Lydia Jo: Cooking Show (More Recipes Added)

The ladies at our church threw a cooking show last week.

We had about 8 demonstrators who had 5 minutes each to share...

1. How to make something.

2. Favorite kitchen tips or tools.

And then we all got to taste the food.

In between each demo there were fun door prizes handed out.

Double stuff Oreo cookies, candy corn, whoppers, peanut butter cups, chocolate, yellow and red frosting, black sprinkles for eyes.

1. take a cookie and put a strip of choc frosting along one side. Put 5 pieces of Indian corn for the feathers.

2. put a dab of icing on opposite ends of cookie and secure it to th base cookie (put next to wall to hold steady until it drys)

3. unwrap p.nut butter cup. Cut sliver off one end. Put dab of choc frosting on pb cup and place on cookie.

4. put dab of icing on whopper and attach to pb cup and cookie.

5. put 2 small yellow dots of icing for eyes. Put a black sprinkle in center of dot. Place white part of Indian corn for beak.

6. flip turkeys right side up and when dry add yellow feet and red wattle. You can add a small name card to the top and use for place card holders.

My dear Mom organized the whole thing.

The crooked smile that plagues me.

Cheesy Mushroom Pull Apart Bread. Make this for your next party.

Mary made cake pops.

Joyce made Zuppa Toscana soup.

1lb Italian sausage

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (more if you like very spicy)

1 large diced white onion

4T bacon pieces. (approx. 4 slices)

2tsp garlic puree

3 1/2 c water

3 c milk

1 c heavy cream

5 T chicken soup mix

1 1/2 lb sliced red potatoes

1/4 bunch kale

Saute sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ing. Saute bacon, onions and garlic for approx 15 min or until onions are soft. Mix chicken soup mix and water, and add to onions, garlic and bacon. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add milk and heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sausage. Add kale just before serving. Yield 2 3/4 quart.

Orayma made some Spanish shrimp salsa type of stuff. Tostadas de escaviche. (This link is somewhat close to Oramya's masterpiece) We ate it on tostadas. We could still taste it the next morning. Authentic. Flavors that explode in your mouth type of thing. Loved it.

Dorcas made a super Oriental Chicken salad that includes bow tie pasta.

Her sister Kathy invented this one and we've been raving about it ever since.

1- 16oz. box bow tie pasta

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/8 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup oil

1 Tbl. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground ginger, or a small chunk of fresh ginger root

1 garlic clove

a few stems of fresh cilantro

Cook the pasta. Put all the dressing ingredients in the blender, and process until smooth. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water. Pour the dressing over and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

1-9 0z. package of fresh spinach, or torn lettuce

3 cans of mandarin oranges, drained

2 cups cooked chicken

1-1/3 cups cashews or peanuts

1-6 oz. package dried cranberries

6 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Just before serving, toss everything together, and all the pasta

(directions from Kathy herself) Now this is my version of the recipe- the dressing is actually from another recipe, so you may have to make 1-1/2 or two batches. And I forgot to add the green onions to mine, and I just skipped the sesame seeds- and I don't think I put in as many oranges

Eva is an amazing cook. She does not shirk from things that look like too much work.

She demonstrated Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Salad. This one was the winner to me. The dressing has two kinds of mustard, garlic, maple syrup, cider vineagar, and oil. I have this recipe on my Christmas menu. (it is the only thing on my menu actually, I'm not that organized)

Sue showed us how she cans her black beans, she also had her own canned chicken and salsa and used these ingredients to make a very fast Taco soup.
One quart of canned chicken, one quart of salsa, one quart of black beans, one quart of corn, one quart of chicken broth. Heat, and of course serve with cheese, chips, sour cream and all of that good stuff.

{We had company over Sunday night for supper. I was wracking my brain for things to serve and my mind kept going to Sue's stock pile of canned chicken. So handy! Thankfully I found 1 lb of ground hamburger in my freezer.

I also remembered how as a teenager I used to tell myself that when "I"m the Mom" I will always have cookies in my freezer for such occasions. Well guess who is the mom with the bare cupboards now? Ahem}