FoodBuzz 24x24: Happy (6th) Anniversary to Us!

I am so excited to be participating in my first Foodbuzz 24 x 24 event. This month's event occurred on May 29th, which just happens to be my wedding anniversary! My husband and I celebrated 6 years of marriage this past Saturday.

Every year, I try to recreate something from our wedding menu. The first year, I made our cake. The year after that, I made filet mignon. However, I had never tried to make everything from appetizer to dessert before. When the opportunity for the Foodbuzz event appeared, I was immediately inspired to give it a try.

My husband and I are both grew up in northern New Jersey. We were accustomed to weddings being big, splashy events. However, we wanted something smaller and simpler for our own nuptials and headed south to the Jersey shore for inspiration. I fell in love with the historic Allaire chapel and knew that was where we would have our ceremony. Then, I started looking at sites for our reception and found The River House in Brielle, NJ.

The River House offers beautiful views of the Manasquan River and its main dining room has gorgeous skylights that make the whole room glow. However, it was the food that ultimately sealed the deal for me. When we went for our tasting, my husband and I kept saying how great the food was and how it did not taste like anything from a banquet hall.

We decided to keep this special dinner just a simple family affair for my husband, our two kids and myself. Here is what I made:


The Menu

Appetizer: Melon and Prosciutto Skewers
Salad: Mixed Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette
Soup: Shrimp Bisque Soup
Entree: Surf and Turf (lobster tail and filet mignon)
Side Dishes: Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
Dessert: Wedding Cake (white cake with cannoli filling and classic buttercream)
Drinks: Champagne, Wine and Shirley Temple's (for our kids)



Melon and Prosciutto Skewers
These mini melon and prosciutto skewers were actually not on our reception menu. I had originally planned to make mini crab cakes and asparagus, prosciutto with mozzarella in puff pastry. However, after sitting down and looking at the other items planned, I knew this would not work. Two heavy appetizers were going to be too much food for us. So, I decided to go with these light and no cook cuties.
Source: inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis


Mixed Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette
Our reception menu featured a simple mixed green salad like this with a champagne vinaigrette. I almost didn't make it for our dinner though. Having never bought champagne vinegar, I was in for a bit of sticker shock when I went to the grocery store. A small bottle was almost $12 -Yikes! However, since FoodBuzz was sponsoring this dinner, I went ahead and (gulp) bought the pricey stuff. My husband loved this dressing but I found the Dijon mustard flavor to be a bit strong.
Source: Martha Stewart


Shrimp Bisque
I'm so bummed that I didn't get a picture of this soup myself :( The above photo is courtesy of Recipe Tips. This soup was fantastic! It was creamy and so flavorful. I had always thought shrimp bisque would be much more involved but this recipe was very straight forward (as are most of Ina's). I couldn't find seafood stock though, so I subbed chicken stock instead and it worked just fine.
Source: Ina Graten/FoodNetwork


Filet Mignon
I was a little unsure about this recipe from Paula Deen. Filet mignon is such a tender and flavorful cut of meat that it really doesn't need much more that salt and pepper to make it taste amazing. Paula has these marinate for 4 hours in Italian dressing, wrapped in bacon and brushed with steak sauce and I was afraid that would be overkill. However, I am happy to report that these came out perfect! Thanks Paula!!
Source: Paula Deen/FoodNetwork


Lobster Tails
I knew there was no way I could cook a live lobster...just the thought of explaining it to my son would be traumatic. A few months ago, after a trip to the grocery store he asked me why they had "pet lobsters" there. Hmmm...How do you explain to a 5 year old that they aren't exactly pets....
Anyway, I was very happy to just have to deal with tails. I first steamed the lobsters (as seen above), and then finished them off under the broiler with some garlic herb butter and fresh lemon juice. Delish!
Source: howtocookmeat.com


Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes
I loved these Yukon gold whipped potatoes! The color and creamy texture makes this very simple recipe perfect for special occasions. Plus, you can make them a day in advance (like I did), then just heat them up before serving which is a lifesaver when you are cooking multiple dishes.
Source: Food & Wine


Roasted Asparagus
Our reception menu featured haricot verts as the other vegetable side dish. However, I could not find these at my local grocery store and I thought regular green beans would not be special enough for this meal. So, I decided on simple roasted asparagus. They were a perfect accompaniment to the filets and lobster.
Source: Beantown Baker


Wedding Cake with Cannoli Cream Filling and Buttercream Icing
Our meal wouldn't be complete without wedding cake! Ours was a simple white cake with cannoli cream filling and buttercream frosting. To recreate this cake, I used Doris Greenspan's famous "perfect party cake" recipe. The cake came out light and tasty. I went with a simple ricotta recipe to make the cannoli filling but I wasn't crazy about it. It didn't have that nice rich and creamy taste that I was hoping for :( The buttercream was made with butter and shortening....I know, I know...shortening? Kind of yuck, but I think it really helped the texture of the frosting. I liked how the cake tasted overall and was very pleased with myself for how it looked. I don't make cakes often, so it's still a challenge for me to decorate cakes with icing but this one came out looking surprisingly good.
Cake Source: Dorie Greenspan as seen on Ezra Pound Cake
Cannoli Filling Source: Sargento
Buttercream Source: AllRecipes

Lastly, it was fun to recreate this meal and more fun to share it with my husband (happy anniversary Hon!) and kids.


My daughter waiting patiently for cake.

** Happy Memorial Day **

Cute Food Saturday

Looking for dessert inspiration or just want to gawk at some incredibly cute and creative creations?.... Then check out Mara's food blog, What's for Dinner?, this and every Saturday for her Cute Food Saturday post.

Several weeks ago she had a Cute Food Saturday contest and I entered these spaghetti and meatball cupcakes. To my surprise, I won-Yahoo!! The prize?...This adorable cupcake apron. I LOVE IT and actually wear it all the time not just when making cupcakes :)

Self-portrait with my glam apron.


Thanks Mara!

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I was totally craving strawberry lemonade cupcakes a week ago and set out to find the perfect lemon cupcakes and fresh strawberry frosting.

The first cupcake batch I made was good but not quite what I was looking for. The cupcakes were dense and the lemon flavor was bit subdued. I tried again a few days later and found this recipe. It was a bit lighter than the first and brushing the tops with fresh lemon juice after baking helped add more flavor. I'm still looking for a really great lemon cake recipe though, so if you have one send it my way.

While the cupcakes were good, the frosting was AMAZING!!! I don't know why it took me so long to try a Swiss meringue buttercream (probably the whole egg white thing) but now I'm hooked. This frosting is so silky smooth and not sugary sweet tasting like a traditional (confectioner's sugar) buttercream. Plus, I loved the taste of the fresh strawberries in this frosting...perfect for this time of year when strawberry season is at it's peak.

One more look because I'm obsessed.


Ingredients
Lemon Cupcakes

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition (batter will be thick).
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. *Poke the top of the cupcake 3-4 times with a tooth pick. Then brush the top with fresh lemon juice*Frost cupcakes. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

Source: Taste of Home


Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1-1/2 cups (8 ounces) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled (6-8 big strawberries)
4 large egg whites
1-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Puree strawberries in a food processor and set aside.

Combine egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until the mixture is warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved (the mixture should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers) and the temperature reaches 155 degrees.

Pour egg whites with sugar into a stand mixer fitted with whisk. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form about 10 minutes and the bowl is cool.

Switch to medium-low speed and add butter a few tablespoons at a time. Mix well after each addition. After all the butter has been added scrape down the bowl and switch to paddle attachment.

Continue beating on low speed until buttercream becomes smooth. Don’t worry if the buttercream starts to look curdled. Just keep beating until it comes together. Then add strawberry puree and beat until combined.

Source: Martha Stewart

Turtle Pancakes

About a week ago, someone posted a link to Jim's Pancakes on a cooking board I belong to. Jim is one talented dad! Some of the things he creates out of pancake batter are just insane (in a very good way). While, I don't think I have the time/patients/talent to create a pancake ferris wheel, a turtle I could handle. Especially, since Jim shows you just how to make them in this very handy video.

Below, is the pancake recipe I used to make these. Again, for instructions on how to create the turtle please click on the video link above.
Oh yeah...one more thing....the kids LOVED these :)

Ingredients
This recipe makes about 5 turtle pancakes

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
green food coloring
cooking spray

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Divide the batter (about 60/40). Add the green food coloring to the slightly larger batch of batter and stir well until color completely incorporated. Pour the green batter into a squeeze bottle, then pour the plain batter into another squeeze bottle. Follow directions in video to make the turtle.

Source: AllRecipes

Tres Leches Cake

I made this delicious tres leches cake to celebrate our Cinco de Mayo dinner last week. Tres leches means three milks in Spanish, however this cake actually calls for 4 milks (whole milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream).

Now, you might think that this would make it taste overly sugary sweet but it doesn't at all. The cake itself is actually a light sponge cake that soaks up all the creamy milks. When the milks get absorbed it makes it super moist but not heavy or dense. Then it's topped with a light, fresh whipped cream....so, so good!

This is a great cake for any occasion, not just Cinco de Mayo. In fact, I posted a picture of this cake on my Facebook page shortly after I made it and a friend ended up making it for his wife and family on Mother's day. They gave it rave reviews also.

A slice of the cake on a festive plate.

This is a great recipe for the kids to help with. My son loved poking the cake with the fork, then mixing up the milks, pouring them over the cake and watching it all disappear...just like magic!

Oh, I also didn't have a nice square platter like PW does, so I simply inverted the cake once it was completely cooled in it's baking dish...worked like a charm.

In the fridge, till after dinner. I had to cut a slice to photograph it while I still had light...and to test for poison (heehee).


Ingredients

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream
_____
FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Turkey Taco Mac

This recipe has been popping up on a lot of food blogs lately and for good reason. It tastes fantastic! This is an easy and quick week night meal and suited for the whole family. When I first saw this dish, I knew BOTH my kids would eat it and that's saying a lot.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but did reduced the taco seasoning just a bit b/c my kids don't like very spicy foods. I think I might add some corn to this next time to add an extra dose of veggie and color. This can be made with any shape pasta and I used mini wagon wheels to make it fun and kid friendly. This dish is definitely a keeper and makes for great leftovers.

Creamy, cheesy pasta = perfect kid dinner!


Ingredients:
1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
3-4 tbsp. taco seasoning or 1 envelope of taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese
Cilantro or parsley chopped (optional)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saute pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle cilantro or parsley on top if desired.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Delish

Taco Seasoning

Here is a great (and super easy) recipe for taco seasoning. It comes from Allrecipes.com with very high ratings. I like it because you know exactly what is in it and what is not....no MSG or other preservatives like you find in those envelopes of seasoning.

I store my taco seasoning in a simple spice jar. Then use as little or as much as I need with no waste.


Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Source: AllRecipes

FoodBuzz 24 x 24: Happy (6th) Anniversary to Us!-Draft

I am so excited to be participating in my first Foodbuzz 24 x 24 event. This month's event occurred on May 29th which just happens to be my wedding anniversary! My husband and I are celebrating 6 years of marriage... :)

Every year, I try to recreate something from our wedding menu. The first year, I made our cake, the year after that filet mignon but I had never tried to make everything from appetizer to dessert before. When the opportunity for the Foodbuzz event appeared, I was immediately inspired to give it a try.

My husband and I are both from northern New Jersey originally. We were used to weddings being big, splashy events. However, we wanted something smaller and more simple for our own nuptials and headed south to the Jersey shore for inspiration. I fell in love with the historic Allaire chapel and knew that was where we would have our ceremony. Then, I started looking at sites for our reception and found The River House in Brielle, NJ.

The River House offers beautiful views of the Manasquan river and it's main dining room has gorgeous skylights that make the whole room glow. However, it was the food that ultimately sealed the deal for me. When we went for our tasting, my husband and I kept saying how great the food was and how it did not taste like anything from a banquet hall.

We decided to keep this special dinner just a simple family affair for my husband, myself and our two kids. Here is what I made:


The Menu

Appetizer: Melon and Pruscuttio Skewers
Salad: Mixed Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette
Soup: Shrimp Bisque Soup
Entree: Surf and Turf (lobster tail and filet mignon)
Side Dishes: Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
Dessert: Wedding Cake (white cake with cannoli filling and classic buttercream)
Drinks: Champagne, Wine and Shirley Temple's (for our kids)



Melon and Prosciutto Skewers
These mini melon and prosciutto skewers were actually not on our reception menu. I had originally planned to make both mini crab cakes and asparagus, prosciutto with mozzarela in puff pastry. However, after sitting down and looking at the other items planned, I knew this would not work. Two heavy appetizers were going to be too much food for us. So, I decided to go with these light and no cook cuties.
Source: inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis


Mixed Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette
Our reception menu featured a simple mixed green salad like this a with champagne vinaigrette. I almost didn't make it for our dinner at home though. Having never bought champagne vinegar, I was in for a bit of sticker shock when I went to the grocery store. A small bottle was almost $12 -Yikes! However, since FoodBuzz was sponsoring this dinner, I went ahead and (gulp) bought the pricey stuff. My husband loved this dressing but I found the Dijon mustard flavor to be a bit strong.
Source: Martha Stewart


Shrimp Bisque
I'm so bummed that I didn't get a picture of this soup myself :( The above photo is courtesy of Recipe Tips. This soup was fantastic! It was creamy and so flavorful. I had always thought shrimp bisque would be much more involved but this recipe was very straight forward (as are most of Ina's). I couldn't find seafood stock though, so I subbed chicken stock instead and it worked just fine.
Source: Ina Graten/FoodNetwork


Filet Mignon
I was a little unsure about this recipe from Paula Deen. Filet mignon is such a tender and flavorful cut of meat that it really doesn't need much more that salt and pepper to make it taste mazing. Paula has these marinate for 4 hours in Italian dressing, wrapped in bacon and brushed with steak sauce and I was afraid that would be overkill. However, I am happy to report that these came out perfect! Thanks Paula!!
Source: Paula Deen/FoodNetwork


Lobster Tails
I knew there was no way I could cook a live lobster...just the thought of explaining it to my son would be tramatic. A few months ago, after a trip to the grocery store he asked me why they had "pet lobsters" there. Hmmm...how do you explain to a 5 year old that they aren't exactly pets....
Anyway, I was very happy to just have to deal with tails. I first steamed the lobsters (as seen above), then finished them off under the broiler with some garlic herb butter and fresh lemon juice. Delish!
Source: howtocookmeat.com


Yukon Gold Whipped Potatoes
I loved these yukon gold whipped potatoes! The color and creamy texture makes this very simple recipe perfect for special ocasions. Plus, you can make them a day in advance (like I did), then just heat them up before serving which is a lifesaver when you are cooking multiple dishes.
Source: Food & Wine


Roasted Asparagus
Our reception menu featured haricot verts as the other vegtable side dish. However, I could not find these at my local grocery store and I thought regular green beans would not be special enough for this meal. So, I decided on simple roasted asparagus. They were a perfect acompaniment to the filets and lobster.
Source: Beantown Baker


Wedding Cake with Cannoli Cream Filling and Buttercream Icing
Our meal wouldn't be complete without wedding cake! Ours was a simple white cake with cannoli cream filling and buttercream frosting. To recreate this cake, I used Doris Greenspan's famous "perfect party cake" recipe. The cake came out light and tasty. I went with a simple ricotta recipe to make the cannoli filling but I wasn't crazy about about it. It didn't have that nice rich and creamy taste that I was hoping for :( The buttercream was made with butter and shortening....I know, I know...shortening? Kind of yuck, but I think it really helped the texture of the frosting. I liked how the cake tasted overall and was very pleased with myself for how it looked. I don't make cakes often, so it's still a challenge for to decorate cakes with icing but this one came out looking suprisingly good.
Cake Source: Dorie Greenspan as seen on Ezra Pound Cake
Cannoli Filling Source: Sargento
Buttercream Source: AllRecipes

Lastly, it was fun to recreate this meal and more fun to share it with my husband (happy anniversary Hon!) and kids.


My daughter waiting patiently for cake.

** Happy Memorial Day **

Catfish Po'boys with Broccoli Slaw

I've made these wonderful catfish po'boys before and just love them! They are a perfect meal for a day when you want something casual and quick but still very tasty. This recipe calls for pan frying instead of deep frying which makes them a bit healthier than the traditional po'boy.

Oh, and I love a nice, cold beer with this dinner....so good!! To see a video of this recipe just click HERE to watch Holly show you how easy it is to make these. Enjoy!

I served these up with some homemade sweet potato chips.


Ingredients
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 pound catfish fillets, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 cups bagged broccoli coleslaw
4 (2 1/2-ounce) hoagie rolls with sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation
Combine milk and catfish in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Remove fish from bowl; shake off excess milk. Sprinkle fish with salt. Combine cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag. Seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

While fish cooks, combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (vinegar through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add broccoli coleslaw; toss well to coat. Spoon 1/2 cup slaw mixture onto bottom half of each roll. Arrange fish evenly over each serving, and top with top halves of rolls.

Source: As seen on My Recipes, originally from Cooking Light

Cinco De Mayo

Want to know what I'll be making for our Cinco De Mayo dinner?

This:

Shrimp Enchiladas (I need to take a better picture of these)

I love, love these! Though, I must admit that I don't think it's a very authentic recipe. I'll be serving it up with Mexican Rice (I'm going to try a new recipe) and for dessert....Tres Leches Cake from Pioneer Women!!

How insanely good does that cake look??

So, what are you making for Cinco De Mayo?