Extra Orange Sauce & a Side of Garlic Please...

This week on Thursday (the 2nd) we got together for Amanda's 30th birthday dinner. Tokyo's Japanese Steakhouse is one of our favorite spots and for those of you that have never been there you HAVE TO go! It's a 'teppan yaki' style restaurant...meaning they cook your dinner in front of you. With flames flying, knives being thrown and eggs being lauched we enjoyed our dinners and eachother.

A few of the girls weren't able to be there this week...Teresa was dealing with a horrific ordeal at their house being that their pipes burst in the cold weather. We hope this will be a better week for you and Red.

The previous Sunday was spent by most of us (insert Amanda's sad face here) on the 3rd Annual "Christmas Tree Hunting" trip to Green Water. Many-a-Rainier beers were enjoyed. One of the girls will get some pictures posted for you all to see the wonderful winter wonderland tradition.

My birthday celebration continued at Crystal Mountain this weekend. Having Apple Cup the same day didn't allow all us girls to be together for it but hope Danielle, Lisa & Lauren had a BLAST over there...We'll get those damn Huskies next year...

Love all you girls and thank you for helping me ring in 30 this past week!

The Birthday Girl

Turkey and Black Bean Chili... oh yeah and wine!

Yet another great night in Kirkland.  Love having all my girls with a few added friends in my little place.  Thank goodness we had just enough chairs to go around.  We all enjoyed my favorite turkey and black bean chili (recipe below) out of my absolute favorite Cooking Light 5 Ingredients, 15 Minute cookbook!  I think almost all of us have a copy by now and if you don't you better put it on your wish list for Santa Exchange. :)

We came up with a fantastic new idea of secret of the week name tags, that must be filled out upon arrival as to have no late night confessions come upon us!  Festivities are definitely in the air as well, phones, calenders and facebooks out we are starting to fill out dates and parties getting the holidays off to a great start.  I also think we all learned a few things about how we all decide to take care of the "V" area.  Good stories shared of waxing fun and horror!

On a Thanksgiving note,  I want you all to know that in this season you are all one of the biggest things I'm thankful for in my life.  Some weeks although crazy and rushed, once I have those few hours with you all to laugh, drink and eat I swear it saves me for the rest of the next week until I see you again! :)

Turkey and Black Bean Chili- (cook time of 15 minutes, makes 7, 1 cup servings)
1 lb of ground turkey
2 (15 oz) cans low sodium black beans, undrained
1 cup medium or hot chunky salsa
2 (8 oz) cans of low sodium tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili seasoning mix
low-fat sour cream
shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Cook- mean in large saucepan over medium-high heat until meat is browned, sitrring until crumbles (drain if nessessary)

While meat cooks, drain and mash 1 can of black beans.  Add mashed beans, undrained beans, salsa, tomato sauce, and seasoning mix to saucepan; stir well.  Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until thoroghly heated.

Spoon into serving bowls.  If desired, top with sour cream and cheese.

Serve with chips and fresh pineapple slices.

Happy Thanksgiving Girls!!!

So much to cheers to!!

We were all at my condo this week! While I thoroughly enjoy every second of having my girls over, I always feel bad that I don't have enough table space. The giant foot rest that came with my miracle-couch sounded like such a good idea in lieu of a coffee table...but I'm regretting that decision more and more when I have nowhere to put down my wine glass!

Anyway, this week, at the suggestion/request of Nelle, I decided to make personal mini-pizzas for everyone. I use the term "make" loosely as it only required the dicing of some toppings and the pushing of a button on the oven. However, everyone eats happily with their own style and personal touch to their meal!
Here's what I use to hopefully meet the cravings of everyone:

Mini pizza crusts (Boboli works great, but any brand will do)
Olive oil
Pizza Sauce
Mozzerella cheese (pre-shredded &/or whole block)
Pepperoni (I like the mini pepperonis, but larger sized works as well if you cut them in half)
Canadian Bacon (same as the pepperonis - either size will work)
Olives
Pineapple (tidbits)
Fresh basil

As the girls come in, I try to have them make their pizza right away so I can cook 3-4 at a time. Besides prepping the oven, brushing a small coat of olive oil on each crust before the toppings minimizes any burning. Once everyone has their pizza prepped, you can put them directly on the oven rack (no more than 4 at a time preferably) and cook according to the directions on the crust packaging. Be sure to check the pizzas about half way through the process, as some can bubble while cooking and cause all your toppigs to slide off to the sides or all over your oven - which is obnoxious to clean up later (not that that's happened to me or anything)! Once they're done, slide them on to individual plates, provide a pizza slicer if you have one, and everyone can enjoy their own creations!

Lots to celebrate in our group throughout the evening! Bea brought over her new baby Muggin puppy (Pug & Min-Pin mix), Baker, who was absolutely adorable and enjoyed snuggling in his blanket all evening. Stella named him, which was a short-lived worry for a few for Bea as the dog's original name was Tator (like the tot) and Stella's train of thought could have lead her to a puppy named after a potato topping. We also were filled in on Ryan's romantic proposal and the families' immediate planning that began for the wine-themed event this summer! It's going to be so perfect for them and we're all very excited! CHEERS TO BEA!

Em wasn't able to make it, being that she just recently finished "cooking" her first baby! But we re-capped her 24+ hrs of labor, 4+ hrs of pushing, the tramatic misinjected epideral, dislocated epideral, and non-functioning epideral, which all lead to a c-section that she had to be knocked-out for to produce her beautiful miracle baby!!! The miracle of life...it takes one hell of a woman to come out looking as beautiful and upbeat as our Emily and her supportive strong husband, Paul. She's absolutely perfect!! CHEERS TO EMILY!

Having taken the past year and a half or so away from her travel work to raise their baby boy, Wyatt, we have all greatly missed Amanda's glorious work perk of beautiful Fox & Co. samples to play dress-up in and shop out of the living room. But this week, she had the opportunity to do it all again and roll in the familiar rack for us to get a sneak-peek at next season's samples! Lots of t-shirst, purses, dresses and more guys' samples at her house available; we had lots of fun giving our own little fashion show. CHEERS TO AMANDA!

As our resident dietician, Teresa had sent an email earlier this week about some probiotics available through her work for a trial. They are live-cultures in a pill form that promote immunity improvement, decreased allergies, and a multitude of other possible intestinal improvements. She brought over a nice box for us to try and we're excited to see if we can tell a difference after using them. CHEERS TO TERESA!

Phew! I know there was more - Lisa's upcoming Holiday season at work, the local Delta Gamma fundraisers, Danielle & Jake's impossible-to-light fireplace, my neverending dance team season...all in good time will we cover everything!

Jess, we hope working at the dump in Mexico was awesome! Lauren, New York is amazing and we're sure you're soaking it all in, kid-free! Emily, can't wait for Ellie's first Girls' Night!!

~Tiff

Meg's Chow Mein (Thursday 10/14)

We like trying all different ethnic styles of food, so Meg's decided on Chinese and made a Chow Mein dish for dinner for her week. It was delicious and as soon as she figures this blog thing out she'll get the recipe posted. :)

Amanda brought a yummy dessert...Pecan Orange Spice Cake.She got the recipe from http://www.food.com/ The link to it is http://www.food.com/recipe/orange-pecan-spice-pound-cake-49002 You'll see she liked it so much she wrote a review and posted a picture on the site. Although the recipe looks long and is a bit time consuming, she insists it was TOTALLY worth it!

It happens...

From time to time, though rare, too many of us girls have things come up and we decide to put things off until the following week. Last week happened to be one of those times. Some very exciting things did happen since Halloween weekend, however. Emily & Paul welcomed their sweet little Ellie Soleil Laufer on November 6th. She is 8lbs 14oz and 21.5" long. She got to come home this afternoon.

The other exciting news we received was from Bea...Ryan proposed and they plan to marry June 25th, 2011 in Walla Walla at Duhnum Cellars.

This week we will have plenty to toast to at Tiff's house...

Until then,
Amanda

Tiff's Birthday Bash ~ Halloween 2010

Here are a few pictures from the party last Saturday

~Enjoy

That's all 10 of us...
Teresa, Lauren, Amanda, Bea, Danielle, Jessica, Lisa, Meagan, Emily & Tiff

"Danny & Sandy"

Jersey Shore peeps



Double Occupancy and his ladies



Tourists



Tequila shots with Jose!

Enjoying Meg's rice krispie treats (see box for recipe!)

My favorite picture of Lauren!

Sushi Town for Tiff's Birthday Dinner

We got together on Wednesday this week to have dinner with Tiff on her actual birthday. Sushi Town is our favorite sushi place and Tiff pretty much introduced it to all of us one by one by one. Therefore it was only fitting that we gather for her birthday dinner there. Trapper is the owner and has opened 2 more locations "Trappers Sushi" in Covington & Puyallup, so it's obviously a big hit as all 3 locations are swamped with people at all times. Luckily they are always able to accomodate our group of 10! We finalized a few last min Halloween Party plans after as we ventured to the Spirit store. The girls are heading over a little early on Saturday to put the finishing touches on the food and decorations and to get the party started. We'll be sure to post some pictures of the party next week :) ~Amanda

Mexico or Bust!

Last Thursday's menu was planned for two specific reasons. Number one, my husband and older son were enjoying the sun and sandy beaches in Mazatlan while I was sulking at home and 2, I wanted to show off my Margaritaville margarita maker. We snacked on chips and guac and for dinner enjoyed Chicken Enchiladas (recipe follows) and spanish rice (your good old Rice a Roni kind). For dessert we had Pumpkin Spiced and Iced cookies (recipe follows). I know, these don't fit into the theme for the night, but I had to pay an ode to Fall somehow.

So I have to start by raving about the Margaritaville Margarita Maker. If you are a margarita drinker then you know that a plain old blender just does not work when it comes to making margaritas. I have realized that the key to a restaurant quality margarita is having shaved ice, which a blender does not do. I have the Fiji model and it does it all for you. All you have to do is put in the ingredients. The Fiji model makes more than just margaritas. It has settings for daiquiris, mudslides, and smoothies as well. While I haven't ventured out on making anything else yet (except for pina coladas), I'm sure whatever you make with it will be awesome. Check out the website and the different machines you can get,  Margaritaville Margarita Maker website

We spent the evening around the dining room table sharing stories from the week, discussing the upcoming Halloween party at Amanda's (aka Tiff's Birthday bash), and planning out the next 3 months of girl's night. Yes... 3 months! I never really realized how long it takes to go through the rotation. I guess I have until the end of January to decide what I will be making next time. The main decision of the evening was that all pertinent information must be divulged to the group within the first 30 seconds of arriving at Girl's Night. No more mid-evening surprises. (Lisa-we are very excited about your new relationship!)

Our menu for the evening:

Chicken Enchiladas
This recipe comes from the Eating for Life cookbook by Bill Phillips. If you are looking for a healthy, but good cookbook I highly recommend this one. The first part of the book discusses "The Big Fat Problem" and basically how to eat right. It contains breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and nutrition shakes. A two week menu is also included. My favorite part of this cookbook is that every single recipe has a picture. I love pictures!

4 portions chicken breast (about 1 lb)
4 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cans (10 oz each) green enchilada sauce (I use both red and green)
8 corn tortillas
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tomato, diced
1 can (2 oz) sliced olives

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking oil.

2. Place chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce hear to medium and simmer until no longer pink in the center. Drain and let cool slightly. Shred cooked chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks; set aside.

3. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add green onion, cilantro and jalapeno; saute for 2 minutes. Add shredded chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Pour the remaining cans of enchilada sauce in a medium bowl and microwave until warm, about 2 minutes. dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with about 1/8 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place, seamside down, in the prepared baking dish.

5. Pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Back until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

6. Top enchilada with a spoonful of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, tomatoes, and olives.

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced cookies
These cookies come from The Cookie Bible

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz) LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Vanilla Glaze (1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 T milk and 1/2 t vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease baking sheets

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Spread or drizzle with Vanilla Glaze.

Enjoy!
Lauren

"I kept the weight off until it came back!"- Jessica H.

Thursday October 7th Jessica provided us with limitless entertainment while describing how she will be going back on the Adkins diet. Today's blog post title was a quote from Jessica explaining to us how well the diet had worked for her in the past.  We also heard from Tiff about her Homecoming week from Hell (how long until summer break Tiff?).  Teresa, Lauren, Danielle, Megan and Lisa shared pictures and stories from their trip to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest. What a bunch of busy girls we are!


 We went back to our early days of "girl's night" for one of our favorite recipes-Vodka Penne! Here's the recipe:


Vodka Penne

• 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
• 1 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 pound penne

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

I also attempted a new dessert, Truffle Tarts with Raspberries.  Here is the recipe...not too difficult and super tasty!!!


Truffle Tarts with Raspberries

• 1 1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer crumbs (from Oreo cookies or chocolate wafers)
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 recipe Dark Chocolate Truffles, recipe follows, whipped but not shaped into balls
• 6 fresh raspberries, plus extra for serving

Directions

Use a fork to mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs and butter. Spray the cups of a 6-muffin tin with a vegetable spray. Line the cups with strips of parchment or waxed paper, cut so that they are as wide as the diameter of each cup and long enough to overhang the sides (you'll need this overhang to remove the tarts). Use the bottom of a small glass to press the crumbs over the bottom and sides of the muffin cups, building the sides up to only about 1 1/2 inches. Place a raspberry in the center of each crust and with apastry bag or small plastic bag with the corner snipped off, fill the tarts with the truffle mixture. Smooth the tops and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Dark Chocolate Truffles:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces good-quality (70 percent) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup cocoa powder, for dusting

In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl and let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then beat the chocolate at medium speed until it gets thick and light colored. Spread over the bottom of a baking dish and smooth the top. Refrigerate about 2 hours, until firm.

Pour the cocoa powder onto a deep plate or shallow bowl. Use amelon baller or small ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of chocolate; place them on the plate with the cocoa powder and roll between 2 forks to completely coat with the cocoa powder. Then use the forks to carefully transfer them to a parchment or waxed lined baking sheet.




~Em

Good Bye Summer & Hello Fall....

Last Thursday 9/30 we said good-bye to summer and hello to fall with pumpkin-ginger-lime soup. This is a recipe from Kathy’s Cappers cooking class. The soup has a little kick to it, which might be due to my poor measuring skills with the cayenne pepper. Try it with some yummy bread on a crisp fall evening!

Pumpkin-Ginger-Lime Soup

1 cans pumpkin puree

3 cans vegetable broth

1 can per nectar (I used apple juice instead- much cheaper!)

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 TBSP grated ginger root

2 TBSP finely chopped green onion

1 TBSP line juice

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Toasted pumpkin seeds (sorry girls this was missing- it was too early for me to have pumpkin seeds!)

Chopped chives

In a sauce pan combine pumpkin puree, broth, and pear nectar. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. In a blender or food processor, process 1 cup pumpkin mixture (from sauce pan) with peanut butter until smooth. Return to sauce pan with remaining pumpkin mixture. Add garlic, ginger root, green onion, lime juice, salt and cayenne pepper; cook 10 minutes over medium heat. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds and chives. Serve immediately.

Of course no girls’ night would be complete without dessert. While we chatted about everyone’s upcoming weekend and previous vacations (we are pretty busy ladies) we enjoyed a second bottle of wine and some good old fashion Betty Crocker Brownies. No need to post the recipe, just buy the $2 red box at any grocery store! I must say the highlight of the night might have been my 15 minute fight with a wax closure wine bottle. Amanda told us all about her plans for Tiff’s upcoming Birthday / Halloween party while I physically fought this wine bottle with the small knife of a wine opener (meant for the thin foil closure- not crazy red wax cover)!

Already I am craving Emily’s vodka pasta we will be enjoying this week. Can’t wait for our large group will be together again!

One last thought… I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I am nervous for Tiff to ready this and find all the grammatical errors.

Until next time...

~Nelle

Here we go...

Alright girls! We've been talking about this for long enough...so HERE IT IS! I'm excited to see how this turns out. See you all Thursday!