Living, Learning, Eating: Hosting

Showing posts with label Hosting. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Hosting. Show all posts

Dec 10, 2016

Recipe: Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 9:00 AM

It's Christmastime! AKA baking season. AKA my favorite time of the year.

If you've had enough of chocolate chip cookies (whaaat), run out of peanut butter (the horror!), and one of your little cookie monsters balks at oatmeal, here's the perfect solution:

Buttery Snickerdoodle Cookies

Melt in your mouth, pillowy soft snickerdoodle cookies that delight your tongue with buttery, cinnamon-sugary goodness. These cookies bake soft, stay soft, and are the kind of cookies that disappear at the party in the first ten minutes.

They're also super easy and pretty quick to make! Without further ado, here's the recipe.

Sep 2, 2016

Recipe: Shakshuka (Israelian Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta)

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

September is National Breakfast Month!

This is clearly my month to shine, because I make breakfast for dinner far more often than is likely acceptable for a twenty-something-year-old. What can I say? Breakfast foods are the best foods and I'm okay with never being a proper grown up if that would mean I can only have breakfast once a day!

Shakshuka Recipe

This dish, an Israelian favorite for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, straddles the line between breakfast for dinner and a sensible grown up's meal. That's a compromise I can live with!

Even better: it's simple to make, full of healthy plantbased nutrition from chickpeas and tomatoes, a cheap meal that beats ramen by a mile (feta is the most expensive ingredient, but the core ingredients are canned chickpeas, canned tomatoes, and eggs), and you can eat out of a cast iron pan like a farmer!

I used Nellie's Free Range Eggs to make this a meal that's healthy, humane, and free of residual antibiotics or other icky things from the chicken's diet. I chose Nellie's Free Range Eggs because they're easy to find (I got mine from Whole Foods) and always free range, and free of hormones or antibiotics, and kosher certified. They're also great quality, delicious eggs!

Read on for the recipe. It's a 35 minute dinner!

Aug 17, 2016

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon with Cabernet Reduction

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Whether it's a dinner party, date night, a birthday, or just a wear-high-heels-and-have-perfect-posture Tuesday, sometimes breakfast for dinner or a simple pasta dish doesn't cut it.

This blue cheese crusted filet mignon with cabernet reduction is loved by all of my taste testers, spanning three generations and many different food preferences, and it's a pretty dish perfect for any fancy evening in!

I'm not going to pretend that this is 'quick and easy' as you should definitely give yourself a solid hour to prepare this dish along with the sides (I recommend mashed potatoes and garlic spinach), but the big smiles and rave reviews are well worth the effort. Read on for how to make a restaurant-quality steak dinner at home!

Aug 4, 2016

Recipe: Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

I love baking bread! While I'm a total wuss when it comes to spicy food, many of my friends love a little fire in their food. This bread is savory, just the right amount of cheesy, and has a jalapeno kick (but not so much that you cry when you eat it).

Easy Bread Recipe

This loaf is flavorful, moist with a good texture, and makes grilled cheese sandwiches, croutons, and savory sandwiches. It's also a nice gift loaf or nice to bring along to a picnic or potluck! Read on for the easy-to-follow recipe.

Jul 2, 2016

Independence Day Eats!

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

It's Independence Day weekend!

It's a place where this pickup line CAN work 100 percent of the time.

...sorry, I couldn't resist the patriotic pickup line.

I'm celebrating the long weekend with a trip to Providence, Rhode Island. It's under two hours out of Boston and can be reached with just the red line and the commuter rail, so you can get there for $20 round trip. Not bad for a long weekend getaway!

I'll share photos of Providence later, but for now here are some great holiday-themed foods to bring to your Independence Day barbecue, potluck, or any other celebration that requires food. Enjoy the yummy red, white, and blue!

Jun 17, 2016

Recipe: Nutty for Nuts Bars

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

We're well into June now and with the warm weather and long days comes a lot more time spent outside and, by extension, a lot more fun social activities like potlucks and parties for many of us!

I love baking, so I always try to get dibs on dessert when I go to a potluck. Not only is making desserts loads of fun, but desserts are often also easier to make ahead of time and transport to the party location, since they generally don't have to be kept particularly hot or cold in transport.

These nutty bars are a sweet, delicious, and indulgent dessert that's a big hit at parties, potlucks, and bake sales. They're fun to make, a great way to switch things up from the typical chocolate chip cookies and brownies, and are perfect served at room temperature. They're very rich, so you get a lot of bars out of the batch. Read on for the recipe!

Apr 4, 2016

Top Ten Kitchen Essentials

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Every time I move or even just cook in someone else's kitchen, I am reminded of what a huge difference a well-stocked kitchen is!

Fortunately, I've never been anywhere near this desperate.

If you're still moving a lot, don't cook that often, or don't want to spend a lot on kitchen supplies, you can get away with skipping some of the fun extras, like food processors and rice cookers, as long as you have these ten kitchen essentials!

1) Cutting Board.

Some people like to get at least two cutting boards (one for meat/fish and one for produce/grains), but at least one good cutting board is absolutely necessary! I can't imagine how one could possibly cook without one, unless everything is pre-prepared (and buying only pre-chopped ingredients is such an expensive, wasteful, and packaging-heavy way to cook).

I highly recommend wooden cutting boards, because then you know there are no icky chemicals rubbing off into your food. If you take good care of your wooden cutting board(s) it/they can last forever!

2) Knife Set.

Good knives are expensive and are so, so, so fun too cook with. But if you're on a budget, moving a lot, live with roommates, or just don't cook enough to justify the cost to yourself, a cheap knife set from Ikea will do (that's what I have at the moment, since I live with roommates, and I make it work).

3) High-Speed Blender.

VitaMixes are obviously the dream, but their $400-$800 price tag is far from ideal. Unless you're making cream soups, produce-packed smoothies, nice cream, dips, or homemade nut butters everyday, I recommend the Ninja system.

It has its quirks and limits, but I've been pretty happy with mine for a few years!

Dec 30, 2015

Recipe: 24 Carat Carrot Cake

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Need a carrot cake to blow everyone (including those who aren't huge fans of veggie cakes) away?

I'm one of those people who brings a dessert to a party and then keeps peeking at the dessert table every ten minutes to see how my dessert is doing. I just want to ask people how they like it! But I resist.

This cake made it easy for me! I made this for a birthday party and had three recipe requests by the time that I left the party, as well as several people asking for dibs on leftovers to take home!

To me, that is the mark of a successful recipe!

This carrot cake is perfect for a flavorful, moist (sorry to those of you who hate that word for whatever reason, but it's not dry) cake with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. You'll never want to use a different carrot cake recipe!

Dec 28, 2015

Review: Honey Ridge Farms Artisan Honeys

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Where has 2015 gone? I can hardly believe that there are only a few short years until the new year!

2015 has been a wonderful year, full of growth, new career developments, new relationships, old creative passions in new ways, and a wonderful abundance of adventure, travel, good times with loved ones, and learning, I'm excited to see what 2016 brings!

One of the New Year's Eve traditions that I find really cute is the tradition of eating honey to herald in a sweet new year. I love honey, so any reason to eat it is good with me!

This year, I'm going for a gourmet spin with the honey I will give my loved ones and enjoy myself on Christmas Eve.

Honey Ridge Farms has a variety of absolutely delicious gourmet honey products that are perfect to start 2016 off on the right foot - or really for any morning!

The unique flavors of honey cremes include blackberry, clover, lavender, lemon, raspberry, coconut, blood orange, lemon lavender, and my personal favorite, spiced. Honey Creme spiced is the perfect festive blend of warming spices that, paired with the sweetness of the creamy honey, makes for a treat perfect for the holiday season!

Dec 23, 2015

Recipe: Chewy Chococonut Cookies

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, but sometimes you want to mix it up a bit. If you've had enough plain chocolate chip cookies this holiday season, check these out!

These chewy Chococonut cookies might be a bit of a tongue twister, but the flavors of the dark chocolate chunks and the chewy shredded coconut compliment each other brilliantly and make these a great change from the typical chocolate chip cookie!

They're big, soft, chewy cookies, like the kind you get from the cookie bakeries or carts at the mall. Without further ado, here's the quick and easy recipe! No dough chilling required.

Dec 16, 2015

Recipe: Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

I love trying out all sorts of different cookie recipes and cookies around the holidays. There are so many fun varieties!

But when it comes down to it, you can't beat the nostalgic appeal of the classic chocolate chip cookie around Christmastime.

This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I use anymore! The cookies are amazing and everyone loves them.

Everyone.

Read on for the recipe. You'll be glad that you did!

Dec 9, 2015

Recipe: Impossibly Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Happy holidays! Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year and while I go hard all December, I already start prep back in September.

By prep, I mean I start listening to Christmas music, planning Christmas presents, testing recipes, and watching Christmas movies.

Thanks to my ~~obsessive~~ extensive preparation, this Christmas chocolate chip cookie is the absolute best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. I've tried so many, I know what I'm talking about!

I love to make the dough for these the night before and then bake them shortly before serving, because they look great after the dough has been chilled and they taste amazing warm and fresh from the oven.

Read on for the recipe!

Nov 25, 2015

Recipe: Irresistible Cheesy Bread

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

It's that time of year! Happy (almost) Thanksgiving, everyone!

While a lot of us host Thanksgiving celebrations, or celebrate a family Thanksgiving at home, it is also not uncommon to attend a Thanksgiving dinner that someone else is hosting. My family is strewn all around the world and the same is true for many of my fellow New Yorkers!

Attending someone else's Thanksgiving dinner can be a lot of fun. You get to dress up, spend time with some awesome people, and not have the stress of hosting the dinner yourself. That said, it's important to be a good guest. Definitely bring with a host gift and/or a contribution to the dinner!

But what if you know nothing about how to pick a good wine (guilty) and dessert has already been claimed, so you can't bring along an award-winning pecan pie or my classic pumpkin pie? Never fear!

A side dish (or appetizer, depending on how off-schedule the turkey roasting itself is running) is always appreciated.

A dinner bread is especially appreciated, because if it doesn't get eaten at the actual dinner, your hosts can use it for their post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches!

This irresistible cheesy bread is a real winner. Everyone always loves it, it's pretty easy to make, the strongly flavored asiago cheese makes it a slightly gourmet (or at the very least, grown up) tasting bread, and asiago cheese is the only ingredient that you may not already have in your kitchen!

Read on for the yummy recipe!

Nov 18, 2015

Recipe: Can't-Fail Creamed Corn

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Creamed corn is an American staple side dish. I've babysat kids before who wouldn't touch any vegetable (including regular cooked corn or corn on the cob) but went crazy for my creamed corn.

While it's important to encourage picky eaters to get a variety of vegetables in their diet (I have posted about ways to do so, sneakily and not-so-sneakily!) it's great to also have a veggie side option that you don't have to convince or trick them into enjoying. This creamed corn fits the bill!

While corn is often under-appreciated as a vegetable, there are actually a lot of great reasons to enjoy corn!

Corn is rich in vitamins A, B, and E, as well as a wide variety of minerals, including magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, manganese, and so on. It is in high in satiating, digestion-regulating fiber, contains antioxidants that have been linked to reduced rates of cancer and Alzheimer's, reduces cholesterol absorption in the body, promotes good bone health, and helps prevent anemia.

Satisfied that you want corn on your dinner table? Great! Then read on for the recipe for my creamed corn - you'll have plates scraped clean!

Nov 10, 2015

Recipe: Bruce Bogtrotter's Extreme Chocolate Cake from 'Matilda' the movie!

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Do you remember that epic scene from Matilda, where the awful headmistress Agatha Trunchbull forces Bruce Bogtrotter to eat an entire chocolate cake on stage in front of his peers?

While that scene looked miserable, both for the public humiliation factor and the fact that eating such a big, rich cake all by oneself so quickly must cause some digestive upset, the cake itself always seemed like the pinnacle of an extremely chocolatey chocolate cake.

Chocoholics would love it!

Albeit, probably a slice as opposed to a whole cake and probably enjoyed with a dessert fork instead of by the fistful.

This cake is exactly as chocolatey and indulgent as Bruce Bogtrotter's chocolate cake and perfect for the chocoholic in your life! Read on for the recipe!

Nov 2, 2015

Recipe: Quick and Easy White Bread

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

I love grainy, seedy, dark breads. Pumpernickel is one of my favorites, especially in Germany!

Sometimes, however, you need a simple bread. If you're feeding a picky eater, a group of kids, or someone with a cold or flu and a sensitive stomach through that, sometimes a simple white bread is just what you need.

This recipe is a quick, easy, no-fail, and short rise time recipe for exactly that! I like to make it when someone has one of those sudden flu onsets. You can start it when they head off for a nap and be done by the time they're ready for some chicken soup (or the vegetarian equivalent) and plain buttered bread.

Enjoy!

Oct 26, 2015

Recipe: German Honey Cookies

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

I'm half-German and absolutely love so many things about Germany - the landscape, the people, the culture, the music, the organization, the country overall, and (of course) the food!

Food is a huge part of culture and it's a great way to take little staycations to far-away places without leaving your kitchen. So you can all enjoy a little piece of Germany in your homes, here's a recipe for traditional Germany honey cookies!

These cookies are essentially the basic 'milk and cookies' cookie. They're simple, sweet, pair perfectly fresh from the oven with a cool glass of milk, and are beloved by children and adults alike. They're also quite simple to make and use only fairly basic pantry ingredients for the most part, so there's no reason not to give them a try.

Happy food-venturing!

Oct 5, 2015

Recipe: Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Want a muffin recipe that will make everyone want to have breakfast at your place? These blueberry muffins are it!

Perfectly soft and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the streusel-covered top, they're melt-in-your-mouth amazing. To make them just like jumbo bakery muffins, use 6 extra large muffin tins instead of 9 regular ones. Enjoy!

Sep 24, 2015

Weeknight Convenience with Marley Spoon!

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I love to bake and cook.

My Irresistible Irish Soda Bread

If you follow me, you also know that I recently left my flexible, but also all over the place, schedule as a freelance writer and print model behind to join the 9-5(ish) world as a children's entertainment writer. I love my job!

But that doesn't mean that adjusting to the new, structured schedule didn't require a little work. While I no longer have to be up at 5am on shoot or writing until 2am to meet a deadline, I also don't have time to pop out in the afternoon for a grocery run or precook part of an elaborate dinner when the mood strikes me.

But home cooked dinners are not only fun to make, they're also generally more nutritious than eating out and that's important to stay healthy and happy!

Luckily, there's a middle ground between the time-effective but less nutritious option of eating out and the healthy but time-consuming process of grocery shopping, recipe finding, prepping, and cooking your own dinner. It's called Marley Spoon!

Sep 13, 2015

Recipe: Challah

Posted by Living, Learning, Eating at 6:00 AM

I love learning about different cultures and food can be a huge part of culture! It's also interesting to see how cultures intersect.

I'm not Jewish, but it's a culture with a rich food history and rich traditions overall. I am German, and I always think it's really interesting when I see overlaps between German words and Yiddish words, traditional German foods and traditional Jewish foods, and so on.

One such overlap is Challah - or Zopf in German cuisine! Since tonight is the start of Rosh Hashanah, what better time to share a great Challah (or Zopf, if you're German) recipe?

This bread is soft and flaky and light, ever so slightly sweet, works great with or without poppy seeds on top, and looks great! It's an absolute winner fresh, but even the leftovers (if there are any) won't go to waste. It makes great french toast!

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