Friends & Food

( beautiful flowers for me. from my dear friend. grown in her garden. just lovely) 

"Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity."~ Voltaire

Today it was my turn to host 'girl's lunch'. Three friends and I do this every few months. We rotate houses. We tell stories. We laugh. Sometimes we cry. We eat amazing food. And there must be something chocolate on the menu. It's the rules. 

It's so much fun. I love this tradition!

On today's menu:

Chicken Taco Cornbread with Creamy Cilantro Drizzle

DRESSING

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/2 cup salsa verde

1 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

FILLING

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

CRUST

1 large egg

1 (7 oz.) package cornbread mix (i used marie callendars)

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup crushed corn tortilla chips

TOPPINGS

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3 cups shredded romaine

1 cup chopped tomatoes

Preparation Directions

1. HEAT oven to 400°F. Combine ranch dressing, salsa and 1 cup cilantro leaves in a small food processor or blender. Process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate.

2. HEAT olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken, 3 tablespoons cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes with green chilies; simmer 5 minutes. (i just cooked the chicken with the veges and spices, then shredded it up right in the pan. much easier! it took about 15-20 minutes for the chicken to be done)

3. BEAT egg in large bowl. Add cornbread mix and milk; mix well. Place tortilla chips in greased 8x8 pan. Pour cornbread mixture over chips. Spoon chicken mixture over cornbread mixture; sprinkle with cheeses.

4. BAKE 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares. Top with romaine and tomatoes; drizzle with dressing.

Serving size: 6 servings

( i doubled the recipe, used a 9x13 pan and baked for 30-35 minutes. it was wonderful!)

And for dessert ~

( the best part of any meal!)

 

2 sticks softened butter

1 Cup granulated sugar

1/4 Cup packed light brown sugar

1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Cups canned pumpkin

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1 Cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Sprinkles of choice if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Slowly add in flour and salt until dough forms. Press into the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking dish that’s been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

2. To prepare pumpkin layer, mix pumpkin sugar, cream, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixing bowl until well combined. Pour over shortbread layer. Bake for 45 minutes or until pumpkin layer is golden brown.

3. Let cool for 30 minutes then cut into bars. Melt chocolate over a double broiler or in microwave until smooth then spread over bars. Sprinkle with white sprinkles if desired and serve room temperature or chill until ready to serve.

12 bars

(if heaven had but these two foods i would be a happy woman. they were that good. oh, and a taco bell would be really nice too.)