Dinner Tonight

Dinner tonight will be something like this, made from Rachel Ray's recipe:

Source: finecooking.com via Jill on Pinterest

And ribs, storebought and not nearly as delicious as my brother-in-law Robert's recipe:

Source: southernliving.com via Jill on Pinterest

And some of this, too:

Source: foodnetwork.com via Jill on Pinterest

Easy Entertaining Ideas

We were just introduced to a wonderful online magazine, House of Fifty. It was founded and is edited by a woman who wanted to create her own ideal opportunity as she was turning 50. The current issue has some great ideas for low-stress entertaining, starting on page 36!

Fabulous Fall Recipes

We've often talked about how much we love the interiors on Canadian House & Home online. In addition to beautiful places, though, Canadian House & Home also has DIY ideas and scrumptious recipes, such as the Apple-Stuffed Pork Rib Roast shown above. If you're feeling like you need a new influx of fall recipes, we highly recommend that you check out Canadian House & Home's fall recipes. Bon appetit!

Amazing Cupcakes

We love different flavored cupcakes as party desserts! Cupcakes are the perfect size for an individual, and are easier to eat while mingling at a party than cake or pie. However, it takes a special recipe to elevate a cupcake from "kid-fare" to something truly decadent. The website MingMakesCupcakes is a great resource for recipes that take a humble cupcake to the next level. Her creations include, (from top to bottom), Number 13- Sour Cream Fig Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Number 18- Sour Cream Apricot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Toasted Almonds, Number 6- Banana Cupcakes with Maple Brown Butter Frosting, and Number 32- Graham Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting. Any one of these recipes would be fantastic as dessert for a party. Enjoy!

Bread Pudding Apple Pie = Happy Men

This is a picture of the Bread Pudding Apple Pie made using this recipe from Allrecipes.com.
It was a hit. No, an epic hit.  It was made for a bunch of guys and this is the picture taken hastily before it was completely devoured a la mode.  If you would like to wow 'em with a new recipe (and an easy one, too!), this one comes highly recommended!  

Ideas from the Cupcake Parlour

If we lived in Australia, we'd be heading over to the Cupcake Parlour for one of these treats, for sure.  Since we don't live in Australia, we are instead drooling over these little beauties!  And, we are looking at the way they've been decorated and are gleaning ideas...

Cupcakes, while easy to bake, can cause a tad of angst for those who don't feel their frosting technique is up to standards.  (That's where looking at Martha Stewart cupcakes online can really be depressing...but remember, that lady has a staff the size of Connecticut to frost her cupcakes just so...)  We like the ideas shown in the photos above.  A little dab of frosting and then a cookie added on top.  Or, a mound of frosting with two cookie halves pressed into it so you have a butterfly.  Very smart.  Very simple.  And it means that you can have really good looking cupcakes without having to be an artist with a frosting knife!

Can't wait to get our hands on...

...a copy of THIS!  The Farm Chicks have penned a cookbook with down home recipes.  Throughout the recipes, they also give tips on how to do little projects to bring style to your home.  Check out Barnes and Noble online for your copy.

Maybe we'll do a cookbook someday.  :)  Or, maybe it will be a tell-all on all the crazy, unscripted things that happen in the midst of trying to entertain flawlessly!  Yes, that would be more like it...but the crazy, unscripted things are what happen in real life, and we think they aren't always so bad.  Besides, "flawless entertaining" can be quite dull in our opinions.  :)  

"Fake It With Takeout" by Real Simple

Real Simple's website is full of great tips for entertaining.  For those of you who are still a little gun-shy about throwing a party because it just seems too overwhelming or you don't want people to realize you're not a gourmet cook, check out the Real Simple article called "Fake it With Takeout."  Using typical takeout items, you can make gourmet appetizers for your guests...and nobody needs to know that the ingredients started out as a pizza from Gino's down the street or your local Chinese restaurant.  :)

Your Easiest Party Ever...

Spontaneity rocks.  Being spontaneous enables you to enjoy something without over thinking, over planning, or over discussing it to death.  Let's apply that same thing to parties...be spontaneous.

Your easiest party ever will be the one that is relaxed, spur-of-the-moment, and casual.  Consider this:  it's Monday today.  What if you decide tonight to throw an after work happy hour on Friday to celebrate the end of the work week?  Tonight, email your friends---a big group of 'em---and tell them that Happy Hour is at your place on Friday.  Tell 'em to come over anytime after 5:30 or so---or, tell them just to drop by whenever they get off work.  On Thursday, head to the grocery store and get a few blocks of cheese, some olives, crackers, some fresh fruit----all easy stuff.  (If you are ambitious or can enlist a willing husband, you might pick up some sausages to grill quickly, slice up, and serve with mustard).  Then, on Friday, put it all out on a table for people to graze on.  Choose only things that don't need to be kept hot or refilled.  Put it on the table and walk away...let your guests munch at their convenience.  Your only responsibility is to put a cold drink in the hands of new guests and point them toward the food.  Since you called it a "Happy Hour," you can figure folks won't stay too long and the atmosphere will be a casual open house-type event.  Easy to throw together, but it serves the important purpose of getting friends together and starting the weekend off on the right foot.  :)

With a Twist...

Planning that fun Valentine's Party for a group of girlfriends or a bunch of couples?  A signature cocktail (something red or pink) is a festive way to get started.  At Plum Party, you can purchases fun candy twists to add to the rim of your cocktail.  The flavors are:  espresso (in an espresso hue), apple (shown above), peppermint (in a red/pink/white stripe), and citron (in a vibrant yellow color).  What a fun little detail!  Of course, Plum Party is an excellent site to peruse for all sorts of fun party details---and it's a great site to get inspiration and ideas!

Itty-Bitty BLTs...

Scenario:  Your husband accepts an invitation to a Superbowl Party and forgets to tell you that he's volunteered you to bring an appetizer.  What do you do?

One of us found herself in this situation on Sunday, not too long before the game.  So, she decided that she would make mini BLT sandwiches.  (Who doesn't like Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwiches?  Seriously, this was a childhood mainstay at our house growing up.  Lots of times, BLTs were made on Sunday evenings, after night church, for dinner.  Yum.  That and Dad's waffles were Sunday night favorites!)  Surprisingly, the mini BLTs ended up being the hit of the Superbowl bash.  (Who woulda thunk it?)

We are fully intending to make these again for our next party, when finger food is on the menu.  To make the mini BLTs, cut up a baguette into thin slices.  Lightly butter the slices of bread and grill on the stovetop using a grill pan (or you could broil them in the oven or toast them with a panini press).  Cook up a bunch of bacon.  Then, enlist your hubby/significant other/friend/sister/whoever to help you assembly-line style.

Put a little mayo on each slice of toasted/grilled bread.  Fold up a piece of bacon, add a slice of tomato (we found that roma tomatoes are the perfect diameter for these mini sandwiches), add some lettuce, and pin it all together with a toothpick.  Amazing, but these little mini BLTs were what got the most comments at the Superbowl party (And these are so easy---the ingredients didn't take any thought and are readily available). 

In case you weren't already hungry...

One of our very favorite things about entertaining is the opportunity to be creative with the food.  Whether you are doing a comfy, homey, small-type party that calls for new spins on old favorites or a fancy shmancey part-ay for 400 of your closest friends, the food is one of the things that people will get excited about.  (You know how it is...when you go to a wedding and the cake is just dreadful tasting or a holiday party and the food is just so-so, even though it's been catered...Conversely, when you've been to a party and the food is so yummy and the presentation is fun---both are scenarios that people remember).  SO...

We were super-excited to run across this fabulous foodie blog called Canelle et Vanille.  This blog is just...what is the word...wonderful.  Yummy.  Fun.  A feast for the eyes...

Really, if you are into baking OR if you are coming up short for "pretty" and yummy food to serve at your next shower, dinner party, wedding, whatever, then you should check out Canelle et Vanille.  Not only is this blog generous about sharing recipes, but the photography is simply beautiful, so you get a real sense of what kinds of edible art you are capable of producing.  We recommend bookmarking Canelle et Vanille and referring back to it often.  We know we will!

Check out these beautiful photos/yummy temptations from Canelle et Vanille below:

Dinner Club

A few posts back, we told you about Kari's friend Linda, and her great idea to start a Dinner Club for a group of ladies. Well, last night was Kari's turn to host Dinner Club. First of all, you must know that Kari is very comfortable with setting a pretty table, whipping up an eye-pleasing, yummy appetizer spread, or even coordinating an involved, formal event for 400 people. What she is NOT comfortable with is making dinner with courses for guests. See, formal dinner parties rely on timing so that the courses line up right, the food is neither undercooked or overdone, etc. Kari would rather make the table look pretty than worry about the timing of the courses. Yet, she would be a bad Babs Blogger if she shunned an opportunity to be a hostess! So, Kari had Dinner Club at her house. And you know what? The food was fine. No, it's not likely that Kari will be asked to cater for the upcoming presidential inauguration, but everything turned out okay. And you know what else? Kari was reminded yet again that entertaining is never really about the food or a pretty table. It's about the people! Kari's guests were gracious and kind and the ladies had a lovely time laughing together and forging some new friendships. Here at the Babs Blog, we do hope that you won't let a little insecurity about timing dinner courses or messing up dessert keep you from having people in your home. Seriously, there is something so beautiful about having a group of people over in your home for hospitality and laughter. It can't be duplicated at a restaurant. It's amazing to sit, share a meal (or just cocktails and appetizers!), and share your life with other people. If you haven't done this in a long time or, perhaps, ever, it's time to find out what you've been missing out on. Building relationships is something we all need more of!

A big thank you to Michelle, Tammi, and Linda for being so very gracious as Kari bumbled along, getting the food on the table. :) Here are some details from the evening:


First of all, a simple table was set. The color scheme was inspired by the fact that Whole Foods had these beautiful pink tulips for sale. In these dreary winter months, who can resist pink tulips?


Pink accent napkins were chosen to match the tulips. Everything else was kept simple: cream and black accents.

Mini gratins in miniature Le Creuset casseroles---because everything looks yummy when it's in miniature! :)


Vanilla bean icecream and raspberries in chocolate cups. (The chocolate cups were purchased at Sur la table)

Okay, ladies...who will you invite over? When will you start your Dinner Club? Time to set a date for a dinner party and invite some women who you know you need to know better!

Those Who Cant Do, Learn

We at the Babs Blog firmly believe that entertaining can be stress-free. So if your past cooking foibles are holding you back from hosting a dinner party, consider taking some classes. We recently told you about our girls' weekend experience at First Class Cooking in San Francisco. We had a great time, and learned lots! Cooking classes are available in many large towns, and are offered through community colleges as well. If you cant find any in your area, don't underestimate the value of a good cookbook, a knowledgeable friend or even cooking shows on TV. And if all else fails..... fake it! One of us once threw a dinner party comprised entirely of take-out, (served on lovely dishes, of course!) The guests all had a great time, and that really is what matters most!

Cheers!

2009 is nearly here! Time to celebrate with people you enjoy! Check out allrecipes.com for a great list of fun, festive cocktails to make at your New Year's shindig. We hope you have some kind of celebration planned----big or small----and we wish each of you happiness and hope for 2009!

How Appetizing!

With Christmas just around the corner, it's great to have a new recipe or two up your sleeve. You never know when you might be asked to (gasp!) bring something to the next party you're invited to! Or, you might feel like being an extra great guest and actually offer to bring something---this is a really great way to get invited back, by the way! Try these great appetizers at Williams-Sonoma or just browse their site for other great recipes.
Try this Peppered Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Carmelized Onions...

or Endive with Pear, Gorgonzola and Walnuts...

or Cucumbers with Pickled Ginger and Crab...

or, lastly, Crostini with Tapenade.
Delicious! And if you have any fab appetizer recipes to share with us, please do! Leave a comment or send an email. :)

Peppermint Chocolate Fudge---YUM!

Chocolate and peppermint are pretty good together. Actually, they are excellent together and they seem to only make their appearances together around the holidays! Try this yummy recipe from Allrecipes.com and you won't be disappointed:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/4 cup crushed hard peppermint candy

DIRECTIONS:

1. In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chips with EAGLE BRAND® and salt. Remove from heat; stir in peppermint extract. Spread evenly into waxed paper-lined 8-or 9-inch square pan. Sprinkle with peppermint candy.
2. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off waxed paper and cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

Let us know how your peppermint chocolate fudge turns out! :)