Autumn Harvest Gourmet Club

Autumn Harvest
Gourmet Club

Breaking Bread with Friends

~*~

The Couples...
Fred & Tanya Wilbon
Rick & Carol Jackson
Peter & Jennifer Napoli
Thomas & Concetta Young

The place settings...

Each guest had a handmade harvest card!
That is my husbands!

The tablescape...

~Glorious Food~
A delicious feast of...
Monica's Baptist Sangria
Marsha's Parmesan Bleu Cheese Toasts
Pumpkin, Vanilla Garlic Soup
Fall Festival Salad
w/ Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
Creamy Champagne Chicken
Mashed Potato Casserole
Ice Cream Cake

This refreshing drink was addicting!

It was sweet and tangy and went perfectly

with our autumn inspired menu!

(prepared & presented by the Napoli's)

~*~

Monica’s Baptist Sangria
1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime soda

1 cup instant sweetened tea powder

1 lime, sliced into rounds- leave 1/4

1 lemon, sliced into rounds- leave 1/4

3 cups ice

~*~

Pour the lemon-lime soda into a punch bowl, and stir in the instant iced tea. Squeeze 1/4 lemon and 1/4 lime into bowl. Float the lime and lemon slices in the punch, and add ice. Serve immediately.

Serves 12

A truly amazing appetizer that then served

double duty as the perfect dunker for our soup!
(prepared & presented by the Napoli's)
~*~
Marsha's Parmesan Blue Cheese Toasts
1 cup of mayo
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 cayenne pepper
1/2 chips of Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup of crumbled blue cheese

Toasted french bread slices (30 slices)
3/4 cup minced green onion
~*~
Combine all of the ingredients except bread and green onion in a bowl and mix. Spread on toasted french bread and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with green onion and serve.
A creamy dreamy delight of a soup

served elegantly in a pumpkin bowl!

(presented & prepared by the Wilbon's)

~*~

Pumpkin Bowl

Cut off top, clean out seeds and inner flesh -

leaving a border ~ wash pumpkin.

Rub 1 t salt and 1 t sugar around inside of bowl.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

~*~
Pumpkin, Vanilla and Garlic Soup

6 T butter
1 clove garlic minced
2 onions chopped
1 can pumpkin
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups boiling water
2 t chicken base
2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
salt and pepper to taste
~*~
In large pot, melt butter, add garlic and onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add the pumpkin, chicken stock and 1 T Vanilla.
Cook covered for 20 to 25 minutes.
Puree until blended smooth.
Add half and half and salt and pepper. Heat through.

A fresh crisp salad with tangy bits

of fruit, toasted nuts, creamy cheese and

a yummy ruby-red dressing.

(prepared & presented by the Young's)

~*~

Fall Festival Salad

with -
Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
~*~
Salad
Lettuce of Choice (6-8 cups)
(I personally love mesculan greens or spring mix -
as well as romaine and red leaf lettuce.)
3-4 pears - sliced thin
1/2 c Gorgonzola crumbled
1/2 c toasted walnut pieces
1/2 c dried cranberries
~*~
Lightly toast walnuts on a sheet pan.
in the oven @ 350 for 5-6 minutes or
until you can smell the aroma of the nuts.
***
Prevent browning on your pears by
swishing quickly in lemon juice.
Place lettuce in a large glass bowl.
Add pears, Gorgonzola, dried cranberries
and toasted walnuts.

Serve with Raspberry Viniagrette.
~*~
Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
1/4 c seedless raspberry jam
1 shallot, minced
1/4 c sugar (or to taste)
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T poppy seeds
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
2/3 canola oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper
*****

Heat jam and shallots in microwave for 1 minute.

Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and blend well in food processor or blender.
Chill well before serving.

Comfort food at it's finest - whipped potatoes

loaded with cheese and cream and

served in individual ramekins!
(prepared & presented by the Young's)

~*~

Mashed Potato Casserole

4 lbs. potatoes - peel, cut into chunks
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c milk or heavy cream
5 T butter (or to your taste)
2 c sharp cheddar, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
fresh chives
~*~
Simmer potatoes in water until tender.
Use a potato masher initially to break up potatoes.
Add 1 c cheese, butter, sour cream and milk
- blend with hand mixer until smooth.
Place in large casserole dish or individual ramekins.
Stir in chives. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

The main entree...tender chicken cutlets in a rich champagne cream sauce with fresh herbs, mushrooms and prosciutto.

(prepared & presented by the Young's)

~*~

Creamy Champagne Chicken

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

(pounded thin - 1/2" thick)

1/2 c flour

2 shallots, chopped fine

4 slices prosciutto, chopped fine

2 cups mushrooms

1/2 c champagne

1-1/2 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 c fresh tarragon, chopped

fresh parsley

butter

olive oil

kosher salt & cracked black pepper

1/2 c heavy cream
~*~

Salt & pepper chicken cutlets - lightly dust in flour.

Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet and saute

shallots until translucent.

Add mushrooms and contine sauteeing

until mushroom are soft.

Add procuitto - cook for a minute or two.

Remove to a bowl. In the same skillet,

add more olive oil and butter.

Saute chicken 2-3 minutes on each side

- remove chicken from pan and keep warm under foil.

Add champagne and lemon juice to pan

and scrape up all the delicious chicken bits -

add the mushrooms and shallots back to the

pan stirring to mix well.

Add the heavy cream and tarragon -

simmer for a 1-2 minutes and then add the chicken

back to the pan and heat through well.

Serve garnished with fresh parsley.

The perfect ending to our extraordinary meal.

So easy...but incredble layered dessert

of ice cream, cookies and whipped cream!

(prepared & presented by the Jackson's)

~*~

Aunt Aletha's Ice Cream Cake

1 pkg. chocolate cream sandwich cookies - crushed

1 container whipped topping or homemade

1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream - softened

~*~

Reserve 1/4 c cookie crumbs for garnish.

Place remaining crumbs in the bottom of pan.

Top with soft ice cream speading to an even layer.

Dollop on whipped cream - covering top.

Garnish with remaining cookie crumbs.

~*~

This dessert is unbelievably decadent

and the perfect ending to our meal.

The combinations are endless - you can use any cookie

or ice cream flavor that strikes your fancy.

We thought of mint chocolate cookies with

mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I would love to make a shortbread cookie bottom layer and use peach ice cream! YUM!!

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