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Saying “I do” to our caterer

Three cheers for the winning caterer!!!

We’ve chosen Berghoff—a candidate we almost overlooked because we assumed they were all about beer and brats (although, as you can see from the menu, they go far beyond that). Thanks to an event at our gorgeous venue, we  were able to sample a few of the preferred caterers—including Berghoff. We also came to find out that one of Dave’s former high school classmates worked there—Kelly’s thoughtful and detailed proposal reinforced my warm and fuzzy feelings about Berghoff. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start from the beginning …

Tasting #1: Calihan Catering

The appetizers were pretty good overall. Standouts: butternut squash pizza, artichoke puff, brie and pear quesadilla, and the shrimp in a cracker cup. Nicole, the sales rep we met with couldn’t have been nicer and the service was great.

Each of the three caterers interpreted our theme differently: two buffet stations (long, drawn-out seated dinner is not our style), one Italian, one Latin/Mexican/Southwestern. The main courses were OK, but I didn’t see any cohesion, and the proposed menu was pretty minimal. In the end, the food just wasn’t “us.”

The jibarito (bottom row, middle) was really good, but it was more of an appetizer than an entree.

Tasting #2: Food For Thought

Food For Thought was great. Delicious food, great service and lots of nice, sweet personal touches. They were also extremely professional and seemed to really know what they were doing. Our sales rep Linda was great—a seasoned veteran of the catering biz. The beef beignet (first row, second from left), brie and pear quesadilla (yes, another one), crispy ravioli (first row, far right) and falafel skewer were my favorites of the hor dourves.

The pastas were really, really great—especially the wheat mushroom ravioli with cream sauce. YUM. I felt like I was at an upscale Italian restaurant. The stuffed pasta bar was great too. The Mexican portion of the meal was good, but again, the items seemed better suited as hor dourves. Mini ice cream cones and macarons were a sweet end to the meal. I knew Berghoff was going to have a hard time topping this …

Tasting #3: Berghoff

Berghoff started of on a very promising note: a Berghoff beer flight, house root beer and not one, but two Better-With-Butter-featured specialty cocktails (the Blushing Bride and the Green City Gimlet):


Then the hor dourves…

We loved everything (except that grape/cheese/nut ball in the bottom right corner—hey, you can’t win em all). As you can see, we’re going for the “gourmet comfort food” vibe: mac and cheese, grilled cheese, mini baked potatoes, paella bites, crab cakes—the stuff people stand outside the kitchen door and stalk the cocktail servers for. Kelly assured us they would pace the hor dourve service to avoid a feeding frenzy.

Then the buffets …

There’s something to be said for do-it-yourself “Food-Name-Here” bars. Pasta and salad bars? Pretty great. Tamale and a risotto bars??? That’s taking things to a whole ‘nother level. And this did. Tender carnitas, perfectly cooked flank steak and shredded chicken in red sauce on top of soft, moist tamale cakes or taco bowls with all the fixins, including an out-of-this-world avocado and black bean salad. YUM. Ooey, Gooey risotto with bacon, mushrooms, peas, asparagus and tomatoes; crispy, surprisingly delicate parmesan chicken; caesar salad; and Italian-style breads (including a phenomenal potato focaccia). DOUBLE YUM.

And as if we weren’t about to explode, cake tasting was next (a huge plus for Berghoff—their in-house pastry chef is great and can do just about anything. Not having to choose a baker: Just one more thing I can cross of the list).

So many amazing flavors and fillings, why choose? So we didn’t. Mini cupcakes for everyone!

So thanks Kelly and Berghoff—we are beyond thrilled to have you as our caterer!


Any way you slice it

Full disclosure (I don’t want to get sued by the FTC). This post is sponsored by the Slice Slab.

You see, Dave has sort of stumbled into the cutting board business. That doesn’t sound at all odd, does it?

Long story short, we got our hands on some excess Corian (think poor-man’s granite), a state-of-the-art machine designed for cutting countertops and the like out of huge slabs of wood, granite and plastic, and an ingenious design for a unique and fabulous carving board. See, not weird at all.

A pretty neat design (thanks Roy) was made even better after we had the idea to put a graduated “spout” on the corner of the board so you could use the juices collected in the grooves of the board to make gravy and other sauces. This idea came after Q made mess of my mother’s stovetop last Thanksgiving trying to transfer turkey juices from one of those disposable foil roasting pans to make gravy. I present to you, the Slice Slab:

We tested it out, and it works like a charm. I’ll show you if you promise not to judge my filmmaking skills …

You get the idea. We’re shamelessly pimping it on YouTube. All kidding aside, I seriously love this cutting board. Even if you aren’t planning to harvest those cooking juices, it makes cleanup super easy, and it’s dishwasher safe. Not to mention really good-looking.

Anyway, since this is a cooking blog (and Dave made me promise gravy recipes in our video) without further ado, I give you the easiest homemade gravy recipe you will ever use to impress your in-laws:

Homemade turkey, beef or chicken gravy

You’ll need:

about 1/4 to 1/2 cup drippings

about 2 to 4 cups of liquid — either broth or water

flour as needed to thicken

salt, pepper and garlic to taste

Using your handy dandy Slice Slab … oh wait, you don’t have one? You can buy it here, then.

Now that that’s taken care of, funnel the juices and drippings from your turkey/beef/chicken carving and any from the pan you cooked with into a sauce pan (as I mentioned, this can get messy, so I suggest you pour the juices from the pan right onto the slice slab, then funnel them neatly into your sauce pan!). Add two-thirds of the broth or stock to the sauce pan. Place it on the stove at medium heat.

In another container, use the remaining broth or water to make a roux. If the liquid is not already warm, heat slightly and slowly add flour, one tablespoon at a time, whisking to dissolve the flour. Once the roux is smooth and starting to thicken a little, add it to the sauce pan and stir. Add spices to taste and additional flour to thicken as needed—in very small increments so it won’t clump.

Gravy isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing food in the world, so instead, I’ll leave you with this for inspiration. Happy Carving.


Nothing’s better than Effen on a rooftop

OK, so I stole my post title from the concept for Effen’s new cheeky ad campaign. I’m sure they won’t mind.

Recently, I had the pleasure of enjoying some “Liquid Luxury”—courtesy of Effen and the Effen awesome folks at Zocalo Group—while contemplating sustainable design, really cool succulent party favors and apple and bacon pizza.

And let me tell you, the chefs and mixologist at ROOF at The Wit aren’t Effen around (OK, I’m done with the Effen jokes, promise). The food and drinks were fantastic. And the bottles of Effen (again, courtesy of Zocalo and Effen) we got beforehand weren’t so bad either. Who gets a bottle of vodka messengered to their office?? This girl. I may or may not have gone home and immediately poured myself a stiff, impossibly smooth screwdriver.

Anyway, back to the party at the Wit, where copious amounts of vodka cocktails on a Tuesday were unabashedly encouraged.

We had more than our fair share of Sustainable Sours, Green City Gimlets, Chicago Caipiroskas and Second City Sparklers (recipes below for your imbibing pleasure). The general consensus was that the Green City Gimlet was the frontrunner. And the food, ohhhhh the food. Most of it didn’t live to be photographed, unfortunately … Funghi pizza with roasted oyster mushrooms, mozzarella and thyme; Salsicia pizza with house-made sausage, cured tomato fennel and havarti cheese; Apple and bacon pizza with sliced apple, smoked gouda, cobb smoked bacon and rosemary; Roasted sweet pepper and goat cheese crostini; Marinated rock shrimp crostini with white bean puree and parsley salad; Grilled cheese panini with tomato fontina soup; and PLT: Crispy pancetta, arugula, cured tomatoes, lemon aioli …

It was all soooo good. So, so, sooooo good. Or maybe it’s just the fact that my pre-wedding diet and workout regimen has exponentially intensified my cravings for anything cheesy and carby.

Once I’d settled down from the pizza frenzy, I was able to focus (using the word focus very loosely, as I was at least three cocktails deep at this point) on a presentation on the past, present and future of sustainable architecture and design in Chicago from Jonathan Boyer of Farr Associates, and one from clever ROOF mixologist Jonny Abens on the night’s libations. And let’s not forget the fabulous view:

I’ve always loved Effen, but after this event, I had a newfound appreciation. As a matter of fact, that bottle in my freezer is calling to me right now …

Sustainable Sour

You’ll need:

1 1/2 oz. Effen Vodka

1 oz. St. Germain

1/2 oz. simple syrup

3/4 oz. fresh lemon

Pour ingredients over ice, shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon and cherry.

Green City Gimlet

You’ll need:

1 1/2 oz. Effen Vodka

1/2 oz. Cointreau

3/4 oz. fresh lime

2 basil leaves

Muddle one basil leaf and add remaining ingredients over ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf.

Chicago Caipiroska

You’ll need:

1 1/2 oz. Effen Black Cherry

1 oz. brown sugar

2 lime wedges

2 dashes cherry bitters

Muddle lime wedges and add remaining ingredients to shaker. Shake all ingredients and pour over ice into a rocks glass.

Second City Sparkler

You’ll need:

1 oz. Effen Black Cherry

1/2 oz. Domaine De Canton

1/2 oz. fresh lemon

prosecco

Pour first three ingredients over ice, shake and strain into a champagne flute. Top with prosecco and garnish with a lemon twist.


Chocolate babka … just like Nana used to make (or buy at Publix)

For some reason, lots of my childhood memories with my Nana revolve around food—the good, the bad and the Jewish. The good: delicious, sweet and savory meatballs. The bad: Rice Dream (sorry Nana, but that stuff is just awful). The Jewish: Chocolate babka. Mmmmmm, delicious babka. Come to find out, its origins are debatable (some say it’s Polish, some Eastern European, but from what I can tell it is largely a favorite of Jewish New Yorkers), but that doesn’t change the fact that it is AMAZING.

I fondly remember this delectable treat (and chocolate rugelach … mmmm) as something enjoyed exclusively in our yearly visits to the Jewish retirement capital of the world: South Florida.

Anyway, the babka was a pretty distant memory until a dinner club a few months back. The theme was Polish food, and for some reason it popped into my head that babka might be Polish. Sure enough, I found enough online evidence to be satisfied that it could pass. Because at that point, I just really, really wanted to make it.

And the recipe from Smitten Kitchen did not disappoint. It was light, airy and buttery—like a croissant—with sweet, chocaltey, cinnamony goodness. And it got rave reviews at dinner club. Don’t let the seemingly complex recipe scare you away—it’s totally worth it. Or for those of you in Fort Lauderdale, Margate or Boca Raton, a quick Publix run might give you your fix.


Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Cooking for cavemen

Geico commercials don’t give cavemen enough credit. Eating like one is, in fact, not so easy.

That’s what I’ve learned cooking for Dave, who is on the Paleo diet, otherwise known as my worst nightmare: No carbs. No cheese. No butter. No salt. No diet coke. No alcohol. Sounds like a living hell, if you ask me.

The concept is that the healthiest diet involves eating what early man ate during the Paleolithic era (and before the agricultural revolution). That means absolutely no grains (bread, rice, quinoa, pasta, etc.), no dairy and absolutely nothing processed or sugary. Basically you can only eat “healthy veggies” (corn, potatoes, yams, root veggies and legumes are strictly verboten), lean meats and fish, fruits and water. Herbs, olive oil and spices are also allowed.

Dave’s attempting 30 days of this torture, and I am faced with my biggest culinary challenge yet: cooking without butter, salt or cheese. So I participated in another Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 as part of my first Paleo test. I am surprised to say the result was actually edible—dare I say appetizing.

I made two versions of one dish—one paleo, one not. Before I share insights from the taste test, take a gander at the recipes:

PaleoFISHic (Mahi Mahi with red pepper-avocado salsa and spicy cauliflower puree)

You’ll need:

2, 6-oz Mahi Mahi filets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Lime for squeezing

Salsa:

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 half avocado, cubed

1 red bell pepper, minced

1 quarter of one white or yellow onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 half of one jalapeno, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Spicy cauliflower:

2 cups cauliflower florets, steamed

1 chipotle pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix the salsa ingredients together, being careful not to mush the avocado. Set aside or refrigerate for later.

Steam or boil the cauliflower until soft. Puree in a food processor along with remaining spicy cauliflower ingredients. Set aside.

Rub fish filets with the olive oil and spices and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Heat an olive-oil-drizzled pan on medium heat. Cook marinated fish filets for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the fish becomes flaky.

Serve the fish on a bed of cauliflower, topped with salsa. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

“Hell no, we won’t Paleo!” Mahi

You’ll need:

2, 6-oz Mahi Mahi filets

1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

lime for squeezing

Salsa:

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 red bell pepper, minced

1/2 cup corn

1 quarter of one white or yellow onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Mexi-mashed potatoes:

6 red potatoes, boiled

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons butter

salt to taste

Mix the salsa ingredients together. Set aside or refrigerate for later.

Mash the boiled potatoes, skins and all, and mix in additional Mexi-mashed ingredients.

Rub fish filets with the olive oil and spices and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Heat a pan on medium heat, with butter. Cook marinated fish filets for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the fish becomes flaky.

Serve the fish on a bed of mashed potatoes, topped with salsa. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

So how do the two recipes stack up?

To be honest, I’d choose the non-Paleo version any day of the week. HOWEVER, the Paleo version was actually mighty tasty, and generally tasted fresher and had bolder flavors. The potatoes and salt were the key ingredients that clinched it for me, though. As for the caveman, he cleaned his Paleo plate, and was very satisfied. Then he retreated back to his cave to watch West Virginia pummel Kentucky.


Blushing bride

No not me, the drink:

Pama cocktail

For Valentine’s Day I cooked dinner. It was good, but this is really the only thing worth posting about, if you ask me. Even Dave, not a big fan of sweet, girly drinks, loved it.

I told you about my excuse to use my frozen pomegranate. Well, as it turns out, I got lazy, and ended up taking the easy route and using them as a garnish in this drink. Just as well, because I used them straight out of the freezer to act as the ice cubes, and I found myself munching on them as I sipped. Plus, they float at the top so they make the drink look that much prettier. All in all, a good use of the frozen pomegranate seeds.

Blushing Bride

(adapted from recipe courtesy of PAMA liqueur)

You’ll need:

1 oz. PAMA liqueur

2 oz. vodka

6-8 oz. grapefruit soda

frozen pomegranate seeds

Mix all ingredients together. Enjoy!

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PAMAphrodisiac

I have a bad habit of throwing things into the abyss that is my freezer and forgetting they exist down there. Then I wonder where all my tupperware went …

… hmmm, oh yeah! It’s holding three gallons of freezer-burned chili …

Then there’s my two plastic bags full of frozen pomegranate seeds from these gorgeous pomegranates I picked up this past fall:

Pomegranate

So imagine my excitement when I got an excuse to use these little gems this Valentine’s Day. The folks at PAMA liqueur sent me some samples, along with recipes and news about a local cupcake shop that I may just have to visit for these little beauties.

So stay tuned for an after-V-day recap of The Great Pomegranate Cooking Experiment.


Veya

I think I need a little Anguilla therapy session to deal with a severe case of the end-of-winter doldrums.

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Ahhhhh … much better.

IMG_2473Oh, yeah, that’s nice …

IMG_2476mmmm hmmmm …*Sigh*

While we’re at it, let’s relive our amazing meal at Veya, our favorite restaurant on the island. We even got “our” table again:

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We ordered the fabulous chef’s tasting menu, courtesy of the talented Carrie Bogar (chef and co-owner). I had to start with a favorite of mine — the Crocus cocktail, this sweet, pineapplely, neon green concoction:

Crocus

First course was an island specialty (done best at Veya, of course) a silky, velvety, slightly spicy cup of pumpkin soup:

pumpkin soup

If it weren’t for a slight trace of manners and civility, I would have licked the bowl clean. Then came “Vietnamese style” crispy calamari:

calamari

Then Dave’s special request: A kind of shrimp watermelon salad. DELISH.

shrimp watermelon salad

Followed by one of my favorites of the night, Moroccan-spiced shrimp cigars:

shrimp cigar

Then grilled, spiced jerk tuna with rum-coffee glaze, caramelized pineapple and fried plantains:

Tuna

Then a seared strip steak, I think, on a bed of mashed, spiced carrot. By this point I had such a food high I’m not sure I remember accurately. The beautiful wine Jerry (Carrie’s husband and co-owner) recommended probably contributed …

steak

The dessert put the final nail in the food-coma coffin. Chocolate hazelnut mousse bars with chocolate malt ice cream:

chocolate mousse

We closed the place out, chatting with Carrie and Jerry over a beer about the secrets to a successful marriage. The perfect end to a perfectly romantic meal.


The way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach …

Conch

After five years of late-night, cooked-to-perfection quesadillas, being the taste-tester for countless culinary experiments and plenty of breakfasts in bed, Dave finally realized he couldn’t live another day without making an honest woman of me—and locking down a lifetime of home-cooked meals.

And when it came to the proposal,  he knew he couldn’t go wrong by throwing cheese, crackers and champagne into the mix.

He did it on the first day of our vacation in Anguilla—a trip full of romance, empty white sand beaches, rum punch and amazing food. I am one lucky girl.

We started The Day off with something I’ve been looking foward to the entire year, since I last experienced them on our first Anguilla vacation:

cafe at veya  pannini 3

The BEST PANINI in the WORLD, courtesy of The Cafe at Veya. Seriously. It’s all about the bread—but sorry, I’ve been sworn to secrecy when it comes to the details. Anyway, they are a little piece of gooey, crispy, salty, cheesy, eggy heaven. And, as Dave can attest, I could sit at The Cafe all day, basking on the peaceful, sun-drenched patio, sipping diet cokes and eating paninis for breakfast lunch and dinner. Seriously, they’re that good.

Cafe at Veya

Bellys full of panini, we had a fabulous beach day.

Anguilla beach

He later told me he’d been dropping hints all day. With his choice of t-shirt:

Dave at Veya

And when he pointed this out, and insisted I snap a picture of it:

heart tidepool

I remained completely clueless.

We came back to our gracious host’s abode (Neal, owner of the Cafe at Veya of Best-Pannini-in-the-World fame—my dad’s best friend and pretty much a second dad to me) to take little Lola for a late afternoon walk on the beach. But Neal was acting funny and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it …

… so we set off for Long Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (lots of “Best in the World” distinctions on this island).

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We strolled along with Lola, lost in our own little piece of paradise.

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Right before we reached the end of the beach, Lola bolted. The ensuing chase led to an idyllic patch of beach in front of a multi-million dollar villa, complete with a beach-blanket set up with two chairs, a bucket of champagne and a cheese and cracker platter. At this point I started to get nervous—there wasn’t a shadow of doubt in my mind that we were crashing some millionaire’s romantic rendezvous. Lola came bolting out of the bushes like a bat out of hell and went straight for the cheese platter.

“DAVE! OMYGOD, GRAB HER!!! S%#@*!! SHE’S GOING FOR THEIR CHEESE!!!!” He stood there with an indecipherable look on his face. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting for him to react while I screamed “LOLA, NOOOO!!!” Dave grabbed me by both shoulders.

“Relax! It’s OK!”

“WHAT?? What are you talking about?!?”

“It’s OK, because I put this here.” (with the help of his accomplice, Neal)

He then dropped to one knee, and the rest was a bit of a blur—a happy blur compounded by several glasses of champagne. This was my view from the beach blanket as we sipped champagne and talked weddings.

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We returned to the Casa de Neal where I, high off post-proposal adrenaline and plenty of bubbly, drunk-n-Skyped several friends and family members to share the news.

Sand dollar

*Swoon*

OK, I’ll spare you anymore mushy details. Stay tuned for another post on the best Anguilla has to offer: Veya and a few other of our favorite island spots.


The lazy girl’s guide latkes and matzo ball soup and a giveaway

Latkes and matzo ball soup

It’s Hanukkah and Dave’s been seriously cashing in on his first year celebrating the festival of lights.

He still can’t get over the whole presents-for-eight-nights-in-a-row thing; he hustled me for 20 bucks in his first game of dreidel (beginner’s luck); and he enjoyed a couple of the best dishes Judaism has to offer: Latkes and matzo ball soup.

It’s been a lazy couple of weeks  for me and the thought of shredding four pounds of Russets gave me a headache. Lucky for me, I had this fabulous Progresso package from MyBlogSpark (Which one lucky commenter will also win, courtesy of Progresso via MyBlogSpark) …

Progresso Blogspark package

… and some frozen hash browns. Soooooo, I present to you …

Lazy latkes and mellow matzo ball soup

latkes and matzo balls

Lazy Latkes

You’ll need:

6 cups frozen hash browns (about one large bag)

1/2 of a large yellow onion, minced

2 eggs

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

ground pepper (5-10 turns or the grinder)

1-2 teaspoons salt (kosher, of course)

vegetable oil for frying

Before I start, a message to all you traditionalists out there—once you go frozen (hash browns, that is), you’ll never go back. These turned out flawlessly with a fraction of the work. And your bubby will never know the difference.

Thaw your hash browns and let them “drain” on paper towels. Dry out the minced onions as well. You’ll want to make sure you get as much of the moisture out as possible—otherwise the latkes fall apart in the pan. Mix the potatoes, onions, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper together and form into small patties. Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and fry the latkes (about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown). Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Mellow matzo ball soup

You’ll need:

For broth:

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 large carrots, chopped

1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped

For matzo balls:

3/4 cup matzo meal

3 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Remember what I said about the latke cheat? Ditto for the pre-made broth. Heat your broth and veggies in a covered pot until veggies are cooked through. Mix all ingredients for matzo balls and form into golf-ball sized balls. Drop into hot broth and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Now leave a comment telling me what your favorite holiday tradition is. I’ll pick a random winner next Thursday (12/24) and you’ll get the lovely package you see above. Consider it your Hanukkah present.