February 2012 Potluck - "Man"luck

Our theme this was month was the "man"luck - meaning we didn't care what you brought but the guy had to do the cooking!  I expected loads of meat, so I was very pleasantly surprised with the assortment of offerings that the guys whipped up.  I'm pretty sure that this theme will become an annual tradition!

 Cory's Beef Kebabs

Clint's Pico de Gallo 

Casey's Grandmother's Potato Salad 

 Stacy's Sesame Orange Kale Salad

Taylor's Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips 

 Craig's Mac and Cheese

 Cameron's Feast of Grilled Meats - Chicken, Ribs, Bacon Wrapped Venison and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

 Clint's Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Icing - this month's winning dish!

Andrew's Chocolate Pretzel Ice Cream (add about 1 c broken pretzel pieces in the last 5 minutes)

And now from the food and onto the peeps!

 Jennie, Taylor and Amanda chatting it up

 Andrew, Cory and Clint having some guy talk

 Erin, Candace, Robyn and Meagan trying to make it look like we're just there to pose for a picture but really we were there to chow down on the chips and salsa

 Lora and Jenni

 Craigles and Clinty

 Jennie and Robyn

 Candace, Erin and Lora

 The dudes hanging out by the grill (I have no idea why my husband is making that face)

 The chef with his grilled feast o' meats!

 Ah, showing some bro love!

 Erin chowing down on some of the badass ribs

 Candace was trying to look good while eating ribs

 Whoa, hold the presses!  LB is eating meat off a bone!!!

 The birthday boy

 The birthday girl

 Robyn and C-Ray

Time to choose the games for the evening's entertainment

 Isn't my husband cute!

 Cameron, Clint, Jennie, Stacy and Amanda - AKA Team Chairs (plus Meagan and Taylor)

Craig took his job of buzzing very seriously!

 Casey's turn

Craig, Candace, Cory, Robyn (AKA Team Couch - plus Erin, Andrew, Lora and Casey)

Clint's Pico de Gallo

3 cans Rotel (your preference)

1/2 - 3/4 cup cilantro

1/3 cup onion

2 T garlic, minced

1/8 t red pepper flakes

3 dashes chili powder

generous 1/4 t cumin

1/2 t salt

1/2 T lime juice (I used one whole lime)

1/8 t Tabasco sauce (more if you want some heat)

splash of white wine vinegar

Put all ingredients in blender and blend on low (time will depend on desired consistency).

If you like it hotter, add a jalapeno or serrano pepper

Casey's Grandmother's Potato Salad

- red new potatoes (leave skin on)

- cover with cold water and bring to a boil; boil at medium heat until potatoes are easy to cut with a knife (about 30 minutes)

- drain and cool to room temperature

- add cut celery

- add 1/2-1 sweet onion, chopped

- add Hellman's mayo (the real, original formula - not "lite" or some "salad dressing") one tablespoon at a time

- add following items and gently mix: green olives with pimentos; hard boiled eggs; salt; pepper; paprika

Stacy's Orange Sesame Kale Salad

Wash one bunch of kale and strip leaves off of stems.  Dry and cut into bite-size pieces.

Whisk together:

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 T sugar

2 T soy sauce or Tamari

1 T sesame oil

Pour dressing over kale and toss in:

2 T toasted almonds

1/4 cup pepitas

1/2 apple, diced

1/4 cup dried cranberries

crystallized ginger, optional

Taylor's Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips

4-5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into strips

2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into strips

Coat veggies in olive oil, sea salt, pepper and Tony Chacere's seasoning.

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Five minutes before they're done, squeeze fresh lime juice and drizzle agave maple syrup on top.  Bake 5 more minutes.  Remove from oven, cool slightly and drizzle a bit more maple agave to sweeten.

Cameron's Feast of Grilled Meats

for the shrimp:

buy only gulf shrimp (farm raised taste different)

peel and devein shrimp

place shrimp in bowl with hickory flavored BBQ sauce

wrap in bacon, optional

grill until firm (for more flavor, grill over mesquite)

for the venison:

slice venison backstrap into 1/2-inch thick pieces (cutting against the grain)

place in bowl and add moderate amount of your choice of seasoning (salt, pepper, season all or Tony Chacere's)

wrap in bacon

grill until medium-rare to medium (for more flavor, grill over mesquite)