Savour the Flavour of Fall

This month as an Allrecipes brand ambassador, one of the assignments was to host a dinner party and cook a Barber Foods product.  I am not saying anything new, but I am a self-avowed food snob.  When I first found out about the assignment I'll admit I inwardly cringed as my friends know me for my cooking.  I had never even heard of Barber Foods prior to this assignment.  I went to the store and I wasn't sure which product to even try.  I did the next best thing and asked a lady what she would enjoy if she were going to purchase a product of Barber Foods.  My shopping trip completed I let the product rest in my deep freeze until party day. 

The day of the party arrived and I cooked three different varieties of the Seasoned Select stuffed chicken breasts.  I knew that I wanted my menu to reflect the flavours of fall, and I chose the Southern comfort sweet potato casserole from Allrecipes.com that I had previously tried. 

I also made my families Broccoli Cheese Casserole. My momma has been making this casserole for as long as I can remember, and it's always been a favourite of mine.  It's one of the very few recipes that I've never made any changes to due to its simple goodness - it's also one of the few recipes where the salt & pepper are the right seasonings. I've been able to convert broccoli haters into broccoli lovers with this casserole.  It's always a Thanksgiving staple at my parents house, and my relatives always ask my momma to bring it for family get togethers also.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

10 ounces frozen, chopped broccoli - thawed

16 ounces cottage cheese

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

3 eggs

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix the above ingredients together making sure the eggs get well incorporated.  Grease a 8"x8" casserole dish. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  This is almost "quiche" like - and it would be low carb friendly for those who are watching their carb intake.  If you try this recipe, please leave me feedback w/ your thoughts. 

I also made a Tri-color orzo salad to go with the main meal. I chose to use romaine lettuce as opposed to the arugula, and feta cheese as opposed to the ricotta salata.

Even tho this was a fall themed meal, I also wanted to incorporate a bit of Halloween into the party.  I chose to make a black punch that I would effectively call Black Zombie Witch brew. 

To make this punch you will need the following:

1 packet orange koolaid 

1 packet grape koolaid

12 cups (3 quarts) water

2 cups sugar

2 litre bottle of Sprite

4 ounces Chambord Liqueur (to your preference)

4 ounces Passionfruit Rum (to your preference)

1 container Lime Sherbet

* Frozen hand

Dissolve sugar into water, add the koolaid packets.  Chill in fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Chill Sprite in fridge.  To assemble:  Pour koolaid mixture into a punch bowl, add the Sprite, and alcohol.  Add the sherbet by scoopfuls into the punch bowl. Float the frozen hand on top.

Frozen Hand:

1 sterile non-latex, non-powdered glove

16 ounces Sprite

2 ounce Grenadine

Rinse glove.  Add the Sprite and grenadine.  Try to remove as much air bubbles as possible, twist glove at the top opening, Secure w/ a rubberband - freeze overnight.  To remove from glove quickly rinse under warm water to loosen (OR) alternatively, use a sharp knife and cut the glove away.

For dessert I made a Pumpkin cake roll w/ cream cheese filling  I had never made a rolled cake before and was concerned about messing it up.  This recipe came through w/ flying colours and it was both quick, and easy to prepare. 

During the fall season, nothing is better than the company of good friends.  The night was a success and I turned into a "Barber believer"  I never imagined a frozen food product would turn out this delicious, tender and tasty!

 

Thank you to my guests for making the evening a success - you are wonderful friends and I treasure your friendship!