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. 

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!  

My Personal Experiment

I have been working for nearly 19 years in public relations – at small firms, mid-size firms and for the past 11 plus years at a really really big firm!  I recently decided to drop out of the rat race, quit my job and focus on myself. I’m lucky enough to have a fantastic husband, Mike, who is supporting me in my adventuresome quest to find more balance, fun and eventually a job about which I can be just a little more passionate.

When I made this decision, I jotted down a list of goals I wanted to accomplish as part of this next chapter of my life. To keep myself honest, I’m chronicling my misadventures on this blog and sharing my list (which, of course, is always subject to change) here:

-          Focus on family and friends

-          Workout regularly and get back in shape

-          Cook more

-          Travel

-          Give back to the community

-          Garden

-          Join a golf or tennis league

-           Learn something new (I’m thinking about French or Italian. Any other thoughts?)

-          Check off a few items on our long, long, long list of home improvements

I have six days left at my job – not that I’m counting down or anything – and then the great experiment of reinventing Mia officially begins!