All Things For All Parties

How Do You Like Your Grilled Cheese?

If you are looking for an easy party food then look no more...Grilled Cheese Sandwiches couldn't be easier to make or tastier.  Fall is the perfect time of year to whip up some good ole fashioned comfort food and I don't know anyone who doesn't love a great grilled cheese.  Cut these yummy little treats into perfect bite sized portions. I like to serve my mini grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup in a shot glass. It makes for a great presentation and people are still able to mingle and eat without being bogged down by an entire plate of food.

The classic grilled is the ultimate in versatility. Dress it up with cucumbers or pulled short ribs, or keep things simple with nothing more than pure cheddar. Whatever you decide, it will all result in the same satisfaction.

Grilled Cheese with grainy mustard is another good one with a little extra spice. Click here for the entire recipe.

Fresh Fig Grilled Ham & Cheese is one of my very favorites. I love to serve this with a nice Beaulojais.

Last but not least, my husband loves grilled mozzarella sandwiches with a slice of tomato on the side. Yum.

What's your favorite grilled cheese? 

Sesame Street Turns 40!!!!

I can hardly believe that Sesame Street turned 40 yesterday!!!  I think what I love the most is that I grew-up watching Sesame Street and now my son is growing up watching Sesame Street.  In honor of Sesame Street celebrating their 40th anniversary - let's throw a party!!!  And the amazing Bakerella has once again outdone herself.  Her cake pop creations not only look amazing but they also look very yummy!!   Get the whole scoop and the "how to" on these scrumptious and adorable cake pops at Bakerella.com.  Thanks, Bakerella and please keep creating great treats like these.  We love them & You!!

 

Fontina Mac & Cheese

It's definitely the time of year for comfort food and although I don't consider myself the best cook in the world there is one thing I can cook - "Comfort Food!"  Yum!  I love this time of year just for the food. 

What Iove about this recipe is that they vary the traditional cheddar/american cheese macaroni and cheese by using italian fontina cheese and the best is that they add a crisp topping by blending a day-old baguette to make homemade bread crumbs. It is both creamy and crunchy. Dee-lic-ious!!

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
•3 tablespoons butter
•1⁄4 cup flour, all-purpose
•3 cups milk, skim
•1⁄3 pound cheese, italian fontina
•12 scrapings nutmeg, whole
•salt & pepper
•2⁄3 pound pasta, leftover cooked penne, tossed with a little olive oil
•3⁄4 cup bread crumbs, homemade fresh
•3 tablespoons cheese, Pecorino romano (Locatelli)

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for four minutes. This butter-flour mixture is known as a roux.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in the microwave on full power for two minutes. Using a flat whisk, whisk the heated milk into the butter-flour mixture and increase the heat to medium, stirring often until it comes to a boil. This takes about ten minutes.  While the sauce is coming to a boil, we shred the fontina cheese with our box grater, yielding about 1.5 cups.

When the sauce is boiling, lower the heat and boil for a few more minutes, stirring well. Add salt and pepper and the gratings of nutmeg. Remove it from the heat and stir in the fontina. When it is all melted, the sauce is added to the pasta and put into a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the Locatelli. This mixture is sprinkled on the pasta, more salt and pepper is added, and the dish is baked for about 20 minutes. You want the macaroni and cheese to be bubbling. If the top is not crispy enough put the baking dish under the broiler for a few minutes. When it is bubbling and browned remove the baking dish from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before cutting in and enjoying!

Bow-Wow Birthday Cake

This one's for the pooch. I love my pets and every year we make just as big of a deal over their birthdays as we do for everyone else in the family.  So, in honor of Puppy Dog's Birthday we are baking a cake.  This is a particularly toothsome recipe, and it's all vegan, in case your pooch observes a vegetarian diet.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup carob powder
• 1/2 cup arrowroot
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 ½ cups maple syrup
• 2 cups soy milk
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 ½ cups canola oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
Place the flour, carob, arrowroot, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine. 
Place the maple syrup, soy milk, vinegar, and oil in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
Add the maple syrup mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set aside until cool. Cut into 24 squares. Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to one month.
Happy Birthday, Puppy Dog!  Ruff, Ruff!

For more recipes like this one for your bff be sure and pick-up a copy of Throw Me A Bone by Sally Sampson.

 

Mini Meatloaves

 
I just arrived in Hot-Lanta to visit my BFF and she made the best meatloaf ever; not only was it incredible but it was served in these perfect little mini meatloaves so after much arm twisting I convinced her to give me her recipe and she confessed that it came from the Deen Brothers (Paula Deen's sons) cookbook. So here it is.  It really is the perfect fall party dish.

Servings: 4
Difficulty: Moderate
Cook Time: 30-60 min
Jamie's favorite meal in the world is his wife Brooke's meat loaf. Making meat loaf in muffin pans means everyone gets his or her own, which kids always love. Of course if you're a fan of meat loaf like Jamie is, it means you have to admit to eating two--or more--at a time.

We glaze the tops with a mixture of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard for extra flavor, but for kids, you can also serve ketchup alongside or as "frosting" on top after it comes out of the oven.

Recipe and introduction from The Deen Bros. Take it Easy; Ballantine Books 2009.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup plain unseasoned bread crumbs
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, garlic, onion, salt, thyme, and pepper. Divide the meat mixture among the 12 muffin cups, pressing the meat firmly into the pan.

Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is almost cooked through—the "loaves" will be firm when pressed lightly in the center, but not set.

While the meat loaves are baking, whisk together the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. After baking for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze, using it all up, and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes more, or until the glaze has thickened and the meat is completely cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes total. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of the muffin cups and pop out the meat loaves. Serve hot.

Devil's Food Cupcakes

Yum, yum, yum!!!  Ohmigod...Do these Devil's food marshmallow filled cupcakes look heavenly or what?!?!  Diet, shmiet - thank goodness it's fall and I don't need to be in a bathing suit anytime soon.  These delicious cupcakes are perfect for your Halloween party.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4  cup  (3/8 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2  cups  sugar
2  large eggs
2  cups  all-purpose flour
1/2  cup  Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa
2  teaspoons  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  cup  milk
1  jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (holy yum)

Preparation
1. In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in half the flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in milk just until blended. Add remaining flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Spoon batter equally into 16 muffin cups (1/3-cup capacity; cups should be almost full) lined with paper baking cups.

3. Bake in a 350º regular or convection oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed in the center or a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pans on racks for 5 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans and set on racks to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

4. With a small, sharp knife, cut a cylinder about 3/4 inch wide and 1 inch deep from the center of the top of each cupcake. Trim off and discard about 1/2 inch from bottom of each cylinder. With a knife, hollow out a small cavity inside each cupcake.

5. Spoon marshmallow cream into pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Twist end of bag tightly to secure. Place tip in cavity of one cupcake; without moving tip, squeeze filling into cavity, to 1/4 inch from top. Repeat to fill remaining cupcakes. Insert cake cylinders into holes.

6. Spoon chocolate cream cheese frosting into another pastry bag, fitted with a 3/4-inch star tip, and pipe onto tops of cupcakes, or spread on cupcakes with knife.

The Autumn Harvest Is Here!

Bring Fall flavor to your dinner table!!

There’s no better time in the Napa Valley than the autumn harvest! This year, bring California gourmet food into your home with these quick and easy autumn harvest recipes – and celebrate the season with Made In Napa Valley!

When the leaves begin to turn orange and gold and the outside air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to share a cozy treat with friends and family. Head out to the orchard for a day of apple picking and a look at the fall colors – or just stop off at a local farmer’s market or grocery store – and wind down with a fantastic fall dessert. Best of all, autumn harvest recipes don’t have to be complicated to be great. Check out some of Made In Napa Valley's favorite autumn appetizer recipes and fall dessert recipes below.

Autumn Appetizer Recipes:

Mulled Wine
There’s no autumn harvest recipe better suited to the Napa Valley than a steaming cup of mulled wine! Here’s a simple way to give it some oomph.
½ gallon red wine, or 2 bottles (zinfandel or syrah are nice choices)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
2 allspice berries or whole nutmeg
½ orange peel and ½ lemon peel, cut into strips
Pour the wine into a large stainless steel pot (crock pots or slow cookers are best). Place spices and peels into a cheesecloth. Drop the cheesecloth into the apple juice. In a regular pot: Heat to just short of a boil. In a crock pot: Heat for 2 hours. Remove cheesecloth and serve. Garnish with a cinnamon stick for fun.
Variation: replace the wine with apple cider

Rubbed and Roasted Party Nuts
At Made In Napa Valley, we love this snack any time of year – but we add pumpkin seeds to make it one of our favorite autumn harvest recipes.
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons of any of our Rubs and Seasonings
1 teaspoon salt (preferably Kosher)
3 cups roasted almonds, pumpkin seeds or mixed nuts
Olive oil spray
Whisk the egg white until frothy. Add the rub and the salt. Add the nuts and stir to coat well. Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil and spread nuts in a single layer. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm.

Fall Dessert Recipes:

Caramel Apple Fondue
After your day in the orchard (or at the market), enjoy your picks with this delicious treat, one of our favorite fall dessert recipes.
2-3 large tart apples
1 cup Made In Napa Valley Vanilla Caramel Sauce with Chardonnay
¼ cup chopped salted peanuts (optional)
Cut apples into slices. Heat sauce in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or until pourable. Serve sauce in individual small bowls, then sprinkle with the peanuts. Surround with the apples slices and serve. Yum!

Pumpkin Cake
This cake is anything but spooky. It’s a great way to get into the spirit of Halloween.
2 lbs. canned pumpkin
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1-½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
3 eggs, beaten
1 (18 oz.) box of spice cake mix
¾ cup butter, melted
Grease the bottom of a 9-by-13 pan. Mix together the first six ingredients and pour into the pan. Sprinkle, then pack, cake mix over the top evenly. Drizzle butter over the entire cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or caramel sauce.

For even more great autumn harvest recipes and other dishes, visit the Made In Napa Valley recipe section – you’ll find something for every meal, every season.

Blue Cheese Guacamole

I'm not sure how you like your guacamole but I have to say this is definitely my new favorite guacamole.  I will warn you it is extremely addictive.  It's very easy to make all you need are some avacados, sour cream, blue cheese, spring onions, jalapeno and a little cayenne pepper... I never measure so it's just a taste thing as to how much of each.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Touchdown Treat Football Cupcake

 

Summer is officially over, the kids are back in school and fall is in full swing which means football season is here...Yippee!!!  Pick-up the phone and have some friends over this weekend to watch your favorite college football team or your favorite pro team.  Give your team the home field advantage with these fun football-themed cupcakes.

• A cooled cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe)
• Green and white frosting
• Fruit leather
• Pretzel stick
• Chocolate-covered almond

Step 1:  Frost a cooled cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with green frosting, then mark the yard lines with white decorators' gel. 
Step 2:  For a pennant, wrap a fruit leather triangle around a pretzel stick and plant it in the field as shown. 
Step 3:  Set a chocolate-covered almond or brown almond M&M football topped with white decorators' gel laces on the field, and you're sure to score points with your favorite sports fans. 

 

Marg-e Pops

 

Chill out at your next backyard bbq with these yummy margarita pops.  They are really simple to make. Fill ice-pop molds with margarita mixture (regular or strawberry, alcholic or non-alcoholic).  Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.  To remove pops from molds, follow the manufacturer's instructions.  Serve in a chilled bucket filled with ice.  These great ice-pops make it so much more fun to share a pitcher of margaritas with friends on a hot summer day. Arriba!