Anthony made Falafel Balls with Tahini Sauce. I am pretty picky about falafel – I adore good falafel, but feel that most of the falafel out there is pretty mediocre. So I was pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of these falafel balls – not too dry or heavy, crisp on the outside and full of flavor, especially with the homemade tahini sauce.

Sheana made Stuffed Mushrooms. My go-to stuffed mushrooms have Italian sausage in them, so I wasn’t expecting these vegetarian stuffed mushrooms to compete. But they were fantastic, and have me thinking I should try adding cream cheese to all of my stuffed mushrooms.

Daphne made Thai Shrimp Peanut Salad. I enjoyed the heartiness and crunch of this salad. I really like Thai peanut sauce, so my one complaint is that there wasn’t enough dressing. Especially since the ingredients are sturdy enough not to get soggy, I wanted the more intense Thai flavors from additional dressing.

I made Street Corn Salad. Inspired by elote, which I make all the time, I was excited to try something similar but easier to make for a crowd (I used canned corn rather than corn on the cob). Tasty, but next time I would use a lot more cotija cheese and a bit more sour cream.

Nick made Classic Garlic Bread. I think calling it “Classic” does this garlic bread a disservice… the butter spread was loaded with wonderful herbs that elevated it a notch above what I would consider “Classic”. Definitely something I’d be happy to eat again.

Greg made Italian Sausage and Rapini Pasta. Very simply seasoned with red chili flakes, butter, parmesan, salt, and pepper – a lot of the flavor comes from the Italian Sausage and rapini. I would have added a bit more salt, parmesan, and chili flakes. An easy but satisfying dish good for a weeknight dinner.

Barbara made Enchiladas Verdes. What really made these was the homemade tomatillo sauce – charred onion, tomatillos, poblanos, and garlic blended together with fresh cilantro. We can always count on Barbara to go the extra mile with the recipes she chooses!

Jean made Curried Chicken Salad. Topped with pickled golden raisins and served on brioche buns, this was my favorite dish of the night. Jean felt that it needed less of the brine from the raisins, more lime juice, and more salt, but people scarfed it down, especially with extra raisins on top.

Sofia made Pulled Pork Tacos. She felt that the pork had too much salt. It was pretty salty on its own, but the consensus was that it worked well once folded into a tortilla with onions, cheese, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa. Very tender and juicy.

Shayna made The Absolute Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. I would have to disagree – these are not the absolute best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. They were a bit dry, somewhere halfway between crispy and chewy, and somewhat lacking in flavor.

Mindy made Basque Cheesecake. She struggled with this recipe, actually having to make it twice because the first time it leaked under the parchment paper. But it came out stunning in the end. Reviews were mixed – I thought it was a rich, creamy delight, but some felt the goat cheese flavor was overwhelming.