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!

Entertaining Essentials

Inexpensive Charger Plates, $1.00

Charger plates instantly dress up dinner, and I love being able to buy multiple colors to go with different table settings. These were only $1 at Amazing Savings, so I stocked up on red, gold, and silver.  I’ve also seen them at the Christmas Tree Shop, if there’s no Amazing Savings in your neck of the woods.

Pottery Barn Caterer’s Box Collection, $15-$60 for 12

This dinnerware collection is perfect for entertaining.  White porcelain plates, bowls, and mugs, as well as glass drinkware, are sold in sets of 12 and inexpensively priced from $15-$60 for the dozen.  You can also pick up napkins, flatware, and table linens to match as well.  They’re perfect to keep on hand so you don’t have to resort to paper plates when entertaining.

The brand 10 Strawberry Street also sells similar plain white bulk entertaining dinnerware, at a slightly lower price point. You can find them often on One Kings Lane, and sometimes in Walmart.

World Market Galvanized Party Tub, $17 

When I host parties, the boys always bring truckloads of beer, and we run out of room in the fridge very quickly. Now, I fill this large tub with ice and leave it out, giving guests easy access to the booze without compromising the fridge space I need.

Walmart Inexpensive Serving Utensils, $2 

You can never have too many serving forks and spoons, and I really like these plain silver ones from, believe it or not, Walmart. They’re sold open stock, so you can buy as few or as many as you need. They look attractive and elegant, they hold up well, and you can’t go wrong at only $2 each.  

Table Runners

I like to use a plain ivory tablecloth and accessorize with a colorful runner. My favorite is Luxury Linen Loft’s Burlap Runner, which I picked up on Etsy for $10. It adds a great rustic element to a fall table. I also love the runners on World Market, my favorite being the Kavita runner in the picture above- so colorful!

 Sur La Table Napkins, $5.99 for 4

Sur La Table’s sale rack is one of the best places to find gorgeous table linens deeply discounted, which is how I scored the pretty ones above.

Pottery Barn Classic Glass Drink Dispenser, $59-$79

I tried very hard to find an inexpensive glass drinking dispenser, but all the ones I bought leaked. I finally bit the bullet and got this item from Pottery Barn, and I love it. Sixty bucks well spent- no leaking, easy to clean, and I was able to have it monogrammed to match my PB decanter. Awesome.

Disposable Condiment Bowls, $2.99 for 20 

Another great find from Amazing Savings. I like to use these for my mise en place during a dinner party- I’ll pre-chop my herbs or lemon zest and put them in these bowls in the fridge.  They take up less space than a bowl, and just before serving, I can sprinkle the garnish over my dish and toss them when done, saving dishwasher space as well.  They double as little ramekins too for dipping sauces, olives, or nuts. 

Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade

I've been MIA lately, due to some serious (and unsuccessful) house hunting. It's been completely overtaking my brain, so I really need to force myself to focus on other things.

So today I wanted to share a great summery cocktail: the blackberry bourbon lemonade. It's a delicious mix of sparkling lemonade, blackberry and rosemary simple syrup, and of course, bourbon.

This makes a great drink for a summer party, due to it’s all American ingredients (bourbon, lemonade) and it’s festive red color (which you can make red, white, and blue with the addition of a blackberry garnish), and its big-batch recipe that makes 12 drinks.

 

Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade, originally from Better Homes and Gardens

Here I'm providing the 1 gallon big batch version, click the link above for a single serving size. 

3 cups bourbon
2/3 cups lemon juice
1 recipe blackberry rosemary simple syrup (below)
4 cups sparkling lemonade
Blackberries, for garnish

Combine bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup in a large pitcher or punch bowl. Stir. Add sparkling lemonade and garnish with blackberries.

Makes 12 5oz servings.

Blackberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
12 oz fresh blackberries
1 1/2 tbsp rosemary, roughly chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 sugar

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until blackberries are breaking down and the liquid is syrupy and reduced by half.  Mash the blackberries into the liquid with a wooden spoon towards the end of cooking.  Strain through a fine strainer, pressing on the berries to extract juice. Let cool, and store in fridge for up to one week.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

Despite having absolutely no cultural affiliation to the holiday, my parents take Cinco de Mayo very seriously. 

 

I’m not sure where it started, but years back, my dad suddenly decided this had to be a holiday we celebrated.  He bought sombreros for everyone, a string of jalapeno shaped Christmas lights, a CD of cheesy music, and of course, a boatload of Corona.  We grilled steak and hot peppers, drank margaritas, and lined up empty Corona bottles on the deck, and it became a yearly tradition. 

 

Now, each year we try out new recipes, and I wanted to share some of my favorites.  Today’s recipe is for Tropical Fruit Salsa, a festive, healthy, and delicious addition to the party.  I used this as a dip for chips, but I think it would also be extremely delicious spooned over grilled chicken, or maybe combined with brie into a (admittedly not very Mexican) quesadilla.

 

Take care with dicing your fruit, this is meant as a dip for chips so you want to dice it into very small pieces. 

 

Tropical Fruit Salsa, from Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook

1 medium ripe papaya, small dice (¼ - ½  inch pieces)

1 medium ripe mango, small dice

½ a pineapple, small dice

1 medium jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced (taste your jalapeno first- sometimes they’re super mild and sometimes they are crazy hot! Know what you are working with before you move forward)

1 small red onion, small dice

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbsp lime zest

1 tbsp lime juice

Coarse salt

 

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  This can be made up to an hour ahead, but add the papaya just before serving.

 

Buffalo Wings

Kind of randomly, buffalo wings were one of the first recipes I ever learned to make.  When I was a teenager, my parents finished the basement and in late high school and college breaks, I used to love having people over. My group of friends is heavy on the men, so buffalo wings were a staple.

My mom taught me using the recipe she's used for years, the "original" one, supposedly, that she clipped from an issue of Good Housekeeping from before I was born.

This is one of those recipes that's best kept simple; doctoring it up with too much junk doesn't do you any favors. 

Classic Buffalo Wings
Serves 6 as an appetizer

3 lbs wings
2 tbsp oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt
Paprika
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot (must be Frank's)
1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
Celery sticks
Carrot sticks
Ranch or blue cheese dressing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the wings into 3 pieces- the flat, the drumstick, and the wing tip. I find it's easiest to bend the joints in the wrong direction to loosen them, and then to just chop through with a scissor. Or, you can ask your butcher to handle this for you. Discard wing tips or reserve for stock.

Arrange wing pieces on a foil lined baking sheet. Coat with oil, then sprinkle over with the salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika. I don't measure this, I just eyeball it- it's not rocket science.

Bake for one hour, turning over halfway through.

Just before wings are done, combine butter, hot sauce, and white vinegar in a saucepan.  Heat through to melt butter. Stir to combine, then add wings and toss to coat.

Arrange wings on platter with dressing of choice and carrot and celery sticks.

These will be gone before you can blink.

Shrimp and Israeli Couscous Salad with Basil Oil

I am one of those people who look at a picture or title in a cookbook, and then decide what the recipe is without actually reading it. I am the polar opposite of my mother, who will line up every last teaspoon of ingredients in little bowls before proceeding. The only time I ever really follow a recipe is with baking. 

I really shouldn’t do this, since I could be missing out on great recipes, but a lot of times I invent something pretty damn good. 

This is one of those recipes. I was flipping through a Mario Batali cookbook when I came upon a recipe for shrimp with white beans and mint oil.  I wanted to make it for dinner, but inspection of my pantry revealed I was missing some key ingredients, namely, the white beans and mint, as well as some rosemary called for in the recipe.  

So I subbed couscous, and oregano, and basil, and came up with this, a quick and easy weeknight dinner. (Seriously. I know it has three parts and that basil oil sounds like a project, but this whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes). 

Shrimp and Israeli Couscous Salad with Basil Oil
12 jumbo shrimp
1 ½ cups Israeli couscous
1 ¾ cups chicken stock
4 cups arugula
Zest of one lemon
¼ cup kalamata olives, chopped

For the vinaigrette:
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp dried oregano
Splash red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your broiler to high.  

Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients and set aside. Adjust according to your taste, I like mine a bit on the tangy side, but if you don’t, just use more oil and less lemon. 

Combine couscous and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer 8-10 minutes until done. 

While couscous cooks, combine arugula, lemon zest, and olives in a serving bowl and line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange shrimp on it, drizzle with olive oil and salt. Broil for a minute or two on each side, until pink. 

When couscous is done, pile in the center of serving bowl. Drizzle couscous and arugula mix with lemon vinaigrette, then top with the broiled shrimp. Drizzle shrimp with basil oil, recipe follows.

Serve immediately.

To serve as a cold salad, refrigerate and cool everything separately so that arugula doesn’t wilt, and combine before serving.  

Basil Oil, from Epicurious:
½ cup basil leaves
¾ cup olive oil
Flaky sea salt

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. While it boils, fill a bowl with ice water. 

When boiling, drop your basil leaves in for 30 seconds or so, just until they turn bright green. Lift them out and drop immediately into ice water to stop the cooking, then drain and arrange on paper towels to dry. 

In a blender or food processor, combine basil and oil and puree. Remove to a small bowl, add sea salt to taste, and set aside. Will last 3 days in fridge. 

You can adapt this method for most leafy herbs- parsley, mint, tarragon, etc.

Superbowl Recipe Roundup

I'm not hosting a Superbowl party this year, but wanted to share a few of my favorite tried-and-true recipes. Please note, most of these photos are not original.

So a football party isn't complete without wings. Truthfully, I usually order these, but if I have a smaller group, this baked version with a classic buffalo sauce is closest to how my mom taught me to make them.

Baked Buffalo Wings from Serious Eats

I can't throw a party without including my favorite spinach and artichoke dip recipe. This one comes from Cooking Light, and while they suggest low-fat alternatives for cream cheese, I use two full-fat sticks of Philly.

Spinach Artichoke Dip from Cooking Light

You can't go wrong with candied bacon, a delicious, addictive app:

Beer Candied Bacon, from Tide and Thyme

 

 

My number one, absolute favorite, go-to party recipe is this pulled pork sandwich below. It's done in the slow cooker so it's super easy, plus it can be made up to 4 days ahead, and freezes very well. Served on hamburger buns with extra BBQ sauce and maybe some cole slaw, it's perfect for the big game. 

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork, from Food and Wine

I like having a vegetarian or pasta option as well. I have friends that don't eat meat, or keep kosher, or are just plain picky, so a basic pasta salad keeps them happy. This tortellini salad from Michael Chiarello is my favorite- a note, I usually sub red onion for shallot, as I like the color. I also use tri-colored tortellini for color.

If you aren't into pasta salad, stuffed shells or baked ziti work too.

Photo by me, recipe from Michael Chiarello

I don't throw a party without a signature cocktail. If I were hosting this year, I'd be making this rum punch to finally finish off a handle of Captain that's taking up too much damn room on my bar.

Rum Punch from Cooking Light

And here's your showstopper dessert: skillet brownie cake. Pop this in the oven during the third quarter, and serve warm with ice cream. 

Gooey Chocolate Skillet Cake, from Willow Bird Baking

So there's some of my top football foods. Share yours in the comments!

Pinterest and Presentation

Like every other female, I spend a decent amount of time browsing Pinterest for party ideas. A lot of times, the ideas fall into two categories: cheesy, as in the case of food cut in goofy shapes for a holiday (you know, like a Christmas tree shaped vegetable platters or green dyed cupcake), or completely unrealistic. Once, I saw tiny individual lunch bags, cut with pinking shears and stamped with a little design, used to serve a tiny handful of potato chips. Was it adorable? Of course. But how many of us out there are going to go through that much effort for potato chips? 

Or take the appetizers served on individual spoons idea- what host has 30+ little spoons to dish out a deviled egg on? And then as a guest, what do you do with your spoon when you're done eating?

So today I thought I'd share some of my favorite realistic inspiration- things that are executable by the average hostess, and beneficial for the guests.

My favorite is this idea for a summer clambake- three big buckets make for easy cleanup, and give a perfect rustic, summer look to your party. The containers really suit the theme.

Source

I liked this photo of a make your own sandwich bar, probably because I do a lot of "make your own" parties, but also because it seems like a party a real person might throw. Things on Pinterest are usually so perfect they make you feel bad about yourself! But this is attractive, yet still easily accomplishable

I like how all of the ingredients are grouped, organized, and neatly presented, especially the rolls in the lined basket. The only thing I'd change would be to decant the feta and mustard into bowls or squeeze bottles- I hate serving anything in it's original grocery store packaging.

Source

I really love this cheeseboard. It's easy to put together- three large wedges of cheese, a bunch of grapes, a spilled handful of almonds. Plus it's adaptable- swap out the marble board for slate, or a wooden cutting board, or whatever you have. If you forget to buy flowers, fill a drinking glass with tall grissini and there's your height element. Just make sure you remember cheese knives and make the first cut- no guest ever wants to be the first to cut into something! 

Source

Another idea to change up your buffet display is to use height, instead of reaching for a big, flat platter. Using a taller serving piece in an unconventional way, like this tiered tray used for a s'mores bar, adds a lot of visual interest. This idea could easily be adapted for various breads for a crostini bar, or as another way to serve fruit.  

Source

Finally, I think one of the best ways to up your presentation game is to have drinks presented nicely. The easiest way to do that is to fill a glass pitcher, and add sliced fruit or herbs to it- and it's much easier and faster than Pinterest's other idea, dipping individual glass rims in colored sugar.  

Source

What are your favorite tricks for presentation?

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

Fall Entertaining Favorites

Today, I have a roundup of some elegant fall entertaining items. I have plain white dinnerware, and I love updating it seasonally by adding new linens or a fresh serving platter. I'm especially obsessed with the table runner below, which would look great set against those gold chargers. And the bronze tiered tray is perfect for Thanksgiving appetizers or dessert. And I had to include a Lenox platter- the Autumn pattern is my mom's wedding china, and I love it for the fall.

Gold napkin ring, $2.95, Pier One

 Decorative pumpkin, $9.95,  Pier One

 “Autumn” serving platter, $279, Lenox

Cake stand, $45, Martha Stewart 

Table runner, $25, World Market

Gold charger plates, $9.99 for 6, Bed Bath and Beyond

Red Cambria dinnerware, $32-$115, Pottery Barn

Mustard napkins, $9.99 for 6 World Market

Tiered serving tray, $40, Pier One

 “Gratitude” script placemat, $5.95, Pier One

Antipasto

Pretty sure antipasto is one of my favorite things in the world. Meat, cheese, olives, bread- I could happily subsist on all of the above. 

It’s also great to serve at a party- there’s something for everyone, and it requires no cooking, just arranging of some purchased cold cuts and jarred items.

I’ve served it as a light lunch for three, crowding a platter with crusty Italian bread, spicy soppressata, roasted red peppers, and olives:

Sometimes, I step things up with the inclusions of mini cheese boards, here featuring mozzarella and robiola. I like a mixed green salad to round things out as well, and I really love arugula lightly tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. 

For a football party recently, I put together this spread:

But basically, you can pick and choose whatever you like, arrange it nicely, and serve up a delicious appetizer with basically no cooking.

Some ideas to include:

·        Artichoke hearts

·        Olives

·        Marinated mushrooms

·        Pepperoncini

·        Cured hard salami

·        Mortadella

·        Prosciutto or speck (its smoked sister)

·        Mini bell peppers

·        Cheese: Provolone, Taleggio, Robiola, Fontina, or hunks of Parmesan

·        Giardinera (pickled vegetables)

·        Breadsticks or crostini

·        Figs

·        Caponata

Mini Shrimp Rolls

I always find myself gravitating towards the same old party appetizers, so for this year’s Super Bowl, I was determined to change things up.  I wanted something that could be served in individual portions and laid out nicely on a tray, so I opted for Bon Appetit’s Mini Shrimp Rolls.  They’re like lobster rolls, except with a more budget-friendly shrimp filling. Of course, if you love your friends enough to buy them lobster (I don’t), I’m sure that would work quite nicely.

They were a huge hit, the surprise favorite of the party, and simple to make ahead.  Here’s the recipe how I made it, but you can check out the original on Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 bag frozen shrimp, thawed, shelled, deveined
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 small celery stalk, diced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus juice of half a lemon, divided
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 24 King’s Hawaiian mini dinner rolls
• Chopped parsley for garnish  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400.

Lay out shrimp on baking sheet and toss with the juice of half a lemon, plus salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 10-12 minutes, until cooked through, depending on the size of your shrimp.  Let cool.

Whisk mayonnaise, celery, chives, oil, lemon juice, and dijon in a medium bowl to blend; season to taste with salt and pepper. Chop shrimp into small pieces and add to bowl with mayonnaise mixture. Stir to coat. Shrimp salad can be made 1 day ahead at this point. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°. Using a small serrated knife, make a 1/2-inch-deep cut across the top of each dinner roll and gently pry open roll with your fingers to create a mini New England–style hot dog bun. Place on a baking sheet and toast until light golden, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. Can be done a few hours ahead at this point.

Divide shrimp mixture among rolls, pressing into cut across top; garnish with chopped parsley.