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I think one of the most daunting things for an aspiring home-chef is making a meal for people outside of your immediate family, especially when you begin to move away from the “everyone bring a side dish” get-together & start hosting real, live dinner parties. For a long time I’d only make something that cooked all day on the stove when I had people over for dinner, assuring that my oven was open for anything else (bread, a baked dessert, etc.) and that it was ready when my guests walked in the door- no trying to time it all.
After surviving our very first Thanksgiving when somehow, miracle of miracles, all my side dishes were done & piping hot at the exact moment we were ready to carve our turkey I gained some confidence & have started branching out in my “dinner-party” menus. It doesn’t have to be fancy – I had some lovely ladies over in January for homemade pizza & spinach salad. This weekend The Hubs & I have another couple coming over for dinner- good friends, but also friends who have good taste & entertain impecably. Cue the nerves!
My standard time frame goes as follows:
2 Days Ahead: select menu & determine where all of my ingredients are coming from & if any of my dishes require steps the night before. Inquire of any guests food allergies- our guests tomorrow night are allergic to pine nuts & chocolate- good to know as I include pine nuts in most of my Italian cooking!
1 Day Ahead: select & wash/iron table linens, tidy up the house, scrub the kitchen within an inch of its life & clear out the fridge to make room for anything I need to cool quickly and/or leftovers. Bake dessert – this frees up your oven for the next day, & allows plenty of time for cooling (for icing cakes) and gives you time to come up with a back-up plan if you have a major flop.
Day of: in the morning I clean all the bathrooms, setting out fresh hand towels & soaps, empty trash cans & dust the house. Clutter gets shoved aside put away & the floors are swept & mopped. Depending on the formality of the meal, I’ll set the table ahead of time & transfer the dessert to a fancy platter or cake stand. Fresh flowers are arranged in a vase. Cooking can begin!
Tomorrow night I’m sticking to a menu that I know I can time well:
- Appetizer: Salami squishes
- Main Course: Citrus Roasted Chicken (check out our archives)
- Roasted asparagus & brussel sprouts
- Mashed sweet potatoes topped with crumbled, plain goat cheese
- Dessert: The Pioneer Woman’s Carrot Cake
Tonight I’ll bake the carrot cake so it can cool all night before I frost it in the morning. The chicken will roast in the afternoon & I’ll time it to come out of the oven 30 minutes after our guests arrive (6:30), allowing time to take coats, pour drinks & serve appetizers. I’ll have the potatoes boiled & mashed on the stove top, set aside until serving & my cookie sheets with the veggies will go in 10 minutes before the chicken comes out – and will stay in during the 15 minutes I let the chicken “rest” on the counter before carving. As The Hubs carves the bird, I can plate the meal and take the plates over to the table. Yum! After dinner the cake will be easy t0 slice up & serve with coffee – decaf & regular.
Shrimp & grits is a Southern classic, but many recipes are heavy, calorie laden or greasy. This easy shrimp and grits recipe is light (adapted from a Cooking Light recipe) and is quick to make after a long day at work. I serve mine with a side of steamed veggies (Shown here with steamed spinach & diced onions). One of the best parts is that a serving of shrimp n’ grits is only about 350 calories! Lets eat!
On second thought, next time I’ll photograph this on a less “busy” plate!
You’ll need:
- 2 cups low fat milk
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (fat free & low sodium)
- 1 cup of dry quick-cooking grits (found in the hot cereal section at the store)
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbs salted butter
- 1/2 of a small, 8 oz container of cream cheese
- 4 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 1 cup of diced onion- white and/or red onion (not pictured)
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic (not pictured)
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (about half of a lemon worth)
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 pound of peeled, deveined & chopped shrimp
- Hot sauce
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This chili recipe is very quick- after getting it all mixed together you only need to simmer it for about 25 minutes! It is also vegetarian & incredibly easy- even the beginner chef can wow their family or friends with this recipe.
B whipped it up as a back up when we had our annual football chili party & had some vegetarian friends attending. We liked it so much we now like to make it for ourselves- healthy and delicious.
 You’ll need:
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans of black beans, no spices, rinsed & drained
- 1 4oz can of green chilies, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & diced
- Red pepper flakes (about 1/4 tsp)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of cumin
- 2 teaspoons of chili powder
- 4 oz of goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 small bunch of cilantro, destemmed & chopped roughly
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- Optional: onion powder
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add red onions & green pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes.
Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes & the can of diced chilies. Let this cook for about 2 minutes, allowing the spices to get warm & toasty! Add the tomatoes and black beans, stirring. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Stir and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Taste again- and add to your taste. We added in about 1/2 tsp of onion powder, another 1/2 tsp of cumin and another 1/2 tsp of salt. Simmer for another 1o to 15 minutes and serve, topped with cilantro & crumbled goat cheese.
A friend of mine gave me this recipe and thought as a mint julep (and Makers Mark bourbon) loving household, perhaps we’d like to try these cookies. A batch later & we were hooked- they are another cookie for you to try out this holiday season!
Cookie Dough:
- 2 sticks of butter, softened
- 2 cups of light brown sugar
- 3 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking SODA
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup of quick oats
- 1 bag of Andes Mint Chocolate candy, crushed (I squish them with a rolling pin after putting them in a heavy duty zip top bag)
Topping
- 2 cups melted chocolate chips
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup of Makers Mark bourbon
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At first glance, I know this recipe sounds overwhelming. Because you have banana and lime and then coconut? But dudes, it is le awesomeness. Seriously. It’s one of my and my husband’s favorites. And it’s pretty darn easy too. I found this from Cooking Light and have made very few changes because frankly, this recipe just kicks ass.
So let’s stop talking about it and get down to business.
Ingredients
For the bread:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1.5 cups ripe smashed bananas (about 3)
1/4 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
3 tbsp dark rum (apple juice will work if you’re not into the booze)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lime zested
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flaked coconut
For glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 limes worth of juice
(p.s. Two of my bananas were from the freezer, so they’re a totally different color than the other…)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray
2. Beat butter and sugar until well combined. Add bananas, sour cream, rum, vanilla and the zest of a lime (use the smallest holes on a grater to get just the bright green part off the lime) and combine well.
It’ll look really gross when you’ve got it well mixed.
3. Add flour, soda and salt (the original recipe says to combine these before mixing them in with the batter, I never do this, I just make sure to evenly distribute all the stuff over the top of the wet mixture before mixing it all together) and mix until just combined. Mix in 1/3 cup of the coconut (saving a little for the top).
4. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle the top with remaining coconut.
5. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick (or if you’re cheap like me, a thin steak knife) comes out clean. Darker pans cook a little faster, but if you’re getting too much color on top, you can throw an aluminum foil “tent” on top of the pan to save the top from burning (I’ve not had to do this, but just as a general baking rule).
6. While the bread is baking, get all the juice from 2 juicy limes (you can do more if you want). I usually get about 1/3 of a cup total. Add powdered sugar (more or less to get your desired consistency and depending upon how much juice you get out. Whisk together, but if you’re like me, the powdered sugar will never not be lumpy unless you run it through a sieve first, and I’m far too lazy for that. So just do the best you can.
7. After the bread is done, let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then place it on a cookie sheet with edges, lined with aluminum foil, so your juice isn’t going to run off onto the counter. Or floor. Or cabinet doors. Or all of the above. I like to then use a fork or toothpick and make a few holes all over my warm bread. And then, pour that juice on top. And let it sit and absorb that juice for a little while.
8. Remove from glaze pan and serve at your discretion. It’ll go fast. Beware.
The only adaptations I can even come up with would be, if you’re so blasphemous, would be the addition of nuts or subtraction of coconut. But I promise, it’s wonderful as is.
Bon Appetit!
Christmas bark has become more popular over the years- Williams Sonoma, Harry & David and various gourmet retailers have begun selling their own special “best ever” bark. While some of them are delicious, I argue that my bark is the best ever, mostly because it combines the salty/sweet/tangy flavors along with crunchy & chewy textures. Not to mention bark is so easy to make – you only need a microwave & a cool area to let it harden before you break it up & serve. It makes lovely gifts for neighbors or teachers and is perfect to set out on your holiday party table. Use high quality chocolate for an even tastier treat.
- 12 oz (or 3 bars) of semi-sweet chocolate
- 4 oz (or 1 bar) of white chocolate
- 1 cup of shelled pistachios (about 1 3/4 cup shelled)
- 3/4 cup of dried cranberries
- 2 microwave safe/pyrex containers & a baking sheet
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I think the reason cranberry is such a popular item on Thanksgiving tables (besides its seasonality) is the refreshing kick it gives you after loading up on the sweet and savory items like yams, turkey & mashed potatoes. This year I thought that in addition to the traditional (and my favorite) canned cranberry dressing – yum, yum yum- I’d make something from scratch. I found this recipe in a small “Thanksgiving” cookbook I’d picked up on sale at a local bookstore. I made it last night and gave it a taste- and was blown away by the refreshing, tart and and wonderful texture & flavor. It is so simple & can be made ahead of time- so whats not to love??
Cranberry Orange Mint Relish
- 1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 navel orange
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 4 sprigs of fresh mint
Carefully peel & section the orange with a sharp paring knife. Add all ingredients to your food processor & pulse until thoroughly chopped & combined. (I did mine in two batches and then mixed it together as my processor is on the smaller side.) I also sifted through & picked out the cranberries that had escaped a through chopping & tossed them back in for another round, just to ensure an even consistency. You can store this in the fridge up to 2 days prior to the big meal- but if you make it ahead of time omit the mint & chop it & add it the day you are going to serve it. Enjoy!
A few years ago I decided I was going to master the art of baking cheesecakes. I figured everyone should have an impressive dessert under their belt, the Big Kahuna they whip out for holidays and special birthdays, the sweet treat that is requested at work functions & neighborhood bashes. I decided cheesecake would be mine. I bought a springform pan, read some cheesecake cookbooks, scoured the internet, watched Food Network programs dedicated to it. While I’m still working on making the best cheesecake ever I’ve picked up some tips along the way that have helped immensely- so here they are for you to use in your holiday baking. At the end I’ll even share my favorite cheesecake recipe.
- Crust: Always double the crust portion of the recipe. Perhaps in commercial kitchens with professional bakers they can make that amount of crumbs cover the bottom and sides of the pan, but you can’t. Double it – you can toss the extra, but at least you won’t be skimping on the sides.
- Crust: Smush the crumbs into the pan with the bottom of a glass, a spatula, or your hand covered in plastic cling wrap- keep the butter in the crust where it belongs, not moisturizing your cuticles.
- Crust: Skip the cliched graham crackers – they can get really soggy. Instead crush up cookies – I’ve found that pecan sandies, wafer cookies, ladyfingers, Oreos & gingersnaps make excellent crusts.
- Springform Pan: I don’t care how nice of a springform pan you buy, cover the bottom in a few layers of foil wrapped up around the edges & put a cookie sheet in the bottom of your oven just in case. Most likely your pan is going to leak, and unless you want melted butter dripping & smoking in the bottom of your oven (no, I’ve never done that, why do you ask?) just trust me and wrap the pan in foil a few times and put the cookie sheet in there. You’ll thank me later.
- Springform Pan: If you are making a cheesecake to share with others, purchase a few bakery rounds (cardboard circles) at your bakery department at the grocery store & place one in the bottom of your pan. Then you can take your pan bottom off & transport the cake on a throw-away cardboard round and you won’t risk leaving your pan parts all over the county.
- Water Bath: Honestly I’ve tried a water bath once. In addition to burning myself and making a huge mess, I risked a leak of water back into the pan as well- what a pain. I’ve found that if you place your “raw” cheesecake on the top of the preheating oven for a few minutes, gently slide it into the oven, leave the oven completely closed during baking, and then simply turning the heat off & cracking the oven at the end and walking away for an hour or two will keep cheesecake cracks to a minimum. And if it does crack? That is what toppings and glazes are for.
- Crack Prevention: Once your batter is completely poured into the crust & ready to go, tamp the pan on the counter top a few times & let air bubbles rise to the surface. Gently shake the pan a little, tamp it again, and pop any bubbles that rise- this too will help with the cracking.
- Crack Prevention: Let all of your ingredients sit on the counter & come up to room temperature before making the batter – this typically takes about an hour. This prevents the cake from being shocked when it goes in the oven & allows for more even baking.
- When To Whip & When To Be Gentle: General rule of thumb- when you are whipping the cheese at the beginning you want to whip it for about 5 minutes before you add any ingredients to incorporate air into the cheese & allow for a nice, even, sweet consistency. As you add the ingredients you want to continue to whip vigorously – incorporating more air, and evenly mixing ingredients. Once you get to the eggs however – which, please please, add ONE AT A TIME- mix slowly, gently and only enough to incorporate the eggs. Don’t go messing with their protein structure- be gentle with them!! Luckily you typically add the eggs at the very end, so you shouldn’t have any problems.
- Time Sweet Time: Cheesecakes are not made in a hurry or on tight schedules. You need to make it at least a night in advance- they need to set overnight in the fridge- and frankly, they bake for awhile. You leave them to be in the oven for awhile after. You wrap them and put them in the fridge and let them set. Don’t rush this process- you’ll get aggravated. The nice things is they will store in a fridge for a week before serving and freeze well for 2-3 months, so you can make them at your leisure & pull them out to serve when needed.
- Serving: Let your cheesecake warm on the counter for an hour before serving and slice with a sharp knife- heating the blade with hot water between each slice. This will lead to even pieces.
Daisy’s Favorite Marble Swirl Cheesecake
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You can check out the holiday menu at Casa de Daisy here…and go visit Katie to wish her good-luck on her big medical test this week.
Happy Holidays!
The holidays are fast approaching & with them comes holiday meal planning. Not many things strike fear in my heart – but I’ll admit that making gravy makes me nervous. It never comes out right. It is always oily or wrong, or it tastes weird. My in-laws are coming for turkey day next week and I immediately went out & sought gravy advice, because after all, what is Thanksgiving turkey without gravy? Luckily, our friend Anita(http://twitter.com/tshumbie ) offered to help us out with gravy advice, as she is The Gravy Queen.
(Ok fine, she didn’t offer, I begged. Either way: delicious gravy!)
Take it away…….
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