Christmas Brunch

How much do I just love Christmas?! This year was especially wonderful because we were all here together. Chris goes to his parents every other year and this was his year with us. Also, Margee Liz was in Puerto Rico last Christmas but was here this year. Christmas is always more festive with a baby in the house. Mom, Dad, Cassie, Ben, Brenda, TJ & Hee Ann were all here. It was a beautiful couple of days.

The Christmas Eve service was lovely. The music and dance really set the tone to move into the evening and Christmas day with a true spirit of the holiday.

I tend to prefer a Christmas brunch and we finish the day in mid-afternoon without a big dinner. This year's brunch came from Scandinavian menu in the January 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times. It was different enough to be special, but didn't fall into the realm of "one of Melissa's weird vegetarian meals" LOL

Scandinavian Christmas Brunch (with links to recipes)

Glogg (we replaced the alcohol with a cider/iced tea concoction and served it over ice)

Finnish Marmalade Muffins (SO GOOD)

Danish Egg Cake

Norwegian Winter Fuit Salad


Swedish Pancakes

Red Fruit Pudding with Cream

Deck The Halls

We had our annual Christmas tree trimming party. After playing around with the timing the past few years, I think settling on a Sunday afternoon was the right move. Of course, at this time of year, it is difficult to fit into everyone's schedule (unfortunately Cassie and TJ had to work), but because it's more informal, people can just drop by or stay all afternoon. They can bring their kids and/or come after (or before) church. I found it to be a flexible time for a holiday party.


There was a really nice mix of some of our favorite people from church, work, family and long time friends. I got so busy, that I forgot to take pictures of everyone. So I decided to post photos of some of the lovely ornaments people brought to put on my tree.


I thought it was really sweet of people to help trim the tree with decorations they brought. The first Christmas tree that I bought for my own place, was in 1995. I only had a few ornaments (every year, my mom would buy me one when I was growing up so that I would have a collection as an adult). Because the tree was so huge though, I still didn't have nearly enough ornaments. When I had the first tree trimming party, I asked everyone to bring an ornament.


In the 11 years since then, I have collected more ornaments than I can even use in a year. So each year I have a theme (the past 2 years are red and white). I'll use all kinds of ornaments, but I try to give it an overall look with a certain color scheme. I also then have a lot of ornaments that can be used throughout the whole house.


Because it was an afternoon party, we didn't have a ton of food, but we seemed to have just the right amount. Glen brought some crackers and cheese and wonderful pumpkin bread that helped round out the buffet. Chris and I made chili. I made vegetarian chili and Chris made turkey sausage chili. Earlier in the week, I made a much too big batch of chipotle black bean soup, (Soak beans overnight and drain. Saute oil, chopped onion, chopped peppers, minced garlic. Stir in oregano, cumin, chipotle sauce. Add Water, Bay Leaf, Black Beans. Simmer uncovered 2 hours (or till tender - could pressure cook). Stir in cocoa, oj, cilantro, scallions, salt. Simmer 5 minutes and serve) so I used it as the base for my vegetable chili and added sauted onion and peppers along with my chili powder spice mix and kidney beans. I almost forgot how to make it since it has been a really long time. It cooked down most of the day, and by the end of the day, was really thick with a really intense smokey flavor. We served it with sour cream, cheese and yellow rice: (from Moosewood Simple Suppers) Saute oil and brown rice and generous pinch of saffron. Add Water and Salt. Cover, boil, lower heat, and simmer 40 minutes.

We also served tortilla chips and apples with a velveeta and beer fondue (just put cut up velveeta with 1/2 cup of beer in a fondue pot and melt over low heat).

Of course since it's Christmas, I made a few batches of cookies. I got the recipes from Martha Stewart for peppermint merangues, chocolate espresso cookies and pumpkin cookies. I also made the Eagle Magic Cookie Bars (these are my favorite):
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for glass dish). In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13X9-inch baking pan.
Pour EAGLE BRAND® evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store leftovers covered at room temperature.
Notes: Recipe Variations: Substitute chocolate chips or nuts with: candy coated pieces, dried cranberries, raisins, mini marshmallows or butterscotch chips.

Holiday Kick-Off Dinner Party

For 10 years now, I have an annual tradition of hosting a very coordinated "pot luck" dress up/sit down dinner for about 20 people. It is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving and there is a core group of friends that somehow all can be traced back to Drew Univ. (even though I didn't know them in college and not all of them actually attended. . . lots of long complicated stories there). Some special guests we had this year were Ryan and Cassie's friend, Jessica who is from Jamaica and needed a place to stay for the long weekend.

This is my first party of the Christmas season. I spend all day Friday cleaning and getting the house decorated for Christmas. The table is set with Christmas linens and my special china. Since I observe "Black Friday" as "Buy Nothing Day," (in protest of all the excess consumerism), I have done all my grocery shopping earlier in the week. Plus, one year I learned the hard way that you can't find a whole fresh turkey the day after Thanksgiving.

From year-to-year, I've invited other special people from my life, but always included the group that I formed close friendships with in my early 20's. It's one of the only times that we all get together anymore and I know I can count on them to be there.

With growing families and a blessing of many friends, over the years, this party has grown to the point that our home can't quite handle the chaos.

This year, we made the difficult decision to only invite the "original group" and ask them to leave their wonderful children at home. This was especially hard for me because these are the same people who so openly welcomed me to bring Cassie to every possible event when she was a little girl. However, one child versus 6 or 7 makes a big difference . . . especially at dinnertime.

For the first time in a couple of years, I felt very in control of the planning and timing of this particular event and was able to enjoy conversation with good friends who I don't see nearly enough. This, to me, was such a special way to finish a week filled with good memories with friends and family.

The Menu:
Roast Turkey: Chris
Polenta Dome with Roasted Vegetables: Me

Autumn Salad: Tasha (coincidentally the same salad I made for Thanksgiving)
Tabbouli and Mashed Potatoes: Koryn and Suzi
Gran-Anne's Cranberry Walnut Dressing: Mom
Ed's Big Lasagne: Ed
Vegetarian Stuffing: Amy (who sadly couldn't join us this year because she was sick. She was so nice to send it with Suzi).
Creamed Spinach: Debbie
Apple Pie: Cassie

Tom and Mary brought some extra wine and Desha brought a yummy bottle of mint chocolate Bailey's.

Vegetarian Entree: Polenta Dome with Roasted Autumn Vegetables
(From Moosewood Celebrates)

Boil 4 C Vegetable Stock and 1 t Salt

Gradually pour in 2C cornmeal, stirring vigorously.

Reduce heat, stir frequently, until polenta a thick and cooked (should be firm but pourable)

Meanwhile:

Saute Until Carmelized (about 20 min)

2C Diced Onion

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t salt

Stir in and cook 3-4 min (add water if needed):

2 pounds Butternut Squash, peeled and grated

1T Fresh Sage, 2t Ground Fennel Seeds, 1/2 t Black Pepper

When ploenta is ready, stir in the vegetables. Add

1C Grated Cheddar

Pur polenta into an oiled 2 quart bowl and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400

Turn cooled polenta onto ovenproof platter

Bake 30 minutes or until hot.

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

Prepare Marinade;

1/3C EVOO

2T Balsamic Vinegar

5 Garlic Loves, Minced

1/4t pepper

1/2t Salt

2 T Fresh Rosemary

Toss each of the following vegetables individually in the marinade:

1 large onion, quartered

3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut in 2" pieces

2 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in bite sized pieces

3 Zucchini, quartered lengthwis and cut crosswise in 2" pieces

2 Red or Yellow Bell Peppers, in 2" pieces

10 oz baby portabellos, halved

6-8 cherry or grape tomatoes

Roast onions and carrots on oiled pan for 30 min at 450. Turn heat down to 400 and add remaining vegetables. Roast all for 15 minutes, stir and roast another 10-15 min until carmelized.

Place Polenta Dome in center of large platter and surround with roasted vegetables.

Happy Thanksgiving

What a lovely Hinnen Thanksgiving! On Tuesday after work, I went out to my dad's and stayed till after Thanksgiving dinner. My brother, Brenda, Margee Liz and Brenda's sister, Evelyn, came out with Cassie and my sister and Hee Ann drove out too.

It was so nice in the morning to look out to the woods and see a family of deer. On Wednesday, we had to stop the car to let about a dozen turkey cross the road. It was a very peaceful setting to gather the family. My dad lost his wife right before Thanksgiving last year so it was good that we could all be together and create happy memories in his new home. Cassie said the blessing which was simply beautiful. I felt so Thankful to be in the midst of this loving family.

The big news of the day is that Margee Liz is going to be a big sister. It was a joyous announcement.

Ben brought a Pumpkin Pie that he made at work and made the gravy. TJ made her famous mashed potatoes. Dad made the turkey. TJ and I made cornbread stuffing. I also made the Autumn Salad from Moosewood Celebrates and green beans with lemon, garlic and salt. Hee Ann commented that everything was homemade - his family just opens a can of gravy. Of course, we had the canned cranberry sauce.



Autumn Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

SALAD
Salad Greens
Grapes
Fennel
Red Onion
Goat Cheese
Apple
Walnuts

DRESSING: (BTW this is my new absolute favorite dressing)

3T Maple Syrup
1 1/2T Dijon Mustard
6T Cider Vinegar
1 1/2T EVOO
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Kansas City with the Virtual Veggies

I just had one of the best weekends! In March, I joined Weight Watchers and came across an online community of vegetarians. Within this wonderful group, is a Virtual Vegetarian thread. Women, like me, who are on weight watchers and who are mostly vegetarian.

This weekend, 8 of us got together in Kansas City and all met for the first time in person. I am so amazed and impressed with these women. We all got along so well with no drama or competitiveness. Conversation came easily and it was like we had known each other for years (no doubt because we have been "talking" daily for months. Even me, who is generally in bed at 10 was up laughing and talking till 1 a.m.

On Friday night, we went to dinner at a tapas restaurant. We shared a number of delectable dishes and 2 pitchers of sangria. We ventured into Kansas City downtown on Saturday and ate lunch at Eden Alley. They had wonderful homemade bread. We had a variety of meals like pumpkin enchiladas, mushroom spinach loaf with marinara, and sweet potato croquettes. They had an amazing bread pudding and the most luscious pumpkin pie with orange whipped cream. According to TxGeek who called to encourage a cookbook, there may be one in the far future. We spent the afternoon on the Plaza.


Saturday night was so much fun. After a shopping trip to Wild Oats, we prepared (from the Moosewood Cookbooks):

Smokey White Bean Soup
Samosas with Tamerind Dipping Sauce http://www.molliekatzen.com/show/samosas.php
Walnut Feta Pate
Salad with garam masala toasted walnuts

Wondering1 brought us some of her famous soy banana "cream" pie. yummm. . . she also brought a dairy one because of Klo's allergy.



It was so good to be away and spend time with new people who are all on similar journeys. It has been a long time since I had this much fun for a whole weekend. I feel like probably a minute didn't go by that I didn't have a smile on my face.

Happy Birthday Cassie

Wow! I can't believe my baby girl is suddenly a beautiful, mature, smart 19-year-old young women. How can this be? I can still see my chubby cheeked little darling when I look at her. I think back to how terrified I was when I found out I was pregnant. I had no idea what God had planned for us by putting this precious joy in my care. It's been a long journey and I'm so thankful to have the honor to raise her and be part of her transformation.

It is nice that she is in school close to home. She had to be at work at 2:00 so she took the train this morning and we had a family brunch. It was a good reason to change over the dining room from summer to fall. We put out the autumn colored tablecloth and prepared a basket of winter squash for the mantel. I love the warm cozy feeling. Chris and I agree that 8 is the ideal maximum for number of people at a meal in our dining room. Ryan, my parents and my brother and sister all came over. My brother brought his daughter who was her sassy little self today.

Chris and my styles are definitely blending well to host a meal. At one time, I think we got in each other's way a lot and had competing flavors and tastes but it seems to be more in sync lately. It was very enjoyable and good quality time for us. The dishes all complimented each other and we had just the right amount.

Cassie's Birthday Brunch

Smoothies: Blended silk tofu, frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, peach nectar. These were a hit. They went down very easily . . . Cassie was the only one who managed to savor hers.

Fritatta a'la Chris: eggs (half yolks removed), carrots, onion, orange pepper, zucchini, parsley, and provolone cheese (not necessary but created a nice "crust" on the top). This was so light and the seasoning was perfect. Chris used his new Shun knife to chop the veggies in a fine even dice. The fritatta was served in his new LeCreuset pan. Both were bought with gifts from his recent birthday.

Pear Applesauce: Evelin brought me apples from her trip to the apple orchard weekend. I enjoyed some in a strudel, as a snack, on salad and finally used them up in this sauce of apples, pears, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. My sister commented that she wished she had her own kitchen so that she could experiment with recipes like this. It was so simple and so tasty and smooth. It's hard to eat processed food when you know how good the fresh stuff is.

Yogurt: I made yogurt last night to have for the week but thought it would be a nice addition to the menu. I think nobody really new what it was or how to use it so it actually wasn't touched. Fresh homemade yogurt is so good though. I am happy to have it for the week. It's just reconstituted non-fat milk and 2 T of Stonyfield Plain Yogurt as starter. I made it in the yogurt maker.

Waffles: At Cassie's request we had waffles. I wish I had planned better though. I didn't realize how long it would take to make waffles for 8 people since you can only make one at a time. Something I should keep in mind if I ever think to do it in the future. Anyway, I've been craving pumpkin lately so I made pumpkin waffles and basic waffles. It seemed that my family (except for Cassie who is relieved when I make something "normal") liked the novelty of the pumpkin since they were all eaten but not the regular ones. The pumpkin waffles were from the Post Punk Kitchen - my new favorite resource for creative vegetarian. They were almost vegan but I used 2T dairy yogurt instead of soy. The recipe is here: http://tinyurl.com/jqr96. The regular waffles were actually half whole wheat and half white flour. They were from Alten Brown's show. He's really entertaining. . . and his show is educational. It really helps me understand why and how food and recipes react certain ways. The link to the waffles is: http://tinyurl.com/h7bfa. They are just your basic good waffles. That's what I like about A.B. - he just gives you the basics and you can run with it or not as your imagination allows.

Cassie also, likes Kiwi so I sliced one and served it on a plate.

Of course what would a birthday party be without a cake??? So my pastry chef brother was kind enough to bake a carrot cake. It was the best carrot cake I have ever had. It was so light and the flavors were so perfect. The cream cheese frosting wasn't too sweet and you could taste every ingredient in the cake. I can't believe he works at the Whole Foods bakery and is in such great shape.

Overall, the meal was not WW friendly but I ate small amounts and didn't eat anything else all day. I'm not sure what that points are but I counted them as a days'. Tomorrow morning I WILL run.

Cassie's off to College

Well, my baby's off to college. I'm so proud of her and very excited. I just know she is ready for this new challenge. As she meets new people and stretches her critical thinking, she will grow into a woman who will do wonderful things.

I know this, and yet I am sad that this person, who has been part of my daily life since I was younger than she is now, is not in that same place in my life any more. It is the end of an era for us and while I know that the next stage will bring wonderful new changes, I cried after dropping her off.

Chris and Ryan came with us. After a very confusing check-in process, we helped her move in and unpack a bit. Goodness, this child has a lot of clothes and as the picture shows, the dorm room is not especially big. Then, we went to lunch in the cafeteria. Talk about mediocre! Cassie had a beef and gravy thing over pasta, mac salad, mixed veggies and rice. I had a mostly iceberg lettuce salad and hummus with pita.

Ryan had to catch a train back and Chris and I went to a very long information session. After, there was a Convocation and the incoming class was welcomed. This is the largest and most diverse class. We were strongly encouraged to say good-bye shortly after the convocation. By the time we left, Cassie had already met a bunch of people and was socializing with them. I know she'll do great. . .

Here is a recipe for the cookies I made for Cassie. They are from "The Muffin Lady" cookbook:

Bakeless Cookies
Boil for 3 minutes:
2 C Sugar
1/2C Milk
3T Cocoa Powder
4T Butter

Remove from heat and stir in
1/2 C Peanut Butter
3C Oatmeal
1t Vanilla

Drop cookies on sheet and chill.

Mustard Seed School Retreat

Every year the Mustard Seed School staff retreats for a couple of days before school starts. It's a great time to bond, catch up after the summer and begin planning for the coming year. We also worship together and pray for each child by name.

For the past couple of years we have stayed in Ocean Grove, NJ. This year we had less than friendly beach weather, but we had a productive few days of work and fellowship.

DAYS is the ice cream parlor near the retreat hall. You must go there if you are ever in Ocean Grove.

The retreat hall has a commercial kitchen and with the help of my co-workers, we made a lot of really good, healthy food. On Wednesday, we finished off almost all of the leftovers. It is such a joy to work with such passionate, dedicated teachers and I was happy to be able to contribute to the retreat in this way.

To follow are the recipes. They are for a large group and can be scaled down as needed. Most of the recipes are adapted from Whole Foods Market or Moosewood cookbooks.

Retreat Lunch Tuesday - Sandwich Board

Sonoma Chicken Salad (serves 18)
From the Whole Foods Market Cookbook

Prepare Dressing
3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 C honey
10 tsp poppy seeds
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper

Salad
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place
6 pounds boneless chicken breasts
in one layer in a baking dish with 1½ cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from baking pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.
When the breasts are completely chilled (at least 2 hours refrigerated), dice into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
Stir in Dressing and:
2 1/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
6 cups red seedless grapes
9 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Mediterranean Tuna Salad (serves 16)
From the Whole Foods Market cookbook

Mix together
8 (6 ounce) cans chunk light tuna, drained well
28 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped red peppers
1 1/2 cup Greek olives, coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, minced
1/2 cup Italian parsley, minced
1/2 cup basil, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced (1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 tablespoon fresh oregano
2 cup mayonnaise
6 tablespoons lemon juice
fresh ground black pepper

Roasted Vegetables (18)
Toss veggies with dressing and roast for 20 until the caramelize at 500
3 Red Pepper
3 Green Pepper
2 1/2 Red Onion
3 Zucchini
3 Yellow Squash
3 T olive oil
3t lemon juice
6 t dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper

Black Bean Hummus
4 cups cooked black beans, drained (or 2C Black and 2C Garbanzo)
4 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)
1/2 cup tahini
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 tsp cumin
hot pepper sauce (to taste)
3 TB olive oil
6 tsp tamari
4 TB warm water
1 cup cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients except for cilantro in food processor. When combined, transfer to serving bowl. Fold in cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste

Retreat Lunch Tuesday - On the Side

Bistro Bow Tie Salad (serves 24)
From the Whole Foods Market cookbook (This made A LOT)

Mix together and serve
2 pund cooked bow tie pasta
4 small zucchini sliced
1 cup red onion, sliced
4 Cup pitted kalamata olives
4 Cup feta cheese
4 large tomato cut into wedges
2cup sun-dried tomatoes
20 Cups baby spinach
1 ¼ C Italian herb vinaigrette

Cheese Board
3 Cheese Board, Wasa Crackers, Grapes, Olives

Don't Forget
Sliced Bread, Rolls and Wraps for Sandwiches

Retreat Lunch Tuesday - Dessert

Ginger Peach Crumble
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Evenly distribute
6 pounds peaches, peeled and sliced
Sprinkle with
12 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Lemon Juice

Top with:
3 cup crumbled gingersnaps (about 60 gingersnaps)

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the peaches are bubbling and tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with Reddi Whip

Retreat Dinner Tuesday -on the side: Corn on the Cob and Tangerine & Olive salad and Israeli CousCous Salad

MORROCAN TANGERINE AND OLIVE SALAD
Combine
12 large tangerines Segmented
6 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives

Whisk
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Add to tangerine mixture; toss to coat. Season tangerine mixture with salt and pepper and put on top of:

4 head of butter lettuce, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Moroccan Toasted Couscous (serves 16)
This is from the Whole Foods Market Cookbook

The Dressing
Heat together:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs lemon zest

Whisk into:
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs honey
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

The Salad
Combine & simmer 10-15 min
3 cups Israeli couscous, toasted 10-15 min at 375
3 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp turmeric

Combine the couscous with (I chopped the following ingredients finely in the food processor)
2 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 small yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, minced
20 dried figs, chopped
20 dried apricots, chopped
1 cup craisins
2 cup pecans
1 cup cashews, chopped
1 cup minced fresh cilantro
3 Tbs grated orange zest

Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.

Retreat Dinner Tuesday - Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers and Moroccan Chicken

Roasted Chicken with Moroccan spices

Marinate for 4-6 hours
6 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast in:
3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
9 tablespoons ground cumin
4 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
6 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6teaspoons salt
6 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pre-heat broil. Broil chicken in marinade until just cooked through, occasionally brushing with any remaining marinade, about 10 minutes per side Transfer chicken to platter.

Sprinkle with
¾ C parsley (I didn't do this)

Makes 18 servings.

Middle Eastern Tofu Stuffed Peppers
This is from the Moosewood Low-Fat Cookbook

Saute 3 minutes:
8 Tblsp. Canola or other Vegetable Oil
8 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups diced onions
1/4t cayenne
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Add, cover and cook 3 minutes:
6 cups peeled and diced carrots
dash of salt

Add and cook 2 minutes
4 cup diced tomatoes (I didn't do this)

Stir in and cook 2 minutes then cover and set aside 5 minutes:
6 cups tofu -45 ounces (Freeze tofu overnight, thaw all day, crumble)
¾ C soy sauce
4 Tblsp. chopped fresh dill (1 tsp. dried)
8 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cup couscous, uncooked
1 cup hot water

Stir in:
¾ C currants or raisins

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Fill with ½ C filling:
16 large bell peppers, halved

Pour in bottom of glass baking dish:
8 cups tomato juice

Cover tightly, and bake for 45-50 minutes until the peppers are tender.
Serve Feta and chunky tomato sauce on side

Chunky Tomato Sauce
6 Cups

In a heavy, nonreactive pan, sauté 10 min
1C onions
6 cloves garlic
2t Olive Oil

Add:
56 oz Undrained Canned Tomatoes
Basil
Salt And Black Pepper

Staff Retreat Evening Dessert

BERRY TRIFLE (32) MAKES 2 TRIFLES

4 10oz frozen strawberries, thawed
4 10oz frozen blueberries, thawed
1 c Sugar
1/2 C Lemon Juice
6 C low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 1/4 low-fat sour cream
2t vanilla
2 fat-free pound cakes or angel food cakes
2C raspberry jam

Toss berries with sugar and lemon juice.

Combine yogurt, sour cream and vanilla

Cut cake in 4 lengthwise slices and layer with ¼ cup jam between slices ending with jam on top. Cut into 1/4” thick slices.
Line bottom and sides of large dish with cake slices. Spoon in ½ Fruit. Top with half of the yogurt. Layer with cake slices, fruit and yogurt mixtures. Cover and allow to set 4 hours.

Tracy and Ryan

Last night, Cassie's boyfriend, Ryan came to dinner with Ryan's mom, Tracy. They've been dating for two years but it's taken this long to get us all together. The kids are off to college in a few weeks so it was good to have another mom to commiserate/celebrate with.

The picture is Cassie and Ryan on Thanksgiving weekend.

Tracy mentioned she has a blog and it reminded me that a year ago I tried to start a blog and then didn't keep it up. But, here it is, just waiting for me.

It was a really enjoyable evening. I feel so blessed that we have a living room and a formal dining room. I love having a relaxing place to eat dinner and hang out after. Chris and I (and Cassie when she's around) sometimes spend hours at the table just talking, catching up and laughing a lot. It's usually my favorite time of day.

So, it was great to do the same with Ryan and Tracy.

Here was our menu with approximate WW points:
Mixed Greens with Buttermilk Dressing (1)
Corn on the Cob (1)
Pasta with Fresh mozzarella and Fresh Tomato Sauce (5)
Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits (3)
White Sangria (1) (but I had 3 glasses)
Juniors Cheesecake (7? Okay I know it's gotta be more. . . but can't deal with the reality today)

I'm am slowly perfecting my buttermilk dressing. The consistency was just right, but it was a little too garlicky. Maybe the garlic added some excitement to an otherwise boring salad. I bought the mixed "farm greens" salad in a bag and figured it had enough textures and I didn't need more veggies in the salad since they were in every other aspect of the meal. The dressing was made with:

Canola Oil
Basil
Garlic
Agave Nectar
Low Fat Buttermilk
Salt and Pepper

We also had corn on the cob. I picked some up on Tuesday at the farmers' market and it was the most awesome corn I have ever had. So I thought I would get some for dinner last night and picked some up at the supermarket. It was fine. . . Jersey corn in August is always going to be yummy but it just couldn't compare to what I had Tuesday.

I made "Vermont Summer Muffins" from Sundays at Moosewood which are really zucchini cheddar biscuits. http://www.greensgrow.org/recipes/3.2.html I don't think Ryan liked them, but this is the second time I've made them and I really enjoy them. . . They are a little different. The zucchini was from my co-op and I used a little more than the recipe called for. The cheese was low-fat and I used a little less.

The sangria was modified from a recipe I found in Vegetarian Times. I used
White Wine
Brandy
Peach Nectar (doubled the amount instead of using sugar)
nectarine and Lemons Sliced
I used a generous amount of Lemon Lime Seltzer to keep it light and refreshing

The pasta was a really flaverful taste of summer. We ate dinner at Tasha and Ed's last weekend and Tasha made a similar pasta dish that was really good (so I thought I'd copy her idea). I bought the tomatoes at the farmers' market - they were super ripe and I got them for $2 a quart since they were almost about to turn. . . . which made them perfect for the sauce. I pureed half of them with basil (also from the farmers market), garlic and olive oil. I used Barilla Plus penne because it has so much protein it's hard to justify buying regular nutrient-empty pasta. I tossed together more basil, salt and pepper, chopped tomatoes and diced fresh mozzarella. The "fresh mutz" was from Fiore's in Hoboken. http://www.fioresdeli.com/

Tracy brought over a cheesecake from "world famous" Junior's http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/. Oh my goodness. . . It was awesome. I've never had it before and I love cheesecake.

We don't have company as much as we used to so I put out the china and crystal with the blue and gold linen theme. We lit the candles in the mantel and kept the lights low (masks some of my poor housekeeping too LOL).

We had a nice time. It was good to get to know Tracy a little better. We all spend a lot of time in the same town at the shore (which is how Cassie and Ryan met many years ago). Tracy told us about Delicious Orchards which is near-by. It seems like such a cool place. I can't believe we didn't know about it (we try to stay very on top of good food options LOL). http://www.deliciousorchardsnj.com/. We are having our staff retreat down there and I'm preparing the menu. I LOVE Wegman's but I think I'll hit D.O. first and get all the fresh stuff I can before heading over to Wegmans for everything else.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tracy's blog and hopefully getting together again. Especially since between the shore, our kids and the fact that she works in mid-town near Chris, our worlds cross at a number of points.

So, I need to promise myself to keep up my blog this year and see how it might develop. Chris' brother is visiting tonight but I think it will be low-key and Chris will cook. I have a plum cake I made from Weight Watchers http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=50384 but we still have leftover cheesecake so I imagine they'll go for the cheesecake.

The next "big" thing is the staff lunch and dinner at our retreat before school starts. I did it last year. It was a fun challenge to plan and cook for 30 people. It was great to have a lot of help with the prep work. I've posted last year's menu.

Peace,
Melissa