Mid Week Dinner Party

Who says you can't do it all?  I am a firm believer that regardless of how much stuff is going on there is always time for a dinner party.  The key to success is planning and prepping ahead of time.  A little help from your loving mom also makes life a little easier!  The planning started with the menu:

Assorted salami, cheese and crackers on a tray
Guatemalan tostadas
Steamed green beans with browned butter and toasted almonds and pine nuts
Butter lettuce salad with pecans and goat cheese
Baked Salmon with red onions
Steamed Rice
and for dessert:
Homemade Cinnamon-Apple cake!
served with specialty coffee's

Simple things can be done ahead of time, cutting the for the salad, chopping the red onion for the salmon, measuring the rice and putting it in the rice cooker.  Then from the time I got home (5:30pm) to the time my guests arrived 6:30pm dinner was ready, the table was set and the wine was awaiting.  What can be better than great company with a side of great food and wine?

Osso Bucco - Oxtail

Some may cringe at the mere mention of "oxtail" but if you have grown up eating things like tripe, cow's tongue and head cheese then oxtail is just another protein.  One of my favorite dishes is Osso Bucco which my husband makes with veal shanks.  I was feeling adventurous the other day and decided to try this recipe out with a little change, oxtail instead of veal shanks.  Having never made this dish before I perused a few recipes and then decided on my own version.  I followed the main points and as per usual went off on my own tangent.  I chopped, dredged, and seared then had to transfer it to a larger dish to go in the oven.  If you know me I have a tendency to go overboard when it comes to making dinner and it is very often that unexpected guests will find themselves at my table.  This time however I decided that it would be a great idea to have left overs for the following day.  The braising  began and finished with dinner being served promptly at 6pm.  If you have ever cooked oxtail before you will know that longer is better when cooking it.  I however had never actually cooked it myself and from the oven it was pulled much too soon!   The taste was delightful but the texture was a little tough.  I plunked it back in the oven and let it go for another few hours.  The next night's dinner was a dream with the meat tender and falling off the bone.  Now that's how it's done!

Chocolate Layer Cake

Not all cakes were created equal!  It was my brother-in-law's birthday and my idea to celebrate was to make a homemade chocolate layer cake and have the familiy over for coffee and tea. 

I began by getting out my cookbooks and searching through the many amazing looking recipes.  A friend once told me that she bought cookbooks only to look at the photos and referred to it as "food porn".  I cleverly decided on a chocolate layer cake and thought, hmmm I don't have enough pans in the same size but I can just make it in one pan and have 2 layers only?  It was a nice thought!

The recipe seemed simple enough, ingredients I had as a standard in my pantry.  I began and thought it would be great as always....  An hour later and my cake had not risen?  That didn't stop me from making a delicious fudge icing.  Not enough cake to have two layers, that's ok one layer it is!  I iced the cake and sprinkled it with Turtle Crunch sprinkles and set the table. 

Coffee, tea and the table ready, assorted chocolates, cookies and other little treats galore!  Was it love at first bite?  Judging by the looks on the faces around the table I would say not.  It's not that it was terrible but that the texture seemed a little off.  I tried not to laugh and made the most of it, at least we had the company!

Tropical Fruit Salsa

As a mom I am always looking for ways to simplify my life.  On a recent trip to the supermarket I have found a "tropical fruit salsa starter".  What a novel idea, pineapple and mango diced finely with a little recipe printed on the front.  I made my way through the produce section, followed the simple instructions and later that afternoon had a lovely bowl of fresh tropical fruit salsa.  Who says being fabulous has to be difficult?

Cupcakes for all occasions!

Nothing says Halloween like cupcakes!  I think any excuse to make cupcakes is a good one.  Unlike last time, this cupcake frenzy began with picking up a couple extra cupcake tins.  This really makes things much easier when every cupcake recipe seems to make an oddly large number of cupcakes.  I started with Snickerdoodle cupcakes and moved on to Devil's Food cupcakes.  They made the house smell delightful and when topped with green 7 minute icing and turtle crunch I was in the Halloween spirit.  Even good enough to share!

Trader Joe's

On my frequent visits to the US shopping I almost always make a stop at one of my favorite grocery stores Trader Joe's.  What makes it so great?  A plethora of organic and fabulous food and liquor!  Now I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to sample their wines being that I usually only go for a day trip but their food items I can vouch for.  A few items on my must have list:
Saffron
Spicy pecans
Gluten free frozen pancakes (one of my son's favorites)
Bourbon Vanilla
Teriyaki Sauce
It may be better to say that I have yet to not like anything I have bought there with the exception of their Snickerdoodle cookies, sorry there is just no substitute for homemade!

Apple Pie the way it should be!

Many have said that the only way to eat a piece of apple pie is A La Mode.  I would like to dispute this common misconception!  Good old fashioned apple pie should be eaten gently warmed and with some nice cheddar cheese!  Yes, you may think I am strange (I wouldn't say otherwise) but it is delicious and worth a try.  Tell me what you think??