Chip n' Dip

Having a 'Chip & Dip' platter is a must if you ever plan on entertaining.  Choosing one that matches the rest of your serving pieces is just as vital. After dozens of parties, I've decided I'm only investing in serving pieces that are white, silver, or wooden. Everything else (to me) just looks mismatched.   For those of you registering, please take my advice! I wish someone had told me this 2 years ago.

Here are some of my current favorites: 

Michael Aram 'Chrysanthemum' Chip & Dip

Nambe Scoop Server:

Great for a modern household

Michael Wainwright "Lines" Platinum Set

This is classic and beautiful

Atticus Bamboo Chip and Dip Tray

I actually own this tray-it's great for parties and holds a lot of food

Now the fun part-a recipe provided by my sister Meredith:

Feta Cheese Dip with Pita Triangles

Recipe:

Servings: 4-6

1/4 to 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 8 oz package softened cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 tsp oregano

Other:

1 bag of pita bread, cut into small triangles

Combine all ingredients (besides the pita) with a whisk or food processor.  If using the latter, be sure not to overmix.  Form the mixture into whatever shape you desire on a plate or tray.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Top with diced tomatoes, chopped onions, and chopped black olives.

Serve with pita bread-throw the triangles on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 8 minutes right before serving.

Load the pita 'chips' and feta 'dip' onto your coolest tray.  Serve and enjoy!

*If you're pregnant, make sure the feta cheese is pasteurized. If not, pass on this appetizer.

Breath of Fresh Air

There's nothing like a good cookbook to get you out of a cooking rut.  Thanks to my sister-in-law, I recently discovered The New Best Recipe from the editor's of Cook's Illustrated and I have to say I'm smitten.  With over 1000 recipes that have been tested 40-50 times a piece, TNBP delivers an unbelievable home-cooked meal that works the first time and every time.  It even offers illustrations, special tips, and step-by-step instructions on how to do anything from choosing the right cut of meat, to carving a Thanksgiving turkey or even frying an egg. 

On Monday night I tried their Meatloaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze and I have to say it's the best I've ever had. 

It was so good that last night I served the leftovers on mini brioche buns for our cousins as appetizers.  They were equally impressed.

The New Best Recipe:

Glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup or chili sauce (I used ketchup)

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons of cider or distilled white vinegar (I used 2 tsp of white wine vinegar)

Meat Loaf:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp hot sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used low fat)

2 lbs of meat loaf mix (or ground beef-what I used)

2/3 cup crushed saltines OR 1 1/3 cups (fresh) bread crumbs (I used Kellogg's Corn flakes bread crumbs)

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the Glaze:

1) Mix all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan; set aside.

For the Meat Loaf:

2) Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the oil in a medium skillet.  Add the onion and the garlic; saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.

3) Mix the eggs, thyme, salt, black pepper, mustard, worcestershire sauce, hot pepper, and milk in a medium bowl.  Add the egg mixture to the meat in a large bowl along wtih the bread crumbs, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with a fork until evenly blended and the meat mixture does not stick to the bowl (If it does stick, add more yogurt, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the mixture no longer sticks). 

4) Turn the meat mixture onto a work surface.  With wet hands, pat the mixture into a loaf shape approximately 9 by 5 inches.  Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Brush with half the glaze. 

5) Bake until the loaf registers at 160 degrees (about 1 hour).  Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.  Simmer the remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly.  Slice and serve with remaining glaze.

This meal goes well with mashed potatoes, mac n' cheese, and a veggie, like burnt broccoli.

PC: Amazon, The Food Network,

Grown up Tea Party

This magnificent and classic bridal shower reminds me of my sister's wedding... a pastel color palette, vintage linens, and delicate china.  If this doesn't say romance, I don't know what does.

PC: Jennifer Dery/The Sweetest Occasion

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a Bee" -Muhammad Ali

PC: Porter House Designs, confetti.uk, Housetohome.com, Martha Stewart,  Nancy J Ciralsky Designs

Out with the Old, In with the New

FINALLY! (Stylish) Oven, broiler, and dishwasher-safe dinnerware that will make entertaining a cinch. Thank you Le Creuset.

PC: Sur La Table

Pick your Poison

I'm on the hunt for a decorative decanter stopper that will give my bar some personality (I like when things speak for themselves).   Until I find the one (I'm feeling something  turquoise) I might have to try Martha Stewart's DIY version-it looks like fun! Keep you posted.

Other decanter/bar ideas:

PC: Martha Stewart, Westervin, CelebratedLiving, CoolMaterial, and AtticMay

Spreading the Love...

One serving piece at a time.  Celebrating the journey from seeds to flowers to bouquets with Mariposa's Gregarious Garden Collection (also the perfect hostess gift)!

Dragonfly-Handled Cheese Board & Branch Spreader Set:

($69.00)

Starfish-Handled Cheese Board & Seahorse Spreader Set:

($69.00)

Bumblebee Bottle Stopper & Sunflower Wine Plate Set:

($52.00)

PC: Gracious Home

French Macarons, dare I say the new cupcake?

I'd like to start by saying:

And I know you will too once you experience them...

They're pretty, they're mini, and they're French (all things I want to be).

These bite-size French pastries were once the hallmark of Ladurée, a small, 148-year-old chain of Parisian tea salons and pastry shops that packaged them in a small pastel-colored box.  Now, you can find them anywhere from the 5th floor at Bergdorf's (if they're out of pistachio you know I'm in the vicinity), online, or Trader Joe's in delicious flavors like pistachio, strawberry, chocolate, or lemon to name a few.  

 

They look as good as they taste and add the perfect touch to any tea/dinner party:

Surrounded by other pastries/flowers:

On an ordinary plate:

On a three-tiered stand

Or else to add that 'Wow' factor to your next dessert!

Moeylicious Cake: (WOW!)

Lollipops:

or a Croquembouche

Want to make them yourself? Let Martha show you how here.

Nutritionplugged, Wall Street journal-Sara Rosso, Bobetteandbelle.com, kristen's kitchen adventure, Vanilla & Lace, Hip Hostess-Mowielicious Macaron Cake, macarondiaries.com, recipe: Martha Stewart

Chalk it up

Even though the school year is just about over, it doesn't mean you have to ditch those chalkboards.  They can add so much charm to just about anything like....

A Menu:

(I want one of these for my kitchen)

A label (available at Pottery Barn)

-can be used as place cards or food markers:

Cups/Storage

Or a  Kid's Placemat!

Have you ever used a chalkboard for anything else? Please share!!

We like to party, we like to party

Thanks to Jonathan Adler's new partyware line, you too can host a party with the designer's eclectic style based on rustic modernism (think Palm Beach circa '72 with a modern twist).  With paperware this hot, who needs the real deal?

PC: Hostess with the Mostess, Jonathan Adler

Thank you much

I became pretty interested in etiquette at a very young age. While most kids were reading scary stories by RL Stine (who's actually my cousin and whose work I of course love) I on the other hand wanted to know everything Emily Post had to say...

Fast forward twenty years and I've still retained everything I learned like the importance of writing the perfect thank you note. For those of you who don't know, thank you notes are a must for pretty much everything in your life-the job interview, the holiday dinner at a good friend or family's house, the beautiful birthday/wedding/anniversary/baby/shower gift, or just to say thanks for being a good friend.  There is no excuse not to write one-even if you think it's just family.  Anyone who taught/told you otherwise is wrong (and rude).

  Thanks to my Mom's newest artistic venture, Nancy J Ciralsky Designs, my thank you notes are tailored (and handmade) to however I'm feeling, whatever the occasion, or season.  Here's my current favorite:

Modern Butterflies: (beats just about anything you'll buy in the stores)

 Stay tuned for her website so you can become Emily Post-worthy yourself.

And remember where you learned it...I should write a book.

Dining in the Great Outdoors

Speaking of Italy, these melamine plates from Pottery Barn look like they just came over on the boat.  The unbreakable factor and affordable prices are priceless (ok $6.00 a plate).  So is dining outdoors.

Bring on the Margaritas!

Crate and Barrel has taken margaritas to a new level with their new Zazz glasses and pitcher. Skip the trip to Italy, these murano'esque glass stunners will add the perfect punch to one of your parties.  (Substitute margarita mix for punch). 

P.S. They're $7.95/piece! Collect them while you can.

P.S. I'd invest in either the glasses or the pitcher, not both.  (There's a fine line between being creative and looking cheap).