“I always love being in the company of women. It’s all about good conversation and great wine.” ~ Naomi Watts

“God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there’s no turning back.” ~ Gloria Steinem

Sometimes we call ourselves “The Goddesses.” Other times we’re “The Divas.” Either way, it’s clear what we think of of ourselves. We are women who met 10 years ago at work. We are all teachers or principals and while we have all moved on to different schools, we continue to get together a few times a year.

Whatever we have gone through individually, The Goddesses have been there to support. We are all passionate about living life vibrantly with integrity. We all love travel and adventure. We are intellectuals and insist on delving into issues rigorously, especially when it comes to education, and most important of all we laugh loud and we laugh long.

We have seen each other through the inevitable ups and downs of life. Some of us are married, some of us are divorced, some of us are single. We raised a glass of bubbly when when one of us got married, we poured lots of red wine when one of us faced a break-up and we championed the virtues of being single when one of us struggled with the idea. We anguished together when one of us faced daunting parenting challenges and we were consoling when one of us faced a hysterectomy that came too early in life.

Among The Goddesses, I have been the most prodigal, so I invited everyone to my house for a “Sin Supper.” The jokes ensued. “Can we get tipsy on pork tenderloin?” “I’m bringing a dish called ‘Potted Cheese’ with Riesling, not pot.” “We may need to make it a sleep-over.”

The dinner was pot-luck and we had an absolutely wonderful time tasting each other’s dishes and ranting about the need for more Arts in education. There was Pat’s Potted Cheese, Laurie’s Chicken au Champagne and Trish’s Pork Tenderloin with Brandied Mushrooms & Shallot Sauce. Gillian brought Pasta Amatriciana and a bottle of Passion-Fruit Jamaican rum. I made George’s Sherry Potatoes and Melissa made Sex In The Pan (What a great idea!) for dessert.

Here are all the recipes from our “Goddess Supper” one course at a time. Enjoy!

The Appetizer

Pat Piellusch prepared Potted Cheese. (I just HAD to alliterate it!) Pat is one of the happiest and most easy-going people I know. She is a French teacher, so her language skills serve her well when she travels – which she does regularly. Her home has several beautiful treasures from Provence, France. You should know that Pat has done a stellar job of keeping us in touch with the music of the 80’s. 

Potted Cheese

This recipe works best with six-year-old raw milk cheddar from Quebec Canada, but any type of hard, sharp cheese will work.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (500g) hard, sharp cheese, cut in chunks

1 teaspoon (5 ml) mustard powder

½ teaspoon (2 ml) nutmeg

¼ teaspoon (1 ml) cayenne

? cup (150 ml) butter

? cup (150 ml) off-dry white wine – such as an off-dry Riesling

¼ cup (50 ml) butter, melted

1. Place cheese, mustard powder, nutmeg, cayenne and butter in a food processor until smooth.

2. Add wine slowly, making sure it is absorbed before adding more. When mixture is creamy and smooth, pack it into a large pot or several smaller ones, pressing down to remove air pockets. Gently pour melted butter over the top. Set aside and allow butter to set.

Potted cheese will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator as long as the butter seal is not broken.

The dinner has just started!  Check out  our 1st entree.

“Goddess Supper II” Chicken au Champagne“

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Tags: Cheese, Goddess Supper, Vegetarian