Last Supper Club of 2009

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Jen

Ah, I can’t believe 2009 is coming to a close. Another year of Supper Club. I love having this weekly dinner because it allows us to see each other once a week, catch up on each other’s lives and try out new recipes. Here’s to more fun and food for 2010.

Appetizer: Cheese Dip and Beer Bread. These are two Tastefully Simple mixes that Kate put together. Tasty and simple.

Entree: Slow Cooked Puerto Rican Pork. Who doesn’t love a slow cooker recipe? Easy with very minimal work. If you want a simple tender pork recipe, here it is. I was expecting more of an exotic flavor to it but it was just straightforward, maybe even a little too salty.

Side Dishes: Steamed Broccoli and Three Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole. The casserole has been made at a previous Supper Club which means that it was a good dish and nobody can go wrong with steamed broccoli.

Dessert: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Hell freakin’ yeah! It’s a bit of work but it’s totally worth it, especially if someone else makes them for you.

Throw Me The Treats! I’ll Throw You The Presents!

Posted on December 25, 2009 by Bob

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from our little part of the web to yours!

-Bob, Jen, & Kuma

Supper Club: December 23, 2009

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Jen

Twas two nights before Christmas and all through the house, there was the heaven-scent smell of cooking, and it wasn’t even a grouse.

Appetizer: Grilled Apple and Cheese Sandwiches. Basically, it’s grilled cheese sandwiches with apples squished in between. Loved it! You also know that I’m a fan of grilled cheese sandwiches anyways and Supper Club does not turn down cheese so it was a hit. You can even have it as your entree if you so wish.

Entree: Peppercorn-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Soy Caramel Sauce. Guys, this is another super-easy pork tenderloin recipe that I’m sure will impress your guests. The bite of the peppercorn crust is tempered by the sweet soy-caramel sauce. The pork was tender and moist and gone in seconds.

Side Dish: Roasted Turnips, Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Dried Cranberries. Okay, this is like a candy explosion in your mouth and had the colors to go along with it as well. Vegetables, sweet? Weird, good, but weird. The only problem we had with this dish is that it took almost 2 hours to bake, that seemed a little too long considering that the entree took only 30 minutes. So, we weren’t able to serve them both at the same time.

Dessert: Candy Cane Truffles. Another delicious truffle founded by Kim. I would say that this is the year of truffles. Very Christmasy. Unfortunately, she had a fight with the melted chocolate and the melted chocolate won. So we ended up with more like candy cane spoon fudge. It still tasted great, but not so pretty. Haven’t we learned that looks don’t matter, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Another Year, Another Gingerbread House Party

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Jen

Well, hello boys and girls, you just couldn’t resist the deliciousness of Sweetville, USA? Well, come on in, we have gobs more to show you!

As you trek outside of town, skipping down Gingerbread Lane, you come up Gummy Bear Lake. Yes, the lake is named after the founders and it is the destination for the residents of Sweetville. In the summer, you can usually find the lake teeming with Life-Saver rafts and Kit-Kat skiing. In the winter, candy-cane hockey and cinnamon stick skating are the prime entertainment choices.

Strolling a bit further, you come upon Lemon Drop Farm, home to the only chocolate milk cow in the tri-state area. Meet Milk Dud. Raised from just a little calf, she is the sweetest animal around. She loves to frolic with the children when they come by to visit. Her favorite things to eat? Candy, of course. That’s the secret to the best-tasting milk in town, coconut haystacks and root-beer floats. Only the best for Milk Dud.

Oh, look. There’s the Zen Cen, a serene escape from hustle and bustle of town. Here you can relax and meditate upon marshmallow pillows, discuss the meaning of this candied life on Fig-Newton couches, or even stroll through the Gum-Drop gardens. Everyone needs time to de-coat and this is the place to go.

Let’s go visit some of the country folk. Meet Jen, the postmaster of Sweetville. Whenever she’s not at the post office, wrangling the ninja mailmen, you can usually find her at home, with her feet up by her peppermint fire, either reading Candy: The Sweet History or watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Other times, you may find Jen hanging out with her neighbor, Amanda, the owner of Amanda’s Sweetville Tavern. Together, they hear all, see all, know all. I mean, really, the things you find out from residents when they are blitzed on the Flaming Reindeer. Jen and Amanda also are the town party planners, they do throw the best parties. Everyone remembers the Sprinkle Bash 2009, people were picking sprinkles out of their hair for months. It was sprink-taculous! Oh, and don’t mind the bleeding snowman in the front yard, the ninja mailman felt a bit threatened.

A little further down the beaten candy rock path, you stumble upon Monika’s home away from home. As you know, she already has a residence in town but sometimes, she needs to get away from the hustle and bustle her sacchariferous life and the countryside is where she comes to tranquilize.