Autumn Baby Sprinkle

Autumn Baby Sprinkle

Guests: 14

Appetizer:
Brie En Croute

Dinner:
Winter Squash Soup

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice

Salad
Homemade bread & butter

Dessert:
Cut-Out Cookies -- recipe made 22 flowers -- with buttercream frosting

Powdered Sugar Donuts

Drinks:
Red Wine
White Wine
Water with lemon
Hot cocoa -- spiked or virgin -- with marshmallows

Favors:
Lindt truffles

Wine Dinner

Wine Dinner

Serves 6.

Last year, The Mister and I invited our parents over for a wine dinner.  We had received a magnum bottle of wine as a gift from a friend of the family who loves and knows his wine.  Needless to say, this bottle was old.  And special.  Nice.  Really nice.  And it required a fancy night on which to open it.

So we planned a special meal, and enjoy it we did, with who better than our dear parents.  The little one went to bed shortly after appetizers, and we dined on beef tenderloin by candlelight, sipping the delicious cab.

Dinner menu:
Beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce
Roasted asparagus
Garlic mashed potatoes
Salad
Warm crusty bread and butter

And for dessert, a personal favorite of mine:
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Grilled Chicken with Sweet and Sour Glaze

Grilled Chicken with Sweet and Sour Glaze

Serves 4.

The original recipe uses pork chops instead of chicken, so feel free to try both.  It is a fantastic recipe.  Great for a weeknight dinner, yet still fancy enough for entertaining a dinner party.  And even though we grilled the chicken breasts, you could easily cook them inside to make this recipe work for all seasons.
Adapted from: Weeknights with Giada

Chicken:
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Glaze:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 scallions, pale green and white parts only, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, at room temperature

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chicken: Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Grill chicken into cooked through.  Set aside and keep warm under foil, if necessary.

Glaze: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, honey, garlic, scallions, and rosemary to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey has dissolved. Simmer for 9 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve chicken with glaze on top.

Birthday Party #2

Birthday Party #2

The second party was with my side of the family, a few days after Macey's actual birthday.  It was a casual weekend lunch with yummy sandwiches, sides, and, of course, cake!
My decor traveled with us:

As did the birthday banner:

Pictures of the birthday girl:

Two kinds of sandwiches for the hungry guests, Turkey with Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes & Hummus Veggie:

What goes best with sandwiches?  Chips and French onion dip, of course:

Asian Pasta salad:

We also had a spinach salad (from Costco, love it!) but I guess I never took a photo of it.

CAKE!  Made the same ones:

Birthday Party #1

Birthday Party #1
It's hard to believe it, but my baby girl turned 1!  We celebrated with one side of the family just before her birthday, and the other side just after.  Here's a recap of party #1, a Mexican fiesta! 
Here's my happy birthday sign:



And some fun tissue paper "puffs" for festive decor.

I made a photo book of her first year so that our families members could look through it while at the party.  Having a deadline was a great motivator to get it completed!

A little favor for our guests... a recent photo of Macey:

The dinner spread... chicken tacos, veggie tacos, Mexican rice, and toppings.

The cake (we had some assorted candies, as well):

The "smash cake" for the birthday girl:

The party was a success!  I can't believe we have already celebrated her first year.  I'm thankful to say we have a bundle of memories, and a precious, growing little girl we just love to pieces!

Breakfast Yogurt Bar

Breakfast Yogurt Bar

I get together with a few other girlfriends every week for breakfast.  We rotate houses, which leaves each person hosting about once a month.  Because I like to keep things from falling into a habitual pancake bonanza, or endless eggs, I strive to find new things.  Enter yogurt bar... 

Plain Greek yogurt
Plain ("regular") yogurt

As for toppings, anything goes, but here are some suggestions:
- granola
- honey
- dried fruit
- fresh fruit
- nuts
- fruit preserves

If you're wondering what those muffins are in the back of the photo, those are honey and granola muffins, and went great with the yogurt bar!

Cocktail Party

Cocktail Party

Everyone loves a party.  Some people like hosting, some only like attending, and others, like myself, love both.  Here's a sample party to help give you ideas when you're planning your next party.

It's not a cocktail party without some cocktails:

Tequila-Thyme Lemonade:

Fireside Martini:

Or any other cocktail off my drinks section.

Scatter some fresh flowers throughout the party area:

Keep coasters available for guests' drinks and have some playing cards out in case anyone wants to start a game:

To me, a meat and cheese tray is a classic go-to party staple.  It's easy to put together for the host, and just as easy to grab and eat for the guests.  Plus, I think they look pretty:

Every party needs a dip, right?  Here's a hot spinach and artichoke dip, but any of your favorites will work just fine.

See that small bowl hiding behind the spinach and artichoke dip?  That's snack mix.  Make your own or buy it at the store.  However you get it, just do it, because it's another easy snack to have on hand.  And people will eat it.

Bacon-wrapped dates!  Yum:

Some chocolate chip cookies for the guests with sweet teeth:

And some reused candle jars as candy jars, because, let's be honest, most people will usually go for at least a bite of something sweet:

Enjoy the night and have a blast with friends!

Mexican Fiesta

Mexican Fiesta

The days may be getting shorter and the temperatures cooler, but summer is not over yet!  Invite some friends over and take advantage of outdoor entertaining while you still can!
New recipes posted this week.  Old recipes linked in this post.   

First, set the scene:

Mix up some drinks.  Tequila-Thyme Cocktails, anyone?

Or perhaps some Pomegranate Margaritas, Beer Margaritas, Tequila Sunrises, or Fresh Strawberry Margaritas?

And serve your favorite good-to taco dip (thanks for bringing this, Sar!):

Or maybe some guacamole?

It's always nice to make sure there are some easy munchies scattered about:

Feast on the main meal of Beer-Braised Turkey Tacos (best served with some Mexican beer):

End with something sweet, like these XXL M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies:

And enjoy the evening with good friends:

A happy baby content in her stroller is a fun addition too:

Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna

Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna

Serves 2.

A perfect meal for an at-home date night when you want all the prep work done ahead of time.

Source: Food and Wine magazine

1/4 lb. lasagna noodles

1 T. + 1 t. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing

1/8 lb. sweet Italian sausage (about 1 link)

1/4 c. water

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

14-oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into chunks

3 oz. Italian Fontina, cut into chunks

1 T. unsalted butter, softened

Fresh basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer the noodles to a bowl of cold water and let stand for 2 minutes, then drain. Pat the noodles dry. Transfer to a bowl and toss with olive oil.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 t. of the olive oil. Add the Italian sausage (as a link), cover and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned all over. Add the water, cover and simmer until the sausage is just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 t. of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over low heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the juices and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sausage and its poaching liquid and simmer for 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate. Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until thickened, about 12 minutes. Coarsely break up the sausage and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

In a well-buttered baking dish, arrange 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in different directions in the dish (hence, free-form lasagna). Spoon 1/3 of the tomato sauce over each noodle and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Set a piece of mozzarella and Fontina on each lasagna noode and add a few chunks of sausage:

Repeat the process with the remaining lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Fontina, and sausage, sprinkling with a little more of the Parmesan cheese. Brush the softened butter on any bare pasta and curly edges and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes, until the sauce starts to bubble. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for about 7 minutes longer. Let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes, then scatter the basil on top. Cut into squares and serve.

A Note From The Little Lady: You can make this the day before and refrigerate overnight. Increase baking time to 40 minutes at 425 degrees, and 10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Date Night

Date Night

Serves 2.

The Mr./Dr. has been very busy lately. I don't get to see him all that often, especially when my work hours and his work hours barely overlap. So when we do have time together, I try to make the most of it. This night was perfect for a "date," since he had an early Saturday morning back at the hospital the next day. What I liked most about this menu, and what I strived for in planning it, is that it required very little last-minute prep and work during our time together. I had the salad ready to be tossed with dressing before serving; the lasagna was made ahead of time and simply popped in the oven an hour before eating; and the dessert was also made ahead of time, waiting patiently in the fridge until we were ready to dive in. Because we were able to leisurely enjoy conversation over drinks, each other's company, and a relaxed setting, it made the experience feel more like a restaurant and less like I was the one cooking and in charge of providing dinner.

My attempt to make things nice and fancy:

The table set; the wine decanted:

For starting off, a Caesar salad (from the bag - it's too easy!). I've been wanting to try and make my own Caesar dressing, though; anyone have a good recipe to recommend?

Homemade bread for two: Herbed Cheese Bread

Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna:

And for dessert, Florentine Chocolate Profiteroles:

***Recipes will be posted throughout the week, starting tomorrow.