Feb 12th, 2010
by Celynoir.
Yay! The New Orleans Saints won, so it was only appropriate that we had regionally-inspired food for my aunt’s Super Bowl party. Of the twenty to thirty people there, only four were Colts supporters, but it was an exciting game and a great party. Here is what we had:
- Salsa with chips
- Shrimp Gumbo with rice
- Chicken wings (various flavors)
- Strawberry salad with a home made vinaigrette dressing
- Deviled eggs
- Butterscotch pound cake
- Peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream
- Beer, wine, soft drinks
Posted in: Easy Entertaining Tips.
Nov 16th, 2009
by Celynoir.
I can say this, because there is almost NO chance that my pastor will happen to read this blog post, at least before the event. We are planning a surprise reception to honor our pastor, who though retired from a career as a professor at Garrett Theological Seminary in Chicago, has graciously agreed to lead our tiny, struggling, congregation at Gregory Congregational United Church of Christ in Wilmington, NC. Needless to say, he is causing a shift in our paradigms, and though change is hard for us, it is happening. Therefore, the ladies of the church have decided to have a reception for him to celebrate his work with us, and for God and the community.
So, on to the menu.
The Church Women met yesterday after service to decide on the food, and who will bring what. After a short discussion of the virtues of Costco vs. the virtues of Sams Club, we decided on the following menu:
- Tea, with lemon
- Cake (we begged Mary to make sure it was a delicious one!)
- meatballs
- chicken drummettes
- Mary’s asparagus roll-ups
- cheese, crackers
- fruit
- Cynthia’s famous devilled eggs
Guess what I am assigned to bring? That’s right…cheese and crackers. I intend, however to bring the most delicious cheese and the fanciest crackers I can find. This is going to be a challenge, since I don’t really care for cheese, but I have a couple of sons and a husband who love cheese. They don’t know it yet, but they are my secret weapons!
I plan to get Mary to part with her asparagus roll-ups recipe, and share it here with you. Here is a recipe I found for asparagus roll-ups. We can compare this one with Mary’s, and after the event, I will let you know how they taste. (I adore asparagus!)
I am certain that “a good time will be had by all.”
Posted in: Receptions.
Tagged: Christianity · Church · Costco · God · Pastor · Religion and Spirituality · Sams Club · United Church of Christ
Sep 19th, 2009
by Celynoir.
Somehow my husband’s golf buddies and their spouses have gotten the idea that I can’t, or won’t, cook, so when they planned their end of summer pot luck card party, I was invited to bring a dip and some chips. I did not know about the reputation that has preceded me, so I immediately thought about making my favorite spicy fruit salsa.
My daughter has a recipe for a multi-fruit salsa that is to die for. My own recipe for cranberry salsa is a favorite every Christmas (it is great on ham), and this mango salsa is refreshing with chips on a late summer afternoon in North Carolina. I am really looking forward to this card party to celebrate the last weekend of the summer. I will be sure to make note of what was on the menu and share with you, dear readers (wherever you are.) For now, here are our favorite family salsa recipes.
Jaymi’s Spicy Fruit Salsa:
- 5 kiwis, peeled and diced
- 1 pint of blackberries, coarsely chopped
- 4 medium tart apples, diced finely
- 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 2 diced Jalapeño peppers
- 1 tablespoon of hot sauce (not Tabasco!)
- 7 oz. can of green salsa
- 1/3 cup lime juice
Mix all ingredients together and serve with fresh tortilla chips or with ham, pork or chicken. You can refrigerate this salsa for up to a week. The next day, the salsa will be much spicier!
Lynn’s Christmas Cranberry Salsa:
- 2 8 oz. bags of fresh cranberries, chopped in the food processor
- 1 Navel orange chopped in the food processor, peel and all
- 1 small red onion
- 3 or 4 fresh Jalapeño peppers (use fewer if you like your salsa milder), chopped in the food processor
- 1 cup white sugar
Mix ingredients together and serve with fresh tortilla chips, or as a side dish with ham or poultry. This salsa can be frozen. The longer it sits, however, the hotter it gets. I like to use it the second day.
Family Tangy Mango Salsa:
- 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 Jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (we remove the seeds, because Mom is allergic to them)
- 1 diced red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
Mix all ingredients together and serve with fresh tortilla chips, or as a side dish for fish or poultry. Remember, the longer it sits, the hotter it gets.
This is the one I am making for this afternoon’s card party.
Posted in: Club Meetings, Recipes and Resources.
Tagged: Food processor · Hot sauce · Salsa · Tortilla chip