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Come Party With Me: Going Away Party - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:00:02 -0700

When planning the menu for a going away party, there are several options. You can feature the honoree's favorite dishes, make the dishes that are native to the town she is leaving or the town she is moving to, or simply serve a delicious and comforting meal. In my case, I decided to combine these ideas.

Kara's favorite appetizer, artichoke dip with pita chips, will await the arrival of the guests. Grilled three cheese triangles, cooked on the outdoor grill, are classically nostalgic and so tasty guests will be begging for more.

The entree will be a New England favorite, a clam boil filled with seafood, corn, potatoes, and sausages. To take a look at these mouth-watering recipes, read more.

Three-Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

2 slices white bread
Grated Gruyère, fontina and mozzarella cheese
Butter

Directions

Top slices of white bread with a mix of grated Gruyère, fontina and mozzarella cheese. Close the sandwiches and lightly butter the outside of the bread.
Grill over low heat until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cut into triangles and serve immediately.

Makes 4 triangles.

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Artichoke Dip
From Everyday Food magazine

Ingredients

2 cans (14 ounces each) artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 scallion, minced, plus more for garnish
Crudites (such as raw pepper wedges) or whole-wheat pita chips, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. In a food processor, place half the artichokes, the mayonnaise, cup Parmesan, lemon juice, and garlic. Process until smooth.
Add scallion and remaining artichokes; pulse once to combine. Transfer mixture to a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining tablespoon Parmesan.
Bake until golden and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with scallion, and serve with crudites or pita chips.

Serves 8.

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Summer Clambake
From Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

For herb and garlic butter:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
For vegetables, sausages, and seafood:
6 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 celery stalks, cut crosswise in half
6 large fresh parsley sprigs
6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 small dried bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 1 1/2-pound live lobsters
12 small (about 2-inch-diameter) red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed
6 small onions, peeled
1 1/2 pounds fully cooked smoked sausages (such as kielbasa or andouille sausage), cut into 6 portions
6 ears of corn, husked
Chopped fresh parsley
Lemon wedges

Directions

Make herb and garlic butter: blend all ingredients in bowl. Season butter with salt and pepper. Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
Make vegetables, sausages, and seafood: place clams and cornmeal (to help purge clams of sand) in very large bowl or pot; fill with enough cold salted water to cover clams. Set aside at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Place 12-inch square of cheesecloth on work surface. Place celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns in center. Roll up and tie with string. Place bouquet garni in large (at least 18-quart) pot. Half-fill pot with cold water and bring to boil over high heat. Add 1 lobster headfirst; cover pot. Boil until lobster is almost cooked through and shell turns bright red, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobster to bowl. Repeat with remaining lobsters.
Add potatoes and onions to pot.
Ladle off cooking liquid into large bowl, leaving enough to cover vegetables; reserve liquid in bowl. Bring liquid in pot to boil. Cover; cook potatoes and onions 10 minutes. Layer sausages and corn atop vegetables. Cover; cook until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.
Rinse clams thoroughly. Arrange clams atop corn and sausages. Place lobsters atop clams. Cover pot tightly with lid or, if necessary, cover tightly with overlapping large sheets of foil. Boil until clams open, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer lobsters to work surface, shell side down. Place tip of large knife in center of 1 lobster. Cut lobster lengthwise in half from center to end of head (knife might not cut through shell), then cut lobster in half from center to end of tail. If necessary, use kitchen shears to cut through shell. Repeat with remaining lobsters.
Mound clams (discarding any that did not open), lobsters and sausages on large platter; reserve cooking broth in pot. Surround seafood with corn, potatoes and, if desired, onions.
Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley; garnish with lemon wedges. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Melt seasoned butter in saucepan; divide among 6 ramekins. Discard bouquet garni from pot. Taste broth; season with pepper. Add some of reserved lobster cooking liquid if broth is too salty. Bring broth to boil; divide among 6 soup cups. Serve seasoned butter and broth alongside vegetables, sausages, and seafood.

Serves 6.

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Sunday BBQ: Grilled Seafood Bake

YumSugar — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:00:32 -0700

After writing the Summer seafood quiz this week, I can't stop thinking about bold, briny flavors. Today, I'll be firing up the grill for a seafood bake that calls for cod, shrimp, corn on the cob, and potatoes. The best part: I'm looking forward to using day-old bread to soak up all those seaside seasonings.

If you can't find cod fish at your neighborhood market, replace it with another mild white fish, such as halibut or mahi-mahi. To check out the recipe, read more.

Grilled New England Seafood "Bake"
From Everyday Food magazine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons room temperature butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 small garlic clove, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces red new potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 pound skinless cod fillet, cut into four equal pieces
8 ounces frozen uncooked medium shrimp (peeled and deveined), thawed
2 ears corn, quartered
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 hard rolls, halved

Directions

Heat grill to medium.
In a small bowl, combine butter, dill, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Fold four 14-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil in half, forming 4 rectangles. Assemble packets: On one half of each of four folded pieces of heavy-duty foil, dividing ingredients evenly, arrange potatoes in a single layer; top with cod, then shrimp. Place 2 pieces of corn on the side. Season with salt and pepper. Add a dollop of the butter mixtures and two lemon slices. Fold foil over ingredients, and crimp edges tightly to seal.
Place packets on grill, with potato layer on the bottom. Cook, rotating (but not flipping) packets occasionally, until fish is just cooked through and potatoes are tender, 12 to 14 minutes.
Remove from grill. Slit packets open, and transfer contents to serving bowls. Garnish with dill sprigs; serve with rolls.

Serves 4.

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How To Boil Eggs

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 09:58:19 -0700

Growing up my favorite part of Easter was decorating the eggs (okay, actually, it may have been the chocolate bunnies, but eggs were right up there). Even now that we're grown up, whenever my family has the opportunity to be together for Easter, we always end up boiling up a batch and dying them. Just in case I'm not the only one who's into dying eggs, I thought I'd give you a few tips on how to boil eggs.

Place eggs in a saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs by 1 inch.
On high heat, bring to a boil.
Cover pan, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes (3-4 for soft-boiled and 5-6 for medium-boiled).
While eggs are sitting, fill a medium bowl with ice and water.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs from pan to ice bath. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove from ice bath and enjoy!

Burning Question: Does Cold Water Boil Faster Than Hot?

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:15:31 -0700

No - that's a myth. The myth may have arisen from the fact that cold water does absorb heat faster than hot water. However, once the water gets to a hotter (not yet boiling) temperature, it absorbs heat at a slower rate, and from that point it takes just as long to bring the water to a boil as it would if the water were hot to begin with. And because it takes cold water some time to reach the temperature of hot water, cold water actually takes longer to boil than hot water does.

It makes sense: The hotter the water, the closer it is to boiling, therefore, the hotter the water, the faster it boils!

Source

Do You Eat Hard Boiled Eggs?

partysugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:50:52 -0700

On average, I eat about three hard boiled eggs per week. They're easy to transport and make a great snack or quick breakfast. I also enjoy throwing them into salads or sandwiches. Whenever my eggs are about to go bad, I simply boil them and that way, I know they won't go to waste. How about you?

Source: Flickr User quinn.anya

Fast & Easy Dinner: Shrimp Boil

partysugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:00:28 -0700

To kick-start your Labor Day weekend, look to Louisiana and make this finger-licking good shrimp boil. You don't need to live near the shore to enjoy this classic combination of boiled corn, potatoes, and shrimp. All you need is an oversize pot and half an hour.

Don't skip the spicy horseradish dipping sauce; it pairs perfectly with the small potatoes and succulent shrimp. Do serve with icy cold beer. Check out the recipe and read more.

Shrimp Boil
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1 lemon, quartered
5 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
2 1/2 teaspoons cayenne, divided
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
4 garlic cloves
8 small boiling potatoes (about 2 inches)
4 ears of corn, shucked and halved
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp in shell
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons bottled horseradish

Directions

Squeeze lemon juice into 4 qt water in a 6- to 8-quart pot, then stir in lemon quarters, Creole seasoning, 2 teaspoon cayenne, bay leaves, garlic, potatoes, and 2 tablespoons salt (omit salt if it is the first ingredient in seasoning).
Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Increase heat to high, then add corn and simmer, partially covered, 4 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together ketchup, mayonnaise, horseradish, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cayenne.
Drain shrimp, potatoes, and corn and serve with sauce.

Serves 4.

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How Long Do Raw and Hard-Boiled Eggs Keep?

YumSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:41 -0700

The answer to this question may surprise you: while uncooked eggs typically last four to five weeks when properly refrigerated, hard-boiled eggs will only last about a week. This is because egg shells, which are highly porous, are sprayed before sale with a thin coating of mineral oil that seals the egg. Boiling the egg washes this coating away, however, leaving the shell susceptible to bacteria.

Got a burning question? Contact us.

Source

Do You Have the Dirt (and Sand) on Shoreside Seafood?

YumSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:15:47 -0700

From clambakes on the East Coast to crab boils in the Northwest, right now is the season for shellfish social events. These parties are all about the fresh, unadulterated seafood, eaten with nothing save a pair of hands.

Do you attend any of these Summer seafood boils? Dig up your knowledge about shoreside gatherings to see how well you do on our quiz.

Source

Take the quiz

Fast & Easy Dinner: Shrimp, Corn & New Potato Boil

partysugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:01:31 -0700

A traditional seafood boil involves cooking shellfish and veggies in the sand for several hours under a huge pile of seaweed. This is a lot of work and definitely NOT a fast and easy dinner. However you can quickly create something along the same lines in the comfort of your very own kitchen. Tonight boil up a big pot of shrimp, potatoes, and corn. The shrimp plump succulently, the corn turns bright yellow, and the potatoes are melt in your mouth tender. Serve with super cold beer or chilled Sauvignon Blanc and chunks of good crusty sourdough. To learn how it's done, read more

Shrimp, Sweet Corn and New Potato Boil
From Betty Crocker
Image Source

6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (3 ounces) shrimp and crab boil mixture, (one 3-ounce bag)
1 pound small red potato
4 medium ears sweet corn, cut in half
1 pound uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp, thawed if frozen
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 lemon, cut in to wedges
Fresh ground pepper, if desired
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired
Cocktail sauce, if desired

Mix water, salt and bag of crab boil mixture in 4-quart Dutch oven. Cover and heat to boiling.
Add potatoes and corn. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or just until potatoes are tender and corn is bright yellow.
Remove Dutch oven from heat. Add shrimp; let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.
Drain potatoes, corn and shrimp; discard crab boil bag. Place corn and potatoes on serving platter; drizzle with melted butter.
Arrange shrimp on platter; squeeze juice from lemon wedges over shrimp. Sprinkle with pepper and parsley; serve with cocktail sauce.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 365 (Calories from Fat 100 ); Total Fat 11 g (Saturated Fat 6 g); Cholesterol 185 mg; Sodium 560 mg; Total Carbohydrate 48 g (Dietary Fiber 5 g); Protein 23 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20 %; Vitamin C 16 %; Calcium 4 %; Iron 24 % Exchanges: 3 Starch; 1 Vegetable; 2 Very Lean Meat

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Yummy Link: Soft-Boiled Eggs With Miso, Lemon, and Cilantro

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:13:31 -0800

As you may know, I've got a big weakness for eggs. In fact, this photo of soft-boiled eggs with miso, lemon, and cilantro is making me so weak, someone's going to have to catch me. - Cookthink