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RECIPES

BOSTON, ENTERTAINING, RECIPES

Easy Entertaining: The Cocktail Club

Bloody Mary Cocktail Club Event

With new roommates come new traditions.  Instead of hosting a typical dinner party each month, my new roommate and her friends take turns hosting “The Cocktail Club.”  Created as a way to taste and learn how to make classic cocktails outside of a bar, the monthly host selects a signature drink and pairs it with a suitable entree.

Last month’s cocktail club was inspired by brunch.  A Bloody Mary bar allowed guests to learn how to mix their own drinks as spicy or mild as they desired.  Only half of the guests had tried a Bloody Mary before, making it a great opportunity to expand their mixologist skill set.

Ellie Krieger's Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake

The dish of the night was Ellie Krieger’s Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake.  Perfect for busy professionals, the recipe must be prepared the night before and can be popped into the oven as guests arrive.  In contrast to the spicy Bloody Mary, the french toast bake was sweet, yet filling.  To round out the meal, serve fresh fruit and a veggie platter for guests to nosh on in advance of the main entree.  To view the recipe from the Food Network’s website, click here.

RECIPES

Something Sweet: Mini Tiramisu Cupcakes

Mini Tiramisu Cupcakes

I recently made these for a friend’s birthday and earned rave reviews.  Though more time consuming than your average cupcake, the delicious flavor makes it worthwhile!  The recipe as written will generate approximately 40 mini cupcakes.

 

Ingredients:

1 package of french vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients needed to bake the cake (e.g. eggs, oil or butter)

Espresso

Confectioners’ sugar

Kahlua

2 (8oz.) Containers mascarpone cheese – I used coffee flavored

1 (8oz.) Container lite cool whip

2 Squares dark chocolate (60-70%)

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Ground cinnamon

Mascarpone Layer

Mascarpone Layer (can be made the night before): Mix cool whip, both containers of mascarpone cheese, 3 tbsp. kahlua, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 square of finely grated dark chocolate.  Stir until blended thoroughly.  Store in refrigerator until needed.

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare cake mix as directed.  Stir in one tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.  Pour cake batter into a pyrex measuring cup and fill mini foil muffin/cupcake wrappers 3/4 of the way up.  It’s important to use the foil ones because they will hold any excess liquid from the espresso/kahlua mix later.  Try to bake between 12-15 cupcakes at a time for 20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean in the center.

Allow Cupcakes to Cool Completely

Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

Espresso: Prepare espresso – you’ll want around 1/2 a cup brewed.  Once finished, pour into a small bowl and add 2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar and 2 tsp. kahlua to taste.  Allow to cool completely.

Coring Out the Cupcakes: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use a paring knife to cut a dime-sized hole in the center of the cupcake.  Do not cut all the way through to the bottom of the cupcake.

Coring Out the Cupcake

Soaking the Cupcakes: Pour 1/4 tsp. espresso mix into bottom of each hole.  Once through all of the cupcakes, add another two or three 1/4 tsps. to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the hole.  I found it easier to coat if you pick up and turn the cupcake.  Allow to sit for dry to 30 minutes.

Frosting: Using a pasty bag, or this easy decorating squeeze containers from Crate & Barrel (click here), first fill the cupcake hole and decorate the top of the cupcake.  Top with additional finely grated dark chocolate shavings.

Store in refrigerator until serving time.  Enjoy!

For more of my recipes, click here.

BOSTON, EVENTS, FASHION

May 15-16: SoWa Open Market Returns to the South End

SoWa Open Market by New England Open Markets From Flickr

It’s baaack!  The SoWa Open Market is kicking off its seventh annual “season” in  Boston’s South End on Saturday-Sunday, May 15 and 16.  This weekend, more than 140 vendors, including clothing and accessories designers, photographers, artists, local farmers and bakers will descend on 460 Harrison Street to sell their wares under bright white tents in an open air market setting.

In addition to the outdoor market, there’s also a specialty SoWa Vintage Market, located in the former brick warehouse behind the market.  After this weekend, both markets will be open every Sunday through October 30 – excluding Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day weekends.  The event is free to attend and there’s free parking available in the lot adjacent to the market.

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Spicy Turkey-Mango Wrap

Spicy Turkey-Mango Wrap

Simple, yet flavorful this wrap can be prepared in a flash.  Start by spreading a thin layer of hummus on an 8-inch whole wheat wrap.  Next, add two or three slices of oven roasted turkey (chicken also works well).  Top with a handful of spinach and 1/4 cup of sliced mango.  Add a few dashes of hot sauce and voilà – a quick meal or snack.  For a heartier meal, serve with a side salad, veggies and dip, or yogurt.

Grocery List: Hummus, Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (lunchmeat or shredded), Whole Wheat Wraps, Spinach, Mango, Hot Sauce

For more of my recipes, click here.

RECIPES

Friday Night Dinner Party: Rosemary-Mint Lamb, Cous Cous, Spiced Goat Cheese and Moroccan Squash Saute

While hosting a dinner party on a Friday night may seem daunting, it’s actually quite easy if you seek out simple, yet flavorful recipes. I often encounter hosts that try to do too much for a dinner party – overly complicated dishes, too much food, etc. Try to stick with a theme and you too can effortlessly transition from the work week to a cozy dinner party for ten.

Inspired by a friend who wanted to prepare a cous cous dish, this Friday night dinner party included  a rosemary-mint lamb stir fry, spiced goat cheese with pita chips and a roasted squash saute with adzuki beans and raisins.

 

Friday Night Dinner Party by Jessica Gioglio

Rosemary and Mint Lamb Stir Fry

Flavorful with a spicy kick, this lamb entree brings together rosemary, mint and fresh veggies in a quick and easy dish. Marinate the lamb in the fridge all day and feel free to swap veggies as needed – my roommate used extra mushrooms and snap peas in lieu of spinach and green beans. She also added salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice into the mix. Visit WholeFoodsMarket.com for an incredible selection of recipes, including this one here.

Moroccan Spiced Goat Cheese

Dressing up goat cheese with a custom blend of spices was so simple and gained us bonus points with our guests for creativity. Too bad we can’t take full credit, as Whole Foods also provided the recipe for this dish. I purchased the largest goat cheese log that I could find (approx. $7) and our party of ten devoured it. Serve with Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips. Please click here to view the recipe.

Roasted Squash Satue with Adzuki Beans and Raisins

Packed with nutritious vegetables and beans, this recipe also couldn’t be easier. Roast bite-sized pieces of butternut squash with olive oil, sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic, ground ginger, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and ground coriander at 400 degrees for between 15-20 minutes. When the squash is nearly done, saute bite-sized pieces of zucchini and summer squash, olive oil and the spices listed above on the stovetop for a few minutes until tender. Serve in a bowl with one can of adzuki beans and raisins. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Cous Cous

Though cous cous by itself can be boring, adding simple ingredients like feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, chives and fresh parsley packs a lot of flavor. This is certainly a Greek version of cous cous, but it went wonderfully with the food we prepared. Serve with a lemon olive oil dressing. For a Moroccan version, try dates, apricots, almonds and chickpeas.

Dessert – Sorbet with Clementines and Pomegranate Seeds

For dessert, my roommate created a visually stunning, tasty combination of mango-tangerine sorbet, raspberry sorbet, clementine segments and pomegranate seeds. For the chocoholics – myself included – dark chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joe’s were served. It was a light, refreshing way to end the meal.

For more of my recipes, click here.