Two Recipe Night

by Irene Lindvall

We attend an annual Christmas Music Night with family and friends every December 23 and the night entails homemade soups, Christmas carols and catching up with loved ones. I choose to make a salad every year instead of a soup and this year I did two (the other was the brussels sprout salad form Thanksgiving) as well as a dessert. They were all a hit.

Kale & Apple Salad w/Walnut Dressing

This recipe came from the November issue of Sunset and I kept it because I knew I'd be going places where kale would be appreciated. We are not the biggest fans (except for sautéing it) so tonight was the perfect night to try it out. I like the mixture of kale + Fuji apples and I thought the dressing was just okay. It had a dominating mustard taste that I wasn't in the mood for, but it wasn't bad. Even though I toasted the walnuts with olive oil in the oven they still weren't a taste I care for. I think this is a great salad to bring somewhere where it could be appreciated for what it is - a health-food type of salad.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Still not the biggest fan of kale, and really not a fan of walnuts.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Probably not.

The recipe

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

Now that I posses a little more confidence in the dessert department I decided to bring one to share with this group of 23. My friend from bowling who game me the broccoli salad recipe also gave me this one a few weeks back. She made it for us one night at bowling and we all thought it was great, and she said it was the easiest thing. She was right and it was a hit. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I need to do some reading about cutting baked goods. I'm wondering if I don't have the right tool, or if I need to be waiting longer. I was pretty sure I gave these enough time, but they still didn't cut nicely, and while it didn't look appetizing it sure tasted great.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe as given to me:

Take a box of Angel Food Cake mix (do not follow the directions on the box) & coming it with a 20oz can of crushed pineapple in its own juice.

Stir the cake mix and pineapple & juice together with a spoon (do not use mixer).

The mixture starts to froth & it turns into an amazingly airy, fluffy bowl of deliciousness right before your eyes.

Once it is all mixed up, grease and pour it into a 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 

Two Recipe Night

by Irene Lindvall

To make up for no recipes yesterday (the new refrigerator is gorgeous by the way!) I did two this evening. We had friends over for some holiday festivities this evening so I went with an old staple that I haven't made yet as well as a festive dessert.

Fiesta Chili Dip w/Ground Turkey & Corn

I got this recipe from The Seattle Times five years ago as an idea for a Super Bowl party. I made it that year and I have been making it ever since. It's great for large groups and it's really nice when the weather is cold. I liked it because it was made with ground turkey as well as vegetarian chili. This dish is really easy to change up as well. I like to add additional salsa afterwards and have tried it with guacamole, although I find that to be a little heavy. I generally serve it with tortilla chips as well as soft taco shells. It really could be eaten on it's own, but I like to make it a meal.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I forgot to add the corn to the frying pan prior to baking so I added it into the baking dish right before baking and mixed it in with the cheese. It turned out a little heavy on the color (photo 1) but it tasted just fine.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

 

Candy Cane Cake

I cannot tell a lie. I have been wanting to make this recipe all year. The appeal of the photo was unbelievable and I could not wait until candy canes were on sale this month. My original thought was to make it for Christmas dessert, but I have another great candy cane recipe saved for that night.

Back to this delicious cake. I saved time, as the recipe suggested, and bought a pre-made angel food cake round from the store. The recipe also has a recipe for homemade angel food cake which I will definitely be trying at some point. As for the whipped cream, I think there was a little too much, but we ended up filling the hole in the cake with the leftover so there was no waste! The best part about this recipe were the candy canes. Not only do you get to take some aggression out and crush them with a meat pounder, but you also get to throw them onto the cake. The last step says "Hold your hand about 1in. from the cake and gently toss crushed candy at the the sides." I thought this was so great that I enlisted the help of everyone to join in the throwing. The cake was a success and the taste was great. The crunch of the candy canes was very fun.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Baking is more fun with helpers!

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe