As if to start the new year off right, the Millers’ hosted this month’s Cooking Club with Jason choosing th excellent theme of tapas. Big things come in small packages, especially well seasoned small packages it seems; this entire theme would be better labeled as “TAPAS!” as every dish was an explosion of tasty Spanish flavors.
Here’s the rundown on the delightful dishes sent from the gods to destroy any remaining diet-based new years resolutions.
Whoever came up with the original/ancient idea behind “Dates Wrapped in Bacon with Marcona Almonds” must have made some form of culinary Faustian Pact. Personally, I consider it a soul extremely well spent.
Ole! Sunday saw our Cooking Club really enjoying the “low-hanging-fruit-I-can’t-believe-hasn’t-been-picked” theme of “Mexican Food”. The day was nice enough that we were able to enjoy all the delicious food out on the deck with the ambient sounds of mariachi music while sipping delicious (and potent!) margaritas, both compliments of the lovely Jeanette Morrison.
Jason – Homemade Chips – Jason lovingly handcrafted created each of the chips by hand, coupling that with the excellent guacamole that Paul brought, made this normally forgettable side an irresistible “can’t stop my hand from snaking back to it” dish.
Jeanette – Genuine Margaritas - These things were tasty, but being the “genuine” version, they’re mostly alcohol, and they’re not meant to be drunk as if they were a typical margarita (that’s primarily sugar and water with a splash of tequila).
John – Chicken with Molé Sauce – I’ve never made a Molé sauce before, and I think mine turned out ok, although next time, I’ll try harder to get fresh guajilo chilies, the only one’s that I could find were dried and came across a little tough and underwhelming in the flavor department. Also, being that the sauce has around 8 steps to it, uses multiple pans, bowls, prep containers and uses a food processor, the mess left behind in creating the dish was truly epic in scale.
Paul – Guacamole and Spanish Rice – Pulling double duty, Paul brought both of these excellent dishes to the table. I really liked the Spanish (mexican!) rice, going back for seconds. The Guac was perfect, the perfect smooth, almost fatty mouthfeel contrasted perfectly paired with Jason’s homemade chips.
Jessica – Corn Cherry and Tomato Salsa – Fresh, light and refreshing, this was an excellent compatriot to the warmer and heavier dishes.
Greg – Empanadas - I’d never had these before and enjoyed them quite a bit, according to everyone else, they were exponentially enhanced through the addition of a little ice cream. Good call Amelie!
There was also a tasty appetizer that was passed around at the beginning of the night, that I’m assuming was Greg’s, but I’m not quite sure what it was. I’ll assign credit and get recipes up once I hear who should get the kudos!
Unfortunately, Penelope was sick, so Des, Penelope and Madeline couldn’t be here for dinner and the subsequent Beatles Rock Band goodness that followed; Here’s hoping the ick’s all gone and that we’ll be seeing you at the next cooking club! (Which I assume is inevitable, as you’re hosting!) Side note for Greg, the rest of Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band are going to be released as downloadable content, so those songs that you were looking forward to are just around the corner!
What’s the perfect food for a cool summer weekend dinner? Why, homemade pizza and beer, of course!
We all got to sit down in the Miller’s freshly landscaped and beautiful patio area and enjoy some tasty grilled pizza, conversation, beer and s’mores. Great call Jessica!
We brought along our first attempt at a Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce Pizza, that turned out quite well, I’m a huge fan of this peanut sauce and will definitely use that recipe again in the future. Jason and Jess whipped up a delicious Fresh Caprese Pizza, the Brazeltons impressed with a mouth watering Barbecue Chicken Pizza, and Greg whipped up not one, but two specialty pizzas with feta and veggies. (I still need a few recipes!)
Jason got a nice fire going in their backyard fire ring, and we had a good old time kicking back, toasting s’mores and enjoying some quality time with good friends and good food. Unfortunately Penelope and papa Paul passed on the Pizza Party due to Pino Puke problems.. Hope you’re feeling better!
Yet another successful cooking club under our belts, it looks as if it’s my turn to pick the theme for August’s cooking club, and I’m feeling like picking some low lying fruit here, so I’ll be going with “Cooking Club – Mexican”. I figure it’ll allow Jeanette to make Margaritas for the gang, which seems enough to justify the theme all on its own..
