Lizzy's Mock Melting Pot dinner

So everyone loves the Melting Pot, right? If you have no idea what I am talking about, find the nearest Melting Pot to your location, and go eat there! It is a fondue meal that is ammmmmazing!! The only downside is that it is VERY pricey! So last night was the bachelorette finale, and I have a fondue pot, so we thought, why not go all out? I got a fondue pot a few years ago, used it a couple times, and since then it has been sitting in a box. It was time to bust it out..so after some online research and some lower fat swaps, here is what I came up with...

1st course--CHEESE!

For the cheese I found a recipe online that was supposed to be similar to the Melting Pot tradition Cheese recipe:

Ingredients:

* 4oz. Beer

* 1 tsp. Garlic

* 3 shakes mustard powder (I left this out because I didn't have it)

* 8 oz. Cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

* Pepper, to taste

* 3-4 shakes Worcestershire sauce (I forgot this)

1. Heat beer in pot.

2. Add garlic and mustard powder.

3. Add cheese, a little bit at a time. Mix, let melt, then add more. Continue until all cheese has been added.

4. Add pepper and sauce. Fold in.

5. DIP! --We used italian bread, Hawaiian bread, carrots, celery, pretzels, and apples.

Next course, MAIN course

I used 3 different marinades and 2 meats since this was a first try. I also made 3 of the melting pot famous sauces (all from recipes I found online). First I will list marinades (Reisling marinade, Margarita, then Teriyaki), followed by dips (Curry, Green Goddess, then Teriyaki), then fondue (Coq Au Vin).

Reisling Marinade (I did this with chicken)

This recipe actually came from a cookbook,

Margarita Marinade

You may have seen this recipe in my blog before, here. I used chicken with this one as well.

Ingredients:

* Garlic

* Cilantro

* Juice of lime

Directions:
1. Mix ingredients, then mix with meat. Marinade 2-4 hours (no more though because of the citrus acid).

Teriyaki Marinade

I found this recipe online as well and used it on steak. Mmmm. It was my favorite!

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup Soy Sauce (I used lite)

* 3 Tbsp. Honey

* 3 Tbsp. Wine Vinegar (I used rice)

* 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil (I LEFT THIS OUT, who needs that much oil?!?)

* 1 tsp. Ground or fresh grated ginger (ground works fine)

* 1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic (I used both)

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients and pour over meat. Marinade 4-6 hours. (I did 2 hours)

Curry Dip

This is my favorite dip at the melting pot, so I was excited to try it out. I got the recipe here, but couldn't find Mango Chutney, so I left it out. It was SOOO good!

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Plain Greek)

* 1/2 cup Real Mayo (do u think I really did? NO! I used RF Olive Oil Mayo)

* 1/2 cup Mango Chutney (like I said, I couldn't find this)

* 2 tsp. minced red onion (I used vidallia)

* 2 tsp. curry powder

* 1 tsp fresh lime juice

* 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (careful!)

Directions:
1. Process all ingredients in food processor/blender.

2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. Suggested use: Meat/fondue, or warm and put on chicken.

Green Goddess

This is also a crowd pleaser from Melting Pot and is a top dip in my opinion as well! This is a lighter version because, hello, who really needs full fat cream cheese?!?

Ingredients:

* 8oz. Cream Cheese (Fat Free)

* 1/2 cup milk (Rice Milk)

* 1/4 cup sour cream (Light)

* 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

* 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

* 2 Tbsp. sliced chives (I used about 1/2 T. dried)

Directions:

1. In a microwave-safe container, microwave cream cheese and milk for 2 to 4 minutes, whisking after each minute, until cream cheese melts and mixture is smooth.

2. Stir in sour cream, onion, parsley and chives.

3. Refrigerate until cold (2-4 hours).

4. Suggested use: Really anything, but great in fondue-d mushroom caps.

Teriyaki Sauce

So this recipe actually came out too watery. I think it would be better to make the marinade and use it for a sauce.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup soy sauce (light)

* 1/4 cup sugar

* ginger (ground)

* garlic

* 1/4 cup green onions

* pinch of salt/pepper

Directions:

1. Mix soy and sugar.

2. Press garlic and ginger into sauce.

3. Add green onions and salt/pepper.

4. Chill.

Coq Au Vin

This is a melting pot thing too. Found it here..Very good, but mine didn't have as much flavor as I would've liked, but I didn't have Burgundy Wine or green onions, or enough garlic...

Ingredients:

* 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

* 1/2 cup Burgundy Wine

* 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

* 1 Tbsp. Minced garlic

* 2 green onions sliced

Directions:

1. Heat veggie stock in pot until it begins to simmer.

2. Add all other ingredients and bring to simmer.

3. Cook food!

And the last course, Dessert!

I decided to go tradition for a first try at the dessert fondue. I found the recipe here and it sounded great, but not half as great as it was once we added a heaping spoonful of crunchy peanut butter!! mmmmmmmMMMMMMM GOOD!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

* 2 Tbsp. butter (I used 1)

* 1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)

* 2 Tbsp. water

* 1 tsp. vanilla (I left this out)

* 1 heaping spoonful of crunchy peanut butter (I added this halfway through so I was able to get the best of both worlds!)

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate chips with butter. Halfway melted, stir in condensed milk and water until thickened. About 5 minutes.

2. Normally you would add vanilla after heat is lowered, but I forgot about it.

3. Stir in peanut butter until smooth, if you choose this step.

4. Suggested dippers: strawberries, bananas, pretzels, rice krispies, and marshmellows. Cheesecake is also good!

What an amazingly awesome dinner!!!!!!! Can't wait to do it all again!!!