Cooking Light ~ Lovely Lemons of Amalfi

It is time for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. . . I might be in Italy, but I haven't missed a Virtual Supper Club in 6 years. And I am certainly not going to miss this one.

This is our final Supper club meeting. As with most of the blogging world, things have changed. We are all busy, and it becomes a struggle to post on a regular basis (can I get an Amen!) We have all agreed that this would be our final supper club meeting. I am sad to see it go, because I have formed friendships with these other cooks.
We decided for this menu we would celebrate the lovely lemons of Amalfi. . . I went to the cooking light pages and found this recipe for Sole with Lemon Caper Sauce

Lemon Sole with a Lemon Caper Sauce
1 Tbs olive oil
1 sole fillets
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp butter
1 garlic clove minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs capers
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place fish in pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan.
Melt butter in pan. Add garlic; cook 1 minute or until lightly browned. Add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 6 minutes). Stir in minced capers and juice; cook 3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in parsley. Serve immediately.

This makes for a dish that is so light and fresh, you would think you were at the villa in Positano.

(well Almost)

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our final Virtual Supper Club.
Jerry has make a Lemon Martini
Val is making Pasta with Creamy Lemon Sauce
Sara is making Asparagus with a Garlic Lemon Sauce
Shelby is bringing a Lemon Swirl Cheesecake

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ April Fool's Day

This month for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club we are playing a little Aprils Fools with our menu. I am in charge of the appetizers, but I plan to bring an egg souffle.
I found  THIS Recipe in the volumes on the Cooking Light My Recipe search.

Creamy Baked Eggs with Asparagus
Butter for ramekins
6 thin asparagus spears, ends trimmed
4 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup lightly packed shredded pecorino
Pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

 Preheat oven to 275°. Lightly butter two 4-oz. (1/2-cup) ramekins or ovenproof bowls and set in a baking pan just big enough to hold ramekins.
Slice asparagus thinly on the diagonal. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook until just tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, and scoop out into a colander. Keep water boiling, covered. (I skipped this step . . . I sauted my asparagus in olive oil with a little salt and pepper.)
In a bowl, beat eggs with milk until smooth. Stir in cheese and salt. Divide mixture between prepared ramekins. (I made three) Top each with half the asparagus and sprinkle with pepper.
Set ramekins in baking pan and put in oven. With oven door open, carefully pour hot water into baking pan up to the level of the eggs in ramekins. Bake until eggs are set in centers (touch to test), about 45 minutes. To remove ramekins, carefully pull oven rack out partway; lift ramekins from pan with tongs and set aside. Push rack with pan back into the oven to cool. Serve eggs immediately

I thought they were just the right little appetizer . . . but also worked for breakfast the next day.


 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our April Fool's Supper.
Jerry has made Shrimp and Grits . . . April Fools. Where is he going to find real grits?
Val is making a Chicken BLT salad.
Susan is going to surprise us with her dish.
Sara is sailing in with Zucchini Boats and Ricotta Basil Mousse
Shelby is bringing a Rhubarb Trifle
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Luck 'O the Irish

For our Virtual Supper Club this month we are celebrating the 'Luck 'O the Irish' with an Irish inspired meal.With the weather we have been having . . . I new I was searching for soup. I went to the Cooking Light pages and found THIS Recipe for Potato Soup

Potato Kale Soup with Gruyre Cheese
2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cups chicken broth
4 cups coarsely chopped potatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
6 cups chopped fresh kale
Gruyre cheese, shredded

Melt butter in a large saucepan, saute onion for 8 minutes until tender and garlic for a few seconds. Stir in broth potatoes, bay leaf  and salt. Simmer until potatoes are tender.
(I don't know if you have one of these secret jars of bacon grease . . . but I do. Just for this kind of recipe. I used a scoop of it instead of butter ~ just for the yum)

Dice the Kale and add to the cooked potatoes. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until the kale is tender. Roughly smash the potatoes until the soup is the consistency you like.

Top with a healthy handful of shredded Gruyere.
My Camera decided to focus on the plate and not on the soup in every.single. picture I took.
Grrrr~
So you have a lovely photo of a plate of yummy fuzzy soup.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our  Supper celebrating the Luck 'O the Irish.
Jerry has made an Irish Cheddar Bacon Dip
Val is making a Green Onion Champ
Susan is bringing Shamrock Meringue Cups
Sara is making a Wild Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ A Night at the Oscars

For Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club this month, we are celebrating A Night at the Oscar's.
First we were to pick a movie ~ then a dish to share 'virtually' with the supper club.
The movie I picked is 'Eat Pray Love' . . . because those are my favorite things in the world.
My dish is a Fontal Polenta with a Mushroom Saute.

This video on Cooking Light (Yes! A video. Isn't that appropriate for the Night at the Oscars?) will run you through the process of making this easy dish.

Basically, you will make a thick polenta with milk and broth. Stir until it is creamy. Add grated Fontina cheese and stir.

Pour this creamy polenta into individual gratin dishes. Top with more cheese and melt.

Meanwhile, back at the stove . . . Saute the blend of mushrooms for 3-4 minutes, until soft and flavorful. Top each dish with the saute'd mushrooms and serve.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Oscar Movie and a Supper.
Jerry has been watching 'Into The Woods' ~ and has made a Bean Soup
Val is making a Cranberry Orange Trifle ~ in tribute to the movie 'The Queen'
Sara has been watching 'The Hundred Foot Journey' and is making Pigonau Fermier Roti aux Epices Douces.
Shelby is bringing Pimento Cheese Tea Sandwiches

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Late Night Tapas

We can start off the year with another Virtual Supper Club dinner. This month we are having a late night Tapas dinner ~ with cocktails.
I am in charge of bringing the dessert . . . so I searched the Cooking Light recipe box and found  THIS Recipe  for a Gingered Creme Brulee. It will be perfect in individual dessert cups.

Ginger Creme Brulee
1/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 300°.
Combine 1/3 cup sugar and the egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine the milk and crystallized ginger in a medium saucepan. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around the edge (do not boil), stirring occasionally.
Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, and discard the solids. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually add milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Divide the mixture evenly among 6 (4-ounce) ramekins, custard cups, or shallow baking dishes. Place ramekins in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch.
  Bake at 300° 45 minutes or until the center barely moves when ramekin is touched. Remove ramekins from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Cover ramekins and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Carefully sift 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over each custard. Holding a kitchen blow torch about 2 inches from the top of each custard, heat the sugar, moving the torch back and forth, until the sugar is completely melted and caramelized (about 1 minute). Serve the custards immediately or within 1 hour.

I also found a 'recipe' for  Champagne With Cranberries ~ yes there is a recipe for this on the Cooking Light pages for even the most kitchen challenged. I froze my cranberries to they would keep the champagne chilled and a garnish of sugared ginger ~

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Late night New Year's Supper.
Jerry has brought Ginger Shrimp Pot Stickers and a Spicy Peanut Sauce. His drink is a Satsuma-tini.
Val is making Kibbeh MeatBalls with Spiced Yogert Sauce and a Pommegranate Gin Sling
Susan is bringing Chicken, Raisin and Pinenut Salad.
Sara is making Smoked Salmon Spread and a Cucumber Saketini
Shelby is bringing Roasted Tomato Soup Shooters with Grilled Brie Cheese Bites.

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Warm up to Winter

The virtual supper club menu for the month of December is 'Warm Up to Winter'. I will say that as far as the weather goes, we have been Very lucky in Alabama. . . So Far So Good. Thanksgiving at the beach found tempatures in the 70's.
Oh well, turn up the A/C and celebrate Winter  . . .  I found This Recipe on Cooking Light for a red wine marinated stew.
It looked like just the thing for a cold winter' eve.

Red Wine Marinated Beef Stew
5 parsley sprigs
5 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 cups less-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Place first 3 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Combine cheesecloth bag, wine, and the next 4 ingredients (through beef) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. ( I cheated here and Tied the herbs into a little bunch . . . a few thyme leaves never bothered me anyway )

Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Strain beef mixture through a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade; drain well. Set cheesecloth bag aside. 
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove beef mixture from pan. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Return beef mixture to pan. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add reserved marinade, cheesecloth bag, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Discard cheesecloth bag.

Those are the instructions according to Cooking Light... I Simply added the herb boquet to the pot and cooked it down.

I served it over a bed of Polenta . . .
I think even Marcella Hazan would have approved.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Winter Supper.
Jerry has made Warm Gingerbread with a Lemon Glaze
Val is making an English Cottage Pie
Susan is bringing Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Sara is Roasting Garlic and making a Shallot Potato Soup with Cheesy Croutons
Shelby is bringing Sauteeed Haricort Verts with Bacon and Buttered Breadcrumbs.

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ It's Thyme for Turkey

This month for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, we have decided that it is 'Thyme for Turkey'. The holidays are quickly approaching and we are looking for ready to celebrate Turkey and Thyme.
I searched through the Cooking Light treasure trove and found  This  Recipe for a Salt and Pepper Roasted Turkey with Thyme.
Perfect.

It is a super simple way to prepare a turkey. The bird could even be rubbed down with Salt and Pepper the night before and kept in the fridge unitl ready to roast.

Salt & Pepper Roasted Turkey
One Turkey (14 to 23 lb.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
5 or 6 thyme sprigs (about 5 in.)
5 or 6 marjoram sprigs (about 6 in.)

Preparation

1. Remove and discard leg truss from turkey. Pull off and discard any lumps of fat. Remove giblets and neck; save for Rich Poultry Broth. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry and rub all over with about 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon pepper; rub evenly over skin and inside the bird. If desired, wrap airtight and chill 12 to 24 hours.
2. Place turkey, breast up, on a V-shaped rack in a 12-by 17-inch roasting pan; tuck thyme and marjoram sprigs inside body cavity.

3. Roast turkey in a 325º oven until thermometer inserted through thickest part of breast to the bone registers 160º, 2 to 3 hours.
4. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let stand in a warm place and rest at least 30 minutes, then carve.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Thyme for Turkey Supper.

Jerry has Pear Chutney Bruschetta with Blue Cheese
Val is making Crisp Flatbread with Honey, Thyme and Sea Salt
Susan is bringing a Golden Winter Soup
Sara is Roasting Chanterlle Mushrooms with Thyme
Shelby is bringing a Texas Sheetcake Cupcake

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Chardonnay Garlic Shrimp

Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is hosting a Wine Country Feast this month. I needed an appetizer and found this in the Cooking Light Pages.
It is a meal, but I have taken the liberty of turning it into an appetizer.

When using Chardonnay as the main ingredient, you can eat this any way you like ~ and serve with bread for 'sopping up'.

Chardonnay Garlic Shrimp

8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups (1-inch) sliced asparagus (about 1 pound)

2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.
Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 6 minutes or until toasted.
While bread toasts, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus, garlic, salt, and peppers; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add shrimp, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in wine and juice; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; serve with bread slices.

I skewered mine with a bite-sized piece of asparagus and shrimp ~ with plenty of bread on the side. I am not a bread eater, but made sure I got plenty of sauce on the shrimp. Easy and Gluten Free.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Wine Country Feast.
Jerry has made a Roasted Chicken with a Pinot Noir Sauce
Val is making Butternut Squash White Bean Soup
Susan is bringing a big bowl of Creamy Pumpkin and Sage Polenta
Sara has made Stilton Stuffed Pears

Sounds yummy to me.
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~Cucumber Gazpacho for Brunch

Our Cooking Light Supper Club is hosting a Brunch this month. I am in charge of bringing a soup. I found this recipe for a cool summer gazpacho in the Cooking Light Pages

This is perfect for a light summer meal, or a brunch.

Cucumber Gazpacho with Shrimp Relish
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 1/2 cups chopped English cucumber
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Dash of ground red pepper
1 large garlic clove, peeled
First...  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, cumin, and paprika. Add shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until done. Stir in tomatoes; remove from heat. Add cilantro.

Place remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, cucumber, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top with 3/4 cup relish.

Serve at room temperature with the sauted shrimp.
This was a very unique gazpacho. I think it would have been much better without that huge cup of greek yogurt. It overpowered the delicate cucumbers. The shrimp 'relish' sank to the bottom of the bowl ~ making un-appetizing photos. ( But it tasted great )
I think he looks better hanging out on the side.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our September Brunch.
Jerry has made Savory Sausage Breakfast Rolls
Val is making Leek Potato Fritters
Susan is bringing Monkey Bread
Sara has some Dutch Baby Pancakes
Shelby is bringing a Strata of Tomatoes and Bacon

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ August BarB~Q

For the Month of August, the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is caught up in the heat of summer ~ no matter where in the country we are. We have decided to have a Summer BBQ (don't forget the Off)
I found  This Recipe for Potato Salad Bites It looked like an interesting combination of potato salad and roasted potato skins.

Potato Salad Bites
12 small red potatoes, halved (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, divided
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons finely chopped drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Slice the potatoes in half and cover with olive oil. Roast cut side down @ 450 for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Using a paring knife, carefully cut a circle in the cut side of potatoes. Using a melon baller or small spoon, remove pulp from potato, leaving a thin shell.
Combine pulp, sour cream, 1 tablespoon chives, and next 5 ingredients (through pepper).
Evenly fill potato shells with filling; sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon chives.

Broil until they are toasted

In my opinion . . . it was a strange mix of lemon/caper/Parmesan. I think when I make them again (and I will) I will either do the lemon caper or the Parmesan.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our August BBQ.
Jerry has a Farro Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Onions and Almonds
Val is making a Berry Melody with Limoncello and Mint
Sara is making BBQ Pork Ribs
Shelby is bringing Clams Casino (clams with pancetta)
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi