carrot soup |

Cheese Straws

12 11 2009

You might have noticed that I’ve been a little delinquent lately in the writing department. But I have a good excuse.

Last week I threw a 40th birthday bash for my dear hubby, and it took all my energy (and then some!) to plan, shop and cook for the fete. After dragging my kiddos around to a string of grocery stores, party rental shops and markets, I admit I was tempted at certain points to order Chinese take-out instead. My 4-year-old spitting on his little sister in Party City was certainly a low point.

But in the end I made it, and served dinner to 26 of my husband’s closest friends. Truth be known, the only way I pulled it off with such elegance was with the help of some lovely and talented friends (you know who you are!) who kindly brought salads and side dishes, decorated cupcakes, arranged flowers and tied napkin rings. Many, many thanks to all of you!

In case you’re wondering, here’s the menu:

Champagne & Sparkling Cider
Prosciutto, fig and parmesan rolls
Cheese straws
Sugared pecans
Toasted almonds
Swiss cheese dip and crackers
Snap peas, grape tomatoes and carrot sticks

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon
Indonesian Chicken
Couscous with Carrots, Lemon and Parsley
Green Vegetable Salad with Orange-Hazelnut Dressing
Mixed Green Salads

Chocolate cupcakes with white buttercream frosting
Vanilla-almond cupcakes with almond buttercream frosting
Chocolate Brownies with Peppermint Ganache and Crushed Peppermints
Assorted Chocolates
French-Press Coffee

If you’ve been reading the blog, you’ll recognize several of these recipes, including the fabulous Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon, which I served in tea cups with a dollop of sour cream as an amuse-bouche. The Couscous with Carrots, Lemon and Parsley was made at the last minute, something I typically avoid at parties, if I can help it. But it worked beautifully, even for such a large group, which isn’t always easy with starches.

But the real winner of the night were the Cheese Straws. Indeed, several guests commented they could’ve happily sipped champagne and eaten cheese straws all night! Unfortunately, once the party started I was too busy to take pictures of the food, but I did manage to take a few shots before the guests arrived.

Comments : 8 Comments »
Tags: carrot soup, cheese straws, couscous with lemon and carrots, entertaining at home, menu for 25, party for 25
Categories : In Autumn, Recipes, Uncategorized

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon

29 09 2009

I really believe in getting kids in the kitchen. As I’ve seen with my three kiddos, the more exposure they have to a variety of foods, the more likely they’ll be to eat them.

Once my son, then three, attended a cooking class here in Denver. On the menu was pizza, and the kids had the opportunity to roll out the dough, mix up and slather on an herb-laden red sauce, and add toppings of their choosing. My son chose some of everything, which meant the pizza weighed about seven pounds and was loaded with mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella, parmesan and Fontina. To this day, he talks about “that yummy cheese from cooking school,” meaning Fontina.

Apparently, my son isn’t alone in his willingness to eat whatever is on his pizza, i.e., the one he made. The director and I laughed later about how common it is for children who normally protest anything but cheese to happily eat their own homemade masterpiece.

I thought of this yesterday while making carrot soup with ginger and lemon. (Between the organic carrots we picked at my CSA’s Harvest Festival last weekend and the carrots already in my crisper from the weekly deliveries, we’ve been having quite a few carrots lately.)

Anyway, my two-year-old is pickier than my other two, so I was excited when she wanted to sit on the counter and help. I hoped that as a result, she’d be more likely to eat the soup for dinner. She helped me scrub carrots and watched as I chopped them. She asked why some parts went into the trash whereas others went into the pot, getting a little science lesson in the process. She peeled garlic and smelled ginger and touched a fluffy pile of lemon zest. Later, she helped press the on/off button on the Cuisinart as we pureed the soup.

And at dinner, she ate every bite. Although this could’ve been because we had fresh apple cake for dessert, and in our house, if you’re not hungry enough to eat your healthy food, you’re not hungry enough for dessert. But who knows? Maybe it really was because she’d helped make it.

Click here for the recipe for Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: carrot soup, carrots, cooked carrots, CSA, eat local, farm share, ginger, lemon, organic, seasonal
Categories : In Autumn, Kids in the Kitchen, Recipes

Cheese Straws

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