Clams Casino

I love to cook and entertain but sometimes I am just happy to spend the night doing nothing. I am very lucky that I have many friends who are more than happy to chip in and get their hands dirty when I feel more like sitting on the couch and drinking some wine! My friend Jema and I decided that we were going to visit a friend with her new baby and it would be better that we spent the night at my house so we could get an early start... next thing you know we were planning a feast that was starting to be a bit excessive!

There is nothing better than friends who don't judge because after all of the food we ate that night there may have been some jeans traded in for pajamas and waist bands of all type banned from the room. Jema was so kind to come and take over the kitchen and make the deliciously decadent start to our feast. Be warned if you order clams casino on a restaurant menu you will most likely end up with something stuffed with breadcrumbs and only a bit of bacon... but that is absolutely NOT how we do it!

click through for the recipe....

The Moistest Pumpkin cake ever!

So AGAIN this year there is a pumpkin shortage and when I went to the store they were just about cleaned out! I guess that means all of the plans I had for pumpkin cheesecakes are going to be on hold till next year? I was happy that I got one of the last few cans and made this cake because true to its name it was so absolutely moist and delicious. However, as usual I decided that I couldn't wait to spring my cake open (the restless peanut gallery who kept asking "is it done yet?" may have contributed to that!) though it was far from cooled so it kinda crumbled making the picture a little less pretty. (Food Photo hint #14595 if you mess up your cake stick it in a martini glass and pretend that's how its suppose to look!)

The cake took a bit longer that expected at least 20 - 30 min more due to subbing out the bundt pan for a springform. It was a good option as the batter was perfectly contained though it did rise above the edges in the oven but I think that I would like to invest in a proper bundt cake form. I first found this pudding pie recipe that sounded absolutely sinful with airy light layers on creamy mouse but in the end the cake won out with my friends. If I and lucky enough to find more cans of pumpkin you know what I will be doing later! 

Memorial Day BBQ Bash!

So I have to confess something you all probably know.... I don't live in a big gorgeous house on acres of land and have a beautiful edible garden that I just pluck my fresh ingredients from minutes before dinner time. I live in the city (metro NYC) in an apartment, my growing space is confined to two south facing window sills (and for some reason after having a very successful herb garden all winter we can't seem to keep anything alive more than a week!) and my outside space.... well we have our stoop. I love my apartment but when it comes to summer time backyard parties it just doesn't cut it! And that is where my amazing friends Tim & Heather come into this story. They just got a new apartment and guess what it has outside space! Now its still in the city so don't go dreaming of being barefoot in lush grassy fields but here in the city rooftops do double duty and knowing someone with access to one is basically the highlight of my summer! They were planning a Memorial Day BBQ and being the bossy girl I am I decided that I was going to jump in and lend them a hand (or a pork shoulder!) So thanks Tim and Heather for planning a party and letting me jump in with my party takeover.....

So first things first lets talk a little bit about party planning and take a look at a few tips that I have put together....
#1 PLAN PLAN PLAN... organization and lists galore will help you keep everything under control
#2 Know your audience... if its a cocktail party make sure food is bite size and portable, if its a BBQ plan ideas that can go on the grill so you don't have to keep running from the grill to the kitchen
#3 Mix familiar dishes with something new.... its great to try something new but don't try and do it all in one night
#4 Plan to make some dishes in advance.... dips, desserts, meats and stews are all easy to make before hand with minimal prep needed during the party
#5 Accept help...delegate responsibilities to your friends- your best girl friend who always shows up on time can get more important items while the ones who are always running later can always bring some extra desserts or snacks
#6 Multi purpose your ingredients.... using parsley in the dip, why not include it in a marinade? it saves on costs and ties your menu together

and most importantly
#7 Keep cool even if it doesn't go your way... the best parties are when everyone enjoys themselves so in the event of a party emergency try to stay cool and laugh it off

OK with all that in mind... let's get our first list ready... the menu (with the rule they correspond to)

chimichurri dip (#4 & #6)
scallion mint dip (#4 & #6)
gucamole (#5)
black bean and corn salsa (#5)
chips, nachos & veggies (#5)
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mojito-marinaded flank steak w pineapple salsa grilled pineapple (#6) (recipe below)
homemade sliders w cheddar or pepperjack (#5)
pulled pork sliders w red cabbage slaw and pickles (#3 & #4)
marinaded chicken (#5)
pasta salad (#5)
grilled corn (#3)
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fresh cubed watermelon (#4)
fruit plate (mango, strawberries, blueberries etc) (#4)
s'more blondie bars (#4)
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peach sangria (#3 & #4)
mint mojito bar (#6)
local micro-brews (#5)

From this list I will make my shopping list and more importantly my task list for the days before the party up and a timeline for the day of the party itself.

Thurs - menu plan
Fri - food shopping & liquor store
Sun - pork into crock pot, make marinade for steak, bake blondie bars, clean corn, make pineapple salsa (decided to simplify and go with grilled pineapple spears)
Mon - (guest arrive at 1 pm)
9am - prep sangria
9:30 - make coleslaw & sauce pulled pork
10 - dice watermelon
10:30  - prep burger fixings (cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato)
11 - start set up
beers into cooler with ice
chairs out and cleaned
plates/forks/knives/napkins/cups available
find and wash serving platters, serving utensils and grill utensils
12 - start plating food
chips and dips out
meat out of fridge to come to room temp
set up veggies plates
condiments out
12:45 - change into party outfit and get the music on!

keep reading for the Mojito Flank Steak Marinade

Easter Dinner - Roasted Leg of Lamb and Turkey Breast

I never pass up a holiday that I can cook for and Easter with the traditional foods that I grew up with is no exceptions. Although I have to admit I don't know if I follow many of our recipes too closely. I'd like to think that I have come up with a good version of my mother and grandmothers cooking but with my own set of ingredients. I have so much respect for my elders when I host a holiday dinner. There was always so much at our holiday spreads and it was always homemade! My easter was a bit smaller - only four of us turned out - but the spread was pretty impressive. One of the best parts of the dinner was the "drunk" girl roasted potatoes that my good friend Jema provided! Not only were they delicious but I loved the story.

This year I decided that I would butterfly my lamb roast and stuff it with a mint chimichurri - it was easy to assemble because my lamb roast had one of those elastic mesh "girdles" on it. I served it with bacon wrapped asparagus which is a decedent twist on the spring time classic. The turkey breast was obtained for free (yay!) due to some smart shopping and a great holiday special at Shoprite. Turkey breasts are such a great option for holidays - they take much less time than a whole turkey and still have all of the deliciously tender white meat that most people enjoy.

As always I brined my turkey, I find it hard to eat poultry prepared any other way recently as brining is just so easy and delicious (though it does take a bit of advance planning)

keep reading for the recipe for the turkey breast

Valentine's Day Dinner

It was around noon on Monday that I decided that it just wasn't right to have leftover soup on Valentines Day. Even though we weren't planning on going out and instead had plans to go and work out, I didn't want to make dinner so 'normal'. So when I ran to the store and saw the last package of baby lamb chops sitting right in front of me - Perfect! I had been talking to a friend who was making lamb for the first time that night for her fiance and it was right in the front of my mind.

This time I took the extra step of removing the small piece of fatty meat under the chop to make them "Frenched". This step makes it much easier to eat the lamb chop and turns it into just a few choice bites.... A luxurious dinner if there ever was! For this dinner, I applied a rub of sea salt, fresh crushed pepper and rosemary and seared the chops on my grill pan. Only about 15 min from fridge to dinner plate - good food doesn't have to take a long time to make!

Glogg

A few days before my final holiday party of the year (Jan 15th) I stumbled upon a recipe for a traditional Swedish Glogg. I have actually had the pleasure of being in Sweden around Christmas time and attending a traditional celebration (what ever you do be careful with the aquavit!) so I knew that this would be a fun drink to serve my guests. I was lucky to have most of the spices on hand from baking so a quick trip to the liquor store was all I needed. While there are a few time consuming steps needed this isn't very complicated and it is definitely a fun drink for the cold weather. You may be tempted to just dump everything into one pot and let it just simmer together but taking the time to make the brandy caramelize is definitely worth it! After spending most of our holiday season digging out from snow storm after snow storm it was wonderful to come inside to a hot cup of this "medicine".

 

This recipe will make about 5 x 750 ml bottles of glogg but don't worry, if you aren't having a party you can always bottle it and store it as it ages very well. In fact, if everyone is a good girl and boy next year this might replace the annual cookie baking that I do for gifts and turn things up a notch! One warning - this is highly alcoholic - despite its sweet taste and spicy warmness it has a kick..... so make sure you have a glass of water and a few advils before bed if you find your self "taste-testing" it too often throughout the night. If you want to combine baking with Glogg making you can always use the fruit that has been strained out in the end to make a delicious bread - just be careful to remove all of the spices as it isn't fun to bite into a chunk of cinnamon stick!

click through for the recipe! 

Rosh Hashanah Dinner 2010...old favorites and new takes

Last year, I held my first ever Rosh Hashanah party. Since I am not Jewish all these foods and customs were so forgeign to me that I pretty much just followed the recipes as written. The one place I felt comfortable doing my own twist was in the noodle kugel I figured as an Italian I knew all I needed to know about what is basically a pasta dish but those who know and love kugel were not happy! They wanted the old-fashioned kind.

This year was a complete flip....I did the traditional for the kugel but went my own way on the other foods and it seemed to turn out well. We were joined by even more of our veggie loving friends so the brisket was barely touched but the roasted vegetables were demolished! Looks like I should have cut up those last two sweet potatoes!