PhillyBoy has an incredible group of friends. No matter how difficult the task may be, they never miss an important event. Two of his (our) friends were in town from Boston, and last minute at Tory & Anita’s wedding we decided to invite them over for brunch. Sunday morning, with a Bacardi-diet headache, I dragged myself out of bed and headed to Whole Foods. Too bad I didn’t look in the mirror before I left. I still had the evening’s eye makeup on. Anyway, I put together a simple brunch with lots of colors and flavors, and tried to make sure there would be something for everyone. Our guests brought us some decadent pastries, which nicely rounded out the meal. I declared it a special occasion and had some of a chocolate croissant.

Heaven.

Hosting friends for a meal last minute can be even more fun than planning ahead. There is no pressure, and you get to have fun in the kitchen while keeping the menu light and easy.

Last Minute Brunch

Egg, Asparagus & Tomato Frittata
Za’atar Toast with Labne
Roasted Potatoes
Cherries !!!!
Watermelon !!!!
Applegate Farms Bacon
Blueberry Muffins
Assorted pastries (croissant, danishes, scones)
Orange juice & Tea

HOSTESS TIP: Always have your house ready for guests. You don’t want to have to spend more than 10 minutes making your home look great. That means always making sure your floors & counters are clean, table is ready for setting, and bathrooms don’t need more than a lit candle and fresh hand towel. Spend those 10 minutes putting away the every day clutter and your home is ready for anyone who comes through the door.

Other brunch menus:
Easter Menu 2010
Mother’s Day Brunch Menu
Thanksgiving Brunch Menu 2009

P.S. Check out my first article on DishKebab!

Lazy R.I. Pizza Party

Appetizer:
Assorted nuts
Hummus & baby carrots

Dinner:
Via Via Pizzas
*Cheese pizza,  Four cheese pizza, Diet Veggie pizza, Artichoke & Feta pizza

Garbage Salad
*Romaine lettuce, arugula, garbanzo beans, tomato, cucumber, endive, avocado, in a lemon olive oil dressing

Dessert:
Fresh Florida strawberries
Pastiche Fruit Tart for the May birthdays

Shopping List:
-prepared hummus
-baby carrots
-Romaine lettuce
-arugula
-garbanzo beans
-tomatoes
-cucumbers
-endive
-avocado
-lemons
-strawberries

Pick Up:
-Pastiche fruit tart
-Via Via Pizzas

This is the easiest party we have ever hosted.

My mom at my high school graduation

Why lemons? They remind me of my mom!

This Sunday, celebrate the women that make your life special, whether it be a mother, aunt, friend, grandmother, or anyone else that makes your heart warm with love. While my mom is no longer here with us, she lives with me in my heart. I feel like she sent me the incredible and loving mother in law I have, and I am so thankful to have my MIL, my auntie Daniela, and my Nonna as some of the strong women in my life. Thank you all forgiving me strength, advice, and love when I need it… and when I don’t!

Recipes Perfect for your Mother’s Day Brunch

Egg White Vegetable Frittata Muffins
Roasted Asparagus
White Bean Crostini
Zaatar Bread
Diary of a Sweet Tooth’s Bread Pudding (www.diaryofasweettooth.com)
Gina’s Whole Wheat Banana Bread (www.fitnessista.com)
Ina Garten’s Spinach Gratin (www.foodnetwork.com)
Pumpkin Pie Cake (www.cookinglight.com)
Real Simple’s Lemon Chicken With Olives (from Real Simple)
Smashed Chickpea Salad (www.smittenkitchen.com)

Other Brunch Menus

Easter Menu 2010
Easter Lunch Menu
Fall Luncheon
Thanksgiving Brunch Menu 2009

If you need any help pulling together a menu, feel free to email me. I am happy to help!

Any special Mother’s Day plans? Share them in the comments!

Even with the best of intentions, buying locally is not easy. Some local farmers’ markets carry out of season produce from Mexico, and the gourmet super market has bread from 300 miles away. Battle local foods highlights the difficulty of buying all local foods in Philadelphia but also shares  a local, seasonal, meal that is delicious and fun. Buying local foods just requires asking a few questions and learning where to go.

Two teams of friends create an appetizer, entrée, and dessert using only items that are either locally grown or locally produced. It was up to the diners to decide who would win the battle! Now let’s get local in RhodeyGirl’s kitchen, with special guests Heather of Hangry Pants and local food lovers Gina & Jake!

This fall I went to my local grocery store to get some apples, and I was appalled when I saw they were from Washington state. Pennylsvania has hundreds of apple orchards, yet our market was stocking apples from literally thousands of miles away. That experience made me become passionate about supporting local farms as well as local producers. Why go to Washington state for apples when less than an hour away we have Terhune Orchards? It doesn’t make sense.

While I still buy bananas & avocados (let’s face it- life would not be the same without peanut butter banana oatmeal and fresh guacamole), I try to buy as much local, seasonal produce as I can. When I learn about a small local company making chocolates or pretzels or whatever it is, I also try to support them.

Some items have been traded for thousands of years or are truly special, gourmet items that I don’t mind purchasing from all over the world. These include some brands of tuna packed in olive oil, Nutella straight from Italy (the U.S. version is just not the same), marcona almonds from Spain, olive oil from Greece, Italy, and Frog Hollow Farms in California, and every kitchen’s basic items like sugar, kosher salt, spices and flour.

I began the search for my items for our menu on Thursday of this week by stopping at a few super markets to see what local items they had to offer. For the first time I really paid attention to the recently mandated country of origin labels. I found shrimp from India, pine nuts from China, and lots of produce from Mexico and California. I was surprised that even the asparagus, which I know can be sourced locally, came from California.

On Saturday morning I continued my search by stopping at a few local markets. My favorite one was the Rittenhouse Square farmers’ market. Every vendor there carries locally grown or produced items.

I have been to markets before that actually buy their produce from places like Costco and then place them in small baskets to give that farm feel. I only know this because one day I asked, and the gentleman shared that knowledge with me. Luckily, Rittenhouse market has all local items, and I confirmed just to be sure. I also visited the Reading Terminal Market, The Pretzel Factory, Whole Foods, DiBruno’s and a grocery store.

The other team visited Suburban Square market, Lancaster County, and a grocery store. For a list of all Philadelphia’s Farmers’ Markets you can visit the farm to city website. Many of them will be opening in the next two weeks, including my local one, the Fairmount Farmers’ Market!

In this challenge we were allowed to use items that have been traded or imported for a long time such as spices, olive oil, salt, etc. Everything else, however, had to be locally grown or locally produced. Diners were given ballots to judge each dish based on taste, presentation, originality, and adherence to the challenge.

The two teams were both really excited to take on the challenge, as all four of us are passionate about local foods in some way. On one team we had Gina & Jake, a husband and wife couple that planned their strategy for over a week. Gina typically only buys organic meats and tries to buy organic produce when possible.

On the other team we had Heather of Hangry Pants and yours truly. I buy mostly organic dairy (with the exception of specialty cheeses for PB), organic meats, and try to support local farms when possible, as I mentioned above. You all probably know Heather by now, but if you don’t head on over to HangryPants.com to read more about her. Heather & Mark came to Philadelphia just for this fun battle. So exciting!

Here is the Battle Local Foods menu:

Appetizer
*Asparagus and fresh mozzarella bruschetta

(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

*Simple salad: spring greens & baby spinach with roasted asparagus, a tomato & cucumber skewer, finished with a balsamic dressing and a hint of fresh mint

Entrée
*Baked breaded chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and fresh mozzarella served over a bed of fresh spinach and mushrooms

(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

*Whole wheat fettuccini in a fresh basil cream sauce with roasted grape tomatoes
(Photo courtesy of hangrypants.com)

Dessert
*Rhubarb crumb cake with fresh vanilla ice cream

*Philly soft pretzel chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream

Note from the teams: While over 90% of each item on the menu was sourced locally, both teams used a few items against challenge rules. Gina & Jake used fresh lime, and Heather and I used a bit of parmigiano reggiano and some mustard. We also put out an assortment of cheeses & cracker trays (not part of the challenge- but containing a few local cheeses)  for everyone to enjoy.

The diners/voters really got into the battle and left interesting and funny notes about the foods.

Here are some of them:

Bruschetta:
-O.K. (sorry, not a fan of bruschetta)
-Needs salt
-needs salt, yummy!
-danger: toothpick. Bread needs more toasting. I like the oil. Cheese needs more bite: provolone maybe?
-I liked this a lot!! Very fresh & very delicious! A fun dish- good for parties. I would eat this at a wedding.
-not enough flavor

Salad:
-O.K.
-love the mint!
-a little too much balsamic
-danger: possibly has (unintelligible word); needs cheese like bruschetta. I don’t like vinegar.
-Just a lil’ more kick would have been good. I could have used some local cheese- but that would have given me gas.
-Like the mint! Actually, love the mint!

Chicken:
-Looks and tastes good. Not great, but good.
-needs salt + spinach needs more cooking and flavor
-chicken little dry. Broccoli rabe taste (writer’s note: it was spinach!). stuffing was confusing
-This was good, but I didn’t get the local flavor. Still, very delicious!
-would prefer seasoned bread crumbs. Needs more seasoning
-Nice taste!!

Pasta:
-Just very blah! Sorry.
-needs more salt + flavor. Too much basil
-not too cheesy, perfectly cooked pasta. Tomatoes surprisingly pleasant
-liked the tomatoes, would like more. Needs more seasoning.
-This was good. A little heavy for my liking. I think this might give me gas, but that is not your fault- it’s my problem.
-very nice! With what was faced with (local foods)

Rhubarb Crumb Cake:
-Sorry, really does not taste good. I can’t eat it, and that’s saying something.
-MMM!
-sad face. This dish confused me. But I do appreciate the originality of the use of the rhubarb.
-I like the cake better than the crumbs

Philly Pretzel Bread Pudding:
-Loved it!
-MMM!
-A pleasant surprise in my mouth- needs more chocolate sauce drizzled
-Awesome! I want this every night. If this is Sabrina, make this more. If this is Jake/Gina, please come over soon. YUM!
-Wish the pretzels were more moist/soft- more pudding like…

The final menu was such a hit we just had to share a few of the recipes!
Whole Wheat Fettuccini with basil cream sauce and roasted tomatoes
Philly Pretzel Bread Pudding
Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Which team made which dish? Who won full bragging rights until our next challenge? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

*This video was taken by a FlipCam given to me by Meghann of graduatemeghann.com.

A few surprises:
-I was shocked to learn that the pine nuts at our market come from China. Where can one find local nuts?
-Our guests did not like rhubarb! This was surprising because I found it to be absolutely delicious. I wonder if my taste buds have changed?
-Everyone was as excited about the battle as we were!

Preparing a meal from start to finish using only locally grown and locally produced foods was a challenge, but both teams did so successfully and we put together a great dinner. Head out to your local grocery store or farmers’ market, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the source.

Buy local foods!

Thank you for this great opportunity Foodbuzz!

Here is the menu and how we made it all come together:

Last Minute Dinner

Appetizer
Simple Guacamole with Stacy’s Multigrain chips

Dinner
Quick vegetable lasagna
Baked chicken breast
Simple salad
Metropolitan Bakery multigrain boule
Olive oil for dipping
Blood Orange Italian soda

Dessert
Breyer’s Light Vanilla ice cream
Fruit salad (pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)

How it came together: 5:30 PM- 9:00 PM*
*Note: This only came together so quickly because I did not. stop. moving for a second. If you plan to try this in this amount of time please allow for another hour or so.

5:30 PM: Work Ends
Go to Whole Foods and do our market shopping. Buy flowers. Catch a cab home to save time.

6:45 PM: Get Cooking
1. Prep guacamole and put in fridge
2. Make chicken and put in oven (simple method of lemon juice, olive oil, and spices)
3. Cut fruit, assemble fruit salad, put in fridge
4. Assemble salad but do not dress

**7:30 PM: Get phone call from husband that he will be late and you need to help him with something. Spend 20 minutes doing it.

7:50 PM More Cooking
Assemble lasagna and put in oven

8:10 PM Clean Up
1. Wash & dry prep dishes
2. Clean island, take out trash
3. Select servingware, dinner table set up

8:25 PM Prep Guest Room
1. Set candle in guest room
2. Put out towels for guests
3. Wash down sink in guest bathroom (was cleaned 4 days prior and just need spiffing up)

8:50 PM Crunch Time- Guests to arrive in 10 minutes (PB arrives also)
1. Slice bread & put in toaster oven in preparation for dinner
2. Run vacuum through entrance and kitchen
3. Remove foil from lasagna.
4. Dress salad and put out drinks and olive oil
5. Remember flowers and put them in vase
6. Put out chips and guacamole

9:00 PM Guests arrive!
Enjoy ourselves with our guests!

For more menus and plans please click here.

Easter is a time of renewal. The flowers peek out from their hiding spots, the farmer’s markets open again, and the air smells fresh and new. Easter holds a warm place in my heart, and I can’t imagine hosting at least a small lunch in honor of the day.  I am sad that I will not be in Rhode Island this year, so I created a menu that pays homage to the foods my auntie Daniela loves. This Easter menu is simple, fresh, and healthy. It is the perfect way to welcome in Spring… and hopefully the Easter bunny too!

Appetizer
White Bean Crostini

Lunch
PhillyBoy’s Roasted Chicken
Stuffed Artichokes
Asparagus Risotto
Spring Salad: Spinach, endive, strawberries, slivered almonds, balsamic honey dressing

Dolce
Strawberry Shortcake (minis made in ramekins)

Prep List:
Set table (at least 1 day ahead)
Buy groceries (day ahead)
Prep crostini topping (day ahead)
Make salad dressing (day ahead)
PB dress chicken
Prep artichokes (Trim & stuff)
Wash lettuce, cut endive, wash & cut strawberries
Make fresh whipped cream

Two hours before:
Bake chicken
Steam artichokes
Assemble shortcake
Assemble salad- do not dress

30 minutes before:
Make risotto
Assemble crostini

10 minutes before:
Dress salad

Market List:
garlic
white beans
spinach
good whole grain baguette
chicken
onion
citrus fruits (lemons + oranges?)
artichokes (1/person)
garlic
parlsey
bread crumbs
6 lemons
asparagus
peas
mascarpone cheese
arborio rice
parmigiano
baby spinach
endive
strawberries
slivered almonds
ladyfingers or biscuits
heavy cream
Easter chocolates

Previous Posts:
Easter Menu 2009
Easter 2008: Ricotta Balls

This year’s menu is very similar to last year’s, which you can find here. And last year’s Christmas gift from PB can be found here. If you missed my weight loss story, you can check it out here. Thank you all for your very nice comments & emails!

Christmas Eve 2009

Appetizers:
Hummus with carrots and red, green, and yellow peppers
Cheese and crackers (SIL)
Prosciutto e melone
Assorted nuts
Shrimp Cocktail (1 tray prepared by Whole Foods)

Dinner:
Mom’s lasagna (made by auntie?)
Roast (auntie?)
Autumn Stewed Zucchini (me)
Spinach (not sure how yet)
Mixed greens salad with pomegranate, walnuts, fig balsamic & olive oil dressing
Dad’s Arabian salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions)
Stuffed grape leaves (two types: vegetarian & meat) (cousins & auntie)
Pita & French bread

Dessert:
Pastiche Fruit tarts
Pastiche Pecan tart
Pastiche large cookie tray
Coffee/tea station

To do:

Now: order meat from butcher, Pastiche baked goods, & Whole Foods shrimp cocktail tray

Monday, December 21:
Fly to Rhode Island
Set up house (tablecloths, find coffee thing, etc.)
Buy plates, napkins, plastic glasses, coffee cups
Dinner with Raz!!!
Buy alcohol, water, sodas

Tuesday, December 22:
Market  
Clean pomegranate
Roll grape leaves with the cousins 6 PM

Wednesday, December 23:
Dad makes hummus
Make autumn stewed zucchini
Cut peppers, carrots

Thursday, December 24: NO WORK!   
Pick up good french baguette (2 white, 1 whole grain)
Make arabian salad
Make prosciutto e melone
Make spinaci
Pick up Pastiche tarts
Clean grapes
Set everything up, etc.

Grocery list:
Hummus ingredients
Carrots (2 big bags)
Assorted peppers (9)
1 lb Prosciutto
2 cantaloupe melons
1 Whole Foods shrimp cocktail tray
Roast- and onions (how much)
Lasagna ingredients
Zucchini (12), tomatoes (3 roma), parsley, garlic
Spinach (and other needed ingredients)
3 bags salad
1 pomegranate
Lucini fig balsamic
Arabian salad: tomatoes, cucumber, onion, lemons
Pita
French bread (2 white, 1 whole grain)
Coffee & tea (milk, cream, some Splenda, coffee, new tea)

I am a cook, so following a recipe is hard for me. I really like to use my senses to determine how a dish will be created, but baking is all about science, not the senses. With Heather’s suggestion, I decided to start following baking recipes to a T. Sure enough, after a few tries, I got one recipe right! The smile proves it!

Last week my friend Leslie and I decided to go see New Moon together, but I also knew I wanted to bring a baked good over to PB and my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Leslie had to bake something too so she came over and we had a baking party before the movie! Since I only had two round pans, we made the second batch of cake with a bundt pan. The bundt version of this cake was equally delicious, but slightly undercooked, although I did let it cook longer. The flavor was there though.

This is an easy beginner’s cake to make, and the resulting presentation is beautiful. Bring it to a holiday party, or save it for yourself. Either way, you will want to make it again.

The recipe can be found here, and originally comes from Cooking Light’s November 2005 edition. I have copied it for you here as it is available on the internet for everyone’s enjoyment.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cake
From Cooking Light

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Life is good.
My dad came to visit us for Thanksgiving. Great memories were made.
My husband and I hosted our first holiday. It was a success.
My mother in law and her husband are amazing. So is the pumpkin bread she made.
My sister in law is so cool. We had a sleepover party!
My father in law and family are full of holiday cheer. Thanksgiving dinner was fun.

I missed the rest of my family in Rhode Island and all over the world (Italy, Jordan, England, California, and more), but they were in our hearts with us!

Brunch was really fun (original menu here). All morning my sister in law and I chatted while cooking and watching the Thanksgiving parade and PhillyBoy went to pick up my dad. When PB returned with my dad and my mother in law and her husband arrived, it was time to eat! Everything went on the table at once, but I should have waited until right before everyone arrived to make the egg frittata muffins because they were at room temperature instead of hot. Besides that I’d say everything went really well! We ate, drank coffee and tea, and chatted and laughed. After brunch we watched part of our wedding video as we just got it and all relaxed. It was a fabulous brunch!

The table:

Yogurt bar with Oikos plain Greek yogurt (my favorite):

My mother in law’s pumpkin bread:

Roasted potato medley:

Mixed greens with pomegranate & walnuts in a Lucini fig balsamic vinaigrette:

Roasted asparagus:

Egg white frittata muffins with spinach and tomatoes (no bread):

Prosciutto e melone:

Za’atar bread (made with french baguette, brush of olive oil, and sprinkle of za’atar and then toasted in the toaster oven):

Newlyweds!

My yogurt bowl.. Yeah, I didn’t like it:

The holiday was so fun and it was great having my dad here! Remember: When hosting a party nothing has to be perfect- with a nice presentation no one will notice!

This post came two days late because my husband and I have been busy getting the house ready for Christmas! We just got back from Target where we bought our first tree!!!!!

We are currently watching Elf (my FAVORITE) and putting up our tree.

I feel so blessed.

In past years that would mean a morning with high school friends watching the football game, followed by an afternoon of family and visits from friends while eating a great feast. This year, the celebration has moved to Philadelphia, my new home, and PhillyBoy and I have been married for exactly 4 months (today, not tomorrow)!!! That means we get to play host and hostess for a fun Thanksgiving brunch, and we couldn’t be more excited! We are even more excited because we have a special guest coming- my dad!!!!- from Rhode Island.

One way I like to get ready for a party is by deciding what serving pieces and tablecloth to use ahead of time. That way I am not digging through my cabinets last minute looking for a bowl or platter, and I get to spend more time relaxing with guests. Since we are hosting Thanksgiving brunch, I wanted to keep the table light, so I am using a simple white (stain resistant) tablecloth and added the Etienne runner I bought from Crate & Barrel. I also set up some pretty Mariposa candlesticks I was given as a gift for the centerpiece.

Once I got all the plates and serving pieces on the table, however, the candlesticks had to be moved to the buffet table in the kitchen. I put a little piece of paper next to or on each serving piece to know what it will be used for. I also started putting out the room temperature yogurt bar toppings like the honey and nuts, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap until tomorrow morning.

All I have left to do before tomorrow now is vacuum and mop the kitchen and change the sheets on the guest room bed for PB’s sister (who we might be able to convince to sleep over!) and the house will be in great condition. I also need to pick up some prosciutto and good bread from Center City. I already made the roasted potato medley since it will reheat really nicely, and everything else will be made in the morning in this order:

-Roast asparagus
-Pour orange juice into pitcher
-PB clean POM pomegranates for salad
-make salad dressing
-put yogurt in bowl (back in fridge until brunch time)
-make egg white frittata muffins
-heat potatoes
-make batch of coffee & tea
-assemble prosciutto e melone
-assemble salad
-make za’atar bread and toast whole wheat baguette
-make bacon

Leslie and I made pumpkin cakes last night and I am going to bring mine as an addition to Thanksgiving dinner at our aunt’s house tomorrow afternoon. I am glad I did this ahead of time so I won’t have to worry about it during brunch tomorrow.

Beyond all that, all that is left is to EAT!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

(www.someecards.com)

Off to celebrate,

RhodeyGirl

For some last minute Thanksgiving dinner additions, try these recipes:

Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes
Mushroom Risotto
Pumpkin Cream Sauce for ravioli or other pasta