Our next supper club get together is in October at Leslie and Mark's home. Yay for fall!!! As usual, I'm looking forward to some great food with great friends.
Leslie and Mark are going with a Mexican theme! Love! We have 2 couples that can't make it, so we will be a group of 8 for this get-together.
Here's the menu:
HOT MEXICAN DIP
HOMEMADE SALSA AND TORTILLA CHIPS
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
RICE
GUACAMOLE
CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
DESSERT:
FLAN
DRINK:
MEXICAN SANGRIA
Can't wait to visit with our friends and enjoy this great Mexican feast!
HOT MEXICAN SPINACH DIP
(Adapted from All Recipes)
1 (16 oz) jar salsa
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, diced and softened (I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 (2.25 oz) can chopped black olives, drained
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together salsa, chopped spinach, monterey jack cheese, cream cheese, evaporated milk, black olives, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Spoon mixture into a baking dish (top with additional cheese if desired).
***At this point, you can either refrigerate until ready to serve, or bake immediately.
Bake mixture in the preheated oven about 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
HOMEMADE SALSA
(Adapted from mountainmamacooks)
 |
| Photo Credit: Mountainmamacooks |
This salsa is one I make all the time and keep on hand in mason jars.
1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 10 oz can Rotel
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped (preferably Vidalia)
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
small to medium size handful of cilantro, washed
juice of 1 lime
 |
| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
Here's the lime I prefer - it's even better than fresh squeezed (in my opinion):
Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor and pulse to combine for about 30 seconds until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
 |
| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
 |
| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
And voila! Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, and spoon on tacos, burritos or nachos!
 |
| Photo Credit: Cate Bogue |
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
The delicious chicken enchiladas:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pint sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (12 ounce) jar taco sauce
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium, non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Drain excess fat.
Cube the chicken and return it to the skillet. Add the onion, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano and ground black pepper. Heat until cheese melts.
Stir in salt, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, green pepper and garlic.
Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with taco sauce and 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
(Adapted from Rachel Ray)
 |
| catebogue |
1 can, 14 oz, black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce, (such as Tabasco)
1 lime, (~2 TBSP)
2 TBSP vegetable or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve.
FLAN
 |
| catebogue |
FOR CARAMEL:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
FOR CUSTARD:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup sugar
4 large whole eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Prepare oven and ramekins: Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a small bowl of cold water and a pastry brush near the stovetop, and prepare an ice-water bath. Place eight 4-ounce ramekins in a large roasting pan. Bring a large kettle or pot of water to a boil.
Make caramel: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, mix sugar and water, stirring to combine. Do not stir again. Cook, washing down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystals from forming, until caramel is amber, about 8 minutes, swirling pan to color evenly. Remove from heat, and immerse bottom of pan in ice-water bath for 3 seconds to stop cooking. Dry bottom of pan. Working quickly, pour about 1 tablespoon caramel into each ramekin, swirling each to coat bottoms evenly.
Make custard: In a small saucepan, heat milk with half the sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) over medium heat just until mixture starts to steam and bubble around the edges, 5 to 6 minutes (do not let it boil).
Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, remaining sugar, and salt.
Temper eggs: Add ladle of hot milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. (This is called tempering, and it prevents the eggs from curdling.) Add two more ladles of milk mixture, one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Gradually whisk in remaining milk mixture.
Strain: Strain through a fine sieve into a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl (to remove any cooked bits of egg). Stir in vanilla.
Bake: Divide custard evenly among ramekins. Place pan in oven. Add enough boiling water to pan to come halfway up the sides of ramekins. Bake until custards are just set (they should tremble slightly in center when shaken), 35 to 42 minutes.
Chill and serve: Remove pan from oven. Use tongs to carefully remove ramekins from hot-water bath and place on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours (or up to 3 days). To unmold, run a sharp knife around inside of ramekins, and place a rimmed serving plate upside down over top of each. Invert, and gently lift ramekin to remove.
So...postcript...the word of the evening was "charcuterie" - I'm not saying another word about that. You'll just have to draw your own conclusions.... ;)
Typically, the food was fabulous, and the evening was so much fun (as usual).
Leslie and Mark's beautifully set table:
Chips and homemade salsa:
Host of the evening: Mark!
Doug and Russell starting the evening off:
A few of the girls:
THAT sangria!
Not the greatest pic, but the Mexican Spinach Dip was a hit:
Yummy guac!
Mexican Rice:
And WOW - that flan was to die for! And of course Sheila put her special touch on it by also including blackberries and chocolate dipped strawberries:
We had a ball (as usual)!
Great evening with great friends! Somehow I missed getting a pic of Scott though? :(
Next up?
It'll be December, so we are opting out of going to someone's home, and we'll be checking out a new restaurant nearby.
After that, we are at Sheila and Russell's home in February.
***All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.
SaveSave
SaveSave
