Spring Dinner Party

This past weekend, I hosted a dinner party for my mom's birthday. My first move was to plan a sweet and springy dinner table that incorporated my red dishware. After picking up this pretty and season-appropriate table runner at Bed Bath & Beyond, and a small yet punchy bouquet of hydrangeas, I was happy with my spring table and ready to move onto more pressing issues...the menu. It was my first official dinner party, so my sister Kimberly and I put our heads together and came up with a simple yet elegant menu for our small soiree.

Spring Dinner Party Menu
Hors D'oeuvres
Spiced Walnuts
Smoked Salmon with cream cheese and capers
Caprese salad

Pre-Dinner
Shrimp Cocktail
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette Salad

Dinner
Braised Beef Brisket
Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Parmesean Asparagus

Dessert
Brooklyn bakery cookies
Butter Lane cupcakes

Today, we're talking hors d'oeuvres. Though typically my favorite part of a meal (since I'm a sampler and all), since there was lots of food to be had, K and I decided that simple, light hors d'oeuvres would be just enough to whet our palettes for the delectable meal ahead. No creamy dips or heaving finger foods here. First up, Kimberly put together a caprese salad, a classic favorite. Consisting of sliced heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzerella cheese, fresh basil leaves and drizzles of olive oil and balsamic vinagrette, what could be bad about that?

In addition to the Caprese salad, I put together a smoked salmon platter, always a super crowd pleaser in the Cannon family. Light smoked salmon, reduced fat cream cheese and capers mixed with a bit of olive oil turned basic melba toast from "eh" to "mmmm".

I also served spiced walnuts, but stay tuned for that recipe shortly. So what do you think? Do you have any signature hors d'oeuvres for hosting a party? Do you go simple and basic, or all out?

Coming up this week: find out how I went from never having cooked beef brisket to finding the ultimate recipe for this delicious main course and lots more info on hosting a spring dinner party.

It's Not Your Mom's Meatloaf

I'm not sure why but there's something so...unappetizing about the sound of meatloaf. I'm not saying it doesn't taste fabulous if done right, but it sounds a bit antiquated. I got to thinking that meatloaf is essentially a giant hamburger without the bun and suddenly I'm able to forget about the name and start salivating. Modernize it a bit with some spinach, mustard and whole wheat breadcrumbs and an old recipe turns mod. And don't worry about making a vegetable on the side...this one packs fresh greens right in the mix. Oh, and I should mention that the name of this recipe holds no disrepect for my own mom, who makes a fabulous meatloaf...I just feel the need to put my own personal spin on things. But let's just get down to the goods, shall we?

Not Your Mom's Meatloaf
1 lb ground turkey
4 C fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 C reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcheshire sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 C whole wheat, seasoned bread crumbs (the 4C brand makes these now)
2 cloves garlic
ketchup
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in small pan. Saute onions until translucent but make sure they don't burn. Add garlic and saute a bit longer. Remove from heat and stir in Worcheshire sauce and mustard. Let cool while mixing the other ingredients. (Note: at this point, I removed the onion mixture from the pan and put it in a bowl to cool more quickly) In mixing bowl, mix ground turkey, spinach, mayo and bread crumbs. Ok. I know that mayo isn't necessarily a typical ingredient in meatloaf. But since I picked up some odds and ends after work before checking my fridge, I didn't realize that eggs were nowhere to be found. And of course, the other meatloaf components were already mixed and just waiting for one little egg white to bind the whole thing together. So with nary an egg in sight, I tried a 1/4 C of reduced fat mayo in lieu of an egg white, held my breath while the meatloaf cooked (ok, maybe not actually the entire time that it cooked) and hoped for the best.* Once it's all mixed together (oh, and just like with Kathy's Irish Soda Bread, you're going to have to use your own two paws to really get 'er done), shape into a loaf on an ungreased baking sheet. Pour ketchup all over the top and smooth with a spatula, smoothing a bit onto the sides. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, slice, and enjoy! Though turkey can tend to be somewhat less than flavorful, the added ingredients make this recipe moist and delish to boot. No ground beef = ok with me.

*The verdict on substituting mayo? Success! I did fear for a time that I'd have ground meat and spinach running all over my oven, but instead, I got a firmly packed, yummy meatloaf.

So what do you think? Are you a fan of meatloaf? How do you make it?

Three Cheese Fondue

I don't know what it is about dipping bread in cheese, but there's just something special about fondue. I'm not sure if it's the decadence, the deliciousness, or the act of dipping anything I can get my hands using a long tiny fork, but I'm basically always on board for fondue. Instead of tapping out your wallet at Hell's Kitchen's Kaskaval or the Melting Pot in Hoboken, why not make it at home?

Wine-infused Three Cheese Fondue
*Adapted from All Recipes
1 C white wine
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all purpose flour
7 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
7 oz Cheddar, shredded
7 oz Jarlsberg cheese, shredded

Shred cheese. In a small saucepan, bring wine to a boil. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking and burning. Once the flour is cooked, slowly stir the wine into the flour mixture. Use a whisk to smooth the mixture as it will remove any lumps. Slowly add Gruyere, Cheddar, and Jarlsberg cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot. Keep warm over low flame. Dip fixin's like cubed bread, Granny smith apples, carrots and cauliflower.

Even the pot itself is an inexpensive investment. This truly adorable version is only $19.99 from Target.

So what do you think? Are you a fondue fiend?