Cocktail munchies: Cindy
Appetizer: Wizard
1st Course: Dances
Soup: Danain'Salad: Katiec
Entree: GardenLad
Side 1: Shelley
Side 2: Annie
Dessert: Woody

Pistachio Crusted Mahi Mahi w/Pineapple Citrus Salsa

1 lb Mahi Mahi, cut in 4 x 4 inch pieces
flour
2 eggs mixed with ¼ cup hot sauce
1 cup ground pistachios
Pinch dried thyme
Salt & pepper
1 tbls butter
1 tbls olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Dust Mahi Mahi with flour, shaking off any excess. Dip pieces in egg mixture, then into nut mixture, coating completely.

Melt butter in a skillet large enough to hold fish in one layer. Add olive oil and heat almost to smoking. Add fish and sauté until browned. Turn fish. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until fish is cooked through, about ten minutes.

Pineapple Citrus Salsa

1 ½ cups diced fresh pineapple
1 ½ cups coarsely cut orange segments (about 2 oranges)*
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 sm sweet onion, diced fine
1 tbls fresh chile, minced
3 tbls white balsamic vinegar
2 tbls honey
1 tbls crystallized ginger, minced
juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper
¼ cup cilantro, minced
½ cup toasted pecans, chopped

In a medium bowl combine pineapple, orange segments, mint, garlic, onion, chile, vinegar, honey, crystallized ginger, lime juice, salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly and refrigerate several hours. Just before serving add cilantro and pecans.

* When available I especially like using blood oranges for this salsa.

To serve, spoon some of the salsa onto a serving plate. Put a piece of the fish in the center of the salsa. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and a twist of lime if desired.

Khao Phad Pu (Thai Crab Fried Rice)

2 1/2 cups cooked rice (I use brown)
4 oz crab meat (frozen, pre-cooked)
8 crab claws (frozen, pre-cooked)
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 eggs
3 tbsp soya sauce (one that is not too salty)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp green peas (frozen) I usually sub frozen soy beans
1 stem green onion, thinly chopped

Cilantro, red pepper strips and lime wedges for garnish

Squeeze excess water from the thawed crab meat. Reserve. Wash crab claws and reserve separately.
Heat oil in a wok (or large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add crab claws and stir fry for 1 min. Add crab meat and stir fry for 30 seconds, breaking up meat slightly. Decrease the heat to med-high and break eggs directly into the wok. Fry the eggs without breaking them up for 2 min, until they are partially set.
Push the eggs and crab to one side of the wok and add the rice to the other side. Add soya sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce onto the rice, and then using a shovelling motion, combine the two sides of the wok, tossing and stirring for two minutes, mixing well. Sprinkle black pepper on the rice and add grean peas and green onions. Toss and stir for another minute. Transfer to a serving dish and top with red pepper strips and fresh cilantro. Garnish sides with lime wedges.

I have made this often, with and without the crab and it is great either way. I prefer it with the brown rice as opposed to the white but again, just a matter of preferance. This also reheats quite nicely. Serves 4.

Just a note to the other players: There's no real need to post early. I just wanted to get it out of the way, cuz I'll be busy. But you certainly can wait until next week to post at the regular time.

Off to think about a good appetizer...

Nancy

The fact is, most of that stuff is flash-frozen right on the boats, nowadays, and is the next best thing to fresh.

We have this corn salad a lot. If I'm really ambitious I'll roast the corn a bit.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Corn and Black Bean Salad with Lime and Cumin

Recipe By :Katie
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups corn -- fresh, frozen or canned
1 can black beans, rinsed -- or two cups cooked
1 small tomato -- seeded and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 jalapeno or green bell pepper -- diced
avocado -- diced (if I have it)
juice of one lime
cumin (or cilantro) -- to taste
a drizzle of olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill for several hours.

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CUBAN COCONUT POUND CAKE
Posted by Marlen (My Page) on Sun, Apr 13, 03 at 21:27
Really quite good. If you want to be decadent (and I do!), drizzle some chocolate sauce over it before serving. Ice cream will do fine as well.

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour, sifted
1 cup milk
7 oz. shredded coconut
1 cup almonds, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Prepare a 10" non-stick tube pan. Line bottom with buttered parchment or wax paper (buttered side up), cut to fit.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter until it is soft and smooth. Add vanilla and almond extracts, salt and sugar and beat to mix. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.

On low speed alternately add flour in three additions, scraping bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until incorporated. Remove from mixer and fold in nuts and coconut.

Turn into prepared pan and smooth the top

Bake for 1-1/2 hours until top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand on a rack for 15 min. Then cover with a rack, turn the rack and cake pan over, remove the pan cover with another rack and invert again, leaving the cake right side up. Let stand until cool.
When cake is cool, carefully peel off paper lining.
Wrap cool cake in plastic wrap. If possible, refrigerate overnight before serving. Or place in freezer for about 45 min. It must be cold when sliced or it will crumble.

Spray both sides of one corn tortilla per person. Toast in a toaster oven or broil until they are blistered and crispy.

Sprinkle on some shredded cheese (I would use some montery jack and cheddar mixed), sliced olives, and the sliced white parts of green onion. Put back in the toaster or broiler until the cheese is melted.

Serve garnished with the sliced green parts of the onions and some shredded lettuce. You can pass your favourite salsa at the table and some sour cream.

You can keep these warm on a cookie sheet in a warm oven until needed (although they are best ready made) but in that case I would fold them quesadilla style rather than serving them flat.

Cold Summer Soup

2 hot house cucumbers; peel, seed, dice
2 green onions; sliced
1/2 honeydew melon; peel, seed, dice
1 Pablano chili; roast, peel, seed, dice (optional)
1 rib celery; chopped fine
2 tablespoons pear or rice wine vinegar
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh mint, chopped
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup lime yogurt
1 lime
Fresh parsley garnish

Combine cucumbers, onions, melon, chili, celery, vinegar, mint, cilantro, olive oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl (the cucumbers will give off a lot of juice). Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill. To serve, spoon the soup into bowls and spoon some yogurt on top, drizzle with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve also with green grapes.

*The Pablano chili pepper is optional in this…It’s very good without it too.
Recipe inspired by recipe from Tyler Florence.

Marilyn

Very easy appetizer...I think the flavor would work well with the entree...

RUMAKI

1 can pineapple chunks
1 can whole, small water chestnuts
bacon slices, sliced horizontally into thirds
bottle of teriyaki sauce

Place a water chestnut and pineapple chunk together and wrap a bacon slice around them, securing it with a wooden toothpick. Repeat with the others until done then place in a shallow baking dish, pour teriyaki sauce over all and marinate for at least 2 hours, longer if desired. Place them onto a cookie sheet with a bit of the sauce over them and broil them a few minutes on each side, until the bacon is crispy. Serve hot.

Nancy

So here's a cocktail munchie that I like and think will lead nicely into the rest of the meal ...

Smoked Salmon Rolls
Source: Fannie Farmer Cookbook

3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T lemon juice
1 T capers, drained (I chop slightly)
2 tsp minced onion (I use red onion)
1 tsp minced parsley
2 T mayonnaise
8 slices smoked salmon

Beat the cream cheese, lemon juice, capers, onion, parsley and mayonnaise until smooth and well blended. Spread some of the mixture on each slice of smoked salmon. Roll up, cover and refrigerate. Cut into bite size pieces before serving.
Cindy's note - I sometimes wrap the salmon/cream cheese around an asparagus spear that has been cooked to crisp-tender and cooled.

SPINACH AND RED PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups packed fresh spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large nonstick skillet, saute red pepper in oil for 1 minute. Add onion and garlic; saute until tender, about 1-1/2 minutes longer. Stir in the spinach, salt, pepper and sugar; saute for 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and tender. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1/2 cup) equals 65 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 342 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

I never add the sugar, for some reason, I think it doesn't need it.

Annie