Dinner Party
Those of you that know me, know that I take great pleasure in cooking big meals for people. At that I also really adore cooking meals that are delicious :). Saturday night was sweet because I got the chance to cook up a feast for a group of my friends. It was pretty impromptu, but man it was good.
The first course of appetizers was simply wonderful. The Spinach Artichoke Dip turned out much better than I had expected. I didn’t even get to try the Bruschetta that I made, so it must’ve been good as well. Both of those were served with french bread that was brushed with olive oil and garlic salt, then toasted in the oven. I was much happier with the appetizer than the main meal.
The salad was a nice mix of veggies, but I found that I wanted more vinegar in the salad dressing I made. Next time I’ll change that. The presentation of the salad was quite nice though. I was trying to mimic an Olive Garden style salad, which I found out the key to was blending a raw egg into the salad dressing.
I was a bit disappointed with the Chicken Fettucini Alfredo. It turned into a very traditional Fettucini, but I was hoping for a creamier sauce. What I found though was that the fettucini noodles literally absorbed most of the alfredo sauce and left the pieces of parmesan and ramano cheeses on the noodles. Though I marinated the chicken breast, they still were not very moist, but I know that’s because I had to cook them to quickly.
All in all, it was a wonderful meal and I look forward to my next dinner evening with folks. Some might find it strange, but I really love cooking. Here are the recipes I used and you will see that cream cheese was a main ingredient.
Bruschetta
1 1/2 cups chopped roma tomatoes
2 Tbsp. diced red onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of ground black pepper
1/2 loaf french baguette or crusty italian bread, sliced into 5-7 slices
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 to 3 sprigs italian parsley
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil. Add 1/2 Tbsp. of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat broiler, slice the bread in 1-inch slices diagonally to make 5-7 slices.
Combine remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil with the garlic salt. Brush entire surface of each slice (both sides) with the olive oil mixture.
Broil slices for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, until surface starts to brown.
Arrange bread like spokes of a wheel on plate. Put the chilled tomato mixture in a pile in the middle of the slices. Garnish with Italian parsley.
(prepare only so much bruschetta mixture and then twice the toasted bread for the spinach artichoke dip)
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
2 *8 oz.) pkg. Light Cream Cheese ( I like the texture better, regular is fine)
2 can 14 oz. Progresso Artichoke Hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
1 C. Spinach frozen chopped, or steamed
1/2 C. Mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese
1/2 C. Romano Cheese (You can use all Parmesan)
2 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. Basil (dry 1 Tbsp. Basil Fresh)
1/2 C. Mozzarella Cheese grated
1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Cream together mayonnaise, Parmesan, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, and garlic salt. Mix well. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach (careful to drain this well), and mix until blended. Store in a container until you are ready to use. Spray pie pan with Pam, pour in dip, and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top is browned. Serve with toasted bread.
Salad
Dressing:
Into blender put: 1- 1/2 cups bottle Italian dressing, 2 TB grated Parmesan, 2 TB sugar, 1 lg. raw egg. Blend high speed 1/2 minute or till smooth.
(I used some cheap Italian dressing, but next time I’ll either add extra vinegar or I will get a different base dressing.)
Ingredients (this is all to taste - I didn’t follow this exactly)
1 head of Romaine Lettuce
1/2 head of Iceburg Lettuce
4-5 slices Red Onion
1 Sm can of Black Olives
10 Pepperocini Peppers
1 C. Croutons
3 small Tomato Quartered
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Alfredo Sauce
(I multiplied this by 3 - but that was way too much. I also used a full 32 oz. of Fettucini. I should’ve just doubled this recipe - I think the sauce would have been creamier too since there would have been less noodles)
8 ounces Cream cheese -- cut in bits
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
1/2 cup Butter or margarine
1/2 cup Milk
8 ounces Fettucini; cook -- drain
In large saucepan combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and
milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Toss pasta lightly with
sauce, coating well. Leftovers freeze well.
Monday, February 6, 2006