Pre-Xmas Festivus

Location: John & Leah's
In attendance: John, Leah, Jillian, Gordon, Lewis Patrick Lewis, Angie, Sean, Amanda, Ryan

Menu: PIZZA!

Gordon tried out a new pizza dough recipe that requires the dough to be refrigerated overnight. This allows for a very slow raising process which improves texture and flavor. It is delicious!

Gordon's Pizzeria-Quality Pizza Dough
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold (40°F)
Cornmeal for dusting

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl and be springy, elastic, and sticky. Place dough on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge overnight. Before making your pizza, bring dough back to room temperature. Flatten and stretch dough using your fists, then toss the dough until it reaches your preferred thickness and shape. You could use a rolling pin if you prefer, but that method is not best.

Dress up your fabulous pizza crust with all the toppings you desire, then bake until crust is golden brown. Devour!

Happy Holidays With the FPPC!

Who: You! And your friends!
When: Monday, December 20th
Where: John and Leah's Place
What: PIZZA!

Over the next two weeks, it will be nothing but back-to-back family get-togethers with big meals, meat with gravy, potatoes with gravy, vegetables with gravy, and christmas cookies (gravy optional), plus a sprinkling of fancy holiday parties with picturesque but inedible crudites and fancy alcoholic drinks with mini candy cane garnishes. So let's kick it all off with something completely un-christmassy!




Pizza dough will be provided, just bring toppings (including cheese) and beers. Feel free to be creative!

See you there!

FPPC's "We Miss Caitlin" Breakfast!

Location: Chateau du Wright
Date: Sunday, November 7th
In Attendance: Jillian and Gordon, Amanda and Sean, Leah and John, Kent and Monica

Menu:
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Waffles
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Bacon and Sausage
Savory Rolls
Cinnamon Rolls
Fuzzy Navel Bread
Mimosas
Fresh Brewed Coffee

We didn't plan too well (everyone brought carbs) but it was delicious! Caitlin called in the middle of the meal, which was a nice treat. And we still aren't quite sure what Kent and Monica were planning to do with the rest of their day....

A Really Remarkable Repast

In attendance: Sara (Rasta), Ben (Rusty), Caitlin (Riot), Pat (Radcliffe), Jillian (River), Gordon (Rawr), Amanda (Rainbow), Sean (Robin), Aaron (Rave), Kent (Red), and Monica (Rabbit).


Menu:
Rigatoni
Ratatouille
Roasted Dilly Carrots
Rye Bread
Refreshing Garden Salad with Ranch dressing
Rhubarb Dessert
Rice crispy treats
Red wine

The “R” names were Rasta’s idea. Everyone got a name tag and had to choose a name that started with ‘r’ for the evening. Rasta and Riot put together a deliciously cheesy Rigatoni (recipe below). Riot helped River put together the Rhubarb Dessert—so easy, yet so amazingly tasty. Radcliffe’s Rye Bread was excellent—honey and molasses made it unusually sweet.

Quote of the night:
During introductions “Hi, I'm Aaron, and I live in the shadow of my brother, Drew. Who is younger than me.”








Rasta & Riot’s Rigatoni

Ingredients
5 cups cooked rigatoni
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups fat-free milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped anaheim pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup bread crumbs

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; place in a large bowl.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add to pasta.
4. Add flour to pan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, stirring until cheeses melt and mixture is smooth. Stir in Anaheim pepper and salt. Add cheese mixture to pasta, tossing well to coat. Stir in green onions. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Combine butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl; toss until blended. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned. Devour.

Roast! Radish! Rhubarb! Radoslovich!

Attention FPPCers, the next Fancy Paper Plate Club meeting is officially on the schedule. We will meet at Ben and Sara Rodoslovich's place (ask Cait for directions) for a fabulous meal.

Who: You and all your friends who like to eat food
When: Thursday, August 19th, 6pm-ish
What: Foods that begin with the letter 'R'

A main dish will be provided, bring a side dish that starts with R to share.
See you there!

Lasagna Classico!

In attendance: Jillian, Gordon, Caitlin, Lewis Patrick Lewis, Sean, Amanda, Megan

Menu:
Lasagna
Focaccia bread
Garden Salad
Sweet potato fries
Red wine

Caitlin came over early to learn to make the lasagna--it turned out great!

The Official Lasagna of the Fancy Paper Plate Club

Ingredients
1 box whole wheat blend lasagna noodles (16 noodles)
1/3 finely chopped onion
5 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 pound Italian pork sausage
1 can chopped tomatoes w/ garlic and olive oil
1 large jar red sauce of your choice
30 oz Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 can spinach, drained
Lots and lots of grated mozzarella, parmesan, and cheddar cheese

Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil, add sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Add chopped tomatoes and red sauce, simmer. Meanwhile, heat water in large pot (optional: add tsp of salt to water). When boiling, add lasagna noodles and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, eggs, and spinach.

In ungreased 9x13in pan and 8x8in (or 7x11in) pan, spoon a small amount of sauce into bottom and spread evenly. Top with layer of cooked noodles. On top of noodles, spoon 1/3ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Top with layer of grated cheese, then sauce. Repeat 3 times or until pan is full to brim. Top layer should be grated cheese.

Bake both pans together in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle top of lasagna with dried crushed parsley, and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Devour!!

Up Next: Italiana!

Pop Quiz:
Do you love lasagna?
a. Yes
b. OMG, Yes!
c. I'm drooling just reading the word.
d. All of the above

Well then, let's have some!

When: Tuesday, July 27th 6ish
Where: Jill & Gord's
What: Italian Night!

Lasagna will be provided. Bring a side dish to share.
Some menu ideas: Green Salad, Fruit Salad, Sangria, Garlic Bread, Chianti

Totally Chill

In attendance: Jillian, Gordon, Caitlin, Lewis Patrick Lewis, Sean, Cashius, Joe J.

Menu:
Gordon and Jillian's Hungarian Cold Cherry Soup
LPL's New York Pasta Salad
Sean's Quinoa Cilantro Salad
Caitlin's Tea Sandwiches with Herbed Butter and Smoked Salmon
Caitlin's Extra-Fancy Guacamole

Kudos to Caitlin for trying out two completely new recipes! What a lovely, chill evening. Kudos to Cashius for providing endless entertainment all evening.

After dinner, we sat chatting for a couple hours about:
-Movies that are so bad they are good
-Stories my dad loves to tell
-Joe's new job in Utah
-Hoopfest (the Consolation Bracket Champion was in attendance!)
-Gordon's latest adventures in tackling children

Normally I would post a recipe from the evening, but these were so good, we are keeping them all secret.

A Lesson in Not Cooking...

When: Tuesday, June 29th, Eveningish
Where: Casa de Caitlin
What: Cold food!
Who: You! And your friends! And a dish to share!

That's right! It's finally starting to feel like summer in Spokane, so the Fancy Paper Plate Club is getting together to celebrate recipes that don't require slaving away over a hot stove (or oven).

Examples/Suggestions:
Salads of any variety
Gazpacho or other cold soups
Sandwiches
Veggie/Fruit platters
Popsicles
Sangria

Note to attendees: This one is BYO Chair. Also, beware of the cat; it bites.

BBQ Spactacular!

Where: Sean and Amanda's
In attendance:
Sean, Caitlin, Jillian, Gordon, Kent, John, Leah, Dr. Erin Rose, Paul K, Grandma Dot, and a variety of S&A's neighbors.

Menu:
Barbecued skewers of marinated beef & veggies
Potato Salad
Ambrosia
Potato chips
Tortilla chips and salsa
Grilled Dilly Asparagus
Corn on the cob
Baked potato fries
Apple Junk
Cheese cake with warm blueberry sauce
New Belgium Beer (CO)
Red Truck Wine (CA)

Activity: Croquet on the front lawn (Team John and Leah FTW).

Another fabulous FPPC! Lots of first-timers to make things interesting. And perfect summery weather!


Grilled Dilly Asparagus

Ingredients
Bundle of fresh, smallish asparagus
Splash of olive oil
Several shakes of dried crushed dill weed
Pinch of salt

Lay asparagus in wide, shallow dish. Splash with olive oil. Sprinkle with dill and salt. Toss lightly. Grill! Devour!

Americana-Rama!

Time for a sunny, summery Fancy Paper Plate Club extravaganza!

When: Tonight!! 5:30ish
Where: Amanda & Sean's
Who: You! And your friends!
Theme: Americana

Proposed Menu:
BBQ Steak & Veggie Skewers in Gordon's Special Sauce
Potato Salad
Ambrosia
Cheesecake
Freedom Fries (yes, I said it)
Chips & Dip
BEER!


See you there!

China Paradise

Where: Kent’s
Who: Kent, Caitlin, Jillian, Gordon, Leah, John, Ben, Petey

Menu:
BBQ Pork with hot mustard
Sweet Venison-Pork Egg Rolls with hoisin dipping sauce
Wonton Soup
Asian Chicken and Noodle Salad
Lemon Chicken (served over hot white rice)

We ate on Kent’s back porch (new outdoor furniture!) and had a little fire as well. The food was fabulous, as always! Cait made the salad and many of the wontons for the soup. Ben was initiated into the club (next time we will make him cook!).

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
2 TBS corn starch
2 TBS soy Sauce
1 whipped egg white

Sauce:
Juice of 2 large lemons, plus zest of one lemon
1 TBS of soy sauce
1 TBS rice wine
1 tsp sugar

Optional:
Chopped zucchini, baby corn, green onions and/or snow peas

Sprinkle chicken pieces with corn starch and stir until well mixed. Mix soy sauce and egg white, then pour over chicken and mix well. Heat sesame oil in large wok, add chicken and sauté until brown on all sides.

Meanwhile, stir together sauce ingredients. When chicken is browned, remove from wok and set aside. Pour sauce into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken and any chopped veggies you have chosen to add. Cook until sauce thickens. Serve over hot rice.

Chinese Night with the FPPC!

When: Monday, May 17th (eveningish)
Where: Kent's House
What: Delicious Home-made Chinese Food!!

Jillian and Gordon will make their delicious won-ton soup. John Henry has promised egg rolls that are scrumptious-bordering-on-deadly.

Bring a side dish or main dish to share. Fresh steamed rice will be available.

See you there!

I Relish a Good Repast, don't you???

CANCELLED--MAY RESCHEDULE, STAY TUNED!

Next FPPC: 04/22/10
Where: John & Leah's
When: Eveningish

WHAT: (or should I say "what?!") Theme for the evening is "foods that begin with the letter 'R'. J&L will provide a main dish or two, J&G will bring dessert. Bring a side dish or salad to share, but remember....it has to begin with the letter R!

A Success? Yes!

Caitlin's birthday bash went off without a hitch! In addition to fabulous lemon salmon, Cait made severl dips and tasty flatbread. Not much in the way of leftovers--it was all too delicious. We counted a total of 25 attendees; quite the event for a new chef!

Well done, Caitlin!

The Moment of Reckoning Has Come!

That's right--Caitlin is cooking dinner for all FPPCers and other guests at her birthday gala this weekend!!

Where: Cassie Taylor's house
When: 04/10/10, dinner time
Who: You! And your friends!
Dress code: Semi-formal

Menu:
Lemon Salmon
Baked Potato Bar
Variety of Salads
Fresh Veggies
Birthday Cake!

Enchiladas de Dios!*

*Sacreligious, yes, but totally true. These enchiladas could have killed us all with their extreme deliciousness.

Date: 03/06/10
In Attendance: Gordon, Jillian, Caitlin, John, Leah, Sean, Amanda, Drew, Aaron, Kent

Menu:
Chicken enchiladas with cream sauce
Beef enchiladas with red sauce
Chips with fresh tomato salsa
Chips with mango salsa
Chips with Schuldheisz layer dip
Mexican Wedding Cakes
Margaritas!

Mucho divertido!! Ole! : )

Gordy and Jilly's Classic Fresh Salsa

Ingredients
6 large, ripe tomatoes
Juice of 2 limes
1 large onion, finely chopped
Cilantro, finely chopped (as desired)
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Sugar
Red Pepper Flakes (as desired)

Add lime juice to finely chopped onion and let stand to mellow. Chop tomatoes as finely as desired. Add chopped tomatoes to onion-lime mixture. Add salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips: Eat immediatly, or serve next day. Flavors will mingle and improve overnight.

Fiesta Mexicana!

Hola Amigos!

Time for a fiesta!
Date: 03/16/10
Place: Hacienda del Drew
Time: Evening-ish

Enchiladas will be provided! Bring side dishes with some kind of Mexican flair.

Hasta manana!

All Greek to Me

Date: March 2nd, 2010
In Attendance: Caitlin, John, Leah, Gordon, Jillian, Sean, Amanda, Kent, and Amy S.

Menu:
Gyros, including
Homemade whole wheat pita bread
Homemade tsatsiki sauce
Falafel
Fresh cut cucumber, chopped tomato & onion, cabbage, basil
Skewers of ground lamb/venison/pork
Skewers of pork, marinated in special wine sauce

Couscous Salad
Caprese Salad
Cheese and Honey Pie

What a fabulous slice of the Mediterranean! Everything was delicious! We followed up our repast with a rousing and hilarious game of Wise and Otherwise.
Example: There is an old Chinese saying: “Don’t add salt to….”
Feel free to guess the ending of this old saying in the comments. : )

Sean and Amanda's Amazing Tsatsiki Sauce

1 medium cucumber, peeled and cubed
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 quart plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder (or two cloves fresh garlic)
salt to taste
lemon juice

Combine and let mellow for at least three hours before serving.

The People Have Spoken!*

That's right--it's time for Greek Night with the FPPC! We are meeting tomorrow night (03/02/10) at John and Leah's. Bring something Greek to share!

See you there!


*Anonymous blog-survey-voting people, that is. We are a pretty laissez faire democracy.

Breakfast of Champions

Date: February 22, 2010
In Attendance: Will, Caitlin, Jillian, Gordon, Sean, Kent, Brian, Nikki

Menu:
Buttermilk Biscuits and Country Gravy
Sausage and Green Pepper Skillet
K8’s Kountry Kiche
Doughnuts!!
Mimosas

Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?! It’s simply delicious. We had an especially good time coming up with the appropriate name for K8’s Kountry Kiche.


K8’s Kountry Kiche

Ingredients
Toasted Sourdough bread, cut into triangles
Toasted Wheat bread, cut into triangles
½ a medium onion, finely chopped
8 Eggs
Cooked ground sausage
Feta Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Hot sauce

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease to bottom and sides of a 9X13 inch pan; sprinkle lightly with flour. Layer bread pieces in the bottom of the baking dish, enough so you can’t see the bottom of the pan. Sauté chopped onion and sausage and spread evenly over the bread. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. Pour over the bread and sausage. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are set. Generously sprinkle feta cheese over the top; bake for about 15 more minutes or until eggs are well done.

Allow kiche to kool for a few minutes before devouring.

Breakie for Dinner!

Hi all! From the sounds of it, I believe we might be able to schedule out next FPPC dinner for Monday, February 22, at Will's house. The menu theme will be 'Breakfast for Dinner.' The main dishes will be biscuits and gravy, and a keish of some sort. (It's bad when I don't even know how to spell what I'm making, let alone how to make it.) Side dishes may include, but are not limited to, apple sauce, bloody marys, mimosas.... Any other suggestions?

Also, please confirm that Monday will, indeed, work for everyone. We can reschedule it if needed. Dinner will start at 6:30 - 7:00, but you are welcome to come earlier. I'll be there by 5:30 to start cooking. :) Most of you should know where Will's house is because of his birthday party, but feel free to call me if you need directions.

Can't wait to see you all!! :)

Summer Lovin'

Date: 02/02/10
In attendance: Caitlin, John & Leah, Gordon & Jillian, Sean, Kent, Will

Menu:
Fried Chicken
BBQ Ribs
Garden Salad
Potato Salad
Fresh Veggies w/ Hummus
Peach-Berry Bellini Salad

In the depth of winter, a nice summery meal just makes sense! The chicken was pan-fried, the ribs had homemade BBQ sauce, the potato salad had a bit of curry in it for an unexpected kick! Everything was delicious, as usual.

Recipe for Peach-Berry Bellini Salad

Ingredients
Peaches, fresh (or frozen, thawed)
Blackberries or Raspberries
Blueberries
Fresh grated ginger (optional)
Champagne

Combine fruit and divide into single-serving glasses or bowls. Fill with champagne, just covering fruit. Devour.