I can't believe a whole year has almost passed with only a single post!  We have done just as much entertaining, if not more this year.  I have just been remised in taking photos.  Even though it's December, I wanted to share some pictures and a super easy recipe from a "Girls Night-In Going Away Party" that I hosted for one of my friends this past summer. 

First, I love how my ice cubes turned out!  I used my 2.5 inch round whiskey ice cube molds and inserted roses from my miniature rose bush and put them in the freezer.  They made such a pretty presentation! But now to the recipe...

Caprese Bites

Phyllo cup

Sliced grape tomatoes

Mozzarella balls

Basil (julienned) to garnish

Balsamic Vinegar glaze drizzled

MY TIP:

Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar can be used in place of store bought glazed by simmering it on the stove until it becomes thick enough to drizzle.

Cranberry/Cashew Salad

This is a perfect fall salad.  I love the combination of  flavors of the sweet dried cranberries with and the crunchy nuts in this easy to throw together salad.  I made this recently for a luncheon with friends.

 Pear Salad

•  10 oz. mixed Spring Greens
•   3 pears
•   1 cup dried cranberries
•   2 cups cashew 
•   1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese

Homemade vinaigrette

MY TIP:  Any dried fruit or nut can be used in this recipe.

Chocolate Mousse

I love an easy recipe and this one only has 2 ingredients!  There is no egg or gelatin like most mousse recipes, just heavy cream and chocolate.  This mousse is definitely lighter in texture, but has the same great creamy taste as your classic French mousse.  This can also be made 2 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator or frozen for up to a month.  I made this for a luncheon in March and will put this dessert on repeat for my annual Spring Luncheon in April.  I used mini shot glasses, tied a ribbon around a mini spoon, added a raspberry and chocolate garnish for presentation.

INGREDIENTS: 

4 ounces chocolate
1 1/2  cup heavy whipping cream
Microwave 1/2 cup heavy cream for 50 second
In a double boiler melt chocolate
Once melted add warm cream and mix until combined
Remove from heat and let chocolate cool slightly
In a chilled bowl, beat remaining heavy cream until medium peaks form
One tablespoon at a time gently fold in chocolate 
Pipe into cups. 
Add desired garnish.
Refrigerate until serving

MY TIP:  I put my bowl and mixing beaters in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.

MY OTHER TIP:  By varying the chocolates and cream ratio,  you can also make ganache (1 to 1 ratio) or mirror glaze (2 to 1 ratio).

Charcuterie Cones

 

I made these for friends after an evening of bike riding.  We are preparing for a 20 mile ride next week on the Kal/Haven trail . With Covid still an issue, individual servings of food for entertaining has become the norm.  I made the cones out of scrapbook paper, then I add the following:

peanuts

pretzel rod

cracker

cheese

dried cured salami (Columbus)

grapes

blueberries

raspberries

black olives

pickle

and a sprig of thyme for garnish

MY TIP:  Make sure all fruit is thoroughly dry.

MY OTHER TIP:  Fill with a nuts so your skewers have a base to sit

Be safe!

Even the lions who "protect" the Art Institute in Chicago are a good reminder to wear masks.  Stay safe and be smart!

Covid-19

We were in Madrid, Spain middle of January to the first week of February visiting our daughter who moved there last year.  When we watched the news, there was brief talk about the coronavirus, mainly that it started in Wuhan, China and possibly from bats or pangolines (an animal whose scales are used in ancient medicines). The news was not alarming and it seemed to not be a big story. We learned that there was only one case in Spain in the Canary Islands. It didn't become real until we were at the Madrid airport and saw large groups of Asian travelers wearing masks and 2000 additional cases were reported in one day in China. I still naively thought that this was going to be contained to China.  I was very wrong, as Italy and then Spain quickly becoming an epicenter.  We were fortunately that our daughter returned back to the States before things escalated.  And now, just a few short weeks later, New York is now the epicenter and no state in our country has been spared.  This seems so surreal.

Chocolate Covered Oreos

                                                                           .

I made these chocolate covered oreos for two holiday get togethers that we attended last month.  These were super easy to make and looked really pretty.  I also liked that these could be make in advance.


Recipe:
 
Melt 1 pound chocolate in a double boiler
Spoon 1 tablespoon chocolate in the bottom of an oreo candy mold
Press oreo cookie gently into the mold (16 total)
Spoon chocolate on top to cover the cookie
Tap the mold gently to remove any air bubbles and to smooth out the chocolate 
Refrigerate until firm 

Makes 16     T                                                                                                                 

MY TIP:  These were very, very rich.  The next time I make these I will use just enough chocolate on the top to cover the cookie.