Holiday Dinner club

The holidays are here, and seem to be passing us by so quickly; but we had an opportunity to get together for dinner club.  As usual, we had some amazing food, great conversations and delicious drinks!  This year, we decided that each of us would bring a friend, who could share in our food and festivities.  

Even though it was held in the evening, our theme for this month was brunch, I mean who doesn't love brunch food at any time?  Once again, everyone out-did themselves with the food, and a few people were smart and wore stretchy pants...wish I was smart!  

Mary started off the night right with a delicious holiday drink!  It was a simple syrup mixture with pineapple juice, and some other items to make a base (I'll post the recipe later), then you top it off with Champagne.  She also provided an appetizer that was a very fabulous shrimp salad appetizer.  It had Shrimp with tomatoes, olives, and a great dressing.  

For the main event, Carol, who was the hostess with the mostess, made a wonderful egg based quiche with bacon.  Now, if you remember, we have a rule in our dinner club that you aren't supposed to use a recipe you've tried before.  Well, Carol had tried this before, but it was a great tried and true recipe! 

Now, back to the food...oh yeah!  Ricki made a strata with spinach, that was absolutely fabulous.  Kathy brought a winter fruit salad, which I think I'm going to make and take to my family's Christmas dinner.  It was the perfect complement to the other heavy foods!  I made a coffee cake that was called 'The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.'  I was a little skeptical at first about if this was really the best coffee cake, but let me tell you...when I licked that batter off the beaters, well, I knew... this recipe was something special!  I also knew it after I found out that there are 3 sticks of butter in the recipe...wow, it isn't even a Paula Dean recipe!  This is actually a Pioneer Woman recipe, and here is a link to the recipe on her website:  Best Coffee Cake Recipe.  

Here is the recipe I used...you know I always have to make it my own.  

Ingredients:
For the Cake 

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, sifted
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/4 cups Butter milk (original calls for whole milk, but I mistakenly bought buttermilk...turned out great!)
• 3 eggs (the original calls for egg whites only and beaten until stiff...I'm too lazy to do that!)

For the topping

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups Pecans, chopped (I made spiced pecans to add an extra kick) 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat egg whites and set aside.  
• Cream butter and sugar together.  Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined.  Don't overbeat.  Lightly beat the eggs and add to the mixture with a rubber spatula.  Spread the cake mixture into a well-greased 9x13 baking pan (the original recipe stresses to use a pan with high sides or even a larger an 9x13 pan.  I had no issues with the cake overflowing...maybe that happens if you beat the egg whites).  
• In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly.  Sprinkle all over the top of the cake mixture.
• Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly.  Server warm and enjoy!!

 Picture from the Pioneer Woman's blog:

Pork and Geen Chili Stew

One of the only things I love about cold weather is sitting by a fire with a warm bowl of soup.  Luckily, I'm not the only one in the family that enjoys this.  My Dad, Jim is always trying new soups and passing the good ones on to me.  This week my post is one of my favorites that he found.
Pork and Green Chili Stew!!!  So if you are in the mood for an easy and very tasty bowl of goodness....you will need....

3 Tbsp Oil
2 and 1/2 pounds boneless pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
2 (7 oz) cans chopped green chilies
2 Tbsp chopped jalapenos (I use pickled)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1 can chicken broth
Rice

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add pork and cook until lightly browned. Stir in onion and garlic, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 min. Add tomatoes, green chilies, jalapeno, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir until well blended. Add chicken broth and cover, reduce heat and simmer about 2 and 1/2 hours or until pork is tender. 

Serve over hot rice...enjoy and warm up!!!!

Candy bar cookies

Halloween is over, but I'm sure you are like me and either had candy left over or need a reason to get rid of your kids candy.  I, like most people, over bought Halloween candy this year, and needed an easy way to get rid of it without just sitting and eating it, like years in the past.  So, I thought...why not just chop up the candy bars and throw them in some cookie dough to make some tasty treats.  

The cookies turned out great with Snickers and Milky Way added into the batter.  The caramel and chocolate melted into the cookies and added a nice sweet surprise in each bite.   

You can use whatever candy bars that you have...Reese's, 3 Muskateers, Twix, Heath bar...whatever you have left over.  Now, if you don't want to eat all the cookies...you can share with your co-workers, neighbors or other loved ones.  

I used a standard Mrs. Tollhouse recipe, and swapped in chopped up candy bars in place of the chocolate chips.

Cookie recipe:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup chopped Snickers and 1 cup chopped Milky Way candy bars (you can use whatever candy bars you want, just chop up 2 cups of candy).

Directions:

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, soda and salt in a bowl.
• With a mixer, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs until creamed together.
• Add flour mixture and combine.

• Add candy bars and stir by hand until combined.
• Drop by a spoonful onto a greased baking sheet.  
• Bake 9 - 11 mins until golden brown, or a little less for a chewier cookie.

Now, sit back, relax and enjoy the sugar high!

Dee