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foodbuzz 24×24: southern {summer} charm.

May 27, 2012 — 4 Comments

What better way to celebrate the beginning of summer than a Southern-inspired feast with fabulous cocktails and friends? For me, this is what summer’s all about.

I realize that most people declare this weekend as the official beginning of grilling season, but because we live in a high-rise and don’t have a grill, I’m gonna go ahead and say that fried chicken is the next best thing.

And if we’re talking about Thomas Keller’s fried chicken … well, then I’m pretty sure all bets are off. I put this fried chicken up against grilled burgers ‘n dogs any day.

Oh, yes … there’s a lot to be celebrating here. Beyond the start of summer, and even beyond the piece of art that is Thomas Keller’s fried chicken recipe.

In Complete Menus southern recipes

spring {wine pairing} dinner party.

April 6, 2012 — 6 Comments

It had just been too long since my last dinner party. Yes, I’ve been crazy-busy – but that doesn’t mean my love for entertaining has to suffer. We’d been meaning to see a couple of friends of ours for an eternity, so what better way to reunite than over fabulous food and vino?

Spring {Wine Pairing} Dinner Party Menu

As I’ve been getting more and more into wine, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to host my first wine pairing dinner. Gone are the days when I used to be able to drink anything as long as it was under $10 a bottle. Don’t get me wrong – there are still plenty of inexpensive bottles out there that I’m more than happy to drink. But as I’m not learning, all are not created equally. Let me know if you guys are interested in learning more about wine here. Your wish is my demand! Plus, I really love to ~~drink~~ talk about the stuff. I’m certainly not an expert – but we can learn together, right? When you think about it, it’s the closest thing I may get to having an actual drink with many of you, so cheers to that!

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy hostess with the mostess, spring recipes, wine pairing

super bowl {party} menu.

January 24, 2012 — 5 Comments

Now that we know who’s playing in the Super Bowl, we can move on to more important matters. Like what we’re eating.

I mean, duh. Everyone knows that football feeds are far more important than the game itself. I like football and everything, but what I live for is the food. Give me cheesy dips, give me chicken wings – extra-hot, hi – give me pizza, sliders, nachos…I could go on and on…but I won’t. I won’t, because that’s not what we’re really doing here today.

Today, we’re doing something a little healthier, a bit more modern, and just a tad – well, sexier.

Without further ado, meet your inspiration for this year’s Super Bowl shindig.

It’s about taking our favorites, and elevating them – you know, taking them up a notch. You guys know this is my thing by now, right?!

In Complete Menus appetizers, bars + brownies, dips + spreads, football fun-day, specialty cocktails

champagne {margarita} brunch.

December 28, 2011 — 3 Comments

As a person who adores both margaritas and champagne, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the brilliant idea to combine them.

This is beyond brilliant. This is the stuff people should win awards for coming up with… Is anyone surprised it was Rick Bayless’ creation? Didn’t think so.

Champagne is a perfect match for my beloved margarita, because it adds just the right amount of sweetness – and the bubbles provide a great balance against the 1:1:1 ratio of tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. Plus, we now have an excuse to drink tequila at breakfast.

And my, oh my – champagne margaritas open the door for endless Mexican brunch menu opportunities, don’t they?

In Cocktails, Complete Menus, Weekend Brunch champagne, margaritas, mexican recipes, mimosa, new year's recipes, tequila

annual summer brunch menu.

September 8, 2011 — 3 Comments

Two years ago, I hosted a brunch. It was right around the time that I started seriously getting into cooking, and it was probably the first time I entertained for a group of more than 4. I remember making Paula’s French Toast Casserole and Ina’s Smoked Salmon Spread. I also did a beautiful tomato and mozzarella salad, an egg white frittata with mushrooms and spinach, and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. But what made my brunch so infamous was the mimosa bar. I got all sorts of mixers, like peach nectar, orange juice, and pink lemonade – and each guest brought a bottle of champagne. Seven hours later… We were still going, to say the least.

{2nd annual summer brunch crew}

I think that brunch impacted me in a big way – I learned that not only did I love entertaining, I *loved* the process of putting together a great menu. I’m proud to say that my cooking has come a long way, and I’ve really come into my own in terms of what I like and what I’m about in the kitchen. And what I’m about is creating a truly special experience for my friends and loved ones – and even though the food must be nothing-short-of-fabulous, I like for everything else about the day or evening to be super-relaxed.

The following year, I let life get in the way as it has a habit of doing and I missed my opportunity to host a second annual brunch. This year, the end of August rolled around and I was determined not to let that happen again. And so, I hosted my second annual brunch a year late…

In Complete Menus, Weekend Brunch champagne, entertaining, girly time, hostess with the mostess, summer recipes

an all-american dinner party.

August 13, 2011 — Leave a comment

Summer always comes and goes too quickly, doesn’t it?

I served this menu for the 4th of July, but I think it would be the perfect way to celebrate the end of summer with family and friends. Labor Day party, anyone? It’s casual, comfort food you grew up eating, but with a twist. Think deviled eggs, sprinkled with truffle salt. It’s all about those simple, comforting picnic-esque foods and the memories that come along with them.

All-American Dinner Party

{watermelon sangria}

{deviled eggs with truffle salt}

{caramelized onion dip}

{pulled pork sliders with blue cheese slaw}

{dill macaroni salad over arugula}

{s’more brownies}

{coconut cream pie}

One recipe I’m planning to make often inspires my entire menu, and such was the case this time. When it was my turn to select a recipe for Project Pastry Queen, I had my mind set on the coconut cream pie, and because my scheduled date was July 3rd, the timing was perfect. What’s more American than coconut cream pie? The rest of the dishes came to me easily, as they were mostly classics with a twist. The onion dip is a favorite recipe of mine that I’ve made several times. The rest were recipes on my most-wanted list – particularly the pulled pork sliders with the blue cheese slaw, which turned out to be everything I’d hoped for and more.

Stay tuned for the recipes!

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy 4th of july, all-american, picnic, summer recipes

dinner party menu: easy summer shrimp boil.

July 31, 2011 — Leave a comment

Here’s one thing I know: It’s almost August already, and I still have a lot of summer meals I want to make. I love summer because it’s a time where meals should be simple, fun, and easy. Nothing complicated or over-thought. And I always find summer comes and goes too soon. For instance, I’ve got a lot of other menus and recipes to post here. Full of tomatoes, and sangria, and pulled pork – things you need to see before summer is over.

Let’s start with putting this summer meal into a menu. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been hard for you to figure it out on your own, but I just love putting it together for you anyway.

Easy-Breezy Summer Shrimp Boil Menu

{to drink: mango margaritas with chili salt}

{to start: green salad with avocado-basil dressing}

{the main event: beer shrimp boil}

{on the side: lemony artichokes au gratin}

{finish it off: blackberry pie bars - or for something lighter, homemade strawberry sorbet made from pureéd frozen strawberries and a squeeze of lime}

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy artichokes, avocado, easy-breezy, margaritas, shrimp, summer recipes

foodbuzz 24×24: childhood, reinvented.

May 29, 2011 — 9 Comments

It’s no secret that I love to throw a good dinner party. So, when Foodbuzz reached out to all of their featured publishers asking us to pitch an over-the-top dinner party idea (and get paid for it!), I was in.

OVER.THE.TOP.

Hi. Have we met? That’s what I do.

Immediately, my mind began conjuring up a theme of childhood classics, reinterpreted – gourmet-style.

Who doesn’t love to reminisce about what they loved as a kid? Whether it be TV shows we watched, foods we ate, songs we loved, or games we played – one of my personal favorites, if you’ve never engaged in passionate conversation regarding Chutes and Ladders or Mouse Trap, then we’re probably not friends – everyone loves to indulge in nostalgia.

{It’s the little things}

From mac ‘n cheese to peanut butter and jelly, childhood elicits some of our strongest food memories. For this menu, I went with some of my all-time favorites that I felt could be improved on with a little…adult guidance.

Specialty cocktails? Check. Trio of miniature appetizers? Done. A variation on the beloved “Happy Meal” – including my interpretation of a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and adult-appropriate toy? Yes, please. I won’t even get started on the spiked milkshake bar – I’ll just let you scroll down and see for yourself.

Because we all deserve to feel like a kid again. Enjoy!

childhood, reinvented.

{cotton candy martinis}

{the capri sun cocktail}

{mini grilled cheese sandwiches}

{homemade pizza rolls}

{mini mac ‘n cheese bites}

{bacon-wrapped sliders}

{oven-roasted tomato confit “ketchup”}

{truffled tater tots}

{vanilla milkshakes with bar of assorted spikers}

{chocolate cupcakes with ganache frosting + marshmallow cream filling}

{homemade twinkies}

{“true happiness” meals stuffed with adult-appropriate goodies}

Without a doubt, this is one of all-time favorite themes for a dinner party. Our friends had a blast reliving many of our favorite food memories through their now-heightened adult palates. And in the process of conceptualizing this menu, I discovered and adapted some ridiculously amazing recipes that I know I’ll be coming back to again and again.

Everyone loved literally everything the menu, but I’d have to say some of the highlights were the Capri Sun cocktails, which tasted just like the real thing; the pizza rolls, which were made with wonton wrappers and a mixture of fresh mozzarella, provolone, and Parmigianno-Reggiano, Boar’s Head pepperoni, baby bella mushrooms, and baby sweet peppers; and the “Hostess” cupcakes. And the milkshake bar. And probably the Twinkies, although they were sent home with our guests in their goodie bags – so I didn’t get to see their reactions.

Stay tuned for the recipes!

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy childhood classics, foodbuzz, hostess with the mostess

a {fresh + flavorful} spring dinner party.

April 18, 2011 — Leave a comment

There’s something about the start of spring that just begs to be celebrated. Whether you’re celebrating the end of a vicious winter, or simply the start of a new season, springtime is an unquestionably fabulous time of year.

For this particular dinner party, I created a menu using lots of seasonal vegetables. I immediately chose to do a risotto with asparagus and shiitake mushrooms for the main course. I’d been dying to make a risotto for the first time, and fell in love with this veggie-packed recipe. For the starter, I knew I wanted to do something fresh and springy, but I also knew that I wanted to include a touch of meat. I chose to do a crostini bar with two homemade spreads of ricotta and pea pesto, and some delicious additions to add as toppings: crisp pan-fried pancetta and prosciutto, and fresh heirloom grape tomatoes drizzled in olive oil and a bit of sea salt.

Lately, one of the things I’ve been practicing is creating delicious meals that offer a bit of meat for flavor and interest, but that are largely vegetarian-based. This is healthier and, in many cases, more wallet-friendly – Daniel, the meat-obsessed-man that he is, is even loving this method!

The other piece of the puzzle was that I knew I was serving up that incredible toffee bar brownie torte from Project Pastry Queen for dessert, so I wanted to keep the rest of the menu relatively light. Because I typically can’t refrain from serving some sort of fresh greens, I added an arugula salad that was so simple, yet flavor-packed thanks to the lemon-Parmesan dressing.

The end result was a fresh and flavorful seasonal spring menu with an Italian-American twist. Click each link for the full recipe!

A Spring Dinner Party

{To drink: Assorted wines and beers}

{Crostini Bar with Homemade Ricotta, Pea Pesto, and Assorted Toppings}

{Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing}

{Risotto with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms}

{Toffee Bar Brownie Torte}

In Complete Menus, Dinner Party Worthy fresh flavors, italian recipes, on seasonal cooking, spring recipes

a glamorous {oscar-worthy} pizza party.

March 1, 2011 — 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see The King’s Speech.

It happens to me every year: I get excited for the Oscars, but never because of the movies. I’m lucky if I’ve seen one or two of the top contenders – this year, I think Inception was about as far as I got (Daniel and I are infamous for never making it to the movie theater when planned).

We all know the real fun lies in the fashion, and the excuse to make a night out of watching it.

And making a night of it, for me, means putting together a fabulous menu of food and drinks. This year’s Oscar viewing party was casual and impromptu – on Saturday, we invited a favorite couple over for a night of Academy Awards and Knicks vs. Heat (yes, this game was a big one in the world of Daniel – and no, it didn’t get much air-time). For the menu, I came up with this mix of comfort/movie-watching food, each with its own glamorous twist. It’s perfect for the Oscars, but I think it would also be a great way to spice up your next Netflix night.

A Pizza Party for the Stars

Lemon Rosé Bellinis