A Zatarians Mardi Gras Dinner Party

OK, time to get caught up here. Sundays are usually my days. I feel behind :)
Two weeks ago Lauren hosted a party sponsored by Zatarains. I've talked before about how a few of us are signed up through a few companies to sample products, foods & other items. Consequently that's how we came to this weeks dinner. While we were waiting for dinner we played with her boys (who we decided have grown far too quickly), and Lauren broke out mardi gras masks, the 3 hot glue guns that she owns (?!), feathers, sequins, sparkles & beads so we could decorate our dinner party attire. From left to right are Teresa, Meagan, Cassie, Caroline, Tiff, Lisa, Danielle, Emily and myself. We know how to have fun on a Thursday night, eh?

Here are your recipes...

Jambalaya Maque Choux
makes 6 servings
1 T oil
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 1/2 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix
1 cup frozen corn

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper and onion; cook and stir 3 minutes or until sausage is browned and vegetables begin to soften.
2. Stir in water, tomatoes and Rice Mix. Bring to boil. Reduce hear to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in corn, cover and cook 5 minutes longer or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.

Red Beans and Rice Tortilla Casserole
makes 8 servings
1 package Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice Mix
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can chopped green chiles, undrained
6 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Assorted topping, such as sour cream, salsa and chopped green onions

1. Prepare Rice Mix as directed on package. Add corn and green chiles; mix well.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of the rice mixture on bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 each of the remaining rice mixture, chicken, and cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tortillas, rice mixture and cheese.
3. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Zatarain's King Cake Cupcakes
yields 10-12
Yellow Butter Cake
1/4 pound butter
1/8 t. salt
1 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 T baking powder
1 t. vanilla extract

1. In a mixer at medium speed, cream butter, su8gar, and salt together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time while the mixer is running, making sure each egg is totally mixed in before adding another. Beat mixture until light and fluffy, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl carefully.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder using a wire whisk to sift and combine them. In another separate bowl, mix the milk and vanilla.
3. Alternate adding wet and dry ingredients to butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix, as batter should be thick and fluffy. Spoon into lined cupcake pans, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until done.

Creole Cream Cheese Filling with Root Beer1 pound softened Creole or regular cream cheese
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 t. Zatarain's Root Beer Extract
1/4 pound powdered sugar
Dried fava beans (set aside, if desired)

1. Combine shortening and cream cheese in mixer at medium speed and whip with paddle until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and whip until fluffy,, mix in root beer extract until well combined.

Root Beer Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 pound butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt
1 t. Zatarain's Root Beer Extract

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer. Beat together at medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. After baking the cupcakes and allowing them to cool completely (about an hour), use a 1/4 t. measuring spoon to scoop out the center of the cupcake from the top to about half way down.
3. With a piping bag, or plastic bag with the corner snipped off, fill the hole with the filling.
4. Insert a dried fava bean in to the filling of each cupcake. Note fava bean is for decoration only and should not be eaten.
5. Using a star tip and separate piping bag, pipe the frosting starting on the outside, working you way in to the center in one continuous motion. Top with green, purple and yellow or gold sprinkles or decorative sugar like on a traditional king cake.

Crack Bread and Sweet & Sour Chicken

Dinner at Tiff's is always yummy. She made us one of her specialties. It's her mom's recipe for deep fried chicken bites with homemade sweet & sour sauce over rice. Homemade is the way to go and this stuff is so much better than that goop you get at the grocery store Asian marketplace. It's not an easy thing to make but Tiff has it perfected.
We are also excited to announce Cassie & her husband Johnny are expecting their 1st baby in September. Congrats you two!! Here we are with Cass at her wedding last year. Loving that we're adding another little one to the group!

Here are your recipes for the week...

Appetizer: CRACK BREAD:

1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix (we like Uncle Dan's)

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

This recipe courtesy of http://www.plainchicken.com/. Found via Pinterest.com
Sweet & Sour Chicken

Tempura:
1/2 c flour
1/2 c corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 c cold water

Whisk together. Dip bite size chicken pieces in batter. Immediately add them to oil that has been heated for 5 mins over medium heat. Leave them in until golden brown. Test one to make sure the chicken has cooked all the way through before removing them all.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:
3/4 c sugar
2 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs corn starch
3/4 c water

Combine and heat on low until ready to serve. Serve over your choice of rice...brown if you're feeling guilty about deep frying. :)

Congrats again to Cassie!

~AK

Gnocchi & a Blind Wine Tasting

Lisa is our wine girl! Last week she hosted a blind wine tasting for us. We each brought a bottle of wine ranging in price from $5 to $25 and immediately put it in a paper bag so no one could see what is was. After dinner we began scoring the wines based on clarity, aroma, taste & finish. After adding up the scores for each once we were done, Lisa announced the winner...drum roll please....... 2009 Cabernet from Desert Wind. This wine retails for only $9. Desert Wind is a beautiful winery directly off Hwy 82 in Prosser, Wa.  I visit this winery every year. We go over in April for the Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting. They've consistently had great wines all of the years I have been.You can find more information about the festival here http://wineyakimavalley.org/ I highly recommend the experience!

Dinner was a delicious Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese. The recipe is as follows...

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese
From Cuisine at Home

1 lb purchased pre-made or homemade gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk (I used non-fat and turned out great)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (I probably used a bit more)
1/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese (again probably used a bit more)
*Who says you can't use too much cheese!!
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat oven 375 degrees F. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in single-layer in 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine Gruyere and Fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful.  Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top.  Bake gnocchi until they puff and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*I added bread crumbs to the top before baking to add some crunch.

For dessert we had a variety of different cookies. I brought these...a recipe I found on Pinterest... Courtesy of http://www.chef-in-training.com/ I'm loving this blogger's recipes lately!

CAKE BATTER PUDDING COOKIES

• 1 1/2 sticks (or 3/4 cup) butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix, dry
• 3/4 cup yellow cake mix, dry
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together.

Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat until well blended.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated.

Mix in sprinkles.

Roll into 1" balls and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

AK

Cheese Beer Dip Heaven

Cassie hosted girls night for the 1st time. Let me start by saying...wow! what a drive...we really have to hand it to Cassie for joining us so often down south and then driving home to EVERETT. We thank you for your dedication Cass :) but are also looking forward to you moving closer...fingers crossed for you during the home buying process.

We did a lot of talking about food allergies. Until recently the only one we had within the group was my own, to shellfish. Lucky for me, in a group that loves seafood so much, they accommodate my needs very carefully. Recently two of the girls decided to cut out gluten due to some issues they were having...turns out they were able to self diagnose it as an allergy and now we are working through learning about gluten-free alternatives. If anyone has any recipes or product brands they recommend, send 'em on over. We love to try new things.

The dip Cassie made us for an appetizer was AMAZING...soon to be a new favorite.

Cheese Beer Dip

2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese (I use one regular and one low fat)
1 package ranch dressing mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup beer (light or amber)
Chives (optional - can add just as a garnish)
To dip: pretzels, or chips
Directions: Mix all ingredients together. It's best to use a Kitchen Aid or mixer to get cheddar cheese to blend in.

Spaghetti Sauce (to feed 10 people)

1 1/2 cans of Hunts meat sauce
1 can tomato puree
1 can tomato paste (2 small cans)
1 can of tomatoes
Italian seasoning - basil, oregano, garlic powder to taste (You always need more seasoning then you think you do)
1 can of olives
8 large mushrooms cut in 4
1 1/4 lbs ground beef
Directions: Cook ground beef and add garlic while cooking, mix all ingredients in crock pot and let it cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake

1 package chocolate cake mix
4 large eggs
1/3 cup Kahlua
1 1/2 teaspoon sour cream
1 small instant vanilla pudding mix
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions: Mix all ingredients and put in greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 55 minutes. Serve the cake cold.
Icing (optional):
Mix powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter until at a texture where you can spread over the bundt cake, but runny enough that it can drip down the sides.


Hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did.

AK