Valentine’s Success!

Posted on February 14, 2011 by LiliBitting

On Friday night I had a wonderful Valentine’s Dinner with 5 of my friends – our Single Ladies Valentine’s Celebration! Not only was it a complete success but I think it may have been the best dinner I have ever thrown…and that says a lot!

If you need a few last minute ideas for your own celebration tonight, hopefully you can find some inspiration from our good time:

A welcoming and well dressed table is a great way to create instant atmosphere. For a romantic dinner for 2, the addition of candles alone can really set the scene. I scattered a few ghirardelli chocolates to add to the Valentine’s Day theme and also because it can be fun to have a little something extra to munch on at the table! My linens are from Crate and Barrel and although I bought them for fall, the addition of red tulips alone helps the whole table feel season-appropriate.

This simple centerpiece does a great job of elevating the entire atmosphere. In my opinion, both the square glass vase and river rocks are decorating essentials – I use both near constantly for dozens of uses. In this case all I did was trim down a grocery store bouquet of tulips (15 stems for $10!) and anchor them with the stones.

For dinner, we started with two hors d’oeuvres and prosecco. I am a big fan of bubbly – starting a dinner with a glass of two gives an air of celebration and makes the whole event feel special. For hors d’oeuvres we had Baked Crab Dip as well as Baked Brie with Jam. The Baked Crab Dip really was a delight, and not as unhealthy as you may expect! Make sure to use great quality crab as well as whipped cream cheese as the recipe suggests. I used regular by mistake and ended up with clumps of cream cheese throughout the dip. I also omitted the hot sauce, which honestly was a mistake that just happened to worked out. The dip had an amazing light, almost refreshing, quality with the lemon – so I didn’t miss the heat at all!

The Baked Brie really was a standout! I used Pepperidge Farm frozen Puffed Pastry, brie and two types of jam – strawberry preserves and Stonewall Kitchen’s Mimosa jam. All you do is use the thawed puff pastry to make a little “cup” in a mini-muffin pan, fill with brie and a dot of jam then bake as directed for the puff pastry (in my case, 400 for 15 minutes). It really is a very easy drop of heaven!

Dinner was one course and may be the best plate I have ever made! I served Blue Cheese Crusted Steak with Red Wine Sauce with Spinach Salad and Roasted New Potatoes. The Spinach Salad is my Mom’s secret weapon – strawberries, goat cheese and spiced pecans. One of my friends said that it may be the best salad she has ever had! The steak was incredible and although I wish the sauce was a prettier color, it worked great as a base for the steak – instead of my original plan to drizzle it on the plate.

Desert was my favorite Chocolate Lava Cakes! Although I failed (again) at being able to pop them out of the ramekins – we were all happy to eat them as is, with fresh raspberries and Haagen Dazs “five” vanilla ice cream!

It was an amazing meal with incredible company! As if the joy of such a fun time wasn’t enough, my lovely friend Sarah brought a wonderful treat: tulips for the hostess! (On my bedside table below)

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! No matter if you are celebrating with someone special or trying to ignore the day – treat yourself to something beautiful or delicious. Life is so short, let’s take advantage of the excuse and run with it!

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It’s starting to look like Valentine’s….

Posted on February 11, 2011 by LiliBitting

The table for tonight’s Single Ladies Valentine’s Day Dinner – it’s coming along!

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Valentine’s Inspiration

Posted on February 11, 2011 by LiliBitting

Valentine’s Day is upon us! Here are three menu ideas to celebrate:

Pot of Mussels

Recipe: Martha Stewart’s Mussels with White Wine and Herbs

Mussels are one of my favorite meals for a romantic dinner or a party! I serve the mussels in a big bowl, family style with small bowls for each person and an extra big bowl for discards. Make sure to have lots of good-quality bread for dipping in the yummy sauce!

To make it a meal add a side salad or even a simple Bruschetta to start.

Soy Salmon

Receipe: Gourmet’s Salmon Fillet with Soy Glaze

This is the easiest and most impressive way to cook a piece of salmon that I’ve found. The soy glaze is delicious, impressive and only has two ingredients! Also, I do really like the idea of eating pink or red food on Valentine’s Day – silly but true!

I serve the salmon with the recommended Ginger Fried Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms. Buy the rice from your local Chinese place, it should only be about $2, will be perfect for frying and will save you some time and energy. A wilted spinach salad with citrus is the perfect light note to round out the meal.

Blue Cheese Steak

Recipe: Bon Appétit’s Blue Cheese Crusted Steaks with Red Wine Sauce

There is something about steak on Valentine’s Day that just seems right. This version has indulgent blue cheese as well as a red wine sauce that is perfect to drizzle and get in that little something red!

I will actually be serving this recipe for a Valentine’s Day dinner I’m having on Friday with some of my single girlfriends – Yay Single Ladies Valentine’s Dinner! We’ll be having it with spinach salad with strawberries, spiced pecans and goat cheese as well as roasted new potatoes.

Chocolate Lava

Recipe: Bon Appétit’s Chocolate Lava Cakes

Chocolate Lava is the key to my heart! Although I have yet to perfect baking it to the exact point where you can pop them free from their ramekins while still maintaining a “lava” center – they are amazing no matter if over-cooked or under-cooked! Skip the Coffee Custard Sauce and whipped cream in favor of fresh raspberries and good-quality vanilla ice cream (I like Haagen Dazs “5”).

Cookie image courtesy of Whipped Bakeshop via Flickr

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Tips & Tricks: Superbowl Edition

Posted on February 10, 2011 by LiliBitting

I am really happy with how well the Superbowl party came together. Looking back, these are the 3 best tips & tricks to how I pulled it off:

The first 2 tips are to improve your guest’s experience. I think that the small details have the biggest impact on making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed – the key to a fun party!

Know what to do with coats in the winter

Taking the time to decide what to do with your friend’s coats in the Winter time will help make those first few seconds of greetings go even more smoothly.  I am blessed with ample closet space in my new-ish apartment so I was able to clear out everything except for the winter coats I wear regularly (for my own convenience) to make room for all of the coats to come.

I will admit, “Can I hang up your coat for you?” is one of my favorite questions. I’ve become this way because good closet space is so rare in Manhattan! So, if you don’t have the closets, simply decide where the coats should go. Designate a “coat chair” or using your bed is also a perfectly respectable alternative. Just remember- if you are telling everyone to use your bed, you have to make sure your whole bedroom is cleaned up and welcoming also. At very least, make sure the lights are on!

Have enough napkins!

There is nothing more uncomfortable than being in a social eating situation and spilling on yourself, or missing your mouth, or God forbid – having to spit something out, and not having a napkin within reach. Especially if I’m serving any messy foods I always try to “over-napkin”. In the case of the Superbowl party I had 2 stacks of cocktail napkins on the coffee table as well as dinner napkins on the buffet table.

An easy way to make sure you’re never in a bind is to keep cocktail napkins on hand. I had 200 of these custom printed for the “Empty Apartment” party I had after I moved last fall (they actually didn’t make it in time for the party). The image is from the invitation and is the actual floor plan! I loved the image and knew I would enjoy using them for a while, which is why I ordered such a large quantity (and it was obviously a better price per napkin). I chose this shade of blue (it is between navy and royal) because it is season-less.

Disposable Recycle Bin

My party routine is that I make the food and my friends bring the booze. In the case of this party, I asked everyone to bring a 6-pack. So, knowing that everyone would be drinking from bottles, (normally I’m a believer of pouring beer into glasses but not during the Superbowl) I realized that I needed an easily accessible recycle bin – unlike my small one under the sink. Voila! Straight from Sunday morning’s Whole Foods trip*, the double paper bag worked perfectly! All the bottles piled up and at the end of the night all I had to do was take it to my floor’s recycle area, as is. I can not over exaggerate how convenient this was, especially for how little effort it took. Of everything that went into the party, I swear, this was the smartest thing I did!

*I have to add here that 99.9% of the time I carry and use my own shopping bags – I am dedicated to doing my part in this way. My grocery bags are from Hannaford Market in Plymouth Mass and are unmatched in awesomeness. I also always keep a small bag in my purse for Duane Reed, etc. However, sometimes traditional bags have a useful purpose when you recycle them for new uses in your life.

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SUPERBOWL!

Posted on February 9, 2011 by LiliBitting

Wow, what a party: two solid days of prep, massive quantities of food and 14 guests! Despite the daunting menu and to-do list, I was actually the most relaxed I have ever been in preparation for a party. Part of this was having the wonderful Sous-Chef Sarah all Sunday afternoon, the other part was knowing that everyone coming is a friend and worst case everyone pitches in – or we order a pizza!

When it came to this year’s Superbowl I decided to root for the Packers. Honestly, like many, it was more of an anti-Roethlisberger decision – but let’s put those politics aside. I did keep Packers colors in mind when picking out paper products and decorations. With a party of 14 people I decided to do all disposable plates, bowls, utensils and tablecloth. I am very thankful for this decision because clean up really was a breeze. Along with a green table cloth and green cups, I also picked out these yellow Gerber daisies with green filler to continue the Packers theme!

I did make light of my non-sports disposition in the invite for the party – really this was a party celebrating football food more than celebrating the Nation Football League Championships! So, here’s the Menu, in all it’s glory:

Snacks:

  • Xochitl Tortilla Chips
  • Fresh Direct Guacamole
  • Whole Foods Peach & Mango Salsa
  • Sabra Hummus with Tahini
  • Homemade White Bean & Pesto Dip:
    • 1 Can Cannellini Beans
    • 1/4 cup prepared pesto (Whole Foods Brand)
    • 2 TBS Olive Oil (estimated)
    • Blend in a food processor until smooth, adding olive oil as necessary
    • Season with S&P to taste
  • Stacy’s Whole Wheat Pita Chips
  • Martha’s Hot Artichoke Dip
  • Sliced Yellow and Red Peppers as Crudites

Hot hors d’oeuvres:

Stuffed Mushrooms and Coconut Shrimp

  • Mushrooms stuffed with Spinach, Panko and Parmesan
  • Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
  • Coconut Shrimp:
    • 1 lb Defrosted Frozen Shrimp
    • 1/2 Cup Flour
    • 2 Eggs, beaten + 1 TBS Water
    • 3/4 Cup Panko combined with 3/4 cup sweetened coconut
    • Sweet Chili Sauce for Dipping
    • Bread shrimp in a 3-Step (3-bowl) process:
      • Dredge with Flour
      • Dip in egg wash
      • Coat with Panko/Coconut mixture
    • Bake at 450 for 10 minutes (flip at 5 mins) on a cookie sheet prepared with tin-foil and sprayed with Pam or other spray alternative

Quickly Eaten Bourbon Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

Main Meal:

Pulled Pork

  • Turkey Chili with 3 Beans (the secret is Penzeys Chili 3000 spice instead of basic Chili Powder) served with:
    • Chopped fresh tomatoes
    • Chopped iceburg lettuce
    • Sour Cream
    • Shredded Cheddar Cheese
    • Fritos (100% necessary)!
  • Slow Cooker Pulled Pork served on Whole Wheat buns with Coleslaw
  • Arugula, Barley, Mushroom and Sausage Salad (with scallion, lemon and cherry tomatoes)

Arugula, Barley, Mushroom & Sausage Salad

Stamp of Chili Approval!

Sweet Treats – both made from scratch:

  • Pumpkin Bread
  • Bourbon, Pecan Caramel Corn

Although the food was a resounding success overall, the big winners were the Bourbon Chicken Wings and Caramel Corn. The wings has just the right amount of kick – although I should warn you, if you try to taste the marinade the night before it is so spicy it’s basically inedible (I was coughing and wheezing at a single taste!). Don’t worry, the brown sugar and bourbon will eventually mellow the hot pepper sauce.

Both my Caramel Corn and Pumpkin Bread have affectionately been called “crack” (because they are so addicting) by my friends for as long as I’ve been making them. My favorite comment of the night came from my friend Cate who, in reference to both asked, “Lili, where do you get your crack, because it’s really good!” To toot my own horn the caramel corn really is that good – 14 people ate 18 of the 20 cups I made. To give it it’s due respect, I’ll do another popcorn specific post later this week.

Overall, I find nothing more satisfying than a successful party – what an accomplishment! Although I was flat out exhausted for the past two days as a result, it was all worth it for the incredible happiness I felt as I went to bed Sunday night. Can’t wait for the next one!

All photos courtesy of Mike Jones Photo – Thanks Mike!

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Party Central

Posted on February 5, 2011 by LiliBitting

It’s been quite a whirlwind these past 24 hours, I’m in the heart of pre-party chaos! It’s still too far out to say how I’m doing on timing, but I am feeling good about how frequently I’ve been crossing things off my list!


It looks so strange with the dinning table pushed to the wall! And it looks like I’ll have to raise that pendant lamp…


It all started with a very big Fresh Direct order


This is only a portion of all the stuff!


After making two marinates (for pulled pork and chicken wings) my poor stove took a beating!
So much more to do – more to come!

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Why

Posted on February 4, 2011 by LiliBitting

This is why I love throwing parties and why I love my friends! My friend Kate’s reaction to a sneak peek of the Superbowl menu:

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Dinner Party Planner

Posted on February 4, 2011 by LiliBitting

I’m currently getting ready to throw the biggest party (quantity of food wise) I have ever thrown – for the Super Bowl! Although this party is exceptional, for most of the dinners I throw I usually follow this timing. For me it’s necessary, both to keep me sane (I’m admittedly a list maker) and to ensure that everything goes off without a noticeable hitch.

2 Weeks in Advance:

I know it seems like over-kill to start planning this far out, especially considering I – like many of you – don’t even send out invites this far in advance! The reason why it’s important to start ideating around what type of dinner you plan on serving is so you can purchase any necessary cooking tools or serving pieces you may need – which ultimately gives you more options when choosing your menu.

Those of us who are lucky enough to live in the big city, do have pretty much everything available only a short subway ride away. But let me tell you from personal experience, a last minute trip to Bed Bath & Beyond is the most stressful experience possible!

I also stubbornly believe that I’ll be able to find a better deal on almost everything online; or at least better selection. A great example of this is for disposable plates/bowls/utensils/tablecloths – Smarty Had a Party is a great site that I believe can not be matched offline. Of course this all only applies if you order far enough in advance so that you don’t need to upgrade your shipping – hence the 2 weeks. I think there is no excuse to pay for rush shipping – you’re paying for your own bad planning!

1 Week in Advance:

At one week out the party should just be starting to come together. You’re finalizing the headcount and deciding on the specifics of the menu. As I develop my menu I also build my shopping list at the same time. Although Fresh Direct makes the food-buying process so much easier – realistically you most likely wont get everything delivered by them. The deciding factor could be price, or because you really like a certain brand of crackers, or that you want to get your piece of fish day of – I find that nearly every party requires multiple sources of groceries. These multiple trips is why I give myself 1 week of planning. You can take your time deciding exactly what your shopping list will be, but you should start to think about which day Fresh Direct should come and when you will make the extra trips. At very least separating your “shopping days” from your prep and cooking time will make the whole event feel less overwhelming!

3 Days in Advance:

3 days out I really like to have my menu solidified. Unfortunately because Fresh Direct allows me to “edit my order” up until 11PM the day before my delivery I push the envelope more often than I would like to admit!

Despite Fresh Direct’s leniency, at 3 days you should start to move your thinking from high-level to executional – how you are actually going to get this meal on the table! This includes deciding what you can prep (or fully make) in advance, what dishes you will use to serve, eat off of or use for prep/cooking (and make sure they are all clean) and what chores need to be done before company arrives. By planning out all that needs to be done you can make sure you are not leaving too much for the day of. Plus, I find that knowing what I need to do reduces my stress considerably!

1 Day in Advance:

Unless it is an exceptionally smart menu, at 1 day in advance you will most likely already be in a flurry of prep and done with all things “planning”. The last step for me is determining the oven schedule, as well as any other timing for cooking the actual dinner. That said, if you didn’t think about oven logistics when determining your menu (assuming you only have 1 oven)  you could really be up a creek!

The bottom line is that I am clearly an over-planner. BUT I really do believe that planning makes the process more fun and less stressful. With all of this said, the most important part of making plans is understanding that they may change. I have never had any party go exactly as planned – and I don’t expect one to ever go that way. Be ready to roll with the punches and take confidence from knowing that by doing all the planning you know what you are doing and are in control!

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Well that was easy…

Posted on February 4, 2011 by LiliBitting

Earlier this week my wonderful friend Cat came over for dinner. Even though this “party” was only the two of us, the principles of easy entertaining still applies. The major principal, any time you are executing a meal with more than 1 course, is to make it easy on yourself! By that I mean balance labor intensive dishes with non. The non can either be made-in-advance, store-bought or just prepped in advance. Either way, my key to being a sane hostess is simply to balance the mind-less and the mind-full.

In the case of my dinner with Cat, I balanced this amazing Salmon Salad with Fennel, Orange and Mint (above) with store-bought Ravioli and Vodka Sauce (below). Although in this case the Salmon Salad was my “intensive” dish it actually qualifies as a good “make ahead”.  You can chop the fennel, mint and orange while the salmon poaches and let the salmon cool while you are entertaining. Then everything goes in a bowl and voila – your 1st course is served!

The recipe is from Epicurious, although I made some adaptations based on the reviews and to reduce to only 3 servings (the 2 of us and my lunch for the next day!)

– 2/3 lb of salmon
– 3 cups thinly sliced fennel (two small bulbs)
– 2 navel oranges
– 1 cup Mint leaves, roughly chopped to 1″ in size
– 3 cups of water
– 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
– 1/4 cup sugar
– 4 star anise
– 1 Tbs of Olive Oil

  1. Place sugar, vinegar, star anise and cold water in a skillet or large saucepan (whichever you have that has a lid!).
  2. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and let reduce for an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Add salmon fillet, skin side up. Cover skillet/saucepan and remove from heat.
  4. Let stand 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, turn salmon over; cover and let stand until salmon is just opaque in center, 10 minutes longer (our piece of salmon was very thick, yours may only take 15 minutes total).
  5. Remove salmon from liquid and cool. Flake salmon into medium bowl, removing any bones and skin.
  6. Cut top and bottom 1/4 inch off each orange. Stand 1 orange on 1 flat end. Using small sharp knife, cut off peel and white pith. Working over large bowl (this will be your tossing and serving bowl), cut between membranes, releasing segments into bowl. Repeat with remaining orange.
  7. Add salmon, fennel, mint, and olive oil. Gently toss to combine. Add S&P to taste.

Honestly the Salmon Salad is a very Spring/Summery dish – it is incredibly light and refreshing. With that said I was surprised how easy the transition was to classic Ravioli with Vodka sauce. It was almost as if the salmon cleansed our palate to settle in for a winter’s meal!

We used two types of Ravioli: Portobello Mushroom as well as Gorgonzola & Walnut. Both types, as well as the Vodka Sauce, came from The Amish Market. Although Cat pointed out that she can get the same ravioli at Fairway (lucky Brooklynites)! Mixed together and topped with grated Parmesan this pasta course could really not be any easier!

Finally we ended the meal with wonderful treats from the Sullivan Street Bakery – thanks Cat! Such a satisfying meal, that really was just that easy.

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Presents!

Posted on February 1, 2011 by LiliBitting

Just because you bought it for yourself why can’t it be a present? I think it can.

I do a lot of my shopping online, more than the average person. I think this is partially from going to a rural college and partially because I am a big-time bargain hunter. For years I have been buying vintage jewelry and scarfs on eBay and Googling things like “discount cabinet knobs” in an effort to find the best deal. With the rash of discount designer websites like Guilt Group and Ideeli sending me daily emails I am delighted, and struggling with my self restraint!

One of the interesting aspects of ordering from these sites is that there can be a delay between when you order and when the product will ship. Everyone likes instant gratification after a purchase so on one hand it can feel cruel to have to wait weeks, while on the other I think it can actually increase your delight when the box does finally arrive! This is what happened with the Ideeli order that I placed earlier in January and just arrived, about 2.5 weeks later.

I did almost forget about this order, until of course I saw I had a package and then I knew exactly what it was!

Nachtmann (a division of Riedel glassworks) Bossa Nova Basket weave bowls!

So classic and elegant I am obsessed with the amazing basket weave texture (see below)! Although they honestly were a total steal, I know I will love and get use out of these for many, many years. Classic never goes out of style!

This is the bottom of the rectangular long plate, to show the basket weave texture. At 16.5×6″ this plate is by far my favorite, I literally can not get cheese onto it fast enough! Best of all, all of the pieces are made from crystal and are dishwasher safe.

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