He minced the garlic, chives, and basil. He put these in a bowl and added the olive oil, salt, and pepper. After mixing it all together he cut the baguette into quarter inch thick slices. He then tossed the slices in a bowl and poured the mixture over them tossing to coat. These then bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. They can be served at room temperature.

This really turned out well. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip was creamy and warm with a nice balance of cheese, spinach, and artichoke. I felt like the nutmeg and cayenne didn’t really show through. Next time I might increase the amount of both slightly to add a little more of a kick and spice to it. The herb toasts were a nice change from a plain baguette, but I do think a plain baguette slices (toasted, untoasted, or grilled) would work fine too. Russ and I did taste test it after I finished it and felt like it was slightly salty. I added a little more cream and let it cook down to try to counter act the saltiness and I think it worked. Next time I won’t add all the salt at first, but add part of it and then taste it before adding any more. All in all this was very tasty and creamy and a real hit. While not a complicated appetizer it was well worth the effort and a nice change from cheese and crackers. Russ rates it a 10!

I still haven’t forgotten about dessert and I guess you could say I am saving the best for last. The Country Club makes these amazing dessert drinks called Mississippi Muds. We both love them and Russ figured out that all they are made of is vanilla ice cream and Kahlua. The key is to getting the right consistency – thick, but not too thick. Russ has been practicing and he made them for everyone tonight for dessert. They are creamy and sweet without being too sweet. It is a great quick and easy dessert. They were a huge hit that even the non-sweet eater of the group, Dowe, requested one! Unfortunately we drank them before getting a picture, but I imagine they’ll show up again on the blog another day. Russ wouldn't rate them since he made them, but I'll give them a 9. They were a little on the thick side this time or they would have received a 10.

Spinach and Arthichoke Dip, Magnolias - Authentic Southern Cuisine
Makes 3 ½ cups

3 tablespoons butter
½ cup minced onion
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups heavy cream
3 (10 oz) packages frozen spinach, thawed and all the liquid pressed out
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into ½ inch pieces
6 ounces Havarti or fontina cheese, grated or finely diced
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring to prevent browning. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic mixture to make a roux. Stir well to combine and allow to cook over medium-low heat 1 minute more. Add half the cream and stir vigorously until the mixture combines and thickens. Use a spatula to release any of the mixture that may be stuck to the bottom edges of the pan. Add the remaining cream and stir again until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, Havarti or fontina cheese, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, white, black, and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir over medium-low heat until the cheeses have melted. Check seasoning for a balanced flavor. Serve with Herb Toasts.

Herb Toasts, Magnolias – Authentic Southern Cuisine

¾ cup light olive oil
2 teaspoons mashed garlic
1 tablespoon very finely minced chives
1 tablespoon very finely minced basil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 long loaf of fresh, crusty French bread cut into ¼ inch thick slices (or less)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients except the French bread and let sit for 15 minutes. Place the slices of bread in a large bowl and drizzle on the oil and herb mixture as you are tossing the bread slices to coat. Lay the bread slices out on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are crisply toasted and light golden in color. Remove from the oven and allow for them to cool to room temperature before stacking in a basket.

Another So So Bachelor Performance

I am not sure how many of you watch “The Bachelor” anymore, but Emily, Elizabeth and I have all decided that it each season gets a little trashier than the previous. So, we’ve started talking about maybe finding a new show to replace “The Bachelor” for our get togethers. Much like the show I feel like Russ and my food contributions have also gone downhill over the seasons too. You might remember a few of our not so great contributions like the Stuffed Chicken Breasts that took forever and were just okay, or the Shish Kebabs that got a little over cooked, or there was another recent Bachelor that didn’t make it to the blog where I made the Roasted Broccoli (that I raved about here) only to under cook it and that is just naming a few... So, tonight Russ and I are in charge of the appetizer and dessert. I decide to try a new recipe for the appetizer and go with a fool proof dessert recipe repeating the Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Cookies that I made here. Well, despite the fact that the appetizer featured two of my favorite foods – roasted red peppers and goat cheese – the recipe as a whole fell flat and was didn’t take advantage of these amazing ingredients. Oh, the cookies you ask… well I forgot to soften the butter and I was running late, so I picked up some ice cream sandwiches at the store… at least they were tasty!

The appetizer I made tonight is Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Red Peppers from the Birmingham Junior League "Food for Thought" cookbook (which is one of my underused cookbooks and counts towards my New Year's Resolution!). To make it you start by combining the goat cheese, cream cheese, and thyme. I did this in the food processor, but if you don’t have one you could do it by hand. Spread this evenly in a serving dish and set it in the fridge to chill. Next you roast the red peppers. You can do this several ways, but tonight I decided to just do it on the stove top (must be gas). You just lay them over the flame and turn them periodically until they are fairly black. Then toss them in a zip lock bag and let them hang out for a few minutes. Once they have cooled, pull them out, and peel off the outer peel. Then cut them into pieces and puree them in the food processor. Pull out the cheese spread and pile the red pepper puree evenly over the top. The recipe instructs you use plastic wrap to pull the cheese spread out and put it on a plate and then top it with the peppers. While this may be a little more appealing as far as appearance I didn’t find it necessary so I just left it in my container. I served it with crostini (slices of baguette that Russ grilled lightly on both sides).

As I mentioned earlier roasted red peppers and goat cheese are two of my favorite foods (hence why I selected this recipe to try). Despite having these two ingredients the recipe just didn’t add any extra flavor to them and didn’t do a good job in bringing the flavors together. To be honest it would have been just as tasty and easier to just take the crostini and spread some goat cheese on it and top it with a roasted red pepper. The thyme didn’t add much flavor and the cream cheese while it added some creaminess to the dip it really wasn’t necessary. All in all it was just okay and with a combination of goat cheese and roasted red peppers you could definitely come up with a better way of pairing them. Russ rates the dip a 7. In case you are wondering what show we are going to start watching after this season of The Bachelor... well we just discovered that they are doing another Bachelorette season - so we have to watch that!

Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Red Peppers, Food for Thought
Makes 2 Cups

Ingredients:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3 sweet red peppers

Combine the first 4 ingredients in the food processor, and blend until smooth. Press mixture into a ramekin or mold lined with plastic wrap and chill. Roast peppers over gas flame or under broiler, turning until the skins are charred all over. Place peppers in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for 20 minutes. Halve the peppers and remove the cores; peel off skin. Cut peppers into 1 inch strips, and place strips in the food processor; pulse 3 or 4 times. Unmold chilled cheese mixture; top with red pepper puree. Serve with crostini or melba toast.

Bruschetta for Book Club

There are so many recipes that I want to try and with each new issue of Cooking Light or Fine Cooking even more get dog eared and added to the list. I have a small bookcase full of wonderful cookbooks and a list of other ones I want despite the fact that I haven’t even cooked out of some of the ones I have. Yet I still find myself at a loss of what to make sometimes. Sometimes it is that I am not exactly sure what I am in the mood for or that I need something that fits certain requirements such as it can be made in advance, feed a crowd, travel well, etc. This happened to me this week as it is Book Club week. Book Club meets at six o’clock which presents a small challenge to come up with something that I can pretty much grab or put a finishing touch on when I get home from work and then have it be ready to go. I wanted to take something in the heavy appetizer realm that wasn’t a dip. There are so many appetizers I want to try in fact I just got a special edition of Fine Cooking all on appetizers, yet I couldn’t come up with anything that caught my eye and fit the requirements. It came down to today where I had to pick something or go empty handed, so I reverted to an old stand by of bruschetta. It is a different version than I have done before with mushrooms, but it is still not exciting. I am sure that no matter how many cookbooks or magazines I have I’ll still find myself at a loss of what to make again, but a few more cookbooks might help, right? Just kidding Russ… we’ll kind of….

To make the Mushroom and Parmigiano Bruschetta you deseed a tomato and chop it. You add sherry vinegar, fresh basil, salt, sugar, capers, and red pepper to it. Then you sauté the sliced mushrooms, green onions, and garlic in a little butter for a couple minutes. Once the mushroom mixture is done you toss it with the tomato mixture and serve it over slices of baguette. I decided to double the recipe and toast the baguette slices for a minute in the broiler.

The bruschetta turned better than I had thought. They were quite tasty and I loved how it showcased the flavor and texture of the mushrooms. Russ rates the bruschetta a 8.

Butternut Squash and Eggplant Night

When I first moved back to Birmingham I lived on the second floor of an apartment building near by. A sweet older woman lived alone beneath me I was lucky enough to have her take me under her wing. I would frequently come home from work to find a slice of her rum cake or a container of her homemade chicken salad on my doorstep with a note from her. I was still new to cooking and just starting to get into it, so I was always very excited to find anything from her kitchen outside my door. When I moved out the apartment I was sad to leave a wonderful neighbor. I also thought my days of food being dropped off at my door were over, however, I was wrong. It is not uncommon for me to come home now to a baked good or sack of fresh vegetables at our front door. Jess and I love to cook together and we also love to share our food with others especially each other. She will drop off a loaf of homemade banana bread at our house and I’ll drop some apple muffins off at hers. A big part of what I love about baking and cooking is sharing it with others and Jess is the same way. So, recently Jess and Scott dropped off the bounty of vegetables and I decided that this time instead of leaving food at her door that we should have them over for dinner.

I knew exactly what I wanted to have for dinner tonight. I love eggplant and Russ doesn’t particularly care for it. However, if it is mixed in with other things he likes he always ends up eating it… Knowing this and that Jess and Scott like eggplant I decided to try Ina Garten’s Roasted Eggplant Spread for an appetizer.

To make the spread you peel the eggplant and cut it into 1 inch pieces. You also cut the red onion and red bell peppers into 1 inch pieces. You then toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. These go in the oven to roast at 400F for about 45 minutes. Once they are done you let them cool slightly and the put them in the food processor with a little bit of tomato paste and pulse it about 3 or 4 times. Then you are done. Yes, it was that easy.

The spread had a wonderful roasted flavor and you could really taste both the eggplant and the red peppers. I served it with multi grain pita chips. It was delicious and Russ did eat it! Russ rates the dip a 8.

For dinner I knew I wanted to make the Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette I had seen over on Smitten Kitchen recently. As you probably know by now if you read my blog I love all things butternut squash and all things onions. So, this recipe was a must make for me and I knew that Jess and Scott would love it too!

I skimmed the recipe before getting started and realized I should have started it about an hour before, so be sure and read the recipe carefully on this one. You start by putting the flour and salt in one bowl and then cut the butter into cubes in another bowl. Both bowls then go in the freezer for 1 hour. This was the part I managed to not read before I started… Once it has been in the fridge for an hour you form a well in the flour and cut the butter into it. In a separate bowl you combine the sour cream, lemon juice, and ice water. This then is incorporated in batches into the flour / butter mixture. This becomes a sticky, yummy dough that you form into a ball. I was a little worried as my ball was a little more crumbly than I thought it might need to be. The ball is wrapped in plastic wrap and goes in the fridge to rest for 1 hour. While it is resting you roast the squash and carmalize the onions. Once the dough has rested you roll it out into a circle and place it on a baking sheet. You then combine the squash, onions, cheese, sage, and cayenne in a bowl. Take the squash mixture and place it in the middle of the circle of rolled out dough and then pull the sides up around it. This goes in the oven at 400 to bake for about 30 to 40 minutes.

The galette was well worth the wait! It was delicious! It was the perfect combination of butternut squash, onions, and pastry. The cheese and sage added the perfect accompanying flavors to the dish. This is certainly on the time consuming side, but it is well worth the effort and time. If you are taking a dish to Thanksgiving this year and looking for something a little different I would highly recommend this galette. Russ rates the galette a 9 and if it had meat I bet he would give it a 10.

Russ grilled steaks and asparagus to go with the galette. As always he did a wonderful job with them We enjoyed having Jess and Scott over and sharing some of our dishes with veggies from the bounty!

Bachelor Night!

As I mentioned before the new season of the Bachelor starts tonight and we are starting back up our tradition of eating dinner and watching it with Elizabeth, Seth, Emily and Dowe. This week we are in charge of bringing the appetizer and dessert. For the appetizer I decided to go with a recipe out of the new Junior League cookbook that is a real winner and very easy. It is called ….. and is like the “grown up” version of the traditional hot artichoke dip. As for dessert, Emily’s birthday is tomorrow so I wanted to make a birthday cake. Since she is a chocolate fan I decided to go with the cover recipe off of a new cookbook that Russ’ Mom gave me recently for a Devil’s Food Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Icing.

For the appetizer you mince the garlic and chop the artichoke hearts (I buy them already quartered, so that there is less chopping involved) and sun dried tomatoes. You then mix everything together with the mayonnaise (I use light) and feta. Then put it in a baking dish and let it bake for about 15 minutes at 375F. Serve it hot with crackers, bagel chips, pita chips etc. It is super simple and really yummy! If you are hosting any get togethers or going to any parties where you need to take an appetizer I highly recommend this one. It is a real crowd pleaser! (Nicole – You could make this one very easily.) Russ gives the dip a solid 9.

For the cake I decided to make the cake part yesterday and then make the icing tonight before we go. For the cake you start by letting the butter, eggs, and buttermilk all come to room temperature. (For the eggs you can put them in warm water for about 15 minutes to let them come to room temperature and the others I just let sit on the counter for a while.) While you are waiting on these you can go ahead and sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together. You can also

To make the icing you again let the butter come to room temperature. You then mix it with a rubber spatula in a bowl until it becomes the consistency of mayonnaise. Next you cut the unsweetened chocolate into small pieces and then put it in a bowl. Under the bowl with the chocolate you put a smaller bowl with hot water in it and let the chocolate slowly melt. Once melted you add the eggs to it one by one and then add the vanilla extract. It kind of freaked me out that the recipe called for raw eggs, but the author said that as long as you handle the eggs properly and buy them from a reputable source you should be fine. Russ also said that he has eaten plenty of cookie dough and batter before and has always been fine and I guess I have too. So, I got over the freak out and added confectioners sugar (that had been sifted) to the chocolate little by little until it is all mixed. Then I took part of the chocolate mixture to the butter and mixed them together. I then added the chocolate / butter mixture back to the rest of the chocolate mixture and mixed them all together. I then iced the cake by putting one layer on the cake stand and icing its top and placing the other layer on and icing the top and sides.

I thought the cake turned out pretty well. The cake part was moist and had a nice mild chocolate flavor to it. The icing I thought was fantastic with a wonderful bittersweet flavor to it. I really thought the icing outshone the cake part. Everyone loved it and gave it a 10, but Russ felt like the birthday cake I made for him is even better, so he gave tonight’s cake a 9.

Elizabeth and Seth were in charge of the entree and did marinated rib eye steaks. The marinade had a wonderful flavor to it! Emily and Dowe handled the vegetables doing corn on the cob and steamed broccoli with a yummy bernaise sauce. It paired really well with the steaks and the bernaise sauce make a fantastic finishing touch. It was a fun night with good friends and this season of the Bachelor looks like it is going to be very entertaining!

Hot Feta Cheese and Artichoke Dip, Tables of Content JLB
Serves 8

4 oz oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the sun-dried tomatoes dry with a paper towel and chop. Combine the tomatoes, artichokes, cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Spoon the artichoke mixture into a shallow 1 and 1/2 quart baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly; do not overbake. Serve with bagel chips and / or thin plain crackers.

(Cake recipe will be posted soon.)

Dinner with a Lemon Twist

Ken, a long time friend of my family, has recently taken an interest in cooking and baking. He called the other day and wanted to bring a new dessert by to share with Russ and me one night. We checked calendars and decided tonight would be perfect and that he should come in time to eat dinner with us too. So, then came the decision of what to make for dinner. I flipped through several cookbooks and with Russ’ help I decided to go with a lemon theme and make Ina Garten’s Chicken Piccata served Giada's Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. Since neither the chicken nor the broccoli are very time consuming I decided to go ahead and have an appetizer of Late Summer Tomato Bruschetta (Michael Chiarello).

I made a few changes to the bruschetta recipe to make it a little easier and to try a few different variations of it. To make the bruschetta you slice the bread (I used a baguette instead of a country loaf). I then put the bread on a baking sheet under the broiler for just a few minutes on each side to get it toasty. While the bread is toasting then you chop the tomatoes and basil and mix them together with a little salt and pepper. Here is where I added some variation by adding a little balsamic vinegar to part of the tomato mixture. When you pull the bread out you rub it with the pieces of garlic. I then topped some of the pieces of bread with thin slices of fresh mozzarella and then topped all of the pieces of bread with the tomato mixture.

The bruschetta was very easy to put together and very tasty. We liked the addition of the balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella to it. Next time I might try cutting the mozzarella into small cubes and mixing it with the tomato mixture. The only thing we didn't like was the strong garlic flavor. I rubbed both sides of the bread with garlic and the bottom side had too strong of a garlic taste to it. The garlic rubbed on the top side works well with the tomato mixture, but the bottom side was overkill. Russ rates the bruschetta a 7.

I have made chicken piccata before, however, I have never made Ina's chicken piccata before tonight. The main difference I see in her dish is that she finishes her chicken off by baking it and simply pours the sauce over it instead of finishing the chicken cooking in the sauce. To make her chicken piccata you pound the chicken out to about 1/4 inch thickness. The chicken pieces are then dipped in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs. Once coated the chicken goes into the pan with olive oil and sautes for 2 minutes on each side. After the chicken is browned on both sides you put it in the oven to finish baking it. Meanwhile you make the sauce of lemon juice, butter, white wine, salt, and pepper. You bring it to a boil and then reduce it by half. I served the chicken over a bed of angel hair pasta with the sauce poured on top. You top the chicken with parsley and a lemon wedge.

We all really liked the lemon flavor and the texture with the breading on the chicken. The chicken was tender and moist. While it did take several dishes to bread the chicken the most time consuming part was simply pounding the chicken. This was a fairly simple dish that looks impressive and is very tasty. Russ rates the chicken a 9.

As a side I tried Giada's Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. This was a very easy, but different take on steamed broccoli. You cut the broccoli into florets and then steam it. Once it is done then you toss it with the lemon olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. I used the lemon olive oil that Jess and Scott brought us back from Italy.

While the lemon flavor is fairly subtle I thought it complemented the broccoli well. I also really liked the change from using butter to olive oil with the broccoli. As long as I have lemon olive oil around I will continue to dress our broccoli with it. Russ rates the broccoli a 8.

Ken ended our meal on a very high note with a spectacular dessert called a Mixed Berry Pavlova. It is one of Ina's recipe and it was a wonderful summery dessert. The bottom layer is a light, fluffy meringue with the center still somewhat soft and creamy. The meringue is topped with homemade whipped cream. The whipped cream is then topped with fresh berries that are tossed in a raspberry sauce. All in all a beautiful and tasty dessert that is just sweet enough for a hot summer night.

Russ and I enjoyed having Ken over and tasting his sweet creation!

Chicken Piccata, Barefoot Contessa at Home
Serves 4

4 split (2 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 extra-large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups seasoned dried bread crumbs
good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
sliced lemon, for serving
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper of plastic wrap and pound it out to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread-crumb mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the saute pan and cook the second chicken breasts. Place them on the same sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each plate, spoon on the sauce, and serve with sliced lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, Giada's Family Dinners
6 servings

1 and 1/2 pounds broccoli florets
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water. Set a steamer rack in the pot. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and steam until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 7 minutes.

Transfer the broccoli florets to a large bowl and toss with the oil. Season the broccoli to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Note: As an alternative to the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, use 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. If you have fresh mint, add some, finely chopped.

A Crazy Cajun Weekend!

Tonight Russ and I decided to have a few friends over for a crawfish boil. We’ll we actually decided this several days ago, but it happened tonight. Russ and I both love crawfish and last year we ate them on several occasions during the season, however, this year we have barely eaten any of them. So, we decided we would solve this by having a crawfish boil in our backyard.

I made two dips for appetizers. The first is Sumner’s Salsa which is super easy to make and very tasty. It includes two chopped tomatoes, black beans, green chiles, black and green olives, shredded monetary jack cheese, fresh cilantro, and fat free Italian dressing. I made it as soon as we got home from Do Dah Day (see below) to let it have time to marinate. The other dip I made is a new recipe for me from Ina Garten. It is her Sun-Dried Tomato Dip. It is also fairly simple to make with the help of a food processor. It is a creamy dip with cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise. It also as the name states includes sun-dried tomatoes and a few seasonings. I thought it turned out pretty well, but wished it had been a little more flavorful. Next time I think I will add a few more sun-dried tomatoes. I also think that in the future I will limit myself to one dip per party and do other non-dip appetizers to go with it. I love dips, but there are so many other good pick up appetizers out there that I should try.

Russ was in charge of the boil and crawfish. So, he ordered 35 lbs of crawfish and made a grocery list of everything else he needed. He includes fresh corn on the cob, red potatoes, garlic, lemons, and various seasonings in his boil. I think he did a great job and by the small number of crawfish left after everyone was done eating I would say that everyone else agreed. The crawfish were super moist and everything had great flavor. Russ thinks he can improve on it by getting the crawfish a little spicier. Next year he will up certain seasonings to accomplish this. The only other side we served with it was a wonderful slaw that Elizabeth made. It is her uncle’s recipe and it was the perfect side for the spicy boil.

For dessert I made Ina’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I made them in my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer. I still get excited using it and think it is a very fun kitchen tool. I am considering naming it…. Anyway, the cookies have peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, and a couple other things. You cream the butter with the brown sugar, then add the eggs, then add the dry mixture. Last you fold in the chocolate chips. You bake these for 17 minutes and take them out when they look not quite done yet. They finish baking once you have taken them out. I think this is the key to this recipe as the cookies that were a little more done than the others were not as good. The ones that were done perfectly were very tasty! Russ and I both thought they were yummy. Sumner made brownies which were a very moist and tasty. I think that both desserts were well received.

I think that all the food turned out very well. This may just mean that we’ll have to do a crawfish boil again next year. Next time we will try to get the crawfish a little spicier and I’ll do the appetizers a little differently. However, this is not the last of the crawfish for Russ and me for this season. I will be making some etouffee soon with the leftover crawfish. Russ rates the boil a 6, the appetizers a 8, and the cookies a 9. I think Russ is being a little a little tough on himself with the 6 for the boil as I would give it a higher rating.

As I mentioned before we went to Do Dah Day today with Scott, Jess, Hugo, Allen, Blue, and of course Sweet Baby Cash. It is a super fun annual dog festival that takes place in a couple of the parks off of Highlands. It is always fun, but was especially fun this year as it was Cash’s first time. He had a blast! All the dogs had a fun time seeing all the other dogs, eating treats, and hanging out. Cash was worn out afterwards, but rallied for the crawfish boil in order to play with Thomas. Cash will be sleeping and resting for most of tomorrow!

(*Do Dah Day pictures will be posted with tomorrow's post since no food pictures or recipes will be posted... are we not cooking tomorrow night or is there something bigger going on...?)

Food Processor Slaw

(Uncle Richard's Recipe)

1 head green cabbage
1 head red cabbage
3 green onions
2 carrots
16 oz + of T. Marzetti's Slaw Dressing

Finely chop all ingredients and mix well. (You can use the food processor with the grating disk for the cabbage.) Add slaw dressing and mix well. Add more dressing to taste.

Sumner's Salsa

1/4 lb monetary jack cheese, shredded
2 (4 oz) cans of sliced black olives, drained
2 (4 oz) cans of chopped green chiles
2 large chopped tomatoes
2 green onions chopped (green and white parts)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fat free Italian dressing

Put it all together in a bowl and let it sit for a couple hours or overnight in the fridge to marinate.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Ina Garten, "Barefoot Contessa, Parties!")
Makes 36 to 40 cookies

1/2 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup good smooth peanut butter
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (my notes: next time I think I will cut this in half or possibly eliminate it, with the peanut butter I am not sure additional salt is needed)
1 pound good semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and peanut butter, and mix. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the batter, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Drop the cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using either a 1 and 3/4 inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands, flatten the dough lightly, then press the tines of a wet fork in both directions. Bake for exactly 17 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.