Guten tag, everyone! Grab your lederhosen and join us as Foodies United! tackles the hearty fare of Bavaria.

Rural in origin, Bavarian cooking is closely connected to Austrian and Czech cuisine, typically featuring meat and potatoes – and a prominent use of flour. The region uses simple ingredients to create tasty, satisfying dishes that go down well with beer.

Event Vitals:

Theme: Bavarian Cuisine
Date: Saturday, April 13, 2013
Time: 6:30 PM
Address: Mistina and Tony
259 Brook Valley Rd
Kinnelon, NJ 07405
Directions
Phone: 973.328.1978
Email: mistina@optonline.net

Recipe List:

Appetizers

• Krautkrapfen (Bavarian Kraut Crullers)
• Buttery Soft Pretzels
• German Leek and Potato Soup
• Obazda

Entrees

• German Spaetzle Dumplings
• Bavarian Sauerkraut
• Jagerschnitzel
• Sauerbraten
• Octoberfest German Potato Salad
• Kartoffel Kloesse (Potato Dumplings)
• Cabbage Rolls
• Semmelknodel
• Schweinebraten Pork Roast

Desserts

• German Twists
• Black Forest Cake
• Cream Puffs or Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream
• Sachertorte
• Bavarian Cream with Raspberry Coulis

Drinks

• Weissbier
• Helles
• Dunkies

Your to-do list:

1. Select the dish(es) you’d like to make and record it here: http://doodle.com/mtiqcne94mbwegcq This will serve as your RSVP.  Please RSVP by March 30th, 2013.
2. Please be prepared to introduce  your dish.
3. Please bring a beverage (alcohol/non-alcoholic) of your choice.

Howdy Ya’ll,

Put your jazz records on, ’cause we’re  taking a culinary tour of Louisiana Creole Cuisine.   Hope your taste buds and Mardi Gras beads are ready!

Strolling the Big Easy

Louisiana Creole Cuisine is a style of cooking that originated in Louisiana. It blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Native American and African influences.  A popular misconception is that   Creole and Cajun are interchangeable. While there are similarities, Creole is the sophisticated, worldly urbanite and Cajun is its provincial country cousin. It is said that three chickens can feed one family with Creole cooking, while one chicken can feed three families with Cajun cooking.

The “holy trinity” of ingredients for most creole dishes is onions, bell peppers, and celery in roughly equal quantities.

Event Vitals:

Theme: Louisiana Creole Cuisine
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2013
Time: 6:00 PM
Address: Erin and Santo
7 Bachman Terrace
West Orange, NJ 07052
Directions
Phone: 862.216.6419 (Sam’s cell)

Recipe List:

Appetizers

• Crabmeat Ravigote
• Oysters Bienville
• Remoulade and Crabcakes (2 recipes)
• Crawfish Bisque
• Red beans and rice – made by hosts
• Dirty rice
• Maque choux
• Creole Green Beans
• Okra Creole
• Fried Okra
• Baked Grits

Entrees

• Creole Gumbo
• Chicken Creole – made by hosts
• Étouffée
• Jambalaya – Made by hosts
• Hoppin’ John Stew
• Spinach and Bacon Quiche
• Creole Beef Tips
• Chicken Alouette
• Spicy Blackened Catfish

Desserts

• Bread pudding
• Beignet
• Praline
• Pecan pie
• Peach cobbler
• Crème Brulee

Drinks

• New Orleans Hurricane Punch
• White Sangria
• Pimms Cup
• Absinthe Frappe

Your to-do list:

1. Select the dish(es) you’d like to make and record it here: http://www.doodle.com/sn7cybfwy7yb5wrw This will serve as your RSVP.  Please RSVP by January 10th, 2013.
2. Please be prepared to introduce  your dish.
3. Please bring a beverage (alcohol/non-alcoholic) of your choice.

Turkish cuisine (Turkish: Türk mutfağı) is largely the heritage of a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines.  Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighboring cuisines, including those of western Europe. Fusion of various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia (such as yogurt), creating a vast array of specialties.  For more detailed information about Turkish cuisine, catch our write-up at the end of this post!

Event Vitals:

Date: Saturday, October 6, 2012
Time: 6:00 PM
Address: Yara & David’s house
2 Central Square Park
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Directions: 10 Minute walking distance from Metuchen Station.
Street Parking around the square.(Please do not block driveways)
Questions: 732-877-6926 or davidnyara@yahoo.com

Recipe List:

Appetizers and Salads:

• Cacik, Turkish Yogurt Dip With Cucumbers and Dill
• Spiced Sweet Roasted Red Pepper & feta Hummus
• Hummus Bi Tahina (Turkish Hummus)
• Easy Pita Bread
• Turkish Salad
• Turkish Cabbage Salad (Lahana Salata)

Entrees / Meats:

• Iskender Kebab (Host will prepare)
• Lahmacun (Turkish Spiced Lamb Pita)
• Turkish Meatballs (Kofta) / Lamb
• Turkish Chicken Thighs
• Turkish Braised Lamb (Tas Kebap)
• Turkish Kofta Kebabs (Chicken)
• Gyro with tzatziki sauce (Host will prepare)

Seafood:

• Turkish Shrimp Pilaf
• Salmon Baked in Foil (Aluminyumda Firinlanmis Somon)
• Shrimp with Olive Oil (Zeytinyagli Karides Pilaki)

Vegetarian:

• Kabak Mücveri (Turkish Zucchini Fritters)
• Turkish Eggplant Pie
• Stuffed Vine Leaves – Authentic Turkish Dolma Recipe
• Turkish Eggplant (Aubergine) Pilaf (Patlicanli Pilav)
• Roasted Grape Tomatoes ( Firinlanmis Kiraz Domates)
• Spiced Basmati Rice
• Turkish Wedding Pilaf (Dugun Pilav)

Desserts / Coffee:

• Turkish Coffee – Kahve (Host will prepare)
• Turkish Soldier Buttons Cookies
• Turkish Baklava (Baklava)

Your to-do list:

1. Select the dish(es) you’d like to make and record it here: http://www.doodle.com/nsg47t583vi472gb This will serve as your RSVP.  Please RSVP by September 29th, 2012.
2. As we did at the last event, please be prepared to speak briefly about your dish.
3. Please bring a beverage (alcohol/non-alcoholic) of your choice.

Turkish people generally prefer to eat at home. A typical meal starts with soup (in the winter), followed by a dish made with vegetables or legumes boiled in a pot (typically with meat or minced meat), then rice or bulgur pilaf in addition of a salad or cacık (made from diluted yogurt and minced cucumbers). Another typical meal is dried beans cooked with meat or pastırma mixed or eaten with rice pilaf and cacık.

Key ingredients

Frequently used ingredients in Turkish specialties include: lamb, beef, chicken, fish, eggplants, green peppers, onions, garlic, lentils, beans, and tomatoes. Nuts, especially pistachios, chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, together with spices, have a special place in Turkish cuisine. Preferred spices and herbs include parsley, cumin, black pepper, paprika, mint, oregano, pul biber (red pepper), allspice, and thyme.

Oils and fats

Butter or margarine, olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, and corn oil are widely used for cooking. Sesame, hazelnut, peanut and walnut oils are used as well. Kuyruk yağı (tail fat of sheep) is used mainly in kebabs and meat dishes.

Fruits

Plums, apricots, dates, apples, grapes, and figs are the most frequently used fruits, either fresh or dried, in Turkish cuisine.ple, komposto (compote) or hoşaf (from Persian khosh âb, literally meaning “nice water”) are among the main side dishes to meat or pilav. Dolma and pilaf usually contain currants or raisins. Etli yaprak sarma (vine leaves stuffed with meat and rice) used to be cooked with sour plums in Ottoman cuisine.

Meats

In some regions, meat, which was mostly eaten only at wedding ceremonies or during the Kurban Bayramı (Eid ul-Adha) as etli pilav (pilaf with meat), has become part of the daily diet since the introduction of industrial production. Veal, formerly shunned, is now widely consumed. The main use of meat in cooking remains the combination of ground meat and vegetable, with names such as kıymalı fasulye (beans with ground meat) or kıymalı ıspanak (spinach with ground meat, which is almost always served with yogurt). Alternatively, in coastal towns cheap fish such as sardines (sardalya) or hamsi (anchovies) are widely available, as well as many others with seasonal availability. Poultry consumption, almost exclusively of chicken and eggs, is common. Milk-fed lambs, once the most popular source of meat in Turkey, comprise a small part of contemporary consumption. Kuzu çevirme, cooking milk-fed lamb on a spit, once an important ceremony, is rarely seen. Because it is a predominantly Islamic country, pork plays no role in Turkish cuisine.

Ladies and gentlemen, join us as Foodies United! tackles the vibrant and colorful cuisine of Vietnam!

Vietnam’s culinary history is one of the most complex and unique of Southeast Asia.  Combining thousands of years of traditional Asian-style preparation, influences from the French and an abundance of fresh produce, Vietnamese cuisine epitomizes the concept of cultural fusion.

Event Vitals:

Date: Saturday, August 18, 2012
Time: 6:00 PM
Address: Tara and Ken’s
32 Henry Street
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Directions | There is plenty of parking at dead end of Jonesdale Avenue
We’re also walking distance from the Northeast Corridor train line (regular service to and from Newark & NY Penn Stations), and a few miles from Metropark (buses).

Questions?: Email Tara and Ken:  tweeken@gmail.com or call 646 360 0779

Recipe List:

Appetizers:

• Spring Rolls
• Summer Rolls (prepared by the hosts)
• Shrimp Salad (prepared by the hosts)
• Vietnamese Meatballs
• Beef Wrapped in Grape Leaves
• Grilled Sugarcane Prawns

Entrees

• Beef Noodle Soup (prepared by the hosts)
• Vietnamese Shaking Beef
• Beef Stew
• Chicken Curry
• Lemongrass Chicken
• BBQ Chicken Wings
• Grilled Salmon with Chili Lime Sauce
• Shrimp Fried Rice
• Shrimp in Tamarind Sauce
• Spinach Sautéed with Garlic and Pepper
• Spicy Steamed Mussels
• Fish Simmered in Caramel Sauce
• Seafood with Ginger, Tomatoes and Chilies
• Spicy Eggplants
• Vietnamese Style Steak

Desserts

• Sweet Banana Soup with Tapioca and Coconut
• Lychee and Ginger Ice
• Mango Cake with Nutmeg Cream
• Almond Jelly in Fruit Cocktail
• Crème Flan

Your to-do list:

1. Select the dish(es) you’d like to make and record it here: http://doodle.com/p37a2v8dnnv3qeng This will serve as your RSVP.  Please RSVP by August 8th, 2012.
2. As we did at the last event, please be prepared to speak briefly about your dish.
3. Please bring a beverage (alcohol/non-alcoholic) of your choice.

Looking forward to seeing you!

-Tara and Ken

Happy 2nd Birthday, FU!

Foodies United! turns 2 years old!  That’s like… 14 in dog and cat years!

Everyone has done an AMAZING job in contributing toward this fun food experience.  So, to ring in the adolescence of our food club, let’s crazy things up a bit.

Our topic for this meeting is Bizzaro Foods.  Before you opt out of this meeting in fear of what other-worldly meal Tinyee might bring, let’s set the ground rules.

This is your opportunity to bring a dish that A) you have never tried before or B) that you feel is outside your standard food comfort zone.

I want to stress, we don’t want to have a “gross-out” factor with this event.  Remember, this is Bizarro Foods, not Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern!

We’d simply like for you to think outside of your comfortable food zone and come up with a dish that pushes your personal envelope.  Since food comfort varies from guest to guest, there may be some dishes that are far outside of your comfort zone.  No need to worry, there will be some safety dishes on hand for the less adventurous!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

1. Select your dish based on the criteria above.  Email me your dish selection to: steve@crescentleaf.com.  Your email will also serve as an RSVP for the event.  Please RSVP by May 28, 2012.
2. At the event, please be prepared to speak briefly about your dish.  You don’t have to say much. We’d just like to know why the dish pushes your food boundaries!
3. Please bring a beverage (alcohol/non-alcoholic) of your choice.

Event Vitals:

Date: Saturday, June 23, 2012
Time: 7:00 PM
Address: Joyce’s and Steve’s
39 Moore Terrace
West Orange, NJ 07052
Questions?: Email steve@crescentleaf.com or call 732 331 7733

Looking forward to seeing you all!

-Steve and Joyce

Limoncello? Gone…  Amaretto bottle? Bone dry…  Lasagna? Devoured…  Sardinian wine? Guzzled…

This can mean only one thing – Bill’s Italiana Festa was a hit! Thanks to all who attended and prepared wonderful dishes. Special thanks to Bill for a superbly hosted event.

A few photos from the event have been uploaded to: http://foodiesunited.org/photos/italian-3-31-2012-2/ (You can also catch them on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/foodiesunited )

We’re in the planning stages for our next event.  Stay tuned!