Hosting with the Most Zing!

One of my many hosting short comings is dessert.  I’ve never personally been much for sweets and absent-mindedly almost never prepare a dessert unless there is a birthday involved.  This becomes even more clear to me when I ask someone to dinner and the immediately pipe up, “I’ll bring dessert.”

Well, I’m trying.  Two recent successes were a Flourless Chocolate Cake I made for a friend’s birthday and a Strawberry Cake I made for Easter.

Both were difficult for me because I’m not much of a baker.  The Flourless Chocolate Cake was difficult because I’ve never made one, the entire thing was hideous and so I was convinced I was doing something wrong during the entire process.  According to the birthday girl who requested the cake, all flourless cakes are hideous.  That is why every recipe you read will recommend topping the cake with powdered sugar and/or berries.  When I unveiled the cake, my guest bemoaned that the cake didn’t have happy birthday written on it or her initials.  So, half-joking, I cut a “G” out of card stock and sprinkled the powdered sugar around it.  While my “G” reminds me of a comic-book super hero emblem, it was decent in a pinch and at least helped to personalize the cake.  I think next time I’ll work on a “Happy Birthday” stencil to really wow the guests.  The cake…was DELICIOUS.  My husband, avid hater of flourless cakes, said that he wants me to make the whole thing over again for his birthday this year.

On Easter I found a recipe that mirrored a Strawberry Cake my grandmother makes.  It was my favorite growing up, but my grandmother complains endlessly that the cake falls apart when she tried to ice it.  It too was a crowd-pleaser, though.  I would highly recommend following the reader comment modifications for this cake.  Let someone else’s trial and error lead to your success.  Besides the complication of having a different set of reader instruction to abide by as well as the original recipe, I can’t stand too-sweet icing.  As you can see, my icing suffered from being too thin and ran off the cake a little.  Still, no one complained.

I’ll keep working on the dessert as long as my guests keep eating them.  Who knows, with enough practice, I might even find a few favorites for myself.

My husband actually found this posted on Easter Day.  I nearly threw up it was so cute.  But also because I can’t get the idea of tasting raw fish and marshmallows together.  Please note, this Peep Sushi doesn’t actually have raw fish on it, but still…I can’t dissociate the raw fish from the sushi.  None the less… cutest, most creative thing I’ve seen in a long time.

I don’t have an Irish bone in my body as far as I know of.  So, most years, St. Patty’s Day passes without much acknowledgment from me.  This year will be no different, except that I happen to be having guests for dinner coincidentally.  I’m not sure how “authentically Irish” this Pork Chops in Beer recipe is, but I made it for my husband a few weeks ago and it is now officially on our favorites list.  Bon apetit!

The best thing, the best memories I have from my Southern Baptist upbringing are of potluck suppers in the moldy, drafty church basement.  The community of those suppers brought me closer to God than any sermon or tent revival ever could, relishing in the divinity of medlies of cheese, cream, noodles, meat and overcooked vegetables.

I just recently took a trip back to the South and realized winter isn’t over for most of the US, the way it is for us in California.  And that trip home had me craving piles of comfort food like nobody’s business.

A few of my favorite casseroles, that I almost never make anymore, because I can eat all 6-12 servings in one sitting are as follows:

Green Bean Casserole by Paula Dean I increase all veggies, stir most of the canned, fried onions in, then top with 1/2 the cheese and additional fried, canned onions.

My high school boyfriend’s mother had a chicken casserole she made sometimes when I’d come over for weeknight dinners.  And I’m sure the recipe was more simple than this, but it inspired my own version.  While I vary it each time I make it, it goes a little something like this:

Ingredients:

1/2 a medium onion chopped

1-2 garlic cloves

1 08 package mushrooms chopped

1-2 tbsp butter

1-1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 16 oz light sour cream

1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup

12 oz spaghetti noodles

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

2 oz grated Parmesan cheese

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9×11 inch casserole dish with butter, margarine or cooking spray.  Prepare spaghetti noodles according to package directions and set aside.  Put both broth and water into a sauce pan with chicken.  Cover pan until boiling, then reduce heat to a simmer on low for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and set aside.  Chop onions and mushrooms.  In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-low heat and add onion and mushrooms when melted.  Saute until onions become translucent.  Add garlic, a pinch of salt and 2 grinds of  pepper and cook 1 more minute.  Turn off heat.  In a separate large bowl, combine sour cream and soup.  Remove chicken from sauce pan onto a cutting board and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.  Stir chicken, pasta, mozzarella, and onion-mushroom mixture into bowl with soup and sour cream.  Pour all ingredients into prepped casserole dish. Place in oven for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with Parmesan and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

My cousin made this Hash Brown Casserole for Christmas this year and we all agreed that it was fantastic!

I can’t get enough of tuna helper, and a couple of months ago, in my Cooking Light magazine there was a made-from-scratch Tuna Noodle Casserole that was pretty darn tasty.  I halved the recipe as a weeknight super for me and the hubby and he barely made it home in time for his portion to still be lying around.

My all-time favorite squash casserole recipe is taken from a vegetarian restaurant in Athens, GA called The Grit.  Their cookbook can be purchased at Amazon. There are many more delicious recipes in the book, so I highly recommend purchasing it for some healthier alternatives to Southern comfort food.

And for the meat eaters among us, I just love, love, love a good Shepherd’s Pie.  I’m not sure if those are technically casseroles, but I am counting it as such since it is in fact baked in a casserole dish.  Now, while you will rarely see me post anything good about Rachel Ray, I do think she’s got a pretty solid Shepherd’s Pie recipe from her 30 Minute Meals series.  And while I haven’t tried it yet, last month, in my Bon Apetit magazine there was a Shepherd’s Pie recipe that looked both delicious and fancy.  Mmmm…I can taste it now, paired with a nice Cabernet or a dark, rich Belgian Beer like St. Bernardus Abt. 12.

Please share your favorite casseroles as well, as I am always looking for additional recipes for my cold and rainy day repertoire.

Last night I hosted a Ladies Night Potluck I called a Taste of Thailand.  I have mentioned deeming a theme for gatherings before, but only half believed it myself.  It seems the “themed” dinner party is much more of a West coast (or Southwest Coast at least) phenomenon than is so on the East Coast (or at least the Southeast coast, where it’s more like: y’all wanna come over and eat?).  But I myself am finding I like hosting a theme party for a few reasons.

One reason is that it gives both me and my guests a focus.  That is to say, rather than having this open ended question looming about what to make, or what to bring…you’ve narrowed the scope by at least saying “Bring your favorite Thai dish.”  Or, “Bring a Thai dish you’d like to try making.”

In the E-vite I sent out, I let my guests know the theme as well as what I’d be making, asking them to respond with what they would be making.  Not everyone immediately had a dish in mind.  Those that did, posted it.  Those that didn’t knew what guests were bringing, so we ended up with lots of variety.  Among the dishes were Larb, Pad See Ew, Tom Kha, Basil Eggplant, Masaman Curry, Sticky Rice, Salad with Mango and Pineapple, and a Grilled Beef Salad.

And after a trip to my local, Asian supermarket, I was even able to find some Thai Beer in the spirit of the event.

What truly made the event however, more so than the beer or the food, was that everyone was genuinely enthusiastic.  The stars were aligned just so last night because all the ladies got along great!  Not that I typically have cat fights break out at my house, just that everyone really chatted and got to know one another rather than grouping with people they already knew.  Also, everyone really embraced the theme and I think they truly enjoyed making their dishes and sharing them too.

And while the energy was high and the conversation flowing all night, I knew the dinner was truly a success when guests started talking about what country’s cuisine we should explore next.  There was also mention of throwing in a board game at our next dinner, and even an offer by one of my guests to host at her house.  And just like that, a weeknight potluck dinner might launch the rotating supper club I’ve been dreaming of.  <Sigh> that sounded a lot less dorky in my head…

My husband and I have had long running jokes for years regarding his birthday meals.  One year when asked what he wanted for his birthday breakfast, he told me “green eggs and ham, blue waffles and beer.”  And green eggs and ham, blue waffles and beer he had, my friend.

Well, in recent years, whenever asked, “What would you like me to cook for your birthday dinner?” he would respond, “Beef Wellington.”

And I laughed, “What the hell IS Beef Wellington, anyway?”

“All I know is that it has beef and I think it’s wrapped in pastry.  It’s fancy,” he grinned.

“Whatever,” I laughed.

After year two of him asking for Beef Wellington I actually Googled it and read the Wikipedia entry.  It sounded insane to me and surely my husband didn’t really expect me to make it.  On year 3 it sounded like a double-dog-dare.  And so I started researching recipes and started a savings account to pay for this masterpiece.  And you know what?  It is truly, truly expensive and fancy, but it isn’t too difficult.   AND it is delicious!  I used a recipe I found on the Food Network website by Tyler Florence.  And, I even make the Green Peppercorn Sauce.  It was truly worth the trouble and expense.

And if there is man out there, still unconvinced, please consider, you get to flambe.  Which of course, I let my husband do himself.  (Hey- it saved me a couple of hundred bucks on a present, and he seemed just as excited.)

While the recipe is delicious and extremely impressive, I will advise that you cook this for a minimum of 4 people.  4 extremely hungry people or 6-8 moderately hungry people.  Yes, it was a special occasion, but it was very expensive and produces a lot of food.  Alot of food.  And while my husband ate on it for four days, we still had to throw some out.  Love it as I might, Beef Wellington (according to every recipe I read) is a rich dish and I fear my stomach will only let me indulge once in a great while.  Bon apetit!

I took a bit of a hosting hiatus there for a while, but am back in full force.  I found myself becoming a little bitter about the fact that I was the only one ever hosting, as most of the friends I’ve made here neither share my love for hosting, nor my love for cooking.  Am I crazy for enjoying having people over and cooking?  Anyway, a light bulb went off when I thought…”You know, the best way to meet other people who like to cook, might actually be to go where people are cooking.”  Duh, and so I started looking for cooking classes in my area.

There is a culinary arts school in Laguna Beach called Laguna Culinary Arts.  They have a whole series of “Home Chef Classes” and the first one I signed up for was called “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

We made:

Gougeres Sauce Mornay (cheese puffs with gruyere cheese sauce)

Thon a la Provencal (marinated, seared tuna with garlic, tomato, and herbs)

Riz Pilaf (rice pilaf)

Timbale au Epinard (spinach custard)

Souffled Crepes with Orange Sauce

The cheese puffs and the spinach custard were my favorites!  So yummy.  We paired the cheese puffs with a French Chardonnay.  The tuna…eh.  If I recreated the recipe I would definitely use a meaty white fish.  The tuna was overcooked for my taste, but the tomato, garlic topping was pretty good.  The rice was just rice, but you know…we cooked it in the oven (which I never even knew was possible) and the texture was perfect.  I’m not sure why it is I usually screw up rice, but the next time I make it, I’m definitely using the oven method.  The spinach custard was so good.  It was a lot like a crustless quiche, only not quite so eggy, more spinachy.  We paired this with a nice, dry French rose.  The crepes were a bit of a disaster as far as cooking method and presentation go.  Our teachers had not tested the recipe before class (I bet they’ll think twice before they wing a recipe again) and so many of the students were stationed at saute pans trying to scrape burned crepes off the pan.  Some were burned, some were under cooked, but the ones that made it were yummy.  Delicious in fact, but nothing pretty to look at.  We paired these with an Asti Spumante.

The set up was very cool.  A big kitchen space where we all (about 10 of us) had our own little stations with knives, cutting boards, etc.  All the ingredients were laid out around the kitchen and we all have a stack of recipes which were all from Julia Child’s book: The Art of French Cooking.  The teachers walked us through each recipe and we all took turns chopping, mixing, etc.  After the appetizers were ready, we all filed out to a dining room table and sat and ate together like a big happy family.  Then, back to make the entree and sides, then back to the table to enjoy the food, then back to the kitchen for dessert.  So much fun!  It felt like a big dinner party with 10 or 11 girlfriends.

Now, my philosophy about these classes is that when reading the menu we are creating I have to feel that the recipes are something that I couldn’t make on my own just by reading the recipe.  And because I cook alot, I can make most things just from reading the recipe.  I took the French cooking class because I’ve never made crepes or any kind of pastry dough, which is pretty easy after all.

I did meet some great ladies, and will keep taking classes in hopes of seeing some of the same ones again.  Who knows?  I may even end up wrangling together a rotating supper club <fingers crossed>.

Of course, I had every intention of blogging about this party idea before the Christmas season was over.  But, as with most people, when the holidays hit, they hit hard and there is little time for leisurely blogging.  I’m not the first to write about this party idea, however, and certainly won’t be the last, so I’m sure if you wanted to have a Christmas Cookie Exchange, you would have already done so.  I’d just like to offer my suggestions because for three years now, I’ve had decent success with my own.

My favorite, favorite, favorite party to host each year is an annual Christmas Cookie Party Exchange.  Mine is ladies only, but of course, this could go co-ed just as easily.  Part of my inspiration for making it ‘Ladies Only’ is owed to another friend who used to throw a Christmas “Hen” Party each year to which she would invite her girlfriends for snacks, cocktails and a gift exchange.

An Overview

Basically, I have each guest make about 2 and a half dozen cookies at home.  They are to bring the cookies and the recipes they used so that each guest can take a variety of all of the cookies back home with them.  I make all guests a cook book full of all the cookie recipes as well as recipes for any of the snacks I provide.  In truth, this usually takes me until about the time the invites go out for the next cookie party.  But, hey- they eventually go out.

The Food

Besides the obvious cookies, I actually make 4-5 appetizers so that no one goes into a sugar coma on my living room floor.  My appetizer selection varies, but has included: warm mushroom cheese spread with bread, cheese balls and crackers, chicken and rice salad, hot spinach artichoke dip, curried chicken salad, etc.  I also, besides having some beer and wine, I make one cocktail.  My all time favorite is Alton Brown’s Egg Nog.  And usually there are a few people scared to try it, but they come around.  I will admit though, this is pretty much a custard and so it can be heavy.  This year I made a cocktail with Prosseco, frozen cranberries, cranberry juice and triple sec instead.  Proceed with caution.

The Activities

Rather than giving everyone gifts (although this year I did make cranberry apple butter for attendees), I typically buy craft supplies so that everyone can take home their own ornament as a souvenir.  I also buy 3 door prizes to give out for winning games and making ornaments.  One prize is given for the winner of Ice Breaker Bingo.  It’s not as lame as it sounds and actually is a quick way for everyone to fast track the mingling without putting anyone on the spot.  I found a template on-line and make my bingo cards according to my friends’ facts and interests.

bingo1

Of course, you have to take the same template and mix up some of the fact.  It isn’t difficult, but it can be tedious, so I try to do the prep work for this as soon as I have all my RSVPs in.  But what happens, every year, is that long after someone has shouted bingo, everyone keeps playing to fill up their cards and to get to know each other a little better.

Another activity we have going is making ornaments.  I pull out some fabric, felt, glitter glue, buttons, paper, and many precut wooden or ceramic ornaments from Michael’s or Joanne’s that just need a little paint.   So, the ambitious kids of the bunch can start cutting things out and sewing, while the less ambitious (I’m usually in this category on this particular night) can grab a paintbrush and open a few bottles.  One thing that really helped this year was that I saw some “handmade” ornaments in my Crate and Barrel catalog I thought were cute and cut pictures out to help generate some ideas.  The results were adorable.

I also ask the ladies to bring a handmade ornament from home to trim my tree with.  This is optional, but I encourage participation by offering a prize to the best ornament, voted on by secret ballot.  I’ve gotten some great ornaments over the years and it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling to look at my tree and relive fond memories.  The first year, I hadn’t thought to have everyone make their own ornaments from scratch.  So, I found a Cookie Monster coloring page, shrunk it onto a post card and suggested ladies decorate their Cookie Monster to be judged.  I may go back to this format, or offer it as an option again as it produced more ornaments.

Door prizes have included: The Ove’ Glove, a Christmas cookie jar, cookie decorating kits, Amy Sedaris’ I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, a cookie apron, etc.  I tend to think a little competition is good for morale.

As I mentioned, this is a popular party idea.  So, if you’ve hosted your own Cookie Exchange in the past, I’d love to hear any suggestions you might have to make mine even better.

I don’t have any specific tips for hosting Thanksgiving other than getting as many things done in advance as possible.  For the last many years, my husband and I have bypassed family get-togethers and opted to host ourselves.  In doing so, we’ve transformed our Thanksgiving celebration into a friends-only, fun intimate feast.  I love to cook, and I love to be creative.  My family however is more for having the same dishes, over and over.  We would typically get together, eat, and then go our separate ways.  I always wanted more of an occasion, so instead of insisting that my family sit around with me drinking wine and having philosophical discussions, I decided I’d just do it my way.  I mean, I’m going to see them in a month anyway, right?  There will be plenty of time to eat and run then.

All that being said, my Thanksgiving are one of the most low-stress dining occasions I host.  I usually start having people over at about 3ish, we have appetizers, friends contribute dishes, we eat dinner about 5PM, dessert by 7/8 and everyone out the door by about 10.  Later if no one is ready to leave, because everyone has the day off on Friday.

While I try something new every year, I do have some favorite recipes that I throw into rotation from year to year.

Pumpkin Hummus

Green Bean Casserole

Dressing with Apples, Bacon and Caramelized Onions

Squash Casserole from The Grit Cookbook a restaurant in Athens, GA (Can’t find this on-line so imagine I am not allowed to reprint)

Sweet Potato Casserole
3-4 peeled, diced cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup whole milk
4 extra-large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 lb. softened margarine
1 tsp. lemon extract

Topping:

2 cups crushed corn flakes
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coarse chopped pecans
1/4 cup melted butter

Recipe
With a hand mixer, beat cooked sweet potatoes until smooth. Add milk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, extract and butter. Whip until smooth and blended well.

Put into casserole dish, cover and bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes. Remove foil.

In a separate bowl, mix all topping ingredients together and spread over top of sweet potatoes. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

As for the turkey, I typically try something new every year.  I’ve tried brining, cooking in bags and roasting and basting. I’ve stuffed the cavity with aromatics, etc.  The one thing I always, always do is make a dry rub and rub all over the turkey underneath the skin.  I use varying amounts of the following (all dried): coarse salt, fresh cracked pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, granulated garlic, and basil.

Lately, every time I go to the gym and reveling in access to basic cable, it seems like Every Day Italian is always playing.  I used to skip over this show when it came on.  Though Giada is definitely easy on the eyes, I distrust a chef who uses butter and cheese in just about everything she makes and still maintains a size 2 waist.  The last two shows I’ve watched have inspired me to try some of her recipes.  I really love how she makes multiple courses that pair well in the same show.  Even her food has sex appeal.

The episodes I watched most recently had the following menus I plan to try out:

Menu 1

Onion Soup with Fontina and Thyme (Very easy.)

Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree (Don’t be scared by the fancy name. It also looks to be an easy recipe.)

Italian Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (These look to be a little time consuming and don’t get the high ratings that the other two recipes do.  I may have to read all the less than glowing reviews before deciding to make these.)

Menu 2

Butternut Squash Tortellini with Browned Butter Sauce (I wouldn’t say these look easy (but totally worth a little elbow grease), but you do use wonton wrappers instead of homemade pasta which saves time.)

Sweet Pork with Onion Marmellata (This looks easy and delicious!)

Pear Gorgonzola Tart (This is really more of an appetizer, but I LOVE cheese and would gladly eat this for dessert.)

If you’ve already tried any of these and have an opinion on them, let me know.