Piece of Cake

Better late than never. The KO's read "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" in December. Great book! I think we would all agree we loved it. It is a compilation of essays that we could all relate to from our past experiences. Since our meeting was the week of Christmas, we decided a round Dirty Santa was in order. The catch was that you had a bring a gift that reminded you of your favorite story from the book. The person who picked your gift had to guess which story it was from. These gifts included such items as a cozy flannel blanket, a Coach wallet, and a Magic 8 Ball. Are you intrigued? Read the book! The KO's highly recommend this one!

In true Jay fashion, she served us an amazing Pre-Christmas dinner. We enjoyed roasted chicken and vegetables with a fresh citrus salad. We polished off the meal with my Stuffed Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

Rewind to Summer

In May we read The Swan House and Jay Jay hosted our KO meeting. I had just come back from a week of camping, so anything that wasn't a hotdog or frozen lasagna would have tasted good to me. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who enjoyed our dinner that night, however. Jay prepared grilled fresh summer vegetables with a tangy vinaigrette and an orzo pasta salad that Karen and I made several times throughout the rest of the summer.

Orzo Pasta Salad

1 cup uncooked orzo
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting the salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

Combine pasta, onions, cheese, dill and chickpeas in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine.

Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat.

Jay Jay served hers over a fresh salad of romaine lettuce.

4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl, stirring with whisk. Drizzle over orzo pasta salad.

Appetizer Queen Strikes Again

At our very first KO Book Club meeting, Jay Jay brought the appetizer. It quickly became a group favorite and we typically enjoy it's sun-dried tomato goodness at all of our meetings. Last month, she surprised us with a new one that rivals our fave. Try this simple recipe to impress friends at your next gathering.

Prosciutto Spirals

Ingredients:

¾ cup balsamic vinegar

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 can (14.5 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves

16 slices prosciutto (about 8 oz) [ask deli to slice it a little thicker than the usual paper thin so it will be easier to roll]

2 cups loosely packed arugula

1. Prepare glaze and filling> Simmer vinegar over medium heat 7-9 minutes or until reduced by half, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add artichokes, onion and basil to bowl; mix well.


2. Assemble and refrigerate rolls> Lay sheet of plastic wrap on flat surface. Arrange four slices of prosciutto vertically over plastic wrap, overlapping slightly to form a 9-inch square. Spread 1/3 cup of the artichoke filling over prosciutto. Top with ½ cup of the arugula. Starting at side closest to you, tightly roll up prosciutto jelly roll style. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to serve. [Peel away the plastic wrap and use it as a guide to help roll the spirals tightly without handling the prosciutto roll.] Repeat three times for a total of four rolls.


3. Slice and serve> Remove each roll from plastic wrap and slice into 12 spirals for a total of 48 spirals. Place on serving platter and dribble with balsamic glaze.
   

All Other Nights

We recently read All Other Nights by Dara Horn. I personally loved this book. I am normally the girl who shows up with half of the book read so everyone has to tip toe around the ending just in case I decide one day to finish. I actually read every single word of this book and was grabbed from the moment I read that Jacob was taking a cruise to New Orleans trapped in a wooden barrel. This Civil War era historical fiction is the story of loyalty and the unexpected paths it can lead one down.

Sadly our discussion of the book was a brief one, but that is usually the case since we are a group of girls who love good food even better than good books. Jay Jay is our "Appetizer Queen". She made a warm artichoke dip served in a bread bowl. Nadean prepared a delicious dinner of red wine marinated flank steak, baked acorn squash, and green beans. We finished the evening with cinnamon cheesecake dessert that Judy made. Enjoy the recipe for Jay Jay's artichoke dip.

Bread Bowl Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

2 16-oz sourdough bread rounds (about 6-in. diameter), divided

Vegetable oil

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup milk

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained

1 1.4-oz or one 1.8-ox box (2 envelopes) vegetable soup mix

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 lemon

1 container (8-oz) sour cream

Grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice off top of one bread round to create a lid. Carefully remove center of bread round to form a 4 1/2-inch-wide and 2-inch-deep well for dip. Slice center of first and entire second bread round into 1-inch cubes. Place bread bowl on center of Large Round Stone with Handles. Arrange bread cubes around bowl; spray with vegetable oil.

2. In classic batter bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add milk to cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Chop artichoke hears using food chopper. Add artichokes, soup mix and garlic to batter bowl; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5-7 minutes or until hot (do not boil). Juice lemon to measure 2 tbsp juice. Stir juice and sour cream into hot artichoke mixture; pour into bread bowl.

3. If desired, grate Parmesan cheese over bread bowl and bread cubes. Lean lid against bread bowl. Bake 13-15 minutes or until bread cubes and top of dip are golden brown. Remove from oven; serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings