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!