Sheila's Luncheon December 17th, 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Sheila was our cook for the month of December

and she made us a fantastic lunch/dinner.

It was a fun time for all.  Well except

Clarisse, she couldn't make it as she was sick.

We all felt so bad of her.  Sheila made us little

Santa Claus with a bunch of calorie free candy inside,

it was so cute and the candy was great also.

Recipes will follow the pictures

Next month it is Joycie's time to be the cook for January

                             
                                Sheila always decorates really nice for each season

     
                                         

                                             
                                                        This was really yummy!

Sheila’s Cornish Hens  

Wash and dry hens, salt and pepper on inside and out.  Add 3-4 pats of butter inside and spread soft butter over the outside.  Add 2 slices of onion and 2 slices of oranges inside (if you can fit 3 slices of each even better.  Cook at 350˚ for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes.  (Sometimes I cook 1 hour and 15 minutes if not brown enough on outside) When don (if using ½ hen per person) Put onions and oranges on plate and lay hen partially over.  Use sauce in pan over hens and rice.  UPDATE: Sheila said each hen gets 1/3 cup of sherry.

Rice

Sheila’s own Uncle Ben’s white and wild rice combo.  I substitute ½ water with orange juice (recipe on the box and directions for cooking).

Croissants

Are from her grandmothers famous recipe!

Salad

Baby Spring Mix

Romaine hearts

Pear slices

Blue cheese

Pomegranate seeds

Champagne Pear Vinaigrette

Boil ¾ cup champagne with 1 peeled cored and chopped pear in a small saucepan for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off.  Let cool.  Puree in a small blender or food processor with ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, ¼ tsp. sea salt and 1 clove garlic until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sheila’s Apple Torte Old Family Recipe

Crust

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1-cup flour

Vanilla Cream Filling

16-ounce cream cheese

1/3-cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping

4-cup peeled red apples, thinly sliced

1/3-cup sugar

½ Tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450˚, cream butter, sugar and vanilla together and add flour.  Press crust into a 9-inch tart pan, pressing crust evenly up on the sides.

In a mixing bowl blend together softened cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla.  Pour mixture over pastry crust. 

Toss thinly sliced apples in sugar and cinnamon.  Arrange apple slices on top of cream cheese filling.  Bake at 450˚for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to 400˚and bake for 25 more minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool.  Refrigerate.  When ready to serve place on serving dish and garnish with mint leaves and raspberries. 

Garnish Fresh mint leave, rinsed and fresh raspberries rinsed.