Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
1 (4-pound) chicken, rinsed and patted dry, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced (about 1 cup)
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 cups cooked yellow rice
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet (with lid) over medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter.
Add the onion, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until much of the liquid has disappeared, about 5 minutes more.
Pour in the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano and rosemary. Add the chicken back to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.
To serve, divide the rice among 6 plates. Place chicken pieces on top of the rice. Ladle the sauce over top. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
When a group of friends hear wedding bells, a special party ensues…light & delicious luncheon fare for the Bride-to-be!
World news, believe it or not, can be tasty! That’s why, when Disney introduced it’s own line of 7 princess wedding gowns, I got inspired, and started doing a little research on weddings…and why not? As a party planner and caterer, they’re your bread and butter! Anyway, Yours Truly, along with the rest of a nuptial-minded consensus, decided that October is a great month to think about engagement parties, showers and so much of the mouth-watering “else” that comes with this celebration; I’m talking black and white marble cakes that remind you of bride and groom, a gathering of close friends—one of whom is headed down the aisle—and a stack of brides magazines that let you talk turkey about the one element in the wedding that is—let’s face it—what everybody shows up for: to see that gown!
When I looked at wedding statistics I found that the average American engagement is approximately 16 months long, and the bride-to-be chooses her wedding dress 4 months before the big day, which means that if you know someone this October shopping for the perfect dress, she’ll be saying “I do” in February! Valentines, anyone?
My party menu of hearty, yet delicate-in-presentation dishes for those who celebrate love, can be used not just for pending marriages, but for those coming up on anniversaries, and October, as I understand it, knows its fair share of them. Fall weddings represent 29% of the minister’s appointment book! If any of my readers are celebrating an anniversary, please leave me a comment that marks the exact date; it’ll make everyone smile!
Decorating for a bride inspired soirée can be done pretty inexpensively; a trip out to Party City showed me wedding trimmers and attention grabbing advertisements like: “It’s all about the dress!” For $10 you can get a formidable (at least a size 8) wedding dress balloon, but plenty of us will stop at simply putting out a pretty bouquet of roses and maybe some bride and groom salt and pepper shakers.
You know, I thought that a fun version of this party could be calling it a “Tapa-Wear” event, where the bride-to-be tries a few things on, while tapas are served in her midst. Ultimately, though, I left tapas to that hypothetical honeymoon in Spain, and chose Pitas Stuffed with Chicken and Walnut Salad, Chilled Cream of Cauliflower Soup (cauliflower is in season right now), Sautéed Fruit and Cheese Platter (this is the perfect post luncheon accompaniment that may just rival the dessert) and Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cake with coffee afterward, its colors a perfect meld of what traditional brides and grooms are all about. Thank you, Queen Victoria, for establishing the centuries old tradition of white wedding dresses, a cherished theme in the minds of (most, all??) little girls until they become big girls…and actually wear one down the aisle.
So that’s all for now, my friends. Set your table for the well dressed, and don’t forget the white wines, and lone bottle of special champagne—have a nip and take a peek at beautiful things yet to come!
When I looked at wedding statistics I found that the average American engagement is approximately 16 months long, and the bride-to-be chooses her wedding dress 4 months before the big day, which means that if you know someone this October shopping for the perfect dress, she’ll be saying “I do” in February! Valentines, anyone?
My party menu of hearty, yet delicate-in-presentation dishes for those who celebrate love, can be used not just for pending marriages, but for those coming up on anniversaries, and October, as I understand it, knows its fair share of them. Fall weddings represent 29% of the minister’s appointment book! If any of my readers are celebrating an anniversary, please leave me a comment that marks the exact date; it’ll make everyone smile!
Decorating for a bride inspired soirée can be done pretty inexpensively; a trip out to Party City showed me wedding trimmers and attention grabbing advertisements like: “It’s all about the dress!” For $10 you can get a formidable (at least a size 8) wedding dress balloon, but plenty of us will stop at simply putting out a pretty bouquet of roses and maybe some bride and groom salt and pepper shakers.
You know, I thought that a fun version of this party could be calling it a “Tapa-Wear” event, where the bride-to-be tries a few things on, while tapas are served in her midst. Ultimately, though, I left tapas to that hypothetical honeymoon in Spain, and chose Pitas Stuffed with Chicken and Walnut Salad, Chilled Cream of Cauliflower Soup (cauliflower is in season right now), Sautéed Fruit and Cheese Platter (this is the perfect post luncheon accompaniment that may just rival the dessert) and Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cake with coffee afterward, its colors a perfect meld of what traditional brides and grooms are all about. Thank you, Queen Victoria, for establishing the centuries old tradition of white wedding dresses, a cherished theme in the minds of (most, all??) little girls until they become big girls…and actually wear one down the aisle.
So that’s all for now, my friends. Set your table for the well dressed, and don’t forget the white wines, and lone bottle of special champagne—have a nip and take a peek at beautiful things yet to come!
Sautéed Fruit and Cheese Platter
Servings: 20
Preparation time: 45 minutes
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups firmly packed sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 medium pineapples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
6 medium ripe pears, cored and sliced ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
6 medium apples, cored and sliced ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
6 large bananas, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
Maytag Blue, Stilton or Roquefort cheese, sliced into wedges
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Dip each piece of fruit in the brown sugar mixture.
Sautee the fruit in the butter, turning once until just soft and golden. Add more butter to the pan as needed. Transfer the fruit to a baking sheet.
Prepare platter by arranging slices of sautéed fruit and cheese wedges on serving dishes.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups firmly packed sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 medium pineapples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
6 medium ripe pears, cored and sliced ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
6 medium apples, cored and sliced ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
6 large bananas, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
Maytag Blue, Stilton or Roquefort cheese, sliced into wedges
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Dip each piece of fruit in the brown sugar mixture.
Sautee the fruit in the butter, turning once until just soft and golden. Add more butter to the pan as needed. Transfer the fruit to a baking sheet.
Prepare platter by arranging slices of sautéed fruit and cheese wedges on serving dishes.
Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cake
Servings 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus baking
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
¼ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon black walnut flavoring
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a round cake pan by spraying with vegetable oil spray and dusting with flour.
Combine the salt, baking soda and flour in a small bowl. Set aside.
Use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and the eggs, adding one at a time. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions, alternating ½ flour mixture with ½ buttermilk until just blended. Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Stir in the cocoa and black walnut flavoring into the remaining batter. Place the remaining batter onto the vanilla batter in large spoonfuls. With the tip of a knife, swirl the chocolate batter onto the vanilla batter being careful t not to over-mix.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus baking
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
¼ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon black walnut flavoring
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a round cake pan by spraying with vegetable oil spray and dusting with flour.
Combine the salt, baking soda and flour in a small bowl. Set aside.
Use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and the eggs, adding one at a time. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions, alternating ½ flour mixture with ½ buttermilk until just blended. Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Stir in the cocoa and black walnut flavoring into the remaining batter. Place the remaining batter onto the vanilla batter in large spoonfuls. With the tip of a knife, swirl the chocolate batter onto the vanilla batter being careful t not to over-mix.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Chilled Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Serving Size: 2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced (about 2/3 cup)
2 medium celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into flowerets (about 3 cups)
1 quart chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup fat free half and half
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and cauliflower to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, cumin and nutmeg. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the veggies are soft, about 30 minutes.
Use a hand held blender or food processor to emulsify the soup. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Stir the cream and chives into the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with freshly ground pepper.
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Serving Size: 2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced (about 2/3 cup)
2 medium celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into flowerets (about 3 cups)
1 quart chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup fat free half and half
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and cauliflower to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, cumin and nutmeg. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the veggies are soft, about 30 minutes.
Use a hand held blender or food processor to emulsify the soup. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Stir the cream and chives into the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with freshly ground pepper.
Pitas Stuffed with Chicken and Walnut Salad
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time:
Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 sandwich
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Juice of 1 small lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 cup safflower oil
1 small (16 to 24 ounce) deli roasted chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
2 medium celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
1 bunch seedless red grapes, cut in half (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 large carrot, grated (about ½ cup)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 whole wheat pitas
Bean sprouts (optional)
Whisk together the egg yolk, salt, mustard, lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Whisk the oil into the egg yolk mixture a drizzle at a time until all of the oil has been incorporated; this will take you quite a while. (You can use a hand held blender or food processor to do the job for you.)
Place the shredded chicken meat into a bowl. Add the celery, red grapes, walnuts and shredded cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the mayonnaise to the chicken salad 1/3 cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency. (Store extra mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Use a serrated knife to split the pita ¾ of the way through. Stuff spoonfuls of the chicken salad into the pita. Top with bean sprouts.
Cook time:
Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 sandwich
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Juice of 1 small lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 cup safflower oil
1 small (16 to 24 ounce) deli roasted chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
2 medium celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
1 bunch seedless red grapes, cut in half (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 large carrot, grated (about ½ cup)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 whole wheat pitas
Bean sprouts (optional)
Whisk together the egg yolk, salt, mustard, lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Whisk the oil into the egg yolk mixture a drizzle at a time until all of the oil has been incorporated; this will take you quite a while. (You can use a hand held blender or food processor to do the job for you.)
Place the shredded chicken meat into a bowl. Add the celery, red grapes, walnuts and shredded cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the mayonnaise to the chicken salad 1/3 cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency. (Store extra mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Use a serrated knife to split the pita ¾ of the way through. Stuff spoonfuls of the chicken salad into the pita. Top with bean sprouts.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Drink in the Sweet Pleasures of Autumn with This Casual Dessert Party
I have a date with a cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee, served up warm with a dollop of whipped cream—I’m setting a small but lovely dessert table for a handful of my closest friends, and hope you’ll find a likeminded opportunity this year to host a seasonal gathering of your own.
October and November are perfect for savoring spicy, aromatic and super sweet flavors associated with Fall; whether you’re cooking a figgy pudding, roasting pumpkin seeds, or sniffing crisp red caramel-covered apples during the fall carnival—you can’t help but revel in the aromas that practically cling to you this time of year—right along with the sweaters you just pulled out of storage.
This is an ideal time to play hostess since the hectic pace of the full-on holiday season has yet to begin. Extend this cozy invite before everyone is too busy—or too frazzled—to join in the fun of an informal party.
Cue my Fall Equinox Dessert Feast! What am I serving?
Well…inspired by the October 21st holiday I just read about (would you believe it’s National Pumpkin Cheescake Day?), I’ve decided to do a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake; she’ll be big and marvelous, and take center stage on my table. The rest of my desserts consist of Chocolate Spice Cake with Caramel Toffee Frosting—so fitting for this time of year with its cinnamon clove smells, so inviting as you step in from the changing leaves…I could go on and on…—and last but not least, my Butterscotch Pudding with Toasted Almonds that I plan to serve from a real pumpkin shell! (Grab a carving knife, some newspaper, and get to work hollowing out a smallish pumpkin, so that you, too, are good-to-go serving your pudding the same way!)
You can prepare the pumpkin cheesecake 1 or 2 days in advance; the other desserts require some refrigeration time to set—see the recipes for complete instructions. My point in mentioning this is that you should prepare everything for this dessert party well in advance of show time!
One of the cool things you’ll notice about these desserts—aside from OMG!Flavor—are their colors, which are going to match the scented candles I’ll put out for the occasion. I also found a surprisingly nice (for its 40% mark-off from an original price of $30!) pumpkin/fall foliage centerpiece from Michael’s; browsing the aisles, there today I saw a lot of crafting tools from Martha Stewart’s product line—and was glad I just featured one of her Halloween party prep gadgets in my Favorite Things on the Nana Network.
October and November are perfect for savoring spicy, aromatic and super sweet flavors associated with Fall; whether you’re cooking a figgy pudding, roasting pumpkin seeds, or sniffing crisp red caramel-covered apples during the fall carnival—you can’t help but revel in the aromas that practically cling to you this time of year—right along with the sweaters you just pulled out of storage.
This is an ideal time to play hostess since the hectic pace of the full-on holiday season has yet to begin. Extend this cozy invite before everyone is too busy—or too frazzled—to join in the fun of an informal party.
Cue my Fall Equinox Dessert Feast! What am I serving?
Well…inspired by the October 21st holiday I just read about (would you believe it’s National Pumpkin Cheescake Day?), I’ve decided to do a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake; she’ll be big and marvelous, and take center stage on my table. The rest of my desserts consist of Chocolate Spice Cake with Caramel Toffee Frosting—so fitting for this time of year with its cinnamon clove smells, so inviting as you step in from the changing leaves…I could go on and on…—and last but not least, my Butterscotch Pudding with Toasted Almonds that I plan to serve from a real pumpkin shell! (Grab a carving knife, some newspaper, and get to work hollowing out a smallish pumpkin, so that you, too, are good-to-go serving your pudding the same way!)
You can prepare the pumpkin cheesecake 1 or 2 days in advance; the other desserts require some refrigeration time to set—see the recipes for complete instructions. My point in mentioning this is that you should prepare everything for this dessert party well in advance of show time!
One of the cool things you’ll notice about these desserts—aside from OMG!Flavor—are their colors, which are going to match the scented candles I’ll put out for the occasion. I also found a surprisingly nice (for its 40% mark-off from an original price of $30!) pumpkin/fall foliage centerpiece from Michael’s; browsing the aisles, there today I saw a lot of crafting tools from Martha Stewart’s product line—and was glad I just featured one of her Halloween party prep gadgets in my Favorite Things on the Nana Network.
Hop on Top Nana’s Facebook page and hit “Like “for weekly news feeds on more family fun with a culinary twist!
But in between work and play on the computer, get on the horn and arrange to have your friends over for dessert between now and Thanksgiving. A good rule of thumb for dessert parties on a smaller scale—which means between 4 to 7 guests—is to make 2 pots of coffee, reserve 2 bottles of wine and have, between the array of desserts offered, about 70 small servings on hand; that means cutting dainty slivers of cake, but almost everyone—in anticipation of that 3,000 calorie meal on gobble-gobble day is watching their figures anyway—and trust me, you’ll have enough food on hand with this party menu so that the napkins provided dab some VERY happy mouths—SPOILER ALERT: the frosting on my Chocolate Spice Cake is particularly mouth lickin’ good.
Come in from the first cold snap of the year, my friends, and enjoy some sweet treats with me!
But in between work and play on the computer, get on the horn and arrange to have your friends over for dessert between now and Thanksgiving. A good rule of thumb for dessert parties on a smaller scale—which means between 4 to 7 guests—is to make 2 pots of coffee, reserve 2 bottles of wine and have, between the array of desserts offered, about 70 small servings on hand; that means cutting dainty slivers of cake, but almost everyone—in anticipation of that 3,000 calorie meal on gobble-gobble day is watching their figures anyway—and trust me, you’ll have enough food on hand with this party menu so that the napkins provided dab some VERY happy mouths—SPOILER ALERT: the frosting on my Chocolate Spice Cake is particularly mouth lickin’ good.
Come in from the first cold snap of the year, my friends, and enjoy some sweet treats with me!
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