If there is any “rule” in my book to hosting a dinner party, it’s don’t make it too complicated!
What’s the point of preparing and hosting a get-together if you’re going to miss it all?
For our Lumberjack Party I knew I wanted a hearty menu to live up to the ruggedness of the theme. What’s a universal man meal? Meat and potatoes.
Lumberjack Menu: All Recipes/Links in this Post
- Turkey Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- Baked Potatoes
- Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
- Maple Bacon Cupcakes
- Maple Flapjacks Cupcakes
- S’mores on a Stick
Turkey Chili Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 lb ground turkey
- 2 large onions, diced
- 3Â 15oz cans kidney beans
- 2 15oz cans black beans
- 1 15oz can Mexicorn
- 60 oz diced tomatoes
- 30 oz tomato puree
- 30 oz water
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 5 tsp taco seasoning
- 4 T sugar
- Tabasco to desired taste
Brown the turkey, garlic and onions first, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.
White Chicken Chili Recipe:
Modified from the Tennessee White Chili at FoodRepublic.com
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds diced chicken breast
- 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 15oz can Mexicorn
- 1 15oz can black beans
- 1 container chicken broth, to desired consistency
Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes were the easy solution to the potato part of the meal. After I scrubbed some yellow potatoes, I wrapped them in aluminum foil. I cooked them on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 90 minutes.
I created a toppings bar on the sideboard of our dining room:
For the Toppings Bar
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar
- chopped up bacon
- black beans
- diced chives
- assortment of hot sauces.
Cornbread
I rounded out the meal with some Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. I made Jiffy Cornbread, adding 2 de-seeded, diced jalapenos and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar per box of corn muffin mix. (For our party I made 3 boxes). Cook per box directions.
Beverages
Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Recipe modified from The Fresh Fridge – for in-depth directions, check out her tutorial.
Maple Bacon Cupcake Batter: (This recipe yielded 24 cupcakes)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (I replaced 1 tb with bacon fat)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
**NOTE: Keep an eye on these cupcakes while baking. I over-baked mine just a touch. Due to the maple sugar/brown sugar consistency it’s harder to tell when they are finished.
Maple Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
Candied Bacon
Fry bacon as usual in a frying pan – add brown sugar to pan while frying. Watch carefully to prevent burning. When finished separate bacon to dry and harden. I chopped into smaller pieces for the cupcake topper. I used 8 slices of bacon.
I sprinkled the tops of the cupcakes with cinnamon and plopped the cooled-down bacon on top.
Maple Flapjack Cupcakes
S’mores on a Stick
Suffice it to say, we were all stuffed…. and candied bacon is dangerously easy to make.
Could you eat a bacon cupcake? Everyone was freaked out to try it, but I think they liked them!