Today I’m going to focus on the appetizer portion of our annual Progressive Dinner… which so happened to be held at my house. There will be some of the decor (yes, we had a Disco Mirror Ball!) and a couple classic 1970’s recipes.

Then on Tuesday, I’ll share with you a few more recipes and the super creative decor and tablescapes from two of our dinner host homes – Let me tell you – the two featured couples know how to set a theme table!

When you imagine decorating for the ’70’s, you have a bunch of choices to throw into the mix; Peace signs, the iconic Smiley Face, Flower Power, Hippy, and Disco. So much color and a little too much fun!

I’d recently purchased a case of vintage Pop Shoppe bottles online and had planned on serving a couple of “signature” cocktails in them… but the bottle openings were too small to get the ice cubes into. So instead, they served as a centerpiece.

For the cocktails, I pulled out my crate of antique individual milk bottles – not all that easy to get ice into either, but they worked. (Note: the photo was taken prior to filling the bottles with ice or beverage.)

Here are the recipes for a pitcher of each:

Tom Collins
2 cups Tanqueray gin
1 1/2 cups lemon or lime juice
1/3 cup sweet and sour mix
1/4 cup club soda

Harvey Wallbanger
2 1/4 cups Smirnoff vodka
3 cups orange juice
1/2 cup Galliano

Both cocktails are classically served with an orange slice. Speaking of orange…

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For day two of “Kim Week,” I am going to go where I have never gone before.  I am going to make and then eat cabbage soup.

Yesterday I said that I trusted Kim’s taste 100%. That was put to the test when I discovered that not only did Kim’s cabbage soup contain, well – you know – cabbage, but also sauerkraut! I despise sauerkraut!!! Even the smell of it makes me sick, bringing back horrible childhood food memories.

I was over at Kim’s house yesterday morning, picking up more bounty from Kim’s friend, Chris, who has an urban farm in her backyard. Kim is working on setting up a tour for me! Can not wait!

Anyhow, Chris gave Kim a big bunch of carrots, nearly 3 dozen freshly laid eggs, and a bag full of limequats to give to me… oh my, I am over the moon with these generous and fun gifts.

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I’ve told you about my beloved Aunt Connie before and about what an amazing cook she was and what a huge influence she was on me. This beef roast, braised in beer and ketchup, was- and still is – one of my favorite comfort foods! The gravy is out of this world and the meat is tender as can be, no matter what cheap cut of beef you use. Luckily it became a staple in my mom’s rotation of meals too.

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This is another of Bruce Aidells’ recipes from the December 2011 issue of Bon Appétit that I used for our Christmas dinners last week.

One important tip when roasting a whole beef tenderloin is to tuck under the tail end. Because the tenderloin narrows at one end, the thin portion must be tucked under itself and secured with a little kitchen twine, so that it will cook at the same rate as the rest of the roast.

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I am done whining, back to a recipe! I am certain you are thinking, “It’s about time!”

At the request of a kind follower, Dagmar, I am also putting up a few more pictures of Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon.  Tomorrow, I’ll share a few photos from our trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad, along the beautiful Verde River.

The recipe may have a long name, but it couldn’t be easier to make. Tri-Tip is a classic cowboy beef cut that is thick, nicely marbled, and very flavorful. It is the triangular cut at the tip of the sirloin.

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Steak and blue cheese are a classic combination. I discovered a 4-pack of rib-eye steaks in the back of the freezer and although there are only the two of us, I grilled up all four steaks. I used the extra two to make this pasta dish a couple of days later. Any leftover beef will do, just be sure to slice and cut it up directly from the refrigerator.  When the beef is cold, it is easiest to find and cut out the fat that is marbled throughout.

I purchased a wonderful 6-pack of organic pasta imported from Italy at Costco. In it, there are two packages of casarecce, two packages of penne, and two gemelli. I chose the gemelli for this dish because the other two styles are meant to hold lots of sauce. This dish has minimal sauce, so the gemelli works best out of the three. If you want to use penne or maybe fusilli, I’d advise throwing in a can of undrained chopped tomatoes to make the pasta saucier.

A funny thing I noticed was that the pasta packages are 17.6-ounces in weight, instead of the usual 16-pounces. Since I generally run on about 2% brain capacity on any given day, I was thinking, “What’s up with that?”  It took me quite a while to notice that the other weight on the packages is 500 grams.  Finally, another 3% brain powder kicked in and I figured out that this was true Italian pasta, so of course, it would be measured in grams and the ounce weight was just placed on there for us metric-challenged Americans. Grazie Garofalo Pasta, I need all the help I can get when it comes to math!  Oh… and it’s really good pasta too, so pick up a 6-pack the next time you’re in Costco.

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It’s been exactly one year to the day since I wrote about what I now refer to as “the big fancy Fry’s”.  On that post, I also told you all about Kobe beef, which Fry’s had on sale during their grand opening last year. And with that beef, I made some pretty terrific meatloaf. Today I am taking another stab at both the Kobe beef and the meatloaf with a new, but not necessarily improved, version. I say that because I really love both recipes. This time around, I’m using half Kobe (or regular ground beef is perfectly fine) and half ground turkey.  And instead of the Pomegranate-Chipotle Tomato Sauce, which took some time, I’m using a ready made product that makes this meatloaf “easy-breezy” and will make a great addition to your pantry.

The product I’m talking about is Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce. It can be found at all Asian stores and most grocery stores in the Asian aisle.  This chili sauce is not too sour, just sweet enough, and has a somewhat gelatinous texture. Don’t worry, I’m not advising you to run out and purchase a bottle just for my meatloaf recipe.

Once you’ve dipped a chilled shrimp into Mae Ploy, you’ll never buy cocktail sauce again for your shrimp cocktails.  And crab cakes get an thrilling boost when dipped in it. Same thing goes for coconut-breaded shrimp.

This sauce is the perfect accomplice for crunchy wontons or egg rolls and it is a marriage made in heaven partnered with crab rangoons!  Don’t get me started… how about Teriyaki hot wings or  jalapeno poppers, or even as the new “secret” ingredient in your next batch of barbecue pork or cocktail meatballs… the list goes on and on…  Go pick up a bottle – start with the meatloaf and then be sure and share with us what other uses you’ve come up with! [Read more →]

Last night’s birthday party dinner for Terrie was a blast. Anytime the Murriettas gets together, nothing less is expected. Please indulge me and I shall share my history with this fantastic family.

Terrie and I have known each other since our grade school days at Navajo Elementary, right here in Scottsdale. We are both native Arizonans. We lived on the border between two high schools, Scottsdale High and Saguaro High. Terrie and her younger sister, Peggy, went to Scottsdale High. Terrie’s three older brothers, Vince, Mark, and John, went to Saguaro, as did I. After Navajo, Terrie and I lost touch and I only knew of her brothers as the “big men – the jocks” on campus.

Fast forward 12 years to 1991. Dave and I are in our second house and have just had our second child, Connor. We live in a cul-de-sac and our backyard fence curves around and backs up to 5 different neighbors. One day, I meet one of those neighbors, Peggy DeBolske. She also has two little ones of her own at the time, Joey and Samantha (Natalie and Steven come along 2 and 4 years later). We become fast friends and soon learn that we are both Arizona natives. Then we discover that we both went to Navajo. I ask her maiden name… Murrietta. “Oh my gosh, is Terrie your sister? And are Mark and John your brothers?” (Her oldest brother, Vince, was long gone from Saguaro by the time I arrived.) Yes! Small World! We, of course, have been best friends ever since and it gave me the opportunity to re-connect with Terrie.

Peggy and Terrie attended my Blog 2nd Anniversary Party earlier this month and Terrie told me that all of the recipes for her birthday party were coming from this site and that Peggy was hosting the dinner party. I glared poor Peggy down and gave her hell for not asking me to help her. I had heard of quite a few places in town that also helped with various catering services so I could have definitely recommended those to Peggy. Anyway, one of my friends also suggested that it may be a good idea to hire an oyster catering service like Oysters xo so that all of the guests will have an oyster shucking experience that they may never forget. Having said that, this is the menu we had for the birthday bash.

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The boletus edulis (botanical name) is beloved around the world for it’s firm texture and distinctive flavor. It is known as Cèp in France, Porcini in Italy, Penny Bun in Britain, Steinpilz in Germany, and King Bolete, or just King in the United States. In most stores and restaurants, you’ll find them called by their Italian name, porcini. At the market you will most often find them dried in little bags. In France and Italy, they are sold not only in bags but often in bulk at the outdoor markets.

If you see them fresh in the grocery store at a reasonable price, snatch them up, they are a wonderful treat.  You can grill them, make them into a delicious sauce, even into a mushroom stew. Or just call me and I’ll help you put them to good use!

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Have kids? If so, this is a hard combo to beat; pizza and bacon cheeseburger in one easy-to-eat package.  Adults are pretty crazy about it too.

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