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Category — Entertaining

living high on the hog (or turkey)

Here is the recipe I made yesterday on the Valley Dish, especially for Memorial Day weekend. (And here is the LINK if you would like to watch it online.) 

PLEASE don’t be scared off by the long laundry list of ingredients. There are six different condiments/toppings for your sliders, and each one is very easy to make, you can do as many or as few as you like.  Seriously, when I say easy, I’m talking about slicing a couple of tomatoes, drizzling them with olive oil, and sprinkling them with salt and chives, that’s easy! Or laying slices of bacon on foil, sprinkling with rosemary and pepper, and tossing in the oven, super easy! And I guarantee your family and friends will be impressed, Enjoy!

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May 28, 2011   3 Comments

self-imposed

First and foremost, I must thank my amazing guest blogger of the past two days; my gorgeous, generous, gracious, and very talented daughter, Marissa. It was a joy to have two full days off without any stress or guilt. Yes, it is strange but true, I feel guilty when I don’t post. Not because any of you, my kind and loyal followers make me feel so, just my own self-imposed desire to be a true “daily” blogger.  Take, for instance, last Friday and Saturday. I was overwhelmed and overworked preparing for a cooking class birthday party I was holding on Saturday night. I had not only the usual recipes to type and copy and the food to shop for and prep – but also a house to clean, furniture to move, linens to press, centerpieces to make, china, crystal, and cutlery to polish, a table to set, and weather to fret over.  Posting was out of the question and I felt bad about that. But the class went off without a hitch, (in part, thanks to my perfect assistant, Marissa) the dinner was lovely, the weather cooperated, and the guests left educated, full, and happy.

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May 11, 2011   1 Comment

soup kitchens and bread lines

Before I get into the recipes for soup shooters and grilled cheese bites, I want to say Happy Anniversary to David, my husband of 26 years. xoxo  And I want to tell you the story of the cute shooter glasses I found.

I was in Pier 1 Imports about a month ago and saw a great display they have up with a wide and wonderful assortment of mini glasses for a “Tasting Party”. They have mini cordials, mini parfait, mini trifle, mini wine, and mini martini glasses. I was immediately in love with the whole concept and had to hold myself back from buying at least one set of each. Part of what prevented that happening, was the price. Most of the sets were $29.95 each. That would not have been a “mini” amount to spend! So I resisted and just purchased one 24-piece set of mini parfaits to use as soup shooters.

Once I got home, I looked more closely and saw that the 24-piece set was actually only 12 glasses and included 12 mini spoons. Darn it! That meant I’d just spent $2.50 per glass. But this mistake leads me on the hunt for comparable mini shooters at a reasonable price.

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May 4, 2011   2 Comments

rich, creamy, comfort food

Here is another of the recipes we served at my Dad’s 80th Speakeasy Party, representing his birth year, 1931.

In 1931 The Joy of Cooking was privately printed and distributed from the home by Irma S. Rombauer of St. Louis. It is one the most-published cookbooks and has been in print continuously since 1931 with more than 18 million copies sold. Mrs. Rombauer was struggling emotionally and financially after her husband’s suicide in 1930.  She had 3,000 copies of Joy printed by A.C. Clayton, a company that had printed labels for fancy St. Louis shoe companies and for Listerine, but never a book.  In 1936, the book was picked up by a commercial printing house, The Bobbs-Merrill Company.  Joy is the backbone of many home cooks’ libraries and is very often found in commercial kitchens as well. The illustrations were done by Irma’s daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker.  This recipe pays homage to one of the many famous recipes from the iconic cookbook – baked macaroni and cheese.

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May 3, 2011   No Comments

Speakeasy Party

Above is my favorite picture of the night from my dad’s 80th Birthday Party. Marissa with her Papa, so cute. It was taken after the majority of the guests had left and a few of us were sitting around relaxing and reflecting on the day. I am still cleaning up, two days later, but I wanted to get up some pictures and the menu. Most of the recipes are already posted here on the blog and by clicking on their names, you’ll be taken to the post containing the actual recipe.

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May 2, 2011   11 Comments

more party prep

The party preparations continue…

After work yesterday, Dave came home and dug out two 60-inch round tables, two six-foot-plus one 8-foot tables, and the 28 folding chairs from our cramped storage room in the garage. That, along with the 30-person seating we already have available in the back yard should cover it!

Sloane dropped off the table linens and a couple of cases of empty liquor bottles (for the entrance decor) from the hotel she works at. Then we did a bunch of food prep before she went home and Dave and I collapsed on the couch and ate leftover Easter food while watching TV.  We’re getting there!

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April 28, 2011   No Comments

Valley Dish segments and pics

So many of you told me that you missed my Valley Dish segments from last week, that I’m posting links to them here.

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April 27, 2011   2 Comments

Party Week!

And it has begun… the major party prep for my Dad’s 1931 Speakeasy-themed 8oth birthday party! Not certain how many, if any, recipes I may get up this week, but I will be keeping you up to date on the party preparations. Today’s tasks; find, get out and clean all of the glasses, dishes, bottles, and party decor. Out of that list, “finding” is the hardest part! I have SO much stuff and it is stacked, stored, and stashed all over this house. The good news is that I don’t have to rent anything, the bad news, is I have to find it first! [Read more →]


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April 26, 2011   3 Comments

Olé!

For our Easter dinner yesterday, I served my favorite spring/summertime beverage. So light and refreshing.

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April 25, 2011   4 Comments

let your fingers do the walking

Several weeks ago, Karen Fernau, food writer for the Arizona Republic, called and asked me to submit an answer to a reader’s question for their “Ask A Chef” column. I did so and then forgot completely about it… big surprise! Anyhow, my mentor, friend, and boss, Barbara Fenzl, informed me that she’d seen it on AZCentral.com. Here is the LINK for it.  

This presents a good time for me to remind you about all the useful information you can find on The Basic Kitchen page, over there on your left. Things like a Glossary of Cooking Terms, a Pantry list, Kitchen Tools you should have, and even a list with some of my Favorite Cookbooks.

Those gorgeous eggs pictured above are this Easter’s Silk Tie Eggs that I made along with my friends, Lorie and Ronnie.  They turned out especially wonderful this year.  TIP: When searching your closet and thrift shop for 100% silk ties, look for bright colors. It’s tempting to choose the pretty pastels, but the colors don’t transfer as well.  Go for the reds, deep purples, and dark blues and you’ll end up with the best results.

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April 22, 2011   2 Comments