APRIL 2014 AT THE NEWLYWEDS!

Really looking forward to our April Supper Club dinner at our newly married friends' home - Leslie and Mark Gupton!  We are also welcoming new members - Sharon and Dave!!!  AND we'll have a crowd - this is the first time (since we've gone to 6 couples) that we've actually had ALL 12 PEOPLE available! Should make for a very fun evening....

Leslie and Mark are going with a Southwestern themed dinner.  Here's the menu:

MEXICAN ROLL UPS WITH SALSA 
PARTY SALSA

HOT CORN DIP WITH CHIPS

MIXED GRILL WITH CILANTRO PESTO
BLACK BEANS AND CORN
GUACAMOLE AND PICO DE GALLO

GRILLED ONIONS AND PEPPERS

DessertSSSS:
LEMON CAKE
CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MOUSSE AND GANACHE
CREME BRULEE WITH BERRIES

Drink: 
GUPTON'S MARGARITA OR "GUP-ERITA"

MEXICAN ROLL UPS

Photo Credit: taste of lizzy t

I'm pulling  out a classic appetizer from way back here, but it's good and everyone loves it.  And it doesn't get much easier than this recipe!
8 oz. sour cream (I use lower fat)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 lower fat)
1 can green chilies, drained and diced
1 can ( 4 1/2 oz) chopped black olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
4 green onions, sliced (OPTIONAL)
4-5 - 10" flour tortillas

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Blend together sour cream and cream cheese with mixer.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Stir in chiles, olives, cheese and seasonings.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Spread the mixture on equally on each of the floured tortillas and roll them up tightly.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for overnight or for at least 2 hours. Slice and serve with salsa.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

PARTY SALSA

1 can tomatoes with green chiles (I used Rotel)
fresh cilantro, chopped
3 scallions, white and green, chopped

1 can green chiles
1 small can chopped black olives
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix (mixed according to the package - although I always use less oil)

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Mix all together and chill. Can turn the heat up a bit if you want to use hot Rotel. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos - it'll go fast!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Love that Kroger has shredded monterey jack cheese!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

HOT CORN DIP

(from damndelicious.com)

Photo Credit: damndelicious.com

1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Tortilla chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil two 10-ounce ramekins or coat with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine corn, chiles, Monterey Jack, Parmesan and mayonnaise.
Divide the filling evenly into the ramekins.
Place into oven and bake until bubbly around the edges, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.  

Here's Sheila's (served with corn chips):

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Very Low Fat Black Beans and Corn
Leslie used frozen corn here and sauteed it in olive oil.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups crisp canned corn, drained
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill overnight.

Mixed Grill With Cilantro Pesto

Great with grilled chicken, fish, or veggies.

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup (1 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted (Leslie used pine nuts instead)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Pulse first 6 ingredients in a food processor 10 times or just until chopped. Drizzle olive oil over mixture, and pulse 6 more times or until a coarse mixture forms. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

PICO DE GALLO
(Adapted from Ree Drummond)

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

3 yellow or red onions
12 Roma tomatoes (slightly under ripe is fine)
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
2 to 3 jalapenos
1 lime
Salt

Dice up equal quantities of onion and tomato. Roughly chop the cilantro.

Now, slice 1 or 2 jalapenos in half. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds. (If you like things spicy, leave in some of the white membranes.) Dice the jalapenos very finely; you want a hint of heat and jalapeno flavor, but you don't want to cause any fires. Now dump the four ingredients into a bowl.

Slice the lime in half and squeeze the juice from half a lime the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and stir together until combined. Be sure to taste the pico de gallo and adjust the seasonings, adding salt or more diced jalapeno if needed.

Such a fun evening!  Here are some pictures from the night:

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Yes, Sharon went crazy and baked THREE desserts!  And . . . they were all amazing:

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Had to get a fish face shot in:

And a photo bomb:

 And an out-take:

Thanks to Leslie and Mark for hosting such a fun evening!

NEXT UP:  JUNE AT 

SHARON AND DAVE'S!!!

A WINTER TEXAS FEAST AT DENISE AND GREG'S in February(2014)!

Looking forward to celebrating in February at Denise and Greg's home with everyone in the middle of a very cold winter this year!  Denise has roots in Texas so decided to go with a Texas theme for the evening.  Her food and decor were fabulous!!!! Here's their menu:

HOUSTON'S SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP - Cate

PROSCIUTTO STUFFED MUSHROOMS - Cate

BARBEQUE BEEF BRISKET - Denise

LULING, TX BEEF SAUSAGE - Denise

TWICE BAKED POTATOES - 

SALAD - Denise

TWO TYPES OF CORNBREAD - Wendy

CHOCOLATE PEANUT SQUARES and RED VELVET CAKE TRIFLE -  Sheila

TIPSY ARNOLD PALMERS AND ASSORTED BEER

HOUSTON'S SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

(Adapted from Food.com)

Photo Credit: Food.com

1/2 cup grated romano cheese ( 2 oz)
1 clove garlic, peeled
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (6 1/2 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
8 ounces soft garlic-chive cream cheese
2 large eggs
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place Romano cheese in a food processor.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

While running, drop garlic in the feed tube. Add spinach, artichokes, cream cheese and eggs, process until thoroughly blended. Place into a casserole dish.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

 Fold in mozzarella.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

PROSCIUTTO STUFFED MUSHROOMS
(Adapted from Food Network)

Photo Credit: Food Network

3 (8-ounce) packages fresh baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean (There are 2 schools of thought here - the wipers and the washers.  I personally think it's gross NOT to wash things you buy from a store, so I dump mine in a sink of water and wash off all the mushroom dirt.  THEN I dry them on paper towels.  They're absolutely fine once I'm ready to prepare them.  But you can just wipe the dirt off if you prefer.)
2 tablespoons butter
1 (5-ounce) package prosciutto, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Finely chop enough mushroom stems to equal 1/3 cup. Discard the remaining mushroom stems.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the prosciutto, chives, and chopped mushroom stems.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Cook, stirring frequently, until the prosciutto is crisp and the stems are tender, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cream cheese, mustard, lemon zest, tarragon, and pepper, stirring until the mixture is combined.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Remove from the heat. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly into the mushroom caps; place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Can bake immediately OR refrigerate up to 2 days until ready to heat.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Bake 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

P.S. These were GONE in no time! :0)

BARBEQUE BEEF BRISKET

We just enjoyed the most delicious beef brisket I've ever tasted!  I just raved about it to my friend and begged her to tell me how she prepared it, and how she was able to get it sliced so incredibly thin.  Here's what she said: "I bought it pre-cooked at Sam's!"  Guess where I'll be going to buy beef brisket? It was just amazing and everyone loved it.

From the Sam's Club website:
The fully-cooked gourmet BBQ beef brisket from Old World Kitchen is made with the finest ingredients. We start with slow-roasted beef briskets smoked over hardwood oak for a minimum of 12 hours, smothered in Italian barbecue sauce, then cooked the old fashioned way in a pit.

Fully cooked and pre-sliced for your convenience. Serve with your favorite side dishes or as an appetizer. Great for sandwiches.

It was amazing!

Jim and Nick's Sausage

TWICED BAKED POTATOES

SALAD

CORNBREAD

Wendy brought 2 different types of cornbread - a mild and a hot.  Both were a perfect compliment to the BBQ Beef.

RED VELVET CAKE TRIFLE

Sheila brought dessert and had a great story about the red velvet tirimisu trifle.  She was baking a red velvet cake recently and for some reason they didn't turn out the way she wanted after baking so instead of scrapping the entire thing and starting over, she chose to break up the delicious cake and make a trifle. Genius!  And delicious!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

1 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup black raspberry liqueur
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 (8-oz.) containers mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red velvet madeleines (w/o powdered sugar)
3 (6-oz.) containers fresh raspberries

Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir together mascarpone cheese in a large bowl.
Beat heavy cream at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until soft peaks form. Stir one-fourth of whipped cream into mascarpone using a rubber spatula; fold in remaining whipped cream. Arrange one-third of Red Velvet Madeleines in a 3-qt. trifle dish; drizzle with one-third of jam mixture, top with 1 container of raspberries, and dollop with one-third of mascarpone mixture. Repeat layers twice. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours before serving.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT SQUARES
(Adapted from Southern Living)

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels*
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 1/2 cups peanuts
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 (2-ounce) chocolate bark coating squares, melted

Microwave chocolate morsels in a large glass bowl at HIGH for 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter, stirring until well blended.
Stir in cereal, peanuts, and marshmallows. Line a 13- x 9-inch pan with foil. Lightly grease foil. Press mixture into foil-lined pan. Drizzle with chocolate. Sprinkle with white nonpareils, if desired.
Let stand 1 hour or until firm; cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to make hearts. Store hearts in an airtight container or place in a candy box, if desired.
*6 (2-ounce) almond bark coating squares may be substituted.

Scott brought some samples of beer from his brewery! 

American Amber Ale, Orange Pale Ale, and Pale ale.  

Welcome Hops Brewing (https://www.facebook.com/WelcomeHops)

It was such a fun evening with great friends!  And the food just fit the spot perfectly during this COLD winter we've been experiencing in Atlanta!  Thanks Denise and Greg!

***Next up - our newly married friends, Leslie and Mark, are hosting in April! <3 <3 <3