lower the steaks

the hostess with the mostest hotel
Categories: Salads and Dressings, Lunch, Posted on March 30, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten
Just because your weekend is busy doesn’t mean you can’t serve up a delicious and healthy lunch at home. Flank steak salad is the prefect fast and fresh pick. Because the meat marinates hours before grilling and the sliced steak can be served chilled or at room temp the entire prep can be done entirely before hand. All you need to do is toss and
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easy as pie

the hostess with the mostest hotel
Categories: Desserts, Dinner Party, Posted on March 23, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten
My mom is quite the baker. Not sure how her grandmother nickname, Yum, originated but it must have had a thing or two to do with all the incredible sweets that came out of her kitchen. I on the other hand would never be confused with a baker. They are a different breed. Perhaps it’s because they are meticulous measurers where I am more of a
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italian lifeline

perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Categories: Meat, Grains and Pasta, Dinner Party, Wine Line, Posted on March 18, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten
Nothing beats having a top chef on speed dial. Lucky for me mine is a die-hard Italian with a prowess for texting. When I’m in a Tuscan pinch I can always count on Paul Minnillo to lend me a virtual hand. For a small dinner party it can be fun to reach out of your comfort zone and take a culinary excursion to a different time zone. Tonight we’re
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spring forward

perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Categories: Appetizers, Cocktail Party, Dinner Party, Posted on March 13, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten
Having some fun friends over for Sunday supper. Just happens to be the day we set the clocks ahead an hour. Thought it would be entertaining to look back at some of my oldies but goodies that I haven’t made in a while. One of the benefits of having foodies over is that they immediately recalled these more than a decade old recipes, proving that
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dine in

perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Categories: Appetizers, Soups, Fish and Seafood, Veggies and Sides, Desserts, Dinner Party, Posted on March 8, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten
Living in a smaller town has certain limitations; one is a wide selection of restaurants. Thankfully Dayton has a profusion of purveyors with top-notch butchers, fishmongers and an abundance of specialty food items. Making business entertaining at home a more than viable option. Such weeknight dinners need to have a minimum of muss and fuss.
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perfectly aligned

perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Categories: Soups, Fish and Seafood, Veggies and Sides, Desserts, Dinner Party, Posted on March 1, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten
Sometimes things just come together. The right people. The perfect meal. The planets. This past Saturday was one of those cosmically aligned nights. At twilight our guests arrived and with drinks in hand we ventured out to see the crescent moon forming a perfect triangle with Venus and Jupiter. Easy to enjoy this stellar company because all of the
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