I wish I could take credit for this one and having had it in use for about fifteen years, my daughter thought I should share it with you. This is not my idea but one that Martha Stewart had in a magazine so long ago.
Get a recipe box and fill it with recipe cards. Now, when you are having a dinner, take a card and write the names of your guests, the date of the dinner, the occasion (if there is one) and the menu. Along with this write out the name of the book or magazine where you found it, page number so if you need to find it a day or two before the upcoming dinner, it will all be at your fingertips.
By the way, make this card out when you plan to have a dinner….a week, 2 weeks or a month in advance. This is good planning and you will be prepared in getting the groceries required, wine to buy, mixings for the signature drink and, most important point of all, you won’t be serving your guests the same food the next time they come over.
Really, try it and it will become second nature for you. P.S. I also use this when family come over (not Christmas as that one is laid in stone) but other times, epecially if it is a special occasion. Remember to treat your family and friends the same way you treat company.
Tip: If you don’t it becomes “oh, it is JUST so-and-so’ coming over. The special treatment is lost in that one statement.
Onion and Apple Curry
This is another quick mini quiche for entertaining the masses. Try this one and you will see.
- 1 small onion
- 1 small granny smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 2 large, eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- cheddar cheese, grated
- pastry shells
Put a little oil in frypan. Lightly brown a small, thinly sliced onion, then add a small, peeled and grated granny smith apple. Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. curry powder and stir for one minute. Cool slightly.
Spoon heaping teaspoons into pastry tarts. Mix 2 lightly beaten eggs and 2 tbp. heavy cream into each tart to cover the onion. Sprinkle with some grated cheddar.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 until top is puffed up and golden in colour.
If you sample these, I am told you will never stop ‘sampling’.
Taste Rating: 7.8
Corn and Red Pepper Mini Quiches
If you are looking for a different way to serve hors d’oeurves, try this one.
You can make your own pastry or buy ready made tarts.
- You will need a 4 oz. can of corn kernels
- mix with 1/3 cup grated cheddar
- and one half of a medium sized red pepper.
Beat two eggs, 2/3 cup heavy cream, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard and one drop of Tabasco sauce.
Spoon the corn mixture into the tarts. dividing equally and top with the egg mixture until almost full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Serve immediately.
Taste Rating: 9
Roasted Vegetable Risotto
This is easy and, as I love Risotto, is a favourite to make. Understanding you can use any leftover roasted vegetables or changing the goat cheese to Romano makes it a “what is in the cupboard” kind of fun.
You need:
- 1 carton chicken broth, 900 ml
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 cups leftover roasted vegetables (any kind)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 small onion (really small for me)
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan heat the broth and water until it is hot and keep on low heat. Cut the vegetables into bite size pieces and set aside.
Melt butter in a large wide saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the garlic and onion until the onion is soft. Takes a couple of minutes, but don’t burn the garlic. Add the rice and stir it together.
Add the wine and chili flakes stirring constantly until no wine remains. Add the broth to the rice mixture a half cup at a time, stirring gently until the rice is absorbed. Cook until the rice is tender and not mushy. This takes 20 minutes EXACTLY. In the last 5 minutes of cooking simply add the vegetables and stir through. Add the cheese and stir.This should be served immediately. If left to sit in the saucepan it will continue t o cook and be mush. This is not good.
This makes a great entree or if you are planning a buffet dinner, a wonderful side dish. Just don’t bet that it will last that long. It is yummy!
Taste Rating: 9
Operation a success
Don’s surgery yesterday was smooth as silk. He’s on the mend and doing exceptionally well. This morning we have a showing at 9 a.m. so I will get back to you after that. It is now 6 a.m. and I have not had my coffee. Understand?
Fancy Fruit for Kids
Are your children tired of the same old fruit in a bowl? Try this one for size. Cut the ends off a melon. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and with a 2 inch metal cookie cutter, cut different shapes. Also, by using a fruit baller, you can make flowers by scooping out little circles of the same fruit or one of a different colour.
This makes the fruit a lot of fun to look at and to eat. If your children are a little older get them to help cut out the fruit.
Butternut/Yellow Split-Pea Soup
The cold winter air makes one wish for a good hearty soup that can be made in a slow cooker. Try this it is really tasty.
You need:
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into pieces
- 1/2 of 450g pkg. of dried yellow split peas
- 3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, strings removed
- 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup of diced ham steak (250 ml)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 900 ml carton chicken broth
Rinse the peas and drain. Place all the ingredients in a crock pot, set on medium and leave for work. Check to see the peas are cooked. Discard the bay leaf. Enjoy.
When cooled, keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or frozen for 2 1/2 months.
Taste Rating: 8.7
Resolutions? Not so much
Yesterday after Church, I came home and made homemade beans and huge pot of chili. My best half, Don, made a huge-big pot of homemade soup. We are ready now for the cold weather to hit. Guess what? It did.
Resolutions. I only made one this year…..don’t make any, just do the best you can and it will work out for you. It just may not work on YOUR time schedule, but given time, it will.
New Year – New Beginnings
Now we start a new year….2011. Who can believe it? New things will have to be planned and worked on to make this an even bigger and more successful site. I know I am ready for it and I hope you are too. Together we can make great strides into trying and succeeding at whatever venture entertaining at home brings. I would love to hear a resounding : DAMN, I CAN DO THIS from everywhere and know that little old me helped get you there. Have a great day. More tomorrow.