June's Joint Results

First thing first: dessert (it had to chill a long time!)

Next: making the tapanade for the tomato salad

This was the sweet basil dresing for our tomato salad

Our honey and lemon glazed sweet potatoes

Sweet basil dressing for the tomato salads again

Thawing the shrimps for our main dish

Prepping the plums for the kabobs

Assembling the kabobs

Dinner is served!

Dessert = Baked Alaska = Heaven

From Gal 3: This was an awesome menu! The best part about it was that we got to do this one together as the Gals in the kitchen. I would have to say I wish we could do that every month! I loved the food in this month's menu. Everything was great and light and fresh, except for the dessert (which is how it should be!) I thought the main dish was a great summer idea, but for my Guy 3 I would have to substitute the shrimp for chicken. The plums were extremely tart so I would think of substituting them for peaches. The salad was AWESOME! I had doubts...big ones. But they disappeared after the first bite. And the sweet potatoes were a fresh idea and might even be an added bonus on the skewers. But ultimately the dessert, Baked Alaska, was the best. It was so much fun to see it all come together and for someone who doesn't like merange I loved this dish! So thumbs way up on that one! Gal 2 I give it a 4/5 stars!

Gal 2 Reports: I second the best part of this month being able to tackle this monster menu together! We had a blast. I will also say that I had no idea what a chore this menu was... next time I'm thinking simpler. My favorite dishes were the sweet potatoes and the baked Alaska! I liked the rest of the meal, but for the cost of shrimp I don't think this is the best way to fix and/or eat it. I'd love to try the same kabobs with chicken and peaches! Eagerly awaiting July's menu ...

Gal 1: My thoughts about the June 2010 menu are mostly bound up in the delightful fact that Mrs. #1, 2 & 3 got to prepare it together…in the same kitchen! We had so much fun that when I stopped to think about what I would write – I couldn’t remember clearly what part of it I had contributed.

I think it is a remarkable tribute to the three of us that we can work so well together and in such a small space – we have disabused the notion about too many cooks spoil the broth. We had a blast and made some great food.

I had the job of making the meringue for the Baked Alaska. I’ve been making meringue for a long time (not always successfully) but this one turned out to be a stunner! Of course it was only the shell for an equally stunning dessert underneath – again, the result of a combined effort. I’m also glad that we did this one together – it’s gorgeous, it’s delicious, but it’s not something I would have wanted to attempt on my own. It also makes a lot – definitely a dessert for a crowd, not a romantic dinner for two!

My favorite part of the meal was the stacked tomato salad. I knew this would be the case even before I ate it. I fell in love with the name alone! I made the dressing for this one – real depth of flavor and definitely something I would eat again and again.

Mrs. # 3 and I worked together to grill the kabobs. Grilling is not my strong suit (usually Mr. #1 is in charge of this). These were sophisticated kabobs made on a very unsophisticated and archaic gas grill. We did the best with what we had! The grilled shrimp were delicious – the plums not quite in season. Had the plums been at their best, these kabobs would have been a knockout.