perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Just had my holiday hors d’oeuvres class at Dorothy Lane Market Culinary Center. It was such fun teaching the full house how they too could impress their guests with little stress. I shared a few tricks of the trade that ensure that absolutely everyone can entertain with ease. Here they are! Every guest loves being greeted with a plate of
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Last week I was the guest chef at Moraine Country Club. We decided on a tasting menu to showcase all the season had to offer. It was such fun working with the staff and being back in a professional kitchen. As I uniformly chopped crates of vegetables for my gazpacho for sixty and wrestled the massive Hobart mixer the memories came flooding back.
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food detective
Last week I was invited to a shindig. Turned out to be a fabulous networking party at the Dorothy Lane Market Culinary Center. The great folks who create the Ohio Valley edition of the Edible magazine were there, along with many of their contributors and local foodies. If you’re not familiar with the magazine series make a point to pick up a copy.
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
Savvy hostesses need a few secrets up their sleeves. I always like to impress without the stress. That means I am constantly on the hunt for things that look complicated but are practically effortless. Take my take on mushroom cheese puffs. Not sure if you’ve ever made a pate au choux, but in my former life as a professional chef and caterer I can
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food detective
The other morning I was walking by the TV in my bedroom and caught a snippet of Giada de Laurentiis attempting to show Savanna Guthrie how to devein a shrimp. It was an amusing although futile clip, what really held my attention was the recipe that followed- buffalo grilled shrimp with a goat cheese dipping sauce. Secretly I love wings though
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food detective
A few weeks ago my husband and I were invited to dinner. I knew it would be a special night and I wanted to bring something equally exceptional. As I filed through my extensive repertoire of hors d'oeuvres I found myself reaching further back into my culinary recall. Maybe my vegus nerve was subliminally triggered by the start of golf season
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food detective
Last month United threw us a curveball. A seven-hour delay in the Denver airport for our connecting flight home. Being held hostage by the airlines is never fun but this time I was carrying special cargo, my little Norwich terrier Willie. We waited for our crew to arrive at the gate for an hour, sat on the plane for 2 ½ hours for mechanics to
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food detective
Bravo to Bon Appétit for their excellent January edition. One of the highlights is their spread on savory toasts. While I rarely serve lunch I often offer up hors d'oeuvres. And can’t canapés simply be sandwiches cut into little pieces? Time to dissect my favorite on the page. I am a huge fan of bresaola. If you’ve never had it it’s an air-dried
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food detective
How wonderful when a student teaches you a new trick. One of the fun things about teaching at Dorothy Lane Market’s Culinary Center is when I run into my “students” and they share not only what they enjoyed learning from my class but divulge their own secrets to making a dish work. This happened just the other day. I was visiting my dear friend
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
What a fun evening at DLM’s Culinary Center. I hosted a Girl’s Night Out cooking class with Dorothy Lane Market’s wine expert Teresa Kearney. The topic was holiday canapés. And the point was to learn how to make an array of nibbles that would impress without any stress. Have to say the night was a success. We had a full house and while Teresa
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Wherever I find myself, I’m happiest with a full dining room table. As a former professional chef and caterer I want to share what I’ve learned over the past three decades of entertaining. On this site you’ll find tricks of the trade to help even the most harried of you pull off a seemingly seamless fête. Come join the conversation! read more →