Sautéed Mushroom Cups

When entertaining for dinner, I like to have a starter ready to go when our friends arrive. It satisfies those who are arrived with hungry bellies and gives me time to visit before serving dinner.

We had friends for dinner and I had leftover wonton wrappers from some recent potstickers I had made. I dont think wonton wrappers freeze well so I needed to use them up.

Celebrating a mother-to-be friend

My dear friend, Melissa, is pregnant and expecting a baby very soon. Melissa is one of my best friends and I am so excited for her as she is about to become a first-time momma.

Selfishly, I am looking forward to her having the little guy soon so I can hold him! :)

This weekend, my other friend and I got to honor Melissa by throwing her a baby shower. Our shower had all the festive ingredients you would expect from a baby shower – decorations, friends, food and ‘oohing and aahing’ as she opened gifts and help up teeny-tiny onesies. Simply adorable.

Roasted Rosemary Garlic

Entertaining this weekend? Roasted garlic is a sophisticated, yet simple, starter to an evening meal. The long cook time transforms the otherwise pungent raw garlic into a mild and buttery spread.

The fresh rosemary enhances the flavor even further. Crusty bread is the perfect carrier for enjoying this spreadable garlic.

Milk and Cookies

I am currently in the baby phase of life - many of my girlfriends are pregnant. It's been such fun to watch their bellies grow! My own Mom wanted to honor my preggo friends by having a brunch for them.

Playoff Pizza Party

Every year - 22 and counting - my mom throws a Superbowl pizza party featuring 8-10 gourmet pizzas emerging from the oven every 20 minutes or so as we watch the game. Pizzas are sliced in small pieces so we can try all the varieties.

This year, our team - the Broncos, of course - are in the playoffs after unlikely odds. Naturally, this called for a shifting of the party to a Broncos playoff party!

Dine & Dish: Hey There, Cupcake

I ordered cupcakes for a holiday party I was hosting. I opted for the mini cupcakes for an easy, eat while mingling, treat. On the dessert menu were the Naughty or Nice and Candy Cane Lane cupcakes. The mini size invited me to taste both flavors.

The cleverly named Candy Cane Lane cupcake was a chocolate and peppermint cake with buttercream frosting. It was garnished lightly with a dusting of candy cane pieces - a simple, yet attentive decoration. The cupcake was strong with peppermint flavor and embodied the holiday spirit.

The Naughty or Nice cupcake was a gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting. Not being a fan of frosting in general, I prefer cream cheese frostings for the less sweet taste as compared to a buttercream. This frosting satiated my need for sweet and was velvety smooth. The gingerbread was my favorite because of the cake's moistness and gingerbread cookie decoration. I enjoyed the cookie on its own, almost as a starter to the cupcake. It was wonderfully gingery and sweet. I’d like to order a whole box of the gingerbread cookies!

Final word on Hey, There Cupcake … Moist, elegant cupcakes delivered to your door. Party hosting can't get much sweeter than that.

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Hey There, Cupcake

Prosciutto and Arugula Flatbread

Featured in this month's 5280 Magazine, this flatbread recipe comes from local chef, Elise Wiggins.

Despite my challenged relationship with pizza crusts, I decided to give Wiggins' flatbread a try. Flatbreads are, after all, rustic and artisan by nature. Translation: imperfect. Hence, just my style. Flatbreads are also very thin. Translation: light. Also, my style.

Much to the amusement of my chef mom, I rolled out the flatbreads with my own version of a rolling pin. A proper rolling pin has been added to my 'Kitchen Wants' list. That way, next time, I will be able to drink the wine whilst rolling dough.

From the recipe, I altered the directions only slightly ... I placed the prosciutto atop the arugula to protect it from wilting as I baked it in the oven for 1 minute.

In the end, we 3 - Dan, Mom and myself - fully enjoyed the crispiness of the flatbread. That combined with the subtle saltiness from the prosciutto, earthy flavor of the arugula and slight sweetness from the aged balsamic came together to create the perfect bite.

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Dough Recipe
Flatbread Recipe

Heirloom tomato bruschetta

Inspired by the vibrant colors at the farmers’ market this holiday weekend, I made bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. And a special mention for the aged balsamic which just makes everything taste better.

1 lb. heirloom tomatoes
1 medium shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
8 leaves fresh basil, cut chiffonade
Parmesan cheese
S&P

1 medium loaf artisan bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar

Wash, remove stems and cut tomatoes in half. Place in medium bowl. Add red wine vinegar and EVOO to bowl. Stir. Dice shallot and sauté in olive oil in small saucepan. Dice garlic and add to saucepan for 1 minute, do not burn. Add to bowl of tomatoes. Chiffonade basil (see tip below) and mix half with tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste and let sit. Set remaining basil aside.

Cut bread in thin slices and place on sheet pan. Lightly drizzle bread with EVOO and aged balsamic. Place in oven on broil, watching carefully to not burn. Remove and place bread on serving dish. Pile tomato mixture onto bread slices. Garnish generously with basil and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Tip: When cutting a chiffonade of basil, stack basil leaves on top of one another and roll lengthwise – almost like rolling a cigar. Then, cut thinly across the cigar roll resulting in thin strips of fresh basil.

Roasted Accordion Potatoes

I'm always on the lookout for recipes good for entertaining. My general criteria for such recipes includes: moderately simple preparation, nice presentation and flavorful yet still on the healthy side of the cooking spectrum.

I recently found a new addition to my entertaining repertoire, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen – one of my favorite food blogs. Trying the recipe meant I would have to use a mandolin for the first time. From the many accounts of mandolin induced injuries I’ve heard, I was especially careful and methodical as I sliced my potatoes. I am happy to report that my mandolin use was injury-free – hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself for next time!

Other than creating my own recipe name, I mostly followed Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. I altered the recipe only slightly as I did not have any shallots on hand. Instead, I thinly sliced a yellow onion and layered within the potatoes slices. I also omitted the red pepper flakes and opted for freshly cracked pepper. Upon tasting, I was equally pleased with the presentation as I was with the taste.

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Smitten Kitchen

Entertaining

I grew up in a home that did a lot of entertaining. And I have a mom who is a wonderful hostess. She was a great example for me and I inherited her love for entertaining. It means a lot to me to have a home that welcomes friends and family to gather to share a meal and a bottle of wine together.

On the appetizer menu:…garlic toast points, dry Italian salami, and pistachio pesto. Instead of the traditional pine nuts, I sub pistachios when I make pesto for a healthier (lower in fat) yet just as flavorful spread. Cheers!