March 15: "Kiss Me, I'm Irish!"

The theme night for March 15 is "Kiss Me, I'm Irish!" No, we won't be kissin', but you will get pinched if you don't come wearing some green! ;) And no, a bowl of Lucky Charms doesn't count for this evening! I haven't dived into Irish cooking much myself yet and look forward to this new challenge. To help you all out, here are some links to some Irish recipes...

What are you bringing on March 15?

Rachael Ray: Irish Recipes

Ireland's Eye - Recipes

All Recipes - St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Food.com - Irish Recipes

March 1: Stuff it!

STUFF IT! I'm not being rude. :) March 1st is the day to "stuff it"... peppers, chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, cabbage rolls, artichokes, bread, squash, tomatoes... anything you can think to STUFF with something tasty! There are so many great recipes out there for this sort of thing. You can invent a recipe of your own, find something online, prepare a family favorite, whatever you like... as long as it is something stuffed. :)

Who wants to do a dessert?! :D

February 15: Five Ingredients or Less!

Sorry this blog post is late! Thank you for attending our Five Ingredient theme night! It was so wonderful to see some new faces. :) Please take a moment to post your recipe here so attendees can come looking for their favorites of the evening.

I made Buffalo Chicken Dip. Just take 2 large cans of chicken, shred the meat. Soften 1 block of cream cheese. Mix cheese and meat with buffalo sauce (to taste). Bake at 450 degrees until bubbly. I served it with wheat thins tonight but chips work great too!

What did you make? What was your favorite of the night? I think mine was Kim's corn!!

Sliiiiiiiders.

On Tuesday, February 1, we're going to enjoy teeny tiny sliders. Don't know what a slider is? Think Krystal (only not as disgusting).

You can make your signature sandwich, discover a new recipe or share a family favorite. The only catch is it has to be served on a roll or mini hamburger bun! For slider ideas, check out the links below, but keep in mind, you can turn literally any burger or sandwich recipe into a slider! Have fun!

Rachael Ray

All Recipes

Epicurious

What are you bringing??

January 18: Cooking Light (dot) com!

Alright ladies, I hope you're ready for Round 2 of CookingLight.com. Post a link to your recipe as a comment! I've heard complaints about the ease of navigation on this site, so don't be discouraged if it takes you a bit to find what you're looking for. This website is packed full of healthy recipes that are very tasty and filling. Below is a link to take you directly to the recipe finder, but I urge you to surf the site for themes and ideas.

Cooking Light: Recipe Finder

What are you bringing January 18? I'm making Feta-Basil Sandwiches!!

The 2011 Schedule is Posted! Plus, January is CookingLight.com month!

I've posted the FULL schedule and themes for FOTS 2011 in the right panel of this blog. As you can see, we have some pretty exciting and new things in the works! Please take a look and brainstorm ideas on how to further yourself in the kitchen. What we don't need to do is look at this list and think, "that night is going to be too hard, I'll skip it." Remember that this ministry is for you to learn and grow. Think outside the box! Many of these nights are going to be a challenge for me, too, but we're in this together!

January is a month when people typically have a "New Years Resolution" to lose weight or get more fit and healthy. In January, we're going to focus on the site CookingLight.com. Someone I work with turned me onto this website and it's loaded with some pretty excellent recipes--many of which are incredibly filling and don't seem like they contain as few calories as they do! I challenge you to use this website more than just the two FOTS nights planned... try to incorporate it more into your cooking routine. Many of the recipes are designed to be cooked in 30 minutes or less. Who can beat that?!

What are you going to 'cook light' for January 4? Post here. :)

December 7: Christmas Cookie Swap and Dirty Santa!

This blog post has been changed as of 12/5! Please read below...

Epiphany ladies,

Tuesday, December 7 will be our last FOTS gathering for 2010. Be sure to have dinner before you come! We're going to meet at 7:30, have a cookie sampler/swap and play Dirty Santa! I'll have coffee, hot chocolate and apple cider to enjoy. This is what you need to do:

1. Pick a cookie recipe -- must be home made. Make two dozen cookies and bring them to FOTS to share with the group. Be prepared to bring home a sampler of cookies at the end of the evening!

2. Spend no more than $10 on a Dirty Santa gift and bring it wrapped. Buy something you like for yourself since you may be able to "steal" it back! ;)

3. Post your recipe on here! Don't forget!!!

I hope you can all make it!

I'm making some butterball cookies my Grandma Millie used to make. :)

1 c. butter
1 c. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Roll into walnut-sized balls, bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Yields 25 mini cookies.

November 23: Appetizers!

On November 23, we're repeating a night that has been a big hit in the past. With all the holiday parties coming up, I figure we could all use a little inspiration.

I'm going to make something I found on Epicurious.com that looks very intriguing... I'm not sure what to expect of it, but I'm going to try anyway! I'm making
Mango Pomegranate Guacamole.
I found it by accident while searching for Thanksgiving recipes... hopefully it'll be a hit! FOTS, you're going to be my test subjects. This recipe may show up at a Christmas party...

What are you making??

November 9: Soup's Up!

It's soup season!

On Tuesday, November 9, bring a NEW soup, chowder, stew or chili recipe that you've never made before. This might be a great opportunity to utilize your crock pot. I've seen several soup recipes across the internet that are crock pot friendly.

If you're trolling for recipes, here are a few places to start:

AllRecipes.com:Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes

Southern Food: Crockpot Soup Recipes

Food Network: Soup Recipes

Country Living: Best Soup Recipes

There's a start! I don't even know what I'm going to make yet... I'll post my recipe when I decide. Please remember to post yours so we can go back and make the recipes we like! :) Thanks!

October 26 ~ Autumn Fruits & Vegetables!

October 26 is an ingredient challenge! Everyone needs to pick a fruit or vegetable that is harvested in the fall and find a recipe to make. Good examples include pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, corn, pears, and so much more! If you need help, check out this link:

http://www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/autumn-fruit-and-vegetables.html

I am going to make Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash. I love butternut squash!! My recipe is from Epicurious.com...

Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 sage leaves

2/3 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
2. Toss squash with cream, sage, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, 30 minutes.
3. Stir in half of cheese and sprinkle remainder on top. Roast, uncovered, until squash is tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving (cream will thicken).

What are you making? Let's try to not repeat a fruit or veggie... so first come, first serve! I claimed butternut squash... what about you?

October 5: Crock Pot Challenge!

Tuesday, October 5 is going to be a crock pot challenge! Find a recipe, ANY recipe that will go well in a crock pot... something you can throw together in the morning and cook all day while you're at work... share the recipe here. :) It's that easy!

TIP!
If you have something that requires a lot of chopping and don't think you'll have time in the morning, do all the prep work the night before and put everything in the fridge. In the morning, just dump it all into the pot!

September 21, 2010: Moroccan!

Tuesday, September 21 is going to be Moroccan night! What is even more awesome about this upcoming night is that the October issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray has several Moroccan-inspired recipes. Perfect timing!
It's actually one of my FAVORITE issues of the magazine because it's loaded with fall recipes that will be very beneficial for some of the other upcoming Fruit of the Spirit nights. So grab it off your local newsstand today!

Here are some sites to help you with Moroccan night:

Rachael Ray's Moroccan-Inspired Recipes
Moroccan Recipes

Enjoy the challenge! I better see you all September 21! ;)

September 7, 2010: Sauces

Tuesday, September 7, is sauce night. Remember to use How to Pair Pasta with Sauce as a guide and bring a homemade sauce or gravy, as well as a cooperative pasta, rice, or something else that you can cover the sauce in. I never knew that certain sauces only pair well with certain pastas... using that article will help you in all of your cooking endeavors where pasta is the star of the show!

I will provide plates with separators so your sauces don't touch. ;)

My recipe is as follows:

Tzatziki Sauce

8 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3 cloves pressed garlic

In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic.

Blend thoroughly and serve.

What are you bringing?