Game of Thrones Potluck: Across the Narrow Sea

by Carrie. Posted on March 22, 2013

22 Mar

We picked Across the Narrow Sea as our second potluck, hosted by House Rashid (that’s us!). I was super impressed with the menu we came up with, it was fresh and exotic and delicious.

Across the Narrow Sea – The Menu

Thanks to all the dear friends who contributed!

Appetizers: Fruit, olives, manchego drizzled with honey, toasted pita bread,
yogurt honey tahini harissa dip
(No recipe, except maybe for the harissa, so I’ll add that later).

Harira – Moroccan Chickpea Soup
(Everyone loved it, and I can’t believe I forgot to snap a picture of this! But I have made it before after he talked about it, so you can see my similar version of Harira here).

Iced Green Minty Drink
(From A Feast of Ice and Fire)

Dolmades with Avgolemono
(Recipe coming)

Greek Salad
(Just romaine, red onions, tomatoes, feta and kalamata olives, but I made a nice dressing with lemons, honey, garlic, parsley, mint, dill and olive oil)

Pomegranate Goat
(Inspired by Goat with Firepods and Sweetgrass but I irreverently changed pretty much everything, my version of recipe coming)

Sweet and Spicy Drumsticks
(From Inn at the Crossroads)

Magister Illyrio’s Dubious Mushrooms
(From Inn at the Crossroads)

Olive Oil Cake with Citrus Fruit and Yogurt
(Inspired by Olive Oil and Rosemary Cake, my recipe coming)

Appetizer spread.

Meg’s Iced Green Minty Drink (delicious! Honeydew, mint and lime. Non-preggos added vodka. Not the prettiest snap because I couldn’t wait to take a sip.)

Glorious dolmades. So lemony!

Greek Salad. Nothing special, just something fresh and green.

My pomegranate goat turned out beautiful – very rich, sweet and spicy.

Yummy chicken.

Dubious mushrooms.

My citrusy olive oil cake. I love this cake, literally the easiest and most versatile cake I’ve ever made.

Some of the recipes came from or were inspired by Inn at the Crossroads blog or A Feast of Ice and Fire cookbook, and the rest have Greek or North African influence. I dressed my daughter up Sindhi style (which we will just pretend is Dothraki style) and for our listening pleasure played my Niyaz Pandora station – which some people liked but my husband made fun of. He better be careful not to stir my wrath though because, you know, Fire and Blood!

Check out our first potluck, Winterfell.

Game of Thrones Potluck: Winterfell

by Carrie. Posted on March 8, 2013

08 Mar

As I’ve probably mentioned, I’m completely obsessed with Game of Thrones, as are my sisters. We’ve been watching the show, reading the books, and most recently we (and the rest of our potluck people) have been cooking the food!

Our first potluck was in dreary January at my sister’s house, and the wintery food of Winterfell sounded like a good place to start. She set her table beautifully with white and silver – Stark house colors! – and we loaded it up with delicious fare.

Winterfell – The Menu

Thanks to all the dear friends who contributed!

Onion Tarts
(Recipe coming)

Turnip Soup
(Recipe modified from A Feast of Ice and Fire – they were supposed to be mashed turnips but they came out very thin so I added broth and made them into a soup)

Roast Aurochs with Carrots, Garlic, and Leeks
(Recipe from A Feast of Ice and Fire)

Buttered Beets
(Recipe from A Feast of Ice and Fire)

Mixed Greens, Blackberry and Walnut Salad with Mustard Seed Vinaigrette
(Recipe coming)

Kumquats
(Hot tip: you eat the skin! News to us ignorant peasants)

Baked Apples
(Recipe from A Feast of Ice and Fire)

My friend craftily made wine labels which I got a kick out of: Arbor Gold and Dornish Red. A lovely time was had by all.

We had our next potluck, Across the Narrow Sea, just last weekend at House Rashid, so I will be recapping our spicy exotic menu soon (as well as the recipes above).

We’ve been using several sources for inspiration. My sister gave my other sister and I A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook for Christmas, and we’ve been cooking medieval fare from it quite a bit. The authors’ blog Inn at the Crossroads is also a wealth of recipes straight from the books. We’ve also been just cooking whatever we feel is appropriate and mixes in well with the rest of the dishes, whether we get the idea from somewhere or just feel inspired to experiment in our own kitchens.

The Game of Thrones themes have managed to revive potluck – the group has taken a few years’ hiatus with a lone potluck thrown in here and there, but now we’ve already have had two and we have two more scheduled in the coming weeks. Besides an excuse to get together with good friends, it’s a fun way to learn more about medieval cooking, and a delicious way to get our GoT fix until the next season starts!

Super Menu for the Commercial Bowl 2012

by Carrie. Posted on February 6, 2012

06 Feb

Are you ready for some corn chips!

Yesterday we had some friends over for the Commercial Bowl and Madonna Show. There was some boring football in between. I prepped a cook-out menu and cruelly made poor Shan go out in cold to grill it. No mercy in our house.

This menu turned out great because it felt like you were eating junk food (chips and dip, burgers) but it was actually really good for you – although I was definitely going for yummy first, healthy second. There are some things in the world like avocados and sun dried tomatoes that are on my desert island list, of which I could eat copious amounts. Copious! Seriously, it’s amazing how any recipe involving sun dried tomatoes gets made because I sneak so many from the jar.

Dinner, except for the burgers…

Commercial Bowl Menu

Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Guacamole
I told you I was going to make it again

Black Bean Dip
Freshened up my leftover black beans in the food processor with some cilantro and lime

(Both served with blue and white corn chips).

For the boys: Burgers Provençales
Fancy grass fed beef with red onions, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, oregano, thyme and lavender, grilled to perfection by a handsome gentleman

For the girls: Portabello Burgers
Portabello caps marinated with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, oregano, thyme and lavender, also grilled by handsome gentleman

Whole wheat toasted buns with:
Almond pesto
Basil, parsley, a little kale, garlic, lemon juice, almonds and toasted almond oil

Sun dried tomato tapenade
Tapenade with lots of chopped sun dried tomatoes

And on the side:
Beet and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Dressing
Green leaf lettuce, roasted beets, cucumber, and tahini dressing (tahini, dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil)

Mimosas
Champagne and orange juice kindly brought to us by our friends

This just cracks me up, Zoeya made herself a burger with two bun bottoms, lots of ketchup, and scarfed it down before everyone else had even served themselves.

Excellent company. Plus Meg who made it over later.

Shan’s Patriots lost, but Zoeya was cheering for the Giants. She used to play with an imaginary friend named Giant, so I guess she felt a connection.

Independence Day

by Carrie. Posted on July 5, 2011

05 Jul

This weekend we celebrated America’s birthday. Although I don’t think our country is inherently superior to others, and I don’t always love the actions of our government, or people who personify the American stereotypes (oh, the ignorance, the obesity), I am still absolutely proud and thankful to be an American. This is a country filled with all sorts of people, who are the for the most part hard working and good hearted and who respect and embrace diversity. I know my daughter will grow up in a place where she can be whoever she wants to be.

No recipes today, just our yummy Independence Day menu, meant to inspire you to mix it up. The dishes sound exotic but the whole thing really couldn’t be more American. Where else can you find all this on one plate?

My husband marinated and grilled the meat and I whipped up all the fixings. We welcomed friends and family and had a great day.

Independence Day Menu: Tandoori Taco Bar

Pani Puri
Potato and Pea Samosas
Tandoori Drumsticks
Red Thai Curry Flank Steak with Basil and Lime
Coconut Rice
Pickled Shallots
Yogurt, Lime and Cilantro Corn Relish
Mango Chutney (which I got from Rasa Malaysia, it rocked)
Warm Tortillas and Naan
Kheer
Honey Grilled Apricots and Dates
Rooh Afza
Spiced Pineapple Sangria

Doesn’t that just make you want to dance?

Zoeya Dancing from Carrie Rashid on Vimeo.