Everyday lives of the Meabon Household

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Cinco de Mayo Dinner Club Recipes

I hosted our Dinner Club on Thursday night.  It's just the girls and we take turns hosting once a year.  Since there are about 25 of us, once a year is definitely plenty!  I promised to share my recipes from Thursday with the girls so here you go.

For 18 people, I made 2 mousses, doubled the quinoa recipe and tripled the taco recipe.  This was plenty of food.

Cinco de Mayo Dinner Club

Slushy Sangria:
Jug of Burgundy wine
Large can frozen lemonade
Large can frozen orange juice
sugar to taste (not too much)
1 bottle club soda
Mix together and freeze for several days.  Thirty minutes prior to serving pour into pitcher add 2nd bottle club soda.  Cut lemons, oranges, apples, limes and pineapples and add to liquid.  Serve slushy.

Avocado Soup via Don Strange of Texas Cookbook:

1 medium onion, roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons minced onion
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives plus additional garnish
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups evaporated milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Place the chopped onion in work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade.  Process until totally pureed.  Turn the onion out into a fine strainer placed over a bowl.  Press down non the pulp to extract 1/4 cup of onion juice; reserve juice.  Discard the pulp.
Combine the minced onion, avocados, chicken soup, onion juice, sour cream, 2 tbsps of the chives and lemon juice in a food processor.  Process until smooth, adding the evaporated milk a little at a time.  When the soup is smooth and well blended, turn out into a bowl and season with the salt and white pepper.  Refrigerate until well chilled before serving.  Garnish with chopped chives.


Mango Mousse:
1 (14 1/2 oz) can mangos - in San Antonio, these can only be found at Wal-Mart
1 (4 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 (3 oz) box lemon flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
Blend mangos with juice and cream cheese.  Dissolve gelatin in boiling water and allow to cool.  Add gelatin to mango/cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth.  Coat mold with No-Stick Cooking Spray.  Pour mixture into mold and chill until set.  To serve, arrange mousse on butter lettuce leaves and garnish with blackberries and raspberries.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro via epicurious.com:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped white onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)
Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

Shredded Pork Tacos via Martha Stewart:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (3-pound) boneless pork shoulder, cut in half lengthwise
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from a small can), minced (about 4 teaspoons)
16 (6-inch) toasted corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add pork, tomatoes (breaking them up) and their juice, chipotle, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaves.
Using tongs, transfer meat to a large bowl; shred with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat or gristle. Return meat to pan, and simmer until sauce is thick, 30 to 45 minutes more. Season, if necessary, with salt and pepper. Proceed to next step, or cover and refrigerate, up to 1 day.
Spoon pork and sauce into toasted tortillas, using 2 tortillas for each serving; top with queso fresco and cilantro. Serve with lime, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado on taco bar. 

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake:
Combine in a large mixing bowl and set aside:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Boil in sauce pan:
1 stick margarine
1 cup water
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup cocoa
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix.
Add the following:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
Blend and pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  The cake is done when the cake begins to separate from the side of the pan and a toothpick placed into the center of the cake is moist but does not have chocolate sticking to the toothpick. 
Icing
Boil:
1 stick margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
3/8 cup milk
Pour over:
16 oz powdered sugar
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup pecans
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

By the way, I am not a pretty or neat cook.  Martha Stewart makes it look so easy but my kitchen tends to look like a nuclear explosion hit it!

And I completely dropped the ball on taking pictures of the final spread - ugh!

1 comment:

Lisa Johnson said...

Mmmmm, everything was so yummy. Thanks for sharing. Going to try that quinoa this week. I am a fan!