A little bit about weddings...

It's almost wedding season, which means it is wedding invitation season.  It's been a popular topic among my friends lately because we are at that age where our friends are getting married, having babies, or, if you are us, going out a lot...

So that brings me to what apparently isn't commonly known.  Ladies, if you are getting married, first of all, congratulations!  Now, if you have single friends over the age of 25, invite them with a guest!

There is not much more depressing for your single friends than going to a wedding and sitting with a bunch of couples, all by themselves... or, having everyone around them getting up to dance, and not having anyone to dance with!

Some exceptions do exist, if your group of friends is very large, a lot of them are single, and you are inviting all of them, you don't have to give them an and guest.  If you haven't spoken to your friend in over a year, and you don't know that she isn't dating someone, then you also don't know if she is.  I understand that it costs a lot to throw a wedding, and to feed people, and trust me, so does she.

Let's back this up ladies - I want to review what my grandmother has always said is proper gift etiquette. Figure out how much your friend is spending on your meal (estimate, don't ask), add $50, and that's the total value of your gift.  If you are invited with a guest, you double the meal price!  So, let's imagine you and a date are attending a wedding.  Total value of your gift is probably around $250 - if you live in CT - so divide that between your parties.  Maybe $50 on the shower gift, $50 on the lingerie shower, and then $150 on the wedding gift, which you should mail to their house!

I am sure right now you are thinking "What does she know?" but trust me, I have been to 18 friends' weddings, been a bridesmaid 8 times, and have heard countless friends complain about certain things from both ends.  I am sure you will hear more about it, but now I am off my soap box so I can make creamy mushroom chicken for date night with Gimpy.

Welcome!

So last night I noticed I have two new followers, and this morning another two.  Yay!  I am very excited.  I am guessing you all found me because of V, so thanks, and I am very glad you are here.  I hope I don't let you down, and if you need any help with parties or recipes , let me know!

Easter Dinner for 12

This year I had 11 people over for Easter dinner.  Gimpy is from Virginia, my friends Angie, Marcus, and Richard all have their parents in London, we had a few girls whose parents are in the mid-west, and then a few who just decided that my cooking was more appealing than any other option!

Saturday I went hiking with Gimpy, Mike, and Bridget, and when we get back, Bridget and I went nuts in the kitchen prepping for our respective Easters.  I made my strawberry rhubarb pie and cream of asparagus soup.  I thought it would be a good idea to make my cream of asparagus soup without any actual cream so that it would be nice and healthy!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 onion, chopped, (about 1/2 cup)

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

6 cups chicken stock

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus and saute another 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until asparagus is very tender.  Next, remove from heat and blend with your immersion blender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! 

I set the table, complete with my little bunny tapers, also known as the cutest candle holders ever, my new light blue table cloth, and some spring tulips.  After a date night at Fat Cat Pie Company with Gimpy, we came back and ended up watching a few hours of Food Network while I prepped and baked my bunny cake, and peeled and sliced potatoes for scalloped potatoes.   

Sunday morning I went to church early with Gimpy and Bobby, then I rushed back to put the ham in the oven.  I made a tangerine/orange glaze to put on the ham, and everyone said it was awesome.  I don't actually eat ham, but I took their word for it!

Citrus Glaze for Ham

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in chunks

2 tangerines, sliced thin, seeds removed

2 cups orange juice

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

Cook all together in a saucepan over medium heat until well blended.  Pour over your ham, and use to baste as you cook.

I also made shrimp cocktail, baked brie with raspberry jam, garlic green beans with slivered almonds, a big salad, the scalloped potatoes, and crescent rolls.

We had a ton of fun, about 19 bottles of wine (really, it was a lot), sat outside in the sunshine drinking for a while, and had dessert.  The bunny cake was a huge hit until someone went to cut a slice and he tumbled off the table!  Luckily drunk me whipped up a new carrot cake and slapped some cream cheese frosting on it when it came out of the oven so there was plenty of dessert.

Chicken Parm - the Healthy Way!

So this Sunday I hosted the first official family dinner of the Spring.  It's been awhile, as I was feeling a little taken advantage of.  All I ask of my friends is that they bring a bottle of wine (if you bring chardonnay you will lose all future invites), and I cook them a gourmet meal.  Quite a few people had been forgetting their wine, or letting me know they would bring it the next week, and they wouldn't bring it.

After much thought, I decided to bring dinner back.  We had chicken parm with fettucini, home made red sauce, salad, and bread.

Healthy Chicken Parm - serves 6
1 1/2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2  Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4  tsp Dried Organo
1/4  tsp Dried Basil
2 Eggs
3 Chicken Breasts, cut in half
Salt and Pepper
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  In one bowl, mix salt, pepper, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, and parmesan cheese. In another bowl, beat the eggs.  Separate the chicken breasts to be in six pieces.  Pound out the chicken breast until they are flat, and dip in the egg.  Dip the chicken into the bread crumb mixture until the sides are coated and lay on a cookie sheet.

Bake the chicken for 18 minutes at 350.  Switch the oven to a low broil and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top.  Broil for 4 more minutes, and serve.

For a lower cholesterol version, use egg whites instead of full eggs.

Red Sauce
1 Large Can of Diced Tomatoes
Handful of Fresh Basil
1/4 Cup Diced Onion
1 Roasted Red Pepper, Diced
3 Garlic Cloves, Diced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
3 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
Other Italian Spices to Taste

In a large saute pan, spray olive oil with your mister.  Heat burner at medium low and add onions and cook until slightly tender.  Add roasted red pepper and minced garlic cloves.  Cook another minute, and add the tomatoes.  Cook, stirring frequently on low about 6 minutes.  Add basil, salt and pepper, and other Italian seasonings based on your preferences.  Once mixed, add balsamic vinegar, if you are lucky enough to live near an Oil & Vinegar shop, buy the tomato flavored balsamic.  It will change your pasta sauce in a revolutionary way!

Meanwhile, cook your pasta until al dente, making sure to add salt to your water before cooking.  Mix with the red sauce, serve, and add the chicken parm on top!

Next up, Easter dinner!

Easter Dinner Musings...

It's almost Easter, and it feels like it around here.  It's been sunny and beautiful, and then rainy and gross at the drop of a hat - exactly typical of Spring in New England.

With Easter, I normally go to my roommate B's house and spend the day with her family... 3 brothers, a sister, an 2 little nieces.  This year though, I found out that several of my British friends and my boyfriend Gimpy didn't have plans for Easter, so I decided to cook!

Now I am just contemplating the menu.... I know I want to make a tangerine glazed Easter ham, probably some deviled eggs, but I am stuck there!  Any suggestions?

Cinnamon Streusel Bread French Toast

So last weekend was my birthday.  25 again.  Not sure how many more of these I will get away with...

We started the weekend with Andre, then went to Black Bear for a $2 happy hour.   A ton of friends came out, which was awesome, and then we moved to Tiernans, one of our favorite hot spots.  Can't really report much from the evening... but the next morning everyone came over for brunch!

I made a couple loaves of cinnamon streusel bread on Thursday night, and I will admit I cheated and bought boxed mix, but in all fairness, I was too busy to find a new recipe!  I got up early and started some coffee, laid out champagne and vodka grapefruits, and sliced the bread to be about a pinkie finger thick.  I made a standard french toast batter, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and a dash of skim milk.  Then I pulled out my griddle, battered my bread, and made some of the best french toast!  It really came out amazing, and was a good breakfast choice considering we were drinking from 10am to 11:30 that night...

I only wish that Miss Kitty had been there for the weekend, so I could have had this amazing apron that she designed for my birthday!
 

The Famous Whipped Cream Incident

Everyone I know gets a bad case of the Sundays.  I think in large part it is due to the fact that we have entirely too much fun Thursday through Saturday that just leaves you dreading Mondays.  To combat this, last year I instituted Family Dinners on Sunday.  It's given me the opportunity to try new recipes, try new wines, and just have some fun with my friends.

Last Spring, we were having a typical family dinner,  friends, wine, dinner, and it came time to have dessert.  I had made a Flourless Chocolate Cake, recipe courtesy of Chef Jon Bonnell in Fort Worth, sliced up some fresh strawberries, and poured heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract from Mexico into my whipped cream maker.  On a side note, if you don't have a whipped cream maker, go get one.  Now.  Everyone should always have home made whipped cream on hand, it comes in handy on so many occasions, both in and out of the kitchen.

This particular Sunday, I filled my whipped cream maker with a little bit too much heavy cream.  I had given it to my friend Amanda, she pushed the button, and nothing happened.  That's when I realized what I had done, so I decided, foolishly, to try and open the container to pour out some of the cream.  I couldn't get the container open, so I asked Amanda's boyfriend Tyler to take a crack at it... He was able to loosen it, but cream started pouring down the sides.  I opened it the rest of the way, and boom!  Whipped cream exploded all over the table, the sliding glass doors to the balcony, and us.  Yikes!  It was quite a mess, but made for some fun stories, and even better pictures!