Pokeno

A few months ago some friends and I started a "Pokeno" group.  It was new to most of us but much like a bunko group.  Actually its just a great reason to visit with friends and enjoy some yummy food!  For our December night we had an ornament swap.  It was fun and we all love a competitive game of Dirty Santa!

Of course there was plenty of stealing and trading going on!

But we all ended up with really cute ornaments!

I served some new dishes and some of the girls wanted me to share the recipes, so here you go!

Shrimp Paella

Southern Living Christmas 2009 Cookbook

2 (8-oz) packages yellow rice

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 (2 ½ pound) lemon-garlic deli-roasted whole chicken, coarsely chopped

5 large green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 (8-oz.) sour cream

1 ½ cups (6-oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

½ teaspoon paprika

Prepare rice according to package directions. Remove from heat and let cool 30 minutes; fluff with fork.

Meanwhile, toss shrimp with lemon juice, salt, and pepper in bowl. Saute seasoned shrimp and garlic in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet 2 minutes or just until done. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine shredded chicken, rice, green onions, sour cream, in large bowl. Add shrimp, tossing gently. Spoon rice mixture into a greased 13 x 9 backing dish.

Combine cheese and paprika, tossing well; sprinkle over paella.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or just until cheese is melted and paella is thoroughly heated. 

Corn-and-Crab Dip

Robert St. John's Deep South Parties Cookbook

*It's the dip version of Crescent City Grill's corn and crab bisque.*

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 egg

1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, grated

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup green onion, minced

1/2 cup green bell pepper, small dice

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco)

2 teaspoons creole mustard

1 cup corn, freshly cooked or frozen

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound crab claw meat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and egg together.  Add the remaining ingredients, except for the crab, and mix until thoroughly blended.  Gently fold in the crabmeat.  Place in a 1 1/2 quart buttered baking dish and bake 20-25 minutes, until bubbly.  Serve with french bread croutons.

And the cake, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Looking forward to our next Pokeno night!!