Friends over for dinner

One of my favorite things to do is to entertain! For this event I invited two friends over for dinner. I really wanted to make something down-home and hardy. . .  I mean after all it is wintertime. For this meal I pulled out Rachael Ray's My Year of Meals. I made her Chicken Potpie Casserole with her simple piecrust and for dessert I mad Chocolate Cookie Stacks with Lemon Cream. Sadly, I will not publish the recipe for the casserole due to its length. If you find yourself pulling out her cookbook to make this amazing dish be mindful of the wine you use. A sweet wine will leave a lasting impact that you can taste in the dish. I made this mistake and it really made the casserole have a sweet taste, I tend to enjoy my foods to be a little saltier. But, the meal still received positive reviews and the gust really enjoyed it. Also, when making this dish be mindful of time. This casserole will take you at least 3 hours to make. 

To make the Chocolate Cookies Stacks with Lemon Cream you will need: 1cup heavy cream, chilled. 1/2 cup lemon curd. 16 chocolate wafer cookies, such as Nabisco Famous.  4 tsp. finely chopped store-bought candied lemon peel.  

In a large bowl, using mixer, whip cream until stiff but not dry, about 5 minutes. Gently fold lemon curd into cream. Line 4 large custard cups or ramekins with jumbo muffin-cup liners. Place 1 cookie in bottom of each. Top each with about 21/2 tbsp. lemon cream. Continue layering cookies and cream, using 3 more cookies per stack and ending with 1tsp candied lemon peel. Refrigerate until cookies are soft and cream is set. At least 6 hours, or overnight. Makes 4 tip: the longer the cookies have to set the softer and fuller they will be!