Cooking Show: January Soirée for the Downton Abbey Premiere!

I'm still trying to extend Christmas through this week.  I'm not ready to take down my trees, lights and decorations!

Smack dab in the middle of all of our holiday preparations, my friends and I still managed to find time to plan our upcoming soirée to watch the Downton Abbey premiere!

Counting down the days now (FIVE!!) until the premiere.

Here's a shot from last year's get-together.  Canapés, tarts, scones and tea.

And here's a shot from the cooking show that we filmed earlier this month.  My friend, Trish, cooked with me and we attempted some new recipes as well as a few tried-and-true favorites.

Cranberry/Pistachio Cake Bars

Isn't December the best?  I love everything about Christmas--starting the decorating frenzy the day after Thanksgiving, making lists, wrapping gifts, addressing Christmas cards, 

baking up a storm, wishing for snow (not as much as we had last winter, hopefully!),

decking the halls (and the dogs!), and taking the time to just enjoy everything that is so special and wonderful about this time of year.

I've mostly been baking all of our favorite treats...like almond cookies and chocolate raspberry truffles and pistachio/cranberry cookies.  

And so far, I've made two batches of these Cranberry Pistachio Cake Bars! They're a favorite around here because they aren't overly sweet.  The tartness of the cranberries is offset by a sprinkling of sugar on top, while the red and green from the cranberries and pistachios give them a festive look.

Cooking Show: Thanksgiving and Leftovers!!

Last week's episode of our cooking show had a Thanksgiving-ish theme.  I describe it as -ish because two of the dishes are made with leftover turkey...so if you're wondering what you're going to do with leftover turkey, look no further!

 Turkey Tetrazzini

I don't know what I like best about this recipe.  The sherry cream sauce? The buttery, cheesy crumb topping?  Why don't you make this and let me know what you like best?  Here's the printable recipe.

Turkey & Quinoa Soup

The best way I can describe this would be to call it Thanksgiving Comfort Food.  Thick and creamy bowl of YUM.  Here's the printable recipe.

 Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Okay, this has nothing to do with turkey, nor does it have anything to do with leftovers.  

Turkey & Quinoa Soup

If you anticipate having lots of leftover turkey this Thanksgiving and are already trying to plan ahead, you may want to add this recipe to your list!

It's really easy to prepare!  It only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, and since the turkey has already been cooked, you're basically just throwing a bunch of ingredients together and heating them up!  You can prep the rest of the ingredients while you're waiting for the quinoa to cook, and in no time you'll be digging in to a hearty, thick and creamy bowl of this yummy soup.

Cooking Show...Being Prepared for Unexpected Holiday Guests!

Last week we filmed an episode of the cooking show.  Donna, the producer of the show, suggested coming up with recipes that could be prepared in advance and then reheated when unexpected guests drop by during the holiday season.

For the record, let me state that I love having unexpected (or short-notice) guests drop by, any time of year.  Consider that your invitation, friends.

My friend, Kelly, cooked with me.  Within 90 minutes, we had cooked all that you see in these pictures.

Pistachio Cranberry Cookies

You can mix up this dough in no time.  Roll it into a cylinder shape, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into your fridge for slice-and-bake cookies on a moment's notice.

Here's the printable recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms

These mushrooms are easy to stuff in advance, then place into your freezer to be baked at a later date.  Here's the printable recipe.

Shrimp Puffs/ Bacon-Cheddar Puffs

Using the same dough as a base, you can make these soft, puffy, fluffy appetizers with bacon & cheddar or with shrimp.  Did I mention that the soft and fluffy on the inside (yet crunchy on the outside) dough is to die for?  Serve them warm from the oven, or let them cool completely and freeze in a zip lock freezer bag.  When frozen, they reheat in a matter of minutes.  Here's the printable recipe.

 Lobster Dip/Phyllo Cups

Okay, these are not something that you can prep in advance and freeze...but this recipe is so easy to make and so good I just had to include it.  Simply melt the cheeses (takes about 3 minutes in your microwave) and sauté some chopped mushrooms and lobster, stir it together and voila!  Serve as a dip, with pita chips or tortilla chips for dipping, or spoon it into phyllo cups and bake for a couple of minutes.  Here's the printable recipe.

Shrimp Puffs

In the 1980's, these appetizer puffs used to be one of my go-to recipes.

I don't know why they fell out of favor, maybe it's because as the years went by I preferred Stuffed Mushrooms and Mr. Terrific has more of an affinity for Lobster Phyllo Cups.

We were filming a cooking show recently (future post alert!) and someone suggested a theme of recipes that can be prepared in advance, frozen, and then reheated quickly when unexpected holiday visitors drop by.

The first recipe that popped into my head was these puff appetizers!

You can make them with shrimp or with bacon and cheddar.  The dough is light and fluffy and inside and slightly crunchy on the outside.  Whether you serve them right out of the oven or freeze them for a later date, you will love these appetizer puffs!

Pistachio/Cranberry Cookies

These cookies are fabulous whenever you make them, but they're especially festive in the fall and through the holiday season!

I resisted making them forever.  My mom makes these cookies and several times a year she brings us a batch.  They're so GOOD.  They disappear in no time.

I asked her for the recipe a few years ago, and to my horror there is packaged pudding in them.  The snob in me simply refused to make them.

I didn't refuse to eat them, however.  Every time my mom brings us a batch, I definitely eat my fair share.

Perhaps more than my fair share.

Don't be like me, stubbornly refusing to make these cookies.  Make them today!

Cooking Show...Tailgating, Part III !

I can't believe we just filmed our third annual tailgating show!

I was once again joined by Maureen, the tailgating maven.  I don't know anyone who is more of a tailgating expert than she is.

Last month, it was my good luck to join in on one of her legendary tailgates, and I snapped a few photos.

Here they are:

Here's a photo of her table with appetizers and main dishes.

I think the two people that you see in the photo may be having a spirited discussion regarding whether the buffalo chicken dip tastes better with nachos or veggie sticks.

It's hard to see what was way down the other end of the table, so here's a picture of Maureen's fabulous tortellini/pasta salad and pulled pork sandwiches with vinegar slaw.

And we can't forget the dessert & drink table, featuring pomegranate mojitos and pumpkin whoopie pies, both of which we replicated for the show.

Here's what we made on the show:

Maureen thought it would be nice to have a signature cocktail for her tailgate.  

I decided that it should feature pomegranate juice, to match the colors of her alma mater.  Hence, Pomegranate Mojitos were born!  

Here's the printable recipe.

Then we moved on to Fall Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette.  Click here for the printable recipe.

In the upper left corner of the above photo, you can partially see the Brie & Jam Phyllo tarts that we made.  I wish I took a picture of them; I promise to update this post as soon as possible with a picture!  

In the meantime, if you want to make them, you will need a package of frozen phyllo tarts, a wedge of brie and a jar of jam.  Place a small (3/4-inch) piece of brie and 1/2 teaspoon of jam in each tart.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

For the record, I used roasted garlic & onion jam which lent the perfect amount of savory sweetness to these tarts!

Our menu would not be complete without Slow Cooker Pulled Pork sandwiches!  Here's the printable recipe.

And for a sweet finish to our show, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  If you want to see a plate of treats disappear, make these.

During the show, someone asked me how long these will keep.  I had to answer that I didn't know, they are always gone by the next day!

Pomegranate Mojitos

I've been taking a lot of liberties with mojitos recently.

If there are mojito purists out there, I'm sure that my attempts at creating fun & fruity mojitos are a form of blasphemy in their eyes.

A friend of mine asked me to create a signature cocktail for her tailgate.  The school color is maroon, which made me think of pomegranate juice.  Before I could stop myself I was traveling down the fruity mojito road.

And there you go.  By the time we were finished, we had ourselves a menu for the next cooking show! (More tailgate pics & cooking show info in the next post.  Stay tuned!)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I can't help it.

Now that autumn has arrived I want to make pumpkin everything!

We're barely two weeks into the fall season and I've already made five batches of pumpkin whoopie pies.  Seven batches, if you take into consideration that two of those batches were double!