September 26 is Dominion Day in NZ. But did we celebrate 102 years of New Zealand attaining Dominion within the British Empire? No. Instead we observed World Rabies Day (a little early) at Lisa’s & Roger’s place.

The rabid bats. Purple bats coordinated nicely with the crystal ware.

Road kill welcomes the guests to the venue

Who told Don it was a road kill theme?

Capturing the moments

Of course the record wouldn’t be complete without the Menu and Recipes…

Dinner Club – September 26, 2009

Theme: World Rabies Day: The Early Celebration

Menu

Appetizers

Grilled Steak Fries
Watermelon from Roger & Lisa’s garden

Dinner

Pork Roast with Cherry and Cranberry glaze
Spiced Apples
Sesame Slaw
Sweet Potato Muffins
Three Bean Salad

Dessert

Brownies with Peanut Butter Mousse and with Peppermint Mousse topped with foaming whipped cream

Entertainment

Cujo: A modern day rabies movie classic

Recipes

Grilled Steak Fries

4 large russet potatoes (or 8 white Michigan potatoes) cut into 8 wedges

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425ºF

Place potatoes on cookie sheet peel side down. Bake until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the wedges to a microwavable serving plate. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Curse when the heat from the potatoes is not sufficient to melt the cheese. Microwave on high for 20 seconds to melt the cheese. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce for Grilled Steak Fries

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2  strips of bacon, diced and fried until crisp (this was absent because I ran out of time to fry the bacon)

2 Tbsp chopped scallion

Combine mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl. Mix in bacon and scallions.

Watermelon Balls

1 Watermelon from back yard

Get out a big knife and slice the watermelon in half. Curse when you see all those black seeds in there and realize that you didn’t grow seedless watermelons. Use the melon ball scoop to make nearly round balls. Pick out the seeds from most of balls. Be sure to leave a few seeds to annoy the guests. Chill 1 hour in the refrigerator and serve.

Pork Roast with Cherry-Cranberry Glaze

1 giant center-cut boneless pork loin on sale (about 5 lbs–those Dinner Club people eat a lot)

1 16-oz can unsweetened tart red cherries

4 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup Portage Michigan maple syrup (or packed brown sugar if you don’t have a special friend in Portage who give you delicious maple syrup)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Heat oven to 425ºF. Have your spouse cut off all that extra fat with a really sharp knife. Be sure he/she cuts himself/herself at least once. Season pork with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for about 90 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155ºF to 160ºF.

While the pork is roasting and the guests are busy watching a Letterman clip on the computer, prepare the glaze. Drain the juice from the cherries into a measuring cup. Add enough water to the cherry juice to make 1 cup. In a small bowl stir cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of the juice until it dissolves. In a small saucepan (1 to 2 quart saucepan) combine cornstarch/cherry juice mixture with remaining cherry juice, cherries, maple syrup and cranberries. Cook, stirring constantly (when you’re not busy cutting potatoes), until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in the mustard. Pour the glaze evenly over the pork during the last 10 minutes of roasting time (when the pork is about 145ºF). Slice the pork and serve.

Sesame Slaw

2 cups broccoli slaw (a 10 oz bag is equal to about 4 cups)

1/4 cup red bell pepper slices

1/4 cup canned water chestnuts, chopped

1 segmented medium orange (I used a small can of mandarin oranges)

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

Go outside an pick one of those beautiful red bell peppers from the backyard garden. Wash off the spider and the cobweb from the bottom. Jump when you realize the spider is alive. Kill the spider by washing it down the drain if you need some rain. Slice it in radial, longitudinal strips (that’s metallurgy lingo) not transverse cut rings. Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Three Bean Salad

1 15-oz can cannellini beans (I used great northern beans), rinsed and drained.

1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), rinsed and drained

2 celery stalks, chopped fine

1/2 red onion, chopped fine

1 cup fresh, finely chopped parsley

1 Tbsp really fresh, finely chopped rosemary (picked 1 minute before chopping)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a large bowl mix the beans, celery, onion, parsley and rosemary. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

Chill the beans in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing.

Sweet Potato Muffins

1 medium sweet potato

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 organic egg from your Mom’s neighbor’s chickens

1/4 tsp grated lemon peel (I used dried lemon peel)

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinammon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375ºF. Scrub the sweet potato and prick it in several places with a fork. Bake the sweet potato at 375ºF for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature. Peel off the skin. Mash with a fork and measure out 2/3 cup.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a mini-muffin tin. This recipe makes 24 mini muffins.

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the 2/3 cup mashed sweet potato. Beat in the egg and lemon peel.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately, mixing on low speed until blended. Do not over mix. Apparently bad things will happen if you over mix.

Fold in the chopped nuts and raisins.

Spoon into the greased muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 full. A little sugar and cinnamon may be sprinkled on top of each muffin if desired (I didn’t read this part of the recipe so you guys got cheated).

Bake at 400ºF for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sweet Potato Swirls

2 medium sweet potatoes and left over sweet potato from muffin recipe

3 medium Michigan potatoes

unknown amount of milk

Cook and peel sweet potatoes and potatoes. Mash sweet potatoes and potatoes. Mix together with enough milk to make the mixture creamy, but not runny. Line baking sheet with greased or non-stick foil. Pipe potato mixture on the foil with a Wilton #6B decorating tip. Sprinkle with pepper if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes until outside has formed a crust/skin.

Spiced Apple Rings (make at least 2 weeks before serving)

6 lbs Granny Smith apples up to 2.5″ diameter (about 12 apples).

6 cups sugar

3 cups water

5/8 cup white vinegar

1 tsp allspice

2 Tbsp whole cloves

1/2 cup red hot cinnamon candies (or 2 Tbsp cinammon)

1/2 tsp red food coloring (use more if not using the cinnamon candies)

4 pint jars

ascorbic acid solution (6 vitamin C tablets dissolved in 1 gallon of water)

Wash apples. To prevent discoloration, peel and slice one apple at a time. Immediately cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, remove core area with a melon baller and immerse in ascorbic acid solution. To make flavored syrup, combine sugar, water, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon candies (or cinnamon) and food coloring in a 3-qt saucepan. Stir, heat until boiling and simmer 10 minutes. Drain apples, add to hot syrup and cook 5 minutes. Fill sterilized jars (preferably wide mouthed jars) with apple rings and hot flavored syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Tightly screw on lids. Boil filled jars in water 10 minutes.

Brownie Cups

1 cup soft butter

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

4 pretty green medium sized eggs from Mom’s neighbor

1-1/2 cups flour

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar and cocoa. Mix in eggs. Mix in flour, vanilla and salt. Pour mixture into a cupcake pan lined with foil or those handy little paper cupcake liners. Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 12 standard sized cupcake shaped brownies. Top with either peanut butter or peppermint mousse. Serve with foaming whipped cream if celebrating World Rabies Day.

Peanut Butter Mousse

8 oz Neufchatel cheese, softened

1/2 cup heavy (whipping cream)

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

Beat cream cheese, heavy cream, peanut butter and brown sugar until smooth. Chill at least 1 hour until set. Can be covered with plastic wrap and saved for 2 days. Pipe with a Wilton #1C star tip onto upside down brownie cupcakes.

Peppermint Mousse

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp unflavored gelatin

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Dissolve gelatin in water. In a large bowl beat the cream until still peaks form. Be sure to decorate walls and cupboard doors with splatters of cream. Slowly add the dissolved gelatin and mix together well. Add the peppermint extract and sugar and mix until well combined. Pipe onto upside down brownie cupcakes with a giant Wilton #1C star tip.