Impromptu Winter Dinner with Friends

little snacks while dinner is cooking :
-Bruschetta topping (Trader Joe's)
Comes in a jar, fresh tasting and nice to keep on hand.

-Thin crackers with seeds (Trader Joe's)
Also good to keep on hand, & inexpensive at Trader Joe's.

-Brie with Fig & Orange Jam (Lunds)
I bought 2 pounds of brie on sale for 9.99 and have been eating it all December. The jam is a perfect compliment to the brie. I first had it at a Christmas party, and I sat close by all evening. After I had made a substantial dent, I asked the host what the topping was, because I couldn't identify the flavors. I searched all over for the jam and have only found it at one place: Lunds. They have regular fig jam, and also the kind with orange: that is my favorite.

dinner for 10:
-Stovetop Mac & Cheese (America's Test Kitchen)
Evaporated milk is the key to making this creamy, old fashioned mac & cheese. It is 100 times better than the pre-packaged kind and really not much work. After I made this recipe the first time, I now keep evaporated milk and macaroni on hand. Add a little (ok, a lot) of cheese & you get easy, creamy, warm comfort food. For a crispy, buttery topping, crumble Ritz crackers on top. I wish I had some leftovers, but every bit was gobbled up.

-White Bean, Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup (Epicurious)
This soup is healthy and delicious. I add crumbled, browned ground sausage, and whatever other vegetables I have on hand -- sweet potatoes & regular potatoes went in this time. Good for leftovers.

dessert:
-Peach pie
I was seduced by a very large crate of peaches this summer at the peak of their flavor. They were sweet & juicy & beautiful and I could not resist. I bought the whole crate. We ate as many as we could and I still had about 10 pounds left. In one more day, they would be overripe, a shame!

I lovingly treated them to a nice hot water bath, and then plunged them into ice water. The skins slipped off. I removed the pits & cut them in half. They got another little bath in lemon juice to keep their color. They were so beautiful, I took a picture. I packed them in ziplock bags and reluctantly stowed them away in the freezer.

The peaches have since made appearances in white sangria (floating in white white & peach schapps), yogurt, & smoothies. Their culmination was warm, sweet peach pie: a reminder of summer sunshine in the middle of winter snow.

Kick Cancer Broccoli, Pomegranate and Wheat Berry Salad

My good friend Kelly was recently diagnosed with cancer. She has vowed to and is kicking ass on the cancer. I was looking through my cookbooks for some kick-ass cancer fighting foods when I remembered this salad. Caffe Latte in St. Paul has a version of this recipe in their deli case, and it is very tasty and healthy. I recrafted the recipe and added pomegranate for bursts of flavor, color and antioxidant power.



I had never cooked with wheat berries before, they are slightly chewly and nutty and shaped like little bullets. You can find them in the bulk section in natural food stores, Rainbow or Lunds (but not at Cub). I made the salad again for Christmas and brought it to our respective families. It was very healthy compared to all the other options. Chad's aunt had the gut busting version of this salad -- with bacon, uuber amounts of mayo, and cheddar cheese. Also good, but without the kick-ass cancer fighting power.

INGREDIENTS:

-2 heads broccoli

-1 pomegranate

-1 small red or sweet onion

-1 cup uncooked wheat berries

-1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw

-3/4 cup white raisons

-2 Tablespoons balsalmic vinegar

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/4 cup mayo

-1 tsp. dijon mustard

-sugar, salt

INSTRUCTIONS

-Add the wheat berries to a pot filled with water, bring to a boil and then keep at a low simmer for 45 minutes, until the grain is soft and chewy and doubled in size.

-Toast the sunflower seeds in a saute pan over medium heat until just brown and fragrant.

-Separate the broccolli into small bite sized florets.

-Chop the onion.

-Separate the pomegranite seeds from the fruit.

-Make the dressing: combine the mayo, olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, and a pinch of sugar and salt.

-Toss to combine all ingredients and enjoy!