A Political Party Animal Appetite

Occasionally I take a departure from the usual fare served around here. So for my faithful reader, we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to plan an ordinary extraordinary encounter with my family for election night.

As we collectively watch states turn red or blue tomorrow night, I thought it would be fun to have a red and blue banquet (complete with recipes of course). If planning and cooking a big meal is beyond your desire, you could always fall back on something simple like Mitt Ramen-y noodles or Obamalicious Spaghetti O's (or combine the two for a taste debate).
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Red State Chili

1 pound ground turkey, browned
1 large onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can BBQ beans
1 Tbl chili powder
6 shakes Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
6 shakes Worcestershire sauce
6 shakes liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and let simmer on low all day. 

Blue State Corn Bread

1 box corn muffin mix made according to package directions
5-10 drops blue food coloring

Put food coloring in with other ingredients prior to baking. (Sometimes you just need to take the easy way out.)

Otherwise, make your standard corn bread recipe but substitute blue corn meal for yellow or white corn meal.

Red State Spinach and Strawberry Salad

10 oz fresh spinach
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1 c Gorgonzola cheese
1 c walnuts, chopped

Combine salad ingredients. Pair with Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette just prior to serving.

Blue State Jello

What colorful meal is complete without jello? 

Across Party Lines Blueberry and Raspberry Betty

2 pints blueberries
2 pints raspberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 40 wafers)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted

Toss together blueberries, raspberries and granulated sugar in large bowl. Combine crushed wafers, chopped pecans and brown sugar in medium-size bowl. Pour melted butter over wafer mixture; toss until well blended and evenly moistened. Sprinkle third of wafer mixture evenly over bottom of baking dish. Top with half of the fruit mixture. Cover with third of the wafer mixture. Spoon remaining fruit over top. Cover with remaining wafer mixture. Bake in 350 oven 1 hour or until top is golden and fruit is bubbling. Serve warm.
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A presidential election only happens once in four years. The average person only votes in about 15 of them. Why not turn this day into an opportunity for a magnificent mundane mashed potato moment. 

You're now prepared to satisfy your animal appetite - whether it brays or trumpets. Let's make the most of our day...

Make the best use of your time. 

Ephesians 5:16

Have an idea about how to make election night special for your family? Share it in a comment below...