Cooking Club: BBQ Night

My friends and I started a cooking club to help us all get together, despite our crazy schedules, once a month and enjoy some good food.  We are always trying to get together and it seems so hard, so we figured this would be a great way for use to get together and help build our recipe boxes. We decided we'd meet once a month and have a theme. Our first theme was BBQ Grill out, things you'd bring to a BBQ. We had some delicious food and a yummy drink. The pictures and recipes are below. Next month we are meeting at a park and having a Picnic Theme!

 

Grapefruit Sparklers

Food Network

Directions

For each drink, stir 3 ounces grapefruit juice, 2 ounces each cranberry juice and gin, and a splash each of Campari and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass rimmed with salt. Top with seltzer; garnish with lime.

 

Cowboy Caviar

All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup Italian salad dressing
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Mix beans, peas, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno peppers in a large bowl. Season with garlic salt. Add dressing and cilantro; toss to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to serve.

 

Feta-Watermelon Tabbouleh

Rachel Ray

65 65

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking (fine) bulgur wheat
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 7 tbsp. EVOO
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 8 oz. peeled watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• 5 oz. english cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions:

1. Place the bulgur in a medium bowl. Add enough very hot water to cover. Let soak, covered, for 30 minutes; drain. Repeat. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the EVOO. Toss the dressing with the bulgur. Add the parsley, watermelon, feta, cucumber, onion and dill; season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

For crust:

2 cups flour

2/3 cup shortening

5-7 Table Spoons of cold water

Mix flour and shortening together. Add cold water. This is my Grandmother's recipe so the mesurements are a rough guess. You will need to add flour, water or shortening as necessary. Split the ball in half. Roll out one half for the pie crust. The second half is for the top.

Pie filling:

4 Cups rhubarb cut into small pieces

1 cup strawberries

1 2/3 Cup sugar

1/3 cup flour + dash of salt

Mix Rhubarb and sugar. Blend well. Add Flour and salt. Blend well. Let set for 15 mins. Add strawberries. Add two pats of butter on top of filling and below the crust.

400 degress for 50 mins. Prior to putting in the oven, sprinkle water on top of the crust. Can srpinkle some sugar

Black Bean Burger with Cilantro Lime Corn

I like black bean burgers, but usually just eat the frozen patties; however, when I saw this recipe, I had to give it a try. I am so happy I did, you wouldn't even know it was a black bean burger, it had SO much flavor! It was delicious, especially topped with Costco's Mango Salsa. I also made cilantro lime corn, yummy! I found the black bean burger recipe on Annie's Eats site and the Cilantro Lime Corn recipe from the Food Network. We plan to use the leftovers tonight to make a yummy burrito bowl, stay tuned! :)

 

Black Bean Burgers
Printer-Friendly Version

Yield: 6 burgers
Ingredients:
¾ cup panko
3 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 shallot, minced

Directions:
Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Combine the panko with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and mix with a fork to blend.  Add the mixture to the skillet and toast the panko, stirring frequently, until light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, 1 tablespoon of the oil, cumin, salt and cayenne.  Whisk to blend.  Add the egg mixture, toasted panko, the remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, cilantro and shallot to the bowl with the mashed beans.  Stir together until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about ½ cup each.  Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties.  (At this point the patties can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.)  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total.  Transfer the cooked burgers to a plate, tent with foil, and repeat with the remaining oil and bean patties.  Serve warm.

Source: slightly adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

 Cilantro Lime Corn

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn, shucked
• Cilantro Lime Butter, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat each ear of corn in 2 tablespoons of the cilantro lime butter and wrap individually in foil. Roast until hot and steaming, about 25 minutes. Serve with extra butter on the side.

Cilantro Lime Butter:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put the butter in a mixing bowl and, using a rubber spatula, mix in the cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt and cayenne. Use immediately or refrigerate.

Yield: 3/4 cup

Pineapple Chicken Salad

I made this yummy pineapple chicken salad for lunch today, it was very tasty. I look forward to lunch tomorrow now! I also added crasins and extra pineapples.

Pineapple Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast
½ cup matchstick cut carrots
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 8-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Serve on rolls or in pita pockets with romaine lettuce.
Source: adapted from Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats, originally from Cooking Light

S'mores on a stick

My coworker was telling me how her friend made these and she was making them for the fourth of July. I thought it was a cute idea and couldn't wait to make them. Our friend invited us over for a BBQ for the fourth and I decided to make them with a twist. In my family, our s'mores consist of Graham crackers, marshmallow, and a Reese peanut butter cup, so I had to bring peanut butter into the mix.

S'mores on a Stick with a twist of peanut butter or mint
1 bag of large marshmallows
1 bag of chocolate chips
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 pack of graham crackers
1 cup peanut butter chips (or Andes mint chips)
1pkg. Lollipop sticks

Directions:
Put the marshmallows on a stick to start. Then, crush the Graham crackers. I put mine in our mini food processor to make it easier and faster. Then, I put the crushed Graham crackers in two different bowls. I put the peanut butter chips into the food processor and finely chopped them. I did the same with the Andes mint chips. I added the chopped peanut butter chips into one of the Graham crackers bowl and the Ande mint chips into the other. I them used a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil (to help thin the chocolate out) and dipped the marshmallows in the chocolate until covered, then rolled them into one of the Graham cracker crumbs. Let harden and cool before serving.

Beets, Chicken Sausage, with Beet Greens

We had a delicious lunch today! We went to the Golden Valley Farmer's Market and picked up some fresh beets. Yum! We made a yummy beet chicken dish. Healthy, tasty, and light! We even cooked the greens from the beets, they were actually pretty tasty, earthy, but good and good for you.
We sauted the beet greens in a pan with a little olive oil, garlic, and onions until wilted. While the greens were cooking, we baked the sliced beets in the oven for about 30 minutes. We cooked the chicken sausage (stuffed with artichoke, mozzarella cheese, and basil) and cut it up. Tossed it all together and YUM!

Sparkling Cranberry Punch

We made this punch for the baptism and it was REALLY good! It didn't seem as sugary as normal punch, even though I am sure it had plenty of sugar in it. It would even be good with a little alcohol added to it. :) Even the adults were drinking this, not just the kids. Once again, I forgot to take a picture of the punch in the cute punch stand that my mom let me borrow. Next time! :)

SPARKLING CRANBERRY PUNCH 

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,183,157163-248193,00.html
Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

2 qt. cranberry juice cocktail (cran-apple, cran-raspberry, whichever)
1 (12 oz.) frozen orange juice, thawed
1 (12 oz.) frozen pink lemonade, thawed
1 qt. ginger ale or sparkling water

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl; stir in ginger ale or sparkling water when ready to serve. Pour over ice.

Makes 25 servings.

Baptism Egg Bake

Isabelle's baptism went really well and the food turned out perfectly! My coworker gave me her recipe for an egg bake, which was great, but I of course, wanted to try to add my own personal touch on it and added some more spices, it was very tasty! There is only one piece left and I made a large pan, so I'll see if I remember to take a picture and add it to this post before I eat it!

Julie's Egg Bake with Tiffany's Twist

~serves 8-10

Ingredients:

    -8 slices of bread, diced

    -1 pound Jimmy Dean sausage, brown and broken up

    -2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I used sharp cheddar)

    -1 small can slice mushrooms, drained (I diced them up)

    -1 dozen eggs

    *-1 can cream of mushroom soup

    *-1 cup milk

    *-1 tsp. yellow mustard

Spices I added:

1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

(you could use garlic salt and skip the kosher salt and garlic powder if you'd like too, it tastes just as good)

Beat eggs until foamy, add soup mixture (*) and mushrooms.  Layer bread, sausage and cheese in 9x13 pan. Pour egg mixture over. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake @350 for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 min.

Mint Oreo Ice Cream

Amazing homemade ice cream!! The picture looks terrible, but the taste is to die for. Isabelle and I made this for daddy for Father's Day. His favorite blizzard at DQ is mint oreo, so we tried to recreate it for him. I think we have to go get more ingredients today, so I think he enjoyed it! :)

 

Mint Oreo Ice Cream

From food.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely chopped Oreo cookies
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream or 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Directions

1. Place cookies in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes; whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 more minute.
3. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
4. Add the peppermint extract and blend again.
5. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
6. While the ice cream is somewhat loose but on it's way to being frozen, add the chopped cookies and continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.
7. At this point, I transfer the ice cream to a plastic container and put it in the freezer to harden (ripen) completely.