Last night I was having some friends over for a FOS date, plus an excuse to have someone to watch Glee with. Having three guests also gave me the delightful opportunity to make my Ice Cream Cake.
Ice Cream Cake, Part 2
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Category Archives: what’s cooking?
Quick Cheesecake Brownies
Whenever I want to bring a homemade-esque dessert to an event and I want to do it in a pinch, I revert back to semi-homemade tactics and make cheesecake brownies. They are ridiculously easy, versatile, and best of all, taste phenomenal.
Now the reason I say semi-homemade is because I prefer boxed brownie mix over making brownies from scratch. Not to say that brownies from scratch are difficult, but for some reason I have always preferred the taste of Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines in my mouth (that’s what she said, anyone?). Plus, we’re talking about doing stuff in a pinch.
To make the browines, you follow the recipe on the box as indicated. Pour the batter in your pan, and set aside, do not bake immediately.
For the cheesecake topping you’ll need:
- One 8 ounce block or container cream cheese, softened
- One cup sugar
- One egg
- A teaspoon or two of vanilla
- OPTIONAL – Your desired flavoring or coloring – a liqueur, food dye if you’re feeling festive, syrup such as butterscotch, etc.
Cream the sugar and cream cheese with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until smooth. Mix in egg, vanilla, and optional flavorings. Spread the mixture over your brownie batter. You may either marble topping in swirling around with a knife, or you can smooth it on top to keep it a separate layer. Bake according to brownie package directions. It’s that easy!
An example of green cheesecake brownies I made for a Jets-themed party. All it took was a few drops of green food coloring in the cheesecake mixture.
The Dinner Party – Beurre Blanc
The sauce is boss. I totally stole that from Sweet Baby Rays, but for real, Beurre Blanc is some serious business. And by serious, I mean it contains two of my favorite things – booze and butter. You can’t really go wrong. Except if you’re concerned about your arteries and long term health. But hey, we’re dealing with technique and hopefully eating in moderation, so a little won’t hurt you. Continue reading
The Dinner Party – Roulade Style Chicken stuffed with Pesto, Proscuitto, and Fontina
This chicken roulade recipe is an oldie but goodie from my catering days at Fine Catering by Russell Morin. I’m not sure how much I’ve deviated from the original, but this is what I remember about how to make this dish. Continue reading
The Dinner Party – Basil Pesto
When someone hears the word “pesto,” they usually think of basil pesto. While basil pesto is perhaps the most popular variation of the sauce, the term pesto is actually a generic term referring to anything made by pounding (think pounding using a mortar and pestle, not pounding to make babies or something else stemming from wherever your dirty mind is going).
Tonight I’m making pesto to serve as part of the filling for my chicken roulade. I use the following ingredients – fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and if needed, some lemon juice.
Since it’s January, basil isn’t exactly all over the place, but you can still find fresh. I lucked out this afternoon and found it for $1.99 a bunch at the International Foods Warehouse at National Wholesale Liquidators in Lodi.
The slideshow below walks you through the steps to make the sauce.
The Dinner Party – Introduction
Tomorrow night I’m hosting some friends for a long overdue get together. My “cousin” (I use quotations as we are family both being Greek and having grown up together, but we’re not blood related) and his girlfriend live here in Hackensack just a few building away from my own but we NEVER see each other. There is another couple they are super tight with that I also have known for years and wanted to hang out with, so we organized a get together and I agreed to host.
My cousin, God bless him, loves my cooking, and because he is always eager to see what I’m going to make next, I like to please and make some fancy shmancy stuff.
This is what I decided for the menu –
- Hors d’oeuvres – assorted cheeses, hummus with pita chips, pretzels with French onion dip, Greek sausages
- Roulade-style Chicken stuffed with Basil Pesto, Proscuitto, and Fontina with Beurre Blanc and Egg Noodles
- Bacon and Onion Brussels Sprouts
- Sauteed Broccoli/Cauliflower/Mushroom Mix
- “Anna” Salad
- Cheesecake Brownies
As with any dinner party, it is highly recommended to do as much as you can ahead of time. This evening I prepped the chicken, made the sauce, and blanched the vegetables. I’m going to spend the next few posts highlighting recipe by recipe.
Rice – Part 2
I think this worked out as I wanted, the extra oil definitely made a huge difference!
Bottom of saucepan coated with oil
Rice
One of my favorite things in the world to eat is a really good basmati rice pilaf. I don’t even need sauces or meat or beans, I’m content just with the rice. In my world, a really good pilaf has tender but almost al dente grains, is not fluffy, and the grains don’t stick together. I have been trying forger to master this to no avail. Continue reading
Semi Homemade Turnovers
I’m headed to a dinner party this evening and I want to bring an appetizer. I am a little pressed for time, so I want it to be tasty but time efficient. I will go to my standard mixture and also channel a bit of my inner Sandra Lee to create these turnovers:
Monday Night Mac
Much like my Friday Night Dinner for One, I wanted to utilize ingredients in my fridge without hitting up the grocery store unnecessarily. I had close to a half gallon of milk that was going to expire in a couple of days (living alone and working mornings, I was never going to drink it), and some cheese that was probably on the verge of molding. I knew it was mac and cheese time.
The Accidental Chef 