Small Victories

February 21, 2020

February 21, 2020 – a date that will go down in infamy. Not really! But it was the date of our first cookbook club dinner. When we finally decided that 2020 was the year we were going to get this thing going, we had no idea what was in store for the year. I retired on January 1, went on a kick ass retirement trip to Maui, and was just settling in to retirement life. Hanging with my friends over food and wine on the regular was my plan!

Back to the our first cookbook choice … Getting the cookbook club started was a small victory, so why not start with Small Victories by Julia Turshen? This is a great cookbook for people who have little time but want to make flavorful meals – although Dee may take exception with this statement. Nancy and I were out of town, so the recipe selection and assignments were left up to Dee, Laura, and Nancy’s husband Zach (our husbands and significant others are our supporting cast).

Roasted Scallion and Chive Dip

This dip was addicting! In fact I dream about it … sitting on the couch with a glass of champagne, salty potato chips and dip, watching a movie – yum! Needless to say, it went fast! The recipe can be found here: http://witandvinegar.com/2016/11/julia-turshens-roasted-scallion-chive-dip.html

Roasted Radishes with Kalamata Dressing

and

Cauliflower with Anchovy Breadcrumbs

I usually don’t get too excited about side dishes, but was intrigued by both recipes. Mainly because I saw how easy they both were to pull together since Nancy brought all of the ingredients to my house and made them both while we were munching on chips and dip. They were both delicious and deserving of a place at the table. The recipe for the roasted radishes can be found here: https://dinexdesign.com/blog/roasted-radishes; the recipe for the cauliflower with anchovy breadcrumbs can be found here: http://www.wilsonfarm.com/v2.0/recipes/catalog/cauliflower-anchovy-breadcrumbs.php

Grilled Skirt Steak with Pickled Jalapeño Relish

The hardest part of this recipe was finding the skirt steak – I went to two grocery stores before finding them at Humphrey’s Market (note to self – don’t forget about this place). After getting the steaks, this was probably the easiest recipe to pull together of the night. I made the jalapeño relish that afternoon, and grilled the steaks right before we were ready to eat. So easy and full of flavor! Here is the recipe: https://www.honeycombfood.com/www.honeycombfood.com/2017/4/14/seared-skirt-steak-with-pickled-jalapeo-relish

Happy Wife, Happy Life Chocolate Cake

Dee definitely did not pull the “easy” card for this go round! She made the cake the night before, and said it was very labor intensive and that she dirtied every pan in her kitchen! All I know is that it was delicious, and we served it with a magnificent port to end the evening. Here is the recipe: https://www.butterbeready.com/the-best-simple-chocolate-cake/

The guys did the dishes, and we made plans for the next Cookbook Club Meeting.