Posts from — December 2009

The original version of this recipe is from Tyler Florence of the Food Network.  I made his recipe for a series of classes I just finished teaching at Les Gourmettes Cooking School. With Tyler’s Twice Cooked Potatoes, the second cooking is achieved by deep frying the potatoes, and are they delicious! But after serving 33 students in two nights, I came to the conclusion that using the original version as part of a buffet doesn’t work well because of the final frying step. The potatoes are best eaten immediately, as most fried foods are.  What made the potatoes so wonderful was the crispiness achieved by deep-frying.  My double roasting technique results in a similar crisp texture, but without the extra fat, plus the potatoes can now be served hot or held at room temperature, without becoming greasy. Not only are these potatoes a great vegetable side dish, but they also make perfect little party nibbles!

Aïoli is a garlic and olive oil sauce from France, with a texture very much like mayonnaise. Aïoli is sometimes called the “butter of Provence” because it is such an integral part of their cuisine. In Provence, usually, two cloves are used per person, which may seem like a lot, but roasting the garlic as done here, mellows out the garlic considerably.

The Cuisinart has a special feature just for the purpose of making fresh mayonnaise and aïoli. The lid has a spout (a feed tube) with a “food pusher”.  The food pusher has a small hole in the bottom that allows oil to drip slowly into the work bowl at just the right rate, a “slow and steady stream” allowing the mayonnaise to emulsify perfectly.

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The secret to managing the holidays? Just remember the two “P’s” – Preparation and Planning!

For a party or a big holiday meal, always make a game plan. You need to know more than just what dishes you want to serve. Time management and prepping, as much as possible ahead of time, are the keys. Once you have a menu in mind, the first thing to figure out is what time you would like to serve the meal or what time the party is to start. Take that time and work backward. If you need an example of what I’m talking about, look at my Thanksgiving timeline by clicking here.

Next, always look at your recipes and figure out what can be done in advance. I can’t think of even one occasion where I have cooked all the dishes for a large meal or the food for a party on the day of the event. Of course, some an item needs to be made or finished at the very last minute, just be sure to create the menu so that there are only one or two (at the most!) such items, not three or four, or you will be a frazzled wreck before the first guest rings the bell.

Don’t pull a Martha and believe that every single thing must be homemade. If you love the bread or pastries from the bakery around the corner or think that the butternut squash soup from the deli is the best you’ve ever had, purchase those items and serve them with pride, as they do in France! Speaking of soup, smooth and creamy soups make great hot or room temperature hors d’oeuvres. Purchase inexpensive shoot glasses at a store such as Cost Plus World Market and garnish with a few minced chives – so easy, impressive, and fabulous!

Finally, and most importantly, Have Fun! People want to celebrate, spend time together, and relax. The best way for your party or meal to be a success is to be sure you do the same. Enjoy!

Easy Gift Guide
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For me, side dishes on big holidays are the hardest. I want to do something new each time and yet sometimes I feel limited.  Strange, I know, with the amazing variety and selection of produce these days, but true all the same. Well, this side is perfect for Christmas…it carries through the red and green theme and is a crowd-pleaser too. The vinaigrette is great in summer or winter and goes great with greens for a delicious fresh salad and equally great with about every vegetable under the sun.
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Do you know anyone who doesn’t like lasagna? I certainly don’t! It’s right up there with hamburgers, spaghetti, and mac and cheese as the all-time family favorites. All those classics have been posted here already, it is now lasagna’s turn.

Toasted and skinned hazelnuts are used in the pesto. To learn how to do this procedure, either go to the Tip Index at the left and look under “Hazelnuts” or click on this link.
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I made these easy and pretty grapes for the first time about 15 years ago for a holiday open house. They are a perennial favorite. The cheese and nut-coated grapes make such a stunning presentation when placed on a pedestal with fresh grapes and leaves and are perfect to set on a bar at a party.

Since there are only 4 ingredients this recipe certainly qualifies for my “easy-breezy” category and if you have kids around, they will love helping make them. If you are putting them together alone, use one hand to roll or lightly coat the grapes with the cheese mixture and keep the other hand clean to roll the cheese-coated grapes in the nuts and place them on a plate, otherwise, you’ll end up with a gooey mess.
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I’m hosting a dinner party tonight and will be serving another of Jennifer Markett’s scrumptious dishes. She calls them cigars, but after making them today, I’d rename them stogies, look at the picture and tell me what you think. Since I’m serving a large variety of appetizers, I’m only going to make half a batch of these. When a recipe calls for 1 egg and you need only half an egg, crack the egg into a bowl and beat well, 1 large egg equals about 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons). So use only 2 tablespoons of beaten egg, and for this particular recipe, save the remaining 2 tablespoons for brushing the wonton wrappers.

When assembling a number of the same thing, it’s easiest to do it assembly-line style… layout about half of the won ton wrappers (they dry too quickly to do all at once) and top each with the filling.  Brush with the egg one at a time, or it too will dry out or begin to stick to the counter, and roll.

My hope is that all the recent and upcoming appetizer recipes will help with your holiday party planning. After all, Christmas is now less than 3 weeks away … take a deep breath, stay calm, and have fun with your holiday entertaining.
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These stuffed peppers are my idea of delicious and classy “poppers” and are a Christmas tradition in our house. The pink salmon against the green pepper looks great on a holiday buffet.

This past July I made these for Jeff and Jen while we were spending a week at their amazing lakeside log cabin in Northern Wisconsin. It’s hard to call it a cabin, because it’s such a big beautiful home filled with rustic and classic décor, happy kids running about, great food, and tons of fun! I call it The Log Mansion. Plus, to get out of our 110+ degree heat in July and relax in the cool pines with great friends… truly a slice of heaven on earth!

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Today is my gorgeous girlfriend, Jen’s, birthday. I cannot begin to express how much I love this amazing woman; she is my rock, my soul-mate sister, my “on-demand” comedian, and my friend.  She can make me laugh like nobody’s business! She is there through thick and thin and is a loving friend, mother, wife, sister, aunt, and daughter. Whenever I have something to share, complain about, need help, advice, or just want to chat, Jen is the first person I call.

The one really awful thing about Jennifer? She lives 1,400 miles from me (as the crow flies). Happy birthday, Jenny Jen, I forgive you for that one awful thing and love you unconditionally!

For the rest of the week, I will highlight and share recipes from Jen, who is coincidentally, a great cook, or recipes of mine that are favorites of hers. Today’s recipe is a fun and quite a rich appetizer pizza that is perfect for upcoming holiday parties.

My girl, Jen

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It is “birthday week” around here. Marissa’s was yesterday, and today is Blake’s 12 birthday!  Blake is one of three sons of our very best friends in the world! His parents are Dr. Jeffrey and Jennifer Markett, who live in St. Charles, Illinois. Jeff is my husband’s best friend from college. He was our best man and is godfather to both Marissa and Connor. Jennifer is my best friend, whom I just adore… more on her tomorrow… Until then, Happy Birthday Blakey! We Love YOU!

In Blake’s honor, today we have a seven-layer dip that I’ve never seen a kid turn their nose up at. Use this recipe as a guide, you can add in or sub out so many great ingredients; such as shredded lettuce, roasted red pepper strips, chopped jalapenos, sliced black olives, and chopped tomatoes, etc.  In the picture below, I assembled the dish with a cut-away, so you can see the layers.  Then I just filled it all in after snapping the photo, don’t want you to think I served it this way! 🙂
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Lemon Curd Lemon Roll – getting ready for the trip down to Tucson

December 1, 1987 – was one of the happiest days of my life!

The day my gorgeous daughter, Marissa Lynn, was born. We celebrated as a family on Sunday, going to brunch at The Phoenician, and surprising her with a gift she’s always wished for – a skydiving gift certificate. I will be jumping with her and will post about it when the day comes. Stay tuned.

This is one of Marissa’s favorite cakes. I was going to ship it overnight, but then found out that Marissa’s darling roommate, Paige, wasn’t heading back to Tucson until Monday afternoon, thank you for the delivery service, Paige!

Happy Birthday baby girl. Hope you enjoy the cake with Kaley, Petra, Paige, Kelsey, Lindsey, Astrid, Alberto, Billy, Ryan, Blake, Isaac, and whoever else is with you today. I love and miss you!

Marissa with her brother, Connor, at her birthday brunch

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