Our September

Several days before the menu I prepped the dessert:

 The filling was very easy to make!

 I was pretty nervous about working with the phyllo dough ... but it wasn't as hard as I was expecting. My biggest issue: the dough dried out very quickly despite a damp paper towel.

 I cut the filling recipe in half and still had enough to make 2 apple strudels! Here they are ready for freezing.

 The day of the menu! The hubster helped me cook =D

 Mr. Two cutting potato wedges

 My mac and cheese prep

 The potatoes and macaroni cooking away!

 Mr. Two making the honey BBQ sauce

 Our "boneless wings" aka. cut up chicken breasts!

 The chicken marinating in the buttermilk and chili powder. I nixed cayenne pepper since neither of us are hot/spicy food fans.

 The finished wedges! Delish!!

 The finish mac and cheese ... I did mess this up. But I don't know if Mr. Two would have liked it either way...? Bummer!

 Our entire menu! Overall, it was a keeper.

 Finished wings and sauce =)

 I thawed one strudel and was prepping it for baking.

 The finished dessert. It was super sweet but very good!

This is the first time Mr. Two has helped in the preparation and cooking of a cooking club menu! But since he had a lot to do with the choices, I thought it was only fair that he got in the kitchen. We had fun cooking together!

Overall this was a keeper menu! We really liked everything sans the macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately the blue box has taken over our taste buds and expectations and the homemade stuff isn't the same. After some double checking ... I also realized that I was off on the seasonings. I'm not sure if it was the halving of the recipe, the extra cook in the kitchen or that I was just reading off the wrong recipe, but there was a reason I was tasting too much nutmeg in that mac and cheese! Oops.

The chicken wings were great! Pretty easy (a little messy) and tasty. I was worried about the sauce, but we both really liked it!

My favorite thing was Mr Two's potato wedges; yummy! They got nice and crisp outside, and the rosemary was awesome.

Dessert was also good. I did things a little differently and made it up several days ahead and froze it, uncooked. I let it thaw on the counter for about ... 30 minutes and baked it. It is very sweet though! And that is coming from a gal with one major sweet tooth. We paired it with vanilla ice cream and ate it up pretty quickly.

I think I would change one of our starches for something fresh and bright, a fruit or veggie dish, and then the menu would be perfect. Mr. Two disagrees and heartily liked the lack of veggies. ;-)

And we did watch football with our meal! Welcome autumn.

September 2010 Menu

I have three general impressions of September's menu.  The first and most impressive is that it was a hit with the guys.  No moaning and complaining and several compliments.  Refreshing.  The second is that although I wouldn't necessarily label this menu "labor intensive" I felt like I used every dish, pot, pan and utensil I own.  Mr. #1 came in after two dishes were finished and declared a half time so he could clean the kitchen.  (He's nice like that).  Lastly, I have to start remembering to look at servings/portion sizes.  I am still in the "cook for a crowd" mode and there's always too much food!

I made the dessert first.  Discovered I'm not a fan of phyllo dough.  The menu clearly indicates "frozen phyllo dough."  But I'm here to tell you that phyllo dough is only meant to be used in a thawed state.  I managed to piece it together - but I was not using "sheets" - I was using "strips."  Skinny strips at that.  It is rather forgiving, however, and I used the butter as my glue to hold it together.  Once I had my "sheets" prepared, I looked at my filling and thought..."there's no way all that will fit."  I was right.  About 1/4 of the filling ended up as compost.  You will see from my photos that the front view looks picture perfect, but when you move around to the back - there is leakage.  :)  I did put the glaze and cinnamon on when it was out of the oven, but declined to add more powdered sugar.  It was definitely sweet enough. It has a nice autumn flavor and the phyllo dough has a texture I enjoy.  I don't know how the menfolk like it yet - they are too full from the other dishes.

Next I made the macaroni & cheese.  I didn't have quite enough gruyere and too much cheddar - but the ounces worked out.  I was skeptical about putting tomatoes on top, but that turned out to be my favorite flavor of the whole menu.  Son #1 was positive about the flavor, not too keen about the texture.  He likes "smooth and creamy."  Because I had baked it first and it sat for nearly 1/2 hour while everything else cooked, it may have cooled off too much.  Mr. #1 was definintely a big fan of this.  Note: Like many of Barefoot's recipes - I cut back on the salt.  This one calls for 1 tablespoon!  I used about 1 1/2 tsp.

Chicken wings w/ barbecue sauce.  Easy preparation!  Overlooked "turmeric" on the ingredient list, so would be interested to discover what that adds to the taste.  Also wasn't prepared to purchase "creamed honey" because of the expense, so I cut down the tablespoons to 2 and used regular honey.  Again, this was a hit with the guys...they would like to have it again.  And contrary to my earlier comment - there wasn't a whole lot of these left.  They went fast!

Son #1 made the potatoes.  They have good flavor and great aroma while baking.  The unanimous comment about this recipe is that with the macaroni and cheese - potatoes could have been given a miss.  I agreed with this comment - especially for the crowd we had (three!).  But I would keep the potatoes if serving a crowd or having a football party! 

Thanks for the tasty treats Mr. & Mrs. #2!  Touchdown!

Gal Two's September Menu

September Menu

Honey BBQ Wings

Baked Potato Wedges

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Apple Strudel

A note about this month's menu: This was a combined effort! Mr. Two was getting tired of all this new food and having no say in any of it, so he volunteered to help create the September menu. Needless to say it ended up being very different from the all apple themed menu I had envisioned! This menu is all about fun, football, and comfort food. I did my best to make it a little healthier, but sometimes you just need a Saturday of tailgating food! We hope you all enjoy this one.

~

Boneless Honey BBQ Wings

This recipe is a combination of Eating Well's boneless wings and Sonny Anderson's honey bbq wings. The link to the sauce is a link to her entire wing recipe; scroll down a bit and you'll find the instructions for her sauce. In fact, she does three different sauces if you are up for that challenge! This is my attempt at making wings a bit healthier for Mr. Two's fall football menu. If you chose to throw out the healthy part, and just do Sonny's wings, let us know!


Ingredients
1/2 Cup nonfat buttermilk
1-2 TBSP cayenne pepper
2 LBS chicken tenders
6 TBSP whole wheat flour
6 TBSP cornmeal
2 TBSP canola oil, divided
Salt and Pepper to taste

DirectionsSeason chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk buttermilk and cayenne pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken, toss to coat, and refrigerate for one hour. (Stir occasionally).

Meanwhile, whisk flour and cornmeal in a shallow bowl.

Remove chicken from buttermilk marinade and roll in flour mixture until evenly coated. Sprinkle both sides with additional salt to taste. Set on wire rack to let coating set, 20 minutes

Heat 1 TBSP canola oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden brown and baked through; 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire cooking rack (with a lined baking sheet underneath to catch drips). Repeat with the remaining 1 TBSP oil and chicken.

Coat chicken with the Honey BBQ Sauce!

Sonny's Honey BBQ Sauce

Serves 6-8.

~

Baked Potato Wedges
Jared wanted potato wedges to go with his wings! So, I went to my two favorite cooks, Ina and Alton for ideas. Sadly, I couldn't find anything from Alton so I turned to this top rated recipe from Ina. These are baked, not fried, making them a bit healthier. They also look pretty darn easy!

Ina's Potato Wedges

~

Mac and Cheese

Dish number three was my idea. Wings and wedges are great, fun, fall football food. But I just felt like we needed something else. So I decided, and Mr. Two agreed, that a batch of creamy, homemade macaroni and cheese fit the bill. This Ina recipe seems hearty and filling and I've been looking for an excuse to try this for a while now!

Ina's Mac & Cheese

~

Apple Strudel

And last, but not least, dessert! What fall menu would be complete without an apple dessert? Mr. Two saw this recipe and decided that we needed to try it! I have never worked with fillo dough; excited that I don't have to make the pastry, but a little nervous too. The reviews said that you might want more than 5 pieces of filo dough, and that the filling recipe makes enough for 2 strudels! Bake accordingly. I am thinking this would be something you could make ahead, pop in the oven to warm and then glaze.

Paula Deen's Apple Strudel

Add a salad or veggie platter to this meal and have yourself a fantastic fall day enjoying your favorite football team! We plan to =D

Holy Batman Does Orlando!

Gal One

Over the last several months I've learned that if I want to keep my sanity while participating in this cooking blog, there are a few things that are an absolute must. One: cook on the weekend. Two: don't shop for the ingredients the same day you are going to prepare them. Now I have a third: don't disembark from an airplane and cook four brand new dishes on the same day. I did learn some wonderful things from August's menu, however. One was how to pronounce "JICAMA." (HICKAMA). White, crunchy and kind of tasteless. We opted to leave out the cilantro - probably should have left it in.

The best discovery was gruyere. I'm always afraid of food I can't pronounce, but this cheese is something Barefoot uses alot of - now that I've tried it...I'm a believer! Wonderful flavor. Another benefit of the chicken dish (besides the discovery of gruyere cheese) is that Mr. #1 will definitely be a fan.

I love cooking together - that was the best part hands down - even though we didn't finish cooking until close to 9:00 in the evening! It was a great way to start our mini-vacation with not only Gal 1 & 2 but Son 1! Food always tastes better when we're at the table together!

Gal Two

Unbelievably, our cooking club has been able to be together to cook two out of our three summer menus together! This time we didn't have all the guys around to critique, just one. It was kind of nice that way. ;-)

I really loved this menu! The chicken dish was excellent and so easy. The good cheese, while pricey, is essential. I will be making this one again at home for Mr. Two. He's going to love it. The salad was crisp and fresh; I loved the colors and the texture. We made a substitution with the herbs and I think because of it the salad needed just a little something ... The puree was another favorite! It was very autumn in it's ingredients and flavor; a nice hint of fall in our end of summer menu. I will also be making that dish again. Dessert was light and fresh; good for the figure but not so exciting for me the dessert lover!

Overall, I think this was a fantastic menu and I really enjoyed getting to cook with the other gals. I give it an 8!

Gal Three

Well we've done it again. We've beaten the miles and the odds are here we were together once more to make our menu. I must say I was nervous about this one, it is a very different departure for my other Gals so I was anxious to see how it would all come together. I think there was an overall agreement that 3 of the 4 dishes were a big hit. The chicken was very good and the Gruyere cheese was an absolute must! The creaminess and smokiness of the cheese really made the chicken dish amazing. The chicken went nicely with the puree because they are very fall-type dishes. The salad was good but not with the other dishes. It was so different from the richness and heartiness of the other dishes it just seemed to be a stranger on the plate. Omitting the cilantro called for lost something of the flavor so this one will be tried again with something more summer-type, like kabobs.

I loved the dessert but for my heavy dessert fans I think my next choice will involve some type of baking or chocolate for my Gal 2! Overall I would give the menu an 8, and looking forward to cooking some more menus together with my favorite Gals and Guy helper!

The beginnings of our August Menu in Gal Two's Orlando kitchen

Freshly grated Gruyere cheese. AMAZING

We brought in some help to pound out the chicken breasts

Rolling the chicken cordon bleu

Gal One cutting some fresh herbs from the lovely patio garden

Cheerful, summer table setting

Candid kitchen moments

The panko bread crumb coating for the chicken

Peeling parsnips

Gal Two NOT thrilled about the coating station for the chicken - turned out to be worth it!

Gal Three cooking up onions and apples

Finishing the parsnips to add to those onions and apples

Getting ready to make the salad

Simply August

Welcome to August! I am so excited about this month's menu for several reasons, the first being the Gals will do this one together!! And this month has a theme, fresh and simple. I wanted to use lots of fresh ingredients that are still in-season. I also wanted things to be simple and ready to put together without a lot of extra time or cost. And these recipes you can play up or down, depending on what is in the grocery store and what you can afford! I am very excited and can't wait to try all these new recipes, bon appetit Gals!

August Menu

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless

4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

1/2 pound Gruyere, grated

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet of plastic and lay 2 slices of prosciutto neatly over the top to cover the breast and sprinkle a quarter of the cheese over the prosciutto. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll inside the plastic wrap. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic and kosher salt, pepper, and melted butter. The butter will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned.

Remove the plastic wrap. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs. Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the roulades onto it. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through.

Cut into pinwheels and serve on top of Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Jus and Cranberry Chutney, if desired.

Parsnip and Apple Puree

Ingredients

2 Fuji apples, peeled and cored

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

5 large fresh sage leaves

Water, to cover

Directions

Cut 1 1/2 apples into chunks and dice the remaining 1/2 apple into small cubes. Set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir in the shallots. Saute for a minute or so, then add the apple chunks and cook until slightly golden. Stir in the parsnips, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until caramelized. Once brown on all sides, add the sage leaves and cover with water. Simmer until soft or fork tender. Discard the sage and puree mixture and cooking liquid in a food processor until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary.

In a small saute pan, melt and brown the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the diced apple, season with a pinch of salt only and saute until the apples are coated and just tender.

Transfer the puree to a serving bowl and top with the browned butter coated diced apples.

Notes

Easily turned into a soup.

Great with coriander or curry powder as a substitute for the sage.

If a less sweet taste is desired, try a tart apple, such as Granny Smith.

Mango Jicama Slaw

Ingredients

1 mango, julienned

1/2 cup carrots, julienned

1 pound jicama, peeled and julienned

1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until serving.

Berries with Mascarpone and Meringue

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) container fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 1/4 cups fresh raspberries

1 1/4 cups fresh blackberries

2/3 cup fresh blueberries

4 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup whipping cream

Pinch ground cinnamon

4 meringue cookies, coarsely crumbled

Directions

Toss the berries, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let stand until juices form, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the mascarpone cheese in a large bowl to loosen. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and pinch of cinnamon in another large bowl to soft peaks. Fold 1/4 of the cream into the mascarpone cheese to lighten. Fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Using a slotted spoon, divide the berries among plates. Spoon the mascarpone cheese atop the berries. Sprinkle the meringue cookies over top. Drizzle the berry juices around the dessert and serve immediately.

Gal #3 and Guest Report on July!

Well this was one fun month to make this menu! My friend was in town for a visit so like our first month, she was there for another Gal #1 menu, we made this together! And I'm glad we did. This took some work gathering the ingredients and getting everything prepared and cooked together. We did find we did time this menu well getting the dessert first, then the broccoli salad together and then following with preparing the salmon and then the tomato salad. Timing worked out well.

Let's start with the amazing dessert we had. Well we changed some things around due to what we had in the kitchen. Instead of using the requested plums and blueberries with the peaches, we used peaches, mango, strawberries and some blueberries. We wanted enough fruit to make both crostatta's. We followed the measurements as closely as possible and baked according to plan. We ran into the same problem as Gal #1, mine didn't cook all the way through the middle. We also used frozen peaches so next time all fruit will be fresh. The topping wasn't very crumbly for me but it baked and turned out YUMMMY!

Next came the broccoli and bow tie salad. This was a favorite of both Gal #3 and guest! Super fast and easy to do, the broccoli was just perfect and such a bright green color. It was the perfect tenderness and we did an entire box of pasta so doubled the sauce recipe. We had a lot of leftovers but no worries that it won't get eaten! The lemon was just perfect in here! We forgot the pine nuts but will be adding these to the leftovers because they can only enhance the great flavor.

The tomato salad was very good. We added the black olives and beans. We didn't have anything other than red tomatoes, but it still was great. Next time we think adding some yellow and orange tomatoes would just put this over the top. I also used fresh basil from my herb garden and it really made all the difference. You can't substitute the fresh basil in this dish.

And finally the salmon dish. We both are salmon lovers and found that this was a really good dish. We did run into some trouble getting the long list of ingredients, and for sheer expense reasons some were omitted. The fish sauce was left out and we had red curry paste instead of the the suggested chili paste. I'm glad we didn't put the fish sauce in, it was salty enough without it! Taking advice from Gal 1 & 2 we cut out some salt and halfed the recipe since it was just two of us. It still was salty and the panko wasn't crunchy enough on top for either of us.

*Note: aluminum foil is necessary, and parchment paper is not a great substitute. My fire alarm let me know this and it added some excitement to the kitchen, but all turned out just fine.

So overall this was a good meal, just a little more cumborsome in its attempts. For people cooking on a budget this might seem overwhelming but things can easily be substittuted without loosing a lot of flavor. It was a great time making what we had work in the kitchen. And it really cut down expense using what was there. Overall Gal #3's guest rates it a 8.5 and Gal #3 says 8! Well done Mrs. Gal #1, looking forward to next month?

Cause girls its going to be fantastic!!!