Mess Hall Done Right!

Hello again!  We returned this past weekend to Mrs. Phillips's house.  As always, Molly was there to greet us and vigilantly supervise our cooking (watching for crumbs to fall).  Mrs. Phillips's daughter Jenny, who happened to be visiting for Easter, also dropped in and gave us a couple pointers for making frosting without cream cheese.  Colonel Phillips was also kind enough to lend us his finely tuned culinary tastes, and sampled our creations.

The theme this meeting was the Mess Hall Done Right.  Using Rachael Ray's quick and simple recipe, Victor made Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon, which turned out beautifully moist and tender.  Seth made a steaming pot of Macaroni and Cheddar Cheese with Broccoli, a delicious dish that far outshone the mess hall version.  I tried my hand at making "Connie's Zucchini 'Crab' Cakes," which I am proud to say won Colonel Phillips's choice of "Best in Show."  Finally, we all pitched in to make dessert: Buttery Walnut Delight Bars, a tasty treat.  Pictures are below!

Molly!  Part lovable puppy, part vacuum cleaner

Victor caramelizes some onions for his chicken recipe

Frying the zucchini cakes, one at a time

The recipe for the delight bars called for a POUND of brown sugar!

One of our best meals yet!  Every dish was great

Melt-in-your-mouth chicken, with buttery garlicky goodness

Cheese and broccoli: a perfect combination

Crabless crab cakes?  No problem

Mrs. Phillips was kind enough to share her Cabernet

Nutty and sweet!

The next meeting will be on Saturday, the 21st of April, at the Naessen's, a new house!  Again, email CDT Yao if you're interested.

-Jeff

Cajun night

We're back!  It's been a while since the last post here, so we've got a lot to catch up on.  On February 11th, the cooking club went to Mrs. Phillips's house to cook up dinner for cajun night.  Club regulars Seth, Lexi, and Victor were there, as well newcomers Emily, Alex, and visiting Megan from Canada.  On the menu were Spicy Shrimp and Cucumber Salad, Caramel and Walnut Glaze with Sweet Rolls, Red Beans and Rice, and a Cajun Etouffee.



Here are some pictures of the cooking action:

Culinary experts: Victor, Megan, Seth, Lexi, Alex, and Emily

Hardly working

Seth is concerned about his shrimp

Crayfish.  Or crawfish.  Or crawdads.

Simmering the caramel-walnut glaze

Seth is enjoying chopping up a cucumber

Victor and Alex, slicing and dicing

Crawfish are cute! And tasty

Salad, with a Lou'siana twist

That's one spicy etouffee!

A red bean and rice jambalaya

The sweet rolls dipped in the glaze was heavenly

A new favorite!

And then, on March 3rd, the club convened again at the Kastners'.  This time, Ali, Seth, Jeff, Lexi, and Ali's friend Kat came by.  With the help of COL Kastner's excellent bruschetta-slicing skills, the group made a delicious dinner.  Seth whipped up a mushroom dip and a sardine dip for the bruschetta, Ali made Sesame Snap Peas with Carrots, Lexi made Spicy Orange Ginger Soba Noodles with Shrimp, and Kat made some delectably creamy brownies.  Due to technical difficulties, only one picture was snapped of the action:

The group and a couple of our dishes.  COL Kastner wanted in, too.

This Friday, the 6th of April, we'll be meeting again at Mrs. Phillips's house again for another fine meal!  The tentative theme is "Mess Hall done better," with Garlic Roast Chicken, Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Broccoli, Zucchini and Razor Clam Fritters, and Butter Walnut Delight Bars.  Email Jeff at jeff.yao@usma.edu if interested!

Breakfast for Dinner

New house!  The cooking club was lucky this week to have the opportunity to work in COL and Mrs. Meese's house.  Their house was well-stocked with an arsenal of ingredients and spices, so lucky for us, we had very little to buy this time!  The group, which consisted of veterans Seth Merrigan, Jeff Yao, and Lexi Salmon, as well as newcomer Victor Porsenna, decided to cook breakfast for dinner this time, and it was an astounding success.  The meal began with extra-fluffy buttermilk pancakes drizzled with warmed maple syrup and slathered with a generous pat of butter.  Next came a deliciously crumbly quiche with sausage, thick-sliced bacon, bell peppers, and red onions.  On the side were a fresh fruit salad of kiwi, watermelon, strawberry, and mango (of which I am devouring the remains as I type), as well as maple-glazed bacon and mini-turkey sausage links.  Cadets will notice that no powdered eggs were on the menu!  Finally, dessert featured a delightful crêpe bar with bananas, kiwis, caramel syrup, melted chocolate chips, and whipped cream.  All in all, a delicious meal!

Liberty gave Molly a run for her money for doggie mascot!

First, we study up on the recipes...

Then, we get to work!

Seth fries up some mini turkey sausage links

While Lexi chops up some peppers for the quiche

Pancake-making went more smoothly with practice

Colonel and Mrs. Meese joined us for dinner; there was plenty to go around!

Golden, fluffy, and buttery

A delicious and juicy quiche

Fresh fruit salad

The maple-glaze on the bacon was a trick Mrs. Meese picked up from some Canadians

Scrumptious dinner and stimulating conversation

For dessert, we are having crepes

Crepe-making is fun!

Crepe-flipping action!

The crepe bar

A nana-turtle crepe

The kiwis add a touch of tartness

Next time, seafood at the Kastners'!

This Friday night, we had our first ethnic night!  We made special fried rice and peanut butter chicken with noodles.  Granted, our dessert, warm berries drizzled over Tahitian vanilla bean gelato, and our appetizer of grilled vegetables don't fit the theme, but it all meshed together rather well.

Another exciting development: Mrs. Phillips pointed out exactly how far the cooking club has come since its inception.  This club is just as much about learning as it is about having fun and eating good food, so it's good to see that cadets are really learning a lot.

Molly, our faithful labrador mascot.

The group this time: Alexis, Jeff, and Seth

Seth prepares the peanut butter sauce for his chicken

Alexis brushes the vegetables to prepare them for the grill

Tastes good!

Scrambling some eggs in a wok for the fried rice

Mrs. Phillips watches over the entire operation

Delicious gelato

Dinner for three

Peanut butter chicken was amazing

Tasty grilled vegetables, served straight from the ceramic grill

We got tips for the fried rice from Jeff's mother