Feta Stuffed Yellow Squash Bake

For awhile now I’ve been making a stuffed zucchini over quinoa with roasted tomato dish that has been very popular with my customers. So when my longtime friend, Dianne, said she was coming for lunch I thought that might be a good choice. However, as I started to look through what I had just hauled home from the grocery I realized I didn’t have all the ingredients and didn’t have time to shop again. So, improvisation was in order.

The grilled zucchini version I mentioned above is stuffed with goat cheese, sautéd kale & onions served over quinoa with roasted grape tomatoes and roasted garlic oil. Although I didn’t have most of those ingredients, I was hell bent on rolling something. What I did have was yellow squash, red onions, vine ripe tomatoes, feta and leftover herb/garlic salsa. Sounded like a solid line up to me with rolling potential. I also knew I would be short on time the day of the lunch, so this was a test to see if parts/all of this dish could be made ahead of it.

Feta, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Yellow Squash, Herb/Garlic Salsa.

This recipe was me getting back to my roots. My something from nothing style. My cooking comfort zone. Basically, my typical method of inventing a recipe; see what I have, think about how to combine them with other available items, and then use only the quantities I have on hand. This is why sometimes I am delayed in sharing recipes ideas with you. Often times I get halted by having to measure ingredients and be precise so I can properly write them up in a post. Other times I think the recipe might feel like too much of a hodgepodge dish to share. But honestly, those turn out to be some of my best creations. Which is why the intention of this post is to encourage you to experiment with the ingredients available in your fridge and pantry, and use them to the best of their ability. In that spirit, the below ingredient list will be approximations.

Ingredients

1-2 Yellow Squash, sliced thinly
2-3 Tomatoes, thick slices
1-2 red onions, thick slices
Herb/Garlic salsa*
Feta
Magic 3: Olive Oil, Salt, & Pepper

*Herb/Garlic Salsa: finely mince parsley, cilantro, basil, crush garlic, salt, red pepper flakes (optional), Olive Oil
You can also use the salsa I use for my Marinated Feta

Instructions

1. Thinly slice and grill the yellow squash in a cast iron pan with just a tad of oil so they don’t stick. Note: Do not put too much oil because they will soak it up and get soggy instead of browned. Brown on each side then set them aside on a paper towel.

2. Cut the tomatoes and red onion into thick slices and add them to an oiled roasting pan, season with salt & pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cut nice thick slices.

I made this the day before, covered and refridgerated until the next day.

3. Meanwhile, cut chunks of feta cheese and place one piece on each end of the squash then roll it up.

The amount of feta you use is up to you. I used a healthy teaspoon for each.

I also made these the day before and stored them in a glass container. Then added them to the roasted veggies and baked together on the day of the lunch.

4. Once the onions & tomatoes are roasted on one side turn them over add the rolled squash and brush everything with the herb/garlic salsa. Roast for another 10-12 minutes

If you are making this the day of, follow the directions above. If you are making it the day before, then roast the onions and tomatoes but do not add the squash. I did grill and stuff the squash, then kept the rolled up pieces in a glass container. I added them to the pan right before I warmed up the entire dish. I added some extra salsa.

All the flavors blend so beautifully together. This is a great side dish but also can be used in several other ways.

Here are a few ideas how to serve it up.

• Toss the tomatoes and onion over pasta then place the rolled squash on top. Maybe crumble more fresh feta on top.

• Add fried eggs on top and serve with crusty bread for a breakfast or brunch.

• Place in a shallow bowl, add more oil or herb oil, and serve it with crostini

I’m sure there are other uses. I’ll let you come up with your own, and hope that you share your ideas. This was a nice improv from my usual stuffed zucchini dish. I’m actually glad I didn’t have zucchini because I wouldn’t have been forced to think of something new. When life gives you yellow squash, stuff it and roll with it.

As I mentioned, this post was to encourage you to think of your usual recipe box. And let’s say you didn’t have on hand the above ingredients to make this recipe as is. Here are some substitutes to help get your creativity engine going.

If you don’t have red onion:

• yellow onion

• Shallots

• Scallions

If you don’t have yellow squash:

• zucchini

• Eggplant

• Sweet potato

• Potato

If you don’t have feta:

• goat cheese

• Ricotta

• Mozzarella

• Cream cheese

• Any cheese, but you may need to modify how you cut it. If you have a hard cheese, maybe grate it. If a softer cheese, then spread it over the grilled vegetable.

  I hope these help jumpstart some ideas of how you can switch up the main ingredients yet still keep the basic premise in tact. Continue creating and stirring your food with love.

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Bibb, Arugula & Butternut Squash Salad

Bibb, Arugula & Butternut Squash Salad

I’m usually known as the queen of entertaining. (Mind you, that is not a self dubbed title but one others have bestowed upon me.) That said, I’ve been out of practice. The pandemic, and other life situations (all good ones) have thrown a monkey wrench into our usual hosting schedule. And so, coming up with new recipes has been put on the back burner. However, a couple weekends ago we took the leap and hosted our friends/family for a small backyard lunch.

JuanCarlos had his mind set on making a paella ‘a la parilla’, which means on the grill, thus forcing us to be outside. We lucked out in the middle of NY October with glorious, sunny, warm weather. JuanCarlos has been making paellas for years but continues to research and study master paella makers in order to perfect his. Each one gets better and better. He loves making outdoor fires, and then hanging out with good friends to enjoy a glass of wine or two while he cooks.

With paella in the driver’s seat, the appetizers were riding shotgun and followed along in Spanish Tapas style. I made Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Boquerones Skewers, Charcuterie/Cheese Board, Radishes with Salted Butter

But when it came to the salad, I veered off the Iberian road, and glad I did. It’s Fall and I felt like leaning into that season using roasted butternut squash. I make roasted spiced butternut squash slabs as side dish for my customers and decided to use similar spices but cut the squash into cubes and added a touch of maple syrup. In composing the salad in my head, I thought about all the other Fall inspired accompaniments that would not only pair well with the squash but would also provide a visual wow. So, a pop of dark red from dried cranberries, a toasty brown from pecans, a lovely green from pepitas, and slivers of red onion would all do the trick nicely. These don’t just deliver on the visual impact, each one also provides a different textual element that is key to making a salad, or any dish, interesting on the palate. Arugula was still fresh at the farmer’s market so I grabbed that for a hint of peppery punch that would counter balance the sweetness. For the dressing I borrowed the idea of using dates from another recipe, but of course changed it up a bit.

Can I just say how much I love this salad. It’s crisp. It’s earthy. It’s sweet. It’s peppery. It’s damn good, and I’m damn glad I made a ton so I could have leftovers for the next day.

I’m posting this now because I think it would make a wonderful salad for Thanksgiving. It hits all the marks and is the perfect counterpoint to the heaviness of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Please give it try either as a green salad or swap out the lettuce with quinoa as the base. It could also work with pearl couscous as well.

Ingredients

2 Bibb/Boston lettuce
1 Arugula, bunch
1 medium Butternut Squash, approx 4 c cubed
1 c Dried Cranberries
1 c Pecans, toasted
1 c Pepitas, toasted
1/2 c Red Onion, thinly sliced
1/8 t Cayenne
1/8 t Cumin
1/8 t Cinnamon
2 T Maple Syrup
2 T oil

Dressing
4-5 Dates
3 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 t Honey (optional)
1 Garlic clove, crushed
lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
3 T water
salt, pepper to taste

Date Dressing Setup: Dates, lemon, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Peel and cube the butternut squash. Place on a roasting pan and season with oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin and cinnamon.

2. Roast at 425 degrees until golden on one side. Then flip them and add the maple syrup and roast until golden on the other side. Remove from oven and let cool.

Roast until squash is tender and edges are browned.

3. Meanwhile, wash the Bibb lettuce and Arugula and dry them well.

4. Roast the pecans and pepitas slightly to enhance their nutty flavors. This can be done in 300 degree oven or on the stove. Just make sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly.

5. Make the dressing by first rough chopping the dates, crushing the garlic and adding to a mini food processor along with lemon zest, salt and pepper. Blend until the dates are a small crumb.

6. Then add vinegar, oil, and lemon juice and blend until emulsified. Then drizzle in a bit of honey and blend again. Add water to thin out.

Place chopped dates, crushed garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper into a mini food processor.

Blend until dates are small crumbs.

Once you add the oil and vinegar the dates will break down even more to create a creamy consistency.

7. Assemble the salad by placing the lettuces on a big platter and then sprinkle the sliced red onions, butternut squash, pecans, dried cranberries and pepitas all over the top of the lettuces.

I sometimes hold off on dressing an entire platter of salad in case there are leftovers I don’t want the remaining salad to get soggy. So, I let the guests add the amount of dressing they want to their plate. Do what feels right or works for you. But always serve it up with love.

Bibb, arugula salad with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, pecans, pepitas & date dressing

Serving it up with dressing on the side, and with plenty of love

I loved it so much that I expanded the idea to use it with quinoa for a customer side dish. Which by the way was such a hit, they texted me to say it was another winner. I just love getting those texts messages.

Quinoa with all the same ingredients as the salad… minus the lettuce.

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Chick Pea Fritters - Gluten Free Treat

You know why it’s important to learn baseball when you are younger? So you can hit life’s curveballs when you are older. You never know when the universe is going to toss one at you. But rest assured, a few will be pitched your way. Some are serious and life altering, Some are less severe but still require adjusting. Some curveballs are disguised as opportunities. Actually, let me rephrase that. Most of life’s curveballs actually ARE opportunities.

This past summer, I had an awesome gig come across my plate. I was hired to cook for a family of 7 adults, providing lunches and dinners for a two week period. (The family ended up loving what I provided that they extended it for entire month.) This was a huge undertaking in every sense of the word. And there were plenty of fastballs and curveballs pitched my way.

Curveball #1: Refrigerator and freezer needs. I have 2 refrigerators with 2 regular freezers plus 1 full freezer. Yet that was not going to be enough. But as luck would have it our neighbors sold their house, moved out and the new owners weren’t moving in for a month. Coincidence or Fate? I say lifesaver as I packed their fridge and freezer to the brim.

Curveball #2: The clients many food restrictions which required a complicated menu planning.

Curveball #3: The management of each meal, heating instructions, and color coded labeling system. With so many containers being delivered, the only way they would know what to heat up was having a color coded labeling system so they knew what dish went with what and for when. They would also need instructions for re-heating and for sauces/dressings. M/L = Monday Lunch, F/D = Friday Dinner and so on.

Other challenging parts of the gig was that I had to deliver the food over an hour away twice a week which required a well orchestrated shopping-cooking- delivery schedule, using various coolers and pack out lists to ensure nothing was left behind. Add to that the various food restrictions which included what proteins some of the guests ate and others did not. This meant that I had to come up with two mains for every meal. Ensuring that every person had sufficient protein was like solving a Rubik’s cube. Oh, did I mention, gluten free? That part is easy for me since I’ve been gluten free for over a decade. So, I won’t even count that.

There were other curveballs but I think you get it.
Big, Big, Big. And I’m always up for a challenge, especially one that requires logistical thinking. I have the detail oriented mind to tackle this type of task. All bragging aside, it’s actually one of my super skills.

I am a very visual person. In order to tackle this monster, I needed to see it. At first, I starting handwriting the menu and the to do lists. Then I typed it into the computer. But soon realized that it was a living, breathing beast which needed to be shifted and modified constantly. Moving items around on the computer wasn’t as effective since all the columns kept getting out whack. I knew the only way to confront this monster of a task was the old fashioned method of sticking it up on a wall. I needed a system that would allow flexibility, full visibility and the ability to easily move food offerings around without shifting others out of place (as what happens in a Word Doc). This could be the next new meaning of a Moveable Feast.
I printed out each offering, cut them into small strips and added painters tape to the back. It was the only way to switch out an item easily after staring at the entire menu and realizing that I might be serving rice 3 days in a row. Or that if I moved a dinner to another night then I wouldn’t have the spicy slaw as a leftover for lunch 2 days later. Rubik’s cube or mathematical conundrum? Anyway, this system worked beautifully and allowed me to see the whole scope of the project and ensure the client was happy with the diversity of offerings. I left it on the wall as art!

My moveable feast. A ‘place and stick’ menu system that kept me from going batty.

I literally used it everyday to keep me on track

Everything was going along swimmingly until one day the client made a late decision switch which left a protein hole for the vegetarian in the family.

Curveball # I lost count: Need an additional protein but no time to go shopping.

So, how do you sneak in extra protein at the last minute using only what you have available? Legumes to the rescue.

I decided the fastest, easiest solution was to make chick pea fritters. Don’t ask me why I thought this would be fast and easy since I had never made these before. But the idea seemed similar to other pancake like food, so that equaled a decent plan. Naturally, it had to be gluten free. This really wasn’t that earth shattering of an idea. It only felt dramatic because I had less them 8 hours to solve the problem and make the food using only available items, in order to make it for the next day’s morning delivery.

Here’s how it went down.

But just a few ingredients: Chick Peas, Gluten Free flour, jalapeño, egg, scallions and cilantro.

Ingredients

(Makes 14 - 3” round Fritters)

1 39 oz can Chick Peas
3 T Gluten Free Flour (or Chick Pea flour. If you aren’t concerned with GF, then regular flour can be used)
1 Egg, beaten
2+ Tbsp Jalapeño pepper, minced (add more if you like more heat)
1/3 c Cilantro packed leaves, 3 T chopped
1/2 c Scallions, sliced
1 t Salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/8 t red pepper flakes, optional
coarse sea salt to finish

Tahini Dipping Sauce
1/2 c tahini
6 T ice water
3 T Lemon juice/zest
2 T scallions, sliced
1 t jalapeño, minced
salt to taste

Instructions

1. Slice, chop and mince the aromatics.

Mise en place: Chop, slice and have all ingredients ready.

2. Mash the chick peas, leaving some larger and smaller pieces for texture.

3. Add the jalapeño, cilantro, scallions and mix.

4. Then beat egg with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and add to chick pea until combined.

5. Add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the egg is absorbed but still it wet enough to hold it together.

Squeeze a bit into a ball to ensure it holds together.

6. Using an scoop, choosing the size you desire. If you want them as appetizers make smaller ones. If you want them as a side dish, make them larger. Depending on your style and also how you will be serving them, it’s up to you whether you scoop and free form them or scoop and press into a cutter for perfectly equal fritters. Once you decided, scoop, flatten and place them on the sheet tray for fast work. Again, you can choose super flat so they are crispier, or slightly fatter for the thicker more substantial bite. Your choice depending on your needs/desires. Remember, my recipes can be followed exactly or simply be a guide for you to create and make your own modifications. However it is important that when forming these pack them tight so they hold together.

Choose your tool

Scoop for free form, or scoop into a mold

Size matters…

7. Refrigerate for 1/2-1 hour or freeze for 15-20 minutes. This step helps to get the fritters together then frying.

Prep makes easy work. Plus I do recommend placing them on tray to refrigerate or freeze before frying.

8. I like using a cast iron pan when I frying. The heat from the pan allows for a good sear. If you don’t have cast iron, use your best fry pan or grill pan. Working in batches so as to not drop the pan temperature, add oil and about 6 of the fritters. Turn with a small spatula. When done, remove and place on a paper towel and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

I prefer thinner fritters because I’m a sucker for crisper, crunchy food.

Golden brown and crispy. The paper towel absorbs any excess oil.

I made a tahini dipping sauce to go along with these. A little extra protein from the sesame. Below is the tahini sauce process.

Tahini

Whisk in ice water, and you can see how the water not only changes the consistency but it lightens up the color as well.

Add lemon juice, zest, scallions, jalapeño and whisk together.

Creamy topping. Try it on other foods.

The client immediately texted to let me know that her husband consumed almost the entire batch himself. Huge success. Happy customer, and now I have another little appetizer/side dish to add to my collection and to share with you.

A yummy combination.

You know me, my dishes are never just one use. They usually do double and triple duty. Serve up as an appetizer, or a side dish. You can even swap out toast and use them as a base for eggs. I made one poached egg and one fried egg to place on top of my fritters. I added a dollop of yogurt and some fresh parsley. A few apple slices rounded out this breakfast. I’d say I hit this curveball out of the park.

I fried my egg in a metal round the same size as the fritter to make it nice and tidy. If you use this method make sure to oil the inside of the mold so the egg removes more easily.

Left side fried egg, right side poached egg. Delicious, nutritious and packed with protein. Apple slices added a lovely crispy, freshness.

A happy husband

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A Pot of Versatile Veggies - Refrigerator Remnants

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new recipe.  Between making sure I provided a few posts with helpful tips and holiday entertaining, and focusing on fulfilling orders from my customers, I let a period pass without dedicating time to share recipes. Although those may be some reasons, truth be told, the more obvious one is that without our usual entertaining schedule, I’ve been less motivated to experiment and haven’t had the need to invent new dishes to serve guests.  That part makes me a bit sad. Ok, a lot sad.

Even though we haven’t been entertaining doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking.  On the contrary, I’ve actually been cooking up a storm, doing more than ever since I starting providing weekly meal service to select customers in my local area, plus baked goods via shipping.  Plus, I’ve had some catering opportunities pop up as well.  So cooking has been firing up my kitchen, it just didn’t feel like there was anything to blog about.

Or so I thought. As life often does, it shines a light on a topic and then energy is sent forth which appears in full bloom. Here’s a clear example of what I’m talking about. Did you ever think about a friend and then suddenly that friend calls you? It’s like sending out a smoke signal, and you get a return response. That energy swirls around us constantly. It happened just like that to me recently. I had been talking to three friends about the fact that I have not blogged about a recipe in quite some time, and expressed my mixed emotions about it. So, imagine my surprise and thrill when I got the spark to create again. That particular day while I was doing my usual refrigerator ‘cleanse and see what’s still viable’ exercise, I felt a sudden reminiscent pang of my old something from nothing style.  It dawned on me that I have been creating dishes for JuanCarlos and myself all along but just hadn’t been focused on photographing, documenting and writing about them.  When I looked at this batch of veggies that needed some love and attention, I thought this could be worth sharing if nothing else but to motivate you to clean out your fridge. Admittedly, this recipe is not earth shattering. In fact, it’s quite basic. But it’s significance is greater than the recipe itself. One, it motivated me to photograph and document again. And two, hopefully it will inspire you to go through your fridge and figure out what to do with your miscellaneous food items. I should create an ongoing series entitled: Refrigerator Remnants.  You see, inspiration is everywhere.

Fennel, Celery, Rainbow Chard, Garlic, Onions, Carrots. The absolute basics.

Basically, this process is nothing more than pulling out all those unused items in your fridge that are at their last hope for use, and then coming up with a plan on how they all play together.  As I mentioned, this ‘recipe’ isn’t rocket science.  It’s actual a pumped up mire poix or soup base but without the liquid.  But it is hearty, tasty, versatile, and most of all met the requirements of using items that might have ended up in the trash a few days from now. 

This pot of veggies can be used as a side dish to any protein: meat, chicken, fish, beans or tofu.  It can be a main with a heaping helping of rice or couscous or even piled on top of a baked potato.  Or can even be part of a taco filling or quesadilla.  I’m sure there are plenty of other ways to serve up this veggie packed plate. Feel free to use any of my suggestions but I’ll let you figure out how you want to serve them up.  For now, I encourage you to go through the exercise of rummaging through to find your Refrigerator Remnant Recipe. Remember, these were the items and amounts that I had in my fridge. The goal here is to inspire you to create with whatever you have, and balance the flavors with the amounts you have. For instance, even though I had a ton of celery, the fennel was what was most pronounced in the combo below.

Here’s mine:

Ingredients

2 med onions (approx. 2.5 c )
4 lg carrots (approx. 3.5 c)
4 c celery
3c fennel
2 garlic cloves
12c red Swiss chard
Olive oil, salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Cut all the vegetables into large chunks.

As I said, a pumped up mire poix.

2. Cut and discard the ends/toughest part of the Swiss Chard. Then cut the remaining ribs out and chop them into smaller pieces..

3. Cut the leafy part of the Swiss Chard into strips.

4. Pour oil, salt and pepper into the pot to heat up then add all the vegetables except the leafy parts of the chard. Add whatever spice combo you desire. See below of different combos to try.

5. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until tender but still al dente. You don’t want these to cook down so much that they become mush. You want a tooth bite to them.

6. Add Swiss Chard leafy parts, cover and cook over low flame for 5-8. minutes until wilted.

I didn’t add any additional spices since I made such a big batch I didn’t want to commit to one spice profile. I figured I would enhance it each time I warmed it up. This worked out fine as the anise from the fennel really flavored the dish to the point of not needing anything else.  But this is one of those dishes where anything goes.  Make it your own.  Here are some spice combos to try.

Italian Flavor: Dry Thyme | Oregano | Red Pepper Flakes | Cannellini Beans

Indian Flavor: Turmeric | Cumin | Cinnamon | Cloves | Curry | Coconut Milk

Middle Eastern: Cumin Seeds | Fennel Seeds | Sumac | Cardamom | Chick Peas

French: Herbs de Provence | Tarragon | Chives | Chervil

Spanish: Saffron | Pimentón de la Vera/Paprika | Cayenne Pepper

Mexican: Cilantro | Chili Pepper | Cumin | Allspice | Coriander

And here is how I served it up.

I had leftover ginger/red onion paella rice so I shaped it into a large patty and fried it up.  Then topped it with veggies.  For JC I added the leftover chicken thigh he had from the night before.  I know, I know, nothing earth shattering here, but I know I have some viewers who get overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to do.  This is just one way of culling everything together.

Leftover ginger/red onion paella rice. Perfect for making fried rice patties.

Note about the rice patty. Since this was leftover paella rice that had been previously sautéed with oil, ginger and red onion it had a natural stickiness to it that allowed it to hold the shape without any binder. If you only have long grain rice then you will need to add a binder of egg and flour in order to hold the patty together.

Why make one when you can make two. This fried rice patties are so delicious.

Use a cast iron pan with oil and high heat to get a crispy exterior.

Golden brown perfection.

Use the same ring for the veggie mix placement makes a nice, neat presentation.

The bigger chunks make this a more hearty side dish.

Using the same ring mold that you used to make the rice patties, place on top and fill with the veggie mixture, and pack tight.

I added chick peas to my mixture to add protein.

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Easter Ideas - A Refresher Course During A Pandemic

Brighter days ahead. This Easter will look a bit cheerier and a ton more hopeful than 2020. A year ago we were just getting used to lock down and coming to the realization that we weren’t going to be able to visit with family and friends for the holiday. Never in our wildest dreams (aka nightmares) did we think it would last this long. 365 days later, while there is a glimmer of hope in being able to gather in small, safe groups, it might not be the case for everyone.

For those who can, you may want a refresher course on how to entertain. This harkens back to last week’s post but dives way deeper. And since like all of you I haven’t hosted any events, I don’t have any new tricks up my sleeve. That’s when you have to reach back to the past and pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. No reason to reinvent the wheel, use what’s worked before.

I give you, Reminders of the Past & Other Helpful Easter Ideas. And if gathering with loved ones still is not in the cards for you this holiday, any of these can be pared down to help make the day feel more festive.

Get ready. This post is chock full of images and links. Let’s start at the beginning.

Setting a table

To me, it’s the one act that truly connotes a special event and rings in the feeling that guests are coming. This may be the first time in quite awhile that you have taken out your linens and tossed them across the table. I say, go all out and make everyone feel special this go around. Here are a few ideas for a fresh spring table setting.

Yellow, Yellow Burst of Sunshine Tablesetting

The yellows and white are so cheery, while the midnight blue anchors the place setting in a lovely pop of contrast.

Calming Creams & Bold Blues Table

Same sort of color combo but in a more calming tonality.

We will be eating outside in order to continue being as safe as possible. So I might take some cues from this table setting, Sunday Blues - of the Soothing, Swooning Kind. Plus this link also has a few recipes from which I might just take food cues as well.

I know we are all out of practice, but let’s try not to be lazy about the details. Take the time to finish off your table with napkins. There are various ways to fold a napkin, which doesn’t mean you need to be a magician of deft dexterity or a master of origami. It just takes simple folds, and then possibly adding an embellishment… or not. Check out these super simple ideas to put the finishing touch to your table.

Napkin Folding 5 Basic Folds - Countless Options

Maybe you have decided that you aren’t quite ready for a formal meal. Perhaps brunch or a buffet style setting might be a good option for you.

How To Set a Brunch Buffet Table & Napkin Pockets

Brunch Made Simple

Florals

And what would a proper table setting be without flowers? You can be extravagant and make various arrangements or you can keep it as simple as culling together a single color of tulips for single elegance. Need some visuals? Here you go.

Never Too Many Tulips

One big arrangement

Eucalyptus Burst - A Floral Spray 

Given the dire economic state, funds might be a concern, and that is completely understandable. An inexpensive way to use florals that will make a big impression - Mums. They have different varieties that can be mixed and matched for impact.

Mums the Word

The Menu

Sure you can have all the bells and whistles with your decor but nothing keeps them coming back like the food you serve. When it comes to the holidays people have certain traditions they like to keep, and some are even expected. JuanCarlos and I found this out the hard way during a few Thanksgiving feasts. You know me, I like to mix it up; some traditional, some not. You might have your menu already set, possibly with lamb as the starring role. But if you are still pondering what to make, fear not. Below are links to a variety of alternatives that hop just outside the Easter basket but still sing Spring.

Meat alternatives to lamb:

These are hearty and in the same vein as a lamb dish but slightly off the beaten bunny path.

Osso Buco

A Belly Full of Pork

Appetizers:

Pizza Rustica

A traditional Italian appetizer. Admittedly, this recipe is a labor of love. It is very rich and serves a lot, so I highly recommend only making it if you know you have guests that will enjoy it.

That’s right, it’s not actually a PIZZA, but a cake of sorts. It’s filled with layers upon layers of prosciutto, salami and ricotta cheese.

And some not so traditional

Tarts of Summer

Spring Asparagus Tarts
(Rolling and cutting puff pastry, mix together ricotta & goat cheese, parsley, salt, pepper. Spread over pastry and top with asparagus. Brush with garlic oil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake at 400 until golden.)

Spring asparagus with cheese on puff pastry. This is pretty straightforward, and makes a great appetizer.

Crisp pastry, creamy cheese and the bite of spring asparagus. What’s not to love?

Oven Roasted Tomatoes & Ricotta

Oven roasted tomatoes are like candied jewels and pair perfectly with the salty, creaminess of ricotta cheese.

Salads: bright and crisp

Citrus Salad Bowl

Individually plated salads… a good way to serve during a pandemic.

Pretty in Pink Salad

There is something exotic and striking about the colors and textures of these pink lettuces.

Butter Lettuce with Orange, Blueberries & Crunch

Salad Baby: Little Lettuces Fresh & Crisp

Side Dishes:

Here are two side dishes that may not be typical but truly spring - Spring. And the best part, they can be served warm or room temperature.

Strings… of Bean, Peppers & Asparagus

Tomato, Squash, Peppers & Onion Bake, a one pot vegetable side that can be enjoyed warm or room temp.

I love how the sweetness from the veggies plays off the savory of the cheeses in this baked dish.

I hope you found this trip down memory lane useful. Even more, I hope that in taking from the past we can borrow some joy to light a spark for our future. As for our family, we have been extremely fortunate and so very grateful for our health, safety and beyond. This Easter we are lucky that the stars are aligning for some of my family to be able to come to my house. The weather is expected be nice enough for us to be outside. My parents and a few others have been vaccinated and the rest of us have been quite diligent about staying safe. We will still remain a good distance apart and wear masks when we are not eating. But we will be together, and that is a very good thing. I wish for you the same. May you be able to break bread with your loved ones safely and joyously.

Happy Easter and beyond.