Attention! - 14th Annual Palm Springs Weekend, 2018

[+ Oliver]

Please mark your calendars for the Weekend – April 14 and 15, 2018. Specifics will not be posted here, in order to preserve confidentiality. Therefore, if you are serious about attending this year’s events, please send me an e-mail (if you know it) or “private message” with your return e-mail address so that I may send you the pertinent information as it unfolds. Your confidential information will be respected, as I expect mine to be.

The first order of business will be dinner reservations, followed by RSVP’s for the pool gathering at my temporary residence. If you will be bringing a “guest”, please tell me who. That information will also be kept confidential, unless you say otherwise. Attendance by escorts (by themselves or as someone's guest) is greatly encouraged.

If you will be coming from out-of-town and need accommodations, you should arrange for those ASAP, if you have not already. There have been several suggestions put forth in the previous thread concerning possible accommodations.

 

Again, the dinner will be early Saturday evening, April 14, and the pool gathering will be in the afternoon of Sunday, April 15.

 

If you have any questions, please ask in your e-mail or message. I look forward to renewing acquaintances and meeting new ones! Come and enjoy!

[jjkrkwood]

[TruthBTold]

 

JJ, those are not the ones to be served on the 15th I hope?

[jjkrkwood]

JJ, those are not the ones to be served on the 15th I hope?

 

 

I am sure Señor Epigonos will have FRESH ones for you ?

[Epigonos]

Regarding the Saturday evening dinner, I would like to make a clarifying comment for any of you newbies planning on attending. If you have never visited Palm Springs please understand that the standard dress there is California resort CASUAL. If you want to wear shorts to the dinner - great. I don't because I have skinny legs and thus I wear jeans.

[TruthBTold]

Regarding the Saturday evening dinner, I would like to make a clarifying comment for any of you newbies planning on attending. If you have never visited Palm Springs please understand that the standard dress there is California resort CASUAL. If you want to wear shorts to the dinner - great. I don't because I have skinny legs and thus I wear jeans.

 

I'm with you on that.

[jjkrkwood]

Skinny legs? Bah ! Throw on some stillettos and you will be amazed how shapely those legs will look.... Your calves will POP !

[OneFinger]

RATS!! That's the weekend I have tickets for Hamilton in SLC (4th row).

[jjkrkwood]

Regarding the Saturday evening dinner, I would like to make a clarifying comment for any of you newbies planning on attending. If you have never visited Palm Springs please understand that the standard dress there is California resort CASUAL. If you want to wear shorts to the dinner - great. I don't because I have skinny legs and thus I wear jeans.

 

Have you guys perhaps considered a "clothing optional" dinner ? Looks like it could be fun ?

 

https://68.media.tumblr.com/e468256f79d13c6c9fa3270cd0bb0bd2/tumblr_p3j1noaXHE1tv0bi6o1_1280.jpg

[TruthBTold]

Have you guys perhaps considered a "clothing optional" dinner ? Looks like it could be fun ?

https://68.media.tumblr.com/e468256f79d13c6c9fa3270cd0bb0bd2/tumblr_p3j1noaXHE1tv0bi6o1_1280.jpg

 

Well, depending on who shows up would determine how much will be available to chow down on.

[jjkrkwood]

Well, depending on who shows up would determine how much will be available to chow down on.

 

http://78.media.tumblr.com/6dfe437c953c2c14f9b8d0274dd5fcdc/tumblr_p3pq21BmYI1r8xueoo1_1280.jpg

Edited February 9, 2018 by jjkrkwood

[Rey]

Looking forward to it! See my post in the other Palm Springs 2018 thread in the Lounge.

[Epigonos]

Rey great to hear that you are planning on attending the Palm Springs Weekend. There will be plenty of space available for both the Saturday dinner and the Sunday Pool Party. Plane flights should not be a problem although flights to Palm Springs itself might fill up. There will likely be lots of flights available to Ontario Airport. The major PROBLEM you might encounter is hotel reservations as the weekend of the 14th and 15th of April is a real bitch considering that the Coachella Festival will also be on. Early in the other Palm Springs thread you will find a number of possible hotel recommendations. Looking forward to meeting you.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Epigonos

[jjkrkwood]

Epig....

 

How's about some Empanadas to go with those eggs ?

 

 

 

[TruthBTold]

Epig....

 

How's about some Empanadas to go with those eggs ?

 

. . .

 

You are making it impossible NOT to go!

[+ José Soplanucas]

OMG, I love empanadas. Almost as much as sex. Have an idea.

[Epigonos]

If somebody is willing to send me a recipe for empanadas I will definitely consider making them for the Sunday Pool Party. I have only two requirements: 1.) I must be able to make them in advance and freeze them and 2.) I must be able to bake them, NOT fry them.

[TruthBTold]

If somebody is willing to send me a recipe for empanadas I will definitely consider making them for the Sunday Pool Party. I have only two requirements: 1.) I must be able to make them in advance and freeze them and 2.) I must be able to bake them, NOT fry them.

 

I apologize, I have never made them. But looking at the pic it appears that you can do either. We have to be able to get a recipe for you.

[jjkrkwood]

Here's the recipe for the ones pictured. You can substitute cooked chicken for the beef, and they can be frozen before cooking. Make sure they are INDIVIDUALLY placed in freezer sandwich baggies before freezing. There may be simpler recipes out there, but these looked so delicious....

 

Beef & Cheese Empanadas: Baked or Fried

 

http://thewoksoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/empanada-recipe-16.jpg

Save Print

Prep time

90 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

1 hour 45 mins

 

This beef and cheese empanada recipe is just as good baked or fried, and you don’t have to change ANY ingredients. Try this versatile beef empanada recipe!

Cuisine: Latin American

Serves: 10 to 12 empanadas

 

Ingredients

• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) lard or vegetable shortening, melted
  
• 3 cups flour, plus more as needed for kneading and rolling out the dough
  
• 1 cup hot water
  
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, plus extra for baking and/or frying
  
• 1½ pounds ground beef
  
• 1 red onion, finely diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• ¼ cup minced Spanish olives
  
• 2 red holland chili peppers, minced (optional)
  
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
  
• 2 teaspoons cumin
  
• ½ teaspoon paprika
  
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• ¼ teaspoon annato powder (optional)
  
• ¼ teaspoon chili de árbol (optional)
  
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• ¾ cup water
  
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 8 ounces cheese of your choosing—we used sharp cheddar, but any good melting cheese can work
  

Instructions

 

First, make the empanada dough. In a mixing bowl, add the melted lard or shortening, flour, and hot water. Mix it until it comes together into a smooth ball of dough, adding a little more flour if necessary (depending on the humidity in your kitchen). Refrigerate the dough for one hour.

1. Next, make the filling. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Brown the ground beef. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Next, add the Spanish olives, the chili peppers, the sun-dried tomato, the spices, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine, and let cook for an additional few minutes.
   
2. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste, stirring the entire mixture thoroughly to dissolve it, and let cook until the water has cooked off and the filling has thickened. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
   
3. Next, prep your dough! On a clean, floured work surface, roll the dough into a ⅛-inch layer. Using a round cookie cutter (or cup/bowl) in the size of your choice (you could make teeny tiny finger food empanadas instead of the bigger ones we made!), cut out as many rounds as you can. Peel away the spare dough and transfer back into the refrigerator.
   
4. For each empanada, spoon filling into the middle of the dough and top with a generous amount of cheese, ensuring you have enough margin around the edge of the dough to fold it over and seal the empanada. You can also stretch the dough out a bit into an oval shape and put the filling on one half of the dough, to make the folding process easier. Fold in half and crimp the edges, either with a fork, or if you want to be fancy, with a traditional twisting technique. (YouTube is your friend!) Repeat these steps with all of the dough rounds, and repeat the rolling out & cutting process until there is no leftover dough.
   
5. If you are baking the empanadas, heat your oven to 400 degrees. Brush the empanadas with oil prior to baking, and bake for 10-15 minutes. If you are frying the empanadas, heat a small, deep pot with enough oil to submerge a couple empanadas. Heat the oil to 350 degrees, and fry the empanadas until golden brown, in small batches of 2-3 (depending on the size of your pot and your empanadas). When they’re cooked through, transfer to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
   
6. Eat these empanadas on their own or with a nice salad!
   

[Epigonos]

Thanks for the recipe jj. When I freeze home made won tons or spring rolls I place them on a cookie sheets to freeze them and only after they are frozen do I place them in jiploc bags.

[+ José Soplanucas]

Once they are frozen they would be like rock, you can bag them all together. I think I am going to gain weight.

[TruthBTold]

Once they are frozen they would be like rock, you can bag them all together. I think I am going to gain weight.

 

I know this is presumptuous (and in bad taste - I apologize in advance) but there are calories lost by fucking.

[jjkrkwood]

Thanks for the recipe jj. When I freeze home made won tons or spring rolls I place them on a cookie sheets to freeze them and only after they are frozen do I place them in jiploc bags.

 

You are the expert Sir.

[+ sf westcoaster]

Bump, want to ensure everyone knows of the need to respond to Oliver!

[+ ArVaGuy]

My work schedule was up in the air for a while but it cleared and I'm excited to attend this year. Last year was so much fun. Looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting new people.

 

Many thanks to @Oliver and @Epigonos for making this event possible.