Rissa's All-American Supper

After many years of collecting recipes, I decided to look at my huge pile and make things that I’ve had for a while. Working for a food company, I am privileged to receive lots of food magazines so the pile is only growing! I couldn’t just pick some old stuff as a result. I wanted to include some of the latest magazine items that I’ve added. Nothing too significant about the way I chose this dinner night but it ended up being an All-American theme. And the dessert was chosen over others so we could have leftovers to share with our fellow grubbers.

Easy Arugula Salad - Allrecipes.com

We substituted spinach for arugula in this salad and it turned out really good. Very simple but delicious. The pine nuts added some extra flair to the salad. I would make this again for a dinner party as it is a no-stress recipe.

K: I’m alone on this one. Thumbs down. The dressing was clumpy with the parmesan.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up - The dressing was really good. I would advise mixing it in with the salad from the start so it spreads evenly, but it was yummy and cheesy.
H: Thumbs up.

Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes - Rachael Ray

I often shake my head at Rachael Ray recipes because they usually take longer than estimated (I still have yet to do one of her meals in 30 minutes), but this one recipe was fairly easy and delicious too. Using firm tomatoes helped them to remain structurally intact during the gutting and baking process.

K: Thumbs up. Though I would only make the peppers next time.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up - I would take out the tomatoes a little sooner than the bell peppers. I loved how they were stuffed sideways like stuffed canoes instead of hoping they’d stand up on their own.
H: Thumbs sideways


Fried Potato Salad - William Sonoma

This turned out to be the best recipe of the night. The mix of the bacon with the potatoes and herbs was delicious. It was also a nice change of pace from a mayo based potato salad. Would be great for a summer bbq. The bacon fat initially turned me off, but I was able to look past it since we used a small amount, and no mayo was involved. One of the best potato salad's I've had.

K: Thumbs up!
N: Thumbs up – Delish!
R: Thumbs up - Absolutely amazing. I would leave all the bacon grease in next time or at least more of it. YUM.
H: Thumbs up – I don’t even like potato salad but this version was different than most and absolutely delicious!


Steaks with Herb-Spice Blend - Epicurious.com

I was slightly skeptical about some of the herbs in this spice blend as I’m not a huge fan of dill. But, after mixing all the spices together, the dill didn’t really stand out so I was happy. The steaks were very flavorful and juicy and I would definitely make this again.

K: Thumbs sideways.
N: Thumbs sideways.
R: Thumbs down - I wouldn’t make this again. It was similar to Montreal Steak Seasoning if anything.
H: Thumbs up.

Salsa - Courtesy of Cuisinart manual

1/2c tightly packed cilantro leaves

1 large garlic clove, peeled

1 medium onion (4oz)

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded

2 medium tomatoes (12oz total), cored and quartered

2/3c tomato sauce

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Using food processor, insert blade and put cilantro in work bowl. Turn on machine, drop garlic through feed tube and process until cilantro and garlic are finely chopped. Add onion, jalapeno, and tomatoes and pulse-chop 5-6 times until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and pulse-chop 2 or 3 times to blend.

I knew we had a big dinner night planned, so I wanted to keep the appetizer slightly (only slightly) easier than the rest. This came from the Cuisinart manual which means you just drop all the ingredients through the chute, press on, and voila! At first, I thought it was going to be more chopped because that’s what I’m used to making, but it really came out almost pureed, restaurant style. It was good, but not “the one”. And everyone was right in the end about needing more kick.

K: Thumbs down. Love salsa but it needed some kick.
N: Thumbs down – Needed a bit more flavor.
R: Thumbs down - I think there are others that are better.
H: Thumbs down – It was a little too watery and lacked the heat that I’m normally used to in salsa.

Mini Black-Bottom Cheesecakes with Jam - Food and Wine Magazine

This recipe turned out to be pretty easy due to its "mini" nature. We were able to bake the cheesecakes, then freeze them for 15 minutes, and serve. I only had apricot preserves, so we decided to top half of them with caramel. Many people liked the caramel version better, though I think both were delicious. My only complaint is that these came out a little "sloppier" than the beautiful picture in the magazine showed, but I would definitely make them again.

K: Thumbs up.
N: Thumbs up – I liked this with our substitutions, but would like to try it again according to the recipe.
R: Thumbs up - Yummy!! And a great addition adding the caramel on some.
H: Thumbs up – The caramel versions were really tasty.