Pioneer Woman at Bookclub

I love me some Pioneer Woman and was so happy to share her book

"From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels"

with my Bookclub besties.

The dinner was straight out of her amazing cookbook

"Pioneer Woman Cooks"

with just a few modifications from the cook :)

Sangria-

Diced fruit

1.5 liters red wine

1.5 liters white wine

Green Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Burgundy Mushrooms

(make sure you have 9 hours to babysit these guys.  They take a long time but they were good!)

Creamy Rosemary Potatoes

(I made these without the Rosemary and still liked them)

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

PW states that this cut is very pricey and she was not kidding!

My grocery store had it for 29.99 a pound.

I opted for a very cheap beef roast.

I cooked it on a lower heat and for a longer time.

The rub was awesome!

All her recipes can be found on her blog-

thepioneerwoman.com/cooking

I also played the music from Kelle Hampton's blog-

Enjoying the Small Things

www.kellehampton.com

Both are amazing women with amazing gifts.

What an amazing group of women form my Bookclub!

Glad to get all this greatness in one room!

Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes

This was my first try at scalloped potatoes and I think I prefer them to mashed potatoes.  They were much easier to keep warm and the leftovers were much better!  I found this recipe at:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001673167

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 20 min., Bake: 30 min., Stand: 10 min.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  butter
• 2  pounds  Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3  cups  whipping cream (I doubled the recipe but only bought a pint of whipping cream so I used half whipping cream and half skim milk)
• 2  garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
• 1/4  cup  fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2  cup  (2 oz.) grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in potatoes and next 5 ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring gently, 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with cheese.
3. Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Remove to a wire rack, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

We found this recipe several years ago at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rosemary-Ranch-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx and it is one of our favorites for grilling.  I way over-estimated how much you ladies would eat this time and we had lots of leftovers.  I discovered this chicken tastes really good with a spinach and strawberry salad.  I used poppyseed dressing which sounds like an odd mix with the ranch but I thought it was yummy!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.