Gourmet Night Christmas Party Recipes

Honey Pecan Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced lengthwise in half)

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup honey

¾ cup pecan chopped finely (but not too fine)

¾ cup Ritz cracker crumbs

¼ cup butter, melted

salt and pepper

Marinate chicken in soy sauce and honey for a few hours. Add Ritz crackers and pecans to food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and coat in crumb and nut mixture. Place coated chicken breasts on greased cookie sheet and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked thru. Serve chicken drizzled with balsamic glaze. 

Balsamic Glaze:

½ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Add all ingredients to sauce pan and bring to a small boil, reduce heat to low and cook until liquid reduces by half. It will be thicker but do not reduce too much or it will burn. 

Gouda Potatoes

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced evenly

2 cups (8 ounces) grated Gouda cheese

3 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

In a greased 9”x13” baking dish, layer half the potatoes, half the cheese and then the remaining potatoes. Melt butter in a skillet and sauté garlic until golden brown, then pour over potatoes. Combine cream, salt and pepper and pour evenly over potatoes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until potatoes are tender.


Crock Pot Tomato Soup
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.  Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4.  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.


Christmas Salad


I head read leaf lettuce
1 Head green leaf lettuce
1 avocado
1 pint raspberries
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 large pear
1 cup candied pecans


Dressing:
1 cup sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp poppy seeds


Blend dressing in food processor until well mixed. Refridgerate until ready to use. Arrange salad ingredients on plate and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 sticks of butter

8 oz cream cheese

3 cups sugar

dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla

6 eggs

3 cups sifted flour

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

bag of powdered sugar

Blend cake ingredients. Grease and flour bunt cake pan. Bake at 325 for 80 minutes. Frost when cake is completely cooled. Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
makes 8 enchiladas
8 large white or whole wheat  flour tortillas
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
28 ounce can red enchilada sauce
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (or more depending on your tastebuds. I probably used a cup or so)
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on low-medium. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt, and let caramelize until soft and golden – about 10 minutes. While onions are cooking, dump enchilada sauce into a bowl and whisk in your favorite BBQ sauce until combined.

Add shredded chicken to onions with BBQ seasoning and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour in about a half of a cup of enchilada/BBQ sauce mixture, and add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup colby cheese. Stir until mixture comes together and turn off heat.

Pour a drizzle of enchilada/BBQ sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Take each tortilla and fill it with 1/2 + of chicken mixture. Roll each up and set it in the baking dish. Dump remaining enchilada/BBQ sauce on top of tortillas and add remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

*this is a great meal to make ahead and freeze. I made 10 for my freezer meal group last month!!

Gourmet Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese, Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)
Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

November Gourmet Dinner Night 2011

Orange Red Leaf Salad

Dressing:
1/2 tsp orange peel grated
1/3 cup orange juice concentrate
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 T sugar

Mix dressing with red leaf lettuce, candied almonds, bacon, swiss cheese, mandarin oranges and craisins.

Cucumber Sparkling Drink

2 cucumbers thinly sliced
1-2 liter Sprite or Diet Sprite
Ice
Canned frozen limeade

Marinade sliced cucumbers in limeade for a few hours until ready to serve. Put cucumbers and limeade in a punch bowl. Cover with ice and Sprite.

Queso

1 8 oz cream cheese
1 no bean chili
1/2-1 cup salsa

Heat and serve with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 small instant chocolate fudge pudding
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
12 oz. bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan at 350 degrees fro 50-60 min. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with fudge sauce

Fudge Sauce

2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter then add sugar and cocoa. When dissolved add 1 can evaporated milk. Boil 4 min and remove from heat then add 1 tsp vanilla. It thickens as it cools.

Turkey Panini

Boars Head Honey Maple Turkey ( best of all times turkey)
Havarti cheese
Cranberry Jalapeno spread from Hagermans or Harmons
Artisan Bread from Hagermans

Tomato Basil Soup

Artisan Fresh from Sams Club

May Gourmet Dinner at Andrea's

Mexican Party for Cinco de Mayo
So sorry it has taken me so long to post! Finally after a fun, full, summer and getting the kiddos back to school, here we are!



MENU
Appetizer: Southwest Egg Rolls with Avocado Sauce
Drinks: Mexican Sodas
Main Course: Carne Asada Tacos with Cafe Rio Dressing
Sides: Salsa Bar, Grilled pineapple, Glen Ellyn Salad
Dessert: Fried Ice Cream



Southwestern Eggrolls

I tripled this recipe for the party. These are great leftovers too!

1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Tablespoon minced red bell pepper
2 Tablespoon minced green onion
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoon diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
dash cayenne pepper
5 (7 inch) flour tortillas

Avocado-Ranch Dipping Sauce

1 pint sour cream
1 package Ranch Dip
1 smashed, fresh avocado

Preheat 1 Tb of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a few minutes until tender. Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the corn, beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chill powder, salt and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes or until hot.

Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls. Arrange the eggrolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best. (I had so many that I put them on a cookie sheet. I also froze mine a couple days before,)

While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. If you make it the night before make sure and press some plastic wrap on top of the dressing so that no air can get to it. This will keep it from browning.

When you are ready to cook them. Spray the cookie sheet with Pam. (If you froze them on a cookie sheet. Use a different cookie sheet that is room temperature to bake them on.) Bake the frozen eggrolls at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.



Carne Asada Tacos

I bought my steak already marinated from a Mexican market called Viva on 7200 South and 650 East. It is sooo yummy!

Cilantro Lime Dressing
This is fabulous on the carne asada tacos.
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 Tablespoon salsa verde (green salsa)
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1/3 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 lime, zest and juice

Add all ingredients in blender and mix well. Make ahead and chill for several hours. Thin with more buttermilk, if needed.

Salsa Bar



Rebecca's Salsa

2 cans Rotel
1 bunch green onions chopped (use whole onion, white and green parts)
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves (not stems)
1 heaping teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 lemon or lime squeezed, add more if desired
salt and pepper
2 fresh tomatoes or can of diced tomatoes

Mix together and serve!



Avocado Feta Salsa
Keeping up Cookbook

1 avocado, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces crumbled feta

Stir together ingredients. Gently fold the feta in last. Serve with tortilla chips.




Vanilla Lime Pineapple Skewers

1-2 teaspoons of pure vanilla
8 ounces dark brown sugar, approx. 1 cup firmly packed
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
pinch of kosher salt
1 whole pineapple
8 (12 inch) wood or metal skewers

Add vanilla, brown sugar, lime juice and salt to a small saucepan. Whisk together and place the mixture over medium high heat and bring to boil, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 2 hours before using. Once cool, place the syrup in a squeeze bottle or other sealeable container. Store in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill on high.
Cut pineapple into large pieces and put 5 on each skewer. Coat pineapple on all sides of pineapple with the syrup. Grill on all sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side, 12 minutes total or until the pineapple is tender. Serve with any remaining sauce.
PHOTO

Glen Ellyn Salad Keeping Up Cookbook
3 small heads butter lettuce, rinsed and torn
3 red pears, sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
1/2 shaved manchego cheese (optional)

Dressing:
zest of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 seeded jalapeno (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together dressing. Toss with salad ingredients just prior to serving.

Dessert
Fried Ice Cream

2 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
5 cups Rice Krispies or corn flakes (partially crushed)
1 1/2 cups margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt margarine and add brown sugar. Add cereal and nuts. Put 1/2 mixture in bottom of 9x13 pan. Scoop softened ice cream over mixture. Put remaining cereal mixture over ice cream and freeze 4-5 hours before serving. Cut into squares and serve with caramel, chocolate and strawberries.

Mango Pineapple Sorbet

 This was so refreshing and delicious. My kids were not fans of the small pineapple chunks, so next time I may try pureeing the pineapple as well.

Mango Pineapple Sorbet

3-4 very ripe mangoes, peeled and diced. 
2/3 C sugar
3 T fresh lime juice
1 C finely chopped fresh pineapple (or 1 small can crushed pineapple with juice)

In a food processor (or good blender), puree the mangoes until you have about 3 cups. Add the sugar and lime juice and process to combine. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the pineapple. Yup. It’s that easy.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker* and freeze let it go until it looks icy, yummy, and firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve. To serve the following day, set out on counter for about 15 minutes to soften.

*If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just place in an airtight container and put it in the freezer. Take it out and stir once an hour for 3 hours, or until it’s too hard to stir.

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

Do you have this cookbook yet? 

 If not, get one NOW!

This ice cream was SO yummy! If you like cinnamon, you'll LOVE this.

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

1 1/2 c. 2% milk

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

About 1 1/2-2 c. chopped high-quality sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, or shortbread cookies

Combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium until bubbles form around the edges.  Remove from heat.

In a small mixing bowl (or really big cereal bowl), whisk eggs thoroughly.  Very slowly, add 1/2 of the hot milk mixture, whisking the eggs constantly.  Return pan with remaining milk mixture to stovetop and then whisk the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly.  Add whipping cream.  Over medium-low heat and stirring constantly, continue heating the custard mixture to 160 degrees.  It will start to thicken quickly; remove from heat when your finger leaves a track on a spoon coated in the custard mixture. 

Add in cinnamon and vanilla.  Place the custard in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator several hours.  

When ready to make ice cream, pour chilled custard into ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  When the ice cream is almost done (like maybe the ice cream maker's struggling a little...it looks like really firm soft-serve...), add chopped cookies.  Remove from ice cream freezer and place in another air-tight container and freeze an hour or two (at least...but not longer than a couple of days) to allow it to firm up.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

 

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own)
marinara/pizza sauce
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1  t dried Italian seasoning
mozzerella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package.  Usually it's 400 degrees.  If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8".  You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to.  Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.  (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after).  Just eyeball how much.  You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.  Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter (I've used both and there's not much difference in result) and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Keep an eye  on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping. 

Best Ever Buttercream Frosting & FIlling

I'm not kidding. Best. EVER. I wanted to eat it all straight from the bowl. I added almond extract instead of vanilla. To die for!!

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
recipe by ourbestbites.com
3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I used non-fat when it's all I have and it's actually fine)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C sugar (that's granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Do not under-cook this part. Let it cook, while stirring, until it looks like pudding (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir it). Even though it's thick, you can still push it through a mesh strainer (just whisk the mixture in the strainer to push the thick stuff through) and then let it cool completely to room temp. or chill it in the fridge. It needs to be cooled completely. If you don't let it cool completely, it will melt the butter and you'll have runny frosting.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You'll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat on the highest speed you can get to without it spraying all over the place for 7 minutes. Yes, 7 whole minutes, maybe even 8 or 9. I know that seems like a long time, but that's when the magic happens!

You will be scared because it will look like a weird goopy mess at first and you'll wonder what on earth you did wrong. Keep beating and something amazing happens. It goes from that goopy mess to something thick, velvety smooth, and perfectly fluffy.
Use it to fill cupcakes or other pastries, or as a frosting on top. You can't go wrong putting this on just about anything :)
One batch makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes .

Marshmallow Fondant

This was my first attempt at marshmallow fondant and I thought it turned out pretty good! It definitely tastes better than regular fondant and is easy to make. I made 2 batches of this recipe for the above cake. One batch for the bottom layer (had some left over) and 1 batch for the top two. FYI, I would NEVER try to make it by hand. I used my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and it worked perfectly. No messy hand-kneading....I also added almond extract. Yum!

*ignore the piping skills....there's only so much you can do with a ziploc bag!

Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 ounces) white mini marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
• 2-5 tablespoons water
• 2 pounds (about 8 cups) sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

Makes:

About 2 pounds marshmallow fondant.

Instructions:

To make marshmallow fondant, place marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds on high; stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving 30 seconds more; stir again. Continue until melted (about 2 1/2 minutes).

Place 3/4 of the confectioners' sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mixture. Fold sugar into marshmallow mixture. Flavoring can be added at this point if desired. Place solid vegetable shortening in easily accessed bowl so you can reach into it with fingers as you are working. Grease hands and counter GENEROUSLY; turn marshmallow mixture onto counter. Start kneading like you would dough. Continue kneading, adding additional confectioners' sugar and re-greasing hands and counter so the fondant doesn't stick. If the marshmallow fondant is tearing easily, it is too dry; add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time) kneading until fondant forms a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing, about 8 minutes.

It's best to allow Marshmallow Fondant to sit, double-wrapped, overnight. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating with a thin layer of solid vegetable shortening, wrap in plastic wrap and then place in resealable bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Marshmallow Fondant will keep well in refrigerator for several weeks.
When not working with fondant, make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or in a bag to prevent it from drying out. When ready to use, knead fondant until smooth. Roll out fondant 1/8 in. thick.

To color fondant: If you need to tint the entire batch of fondant, add a little icing color to the melted marshmallow mixture before adding confectioners' sugar. For smaller amounts of tinted fondant, add icing color to portions of fondant as needed.