Goods at the Russell's

 Look at these gorgeous ladies!
This felt like a perfect way to start the holiday season. Steph and Sonya put together "comfort food at it's finest". We were welcomed with such warm inviting colors--- the decor was elegant yet relaxed. It was so nice to sit down and chillax before we all delve in to the madness that can often accompany the holidays!  Thank you Sonya & Steph!!!

LIMEADE SPRITZ
2 liters Fresca
2 liters Cranberry Sierra Mist
1 Can Limeade concentrate

Combine and serve!! We do this in the summer, but instead of the cranberry Sierra Mist we use Sprite. Its our favorite drink!

Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce

Brie

Puff Pastry

Cranberry Sauce

Place Brie on Puff Pastry, add Cranberry Sauce and bake as directed on Pastry Box.

CRANBERRY SALSA

1 pkg cranberries (fresh work best)
3/4 cup sugar
1 or 2 jalepenos (depending on how hot you want it) if you do make it toooo hot, just add more sugar
1 green onion
2 TBSP cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Process until finely choped. Best if chilled overnight. I whip my cream cheese and serve it with it. It is fabulous on pork!

TWICE BAKE SWEET POTATOES

5 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup cranberry relish
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
2TBSP butter softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces
rest of the stick of butter
brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325* Scrub sweet potatoes and pierce all over with fork. Place on oven rack. Bake for 1 hour 15 min or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop pulp from each potato half leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Place pulp in medium bowl. Set aside shells.

Using a potato masher or fork, mash potato pulp until smooth. Stir in relish, cranberries, butter, and salt. Spoon potato mixture into each potato shell.
Melt remainder of butter and brown sugar until brown sugar dissovles add walnuts. Place this mixture on top of each potato.

If serving right away heat oven to 350* and cook for 30 minutes.

you can cover and chill for up to 24 hours. To serve preheat to 350* and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Stuffed Pork Roll

1 Pork Round Roast (ask butcher to butterfly)

3 cups of your favorite stuffing

Use a meat tenderizor and pound the pork slices slightly (try not to puncture meat).  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread enough stuffing on pork slices to cover top of pork.  Do not add too much or it will fall out of the sides.  Roll up pork and tie or secure with toothpicks.  Drizzle with Olive oil and sear on all sides.  Bake 350 for about 45 min or untill tender.  Cover for first 30 min.  Watch carefully the last 15 min so it does not burn.

• Roasted Vegetables
  ½ Red Onion Chopped
  ½ Yellow or White Onion Chopped
  3 Red Bell Peppers
  6 Med size Gold Potatoes (cooked, peeled and chopped)
  3 Cloves of Garlic
  Olive Oil
  ¼ cup butter
  
  
  Add Olive Oil and Butter in a oven proof.  Add vegetables and coat with fingers.  Sprinkle with Salt, Garlic Sale, Dried Basil.
  
  
  Bake 350 until peppers are tender or until desired.  Add seasons to taste.
   
  

 Fun fall ladies!!! Apparently Steph didn't get the "no print" memo-- lol. What a great evening. We missed one of our gals--- TeKarri! Hope to see you next dinner!!

We were sent home with an adorable gift basket filled with such fun goodies... including a jar of delicious Cranberry sauce which I will be smuggling to our Thanksgiving dinner. A Thankful journal to jot our gratitude thoughts for the year, not just during Thanksgiving time. A crocheted cloth made by Steph's mother-in-law (how kind was that!) The entire evening and this cute little take home spelled comfort in every which way.

 

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of Cranberries

Brown Sugar (to taste)

½ Teaspon each: Cinnamon, Cloves, Mace and Nutmet

1/4 cup Orange Juice

¼ cup Orange Marmalade

1 Tsp Corn Starch

Add Cranberries to pot and add water (do not cover cranberries).  Add Sugar, Spices Orange Juice and Marmalade.  Cook until Cranberries begin to pop.  Add more sugar or spices if needed.  Add enough corn starch until desired thickness.  Note: Cranberries will thicken slightly when cooled.

Pumpkin Mousse

1 15ounce can pumpkin

3 cups heavy cream

¾ cup powder sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pumpkin spice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon mace

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Ginger Snaps for Garnis

Combine, 1 cup cream, sugar ,spices and vanilla in medium saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Cool fully.  Whip remaining heavy cream with vanilla and sugar to desire taste until soft peaks form.  Fold into cooled pumpkin mixture.  Pour into serving dish and crumble ginger snaps on top.

Mini Apple Cranberry Pies

Favorite Pie Crust receipe

¼ cup cranberry sauce

4 apples chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

Cut out circles to fit a 12 muffin tin.  Combine above ingredients.  Add mixture into mini pie crusts.

Bake 350 covered for about 20 minutes and uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until pie crusts are slightly browned.

******** Ok-- so I cheated on the dessert pictures. The above are NOT the actual pictures from the dinner, but close! :)  Apparently I was too involved with my dessert to stop and take a photo. Don't worry--- the recipes are legit! ********

Sonya & Steph
What lovely ladies of the house!

  I forgot to get a close up of their fun matching cameo necklaces. Darling ladies :)

I told each of these fun women that I felt their evening had such a relaxed yet elegant feel. It was a wonderful way to start off the Holiday season. I am not sure if their lax-tude was a front-- but it was certainly nice to feel the warmth that they invited to the evening. Thanks ladies!
Looking forward to 2011!!!!!!

Get Ghoulish!

Our "Ghirls" Night! Hosted by: TeKarri & Courtney

"Ghosts, Goblins & Witches Brew
It wouldn't be a party without you!"
read our invitation to the fun halloween bonvivant12 dining event.

It was so fun to have have a grown up halloween party! They did such a fantastic job! We all felt a little bewitched (in a good way!) by their fun decor and yummy food!

 We were greeted with such Halloween fun. We were each given our own witches hat to complete our ghoulish evening-- with a cute feather boa accessory!

Here is our fun invite and our take home gift complete with a cute Halloween charm necklace and a delish carmel apple!

The Menu

Pumpkin biscuits

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1pkg)
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
a couple tbsp melted butter
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl, set aside
Whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut the cubed butter into the dry ingredients until butter pieces are the size of peas.
Stir together pumpkin puree and buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture along with the yeast mixture. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat oven 450 degrees. Coat pan with non stick spray. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough lightly 4-5 times to incorporate the flour.
Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with 2 inch floured cutter to form 12 biscuits. place biscuits into prepared pan. gather dough scraps and gently roll out again to cut 12 more biscuits.
Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter. Bake until golden brown 12 -13 minutes.
Serve warm

Spinach artichoke dip
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
3/4 bag (4-5 oz) fresh spinach chopped in a food processor
1 cup sour cream
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup mozzerella cheese, grated
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt/pepper
Add all ingredients together and mix well. Put into a baking dish and bake @ 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle extra mozerrella and parmesan cheese on top and bake an additional 5 minutes or until melted and bubbly.
Serve with toasted baguettes and celery

 Avacado Egg Rolls (baked, not fried- still yummy!)
Have you had them at the Cheesecake factory? Well now you can have them at home!!!

Avacado egg rolls and dipping sauce

2 large avacados, peeled, pitted and diced
4 TBSP sun dried tomato packed in oil
2 TBSP minced red onion
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
6 egg roll wraps
Gently stir together avacados, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and salt. Distribute evenly onto the center of each egg roll wrapper. position the wrapper so a corner is pointing toward you. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling. Fold side corners in and roll toward the top corner. wet the edges of the top corner to seal it up.
deep fry in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Honey Cilantro Dipping Sauce

3-4 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 green onions
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
use blender or food processor to mix all ingredients except olive oil. Blend until well pureed. slowly add to olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

 Favored Butters for the biscuits
Cinnaberry Butter
Combine 1 stick unsalted, softened butter with 2 tbsp chopped dried cranberries, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Can store butter in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Orange Pecan Butter
Combine 1 stick unsalted, softened butter with 2 tbsp chopped toasted pecans, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp minced orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl.
Can store butter in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Cream Puffs

1 cup water
1 cube butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
3/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bring water and butter to a boil. While waiting to boil, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. After boiling, remove from heat and add flour mixture all at once and stir until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and clings to the spoon. Let cool 10 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix in thoroughly. Scoop onto greased cookie sheet (or baking paper) and bake 20-25 minutes. When cool, fill with Jello instant vanilla pudding made as on box.
Makes approx 35 cream puffs

   

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

1 head cauliflower chopped into small pieces
1 stalk celery chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups water
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat water to boiling in large pan. Add cauliflower, celery, lemon juice, onion. Cover and heat to boil again and reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. drain and set aside.
Melt butter in same pan over medium heat. Stir in flour, cook until smooth and bubbly remove from heat. Stir in broth heat to boiling and stir 1 minute. Add cauliflower mixture, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. heat to boiling. Stir in whipping cream just until hot and then serve.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin
2 lb whole pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 sticks butter
8oz package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, peeled (or minced to that equivalent)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Put pork in roasting pan or baking dish. In saucepan, melt butter and add garlic and mushrooms. Bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in balsamic vinegar and spoon over pork. Bake tenderloin 1 hour uncovered.
Slice and serve with mushrooms.
We bought a raspberry chipotle sauce to dip the pork in that was divine!! Sorry no recipe but it was a fabulous addition!!



Garlic mashed potatoes

I honestly can't remember how many potatoes we cooked so...... lets just say
5-8 lbs potatoes
1 stick butter
1 can canned milk
garlic salt/powder/salt to taste

Boil potatoes in water, a little salt and garlic powder maybe 30-40 minutes until easy to pierce with a fork. Dump water. Add stick of butter and cover with a lid until butter melts. Add canned milk and sprinkle in garlic salt and powder. Mash and taste. Add more spices to your desired garlicness.





Sautéed Green Beans

Bag fresh green beans
olive oil
kosher salt
toasted almonds

Heat small amount of olive oil in a large sautee pan. Add green beans and sautee 5-7 minutes. Test for desired tenderness. Put in bowl and toss with kosher salt and toasted almonds. Serve immediately.


Check out our cute hostesses! Love those legs 'ghirls'! :)

Our fun group--- we ALWAYS have lots to say and lots of laughs!