Seven Layer Dip

For the Elton John and Billy Joel Tailgate, we brought seven layer dip. The seven layers were:
refried beans
avocado and lime juice
sour cream and taco seasoning
canned chili peppers
olives
tomatoes
shredded cheese

Source: Joy of Cooking

Comments: Delicious although a little rough on tortilla chips so we ended up using a spoon to scoop the dip onto chips. Joy recommends eating it warm. That wasn't feasible for the tailgate but would definitely be worth trying a later date.

Pork with Apricots

Gareth served pork with apricots alongside mashed potatoes and salad containing lots of veggies from our spring garden!

Ingredients:

pork chops

apricots

vinegar

potatoes

salad

Source: Clatter of Forks and Spoons

Comments: Pork stayed very moist with a nice variety (sweet and sour) of flavors. A rare simple recipe in a challenging cookbook.

Crepes! Version II

This was our second attempt at crepes. We used the same recipe for the crepes themselves, but went for a slightly different filling this time.

Ingredients:

bacon

broiled slices of potato

shredded cheese

chives

Source: Crepes

Comments: Delish and probably a tad more interesting than our previous attempt at crepes.

Crepes!

During our trip to Paris, we bought Gareth a crepe cookbook! Here is his first attempt. They were not half bad....just kidding, they were great!!

This recipe included:

tomatoes

cooked spinach

shredded cheese

Chicken Braised with Chicory & Creme Fraiche

groundnut oil

butter
chicken breasts (with or without skin)
heads of chicory (or Belgian endive)
brown sugar
shallots or spring onions (we used shallots)
lemon juice
medium-dry white wine
crème fraîche (we used sour cream)
sprigs of parsley

Source: A Pat McF specialty, recipe via e-mail

This was an absolutely delicious dinner recipe, which tasted very rich without being bad for you. It takes a while to cook in the oven, but the hands-on prep time is actually quite brief so you're not chained to the cooker for very long. We served it with fresh spuds and sautéed curly kale.