My Semi-Homemade New Year's Eve Party

If you, like me, are addicted to the Food Network then you have no doubt at one point or another come across the show Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. I have to say that she drives me crazy with her "No one will ever know it's semi-homemade" and her outfits which are somehow color coordinated to her set decorations and table decorations which somehow magically change with EVERY episode. Who has the time (or money for that matter) to do that for every party they throw? In spite of my frustration with her show, however, I couldn't help but think of her when I designed my New Year's Eve party menu this year because everything I made involved at least one pre-packaged item. And although she annoys me, I have to give credit where credit is due - it sure did make my party prep a whole lot easier.


First and foremost, the cocktails - I wanted to make a champagne cocktail in honor of New Year's and I found a bottle of Creme de Cassis in my liquor cabinet, so I decided to go with the Kir Royale, which simply consists of one glass of champagne and a tsp (or more to taste) of Creme de Cassis. Super easy yet elegant looking, so right up my alley.

For my first appetizer, I decided to go with smoked salmon toasts, and just like the cocktails, these really couldn't be easier to put together. I picked up some store bought smoked salmon, pictured here:

then assembled these toasts:

using the following recipe:

Smoked Salmon Toasts

one baguette
one 4 oz package smoked salmon
sour cream
chopped chives (you could also substitute fresh dill for the chives)

Cut baguette into slices. Broil at 500 F for approx 5 minutes (until toasted but not burnt). Spread each slice of toast with about 1 tsp of sour cream. Top with one slice of smoked salmon and sprinkle chopped chives on top.

For my vegan guests, I made a variation on another Food Network star's recipe, Giada de Laurentiis' Polenta Squares with Mushroom Ragu. Instead of making the polenta from scratch (as Giada's recipe suggests), I purchased store bought, ready to serve polenta:

which I then cut into rounds and broiled for about 5 minutes at 500 F. I then followed her mushroom ragu recipe, but substituted portabello mushrooms for cremini mushrooms and omitted the butter and flour combo and instead used cornstarch to thicken the sauce (so that I could keep the recipe vegan). It worked well and no one missed the butter at all.

Mushroom Ragu

1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz sliced portabello mushrooms
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 Marsala wine (I used a non-alcoholic Marsala cooking wine)
1 tsp cornstarch

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute for about 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Decrease heat to medium-low and add marsala. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until wine has reduced by half. Add cornstarch and stir to incorporate. Cover and let simmer for 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove sauce from heat and spoon over polenta.


(I apologize that the picture is not so great due to my shadow covering the food, but hopefully you can get the idea).

Party Pleaser

Because fate is cruel and for whatever reason we can never seem to live in the same place at the same time for more than 2 months in a row, Paul had to move back to San Diego to start his new job and my evil committee refused to let me leave until after I defend my thesis (a mere 81 days from now but who's counting?). Of course instead of working on said thesis, I decided to throw him a going away party. One of his friends was nice enough to volunteer to bring duck tacos made with a duck he had shot and killed that morning, so I decided to stick with the Mexican theme and try my hand at making a seven layer dip.

Seven layer dip is one of those dishes that always looks so elegant and delicious when other people make it, but I was sure that I was going to manage to ruin it somehow and make it look unappetizing. I read some tips online and was encouraged when I read that the nice thing about seven layer dip is that you really can layer the ingredients in pretty much any order that you like (basically the only rule is to be sure to put the guacamole layer below the sour cream layer so that the sour cream does not turn brownish) and it will still be delicious (in other words, a dish that is pretty much impossible to mess up, which is right up my alley). I thought I would share it with all of you because a.) it is super easy but looks fancy and time consuming, b.) it is delicious, and c.) I think it would be the perfect thing to make ahead and take to a New Year's Eve or Super Bowl party.

Seven Layer Dip

1 oz package of taco seasoning (I used Old El Paso, pictured below)
16 oz can of refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1 cup salsa
16 oz sour cream
1 small tomato, diced
6 oz can sliced black olives
2 cups cheddar cheese (or Mexican cheese blend)
1 bunch green onion, sliced

Mix refried beans with taco seasoning and spread over the bottom of a 13" x 9" casserole dish.


Top bean layer with guacamole and spread with spatula to cover.


Top guacamole layer with salsa. Top salsa layer with sour cream.


Garnish sour cream layer with diced tomato, olives, cheese, and green onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

A Cornucopia of Cookies

When the holidays roll around there is only one thing on anyone's mind in the Weems household - cookie baking. We show no restraint. Each year we end up with so many cookies that we can't even find enough tupperware containers to store them in. So naturally with Christmas creeping up, I kept finding myself dreaming of holiday cookies, but fearing the thought of having hundreds of cookies floating around my house (I have no will power when it comes to dessert). But then I got to thinking about how life is short and the holidays only come around once a year (thank god), so I threw caution to the wind and made a batch of my favorite holiday cookie of all time. You can thank me later.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter (or shortening if it strikes your fancy)
1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling cookies in
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses (make sure that you do not use a molasses that is too dark - I recommend Grandma's Original Unsulphured Molasses with the yellow lid)
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinammon

Mix butter (or shortening), sugar, egg, and molasses well in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredient mixture in thirds and stir after each addition to incorporate completely. After all ingredients have been incorporated, chill dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

After chilling dough for one hour, preheat oven to 350F. Roll tsp sized balls of dough in your hands:


and then roll each ball of dough in sugar:


Place balls of dough on a cookie sheet (only place 8 - 10 balls of dough per average sized cookie sheet - although the balls of dough start out small, they spread out to be much larger during the baking process). Bake cookies for 12 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks and allow to cool completely. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

It's So Nice, I Want to Eat the Same Meal Twice

My entire life, I have never liked leftovers, aside from the occasional slice of cold pizza or Chinese food. I know, I know - I am a horrible, food wasting person, but I really cannot help it. But with the holidays upon us, it being finals week, and me hunting down my committee to sign off on a date for my thesis defense, I am coming home everyday exhausted and not wanting to cook. So I started searching through my recipe book and looking for something that I could eat for several days in a row without losing my mind. I stumbled across this old recipe which is a tried and true favorite in my house - and one that I dare say actually tastes better the second time around (and that means a lot coming from me). Enjoy!

Penne alla Vodka

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz of penne (or rigatoni)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh basil

Melt butter with oil over medium heat in heavy medium sauce pan. Saute garlic and shallot for 3 to 5 minutes. Add vodka and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir cornstarch into cold cream and add to sauce. In the meantime, cook pasta in salted boiling water. When the sauce returns to a boil, remove from heat and stir in chopped basil. Pour over pasta and mix to coat completely. Serve topped with grated parmesan.

Cabin Fever

If you know me then you know that I am what is termed a pesco vegetarian, meaning that the only type of meat that I eat is fish (although I cannot lie - once in a blue moon I do have the occasional "relapse" and indulge in a few strips of bacon at breakfast). In being a non-turkey eater, I am automatically eliminated from one of the great American past times - getting stuffed on turkey and gravy for Thanksgiving.

But that doesn't mean that you should feel sorry for me. I more then make up for the lack of turkey each year by making rich, hearty, non meat containing dishes. This year was no exception. A close friend of ours has a cabin at Grizzly Gulch up at Alta ski resort and since he was in Manhattan for the weekend to visit his sister, he generously agreed to let us use it. Although we were hoping to ski, there is as yet little snow and only a few runs are open up at Alta, so we decided to pass on the skiing. But nevertheless, there was a enough snow to make for a beautiful view and the perfect environment for a warm fire and a rich, hearty fondue accompanied by one of my favorite salads over which I was able to think about all of the things that I am thankful for. The past year has been a tough and bittersweet one and I have lost a lot of the people who were once close to me (family and friends), but I still have so very much to be thankful for - not least of which are the good friends and loved ones who have remained a part of my life. I am so thankful for you each and everyday and I hope that you know it!

Swiss Fondue

1 clove garlic
1 cup white wine (or champagne)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 pound grated gruyere
1/2 pound grated emmentaler
3 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp Kirsch
Pepper
Nutmeg

Rub inside of fondue pot with garlic clove. Throw garlic away. Heat wine and lemon juice to a simmer over medium heat. Toss gruyere and emmentaler with cornstarch to coat. Add cheese to heated wine and lemon juice mixture one handful at a time, making sure all cheese is melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese has been incorporated, season to taste with nutmeg and pepper. Stir in Kirsch and serve with crusty bread and/or sliced apples.


The dressing I used.



The finished product.


Spinach Salad

9 oz. bag of spinach
2 - 3 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 packages fresh blackberries (I have also used raspberries or chopped strawberries)
1 bottle raspberry vinagrette salad dressing

Toss all ingradients together and enjoy!

Risotto, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways . . .

In my mind fall can only mean one thing - comfort food. And in my opinion there is truly no greater comfort food on this planet than risotto. I have always suspected that I must have been Italian in a past life - a culture that combines wine and cheese and butter into it's dishes is definitely my kind of culture. And even though all risottos are delicious to me, there is one that stands far superior to all others in my mind: porcini mushroom risotto. My father-in-law, who went to high school in Italy and makes amazing Italian food, judges each Italian restaurant he eats at by the porcini mushroom risotto - if the risotto is not up to par, he does not return.

I too have fallen in love with a restaurant solely because of their porcini mushroom risotto. As I child I was a very picky eater and the very mention of mushrooms was enough to send me screaming and running away from a meal to hide in my room. But on a trip to Boston in 2002 I had a mushroom conversion. My mother-in-law, a native Bostonian, insisted that we head to the North End (Boston's Italian section) and dine at Villa Francesca no matter how long the wait. We settled in and I ordered the Lobster Ravioli, which was delicious, but Paul ordered the porcini mushroom risotto to follow along in his father's footsteps. I was hesitant to try it at first due to my dislike for mushrooms but I decided that I was on vacation, so why not throw caution to the wind and try some. I took a bite. The rich, creamy risotto melted in my mouth. I wanted another. I had never had anything like it. I wanted to lick the bowl clean. Boy had I been missing out during all of those years of mushroom avoidance. What had I been thinking?

For years I became a woman obsessed. I wanted to make up for all of the time I had wasted not eating mushrooms. I have never lived anywhere near Boston and I had to find a way to make it myself. So I got to work, tried tons of different recipes, and took the parts I liked from each one and combined them to make my own, which I am now sharing with you. Now that I can make it in the privacy of my own home, I can lick the bowl clean - and it's even father-in-law approved.

5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 ounce dried porcini muchrooms (if porcini are out of season, substitute dried shiitake mushrooms)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large white onion, diced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, finely chopped (you can substitute different mushrooms based on your taste preference or what you have on hand)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried marjarom
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I like to use a South African Chenin Blanc, particularly the one from Mann Vintners)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to be used as a garnish

Bring chicken broth to a boil in large stockpot. Add dried porcini (or shiitake) mushrooms and simmer until just tender. Remove mushroom and allow to cool before chopping finely. Reduce heat to as low as possible and cover broth to keep warm.

In a separate large pot, melt butter with oil over medium-low heat. Saute onions until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Add crimini and baby bella mushrooms and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, porcini, marjarom, and thyme. Stir to incorporate and cook for about 4 minutes. Add rice and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed. (Reduce heat a little if wine absorbs in less than a minute). Add one cup warm mushroom-infused chicken broth to the rice mixture. Stir often and cook until broth is absorbed. Continue to add broth by the cupful, allowing broth to be completely absorbed each time before adding more. Stir often. After all broth has been incorporated, add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Plate and shave parmesan on top to garnish.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

To say that I am a fan of the New Belgium Brewery is like saying that ice is kinda cold - a vast understatement. I love their beer. A few months ago I went to a conference in Denver and rented a car solely so that I could drive to Fort Collins, CO and tour the brewery (I would include photos here but sadly my laptop was stolen and so I don't have them anymore). Now you may think that is crazy, but if that story alone does not convince you of my devotion, perhaps this next one will. I live in Utah. You can't buy New Belgium beer in Utah. Not anywhere in the state. So last weekend I drove 85 miles one way (and another 85 miles back) to Evanston, Wyoming JUST to buy New Belgium beer. If that is not a show of devotion to a beer, then I don't know what is.

But this post isn't devoted to the trials and tribulations of life in the great state of Utah or how bootleg beer just tastes better. This post is in honor of two New Belgium beers I had not tried before: Biere de Mars and Le Fleur Misseur. These beers belong to New Belgium's Lips of Faith line of limited release experimental beers. These two particular beers are brewed in the Belgian style using Brettanomyces yeast. If you're not familiar with this yeast, it is the wild ale yeast that has been used for thousands of years by monks in Belgian monasteries to brew beer and it imparts Belgian beers with their characteristic sour flavor notes.


I have to say that of the two beers, I much preferred the Biere de Mars. Not only was Le Fleur Misseur very sour (almost bitter), but it also tasted as though the flavors weren't perfectly melded - there were several dominant flavor profiles and the beer lacked balance overall. The Biere de Mars, on the other hand, had a nice golden color, a subtle, balanced hop profile, and a much smoother finish than the Le Fleur Misseur. But don't take my word for it - take a trip to Evanston (or your local grocery store if you live somewhere normal) and try these out for yourself! In the meantime, I think I'll enjoy a bootleg Fat Tire.