2nd Meeting of 2008

The second meeting of our club took place this past weekend at Casa de Trammell. It was a fiesta theme that helped Cord get back to his Alamo roots (at least that was how the story was told...) The rain held off for the gathering and allowed the children to get outside and play in the backyard -- which they thoroughly enjoyed. Alex even got to be the man of the house and order himself up a pot pie! However, it never came...

And it was decided that our next gathering would be on Saturday, June 14, at the Nama's home. The theme is yet to be determined, but the pool should be fully operational by then... Therefore swimming and such will definitely play in to the gathering!

The dinner was great and here are the recipes from the evening:

Appetizers - Burnette & Trammell

Pico de Gallo - Trammell

4 med. tomatoes,chopped
6 green onions, chopped with some of the green tops
2-3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Blend all ingredients and stir well. Chill before serving. Makes 2 cups.

Guacamole - Trammell
4 ripe HAAS avocados
3 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes of Tabasco
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and small-diced

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, tabasco, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper. Makes 3 cups. (I usually make this the morning of when I'll serve it so it's chilled through.)

Cheese dip - Trammell

1 can Rotel tomatoes
Velveeta cheese or white american cheese

You'll need at least half of a large pkg of velveeta or at least one pkg of white american cheese to mix with the can of tomatoes. Don't drain the tomatoes... mix it all together and heat it through in the microwave.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole - Trammell

6 cups chicken, cooked, boned, skinned, and cut into small pieces or strips (I used boneless skinless)
1 pint sour cream
12 6inch corn tortillas, torn into strips
2 lbs monterey jack cheese (I only used about a pound of this and it was the mexican mix of cheeses, not just monterey jack)
1 lb sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese

Green sauce:
2 cans green chiles
1 large bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped (I used about a cup or so)
1 14oz or bigger can of Mexican tomatillos, drained (can sizes vary but it's best to have more than less)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Put all green sauce ingredients in a blender and pulse/blend until sauces is broken down and combined well.

To assemble casserole: Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish and pour a small amount of green sauce on bottom of dish. Then arrange tortilla strips on top of that then cover strips with chicken. Cover chicken with about 1/3 of green sauce, then dollop sour cream over sauce and sprinkle with mexican cheeses and cheddar cheeses. Then repeat layers with tortillas, chicken, green sauce, sour cream, cheese, saving enough cheese for top. Cover dish with foil. Refrigerate until the next day if desired (flavors are enhanced if made a day or two ahead of baking.) When ready to bake, remove foil and cover top with cheese if you haven't already done so. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Side Dish - Miranda

Dessert - Nama

Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients for Cake
1 package white cake mix
1 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs 1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk

Filling
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1/2 pint whipping cream

Whipped Cream Frosting
1/2 pint whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease and flour 9x13 cake pan.
3. Mix cake ingredients together and put into greased & floured cake pan.
4. Place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
5. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto cake board and cool for 1 hour.
6. While cake is baking, mix together milk fillings and refrigerate until cake is totally cool.
7. Make frosting by whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until whipped cream peaks.
8. Take completely cooled cake and poke holes with skewer or dowel rods.
9. Take filling and slowly place over cake, allowing it to seep into holes. Work patiently allowing it to seep well before refiling. Should use up all the filling. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
10. Frost and decorate with whipped cream.