I went to a recipe party the other night hosted by a girl in my building, which was super fun. Everyone brought three favorite recipes and made one. Then we all sampled and voted on the top 3. I made Susan's Famous Sausage Rolls (I totally think she should refer to them that way). They were a hit, but I didn't win. I should have though! Sausage rolls are so yummy! Here are some favorites from the party, plus a few other recipes that I've tried recently:
Pears Poached in Marsala with Cinnamon and Vanilla (from the party)
2 c dry Marsala wine ( I'm stupid and when I made this I bought the wrong wine. I got Merlot. The dish was still excellent)
2c water
3/4 c sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise (I didn't have these. I did a cap full of vanilla extract)
2 long strips orange peel
6 pears, peeled, cored stems left intact
Combine Marsala, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, and orange peel in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peeled pears. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer until pears are tender, turning pears occasionally about 40 min. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a platter. Boil liquid in pot until reduced to about 1 1 1/4 c. Pour syrup over poached pears. Chill until cold, turning pears occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Divide poached pears among 6 shallow bowls. Strain syrup: discard solids. Drizzle syrup over pears and vanilla ice cream.
The sauce from this dish is AMAZING. I cold drink it. This is an elegant and super fancy dessert (The pears turn purple - I love it). However, it is so easy and best when made ahead the day before serving. (Perfect for a dinner party, esp in the summer) Tyler and I tried nuking these to make them warm, but we decided they are best cold and definitely with ice cream!
Pumpkin Pie Cake (from the party)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 c butter, melted
Chopped pecans
Pumpkin Pie Mix:
16 0z can pumpkin
12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1. Pour mix in 9x13 pan.
2. Sprinkle box of yellow cake mix and pecans over the pumpkin mix - gently and evenly or you get hard spots. Top with pecans and "drizzle" with 1 c melted butter - cover evenly.
3. Bake at 350* for 55 min.
This was one of the winning dishes at the party. It wasn't my personal fav, because I don't like pumpkin much. If you do like pumpkin though - this is for you. My mom makes a dessert like this the same way except instead of pumpkin pie mix, she uses cherry pie filling and pineapples.
From Crockpot365: Mediterranean Chicken in the Crock Pot!
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/03/mediterranean-chicken-crockpot-recipe.html
This was so yummy! Sorry, no pictures. I think there are about a million "Mediterranean Chicken" recipes out there. I tried one once that had apricots and prunes that had rehydrated in the sauce. Gross. I have yet to be convinced that fruit and chicken go together - EXCEPT in chicken salad. Anyway, this is really, really easy and a good "something different" dish.
--3-4 frozen chicken breast halves (I used frozen tenders, no not the breaded kind)
--bag of frozen artichoke hearts (I used 2 cans)
--half jar of green olives (no juice) (I used green, but black would be good too)
--large can of tomatoes (and juice)
(I added 1/2-1 cup of white wine, not sure if it is necessary. I also added a good sprinkling of oregano and will for sure do that again)
The Directions:
put everything in your crockpot.
turn on.
cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4-6.
(Sprinkle with Feta Cheese and serve over rice or couscous)
Black Bean and Corn Soup (from Better Homes and Gardens)
2 1/2 cups of dry black beans (1 lb)
1 10oz package frozen corn
1 chopped onion
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot sauce
4 c boiling water ( I never make it boil, but then again our water heater is set to "inferno" and our water gets really, really hot, I burn myself daily and there is no changing it)
1 14 1/2 oz Mexican style tomatoes, undrained
Directions
1. Rinse beans. (The directions say to rinse then put in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 min. Remove from heat and let stand for an hour. Then drain - I never do this. I rinse and drain the beans, pick out the bad ones, and they come out fine. I do however cook them for 4-5 hours, not 8-10)
2. Put everything in the crockpot.
3. Cook for 4-6 on high, 8-10 on low
4. Sprinkle with cheese (Mexican or Cheddar) to serve
This is yummy and tastes like chili.
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