3 P's For A Sucessful Party: Planning, Prep, Presentation

Zach and I, along with my family leave for a holiday cruise tomorrow morning, so I thought I would do two posts this week, since you won't get one next week. 

New Years Eve is right around the corner and this blog is dedicated to helping with your party planning. Are you having a New Years Party? Do you have plans to go to a friend's party, and feel like you need to take something? 

I have mentioned before I love to cook what I call small bites - basically appetizers or small versions of any food that can typically be eaten with your fingers. It makes eating more fun! This can be a more time consuming method of cooking, but can absolutely be manageable.

Having a party will not be stress free, despite what my husband thinks :). The key is trying to do what you can to decrease the stress and make it somewhat enjoyable. To have a successful party, adequate planning and prep is a must. Hopefully you can take some of my tips to impress your guests and have an amazing party!

Tip #1 - Spend enough time planning. Start this process a few weeks out if time permits. 

Tip #2 - Keep in mind the amount of people you are inviting. You don't want to run out of food and leftovers are not a bad thing, so always do more than less. Most people will have a couple of each item.

Tip #3 - Plan a variety of food. Think about fruit, veggies, beef, chicken, seafood, dips, desserts, etc.  Keep in mind if alcohol will be served at your party, you need to have enough food to balance the alcohol consumption. When planning your menu, keep in mind the ingredients you need and if they can be used in multiple dishes. Finally, don't feel like you need to cook everything - take shortcuts when you can.

Tip #4 - Make a detailed grocery list. When writing out a grocery list, put the items in the order you walk around the store. I know I always start with produce, then move through the different isles (ie: group items that are in the same isle - like all of your canned food items), then the meat counter and bakery. This is really only possible if you know the store you typically shop at pretty well, but will really help you maximize your time. 

Tip #5 - Make a detailed plan for cooking. What can be done the days ahead of time? How long does each time take to cook and at what temperature? Organize what needs to be done in what order so you are proactive and can move from one thing to the next, without really needing to think about it. 

Tip #6 - Make the presentation of the food fun.

Alright, so more on making the presentation fun. This is definitely one of my favorite parts of having a party! I am not very creative by nature, but in the kitchen my creativeness wants to come out. 

People eat with their eyes first, so making the food look good and presenting it in a unique way helps make your party professional quality. Anything you can do in an individual serving, do. I have collected different servings 'vehicles' (bowls, plates, etc.) over the years, but just be creative with what you have.

Serve in different glass wear:

 Fill shot glasses with your favorite blended soup.

 Fill a martini glass with cocktail sauce and hang cooked shrimp off the rim.

Serve food on sticks:

 

Fill cherry tomatoes with a mixture of goat cheese, green onions and cooked bacon. 

 

Dip different types of fruit and angel food cake in chocolate, let firm up in fridge and insert sticks onto a piece of styrofoam so they can remain standing up. 

Serve on your favorite cracker (mine is one that looks like a mini piece of toast):

 

Make your favorite tuna, crab or salmon dip.

 

 

Make an open face sandwich with a thick piece of roast beef, an arugula leaf and a drizzle of mustard vinegar sauce. 

Serve on a spoon: 

Make your favorite stuffed mushroom. An easy version can include cooked onion, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and parsley.

Serve in small edible cups:

 

Mix a variety of mexican inspired ingredients (ideas include: black beans, corn, shrimp, chicken, avocado, red onion, tomato, cheese) together and serve in a 'scoops' chip variety with a side of your favorite salsa. Also, try baked wonton wrappers or fillow dough.

Serve mini versions: 

Make mini hamburger patties and serve along side various toppings and spreads. Share different ideas of potential combinations.

 

Make small individual pizzas. Try my  shrimp and feta version. Another simple idea: cheese, some diced tomatoes and ribbons of basil. 

Serve in mini bowls:

Mix fresh fruit with a yogurt and honey (or agave nectar) sauce and a sprig of mint or with angel food cake pieces and whipped cream.

Serve something simple that can be assembled by the guest:  

Have a couple of different cheeses, fruit spreads and some nuts along side a variety of types of crackers.

I hope you can take some of these ideas and have a fantastic party - Happy (early) New Year!

~Ashley

 

Shrimp and Feta Pizza

December is usually a busy time of the year for Zach and I, and I would bet for most of you as well. It can become difficult to try to get a home cooked meal in and not eat out all the time. When I am looking for a quick easy meal at home, pizza is one meal I turn to. I was never a kid (or adult) that really loved pizza - not American right! Same goes for hamburgers - I don't ever crave a big fat juicy hamburger - I know, not sure what is wrong with me?  

I have, however, in my recent years start liking pizza more. The transition occurred when I started eating 'not normal' pizzas. Pepperoni, hamburger (and definitely not cheese only) pizzas don't cut it for me - BORING! You can call me a food snob, others have. I can't help it - I will eat anything, just choose to eat more of a variety. My discovery of Spin Pizza a few years back is what opened my eyes to what pizza could really be. Their menu has your traditional pizzas, but also incorporates non traditional ingredients, like artichokes, capers, roasted red peppers, eggplant, apples, pine nuts, just to name a few - all delicious! As I have said in the past, eating out inspires me with cooking and Spin did just that with pizzas.
 
Not only can the ingredients be whatever you want them to be, you have flexibility in how you prepare the pizza if you make it homemade. You can make one big pizza all with the same toppings, you can put different toppings on different sections of the pizza for each person or even make individual pizzas. When I started experimenting with pizza, the first ingredient that came to mind was shrimp. I love shrimp and can’t say I have ever had it on a pizza, but thought why not? I also really like to experiment with not using the traditional red sauce on pizzas. To me, eliminating the red sauce, makes the pizza not feel so heavy, not to mention it is healthier for you. The end result of my first pizza creation is a shrimp and feta pizza with a drizzle of olive oil. I made it for Zach and I and we really liked it. I then decided to branch out and make it for a few different dinner parties with friends and the result was positive, so I hope you will like it as well.

Shrimp and Feta Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
Shrimp, cut into small pieces, uncooked
Cherry tomatoes
Garlic cloves
Chives
Feta
Extra virgin olive oil
Crushed red pepper, to desired level of heat

Half cherry tomatoes or cut into bite size pieces. Take fresh peeled garlic and slice into tiny slivers. Use a knife or kitchen shears to make 1 inch pieces of chive. 

Form dough into the shape you would like the pizza to be - I like rectangle. I use a packaged dough because if I am looking for a quick meal, making pizza dough from scratch doesn’t really fit into the equation for me, but feel free to do that if you would like.

If you are using a refrigerator pizza dough, check the baking instructions. Most cook at 400-425 degrees. I find baking the dough for 5 or so minutes prior to putting the ingredients on the pizza works great. After the dough has baked for 5 minutes, scatter all ingredients on the pizza in quantities that look good to you (yep, you are in control and being creative without following a specific recipe - I am going to make you do this more and more as you read this blog). End with feta, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper to desired level of heat, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bake the rest of the duration, according to directions on the package.

Better Bonus Tip: Whole Foods has a pizza dough that they make fresh for $2. To me this is totally worth it - still fresh, good quality ingredients and a total time saver!

~Ashley

Snap Peas and Corn with Basil Butter

Christmas is right around the corner. Do you have your meal planned yet? I have a really simple veggie dish that you could add to the line up. I love corn - you will see me use it over and over again, basically trying to add it anyway I can to a dish. This veggie combo infused with the basil butter from last week and some crunchy, salty bacon go great together.

  

Snap Peas and Corn with Basil Butter
Serves 4

 

Ingredients:
Snap peas, one 10-12 oz frozen bag
Corn, half of a 16 oz frozen bag
Bacon, 4-6 slices
2-3 T basil butter
Salt and pepper

Thaw 1 T of basil butter to room temperature, set aside. 

Add an additional 1-2 T of basil butter to warm skillet, no need for it to be room temperature. Once butter is melted, add frozen veggies, cooking until warm but still with some crunch - 5-7 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

While veggies are cooking, crisp bacon. Once the bacon is cooked, chop into small bite size pieces.

Mix the veggies and bacon together. Once the 1 T of basil butter that was set aside earlier is thawed to room temperature, gently stir to make a creamy consistency. Add on top of the veggies and serve immediately. The warm veggies will gradually melt the garnish dollop of basil butter.

Better Bonus Tip: You could absolutely use canned veggies, but frozen is always recommended over canned. Frozen veggies are more nutritious, have less sodium, and usually have better flavor because they are flash frozen in their peak life to maintain freshness.

Hope everyone has a happy holiday!

~Ashley

Help with Herbs

I have said it before and I will say it again - fresh is best! Yes, it is December, but I love using fresh herbs all year round. Of course they are best, freshly cut from the garden, but you can get them year round at almost any store that sells food. My favorite herbs to use as I cook are cilantro, parsley (I like Italian flat leaf best, but there is also curly leaf), basil and chives, but there are tons out there - oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. I shared with you a quick basil and parsley pesto a few weeks back, but there is so much more you can do with fresh herbs.

Better Bonus Tip: If a recipe calls for a fresh herb of course I would recommend using it, but if you don’t have any on hand at least use dried. A simple conversion is 1 T of fresh to 1 tsp of dried.

Fresh herbs can be intimidating but add great flavor and color to food. To start getting comfortable using herbs, add them as a simple garnish to make your meal look restaurant quality! Add a few sprigs of a fresh herb to the plate or even on top of the dish itself. A couple of easy simple ideas would be cilantro on your favorite Mexican dish, parsley on your favorite pasta dish or chives on your favorite potato dish.

I think a lot of people don’t like to buy fresh herbs because they think they will go bad before they use it all up. That definitely can be true, so here are a couple of tips I use:

Better Bonus Tip: When I first started cooking with fresh herbs I used to wrap whatever herb was left in a moist (not saturated) paper towel and then place in a plastic bag in the fridge, which would help keep the herb fresh longer.  Now I have two herb keepers in my fridge that I use constantly. I feel the herb keepers prolong life up to 3-4 weeks, of course dependent on the herb. If you don't want to buy a herb keeper, you could try adding the herbs to a glass or pitcher that is filled with an inch or so of water to keep the stems moist - same idea!

Knife skills with fresh herbs:

 
Fresh cilantro or parsley - The stems are completely edible, so you can simply chop the bunch until you have what you need. 

If you want just the leaves try using a shaving technique. While holding a bunch of herbs, slide the knife (in a somewhat quick fashion) along the stems to shave off the leaves.

Lastly, you could simply pick each leave off from the stem and then chop - this would be the most time consuming method. Be gentle when removing the leaves so you don't bruise them.

Fresh Basil - I like to make tiny ribbons or strips of basil. To get this shape, use a technique known as chiffonade (which would also be fun with spinach). Stack the leaves on top of each other and roll up. Next use your knife, keeping the tip on the edge of the cutting board, and proceed through the rolled up herbs, from one end to the other. 

 

                                                

Chiffonade basil is great with some fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Better Bonus Tip: Try adding your favorite herb to mayonnaise or sour cream for a quick spread or sauce.

I also love to make compound butters which are really simple to make. Mix chopped up herbs to room temperate butter. Also, great with a citrus such as orange, lemon or lime juice and zest.

Basil Butter

Ingredients: 
One stick of butter, softened to room temperature
Basil, approx 1/4 cup
Lemon, zest and juice 

The butter needs to be soft enough to mix easily with the basil leaves, lemon zest and juice. Once the butter has reached that consistency, mix all ingredients together. Form butter back into a shape you would like and store butter in the fridge for access as needed. I add mine to a piece of plastic wrap and then form into the shape of a log and wrap. When ready to use, you can just cut off a tablespoon at a time.

 

Great on baked potatoes, bread, a warm steak or your favorite cooked vegetable.

 

Stay tuned, next week I will show you an easy veggie dish that incorporates a basil butter.

~Ashley

Keep Winter Illness Away

December has arrived, which means cold weather, germs and illness could be right around the corner. Staying healthy can be difficult, especially in the winter months, but taking proactive steps can make a difference. 

One thing Zach and I do year round is to start our morning out right with a wheat grass smoothie. Sounds gross right? Don’t stop reading, give it a try.

I think when most people think about wheat grass they think about what you see at a smoothie company - literally grass growing behind the counter. I personally have never tried that, but Zach has and says it tastes like you went out and got clippings from your freshly mowed lawn and blended it with water - disgusting! Well, there was no way I was going to do that on a regular basis (or quite possibly ever), not to mention the expense and inconvenience of having to go somewhere every day to get it. I did want to do something though because the health benefits are extraordinary, so what could I do?

Zach found a powder blend called Super Food that has a lot of great ingredients in addition to wheat grass, such as other fruits and vegetables, an antioxidant blend, a fiber blend, vitamin blend, and a pro-biotic blend - all of which are amazing for your body! There are a lot of varieties out there, organic and not. You can buy them at any nutritional store and sometimes in the health area of grocery stores. Once you find one you like, check out the price online - it is usually cheaper!

Zach’s smoothie is a pretty simple blend of the chocolate flavor and some milk, along with some additional protein powder.

I did that for awhile, but needed to switch it up, so I now make a frozen drink every morning, using the all natural flavor.

To try a simple frozen fruit wheat grass smoothie:

• Mix some frozen fruit. I alternate between multiple frozen varieties including mango, peach, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry. You can absolutely use fresh fruit, but I buy the frozen because it lasts longer.
• Add some yogurt. I alternate between strawberry, vanilla, blueberry and banana, which I buy in a bulk container. Buying in bulk is cheaper, less plastic waste and to me easier, because I can scoop what I want into my smoothie.
• Scoop of wheat grass powder blend.
• Finish it off with a splash of either milk or water.

Better Bonus Tip: Try adding peanut butter, honey or agave nectar occasionally, for a little extra flavor.  Try Greek yogurt if you are looking for more protein or a thicker consistency. Just be creative - as I am sitting here typing this I am thinking about adding applesauce the next time I make one to see what that tastes like. Also, of course you could always add juice, but keep in mind the sugar content because you are already getting sugar from the other ingredients.

So, I like to sleep A LOT! Yes, I am in for a wake up call when we decide to have a little one (or two) running around :0. With that said, I had to think of ways to make this work, so that I didn’t have to wake up an extra 30 minutes early each morning to make a smoothie. I decided to buy 6 different kinds of frozen fruit and store them in individual pyrex containers in the freezer, right along side the wheat grass blend. This way I could alternate every day and not get sick of the same flavor. I also purchased an individual blender (Hamilton Beach for I think around $12 at Target). This blender is great because the container you use to blend the smoothie turns into the cup you can take with you to drink the smoothie (translation - time saver and less dishes to wash). Thanks Angie for introducing me to this product! 

Each night before I go to bed, I add a little bit of frozen fruit, a couple scoops of a yogurt, and a scoop of my wheat grass blend into the cup and then put it in the fridge. When I wake up the next morning, I add 2-3 ice cups, because the fruit is no longer frozen and I like the frozen consistency, and a splash of water. In less than a minute, I have a great breakfast smoothie.

Better Bonus Tip: With this technique of storing the fruit, you will always have frozen fruit around to add to sangria, lemonade or tea for some extra flare.

I know having a frozen drink on a cold winter day may not appeal to all. To me, the powder can tend to be a bit gritty (not enough to make me not enjoy it though) and I find using fruit and yogurt helps with that much more than simply mixing with milk or juice. Either way, find what works for you - the key is making it something you can do long term to really take in the benefits.

I can't remember how long we have been doing this, but I will say I have been at my new job for 16 months and I don't recall being sick once in that time frame. I am not saying this is the end all be all, but I do think it is one huge factor in helping keep me healthy!  

~Ashley