End of School Year Celebration!

You might remember my post from December that documented my first hosting of supper club with my girlfriends from work.  Well, the rotation took its turn again at my place, and how well timed as we scheduled it for June 11, our last day of work for the 09-10 school year.  Mary, Kim, and Chrissy came over (a smaller crew than normal as Beth and Christy couldn't make it), and the party began promptly with a round of the Pioneer Woman's Sangria.  This recipe is not online, but what  I can tell you about Sangria is practically anything goes.  This version involved a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine, 1 cup of sugar, slices of 2 lemons, 2 limes, 1 orange, a cup of strawberries and pineapple, and the literal kicker, 2 cups of orange-flavored vodka.  The original recipe calls for 1 cup of orange flavored rum and 1 of the vodka, but I made it simple by just using the vodka.  I must warn you...this sangria is strong.  I think that diluting it with some orange juice, limeade, or lemonade would be good.  What is essential is that you let all of these ingredients meld together in the fridge for at least two hours.  And prepare yourself for super spiked fruit.

Here's the rest of the menu:

Mushrooms Stuffed with Brie

Spinach and Cannelini Bean Dip

Both of these appetizers were a hit, even with a selective palate like Kim's.  I particularly was impressed with the bean dip; it serves as a much healthier and just as satisfying alternative to the classic spinach artichoke dip.  I served it alongside homemade pita chips (cut each pita pocket into 6-8 triangles, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper then bake for ~10 minutes in a 400 degree oven).

The main course starred Penne a la Betsy (Betsy is Ree Drummond's little sister), and it was a simple pasta dish packed with flavor thanks to butter, olive oil, onions, and white wine.  Mmm.  I will also tell you that it reheats beautifully (in fact, I think it tasted even better reheated...be sure to microwave on a low power level to maintain the texture of the shrimp).  I served roasted asparagus and the repeat performer Rosemary Bread alongside.

A popular choice at many a supper club, we opted to eat the meal "picnic style," so we gathered 'round my coffee table.  Here's a shot pre-feasting (do note the remains of the appetizers in the middle):

(take a gander at my cute new napkins...props to my sister for picking out the fabric and my mom sewing them for my birthday...I'm becoming greener everyday!)

We ended the meal with Peach Cobbler. I pulled the recipe from my new Foster's Market cookbook (autographed by Sara Foster!), one of my lovely presents from my friend Elizabeth in honor of my 30th birthday.

Since this recipe isn't online, allow me to give you the details:

Peaches:
8 cups of peeled, pitted, sliced peaches (about 10 peaches)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Grated zest and juice of one lemon

Toss together the peaches, sugar, flour, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl until all the fruit is lightly coated and well mixed.  Set aside or refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to use.

Crust: Your local grocery store brand refrigerator pie crust. I know, I wimped out.  The recipe gives you instruction on how to make your own crust, but this simply wasn't my day to venture into crust-ville.    Simply take a pizza cutter and slice up one crust into 1" strips.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease an 11 by 9 by 3-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of butter (I used cooking spray).  Pour in the peach mixture and set aside.   Lay the strips pie crust on top of the peach mixture in a lattice pattern (lift, thread, opposite, etc...pretty basic...think basket weaving). Leave about 1 inch between strips. Brush the tops of the lattice strips with some melted butter and sprinkle with sugar (approximately a tablespoon). Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.  If desired, serve a la mode (we did!).

And that's the evening.  We had a lot of fun with the food, and we decided to watch The Young Victoria, the most recent addition to my DVD collection thanks to my friend Michelle who always gives a perfect birthday gift.  Speaking of my birthday, I have yet to tell you all what happened on June 1st.  I'll be pressing rewind for my next post...yup, I'm leaving you hanging.  I'll graciously give you a hint: METALLIC CHROME.  Any guesses?