Tablescape...on a budget!

A few weeks ago, the family gathered at my home to have dinner. In the summer, we get together at least once a week, but around the Holidays, it always seems to be a bit more difficult. Getting together with family and friends is the best way to spend a weekend or weekday evening! Since we have lived in our house full-time for a little under a year, we are still working on collecting items to serve with, eat with, etc. I had to go out a purchase a few items (all within a strict budget) and here is the result...





The napkins were purchased from Pottery Barn (red, and on sale) and Target (white). I didn't have napkin rings, so I took some twine and tied it in a bow around the napkins. The table runner was from Pottery Barn (also on sale). And the votives were all purchased from Nell Hill's. The smaller gold and silver votives were $1 a piece and they are gorgeous! The bigger candleholder in the middle was about $4 and works great outside, too! (See below)


For an appetizer we served Baked Brie from Jenny Steffens. Very yummy, I needed to let mine cook for a little bit longer, but still quite tasty!!

For dinner, my sister made a fried goat cheese salad, and I made a beef tenderloin (courtesy of Jenny Steffens), and mashed potatoes.



We also had brownie ala mode for dessert, but no pictures of that (it was too tasty!).

Moral of the Story: Always keep your eyes open for sale items (especially after the Holidays!)

XOXO

Sunday Morning Delight

I think the perfect way to start off a relaxing Sunday is to sleep in and cook a delicious brunch which is exactly what I did on this beautiful morning. Cooking breakfast is a great way to slowly start your day and cook without creating too much of a fuss. For all of those who are intimidated by cooking and aren't quite sure about how to get started I would highly recommend starting with breakfast. Simple breakfast meals can teach you (in an un-intimidating way) the basics of how to prepare a meal. Below are a few tips on how to make a delectable plate of french toast and for some tips on cooking eggs go here.

- Choose your bread wisely. This morning I used sliced ciabatta bread but some other options are challah bread, sourdough baquette or (my personal favorite) Wheatfield's walnut raisin.

- Coat the pan in butter. Yes this adds a few extra calories, but the added flavor is definitely worth it.

- Season your egg mixture. I haven't experimented much with different flavor profiles but my favorite is to pour in a little milk, add a touch of vanilla extract, sprinkle in a generous amount of cinnamon and add a dash of salt.

- Add in extra flavor when plating. Before serving I add a layer of homemade jelly in between each piece, drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with crushed pecans. The extra flavors and textures add an extra kick to each bite.

Enjoy your next Sunday brunch!

Eat, Eat and More Eat

Recently I think I have come to the conclusion that I have a favorite meal and above are the images of it. While vacationing in Vail, Colorado my family and I put together this feast for a movie-night in. All of the ingredients were bought at one of our favorite spots, EatDrink! Our dinner consisted of cheese (served with almonds, pistachios, dried fruits and candied ginger), bread, bruschetta, paninis and a simple arugula salad (drizzled with olive oil and salt). This dinner, along with a bottle of wine, makes for a perfect meal to enjoy any time of the year and goes great with a good movie.

We made two bruschetta's and one type of panini for the evening and below are the ingredients we used. This meal can be tailored to anyone's palette and is best when prepared with fresh ingredients. Bon Appetit!

Bruschetta 1:
- Ricotta cheese
- Fig jam
- Prosciutto
- Crushed pistachios

Bruschetta 2:
- Ricotta cheese
- Honey
- Pine nuts

Panini:
- Mozzarella
- Prosciutto
- Pesto
- Fresh sun-dried tomatoes
-

Mother/Daughter Bridal Dinner

(From Grandma's Garden :)

This past weekend my mom, my sister (who was in town) and I hosted an intimate mother/daughter bridal dinner. We chose to dine in so we could have more quality time with old friends. We spent time together relaxing, catching up, telling stories and laughing. Our dinner was a great reminder of how simple and fun a night of dining-in can be!

The night began with drinking delicious Pomegranate Margaritas.

1 part Tequila, 1 part Roses Lime, ½ Triple Sec and ½ Pomegranate Juice (we use POM Wonderful juice, yummy!) . Garnish with a lime.

We Snacked on Guacamole served w/ Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips from Whole Foods. (perfect compliment to the Pom Margs)

5 chopped avocados, 1 squeezed lemon, S&P and a TBL of Mrs. Renfro’s Jalapeno Green Salsa.

It was a beautiful evening to be outside so we grilled Rib eye steak and mixed veggies (marinated w/ olive oil and S&P.)

The salad cooled everyone’s palette with its refreshing flavor.

Red leaf and green leaf lettuce, toasted almonds, avocados, green onions, grape tomatoes and blue cheese - dressed with a mix of a champaign vinaigrette and a red wine vinaigrette.

Any plans for this weekend? Why don't you invite some of your best friends over and stay in!

Wednesday Night Delight

Last night turned into a beautiful summer evening and I was lucky enough to spend it cooking and dining on my back patio. The menu for the night was spaghetti with pinot grigio and seafood, a green salad, baquette (served with butter sprinkled with sea salt) and a delicious desert of frozen yogurt with berries.

The table was set with bright napkins from Williams Sonoma, whimsical bug napkin rings, wicker place mats and simple glassware and cutlery. The meal was very easy but very tasty and the recipe can be found here. After cooking this for the first time last night a few suggestions that I would like to include would be to add red pepper flakes, put the clams in first (they needed a little more time to cook) and grate lemon zest and parmesan over the pasta once it has been served. This recipe was very light but highlighted the seafood wonderfully and to pair with it we prepared a simple green salad tossed in a green vinaigrette from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris (the recipe is below). For desert we tossed a mix of berries with Splenda then left it in the fridge while we cooked and ate dinner. After the dishes were cleaned up we served the berries over TCBY's white chocolate mousse frozen yogurt. It was a delicious and light way to end a perfect summer meal. I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did!

Green Salad Vinaigrette (serves salad for 6-8)

- 3 tblsp champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

- 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic

- 1 extra large egg yolk at room temperature

- 3/4 tsp kosher salt (I would recommend using only 1/4 to 1/3 tsp.)

- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

- 1/2 cup good olive oil (extra virgin)

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, salt and pepper. While whisking slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified

Caprese

This is a delicious, easy salad to make. You can make it as an appetizer, salad or as a side dish. This evening, we made it as a side dish to accompany our dinner.

Dressing: (Best to make it early and let it sit for a couple hours)

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp. dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

S & P

Mix all ingredients together. Blend. (You can alter the recipe to match your taste i.e. less vinegar, more garlic, etc).

Salad:

2 vine-ripe tomatoes

8 oz. fresh mozzarella

5 basil leaves

Thinly slice the tomatoes and mozzarella and layer on a serving platter (or on a plate in this instance).

Chiffonade the basil (Roll the basil leaves and thinly slice). Sprinkle the basil over the tomato and mozzarella.
Lightly drizzle the dressing over the salad.
Finished product: we served our caprese salad with twice-baked potatoes and a grilled pork chop.

Bon Appetit!

The Incredible Edible Egg

For lunch today I cooked myself a very simple meal of toast and eggs and as I was cooking I thought of the sentiment, 'If you can cook an egg then you can cook.' For all of you who think you can't cook and want to try out eggs as your first cooked meal here a few tips for eggs and toast:

- Always use fresh (organic if possible) ingredients. For this meal the eggs are organic brown eggs from The Merc, the jam is homemade from the Minturn Market in Minturn, Colorado and the toast is fresh-baked from Wheatfields.

- As you are beating your eggs and preparing your ingredients put your pan on the stove (medium heat) to heat up the pan before you pour in the eggs.

- Add a little milk, pepper, and Lawry's season salt into the egg mix before you pour into the pan.

- Always add a bit of your favorite cheese to the eggs as they are cooking to add some extra flavor and texture.

- Most importantly, don't overcook the eggs. Once they are no longer juicy in the pan they should be done, you never want 'golden brown' eggs.


I hope these tips are helpful, enjoy your eggs and toast!

First Supper

Our first meal together as a dinner club. Details and recipes will be coming soon!