Holy Crap! Rachel's Back!: SSC's Last Minute Party Edition

Joy of joys! Our favorite Californian sommelier and former SSC writer, Rachel was back in town for a day. You know what that means... We had to celebrate! So we gathered together, brought our favorite, easy to make, last minute party foods (and booze, of course) and threw together a kickass shin-dig! Who knew an out of state unpaid parking ticket would be so much fun!


Manika's Lamb & Pork Kebab Wontons
with Yoghurt Chutney Slaw

Since this dish was cooked to taste, this is a rough outline of a recipe for these delicious little appetizers. Make sure to try your hand at these! They were the hit of the party!




Kebabs
1 pound fresh ground lamb
1 pound fresh ground pork
seasoning to taste, spices, salt, garlic, ginger, etc.

Wontons
pre-made wonton skins
olive oil

Yoghurt Chutney Slaw
chopped avocado
sliced cabbage
yoghurt
mango chutney
jalapenos
parsley

Heat oven to 350.
Combine meats with seasonings of choice. Handle meat as little as possible and form into loose balls. Place on baking tray and cook until done, about 20 minutes. (Think meatballs here.)

Oil muffin pan and place wonton skin in each opening. Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes until lightly brown.

For Yoghurt Slaw
Combine yoghurt, chutney, parsley, cabbage, jalapenos, avocado, and seasoning.

To Serve
Place kebab meatballs in wonton cups. Serve warm. Top with yoghurt slaw just before serving.




Mango Lime Quinoa
This dish is super light, fresh, and just plain delicious!

Quinoa
1 cup dry quinoa
2 mangoes peeled and chopped
finely chopped Serrano chili with seeds
2 tomatoes seeded and chopped
juice of 2 limes
1 can black beans rinsed until water runs clear
salt

Topping
small red onion chopped
fresh chopped cilantro

Cook quinoa. Stir in remaining ingredients. Top with onion and cilantro.
Can be served warm or cold.




Lasagna Soup
An interesting take on an Italian classic!

Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 pounds Italian sausage
2 large onions, diced 1 large bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced oregano basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
small can tomato paste
large can (28 oz) diced, stewed or crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 box lasagna noodles

Cheese
8 oz ricotta
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
black pepper
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese (this can be mixed in, or reserved on the side a soup topping)

In big pan add oil and heat. Add onions and pepper. Saute slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Chop sausage into chunks, and add to pan. Cook 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, basil and red pepper, and tomato paste. Stir. Add can of tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir. Simmer 30 minutes. Add pasta. Break it into small pieces before cooking. Cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine your cheeses and pepper in a separate bowl. To serve, place some of the cheese mixture into a bowl, then add hot soup! Voila!




Roasted Sweet Potatoes
An awesomely simple, tasty side dish!

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling later
1/4 cup honey 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and black pepper


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender.

Remove potatoes from oven and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with more olive oil.




Christa's Cheese Cake Cupcakes
This one is another of my mom's recipes. It's super easy, super delicious and super quick to make. Plus, if you leave off the graham cracker crust, it's also gluten free!






Cheesecake
16oz cream cheese (2 8oz packages)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
cupcake papers

Topping
1 can or jar cherry pie filling

Graham Cracker Crust: the fancy way (Traditional graham cracker crust)
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 1 full sleeve)
5 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

---------------or------------------
Graham Cracker Crust: the lazy way
1 box of Nilla Wafers


Put cupcake papers in cupcake pan.

For graham cracker crust the lazy way: Drop 1 Nilla wafer in each cupcake paper. Easy!

For graham cracker crust the fancy way:
Crush up graham crackers. You can do this while the sleeve is still closed with a rolling pin or take them out of the sleeve and use a food processor to grind them. Make sure they are finely ground. Melt butter and combine into a bowl with graham cracker crumbs and add sugar and cinnamon.

Place a tbsp of mixture into each cupcake paper. Pat down into paper. Bake for about 3 minutes at 350.

Cheesecake
Blend cream cheese, eggs, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla into a large bowl. Pour mixture into the cupcakes papers with the previously made graham cracker crust so that they are about 3/4 full.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cool! Top with a tbsp of cherry topping! Make sure to refrigerate! Wooo!

Yield 18 cupcakes.

- Christa



Booze Pairings!
Rachel returns so we broke out the big alcohol guns!

Selectus, Bogeda Los Aljibes. $50
For Racheal's brief, one night return, I sprung for something a little pricey. I have had my eye on it for a while, and tonight was the night to take the plunge. It was totally worth it! The Selectus is an exceptionally modern, powerful and spectacular wine. It has a brilliant, deep cherry color. With a highly complex nose containing hints of minerals and Indian ink, the Selectus has toasted reminiscences which give way to an aroma of mature dark colored fruits like blackcurrant, raspberry, and prune. It's a flavorsome, smooth wine which is appetizing and highly attractive. A wine that is fleshy, oily and perfectly balanced, it is full-flavored, yet surprisingly mellow, is exciting to the palate, and transmits sensations to all five senses.

Domaine Carneros by Taittinger $25
This cuvée has aromas of freesias, baked pear, melon and citrus peel enhanced with notes of toast and vanilla. The wine has a solid structure, it is round and flavorful with a long creamy finish. So yeah, its just really good...and Rachel loves bubbles :)

-Phoebe












Sarah, Laura & Jamie strike a pose; Rachel & Manika get close; Roommates re-united!













Popsicles!; Our plates for the evening


Cheers!
Christa, Rachel & Phoebe



About Rachel
Rachel is the "professional drinker" of the group. She currently resides in California and graduated from Boston University's Culinary Arts program in the Fall of 2010. Rachel's true love is booze, which is why she is drank her way through the Elizabeth Bishop and Master Sommelier programs. She has traveled the world drinking wine but her favorite spot is among her ladies! You can check what Rachel's up to and what's new in the world of wine with some great videos, reviews and more at TastingRoom.com!

SSC Cold as Ice Edition: Fresh & Fruity Dishes Best Served Cold!

Summer. It's great right? Lounging on the beach, basking in cool breeze, hanging out on your deck, grilling in the afternoon, sitting in your beautiful air conditioned, well ventilated apartment with a sweater on...You have all of those things right? You do? Well, screw you. I don't.

In light of the fact that most of us don't live near beaches, have fancy decks, air conditioning and up to code ventilation, I'm taking the helm this week to bring to you SSC: Cold As Ice Edition. An array of dishes, best served cold. This stuff is also is great to prep the night before and perfect to bring to an outdoor meal, provided you can find a place that isn't private property or littered with hypodermic needles.

Hey, it might feel like an oven in your apartment, but at lest you won't have to turn yours on! Enjoy!




Edamame, Corn & Black Bean Salad
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups cooked shelled edamame
1 cups cooked corn (I just used the frozen kind)
1 cup black beans (I used canned...make sure to drain)
1/2 cup red bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup cilantro

In a small saucepan, combine vinegars, sugar, cumin and garlic. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Place edamame, corn, black beans and red pepper in a medium bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables. Stir. Refrigerate 2-4 hours. Stir in cilantro before serving.




Chicken Curry Salad
This fan favorite has a pretty simple recipe but everyone always freaks over its EXTREME AWESOMENESS. This is also a great recipe if you have a bunch of leftover chicken. You're welcome.





1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 tsp curry powder
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/3 cup dried sweetened coconut
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 large onion, diced
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

lettuce
sandwich wraps (Spinach is my favorite but multigrain or white works great too.)

Combine all ingredients (sans the actual wraps & lettuce...obviously). Chill 3-5 hrs or overnight. Serve in wraps with lettuce. You will not be disappointed.




Hawaiian Salad/ Ambrosia
This is not even remotely close to an actual salad, which is probably why it is so damn delicious...

1 bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 pint sour cream
1 large can of fruit cocktail, drained
1 medium can of pineapple


Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate 5-6 hours or overnight.




Pretty Much the Best Strawberry Shortcake Ever
This is an amazing recipe that my mom used to make after we went strawberry picking every summer. It's a modified Fanny Farmer recipe and it's always been one of my absolute favorites!





Sponge Cake
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp cold water
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar

2 8-inch layer cake pans

Whipped cream & Strawberries
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Sugar to taste
1lb strawberries, washed and halved


Pre-heat oven to 350.

Separate egg whites from egg yolks into 2 separate bowls. In yet another bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. Beat egg whites until they stand in soft peaks. Beat in 1/4 of the sugar.

Without washing the beater, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Then beat in vanilla, water, lemon juice and the remainder of the sugar.

Pour yolk mixture into the whites and fold together until well blended. Fold in flour mixture. Spray pans with cooking spray. Pour into pans.

Bake 25-30 minutes. (To test, press lightly with finger. If the cake is done it will spring back.)
Let cool.


Whipped Cream
Pour cream into a large bowl. Start whipping. Gradually add sugar to taste. I really have no idea how much I use. Maybe a half a cup? I dunno. Beat until it stands in soft peaks.

Construction
After cake has thoroughly cooled spread whipped cream on top of one cake. Place sliced strawberries on top. Place unfrosted cake on top of that. Spread whipped cream and place strawberries on top of that. You have now made a delicious cake. Hooray!





Booze Pairings!

Domain Houchart Provence Rosé 2010whole foods, $10
Rosé gets a bad rap, and this is because of that trashy little Miss White Zin, Beringer to be exact, trouncing around with her fakery, misleading impressible drinkers into thinking that she is a real pink wine. It's a dye job, people!

Rosé is the perfect summer wine. I eagerly await the summers through the brutally cold New England winter for this wonderful style of wine to at last be seasonally appropriate. Boy, was I happy when Sanity Supper Club member Jen plopped a bottle of Houchart rosé on the table to enjoy with our fresh and fruity summer meal.

This particular wine blogger gets rather spoiled working in a fine wine shop, and sometimes forgets about some really great mass produced wines, this being one of them. This light and bright rosé has a good amount of acidity balanced out by a creamy texture. It went perfectly with everything from the lightly savory summer salad, but had strong enough fruit flavors to hold up to the spicy curry wraps, and delicate enough to compliment the strawberry shortcake dessert.

You can find this wine a most Wholefoods with a wine section. It only runs about 10 bucks a bottle, so it wont break the bank. I am thinking of going out to buy a case myself...(as I sit and write this on my work computer,).

P.S. If you like Beringer white zin, by all means drink it. I am of the opinion that you should drink what you like. When it comes to having a good time with your friends, your drink choice is never wrong!



Margaritas!
(This is a basic recipe but you can tinker with it to make your own)

lime wedges
coarse salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice,(about 1 large lime)
1/4 cup agave tequila
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1/2 cup coarsely cracked ice cubes




Rub the rims of 2 martini glasses with a lime wedge, then dip the rims in a dish of course salt. Refrigerate the glasses if desired.

In a shaker, combine the lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur. Add ice and shake 10 to 15 seconds, then strain into the prepared glasses.



















Your chef for the evening; A mini shortcake with raspberries for our favorite SSC member with an unfortunate strawberry allergy; the best toothpick holder ever














The ladies!; The spread!















Shea gets serious; Quickly disappearing deliciousness; Jen! Wraps! Yum!




Cheers!
Christa & Phoebe




About Christa
Christa is a comedian, artist and graphic designer living in Boston. Because most of her family is fresh off the boat, she knows a thing or two about traditional European cooking and baking, provided that the recipes are in English (Thanks a lot, crappy American school system!). She also has a vast knowledge of fancy-smancy beers made by smelly hippies. Although she has no food credits to speak of, generally speaking everything she makes is considered to be "damn good." Check out her other blog Shameless Pomp and Circumstance if you feel like it!

America the Delicious: SSC Pays Tribute to Our National Summer Classics!

While the 4th of July celebrates our country's independence from Great Briton bossing us around and telling us what to do, Supper Sanity Club celebrates our independence from the conventions of cooking, respectable table conversation, the every day dinner party, and what's considered casual drinking.

For our pre-4th SSC, Laura put together a sparking and explosive Independence Day pre-game. Meat, potatoes, avocado and corn salad, and fresh berry angel food cake ? Damn girl, you have me feeling all patriotic just writing about it!






Chipolte Meatloaf Cheeseburgers

1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
6-8 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo plus 3-5 teaspoon adobo sauce (depending on taste) plus additional 3 teaspoons adobo sauce for chipolte mayo
5 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
8 slices Muenster cheese
8 hamburger buns, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 large tomatillo (1/4 pound), husked and rinsed, then sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup cilantro sprigs


Gently mix pork,beef chipotle/adobo, garlic, and little salt until just combined. Form into 48(1/2-inch-thick) patties. Oil grill rack or grill pan, then grill patties, covered, 4 minutes over medium heat.

Flip patties and top with a slice of cheese. Grill until just cooked through,
2-3 minutes more.

Mix additional adobo sauce, mayonnaise and greek yogurt, spread on toasted buns. Assemble burgers with tomatillo, avocado and cilantro




Roasted Potato Wedges with Chipolte Mayo

For potatoes:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds baking potatoes (about 5 medium), each cut into 8 wedges each

For chipolte mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce or chipolte salsa (flavor to taste)

Roast potatoes:

Preheat oven to 450°F with pan in. Stir cumin, oregano, and 3/4 teaspoon salt into oil in a large bowl. Add potatoes and toss. Arrange potatoes, cut sides down, in 1 layer in hot pan and roast, turning once, until golden, about 40 minutes.

Mayonnaise: 

Stir together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, chipolte and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small serving bowl.
Serve potatoes with mayonnaise.



Fresh Avocado Summer Salad
Mixed greens
2 Avocados
1 bag roasted corn defrosted (Laura prefers Trader Joes brand)
1 lime squeezed
1/2 cup Cilantro
Olive Oil to taste
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together in bowl just before serving. That's it!





Angel Food Cake with Berries & Whipped Cream
We have a more complex version of this that we'll post next week, but if you want to make something quick & delicious, this is perfect!

Use boxed angel food cake, just add water and bake. Top with homemade whip cream. Laura flavored her's with vanilla and cinnamon. Hell yeah!

Add your choice of fresh berries like strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.




Booze Pairing! (FOR AMERICA!)



Whiskey Smash
What does a whiskey cocktail say about its drinker? 'Hey, I want a real drink, and I’m not fucking around!'

The strong, flavorful, and refreshing the Whiskey Smash has become
this booze blogger's favorite drink of summer 2011.





2 pieces lemon
2 - 3 mint leaves
3/4 oz simple syrup (sugar)
1 1/2 oz Old Overholt rye whiskey
1 oz soda water
ice

Mix. Get tanked (for AMERICA)!














Whiskey smash modeling; The spread (for AMERICA!)...also half of Arlan; Whiskey even more smashed!


Cheers!
Christa, Phoebe & Laura




About Laura
Laura manages consumer marketing for Sonos, a wireless music system. Her great loves are travel, music, eating and drinking – a nice pairing, don’t you think? Since she’s managed to find a job that has to do with music, all her spare time is spent traveling the world tasting local libations and looking for her next great meal. Born and raised in organic Oregon, Laura has always had a taste for fresh and local food and recently has been getting pretty good at making it on her own,thanks to her weekly vegetable delivery from Boston Organics!

SSC's Homegrown Edition: Healthy, Delicious & Drunk!

Classy. Sophisticated. Member of an awesome fresh produce delivery service. While none of these things actually apply to me, they definitely describe our friend Jen! Armed with some amazing fresh veggies from Boston Organics, purveyor of fine, mostly local, fresh foods, (So fresh she didn't even know what she would be cooking until right before she got it,) Jen once again wowed us with some delicious healthy food!

Salmon Fillets
salmon fillets
lemon juice
parsley

Place each fillet on a separate piece of aluminum foil. Make into
a little package that opens at the top and place onto a baking pan.
Add lemon juice and parsley to each package. Seal package and
cook for 10 minutes at 375.

Cubed Sweet Potatoes and Kale
Kale
Sweet potatoes
garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1/2 c white wine



Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add cubed sweet potato and white wine so that it halfway covers the sweet potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add kale and stir until wilted, about 5 min.



Zesty Pepperoncini & Feta Salad
romaine lettuce
jarred pepperoncini peppers
feta
grape tomatoes
lemon juice
olive oil

Squeeze lemon over lettuce. Add pepperoncinis,
tomatoes and feta. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top.




Christa's Berry Tropical Fruit Salad
1 pint blueberries
8 oz raspberries
8oz blackberries
1 mango chopped*
1 tbsp sugar




Wash all fruit and dump into a bowl. Add sugar. That's it!
* Okay, the mango wasn't local. Obviously.



Brownies!
Admittedly, we used brownies from a box, but they were Trader Joe's brand and it was organic, so I feel like we get some leeway.

Everything you need to make box brownies. Then make them.
Fruit salad that you intended on being a healthy dessert but just ended up using it as a topping
Vanilla ice cream!

Umm...assemble? Yeah!




Booze Pairings!

Quattro Leoni White, Italy, $17

This is a fresh and vibrant blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cortese that really hits the spot with its and pristine aromas of citrus, stone fruit and honey. The wine is crisp and slightly sweet with an attractively creamy texture. It is perfect for fish, as well as salads. The touch of chardonnay takes off the acidic bite of the sauve blanc. This bottle is especially handy when having guests that are not huge fans of dry, citrus heavy wines, while you yourself don't want to have a crappy pairing.


Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner growler, $15

One of my favorite, and in my opinion frequently overlooked booze options for a
dinner party is the beer growler. Fellow SSC member Laura brought us a Bohemian Pilsner by Harpoon. Referred to as the Sauvignon Blanc of beers, this malty fruity brew, with a crisp finish went perfectly with what Jen served up! You can only find this beer in the summer varity packs from Harpoon, or take the tour and snag yourself a growler straight from the brewery. Do your homework Sanity Supper Club fans! Take the tour, buy some booze and make it a point to take the bus home. Get on it!

Fun Fact:a growler is British slang for a ladies crotch ;)















Jen has the classiest dinner table ever; The only way to make brownies
more awesome than they already are is to add booze and ice cream













Appetizers!; Attractively arranged food is known to increase deliciousness




Cheers!
Christa, Phoebe & Jen




About Jen

Jen has only recently learned how to use a stove to cook healthier
meals using fresh ingredients, mostly as a way to avoid having to go
outside to obtain meals during Boston winters. She still much prefers
great food cooked by others and especially enjoys traveling to more
exotic places and sampling the local cuisine.