Spicy Mexican Chicken Soup

In a large pot over low heat, melt:

• 2 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil

Add:

• 1 onion, small dice
• celery, small dice (to equal the amount of onion)
• pinch kosher salt and ground pepper

Stir well and sauté 10 minutes.

Add:

• 2 cloves minced garlic

Stir well and sauté 1 minute.

Add:

• 1 Tablespoon yellow corn meal

Stir until dissolved and mixture is thickened.

Add:

• 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes (pureed with a stick blender)
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 boxes chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1 Tablespoon parsley (fresh cilantro at the end of cooking would be better)
• 2 peppers in adobo sauce

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 25 minutes.

Remove the peppers.

Add:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 bag frozen diced chicken*

Bring back to boil.  Serve with

• Sour cream
• Avocado
• Tortilla strips
• Lime wedges
• Fresh, chopped cilantro

*Shredded rotisserie chicken would be good, or cook 4 raw chicken breasts on the bone during the simmer time (adjust simmer time to make sure chicken is falling off bone and ready to shred).

Ris à l'amande

2 cups rice
1 pint whipping cream
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar

1 whole almond
cherry pie filling, warmed

Cook rice.  Add milk while rice is hot.  Add sugar and almond flavoring.  Let cool.

Whip cream and fold into cooled rice mixture, hiding the whole almond inside.  Chill.  Serve topped with pie filling.

Biscuits (Foods 1)

Easy Light Refreshments for 100 under $100

This was served following a Young Women in Excellence Program in 2014.

From Costco:
1 - $11.00  2 lb sliced Kirkland Black Forest Ham
1 - $12.00 2 lb sliced Kirkland Honey Roasted Turkey
1 - $12.00 2 lb Cello Cheese Variety (cheddar, swiss, havarti and smoked gouda)
1 - $05.00 2 lb grape tomatoes (used to decorate meat and cheese trays, only need 1/2 lb)
1 - $11.00 Van Dierman Cream Puffs, 110 mini puffs
1 - $07.00  two 6-pack Chocolate Muffins
1 - $07.00  two 6-pack Poppy Seed Muffins
3 - $10.00 cut Fruit Tray (cantelope/honeydew/pineapple/strawberry/grape)
Total $95.00 pre-tax

Other Grocery:
1 - $2.00 7 lb cubed ice (for 3 gallon water container)
1 - $1.00 1 bunch curly parsley (to decorate cheese tray)
1 - $1.00 leaf lettuce (to decorate meat tray)
Total $4.00 pre-tax

Meats cut into smaller pieces and arranged in rows on 11x16 tray on a bed of lettuce with grape tomatoes scattered on top.

Cheese came pre-sliced (1.5x2) on it's own 9x11 tray, decorate with parsley and grape tomatoes.  All the chedder was eaten, but hardly any of the white cheeses.  Next time get try to get 1 lb cheddar and 1 lb other.

Cream puffs served in 10" ceramic bowl.

Muffins were cut into about 1/2 inch slices (about 4 or 5 per muffin) and then cut in half again (but not the end slices if they seemed small enough already) and served on 3 11x16 trays (8 muffins per tray--2 trays may be enough--originally bought Chocolate, Poppy Seed, and Blueberry, but no one ate the Blueberry muffins.)

Fruit was cut into smaller pieces (even the grapes were halved because they were large) and served in a ceramic 5-sectioned server (smaller circular bowl in the middle with four larger sections around it).

Needed for service:
4 11x16 trays (1 meat, 3 muffin--may only need two muffin trays)
1 9x11 tray (for cheese if not included in package)
1 ceramic bowl (for cream puffs)
1 sectioned server (for fruit)
100 dessert plates
100 napkins
200 toothpicks (tiny plastic forks would have been better)
100 cups (I prefer the clear, squat 9 oz cups from Smith's--less spillage)
3 gallon beverage container (just serve water)
minimum 5 small tongs, 10 would be better
1 large round table (for water and cups/plates/napkins) and cloth
1 large rectangular table (for food) and cloth

Needed for prep (3 people/1 hour):
chef knife (for meat and fruit)
serrated knife (for muffins and fruit)
cutting boards
plastic wrap

Needed for clean-up (service trays expected to be cleaned at home):
gallon bags to send extra food home
409
paper towls
hand towels

Additions:
Bowls of yellow and dijon mustard with spoons to be served with the meat?

Apple Smiles

Cheese Ball and Crackers

Impossible Breakfast Pie

If you don't have Bisquick, try this:

Put the following in a food processor:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pulse to mix.

Add 4 Tablespoons of cold butter (cubed) and process until the butter is completely incorporated.

Measure out your 1/2 cup and put the rest in a container in the fridge to use later.