Jaunary "Queen for a Day"/Appeasing Appetizers

Last month our COOKING club had it's big DEBUT and we started off with "APPEASING APPETIZERS". There were so many GREAT recipes, but there can only be ONE winner.

At last nights meeting we CROWNED our cooking "Queen" who REIGNED over us for the rest of the evening...YES, I made her WEAR the CROWN all night!

CONGRATULATIONS ANNE!!!

Anne was the clear winner with her recipe for "Brie Pastry"

Brie Pastry

1 pkg puff pastry sheets (thawed to room temperature)

1 lb disk of Brie cheese

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup brown sugar

Egg Wash

1 egg

1tsp water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll pastry sheet to 1/8 inch disk...cut off excess.

Slice off the top rind on the Brie disk and place in the center of the pastry sheet.

Top cheese with brown sugar and nuts. Fold up sides of dough to seal. You can use the excess dough for decorations.

Brush the sealed dough with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes. Let the cheese rest for 15-20 minutes before serving,.

Serve with crackers or fruit slices.

(This was sooooo YUMMY! I ate it with just a fork...no FRUIT!)

The following recipe was the only other one that received votes and very worthy of passing on.

ZESTY CHEEZY SAUSAGE CUPS

1 lb spicy sausage

6 green onions

1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 - 12 oz whipped cream cheese

1/2 cup Colby jack cheese

1 cup garlic & butter bread crumbs

1 tsp paprika

1 cup chopped celery

brown sugar (optional) - Cristie puts brown sugar in everything!

1 pkg (6) Pillsbury buttermilk flaky grand refrigerator biscuits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Spray muffin cups with nonstick oil.

Pull each biscuit apart so there are 2

(1 pkg of 6 biscuits will make 12)

Press a biscuit in muffin cup and form up around sides (kind of like pie crust)

Brown sausage until done

Mix all other ingredients. Add sausage. Spoon about 1 TBS into each cup. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake for 10-13 minutes until crust is lightly brown on edge

Note: sausage may be substitued with bacon, chicken, turkey or crab.

Sorry, I didn't get any good pictures of either of these recipes last month...which I hope to remedy in the future.

We had our FEBRUARY meeting last night and had all sorts of WONDERFUL CHOCOLATE recipes. I think I will post them ALL, along with the WINNING recipe...they were so GOOD! You will have to wait until NEXT month to find out who our "QUEEN" will be, because the WINNER is a secret...sssshhhhhhh!

Next month's theme is 'LUCK O' THE IRISH"

The Birth of the "Queens"

I have never fancied myself a great cook, for that matter not even a mediocre cook. I truly never liked the whole "what to have for dinner" it totally stressed me out. I remember in Home EC in Jr High learning how to make things like "creamed peas on toast"...really who eats that stuff? As my kids were growing up, my culinary skills consisted of macaroni and cheese...(on special occasions, they would get it with cut up hot dogs), soup and bones, and grilled cheese sandwiches with jam; Ala my Grandma H. But as I've gotten older, I have discovered a love of cooking. I still do not like the whole "what to have for dinner" thing, but I really love trying out new things and looking for great recipes. Maybe it's because the kids are grown and I have more time on my hands, or maybe it's because I have a really appreciative husband who loves everything I cook for him and tells me what a great cook I am...who would've thought?

Anyway...I have been wanting to start a cooking club for awhile, mainly to just get together with some great friends, share recipes and learn from each other...and have a whole lot of fun while we're at it!

Thus - the birth of "The Cuisine Queens" Cooking Club

Our club had it's big debut on January 20, 2011 with potentially 12 members. Only 8 showed up for the first meeting and of those missing, 3 have since dropped out. Sometimes life gets in the way of having fun.

The first meeting was a big hit and we had a great time.

I will be using this forum to post the winning recipes, tips and tricks we learn along the way, and pictures (of course).