Game Night Divas

Sometimes it's nice to see each other outside of our monthly supper clubs. This month's the divas planned a game night. We even invited our better halves...the diva husbands!

We had a lot of fun catching up with everyone, playing games, laughing, and of course eating. Whenever the divas get together, there is usually some great homemade food. Tonight was no exception.

Sorry these aren't the best pictures..by the time we got around to taking them, most of the snacks were half eaten!

Dessert Diva's Black Bean Salsa



Gourmet Diva's homemade party mix



Dessert Diva's brownies (I'm not sure what these are really called, but I call them milky way brownies because they have an AMAZING layer of carmel inside)



Cheesy Diva's meatballs



Saucy Diva's ....hmmm...we'll call these cheesy sausage-y goodness on toast :)



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October 2011 - Cheesy Diva's Favorite Recipes

Our next baby diva (Cheesy Diva Jr) is arriving this November.


(thanks google images for the random baby cheesehead picture)

Since Cheesy will probably want to have some of her favorite meals in the freezer for when the baby arrives, we let her choose her all time favorite meals for this month's theme.

Her choices?

Wine Diva: Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Gourmet Diva: Spicy Buffalo Shrimp Wraps
Dessert Diva: Pork Tenderloin Medallions in a Lemon Mustard Sauce
Saucy Diva: Island Spice Pork Tenderloin
Cheesy Diva: Alfredo Tortellini

All of the divas were very happy with her choices! If you are new to our blog this is a great month to start cooking with us.

Look below this post to find all of the recipes mentioned above (you can also click on the "October 2011" link on the right of the page).

Until next dinner...

Spicy Buffalo Shrimp Wraps

The divas typically make meals to freeze. I thought I'd share a recipe in "Freezer Ready" format. This is the type of recipe we put at each of our stations each month so the divas know how to package their meals.



Bag 1:
1 Cup of Panko Bread Crumbs

Bag 2:
1 “tub” of egg beaters and 1 tablespoon of milk

Bag 3:
½ cup flour

Bag 4:
Shrimp (frozen raw, uncooked shrimp)

Bag 5:
5 flour tortillas

Bag 6:
1/3 cup of either ranch or blue cheese (you may not want to freeze this one)

Bag 7:
½ Jar of wing sauce

To make at home:
1. Thaw in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
2. Drain liquid from shrimp bag and remove shells and tails!
3. Batter shrimp in this order:
a. Toss shrimp in flour and coat well.
b. Dip shrimp into milk and egg mixture
c. Coat shrimp in panko crumbs
4. Once all your shrimp have been battered, heat ½ inch of cooking oil to med-high heat in a large stovetop skillet.
5. Carefully place shrimp into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, turn each shrimp over and continue to cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until done. then remove from pan.
6. Toss shrimp in buffalo wing sauce and wrap in tortillas with blue cheese or ranch. (I also like to add shredded cheddar cheese!)

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Originally Posted: 3/9/10

Servings: 6

1 large onions -- thinly sliced
Chicken Breast
1/2 cup roasted red peppers -- chopped
6 ounces cream cheese -- cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 package flour tortillas
1 large green (or red… or both) enchilada sauce -- can
8 ounces Monterey jack cheese -- grated
salt -- to taste

This is my favorite method of cooking chicken for enchiladas and quesadillas. If you have another method you prefer, you may use that, but let’s be honest, it just won’t be as delicious :-)KIDDING!!

Ok, fill a large skillet about halfway with chicken broth and about ½ C of water. Throw in some seasonings. When I’m making Mexican, I usually add a bay leaf, some cumin, oregano, and maybe a little bit of the chopped onion. Bring the broth to a boil, and place the chicken breasts in the pan, return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken in broth 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred with 2 forks, or cool slightly and just shred with your hands.

In a wide frying pan over medium heat, cook the onions in butter, for 20 minutes. Stir frequently to keep onions from burning. Remove from heat and add chicken, red bell peppers, and cream cheese; stir gently to blend, and season with salt. Pour a little sauce in bottom of 9X13 baking pan. Spoon about 1/3 C of filling down center of each tortilla and roll. Set enchiladas, seam side down in baking pan. Continue until pan is full. Cover with remaining sauce and top with grated cheese. At this point you may cover and refrigerate, or cook immediately. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes covered, remove foil and bake 15 minutes more.

I do not have a picture of this, because if I did, you would probably not make it. But go.
Make it. Eat it. Love it. :-)

In the words of Aaron Lewis (and some Island Spice Pork Tenderloin)

Originally posted: 6/5/11


"It's been awhile..."

Sorry, let's redirect our attention away from early 2000's rock to our regularly scheduled blog post. It has though, been awhile since a saucy blog post and I apologize. This will be the first of three (THREE!) posts today.

Our April DTD theme was recipes from blogs. One of the rules was there could be no Pioneer Woman. The other Divas said it was because we almost always have a PW recipe. I like to think it is because we still have no proof that P-dub herself has visited our blog like she said she would when we met her. C'mon Ree! It is not hard to post a comment or become a follower. Such a simple task for you is a life changing event in the eyes of 6 divas.

And so there's that.

One of my favorite foodie blogs just happens to be local! Annie, from Indianapolis happens to be a gal with a super cute blog (Annie's Eats) with some yummy recipes.

I chose the Island Spice Pork Tenderloin recipe because the flavors used in the rub and glaze were a reminder of past Caribbean vacations. It turned out to be one of our favorite meals that will definitely go on the repeat list. It is the perfect balance of sweet and savory and the spiciness can be adjusted to your liking.


Instead of typing the directions out for you, here is the link to the recipe

http://annies-eats.net/2010/03/17/island-spice-pork-tenderloin/

Make it a dining experience by turning on a little Bob Marley!

Alfredo Tortellini - By: The Big Cheese

Original post date: 8/18/11

Pasta lovers beware! August 2011 brings the Mac-Daddy of all things good and creamy! Sweet Heaven, this diva LOVES this dish!

What You’ll Need:
1 (8 oz) pkg cheese tortellini

1 cup ham, diced

(8 oz) cream cheese

1 pkg dry Italian dressing

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 stick butter

What You’ll Do:
Add tortellini to a large pot of boiling salted water and let cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet to medium heat. Add the cream cheese, butter, cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing, and milk and stir until smooth. Once smooth, add in ham and stir to coat.
After the tortellini finishes boiling, drain, then add to cream sauce. Stir to evenly coat and serve warm.

Summer Grilling - Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Lemon Mustard Sauce

Originally Posted: 6/27/11

Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Lemon-Mustard Sauce (Dessert Diva)



Ingredients:
2 (12-14 oz.) sections of pork tenderloins

For the rub:
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. olive oil

For the sauce:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup shallots, finely chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
kosher salt

Directions:
Cut off any scrawny tail ends from the tenderloins. Slice each tenderloin into 6 equal rounds. Pound the medallions with a meat mallet to about 1-inch thickness. In a small bowl, mix together the rub ingredients. Coat the medallions with the rub. Allow to sit for a couple of hours to deepen the flavor, if desired. Let sit uncovered at room temperature while the grill heats to medium high heat.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and mustard, and continue cooking until reduced by about one half. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and salt to taste. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.

Transfer the pork medallions to the grill. Grill, turning once, until cooked through and tender. If any of the medallions begin to look dry drizzle with a bit of the sauce. To serve, place medallions on plates and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce.

Source: Annie's Eats adapted from Made by Melissa