Book Club's Two Main Dishes & Dessert

Thanks Lara for hosting book club and providing some delicious recipes!  Lara made two great summer recipes.

1.  GRILLED CHICKEN AND SUMMER SQUASH SALAD from finecooking.com (http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/grilled-chicken-summer-squash-salad.aspx).

2.  MEDITERRANEAN PASTA SALAD WITH CALIFORNIA AVOCADO from the California Avocado Commission (http://www.californiaavocado.com/recipe-details/view/31470/mediterranean-pasta-salad-with-california-avocado).

**This recipe calls for pasta but for this version Lara used quinoa instead of the pasta.  The recipe is great with either one!

I don't want to forget the delicious dessert provided by our special guest visitor Molly!  She made decadent chocolate chip brownies (http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=878).

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=878

Pear and Cheese Baguette Appetizer

Courtney was at it again bring new and delicious appetizer to bookclub!

PEAR AND CHEESE BAGUETTE APPETIZER

Ingredients:
1 baguette - cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (recipe says it makes 40. I used one baguette and had a lot of the mixture left over, only made half that)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese
6 to 8 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 - 15oz cans sliced pears in juice, drained (I used 1 can)
1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lightly brush baguette slice with olive oil.  Place the slices on a baking sheet and toast 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Let cool.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and gorgonzola, stirring well until well mixed.
5. Spread the each toast with the cheese mixture.
6. Top with the pear slices and chopped candied pecans.
7. Sprinkle with the parsley.

ENJOY!!

Brie en Croute

Brie en Croute 

(Shared by:  Courtney)

Ingredients:

1 Brie Wheel - I used President 

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry defrosted 

1/4 strawberry jam - I used Fig butter from Trader Joes

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread jam or butter over pastry sheet.

Fold the pastry over Brie and press to seal.

Flip the cheese over and place on greased pastry. 

Excess dough may be used to decorate the top.

Brush the entire pastry with egg wash.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden. 

Allow the pastry to cool for 30 minutes until serving. 

Serve with crackers.

Enjoy! 

Chicken Salsa

Chicken Salsa

(Shared by: Courtney)

Ingredients:

Frozen chicken breasts

2 jars chunky salsa (I used Tostitos) 

1 packet taco seasoning. 

Directions:

Throw everything in crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours. After 5 hours take chicken out and shred with a fork then return to crockpot. Let sit on warm till ready to serve. Eat as tacos or make a taco salad. Enjoy! 

**Additional items you can serve with chicken:

corn or flour tortillas to make tacos/fajitas

hot sauce or salsa

sour cream (healthy substitution of non-fat plain yogurt)

cheese

onions 

sliced avocado

OR any other additional topping you can think of!

Candy Bars

Candy Bars (shared by Lara)- From the Cake Mix Doctor

Makes: 24 bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 40 to 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped candy bar pieces of choice (Lara used 1/2 bag of shredded cocount, 1/2 bag of butterscotch chips and 1/2 bag of chocolate chips)

Directions:
1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Set aside an ungreased 13- by 9-inch baking pan.

2.  Place the cake mix, brown sugar, melted butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Blend again on low speed for 1 minute.  Fold in the candy bar pieces until well distributed.  Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula so that it reaches all sides.  Place the pan in the oven.

3.  Bake the cake until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, 1 hour.

4.  Cut the cake into 24 bars. Remove the bars from the pan with a metal spatula, and serve.

Peanut Butter Brownies

For those of you who missed this past bookclub you missed out on some of the best Peanut Butter Brownies I have ever tasted.  Thanks Lauren for sharing this great dessert.  Here is the recipe for all of us to enjoy another time and hopefully at another bookclub!

Picture courtesy of http://sallysbakingaddiction.com

Check out Sally's Baking addiction for this amazing recipe:
 http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/06/10/skinny-peanut-butter-swirl-brownies/

Cottage Cheese, Avocado, and Black Bean Salsa

Lauren hosted a great bookclub and provided some delicious dishes.  Below is the Cottage Cheese, Avocado, and Black Bean Salsa Dip that you can find on allrecipes.com:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cottage-cheese-avocado-and-black-bean-salsa/