Continuing our Party Planning series, we have two recipes for party foods, which I feel are perfectly suited to a Country Loli Harvest Picnic. The first is for Sunflower Seed Cookies, originally found in the Epicurean Tarot. The cards double as recipe cards and they're a little too big for me to use for divination, but they're so cool and they were out of print when I found them, so I insisted on snapping them up.
Sunflower Seed Cookies (from the Epicurean Tarot)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups unsalted sunflower seeds, shelled
Mix the sugars, the butter and the oil.
Add the other ingredients and mix them into a dough.
Roll the dough into small balls, put them on a cookie sheet, lightly greased (or use cooking parchment) and flatten them with a fork, dipped in sugar before each cookie.
Serves 4 to 6 people
Bake at 350 degrees farenheit, for 10 to 12 minutes.
Serving Ideas: Try to find an organic florist in your area and ask about non-toxic, edible yellow flowers you can buy and use those to decorate the plate! Or, if you know your flowers already and have a garden, use your only flowers (just not the ones you've used chemicals on, you don't want to make your friends sick).
The next recipe is a savory pumpkin soup, from Allrecipes.com. If you're having the picnic away from the house, try to get a very large thermos to carry the soup in and keep it warm.
Savory Pumpkin Soup (from Allrecipes.com)
5 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4 ounces dry pasta
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup toasted almonds
In a large saucepan, mix the pumpkin, vegetable broth, heavy cream, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta. Cook 12 minutes, or until pasta is tender but firm. Reduce heat to simmer.
Stir in pumpkin pie spice, parsley and cilantro. Slowly stir butter, plain yogurt and sour cream into the mixture, making sure they do not curdle. Stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt. Serve topped with nuts.
Serves 10 people
Serving Ideas: Serve in mismatched teacups, and encourage your guests to sip it like cocoa! The teacups can be probably be found at the thrift store. Bring paper towels and newspaper, so you can send your guests home with a lovely little gift. Alternately, if you have an artistic bent, see if there is a studio where you can paint your own teacups, then paint them for each guest's tastes!
Well, since I missed out on posting this weekend, I think I'll post another entry today. See you all soon! I wish everyone lots of luck, love and living space! Remember, I'm no expert! I'm learning as I go!
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