Aspire to everything Inspired

What to give your Halloween Hostess?

My good friend, Miss L., hosted a lovely Halloween dinner party over the weekend.  The sort of party where the menu was suitably creepy ("Braised Sheep Eyes served over a warm bed of worms..."), but was not, in fact, creeping.  {whew!}

I always think its lovely to take a small thank you gift for my hostess, don't you agree?  And I just happened to have a petite and appropriately-themed box that I knew Miss L would like...   

But what do you put in said box on such an occassion?  Normally, I'd go for chocolates, but candy seemed a little, um, undesirable under the circumstances.  (It's Halloween after all - she'll have a whole bowl of candy sitting by the front door!)  So what to do ...?

How about a fabulous collection of colorful Halloween finger puppets presented a la chocolate?

Simple, charming and delightfully funny!  Just what every Halloween Hostess needs for Halloween entertainment, don't you agree?   (Especially one who is a doting Auntie {wink, wink}!)

If the after-dinner conversation were to get dull (never likely, but still!)...  at least we now know we can put on our own show - LOL

Notes on Entertaining - No.134

Favorite friends, visiting from out of town, came for dinner recently.  The occasion called for some really OUTSTANDING appetizers.  Of course that meant pulling out all the stops... spending the big bucks for the best possible ingredients... going the extra mile to dazzle them with my amazing, appetizer-creating, culinary skills and presentation...

Thankfully, all of my extra efforts were VERY Well Appreciated.  Rave reviews all arounds and seconds for everyone!  Yum!

Do you like my random numbering in this email title?  I thought it would be far more entertaining than starting out with number 1, then someday going to number 2, and blah blah 3, etc., etc.,  Makes you think we're getting right to the good stuff, eh?

Hmm... I think maybe I need some more of these first-class appetizers just for me... 

After such stellar appetizers and a lazy hour visiting, the vote was for a country-Italian dinner...  A delicious rustic Marinara sauce over Angel hair pasta nests, Roasted asparagus with balsamic dressing, Fresh spinach salad, and toasted Rosemary & Olive Oil bread.  Somehow, homemade dinner cooked and eaten with dear friends, especially these friends, is always just The Best Meal Ever!

So when are you coming for dinner?

---

Recipe for Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

Olive oil

½ large yellow or white onion, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

1 can stewed tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce

Fresh tomatoes, diced

⅛ – ¼ cup Italian seasoning

Fresh parmesan cheese, grated

1.  Cook the onion & garlic – Pour a splash of olive oil (1 – 2 Tbs) in a medium sauce pan and warm over medium heat.  Add diced onion and diced garlic.  Sauté 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables ‘sweat’ or start to turn a little brown around the edges.

2.  Add the tomatoes – Add all types of tomatoes (sauce, stewed, and fresh) to the sauce pan.  Stir to mix well. 

3.  Add the seasoning – Immediately begin adding seasoning… start by adding about 1/8 cup and stir, then dip  a small piece of bread in the sauce and taste-test.  Continue adding a little bit more seasoning, stirring and tasting after each addition, until it tastes just right.  Then stop.  Adding the seasoning gradually is an important step to ensure you don’t over-season the sauce, which is so easy to do!

4.  Cook – Reduce the heat to a high simmer, and place a lid partially over the pot.  Be sure to leave at least ½ inch exposed so that excess steam will have way out.  Then walk away… and come back to stir occasionally.  The sauce thickens as it cooks, so the thicker you want your sauce to be, the longer you should let it cook.  Generally 30 minutes is good, 40 minutes is great.  Stir every 5-10 minutes, to ensure the bottom of the sauce doesn’t scorch or burn.

5.  Serve! – All ready?  Generously ladle sauce over a serving of cooked pasta.  Top with fresh grated cheese and enjoy!

Serves 3 - 4

I usually estimate ½ - ¾ a can of tomatoes per adult, and adjust everything a little bit from there.  A little more onion, a little more garlic, a dash more seasoning, etc.  You get the idea.  Play with it a little and soon you’ll be able to do this one in your sleep.

Want more options?

Definitely consider adding more vegetables to Step 1!  I love sautéing zucchini and yellow squash, maybe some green bell peppers.  Step 3, The Tomatoes, can definitely be mixed up a bit too - go for all stewed tomatoes for a really chunky sauce.  Or puree them in the blender for a really smooth sauce.  Or do any mixture of canned and fresh... I've done all the above, and they're all delicious! 

Meatballs or sautéed sausage can also be a tasty addition added to Step 4.  And if you have fresh herbs instead of dried seasoning... mmm!  Definitely give it a go!

 

The bottom line with this recipe is that it's just a simple tomato sauce, so don’t be afraid to experiment.  Worst case? You'll over-season and need to add more tomato sauce or throw out the pot.  (I've done both!)  Best case?  You might just come up with something truly amazing… and if you do, be sure to let me know!

An Easter Brunch, 2009

Hmmm... now what theme shall we use for our Easter brunch...?

Setting the Table... consisted of a white tablecloth, topped with a new Peter Rabbit tablerunner from the Pottery Barn Kids Easter Collection.  Plates were the new multi-colored, Peter Rabbit porcelain plate collection (also by PB Kids - I couldn't resist!) with serving pieces from the classic Wedgewood Peter Rabbit collection  (which I just love!  Really need to track down the children's tea set too...).  I had a burst of inspiration while planning the table and pulled out a colorful collection of April Cornell napkins that I bought years ago, but have never seemed to use.  The end result?  Sparkly, colorful, and simply charming, if I do say so myself!

The Delectable Menu...  The menu only came together the day before, as I was waiting to see what the weather would be like:  warm or cold?  It turned out to be a sunny, mild weekend here in Salt Lake City, so a delicious mix of savory and fresh flavors was in order.
 

Cooking my favorite "Garden Eggs"...  My basic recipe is to start with two eggs and a splash of milk, lightly beaten.  (The milk is, of course, optional, but it's what actually gives the cooked eggs their light & fluffy texture.)  Heat a fry pan (or sauce pot, in my case) over medium heat.  Add a dab of butter, then pour in the egg mixture.  Season with fresh ground salt & pepper.  Then sprinkle with chopped vegetables.  Lately I've liked roasted asparagus, a sprinkling of green onion, and fresh seeded tomato.  Cook over medium heat until set (about 5-7 minutes), then attempt to flip.  If the 'flip' doesn't quite work and you end up with a 'fold' - call it an omelet and add some cheese.  If neither the flip or the fold works... just dice it up a bit and call it scrambled.  LOL!

And voilà... Luncheon is served!  Oh my, it was delicious!  Really, there's nothing quite so lovely as sharing a delicious meal at a lovely table with charming friends, don't you think?

Oh yes, you can't see it well in the photos, but of course there was a basket of chocolate Easter candy for take-home too (or take-to-Church, as the case may be - LOL!). 

And even better...  there was a slice or two of french toast leftover for later too... Mmmmm...

A Valentines' Brunch

I keep throwing these delightful holiday luncheons and dinners... and not telling you about them!  I know, I know, it's just terrible of me!  Well, I'm turning over a new leaf.  So even though I'm a week after the fact, I'm determined to show you all about the latest!   A Valentines' Brunch - 2009.

First, here's a peek at the party invitations... "Valentines in Paris" was the theme du jour.

 

 

And I'll admit that I especially loved how the envelopes turned out!

 

 

Then there were the oh-so-charming party favors (if I do say so myself!). Small Parisian-themed boxes filled with chocolate truffles. "Ooo la la!"

 

 

 

I forgot to take a photo of the tablesetting, so we'll jump right to...
The Ooo-la-luscious Menu!

• Baked French Toast made with cinnamon bread, served with hot maple syrup, butter, and cream 
• Hot Cinnamon Apple compote   (simply to. die. for. on the french toast!)
• Baked Egg & Corn pudding with scallions, ham, and cheddar  (rather more like a crust-less quiche, actually)
• Fresh squeezed juice:  Orange Mango or Grapefruit

And the final verdict?   Well, let's see...  No one seemed to mind at all that the egg dish took three times as long to bake as the recipe said it should...  Everyone chatted and visited and the conversation never ran dry... Everyone had seconds and third helpings of everything... And then still opened party favors to finish off the meal with a wee dab of chocolate... before finally exchanging valentine treats and departing with smiles and hugs all around!  So, I'd say "a lovely time was had by all!" -- and isn't that what we always hope for?  ;-)

It's National 'Pride & Prejudice' Week!

And how do I know this delicious fact?  Why, because I have made it up, of course!

Would you like to join in the celebration?  Then check back every day this week for another P&P post... personally I'll be watching a different version of P&P each evening, and I'll tell you all about it!  So, my dears, stir up a nice cup of cocoa, toast yourself a crumpet, and settle in for a delightful Austen-fest, because our celebration starts out with none other than...

   

The A&E version!  The quintessential Pride & Prejudice film, it kicked off a true renaissance of P&P appreciation.  When it first premiered in 1996, we didn't have cable tv and so I had no idea this P&P event even existed.  Sad, but true!  However, just a week or two after it first played, I was flying to Rochester NY and read a review of Colin Firth's performance in People magazine.  They said his performance as Mr. Darcy was the greatest since Laurence Olivier's legendary 1940 portrayal.  (More on Olivier later this week - stay tuned!)  I clipped the review, determined to find this new movie and see it.  However, when I arrived in Rochester NY, I found that my dear friends had watched each nightly installment, were in raptures about the entire series, and had taped the entire show.  All five plus hours!  Oh joy!!  (Yes, back in the day of VHS.  Stone Ages, I know!)  We sat down to watch... and I was enthralled.  So delightful and delicious and just so so so!  There really weren't enough superlatives to describe what a masterpiece it was.  It is.  The whinging and screeching of Mrs. Bennet and her nerves.  The oily solicitude Mr. Collins.  The drool-worthy handsomeness of Mr. Darcy.  The let-me-slap-her-now-ness of Lydia.  Oh, and didn't we all envy Jennifer Ehle the privilege of being Elizabeth Bennet?  Ooooooooo.... Aaaahhhh....

Months later, it was available for purchase through Signals specialty catalogue -- a lovely boxed set of five VHS tapes for just $139.  Yes, just $139.00 (plus Shipping & Handling)!  And of course I immediately purchased a copy.  Of course!  Soon, my sisters and friends, all of my general acquaintances even!, were all equally enthralled.  We had P&P parties, and P&P afternoons, and P&P late night marathons.  Oh, the glory days!  I tracked down the Making of... book (available only in the UK) and read it cover-to-cover.  The exquisite cd soundtrack was discovered and giddily acquired.  The beautiful VHS boxed set was watched, and loaned, and revered.

Then came the dvd release (just two discs, $59,00!) and several years later, the Special Edition dvd.  Which was a disappointment.  The picture resolution was terrible and I immediately returned that one.  The 10th Anniversary edition I skipped.  And now there's even a Blu-ray version -- which, of course, means I'm now exceptionally curious to know if the Blu-ray has better image or sound.  (Anyone know?)

So, here we are, many years later...  and how has it held up?  Well, my dears, I still think it's quite delicious and lovely and charming.  And, yes, enthralling.  Colin Firth is still beyond compare as Darcy -- yes, we're still drooling.  The homes are still charming (though some of that wallpaper... ).  Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins, Lydia, and Mr. Wickham are all still appalling.  I still wish I was Elizabeth and wish for some of those exquisite linen textiles and dishes and furniture.  My fingers are itching to pick up some needlework, or perhaps I need to go for a walk in the woods, and I definitely need to serve 'tea'!  And did I mention Colin Firth...  Sigh...  Yes, I say it's still the quintessential P&P, and probably will be for many many years to come.  So, what do you think?

Have you read FableHaven?

Friday night, April 25^th -
Book Launch Party! 

FableHaven is a charming and delightful world of fiction created by author Brandon Mull. It’s a tale where fairy & fabled creatures are actually real and live on reserves hidden throughout the world.  Our heroes in the series are two young children, siblings Kendra and Seth, who discover their family heritage is tied to one of these legendary reserves:  FableHaven. 

The third book in the series, FableHaven 3:  Grip of the Shadow Plague, was released just last week (April 21^st), and an official book launch party was held Friday night.  I attended with two special guests… my nieces Sweetie and Bugaboo!  (Yes, those are just nicknames – LOL!)

The auditorium was packed – easily a thousand people crowded the main floor and double-level balcony seating.  The evening's program started with comedy skits by DC Comedy (a comedic sketch group that the author used to be part of).  They had the audience in stitches of laughter!  Even two days later, Sweetie is still quoting their jokes and routines!  After the comedy routines, author Brandon Mull came out and shared various aspects of where his stories came from – character and setting inspirations, plot development, and more.  It was an interesting hour!  After the program, we all queued up for the book signing…

Okay, other people queued up.  We had to wait until our ‘group’ was called.  However, we had plenty of things to do to pass the time… Read.  Stage our own funny photographs in the ‘set’ area.  Pose with characters from the book.  All of which was recorded for posterity in full technicolor:  

Really, we just had fun for two and half hours until our group was called!  Oh - and we discovered that two of our three copies of the book, which we bought that same evening, had already been signed by the author!  Then, at long last…

Signed!  And, we asked him to write "Hi" in the two already-signed books.  After all -- we did wait for nearly three hours!  LOL!  He was happy to accomodate. 

Now, if you haven’t yet discovered this New York Times best-selling series for yourself, we all highly recommend it!  In fact, it's even a selection of the Nielsen Cousins' Summer Book Club this year!  So, Run, don’t walk, to your local library or favorite bookstore and check it out for yourself.  Happy reading!