Beware the Jalapenos....

So glad that our first dinner party was a success. Looking forward to many more! I have listed all the recipes (most from allrecipes.com) that I used for our meal below.  They are all pretty straightforward and easy.  I do have one word of caution when making the potato and jalapeno gratin: either use gloves when mincing the jalapenos or use a food processor.  While the recipe itself even made note of this, I neglected to follow that bit of direction and paid dearly.  So avoid that burning sensation in your hand that will last for hours (and yes, I do mean hours) by following all the directions!

Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Taste Rating: 5/5 Difficulty Rating: 1/5 Prep Time: 15 mins Ready In: 15 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh spinach 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese 1/2 cup raw pecans

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup olive oil salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Combine the spinach, strawberries, Gorgonzola cheese, and pecans in a large bowl.
2.	Stir the balsamic vinegar and honey together in a bowl; slowly stream the olive oil into the mixture while whisking continuously. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

Taste Rating: 5/5 Difficulty Rating: 1/5 Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 12 mins Ready In: 25 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed cooking spray salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.	Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper.
3.	Bake asparagus 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.
4.	Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the baked asparagus to serve.

Potato and Jalapeno Gratin

Taste Rating: 5/5 Difficulty Rating: 2/5 Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (wear gloves)

1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon paprika

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2.	Spread 1/4 of the sliced potatoes into the bottom of the casserole dish, followed by 1/3 of Gruyere cheese, and about 2 tablespoons of minced jalapeno peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers 2 more times; top casserole with last 1/4 of the sliced potatoes. Pour the cream evenly over the casserole. Sprinkle top with paprika.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole has browned and the potatoes are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Sweet Chili Grillers

Taste Rating: 5/5 Difficulty Rating: 1/5 Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready In: 40 mins Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1-1/2 boxes MorningStar Original Grillers 1-1/2 boxes MorningStar Prime Grillers 1/2 red bell pepper (sliced lengthwise)

1/2 green bell pepper (sliced lengthwise) 1/2 yellow onion (chopped) 1 (12 ounce) bottle sweet chili sauce

Directions:

1.	Bake grillers in oven for 10 minutes.  Flip and bake for another 10 minutes or until fully baked.
2.	Meanwhile, saute red and green bell peppers with onions in olive oil to desired texture.  Add bottle of sweet chili sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes.
3.	Slice the grillers lengthwise (in quarters or fifths) and place them in a casserole dish.  Pour sweet chili sauce, pepper, and onion mixture over grillers.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Taste Rating: 5/5 Difficulty Rating: 2/5 Prep Time: 15 mins Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins Servings: 24

Ingredients:

1 package (2-layer size) red velvet cake mix 1 (3.9 ounce) package JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar 1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping 1 (1 ounce) square BAKER'S White Chocolate, shaved into curls

Directions:

1.	Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes, blending dry pudding mix into batter before spooning into prepared muffin cups. Cool.
2.	Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Whisk in COOL WHIP. Spoon 1-1/2 cups into small freezer-weight resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small corner off bottom of bag. Insert tip of bag into top of each cupcake to pipe about 1 Tbsp. frosting into center of cupcake.
3.	Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting. Top with chocolate curls. Keep refrigerated.