6 ways to stay cool when entertaining

7/10/2017

(BPT) - When the temperature rises, hosts need to stay as cool as can be when entertaining friends and family. The secret is planning ahead to deliver easy ambiance, crowd-pleasing food and plenty of fun. Start with versatile foods that can both stand alone and serve as recipe-enhancing ingredients to help keep summertime hosting stress-free.

1. Turn to the summer host’s best friend — an entrée salad that’s cool, crunchy and refreshing, like the Crispy Garlic Chicken Chopped Salad (recipe follows) that tickles tastebuds with a delightful contrast of sweet California grapes and savory toasted garlic.

2. Spending the afternoon poolside? Keep an assortment of floats and inflatable tubes so guests can relax or play in the water. Stock a mini-fridge with cool beverages, and tuck small bags of grapes in the freezer section for a cooling snack. Hint: grapes also make great ice cubes that won’t dilute a drink!

3. Put together an Italian-inspired antipasto platter in minutes — arrange clusters of fresh grapes next to olives, marinated artichoke hearts, cubes of provolone cheese and roasted red peppers on a large plate. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

4. Liven up any picnic with a cooler filled with easy-to-eat red, green and black California grapes that have been cut into small clusters ahead of time. Add some assorted cheeses, crackers, fresh veggies and Mediterranean dips and let the party begin.

5. Say olé to cool summer libations at celebrations. Start the party with an unexpected and unique drink, the frosty Grape Mojito, shown below. Red grapes add natural sweetness and a pop of color.

6. Set up a grilled fruit buffet for a fun snack or dessert. Thread fresh grapes, pineapple chunks and peach cubes on skewers. Brush lightly with oil and grill until the fruits begin to caramelize, which deepens and enhances flavor. Serve with a choice of sorbets.

Crispy Garlic Chicken Chopped Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup grapeseed oil
6 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
Pinch cayenne
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped radicchio
2 cups chopped green cabbage
2 cups halved California grapes
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup roughly chopped mint

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until browned and crisp, removing pieces as they brown with a slotted spoon, about 2 minutes altogether. Pour the oil into a heatproof cup.
Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil back to the skillet. Heat over medium-high until almost smoking and add the chicken. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 7-9 minutes. Turn and cook another 7-9 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove to a cutting board. Let stand 5 minutes.
Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar and honey into the remaining garlic oil. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne.
Combine romaine, radicchio, cabbage, grapes, celery and mint in a large bowl. Chop the chicken and add to the bowl along with the dressing. Toss to mix and serve sprinkled with the crispy garlic.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 360; Protein 22 g; Carbohydrate 25 g; Fat 21 g (50% Calories from Fat); 2.5 g Saturated Fat (6% Calories from Saturated Fat); Cholesterol 60 mg; Sodium 290 mg; Fiber 4 g.

Grape Mojito

Ingredients

3 wedges lime
12 mint leaves
6 large red California grapes, halved, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons sugar
2 oz. white rum
Ice
Club soda

Directions

In a cocktail glass, muddle together two of the lime wedges, mint leaves, grape halves, sugar and rum until the sugar dissolves.
Fill the glass with ice and top off with club soda.
Top with the reserved lime wedge and more grapes.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 200; Protein 0 g; Carbohydrate 18 g; Fat 0 g; Sat Fat 0 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 0 mg; Fiber 1 g.

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A Festive Cocktail for Every Gathering

12/10/2016

With shorter days and colder weather comes longer nights to warm up and celebrate – and this season is the perfect time to gather around and make memories. Celebrations are best with family, friends and food, and no celebration is complete without an enjoyable cocktail like this Milk Punch recipe.

A Festive Cocktail for Every Gathering

Try this delicious, wholesome beverage made with milk

(Family Features) With shorter days and colder weather comes longer nights to warm up and celebrate – and this season is the perfect time to gather around and make memories. Whether you’re getting together with family or throwing a party with friends, the festivities are sure to be merry and bright.

The warmest greetings of the season are those that bring people together. Celebrations are best with family, friends and food, and no celebration is complete without an enjoyable cocktail. Keep things simple this year with this delicious Milk Punch recipe.

A festive twist on a classic New Orleans-style cocktail, this drink is made with milk – one of the original farm-to-table foods – and is a perfect addition to any seasonal menu. When you use milk as the base of your cocktails, you can be sure you’re serving a wholesome, quality beverage that will impress your guests so you can relax and enjoy the celebration too.

Spread cheer in every sip with this Milk Punch recipe. Garnished with nutmeg and served hot or cold, this cocktail can bring life to any gathering this season. For more seasonal inspiration and recipe ideas, visit milklife.com.

Milk Punch Two Ways
Recipe courtesy of Emily Caruso of Jelly Toast
Makes: 1 cocktail

6 ounces reduced fat milk
1 ounce bourbon
1/2 ounce white rum
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of grated nutmeg, for garnish

To Make Iced: Fill Boston cocktail shaker or mixing pitcher with ice. Add milk, bourbon, rum, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir 10 seconds, or until chilled and cocktail shaker is frosty. Strain into high-ball glass filled with ice cubes. Top with freshly grated nutmeg and serve.
To Make Hot: Pour milk into small saucepan set over low heat. Heat gently until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and whisk briefly until milk is slightly frothy.
Pour bourbon, rum, maple syrup and vanilla extract into mug. Add hot milk, top with grated nutmeg and serve.

Nutritional information per serving: 220 calories; 4 g fat; 2.5 g saturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol; 6 g protein; 16 g carbohydrates; 0 g fiber; 90 mg sodium; 236 mg calcium (25% of daily value). Nutrition figures based on using reduced fat milk.

SOURCE:
MilkPEP

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Pick Your Cherries and Eat Them Too

6/14/2016

Now that sweet cherry season is officially here, these summertime rubies are a must-have for any barbecue or party. To create festive cherry dishes for the summer season, try this Cherry Martini or Cherry Almond Pie.

Pick Your Cherries and Eat Them Too

How to pick the best cherries and make them last longer

(Family Features) Now that sweet cherry season is officially here, these summertime rubies are a must-have for any barbecue or party, whether they’re baked in a pie, crushed into a cocktail or eaten as a fresh out-of-hand snack. But first things first, what should someone look for when searching for the perfect cherry?

The Perfect Cherries
Cherry enthusiasts should keep an eye out for firm, shiny and smooth skins. In general, the darker the cherry, the sweeter, and with most varieties darkness is a sign of ripeness. The stems should be green and flexible. Northwest cherries, in particular, are known for their extraordinarily sweet flavor, due to the area’s excellent growing conditions. There are a wide variety of sweet cherries, ranging up to the extra-sweet, yellow-fleshed Rainier cherries. Though so similar they’re often sold as their collective “dark sweet cherries,” the most common varieties include Bing, Sweetheart, Chelan, Lapins, Tieton and Skeena.

Keeping Your Cherries Fresh
Fresh cherries should be kept in a tightly sealed bag or container and can keep for approximately two weeks in the fridge. While this cherry season will be short, you don’t have to limit these tasty, healthy treats to just the summer. Buying an extra bag (or two, or three) to freeze allows you to have sweet cherries all year long.

To create festive cherry dishes for the summer season, try this Cherry Martini or Cherry Almond Pie and find more recipes and cherry tips at nwcherries.com.

Cherry Martini
Servings: 4

2 cups pitted, halved Northwest fresh sweet cherries, divided
1/4 cup almond liqueur
2 teaspoons sugar
12 lady fingers, split in half lengthwise
4 whole Northwest fresh sweet cherries with stems
1/4 cup whipped lowfat cream cheese, divided

Mix halved cherries, liqueur and sugar; marinate 1 hour or longer.
Arrange lady fingers against sides of 4 martini glasses. Before serving, spoon 1/2 cup cherries over lady fingers and swirl 1 tablespoon cream cheese over cherries in each glass. Garnish with whole cherry and serve.

Substitutions: Orange liqueur may be substituted for almond liqueur. Angel food cake or pound cake, cut into 3-by-1-by-1/2-inch strips, may be substituted for lady fingers. Lightly toast strips, if desired. Sour cream or creme fraiche may be substituted for cream cheese.

Cherry Almond Pie
Servings: 8

1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
1 pastry (9 inches), for double crust pie
1 egg, beaten
4 cups pitted Northwest fresh sweet cherries
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons red wine
Red Wine Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup red wine

Heat oven to 375°F.
Finely chop 1/4 cup almonds.
Roll dough into circle approximately 16 inches in diameter and sprinkle chopped almonds over top; roll gently to embed nuts in dough.
Transfer dough to lightly greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper, if desired. Brush with beaten egg.
Mix cherries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and wine. Spoon cherry mixture onto dough, leaving 4-inch border. Lift edges of dough over fruit, leaving 5-inch circle of cherries showing in center. Fold in edges of pastry to form circle.
Brush pastry with remaining egg mixture; sprinkle with remaining almonds. Bake 30 minutes, or until pastry browns and filling bubbles.
Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. If desired, serve with Red Wine Glaze to drizzle over each serving.
To make Red Wine Glaze, mix together powdered sugar and red wine.

SOURCE:
Northwest Cherry Growers

The Food IDEA

6 ways to stay cool when entertaining

A Festive Cocktail for Every Gathering

With shorter days and colder weather comes longer nights to warm up and celebrate – and this season is the perfect time to gather around and make memories. Celebrations are best with family, friends and food, and no celebration is complete without an enjoyable cocktail like this Milk Punch recipe.

A Festive Cocktail for Every Gathering

Try this delicious, wholesome beverage made with milk

Pick Your Cherries and Eat Them Too

Now that sweet cherry season is officially here, these summertime rubies are a must-have for any barbecue or party. To create festive cherry dishes for the summer season, try this Cherry Martini or Cherry Almond Pie.

Pick Your Cherries and Eat Them Too

How to pick the best cherries and make them last longer

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