WORLD CUP FINAL (GERMANY VS ARGENTINA)

Tonight's supper was inspired by the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. Germany may have won the game, but both countries were winners in this meal - everything tasted great and I would definitely make all of these recipes again sometime (though probably not in one meal!) This fed 5 adults and 5 kids so there was a lot of food, but it was all simple to make and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

From left to right:

BUENOS AIRES HEARTS OF PALM SALAD (from this recipe)
1 can heart of palm, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 avocados, sliced
Dressing:
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 tbsp. lime juice
salt & pepper

Layer everything on a plate and whisk together dressing. Drizzle over salad and season with salt and pepper.

CHURRASCO (from this recipe)
20 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. peppercorns (Epicure's Garlic Pepper or 4 Pepper Blend would be perfect)
1 c. orange juice
juice from 1 lemon (about 1/4 c.)
juice from 1 lime (about 1/4 c.)
1 onion, chopped
3/4 c. olive oil
6 steaks (you could also try chicken instead)

Combine marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish and arrange steaks in the marinade. Refrigerate overnight. Discard marinade and grill steaks on the barbeque. Serve with chimichurri.

CHIMICHURRI SAUCE (based on this recipe) **This recipe made way more than we needed - I would cut it in half next time.
2 bunches parsley (I used flat leaf and curly parsley)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. chili flakes
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. olive oil

Combine all ingredients and use a food processor or immersion blender to smooth it out a bit, but still keep it a little bit chunky. Refrigerate overnight if possible to let the flavours develop.

PORK SCHNITZEL WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE (from this recipe)
10 pork cutlets or porkchops
1/2 c. flour
salt & pepper
oil or butter
2-3 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/3 c. chicken bouillon (for a low-sodium version, use Epicure's Chicken Bouillon)
1 tbsp. soya sauce
1/3 c. sour cream

Pound porkchops till they are 1/4" thick. In a shallow dish, mix flour, salt, and pepper. Coat porkchops in flour and save leftover flour mixture. Heat oil or butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook porkchops for 5-6 minutes, turning once. Set aside and cover with tinfoil to keep warm. When all the porkchops are done, add mushrooms and garlic to the frying pan and sauté till soft. Add leftover flour mixture and cook for 1 minute before adding chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat for a few minutes until sauce starts to thicken. Stir in soya sauce and sour cream. Serve pork with mushroom sauce on top, and garnish with parsley if you like.

BLACK FOREST CUPCAKES (based on this recipe)
1 Devil's Food cake mix
2 eggs
1 can cherry pie filling
whipped cream (whipping cream, icing sugar, and almond extract)
cherries for garnish

Combine cake mix, eggs, and pie filling. Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans. Pour batter into each one, and bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes. When cupcakes are cool, top with whipped cream and a cherry.