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Cookbook Club: Cinco de Mayo on the Water

May 6, 2015, posted by Gina – Yesterday, my Cookbook Club met for a Cinco de Mayo lunch. We are currently working our way through the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks and you’ll find links for each recipe throughout this post. The hostess set up her boat house so that we could enjoy the day right on the water. It was quite a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, with a slight, pleasant breeze. Idyllic!

We started the festivities with margaritas and what I can only describe as the BEST GUACAMOLE I have ever had. For a start, the super fresh avocados and tomatoes had everything to do with setting it apart. It had a bit of a kick from the 8 dashes of Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, rather than lime juice, brightened it up. Combine all that with some minced red onions and garlic and you have the perfect guacamole.

After enjoying the appetizer, we served GAZPACHO topped with homemade parmesean croutons, ROASTED CHICKEN, ORZO with ROASTED VEGETABLES and ZUCCHINI with PARMESEAN. My favorite dish was the orzo with roasted vegetables; the dressing, the feta and the pine nuts married so well with the vegetables.

Gazpacho

Roasted Chicken

For dessert we had FROZEN KEY LIME PIE and CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE. The pie had a great flavor although I think I prefer a regular key lime pie. The ganache on the cake was delicious and while the cake was good, there are other chocolate cakes I like better.

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Sugared Flowers

The tables were set with brightly colored plates and napkins and pots of zinnias for centerpieces. The setting, the perfect weather, a delicious lunch and great company made this a very enjoyable day. Do you do anything special for Cinco de Mayo? Maybe you prepare an authentic meal or just head to your favorite Mexican restaurant for margaritas? Do you have a favorite spot on a lake or river where you can get away? We’d like to hear from you, so if you’d like to leave a comment, click on the title of this post and a comment form with unfurl for you at the end of the post.

Cookbook Club Early Spring Lunch 1 comment

March 11, 2015, posted by Gina

Does a cookbook club sound fun to you? I belong to one and we are currently trying out recipes from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks.

We have 12 members, as we determined that’s how many people most of us can seat comfortably in our homes, we meet once a month and we take turns being the hostess. The hostess plans the menu, prepares the main course, sets the theme, if there is one, and sends the menu out via email. The members sign up for the dish they would like to prepare and the big rule is they must prepare the recipe exactly as it is written in the cookbook.

: Provençal Tomatoes

Once we are finished with our meal, we make notes in our cookbooks as each person talks about their recipe. They may suggest any changes they would make to it and whether or not they would make it again.

All recipes can be found in Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks; Family Style, Parties and The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. You can also find the recipes online (google “Ina Garten’s Parmesan Chicken”, for example).

The Menu for an Early Spring Lunch

YUMMY DRINK – Herbal Iced Tea*

APPETIZER – Smoked Salmon Dip

SALADS – Tabbouleh and Tuna Tartare

MAIN COURSE – Parmesan Chicken, Provençal Tomatoes and Chive Biscuits

DESSERT – Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake and Coconut Cupcakes

The Verdict: Surprisingly, everyone liked ALL of the items which rarely happens. My favorite was the orange chocolate chunk cake. I make the Parmesan Chicken on a regular basis for my family and the tomatoes were fabulous even though it’s not peak tomato season. Many thought the coconut cupcakes would be great for Easter, maybe put a few jelly beans on top. Both salads were delicious and the tabbouleh in particular tasted very fresh.

: Tabbouleh Salad

: Tuna Tartare

*A note regarding the herbal iced tea, we all agreed that it was a little tart. The original recipe it calls for pure apple juice which, in addition to being much more expensive than regular apple juice, was not very sweet. We decided that this tea would taste better if it was slighter sweeter and used regular apple juice to obtain that sweetness. Maybe it’s the Southern predilection for sweet tea, who knows? Honestly, it was a little tart, 12 people can’t all be wrong, right?

: Chive Biscuits