Christmas Party Recipes

Webb and I are big fans of Christmas and all our friends.  So naturally, we threw a Christmas party.

It was a success.  We had people there from all different groups and everyone mingled so well.  Plus, add a photobooth (even though I forgot to put out half the props), yummy food, a yule log and Christmas music and you've got yourself a party.

Some of the food - most was all eaten up!

Wish you could see more of Ernie's Christmas sweater

Friends brought amazing desserts and wine, and Webb and I whipped up food for everyone.  Here are a couple of my all-time favorite recipes!  Note that I was running around too much to take too many pictures, so these are examples, but not my actual dishes.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from my aunt's recipe

1 lb. large white mushrooms (not too big or they will be too firm)
6 strips pre-cooked bacon
2 large tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs (or panko + oregano and basil)
1 egg
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Remove stems from mushrooms.  Chop the stems.  Chop the bacon.  Mix stems and bacon in a bowl with cheese, breadcrumbs, the egg, and a few shakes of salt and pepper.  Line the mushroom caps on a lined baking sheet.  Stuff the caps with the mixture.  Pour olive oil on the mushrooms and sprinkle some cheese.  Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm (although people who ate them after they cooled said they still tasted great).

Cranberry and Cream Cheese Spread
Adapted from Buns in My Oven










12 oz. fresh cranberries
5 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 8-oz packages cream cheese

Pulse cranberries in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped. Add onions, jalapeno, sugar, lemon and salt and pulse until combined (you don't want it to puree!).  Refrigerate for 4 hours (up to 24).  Spread the cream cheese onto the serving plate.  Drain the cranberry mixture of any liquid, then spread on top of the cream cheese.  Serve with a small knife or spoon and sturdy crackers.

The Awesome No-Mayo Potato Salad

I hope you all had a marvelous Fourth of July filled with sunshine, patriotism, and something good on the grill.  Webb, Ernie and I walked far into Golden Gate Park to meet up with friends in a sunny, spacious and secluded corner of the park.  We had a barbecue, lots of food, blankets and games, and it was awesome!  Summed up via-Instagram right here:

The hat on the bottom right cracked me up. 'Merica.

It's been a while since I posted a recipe, but this past Fourth I made a potato salad that was gobbled up pretty quickly and decided it must be good enough to share.  Someone even said it was the "best potato salad ever", so wouldn't you be happy to know it's also healthy?  Health-ier, I guess, than your usual potato salad covered in mayo.  Yes, I attempted a non-mayo potato salad, and with inspiration from a few recipes online, ended up with this.  Enjoy!

The Awesome No-Mayo Potato Salad
Makes a large serving bowl of salad, enough for 8 or so to have a big scoop (approximate)

3 lbs. Small Red Potatoes

5 tblsp. Chopped Fresh Dill (no stems)

2 Lemons (use both zest and juice)

2.5 oz Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 cup Good Olive Oil

1 Bunch Scallions (green onions)

6 slices of bacon (or something equally crunchy and salty for a veg version)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Scrub potatoes and boil in water until a fork pierces through easily, about 10 minutes.  Drain, cool, and quarter, leaving on skins.

2. Meanwhile, mix the dill, lemon juice & zest, vinegar, olive oil and (lastly) scallions in a large mixing bowl.

3. Bake 6 slices of bacon in a 400 degree oven for 4 minutes so that it's closer to crispy than soft.  Pat dry with a paper towel.

4. Mix the cooked and chopped potatoes with the mixture in the large mixture bowl.  When the potatoes are evenly coated, rip and crumble the bacon into the bowl and give the salad a few spins to distribute.

In a patriotic mixing bowl.

Voila! Can be eaten hot, room temp, or cold at a barbecue near you this summer :)

Liz Lemon Frozen Yogurt

When two of my favorite things decide to rendezvous, my expectations are so high that I'm usually disappointed.  The musical RENT + film = eh.  Chocolate + wine = nasty sludge.

Liz Lemon + Ben & Jerry's = YES PLEASE.

Ben & Jerry's recently threw 30 Rock a party commemorating their series finale (tear) and announced a new froyo inspired by the lady herself, Liz Lemon.  It's a lemon Greek yogurt with blueberry lavender swirl.  Some fans of the show may say "What?!  Liz is a junk food queen! This flavor is so off".  Au contraire, naysayers.  Any follower of Tina Fey, Liz's real-life counterpart, knows that she comes from Greek stock, so creating a flavor in one of B&J's new Greek yogurt line is so appropriate.  And it's lemon infused because...well, I shouldn't need to explain that.

Saturday was a particularly warm day in San Francisco, and after a round trip to the dog park with Webb and Ernie, I had a hankering for something cold and sweet.  Lucky for me - there is a Ben & Jerry's 1 block from my apartment!  Amazingly, we had yet to visit since moving to the neighborhood, so I had all the more reason to make a pit stop.  Webb and I shared a cup of the Liz Lemon yogurt and can I just say it was so good?  It was the perfect amount of refreshing and sweet.  The blueberry swirl was sugary, but the lavender gave it enough gusto.  The yogurt itself was creamy and just tart enough.

Liz Lemon froyo pre-devouring

Given the cold snap in the country, you are likely in a freezing tundra and not getting excited about frozen yogurt.  But if a Liz Lemon- themed froyo can't get you excited, maybe this will:  Ben & Jerry's is giving a proceed of sales to Jumpstart, the organization which partners college students with pre-schoolers in literacy programs.  How cool!  Even more a reason to stop by a B&J's or pick up a pint when it hits grocery stores in the spring.

Another win for the amazing fantastic talented funny superstar Tina Fey.

Pastalicious

Happy World Pasta Day!

My half-Italian self was thrilled to discover today is World Pasta Day (who knew?).  I'm going to think of this as the Universe's way of saying "Go ahead.  Get the made-to-order pasta at lunch today".  Thanks, Universe.  I will.

My lunch.  AKA a 2PM nap.  Worth it.

And wouldn't you know it, this morning Webb said to me, "You know what we should make?  Fresh tomato sauce from tomatoes we pick".  I think I know what this Sunday will consist of.  Granted, I don't think he realizes it's an all day process, but the results?  Dee-licious!

While it's one of my favorite ways to enjoy pasta, red sauce isn't the only way to go.  Some favorites:

-Brown butter, squash, nutmeg.  Perfect for a chilly Fall night.

-Go Greek!  Swap asiago for feta, marinara for Olive Oil & lemon, and load up on the olives.

-Cheese.  Let's be honest, there's nothing more indulgent that Mac & Cheese.  Use a few kinds, and bake it with breadcrumbs on top for a more grown up version.

What are you favorites?

PS. Click this link for FREE PASTA.  Yes, FREE (my favorite word. other than pasta)

Sweet Potato with Feta & Honey

On nights when my kitchen is bare and my inner Julia Child is antsy, I walk into Trader Joe's and whisper, "Inspire me".  I then do a lap around the store and see if the Hawaiian shirted pros could step up to my challenge.  

This past Friday night, they did just that.   A few odd ingredients and a little kitchen creativity led me to this new favorite: baked sweet potato with feta & honey.  I did a little kale on the side.  I've been obsessed with the feta/honey combo ever since I tried it in Greece.  Paired with the nutty sweet potato, the combination put me in sweet & savory overdrive.  Yum!

Feta and Honey.  No cheating with low-fat Feta!  It's plastic.

I love my little pan - perfect for solo cooking!  Garlic, onion, olive oil, kale.

And done!  After baking the sweet potato for an hour, I sprinkled on some feta, let it melt in the oven a little, then drizzled the honey.  You can play with proportions to your liking.  I mixed the feta into the potato before I dug in.

Dee-licious! :)