Old World, New Life. A Wine Pairing Dinner

We had a family celebration this last weekend at Lake Almamor.

Celebrating the birth of the newest member of the family

(5 month old Will from New York)

to celebrating the birthday of the matriarch,
it was lots of family, lots of fun, and lots of food!

The Matriarch, Isabel

With a family of 30, we had an action packed weekend. Bird house painting, swimming, and boating were just a few of the highlighted activities. And it all started with a noon tee-off for many, and a welcoming dinner on Friday night,

In the spirit of Old World, we were treated to a menu of:

Argentina Spiced Ribs
Chinese Chicken Drumsticks
German Potatoe Salad
Greek Salad
French Rolls
Dutch Chocolate Cake

Saturday afternoon held a lakeside bbq lunch .

Can you tell by the menu below that this is a family descended of Portugese?

The BBQ Menu

The wine pairing dinner was held on Saturday night.

With each meal served at a different house, we had the wine dinner over looking the golf course. Many activities were planned throughout the evening, including a family photo, games and a silent action for art work that was contributed by the many talented children in the family.

After appetizers, the children were hauled off to another one of the homes where they were served frozen pizza and brownies. The older children helped look after the younger ones. This has become an annual event that I look forward to each year.

Each place setting has their own menu and the table is
decorated with old world maps.
Several family members are in charge of different courses and
the wine that is to be served with their course.

Mozzarella and Tomato Lollipop

Appetizers
Mozzarella and Tomato Lollipops
Spanish Chorizo-stuffed Mini Potatoes
Cristalino Brut Nature Vintage Cava 2005-Spain
Nino Franko RUSTICO Prosecco di Valdabbliadene-Italy
Vinho Verde 2007-Portugal


Spanish Chorizo stuffed Mini Potatoes

First Course
Salade Au Chevre with Thyme and Lavender Honey
Pouilly Fuisse 2006
Laboure-Roi - Vallon d' Or
Burgundy, France

Second Course
Crispy Halibut on Piminton Grilled Corn Cakes
with Red Pepper Coulis
Cabernet sauvignon Rose 2008
Mulderbosh
South Africa

Third Course
Bastilla
Bodega LAN Crianza Rioja 2005
Fuenmayor, Spain
Burgans Albarino 2007
Rias Baixas, Spain


Intermezzo
Champagne, Peach and Mint Chilled Soup with Creme Fraiche


Fourth Course
Beef Medallions Wrapped in Apple-smoked Bacon
On Crispy Fries with Chimichurri Sauce
Santa Ema Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Maipo Valley
Chile

Fifth Course
Old World Cheeses with Quinche Paste, Marcona Almonds
and Turron Blando
Warre's Warrior Special Reserve Porto
Portugal

Sixth Course
Panna Cottta with Berries Compote, Vin Santo Sauce
with Italian Polenta Cookie
Moscato di Asti 2007
Del Marchesi Di Gresy
LaSerra, Italy



We finished up the weekend with a send off breakfast for the whole gang.

What's for Breakfast?

Mexican Eggs
w/salsa, avocado, and Sour Cream
German Glazed Ham
Polish Kiekbasa
Tahitian Fruit Salad
Kartoffelnester Hash Browns
Hawaiian Rolls
Flour Tortillas
Danish Pastry
Hawaiian Mimosa
Brazilian Coffee

I glad I could share my weekend with me.

I hope the menus intrigue you,

the food inspires you,

and the weekend invigorates you!

Enjoy!

A New Look, Easy Cheesy Danish and The Redwoods!

Welcome to the newly designed Megan's Cookin' How do you like it?
Since I'm coming up on the 2 year anniversary of my blogging AND it's my 300th post,
I thought it was time for a face lift! Actually this is my 301st post, but who's counting?

So... come on in, Join the party!
Grab a drink and enjoy some pictures and a danish.

Note: If your just here for the danish, it's at the bottom. But Since your here,
please stick around and enjoy The Redwoods!

Living in Northern California, I'm just hours away from almost anything. An hour to the mountains, few hours to the coast, few hours to the city, heck,
I even have two beautiful lakes in my own back yard.
On our way home from our Oregon vacation,
we spent our last night in the Redwoods.

These pictures were taken in the Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Grove. It's a pretty fern lined path that loops through the grove of these Redwood giants. They are just awe inspiring! It was a misty foggy lovely afternoon and we had water droplets falling on our heads.

Aren't they beautiful?

You can see how huge they are. There's Kellie peeking between two trees.

This next picture is for Grandma.
I thought she would enjoy a picture of the family and friend.

OK!
Now ya ready for some danish after that little hike through the redwoods? This is an easy cheese danish that I got from Jo at The Adventures Of Kitchen Girl. I made it her way the first time and my way the second time. Yep! I've made it twice in a little over a week.

And it all starts with a couple cans of crescent rolls,and some cream cheese!

Roll out your dough!

First I slathered it with seedless raspberry jam.Then I flavored the cheese mixture with not only the vanilla but a little bit of rose water. You couldn't taste the rose, but I think it complimented the raspberry filling and just gave it some depth.

Then instead of just putting the top layer of dough on top, I thought I would do a lattice. That way some of the cheesy goodness could peek through.
I just thought that I was so darn smart. :)

Drizzle a little glaze over the top and that's it. If you would like to see another similar version of this, check out My Tasty treasures. Donna made individual danishes using the same stuff. Enjoy!

Easy Cheese Danish

Ingredients:
2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese (I used 1 8oz package)
1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I added more, I LOVE vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon rose water (Optional)
1 egg
1/4 cup any flavor jam
1 egg white-for egg wash

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk (I used less)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 350* degrees and grease a 13X9-inch baking pan.
Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together.
Spread jam all over dough.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the jammed crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pack of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture and brush with egg white. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Top with glaze after cooling for 20 minutes.

Prosciutto, Gruyere, and Dijon Palmiers

On our vacation, we had another wine pairing dinner.

Good friends deserve good wine and food!

Don't you agree?

So I started our dinner with three different appetizers. We had Bacon Wrapped Dates, Caramelized Pears, Sage and Blue Cheese on Crostini and these Ham and cheese Palmier. I used Prosciutto for the ham, Gruyere for the cheese, but you could use any thinly sliced ham and mix up the cheese. The best part was I made them ahead using store bought puff pastry and froze them till ready to use.

They were a big hit!

Recipe is at the bottom of this post. But do enjoy the flowers on your way!

I absolutely LOVE this picture. It's one that will be blown up and framed.

While on vacation at Sunset Bay, we visited Shore Acres Botanical garden. It was past prime season but we enjoyed the rose garden which was certainly at it's prime.
We just drank in the beauty!

All these rose pictures are being considered for the pictures that are going above my bed.

Which three do you think I should blow up?

I love them all!

But I just need three.

OK, back to these Palmiers. I got this recipe from the cookbook "Puff" by Martha Holmberg. It's the cover picture of the book so it's the first one I tried. Glad I did!

Ham, Gruyere, and Dijon Palmiers

1 Sheet frozen puff pastry (about 9 oz) thawed
2 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 Cup grated Gruyere Cheese
1/4 Cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
4 OZ thinly sliced good quality ham, such as Black Forest I used Prosciutto

1.Roll out the pastry to a 10x14 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Trim if necessary to make rectangle neat.

2. Spread the mustard over the pastry. Sprinkle evenly with both grated cheeses.Arrange the ham in a single even layer, tearing or cutting to make pieces fit. Lie a piece of parchment paper over the top of the pastry and gently compress the layers with a rolling pin. Peel of the paper without disturbing the ham.

3. Cut the pastry in half width wise into two 10X7 in bands. With your fingers, gently roll one short edge of one of the bands into the center and then roll the opposite edge to meet in the center. Press lightly so the rolls stick together. Spread a few drops of water where the two rolls meet to help it stick. Repeat with second band. Wrap the rolls in plastic and chill till firm.

4. With a sharp knife, cut each band into 12 pieces. Arrange on parchment paper or silicon mat and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or till browned.

A Postcard From Oregon!

Were on our last leg of this journey. Were picking up and heading south with just one more stop. We spent the beginning of our trip at Sunset Beach where these pictures were taken.

Hope you enjoy the scenery.

Having a great time.

Wish you were here!

This is one of the pictures that I took. I want to blow it up and frame it.

I would like to have 3 rose pictures framed and hung above my bed.

What do you think?

Watermelon Lemonade

Trying to beat the summer heat?
How about some Watermelon lemonade!
It had been requested several times in this last week so I know it's a hit with the kids.
And just in time for the holiday weekend!

Easy ingredients!
Let me explain the watermelon juice.
You can make your own instead of buying it.
Since it had only been 2 weeks since my surgery, I couldn't lift a watermelon to make my own juice, so I resorted to buying it. If you put cut pieces in the food processor or blender, and give it a few pulses, you can strain the the pulp out and waa-laa, watermelon juice!

I also made cute little dolphin ice cubes with blueberries frozen in them. The kids loved these and I'm going to do the same thing, only with a star ice cube tray for the 4th of July!
Too cute!

Can you see the blue dolphin swimming?
Look closer!

Want a grown up version?
A little spirit and kick?

Add some Smirnoff watermelon vodka!
That will liven up the party. :)

Watermelon Lemonade
by Megan Pires

I can frozen lemonade
1-1 1/2 cups watermelon juice
Gingerale
blueberries for garnish

Mix frozen lemonae with 4 cans of gingerale. Add watermelon juice and ice.
Serve and enjoy!

Old Glory Tart

We're going away for vacation on the Oregon coast and our first night out will fall on the 4th of July. We'll make it just over the Ca./Ore. border with our first stop being at the Rogue River State Park. Our celebration will be with a few good friends and of course, a BBQ. I'm making Portuguese Burgers, Kimmy is bringing the macaroni salad, and CeeCee is bringing chips and dips. I thought it would be fun to end the evening with this easy patriotic tart!

I made a practice version this last weekend for two reasons.

1. I wanted to practice and made a smaller version,

2. I wanted to share it with you before the 4th!

Its just a simple crust of store bought puff pastry, with a layer of whipped Creme Fraiche flavored with orange zest and Grand Marnier. Red raspberries make the red stripes while piped creme fraiche make the white stripes. Blue berries and piped stars complete Old Glory. I found my creme fraiche at Trader Joe's but if you can't find it, you can sub heavy cream.


Old Glory Tart
By Nancy Kenmore

1 LB frozen puff pastry, defrosted in refer.
1 egg yolk, mixed with 2 tsp water
1 1/2 LB (3 8 oz tubs) creme fraiche
grated rind of 1 large orange
4 TBSP confectioners sugar
4 TBSP Orange liqueur
1 cup blueberries
1 pint red raspberries
2/3 cup raspberry jam

1. Roll out puff pastry into a 16X12 inches. Cut a rectangle out of the middle of the pastry leaving 1/2 inch stripes all around. Place pastry on foil lined baking sheet.Use the strips to make a vertical lip all around the rectangle. Use ice water to help it adhere. Trim away excess pastry.Chill the pastry shell for about 1/2 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and brush the outside lip with the egg yolk mixture. Line the bottom of the shell with foil weighted with dry beans, keeping the foil away from the lip. Bake the pastry until the edges begin to brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking untill the shell is golden brown, about 7 more minutes.
3. In a small bowl, beat creme fraiche and orange zest till soft peaks form. (creme fraiche will whip more quickly then heavy cream) Add confectioners sugar and 2 TBSP
of the orange liqueur and continue beating till stiff peaks form.
4. Transferee 1/2 the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Spread the remaining mixture on the bottom of the cooled tart shell.
5. Arrange the largest unblemished blueberries in a checkerboard pattern in the upper left hand corner of tart. (See picture for reference) Select the largest unblemished raspberries and place in alternating rows about 1/2 inch apart to stimulate the red stripes. Using the creme fraiche mixture in the pastry bag, pipe in the white stars and white stripes.
6. Melt the jam with the remaining 2 TBSP liqueur. Using a small pastry brush or clean painters brush, glaze the tops of the berries.
7. Play a John Philips Sousa march to celebrate your accomplishment!

NOTE:
In my trial dessert, I ran out of the cream fresh mixture and finished off with whip cream in a can. I don't recommend you do as I did. The cream in a can does not have any stabilizers and it doesn't hold up. (I just used what I had in the fridge)

Enjoy!

Seedless Chocolate Raspberry Dessert Sauce

I went to Costco a couple of weeks ago and saw these lovely berries. I threw a crate into my shopping cart dreaming of the breakfasts I would have in the coming week. When I got home, to my surprise and stupidity, there were 6 baskets of fruit instead of the 3 I was thinking of. But that turned out to be a good thing because I had just came across a recipe from Charlotte at Canning Jars Etc

Chocolate Raspberry Sauce!

I've used it on ice cream,

In my Daring Baker Frangipane Tart challenge,

As a plating decoration for my Molten Chocolate cakes
(I know know, sloppy plating. I was hurting by this time)

and I've used it at as a gift, or actually... a give away prize.

I only got 5 jars instead of the usual 8 jars because I strained my mixture. I decided at the last minute I didn't like it with seeds. This produces a wonderful fruity sauce with a hint of chocolate. Perfect for many things. But the truth be told, I want to make another batch for gifts. I love making homemade goodies to give at the Christmas season. Much more personal and let's face it, cheaper and funner!

Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 cups crushed raspberries
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
7 cups sugar

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Bring to boil over high heat. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary. Strain seeds. Fill hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add lids and process 10 minutes in a water bath.

High altitude instructions
1,001 - 3,000 feet : increase processing time by 5 minutes
3,001 - 6,000 feet : increase processing time by 10 minutes
6,001 - 8,000 feet : increase processing time by 15 minutes
8,001 - 10,000 feet : increase processing time by 20 minutes

Enjoy!