Weekend with Friends

Last weekend I invited our old friends the Shepherds over for dinner. We used to see them every week back in the day, but since they had their daughter Alannah, they disappeared from the earth! haha, no they just don't get out that much. She is seven now...so I felt like seven years was long enough! Let's hang out already!


Paul thought it was time to pull out the 12 year old Jamesons...Steve couldn't agree more!


I set up a little craft station for their daughter Alannah (pictured above with her mom and my dear friend Roxanne)...I went up to my craft room and pulled out markers, stickers, stamps, papers, puffy paints, glitter and glue. What was really funny was that I lined my table with this scrap paper my friend Dena gave me. She used to work at a car dealership and they had this form that they stopped using, so she gave me a big bundle of it to use as scrap paper for under my stamping projects. it had lots of places to check and sign, Alannah had more fun filling out the form and asking us to "sign here" than using the craft supplies. I remember asking my mom to take a bunch of the deposit slips from the bank so I could play with them when I was a kid...so I could totally relate! :)

For dinner, New York Strip steaks, roasted broccoli and cauliflower and scalloped potatoes. Believe me when I say that the scalloped potatoes were the star of the show and you should absolutely TRY THIS RECIPE if you like cheese, or potatoes...YUMMY!

I went to Food Network and found this basic recipe by Emeril. I altered the cheese a bit and I think it made all the difference. I totally think this cheese base would work amazingly on mac and cheese too. It had such a deep rich flavor and so cheesy...and sometimes home made mac and cheese is blah!

Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
Adapted from the Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, plus 3 tbsp reserved for the top
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup shredded Peccorino Romano cheese, plus 3 tbsp reserved for the top
4 potatoes, skin on and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.



Cook onion in butter until soft, add flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking. Whisk in milk and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add 3/4 cup of cheese, stirring until melted; season with salt and pepper.


Spray the bottom of your baking dish with a non-stick spray. Begin to layer your potatoes in the bottom of the dish in rows. sprinkle the layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then cover the layer with 1/3 of the sauce, it is ok if it doesn't go all the way to the edges, as it will all meld together as you continue to layer


Continue to create layers of potatoes and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.


Is this not beautiful???? We started eating and then I realized I hadn't photographed the finished product! It was so good, we couldn't help ourselves!

Diamond Crusted Skulls

I told you about my trip to Pottery Barn and seeing the awesome glass glittered skulls and decided to try some out on my own...



Ok, so they are not covered in diamonds, but they might as well be! They look so good using Martha's Sterling colored glitter. I picked up the White Gold glitter yesterday and I am going to glitter some more heads and bones! Stay tuned!!

Casual Cocktails

I have invited my boss and friend Steve over a million times but he is a jet setter and never in town. Well, he finally got some time to stop by my place and see what a life made my me was all about! :)

We originally planned to have dinner at my place on Saturday...but Steve couldn't make it so he asked if we could switch to Friday, after work...[PANIC SETS IN...WHAT DO I MAKE, DO I HAVE ENOUGH TIME???} I quickly decide to chill and accept, of course I can do this...just have to think on my feet. So what do I do with an hour to shop at lunch and 2 hours prep time after work? I planned some little bites, all but one I have never done before, but I think they all turned out ok!

At 8pm, Steve and Gina arrived:



I also invited Lon and Kelly. Kelly had a prior engagement, so here is Lon enjoying a Tequila!


Here are some of the dishes I prepped for the evening. My first was Roasted Figs wrapped in prosciutto.


I first sliced fresh Mission Figs in half and coated them with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and about 1/4 cup brown sugar and roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes.


In the mean time, I cut slices of prosciutto lenghwise to make 2 thin strips. I put a smear of cream cheese in the center of each slice:


Once the figs were cool, I placed a fig in each, rolled them up and secured with a toothpick:



My second dish: Shrimp Fra Diavolo Shooters.

I took a little help from the awesome Whole Foods store that just opened and picked up a great seafood soup as the base of my shooters...but first I had to make the shrimp:

I marinated 12 large shrimp in 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic finely minced, fresh grouned black pepper, 1/2 tsp. chile flakes and lemon zest for about an hour.


Then I sauteed them in a very hot pan.


Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side...or they will get tough. Don't overcook them!


I have this awesome shot glass set that I got as a wedding gift. I usually do dessert shooters in them...but today, they would be shrimp shooters.


I poured the chilled soup into each shot glass, topped each with a cooked shrimp and served over ice.

I also made Stuffed Mushrooms.

These are really easy, and my old high school friend, Melaine asked me for the recipe...so I decided to make them tonight so I could document for her.

I started out with a container of large, cleaned mushroom and removed the stems.



I then took about 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms and finely diced them. I sauteed them in olive oil over high heat until they were soft, about 15 minutes. I took the pan off the heat to cool.


I mixed the cooled mushrooms with Alouette Cheese, diced roasted red peppers and filled each cap with some of the mixture.


I topped each cap with parmesan cheese and baked them on a cookie sheet on 400 for 8-10 minutes.

My last dish were POLENTA BITES with Caramelized Mushrooms. I saw this recipe on Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello and had to try it.



For the polenta:
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup polenta
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
For the mushrooms:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters
Finely ground salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup Marsala Wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley leaves

Cook the polenta: In a medium, heavy pot over high heat bring the cream, stock, salt, and nutmeg to a boil. Add the polenta gradually, whisking constantly. When the mixture thickens, switch to a wooden spoon and adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook, stirring often, until thick, smooth, and creamy, about 15 minutes. Add the Parmesan and stir. Keep the polenta warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. If the polenta gets dry as it sits, stir in about 1/4 cup of warm stock or cream.
Saute the mushrooms: In a medium skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sprinkle in the mushrooms in a single layer. Don't stir them! Let them sizzle until they have caramelized on the bottom, about 2 minutes. When the bottoms are caramelized, toss them once and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue to cook without stirring for about 5 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the butter and cook until it begins to brown, then add the garlic. Continue to cook until the garlic begins to brown. Add the thyme and cook for about 10 seconds. Add the lemon juice and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the wine, and simmer until the mushrooms are glazed with the sauce. Add the parsley. Then stir and remove the pan from the heat.

Place or pipe about 1 tablespoon of warm polenta onto a spoon. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the mushroom on top of the polenta. Garnish with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

These were really good! I served them on these little amuse bouche spoons I got at Crate and Barrel. I have had them forever waiting for the right time and recipe.




All in all, I didn't have much time, but I was able to come up with some tasty treats. I am really glad Steve and Gina (and you too, Lon) finally got to hang out!

My New Kitchen

So I was so happy when my Husband called me to say he might have found us a good deal on granite countertops and if I would hurry home from the office, he would have the installers meet me...I didn't care what I was doing, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door!!!

I can't tell you how much it has changed the feeling of my kitchen...I just love love love them! Here are some pics. I still have to do the AFTER video of our house, as I posted the BEFORE video already, and we have made lots of changes...but for my friend, Giliane, here is a sneak preview of my kitchen.

Asian Tilapia cooked in Parchment

I bought some Tilapia this week and wanted an easy dinner tonight. So I looked thru Epicurious and came up with this dish that is supposed to be a favorite of Tori Amos.

I was really trying to find the method of cooking in a parchment packet, so I didn't follow the recipe exactly, I found similar flavors and used what I had insead:

Topping
1/2 TBSP. Galangal (THAI GINGER)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 green onions, cut into three shorter pieces then diced longways
1 tsp. Sambal (garlic chilie paste)
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro
Dash of toasted sesame oil
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of fish sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 fresh tilapia fillets (or other firm-fleshed whitefish)
2 15 x 15 squares of parchment paper

1 green onions, cut into three shorter pieces then diced longways
1 sliced zucchini
2 small yellow onions cut in half and sliced thin

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Split your sliced onions, zucchini and green onions into 2 portions and place onto the center of the parchment, then add fillet on top of the veggies. Divide topping evenly among them, spreading it over the top




The tilapia fillets I had were pretty small, so I used 2 per serving...but if you have a regular 4 oz piece, just use one.


Fold parchment to form a packet around each fillet by folding the edges, crimping it tightly.


Place on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes.


When it is done baking, the paper will be charred on the top a bit.


Let the packets cool for a few minutes and to serve just place the entire packet directly onto a plate. Use some kitchen sissors to cut open the top of the packet. This makes a nice light dinner. I served it with Tom Ka soup.


The cool thing about these packets, is you can really adjust the heat for your family members...I will keep the chili paste out until the end next time...Paul thought it was a little hot! :)

Our New Masterpiece

A few weeks ago, my husband Paul decided that he wanted a painting for our house. He also thought that I could paint it. Now, I am somewhat of a graphic designer, but that is with a computer...I can't draw, I can't sketch, and I certainly cannot paint a large canvas!

Thank goodness my amazingly talented baby brother Louis called and said he and Brian wanted to plan a last minute Labor Day weekend with us. {IDEA LIGHTBULB...GET LOUIS TO PAINT IT FOR ME!!!} He totally said yes. He actually teaches painting and does demonstrations, he is more Martha than I could ever be...he is my hero, and I never hesitate to tell anyone that! :)

So here is Louis, creating a masterpiece for the Pikels:





If you know my brother, he is hilarious...and he kept saying that he was scared to make a mistake because Paul would beat him with chopsticks! haha.





Now he is adding the Chi symbol. It essentially means energy...life. We had him make it a bright red color, which is the accent color in our brown tones house.






We LOVE it! Thanks Louis!!

Puff Pastry Roll Up

I am always looking for party food that I can make ahead. I am vowing to myself to have an awesome time at my upcoming Halloween bash, so I am planning early...this is very necessary!!! Oh, if you haven't heard, Pikelween is on...so my blog will be full of my food prep, decor and set stylings...I really do a lot for this party, and because I want to retire it after this year, I wanna do it right....anyway, I digress...

I found this recipe over at CREATE MY EVENT and it sounds like a simple enough appetizer. You could pretty much substitue the fillings with whatever you like. My favorite part is that you can make it a few days ahead, and on party day, pull it out of the fridge, slice, heat and serve. Nothing better than that!



Twisted Tapas by CREATE MY EVENT
Ingredients:
3/4 cup finely grated manchego cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 tsp. spanish smoked paprika (optional)
2 tsp. quince paste (spanish membrillo)
1 puff pastry sheet (from one 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry
sheets), thawed
1 large egg, beaten lightly
2 ounces thinly sliced serrano ham

To Make:
In a bowl combine manchego and paprika.

On a lightly floured surface arrange pastry sheet with a short side facing you and cut in half crosswise. Arrange one half of sheet with the long side facing you and brush edge of far side with some of the beaten egg. Place half of serrano ham evenly on top of pastry, avoiding egg-brushed edge, and top with half of the manchego mixture.

Starting with side nearest you, roll pastry jelly-roll fashion into a log and wrap in wax paper. Make second log the same way. Chill pastry logs, seam sides down, until firm, at least 3 hours, and up to 3 days.

When ready to serve, pre-heat oven to 400°F. and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange, cut sides down, 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

Yield:
About 30 - 40 pieces

Whatever, Martha!

Just saw the previews for these shows Whatever, Martha show over on the Good Things blog and I had to share. Just set my DVR to tape this show, it looks hilarious!

The show premieres September 16th at 9pm on the Fine Living Network. I LOVE Alexis' hair! I want it!

Chocolate Fountain Displays

I am always looking for better ways to display my food. I came across these pretty table settings for Chocolate fountains. This is a tricky one because there are so many dipping items, the table can become chaotic quickly...but these were nice:





I am usually not a fan of putting the fountain right in the center of the table...it looks great, but people always end up dripping chocolate all over the table, which is why I like to display mine on a chocolate tablecloth (always thinkin!)

Cooking is Fun!

A few posts back, I posted a recipe for my friend Viviana to try. She doesn't cook that much, so I am trying to encourage her a bit. Yes, cooking can be intense and difficult at times, but when people enjoy your food, it is an awesome feeling.

I gave her an Everyday food recipe to try and she had great success. Here is what she had to say:

"I DID IT!!! And it was GREAT!!! :-) Of course I managed to forget one important main ingredient (the lemon) BUT... you were right about the easy recipe. I was able to substitute some ginger peanut sauce (weird, i know!) and it still worked FABULOUSLY! I actually really enjoyed my own food, which i don't ever remember doing before! THANKS MARCIE :-D"





Vivi made the dinner for her parents, and they even gave her the THUMBS UP! Hope you try to cook more Vivi! The reward is great isn't it! :)

Blood Dripping Candles

Just looking for bits of inspiration for this Halloween season, over at Illuminations. Here is there interpretation of a Haunted Feast.


Not exactly what I want to do, but has some things I like. For instance, the long white tapers candles: when these candles melt, red wax drips down side. Cool effect at almost $6 a candle?! AT that cost, to recreate the tablesetting above would cost $60! No thanks...

EDIT: I recently created a How To Video when I made mine. Click Here to watch my How To Video.


What is even better is Martha Stewart's method of taking inexpensive white candles, and then dripping the wax of a red candle onto the side, check it out here! Very effective, and will cost under $10 bucks. My kind of decorating! :)

Garlic Onion Tortilla Cake

I made this a few years ago and it was awesome. I just thought about it and wanted to try it again...this is one of those recipes that is great warm or served at room temp...which is perfect for a party or picnic! It has to sit overnight, so this is a do ahead, but really good!



Garlic Onion Tortilla Cake
by Guy Fieri
2/3 cup canola oil
4 cups small chopped red onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup roasted garlic, from jar
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper
12 flour tortillas
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to caramelize but not over brown. Add butter and sugar and cook until onions have nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Once cooled mix together the remaining ingredients except for the tortillas and vinegar; refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

After mixture has had time to meld, set aside 1/3 of the mixture for the dipping sauce and evenly spread the remaining mixture on the top of 11 tortillas. Stack the tortillas on top of one another, with the last tortilla on top having no mixture spread on it. Wrap tortilla stack in plastic wrap and let set up for 12 to 24 hours in refrigerator.

Heat a grill heat. Cut the stack into 16 wedges. Grill each wedge on each side until warmed and grill marks appear. Mix reserved mixture with balsamic vinegar for dipping sauce. Serve tortilla wedges with dipping sauce.

Pikelween V?

For the last four years, we have had a Halloween party (that we somehow dubbed "Pikelween"). A party with 30 - 40 of our friends, that is a lot of fun, but almost kills me. I think I try to hard...I want everything to be perfect, and almost always, something doesn't get finished, or my costume takes too long for me to get into as the party begins...just a little stressful for me. So early last year, I decided to take a break for 2008.

but...

My brother Louis and Brian were visiting this weekend from Ohio, and we took a trip to the Mall. In the window of Pottery Barn, we saw the most amazing table set for a Halloween feast and had to go in for a closer look:



This is a glass glitter encrusted skull that is so gorgeous! I am making these...I already ordered some vintage glass glitter and these will be on display for the Halloween season:





These photos don't do this justice.

The table setting also had these AWESOME fang place card holders that were so unique.



Now, I don't have a formal dinner for Halloween, but I can use them to identify the food on my buffet. I had to have some, so I grabbed 2 and started heading towards the checkout...and before I knew it, Louis and Brian distracted me and bought me a set of 6!! I love you guys, thanks so much!!

So...back to Pikelween...I keep on getting sucked back in!!! All of this stuff is amazing, and it totally makes me wanna!

I learn a whole lot every time I host any kind of party, every party is a learning experience, putting the right people together, planning the menu, shopping, decorating, setting the table, do we have group activities...so many things to consider. I think that I could rock this one out of the park. Now that I have this blog, I feel like I have to host Pikelween V. Paul says lets just do this last one and take a break...

I am making plans here and there, because, Halloween is kind of like Christmas in my house, I deck the halls! So even if I don't do the party, I will have amazing decor.

Oh...what will I to do???
Stay tuned...

Toppers with Glitz

Searching for glass glitter today, I stumbled upon this site and I had to share. I wish I knew about these awesome cake toppers for my wedding cake. I just love anything glittered, diamond encrusted, bedazzled (well that might be a little too far! haha) and these are gorgeous.




Check out the Toppers With Glitz website for some great ideas...even if you aren't topping a wedding cake, a birthday or anniversary cake would look amazing with one of these toppers.