After a long, cold winter, many people have “spring fever.” There is no better way to celebrate the snow melting, warmer temperatures and birds chirping than to throw a great party for spring. Many hosts know that before a party can be enjoyed; there are hours of planning and shopping that must be done. I love throwing parties in spring as it allows those of us who hibernate indoors during the winter an opportunity to get outside, mingle and have fun.
The first thing, you need to consider when throwing great spring parties are the invitations. Spring is all about vivid colors! If you wish to purchase your ready made invitations at a store, glue dried flowers on them for a personalized touch. One year I attached a small label I purchased at an office supply store to packets of seeds and sent those as my invitation. As you can imagine those were a huge hit!
You may want to consider party favors for your guests. But the question arises, what can you give guests that attend a spring-themed party? How about giving your guests a small basket full of seeds they can grow in their garden or home? Of course, you will want to select seeds for their specific zone. If seeds aren’t your thing, many people enjoy candles. Present your guests with small flower scented candles such as lilac, rose or gardenia.
Decorate your landscaping with white lights hung in the trees. Paint aluminum cans, poke holes in them, fill 3/4th’s with sand and place lit candles on the sand for an added outdoor decoration. If you own a portable fire pit use it for nighttime lighting. Don’t forget about decorating with flowers and greenery as well. I like to place clear bowls, filled with water and flowers as table centerpieces for my spring parties. If I have an ample amount of flowers, I will strategically place them on tables as well for an additional touch of color.
You can’t have a party without food. When throwing a spring party, consider picnic style dining, perfect for spring when it’s not too cold and not too warm. Finger foods, such as, sandwiches and sliced fresh fruit and vegetable allow the guest to mingle and eat. If you are anything like me, you may want to serve finger foods early during the party and then fire up your barbecue later on. Guests will enjoy the aroma of your ribs, hamburgers, hotdogs or chicken. Serve with side salads such a potato salad or macaroni salad. Remember that choosing table settings can be the best part, you might have a little work to do after the party but the results will be worth it.
Entertainment is important at any party, even at spring parties. If you have the lawn space, consider setting up croquet or badminton. If space is limited for outdoor fun, you may want to consider horseshoes or bocce ball. Children and adults alike will get in on the action! If you have younger guests or guests that cannot get around as easily as they once could, set up a flower arrangement table where the guests can create a small flower arrangement they can take home. This allows everyone an opportunity to have fun at an activity, and those that arrange flowers will have an extra party favor to take home!
Setting the mood is important. Remember to have soft music playing in the background of your spring party.
I finally broke down and purchased that one item that I’ve been wanting and needing for quite some time now: A slow cooker. I’ve heard such great things about slow cookers. They’re convenient and easy – you throw in the ingredients you need to make a delicious meal and that’s that. The hardest part is the waiting, but that’s also the whole point of them, also. A slow cooker is great if you don’t have the time to cook dinner after work; unlike the bad idea of leaving an oven all day to cook, the slow cooker is designed to cook at a much cooler temperature and for a longer period of time. In fact, I’ve even seen some recipes that allow you to cook breakfast in it overnight.Another thing that appealed to me about slow cookers was the taste of the food that comes out of them. There really is nothing quite like meat that has been slowly cooking the entire day – it’s tender, moist, and juicy, something that the oven or a pot on the stove can’t quite live up to.There are so many different styles of slow cookers. No matter what the style of your kitchen and home is, you are bound to find one that you will love and that will fit into your design and color scheme. They are also small and compact, so it’s not a problem for those who don’t have much counter space in the kitchen.I purchased a black slow cooker by the brand Crock Pot for the great price of $29.99. I’ve seen slow cookers range all the way up to $100.00 and sometimes even more, and I was a bit apprehensive of buying an inexpensive one because of that whole, “you get what you pay for” saying. However, I don’t always believe this is the case and this purchase also proved that once again, that saying is sometimes not true at all.
The settings on the slow cooker (and I believe this is the common choice for most slow cookers) are 4 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours. Having different options is important for when you want to leave your slow cooker unattended. Whether you’re going to be gone all day or only a few hours, there will be a setting that you can use to ensure the food cooks just the right amount of time.
For my first meal, I decided to try something out that I’ve cooked many times before on the stove: A simple beef stew. I know it’s not very creative or adventurous, but I wanted to try out something easy the first time. Also, since I’ve never used a slow cooker before, I didn’t want to leave it unattended until I got to know it a bit first.
One thing I instantly noticed about the slow cooker recipe is that it called for a lot less ingredients. With the traditional way of cooking beef stew, I normally have to use flour and vegetable oil in order for it to taste right – at least with the recipe I’ve always used. I’ve tried omitting these ingredients before, and it just didn’t come out well, so I was a bit nervous.
Aside from the McCormick packet that contains the beef stew mix, all I used for this meal was one package of beef chunks and three potatoes. After peeling and chopping the potatoes into bite-sized chunks, I just threw everything in the slow cooker and topped it all with the beef stew mix. I’m not really a fan of vegetables, so it’s just a personal preference of mine – but you could add any other vegetable you want.
The recipe gave me the option of cooking it on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours; of course, the high temperature setting still isn’t very at all. I opted for the 4 hour option since it was already late in the afternoon.
The next four hours were pretty uneventful, but I mean that in a good way. There were no issues or reasons for me to feel apprehensive about leaving the slow cooker unattended next time. Plus, it made my apartment smell great!
When it was finally time to eat, I was more than pleased with the results. The meat and potatoes were tender and full of flavor, and the fact that I was able to omit the flour and oil and get the same taste was a big plus, too – less calories! The cleanup was simple and quick, with the cooking dish being removable and dishwasher safe.
I’ve used the slow cooker a couple times since then (pork roast with sweet potatoes one night, and meatballs for a spaghetti dinner another evening) and while I wasn’t home, without any problems at all. I’m eager to try out new recipes for the slow cooker, and it was definitely worth the thirty bucks!
What do people say is the way to a man’s heart? Uh hum … food. Turns out that was exactly the way into this girl’s heart! Round one of my boyfriend’s grand scheme to steal my heart was on our third date when he prepared the most delicious Mediterranean Chicken. It was after this meal that my carefree single life soon became a distant memory, but it turns out this amazing meal is entirely attainable for mere commoners, and not just princesses like me (wink, wink.)
Do you have 30 minutes, a food processor, and want to make a WOW! meal tonight? (Add 10 minutes for manual chopping if you don’t have the food processor.) As a bonus this is a one-pot recipe that works best in a Dutch oven or 12” skillet with tall sides. Many of us shy away from cooking because we think of it as difficult or confusing. As part of this recipe I’ll teach you a simple preparation method so that you look like a master chef and feel cool and confident as you proceed. Perform your prep work (chopping, measuring) before you even turn on the stove. Collect each group of ingredients added together in a bowl or on a plate. Really, it’s that simple.
Mediterranean Chicken
Prep 30 minutes
Total 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
Bowl One
Onion and Garlic
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Bowl Two
Zucchini, Bell Peppers and Celery
1 pound of zucchini
2 red bell peppers, seeded
4 celery stalks
Bowl Three
Whole Plum Tomatoes and 8 Oil Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes and 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano and 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
32oz can of whole plum tomatoes, drained and quartered
8 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Plate
Chicken Breasts and One Cup of Soft Cheese with Garlic and Herbs
4 chicken breast portions, with bone and skin, about 1 1/2 lbs
1 cup of soft cheese with garlic and herbs
More olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Three Types of Paprika, from left to right, least flavorful to the most flavorful.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F.
Loosen the skin of each chicken portion, without removing it, to make a pocket. Divide the cheese into four portions and push one quarter underneath the skin of each chicken portion in an even layer.
Cut the zucchini, bell peppers and celery stalks into similarly sized pieces. (Here is where the food processor comes in.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat over a large burner. Once the oil shimmers, add the onions and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.
Add the zucchini, bell peppers, and celery. Turn heat to medium high and cook for 5 more minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, and balsamic vinegar. Season well with salt and pepper.
Mix in tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, celery, onions and garlic.
Place the chicken on top, cheese side up.
Chicken on top, cheese side up.
Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the juices run clear or the internal temperature reaches 160F with an instant read thermometer. (Don’t worry, the chicken will continue to cook for a few minutes after removed from the oven and the internal temperature will reach the recommended 165F.)
Now enjoy!
Mediterranean Chicken
If you plan on staying home this New Year’s Eve, whether it’s to have a small get together with a few close friends or throw an extravagant New Year’s Eve bash, don’t forget that one of the most important details to pay attention to is the decorations. Depending on your style and the look of the decor in your home, there are so many ways to spruce things up for the last night of 2011.
First, decide which is most important to you: The colors that you feel strongly about using or perhaps a specific theme that you want to implement into the party, and then go from there. For example, one common jumping off point for New Year’s Eve decorating are objects that are glittery, metallic and eye-catching; silver is often used. If you want to have as much glitzy and bright colors as possible, perhaps you might want to throw an 80’s-themed New Year’s Eve party. I don’t know what it is about 80’s-themed events, but they always are fun and most people seem to enjoy them.
Have everyone show up in 80’s gear and play movies and television shows from the 80’s throughout the evening. Stash away as many appliances and modern items as you can; instead, try to work in some inexpensive items from the era throughout your home to really go all-out with the decorating. This even means putting away your cell phone for the evening–unless it’s the clunky, Zack Morris version. One of the more challenging parts, assuming you want to try to make the decor as authentic as possible, would be moving your current television into another room and replacing it for the night with a much older television and VCR. Instead of moving one year forward, it would really feel like moving 30 years into the past! If it sounds like too much, just forget the television and focus on 80′s music instead. Try thrift stores for some authentic pieces or ask friends, family, or other guests to loan you some of these things that may be in their storage room collecting dust. Don’t forget to decorate the walls with movie posters from the 80′s, too. Of course, any era will do, or you can choose no theme at all. The great thing about an 80′s theme, though, is that it is much easier and realistic to actually find a bunch of things to decorate your home with for the evening.
If you celebrate Christmas, there’s a good chance you will still have your Christmas tree up for New Year’s Eve. Everyone has their own idea of when to take down the tree, but the tradition is when the twelve days of Christmas are over: January 7th. If you don’t like the idea of having your tree up for New Year’s Eve, consider purchasing a white one. It will look less Christmas-y and will match any color scheme or theme that you’re choosing. For Christmas ornaments and other decorations, try not to go too overboard the way you may have for Christmas. You may even want to swap out your colored Christmas lights for white ones. Consider putting away a lot of the red and green, and sticking to mostly white, silvers, or golds.
Remember that the smallest details count, and things such as candles, silverware, garland, and tinsel, can really make a difference. If you have a Party City in your area, this would be a great place to start for supplies and additional ideas. Just remember to stick to your theme and/or color scheme for a truly stylish party. But also don’t forget to just have fun with the decorating; you are about to celebrate the beginning of a new year, after all.
Don’t forget the confetti!
If you are hosting this year’s holiday dinner, you probably have a good idea already about what you’re going to serve. Maybe you’re cooking up your normal holiday recipes that always seem to be a big hit, or maybe you’re having all of your guests bring one item to the dinner. Perhaps nobody is doing the cooking this year and you’re just picking up the holiday dinner to bring home. Whichever route you’re choosing, I think it’s always good to make the table look as nice and presentable as possible. In fact, that’s one of my favorite parts about hosting a holiday dinner – the table decorating! Here are some tips for a beautiful presentation this year, and some items that would make a great addition to the table.
Start off by selecting a great Holiday-themed tablecloth, no matter what kind of table you have. I normally don’t use a tablecloth, but I purchased one a few years ago that I use specifically for the holidays. Not only does a nice tablecloth bring together the look of your holiday feast, it helps prevent your table from getting dirty, which tends to happen as big holiday meals are often messy.
Once again, the same principal for tablecloths applies to place mats and napkins. I tend to keep the same place mats and napkins every year because they are already a great holiday color (green) so you might want to just use your normal place mats and napkins if they are a neutral or holiday color. You may want to consider purchasing a new and separate set, however, since they will become dirty after the meal.
I stick to the same plates that I use all year long; they are a plain white so they do the job and do not clash with any of the holiday colors. However, these are some cute holiday-themed plates from Crate and Barrel if you really want to go out for this year’s holiday dinner.
Serve up your delicious side dishes, such as mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, in these festive green bowls available Kohl’s. Price varies by size, but the four piece set is currently on sale for $58.49.
No holiday table would be complete with a traditional ceramic gravy boat and butter tray. Even the littlest things make a difference!
For any spills and cleanups, keep one of these festive kitchen towels handy.
These snowmen mugs from Kohl’s are great for coffee, hot apple cider, or some hot chocolate.
This is a great way to present some appetizers before the main course, or even any holiday cookies afterwards for dessert.
Finally, it’s time to decorate the main course. Whatever it may be: A turkey, ham, or goose, remember that this will be the centerpiece on your table and where everyone’s eyes will immediately go when they sit down for dinner. One thing I like to do is purchase a bag of cranberries at the supermarket just to decorate the turkey dish with. It really adds a nice touch for only a few dollars, and you can always reuse them. We also like to add some parsley and sliced up lemons. This year, we will be adding turkey frills – those cute little glove-like caps that go at the end of the drumsticks.
Finally, it’s time to decorate the main course. Whatever it may be: A turkey, ham, or goose, remember that this will be the centerpiece on your table and where everyone’s eyes will immediately go when they sit down for dinner. One thing I like to do is purchase a bag of cranberries at the supermarket just to decorate the turkey dish with. It really adds a nice touch for only a few dollars, and you can always reuse them. We also like to add some parsley and sliced up lemons. This year, we will be adding turkey frills – those cute little glove-like caps that go at the end of the drumsticks.What special look or item do you plan on working into your holiday dinner presentation this year?
Are your pants starting to feel a little tight? Maybe your demanding schedule is pushing you into bad eating habits, like eating frozen dinners filled with salt and preservatives, picking up fast food and cramming yourself with empty calories? If you are like me, you want to eat right but a healthy option is not always easy: lunch break at work it’s difficult to find something satisfying and quick; when I get home from a long work day I’m hungry and will eat junk food if something healthy isn’t a quick and easy option. So, here’s a remedy for our woes.
I found out about this nutritious, quick, and yummy system from my boyfriend when we were first dating. After lamenting my bad eating habits on the phone with him because of my busy work schedule, he decided to do something about it. In a couple of hours, on a weekend, he fired up his stove and cooked the most appetizing dinners and vacuum sealed them for me. My little baggies were filled with chicken breast sautéed and covered with sauces like apricot-orange sauce or sweet-tart sauce with tomato and thyme, or hearty brown ale sauce with a side of broccoli florets or black beans. While some women might have received a bouquet of flowers, I was lavished with a bouquet of frozen gourmet baggies and I couldn’t have been happier.
Gourmet Baggies
You’ll need a vacuum sealer: it makes tidy packages that freeze and travel well. Good quality vacuum sealers are available for less than $150. We recently purchased a nice vacuum sealer at Costco for $120. The cost of the sealer is quickly recouped if you eat your own cooking instead of eating out.
Now you are ready to get cooking! All the recipes can be found in The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which is the cookbook we reach for first out of a bookshelf full of cookbooks. You can also look for other sauces at epicurious.com.
Chicken Prep
Pound boneless chicken breasts to uniform thickness to ensure even cooking. Place the chicken breasts in a gallon freezer Ziplock and pound them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer mallet or a cast-iron skillet. Also, breasts cooked to 160 degrees will be perfectly cooked every time.
Place Chicken in Ziplock bag and pound with Mallet
Ingredients:
Chicken
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive oil)
Whisk the flour, salt, and pepper together and then spread in an even layer on a plate. After you have pounded the chicken, dry with paper towels. Immediately before adding to the skillet, place the chicken in the mixture of flour, pepper and salt, making sure it has a nice coat of the mixture.
Coat chicken in flour, salt and pepper mixture.
Place it in the skillet once it is heated. Make sure that you don’t place the chicken in the skillet too early or you won’t get the nice browning of your chicken. Of course if it’s too hot you’ll scorch the chicken and it will be bitter to the taste, so be mindful of your chicken.
1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-heat until it just begins to smoke. This can take several minutes.
2. Gently lay the floured chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes and adjust the heat down if chicken is too brown.
Browned Chicken
3. Place the chicken on a plate and set aside while you start to cook your sauce.
4. Return skillet to stove, add more oil, and follow the sauce directions.
Apricot-Orange Sauce
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup orange juice
1 orange, peeled and chopped medium
1 cup dried apricots, chopped medium
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper
Add the butter to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add Onions and cook until softened
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the orange juice, chopped orange, and apricots.
Stir in the orange juice, chopped orange, and apricots
Simmer until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in any accumulated chicken juice. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Allow the chicken and sauce to cool for 15min. Place a chicken breast (or a half breast) in a vacuum bag then put 1/4c of sauce on top.
Chicken and Sauce in vacuum bag
Add fresh frozen broccoli florets and/or black beans for a complete meal. Vacuum seal according to product directions.
Vacuum Sealer
Vacuum Seal according to product directions
Freeze overnight.
Reheat by placing vacuum bag on a plate and piecing multiple times with a sharp knife. Heat in a microwave on high for 5-8 minutes. Times vary according to microwave power and amount of food. Wait for a minute after removing from microwave, empty packet onto plate and enjoy!
Apricot-Orange Chicken
Are you ready to start bake holiday sweet holiday treats?! Looking for an unforgettable dessert that will have your family and friends singing your praises and telling you that you’ve missed your calling as a pastry chef? Well, I’ve got just the recipe for you!
Not only do I have first-hand, taste-bud knowledge of this magnificent treat but, I also have witnessed a cluster of southern women fawning and begging for the recipe just a few weeks ago at Thanksgiving, where there had been an assortment of pies and cakes, but none took the limelight away from this pie!
The story of this pie starts in Jackson, Wyoming. My boyfriend and I had gone on a hiking trip. About to set off on my first hiking expedition, we decided to stop for lunch at the Snake River Brewery. It turns out they have the most amazing food menu. Included in it was a fantastic football-size calzone that I devoured in its entirety to my boyfriend’s amazement. We took dessert to go as there was no way I could have eaten one more bite.
Marcela on the boat going across Jenny Lake
Convinced by my novice pleas to shorten the route, we took the last boat of the day across the lake to the south end of Jenny Lake. We trekked through the cool forest to Hidden Falls and up another steep half-mile to Inspiration Point. From a black shale perch we looked upon the awe-inspiring view of the cobalt blue lake and the glacial moraine that formed it. Resting out feet, we sat down to savor dessert.
Marcela loving the view on Inspiration Point
It was there that I tasted the most amazing combination of flavors I have ever encountered in a dessert. The piquant cranberries balanced the sweet richness of apple and cream, the streusel topping was a lovely crumble of dusty sweetness to the moist filling. It was heavenly. So amazed I was with this dessert that I proposed we go back to the same place for dinner and have it again. It was even more delicious with the ice cream gently melting into the warm treat.
So my boyfriend, being the culinary genius that he is, replicated the dessert turning it from a fruit cobbler to an apple-strawberry-cranberry pie with streusel topping. Now I am going to share this delectable dessert with you!
This pie is based on the Dutch Apple pie in America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (a great addition to any kitchen library, full reliable and excellent recipes.) The pie takes two kinds of apples, one firm to retain distinct shape during cooking and the other that cooks down to a sweet applesauce. Granny Smith and Fuji fit the firm-and-soft bill, respectively. While hand-made crust is best, using a ready-to-bake frozen crust cuts kitchen time in half. Make sure to pre-bake the pie crust according to the package directions, erring a bit on the undercooked side as the pie goes back in the oven to cook the streusel.
Prick the ready to bake frozen crust before first baking it
Place oven rack at lowest position and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Ingredients:
Streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fine-ground cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Mix the flour, sugars, and cornmeal together in a medium bowl, then drizzle with the butter.
Drizzle in butter
Stir the streusel with a fork until roughly combined.
Stir the streusal with a fork
Streusal roughly combined
Ingredients:
For Pie
- 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
- Fuji Apples, (3-5) peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2 inch cubes
- Granny Smith Apples (4-5), peeled, cored and sliced into ½ inch cubes
Peeled, cored and cut apples
Apples cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 Cup Whole Frozen Strawberries (thawed, according to package directions)
- 1 cup of Fresh Cranberries (in a pinch you can use ¼ cup of Craisins)
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
Directions:
For the filling: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and continue to cook, covered, until some of the apples have begun to break down, about 7 minutes longer. Add the cream and strawberries to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the cream is thick and sticky and has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Cook until the cream is thick and sticky
Spread the apple filling in the warm, partially baked pie crust. Sprinkle with the streusel. Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake until the crust and streusel have browned, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
Apple-strawberry-cranberry pie
Enjoy! I know I did!
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