Kaleidoscope Chicken Salad

*A Gracious Plenty*
A great recipe for company doesn’t need to be either difficult or expensive. A Gracious Plenty is a new feature at the EE. The intent is to help you build a repertoire of pantry recipes to feed 25 without breaking the bank or your sanity. Hospitality is one of the joys of being a Christian and yet intimidating to many of us. A Gracious Plenty will give you the culinary know how to prepare simple, even elegant, menus for your next get-together.
Kaleidoscope Chicken Salad is an excellent example of combining staples with a few fresh ingredients for a meal fit for casual entertaining! This recipe has received rave reviews, including “best sandwich ever.” I don’t know that it deserves such high praise, but I do think it is delicious! To round out the meal, serve Caesar salad and rich chocolate dessert, such as S'more Bites.
Kaleidoscope Chicken Salad
10 heaping Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup fresh cilantro, washed, ends trimmed, stems/leaves minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
3 celery ribs, cleaned, trimmed, finely sliced
65 oz canned chicken in water, drained gently
1 cup red seedless grapes, washed and halved
25 large croissants
Gently combine all ingredients (except croissants!) in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
Up to 30 minutes before serving time, split croissants with a serrated knife.
Gently stir chicken salad. Spoon a generous helping into each croissant.
Secure sandwiches with a frilly pick.

S’more Bites & Hockey Moms

Hockey season is in full swing, as evidenced by the constant stream of round robins and tournaments in which we have been involved. Last weekend, we handled hospitality for the Point Mallard Bantam Round Robin. Bantams are quite a few years older than Rylee. Know what that means? Checking. He loved watching the action. Admittedly, I cringed. It’s just different when you imagine your child taking those hits, rather than someone making megabucks in the NHL!
Over the next few days, the EE will feature a number of recipes we enjoyed in the hospitality suite. Since most good things start with chocolate, this series of posts will be no exception! S’more bites are almost indescribable. The chocolate flavor is intense without overpowering the creamy texture and crunchy base. The final product can be made in muffin cups or in a 9x13 pan. I strongly recommend using a dark chocolate for the shavings to balance the sweetness. Milk chocolate will tend to disappear. Dark chocolate is popular at the EE, so we used some 70% cacao from the pantry.

S’more Bites
Graham Crust:4 0z unsalted butter, melted
10 oz graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients and press firmly into muffin cups or 9x13 pan.
Chocolate Fluff:16 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs dark corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1 oz dark chocolate, finely grated on a microplane
1 1/2 cups confectioner sugar
mini marshmallows for decoration
In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend cream cheese and butter until smooth and airy. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl frequently.
On low speed, add vanilla & corn syrup. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl again.
Still on low speed, add the other ingredients until well combined. Again, scrape the bowl frequently.
Spread mixture evenly over the graham crust in a 9x13 pan.
OR
Pipe into muffin cups using a pastry bag and large star tip.
Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow mixture to firm up.
Prior to serving, decorate the tops with mini marshmallows.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip

Pumpkin is yummy beyond words. The EE kitchen uses this quintesential fall fruit in savory and sweet concoctions. The sweet dip we're featuring today surprises most people willing to give it a try. It has been described as both surprising and addictive. Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip is great on a buffet or as a special dessert treat.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip

16 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
15 oz. pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice

In an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, and pumpkin until well blended.
On low speed add sugars, extract, and spices.
Place pumpkin dip in a covered container. Refrigerate until serving time.
Serve with cinnamon graham crackers or apple slices (lemon wash to prevent browning).

Verde Veggie Dip

Warm, cheesy, green veggie goodness. This dip is delicious served warm with crackers or crudite. It also proves vegetables can be bad for you under the right circumstances. But your tastebuds will thank you. Just ask the PMAHA board members. We enjoyed this and Chocolate Chip Cheeseball
at a recent meeting while the kids slogged away on the ice.

Verde Veggie Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon ranch dry mix
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 can heart of palm, drained & diced
1 can artichokes, drained & diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 cups fresh baby spinach, washed, dried, & roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in an oven proof dish.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Rylee's January Hockey Schedule

Practices

Amusing (We would break a hip trying that…)
&
Informative (These kids are making us look old…)

• Monday, 3rd at 6:30 PM
• Saturday, 8th at 8:00 AM
• Monday, 17th at 5:30 PM
• Monday, 24th at 5:30 PM
• Monday, 31st at 6:30 PM

All Mite Practices

Amoeba-esque or whatever one calls 60+ kids on 1 ice rink.

Great fun if you can keep up with which one is yours!

• Tuesday, 18th at 5:30 PM

Games

Two games & a mini practice session.

Sometimes the best part is laughing at the (blessedly few) obnoxious parents.

Helpful advice such as "Skate! Skate! SKATE!"

will be mocked with every ounce of our being.

What else are the players going to do? Swim? It is ice hockey, you morons.*

• Monday, 10th at 5:30 PM
• Saturday, 22nd at 7:00 AM
• Saturday, 29th at 7:00 AM

*The above statement is sarcasm, so no one needs to

get their cowbells in a twist. However, given the fact

that it is true, we will continue with our aforementioned

course of action. ;-)

E-mail us for directions to the rink! Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in supporting Rylee and the Green Dragon Mites!

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

My chocolate chip cheeseball is one of the most popular treats around the Emporium. It seems to disappear almost as if by magic. Of course, magic has a name; I call him husband!

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioner sugar
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla until creamy.
Slowly add brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon & confectioner sugar until blended.
Stir in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Place mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and form a ball.
Refrigerate a few hours until firm.
Roll cheeseball in the remaining 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve with graham crackers.