The had ever detail attended to and thought of from the menu course names to
fun sport fact cards.
Sunny and Lindsey did a great job and fully dressed the part.
The table was darling and each name tag was a different sports flag hung form the back of the chairs.
Place settings were clean and fun as well.
The center piece was actually flats of lettuce (I think) with glass sconces full of baseballs and greenery balls. Such a simple fun idea!
Our Bull Pen Warm Ups were:
Guacamole with Pear and Raspberries
(Hands down the favorite of the night!)
Grapefruit Cocktails
Apple Cole Slaw
and Sausage-Bacon Bites
aka: Man Candy
Then onto the "Play Ball" course:
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
and Cheesy Zucchini and Red Onion Flat bread.
There was Popcorn of course only not just any popcorn.
"Whats a Game Without Some Popcorn".
The Bases were Loaded with:
Fall Off the Bone Ballpark Ribs, Robs Famous Potato Salad in Parmesan Baskets and Skillet Corn on the Cob with Parmesan and Cilantro.
All very good!
In between each course Lindsey came out shouting, "Popcorn, get your popcorn!" or "Nachos, get your hot nachos". Such a cute idea!
These Tropical North Shore Nachos were TDF! Awesome for a snack or a meal.
And the 7th Inning Stretch:
Mud Pie in a Helmet
(no words)
We were stuffed. Literally.
The appetizer and take home table was simple and clean as well with a glass cylinder vase of golf balls.
Closers were:
Cracker Jacks,
all the delicious recipes,
A jar of the yummy BBQ sauce from the ribs
and Ellie's Cotton Candy. (made from Jolly Rancher's mind you)
Such a great job and all great food!
I have to say we are the best Gourmet "Team" out there!
Such a fun night and talk about the perfect weather! Couldn't have been better.
(Unless Shelly had been there!)
Back row: Amber, Holly, Kristy, Lindsay B., Michelle, Sunny, Lindsey, Angela (a visiting friend)
Front row: Heather, Kim, Judith, Annika
Guacamole with Pear and Raspberries
Gourmet, December 2001
- ⅓ cup white onions, finely chopped
- 1 serrano chile, finely chopped with seeds
- 1 t coarse salt
- 2 lbs. ripe California avocados (about 4 large)
- 2 - 3 T fresh lime juice
- ¾ cup pear, peeled and finely diced
- ¾ cup seedless grapes, halved
- ¾ cup raspberries, broken up
In a food processor, grind onion, chilies and salt into a rough paste. Gradually add the avocado, coarsely mashing it (you’ll want it to be chunky).
Sausage-Bacon Bites (A.K.A Man Candy)
Makes 8 servings
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
For the glaze combine:
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 3 T stone-ground mustard
- 3 T white wine vinegar
- 1 T black pepper
For the sausage-bacon bites slice:
- 1 lb kielbasa
- 12 strips bacon, halved
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack. Lightly coat rack with non-stick spray.
For the glaze, combine brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; keep warm.
For the sausage-bacon bites, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise. Cut each half into twelve 1 ½ inch-thick pieces. Wrap bacon around each piece and secure with a toothpick. Brush each bite with sauce, then transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast bites, basting them every 15 minutes, until bacon is cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Tropical North Shore Nachos
(adapted from Honolulu Harry’s restaurant)
Serves 8
1 16 oz package Wonton wrappers
1-2 cups canola oil
8 oz block Pepper Jack Cheese
2-3 Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
Sour Cream (thinned with water)
Tropical Salsa:
1 cup mango (about 2 large mangoes) chopped
¼ cup red onion finely chopped
2 green onions chopped (white and good amount of green)
1 cup pineapple (fresh is best) chopped
2 T cilantro chopped
1 cup tomato chopped
½ cup red bell pepper chopped
Mix all salsa ingredients together and set aside.
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet. Cut Wonton wrappers in half diagonally. Fry Wonton wrappers until they reach a light golden color. Remove with slotted spoon to cookie sheet lined with paper towels. When all wrappers re fried, remove paper towel and arrange wonton chips on cookie sheet. Shred 8 oz block Pepper Jack Cheese. Top chips with shredded Pepper Jack cheese. Place in oven for 10 min. or until cheese is melted. Remove and immediately sprinkle wonton chips with 2-3 oz Sweet Thai Chili sauce and top with tropical salsa. Drizzle thinned sour cream on top. Serve immediately. Yum!
Apple Cole Slaw
The Cook’s Kitchen
December 2010
3 cups finely sliced cabbage (1/3 red, ⅔ green)
1 unpeeled red apple cored and chopped
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 carrot, finely grated
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 green onions
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 T lemon juice, or to taste
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, red apple, green apple, carrot, red bell pepper and green onions. In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Pour dressing over salad. If not serving right away, add the apples closer to the serving time.
Grapefruit Cocktail
Makes 2 Quarts
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 pkg of frozen raspberries thawed
1 cup crushed pineapple (fresh Del MOnte pineapple with juices)
7 or 8 grapefruits sectioned
In a small saucepan over medium heat add sugar and water. Watch closely, until sugar is dissolved into the water forming a syrup. Cool slightly and pour over fruit. May be used slightly chilled or frozen.
Iceberg Wedge with Blue Cheese Dressing
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 T onion, finely minced
- 1 t garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely minced
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T white vineg
- 1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
Mix all ingredients together and serve over wedges of iceberg lettuce.
Cheesy Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 10 oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
¾ cup garlic-and-herb cheese spread (such as Alouette), divided
¾ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
3 T chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1 small red onion
1 7-8” long zucchini (yellow or green), cut crosswise into ⅛” thick rounds, divided
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with nonstick spray. Unroll dough onto parchment. Spread half of herb cheese over 1 long half of dough, leaving ½ “ plain border. Sprinkle with half of parmesan and 2 T parsley. Using parchment as aid, fold plain half of dough over filled half (do not seal edges). Spread remaining herb cheese over top; sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Remove enough outer layers of onion to yield 2” diameter core; cut into ⅛ alongside zucchini. Arrange 1 row of zucchini down 1 long side of dough. Arrange onion rounds in row alongside zucchini. Arrange 1 more row of zucchini alongside onion. Brush vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake bread until puffed and deep brown at edges, about 24 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 T parsley.
Makes 4-6 servings
Carolina Honey BBQ Ribs
Ingredients: Carolina Honey BBQ Sauce
Rib Meat
1 Cup Ketchup
3 full racks of pork ribs (Baby Back or Spare)
1 Cup Vinegar
½ Cup Molasses
¼ Cup Honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
Making BBQ Sauce
Combine all of the ingredients, except ribs, in a sauce-pan over high heat. Blend the ingredients with a whisk until smooth. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered. In 30 to 45 minutes, or when the mixture thickens, remove it from heat. (If sauce is too thick… thin it with more vinegar.)
Cooking the Ribs
Heat the oven to 300°. Tear pieces of aluminum foil that are roughly 6 inches longer than the ribs. Coat ribs front and back with some of the barbecue sauce. Place a rack of ribs, one at a time, onto a piece of foil lengthwise and wrap it tightly. Place the ribs into the oven with the seam of the foil wrap facing up. The foil helps keep in the heat allowing the ribs to cook in their own juices. Cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until you see the meat of the ribs shrinking back from the cut ends of the bones (about ½ inch). This long cooking time will ensure the meat will be tender and fall off the bone. Cook it less time if you like a more firm piece of meat (competition style is more firm and uses spare ribs)
Toward the end of the cooking time, pre-heat the barbecue (400-500 degrees). Remove the ribs from the foil and smother them with additional barbecue sauce. Be sure to save some sauce for later. Grill ribs on the hot barbecue for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or just until you see several spots of charred blackened sauce. Watch for flames and do NOT burn!!
When the ribs are done, use a knife to slice the meat between each rib bone about halfway. This will make it easier to tear the ribs apart when served (not needed if cooked to fall off the bone). Serve ribs piping hot with additional sauce on the side.
(Ribs can be marinated in advance. Just prepare the ribs in the foil as described and keep them in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Cook as directed.)
Rob’s Famous Potato Salad
14 red potatoes
8 boiled eggs
4-5 green onions
1 cup celery
½ cup purple onion
1 ½ cup pickles (I used Tabasco flavored or garlic)
1 T celery seed
½ cup pickle juice
1-2 cups Miracle Whip, or as needed
2 T Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper, to taste
Put potatoes in a large pot of salted water; bring to a boil. Cook until just tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain; let cool. place eggs in a sauce pot and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn off the stove, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water and let chill. When cooled, slice eggs. Stir together miracle whip, Dijon mustard and pickle juice, celery seed, pickles, onions & celery. Peel potatoes; cut into ½ “ chunks. Fold into sauce mixture. Fold in eggs. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. It’s best if made the day before so the flavors can marry. If the potatoes soak up too much liquid then you can add more miracle whip and pickle juice
Parmesan Baskets
(potato salad served inside with green leaf lettuce)
Heat 10” nonstick skillet over medium high. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan into a disk shape (keep cheese light around the eggs so it looks lacey). When disk is slightly golden underneath, carefully remove it using spatula and your fingers. Quickly drape disk over a glass, golden side up, and press to form a bowl. Cooled baskets can sit several hours. Use inexpensive shredded (not grated) Parmesan-the kind in a bag works great.
Skillet Corn on the Cob with Parmesan and Cilantro
Bon Appetit, August 2003
Serves 4
- 4 ears fresh corn
- 6 T olive oil
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T fresh lime juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ t hot pepper sauce
¼ cup fresh cilantro
Cook corn in a pot of boiling salted water unti tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
Whisk 5 T oil, cheese, garlic, lime juice, cumin and pepper sauce in medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. heat remaining 1 T oil in large skillet over medium-heat. Add corn and saute until heated through, turning frequently, about 2 minutes. Brush corn with some of the parmesan mixture. Trn corn and brush with more cheese mixture. Cook until coating begins to color, about 3 minutes. Transfer corn to platter. Mix cilantro into any remaining parmesan mixture and brush over corn.
Mud Pie
Oreo cookie crust:
1/4 cup melted butter to 1 1/2–2 cups crushed Oreos
Press in the bottom of a pie dish or square pan
Ice cream Layers:
Soften chocolate ice cream. Spread a layer over Oreo crust
Top with crushed peanut butter cookies (I used Nutter Butter)
Pour caramel topping over top…let harden. Soften vanilla ice cream. Spread a layer over caramel. Let harden. Layer with Peanut Butter. Let harden Soften vanilla ice cream. Layer over peanut butter. Let harden. Drizzle with fudge and sprinkle with crushed Snickers*. Freeze.
*Freeze Snickers and crush with hammer.
Gourmet, December 2001
- ⅓ cup white onions, finely chopped
- 1 serrano chile, finely chopped with seeds
- 1 t coarse salt
- 2 lbs. ripe California avocados (about 4 large)
- 2 - 3 T fresh lime juice
- ¾ cup pear, peeled and finely diced
- ¾ cup seedless grapes, halved
- ¾ cup raspberries, broken up
In a food processor, grind onion, chilies and salt into a rough paste. Gradually add the avocado, coarsely mashing it (you’ll want it to be chunky).
Sausage-Bacon Bites (A.K.A Man Candy)
Makes 8 servings
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
For the glaze combine:
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 3 T stone-ground mustard
- 3 T white wine vinegar
- 1 T black pepper
For the sausage-bacon bites slice:
- 1 lb kielbasa
- 12 strips bacon, halved
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack. Lightly coat rack with non-stick spray.
For the glaze, combine brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; keep warm.
For the sausage-bacon bites, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise. Cut each half into twelve 1 ½ inch-thick pieces. Wrap bacon around each piece and secure with a toothpick. Brush each bite with sauce, then transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast bites, basting them every 15 minutes, until bacon is cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Tropical North Shore Nachos
(adapted from Honolulu Harry’s restaurant)
Serves 8
1 16 oz package Wonton wrappers
1-2 cups canola oil
8 oz block Pepper Jack Cheese
2-3 Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
Sour Cream (thinned with water)
Tropical Salsa:
1 cup mango (about 2 large mangoes) chopped
¼ cup red onion finely chopped
2 green onions chopped (white and good amount of green)
1 cup pineapple (fresh is best) chopped
2 T cilantro chopped
1 cup tomato chopped
½ cup red bell pepper chopped
Mix all salsa ingredients together and set aside.
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet. Cut Wonton wrappers in half diagonally. Fry Wonton wrappers until they reach a light golden color. Remove with slotted spoon to cookie sheet lined with paper towels. When all wrappers re fried, remove paper towel and arrange wonton chips on cookie sheet. Shred 8 oz block Pepper Jack Cheese. Top chips with shredded Pepper Jack cheese. Place in oven for 10 min. or until cheese is melted. Remove and immediately sprinkle wonton chips with 2-3 oz Sweet Thai Chili sauce and top with tropical salsa. Drizzle thinned sour cream on top. Serve immediately. Yum!
Apple Cole Slaw
The Cook’s Kitchen
December 2010
3 cups finely sliced cabbage (1/3 red, ⅔ green)
1 unpeeled red apple cored and chopped
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 carrot, finely grated
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 green onions
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 T lemon juice, or to taste
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, red apple, green apple, carrot, red bell pepper and green onions. In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Pour dressing over salad. If not serving right away, add the apples closer to the serving time.
Grapefruit Cocktail
Makes 2 Quarts
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 pkg of frozen raspberries thawed
1 cup crushed pineapple (fresh Del MOnte pineapple with juices)
7 or 8 grapefruits sectioned
In a small saucepan over medium heat add sugar and water. Watch closely, until sugar is dissolved into the water forming a syrup. Cool slightly and pour over fruit. May be used slightly chilled or frozen.
Iceberg Wedge with Blue Cheese Dressing
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 T onion, finely minced
- 1 t garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely minced
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T white vineg
- 1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
Mix all ingredients together and serve over wedges of iceberg lettuce.
Cheesy Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 10 oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
¾ cup garlic-and-herb cheese spread (such as Alouette), divided
¾ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
3 T chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1 small red onion
1 7-8” long zucchini (yellow or green), cut crosswise into ⅛” thick rounds, divided
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with nonstick spray. Unroll dough onto parchment. Spread half of herb cheese over 1 long half of dough, leaving ½ “ plain border. Sprinkle with half of parmesan and 2 T parsley. Using parchment as aid, fold plain half of dough over filled half (do not seal edges). Spread remaining herb cheese over top; sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Remove enough outer layers of onion to yield 2” diameter core; cut into ⅛ alongside zucchini. Arrange 1 row of zucchini down 1 long side of dough. Arrange onion rounds in row alongside zucchini. Arrange 1 more row of zucchini alongside onion. Brush vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake bread until puffed and deep brown at edges, about 24 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 T parsley.
Makes 4-6 servings
Carolina Honey BBQ Ribs
Ingredients: Carolina Honey BBQ Sauce
Rib Meat
1 Cup Ketchup
3 full racks of pork ribs (Baby Back or Spare)
1 Cup Vinegar
½ Cup Molasses
¼ Cup Honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
Making BBQ Sauce
Combine all of the ingredients, except ribs, in a sauce-pan over high heat. Blend the ingredients with a whisk until smooth. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered. In 30 to 45 minutes, or when the mixture thickens, remove it from heat. (If sauce is too thick… thin it with more vinegar.)
Cooking the Ribs
Heat the oven to 300°. Tear pieces of aluminum foil that are roughly 6 inches longer than the ribs. Coat ribs front and back with some of the barbecue sauce. Place a rack of ribs, one at a time, onto a piece of foil lengthwise and wrap it tightly. Place the ribs into the oven with the seam of the foil wrap facing up. The foil helps keep in the heat allowing the ribs to cook in their own juices. Cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until you see the meat of the ribs shrinking back from the cut ends of the bones (about ½ inch). This long cooking time will ensure the meat will be tender and fall off the bone. Cook it less time if you like a more firm piece of meat (competition style is more firm and uses spare ribs)
Toward the end of the cooking time, pre-heat the barbecue (400-500 degrees). Remove the ribs from the foil and smother them with additional barbecue sauce. Be sure to save some sauce for later. Grill ribs on the hot barbecue for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or just until you see several spots of charred blackened sauce. Watch for flames and do NOT burn!!
When the ribs are done, use a knife to slice the meat between each rib bone about halfway. This will make it easier to tear the ribs apart when served (not needed if cooked to fall off the bone). Serve ribs piping hot with additional sauce on the side.
(Ribs can be marinated in advance. Just prepare the ribs in the foil as described and keep them in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Cook as directed.)
Rob’s Famous Potato Salad
14 red potatoes
8 boiled eggs
4-5 green onions
1 cup celery
½ cup purple onion
1 ½ cup pickles (I used Tabasco flavored or garlic)
1 T celery seed
½ cup pickle juice
1-2 cups Miracle Whip, or as needed
2 T Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper, to taste
Put potatoes in a large pot of salted water; bring to a boil. Cook until just tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain; let cool. place eggs in a sauce pot and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn off the stove, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water and let chill. When cooled, slice eggs. Stir together miracle whip, Dijon mustard and pickle juice, celery seed, pickles, onions & celery. Peel potatoes; cut into ½ “ chunks. Fold into sauce mixture. Fold in eggs. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. It’s best if made the day before so the flavors can marry. If the potatoes soak up too much liquid then you can add more miracle whip and pickle juice
Parmesan Baskets
(potato salad served inside with green leaf lettuce)
Heat 10” nonstick skillet over medium high. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan into a disk shape (keep cheese light around the eggs so it looks lacey). When disk is slightly golden underneath, carefully remove it using spatula and your fingers. Quickly drape disk over a glass, golden side up, and press to form a bowl. Cooled baskets can sit several hours. Use inexpensive shredded (not grated) Parmesan-the kind in a bag works great.
Skillet Corn on the Cob with Parmesan and Cilantro
Bon Appetit, August 2003
Serves 4
- 4 ears fresh corn
- 6 T olive oil
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T fresh lime juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ t hot pepper sauce
¼ cup fresh cilantro
Cook corn in a pot of boiling salted water unti tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
Whisk 5 T oil, cheese, garlic, lime juice, cumin and pepper sauce in medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. heat remaining 1 T oil in large skillet over medium-heat. Add corn and saute until heated through, turning frequently, about 2 minutes. Brush corn with some of the parmesan mixture. Trn corn and brush with more cheese mixture. Cook until coating begins to color, about 3 minutes. Transfer corn to platter. Mix cilantro into any remaining parmesan mixture and brush over corn.
Mud Pie
Oreo cookie crust:
1/4 cup melted butter to 1 1/2–2 cups crushed Oreos
Press in the bottom of a pie dish or square pan
Ice cream Layers:
Soften chocolate ice cream. Spread a layer over Oreo crust
Top with crushed peanut butter cookies (I used Nutter Butter)
Pour caramel topping over top…let harden. Soften vanilla ice cream. Spread a layer over caramel. Let harden. Layer with Peanut Butter. Let harden Soften vanilla ice cream. Layer over peanut butter. Let harden. Drizzle with fudge and sprinkle with crushed Snickers*. Freeze.
*Freeze Snickers and crush with hammer.
No comments:
Post a Comment