7 Secrets to Confident Dinner Party Success

December 4, 2014December 5, 2014 Rachel Sherwood

Know your limits: When hosting a gathering start by knowing how much you can or want to take on. Your daily schedule, budget, amount of space available and cooking ability will all factor into this. Taking on too much is the downfall of so many. Being comfortable and confident is the first step to success.
Pick the right menu: The menu is more than just the tasty meal. It is the key to success. Plan a menu that highlights your skills – use recipes that you are confident with and choose things that can be done in advance.
Create a plan: Plan out the steps in as much detail as you need and space things out so that you don’t have to do everything at once. When you write down the plan of activities, you can easily see if you are overcommitting in an area. Now you can arrange to make it easier rather than stressing at the last minute, because you did not think about how much time it would actually take to make a particular item. You can also factor beverages, decorations and any little extras like music or favors into this plan as well if desired.
Prep in advance: This works in hand with picking the right menu, most items can be made in advance like soups, breads, some side dishes, sauces and desserts. Some items even get better if made in advance and others can even be frozen. Use this to your advantage. Cooking all day can be tiring and take the fun out of it, but little projects over a few days is manageable and fun.
Manage the dishes: When you prepare items in advance, it also helps, as you will have less dishes to clean up before your guests arrive. For me I always like to have my dishwasher empty so that once a dinner is finished plates easily get loaded in and washed as we enjoy the dessert. If you don’t have a dishwasher or you have too many dishes for one load designate a corner space in the kitchen or tub to stack dirty dishes in. That keeps everything together and out of the way to be handled later. I love those large cardboard tote boxes that are sold at grocery stores – they are inexpensive and if they get too dirty I can just recycle them after use.
Engage with guests: Once your guests arrive your advance preparation and wise menu choices should leave you plenty of time to welcome and engage with your guests. If this is not happening make a mental note for adjustment next time. Remember you invited people over so that you could be with them not spend the entire time cooking or cleaning.
Recap and repeat: Like with most things in life practice makes perfect. When the party is over take a moment to think about what really worked and went well and also make note of things that may not have worked as well as planned or things you would like to add or do differently next time. The more you entertain the easier and more confident and flawless your experience will be.

For more information on how to host the perfect stress-free parties contact Rachel today!

Pick up your copy of The Pretty Plate for more simple techniques and recipes, and learn about the five elements to make your everyday meals magnificent.

Don’t Let this Blender Disaster Happen to You

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 Rachel Sherwood

It is that time of year again, slowly getting chilly out which always makes me want a nice warm bowl of soup. I love to make soup in large batches and freeze it so it ready for quick winter meals. However, we all have those “oh no” moments in the kitchen. A friend sent me this picture of her latest day making soups for the winter. Needless to say she spent more time cleaning than she did cooking. These little mishaps can ruin a day of cooking and keep any novice cook far from entering the kitchen. Don’t let these things discourage you! Clean it up, share the story for a few laughs and keep on moving. After all, it is just soup and that is why we have paper towels. See below on how to avoid this from happening to you.

Today’s Kitchen Tip
Here is how to avoid making more soup on your cupboards than in your bowl. The science behind it is actually very simple but I am not the one for being to scientific, so I will keep it simple basically, when you heat gas it expands. So when you put hot liquid in a blender and trap the steam with a lid and turn on the blender – the hot air gets pulled into the liquid as it expands and then blows the top off. In order to be safe and avoid sending scaling hot soup all over your kitchen follow the recommendations below.

Blend in small batches, only fill the blender with 1/3 maybe even less liquid
Hold on Tight, with a dry dish towel cover the lid and hold the lid of the blender firmly in place
Slow is better, start by turning the blender on the slowest speed possible

* If you are blending lots of soups look into purchasing a “stick” or an “immersion blender”. Then you can blend directly in the pot

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Simple compound butters, adding flavor with less fat

September 25, 2014September 29, 2014 Rachel Sherwood

(Chili Garlic Butter, Sweet Honey Butter and Herb Butter)

Looking for something to add little elegance to your next meal? Try a compound butter to add taste and flavor with less fat. Butter makes everything better but did you know you could enhance butter so it is even better adding more flavor with herbs, citrus and spices. You can pack in twice as much flavor and use less fat to achieve a really rich and delicious dish. It’s simple to make and it is called a compound butter. The best thing about compound butters: they are very versatile and you can freeze them so they are fresh and ready to use whenever you need them.

Compound butter makes it easy to add your signature touch to favorite foods like steak, fish, potatoes, corn, pasta and so much more than just bread. Once you start making compound butters you will never want to be without one on hand.

Compound butters are easy to make – just take softened butter, not melted, and mix in your favorite herbs, seasonings or even citrus zest until well combined. You can enjoy it as is, store chilled in a container or roll into a log on plastic wrap and freeze it for longer storage. When ready to use just slightly thaw and slice a piece of the firm compound butter and enjoy!

Try one of these combinations or make up your own.

Italian Herb Butter

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons chopped Italian Herbs (chives, rosemary, oregano)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Chili Garlic Butter

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Sweet Honey Butter

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoon honey

1 pinch nutmeg

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How to make Flawless, Crispy, Delicious Kale Chips

September 10, 2014September 10, 2014 Rachel Sherwood

I was not always a kale-lover but knowing how good it was for me I became determined to transform this dark-leafy green into something actually enjoyable. Here are the flawless steps to turn kale into a crispy delicious healthy snack.

Wash and thoroughly dry the leaves

If there is extra moister on the leaves the kale will steam making them soggy rather than crispy.

Remove the tough, bitter steams and tear into large pieces

Remove the steam easily by holding on the leaf at the base of the stem with one hand. Slide your hand down the stem to skim the leaves off and discard the stem.

Lightly oil the leaves

Use just a little oil about 2 teaspoons per baking sheet of kale. In a bowl lightly massage the oil into the leaves to lightly cover all areas this will help your seasoning stick as well, remember not too much or they will get soggy.

Spread leaves in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet

It is important that you have patience to make sure it is truly a single layer and not overcrowded. If they are overlapping they will bake unevenly leaving you with burned and soggy areas.

(Single layer with olive oil, then add your dry seasonings.)

5. Season

Sprinkle with your desired seasonings I prefer a light dusting of Garlic Salt, Lemon Pepper and Smoked Paprika. However, most dry seasonings will be fine like salt and pepper, cumin, Italian seasoning. Choose your favorite if un-sure, try it on just a half tray and adjust if needed. Note: avoid using liquid seasoning like vinegars and hot sauces as the liquids will make them soggy. If desired you can lightly sprinkle them with a liquid seasoning after baking but consume quickly if doing so.

(My favorite seasoning combination for a little heat, salt and acid)

6. Bake at a low heat

Low and slow is best for perfectly crisp not burned chips. Bake at 300F for 10 minutes then rotate the pan and bake another 12-15 minutes, so about 22-25 minutes total. This will depend on your oven but it is a good starting point. You want the edges to be light and crispy. Allow to cool on the pan for 3 min for that finale crisp finish and enjoy.

(Seasoned and baked kale chips)

What is your favorite way to enjoy or season kale?

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Easy Appetizers in an Instant

September 3, 2014December 8, 2014 Rachel Sherwood

This snack is a prefect easy appetizer especially for last minute entertaining. All you need is a block of cream cheese, your spice cabinet and a few crackers to make easy appetizers in an instant that will have your guests wondering how you do it all so gracefully. Using the Pretty Plate Principles of Color, Shape and Texture you can turn everyday cream cheese into a gourmet treat.

Cream Cheese Trio is a perfect inexpensive, easy, delicious and impressive appetizer. You can have it ready in a moment’s notice.

Great things about cream cheese:

It is relatively inexpensive. Look for it on sale and pick up as few to have on hand.
As long as the package is kept sealed it will stay fresh for almost 2 months.
It goes well with so many different flavors and most people already love cream cheese.

Here is how to do it:

Cream Cheese Trio

Turn a regular block of cream cheese into an Easy Appetizers in an Instant

Take an ordinary block of cream cheese cut it in half to have to squares. Cut one square in half at an angle to create two triangles and cut the other square cut in half lengthwise to get two smaller rectangles. We cut 4 pieces but only need 3 for this application. Wrap one of the triangles and save it for other spreads or breakfast. I add toppings to the other three to make them interesting and unique.
Take one of the rectangles, lightly dust it with your favorite herb seasoning, Italian and garlic, lemon pepper, Cajun, whatever your family and friends like best.
Take the next piece and press it into some chopped toasted nuts, sesame seeds or even some cut up crumbs from crunchy-flavored crackers.
For the remaining piece – top it with your favorite jam: raspberry, orange marmalade, strawberry, almost anything will work.
Place all three pieces on a serving plate, add crackers, fresh veggies if desired and serving utensils.

You just made cream cheese a festive quick and delightful appetizer!

Remember cream cheese is white and pretty basic like a blank canvas. The goal is to add color, shape and texture to it, making it a stunning treat.

Pick up your copy of The Pretty Plate for more simple techniques and recipes, and learn about the five elements to make your everyday meals magnificent.

Tips

Cream Cheese Trio