Linda in the Kitchen

seasonal eats & healthy treats, made with Love.
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  • Category: Parties

    • Friendsgiving!

      Posted at 4:31 pm by lindainthekitchen
      Nov 22nd

      My friends Katie and Mike have had quite a year.  They had a beautiful wedding in November 2011 featured on Style Me Pretty and they purchased their first home in Napa – congrats!  A housewarming was in order…I’m not sure whether she invited me, or if I came up with the idea on my own and invited myself, but nevertheless we decided on a “friendsgiving dinner”.  We went grocery shopping and got slightly distracted by these silly animal masks at the checkout stand.  Needless to say, we came home with them….We opened some bubbly and started on the Lemon Crinkle Cookies….yes, I know, I make these ALL THE TIME (they’re just too good!)

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      Meanwhile….Katie got to working on the animal masks!

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      Appetizers are a must while cooking.  Katie loves Italian anything, so I made some bruschetta with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil.  It’s super easy to make and even more delicious.  Slice the baguette, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stick it in the broiler.  You can also rub a clove of garlic on the bread for extra flavor.  Keep an eye on the bread in the broiler – it will burn if you turn your head for a second too long!  Slice the cherry tomatoes in halves/quarters, mix with chopped basil and finely chopped shallots (I’m not a big fan of raw garlic, but go for it if you’re a garlic fan!), and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Voila!

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      Bubbles, check.  Cookies, check.  Bruschetta, check.  Now time for the entrees.  Sticking with the Italian theme, Katie picked out a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for Orza with Artichoke Pesto and Grilled Corn.  I substituted the garlic with shallots and added 50% more lemon zest (never too much lemon!).  I also used much less parmesan cheese than the recipe calls for, but feel free to add as much or as little as you prefer.

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      I made a simple, easy green salad on the side.  I used red leaf and butter lettuces, some halved cherry tomatoes, and made my favorite simple vinaigrette from Barefoot Contessa.  To get some greens on the plate, we steamed some broccolini, one of my favorite sides.  Katie decorated the table with festive fall pumpkins and we were ready to eat.  Bon Appetit!

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      And then came the after dinner shenanigans….

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      WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?!!?!

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      And last but not least, lemon cookies with raspberry sorbet to top off our first dinner party at the Ryans’ new home!

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      Yum, yum, yum.

      Happy Friendsgiving!

      Posted in Main Dishes, Parties | Tagged artichoke, bruschetta, Cherry tomato, Cook, cookies, fall, italian, Lemon, Olive oil, orzo, Pesto, Pine nut, Salad
    • Happy Birthday Vince!

      Posted at 10:52 pm by lindainthekitchen
      Nov 20th

      For Vince’s birthday this past Sunday, I decided to surprise him with a special cake…a T-Rex cake!  T-Rex is college nickname that has stuck with him post-college…and it’s not going away anytime soon!

      For this cake, I ordered the mold online.  I bought the frosting and a yellow cake mix (yes, store bought cake mix…but that’s what the mold called for!).  Since it was a box cake, there isn’t a fun baking story behind this one, except for the fact that frosting the darn cake took about 3-4 hours to complete.

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      Et voila, a T-Rex cake!  He was more than surprised, and it was a big hit at the party, so I can definitely call this cake a success.

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      No…we did not ONLY eat cake…there were some finger foods also…not as fun as the T-Rex cake, though!  I picked a French Brie Cheese, a Spanish cheese called Drunken Goat (a favorite of mine that Vince now loves also), and some cheddar and salami.  Homemade hummus, pita chips, breadsticks and some grapes also made an appearance…yum!

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      I also made a Whipped Ricotta with Lemon & Olive Oil from Joy the Baker, one of my favorite easy appetizers. It was perfect on toasted sliced Baguettes from The Model Bakery.

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      Toppings included heirloom tomatoes, sliced cucumber, peppadews (my new obsession), marinated artichoke hearts, fresh green olives and marcona almonds.

      Oh, and I forgot to mention, I also made LOTS of Lemon Crinkle Cookies – my favorite!

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      I made them for the first time a year ago for Vince’s birthday and have made them more times than I can count.  They seem to be requested for every occasion now!

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      It was a beautiful day in Napa, so we had the party in the backyard and made a fire in the fire pit once the sun started to disappear.  Overall, it was a great day with great friends and a VERY GREAT guy!

      Happy Birthday Vince!

      xoxo

      Posted in Cupcakes/Cake, Parties, Snacks/Sides | Tagged Baking and Confections, Birthday, Cake, Cooking, Finger food, Home, Olive, Sunday
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