Neighborhood Christmas Party

This past Sunday my neighborhood held a progressive dinner. Each house prepared one course of a dinner and everyone walked to each person's house. At the end there was a gift exchange and everyone had a lot of fun and a lot of wine! haha. My house was responsible for the appetizers. I wanted to keep it simple for myself so I did 3 apps and some large cheese trays and made sure to split the prep into 2 days.

I've found the best way to throw a party and stay calm is to plan out everything really early in advance. Stuff like ingredient lists, day ahead prep and day of prep, last minute timing of when things need to be assembled or heated. One last tip- never try a new recipe for the first time the day of the party!!!!! Do things that you've tried before or if you want to do something new, test it a week before and serve it to your family or friends. That way if anything goes wrong it doesn't happen when you're trying to juggle 3 or 4 other things.

Apps:
Shea Dates
Caprese Skewers
Jalapeno Souffles
Cheese tray with grapes and salami/proscuitto
Nuts in bowls

SHEA DATES:
This is a recipe I learned from a friend at the Shea Center where I used to work. We serve them at all the parties we cater for charity. They're a bit time consuming to make but they're always a hit.

Ingredients:
Medjool Dates, pitted and cut in half
Goat Cheese
Basil Leaves
Proscuitto, cut into long thin strips

Directions:

1. Pit and cut the dates the day before. Soak wooden skewers in water so they don't burn later when you broil the dates.

2. On the day of, fill the dates with some goat cheese using a small spoon. Then wrap a small basil leaf around the date and a piece of proscuito around the whole thing. Use the skewer to hold proscuitto and basil in place.

3. Repeat step 2 50-60 times depending on the number of guests (I like to do 3 per guest). Wrap the dates in plastic wrap when your finished and leave in fridge until ready to serve

4. Right before the party starts, line up dates on a sheet tray. Broil for about 1 minute until proscuitto gets slightly crispy. Watch the dates because they can burn quickly and there will be some smoke from the wooden skewers. Place on a platter and enjoy!

CAPRESE SKEWERS:

This recipe is the easiest of all because it requires no cooking and is quick to put together. This is a great recipe if you have a crowd that is weight conscious and it's also a good vegetarian option. The key to this is picking good ingredietns. Since it's so basic the cheese needs to be really good. I like to go to the deli section and have the people behind the counter tell me which mozzarella is best and then try a slice before purchasing a big block which I cube up at home the day before the party.

Ingredients:
small tomatoes like grape or cherry tomatoes
mozzarella cheese cubes
balsamic vinegar
extra basil

Directions:

1. marinate tomatoes in a little bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir through out the day.

2. A few hours before the party skewer one tomato onto one cheese block. The "dressing" from the tomatoes will run down and flavor the cheese as well. Put the cheese on the bottom so the skewer has a stable base to sit on.

3. Repeat and make a lot of skewers. Place on a serving tray and your done.

JALAPENO SOUFFLE
I had to update the jalapeno souffle recipe just a bit. I really like these though because you can make them the day before and reheat them the last minute. They're a little spicy but really spongy and soft. If your serving alcohol it'll make people drink more haha.

I like to reheat a small batch at a time and keep replacing the souffles on the platter since they taste better warm but you can fire them all at once and leave them at room temp and they'll still taste great. Make sure to butter the tins first, then prep all the ingredients (grate cheese, measure milk and mustard, etc.)This recipe serves about 12 mini souffles so you'll need to increase it if your serving a lot of people.

Ingredients:

1 tbs. butter, plus extra for buttering tins
1 tbs. flour, plus extra for tins
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
6 tbs. milk
1/4 c grated gruyere cheese, plus extra for topping
1/4 t. salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1 large egg, separated

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400

2. Butter a nonstick mini-muffin pan. Dust the tins with the flour and tap out the excess. Make sure everything is coated otherwise the souffles will stick later.

3. Melt 1 tbs. butter in a small sauce pan. Add jalapenos and sweat over low heat for about 2 minutes. Don't brown the jalapeno, we just want to draw out the flavors of it.

4. Add the flour to the pan and whisk continually. Cook for 2 minutes.

5. Whisk in the milk. Add the cheese, salt, pepper, mustard, and egg yolk. Cool to room temperature. You want this mixture to be slightly thick, like the consistency of mayonaise.

6. While mixture is cooling, whisk the egg whites with a hand beater until they are firm but not stiff. The way to tell is when you pull the beaters out of the egg whites, the whites clinging to the beaters will stand up straight. Don't over beat the mixture!

7. Immediately after whipping the egg whites fold gently into the egg yolk and cheese mixture. Start by taking 1/3 of the egg whites and just stir it in. take the 2nd 1/3 and fold it into the mix. Finally add the last of the whites and fold gently. Don't over mix or you'll lose the air in the whites.

8. Immediately spoon mixture into muffin tin, about halfway full.

9. Bake in the oven until puffed and golden about 7-10 minutes.

10. Cool in the tins and then run a small knife around the edge of each souffles. They will fall but that's ok. If not using immediately let cool completely, then wrap in a plastic bag and store in fridge

11. When your ready to serve them pull out of fridge and allow to come to room temp. Turn on your broiler as hot as it goes. Place souffles in a single layer on a sheet tray. Put a tiny bit of extra cheese on top of each souffle. Broil for 30 second or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep an eye on them because they can burn super fast! Place immediately on a platter and serve!

Pasta Carbonara- Updated

Serving Size: 1 person

Ingredients:
8 ounces dry fettuccine or spaghetti
2 pieces roughly chopped bacon
1 clove garlic, crushed with the back of a knife
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until "al dente."

2. Meanwhile, add bacon to a medium skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until it has rendered its fat and bits are crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel to drain. Add garlic to the bacon fat in the pan and cook over low heat for a few seconds. Remove skillet from the heat and set aside until pasta is done. (you can crisp the bacon while the water is boiling)

3. Whisk eggs and cheese together in a separate bowl and season to taste with salt and a lot of fresh ground black pepper.

4. When pasta is done drain well and return to the pot, off heat.

5. Place your pan with bacon fat and garlic back over the lowest heat. Thoroughly combine pasta with bacon and garlic in pan. Stir well and coat each strand with some of the bacon fat.

6. Stirring pasta continuously with a long wooden pasta fork or tongs, slowly pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Turn off the heat once egg mixture is in the pan and continue to stir until the eggs thicken into a sauce. Make sure to constantly stir or your eggs will scramble. If this happens don’t worry, the texture will be a little different but it will still taste delicious!

7. Pour everything into a bowl and garnish with crispy bits of bacon and extra parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

I wanted something that was quick but really delicious so I did something simple like chicken and used my left over mashed potatoes. Since I used less time to cook everything I decided to make a sauce to bring a depth of flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, boneless and skinless
dry spices- salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika etc.
1 tbs. butter
olive oil
1/4 onion, rough chop
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tbs. flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
worchestire sauce
1-3 t fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 t tomato paste

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350

2. Take chicken out of fridge. Combine all dry spices into a small bowl. Place chicken on a paper plate and rub spices all over chicken. Make sure everything is well seasoned.

3. Once oven is preheated put 1 tbs. butter and a splash of olive oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat.

4. Add chicken to pan and brown for about 4 minutes, flip chicken over and cook for about 3 minutes. Stick a thermometer prob into the thickest part of the chicken and place entire pan into the oven.

5. Allow chicken to cook until it reaches 157. Remove chicken from oven and remove to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest.

6. Put pan onto medium heat and add onion and garlic. Allow to cook while scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.

7. Once onions are caramelized, add the flour and whisk vigourously. Cook for about 2 minutes to lightly brown the flour.

8. Whisk in your chicken stock, a dash of worchestire and tomato paste. Allow to cook slowly until liquid has thickend. (while sauce is thickening I microwaved my mashed potatoes)

9. Once it is to the thickness you like add the lemon juice and taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper.

10. Slice the chicken and serve over a mound of mashed potatoes. Make sure to top everything with the yummy gravy!

Thai Chicken

I wanted to try something very different so I decided to cook a food style I never have before, Thai. This marinade had a lot of complex flavors to it which I liked. I had most of these ingredients already so trying this dish wasn't too expensive. So if you're feeling adventurous I say try some new things and make this dish!

Marinade Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken Thighs or 4 chicken breasts
14 oz coconut milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp curry powder (sweet)
2 tbsp asian fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper (ground)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. Hot Chili Sauce (Siracha)


Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a small container. Poke chicken repeatedly with a fork and then place in a plastic zip-lock bag. Pour marinade over chicken and into bag. Allow to marinade for 3-24 hours.

2. Use broiler in oven or grill to char chicken. This should take about 5 -10 minutes. Once the outside is crusty and charred finish in a 350 oven til cooked through.

3. Once the chicken is finished, remove to a plate and allow to rest while covered in foil. Serve with rice or another thai inspired side dish.

Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Pan Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

When I was in the store about a week ago I found some cornish game hens that were on sale and I wanted to try to cook them since I haven't before. I've kept them in the freezer for a while and now I finally had time to cook them. I thought they would taste like chicken, and they did, but they had a really gamey taste. I'm not in love with the cornish game hen but if you are here's a recipe to try! You can also do this same recipe with a whole chicken too.


Ingredients:
1 cornish game hen per person
3 tbs. butter, room temp!
5 sprigs parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 of a medium onion, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Dry Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, dry thyme (anything you have on hand)
Worchestire sauce
1-2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Take out the cornish game hen and rinse thoroughly then pat dry. Allow to sit at room temp while you make the butter rub.

2. Combine butter, 2/3 of the parsely, 2 tbs. lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dry spices in a small bowl. Use a fork and mix.

3. Preheat oven to 450.

4. Place cornish game hen in a roasting pan. Using your hands rub butter mixture all over outside and inside of hen. Once everything is covered well fill the game hen cavity with the roughly chopped onion, more parsely, and the lemon rinds from juicing. Anything that doesn't fit in the cavity, just sprinkle around the game hen into the bottom of the roast pan. Tie end of drumsticks together with a bit of butcher's twine for more even roasting.

5. Allow hen to sit until oven is heated. Place a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh then place hen in the oven.

6. Cook until temp hits 160. Remove hen from oven and remove from roasting pan onto a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

7. To make Gravy: Place roasting pan back onto the stove. Pour in about 1 cup of chicken stock. Using a wooden spoon scrape all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add some fresh lemon juice and a dash of worchestire sauce. Taste the liquid and see if it needs salt and pepper. Allow liquid to reduce by half then pour into a serving dish or gravy boat.

8. Place a hen on each plate and a big mound of mashed potatoes. I like to leave my gravy on the side so people can decide how much they would like. Enjoy Eating!

Pulled BeefTostada

A tostada, in Mexico, refers to a flat or bowl shaped tortilla that is toasted or deep fried. It's nice because its quick and simple to do and becomes the serving and eating utensil for the dish. I used a little of the left over pot roast, some beans from el polo loco, and some fresh avocado and lime. It was really yummy and satisfying as a quick lunch before work. You can add any other taco toppings you like such as lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.

What's great about a tostada is that it's a good vessel for all kinds of flavors. You can use chicken or beef, savory or sweet (put cinnamon and sugar on the cooked tortilla, yum). The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients;

oil for frying (canola or vegetable)
1-3 tortillas per person, dependso n how hungry
enough of your toppings for everyone

Directions:

1. Heat a saute pan with about 1/4 inch of oil.

2. Add the tortillas and fry until lightly browned on the edges. Turn over and fry the other side. Once both sides are browned and crispy, drain on a paper towel and season with salt while the tortillas are still hot.

3. Keep all of the tortillas in a dish towel until ready to serve. (serve ASAP so they stay crunchy).

4. When ready to eat just load on your topping the way you like and enjoy. This could be fun for kids because they get to create their own dish before eating it.

Pot Roast with Creamy Polenta

It's very rare that I have an entire day off so I thought I'd celebrate by cooking up a long cooking dish that could cook while I did other chores so I turned to my best friend-the braise. This time I wanted to try something brand new and braise some lamb shanks but when I got to the meat counter there was a sale on beef so lamb shanks are going to wait a bit.

I wanted to make this dish a little different so I made a really creamy and cheesy polenta. I tried to keep it light by using only a little cream, butter, and cheese but if you want it to be really luxurious load it up with that stuff haha.

I used a very similar braising liquid that I did for the short ribs a week or two ago. This time, to get more final sauce for the meat I used a little more liquid. I also push out all the liquid from the veggies and everything in the pot when I finaly strained it. After the meat was finished, I let it reest and cool in the liquid. Then I removed the meat to a platter and used a strainer and cheesecloth to take all the chuinks out of the liquid. Then I squeezed the cheesecloth filled with veggies to get out every last drop. Be careful when doing this because I squeezed too hard and got sauce all over me so take your time for this step.

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. chuck roast
Kosher salt
1 large Spanish onion or 2 small yellow onions, cut into 1-inch dice
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 cloves garlic
3 tbs. tomato paste
3 cups hearty red wine
10 to 12 thyme branches tied together in a bundle
4 to 5 cups beef stock
4 bay leaves

Directions

1. Coat a large Dutch oven generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Brown well on all sides. This is an incredibly important step; do not rush it.

2. Meanwhile, chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and set aside.

3. Remove the roast from the pan to a platter. Discard the excess fat from the pan. Add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies until they are very brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes. The brown veggies should form a sort of crust on the bottom of the pan, do not let this burn; it is where a lot of the flavor is! Don't rush this step either, since this is where you will develop the brown color and flavor.

4. Add the tomato paste and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, beef stock, and thyme bundle. Stir frequently and cook until the liquid has reduced by about half.

5. Add the roast back to the pot and pour in more wine and stock until the beef is covered. Add the bay leaves to the pan, cover and leave on the stove over very low heat. The cooking time will be about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

6. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the roast over. Check the roast every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid has reduced too much add more water. Defat as you go.

7. Remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for maximum browning. When the roast is done the meat should be incredibly tender and flavorful. Transfer to plates with creamy polenta and garnish with strained sauce.


CREAMY POLENTA

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta
1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup milk or cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions


1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large, heavy pot. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal.

2. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and parsley. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted.

4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.