Scrumdiddiliumptious Dinner

Some dear friends have decided they need to move, far, far away from us. We are so sad that they are leaving us. We had them over for one last dinner, and along with our neighbors we combined forces and make a scrumdiddiliumptious dinner.

I made a pasta dish, a variation of Giada De Laurentiis's Fusilli alla Caprese. I browned some chicken tenderloins and sprinkled them with a garlic and herb blend and diced the cooked pieces. I boiled spaghetti noodles. I made the tomato sauce from Giada's recipe and I sauteed up a bunch of fresh vegetables (summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers) in olive oil. I mixed all the cooked ingredients in a bowl and added the chopped up basil. I served it with a bowl of diced fresh mozzerella and let each person spoon in their own desired amount of cheese. We served it with foccacia bread.

The dessert was to die for. We made Strawberry Romanoff, using a recipe of a good friend and made Ghiradelli dark chocolate brownies. We topped the brownies with the strawberry romanoff. Oh. My. Goodness. It was to die for.

Chocolate Saltine Toffee

Ingredients:

1 box of Saltines
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate over semi-sweet)

Instructions:

Foil and lightly grease a jelly roll pan. Line the pan evenly with saltines. Boil 1 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar for 5 minutes stirring frequently while boiling. Pour evenly over saltines and bake in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes, watch carefully. Immediately remove from oven, put chocolate chips on top and frost after melted. Sprinkle with chopped nuts or toffee pieces, if desired. Refrigerate and break into pieces when hard. Tastes best when served cold.

Jamie
Kentucky

Chocolate Pecan Tart

By Everyday Food

Makes 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 teaspoons, chilled and cut into small pieces
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 1/3 cups pecan halves
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 store-bought refrigerated pie crust (not in a pie plate)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough to a 12-inch round, about an inch thick. Wrap dough around rolling pin, and unwrap over a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan; trim edge of dough.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, light corn syrup, 4 teaspoons melted unsalted butter, and the vanilla. Scatter chocolate evenly over tart shell. Pour filling over chocolate. Arrange pecans on top, as desired. Dot with 2 teaspoons chilled butter.
3. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is set, 45 to 60 minutes. If pecans are browning too quickly, tent pan with foil. Remove from oven; while still hot, drizzle with bourbon, if desired. Let tart cool completely before serving.

Angela
California