Book Club Luncheon

Last week was Book Club at my house complete with lunch. The ladies were very appreciative of the meal prepared for them, so I thought you would enjoy the recipes. The rolls are always a bit hit and embarrassingly easy!You know that I hate to even attempt pie crust, but this recipe was a breeze and tastes good, too! Give these recipes a try, maybe not all on the same day as I did (I'm always a glutton for punishment!) but at your leisure.

 Here's the menu:
 

Southern Honey Chicken Salad ( Good deli chicken salad works, too! )

Fresh Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

Tomato Pie (make it with frozen piecrust or use the recipe following)

Surprise Muffins

Cream Cheese Poundcake with Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream and fresh peach slices

And HERE are the recipes! Enjoy! 

Southern Honey Chicken Salad

4 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups diced celery

1 cup dried cherries or cranberries

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1  1/2 cups Duke's Light mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2Tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine chicken, celery, cherries and pecans in a large bowl. Whisk mayonnaise, honey, lemon juice and mustard in a small bowl. Combine the mixtures. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill. 

* I learned from Ina Garten to bake chicken breasts with skin and bone. Sprinkle  liberally with garlic salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 in an uncovered pan for 20 minutes. Cool and remove met from bone. Discard bones and skin! 

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

1 pound fresh green beans, snapped

2 medium Vidalia onions

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Place green beans and 2 Tablespoons water in microwave proof bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, drain off water and cover beans with ice. Set aside.

Cut onions into thin slices, then in half. Cook onion in nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and add butter, brown sugar and vinegar. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes. 

* I cooked the beans and onions and refrigerated them separately a few days ahead. The day of the luncheon I heated them together but served them at room temperature. They  are also good served cold. 

Ina Garten's Perfect Piecrust

1 1/2 sticks very cold butter ( I put mine in the freezer overnight)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/3 cup very cold Crisco ( also from the freezer!)

1/2 cup ice water

Cut the butter in 1/2-inch dice and return it to the freezer while you prepare the flour mixture.  Place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of ( Cuisinart, Darlene! ) food processor fitted with metal blade and pulse a few times to combine dry ingredients. Add butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 10 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.

Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. ( Flatten the ball to form a thick disc.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. ( I made this a day ahead, removed it from refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out.)

Cut dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a shape at least 1-inch larger than the pie pan, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough so that it doesn't stick to the board. ( You should see bits of butter in the dough.) Fold the dough in half, ease it into the pie pan without stretching at all, and unfold to fit the pan. ( This is the critical part! If you stretch it, it will shrink!) With a sharp knife, cut the dough 1-inch larger around than the pan. Fold the edge under and crimp the edge .  Yield:2 pie crusts

* At this point, I put the pie crust in the freezer for about 15 minutes. I pricked it all over with a fork and baked it at 375 for 12-15 minutes . 

Tomato Pie

1 baked (10-inch) deep-dish piecrust ( I used tart pans)

3 ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced ( I used red and yellow tomatoes)

Salt and pepper to taste ( I used Basil Salt)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 cup Duke's Light mayonnaise

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese

Fill the cooled, baked piecrust with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil. Combine mayonnaise and cheese. Spread over tomatoes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Surprise Rolls ( Surprise! How easy they are! )

2 cups Bisquick

1 stick melted butter

1 cup sour cream

Combine ingredients. Do not overmix! Spoon into greased miniature muffin pans. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 -12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm. 

Here's where you'll find the dessert recipes:

Cream Cheese Poundcake January 9, 2013

Peach Buttermilk Ice Cream August 18, 2013