Food Events « Je Mange la Ville

Cookies + Chocolate Tarts = Yum!

By mlb, on February 14th, 2006%

cookies
Leftover cookies from the dinner — they are gone now!

So, last Wednesday was the day I made 34 cookies. I followed the basic cookie recipe here, but used 3/4 bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 70% bittersweet) and 1/4 white chocolate chips (just for fun).

After baking them I let them cool for a few hours then wrapped them all in plastic wrap and made cookie flowers. These I tied ribbon around and put each person’s name on a piece of 2 inch by 3 inch card stock and we used them as place cards. Quite festive!

Cookie Flowers
1 roll of red cellophane
floral tape
fake leaves
floral stakes
cookies

Ahh, this I learned while working at Cookie Creations, in Glen Ellyn, IL. To start, attach leaves to each stick using floral tape. Wind the tape around over the wire to attach each leaf. You don’t have to wrap the tape all the way to . . . → Read More: Cookies + Chocolate Tarts = Yum!

Appetizers Ahoy

By mlb, on February 14th, 2006%

appetizers

Okay, so for this dinner for 26+ people, I took it a little easy on the starters. Little skewers with mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes, crostini with a white bean and sage dip and olives. See, easy.

The skewers were simply marinated mozzarella balls from Trader Joes and cherry tomatoes. I also experimented with putting olives on a few of them just for color. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s by you or you want to marinate the mozzarella yourself, here’s a good recipe.

Marinated Bocconcini
1 clove garlic, smashed, plus 1 other clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
12 bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), about 8 ounces

Combine the garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and olive oil in a medium glass bowl. Cover and microwave on high until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Cool. Add the parsley, minced garlic . . . → Read More: Appetizers Ahoy

And so it begins…

By mlb, on February 8th, 2006%

34 huge cookies done. Two garlic bulbs roasting in the oven. Next, prepping the vegetables and making the meat sauce!

tomato cans

I bought 10 (10!) cans of plum tomatoes yesterday at Trader Joe’s. This morning I’m back for the cold and frozen items, Fred Meyer and then Zupans.

Then it’s cookie time!

I’ll update throughout the day (at least that is my plan . . . → Read More: And so it begins…

Lemon & Rosemary Biscuits + Christopher Kimball

By mlb, on November 3rd, 2005%

Biscuits

Last weekend, I experimented with these lemony biscuits. I added some chopped, fresh rosemary as I had cut a bunch of it from the front bush while taking pictures for the blog redesign. So, I figured I should start using some of the rosemary I detached from out front!

Lemon & Rosemary Biscuits:
2 cups AP flour
1tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening or butter
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh, chopped rosemary

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, rosemary, lemon zest and salt. Cut in shortening or butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center; add milk all at once and combine until dough just comes together.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently 10-12 times. Roll out to about 1/2 an inch thickness. Cut with . . . → Read More: Lemon & Rosemary Biscuits + Christopher Kimball

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Tour: Christopher Kimball in Portland

By mlb, on October 6th, 2005%

Christopher Kimball

Hey, I just got my America’s Test Kitchen e-newsletter and Christopher Kimball (one* of my favorite food geeks) is coming to town!

When: November 2, 2005, 7:00 pm
Where: Powell’s Books for Cooks and Gardeners
3747 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR
503-228-4651
Other tour dates and locations can be found here.

* The other one, is of course, . . . → Read More: The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Tour: Christopher Kimball in Portland