dinner party Archives

Lasagna Rolls

August 2, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

As an entrée I love to have Lasagna Rolls on hand as they are simple enough for children and fancy enough for a dinner party.

20 lasagna noodles cooked according to package directions.

Cool the cooked pasta by running under cold water.

For Cheese Filling:

2 eggs
2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese (or 1 15oz container)
2 cups grated mozzarella
2 cups grated cheddar (sharp cheddar adds a nice tang)
2 cups grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder

In a large bowl mix the eggs, ricotta, and all three cheeses together, season with salt, pepper and onion powder. Mix well to combine.

Lay out cooked lasagna noodles on a flat surface. Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture over each noodle; leaving 1 inch at the end of the noodle free from cheese. Carefully roll up the noodle moving towards the open end to make a tight roll and place seam side down. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Pour a bottle full of sauce into an ungreased baking dish. Place roll-ups seam side down, cover top with remaining sauce.

Bake covered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes if thawed 45-60 minutes if frozen or until heated through. If desired, uncover and top with additional sprinkle of cheese, bake for 5-10 minutes until melted.

Freeze individually in plastic freezer bags without sauce.

Add optional flavorings:

½ cup herbs (like basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano)
½ cup spinach (1 10oz frozen package drained and squeezed dry)
1lb Italian sausage (2 cups cooked and crumbled small)
1 lb beef and ½ cup onion (2 cups cooked and crumbled small)
16 oz mushrooms cooked with 2 cloves garlic and pressed dry
1 cup cooked diced peppers
1 cup firm tofu diced small

What to Do with Burned Chicken

July 30, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

(What to do with burned chicken)

So, this happened last week. I want to share this post with you as sometimes things go wrong. We all have the occasional “off” days; other times we just plan mess up. That goes for me too, although I am a professional food expert; it is important that you see not everything is perfect. I love sharing with you and part of expertise comes from making mistakes. The key to any “failed” attempt is how you react, and what you do with it. I could have very easily cried over these chickens, tossed up my hands and said dinner was ruined. However, that was not an option in my mind.

Here is what happened, and how keeping calm and being creative saved the meal.

Last week my husband Joey and two uncles were building a shed in the backyard. I figured they would be working all day and I wanted to feed my hungry workers. My grandmother was also in town so I thought it would be fun to have her over as well. I had planned the prefect menu that allowed me time to go and pick her up and still get everything on the table. I had all the sides done and tossed the chickens on the grill. Right before I left they would be done perfectly in 1 hour. Perfectly that is if I set the grill at the correct temperature.

I apparently thought that the setting next to “off” was low, however on our grill it was high. I now know better. I was grilling those chickens at 550 degrees. I was lucky they were not complete charcoal. Thankfully, the boys smelled my grilled chickens and took them off earlier.

I got home to 4 hungry people and 2 burned birds. There was no time to make something else so I had to cope with this. I put out the cheese plate I had made earlier; got everyone drinks then went to deal with the little culinary disaster.

Luckily in my effort to cut down on cleaning I had put the chickens in foil pans, which actually protected the wings, legs and thighs. They were fully roasted but still good enough to eat with crispy skin just as they were. The chicken breasts however where another story. That skin was not salvageable so I peeled it off and looked at the meat it was fully cooked. No questions there, just slightly on the dry side. So to add a little moisture and flavor I took some fresh herbs from the garden and melted butter with lemon juice to make a savory lemon herb butter sauce. I poured this over the top and served some on the side. Dinner was saved and everyone ate well.

(Save dry chicken by adding a lemon herb butter for flavor and moisture)

It was definitely not one of my most glamorous dinner parties. However, you can’t judge a dinner party on the food alone. What matters most are the connections between the people at the table. Everyone ate well and had fun even though it did not look as I had planned it. The evening was perfect. This one also gives us another good story to laugh about in the years to come. Next time you are hosting family or friends remember to let go. It may not look as you expected, things may and if done enough will eventually “go wrong” but with a positive and creative attitude you will make it better than before and have fun memories to share for years to come.

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.