Farmboy and I hosted our dinner club with this menu one snowy January evening. The flavors were meant to heat up a cold winter night and feature some new spices that I had never cooked with before. We served the appetizer with Indian beer and featured a nice mix of Indian/World music. The inexpensive glass hanging candle votive added a nice ambiance to our dinner as the evening went on.

Seekh Kebabs with Herb Yogurt Dip

Beet Curry Soup with Feta and Cumin Crackers

Spicy Chicken Coconut Curry

Mughlai Chicken

Basmati Rice with Indian Spices and Traditional Raita

Mango with Ginger Mint Syrup

The kebabs were delicious as was the beet curry soup. I couldn’t decide on the main course so I prepared two separate chicken dishes for us to try. I thought the Spicy Coconut Chicken Curry would win for heat but it wasn’t as spicy as I had expected. The Chicken Mughlai was scrumptious… very complex flavors! I’ve made it couple of times since the dinner. The Basmati Rice and Raita I have continued to make as well.

Dinner clubs are a great way to try new dishes and cook with spices you normally wouldn’t- not to mention creating lasting friendships. Many of the spices for these dishes I did not have in my kitchen so it is a bit of an investment in that regard, but they are great to have on hand. I encourage you to get out of your culinary comfort zone and try cooking with new spices, new flavors and new friends!

Sundried Tomato, Basil Pesto and Goat Cheese Spirals

Kale and Pecorino Crostini

Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs

Cola & Brown Sugar Basted Ham with Jezebel Sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Spicy Corn Pudding

Green Beans Almondine

Seven Layer Fruit Compote

Marilyn’s Cherry Pie

I found this recipe in a little cookbook that my sweet grandmother from Baton Rouge gave me when Farmboy and I got married. The title of the cookbook is called “Try It, You’ll Like It!” so when I saw this recipe I just HAD to try it and low and behold… I liked it and so did everyone else! The horseradish gives it quite a kick. It is a lovely accompaniment to sliced ham. I promise rave reviews…

• 10 oz. jar pineapple preserves
• 1o oz. jar apple jelly
• 6 oz. jar horseradish
• 1/2 can dry mustard. (1 1/2 0z. size)
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients. Let chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour before using.

Rosemary’s Pink Diamond Fizz Cocktail

Baked Brie with Dried Cherries & Thyme

Blood Orange and Radicchio Salad with Hazelnuts and Shaved Parmigiano

Creamy Potato Soup with Pancetta Croutons

Sauteed Asparagus and Snap Peas

Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate

Dark Chocolate Souffle’ Cakes with Espresso-Chocolate Sauce

Thanks to our friends Eric and Joanne Tills from our dinner club for letting me post the menu for our upcoming dinner. I’m certain it will be delish! Farmboy and I will be bringing the Chocolate Souffle Cakes so I will be certain to post about that later. I can’t wait to taste that Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate! Be sure to click on the titles above to view the recipes.

A number of years ago a good friend asked Farmboy and me to participate in a dinner club. I had never used a food processor before and I think one of our first recipes was for some kind of wacky blue cheese coleslaw (it was delish… I’ll post the recipe later if I can find it). There was cabbage flying all over the kitchen. I became friends with the food processor and can now thankfully profess that I am no longer afraid of kitchen gadgets or appliances. That being said I can now confess that I am a Foodnetwork and TopChef junkie.

The last time we hosted was in the Fall and shown below is the delicious menu. My intention was to do a totally local menu with locally raised beef and vegetables. I was side tracked by the Green Peppercorn Sauce which took me down the trail of a more Latin flavored meal, hence the black beans and chipotle peppers. The Salsa Verde, Garlic, Greens and Yukon Gold Potatoes came from our potager garden. In order to get Grass Fed Filet Mignon we had to buy what the grocer had from somewhere like Bolivia! Uggh. I should have prepared better. I did not realize that the local farms often do not carry “retail cuts”. A local butcher could have gotten the beef if he had more time but it would have come from Nevada since apparently it is difficult to finish beef in our climate on grass. I’m still a bit perplexed by the whole thing, but I’m learning.

Black Bean Pica with Garlic Bruschetta

Salsa Verde with Corn Chips

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Green Chili Swirl

Grass Fed Filet Mignon with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Garlic and Cheese Chipotle Mashed Potatoes with Seared Greens

Sweet Wine and Honey Roasted Pears

This is my favorite way to use sage and rosemary from the garden before cold temps set in. This simple rub is delicious on pork tenderloin as well as chicken and vegetables. It can be used as is; however, I always make extra and dry it for later use. In the photos the ingredients have been tripled.

Tuscan Herb Seasoning

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 TBS kosher salt
• 1 small bunch fresh sage (about 30 leaves)
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

On cutting board, mince garlic with salt.

Place herbs in a mound and coarsely chop.

Add garlic salt and chop them together to make a coarse rub.

The salt can be used right away or dried in an uncovered bowl. I like to leave the rub in a large plate and let it dry on the counter for a couple of days. Every other day or I stir it to let the particles on the bottom have more exposure to fresh air.

The dried salt rub can be stored indefinitely in a clean dry jar. Some of my foodie friends will be getting some in a pretty jar during the holidays… don’t tell.

That is the title of a sweet little cookbook that my grandmother from Baton Rouge gave me when Farmboy and I got married. It was put together by the PEO Chapter E in Baton Rouge. After a quick google search I found this about the PEO:

One of the pioneer societies for women, P.E.O. was founded on January 21, 1869, by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Originally a small campus friendship society, P.E.O. soon blossomed to include women off campus. Today, P.E.O. has grown from that tiny membership of seven to almost a quarter of a million members in chapters in the United States and Canada. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is passionate about its mission: promoting educational opportunities for women.

Cool. Who knew Shirley B was so cutting edge? This little paperback cookbook has been so much fun to discover. One of my favorite recipes is the Spinach Balls- they are a big hit at the holidays. Yum. I usually serve them on a platter with a little container of hot sauce on the side for dipping. I am no food blogger but I love to cook and occasionally will post recipes that are tried and true and worth repeating. The Spinach Ball recipe is from the Perky Parties section! Doesn’t that make you giggle… chuckle… smile? It does me. Here goes:

Try It- You’ll Like It Spinach Balls

• 2 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
• 2 cups herbed stuffing mix
• 2 med. onions chopped fine
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup oleo (butter) melted
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbl garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• Tabasco to taste

Cook spinach according to directions. Drain very well. Mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into bite sized balls. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes approx. 50-60 balls. May freeze (freeze before baking).

Look at that spinachy goodness! Now, dive in and shape the mixture into tiny balls.

Ready for the oven!

Browned on top and bottom and ready for a plate.

Oops! Forgot to take a picture of the finished product plated and ready to be served. Close your eyes and picture a lovely burgundy colored ceramic platter with these piled around a little ceramic container filled with hot sauce for dipping. Can you picture it? I have a bag of these little goodies in the freezer just waiting for the next occasion. I will try to post the plated version when they are cooked. It will look just like you imagined, I promise!

I grew tomatillos for the first time this year and what a surprise that was. Talk about prolific! I had two days in the kitchen making the most delicious Salsa Verde. It was a good way to put to use the onions, jalapenos, cilantro and tomatillos from the garden. I had two lovely helpers who enjoyed peeling and washing. By the time that was over they were on to the next playful activity and I was left with my friend- my mother-in-law’s food processor. I have got to get one of my own! The recipe that I followed is Rick Bayless’ with a few changes such as adding garlic and not adding any water.  I found the roasting helped to sweeten the salsa and cut the acidity back. When it was finished I added raw onions and a couple of raw tomatillos for a little bite.

My two helpers- LaLa and her cousin.

Tomatillos fresh from the garden halved and ready to go into the oven.

Roasting with garlic cloves and halved jalapeno peppers.

• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• Fresh hot green chiles, to taste (roughly 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno), stemmed
• 5 or 6 sprigs fresh cilantro (thick stems removed), roughly chopped
• Scant 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• Salt

Directions

Preheat a broiler.

Roast the tomatillos, garlic and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos and chiles, including all the delicious juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the cilantro and 1/4 cup water, blend to a coarse puree, and scrape into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually a generous 1/4 teaspoon.