Birthday Party BBQ Buffet! *Pix*

I’ve neglected my blog all week, but it was for really good reason. I was busy prepping for my newly minted 7 and 5 year old's joint Birthday Party (a perk, I must say, of having children with birthdays that fall w/in a week of each other ☺). When I plan a party, no matter how small, I tend to get a little meticulous and I really threw myself into it being that it was for my children.

I so wished I had time to document all of my prep, but alas, I was spread thin on time per usual. I did manage to get pictures of the finished product and that’s as good as anything! I figured I’d also include the recipes I used so look out for those after this entry should you be interested.

The party was at noon and was going to be aimed at a family crowd so I decided on a BBQ buffet and tried to stick with kid friendly foods.


It was a Spongebob/Tinkerbell themed party so I tried to parlay the theme in when and where I could – hence the little place cards describing what food item was before it. Here are “Squidward Dogs” and obviously “Krabby Patties”. I really wanted to make my own mince mix and press my own burgers but my dear husband talked me down from it. And true, I had a lot to do so I conceded to using Bubba Burgers (which are mighty tasty in their own right, and it’s awesome that they go from freezer to grill. My 3 already-packed refrigerators were thankful for that, seeing as I really had no room to properly defrost them even if I wanted to ☺).



I tried to do a vegetarian BBQ Bean dish from scratch scratch (most recipes will use canned beans). It turned out in the end but I swear I cooked those beans for a good 12 hours. That and I added and added and added things to it to try and get it to taste like traditional baked beans. I fancy calling this my “evolution beans”, haha. But I am convinced now that canned may just be best and next time will opt to use Ms. Paula Deen’s recipe. Oh, and next time I will also use bacon. BBQ beans aren’t meant to be vegetarian :p.


Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip


A Chopped Salad served with buttermilk ranch dressing, avocado dressing, croutons and feta.


A “The Works” Baked Potato Salad


7 Layer Dip (vegetarian)


Fruit Skewers with Yogurt Honey Dip


The only picture I was able to get of prep was of this awesome strawberry!
(I usually use gloves when handling ready to consume foods – I use a non-latex variety that I order off amazon.com)


Instead of doing up party favor bags, I created a candy buffet to color-coordinate with the party themes. Kids (and adults) were able to custom fill their own baggies at the end of the party. Only problem is, there was plenty left over and I find myself to be gorging on it /shamed face. Today I found that sixlets left in a hot car are much like a candy-version of caviar in that the filling is liquid once the shell bursts on your tongue /more shamed face. Haha..

I got all these candies from OhNuts! , a NY based candy store online


And in lieu of serving cake, I opted for a cupcake station where kids could choose their cupcake flavor, color of frosting and pick from 20 different kinds of cupcake sprinkles (which I procured from www.shopbakersnook.com - they sell most sprinkles by either 2 cup or 1 oz tubs. I got different colors of dragees, non-pareils, jimmies and sugar sprinkles for between $0.79 and 0.99 each)
I did 3 flavors for the cupcakes, chocolate, pineapple and strawberry. And for functionality, I made a large batch of Creamcheese Frosting and tinted it three different colors.





So that was that! I think I am well within my lane to say that a good-time was had by all. And if anyone was like me, they crashed right when they got home from the sugar high :D.

Recipes to follow in the above post.

Violet! You're turning violet, Violet! (pt. 1)

This will be a 3 series entry, broken up by course for the sake of avoiding picture and research overload.

The inspiration for these entries came from my intentions of making one of the umpteen Hams that my husband so proudly dragged home, two 10lb hunks at a time (right along with his club - Me Man! Me bring Meat!). Not much else is as satisfying to me as a lovely glazed ham. It's salty sweet meat is a treat to my insatiable sweet tooth that is so bad, it prefers even DINNER to be sweet.

But I wanted to think outside the ordinary-glazed box. Not brown sugar. Jesus Lord no pineapple.. I had done a nice fig balsamic glaze on the Ham for Christmas. Thinking dark, I thought, “why not blueberries?”. Blueberries lend themselves extraordinarily well to delicate meats like lamb and pork. I've been wanting to try blueberries on a savory dish for a good while now, so this was my opportunity.

With that settled, I was in Dean & Deluca (shocker) when I ran across some All Blue baby potatoes and some gorg French Violet figs. Eureka! App and dessert, right here. Now to just figure out the schematics..

So here is the first course. I decided to do a Blue Potato and Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette. To keep as much of the potatoes integrity and nutrient value as possible, I opted to steam them with the skins on after being stabbed with a fork a few times for ventilation purposes. The color of the potatoes can be diminished through boiling and being cooked after peeling.

Blue Potato and Spinach Salad w/Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

8 c. Spinach (or any mixed green you like)
4-8 All Blue Potatoes (depending on size)

8 slices Bacon - diced
1 Shallot – minced
2 Garlic cloves – minced
3/4 c. Oil
1/4 c. Brown Sugar
1/3 c. White Wine Vinegar (or raspberry vinegar or even balsamic *I personally used an apple balsamic)
White Pepper & Salt TT

Grated Parmesan (optional)

* Wash and dry your greens (Yes, even if you buy them “pre-washed” in a bag – Please don't entrust the cleanliness of your produce to others). Keep in the fridge, covered, to keep crisp.

* Scrub potatoes under cold running water with a vegetable brush. Fork each potato over a few times and steam for 20-30 minutes until just tender. Set aside to cool (and once cooled, gently peel the skins off and cut into quarters. Or if the skin is in really good shape, feel free to leave on.)

* In a hot saute pan, render bacon for a few minutes – add in shallots and garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes before adding in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and season. Keep warm.

* Divide spinach among 4 salad plates and top with desired amount of potatoes. Drizzle warm bacon vinaigrette over everything and sprinkle with cheese if desired. (Serves 4)

Peeling cooked potatoes – Isn't that purple gorgeous?!


Bacon Vinaigrette



Finito!



All Blue Potatoes

They might be new to you but blue potatoes have been harvested for thousands of years now. A small medium-starched tuber, they are just like their thin-skinned cousins, the more popularly known Red Bliss, but what makes these potatoes unique is the photochemical that give them their violet hue. That photochemical is the same one that give other fruits and vegetables, like red cabbage, blueberries, and pomegranates, their coloring. It's also what gives them their great antioxidant properties.

It has also been discovered that blue potatoes, who grow very close to the surface of the soil, developed their purple pigmentation as a means of shielding themselves from excessive ultraviolet light given off by the sun's rays.

Source(s):
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Gardening/diggin-it/2009/0814/the-edible-explorer-ancient-all-blue-potatoes
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_6_32/ai_89812960/pg_2/?tag=content;col1
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2008817656_pacificptaste15.html

Spinach, Chorizo and Manchego Salad w/Saffron Vinaigrette

Pretty simple entry for today but some of my favorite favorite food items.. Cheese, sausage, spinach and wonderful wonderful saffron.

I served this alongside a steak dinner, which I don't recommend. This salad is probably better off as a first course, paired with a medium-ish second course like a hearty bean soup or a simple pasta/rice dish.

Anywho, I was inspired during a recent Dean & Deluca run when I saw turkey chorizo on the shelf. Latin/Hispanic food on the whole, isn't very popular in Kuwait. So far, the only chorizo I've been able to get is dried Spanish that I've ordered through the mail and I can never seen to keep enough of it around.

So I thought - get the chorizo, pick up a Spanish cheese (immediately manchego came to mind, probably the most popular Spanish cheese) and get some baby spinach since Dean & Deluca seems to be the only place where I can find any fresh. Dressing.. Dressing.. What do I dress this with? Ahh.. Something with saffron! A Saffron Vinaigrette? Ah yes, perfect! I wonder if there's a recipe I can fiddle around with online? (there was).



The result....



Quite good. As I said, pair it with something that isn't so heavy because the flavors of this salad are quite big themselves and you don't want to overwhelm your palate (especially with chimi-marinated steaks )

For the Saffron Vinaigrette:

½ c. White Wine Vinegar
1 Shallot - minced
½ t. Saffron threads
½ c. Quality Olive Oil
1 T. White Sugar
Salt to taste

* In a small saucepan, with a small pour of olive oil, saute shallots over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add in vinegar, saffron and sugar and heat to a simmer for 2-3 minutes (in order for the saffron to get blooming). Remove from heat and let cool.

* When vinegar is cooled, whisk in olive oil and salt either by hand or in a food processor. Ta-da.

(Dean & Deluca AND TSC failed me when it came to a good vinegar selection so I was reduced to using apple cider but for a better dressing please please use something like white wine vinegar)





Manchego Cheese



A lovely artisan Spanish cheese, Manchego is produced only in the La Mancha region of Spain exclusively through Manchego breed ewes. It is semi-firm (although sometimes described as firm, which is how I would describe it personally) and is cave aged for at least 2 months.

It's taste is described as being much like feta (although hard, and less salty) with a bit of piquant and a very tell tale sheep's milk aftertaste (whatever that means, haven't developed the palate yet to figure that one out). I do find that it has a nice peppery bite to it though.

I usually use this cheese much as I do Parmesan in that I really like it grated or shaved in pastas, risottos and in salads. However, it's a fantastic snack cheese that can be served with bread, oil and fruits so it does have more versatility than simply being grated.

Source(s):
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/search?query=manchego
http://www.cheesefromspain.com/CFS/1505Manchego_I.htm (very extensive site regarding subject matter)
http://www.cheese.com/Description.asp?Name=Manchego


Chorizo

Heavens to Betsy, I'm not sure charcuterie
gets much better than Chorizo. One of the most awesome culinary finds my MIL exposed me to, I'm not sure how I lived before I'd ever tried Chorizo. And that's saying a lot because I use to be a former sausage-nay sayer, not ever really appreciating the value of such art (and don't kid yourself, stuffing gut linings with manipulated meat IS art).

There are two major types of chorizo – Spanish and Mexican. Both are very commonly made from pork, but beef, turkey and venison (and even vegan? /shockface) versions can be found. The Spanish type tends to be mostly dried and cured (curado) (although sometimes is made with fattier cuts of pork and can be found fresh). Spanish chorizo also, in most instances, incorporates pieces/chunks of ham in it's production. The main spicing agent of Spanish chorizo is sweet Spanish paprika. Spanish chorizo is meant to be sliced without being cooked and is typically eaten alongside breads, cheeses and olives, tapas-style.

Mexican chorizo tends to be fresh (fresco) (although it can be found dried as well) and is meant to be crumbled and cooked like other ground meats (Mexican chorizo is ground, while Spanish is more or less chopped). The main spicing agents are chile powders, which makes Mexican chorizo typically much spicier than it's European counterpart. It can be added to soups, eaten as a breakfast meat along with eggs and/or potatoes, and is fabulous in fresh tortillas as a taco filling.

There is also an other type of chorizo from Portugal that is very similar to the Spanish variety but incorporates the addition of wine in it's production. “Portuguese chorico” is said to be popularly served by slicing and cooking over an open flame, tabletop.

Spanish “dry” Chorizo


Mexican “fresh” Chorizo


Source(s):
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/search?query=chorizo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorizo
http://spanishfood.about.com/od/spanishfoodfaqs/f/faqchorizo.htm
GREAT place from which to buy/order a HUGE variety of Spanish chorizos and other Spanish/pork products
http://www.tienda.com/

Pasta Salad - Mozz, Spinach & Olives.. (& some technical difficulties)

I've been having some technical difficulties due to my camera suddenly “vanishing” from my computer desk. While the hunt continues (or rather, the wait for an upgrade to be purchased *winkwink husband*), I won't be trying out anything particularly challenging or new but rather just yummy simple things to share.

I am subscribed to Chowhound's Recipe of the Day and when I received one in my inbox about a pasta salad calling for fresh mozzarella, I knew I had to make it (my husband and I being the fresh mozz fiends that we are).

I didn't plan this entry very well. Heck, I only found my old powershot and an old SD card when I was in the middle of making it so again, excuse the lameness.

Now, the recipe basically only calls for spinach, mozz, pasta and olives. Kalamata olives at that, which I don't normally care for but I think are growing on me. However, due to the husband's limited tolerance for olives in general, I bought black Spanish olives (which I mistakenly bought whole, and being that I don't yet own a pitter I had to dice each one 6 slices at a time. Very annoying. Very reminiscent of classical french class where we were forced to do a number of such mundane tasks. Tourne anyone??).

I also thought that tomatoes would be a nice addition to this salad, but upon slicing up cherry tomatoes, whose innards were still green, I lamented that I should have replenished my sun-dried tomato stores in the pantry and have added some of those instead.

So tomato and olive debacle aside, and scorned lack of wine vinegar (I instead used a mix of balsamic and rice vinegar to make the vinaigrette /shockface) I daresay a refreshing pasta salad this still made.

And forgive my lazy chopping of the spinach. Not the pretty chiffonade it should have been, just trying desperately to get dinner on the table after realizing I was more late on serving it than I thought.





INGREDIENTS
1 pound orecchiette or conchiglie pasta
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cut into small dice
3 ounces baby spinach (about 4 cups), thoroughly washed and dried
1 1/2 cups pitted and halved kalamata olives
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
* Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to the package directions, or until al dente. Drain, then rinse under cold water until cool.
* Transfer pasta to a large bowl and add mozzarella, spinach, olives, and Parmesan. Toss to combine.
* In a separate, nonreactive bowl, combine vinegar, salt, and pepper. While whisking constantly, slowly add oil by pouring in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Whisk until completely incorporated.
Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss until pasta is coated. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.

Source(s):
http://www.chow.com/recipes/11578?tag=nl.e351
What “chiffonade” means for those wondering
http://www.cookthink.com/reference/50/What_is_a_chiffonade