Ina Garten's Make Ahead Cranberry Martini

I was waiting for Ina's new cookbook, Make it Ahead, for almost a full year. I made a beeline to Barnes & Noble on release day and raced home after work to read through it.

And it was kind of disappointing.  A lot of recipes were rehashes of old ones (which you almost can't blame her for, it is her 9th book, how many ideas can one person have?), and a lot of them were just prep ahead tips, not things you could completely make and reheat.

I've had the cookbook for two months now, and Ina's make ahead cranberry martinis were the first thing I tried.

This is basically an upscale version of a cranberry vodka. I served it at our Hanukkah party, and it was very well received. It's fun and festive and easy enough to make (though not as easy as just a regular cranberry vodka...). I did doctor the original recipe by squeezing in the juice of half an orange, and adding an extra half cup of cranberry juice, but if you like more of a vodka bite, do it Ina's way.

Make Ahead Cranberry Martinis (from Make It Ahead, recipe written with my changes)

1 cup cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
6 strips of orange zest, 1x3 inches (I used a vegetable peeler)
1 750 ml bottle vodka
1 and 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail (original recipe calls for 1 cup)
1/4 cup Triple Sec
Juice of half an orange (original recipe omits this)

Pour bottle of vodka into a large pitcher, Pyrex, whatever it can hang out in for a couple days.

Combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 5 minutes, until cranberries start to pop. Let cool, then add to pitcher with vodka. Refrigerate for up to five days.

Up to two days ahead of time, you can make the cocktail. I did mine Friday night for a Sunday afternoon party. Strain the vodka mixture into a pitcher, reserving cranberries but discarding zest. Add the cranberry juice, triple sec, and juice of half an orange. Stir.

When ready to serve, fill a cocktail shaker with ice, pour in some of the drink mix, and give it a good shake. Pour into martini glasses, garnishing with cranberries. Enjoy!

Hanukkah Recap



Yesterday was our family's fourth annual Hanukkah celebration, a tradition I instituted when my husband and I got engaged.

Usually, the celebration takes place on a Sunday night, but I like Sunday nights to myself and thought I'd do an elegant holiday lunch this year. We live about an hour from the rest of the family, so I figured it would be easier on them too to have it earlier in the day.

I was very happy with this year's lunch menu, though it's not exactly traditional.  We have a couple of different kinds of eating habits (aka some people are easygoing and some are pains in the asses!) so I served two main course options.

We started, of course, with matzo ball soup. No picture, but here's last year's post with the recipe. Delicious and make ahead.

For my non-meat eaters, we had Ina Garten's Roasted Salmon Nicoise salad:

I loved this. It's a mix of room temperature salmon, served with blanched green beans, spring mix, roasted red peppers, steamed fingerlings, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and olives, all topped with a tangy Dijon vinaigrette. The salmon, eggs, and green beans can be done a day ahead, the potatoes need a quick boil before serving, and then you can assemble it in the morning and refrigerate until serving time. Easy, healthy, delicious, and customizable- key for my crew.

Find the recipe here.

Our other main course was a roast beef tenderloin, an expensive option, but well worth it for ease of prep and crowd pleasing factor (and the sandwiches with leftovers!). All I did was salt and pepper the living hell out of it, and roast it for about 30 minutes at 425. I took mine out when it was 130 degrees and let it rest about a half hour before serving. You may want yours done a little more rare, so give it a shorter rest time or take it out at 125.

I served this with a horseradish mayo. No real recipe there either, I used about half a cup of mayo, a few tablespoons of sour cream, a tablespoon of Dijon, and a teaspoon horseradish.

We had latkes, pictured above. These I always cater, they are too much work and too smelly to cook at home.  Wegman's charges me $25 bucks for 40 or so latkes and applesauce. I'd say that's worth it!

My sister in law made a nice mixed greens salad, and we also had Food52's ridiculously good spinach gratin, and roasted asparagus. A loaf of challah made an appearance too.

 

And, as always, we had piles of gifts and a cramped apartment:

Happy Hanukkah!

Friendsgiving Recap

As you may remember from last year, I host a “Friendsgiving” party for my friends and I in our apartment.  This year’s featured a lot of excitement, from issues with my oven early in the day(cue panic, thank you God it finally kicked in and worked!), to our first close couple friends to announce a pregnancy!

Today, I’m sharing this year’s menu, for anyone who may need a little last minute inspiration.

A friend of mine recently started an invitation business, and is learning calligraphy, so I had her do the menu. Amazing job, right?

As you may remember from last year (LINK), I host a “Friendsgiving” party for my friends and I in our apartment.  This year’s featured a lot of excitement, from issues with my oven early in the day(cue panic, thank you God it finally kicked in and worked!), to our first close couple friends to announce a pregnancy!

Today, I’m sharing this year’s menu, for anyone who may need a little last minute inspiration.

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A friend of mine recently started an invitation business, and is learning calligraphy, so I had her do the menu. Amazing job, right?

Our Menu:

Antipasto: assorted cheeses, crackers, prosciutto, salami, soppressata, olives, and marinated artichoke hearts.

Roast Turkey: this year, I used Rachael Ray’s dry-brined turkey recipe. You salt the bird a day ahead and rub it down with a butter and herb mixture. Day of, all you need to do is let it sit out for an hour at room temp, and then roast away, 15 mins per pound.

Stuffing: I used my classic sausage stuffing recipe from last year.

Spinach Gratin: absolutely love this make-ahead from Food52. This was the big hit side dish this year.

Quinoa with Roasted Squash and Walnuts: Another great make-ahead. Cut a butternut squash into 1 inch cubes, roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper at 425 for 35 minutes, or until tender and browned. Meanwhile, cook up a batch of quinoa. Combine the two and refrigerate a day or two ahead. Just before serving, toast walnuts and combine with quinoa. Delicious.

Roasted Cauliflower: another make ahead. I roast the cauliflower the day before, and just reheat before serving. I like to dressing mine with a lemon/caper/parsley dressing.

Kale Salad: I modified Marcus Samuelsson’s kale salad from the November issue of Food and Wine. I used his dressing and curly kale, and added fennel, carrots, and  radishes. You can dress it ahead, which is rare and convenient for salads.

Cider Punch: this Saveur chilled cider punch recipe is AWESOME. Cold sweet cider, whiskey, and ginger beer (my favorite!) make the perfect large-batch drink.

And of course, we always have cornbread, regular bread, cranberry sauce, and gravy! I count on my friends to make those. 

Dessert this year was a fantastic selection of pies, tarts, and tiramisu from the Cake Boss’ shop in Hoboken, courtesy of my very generous friends Brett and Debbie. I have to admit, I expected them to be terrible. I figured with all Buddy’s fame, he’s gotta be slacking in his pastry shop, but he’s not. I was gobbling down that blueberry crumb pie for days. SO good. 

Holiday Outfit Guide: The Office Party

Every year in my office at Christmastime, there’s people who dress with a bit too much holiday spirit. I’m talking blinking reindeer antler headbands (seriously), immense amounts of red sequins, ornament shaped earrings, or non-ironic ugly Christmas sweaters.  It’s fine to get excited about the holidays, but I tend to think the office is a place of restraint.

I usually opt for a black and white outfit with pops of red in my shoes or accessories. I also love a classic pencil skirt and button down in a festive color, or a professional wrap dress in a deep red or evergreen. If you go with something in a festive color (like red, green, or metallic), pick one and stick to it. Don’t pair your green dress with red shoes.  And please, please, please avoid sequins.  

And while I’m being bossy, watch the booze too!! I learned this the hard way when an old boss delivered a pitcher of Alabama Slammer shots to our table…at 11:45 am. Whoops. Stick to wine, it’s classiest.

Some classic and professional holiday office attire:

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And of course, the shopping guide:

Blackwatch Plaid Pencil Skirt, J. Crew Factory $57  //  Colorblock Pencil Skirt in Houndstooth, J.Crew Factory, $39.50  //  Fitted Non-Iron Sateen Shirt, Banana Republic, $69.50  //  Pearl Twisted Hammock Necklace, J.Crew, $98  // Callen Shoes, Nine West, $85

Holiday Outfit Guide: Home for the Holidays

Between office events, family get togethers, and cocktail parties, there’s a plethora of events to get ready for during the holiday season.  Today I’m starting a miniseries devoted to dressing for all your holiday season events.

My husband and I spend the entire 4-day Thanksgiving weekend at his parents’ house with some extended family, and multiple nights at Christmas with  mine. We leave straight from work on Wednesday night and fight through hours of traffic to get home for a laid-back night of pizza and chatting with cousins. I need an outfit that’s comfy for the trip but cute enough to be presentable to people I haven’t seen since last year.

I hate wearing a coat while travelling, so a down or fur vest, or a big sweater layered over another shirt is perfect for me. And of course, plaid always feels festive at this time. Some style inspiration:

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Now get shopping:

Flannel Shirt, J. Crew, $88 //  Puffy Vest, J.Crew Factory, $108  //  Turtleneck, J.Crew Factory, $52  //  Frye "Philip" Boots in Brown, $427  // Point Sur Hightower Jean in Drifter Wash, J.Crew, $198  //  Weekender Bag in English Leather, Madewell, $298  // BP Heritage Plaid Scarf, $24

Steakhouse Dinner

My husband is, quite literally, the pickiest eater I have ever known. He will not eat anything that swims, he’s not huge on most vegetables, eats very little "healthy" food, and usually acts as if trying something new will kill him. 

But his favorite thing is when I make him a classic steakhouse meal:

Seared filet mignon,

with crispy matchstick potatoes,

and of course, the classic wedge salad.   

 

It's a delicious and fairly simple meal, although things can get a little smoky while cooking the steak!

Seared Filet Mignon

2 5-6 oz filet mignon steaks (about 1 inch thick)

Salt

Cracked black pepper

Oil

Two slivers of butter

Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until screaming hot. I usually do this for somewhere between 3-5 minutes.

While pan preheats, coat your steaks very generously on both sides with salt and cracked black pepper.

When ready to cook, brush the pan with a small amount of oil. Place the steaks in the pan, and allow to sear for 3 minutes.  Flip to the other side and sear until desired doneness. I do ours to 130°, which is medium rare.

Just before serving, top each steak with a sliver of butter.  Sometimes I also use a drizzle of Trader Joe's balsamic syrup.

Serves 2.

Matchstick Potatoes, adapted from Ina Garten

4 baking potatoes, peeled

Corn oil (I used almost a full quart)

Salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with 1 inch of oil and heat it to 350°.

Slice potatoes into thin matchsticks, using a mandolin or the shredding disc of your food processor. Drop potatoes into a bowl of cold water as you work.

When ready to fry, drain potatoes very well. In batches, drop them in the hot oil and cook 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate, and sprinkle generously with salt. Repeat.

Keep warm on a baking sheet in the 350 degree oven for up to a half hour.

Serves 2-4.

Wedge Salad

½ head iceberg lettuce

½  pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 rib celery, diced

4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped

Chives

Ranch or blue cheese dressing

Slice the half head of lettuce into four wedges and arrange on a plate.  Top with tomatoes, celery, bacon, chives, and dressing.

Serves 2.

(I think this would be much better if you made your own dressing, using a recipe like the one here, but I told you, I have a picky husband, and a blue cheese is on the no-fly list).

Next project, fancy sauces for the steak. Anyone have any good recipes?

Mother's Day Menu

I’m not sure why Mother’s Day is always associated with brunch. I’m thinking of doing dinner for my mom this year, and here’s the menu I’ve got in mind:

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Antipasto Platter

I pretty much think anything in life is better when it starts with a cheese and salumi platter. I love combining taleggio, hunks of fresh parmesan, and crackers with olives and prosciutto. Yum.

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Giada’s Linguini with Clams and Pinot Grigio

This is a spectacular, and easy, recipe. The whole thing comes together in the time it takes to boil and cook the pasta. The clams make it a little special, the wine sauce is elegant, and the addition of arugula lends a fresh, peppery bite, perfect for springtime alfresco dining. This is a favorite.

 

Personal Pic (can't you tell?)

 

Almond Cake

My mom doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and she’s always on a diet. This cake, made with almond flour and olive oil, is a bit of a healthier alternative to a butter cake, and it provides the perfect elegant but not too sweet end to a meal.

 

 

Southwest Salad

I like to always serve a salad with a meal. My favorite foods tend to be carb-heavy and laden with cheese, so I always need something fresh and crisp to counterbalance that.

For last year's Cinco de Mayo, I came up with this Southwest Salad. It's a pretty hearty one that could easily become a main dish with the addition of chicken or shrimp. A little bacon wouldn't hurt either. 

Southwest Salad

2 heads of romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup frozen corn, defrosted

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Large handful tortilla chips, or bag of tortilla salad strips

Chipotle ranch dressing (you can buy, or add some chipotle powder and lime juice to your favorite ranch dressing)

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, black beans, corn and cherry tomatoes.  Line bowl with tortilla chips.  Serve with chipotle ranch dressing.

Easter Menu

Easter will be at my cousins’ this year, but that hasn’t stopped me from putting together my own little Easter brunch menu. Below, some of my favorite recipes from this blog that make a perfect Easter afternoon.

 

The Menu:

Frittata
Arugula, Orange, and Fennel Salad
Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Roast
Green Beans with Favas and Parmesan
Lemon Blueberry Tart

What's on your Easter menu?

Passover Recipe Roundup

Passover is around the corner, and though I’m not hosting, I wanted to provide a roundup of some of my favorite Passover recipes. This is a meat menu, so no dairy here.

 

Saveur's tahini dip with crudites is a great healthy, non-dairy appetizer.

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I don’t start a Jewish holiday dinner without making Smitten Kitchen's matzo ball soup. Everyone loves it, and it's super easy.

I know brisket is traditional (and here’s my favorite brisket recipe), but I love the idea of serving a chicken tagine, like Food52's,'s, instead. Like brisket, it can be prepared in advance and reheated, but chicken is a little lighter for the springtime (and a change of pace from every other Jewish holiday).

Couscous makes a perfect (and easy!) side dish for that, as does a nice springtime roasted asparagus. 

Potato kugel, like the one here from Food and Wine, is substantial, especially if you have vegetarians attending, and can be made the night before.

 

Round it all out with a salad of your choice and a stack of matzo, and serve some classic and simple coconut macaroons for dessert.

 

 

**Please note I am not Jewish and my husband’s family is not observant of any dietary laws so this menu works for us. If anything is really nonkosher, my apologies!

Easter Table Settings

Today I wanted to share a little inspiration for your Easter tables! I love the cocktail of springtime colors to choose from for Easter- frilly pinks, baby blues, and pretty purples- light and fresh after the deep reds and glitz of the holidays.

My only rule? Bring out your best stuff. This isn't the time for the rustic look- a holy day calls for china, silver, and a beautiful table.

I'm totally in love with everything about this pastel place setting- especially the pretty pink peony in the middle!

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Also loving this gorgeous flower arrangement:

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Gold flatware is a nice addition:

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I really love this little set up too- it reminds me of my grandma. She had tons of lamps and decorative objects with those gold, vintage cherubs:

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This appetizer display looks insanely elegant on all this beautiful silver:

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Finally, I have to share my mom's gorgeous table settings. She uses her Lenox Autumn china, with gold accessories, and always adds pretty Easter baskets. (Yes, my brother and I are edging in towards 30 and we still get Easter baskets).

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Sunday Dinner: Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Roast

A large part of cooking success depends upon choosing a good recipe.  People will often complain a recipe came out badly, and then I’ll find out they typed something into Google and used any old recipe that came up.

If I’m trying a new recipe, I prefer to use bloggers I trust (Stacey Snacks always, and Smitten Kitchen) or Ina Garten. I trust Ina enough to make her recipes without test driving them first.

I also trust highly reviewed recipes from well-regarded sites, such as Epicurious or the Food Network. I usually find that for the most part, a large number of reviews can be trusted.  Three five-star reviews are not very compelling, but 300 4 and a half star reviews are usually a good indicator of a quality recipe. There’s enough people who tried it and reviewed to account for mistakes, different tastes, etc. 

One other thing to keep in mind is the site’s audience- AllRecipes tends to attract more “middle America” tastes and home cooks (think chicken marinated in Italian dressing), whereas something like Food and Wine's website will bring in cooks and recipes that are a little more gourmet (think chicken banh mis with homemade kimchi).  Use sources that fall where you do in the homestyle to gourmet spectrum.

This past Sunday dinner was an example of a recipe well chosen.  My family was over and I wanted to make a pork roast, so I selected an old recipe of Giada’s de Laurentiis’ with 228 great reviews. 

The recipe called for a boneless pork loin, wrapped in pancetta (I used prosciutto), and then roasted in a mix of chicken stock and wine for an hour. It was quite delicious, and definitely an elegant and easy main course. 

I made a few changes to alter it to my family’s taste, so the recipe below is my version, with the link to the original provided as always.

Prosciutto wrapped Pork Roast, adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
Serves 6
3.5-4 lb boneless pork loin roast, tied
¼ lb prosciutto or pancetta
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp garlic salt
Generous amount salt and pepper
1 ½ cups white wine
1 ½ cups chicken stock

Place your pork roast in a roasting pan or large baking dish. Drizzle over with oil, then rub generously all over with salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic salt. Drape prosciutto or pancetta over the roast. Let sit for at least one hour, or overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Add ½ cup of wine and ½ cup of stock to the pan with the pork. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour, adding an additional ½ cup each wine and stock every 20 minutes. Cook for an hour, or longer until desired temperature. Giada advises 145, my parents prefer their pork done to 160, so that’s what I did. It took about 1 hr and 10 minutes. 

I served this with roasted potatoes. Recipe, if you can call it that, is below.

Roasted Potatoes
1 ½ lbs baby red potatoes
Generous amount olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400. While oven preheats, line a large aluminum baking sheet with foil and quarter the red potatoes (or cut into sixths if bigger).  

Place potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with lots of olive oil (I probably use three tablespoons or so), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Roast for about an hour, until browned and crispy, turning once or twice during baking.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve alongside roast.

Passover Plates

Easter and Passover are just around the corner, so I thought it was time to start sharing some table setting and entertaining ideas. Passover’s first, so today I have some of my favorite serveware items for the holiday.

1. Lenox L'Chaim Challah tray: So it's not the right holiday for challah, but the tray is a beautiful way to display your main course.  $100

2. Spode Matzo Plate, $45

3. Lenox Judaic Collection Elijah Cup, $40

4. Bernardaud "Louvre" Seder Plate, $237 (mini plates are sold separately)

5. Godinger Stratford Candlesticks, $15 for the pair

Holiday Weekend Recap

I might be having too much fun with my Instagram collage apps, but thought I'd share a few snapshots of the weekend.

This past weekend was full of holiday parties, family, and friends, so it really felt like Christmas to me. It was my family's annual "Cousins' Party," where all our (duh) cousins get together, and the fourth annual gathering of my girlfriends from college.

From top left:

reason for the season, snapped late Sunday as we brought our giving tree gifts just in time! // pile of Secret Santa gifts // the cousins tearing into presents // at Jenn's holiday party // huge pile of apps // my parents' Christmas tree

Hanukkah Party

This weekend was our third annual Hanukkah party. When Mr. B and I moved in together, I adopted Hanukkah as the holiday that would be at our house, and I love hosting it. 

Well, usually. This year turned out to be a bit stressful- I had a busy weekend outside of hosting the party, plus there was a medical issue just before dinner that involved a frantic call to 911 and a visit from the paramedics. Luckily all is okay now. 

But the incident served as a reminder that the point of these parties is to enjoy family. I'd been really stressed and worried about the food (my husband's family includes a myriad of intensely picky eaters) and feeling a lot of pressure, and in the end the only thing that mattered was being together. Especially because dinner was freezing cold by the time we were able to eat. 

Our dinner menu was a pretty standard Hanukkah one:

• Brisket
• Roast chicken (full disclosure: I bought this at Costco and butchered it up. So much easier.)
• Quinoa with fresh herbs and olive oil
• Ina's Cape Cod Chopped Salad
• Ina's French String Beans (sauteed with shallots and roasted peppers)
• and of course, latkes:

I always cater my latkes from Wegman's, I can't stand the awful potato and onion smell that hangs in the air. The idea of my guests leaving with that clinging to their clothes gives me nightmares.

Appetizers I kept mostly simple, with a crudite platter, cheese, and these smoked salmon and cucumber canapes, topped with a dollop of creme fraiche and chives:

I set a table of blue and mixed metallics. The tablecloth had silver running through it, as did our bowls, but our chargers and flatware were gold. I ran a string of white Christmas lights down the middle instead of using candles. I thought it was a fun take on the whole "Festival of Lights" thing.

After dinner, we always open presents. We exchange gifts with my husband's family completely on  Hanukkah, and my family on Christmas. There's ten of us, and it's only one holiday, yet I'm always in shock at the sheer quantity of gifts:

This year, I got a brand new, top quality blowdryer, perfume, Deborah Lippmann nail polish, a watch, a new top, an Amazon gift card, and a Lenox challah knife from my mom. Whew! It's not even Christmas yet.

Here's to another Hanukkah. Looking forward to a (calmer) one next year.