karrot sticks

Well ladies, it seems we are a little behind in the posts. If someone wants to add in, feel free to move mine around. Our evening at Cassaundra's house was really great. Cassaundra did a fabulous job creating a beautiful room! She is amazing!

Here are the dishes that I helped with:

 Fried Okra: Paula Deen from Food Network
6 cups oil, for frying
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh okra, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. (You may not need to use this much oil; do not fill the pan more than halfway up the sides with oil.) In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, House Seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Dip okra in buttermilk and then dredge in cornmeal-flour mixture to coat well. Carefully add okra to the hot oil and cook until golden brown. (It may be necessary to fry the okra in batches.) Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and then serve immediately.
 House Seasoning: 1 cup salt 1/4 cup black pepper 1/4 cup garlic powder Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

 Fried Pickles (Cassaundra's idea:) Recipe from Big Oven
Seasoned Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/3 C milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 c Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 tsp tabasco (I used chipotle)

 Seasoned Flour:
2 C flour
1/2 T Paprika (I used smoked)
1 T garlic salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 T pepper
 Oil for frying
Pickles - I used Klauson Ovals so they were a little bigger

 Heat oil to 375. Whip together all ingredients for seasoned egg wash, set aside. Mix together ingredients for flour mixture in a shallow dish. Dip pickle slices into flour mixture, then egg wash and then back into flour mixture. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. They are best when still hot.

 Herbed Roast Beef
5 lb eye of round roast (for the evening I couldn't get this so I used Tri tip)
Herb paste:
 cloves of garlic
2 T fresh basil, chopped
2 t fresh thyme, chopped
2 t fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 c chopped shallots
2 T rosemary, chopped
1 c chopped parsley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

 Chimichurri Sauce:
1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 C chopped cilantro
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 T fresh oregano, chopped salt
1/2 t red pepper
1/4 t pepper

 Heat oven to 450. Make paste by adding all herbs, garlic and parsley together in a small bowl. Add enough olive oil to make a paste. Add salt and pepper. Place roast in pan or baking dish; cover with paste. Cook in oven at 450 for 10 minutes, then drop heat to 250 and cook 22 minutes for each pound of meat. Let rest 15 minutes then slice thinly. While meat is cooking make chimichurri sauce. Whisk olive oil and red wine vinegar. Stir in onion, cilantro, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and pepper. Serve with meat. Makes a GREAT sandwich.

 Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese:
Beets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Rosemary or thyme sprigs
Goat cheese
Red wine vinaigrette

 Heat oven to 400. Cut greens off of beets and scrub them well. Place them on foil, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place herbs on top. Bring long sides up together and fold over a couple times. Then roll in the ends. It should make a tight little packet. Roast in oven for 45-60 minutes, based on size of beets. Open package and test beets for doneness. Pierce with fork, should slide in quite easily and be a little stiff in the center. Use fork to move beets to cutting board and hold still while you slice with a knife. It will dye your hands if you touch it too much, but it will wash off. Place on a platter, drizzle generously with vinaigrette and sprinkle with goat cheese while still hot.