Flank Steak Olivia

One of the best parts of having this new blog is that so many of my college, high school, and long distance friends that I have lost touch with over the years have all started creeping back into my life to tell me how much they love it, what they want to read about, and to give suggestions. It has been SO much fun hearing from all of them and I can't wait to see who else comes out of the woodwork. If you have been following, you might have noticed that one of my sorority sisters at Tulane posted on the comments, about what she does for a tex-mex marinade. She is from San Antnio and lives in New Orleans now, so obviously she is NOT afraid of flavor and neither am I!

On Friday night, my mom got me and my sister 2 tickets each to go see Cats (memmmmmmmmmmmmmoriesssss) at Wolftrap, and I wanted to make a nice dinner for beforehand. Since I already had a lot of the ingredients that I had used for the fajitas, I thought I would try out Olivia's marinade. Since my sister seems to love cooking grilled chicken 5 nights of the week, I opted for a flank steak at Whole Foods so that I don't start clucking. I have always loved flank steak- it is a fairly economical way to serve steak to several people (one flank steak usually serves 4 or 5, even 6). I paid $26 for a two pound guy at Whole Foods because I have an aversion to the new safeway, and I read that God-forsaken book "Eating Animals" and am unfortunately now paranoid about eating grass fed beef blah blah blah etc. If you marinate it well it just takes on the delicious flavors so nicely and is really good. It is also not bad for you since it is such a lean piece of meat.

Around 4 pm I went up to Whole Foods and narrowly beat my sister back to the house (she gets home at 5 on the dot and I had very strict instructions to have gone to the grocery before she got home so I thought better not mess around). Fortunately my dadboss was out of town for a golf tournament so I had some flexibility on that Friday afternoon (Dad: if you are reading this, I stayed at work until 6 pm and then went in on Saturday too). My point is that we had to leave for Wolftrap at 7 exactly, so we had to eat at 6. If you wanted to go to the store and do this for a weeknight dinner after work, it is totally doable and you can be in bed by 9 watching your shows (most of my crime-solving ones start at 10 but I like to be all snuggled when they come on). If you are not in hermit mode, then you can have people over for dinner and still have time to go out afterwards. Whatever you like!

If you are just making this for one or two people, you can either have the butcher cut the flank steak into two pieces and freeze one for later (I love having stuff in the freezer as it often eliminates a trip to the grocery) OR you can slice the whole thing up and make a steak sandwich or steak salad to bring for lunch the next day. Your coworkers will be so jealous that you are not having to leave the office to go spend $14 on a mediocre salad.

Here we go to the grocery store:

Like I said, I just really don't like that Social Safeway very much. For staples that you cannot get at WF (like Fruit Loops), it is fine, but for produce and meat I think WF is smaller, laid out more effectively, and I know my way around so I can get in and get out faster which I needed to do on Friday. From fajita night, we already had nacho ingredients at the house (chips, cheese, sour cream, salsa), lettuce, cilantro, beans and corn, half an avocado from the mexican salad, garlic, and olive oil. My sister had some cumin in one of the 86 ziploc bags of spices that she brought down from Boston when she moved. Spices are really expensive to buy one at a time, but they last forever so just build up your spice arsenal as we go and you will be fine. I thought I would try one of the pre-made dressings that WF sells in the vegetable sections, so I grabbed a bottle of chipotle ranch. I also grabbed 4 limes for the marinade and 2 six packs of Corona lights to go with them. And a two pound flank steak. We were out of there for under $50, which I usually wouldn't spend on myself, but for 4 people, $12.50 per person is not bad including beers.

I got home right as CM was pulling in the driveway (phew) and shortly after that her bf arrived. Colleen, my friend that was coming with me, showed up right as the nachos were coming out of the oven so it was perfect. Greg cracked us some coronas and I got to marinating.


For Flank Steak Olivia:
-Lay steak out in a brownie pan, platter, ziploc bag or something that can hold it while it marinates.
-Chop about 1/2-1 cup of cilantro and sprinkle it on top of the steak.
-Chop coarsely 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic (don't fool around with the kind that comes already chopped in a jar, it's not as good)
-Cut 2 limes into quarters, squeeze lime juice on top of the steak
-Drizzle olive oil all over it (about 1/4 cup)
-Sprinkle rock salt or regular salt all over the entire thing
-Sprinkle cumin all over the entire thing
-Let sit for 30 minutes or if you prep it in advance it can sit for overnight in the fridge or as long as you want. During marination flip him over a couple of times to spice each side and use a spoon or fork to get each side coated in ingredients.
-Have whatever boy or person who is not scared of the grill throw it on a preheated grill for about 15-20 minutes. I don't know the exact timing on the grill, but flank steak is a very lean cut of meat so it takes longer to cook. Just keep checking it, you are going to slice it very thinly so don't worry about cutting into it to see if it's done. I like mine medium rare, CM would prefer to eat it practically black, but the nice thing about flank steak is that the outsides can we well done and the inside where it's thicker can be medium rare.
-If you don't have a grill, you can cook it in the oven at 350-400 degrees for about 30 mins, just keep checking it.
-After it is cooked, take a SHARP knife and slice it as thinly as you can, on the diagonal, so that you get tons of thin strips. Put it on a serving dish, drizzle the juice from it on top, put a little bunch of cilantro on the side or middle and voila!

While the steak is marinating:

Make a batch of nachos for everyone to nibble on. Like I said in the fajitas post, there is no one that doesn't love nachos (that I've ever heard of, and if they are they're probably a creep). Usually one of us at the house will just pull the nachos out of the oven, pour salsa and sour cream in a bowl and everyone eats them right there from where they are sitting on top of the stove. This is almost always inconvenient for me since that's where I need to be but we all figure it out! You can put them whereever you want though and serve them right off of the cookie sheet/tin foil/whatever- they go fast. AND, if anybody whines about them being "unhealthy," tell them that not only are nachos a great snack as they have a carbohydrate and a protein (fresh cheese), and at the end of the day 4 chips with cheese isn't going to kill anyone.

While everyone is enjoying some nachos and the steak is marinating:

Make the mexican salad from fajita night. If you don't want to re-read that post, it is chopped romaine lettuce, a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chopped cilantro (some people hate cilantro, if you do you can just add less or skip altogether), 1/2 can each of rinsed black beans and rinsed corn, and half of an avocado (if you dont' want the avocado to get brown, sprinkle the cubes with lime juice before tossing in the salad bowl). When you are ready (as steak is coming off the grill) toss with the chipotle ranch dressing or whatever kind you would like. I have a problem with over-dressing by accident so just take it slow, you can always add more!

Let everyone serve themselves salad and steak. The flavors are all so tasty together. The salad has a little kick with the chipotle ranch, tastes fresh with the beans and corn and cilantro, and you can really taste all of the flavors on the steak. This was an awesome, fun, and easy meal to prepare and I will certainly do it again! Side note: the corona lights with the fresh lime wedges REALLY pull everything together so do NOT forget to have about 20 of those on hand.


Love and Happy Hostessing!!!

Fajitas

I love sour cream. I would probably eat it off of a leaf. Therefore, anything that can possibly be dipped in or accompanied by sour cream is delicious. In this recipe, it is optional, but just in case you love sour cream as much as I do, this one is a gold mine.

Last Sunday my sister went to the grocery store and brought back ingredients for several different meals to make throughout the week. I have been pretty busy taking care of a sick dog so it was nice that she did that. I also hate going to the grocery store. If I never had to go again I wouldn't be all that broken up about it. Anyway, she forgot nacho ingredients AND SOUR CREAM so I ended up going last night to get some "staples" while she was marinating. It wasn't terrible, but I also didn't run into anyone I knew which is a big positive when I'm grocery-ing. I like to get in and get out, no small talk in the dairy section...you know?

Around 7, a few of our friends ended up stopping by, and this was a perfect meal as it can be stretched very far and what you don't serve is great as leftovers for lunch, dinner, or a salad the next day. We have a great drop-by house and love when people walking around town stop in for a beer and stay for a bite to eat (as often happens and did last night). There is truly nothing that makes me happier than one of my friends bbm-ing or calling or texting saying "I'm outside, let me in!" So, if you are one of my (our) friends, this is your open invitation to come by any time. If it's a bad night we'll tell you to beat it, but that's unlikely around our house. We always have plenty of food at the house, and if not, Pizza Movers is on speed dial (333-9199). We love company!

Here is what was on the menu for last night:

Nachos
Chicken Fajitas
Spanish Rice
Mexican Salad
Sour Cream (it's not actually it's own dish but should be)
Coronas/Bud Lights


Fajitas and nachos make for a great serve-yourself, casual meal. Everything goes well together, especially when you wash it down with an ice cold Corona (with a lime). We doctored up the Spanish rice a little, so I'll tell you how to do that below.

Here's what to get at the grocery:

Tostitos/tortilla chips
2 bags shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
2 bell peppers, any colors, an assortment for more color
2 yellow or red onions
Garlic
5 Limes
Guacamole (just buy it...the homemade kind is bland and the storebought is just as good)
Salsa
Sour cream
Chicken breasts (or a flank steak if you prefer beef fajitas)
Olive oil (if you don't have it)
1 box of Spanish rice mix
1 can ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 avocado (find a ripe one)
Lettuce (romaine is fine)
Cilantro
BBQ Sauce and Ranch for salad dressing
Tortillas (flour)
Beers


For the Nachos:
-Spread chips on cookie sheet
-Layer one bag of cheese on top (more than you would think is necessary)
-Put in 350 oven until cheese is melted
-Serve with guac, sc, and salsa
Everyone can eat these around the kitchen or wherever you are and they are soooo good. Who doesn't love nachos?

For the Mexican Salad:
-Chop up lettuce, put in bowl
-Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
-Strain and wash black beans, add 1/2 the can
-Strain and wash corn, add 1/2 the can
-Chop up avocado, add (do this last as it will brown)
-Mix together 1/4 cup bbq sauce and 1/4 cup ranch dressing, toss together when ready.

For the Spanish Rice:
-Follow the directions on the box and bring the correct amount of water to a boil in a pot
-Add the rice and stir, also at this time add the can of ro-tel tomatoes and green chilies (don't strain)
-Cook, covered, according to directions
-Right before the rice is supposed to be cooked, add in the other half cans of corn and black beans, stir.

For the Fajitas:
-Marinate the chicken breasts or flank steak in lime juice (from 3 or 4 limes, get an extra for the coronas), olive oil (about 1/4 cup), salt and pepper. Let marinate overnight or for half an hour in a ziploc. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
-Slice bell peppers and onions into thin strips, put into skillet and saute with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a little lime juice. Set aside.
-Grill or bake chicken breasts or flank steaks. I am scared of grilling so usually someone else does it. However, if you are not a wuss, throw them on the grill and cook until they are done. Otherwise, bake in the over for 30 mins until cooked.
-Slice chicken/steak into thin strips.
-Put Tortillas on a plate, cover with damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until hot.

To Serve:
-Tortillas are already on a plate
-Place Rice in a serving dish with a spoon
-Place sauteed veggies on a big serving platter, layer chicken/steak slices on top, add a serving spoon
-Put extra shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guac in individual bowls with spoons and put out on counter/table/buffet
-Dress and Toss Salad, add serving spoons

Let everyone serve themselves. Some people like to put the rice right on their tortilla with the chicken and veggies, some people will make a mexican salad with everything, any way is great.

If you want to go crazy, have an open, cold corona on the counter with a lime wedge in it for each of your guests to take when they sit down.


Mucho Gusto y Feliz Hostessing!

Chicken Lizzy

One thing that I have learned throughout the years is that when your good girlfriends come over for a casual dinner party, everyone is just so happy to be together that no one truly cares what they eat. I usually can put something together that is pretty good, but if not then people end up bringing things, foraging in the pantry, or taking advantage of the fact that I know the Pizza Movers number by heart (333-9199...not awesome at 3.30am post Smith Point when you are trying not to get fat). Anyway, the point is that I usually try to make an assortment of things that people will enjoy, but there are certainly times when a wonderfully successful dinner party hasn't been about the food at all, but about the company (and the wine).

Last summer, a good friend of mine from college had recently finished business school, took a job here and moved to DC. Trying to live up to the ever present Chi Omega standards of sisterhood, I offered to host a dinner party at my house so that she could meet some of my good girlfriends. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately I was not working last summer and therefore had no actual source of income, which I neglected to take into account when sending out the email invitations. As the day of the party (scheduled party) approached, I realized that I had absolutely nothing to make. I also had no car at the time (thank God that has since been resolved) so couldn't really go to the grocery store, and even if I could there wasn't much I could get with the $14 I had in my wallet. I thought about cancelling the entire thing, but alas, my determination got the best of me. Each of the girls was bringing a bottle of wine, one an appetizer, so that was covered, but I had to figure out some sort of respectable meal to serve.

After I finished cursing/crying/slamming cabinet doors, I got creative and marched myself the three blocks to my parents' house (luckily/unluckily gone for the summer) to raid their freezer. My mom is a great cook and keeps all sorts of meat, etc in there so my fingers were crossed for a flank steak or something like that (Mom, if you are reading this, I would NEVER raid your pantry/freezer...must have been George). Upon arrival, I almost cried when all I saw in there was ONE rack of ribs, a half a pound of ground beef, shortribs (can't steal those, it would be too obvious), and 2 bone in, skin on chicken breasts (usually used to make chicken salad...that recipe another time). I remembered that I had some boneless, skinless ones in my freezer so I grabbed the chicken breasts and a bag of frozen peas. On the way out I grabbed a 12 pack of Coronas from the beer fridge (which I later replaced, Dad) and some lemons. On the way back to my house, I stopped in the corner market and talked the owner into selling me the lettuce they had (they don't actually sell lettuce, it is for their deli sandwiches).

Once home, I defrosted 3 pounds of chicken and came up with something that turned out to be quite delicious! Everyone had a blast, Lizzy is one of my best friends here in Washington, and I have yet to make this again but it is named after her. If you want to make this, you can do it with whatever kind of chicken you like. I also served the peas, and I had a sweet potato in the pantry that I sliced and baked. The lettuce was cut up for a salad and I used vinaigrette that I had made that was in the fridge. Since most normal people (and now I) have jobs and can therefore get these ingredients from a grocery store, that would be my suggestion (I am now a normal person).

When you go to the store, purchase 2 packages of chicken breasts, a couple of onions and some garlic (I usually have those on hand bc I use them so much and they last forever), a lemon, two sweet potatoes, a bag of frozen peas, a head of romaine lettuce, and olive oil and butter if you don't have them at home.


For the Chicken Lizzy:
-Oven on, 350
-Slice the two onions and spread them all over the bottom of a roasting pan.
-Peel and put a few (however many you like) garlic cloves into the pan with the onions.
-Slice half of a lemon, add that in there as well. S and P over that stuff.
-Lay chicken breasts on top on the layer of onions/lemons/garlic.
-Drizzle olive oil and then salt and pepper all over the chicken breasts.
-Cover with tin foil, bake for 30 minutes or until you cut into the chicken and it's cooked.
-Slice the chicken breasts so that they are displayed on top of the onions (which will be soft and really tasty) and your guests can serve themselves 3 or 4 pieces with the onions. This also stretches the chicken on so you don't have to use as much per person.


Peas
-Place frozen peas in microwavable bowl.
-Add 1/4 cup of water.
-Sprinkle S and P onto peas. After they're cooked add more if you need to. If they're too salty, put them in a strainer, wash them off, and then try again.
-Add a slice of butter to the top.
-Cover with saran wrap, microwave for 5 or 6 minutes and then check to see if they are finished. Don't overcook them, they get shrivelly and gross looking.
-Stir them around, strain out the water, put them in a serving dish.


Roasted Sweet Potatoes
-Over should still be at 350.
-Slice the ends off of the sweet potatoes.
-Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices (you can make them thicker/thinner depending on how many you want the potato to make) and lay them flat, not overlapping, on a cookie sheet.
-Drizzle or brush with olive oil (if you done have a brush, you can use a clean paper towel).
-Sprinkle S and P on them.
-Bake in the oven for around 20 mins or until you slice one of the potatoes and they are soft in the middle. Depending on thickness, it could take more or less time. Usually, people would put these under the broiler for 10 minutes, but every time I have done that I have forgotten about them and burned them into little hockey pucks. I think 350 is just much more forgiving, and they taste the same.
-Put on a platter and serve. Guests usually take between 1 and 3, so just count how many you have and plan accordingly. This is a great way to make a vegetable (starch?) go far, and sweet potatoes are really healthy anyway.


Salad
-Wash and cut up the lettuce into bite sized pieces. No one should have to cut a piece after it is served, so make sure that the pieces are all bite sized. If you have a cucumber, pepper, tomato, or anything you want you can throw it in there but sometimes I just prefer a plain lettuce salad. It's up to you.
-Place lettuce in a serving or salad bowl, add salad dressing by the tablespoonful, tossing after each time, so that you don't overdress it.
-Toss the salad, put some serving utensils in it (2 spoons work just fine in lieu of salad tossers), and wipe down the insides of the bowl so it look crisp and clean.


After you have everything ready to go, line it all up on your counter or table and let your guests serve themselves. None of my guests have ever taken too much food, and I have never encountered (yet) an issue where there hasn't been enough food. This is a moderately low maintenance meal to make and serve, and it is just as good as one that you could spend hundreds of dollars on. However, if you are having important people over for a "fancy" dinner party, this should not be your go-to.

As for this particular dinner party, my friends all loved the meal, and I think I kept my cool despite how stressed out I had been beforehand. The chicken turned out just fine, and although peas are not usually something I would serve, no one seemed to mind! We had a wonderful time- I know that everyone really enjoyed being there because they didn't leave until 2am. At the end of the day, everyone was just so happy to be together and having fun, which is the most important part.

Love and Happy Hostessing!

Easy Steakhouse Quality Meal/If You Want to Impress Your Boyfriend

A few months ago, I really wanted to have a filet for dinner. Since I couldn't just have a plain filet by itself, I also decided to make myself some spinach with garlic and a twice baked potato as sides. Then I went crazy and made myself a cheese platter. For some reason, I just felt like making and eating a nice steak dinner. It turned out to be so good that I made the same meal for a boyfriend the next week, and he was thoroughly impressed! Not only was it SO nice to have an awesome steak with all of the fixins right in the privacy of your living room, it was hotter (temperature wise) than any steak I've ever gotten at a restaurant which I thought was nice.

For this meal, I went to Whole Foods (don't ever read the book "Eating Animals"...you will never be able to buy regular meat again) and purchased 2 pieces of beef tenderloin. After I asked the butcher what the farm was like where they came from (damn book), he was kind enough to slice off two 2-inch thick pieces of beef tenderloin for my delicious meal. I have also used a boneless NY Strip, cut into 2 pieces, and it was equally good. No need to purchase a cut of meat the size of your face, just get something that will be about 4 or 5 oz of meat per person.

Also while at Whole Foods, get a bag of fresh spinach, like the kind you would use for a salad. You will also need to grab some garlic, one baking potato, a small white or yellow onion, shredded cheddar cheese, a small container of sour cream, and some paprika. Also some olive oil if you don't have it. While you're at it, spend the extra $8 and invest in a good looking hunk of parmesan cheese....It will last for a long time in your fridge and you can grate some on top of the spinach and the potatoes. If you want to make a cheese platter, buy a wedge of soft blue cheese and some triscuits.

The thing that takes the longest to make in this whole meal is the twice baked potato. If you want, just buy 2 baking potatoes at the store and serve baked potatoes (potatoes, poke holes, 350 degree oven, one hour). But, twice baked, for the extra work, are SO good. Side note: when I made this for myself, I wrapped the other twice baked potato (uncooked) in foil and put it in the freezer for another time. This recipe is going to sound complicated, but, trust me it is worth it to learn and it is NOT actually hard.

Set a nice table, even if you are eating by yourself. If you are eating with another person, set out placemats, napkins, silverware, filled water glasses and 2 wine glasses. I rarely light candles, but if you think it would be a nice touch, go for it. Side note: the table settings look perfectly lovely on a coffee table (that's where I ate both times).

Here we go:

Set out your cheese platter if you want to have one (put cheese and crackers on a plate).

First,

Twice Baked Potatoes- 4 servings

Ingredients:

-2 baking potatoes

-1/2 cup of sour cream

-3/4-1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (I ended up grating my own because it was significantly less expensive than buying pre-grated in a bag. Either is fine.)

-1/4 cup grated white onion (slightly less than 1/2 small onion)

-1 tbs butter

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp pepper

-1 tsp paprika

Directions:

-Wash the potatoes and poke holes in the with a fork. Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour, or until they are soft. You can also microwave them to speed up the process if you are short on time.

-Slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the white part of the potato halves and put it into a mixing bowl with all of the other ingredients except the paprika. Mix together so that it looks kind of like mashed potatoes.

-Spoon the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle each one with paprika.

-Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown on top.

Next step- Prepare the spinach (wash it if you have to) and mince a couple cloves of garlic for it, put aside.


Next, for The Petite Filets:
-Turn on a frying pan (med-high). The more heavy duty the skillet, the better.
-Salt and Pepper each side of the filets.
-When the pan is hot, put each of the filets in the pan. Do NOT touch them for 2 minutes. After two minutes, flip them over and do two minutes on the other side without moving them. Then, put them into the oven, one on each plate, for 5 minutes.

While the filets are finishing in the oven and have 1-2 mins left, it's Spinach time.
-Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan you just used for the filets.
-Add the minced garlic.
-Immediately add ALL of the spinach in the bag (it seems like a lot, trust me it will cook down and be a perfect 2 serving size).
-Use tongs (same ones you used for the steaks are fine) to mix spinach around so it gets wilted. TRY not to overcook it but if you do it's not really a big deal.
-Grate some parm on it if you feel like.

Take the hot plates out of the oven that now have the potato and meat on them. Add some spinach to each plate, and serve. If you want, add a slice of blue cheese to the top of your filet for an added taste treat.

Side note on filet cooking: These times are usually pretty spot on for cooking a 2 inch thick piece of filet to medium rare. You can always cook it more, but if you make beef jerky then you have to call Dominos, so be careful.

Don't forget to have a bottle of red wine open (it should be about half way consumed by now) and an extra one on the table/coffee table/counter. Enjoy. Each bite will be SO delicious, the potatoes will be all cheesy and soft, the meat should be perfectly medium rare, and the spinach with the subtle taste of garlic and parmesan will be amazing. This meal is a real treat, and a perfect little dinner party for one, or two.

Since this is a meal that can definitely be made for one person, do a run-through by yourself before attempting to do it for another person (that's what I did). That way, you can get your times down and figure out at which points things need to happen. You will also be much more confident in your final product.


Love and Happy Hostessing!!

A Great Summer Meal

I recently hosted a few people to my house for a little dinner gathering outside in the garden before a party. It was 80 degrees, sunny, and I wanted to make something that was tasty as well as able to be prepared in advance. On the menu that evening was baked chicken stuffed with 2 lemons, rice salad, tomatoes and mozzarella with fresh basil, and for dessert angel food cake with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream flavored with dark rum. It was SUPER easy and all prepared and in serving dishes before any of the guests even arrived. Here's how and what you can do:

For those of you that know me, you know that serving a baked whole chicken is my go-to for any dinner party where I can't think of anything else to make. It is great because there are so many different ingredients you can stuff into the bird (perfect for changing seasons), and unless you have vegetarians, everyone eats chicken. A roasted whole chicken is far more impressive than a simple breast (which we will end up cooking later on), in addition to the fact that you end up with an assortment of white and dark meat. Yet another positive to serving a whole baked chicken in the summertime is that it can be prepared in advance, and when your guests arrive they walk into the aroma of deliciousness. It is easy to figure out how to carve it into pieces, and if you get scared you can always get a big butcher knife and just cut it in half, twice. More about arrangement below, here's how to do it:

Roasted Whole Chicken with Two Lemons

You will need:
-Whole Chicken (can be a fryer, broiler, whatever, as long as it looks like a miniature Thanksgiving turkey)
-2 lemons
-Olive Oil
-Salt and Pepper

Instructions:
-Set your oven to 350 and get out a roasting pan (one you would bake brownies in).
-Remove giblets (neck, livers, etc, usually are in a bag inside cavity) from chicken (if you are squeamish, I'd have the butcher do it) and throw out or freeze for chicken stock (more on that later)
-Drizzle olive oil on chicken. Don't drown it but you don't have to be too stingy, just make sure that guy is nice and lubed up for the trip to oventown.
-With a fork, poke holes in the lemons so the steam can escape during cooking. The lemon steam will slightly flavor the chicken from the inside out and it is very fresh and summery tasting.
-Put lemons inside chicken. Sometimes they won't stay in, it doesn really matter. If you want you can tie his legs together but I think this is unnecessary.
-Sprinkle Salt and Pepper on both sides of the chicken (you can also do this pre-lemon stuffing). Be generous but again, don't go overboard.
-Put the chicken in the oven for an hour and 20 minutes. IMPORTANT: the time it takes to cook a whole chicken varies based on it's size, stuffing, oven, etc. The chicken should be a nice golden brown, and when you slice into the breast the meat should be white and the juices clear.

To Serve:
-Cut off legs with thighs attached first. Place on platter.
-Slice breast meat off of bird, place on platter.
-Surround with slices of the lemon from inside the bird, add a parsley garnish if you have some from the garden.
-Put aside. This can be served room temp and is still delicious.


Side #1, Rice Salad

My mom used to make this when we were all up on the Cape for the summer. It is a great dish to serve at a dinner party because it is super tasty, doubles as a salad, and is really easy to eat (no knife required). In addition, it can be made in advance and makes a ton, so you will have great leftovers. Also an impressive one to have in the repertoire for pot-lucks. The original recipe is from the Silver Palate cookbook, although this is a slightly modified version. Side note: this is sort of time consuming (30-40mins) because of all of the chopping- make sure you do this early and stick it in the fridge. It can even be prepared a day in advance. I like to get things out of the way though, so it's fine for me!

You Will Need:
-White rice, enough to make 8 cups cooked. I prefer the boil in bag kind, each bag is 2 cups, it's easier. DO NOT cook 8 cups of raw rice or you will have to open a chinese food store.
-1 red bell pepper (diced into little pieces. When I say dice into little pieces, don't make it baby food but make them small enouch so that you don't get a big chunk at once in your bite.)
-1 green bell pepper (diced )
-1 red onion (diced)
-6 scallions, chopped (make sure you pull the wilted parts off first)
-1 cup craisins
-1/4 cup chopped italian parsley (I still don't know what the difference is between Italian and regular parsley but I've tried both and it tastes the same)
-1/2 cup chopped fresh dill (save a little of the leftover unchopped for garnish)
-S and P
-2 cups of the vinaigrette below

Vinaigrette (Just whisk the following together, save what you don't use in a jar.):
-4 tablespoons dijon mustard
-16 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic
-4 teaspoons sugar
-2 teaspoons salt
-2 teaspoons pepper
-2 cups olive oil

Instructions:
-Put cooked rice into a large mixing bowl, add 1 and 1/2 cups of the vinaigrette dressing to it and toss. Wait for it to cool to room temp.
-Add the rest of the vegetables and ingredients above, toss.
-Add more vinaigrette if you want (I usually do) and add more S and P if you would like as well.

To Serve:
-Put whatever amount of the salad you want to serve into a nice bowl or serving dish.
-Wipe dressing off of the sides.
-Stick a piece of dill in the top of it as a garnish.


Side #2, Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad

This is probably the easiest and tastiest summer salad out there. If you want, you can even put chopped lettuce or arugala under the tomatoes so that people can have some lettuce with them. It also looks nicer. If you don't have fresh basil in a pot or garden, you can buy it easliy. Also, you can use some of the salad dressing above from the rice salad to drizzle on top, or you can just do olive oil and balsamic, or bottled Italian from the grocery. Anything goes!

You Will Need:
-Tomatoes (I find the vine ripened ones are the best for this)
-Fresh buffalo mozzarella (the big ball of it, and yes it's $6 a container but well worth it)
-Fresh Basil
-Salt and Pepper
-Vinaigrette or olive oil and balsamic
-Lettuce, whatever kind you like (optional)

Instructions:
-If you want to put lettuce underneath the tomatoes (it looks nice and then it appears as though you are serving a lettuce salad as well), chop it and spread it on a plate or platter.
-Slice the tomatoes (about 1/2 an inch thick, thinner or thicker depending on how many you have), display them on top of lettuce on plate.
-Slice the mozz (again, thin or thicker depending), lay a piece on each tomato.
-Chop the basil (use scissors, it's easier) and sprinkle all over the mozz covered tomatoes.
-Sprinkle S and P.
-Drizzle with dressing RIGHT before serving.


#3, Angel Food or Pound Cake with fresh berries and rum flavored whipped cream

Ahhhhhhh, Dessert! My Favorite. Although by dessert everyone is usually about 6 glasses of wine deep and therefore will not care about it, I love dessert and so usually serve it. This is a really easy one, also can be made in advance. I mean bought. Note to my friends and previous guests: Sorry that I lied and told you I made the cake. Sometimes you just have to cut a corner!

You Will Need:
-Pound Cake or Angel Food Cake (found in the bakery section of the grocery store)
-Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or whatever looks good that you like
-Whipping cream (small container is fine)
-Sugar
-Rum (optional)
-Vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:
-Cut berries/fruit into bite size pieces (obviously that doesn't apply to small berries)
-Put whipping cream in a bowl, whisk until it forms soft peaks and is "whipped cream." Add sugar, rum, and vanilla extract to taste, you won't need much of any of them. (you can also just buy reddi whip if you want to prepare these desserts in the kitchen)

To Serve:
-You can serve up the bowls/plates in the kitchen yourself with a piece of cake, fruit, and some whipped cream on top of each.
-You can put the slices of cake or whole cake on a different plate/platter, surrounded by the berries with the whipped cream on the side, get creative.


I hope that this menu and these recipes all make sense and are something you will try and get comfortable cooking for yourself and others. The best thing to do is experiment by yourself so that you become confident making a few basic things. Once you are able to master a few of those, it's party time!!

Do NOT forget the wine. Side note: your guests will always drink more than you anticipate, and you don't want to run out!

Love and Happy Hostessing!!!

Welcome to my blog!

I have always loved to entertain. I love having people at my home, I love the constant flurry of activity surrounding the kitchen at a good dinner party. I love all of my friends and family leaving my house with fond memories of a night spent together, sharing a wonderful meal and plenty of wine. Throughout the years, I have experimented with various recipes, groups of people, and entertaining styles. Although I don't feel nearly qualified enough to be writing an entire BLOG about having a dinner party, I thought it would be a wonderful way to share with others some of the knowledge and recipes I have gained throughout the years.

What you will find in this blog is a critique of the various dinner parties I have hosted, as well as successful menus and recipes for dinner parties, should anyone choose to have their own (my hope). Nothing that I make is especially difficult or time consuming, and the most important part of the entire meal is being able to relax and enjoy it yourself. If you, the host, are happy, then everyone else will follow suit!