BBQ/ Grill Theme Cake June 29, 2009

 

This is definitely not a cake for a high-brow soiree, but it’s perfect for a casual BBQ/ grill theme party.  Serve this as dessert at your Fourth of July cookout and you are sure to get a few laughs.

 

To make this fun grill cake: Bake a traditional round layer cake and frost it with your favorite chocolate frosting.  Use chocolate or black licorice for the grill outline and lines (black will stand out better against the chocolate frosting but chocolate is generally softer and easier to cut through when slicing the cake).    Use softened tootsie rolls to form the hamburger pattie, and black shoestring licorice pressed into the pattie as the grill lines (you can press your pattie into an actual grill pan for guidance on how to space the grill marks).  Use softened pink starbursts mixed with a few tootsie rolls to form the hotdog.   Cut wooden skewers to scale and thread on chunkes of “beef” (three softened red startbursts formed into chunks) and “peppers” (yellow and orange starbursts flatened and shaped like pieces of bell pepper).

Host a Father’s Day “Cook-In” June 18, 2009

Don’t let the rain ruin your plans for a Father’s Day cookout.  You can still throw your favorite father a BBQ in his honor -  just shift gears from a cookout to a “cook-in.”  Here’s a menu that you can make on the grill or in a grill pan.

 

 

Cookout or “Cook-In” Menu

 

Black bean and corn quesadillas

Chips and mango salsa

Coffee and chili rubbed steak

Chopped cucumber, red pepper and tomato salad

Chipotle mashed potatoes (add 2 Tbs. chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce to your favorite type of mashed potatoes)

Grilled Asparagus

Espresso chocolate chunk cookies

Fruit kabobs (thread chunks of fresh fruit on bamboo skewers and drizzle with honey and fresh lime juice)

 

Vodka spiked lemonade or peach iced tea sweetened with agave nectar

Assorted ice-cold beer

 

http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/coffee-chili-steak-rub/

http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/espresso-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

Hip Tip – Serve Cheese at Room Temp June 15, 2009

Cheese is one of THE great entertaining staples.  For optimal flavor, serve cheese at room temperature.  Bringing the cheese to room temperature allows the full flavor of the cheese to come through; the flavor of cheese is muted when served chilled.

 

Plan ahead and take cheese out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving time.  Keep cheese covered until you serve it to prevent the surface from becoming dry.

Monogram Theme Father’s Day Party June 1, 2009

If it feels like the father in your family is hard to shop for, throw a Father’s Day party with a monogram theme and tell all your guest to bring dad a monogrammed gift.  Your dad will feel super special with his initials all over.

 

A monogram theme also works well for a bridal shower, a birthday party or an anniversary. 

 

Here are some other ideas to get your monogram party started:

• Send invitations with the guest of honor’s monogram.
• Buy a brander with the guest of honor’s initial or monogram and brand steaks and burgers before serving them.
• Serve drinks from a monogrammed pitcher or in monogrammed glasses. 
• Buy disposable napkins with the guest of honor’s first initial imprinted on them. 
• Serve cupcakes with with the guest of honor’s initial piped on top or use alphabet shaped cookies to spell out their initials. 

Some great ideas for monogrammed Father’s Day gifts include:  Pilsner, low-balls or martini glasses, beer mugs, flasks, coasters, leather catchalls (for change and keys), money clips, cuff links, key chains, cotton hankerchiefs, toiletry bags, towels, coffee mug, playing cards, polo or button-down shirts, grill tools, guitar picks, gym bags, golf towels, golf balls or golf club links.

  

*Monogrammed beer pitcher shown above is available at Pottery Barn for $21.50 (including cost of monogramming)
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p11076/index.cfm?pkey=cbarware

Spring Quinoa Salad With Asparagus and Feta May 26, 2009

 

I always enjoy the first asparagus of the season simply steamed or sauteed.  In the following weeks I find more interesting uses for my favorite spring vegetable, like this Asparagus and Feta Quinoa Salad.  If you can find them, use pencil thin stalks in this recipe.  

 

This salad goes well with grilled meat, poultry and fish.  It’s a great side dish for a cookout or BBQ since it can be prepared in advance and served at room temperature.  Make this salad up to two days in advance and add additional olive oil, vinegar and/or lemon juice if the the quinoa seems dry (it will absorb some of the liquid if prepared in advance).

 

Spring Quinoa Salad With Asparagus and Feta 

1 ½ C. chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium)

1 C. quinoa

Juice from ½ large lemon (about 1 ½ Tbs.)

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 bunch pencil thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces

15 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

4oz feta or goat cheese, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1.    Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  While waiting for the stock to boil, place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under warm water for 2 minutes to wash away the natural (but bitter) outer layer of the grain.  Once stock is boiling, add quinoa and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover saucepan and simmer until quinoa has absorbed most of the liquid, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, uncover, fluff with a fork.  Cool at room temperature.

 

2.   While quinoa is cooking, steam asparagus.   Fill a small pot with 1” water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Place asparagus in the boiling water or in a steamer basket fitted inside the pot.  Cover with a lid and steam for 2-3 minutes, or until asparagus is fork tender but still slightly crisp.  Fill a small bowl with ice and cold water and plunge asparagus into the cold water to stop the cooking process and keep the asparagus from over-cooking.  

 

3.    In a medium bowl combine lemon, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.  Whisk until well combined.  Add cooled quinoa, steamed asparagus and tomatoes and stir gently with a fork to keep quinoa fluffy.  Add feta and continue until well combined.  Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. 

 

Serves 6 as a side

Hip Tip – Serve Chilled Soup “Up” May 24, 2009

One of my friends is from Spain and makes the best gazpacho!  She served it at a cookout last weekend in chilled martini glasses, which were the perfect serving size and a great appetizer to eat while mingling. 

 

Make any chilled summer soup look spectacular by serving it “up” in a martini glass.  Chill the glasses in the freezer until you are ready to serve the soup for a nice frosty alternative to a bowl.

Memorial Day Dessert – Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachio Oat Crumble May 23, 2009

A friend of mine picks his own veggies at a nearby farm and brought me some of the farm’s first-picked rhubarb of the season.  If you have never tried rhubarb you are in for a treat!  It’s deliciously tart and pairs beautifully with sweet ingredients like sugar, berries and red wine.  Rhubarb looks like large stalks of celery and ranges in color from green with a hint of pink to deep purple-red (though I have never detected a different in taste between the lighter and darker stalks).  When buying rhubarb, pick stalks that look sturdy and crispy with fresh looking ends.  

 

If you are new to the world of rhubarb this is a great introductory recipe for you to try; rhubarb is paired with several sweet ingredients that mellow the rhubarb’s tart flavor.  This recipe is a variation of a recipe I found on Epicurious.

 

This is a great dessert for a Memorial Day cookout or any spring dinner.  It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser so double the recipe if you have more than 6 guests. Happy baking!

 

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachio-Oat Crumble

1/3 C. natural cane sugar
2 Tbs. minute tapioca
2 ½ – 3 ½ C. rhubarb (1-1.5 lbs), trimmed and cut into ½” pieces
3 C. fresh or frozen blueberries

½ C. shelled raw pistachios, finely chopped
½ C. all purpose flour or gluten-free flour
½ C. old fashion oats, roughly chopped in a mini food processor
½ C. natural cane sugar
¼ C. brown sugar, packed
6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter

Fresh whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream (optional)

1. Move oven rack to upper third of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 2 quart baking dish by coating bottom and sides with non-stick spray or softened butter. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar and tapioca. Add in rhubarb and blueberries and toss to coat. Spread mixture in the bottom of prepared baking dish.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats and sugars and whisk until well combined. Cut butter into ½” pieces and blend butter with oat mixture by using your fingers to combine and crumble, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add pistachios to oat mixture and stir until well combined.

3. Take a small handful of topping and squeeze it into a compact chunk and crumble it over blueberry filling. Continue with remaining topping and crumble evenly over the filling until all of the crumble is used up.

4. Bake in upper third of oven for about 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden crisp. Serve immediately or at room temperature, topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Hip Tip: Eco-Friendly Herb Centerpieces May 19, 2009

Try this eco-friendly alternative instead of buying fresh flowers for your next soiree.  Display leftover fresh herbs -such as dill, parsley, basil, rosemary, cilantro, chives, thyme and lavender – in simple bud vases and use them as a centerpiece. Use a single sprig, a bunch of herbs or mix several different types together.  Put the herbs in small vases, juice glasses or empty glass jars with the label removed (a great use for empty spice jars!) filled with a few inches of water.  Group several herb-filled jars together in the center of your table for a more substantial centerpiece.  Use jars that are different shapes, sizes and heights for visual interest.

Soak herbs in a bowl or sink full of cold water to clean and revive them.  Spin the herbs dry in your salad spinner or secure stems with a rubber band and hang them upside down to dry. Be sure to dry the leaves completely to extend the life of the herbs. Most herbs, other than basil, last longer if store in the refrigerator and the leaves are loosely covered with an empty plastic bag.

Mother Nature Inspired Mother’s Day Menu May 9, 2009

Still looking for ideas for a Mother’s Day fete?  Throw a “mother nature” inspired dinner party by using spring’s bounty as the basis for your menu.  Hit your local farmer’s market or look for locally grown produce at your regular grocery store.  All of these recipes can be made year-round, but using seasonal/ local ingredients will up the “wow” factor in the flavor department.
 

This menu is fairly simple, even for a novice host/ hostess.  Several components of this menu can be made in advance to streamline your cooking schedule and minimize your cooking time during the party.  Make the spiced nuts up to 2 weeks in advance; the dip, oven dried tomatoes and biscuits for the cobbler can be made up to 2 days in advance; the wheatberry salad can be made 2 days before the party (wait to toss the greens with the dressing until you are ready to serve), and the popover batter and basil pea puree can be made up to 8 hours in advance.  Set our your crudites, dip and nuts while you sear the scallops, heat the pea puree and bake the popovers.  Put your cobbler in the oven when you sit down for dinner and it will be bubbly and perfect by the time you are ready for dessert.  

 

Mother Nature’s Spring Menu

Crudités (blanched asparagus, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, etc.) with Creamy Dill Dip
Maple Spiced Nuts
Wheatberry Salad with Arugula, Goat Cheese and Green Olives
Seared Scallops over Basil Pea Puree with Oven Dried Tomatoes
Herb Popovers
Mango Rhubarb Cobbler

 

Tips:

• Look for some interesting vegetable varieties, such as candy stripe radishes and purple carrots to serve with your dip
• Unless you love shelling fresh peas, using frozen peas for the basil-pea puree is perfectly fine (the peas are flash frozen and, unlike other frozen vegetables, the flavor is not compromised by the freezing process) 
• If you don’t have time to make the Maple Spiced Nuts buy some nice flavored nuts and set those out instead
• Substitute good quality bread for the herb popovers if you aren’t up for baking
• If you don’t have time to make the cobbler, buy or bake vanilla cupcakes, top with vanilla frosting and garnish with organic edible flowers for a simply beautiful spring dessert

 

http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/go-nuts-for-maple-spiced-nuts/

http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/04/20/wheat-berry-salad/

http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/seared-scallops-over-basil-pea-puree/

http://hiphostess.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/mango-rhubarb-cobbler/

Seared Scallops Over Basil-Pea Puree April 30, 2009

This dish tastes like spring on a plate.  It’s sophisticated, yet so simple.  It’s a great recipe for entertaining because it can be made in minutes.  Serve it as an entrée, or serve a smaller version (3 scallops per plate) as a first course.

 

The basil-pea puree can be made up to 8 hours ahead and warmed as the scallops cook.  If you are short on time you can skip the oven-dried tomatoes, thought they really are worth the minimal effort but advance planning required.  The slow oven drying process really concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes, but you can substitute a few raw tomato wedges instead to achieve the same pop of color.

 

Serve this entrée with herb popovers or crusty bread so you can scoop up the last of the basil-pea puree.  Trust me, you won’t want to waste a single bite.

 

 

Seared Scallops Over Basil Pea Puree

1 package grape tomatoes or 6 plum tomatoes

(2) 10oz packages frozen peas or 4 C. fresh shelled peas

4 Tbs. fresh basil (about 12 large leaves)

½ tsp. kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

15 large sea scallops, patted completely dry

Extra virgin olive oil

 

1.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or coated with a nonstick spray.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.  Place in oven for 2-2.5 hours, or until the tomatoes are shriveled and dry with a tiny bit of juice left inside.   Tomatoes can be oven-dried up to 2 days in advance.   

2.  Place thawed peas in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Shake to remove excess water.  Add peas to blender with fresh basil, salt and pepper.  Puree peas until smooth.  To heat pea puree, place in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Once warmed through, reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

3.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Once hot, coat pan with olive oil.   Add scallops to pan in a single layer with room between each scallop.  Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the size.  Scallops should have a nice crust on both sides and be barely firm to the touch.  (Do not overcook the scallops or they will become rubbery.)  Serve immediately over basil-pea puree and garnish with oven-dried tomatoes.