Entertaining Around the World

I have a theory that the more you entertain, the easier it gets. I’ve been trying to put this theory to test – somewhat successfully. In the past, I would think about how many people I would owe dinners to after being hosted multiple times and get overwhelmed.  When I started to make the list of attendees it always got too long, which resulted in a once a year, huge party. This takes a ton of work!

This year I had planned to host a dinner party once a month with 8-12 people in attendance including Mike and myself. Well it hasn’t happened that often, but we’re getting there slowly but surely.

I have enjoyed planning the menus and have embraced internationally-themed evenings. So far, I’ve hosted a February French meal with Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon and a Tapas-themed wine club for which  I made fried calamari.

Next week is a belated Cinco De Mayo-themed Mexican dinner. Looking forward to it and to BBQ season for which the party clean-up is much easier!

Unusual Easter Brunch -- Pizza

This year for Lent I gave up pizza and it proved to be very difficult. I actually broke it on more than one occasion. In my defense, two of the three times I broke my Lenten resolve was in an effort not to be rude when I was at someone else’s house for dinner. The third time, I was sick and needed comfort food on a Friday night when I was also not eating meat.

This was all an effort to cut back on the amount of cheese I consume and while I will continue to avoid eating too much cheese, I’m absolutely back on pizza.

Since we were going to my sister’s for Easter dinner, I made a breakfast pizza I had read about over the holiday season. It was billed as “Hangover Pizza” for a New Year’s Day brunch, but it was also a delicious Easter breakfast – even though it’s not traditional.

Sometime later this week I will be enjoying brick oven pizza from Pizzeria Serio or deep dish from Pequod’s – my two favorite Chicago pizza restaurants.

Below is the recipe I adapted slightly:

HANGOVER PIZZA

Serves Four

Ingredients

1 lb. of pizza dough, at room temperature (I used the Pillsbury pre-made thin crust to expedite the work involved)

Combine 5 oz. fresh mozzarella, 5 oz. smoked mozzarella and 2 tbsp. pecorino Romano, all grated

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup baby arugula

4 eggs

2-3 tbsp. of white truffle oil or a drizzle of your favorite flavored olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough on a greased baking sheet and bake for five minutes. Remove from oven and pierce dough with a fork all over and push down dough using back of spoon.  (A thicker crust may require longer baking time).

Increase oven to 500 degrees.

Spread or sprinkle cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with arugula. Carefully crack 4 eggs on top of pizza. Put pie back into oven until eggs are cooked, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle with truffle oil. Cut into squares and serve hot.

My Shiksa Seder

In our interfaith household, we celebrate everything! Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter and Passover – we do it all. I’ve hosted Passover at our home since two weeks before our wedding when my now mother-in-law had broken her wrist. Luckily it was a small event because I had a few other things on my mind!

To help me impress my soon-to-be in-laws, I turned to a book my dear friend Vikki Weiss Goldman wrote with Jennifer Block, What To Do When You are Dating a Jew. It’s a humorous guide to learning everything about Judaism for non-Jews who are dating or married to one. It also contains excellent recipes for every holiday. 

I bought this book long before I met Mike Sachs to help Vikki’s Amazon sales, but I highly recommend it if you know someone who may be starting an interfaith family. I use it during all of the Jewish holidays.

Below are a two of my favorite recipes from What To Do When You are Dating a Jew for anyone who might be hosting a Seder next week. I made the Almond Macaroon for my first Rosh Hashanah with the Sachs family and everyone was very impressed!

Almond Macaroons

Yields 40

½ teaspoon of almond extract

4 egg whites, at room temperature, beaten stiff but not dry

½ pound finely ground blanched almonds

½ cup sugar

toasted slivered almonds for garnish

Add almond extract to beaten whites. Mix almonds with sugar and slowly fold into whites. Pipe or spoon onto oiled wax paper-lined baking sheets. Top with slivered almonds. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Matzah and Cheese Kugel

Serves 6 as a main dish, 10 as a side dish

 5 eggs

1 cup milk

1 pound cottage cheese

¼ cup honey

salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 matzahs, broken

½ cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Beat eggs with milk. Add cottage cheese, honey, salt and cinnamon. Place half of the matzah pieces in the baking dish. Pour half of the mixture on top and sprinkle with almonds. Cover with remaining matzah pieces and then the cheese mixture. Bake 40 minutes or until slightly browned and crunchy on top. 

Working Out With A Guru

The Dailey Method is a regular part of my workout routine – when I am being good about it   A challenging one-hour class, The Dailey Method combines exercises with lightweights, Pilates, ballet barre work and stretching. It works every muscle group in the body with an emphasis on your abs and stretching.

Yesterday I had an opportunity to take a class with Dailey Method creator, Jill Dailey. Since she is based on the West Coast slots in her few Chicago area classes were in demand and offered to teachers and The Dailey Method’s most devoted attendees first.  Despite my recently renewed emphasis on exercising, I’m not exactly the most loyal regular.

I secured this opportunity because I had won a drawing last summer to participate in a small workshop with Jill during her next visit to the Chicago area. I had practically forgotten about it when I received an email alerting me to her visit.  I was ultimately unable to attend due to a prior commitment, so Tami Conway the owner of the Bucktown studio offered me a reservation to a class as a consolation. As the date approached for this session, I upped my attendance at classes in order to prepare and not look like a fool!

The class was filled with teachers who are usually my instructors and incredibly fit Dailey Method followers. If that was not intimidating enough, several teachers observed and took notes during the session.  Everyone was keyed up to meet their personal exercise guru.

The good news is that I survived! There was only one truly humiliating moment: we were in “seated chair" position and Jill told me in a voice the whole class could hear that she’d slide off my lap if she was sitting on it.  Nonetheless, she was very approachable and provided incredibly clear direction that improved my technique. I didn’t even notice that class went over by fifteen minutes. I am usually counting the minutes until class is over. 

Despite my humiliation, I left incredibly motivated to continue my fitness routine. I will be ready for shorts weather if it ever warms up here in Chicago. 

Something Savory

Sweets are my biggest weakness!  I am obsessed with chocolate and ice cream. This past weekend I was asked to make something for a bake sale to benefit Women For Stronger Neighborhoods (the PAC/non-for-profit mentioned in a post several weeks ago). I was at a loss. Honestly, I am not much of a baker. The one time I decided to focus on baking, I gained 10 pounds in a month and quickly realized it was time to take a break from cupcakes and banana bread.

For this task, I was inspired to make something savory rather than sweet after seeing Martha Stewart on The Today Show making savory pies from her new book, Martha Stewart Pies and Tarts. (As you can see, I’m being really productive in my retirement!)

Below is a simple recipe I received for a Ham and Leek Tart from my friend Malia’s French Au Pair. Using crème fraiche instead of eggs makes it absolutely to die for!

Ham and Leek Savory Tart

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-made piecrust

2 heads of leeks chopped finely

1/2 -1 package of chopped ham

1 teaspoon of dry mustard (curry is also delicious alternative)

2/3 - 3/4 tub of crème fraiche

1/2 block of Gruyère cheese shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350^o

Boil the chopped leaks for 15-20 minutes and strain. Sauté the ham for two to three minutes to burn off some of the excess fat. (This is optional)

Line a thin tart pan with a piecrust and fill with leeks, ham and mix in the crème fraiche. Add dry mustard and a dash of salt and pepper. Top with Gruyère.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbling on top. Slice and serve.

Cold leftovers are also tasty. We sold cold slices during the event last night and they went like hot cakes!  

Reinventing Retirement

I have been referring to my time off of work to “reinvent myself” as my “retirement.” Last week I took this to heart and went to Vero Beach, Florida where my grandparents retired in the early 1970’s and where my mom has spent the last four winters. While this is the third year I’ve made the trek down to visit my mom, it was the first time since my grandmother was alive that I’ve had more than a few days to explore.

Vero Beach was long referred to as “Dodger Town” since the Dodgers conducted spring training there from the late 1940’s until 2008. I wasn’t sure how much excitement it offered spring training had moved to Arizona and was pleasantly surprised by the fashionable hotels and good shopping.

Located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, Vero Beach is at the northern tip of what is referred to as the “Treasure Coast” – about an hour and a half drive north from West Palm Beach. I’ve always stayed on Orchid Island, a coastal barrier island between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. In my opinion, the beaches of Vero Beach rival Martha’s Vineyard and Harbour Island in The Bahamas among the most pristine and beautiful in the world.  The town has always attracted fisherman and water sports lovers.

After a bit of research, I booked myself a massage at Costa d’Este, a boutique hotel refurbished by Gloria Estefan and her husband, which opened in 2008. In the mid-1990’s I did PR for several hotels in Miami’s burgeoning South Beach and always loved grabbing a drink at Cardozo Hotel -- one of the first boutique hotels to open on Ocean Drive. Ironically, Costa d’Este is located on Vero Beach’s Ocean Drive and its opening also marked a hospitality renaissance for Vero Beach.  The resort’s contemporary décor gives the 1950’s property a fresh and fun atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed my hot lava shell massage, but sadly, couldn’t enjoy the cool pool area due to the rain.

Another evening, we headed to The Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, operated by Kimpton, for dinner. The newly built resort offers a selection of condominiums and resort accommodations right on the beach and steps from the downtown shopping district. We had a drink on the patio near the wonderful fire pit and an excellent dinner at Cobalt. The West Indian-style interiors give Cobalt an elegant feel and the food is delicious! I had the duck and the scallops also get rave reviews.

For those who prefer more relaxed dining and activities, Vero Beach still has plenty to offer.  Bobby’s Restaurant and Lounge, where my grandmother had a burger every Sunday night is still operating and if you’re lucky, you might spot a retired Dodger player while you’re there.  

 

Pictured above are the patio bar area at the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa and the beach near my mom's house. 

Women Making a Difference

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and there is nothing more powerful than women coming together to make a difference, whether it’s supporting one another when family members are sick, helping in a child’s classroom or organizing events to benefit a worthy cause.

Last week I met with 10 fantastic and inspiring women to discuss community issues that are most important to us. We decided to tackle these challenges locally first by forming a political action committee (PAC), Women for Stronger Neighborhoods.

We are committed to investing in the community to maintain diversity and create safer, more vibrant neighborhoods, and will support programs and individuals who will

·      Foster favorable environments for small businesses

·      Ensure the availability of quality after school programs

·      Advocate for the licensing of homeless shelters

In the interest of full disclosure, the initial cause we will support is James Cappleman’s campaign for 46^th Ward Alderman. James is a personal friend and I was very involved in his 2007 campaign for the same position.

As old the old saying goes, all politics are local and I believe James is the man to make a difference in this Chicago north side neighborhood. He is social worker who has taken on these issues in the neighborhood for years and will continue to do in the city council. And to quote another old saying, behind every great man is a great woman – and James has many!

We are hosting our first fundraiser this Thursday, March 10 at Fontana Grill. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at the door. Enjoy food, wine and conversations with wonderful women. 


For more information or to get involved, visit the Women for Stronger Neighborhoods’ Facebook page or email us here. While we were formed by a group of women, we welcome involvement and input from everyone.

I am excited to continue working with these women to support more causes and issues that will make Chicago’s neighborhoods stronger.