This past weekend was my birthday and there were no shortages of celebrations. Friday night was The Cafe at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Sunday night was pizza and beer on the porch, but Saturday was most special. My sweet bestie, John, cooked a fabulous meal for 12 of us – at my house, so I never had to leave. The party just came to me. Yay!
John decided on a La Dolce Vita theme, with all Italian cuisine. It was divine. The planning started weeks in advance, with John allowing me final say on the menu. I felt so pampered. The menu was as follows:
Aperitivo
Savory Caramelized Onion Cheese Cake with Apricot Glaze
Assorted Crackers
Red Grapes
Green Grapes
Pan Seared Polenta with
Creme Fraiche
Chives
Antipasti
Pesto Insalata with Three Cheese Tortillini
Piatto Principale
Lasagne with Baby Spinach and Portobello Mushrooms
Love love love is in the air. Jay and Valerie will be tripping up the altar in September, but beating them to the vows will be Byron and Michelle in April. Our delightful friends Stephanie & Reeves threw the most lovely party for our betrothed friends last weekend in their comfy, cozy home in our neighborhood. They even keep chickens – remember the eggs from the morning after Valentine’s Day? Their home is filled with cuddly furniture and whimsical treats – like the painting of Rod Stewart dressed as a Storm Trooper, or the wig on the horse mask which would become the center of the party later in the evening.
The sweet guests of honor
Stephanie went all out – there were boodles of shrimp, tons of brownies, yummy spinach dip and tasty bruschetta. Delicious!
Stephanie knows what she is doing!
Perfect strawberries for dipping.
The weather was terrific, too, so we were able to enjoy part of the evening on the deck, viewing the chickens and checking out their fab view of the Atlanta skyline.
Hope you all had a fine Valentine’s Day – no matter who you spent it with. Ours was swell. Lets recap the menu:
Crab Cakes
Creamy Pasta
Fresh Green Salad
Lemon Souffle
It was all so good. The souffle was delicious, but needs some work. I thought it was pretty good for a first try. An oven thermometer would probably help to make sure it’s calibrated correctly.
Some photos?
Crab Cakes and Creamy Pasta
Eric whipped up the cream sauce with the most spectacular oregano and gorgeous Greek olive oil by Frixa, that was just sent by lovely Miss Leigh in St. Simons Island. The Chryssaidis family owns a restaurant, Athena, in St. Augustine, where they go through 20 liters of this elixir each day. Can you imagine? And you can buy both the olive oil and oregano online. Yum.
The sauce goes like this (thanks, Honey!): Melt 2 tbsp butter and add 2 tsp Frixa oregano, infuse with low heat while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is al dente, strain and quickly beat together 2 eggs, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup parmesan with a little pasta water. Dress the pasta in the sauce and drizzle with the butter to serve. (cooks note: boom done).
Eric’s crab cakes were essentially crab, a bit of mayo to bind and panko for coating. Perfect.
I dressed the table with three large pillar candles, red beaded placemats from Mexico, silver napkin holders, hammered silver flatware and red champagne flutes. Although I believe I forgot to shoot the table because I was so excited about dinner. Sorry, Darlings.
Here’s a peek at the souffle.
Fresh from the oven and dusted with powdered sugar.
To our plates.
And into our bellies! Nom nom nom. And having an excuse to practice my souffle skills is a delicious reason for dessert, yes?
But, Eric and I both agreed, the really special treat came this morning inside the delicate confines of four very fresh eggs, gifted to us by our oh-so-sweet friends Stephanie and Reeves, who raise chickens just a few blocks away from us. They taste nothing like what you buy from the grocery store. No, these are much more piquant, with a richness that betrays its supermarket brethren, and puts them to shame. And look, Stephanie puts the date each one, so you know exactly what day it was gathered.
Gathered 2 days ago! And more cooking in the background. In Beka!
We didn’t say too much during breakfast – we were too busy trying to savor every bite of those pristine eggs. Thanks Stephanie and Reeves!
Aren't they lovely?
Oh, and my Sweeties – I am giving away two tickets for The Wedding Experience tomorrow. You just need to comment here on this blog post. You don’t have to be a bride, you might have a friend who is getting married and could benefit from this – so get your comments in!
xoxo, Patti
Welp, today’s the day. The day we make those who are so special to us feel even more special. This does not mean you have to have a significant other – or more specifically, it means that a significant other can mean lots of different things.
It could be your best friend, your child, your dog. Doesn’t matter. Just give someone you love a big hug and enjoy the day together. And tonight, cook up something special.
Eric and I love to cook together and it’s a rare occasion on a weeknight. But tonight at our house it will be crab cakes and pasta with cream sauce, fresh green salad and lemon souffle for dessert. Crab cakes are one of those fab dishes that are super easy and impress everyone. Just add bubbly! Here is a great recipe from Miss Paula Deen, who knows what we southerners like. I would omit the bell peppers, but that’s just me. And I would let the cakes rest in the fridge before I dipped them in flour and fried them, just to make sure they keep their shape. And one more note: I like buying big king crab legs instead of the canned crab. This way I know where the meat came from and there is less chance of shells. You just cut them up the middle and pull out the crab meat. Easy peasy.
Paula Deen's Crab Cakes, Courtesy of Food Network.com
Ingredients
1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)
3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
Flour, for dusting
1/2 cup peanut oil
Favorite dipping sauce, for serving
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.
Don’t they sound good? See? Now go impress your loved ones. And don’t bother baking – let your neighborhood bakery do the work.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Ella Fitzgerald – That Old Black Magic
Ok, I’m all refreshed after taking the day after Super Bowl to tidy up and plan what I am going to do with the leftovers. I thought you might enjoy seeing how we celebrated. Join our party!
Since Shane’s cake turned out so well, I thought I would go for it for Kerry and Ryan’s birthday dinner on Friday night. Oh, it was so good!
We kept this a small affair – only five of us. Arancini started the night right. If you have never had these, they are risotto balls stuffed with cheese and fried. Oh my golly. And I won’t lie, I bought these beauties at Trader Joe’s – less cooking for me! Yay!
They’re bigger in person. Anyhoo, the menu was rack of lamb, pesto mashed potatoes and a veggie medley. That veggie medley also came from Trader Joe’s, but it was not so tasty, so lets not mention it again, shall we?
Last week my good friend and neighbor, Shane, celebrated a landmark birthday. Yes, he is now 21……
And of course, all the neighbors were there to toast him. We love a good party, you know. So Shane ordered up some pizza, we brought wine and beer and showed up. We are always good for bringing the adult beverages. We’re good like that.
With my buddy Shane.
I even made a cake. Now, I know what you’re thinking…really? After two misfires? Yes, really. And it turned out well. Looks like my cake mojo is back! Although I have a beef with one Miss Betty Crocker. I picked up the cake decorating tube in a nice yellow only to get it home and read that I need a Betty Crocker frosting tip to use with it. What? Really Betty Crocker? I think not. So I wrote it out freehand, sans the silly little cake tip I was told I needed. It was legible. That’s all I will say.
Not so bad.
Shane seemed happy enough with it.
And so we gathered and ate pizza and cake, washed down by wine and beer. A good time was had by all.
Lovely photo of Valerie and Shane....
...photobombed by Justin. lol
Tracy and Crystal
Jay and Rick
The guys enjoy a slice.
Humphrey was so good all night!
It was another great night in the neighborhood. Happy Birthday, Shane!
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to the Paul Weston Orchestra – The Theme From Shane
The nice folks from Beater Blade sent me this fab new bowl to try for mixing.
They sent me the sassy red model – to match the ribbons on my kitchen curtains. Red makes everything feel happier!
So, how does it work? Its curved sides keep batter (or icing, or meringue – you get the idea) from flying all over your just-cleaned kitchen. Remember Uncle Matt making birthday cupcakes for Eric’s birthday in the mountains? This could have been avoided if he had the Mixer Mate. Although we did get a great laugh out of the chocolate covered kitchen.
It takes just a smidge of getting used to. I had to find the right configuration for my mixer. But that could just because I am left-handed and everything seems a little backwards to me. But once you get the hang of it, you will be hooked. It even has grippy material underneath the handles for easy gripping and sides with spouts for simple pouring. Oh, I just love it.
And I have been giving it a workout lately. I made a cake yesterday for sweet Shane’s birthday last night and another cake today for dear friend Kerry’s birthday – lemon curd layer cake with a fluffy 7 minute frosting. Mmmmm. I will post photos and details from both parties next week. Today I am grappling with a bit of a head cold. And it’s Friday? Why not get a cold on Monday so I could be better for the weekend? Ah, it’s okay. I needed to slow down, lay on the couch, read and cuddle the dogs anyway.
You would think that after my fiasco of trying to bake two failed cakes for Holly’s birthday that I might just give up. Oh no. I have not learned my lesson yet. Plus, I am hosting a tiny dinner party for my beloved friend Kerry (check out his gorgeous new website here) on Friday night for his belated birthday.
I needed something sassy, sweet and chic, just like Kerry. Lemon layer cake seems to fit the bill. America’s Test Kitchen made it and if they can do it, I should be able to as well, yes? Isn’t it pretty?
Photo courtesy of America's Test Kitchen
Stay tuned. And please cross your fingers for me and say a little prayer to the kitchen goddesses that I can get this one right.
xoxo, Patti
Today blogging to Average White Band – Pick Up The Pieces
You know, I was thinking about you and how I listed all those yummies Eric and I made for Holly’s birthday Sunday night with nary a recipe for you. I’m sorry, that was mean. Let me fix that today with the recipe for the Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Tarts.
They are very similar to the tarts I buy at Trader Joes for $6.99 for 12, but tastier and far less expensive.
