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

Last Year's Staff Retreat Menu

Grove Hall
Originally uploaded by As Seen Through Hazel Eyes.

MSS Staff Retreat Tuesday Lunch & Dinner

Tuesday Lunch:
Cheese Board with Almonds, Grapes and Baguette
Sweet Potato Chips
Tortellini with Spinach Walnut Pesto
Balsamic Chicken Salad
Roast Ratatouille
Tossed Salad
Strawberry Shortcake

Tuesday Dinner
Flour Taco Shells
Turkey Filling
Vegetarian Filling
Lettuce
Guacamole
Salsa
Cheese
Tortilla Chips
Corn Salad
Fruit with Vanilla Sauce (served in waffle cups)

Drinks
Iced Tea
Cranberry Juice
Seltzer
Coke
Diet Coke
Sprite

Tuesday Lunch

Cheese Board with Almonds, Grapes and Baguette
Sweet Potato Chips
Tortellini with Spinach Walnut Pesto
Balsamic Chicken Salad
Roast Ratatouille
Tossed Salad
Strawberry Shortcake


Cheese Board
2 (10-ounce) tins smoked almonds
1 pound wedge Brie
1 pound wedge Saga blue
1 (6-ounce) log goat cheese, any variety
2 baguettes, sliced
1 pound grapes, separated into small bunches

Pour nuts into bowl and set on cheese board. Arrange cheeses with baguette slices and clusters of grapes.

Tortellini with Spinach Walnut Pesto
12 ounces chopped walnuts
6 family size (18-ounce) packages, cheese filled fresh tortellini
3 cups vegetable broth
30 ounces (3 packages) baby spinach, reserve a few leaves for garnish
6 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or freshly grated
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Toast walnut pieces in a small pan or toaster oven until lightly browned. Remove from heat and cool.

Place a large pot of water on to boil. When it comes to rolling boil, salt the water and cook tortellini to package directions.

Heat 1 cup vegetable broth to a boil and remove from heat.

Using a food processor, working in batches, grind spinach leaves with nuts, chicken stock, and garlic. Transfer ground spinach nut paste to a large bowl. Stir in the cheese, nutmeg, and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Coat hot, cooked tortellini with sauce

Balsamic Chicken Salad
6 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt or salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups raisins
Boiling water
3 cups olive oil
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon snipped fresh tarragon
Shredded lettuce
Finely shredded lemon peel

Flatten chicken slightly with your hand. Place in a rectangular baking dish. Drizzle with wine or broth; sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.

Bake chicken, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender and no longer pink. Let cool in dish. Drain off liquid.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, cover raisins with boiling water. Let stand for about 15 minutes or until the raisins are plump. Drain.

In a bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Whisk in tarragon and the 1 teaspoon lemon peel. Stir in raisins. Pour over chicken in dish. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.

To serve, slice and arrange chicken on shredded lettuce. Spoon some of the marinade and raisins over chicken. Garnish with additional shredded lemon peel..

Roast Ratatouille

4 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips
10 baby eggplant, quartered lengthwise
12 baby zucchini, quartered lengthwise
10 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise and seeded
4 shallots, peeled and sliced lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat
Coarse salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Working on a cookie sheet, combine vegetables. Drizzle liberally with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat vegetables evenly. Roast until just tender, 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

Tossed Salad
Lettuce
Apples
Tomatoes
Assorted Dressings

Strawberry Shortcake
Sliced strawberries w/sugar
Pound Cake
Cool Whip

Tuesday Dinner

Flour Taco Shells
Turkey Filling
Vegetarian Filling
Lettuce
Guacamole
Salsa
Cheese
Sliced Olives
Tortilla Chips
Corn Salad
Tomato Rice
Fruit with Vanilla Sauce (served in waffle cups)


Chipotle Turkey Taco Filling:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
3 pounds ground turkey breast
3 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
6 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
3 cup tomato sauce
3 rounded tablespoons chili powder, a rounded palmful
Salt
1 1/2 cup water
In a small skillet preheated over medium high heat, add oil and turkey breast meat. Brown meat 2 or 3 minutes, then add onions and garlic. Cook onions and meat together for another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chipotles, chili powder and tomato sauce. Season your filling with salt to your taste. Stir 1 1/2 cup water into your filling. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until ready to serve.
Pico de Gallo:
6 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 small white onion, chopped
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Coarse salt
Combine all Pico de Gallo ingredients in a small bowl and serve.

Guacamole
4 avocados, mashed
juice of one lime
3 garlic cloves, freshly pressed
5–6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup cilantro, cleaned and chopped
1–2 seedless jalapeños, diced
Mix avocado with lime juice and then stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Tomato Rice
2 cup rice
2 cup tomato juice
2 cup water

Vegetarian Filling
1 cup onion, julienne cut
1 1/2 cup bell pepper, julienne cut
1 1/2 cup zucchini, julienne cut
3 cup black or pinto beans, cooked
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon red pepper
3/4 cup salsa of your choice
Cilantro
Sauté the vegetables in a nonstick skillet with 3 tablespoon water (i.e., steam vegetables), stirring constantly.
Season with garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, black and red pepper, and cook 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
Corn Salad
6 cups corn kernels
12 large tomato, sliced in wedges
1 1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
cilantro
6 TB vinaigrette
Toss all ingredients until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour to let flavors blend.


Fresh Fruit with Cinnamon-Vanilla Sauce
2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons cornstarch
8 cinnamon sticks
4 can (12 fl. oz.) Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
24 cups assorted fresh fruit (apples, bananas, grapes, mangoes, papayas, peaches, and/or strawberries)
Ground cinnamon (optional)
Waffle cone cups

Combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon sticks in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes just to a boil and slightly thickens. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon sticks; stir in vanilla extract. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until well-chilled.

Arrange fruit in serving Dish. Top with sauce. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today's my mom's birthday. We had her over for dinner and Chris made chicken Parmesan. I got some Asian eggplant from the co-op I belong to (Purple Dragon) so he baked that for me (I'm the only vegetarian) and then cooked it with a red sauce and fresh mozz (or mutz as they say here in Hoboken).

I made a salad (the lettuce I got from the co-op was a little fibrous though) with carrots, zucchini (both from the co-op) and green pepper. I used a special julienne peeler to create an interesting look of ribbons in the salad. My sister (TJ) thinks it loses too much texture that way though. I tried making an Italian dressing but it wasn't as good as my melicious dressing. I made it with oil, balsamic and dried Italian herbs. I also added crushed garlic. Not the most exciting salad but it was the first thing to go so I guess I could have made more.

We had excellent corn on the cob - just right for this time of year! Also, we had Portuguese dinner bread (usually I would make the bread in the machine but simply did not have time). I would have loved to get Dom's bread but I completely forgot till I was almost home. The pathmark bread was fine though.

My centerpiece dish was linguini with a fresh tomato sauce. I sauted garlic in oil, added white wine (cartlidge & brown sauvignon blanc) and after cooking it down threw in fresh tomatoes (from the co-op - so beautiful!) that I had pureed in the food processor with about 2oz of basil. The tomato mixture barely heated up before I took it off the stove. I chopped up a tomato and some basil and shaved some fresh parm into long strips for garnish. It was a simple yet delicious compliment to Chris' chicken.

I made an iced tea with a flowery herb tea that my mom gave me for Christmas. I pureed some apricots and a peach from the co-op and stirred it in with a little honey. It was so so so good and refreshing. As it got to the end though, I realized I should have strained it. There was too much sediment from the fruit and TJ and Chris didn't care for it. Plus it stuck to the glass. Would definitely make this again.

Ben (my brother) couldn't come unfortunately because he was in Philly for work, but Brenda (his girlfriend) came with Margee Liz (my 1-year-old niece). Ben is a trained pastry chef and manages a whole foods bakery. Brenda brought a whole foods almond cake - it was like a tirimisu (my favorite dessert) but with ameretto. It was an amazing dessert and a perfect match with the dinner. Mom was concerned about the alcohol in it but I have a feeling the sugar is probably more harmful. Needless to say we spent less than 2 seconds discussing it and just enjoyed it for what it was - simply delicious!

Highlights:
We all chipped in and got my mom a photo printer. She loves her digital camera that she got after Margee Liz was born but doesn't have a good way to distribute her millions of photos. So I think once she figures out the printer, she'll be very happy.

My dear Cassie called to say Happy Birthday. She is in Georgia with her dad for the month and doesn't call very often but at least she remember to call her gran-anne. She's a good girl . . . I really miss her. (note to self . . . need to start planning her 18th birthday - September 22)

Brenda announced that she and Ben have made the decision to get married. Nothing fancy . . . just a simple celebration with family and close friends. They are planning to do it in the next few months.

Ben called in to say Happy Birthday to mom

TJ came with her new boyfriend. This is the first man she's ever brought over. She seems very happy and he seems quite nice. He's very likeable. It was good to see her with someone.

Margee Liz is almost walking. She's all over the place using the furniture to hold her up. What a doll!

It was a really nice evening - my mom deserved it and I hope she felt loved and celebrated.