party time

I absolutely LOVE planning for events, especially events that involve food and friends!  I think I should be a caterer and go to culinary school (this is my dream someday).  While I don’t handle stress/anxiousness too well sometimes, I love the stress of the kitchen.  That rush you get when you prepare something that turns out so well you want to jump or giggle, or the sheer disappointment you feel after messing up a dish and the determination to tweak it and make it better the next time (or right at that moment!).  I love preparing great nibbles and seeing the joy on people’s faces when they are enjoying the company of great friends and food. 

Even with lots of planning, things just don’t always go as planned haha, and this is where I get a bit discombobulated :/  This week was pretty uneventful, but I did get in a small fender bender on Wednesday that put a ‘dent’ in things so to speak.  I was okay thank goodness, but my poor car got about $2,000 worth of damages.  The guy in front of me with the truck didn’t even get a scratch, go figure!  This is my first accident, so I hope that my insurance won’t go through the roof.  While I did get a moving violation for following too close, I don’t even remember being that close.  All I remember is coming to a slow stop, starting to go again and before I knew it I was smooshed in the car in front of me.  I didn’t have enough time to react, and the guy in front of me also hit the guy in front of him.  Not a pleasant experience, but not too bad.  I was just bummed because my gym plans were shot!  Crazy I was thinking about that, but I’m definitely glad it wasn’t more serious.  After filing a claim with my insurance and blah, blah, blah, I’m waiting for the body shop to finish the work . . . (big sigh).  Have you ever gotten in a car accident?  They scare me so much, and when I first started driving I about went into a panic attack every time I got into the car, especially on the freeway.  I didn’t get my license until the middle of my junior year of HS!  Now I’m not that bad, but they still give me serious chills.

On to something more fun . . . . PARTY TIME!

Once all the planning, prepping, making and cleaning was all done, it was so nice to have a cocktail (or two!) and enjoy the good company of family, friends and yummy nibbles celebrating our first home.

Oh and I have to fess up that I got myself a new toy!  I didn’t really ‘need’ it, but really believe that it will be a great investment for the future of my blog, business and tasty travels.  Drum roll please . . . .  it’s the Canon Rebel XSi  aahhh!  I’ve been dreaming about taking pictures like these for years.  Yea, I could have gotten a new road bike, a flat screen tv, a bedroom set, or fake grass in the backyard, but I decided to get an awesome camera.  What is wrong with my head?  I love learning about food styling, and while my pictures are not professional at all, I hope to start learning a lot more about photography, particularly with FOOD!  By the time I made my decision, (I swear I was contemplating all freaking day!) it was too late to get it here by the party date, so I decided to speed ship it for a little extra so I could have it for the pics.  Let’s see how I did for an amateur right out of the box . . . There is so much to learn with this thing!

And if you have ANY experience with food photography, lighting, etc, by all means please give me some ideas and feedback for what works best for you :) 

Here’s the spread:

For munchies to start:

Assorted cheeses – Colby, fontina, sharp cheddar, aged gouda, honey and grapes

Brie, herbed brie, and aged parmesan 

Bruschetta with fig compote, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto.  We also had caprese bites with balsamic reduction. 

Panzanella Salad

Chocolate Fountain!  This was a hit, who doesn’t love dipping things into falling chocolate?! 

Spinach artichoke dip with Hawaiian sweet bread, this is always a crowd pleaser.

 

Roasted Veggie Calzones with marinara dipping sauce (still have to work on the aperture and depth of focus)

 

And we got a new TV!!  I think I about died right then.  Buster likes watching TV haha

It was such a wonderful party, and while it took most of the week to prepare for it, it was so much fun.  I think we will have to have another party soon because we have a ton of liquor left!  I forgot to take pictures, but we opened up 3 bottles of wine, had that lemon champagne punch (It was so good!), and also made another cocktail, and some pyramid apricot ale beer.  We still have a giant thing of vodka, coconut rum, cranberry and pineapple juice left.  We’ll have to keep it for another time.  Now I have a ton of dishes in the kitchen and loads of wash I need to get cleaning (boo!) . . . and Happy Father’s Day!  Give those men in your lives a big hug!

What’s your most memorable party that you have hosted?

 

 

lots of planning

With the housewarming party fast approaching, there is lots of planning to do.  As you know I’m a huge list writer and I really like the program called OneNote.  I also use it for all my classes.  I swear I’d be lost if I didn’t have my plan of action!  Most of the time this way of thinking is beneficial for me and helps me really get things done, but a lot of the time it is most certainly my downfall.  If something doesn’t quite go as planned, I get cranky and all discombobulated.  Well, let the planning begin . . . Let me know what you think or if you have any tried and true crowd pleasers.  If everyone attends there should be around 30 people . . . eek!  But, it should probably be more around 20-25.  More pictures to come as the food is prepped!

Menu Ideas so far . . . I may have to narrow some down

~Starters~

• Spinach artichoke dip with Hawaiian sweet bread
• Various cheese, Nut and fruit platters with honey
• Fig compote, goat cheese and caramelized onion bruschetta
• Caprese bruschetta with balsamic reduction

~Main~

• Artichoke heart, sun-dried tomato and olive pasta salad with lemon vinaigrette
• Panzanella salad
• Mini Veggie Calzones with marinara dipping sauce
• Asian BBQ chicken thighs

~Dessert~

• Chocolate fountain with strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows and brownie bites for dipping

~Grown-up Drinks~

• Citrus Champagne Punch(tried this at a friend’s, so good!)
• Starborough sauvignon blanc (very fruity and fresh)
• Ravenswood chardonnay (like butta’)
• Willow Springs Cabernet (nice fruit)
• Cakebread Merlot (haven’t tried yet, but got as a gift)
• Seghesio Zinfandel (jammy and full)

Wow, I have lots of things to do before all this is golden.  We even have more house stuff to do too . . . eek!  Here’s my plan of attack so far . . .

This weekend:

• Clean up yard somewhat, Extra outside chairs,Touch-up paint, Baseboards, Thresholds? and Hang pictures

Mon-Wednesday

• Buy Wine/Alcohol at Lee's
• Buy Platters/serving stuff at HomeGoods (so cheap!)
• Make brownie bites/freeze

Thursday

• Grocery Shopping
• Prep Salad/bruschetta ingredients

Friday

• Assemble Pasta salad/Panzanella salad
• Marinate chicken
• Roast Veggies for calzones
• Make calzone dough
• Clean upstairs

Saturday

• Buster Walk/Bath
• Clean downstairs
• Assemble Platters
• Make citrus punch
• Make calzones
• Grill Chicken

PARTY! – 6pm

For lunch the other day I had something that I haven’t had in a long time . . . tempeh!  I marinated a few strips of it in Hoisin, lime juice, and sesame oil for about 5 minutes.  Then I grilled it on the grill pan, and placed in on some sandwich bread with mozzarella, spinach and avocado and pressed it into a panini.  I also had greek yogurt on the side for dipping.  It was delish and very filling!

   

Buster has this weird thing and likes to smell shoes when you take them off!  We took Buster to the dog park for the first time and he had a blast!  He loves being around all the other dogs and people.  All the dogs were barking at him and smelling his butt, but he didn’t mind at all!  Isn’t that amazing that dogs smell each other’s butts to meet and find out about each other?  He was romping through the grass like a gazelle and loved all the new smells.  We are definitely going to make this a continued occurrence in the future.  He was so tuckered from all the excitement, but he still had us up at 4:15 am wanting to get up.  He is such a new dog once he got his poor ears and teeth fixed up.  He had a really bad ear infection the week after we got him, one of the worst the vet has seen.  Now, he’s been on antibiotics and two kinds of ear rinses and he’s feeling much more chipper and is quite the character.

Here’s Buster’s new friend Louie.  He’s my friend’s dog and is quite the ham!

Here’s the happy papa and Buster . . .

    

Hope you all have a wonderful, productive weekend!  Let me know on any of your recipe ideas :)

summer grillin’ and chillin’

I absolutely love the summer time, especially for all its nutrient-dense produce in season. . . sweet fruits, a little relaxation and plenty of sunshine gets me excited to jump in the kitchen (or backyard) and put together refreshing recipes to savor the season. In the winter time I love making soups, stews and anything I can throw in the crock-pot because it’s so easy, but during the summer, especially with the 100+ degree weather here in Vegas, it’s hard not to want to eat anything but smoothies. The grill or grill pan can be a great friend because it can be really easy to marinate anything from chicken, pork, veggies, etc and throw it on the grill for a quick meal. I’m also a big fan of contrasting flavors and textures. Pairing sweet, savory and slightly spicy flavors makes my mouth sing. That is why I really enjoy this summer recipe of Jerk Chicken with mango salsa. It’s the perfect recipe for summer grillin’ and chillin’ in the backyard with a nice frosty margarita. Enjoy!

I did a post awhile ago regarding nutrition fact labels in restaurants.  Here is a recent statement from the ADA and I would have to agree!  I think this is so important for the future health of everyone, including myself.  Even though I know what to look for when it comes to eating out, there are times when I’m eating that oh so delicious restaurant meal and wonder. . . how much butter did they hide in here to make it taste so good?  On the other hand sometimes I just don’t want to know so I can enjoy my indulgent meal in moderation.  If I did have the counts I would definitely think twice!  But of course labels will be worthless without a foundation of nutrition education, so that consumers can understand the important information presented to them.

"The American Dietetic Association is a strong advocate for policies that will improve the lives of Americans through food and nutrition strategies. There is no goal more important in the current debate over health reform than to have a lasting, positive impact on all Americans' health. Nutrition is at the foundation of health - necessary to be healthy and effective in preventing delaying, offsetting and managing disease. We support policies that facilitate good nutrition, including consumer-tested nutrition information and education and financial support for research.

 

"We see the inclusion of restaurant menu labeling provisions in health reform appropriate to achieving that goal. People need scientifically valid and understandable nutrition information to make healthful choices in all venues, including restaurants. Providing good, accurate and tested information to a consumer educated in nutrition basics can have a powerful effect on food selection at the point of sale. Over time, the act of millions of people making healthful choices can impact the health of the nation and improve the food supply by consumer demand.”

What do you think?

~Jamaican Jerk Chicken~

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients: (Many of these steps can be done in advance, it’s kind of a long one!)

For the Chicken:

• 1 tsp lime rind 
• 1/4-1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp ground allspice
• 1tbsp brown sugar
• 1tbsp finely chopped jalapeno
• 2 tbsp olive or canola oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pound fairly thin so they are not too thick)

Place all the chicken ingredients in a zippy bag and marinate this mixture at least 2 hours in the fridge, turning occasionally.

For the Sweet Potato base: (Do this while the Chicken is marinating)

Stab 2 large yams/sweet potatoes with a fork, spray lightly with oil or pam and wrap in foil.  Place in a 375-400 F oven for about 1 hour, depending on the size of them.  They will feel very tender when done.

For the Mango Salsa: (Do this while the sweet potatoes are baking, close to eating time)

• 1 tsp finely diced jalapeno (you can add more if you like it hot)
• Zest of one lime
• Juice of one lime
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• ¼ to ½ English cucumber, diced
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup non-fat greek yogurt

Mix all the salsa ingredients together and place in fridge until ready to plate. 

Time to Grill the Chicken:

Prepare the grill.  Grease grill with canola oil to keep the chicken from sticking.  For great grill marks place chicken on grill for 3-5 minutes, turn chicken about 35 degrees and cook another 3-5 minutes on the same side.  Baste chicken with the extra marinade.  Turn chicken over and repeat on the other side.  Total cooking time, depending on the thickness, should be about 12-20 minutes.  Instant Thermometer should read about 160 in the thickest part.  Let chicken rest 5 minutes covered with foil when done.

For the Presentation:

Cut the sweet potato in half widthwise then in half again lengthwise and fan open ½ the potato on the plate, place about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salsa mixture over the sweet potato, slice chicken thinly and fan slices on top.  Dollop with more Greek yogurt, lime slice, and sprig of fresh cilantro.  Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. It’s a flavor explosion in the mouth, yum!

What’s your favorite recipe or drink of summer?