Weekend Party at the Kallos'

What a great weekend! We had friends over on Saturday and had a great time, but I have to admit that I was not so good at taking photos this time around. I (of course) was running around chatting with everyone and manning the grill. I did manage however to take a few before the party started.

A quick cheese, prosciutto and melon tray was great for snacking. The cheeses were Dubliner, a great sharp cheddar like cheese, and a wonderful smoked Gouda.

The main dish was ribs (I am so bummed I forgot to take a photo) a recipe/technique I learned from our good friend Cody Bullis. They were great as usual. I made WAY too many so everyone was pleased to take some home for lunch on Sunday.

We also had Asian Cole Slaw which I love and I made the mac & cheese I recently posted about. But, believe it or not, the highlight dish of the night for me was this Layered Summer Salad, http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/layered-summer-salad-75160.aspx.

This salad is full of fresh vegetables and I was able to use more of the fresh basil from the garden. I was a bit worried that it would get soggy by letting it sit with the dressing for 5 hours, however I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Very crispy and cool, perfect for a hot summer day, I can't wait to make it again!

As an added bonus we celebrated Peter, Brian, and Becky's birthday (all coming up this week) with a fantastic Devil's Food cake from Cakes by Darcy, http://www.cakesbydarcy.com/. Everyone loved this cake so much! I can not wait for another excuse to order from this bakery.

A Summer Treasure

Fresh tomatoes from our garden. Delicious!

Coconut Pineapple Loaf Cake

YES!!!!! I think I have restored my faith in my baking abilities with this one, phew! I was getting worried that all the skills I gained during the baking year of 2007 were gone.

Found this recipe in the June issue of Everyday Food, and immediately ear marked it. It is deliciously light and sweet. Yum, can't wait to make it again.

Hungarian Delight

Peter is half Hungarian (and very proud) and I am about a quarter Hungarian, no wonder we're in love! :-) Early in our marriage my father in law taught me to make traditional Hungarian Goulash. It is has always been one of Peter's favorite and now it is one of mine.

Such simple ingredients make a rich and flavorful dish. If you can, make it the day before you want to serve it, it is so much better the next day!

1 Large Onion- Diced
1 Large Green Pepper- Diced
1 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2.5 Lbs. Beef Stewing Meat

3 Tablespoons Paprika

1 Sm. Can Whole Tomatoes
½ Cup Sour Cream & More for Garnish
Salt & Pepper
Water


Heat oil in large Dutch oven and add onions & peppers. Cook until softened but do not brown, about 7-8 minutes.

Season beef with salt and pepper and add to soften vegetables. Brown lightly and then remove from pot.

When beef is removed drain most of but not all of the oil from pan saving the vegetables. Then pour 1 cup water and paprika into pan. Simmer for about a minute scrapping all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add beef back into pot, along with the tomatoes, broken up roughly by hand. Add water until beef is just covered. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer pot for about 3 hours or until beef is very tender.

Remove one ladle full of sauce and mix in separate bowl with the sour cream. Add mixture back to pot mixing until smooth.

Serve over small noodles and top with a dollop of sour cream.

A Midsummers Night

This is how it began.......the ending was not so pretty........

Funny how a beautiful evening and good conversation leads to drinking an entire bottle of Pinot Noir by yourself......

Sunday Cooking

Peter has been growing a basil and tomato plant for me and I could not be more excited. Both plants are doing excellent, although the tomatoes are not yet ripe enough to eat. The basil plant however is thriving and I took the opportunity to make fresh (and organic) pesto.

The recipe from the Martha Stewart Living- New Classics cookbook was very simple. The pesto made the whole kitchen smell great and I can not wait to try it over pasta for dinner and in an egg white omelet with cheese for breakfast.

It is unbelievable how much pesto this recipe made. According the the directions it will last up to one week in the refrigerator, so I will be sharing some with friends as not to waist any.

For dinner I made King Crab Legs, one of Peter's absolute favorite meals. I have to admit though that I do not make them that often as I find cooking them a bit daunting.

This time though I am happy to report that it was a lot easier. For my birthday (in March) Peter bought me a fantastic new set of aluminum cookware and I have been loving them! The large stock/pasta pot made steaming the crab much easier to manage and cutting them into pieces made for even cooking.



The night was beautiful and we enjoyed the crab on the deck. A great way to end a relaxing weekend, delicious food and a happy husband.

Creamy Salad's for the 4th of July

I love the 4th of July! It marks the true beginning of summer which means great times with friends and of course delicious food!

This 4th of July weekend was a lot of fun and very busy. We had several parties to go to starting with our annual holiday feast at the office. This year I made pasta salad which is one of my favorite summer foods. I was looking for a traditional recipe with a twist and I think that this one from Foodnetwork.com hit the spot, http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_14130,00.html. It is creamy, crunchy, spicy and satisfying.

The salad as easy to make but had several steps and a lot of ingredients. Also, it should be noted that although the salad is delicious it will do nothing for your breath! :-)

We had two other parties to attend on the 4th and I had plans to make some other treats, however this salad made so much that I had enough to bring to these two parties as well! This one is a keeper, I will make it again for sure.

With one more party left on Saturday the 5th I was out of pasta salad so I made potato salad (my apologies, I forgot to take a photo). This recipe is my mom's which she taught me years and years ago. I LOVE it and make it whenever I have the opportunity.

1 lbs. tender potatoes (I usually use small red potatoes)

1 lg. green pepper- seeded & chopped

2 stalks celery- chopped

3 scallions- chopped

4 eggs- hard boiled & chopped

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1 tbls. garlic salt

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Boil potatoes until tender, cool to room temperature and quarter into bite sized pieces.

In a large bowl combine the potatoes and all the vegetables. In a small bowl combine the mayo, mustard and seasoning, then mix in with the potato mixture. Fold in eggs.

Chill for at least two hours before serving.

A Meal for New Parents

My co-worker Adam and his wife Kate welcomed their first child to the world on June 21. Little Addisen Brian is just beautiful, but is keeping his parents very busy. So, I thought they would appreciate meals that they could make in a jiffy.

Who doesn't love Macaroni and Cheese! I made this one from Tyler Florence (one of my favorite Food Network hosts) http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_29021,00.html and found it very interesting that you infuse the milk with onion, clove, garlic, dry mustard, and thyme before adding it to the rue. The milk smelled delicious!

Then the cheese was added, cheddar and Parmesan. The mixture was thick and creamy.

After baking in the oven I am sure it will be heaven! I will have to make this dish again ASAP so that we can try it too.

A Childhood Memory

Chicken Chop Suey is one of those dishes that brings back a million memories. Both my mom and my Grandmother Lois used to make this dish for us when we were kids (I am pretty sure that it was from a can, regardless it was one of my favs).

Ellie Krieger does it again! 470 calories per serving, delicious and satisfying, you just can't go wrong.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_35583,00.html

I didn't make the the wonton crisps on the top (forgot to get them at the store) so I am looking forward to making this dish again with them.