Friday's Recipe Potluck-12/14/07

A few recipes to make a festive Friday night...dinner? BAhhh...who needs it? There are enough calories & fat included in these to make up for missing dinner. Plus, I guarantee you won't be able to stop eating the glop long enough to eat anything else. Oh, and I just realized that ALL of the food groups are (loosely) represented in the recipes below.

To start

Coconut Rum Mojito

I've loved the Mojito ever since my honeymoon to the place the world forgot, also known as Los Roques. Yummy. Didn't think it could get much better until I discovered it with Coconut Rum. Oh, Lord, who's going to have to drive home, cause it sure won't be me!?

3 cups fresh mint leaves
3/4 cup sugar (to taste)
8 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
24 ounces Coconut Rum (Malibu or similar)

Garnish
4 imes, cut into thin slices
Club soda

In a pitcher, add the mint, sugar, and lime juice and muddle with a wooden spoon to crush the mint leaves.

Stir in the rum, making sure the sugar has dissolved, then add 4 cups of ice.

Top each tall glass with club soda and garnish with lime slices and make sure some mint goes into each cocktail.

Next:

Glop

My friends and I LIVED on Glop in High School. So Good. Even my co-workers at my old snooty hotel job loved this stuff. And it was our JOB to sell people on expensive, hoity-toity food.


1 Block Cream Cheese
1 Can No Beans Chili (I don't know why No beans, I'm sure that would be good too)
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Spread Cream Cheese on bottom of pie round, or similar sized baking dish.
Spread Chili on top of Cream Cheese
Top with Cheddar Cheese & Microwave or Bake until heated through (the hotter the better).

Serve with Tortilla chips & more Mojitos.

Finally:

Paula Deen's White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies

I made these for my MOMS Club Cookie Exchange. They were yummy, and I learned a few tricks of the trade along the way to make them fool proof. See *** items below for my tricks. If you're not opposed to fruit in dessert (that was DJ's complaint), these are sure to please!

1 stick butter, softened*
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup candied cherries**
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.

Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add milk to the butter mixture and then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Batter should be stiff.
In another bowl, combine nuts, cherries, and white chocolate. Then add to batter, stirring only to blend. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack.


*The colder the butter, the better the final product. So, leave the butter out so it's not rock hard, but don't put it in the microwave. Your cookies will flatten out if the butter is too warm. I'd even recommend putting the dough in the fridge in between baking & ALWAYS use COLD cookie sheets.

**The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup candied cherries. I personally don't feel that's enough, so I do 1 cup & cut them in half. That way, you're pretty much guaranteed a cherry in every bite, plus they're that much prettier.



Enjoy!



BTW, I totally stole the idea for the "potluck" from her. Who needs to have original thoughts when you're surrounded by creative people?!