Easy Supper Club: Roasted Veggies & Salad

"Easy Supper Club"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"
Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bites
Herbed Pork Roast
Roasted Fall Veggies
Puffed Mashed Potatoes
Basil-and-Blue Cheese Salad
Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

ROASTED FALL VEGGIES

[I just roasted carrots to keep it a little more simple, but below is a list of other veggies that would taste wonderful as well]

10 small carrots with greenery

8 baby yellow beets

8 baby candy cane beets

3 Tblsp Olive Oil, divided

1 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut tops from yellow and candy cane beets, leaving 1/2 inch stems.Peel beets and cut in half. Cut tops from carrots, leaving 1/2 inch of greenery on each.
• Toss yellow beets and carrots with 2 Tblsp olive oil in a large bowl; place in a single layer on 1 side of an aluminum foil-lined jelly roll pan. Sprinkle veggies in pan with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
• Toss candy can beets with remaining 1 Tblsp olive oil; arrange beets in a single layer on remaining portion of jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
• Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes; stir once, and bake 15 minutes more or until tender.

BASIL-AND-BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Our Elf joined us this day for dinner! So this was "Elf-Approved"!

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 tsp country-style dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

10 cups mixed salad greens

1/2 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, coursely chopped

2 ripe pears, thinly sliced

2 navel oranges, sectioned

2 avocados, sliced

1 (4oz) package blue cheese, crumbled

• Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to use (up to 24 hours).
• Toss together greens and basil. Top with pears, oranges, avocados, and blue cheese; toss. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

[Its best to wait to slice pears and avocados last minute so they won't turn brown]

Easy Supper Club: Herbed Pork Roast

"Easy Supper Club"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"
Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bites
Herbed Pork Roast
Roasted Fall Veggies
Puffed Mashed Potatoes
Basil-and-Blue Cheese Salad
Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

HERBED PORK ROAST

1 (4-5 lb) untrimmed pork loin roast

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Kitchen string

5 Tblsp olive oil, divided

2 Tblsp chopped fresh sage

2 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley

2 Tblsp chopped fresh thyme

1 Tblsp chopped fresh rosemary

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sprinkle pork with kosher salt and ground pepper. Tie pork with kitchen string, securing at 2-in intervals.
• Cook pork, fat side down, in 3 Tblsp hot oil in a stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place fast side up, on a wire rack in a aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Remove kitchen string; make 5 (1/2-inch deep) cuts in pork.
• Stir together sage, next 3 ingredients and remaining 2 Tblsp oil. Stuff herb mixture into slits in pork.
• Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 155 degrees F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Thursday: Roasted Fall Veggies & Basil-and-Blue Cheese Salad

Easy Supper Club: Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bites

"Easy Supper Club"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"
Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bites
Herbed Pork Roast
Roasted Fall Veggies
Puffed Mashed Potatoes
Basil-and-Blue Cheese Salad
Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bites

• Toss Red Delicious apple slices in lemon juice; pat dry. Spread each with about 2 tsp garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese. Top with cooked and crumbled bacon, baby arugula sprigs, and freshly cracked pepper.

Tuesday: Herbed Pork Roast
Thursday: Roasted Fall Veggies & Basil & Blue Cheese Salad

Friday: Puffed Mashed Potatoes

Fondue Fun: Tomato & Herb Fondue

"Fondue Fun"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"

Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue
Tomato-and-Herb Fondue
Mixed Salad Greens
Mississippi Mud Fondue

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

Tomato-and-Herb Fondue

Fondue:

1 tblsp butter

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14.5oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 tsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Serve with:

Cubed, lightly toasted French bread; cubed, toasted cheese bread; chopped cooked chicken tenders; cooked meatballs; cook tortellini.

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and garlic, and saute 3 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and lemon zest; cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Transfer to fondue pot' keep warm. Serve with desired accompaniments.

Mississippi Mud Fondue

I have no  picture of this one...got so wrapped up in chocolate that I forgot! Make this, and you'll understand.

Fondue:

1 cup heavy cream

1 (12oz) package dark chocolate morsels

1 (7oz) jar marshmallow creme

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Serve with:

brownies, biscotti, graham crackers, marshmallows, chopped toasted pecans

• Bring cream to a boil in a large heave-duty saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer. Add chocolate morsels, and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in marshmallow creme and vanilla, stirring constantly until smooth. Transfer to fondue pot. Keep warm. Serve with desired accompaniments. 

Southern Living "Cooking for Christmas"

I was given the pleasure of cooking for 12 people over the Christmas holiday! And yes, I volunteered. I was actually given this cookbook from my Mother-in-Law, and I really wanted to try the recipes out. Only having 4 in my little family, most of these recipes call for 8 to 12 serving size, so this was a perfect opportunity to really test them out! 5 meals for 12 people cost about $700 in groceries, and that is considering I have all the spices and basics (like sugar, flour, ect...). The book uses expensive cuts of meat, which can be substituted for a "cheaper" cut, which I will make note of when I post the recipe. I also appreciated the fact that they use winter veggies, things that would be in season at this time of the year!

I highly recommend buying this cookbook if you plan to make a lot of these recipes. The cookbook includes a lot of cooking tips and trick and more advice that I haven't included on my posts. There is also a few more recipes in each of the meals I used that I won't be posting, so to get the full effect of the meal, again, I recommend buying the book.

The five different meals were put together in separate chapters, and there were more meals, but the 5 were the ones I chose to use over the short time I had to cook. The book also has individual recipes in the back half if you don't want to cook the entire meal. There were several recipes I looked at in the meals that I was really iffy about and not sure if we would like it, but I am so glad that I took that leap of faith. These meals were professionally put together to compliment each other and so no dish would dominate another. 

There is also drinks and desserts included with each meal....which we took advantage of as well. Like the meat, the alcohol needed for them can also be pricey, so if there is a good substitute for it, I'll will make note of that as well, but if the "fancy" alcohol is recommended, please take my word for it that its worth the extra penny.

The meal choices I made:

(the images are all my own!)

"Fondue Fun"
~Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue
~Tomato-and-Herb Fondue
~Mixed Salad Greens
~Mississippi Mud Fondue

"Easy Supper Club"
~Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bite
~Herbed Pork Roast
~Roasted Fall Veggies
~Puffed Mashed Potaotes
~Basil-and-Blue Cheese Salad
~Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

"An Elegant Holiday Dinner"
~Cherry-Pecan Brie
~Tossed Greens-and-Grapes Salad
~Easy Asiago-Olive Rolls
~Pancetta Wrapped Beef Tenderloin
with Whipped Horseradish Cream
~Crispy Potatoes with Fennel
~Lemon-Garlic Green Beans
~Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

"Feast with Friends"
~Quick Winter Pickled Veggies
~Deviled Ham Terrine
~Kumquat Martini
~Fennel-Crusted Rib Roast
~Roasted Asparagus
~Warm Greens with Cornbread Croutons
~Buttermilk Panna Cotta
with Zinfandel-Poached Figs

"Casual Texas Holiday"
~White Bean-and-Black Olive Crostini
~Sparkling Sipper
~Citrus-Walnut Salad
~Roasted Green Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
~Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
~Roasted Turkey Stuffed with Hazelnut Dressing
~Upside-Down Apple Tart

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