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Food Porn

Beer BreadCookies 'n Cream CakeChicken Fajita SkilletChicken ChilaquilesS'Mores Galore BarsZesty Oven Baked Fries

Inspiration

Le Menu

November 29, 2006

I spent some time last night browsing through recipes on Recipezaar, in my favorite cookbooks and through past issues of Food and Wine magazines. After much debate with my husband on how we wanted to cook it (grilled, broil, oven) and what kind of ingredients we wanted to use, this recipe from Recipezaar won the battle. I love the fact that you can do a lot of the recipe ahead of time, which will be great so that the time spent before the party can be used doing more important things (like drink wine!) Here it is:

Show-off Roast Pork Recipe #41426
My favorite do-ahead party dish. Excellent taste, very easy to make, and perfect for everything from a casual to a formal dinner party, or even a buffet. It’s great served with braised belgian endive or lightly sauteed broccoli rappe, green salad, wine, and even pasta. Versatile and easy dish. My go-to dish when we’ve got friends coming over, and I can’t think of what to make.
6

servings

time to make 1¾ hours 45 min prep

1 boneless pork loin (2 to 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons softened butter
3 ounces finely-chopped prosciutto
2-3 tablespoons finely-minced garlic
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 - 1 1/2 T dried)
1-1 1/2 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan cheese or shredded parmesan cheese
black pepper
1-2 cup dry white wine
  1. Mix together butter, prosciutto, garlic, rosemary, parmesan, and black pepper and set aside (can be made in advance and refrigerated up to one day, but warm to room temperature before proceeding).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Cut slits about an inch or so long and a half inch or so deep all over the top of the roast.
  4. Spread butter mixture over the roast, using the handle of a spoon to get it into the slits you made earlier (very important).
  5. (At this point, you can wrap roast in plastic and refrigerate overnight and up to 1 day.) Put prepared roast in a roasting pan, pour wine slowly over it, and cook for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the roast, basting about every 30 minutes or so with pan drippings.
  6. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 15 minutes.
 
Doesn’t that sound delicious?
 
zisola.jpgWhile browsing through the December issue of Food and Wine Magazine, I found the perfect wine to pair with our meal. Zisola… a tangy blend of wild berries with a rustic, leathery note. This wine was featured in Ray Isle’s article Exciting New Wines of 2006.  At a very reasonable price of $19 per bottle, it will be a nice addition to our dinner party’s meal.  I can’t wait to give it a try.
 
That’s where things stand at the moment. Stay tuned!

Etsy - Give with style!

November 28, 2006

apron.jpgRecently, my friend Karen Beth, turned me onto a gem of a website called Etsy. Etsy is "your place to buy and sell all things handmade". It is a really fantastic site! Well, I was on there looking at Karen Beth’s beautiful bookmarks and decided I’d look around to see if I could find anything to buy as gifts for our dinner party guests. In true me style, I got sidetracked and came across this apron. Don’t you love it? I can’t imagine wearing it while our guests are in the house (too Donna Reed for me) but I can definitely picture wearing it while preparing for the dinner parties! I may have to purchase a little Christmas gift for myself :)

 After getting my mind back onto what I was originally there to do, I started looking around for the guest gifts. I was hoping to find some kind of wire wrapped beaded serving ware or tongs, but I didn’t find anything like that listed. Then I took a look at wine charms, but that doesn’t seem very original. I’d like the gift be related to food or eating. Something practical, yet unique and of course, as always, I’m working on a budget here! I’d like it to be something that when they would use or look at, they’d remember the good time we had (hopefully!) that night.

 The search is still on. I’ll probably search around Etsy more and see what might be out there. I may also look at some other food / party blogs and see if there are any gift ideas there. I’ll keep you posted and if you have any ideas for me, feel free to let me know.

Christmas Party - Scheduled for December 16th!

November 27, 2006

Our goal is beginning earlier than 2007. We are hosting a Christmas dinner party on December 16th with 3 other couples at our home. The kids will all be at a friends house being taken care of by a babysitter, so it will be an adult’s only night.

I think we are going to make some sort of pork loin… I’m off to Recipezaar to look for recipes. Everyone is going to bring something, so all the food won’t be my responsibility. I will be making an appetizer, the meat and the bread. I’ll post here when I decide what recipes to use and what finishing touches I’ll need to make this dinner party a big success. 

Things to do:

  • Find recipes
  • Find or create pretty tabble runner or centerpiece
  • Create holiday playlist for my IPod
  • Find games to play
  • Purchase small gifts for each couple attending
  • Plan drink menu

Dinner Party Diaries

November 26, 2006

My husband and I love to entertain. We love cooking, having friends over, enjoying one another’s company and engaging in adult conversations. Every time we watch The Food Network or Fine Living we comment on how we wish we could entertain more. What’s stopping us?? Money, for one. Three kids and a busy life doesn’t help either.

I’ve decided to make a project out of this dream of ours. In the year 2007, we are going to host at least one dinner party of some sort each month. Some may be ellaborate, some may be simple, some may be kid friendly, some may be adults only.

My plan is to make a theme for each month, and from that theme I’ll plan the party. We’ll share with you the various tips, plans, accessories, etc. that we come across that have made our journey to this goal possible!

If you are in the area and want to attend a Dine and Dish event, feel free to give me a call :)