Anatomy of a Dinner Party » Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Patti — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:38:36 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

I hope you are reading this while watching the Macy’s Day Parade in your jammies and drinking hot chocolate on the couch. While someone else peels the potatoes.

My darling husband makes my life a dream. He is the number one thing I am thankful for.

I only spend the holidays with the people we love. Truly, it’s the only way.

My dogs keep me laughing every single day. And they’re cuddly. Barky, but cuddly.

I am grateful that I want for nothing, and have the extreme luxury of doing what I love.

The besties – I could not do without the core: John, Holly, Clint, Baroness, Lisa. They keep me sane. Relatively.

I am thankful for all my other friends, too. They are the coolest people I know and I can’t wait for our Christmas party to have most of them here to celebrate with.

And always, I am thankful for you. For your funny comments, for reading, for making this little blog a happy habit everyday. I love you.

Just a tiny and cute reminder.

Now, back to the parade!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Liberace – Give My Regards To Broadway

Thanksgiving Day Dessert Ideas

Patti — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:52:06 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

If you haven’t decided what to serve after Thanksgiving dinner, allow me to lend a hand.

Easy would be ordering a pie. But, if you like to torture yourself and make every aspect of the meal, here you go:

John is in charge of making our dessert, so we are covered. And it’s a surprise. I love a surprise.

I love this adorable idea. You can make just enough of these turkeys as you have guests and you don’t have to worry about hiding the leftovers from yourself (oh, you don’t hide the leftovers? never mind, then.)

How cute is this?

Another individual dessert. Aren’t these little handpies precious?

Apple Cheddar Handpies

Feeling traditional with a twist? How about pumpkin cheesecake? I don’t even like cheesecake and this sounds fabulous.

Mmm, pumpkin cheesecake.

For all you glamour types, this is the dessert for you.

Glam fruit and dark chocolate tart

That should do you for now. And if you feel stressed, don’t. Pop over to the bakery!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Beyonce – Sweet Dreams

How Long Will It Take To Thaw?

Patti — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:38:41 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

You have your perfect turkey. Now what?

Here are some options, even if you forgot how long it might take.

Taking your turkey's temperature.

Thawing Methods:

Recommended: Thawing in the Refrigerator
Leave the bird in its original wrapping and place it on a tray in the refrigerator. Allow 5 hours per pound or 3-4 days for a 14-19 pound turkey to defrost.

“Quick” Thawing:
Place turkey in its original wrapping in sink and cover with COLD water. Change the water every 1/2 hour to maintain the temperature. Allow 1/2 hour per pound to defrost the turkey. Most turkeys will take from 5 to 10 hours to thaw.

Microwave Thawing: NOT RECOMMENDED
Microwave ovens do not heat evenly, and they also heat quicker along the bone. Microwave thawing of a turkey is generally not recommended.

Turkey Thawing Time in the Refrigerator (40 degrees F):
Approximately 24 hours per 5 pounds

Whole Turkey Weight Thawing Time: 8 to 12 lbs, 1 to 2 days; 12 to 16 lbs, 2 to 3 days; 16 to 20 lbs, 3 to 4 days; 20 to 24 lbs, 4 to 5 days.

Turkey Thawing Time in Cold Water: Approximately 30 minutes per pound.
Change water every 1/2 hour.

Whole Turkey Weight Thawing Time: 8 to 12 lbs, 4 to 6 hours; 12 to 16 lbs, 6 to 8 hours; 16 to 20 lbs, 8 to 10 hours; 20 to 24 lbs, 10 to 12 hours.

There you go. Tomorrow – how about we talk desserts?

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Bee Gees – Jive Talking

What About The Sides?

Patti — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:45:15 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

All kinds of emails show up in my inbox everyday. It’s sometimes hard to decipher what might be cool and what I might want to share with you.

A press release touting a cookbook called Potluck Heaven came along and I took notice. They were sweet enough to share some of the recipes, too!

Here are a few of the offerings! First up is Loraine from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Do you think the spring is really sinking? That would be sad.

Honey Maple Sweet Potatoes
from Loraine Kratz, Sinking Spring, PA

Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Baking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
6-8 medium sweet potatoes
½ cup honey
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter

Directions
1. Cook sweet potatoes in a pot with water to cover. Test with a fork and remove from heat when they are becoming soft. Do not overcook.
2. Run cold water over the sweet potatoes. Peal them.
3. Place the honey, maple syrup, milk and butter in a pan and bring to a boil for about 30 seconds.
4. Place sweet potatoes in a 9’ square pan. Pour the sauce over them.
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

What’s the problem with Stuffing Balls? I would eat them all and save you none. Oops. Sorry! They just jumped in my mouth.

Stuffing Balls
from Joan Brown, Warriors Mark, PA

Makes 6-8 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients
1 loaf stale bread
3 ribs celery, diced
1 medium, or small, onion diced
2 eggs, beaten
10 ¾ oz. can cream of mushroom, or cream of chicken soup, divided

Directions
1. Tear bread in small pieces and place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add celery, onion, eggs and half of soup. Mix together well.
3. Form into balls, each 1/3 cup in size. If too dry to hold together, add boiling water, 1-2 Tbsp. at a time to all of bread mixture.
4. Place balls in greased 9 x 13 baking pan.
5. Pour remaining soup over top.
6. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

Tips
1. Use an ice cream scoop to make evenly sized balls.
2. After forming the balls, you can cover and refrigerate them until you’re ready to bake them. Add about 10 minutes to the baking time. You can make them on Saturday to bake for Sunday noon dinner.

Hello! White Chip Pumpkin Cookies! You had me at chip, Joanna!

White Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Joanna Harrison, Lafayette, CO

Make 4-5 dozen
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 11-14 minutes

Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cardamom
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups white chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions
1. Using a mixer, cream together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large pumpkin mixing bowl. Beat in pumpkin.
2. Separately, stir together flour, cardamom, cinnamon, and baking soda.
3. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and optional nuts.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

For all the other OMG-how-did-I-ever-live-without-that recipes, order the book!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Hank Williams – Hey Good Lookin’

Guest Snacks – Roasted Chickpeas

Patti — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:27:51 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

As we move closer to next Thursday, have you considered what you might set out for your guests to nosh on before dinner?

A nice, simple snack with a welcome cocktail is roasted chickpeas. Now, I know they were all the rage 3 years ago, but I am slow to catch on sometimes. Bear with me.

I saw this recipe online and thought, “hey, I have some chickpeas in the pantry!” Why did I have chickpeas? I can’t recall, but they were there so I thought I would give it a go. They were pretty tasty, too. I can’t gush and say they will replace your need for potato chips, but they are much lower in calories and taste like Corn Nuts, minus the broken teeth. This recipe calls for smoked paprika, but I substituted garlic powder, sea salt and chili powder and was very happy with the result.

And for goodness sake’s, darlings – please do not make your guests wait for hours before dinner. Seriously. You don’t want everyone face planted in the mashed potatoes because they were busy quaffing wine/beer/Jagermeister without any sustenance. That would just make for an ugly Thanksgiving. And whatever you do, don’t let your guests drink and shoot rifles. Wait, are you from the country? No? You live in the city? Never mind what I just said. Lets just forget it.

How about that recipe?

My roasted chickpeas with chili powder, sea salt and garlic. Yum!

Roasted Chickpeas
adapted from Umami Girl

Ingredients
3 cups cooked chickpeas (from two 15-ounce cans is fine)
1 Tablespoon olive oil

EITHER:
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of fine sea salt
Zest of one lime, grated on a rasp
OR:
1/4 teaspoon ground smoked paprika (sweet or hot, I used sweet)
1/4 teaspoon ground Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. (Or, if you have a convection oven, preheat it to 300°F.) Pour chickpeas into a colander, discarding liquid, and rinse thoroughly. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels, and pour the chickpeas onto the baking sheet. Cover with additional paper towels and dry thoroughly. Discard paper towels.

Spread chickpeas evenly over the surface of the baking sheet. Roast on center rack, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are just the slightest bit soft in the center. This will probably take an hour to an hour and fifteen, but start testing at the 45 minute mark, since ovens vary substantially.

Remove baking sheet from the oven and toss the chickpeas thoroughly with the oil and either the soy sauce, lime juice, and salt or the paprikas and garlic salt. Roast 10 to 20 minutes more (on the longer side for the soy and lime variety), just until chickpeas are crisp all the way through, without any hint of softness. If you’re making the soy and lime variety, toss with lime zest. Serve warm or at room temperature. Keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Adam Sandler – Thanksgiving Song

How Many Extra Guests Are Coming?!

Patti — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:32:05 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

You are ready to go for Thanksgiving. Got your lists made, your table setting all inspired by Martha Stewart, stocked up on wine so you can tolerate your inlaws.

What else could you need?

Oh, criminy! Aunt Celia calls and tells you she is bringing 3 extra family members you have not seen in years – how will you seat them all?

Ta Dah! Meet Tablevogue! I am in love with this table covering – just grab a card table, a folding table or what-have-you, and voila! instant extra seating.

Now, I would show you my Tablevogue design, but I am using it at Thanksgiving, and turkey day has yet to arrive. But check out some of these clever ways some other fabulous hostesses used their Tablevogue.

I am wild for this one, from Hostess With The Mostess:

Isn't this fantastic? Love the personalization!

Designed to cover a 34″ card table and 6′ or 8′ folding tables (additional sizes in development), Tablevogue’s innovative, patented design takes folding tables from blah to brilliant!

Let’s see some more!

This one is so dreamy.

Taking a card table to fashion status.

And just think of all the stuff you can hide underneath your Tablevogue wrapped table. Extra dishes, dirty dishes (just kidding), and your mother in law (only kidding a little bit).

Tablevogue retails from $34.99 for a 34″ table to $59.00 for a 8′ table covering. Current colors are white and natural.

This thing has so many uses, that it might just be my new favorite thing!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to The Gap Band – You Dropped A Bomb On Me

What to Pair With That Holiday Dish?

Patti — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:33:57 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

Today, I am letting Chef Linnea Johansson take the wheel and give us some tips on holiday entertaining! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving tips, trends & more from chef, celeb-party planner
and all-around entertaining expert, Linnea Johansson

In an effort to balance out the heavy dishes served during traditional holiday dinners, Linnea has taken the best ingredients autumn has to offer and created delectable light-bites to pair alongside her seasonal cocktail creations.

Chef Linnea

Going with this, Linnea recommends these three pairings as great way to start off a long day of Thanksgiving feasting, her recipes for each dish and cocktail are also included (below).

Chevre with candied figs paired w/ a coconut & agave refresher
· Why this pairing works: The juices pair well with the sweetness of the fig and also work to mellow the out the richness and saltiness of the goat cheese. The cocktail also contains coconut water and agave nectar which are highly refreshing and work to cleanse your palette after the earthy flavors of this dish.

· Recipes:

Chevre with candied figs
3/4 pound chèvre or other goat cheese
4 fresh figs or 1/2 cup dried
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp of brown muscovado sugar or brown sugar

Preparation
1. Slice the chèvre log, and place on an oven pan. Cut the figs into rounds.

2. Pour the balsamic vinegar and sugar into a small pot, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer until the mixture is reduced and sticks to the back of a spoon.

3. If you are using dried figs, place them in the vinegar mixture and let them absorb some of the fluid while the mixture cools.

4. Heat the chèvre cheese slices quickly by using your oven’s broiler function for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese has slightly started to melt. Place the cheese on a serving plate, and top it with the candied figs and vinegar mixture. Serve warm.

Simplify:
You can replace muscavado sugar with brown sugar, honey, or regular sugar. Always taste the mixture since the different sugars have different sweetness, and you might have to add more.
For a challenge:
With their peppery honey flavor, Black Mission figs are the best money can buy. Fresh Black Mission figs are only available a few weeks out of the year, so if you happen to come across some, make compotes and freeze for later use.
Muscovado sugar:
The sugar is available in light and dark flavors, and is a raw sugar made from sugar canes. Compared with regular refined sugar, it is less processed and high in mineral content. The darker sugar has a liquorish flavor, and the lighter version has a toffee flavor.

Coconut & agave refresher cocktail

2 oz Russian Standard vodka
2 oz Coconut Water
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
8 Grapes

Preparation
Muddle the grapes with the agave syrup.
Add the lemon juice, Russian Standard Vodka.
Add coconut water to a shaker and shake all with ice.
Strain into a highball glass and serve.

Kale, mushroom, hazelnut & cranberry salad paired w/ a sparkling cranberry Bellini
· Why this pairing works: The cranberry bellini picks up the more subtle flavors presented in the salad. Linnea explains that a sparking cocktail like this would be an ideal accompaniment for the dish over a more spirit heavy drink because generally, salads are too light for those types of cocktails.

· Recipes:

Kale, mushroom, hazelnut & cranberry salad
1 head of kale
1 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 cup hard cheese, such as parmesan, cut into chunks
2 cups of mushrooms
2 tbsp of olive oil

Dressing:
Juice from 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp of olive oil
Salt/black pepper to taste
Handful of dried cranberries

Preparation
1. On the stove bring a large pot of water to boil with 2 tbsp of salt in the water. Chop the head of kale into thin slices and wash well in a colander. Once the water is boiling, add the kale and let it boil for 2 minutes. Pour into the colander and cool with ice cold water, let dry. Add into a large salad bowl.

2. Chop the hazelnuts roughly, and roast in a pan over the stove on medium heat till golden about 5 minutes. Ad to the salad bowl.

3. In the pan, add the 2 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for about 7 minutes over medium heat till golden, salt and pepper lightly to taste. Ad to the salad bowl.

4. Mix the lemon juice and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad and finish with the parmesan chunks.

Thanksgiving Bellini
1 oz Russian standard vodka
3 tables fresh cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries inside)
Sparkling Wine or prosecco (on the dry side)

Preparation
In a shaker, combine the cranberry sauce and russian standard vodka. Shake well till the cranberry sauce is completely dissolved.

Pour with cranberry’s into a champagne flute, and fill up with sparkling wine and let the cranberry’s float as decor.

Truffle and parmesan infused popcorn paired w/ a rosemary martini

· Why this pairing works: The rosemary complements the truffle and parmesan ingredients of the popcorn; the flavor of the pepper comes alive and contrasts the sweetness of the ginger beer component of the cocktail.

· Recipes:

Black Truffle & Parmesan Popcorn
1/2 stick of butter
2 tblsp of truffle oil
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Preparation
Melt the butter and the truffle oil over low heat or in the microwave. Take of the heat. Drip over popcorn and then ad the parmesan cheese.

Rosemary Moscow Mule
2 oz Russian Standard Vodka
4 oz Ginger Beer
1 oz Rosemary Syrup
Fresh Lime
Rosemary as garnish

Preparation
Build in Collins glass and add thyme & fresh squeezed lime; stir, add ice, stir again

Some more advice on pairing cocktails & food from Linnea:

Why should you pair cocktails with food on Thanksgiving?
· Alcohol helps aid with the digestion of foods, and in many, countries they actually have schnapps (a little shot) to drink with a heavy meal.

· Food paired with different cocktails also will give your guest a unique & flavorful experience they are sure to enjoy!

Her general tips & ways to go about pairing food with cocktails:· Things from the same region naturally go very well together, i.e. if you are looking for a great wine to go with you Argentinean dinner, the answer is almost always Argentinean wine! Same rule applies for cocktail pairing… so, for an all -American meal like a traditional thanksgiving dinner, make sure to use regional ingredients such as apple, cranberry, oranges in the cocktails you make to go along side the meals.

The two ways to go about pairing according to Linnea
1. The first is to match a flavor in the dish (as suggested with pairing the kale salad and cranberry Bellini, above) …

o Keep in mind not to pick up the main flavor of a dish; for example, pumpkin soup paired with a pumpkin cocktail would be too much.

o So you should rather pick up a smaller flavor and make it come alive with the cocktail, so for pumpkin soup, think about a nutmeg infused cocktail instead to pair, this would work lovely as the cocktail would bring alive the more subtle flavors of the soup.

2. The other is to balance flavors…

o In other words if you are serving something rather spicy, pair with something with something sweet or even, slightly a bitter cocktail (like the above cocktail Linnea suggested to pair with dessert).

Thanks, Chef Linnea!

Now, you’ve got some great ideas! Go forth and entertain!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough

Name That Thing – Answer

Patti — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:24:13 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

Did you name that thing last week?

What are these?

Of course, these are pie birds! You guessed, didn’t you?

Here’s a detailed account of our sweet friends, via Wikipedia:

A pie bird, pie vent, pie whistle, pie funnel, or pie chimney is a hollow ceramic device, traditionally from Europe and shaped like a bird. Pie birds are steam vents that have been placed in the center of fruit and meat pies during cooking since Victorian times.

Pie funnels were used in baking pies and prevent the pie from boiling over in the oven by allowing the steam created when the fruit filling or other contents are cooking to escape from inside the pie. They also supported the pastry crust in the center of the pie, so that it did not sag in the middle, and are hence also known as “crustholders”. Older ovens had more problems with uniform heating, and the pie bird prevented boilover in pie cooking.

Here’s what they look like inside a pie.

So cute!

If you are anything like me, you might be hungry for a piece of pie right now. How about a recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner?

Apple Streusel Pie
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 ounces butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans

9 apples – peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 recipes unbaked pie shells

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

Prepare the topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour and chopped pecans. Cut in all ingredients with pastry cutter until pea-sized. Set aside.

Combine the apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Toss gently together and set aside.

Place apple mixture in unbaked pie shells. Heap the apples up high in each shell and fill completely. Sprinkle topping on top of each.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Do not allow topping to get too dark.

Apple Streusel Pie

Isn’t that a nice way to start the week? Have a great one!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Don McLean – American Pie

Feeling Chicken Liver Pate

Patti — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:40:00 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

Ok, I have mooned over the table settings for Thanksgiving, so let’s discuss what’s going on the table after we’ve made it very pretty.

Bestie John, Eric and I are always up for trying something new. This year, I want to tackle chicken liver pate. It’s one of my favorites, but I’ve never attempted to make it. Well, I did get around to buying chicken livers one time, but never used them. This year will be different!

I found this recipe – anyone out there have a chicken liver pate recipe they are particularly fond of? I would love to hear from you!

Mmmm, looks like a winner!

Chicken Liver Pate
From Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/4 pound chicken livers, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/3 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Directions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion and chicken livers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer approximately 10 minutes, until chicken livers are tender and no longer pink.

Place chicken liver mixture in a blender with dry sherry, cream cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Arrested Development – Chicken Dance

More Turkey Day Table Decor!

Patti — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:27:08 +0000

Good Morning Darlings!

I am jonesing to set the table for Thanksgiving. I know, I know, we are three weeks out, but I can envision, can’t I?

I adore this gorgeous table from Elle. Not sure if I feel ambitious enough to paint a bunch of pumpkins, but I might!

Super glam, yes?

This simple idea caught my eye. Easy on the eyes and the budget.

I love the golden tones.

How adorable is this for the kids’ table?

So cute!

This is way hipster cool, don’t you think?

Stark, black and bleak. But I like it!

And for my fashionista friends – isn’t this the most?

Totally gorgeous.

How about tomorrow we talk about what’s cooking?

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Sam & Dave – I Thank You