Dinner Club was this past Friday and the theme was Comfort Food. I can't even tell you how happy that made me. I'm all about comfort food and seeing what other peoples favorites are. Melissa Y hosted this time and she made the delicious hot cocoa you see above. She also made a main dish but it's a secret family recipe that she can't share so I didn't even take a picture of it.
The hot chocolate was perfectly sweet with a hint of cinnamon. She made hers and put it in a slow cooker to keep warm. GREAT party idea!
Hot Cocoa
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/4 cups of cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water
1 gallon of milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
In large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa & salt. Add hot water slowly, mixing well. Cook over med heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add milk and heat to serving temperature, DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon, whipping with a whisk. Serve hot with marshmallows or whipped cream.
Lisa F made this totally delicious clam chowder. I'm telling you that this rivals any clam chowder I've had at a restaurant. Very thick, creamy, full of clams and rich flavor.
Clam Chowder
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of potato soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can New England clam chowder
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 quart half-and-half cream
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 potatoes peeled and cut up
1 pkg bacon cut up
Mix cream of celery soup, cream of potato soup, clam chowder, 1 can undrained clams, 1 can drained clams, potato, half-and-half cream, and whipping cream into a slow cooker.
Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Add cooked bacon at the end
TiNeill R made two items and I totally fell in love with both. I'm not the worlds biggest cucumber lover but I couldn't stop eating this! There was a saltiness in the creamy mixture and the dill on top of the cucumber was so yummy. I could have eaten all of this myself.
Creamy Dill Cucumber Toasties
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 OUNCE) PACKAGE CREAM CHEESE, SOFTENED
1 (.7 OZ) PACKAGE DRY ITALIAN-STYLE SALAD DRESSING MIX
1/2 CUP MAYONNAISE
1 FRENCH BAGUETTE, CUT INTO 1/2 INCH THICK CIRCLES
1 CUCUMBER , PEELED AND SLICED
2 TEASPOONS DRIED DILL WEED
DIRECTIONS:
1. IN A MEDIUM BOWL, MIX TOGETHER CREAM CHEESE, DRESSING MIX, AND MAYO.
2. SPREAD A THIN LAYER OF THE CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE ON A SLICE OF BREAD, AND TOP WITH A SLICE OF CUCUMBER. SPRINKLE WITH DILL. REPEAT WITH REMAINING INGREDIENTS.
TiNeill also made these show stopper cupcakes. They had a rolo INSIDE. I find it hard to even think of anything more tempting.
Rolo Cupcakes
1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
24 frozen Rolos (freeze for at least 2 hours)
For the frosting
4 sticks unsalted butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup caramel syrup
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
For the ganache
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
24 Rolos for garnish
Directions:
For the cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons}.
5. Gently push a frozen Rolo into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy with batter.
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch. A small divot may appear in the center of the cupcake, no worries though because you’ll cover that with frosting.
7. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.
For the frosting
1. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.
2. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.
For the ganache
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.
2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.
3. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.
4. Top each cupcake with a Rolo.
5. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.
Anjanette made this Chicken Pot Pie. Perfect comfort food dish, full of creamy sauce and chunks of chicken with veggies. I loved it!
Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 can cream of celery soup concentrate
1 can cream of chicken soup concentrate
1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 tbsp powdered onion
1 tsp powdered garlic
½ tsp seasoning salt
1½ tsp cornstarch
2 prepared pie crusts
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix all ingredients, except cornstarch and pie crusts, in a pot over medium heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid scorching. Add cornstarch and cook for another 10 minutes until thickened. Oil a casserole dish and line the bottom with 1 prepared pie crust. Cook bottom crust in oven for no more than 10 minutes, just until it starts to flake. Remove from oven and pour filling over bottom crust, then place second crust on top. Brush top crust with butter and poke a few holes to vent. Bake for about 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
Lisa W made two items, the pineapple cake left and some queso dip. Both were a big hit. The queso was simply Velveeta and a can of Retell tomatoes. The cake was a boxed yellow cake mix and she put a delicious pineapple frosting on top.
Pineapple Frosting
1 pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 can drained crushed pineapple
1 tub of cool whip.
I made the chocolate cake with butter cream icing above which I posted about separately.
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