Sunday Night Dinner with the Ransoms

Sunday night Mark and Merilee Ransom came over for dinner with there two cute little kids. Brick is 1 and Milly is 3 1/2 and they got along great with Karina and Conrad. We had a very yummy dinner and dessert. But suffice it to say it was the yummiest meal I have had in weeks. We had an appetizer of Caprese Min Sandwiches, dinner was Braised Chicken breasts, rice, salad, and dessert was an Ice Cream Sandwich Torte. After dinner we talk and taught Merilee how to play Carcassonne with Conrad while Michael played on the floor with the kids. Mark's work called and he had to talk for a while but Carcassonne was fun and she had beginners luck and won! It was a fun night. I can not believe it took so long to get together.



The Pampered Chef ®Caprese Mini Sandwiches Recipe

4 flat pita bread rounds (without pockets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2-3 balls fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (about 8 ounces)
2 large plum tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light balsamic salad dressing
4 cups mixed baby salad greens or spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place pita rounds on Large Round Stone; drizzle with oil, spreading evenly. Sprinkle evenly with seasoning mix. Coarsely grate Parmesan cheese over pita rounds using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from oven.
Meanwhile, slice mozzarella cheese using Egg Slicer Plus® and slice tomatoes using Utility Knife; set aside. For pesto, place basil and walnuts on Cutting Board; finely chop together using Food Chopper. Combine basil mixture, garlic pressed with Garlic Press and salt in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well.
Turn over pita rounds on baking stone; drizzle with dressing, spreading evenly to edges. Using Crinkle Cutter, cut each round into six wedges. Remove half of the pita wedges to Cutting Board. Top each wedge with a small amount of the greens. Place one slice of mozzarella cheese over greens; top with pesto and one slice of tomato. Top with remaining pita wedges, cheese side up, forming 12 mini sandwiches. Secure with sandwich picks, if desired. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 150, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 13 g, Protein 7 g, Sodium 160 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook's Tip: To toast walnuts, spread over bottom of Small Oval Baker. Microwave on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and lightly toasted, stirring after each 30-second interval. Allow walnuts to cool completely before finely chopping with the basil. This will help to maintain the bright color of this flavorful paste.



Braised Chicken Thighs

Prep: 20 minutes Total: 1 hour

Although this recipe calls for ten cloves of garlic, the finished dish will taste just right because crushed whole garlic isn't as strong as chopped or minced.To prepare bell peppers, trim the stem end. With stem end down, cut off sides, leaving ribs and seeds intact. This makes it easy to discard seeds and ribs and to thinly slice the pepper into strips.
Ingredients
Serves 4.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 bell peppers (yellow and red), seeds and ribs removed, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
10 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat side of a knife blade
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1/4 cup Spanish green olives, pitted and quartered
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions
In a Dutch oven (5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), warm oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Gently crush tomatoes with your hands; add them to the pot along with their juice, the olives, bay leaf, paprika, thyme, and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
Return chicken to pot; reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, until chicken is falling-apart tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve hot.




The Pampered Chef ®Ice Cream Sandwich Torte Recipe

1 cup coarsely chopped creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (about 10 cookies)
1/2 cup milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
12 frozen rectangle ice cream sandwiches (3.75 ounces each), unwrapped, divided
2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate morsels, grated or multi-colored sprinkles

Coarsely chop cookies using Food Chopper. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine milk and pudding mix; whisk using Stainless Whisk until mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Immediately fold in half of the whipped topping and cookies using Classic Scraper; set filling aside.
Working quickly, arrange six of the ice cream sandwiches side by side on Simple Additions® Large Square Platter. Spread filling evenly over sandwiches using Small Spreader. Top with remaining ice cream sandwiches, forming a rectangular-shaped torte; smooth sides. Spread remaining whipped topping over top and sides of torte. Grate chocolate over torte using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Freeze at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Yield: 16 servings or 24 sample servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 270, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 37 g, Protein 3 g, Sodium 280 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook's Tip: If freezing torte overnight, remove from freezer 30-45 minutes before serving for easier slicing.