barbara-in-va
Well-known member
I just used less spice than the first batch and when mixed together it was not too hot. (Thank you to those of you who offered very helpful ideas on how to calm down a too hot dish.) Then, I had a bunch left over, I am just not a good judge of how much food 13 people will eat. I made two pots of chili, one was the Irish Chili posted by Olga which was the one that was too hot at first--for my guests that is. It had chunks of beef and pork, simmered for 3 hours until thick and tasty, no beans for those who requested a no bean chili.
The other chili was an old one from the Gourmet 1990 Annual which I made with turkey and "less fat" sausage, a bit more spicy and with beans. The two chili options seemed to satisfy everyone along a side of brown rice, an array of toppings, a big Caesar Salad that Joe recommended from Fine Cooking and two batches of cornbread, one plain and one with extras.
Dessert was a HUGH hit. It was sorta interactive which was fun and totally unplanned, I will definitely plan on interactive dishes in the future. Up until 8PM the prior evening I just planned on Christmas cookies for dessert. But this crowd loves chocolate and that was nagging at me. I was leafing through the Jan issue of Fine Cooking that came in the mail that day and saw Devils Food Cake Verrine--I found my dessert!!! and got started on the cake and streusel. At dinner, I layed out all the components along with the serving glasses and several guests formed an assembly line and made the desserts to order. It sorta sounded like people calling drinks at Starbucks, "NO Rum, Extra Mousse" "Extra Rum, Two Raspberries" (I put out a plate of raspberries too). Everyone had a great time and it was impromptu! Now, how to get that to happen when planned.....
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/devils-food-cake-verrine.aspx
The other chili was an old one from the Gourmet 1990 Annual which I made with turkey and "less fat" sausage, a bit more spicy and with beans. The two chili options seemed to satisfy everyone along a side of brown rice, an array of toppings, a big Caesar Salad that Joe recommended from Fine Cooking and two batches of cornbread, one plain and one with extras.
Dessert was a HUGH hit. It was sorta interactive which was fun and totally unplanned, I will definitely plan on interactive dishes in the future. Up until 8PM the prior evening I just planned on Christmas cookies for dessert. But this crowd loves chocolate and that was nagging at me. I was leafing through the Jan issue of Fine Cooking that came in the mail that day and saw Devils Food Cake Verrine--I found my dessert!!! and got started on the cake and streusel. At dinner, I layed out all the components along with the serving glasses and several guests formed an assembly line and made the desserts to order. It sorta sounded like people calling drinks at Starbucks, "NO Rum, Extra Mousse" "Extra Rum, Two Raspberries" (I put out a plate of raspberries too). Everyone had a great time and it was impromptu! Now, how to get that to happen when planned.....
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/devils-food-cake-verrine.aspx
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