friends

There is a group of former coworkers from the school where I worked who I still keep in touch with. Every so often we get together and call our gatherings “faculty meetings.” This past weekend we had a meeting at my house. The menu was
 
Aloha Dip with Crackers
Tennessee Whiskey Cheese (from Wegmans) served with crackers
 
Lentil Salad with Tomato and Dill
Tricolored Fusilli Salad
Beef Teriyaki
Lily’s Marble Cake

I wanted a menu that could be easily made and done ahead. I also used tried and true favorites that I know everyone would like. I have one guest who cannot eat seafood, so I made Aloha Dip. The spread is a combination of cream cheese, I used Neufchatel, Wegmans brand blue cheese crumbles and crushed pineapple. The spread is both sweet and savory, a nice combination for summer weather. I was at Wegmans recently and they do a lot of food sampling, especially in the cheese department. The Tennessee Whiskey is one of those. It had such a lovely flavor from the infusion of the whiskey.
 
Our main course included both the tricolored fusilli salad and beef teriyaki that I’ve shared with you before. However, I was a bit confused as to the cut of meat to use. In the past, I’ve used boneless sirloin but this time I had the butchers recommending both chuck and top round. To confuse matters further, I checked various online recipes and got even more choices. I then decided to visit my local Pastosa Ravioli store. Don’t let the name fool you, not only do they have pasta, but they also have prepared food and a great butcher department. After consulting with one of the owners, Chris, I went with his suggestion of skirt steak. He recommended that I grill it 5 minutes on one side and about 3 minutes on the other for medium rare.
 
My guests really enjoyed the beef teriyaki. However, my husband got a piece of meat that was too rare for him. I should have not only flipped the skewers over, but rotated them around the grill to ensure even cooking. Overall the dinner was a success and everyone enjoyed what I had prepared.
 
The lentil salad also went over well. I doubled the recipe as it said it made 4 to 6 side dish servings. I shouldn’t have doubled the recipe as it was way more than I needed. Besides the lentils the salad had diced tomatoes, scallions, fresh dill, fresh basil with a red vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing. The dill in the salad gave it a refreshing taste. The red wine vinegar gave it a hint of tartness. It was a nice change from potatoes.
 
Dessert was the aforementioned marble cake. Previously I made Martha Stewart’s recipe for Marble Cake. This time I decided to try Lily’s Marble Cake, which is a recipe that Chef Gale Gand got from her childhood friend’s mother, Florence Shay and her mother, Lily Gerson. Martha’s recipe is for a loaf cake, uses cake flour and buttermilk. Lily’s cake uses butter, all-purpose flour and is baked in a 10-inch straight wall tube pan. My guest devoured this homey cake. The cake had just enough chocolate and wasn’t too sweet.
 
We enjoyed being together Saturday night. It’s been a while since the whole group has been able to get together. We talked about our time at the school and how things have changed since we left.