Wednesday, October 31, 2012

All's Well


All's well in this neck of the woods..


...just a few downed trees, localized power outages, missing shingles,
some wind-whipped flowers and a mess of wet leaves glued to sidewalks and streets. 

Thank you for your well-wishes.

Thoughts, prayers and money should
go to the poor people in the NYC and NJ areas.  

Happy Halloween! Making Emma's Lamb Costume & Decorating Cookies


Boo!  Or should I say, "Baaaa!"
 

Our little lamb!


Here is the making of the costume.  I used a really soft, fuzzy blanket that I found, cut it out and sewed it together.  It may have been my most successful sewing project to date - complete with an oatmeal linen lining! 


Hey, Bright Eyes : )


Happy kids!


Sunday we took Emma to the Fairway Halloween festival at the park.  Sorry about the blurry picture... it is the only one I'm in!


Emma's Uncle Josh and Aunt Claire came to see her in her lamb costume.

 
Emma's very "in to" teeth and mouths...

  
Emma and Daddy


Josh making a scary pumpkin... yikes!



Fun...


on the sliiiiiide!




Today Emma and I decorated cookies to take to her Mimi's house for Trick-or-Treating.


 Her first hands-on sugar cookie experience... of many, many more.  Next up- Thanksgiving cookies!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Falling


Fall often comes a few weeks later in the city than it does to even the closest suburbs.  The foliage and flowers are all quite beautiful right now.  


Even though this so-called Frankenstorm seems to be taking a big turn around us, we're supposed to be whipped with high winds and rain that is already taking down the leaves and flowers.  

Enjoy the colors of fall.

























Each fall, a rug takes its place back in the foyer to welcome wet feet through fall and winter.

I hope everyone in the path of this huge storm stays safe.   


If Jane doesn't lose power, she's having a party today.  I thought I would bring the 
birthday flowers that Shelley surprised me with on Saturday.  They were a 
sweet reminder of spring for a fall birthday.



I'm not sure the party can happen by candlelight so it may be postponed a little bit.
If you have no power, it's okay if you show up late.
Just stay safe.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Bite-Sized S'mores in the Oven | Easy Fall Dessert



Last fall I attended a party at Darcy Miller's home (editor of Martha Stewart Weddings) for the book launch of Peter Callahan's new book, Bite by Bite.  The entire cookbook is artfully created mini ideas for food.  One of the desserts served at the party were these little bite-size s'mores.  I've always loved s'mores, but there is something about these one bite, open-faced s'mores that are sooooo great.  They are not messy and they are so easy to make - they are ready in 45 seconds!

I made these mini s'mores as part of my Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining class.  After a big filling bowl of butternut and beef chili and a cheddar jalapeno scone, these were the perfect tiny little sweet bite to end the class.


This isn't really a recipe, but more of a list of very simple instructions.

Cut the graham crackers into 1-inch squares (basically, 1 graham cut into 8ths).  Use a serrated bread knife to cut - it makes it very easy without too much breakage.


Cut small pieces of chocolate to fit on top of the graham pieces.


Line them up on a baking sheet.

Sorry, not pic of the last step!  Just cut a marshmallow into thirds with a hot, wet serrated knife and place them on top of the chocolate.

Put them in the oven under the broiler for 30-45 seconds.  Depending on your oven... watch them carefully, they will burn very quickly!
 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Fall Squash & Goat Cheese Dip with Garlic Toasts


Everyone loves a good dip.  For most of us, dip recipes are at the center of our entertaining repertoires.  For the Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining Workshop, I made this hot, creamy goat cheese dip that features squash... and my favorite part - a squash bowl.

The dip is great, but the garlic toasts were really the star in my workshop.  I toast a sliced baguette them for 2 minutes under the broiler, then rub them with a raw clove of garlic.  You won't believe how good.
creamy goat cheese
Squash Dip
  
2 blocks of cream cheese, softened
4 ounces of goat cheese, softened
3 green onions, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
1 small hubbard squash

Cut a hubbard squash in half.  Place both pieces of the squash on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Leave one half to use as bowl.  Scoop out 1/2 cup of flesh from the other piece of cooked squash.  Mash it with a fork.  Set aside.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, green onions, garlic, sea salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of cooked, mashed squash.  Mix until combined.  Spoon mixture into the ‘bowl’ piece of the squash.  Place it on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 




Jalapeno & White Cheddar Scones



For my Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining last week, we made White Cheddar & Jalapeno Scones to go along side the Butternut & Beef Chili

As a scone is basically a biscuit (Right? Correct me if I'm wrong...), I thought it would be a great comfort food to go a long with the chili instead of the classic corn bread.  I used classic chili toppers, cheddar and jalapenos, in the scones to make them chili ready.

 For all of the recipes on a printable card from my Workshop, click here.

For information about my next Workshop, "The Thanksgiving Host," click here!

jalapeno & white cheddar
Scones
   
4 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of baking powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
1 cup of cheddar
3 tablespoons of jalapenos, minced
3/4 pound of butter, cold (3 sticks)
1 cup of cream
4 eggs

In a mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cheddar and jalapenos using the paddle attachment.  Cut the cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the butter is mixed in and is the size of peas.  In a separate bowl, mix together eggs and whipping cream with a fork.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the cream and egg mixture.  Turn off the mixer once added.

Put some flour on the counter.  Turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Seperate the dough into two equal parts.  Add some flour onto the top of the dough, then pat each pile out into a disk - about 8 inches in diameter each.  Cut the disks into 6 pieces like a pie, totaling 12.

Separate the pieces and put them on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.  



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Butternut & Beef Chili | Fall Recipe




For my Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining Workshop, Butternut & Beef Chili was at the center of the menu.  Inspired by the chili at the Main Street Market & Cafe in Concord, Ma., this chili boasts roasted butternut squash instead of beans... funny for a 'beantown' area restaurant.  I'm not a huge bean fan, so this chili recipe is right up my alley.

The slight sweetness of the butternut is great with the spicy beef.  To add great texture and meatiness, I used stew meat that was slow cooked so it shredded apart... so, so good.   To top it off, I served it with a White Cheddar and Jalapeno Scone.

For all of the recipes on a printable card from my Workshop, click here.

For information about my next Workshop, "The Thanksgiving Host," click here!


sweet and spicy
Beef & Butternut Chili

    2 tablespoons of oil   
    3 pounds beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
    2 pounds of ground beef
    2 cups chopped yellow onions
    6 large garlic cloves, minced
    2 tablespoons chili powder
    1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, crushed
    2 tablespoons ground cumin
    3 bay leaves
    2 - 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with juice
    sea salt and cracked pepper
----
    2 cups of butternut squash, diced
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    sea salt and cracked pepper

Heat the oil in a very large pot and quickly brown the meat, in batches, on all sides. Transfer the stew meat to a separate bowl and set aside.  Brown ground beef in the same pot.  Add the onion and cook about 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, pepper flakes and cumin and saute for 1 minute.   Add bay leaf, tomatoes with their juice and the reserved stew meat. Reduce the heat, taste for seasoning.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt, to taste.

On a baking sheet, drizzle diced butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast the squash for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees until tender and brown.

Add roasted butternut squash to the chili and simmer for 1 more hour.


For all of the recipes on a printable card from my Workshop, click here.

My next workshop is "The Thanksgiving Host" : Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?  If you've hosted Thanksgiving a thousand times or it is your first, this class will inspire your feast with new twists on classic Thanksgiving recipes.  I will share her tips for Hosting Thanksgiving like a Caterer with great make-ahead methods and a prep schedule that will make hosting easy and stress free.  I'll also share some Harvest themed table settings and DIY centerpieces for your feast.  

For more information and to register, click here!