The fifth meeting of this session had us tacking a South African meal. The aromas and textures were different from what we've been used to. During the meal, we all agreed how the chutney added some 'punch' to the Bobotie. We all enjoyed an evening of discussion about being 'planted' and how to facilitate personal growth.
18 – Filipino Combo: Sinigang and Lumpia
Back for our fourth meeting of this season and we took on a couple Filipino dishes that was a bit out of our 'norm'. The meal was quite easy to prepare and didn't make very much mess. Over dinner, we discussed an upcoming concert this weekend as well as some great discussion topics that had everyone sharing some great experiences and ideas. By the way, the item in the background was our mango dessert. A simple set of checkered slices, followed by bending inside-out produced the interesting form shown.
17 – Chicken Quesadillas, Homemade Chips n’ Salsa with Ultimate Guacamole
Enjoyed a great evening celebrating Quatro de Mayo with a tasty south of-the-border meal. Lots of chopping and prep went into this fully homemade feast - even made our own chips! We all had a great time catching up and talking about those we'd like to invite to cook with us in the future.
16 – BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Blanched Vegetables
We've been off for a couple weeks during the Easter holiday. Back in the kitchen tonight with new friends to make some incredible chicken wraps. Lots of chopping and great conversation amidst a torrential downpour with lightning and thunder. The weather calmed. The meal came together and we discussed what we've been up to these past couple weeks. Great recipe. Great night!
15 – Prosciutto Ravioli with Creamy Alfredo Sauce
After a brief hiatus, we're back for this first night of the third season. We welcomed new members and began cooking in our newly remodeled kitchen. Everyone pitched in to create a very rich, savory dish. Over dinner, we talked about Easter coming up as we got to reconnect with one another and get to know our new members. A great evening of joining together in this little community.
14 – Denver Omelets with Diner-Style Home Fries
Our seventh and final week of this session. We mixed things up a bit by having breakfast for dinner. After, first putting the cake together and in the oven, we all did some chopping and began cooking the home fries and omelet filling. When it came time for the actual omelet making, we had an interesting assembly line going in best efforts to keep this meal as an omelet, not scrambled. Again, some very good discussions were had around the table about faith, meditation and perspective. Taking a few weeks off and then the third season of rLife begins.
13 – Bleu Cheese and Cress Beef Wellingtons with Broiled Tomatoes, Parsley-Dill Potatoes and Broccolini Spears
Our sixth meeting of this second season. We took on an adventurous Beef Wellington recipe. After some initial prep, we each cooked our beef to our own liking and assembled individual beef wellingtons. We also cooked up the sides and had the dessert chilling in the fridge. It was a great night of truly hands-on cooking and meaningful discussion about our personal journeys.
12 – Balsamic Pork Tenderloin, Cheesy Pancetta Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus with Almond Sauce
Our fifth meeting of the winter season. Prep time for this meal was rather quick, so we had time to cleanup before eating and spent some time catching up with one another. As the oven was doing its thing, the house filled with incredible aromas and we were ready to pounce on dinner. We all enjoyed a nice, leisurely dinner with great conversation and story-telling. A very great evening had by all.
11 – Bucatini All’Amatriciana with Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs
Our fourth meeting of the winter season. We quickly got to choppin' and prepared our meal. The kitchen was buzzing and incredible aromas filled the house. Quite a tasty dinner - haven't heard that many Mmmm's around the table in weeks. We spent some time discussing how our 21-day fasts went as well as the special One Thing services at church. What a great group!
20 – Homemade Rochester, NY Garbage Plates (with corn and baked beans)
This was the sixth and last meeting of our spring session before we break for summer. We went with some easy grillin’ and hometown favorite, the famous ROC Garbage Plate. Did some choppin' and fired up the charcoal grill for some eats. Enjoyed a simple evening with great weather and conversation about being spiritually 'rooted'.