Cal-zone or Cal-zon-EEE…

No matter how you pronounce it they are fantastic! The possibilities are also endless just like pizza. This is a great easy meal that takes no time if you go simple on the filling.

Growing up in an Italian household we always had cold-cuts on hand and my mom entertained A LOT so we frequently had calzone for appetizers or to put out at a buffet. It's a great way to cheaply feed many people. Not to mention you can pull an Italian calzone together in no time.

My husband prefers a meat filling and I prefer either veggies or cold cuts. Tonight I planned on doing 2 individual calzones, one with sausage, mushroom, cheese and sauce and the other with broccoli, mushroom and cheese. You can also do this for a party. They can be cooked ahead of time and kept warm in the oven. One ball of dough should get you a calzone that is about 6x12 inches. I cut them in 2" pieces and serve at parties as an appetizer. It's a great finger food.

This would also be a fun dinner party food. Instead of make your own pizza you can do a "make your own calzone" party! Much easier to handle in the oven vs. pizza.

To sauce or not to sauce…I prefer NOT to sauce. I think it makes the inside a bit soggy and the sauce and ooze out and get messy. If you want tomato sauce on your calzone add it over the top after baking or put in a bowl and dip the pieces into it.

Gadget: The Pampered Chef Large Stoneware Bar Pan

http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=174&categoryCode=FH

I can't speak highly enough of this pan! I roast ALL my veggies on this pan and they caramelize perfectly. If you need to reheat something or bake any of those frozen appetizers like spring rolls, this is the pan to do it in. Cookies come out fantastic too! Clean up is super easy and gets easier over time. Also, the food that you cook on it never smells. So you can cook meatloaf on it one day and the next cookies and the smell will not transfer! The more you cook on it the more seasoned (and black) it gets. This basically means it becomes non-stick. The first few times I used it I greased the pan so things wouldn't stick. I have had it for 3 years now and use it at least once a week.

Calzone for 2

1 ball of dough (trader Joes is great) cut in half

Flour for board

Filling of choice

Olive oil

Roll out your dough while using the flour to make sure the dough doesn't stick to board to rolling pin. Add your filling in the middle and wrap filling with dough. Flip over to make sure seam is on the bottom. Brush top with oil and sprinkle with salt and some cheese if you want. Put onto greased foil lined baking sheet unless you have a baking stone.

Bake 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until dough is brown.

Variations:

Roasted broccoli, cheese, mushrooms

Italian-salami, mortadella, capicola, provolone

Eggplant or Chicken Parmesan

Buffalo- get frozen boneless buffalo tenders, cook until almost done then add to dough.

Pepperoni/Sausage/Cheese

Steak/mushroom and Cheese-Use minute steak and cook then add to calzone

Fast Food for Fish Lovers

While I do love to cook I just sometimes want it to be quick and easy. Many nights I just don't have the energy to be creative but I do want to eat good food. My husband and I are "trying" to cut down on red meat so we wanted to do a week with no red meat involved and I was feeling a bit lazy this week…The first thing that comes to mind for fast home cooking is Trader Joes. While I lived in MA TJ's was very hard to come by. Out here in CA they are like Dunkin Donuts. You can spit in any direction and hit one. I avoided TJ's as much as I could when I moved here because it was small, the selection wasn't great for my entire shopping list and it was always freakin crowded! I figured out the time to go (first thing in the morning) and I slowly go through the market and I find these little gems. So far this week I have managed to cook Shrimp Stir Fry and Fish Tacos all from TJ's and some Clam Chowder. All super fast (that's under an hour to me) and easy.


**We had this shrimp stir fry at a friends house for dinner one night. He bought the marinated veggies at Whole Paycheck, errr… I mean Whole Foods. Just added precooked shrimp and it was elegantly served. Of course I thought he slaved all day marinating and chopping, devaining and peeling. NOT! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and adapted it.


Shrimp Stir Fry
Serves 4

2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
3 green onions, chopped
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (TJ FIND)
1 cup frozen Oriental mixed vegetables, thawed (TJ FIND)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
**if you like heat to your stir fry add in ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic powder and ginger; set aside. If you want extra sauce to go over the rice then double.
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry broccoli in oil for 2 minutes. Add red pepper and onions; stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the shrimp, Oriental vegetables and garlic; cook 3 minutes longer.
Stir cornstarch mixture and stir into shrimp mixture. Add the peanuts. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.


I serve with Jasmine rice which you should make extra put in the fridge and make Fried Rice with a few days later.


**My husband and I travel to Mexico a lot and we love the country, not so much the food. I know, how could we live in California and not love Mexican Food? Hey, its not the only thing to eat out here! We do however LOVE fish tacos! Like croissants in Paris, Fish tacos just taste better in Mexico. I have eaten them with grilled fish and fried fish and to my hearts dislike my favorite is the fried. If I was doing a taco party I would have no problem frying or grilling up some fish but for an easy meal I love these batter fried fish pieces I found at Trader Joes.


Fish Tacos

Serves 2

4 tortillas soft or 6 taco shells hard
1 package frozen fried halibut fillets cooked according to package (on foil lined pan) (TJ FIND)
Fish Taco Sauce
Shredded cabbage (I like fine shredded just cabbage not coleslaw)
Shredded cheese (I like Mexican)
Limes
Chopped cilantro


Fish Taco Sauce (my brother in law invented this…OMG!)
Serves 4
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup mayo (I like the olive oil one)
1 tablespoon of hot sauce (adjust to your taste)
Juice from half a lime
Pinch of cumin

 Wisk ingredients until smooth and refridgerate. Can do up to 24 hours in advance.

 I like to heat my tortillas under a wet paper towel in the microwave for about a minute. Then spread on the sauce, 2 pieces of fish, cabbage, cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

 I also MUST have these with a margarita. I have tried a million different concoctions but to me the best has been equal parts Tequila (your favorite), Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and a splash of simple syrup. Remember your margarita will only be as good as the Tequila you use. My current favorite is 1800. There are smoother out there I know but I actually like the taste of tequila. I like mine on the rocks with only half the glass rimmed with salt. Shake it up, stirring is for sissy's and drink!

 **Being from New England I am pretty picky about my clam chowder. I like it so that a spoon can stand up in it. This recipe is like that so if you like it thinner add less flour. I have also done this recipe with bacon in it and its really good but that's not traditional NE Chowda. I have access to some amazing sourdough bread bowls and I like to serve it in that, it just makes it that much more fun to eat! This is actually better the next day. Heat slowly you don't want to overcook the clams they get chewy.

 Clam Chowda
Serves 4 for dinner

3 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams (unless you have access to fresh)
1 bottle of clam juice
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream (I use the fat free)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste

Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery and potatoes. Add juice from bottle and enough water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and canned clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.


GADGET!
The Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard http://www.amazon.com/vidalia-chopper/dp/B000MVGYOI
So, I hate chopping. Especially dicing onion. It kills me. I will do anything to avoid this but I just cannot bring myself to purchase pre-diced veggies. I discovered this in Bed Bath and Beyond and I use it a few times each week. It has 2 different chopping sizes and you just put your veggie on the grate and press down. It has a measuring guideline on the side and everything goes into the dishwasher. LOVE IT!

Stewing up a Storm

Well, here I am sealed up tight waiting for this HUGE storm to blow through the Bay Area and my husband is out of town for the evening. Usually when he is out of town I make all the things that he doesn't like. Well, he isn't a fan of beef stew so I am on a mission. It's cold, wet, windy and gray. A perfect combination for some hearty stew. Whenever I think of stew I think Beef Bourguignon and then I think Julia Child. What a perfect time to try it… I have yet to see the movie Julie and Julia but I was always a huge fan of Julia Child. While the other kids were watching cartoons on weekend mornings I would either be watching the WWF or PBS cooking shows, yes, I was sort of an odd child. My favorites were Julia Child and Martin Yan solely for their entertainment aspect. Also, I was smitten with Julia Child because at that age she was the only celebrity that I had ties to.

Here is my "tie" to Julia Child…I know it's a stretch but at 10 years old it was like she was my BFF. I spent so much time at my grandparent's house in East Cambridge and in one of the flats lived my Uncle and my Great Grandmother. Well, my Uncle was a cab driver (I think he is going on 40 years). In any event it was his job to pick up Julia Child from her home in Cambridge every day and deliver her to the PBS studios for the taping of the shows. There you have it…my connection to the professional culinary television industry.

Back to my point. …I took one look at the recipe and said "not today Julia". I needed to make do with what I had cuz there was no way I was heading outside. I finally found a recipe on allrecipes.com that looked good that I could adapt to what I had "in house"…While this recipe has wine in it, I don't think it can officially be called Beef Bourguignon. To add to the confusion in this "stew" I discovered that I do not own a covered casserole dish. I do intend to invest in a Le Cruset eventually though. What I did however have was an All Clad Tagine. I know, weird. I LOVE my tagine and don't use it all that often because I think about it only when I want to make Moroccan type dishes. In this economy we need to start thinking out of the box because no way in hell will my husband be OK with me spending 350$ on a pot! I browned the meat and basically did everything in the pan and then simmered it on the stove for a couple of hours with the cone top on it and it came out FANTASTIC! You SHOULD do this a day ahead of time if you can, it does taste better. Heat it slowly.
The gadget: Tagine: I have the All Clad Emerileware one. I love that it's nonstick, the size is perfect and it's not heavy BUT you cannot put the top in the oven.

Beef "kind of" Bourguignon
2.5 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
1 pound bite sized beef (I use sirloin)
2.5 tablespoons of butter
1 medium onion sliced
2 carrots sliced or 1 cup of the mini's
½ clove garlic minced
¾ cup red wine
½ cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons parsley
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
10 oz pkg of sliced mushrooms optional


Put flour, salt and pepper into a Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Then add beef and shake to coat.
Heat butter in pan and add meat to sear on all sides
Remove meat from pan and put aside.
Add onion and cook until soft about 5-10 minutes
Add carrots, mushrooms, and garlic and cook another 5 minutes. Do not burn garlic
Add wine, broth, bay leaf, parsley, thyme and stir, bring to boil.
Add beef and drippings, cover, and turn down to simmer for 2 hours.

Vegetarian Menu

We have been trying to get a dinner on the calendar for a very long time with this one super fun couple and this weekend it finally happened. We had such a great time and they were supposed to come up early to watch sunset since October weather is notoriously beautiful here in the hills…NOT this year! To our dismay it was cold and we were totally fogged in. I always ask my guests in advance if there were any dietary restrictions and most often than not there is. One of our guests only eats fish as their meat and is also allergic to garlic.

The Menu

Crostini with blue cheese and fig jam

Stuffed Shrooms

Pecan Crunch Salmon

Israeli Couscous

Salad w/Vinaigrette (see earlier post)

Apple Crumb Pie

Vanilla ice cream

In prepping for a dinner party I always do the dessert first if I can. It’s not a special technique I swear by its really just because if all else fails you WILL have dessert finished!

THE Crostini
I got this idea from the caterer we usually use for my husband’s work events he holds at the house. Of course, our caterer makes his own jam but I still have yet to find a recipe that compares and caterers usually don’t share their “IP”. This is so simple it’s hardly a recipe. It has an amazing combination of the salty and the sweet with the smooth cheese and the crunch bread, basically heaven. Feel free to make the crostini up to a week ahead of time and store in a baggie. I usually buy my fig jam at the local gourmet market http://www.dalmatiaimports.com/Product.aspx . I have seen it several places and it’s always with the cheese. Speaking of cheese use any blue/gorgonzola that you LOVE. My current favorite is Pt. Reys Blue Cheese http://pointreyescheese.com/ .

CROSTINI WITH FIG JAM AND BLUE CHEESE

Thin Baguette

EVOO

Fig Jam

Gorgonzola

To make the crostini, slice the bread about ½” thick. Brush (or spray) EVOO and pop into 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. At this point you can let cool and put away or prepare.

Spread jam and sprinkle cheese on top. Put under broiler for 1 MINUTE! DO NOT STEP AWAY FROM THE OVEN!

Best served immediately.

I chose to prep these several hours before my guests arrived. I put it on a foil lined baking sheet (no clean up) and put plastic wrap over it until I was ready to bake.

STUFFED SHROOMS

I have been making these I feel like my entire life. Every Christmas Eve my mom does an open house and every year the Shrooms make an appearance and then a quick disappearance. As I got older and my sister did as well she took over these little morsels of heaven. You can easily stuff them the day before and then just let them get to room temp and pop them in the oven. Remember the bigger the mushroom the longer the cooking time. So if you get “stuffing” mushrooms be prepared to cook them for about 35-45 minutes. These are best served hot as well. I am lucky enough to have a warming drawer so I baked them about an hour before the guests arrived and kept them in the drawer with foil over them. I also like to use baby bella or basically anything but white. I love the earthy flavors of the darker mushrooms (for this dish anyway).I also like to use my garlic oil for this recipe (Last night was the exception), I only use Stonehouse oil for my cooking (unless I am frying in Peanut oil) http://www.stonehouseoliveoil.com/ There is really nothing fancy about this recipe but no matter how many my sister and I make there are never more than a couple leftover. The recipe below is for 1 pkg of 10 oz mushrooms. Don’t even bother, just double it.

Gadget: The Alaskan ULU. I came across this when we were in Alaska. They were everywhere and they looked kind of weird to me since I have been using my straight Wustofs for a very long time. I couldn’t imagine what you could do with an ULU. WELL I certainly found out after a salesperson spent 30 minutes with me showing me all the different uses of an ULU. I was sold. This knife is incredible! I have attached a link to show you something similar to what I have. I cut nuts, herbs, skin fish, slice raw meat, etc. I was all about my Santoku before I found this tool! You have so much more control of the knife too. In this recipe I minced up the stems of the mushrooms.

Stuffed Shrooms

10oz pkg mushrooms

2 Tablespoons EVOO

2 teaspoons parsley fresh if you have it

1 clove minced garlic

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup Italian Style bread crumbs

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Clean the mushrooms (in any way you see fit, I put them under water)
Cut off end of stem and pull stem out of cap. I find that if you wiggle it the whole thing comes out.
Place stems aside and mince them up.
Heat oil over medium heat in small sauté pan and add stems, parsley and sauté until stems are fully cooked. Add garlic towards the end and sauté for another minute or two.
Put salt, bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl and mix.
Add stem mixture to bowl and mix well. The consistency should be wet but not too wet. If you can squeeze it together to form a ball it’s good.
Stuff mushrooms and place on foil lined baking sheet sprayed with oil.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Pecan Crunch Salmon
I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com and OMG its amazing! I enjoy salmon but I am kind of picky about it when it’s in its “naked’ state. I am spoiled living in California and being able to get all this different type of salmon. Also my recent trip to Alaska allowed me to taste many different types of salmon. The biggest lesson I walked away with is “friends don’t let friends eat farmed fish”. It’s kind of like eating Maine lobster your whole life and then going on vacation to the Caribbean and eating gulf lobster. It’s an OK substitute but no way near like the real thing (IMHO). I have been known to try 3 different markets before I find fresh fish that I am looking for. For all you locals, Piedmont Grocery on Piedmont Ave, in Oakland, CA is where I buy most of my fish. Yes, they are overpriced but they do have an amazing selection of meat and fish and they are real butchers and fish mongers. Meaning, they don’t sit behind a glass wall and you self serve the meat. NO you tell them what you want and how you are preparing it and they will prep the meat for you. I made a salmon appie and I needed it to be skinned and cut into 1” cubes, not a problem. Of course, this is one reason you pay a higher price probably. Sorry, digressing…in any event buy fresh. Right now, I am all about the fresh, wild caught Coho Salmon, its delicate, and has that bright red color.
For this recipe you can make the wet mixture several days ahead of time and put in the fridge, same with the dry ingredients (keep them separate). I always leave the skin on when I cook it and DO NOT spray the aluminum lined pan. That way when the fish is done I slip the spatula between the flesh and the skin and the skin is left behind easily.

Pecan Crunch Salmon
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons butter
2 ½ teaspoons of butter
¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
¼ chopped pecans
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 4-6 oz salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix mustard, butter and honey. Put in fridge a minimum 20 minutes so it’s thick.
In another bowl mix panko, pecans and parsley.
Season salmon with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet (greased or ungreased, see above). Brush with wet mixture then sprinkle with dry mixture
Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
Serve with lemon.

Israeli Couscous with Parsley and Shallots
I discovered Israeli Couscous at a friend’s wedding in Sarasota, odd I know. I am part Syrian and traditionally my grandmother made couscous with her Tabhouli like everyone can picture it. Israeli Couscous is different. They are tiny little beats and need to be boiled. They are in between traditional couscous and pasta. It’s in my supermarket “sometimes” but it’s always at Trader Joes. When adding the water I actually take the pot OFF the stove and add only a few tablespoons (eyeball it) at a time. When the directions say to add it slow they didn’t specify how slow…VERY slow is what it should say. It’s kind of like adding a chicken wing to a fryer. This is also an easy recipe. You can easily sauté the shallots the day before and then bring them to room temp or nuke them and add them to the couscous when it’s hot. I usually complete the entire dish about an hour ahead of time and keep in my warming drawer. This tastes amazing the next day too so feel free to cook the entire dish ahead of time and reheat in a pot on the stove. Low and slow though, while there is oil in this dish it still could stick.

1 package of Israeli Couscous (usually 1 1/3 cup)
1 ½ cup water HOT
2 tablespoons EVOO
Salt pepper
8 (~ ½ lb) Shallots thinly sliced
Parsley
Lemon juice

Heat oil in sauté pan and add shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent and golden, about 10 minutes. Put aside.
Heat oil in pot and add couscous. Sauté couscous until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Add water VERY SLOWLY. Bring to boil and then turn to simmer for 12 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and add shallot mixture and parsley. Just before serving add lemon juice to your taste and adjust salt and pepper.

APPLE PIE A LA MODE!
My husband and I traveled to Placerville, CA on the motorcycle about a month ago. We do this every year to go white water rafting. We have our favorite spots but just discovered Apple Hill. It’s this place that has all different market stalls and everything that has to do with apples. We obviously got apple pie and it was pretty amazing. I tried to duplicate and came pretty close. My apple of choice is Cortland. I have yet to see them out in the bay area unfortunately. I also made my own crust for this pie. I enjoy making my own crust and I am totally lazy about it. I remember the days I made 20 pies during apple season and I would cut the lard into the flour by hand! Then I discovered that my food processor was way better at it. I have tried many recipes for pie crusts and this one is the best. Ruth Reichl’s recipe…The egg wash on the crust is to prevent the bottom crust to become soggy. Also, the lower that you place the pie in the oven the better the chances of the bottom crust cooking. Make this pie the day before, TRY not to eat it. Reheat it in the oven if you want it slightly warm. I just put it in my warming drawer for a few hours and it was perfect. As for the ice cream, well, this one is the best base I have come by. I found it to scoop like name brand ice cream, not come out in chunks. I have a

For the “single” crust
1 ¼ cups flour
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cold shortening (Crisco)
¼ teaspoons salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Put flour, butter, shortening and salt in food processor with steel blade and pulse until pea sized lumps form.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of ice water evenly over mixture and pulse until your dough ball forms. Depending on weather you might need that extra tablespoon of water.
Do not overwork dough
Flatten dough into 5” disk sprinkle with flour and wrap in plastic
Put in fridge 2 days max 1 hr. min. Or frozen

For the Pie
1 (9 inch) pie shell
Egg wash
5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly brush pie crust with egg wash and put in fridge while peeling apples.

Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, and then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.

Remove pie shell from fridge. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping

In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats. Mix thoroughly, and then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.

Reduce heat to 375 degrees Bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

Vanilla Ice Cream (This is for French Vanilla but substitute for regular creamer and use it for a base for any flavor)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

2 cups half-and-half cream OR French Vanilla Creamer

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract (omit if using flavored creamer)

Beat eggs, yolks, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.

In a heavy saucepan heat cream to simmer (until bubbles form around edges.

Pour 1 cup of cream mixture into egg mixture stirring constantly. (Temper the eggs)

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 170 degrees F.

Remove from the heat; Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. When ready to freeze, pour stirred custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Equipment: I have had my little Cuisinart ice cream maker for about 10 years now. I use it regularly. It’s easy, small and affordable. http://www.cuisinart.com/products/ice_cream/ice-20.html IF you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, spend the extra 20$ and get the ice cream attachment.

Heat Wave!

Here we are in the SF Bay Hills and we are having our best weather! It was predicted that we were going to have a heat wave and I knew I was entertaining friends on Saturday night and did not want to be in the kitchen cooking. We don’t have AC like most people that live in the hills so with the oven on it could be crazy hot. We very rarely need AC although there have been way more hot days on hand than ever! I needed to come up with a menu that was easy and didn’t require the oven.


The Menu:
Grilled Halloumi with lemon and grilled pita bread
Olives warmed
Dolmas with pita bread
Marinated Flank Steak
Seasoned grilled potatoes
Salad with vinaigrette & Fleur de Sel
Key Lime Pie

HALLOUMI AND OLIVES! A Greek friend of ours introduced us to halloumi cheese. It is a fantastic cheese with excellent consistency that can stand up to a grill. You can buy this in a specialty cheese section. My local supermarket sells it. It comes in a vacuum sealed package. Its white and kind of shaped like an oval. I usually split it in half (sometimes it comes already split). I have one of those grill baskets that you can flip over and I put it in that. Turn the grill down low and let them cook for about 10 minutes on each side. Try not to burn it but grill marks are great! When they are done I cut them up into bite size pieces and squirt lemon juice on it. Serve it with pita bread that’s been warmed on the grill along with some extra lemon wedges.

While the halloumi is cooking I put olives (a medley of pitted) in foil and put them on the grill to warm too. Olives taste so good warmed!

DOLMAS! This is a recipe that I learned as a child with my Syrian grandmother (aka Tha-Tha). She is 91 now and still sharp as a tack! Syrian cooking is back breaking work! I spent so much time with her in the kitchen but not sure how much of a help I ever was. I did however get the hang of things and let me tell you, Arabic cooking is not for the quick and easy. At least the food my family prepared. Dolmas is the Greek word for these “rolled grape leaves” as my family called them. I use ground lamb but you can do ground beef if you want. For a substitution for Syrian pepper use Allspice. You can do these the day before OR way ahead of time and freeze them uncooked. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge and then cook as directed below. My grandmother said they should be the length of your thumb but it really depends on the size of the grapeleaves you have. IF you are lucky enough to get fresh leaves get the smaller ones, they are more tender. I usually have to get them in a jar and they are fairly large. I always serve this with soft pita bread. I wrap the dolmas in the bread and dip it in the juice if there is extra on hand. You can serve these hot or at room temp.

Grape Leaves
Makes about 30-40


1 cup uncooked rice (I prefer jasmine)
2 lbs ground lamb
2 jars of grape leaves (about 45 if fresh) (leaves soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and rinsed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon Syrian pepper (or allspice)
2 Tablespoons dried mint leaves crushed in your palm OR 5 fresh
6 cloves of sliced garlic
1 cup fresh lemon juice
10 kalamata olives

• Wash and drain rice several times in cold water.
• Mix together rice, lamb, salt, pepper, allspice and dried mint if using.
• Take about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and form a log on the grape leaf. Wrap the meat with the grape leaf like an eggroll (up from the bottom, then bring in the sides then roll to finish).
• Line the pot with grape leaves so the Dolmas don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Arrange the Dolmas in the pot in layers. Between each layer add sliced garlic, olives and fresh mint if using.
• When all Dolmas are in the pot add water to top of Dolmas and add lemon juice. Put a plate on top of Dolmas to keep them down. Simmer on low for 1.5 hours.
• Remove Dolmas from pot carefully and serve with juice and extra lemon.

FLANK STEAK!!! I have several marinades for beef and right now this is my favorite! It has a Korean flair to it and it’s a bit sweet but has a kick to it too. You can adjust the heat easily. I LOVE flank steak. It is readily available. Not too fatty and marinates and cooks quick. This is one of those meats that really needs to “rest” for at least 5-10 minutes. Remember to slice this against the grain. You can always make the marinade up to a week ahead of time. I wouldn’t marinate the meat longer than 15 hours though. Because its not a roast the seasonings really sink in fast and while you want to taste the seasonings you still want to taste the beef.

Useful marinating tool—I have discovered the ziplock baggies that you can vacuum seal. These are FANTASTIC at marinating! I also store my cheese in them because they can reseal.

Flank Steak

2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend

1/4 cup Tamari dark soy (I didn’t have it so I used 2 T Hoisin +2 T Soy Sauce)

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (here is where you can adjust the heat)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons toasted (dark) sesame oil, eyeball it

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 pounds flank steak

• In a shallow bowl, combine grill seasoning, dark soy, honey, hot pepper flakes, garlic, sesame oil and scallions. In a Ziplock bag coat the flank steak in the mixture and let it marinate, no longer than 15 hours or you wont be able to taste the steak.

• Preheat grill to medium high. When the grill is screaming hot, add meat and cook 5 minutes on each side for medium rare, 7 to 8 minutes on each side for medium well doneness.
• To serve, let meat rest 5 minutes for juices to redistribute. Thinly slice the meat on a heavy angle against the grain (the lines in the meat).

SALTY GRILLED POTATOES are a fancy spin on the regular baked potato. I found this on allrecipes.com and have made it many time! I usually get pretty large baking potatoes and these cook on the grill for about an hour and half. You can also do this in an oven. Remember to turn the taters if they are on the grill or they will burn for sure. Serve these with butter, sour cream and some fancy salt. You can prepare these up to 24 hours ahead of time in the foil.

Grilled Potatoes
4 large baking potatoes
Olive oil
Course salt
Garlic powder
Pepper
Italian Seasoning (good seasons Italian dressing packet)
Parmesean cheese

Wash and dry (well) potatoes and prick holes in potatoes all over. Put on foil square. Drizzle oil and sprinkle rest of ingredients on both sides of the potato. Wrap well in foil. Cook on med grill for 1.5 hours turning every 15-20 minutes.

VINAIGRETTE! OK so I know it’s just a salad but when you have a meal that has all these flavors going on, I didn’t want a complicated veggie and since it was supposed to be so hot I figured this would be nice and light. When I do a “dainty” salad like this I like to use butter lettuce. I put all the ingredients in a Tupperware container that I am going to store it in and I use my immersion blender and whirl everything right up. Whenever I use this tool for vinaigrette it never separates. It always stays emulsified. I always do my dressing a few days ahead of time so the flavors blend. When you are ready to toss your salad be stingy with the dressing. You only want to lightly coat the leaves. When you are done tossing sprinkle some Fleur de Sel (or other nice salt) and pepper.

Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
½ Cup good olive oil

KEY LIME PIE! The big finale and my husband’s favorite part of the meal…dessert! Again since it was so hot I wanted to do something that was light and refreshing and something that I didn’t have to prep right after eating, key lime pie… Unfortunately for this you can’t really do too much of it ahead of time and it is a bit of hands on. I do like to make my own graham crust and you can do that a few days ahead if you want. The pie needs to chill so the ideal time to make it is 24 hours before you plan on serving it. I also use fresh key limes, only because they are available. Feel free to squeeze these a few days before hand. They now have bottled key lime juice too. I use my dual lemon/lime juice press from William Sonoma and invert the halved key lime. I find it easier this way. If you bought too many key limes then slice a few for decorating the pie if you still have more, juice the rest and freeze the juice. Use it for your next pie. Citrus juice freezes very well…

Key Lime Pie
Graham cracker crust for 1 pie
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Mix all ingredients and pour into crust. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 8 minutes. DO NOT BROWN. Chill pie until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream.

It was a great dinner with great company. Lucky for us though the weather was nice and cool!

Mangia, Mangia!

Mangia, Mangia!
It has been a VERY long time since I had made my grandfathers sauce. In my family its sauce, not gravy and not marinara…just sauce. Being half Italian it has been a staple in my family for generations with this recipe brought from my great grandfather in Gaeta, Italy. It is simply a red tomato sauce. I was taught to cook it with meatballs and pork and sausage. If it was a special occasion my nana would make lasagna and if it was my birthday my mom would make Baked Ziti. I usually do a double recipe of the sauce and freeze it according to what I have in mind for future use (individual servings or entertaining). It takes ALL day to do this. Not so much hands on work but it simmers for hours and the longer it simmers the better it tastes. Since my sister is a vegetarian we have had to adapt the “sauce” over the years to taste OK but without the meat, its not the same, but for you vegetarians its as good as its gonna get!
The ideas are endless on what to do with red sauce. A few ideas…Eggplant parmigiana, Chicken parmigiana, Baked ziti, Lasagna, pizza sauce, or simply put it over pasta. I usually start early in the morning, with coffee in hand and serve it with a traditional pasta dinner in the evening. This can absolutely be made ahead of time and refrigerated and used within 2 days or frozen. I used my electric frying pan to cook the meatballs and my largest stockpot for the sauce, it gets pretty full with all the meat in there.
This past Sunday I decided to make the sauce at the request of some very dear friends. I did traditional Ziti with the sauce, pork, meatballs and sausages. There was garlic bread on hand, Caesar salad for some greenage and of course what’s an Italian meal without dessert…hence Tiramisu (with cooked egg). Again, I have adapted a couple of these recipes from Allrecipes.com. When guests arrive, make the pasta, put the bread in the oven, toss the salad and you are all set!
It all happened so fast I didn’t have time to take pictures of the finished results. A great incentive to make it again soon.
Nana I think I did you proud!
Susan

Sauce

• EVOO
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 green pepper chopped
• Pork country style spareribs (depends on how much your family will eat)
• Sweet Italian sausage
• handful pine nuts
• 1 T chopped parsley
• 2-4 cloves crushed garlic
• Dash crushed hot pepper
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 can kitchen ready tomatoes (pureed) + 1.5 cans water
• 1 can tomato paste + 1 can water
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
1. Line bottom of pot with oil and heat over medium high.
2. Brown pork and sausage about 15 minutes.
3. Add onion, pepper, pine nuts, parsley, garlic, red pepper, cloves and sauté about 5 minutes on Med Low don’t burn onion and garlic.
4. Add tomatoes and water.
5. When meatballs are done frying add them to the sauce.
6. Simmer sauce on low 5 hours stirring occasionally and making sure bottom of pot isn’t burning.
7. Adjust seasoning

Meatballs
• 1lb lean hamburger meat
• 1 egg beaten
• ½ Cup Italian style breadcrumbs
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 1 T grated parmesan cheese
• 2 t parsley chopped fine
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water
• EVOO

1. Mix all ingredients except water.
2. Add water until you get a soft consistency but they still form meatballs.
3. Fry in oil on all sides. Drain
4. Add to sauce for several hours.
*Note—because there is water in the meat they will splatter when frying.

Here are a couple of pictures of the consistancy of the cream after the cheese has been added and the ladyfingers in the pan.




Tiramisu
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups mascarpone cheese
• 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream (the colder it is the faster it whips)
• 4 packages soft ladyfingers
• 1/3 cup coffee flavored liqueur
• Cocoa powder for dusting
• Chocolate curls (dark)

1. Combine egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water. Reduce heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whip yolks until thick and lemon colored.
2. Add mascarpone to whipped yolks. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold into yolk mixture and set aside.
3. Line the bottom and sides of a springform pan or glass square dish. Brush with coffee liqueur. Spoon half of the cream filling over the lady fingers, then dust with cocoa. Repeat ladyfingers, coffee liqueur and filling layers. Garnish with cocoa and chocolate curls. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
4. To make the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar.

Caesar Salad Dressing
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 5 anchovy fillets in olive oil
• 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a mini food processor and whirl until smooth. If it is too thick I think it out with hot water. Refrigerate until ready to use.

How bout them wings!

So this past week I was in Boston visiting family and eating my way to oblivion. I just returned on Wednesday and I knew I would not have time Thursday to go food shopping. I needed to look to see what’s on hand. Low and behold a package of wings in the freezer! Thinking I might marinate them and grill them (it has been HOT here) that was quickly put aside when my husband got wind…at his request my buffalo wings needed to make an appearance. I have a Delonghi Deep Fryer. Its not too big and it really keeps the temperature nice. I am not savvy nor coordinated enough to do this in a big pot.

In order to do this for company… You can easily fry the wings the day before and heat them in a CONVECTION oven on a sheet pan and then toss with the sauce right before serving. I have done them this way and you really cannot tell the difference. The blue cheese dressing make ahead the day before for sure and please make sure you use a cheese that you would eat with a glass of wine. Same thing with the hot sauce, make sure to use your favorite. We are partial to Crystals cuz that’s what they serve down in New Orleans. I usually serve this with a simple salad if its just us and some killer beer.

A few tips on frying…rely on a thermometer for temperature. When adding wings, add them one at a time. IF you add them all at once the oil will bubble up and overflow and can be very dangerous. I usually cook my wings for 12-15 minutes depending on the size. The best way to know if they are done is there will be hardly any noise and bubbles in the oil and they kind of feel light and float on the top. Not to mention the beautiful golden color.



Buffalo Wings
• oil for deep frying (I prefer Peanut)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 1 dash onion powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 chicken wings

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees . The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep or to your deep fryers recommended setting.
2. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.
3. In a Ziploc bag mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in bag and shake until they are evenly coated. Refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
4. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Place wings in a bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together, making sure every wing is evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Blue Cheese Dressing
• 2 1/2 ounces blue cheese crumbled
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, stir all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
NOTE: if you don’t have buttermilk on hand (which I never do) mix together the vinegar and 3 T milk and let sit for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Nesting

It’s interesting that I chose to write about this weekend for my first post, as I’m not entertaining anyone but us. Just because you don’t have guests over doesn’t mean you don’t cook. I cook just as much for the two of us as I do for guests, so I figured I would be consistent and post exactly what was happening in my cooking life.

My husband and I left the house only once this past weekend. He had a hell of a week at work and needed to decompress and get some stuff done at home. I intentionally did not schedule any social activities for the entire weekend. We watched countless movies and the one time we left home was to go to the Farmers Market in the village to do some shopping. This was a great opportunity to try some new recipes and I wanted to use some ingredients I already had on hand.

On Friday I looked in the fridge/freezer/pantry and I had 1lb of leftover ricotta cheese from the gnocchi I made last week. I also had some chicken tenderloins (from the chicken Florentine) in the freezer, premium lump crabmeat because it is crab season, and lots of cake and pudding mix (that’s what happens when they go on sale for 1$).

I had just finished booking my ticket to visit Boston (my hometown) and I was thinking about a chicken cutlet sub at Burlington Cold Cuts, so I HAD to make some chicken cutlets with the tenderloins. It had been FOREVER since I made cutlets. This was one of my papa’s recipes that he was famous for. It was always a good day when I came home from school and I saw breadcrumbs on the counter. I actually had to text my sister for a brain poke to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything because this seemed too easy.

There are so many things you can do with chicken cutlets, and you can certainly cook them the day before. There’s the chicken parm sub, or you can do it in a casserole for good old chicken parmagian, throw a picatta sauce over it, or just eat it out of the Tupperware with the fridge door open. My favorite…always the next day between two slices of Italian Bread (LaCascias for all you Burlingtonites). A couple of years ago I tried this with Panko. It was a no-go. Just wasn’t the same to me.

Below is how I make them. IF you do want to make chicken parmagiana and prep this, do the cutlets a day ahead. I would put them on a foil lined sheet and stick them in the oven 350 convection to crisp the outsides then assemble the dish with sauce and cheese. Stick back into oven to melt cheese and warm sauce. Whenever I pan fry I use a skillet. This is what I am talking about and this is the MUCH newer version. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14721860&RN=692

I have my grandmother’s old one of this exact one. I like it because it heats evenly to an exact temperature and it’s easier to clean up. It doesn’t splatter as much and I don’t have to clean my stove at all, just wipe down the counter.

Papa’s Chicken Cutlets
2lbs chicken tenderloins (if you are going to use full breasts I would pound them or cut them in half so they are thinner, they cook better)
2 Cups Progresso Italian Style breadcrumbs
1/3 Cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Oil (I use canola)

Mix breadcrumbs and cheese in shallow bowl. Beat eggs in separate shallow bowl. Wash and dry the chicken (or the egg won’t stick). Season both sides with salt and pepper. Dip in egg and then breadcrumbs. Fry on both sides in ¼ inch of oil until brown on outside and done in center. Drain or pat dry.

Hmmmm…what to do with Ricotta…I REALLY wanted to make a ricotta pie but my husband isn’t a big fan and I am in no shape to eat a whole pie by myself. He does love pancakes though! I searched the internet for various ricotta pancake recipes and finally came up with my own. Off to my quest to make Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes! I added the chocolate chips because, well, whenever I made homemade canoli’s I ALWAYS put mini chocolate chips in them. Something about ricotta and chocolate…

This recipe was SO easy! You can easily do this ahead of time for a breakfast or brunch and keep them in the lowest setting on your oven (uncovered and NOT stacked to keep them from getting soggy). You can also add whatever you want. Blueberries, chopped figs, bananas, etc. Mmmmm maybe bananas AND chocolate chips next time! I would NOT suggest making the batter ahead of time, it has baking soda in it and the cakes might not rise like they should. Also, I would not suggest using the low fat ricotta in this recipe. You can get away with it in lasagna but since there are so few ingredients in this I’m not suggesting it. My mom always cooked her pancakes in Crisco shortening. That’s how I do it. I like how the outside gets all crispy and it doesn’t take away from the taste of the cake. You can always add butter on top if you want. Since I am all the way out here in CA the good maple syrup is hard to find (one thing I miss about Boston). I’ve been using the trader Joes pure maple syrup and it’s not that bad and its affordable.



Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pancakes
Makes 6 - 6” cakes

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
Chocolate chips
Shortening

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Stir in egg and ricotta cheese until well blended.

Melt shortening onto griddle that’s over medium low. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Top with a sprinkling of chips. Cook until bubbles form on top, then turn to brown other side. Serve immediately with warm maple syrup or put on cookie rack in oven on low to keep warm.




As the weekend progressed I searched for crab cake recipes. I LOVE crab cakes and I’m very picky about them. My nana was raised in Chesapeake Bay, MD so when our relatives came up so did the bushels of crab, and there’s nothing like crab cakes made from fresh picked crab. I did, however, have a fantastic crab cake (and king crab) experience at Tracy’s crab shack in Juneau, Alaska http://www.kingcrabshack.com/ recently. I have no idea if my recipe below comes close to Tracy’s (I had one too many at the Alaskan Brewing Company to remember) but the ones I made yesterday were hella good! They can easily be prepared in the morning or even the night before you want to cook them. It takes no time at all to fry them up! You can even fry them before guests arrive and put them in the oven on a rack, so air circulates all around them to keep from getting soggy and keep them warm. You can use an ice cream scoop to make it easier, and if you want to do mini cakes for appies you can use a mini muffin tin. I might try and bake them next time. To freeze them you need to do so AFTER you fry and cool them. Freeze them on a tray in a single layer, then you can stack them with wax paper between them and pop them back in the freezer. Reheat in a convection oven. They should go from freezer to oven - do not defrost.

I served this with lemon wedges and salad with an easy vinaigrette with grilled corn (hey it’s in season).



Crab Cakes
8 cakes

1 lb lump crabmeat
6 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs (such as Progresso)
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons minced shallots (or green onions whatever you have)
1 beaten egg
2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon mustard (I used Dean and Deluca balsamic-shallot mustard)
1/2 cup panko
Canola oil

Measure all the ingredients for the crab cakes-- except the panko and vegetable oil-- into a large bowl. Use a spatula to carefully fold the ingredients together. Avoid over-stirring. Fill a clean muffin tin with equal amounts of the crab mixture. Press down a bit on each crab cake so that the top is flat but don't press too hard. Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for a couple hours to help the cakes stay together when they're browned in the oil. After the crab cakes have chilled through, heat up about 1/4-inch of vegetable oil in large skillet over medium/low heat. Fill a shallow bowl with the panko breadcrumbs. Carefully turn the crab cakes out onto a plate; I needed the assistance of a spoon. Gently roll each crab cake around in the panko breadcrumbs and flatten a little to make a bit thinner and larger. Each crab cake should be wearing a light coating of panko. Test the oil by dropping a pinch of panko into the pan. It should sizzle. Sauté the crab cakes in the hot oil for 3 minutes on each side or until the cakes are golden brown. Drain crab cakes on paper towels or a rack.



So it’s Sunday night and True Blood is our big event for Sunday nights. I still have this cake mix staring at me. Off I search for a simple but decadent recipe for my yellow cake mix. Low and behold I came across a recipe from recipegoldmine.com. They had a plethora of recipes that used cake mix. I asked my husband, “how does Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake sound?” and his GI-normous eyes told me it was a go! As I am sitting here finishing this blog I can say without a doubt that this cake tastes just as good the next day.



Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 small box Jell-O instant chocolate pudding
• 12 oz package milk chocolate morsels
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease (aka. Spray with Pam) 13 x 9-inch pan. Mix together cake mix, water, milk, eggs, oil, and pudding. Stir in 1/2 package of chocolate chips. Mix well. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Frosting:
1. When cake was cool I melted the remaining chips and butter in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. I then stirred like crazy until it was smooth; it was a paste like consistency. Spread on cooled cake.



Until next time…

Welcome to My Kitchen With THE View!

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to my first blog. For a long time I’ve looking for a venue to “share” information about entertaining , and this seems like a fantastic way to get the word out!
A little about me…I was brought up in a family where most of our social events revolved around food. I have been helping my mom entertain since I was old enough to stand on a chair to frost cookies or cut gnocchi at the counter. As I got older my duties included setting the table (I was 14 when she finally let me touch the crystal) and making the pizzaleas (God forbid if they came out too small). Every Christmas Eve we would have open house with over 50 guests. Sunday dinners and countless birthday celebrations were also large entertaining events. All in all, my mom molded and shaped me (and my younger sister) into a “hostess machine”. I was always looking to prepare for and conduct events in the most efficient way possible. As time went on and I moved out on my own I started experimenting with food, cooking for my friends and family. Even with the help of my mother and sister, entertaining and keeping a home is A LOT of work! I scour the internet for new recipes, ideas and gadgets that will make my life easier, or make cooking and entertaining fun. Currently I live in the Oakland Hills in the San Francisco Bay area. My husband and I entertain almost every single weekend we are home. We have a perfect house for entertaining, so it’s hard NOT to hang out with our friends here.
I believe that there are two types of hosts: there is the host that starts to cook when their guests arrive, with everyone hanging out in the kitchen cooking together and watching their host cook; and then there is the host that does everything they possibly can ahead of time so when the guests arrive there is minimal to do in order to prep the food. I am the latter. I want to hand my guests a glass of wine when they walk into my home and I want to sit down and give them my undivided attention. Now, that doesn’t mean I won’t ask my guests to help me out in last minute preparations because I certainly will.
I plan on using this forum to post great recipes I come across from the internet or cook books, and to share some family recipes. I also want to show you how to do the work efficiently beforehand, teach you tips and tricks I have learned over time, and also show you things that didn’t work so you can avoid mistakes that can ruin (or at least dampen) an event.
I would ask that you bear with me as I develop this blog. I suggest subscribing to this blog since I will be posting intermittently. This is all new to me and it will be exciting to see how it evolves. Please let me know what you want to know, what you like to cook or eat, and what you enjoy reading about and I will do my best to make this valuable to you!
Susan