Cheese Course (some of my favorite Iowa Cheeses, optional)
Feta was the most popular with the kids, since it had the gentlest flavor. But I had out the Feta, two kinds of Frisian Farms Gouda (cumin and smoked), some Maytag Blue and some Maytag Havarti.
Chive and Onion Stuffed Pork Loin
I over stuffed it. And the stuffing was a bit too loose. But beyond that it tasted good. But it was hard to serve. I'd do it again though. Especially now that I have butcher's twine and have done it before. It also couldn't hurt to get extra practice opening up the pork loin...since it was a bit hacked in some places.
Olive Oil, Parmesan, Chive, covered roasted new potatoes (Yukon and red, Iowa Grown)
I think I over stuffed the pan here. But they still turned out well, but I don't think they dried enough.
Salad of Iowa grown fresh greens and feta, with a balsamic dijon mustard vinaigrette
I layered the salad with greens, feta, tomatoes, and it worked for me. The vinaigrette turned out well
Duroc Pork Italian Sausage w/ tomatoes and Parmesan over pasta
This was from Vande Rose Farms...I forgot the parmesan though...but even so it turned out well. The sausage was tasty, but doesn't supplant my favorite (Graziano's).
Pasta with Chicken Tomatoes and Feta (RC, Cook's Country June/July 2009)
This was simple. I found it funny last night, that It took longer to boil the water and cook the pasta, then it did for the rest of the meal, including cooking the chicken. But this was simple and tasty. Very fresh.
Green Chile Cheeseburgers (p23 Cook's Country June/July 2009)
Shannon didn't want the topping (too spicy), but over all this was pretty good. I've used some of the leftovers to make Green Chile Cheesburgers Pizza on Friday. I still have leftovers, so we'll be having this again this next week.
2.5 Chocolate Cookies
This was based on a triple chocolate cookie, but I used white chocolate (had it in the cupboard), so...that doesn't really count as a full chocolate count. They turned out well. And one of the things I liked the most, is that unlike the cookies I normally make, these ones have a much shorter cook time, so instead of spending the entire evening baking, I was done in about 2 hours.