Excited to be able to share with you some photos from a party I helped plan and style for a client in the Palisades. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but luckily I had my iPhone to snap a few photos (thank goodness for Instagram!). My client is the matron of honor in her dear friend’s wedding, and there were lots of friends flying in from out of town for the bride’s shower the next day. Being the hostess with the mostess, she wanted to have a welcome dinner party for the bride and all her guests…how amazing is she!?! The evening began just before sunset upstairs on her rooftop deck with cocktails and appetizers. It was followed by an al fresco Southern-Inspired dinner served family-style downstairs, which consisted of a Grilled Flank Steak, Southern Fried Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Brussel Sprouts Salad and Green Beans. And if all that wasn’t enough, there was an incredible dessert display inside with coffee. Enjoy the photos!

{Vendors} :: Food prepared by Chris Green Catering, Flower Arrangements crafted by OCD Events, Desserts by Sweet E’s Bake Shop, Ruffled Burlap Table Squares by Jen at Shop Snug Haven, Planning + Styling by Le Partie Sugar

I know I typically post a Friday Cocktail, but in honor of the Super Bowl this weekend (especially since it’s in my hometown!) I wanted to share with you this delicious & easy chili recipe. I don’t know about you, but I love the resurgence the crockpot has made over the past few years. It’s made weeknight meals a breeze, and with this chili recipe it’s going to make entertaining a breeze this weekend! This recipe was passed on to me by a friend, and has become a recipe staple in many of my friends’ households. It takes about 6 hours on high, and 10 hours on low – ingredients and the three-step directions below the photo. Enjoy!



Crockpot Chili {serves 8 – 10 people}

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 15-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
1.5 cups of frozen corn
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 bay leaves, whole (remove just prior to serving)
1 teaspoon oregano

{Directions} ::
1. Brown beef, onion and green pepper in large pan. Drain grease and place beef mixture in crockpot.
2. Add all other ingredients listed above.
3. Stir until well mixed. Cook in crockpot for 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high.

This recipe freezes really well and will keep frozen for up to three months.

Happy Belated New Year to you all! For the first post in 2012, I’ve decided to share this delicious recipe for a Panko Breaded Chicken + Miso Salad + Brown Rice dinner. I first had this meal prepared by my uncle, and it was love-at-first-bite for me. He’s one of those “dash” of this & “spoonfuls” of that kind of cook – so I did some interpreting and put measurements to the ingredients and process. Turn on your printer, because this is one you’ll want to file! Read on for step-by-step instructions and photos, click here to download my recipe.

It’s easiest to break this dish down into three “mini-dishes”, which get layered just before serving.You’ll want to start by cooking the short-grain brown rice, this takes the longest (about 55 minutes). Do not take a shortcut here with instant rice – it makes a difference. I use Lundberg Organic Short Grain Brown Rice, and cook according to the package instructions – using half water & half chicken broth. Once it’s finished cooking remove from heat, and set aside.

Next step is preparing the salad –  you’ll need 3 cups baby arugula, 3 cups spring mix, 1 avocado (diced), 1 cucumber (peeled, diced) and 3 roma tomatoes (seeded, diced). Keep salad ingredients in separate bowls until ready to serve so everything stays fresh and crisp. For the miso dressing you’ll need 1/2 cup yellow miso paste, 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Combine all the dressing ingredients, except the oil, gradually whisk in oil and set aside.

Now it’s time to get your hands dirty…next step is the chicken. To serve four people, you’ll need 4 – 6 chicken breast cutlets, 2 cups flour + 1 teaspoon kosher salt + 1 teaspoon pepper, 4 eggs slightly beaten, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (another important ingredient).

Slightly pound the chicken so it’s even then follow these three steps (1) coat both sides in flour mixture; (2) coat both sides in egg; (3) coat both sides in panko breadcrumbs, pressing lightly to get breadcrumbs to stick. Repeat with remaining chicken breast cutlets.

Using a cast iron skillet, pour in canola oil until it fills about 1/2- inch of the pan. Heat on medium-high heat for 3 – 4 minutes, until it reaches 350 – 365 degrees (a chef from a cooking class I took shared her trick, toss in a fresh herb to see if it sizzles – when it does, the oil is ready!). While the oil is heating, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once the oil is hot, place two of the chicken breast cutlets in the oil. Turn over after two-minutes or once you see the edges becoming golden brown, cook other side for another two minutes then place on a clean baking sheet, lined with foil. Repeat until all chicken is cooked, then stick in oven for 5 – 7 minutes at 350 degrees.

While your chicken is in the oven, combine all the prepped salad ingredients from earlier in large bowl and toss with miso dressing. Once your chicken is done in the oven it’s time to assemble the plates. Scoop a 1/2 – 3/4 cup of rice on to the center of the plate, spread with a spoon to make a nice even layer. Next take 1 – 1 1/2 cup of the salad and place on top of the rice. Lastly, take your panko-breaded chicken and place on top of the salad.

I’ve made this for dinner guests, by preparing the chicken in advance and putting in the fridge until I was ready to cook it. Turn on the rice when your guests arrive, have a cocktail and appetizer while it cooks. And have all your salad ingredients prepped so all you have to do is combine while the chicken is in the oven. Download the printable -version of this recipe, here - enjoy!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday, it’s so nice to have four days to spend with loved ones! Today I’m sharing one of the appetizers I served on Thanksgiving, Caramelized Onion and Apple Bites. They’re very easy to make, only require 6 ingredients and can even be made in advance, frozen and baked before serving – making these great holiday party hors d’oeuvres. Recipe with step-by-step photos below…enjoy!



{Ingredients for 18 triangles} :: 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry (thawed), 2 granny smith apples sliced thin, 3 medium-small red onions sliced thin, 1 cup of shredded fontina cheese, 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon minced thyme.


Heat butter over medium-high heat, add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until soft. Reduce heat to medium and add sliced apples. Stir often until onions are golden brown about 35 minutes. Season with salt pepper and let cool for 10 minutes.




While onions cool, unfold puff pastry and cut in 9 squares. Then cut each square diagonally, making 18 triangles. Top each triangle with cooled onion-apple mixture, fontina cheese and thyme. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees, serve hot.


{Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine, October 2011 issue}

A couple of tips:

• Puff Pastry is typically sold in sheets of two, this recipe can be easily doubled to make 36 triangles.
• Triangles can be fully assembled and chilled for up to 8 hours prior to baking, or frozen for up to 3 months (don’t defrost before baking).

I signed up for one of those farmers market delivery services a couple months ago, and every third Thursday of the month I get fresh farmer’s market fruits and veggies delivered to my door. In a recent package there were fresh field greens, pomegranates and pears – so I threw everything together, and added some toasted pine nuts and warm goat cheese baguettes to create a scrumptious fall salad for our dinner guests. The toasty baguettes topped with warm goat cheese make this salad perfect for a chilly, fall day. Be sure to check out the ingredients and recipe below the photo, there are a few tricks that really make this salad delicious!

Today on the Backyard Baby-Q Bash breakdown, I’m detailing all the food and drink. With 60 people at the shower there was quite a bit of both! If you missed any of the previous posts breaking down this party into the littlest detail, you can check them out here {invitations}, {party overview}, {decor + favors + games}. I had four different “stations” set up with food and beverages. There was a main table with all fall hors d’oeuvres, a beverage table, dessert table and a gourmet burger station. There were also two large cocktail tables with hummus and pita chips.




I made these utensil bags for the hors d’oeuvres table that guests could easily grab, and also had plenty of napkins placed around the other tables.



The name of the shower set the tone for the menu…a barbeque. And given the shower was thrown in October, I chose a very fall-inspired menu. The main food for the shower was the Gourmet Burger Station. There were three burger options for guests: Father’s Office Burger (homage to a famously delcious LA burger joint), a BLTA and a Turkey Spinach Pesto burger. The burgers were made from scratch, and even had custom hamburger buns made by the fabulous Carrie of Bite Sized by Carrie to fit my “baby” burgers which were smaller than regular hamburger but bigger than a slider. And I must say this Burger Station would not have happened with out the amazingly talented caterer, Sarah. She made and grilled-to-order the most delicious burgers for our guests, serving them in kraft paper boxes with kettle chips.




The hors d’oeuvres table had lots of fall foods sized for individual servings. We had Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeño Cream and Jack Cheese; Macaroni and Cheese; a Cheese Platter with Figs and Marcona Almonds; a Persimmon Salad with Goat Cheese, Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Hazelnuts; and the very popular Pigs-in-a-Blanket.





There was also Butternut Squash Soup Shooters served with Grilled Sourdough topped with Gruyere and Fig, that Sarah plated and hand-passed these to the guests.



There was plenty to drink at the self-serve beverage station, including: an Autumn Sangria with figs and pears, Red and White Wine, Beer, and vintage “Pop Shoppe” bottles filled with soda and stripey straws. I hung an antique wire tiered fruit basket from the tree and filled it with custom-wrapped water bottles. I made three different water bottle labels with fun little notes about the baby’s due date: “diaper duty starts 11.11.11″, “rocking our world starting 11.11.11″ and “baby makes three 11.11.11″.






The dessert table was filled with bite-sized treats…well, except for the caramel apples that were more than a bite! We had brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie bites and the not-so-mini caramel apples. There was also a coffee station with kahlua and special-sized rock candy sugar stirrers.







All the signage from the party and utensil bags will be available on my Etsy shop later this week and can be customized to fit your menu and theme. Another special thanks to both Sarah and Carrie (visit her website and follow on twitter @CarrieAbbott) who made the burger station happen, and Sarah who was able to come in and seamlessly pick up where I left off on the food preparation!

So I’m in complete party planning mode for two events this upcoming weekend…tons of fun and tons of recipe searching for the perfect menus! I pinned these Caramel Salted Pears a couple days ago from the Fresh New England dessert blog and have been just drooling over them ever since.

Caramel Salted Pears {recipe and image sourced from El at Fresh New England}

Ingredients

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together (except the pears) in a deep saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until the butter melts and temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 246 degrees. Stir constantly (especially towards the end) to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and cool slightly.Dip the fruit into the caramel mixture and turn until evenly covered. Roll in sea salt (or if desired, crushed nuts). Drain on waxed paper, then refrigerate. Pears should be enjoyed within a few hours.

Be sure to check out Fresh New England for other delicious dessert recipes including the tart recipe that you can use with your leftover caramel!

I’ve recently had some friends ask how I put together my cheese trays so thought I would do a little post about it. The first thing is to start with a game plan, there’s nothing worse than staring at a case of hundreds of cheeses and not knowing where to begin! So before you start picking cheeses out at random, know what you want. Plan on serving 4 – 5 different options and about 2 ounces of cheese per person. I like to select a more basic cheese (like a cheddar), a couple more specialty cheeses (like an aged Gouda) and a spreadable cheese (like a chèvre). Keep in mind your guests and their tastes as you’re thinking about your cheese selection…and don’t forget about your non-cheese accompaniments like crackers, dried fruits, grapes and nuts.



For this tray, I picked up my cheeses from Whole Foods and selected a Wisconsin 3-Year Aged Cheddar, Unie Kaas Reserve Aged Gouda, Unie Kaas Robusto Aged Gruyere and a Herbed Goat Chèvre. I also got some Salty Date and Almond Raincoast Crisps, Marcona Almonds (incredible Spanish almonds, roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt) – plus fresh figs and green grapes from the local farmer’s market.



Selecting your cheeses is the hardest part, the rest is just prep and assembly! I like for the cheese to be easy to grab, no one wants to be at the tray attempting to slice a piece of hard aged cheese (okay, so maybe I’ve just been embarrassed trying to do this!). I slice all my cheeses into bite size pieces, and then include a cheese knife for the goat cheese so people can spread onto a cracker or their plate.



When selecting fruit, pick something seasonal and that can be out for a while without changing color (avoid pears, apples and such). Also, don’t forget to cut your fruit options and cut off little sections of grapes so guests can pick up a few at at time!




Once everything is prepped, I put the cheese and fruit back into the refrigerator. About half-an-hour prior to the party I take out all my pre-sliced cheese and fruits and start to assemble the tray (cheese should be served room temperature). Find a nice platter or tray, for an 8 – 10 person dinner party I use my French Oak Barrel board lined with parchment paper. For larger parties (12 or more) I’ll use a silver tray about the size of a letter paper. I like smaller pieces so you have a chance to layer and stack the items! It’s also a nice touch to include a sign with a list of all the cheese and accompaniment items.



Cheese platters are one of my favorite hors d’oeuvres to serve at a party. It’s easy to assemble, looks like artwork on the table and it’s something people can easily eat with one hand (obviously holding a drink in the other!). Bon Appétit!

Football season is here and in my household that means it’s time to start breaking out the football “tailgate” food. Whether you’re tailgating at the stadium, or having a few friends over to watch the games – here are some food suggestions to help you plan your menu. Show some team spirit and find subtle ways to coordinate the food items with your favorite team – being Colts fan, I can’t wait to make some Blue Velvet Cupcakes! Enjoy your weekend and cheering on your teams!

{Sources} 1. Ice Cold Beer (taken on my balcony) | 2. Pepperoni Pizza Puffs | 3. Fresh Homemade Guacamole | 4. Chicken and White Bean Chili | 5. Apricot Glazed BBQ Chicken | 6. Blue Velvet Cupcakes

Hard to believe it is the “end” of summer this weekend…but Labor Day Weekend will be here this Friday. So in honor of the upcoming holiday weekend, here is a little food inspiration for a weekend picnic – a few of my favorite summer-time flavors to enjoy before the season officially passes us by! So plop down a blanket in your backyard and invite some friends over for some food, drinks and end-of-summer fun!

{Sources} 1. Grilled Burgers with Meyer Lemon Butter | 2. A Sweet Tea Sipper Cocktail | 3. Grilled Corn | 4. Jones Soda Pop | 5. Roasted Sweet Potato Skewers with Jalapeno Cilantro Aioli | 6. Roasted Peach Ice Cream Sandwich