Supernatural Botanicals

Want your holiday table to look like you hired a celeb party planner?  Steal this idea… cranberry ice!  It’s super-simple to make, and looks gorgeous in an ice bucket, or under a heaping load of shrimp cocktail.

Simply fill a cake pan (silicone is the easiest) with a couple handfuls of cranberries.  Next, fill with water just enough to cover the cranberries.  Freeze.  When the ice is solid, crack the ice into large pieces (bang on countertop) and place the ice shards over a bottle of wine or champagne in a bucket, or on a large tray and load it down with cocktail shrimp and sauce.  Add a few sprigs of greenery (use some pieces from the back of your Christmas tree if you have a live tree) to set the look off.

Simple + gorgeous.  Love that!

Don’t rule out your outdoor living space just because the temperatures are dropping.  Some of my best parties were held outdoors in the Fall.  It seems to make parties cozier, in fact.  An essential for a Fall party is a fire pit or outdoor fireplace for warmth and light.  Keep the fire stoked all night…you’ll need it for s’mores after dinner.  Adding lanterns with small candles to tree branches around the entire perimeter makes it glow, and again, lends extra warmth.  Serve heartier eats, such as spicy chili, tacos, or a beef brisket.  Learn how to make some delicious after dinner hot drinks that warm you up, and get you in the mood for a party (see below.)  Add a great smooth jazz CD music mix to the background and decorate the the entire area with fall colors.  It’s a guaranteed magic night! 

Peppermint Patty Hot Drink:

1 Shot of Peppermint Schnapps

Hot Chocolate to fill glass

Top with Whipped Cream and an Andes Chocolate Mint.

Happy 4th of July.  Make the extra effort to make it sensational.  I’ll be sharing more pictures and video tomorrow from my celebration. 

Don’t shy away from making your own pizza crust.  It’s super economical to make your own, and very easy.  Don’t let rising yeast scare you.  It’s easier than you think.  And lets not forget, better tasting.  You can add extra herbs (such as Rosemary or Basil), or seeds (such as Sesame or Poppy) to your crust to make it gourmet.  Not to mention, less than 300 calories.  Love that!  When the onion and fennel caramelize, they become very sweet and smell amazing (the whole house smells amazing, in fact!)  The presentation is beautiful, and your family and guest will think you spent hours making it. 

Try this delicious pizza with caramelized fennel, onion and olives.   Great for entertaining. 

Servings:  6 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  dry yeast
• 2/3  cup  warm water (100° to 110°)
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray
• 2  teaspoons  yellow cornmeal
• Topping:
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 4  cups  thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 4 small bulbs)
• 2  cups  thinly sliced onion
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• Remaining ingredients:
• 1  cup  bottled tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4  cup  coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives

Preparation

To prepare dough, dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl, and let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 1 3/4 cups flour and salt, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; knead 5 times, and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Place dough on a (12-inch) pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.

To prepare the topping, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the fennel and the next 5 ingredients (fennel through black pepper), and cook for 20 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inc

Create a gorgeous mini-greenhouse indoors.  You’ll need mini glass vases, a glass dome (the shape above works really well), and fresh herbs or flowers.  This creates a greenhouse effect, allowing herbs and flowers to last for days and days.  How eco-chic!  Makes a great centerpiece, and allows you to change the look with your mood. 

Tiny vases filled with herbs or flowers adds an instant pop of color to your table or windowsill.  It costs pennies, and looks like a million bucks!  Not to mention, it smells delicious. 

Group different types of herbs together to create a more interesting display.

Keep mini vases of rinsed fresh herbs in the refrigerator for quick access to herbs for cooking. 

Al fresco dining can be one of the most romantic things you do all summer.  Opt to go al fresco when given the option.  Dining outdoors, whether it be in a restaurant or in your yard, can be ultra-sexy.  The outdoors and fresh air will lift your spirits, and the sun gives your body the needed vitamin D it requires.

Al fresco dining can be incredibly sexy.  Dining outdoors is beautiful when the sun is going down and there are flickering candles all over the table.  If you need ideas to spice up “date night”, think al fresco!

Alfresco not only works on your date, it also works on a crowd.  Have some friends over and dine alfresco in your own yard.  Attention to details, such as beautiful glasses and plates, gorgeous linens, candles on the table, hanging lanterns, pillows, fresh flowers, etc., are essential in making your al fresco experience shine!

Throw an al fresco dinner party for your friends or your date this weekend.  Make it shine.  Be original.  Be fabulous!

  Tender Butter Lettuce salad, no spines….at all, crumbled bleu cheese, pine nuts, balsamic vinaigrette.

  Vine ripened tomatoes with fresh mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

   Lamb (pre-grill) for the Irishman.

  Lobster tails with drawn butter and filet mignons.

    Delicious fresh brewed dessert coffee, Vanilla Cream.

So, it’s Friday morning and if you are anything like me, you are already thinking about what you’ll be making for breakfast on Saturday morning…..please tell me that it’s not just me!  Since I just got back from Savannah, I can’t stop making the recipes from Paula, Jamie, and Bobby Deen. 

These cream cheese stuffed strawberries are so easy to make, and are just beautiful in presentation.  I’m all about looking like a rockstar in the kitchen with very little effort; a little work for a lot of bang, and who doesn’t love that? 

This recipe is from Deen Bros. cookbook, and can also be found on Food Network’s site, www.FoodTv.com.  (click the picture above to link.) 

Lets eat!

Ingredients

• 20 whole large strawberries, hulled
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

   Having overnight guests?  This is a perfect smoothie to wake up to.  It’s packed with peaches and orange juice, giving it the classic flavor of a fuzzy navel.   Prepare to make several blenders’ full of this because it seems to go fast, and everyone always asks for seconds.  I’ve broken down the recipe to accommodate two servings.  Double or triple as necessary.   I always like to have something fabulous and out of the ordinary for my overnight guests.   This so kicks the pants off regular orange juice in a plastic pitcher.  ..for the record, life is too short to be using anything other than beautiful pitchers on your table.   And, being packed with vitamins,  it’s totally good for you, too.   What’s not to love?   

The skinny: 

• 1 1/2  cups  frozen sliced peaches
• 1/2  cup  frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 1/3  cup  sliced ripe banana
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender; let stand for 15 minutes, and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

   Catch Alton Brown from now until Thanksgiving day on the Food Network for Thanksgiving Dinner 101.  AB truly is the master of this holiday.   We love, love, love Alton Brown!