This post includes menu details, a recipe for Granny’s BBQ chicken, a step-by-step plan for making the menu come together and tips for a stress-free party. It’s a full toolkit for a great 4^th of July event. Enjoy!

One of my favorite things about the 4^th of July is it almost demands a fun and casual approach to entertaining. Picnics, adventures to watch fireworks, boating, and back yard BBQs are just a few of the ways we get together to celebrate the great freedoms our country affords us. And while I’m not one to shy away from spending the day in the kitchen to prepare for a party, on fun holidays like the 4^th I want a menu that’s relatively fast and easy so I can spend time in the pool, on the lake, or simply hanging out on my porch.

In honor of the great casual summer party, I’ve put together this fun tasty menu that features chicken bathed in my grandmother’s signature BBQ sauce. This sauce is very different from a typical BBQ sauce because it is butter-based instead of tomato-based so it creates a tangy and surprisingly light sauce for the chicken. I grew up with this sauce love to serve it to friends in celebration of the many great cookouts my family hosted when I was growing up. I’ve paired her chicken with a fun bacon-wrapped corn on the cob recipe from the Dean brothers and an easy grilled squash recipe from Cooking Light, both of which take advantage of abundant summer produce that are full of flavor and inexpensive. To round out the meal I suggest the pound cake recipe I posted earlier in the week. It’s easy and made with ingredients you probably already have around the house, and when you top it with seasonal fruit like peaches or berries, it’s bursting with flavor.

This collection of quick summer recipes will help you put together a full dinner for eight in just a little more than a couple of hours (plus a little time the night before to make a cake), including the time you need to set the table and pour the wine. If you can rustle up some help in the kitchen or turn to your guests for some side dish assistance, you can get preparation for this meal down to a little more than an hour.

The Menu (serves eight)

Main Course

Granny’s BBQ Chicken

Indian-Spiced Grilled Baby Squash
double the recipe

Bacon-Wrapped Corn on the Cob
double the recipe

Dessert

Pound Cake with sliced summer fruit

To Drink

Crisp white wine such as Crios Torrontes or Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc

Recipe: Granny’s BBQ Chicken

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: 8
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lemons
  
• ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  
• ½ c. white wine
  
• 2 Tbsp. honey
  
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
  
• ¼ tsp. salt
  
• 8 chicken leg quarters
  
• Salt and pepper
  

Instructions

• Juice the lemons and add the juice and rinds to a medium saucepan. Add the butter, wine, honey, paprika, cayenne, and salt to the pan.
  
• Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
  
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Test for seasoning and add more salt or honey as needed. Turn off the heat and let the sauce stand until ready to use.
  
• Preheat the grill or BBQ for indirect grilling.
  
• Season the leg quarters on all sides with salt and pepper.
  
• Place the leg quarters top side down on the hot part of the grill to create grill marks and crisp the skin. Don’t move or turn them for 7-8 minutes.
  
• Flip the leg quarters to the other side and move to the cool side of the grill or BBQ.
  
• Cook over indirect heat for 20 minutes. Baste with the sauce and continue cooking for 15 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the leg reaches 160 degrees. Baste the chicken every 5 minutes or so.
  
• Remove the legs from the grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  

Keys to Success

• Choose a white wine with little or no oak for the sauce. A big, buttery Chardonnay won’t bring the right level of acidity to the sauce. Opt instead for a torrontes, sauvignon blanc, or similar crisp wine instead.
  
• The butter and honey in the sauce makes it susceptible to burning, so don’t baste the chicken too soon or it will burn. Keep an eye out for flare-ups and squash them accordingly with bit of water from a spray bottle.
  
• This sauce is so easy to make I typically prepare it while I’m doing other things in the kitchen. If you’d like, you can make it 4-5 hours in advance, cover the pan, and leave it to sit on the top of your stove on a cold burner until you’re ready to use it.
  
• My grandmother’s original recipe called for sherry instead of white wine. If you substitute sherry for the wine you can leave out all or most of the honey because the sherry will bring a bit of sweetness to the party that’s necessary to balance the acidity of the lemons.
  

The Plan

I create all of my preparation plans in Excel because I find it easy to work with and to modify as I go. I’ll admit it’s a little over the top for most, but if you’d like to see the detailed spreadsheet I used to get to this plan, you’re welcome to download a copy in Excel or PDF format. The plan has “clean as you go” time built in, so you should have plenty of time to rinse dishes and put them in the washer. You should also have plenty of time to put away ingredients and dump the trash so you aren’t faced with a messy kitchen just before guests arrive.

The night before

• Make the pound cake and prepare the fruit
• Chill wine (or soft drinks or other cold beverages)
• Set out the serving dishes

2 hours, 30 minutes before dinner

• Make the BBQ sauce

2 hours before dinner

• Prepare the squash skewers
• Shuck the corn and wrap it in bacon

1 hour and 20 minutes before dinner

• Heat the grill or BBQ
• Wash, salt, and pepper the chicken
• Put the chicken on the grill to sear

1 hour before dinner

• Move the chicken to indirect heat to finish cooking
• Set the table and pre-pour water or tea if serving

30 minutes before dinner

• Baste the chicken with the BBQ sauce
• Cook the corn
• Cook the squash

15 minutes before dinner

• Move the chicken to a serving platter to rest
• Remove the bacon and husks from the corn then butter it
• Plate the remaining food and serve

30 minutes after dinner is served

• Clear the table (ask for help)
• Make coffee
• Slice the cake and plate the fruit

45 minutes after dinner is served

• Dessert is served

Tips for a Stress-Free Party

This is a casual summer party

• Most of the food on the menu is meant to be eaten with the utensils God gave us – our hands. This does mean things will get a little messy, so plan to offer your guests damp towels or wipes after dinner and be sure you have plenty of extra napkins on the table.
• I like chicken thigh-leg combination cuts for a BBQ because they are roughly the same size and shape so they cook evenly. If you have guests that only eat white meat you can include bone-in breasts as well, or butterfly a couple of whole chickens. If there are kiddos in the crowd, consider using a few chicken legs because they have built-in handles. The chicken legs will cook more quickly than other cuts, so start them about 10 minutes later than the larger pieces.
• If you want to significantly reduce the prep time for this dinner you can either buy sides instead of making them or ask guests to bring their favorite summer sides. When you take the side preparation out of the equation you can have this dinner on the table in about 90 minutes. Make the BBQ sauce while the grill heats and follow the plan as written from the 1 hour and 20 minutes before dinner mark.

And, as a parting note, I’ll leave you with my “stock” (aka best) advice for making any gathering stress-free for you and great for your guests:

• When you set the table and set out the serving dishes, be sure to also set out dessert dishes and forks, as well as coffee mugs. This will make the transition from the main dinner to dessert much easier.
• Run and empty the dishwasher before you start preparing the food so you can load your prep dishes into it as you go. Your kitchen will be neater when guests arrive and it will be easier to ask them to help you with any last minute preparation.
• Ask guests to arrive 15-30 minutes before you plan to serve dinner. By this point in the process most of your heavy prep work will be done and you’ll largely be stirring and checking on the status of cooking dishes. You’ll be able to welcome guests easily and leave some wiggle room for anyone who might be running late.
• You won’t want to abandon your guests while you finish dinner, so consider setting out some olives, cheese, and bread near the kitchen so you can chat with them while you finish cooking. You may want to serve a different wine, or possibly some bubbles, with your pre-dinner nibbles to get everyone in the party spirit.
• If you plan to serve water or tea with your dinner, instead of or in addition to wine, pre-pour the drinks and stash the glasses in the fridge. You can set them out just before dinner is served.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Friends can carry dishes to the dining room, pour wine, or even rinse a dish or two.

Sometimes there is no substitute for simple and easy. Recipes with a few ingredients that work well together and that are almost no-fail simply can’t be beat. My mom’s pound cake recipe is exactly that. It has a short list of ingredients – six to be exact – and with the help of a stand mixer it comes together in a matter of minutes. It does take a while to cook, about an hour, during which time it fills the house with all sorts of wonderful and homey aromas. And it’s a wonderful vehicle for whatever fruits are in season: strawberries, peaches, and blackberries to name a few. It’s also great toasted and topped with grilled pineapple and some fresh whipped cream. Or, cut it into pieces and dip it in chocolate for a fondue. Really – the options are endless. Pound cake is one of the best gifting and potluck foods because it travels well, holds up for several days on the counter, and is a classic favorite that so many people truly enjoy.

In our family cookbook my mom notes that she has used this pound cake recipe for years and even though she’s tried a variety of other recipes, she always comes back to this one as the best and I have to agree. I’ve tried pound cake recipes that incorporate sour cream, whipped egg whites, and all manner of other ingredients.

The bottom line is this cake is easy as pie to make, even if you don’t make desserts. All you need is a mixer (hand or stand) and a bundt pan. You could even make this in one of those fancy new shaped bundt pans from Nordicware for an interesting visual, but it’s not really necessary because the cake’s taste will outshine any trappings of shape or presentation as soon as folks dive in.

Recipe: Pound Cake

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
  
• Serves: 16
  
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
  
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
  

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
  
• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 2 c. sugar
  
• 5 eggs, room temperature
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• 2 c. flour
  
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt or tube pan well with cooking spray.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing well to incorporate each egg before adding the next.
4. Add the vanilla to the bowl and mix well to combine.
5. Sift or whisk the flour and salt together. Add the flour/salt mixture to the bowl slowly, mixing well to combine. The batter will be thick.
6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
7. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
9. Ease the cake out of the pan and onto the rack. Let cool completely before serving. The cake will stay fresh for 3-5 days if covered by a cake dome or wrapped in plastic wrap.

Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks

• This recipe has such few ingredients that it pays to use the best ones you can lay your hands on. I typically use King Arthur flour, organic European-style butter, cage-free local eggs, and high-quality vanilla extract. That said, it’s hard to screw up these flavors and my mom made this recipe with margarine for years before we all knew better, so don’t let a lack of high-end ingredients stop you from making this recipe.
  
• You can use loaf pans instead of a bundt pan for this recipe. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and rotate them in your oven once during cooking. These cakes will need less time in the oven, but exactly how long depends on the size of your loaf pans. I’d start checking them at 40 minutes or so. You could also use the baby bundt pans for this recipe but I’d still plan to serve two people with each mini-cake. Watch the cooking time carefully with these smaller pans – start checking at about 30 minutes.
  
• Instead of preparing the pan with cooking spray, you can butter and flour the pan instead. I like to use Baker’s Joy that combines a spray with flour.
  
• It’s really hard to over-mix this cake, particularly when you’re creaming the butter and salt. It’s a great starter recipe for kids who want to make their own cake with minimal adult interference, and if they want to frost it, you can glaze it with a little milk and powdered sugar mixed together.
  
• And while the basic recipe uses only vanilla for extra flavor beyond the sugar and butter, you could easily play around with the basic flavor profile without much concern for mucking up the recipe. I think almond extract and the zest of an orange would be lovely in the cake, while a little cinnamon and nutmeg along with some rum extract would give it a hint of fall flavor. I also think you could nix the vanilla extract and substitute vanilla sugar for the regular sugar for a richer vanilla taste.

Next weekend we’ll celebrate our country’s birthday with parades, fireworks, and of course a lot of great food. Whether you’re hosting a backyard bash, taking a dish to a communal party, picnicking before fireworks, or packing a cooler for a day on the lake, you’ll find a bevy of recipes here to help you with your menu planning.

Guides & Menu Plans

• Picnic Fare: Fast, Easy, and Elegant Appetizers
• Potluck Survival Guide
• All the Joys of Summer: Ribs, Corn, and Fruit Crisp

Recipes

Appetizers & Small Bites

• Filo Cups with Pesto and Artichoke Filling
• Red Chile Beef Empanadas
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Dates with Marcona Almonds and Manchego Cheese
• Goat Cheese Crostini with Greens and Blood Oranges
• Caprese Sandwiches on Parmesan Gougères

Main Dishes

• Lime and Ginger Grilled Butterflied Chicken
• Chile-Stuffed Bison Burgers with Deconstructed Guacamole

Sides

• Spicy Soba Salad
• Spring Pasta Salad
• Stuffed Squash Calabacitas

Desserts

• Lavender Vanilla Southern Peach Cobbler

What fun activities do you have planned for the 4^th and what great food are you cooking? Share your exciting plans in the comments.

• Creole Mustard Dip
• Sweet and Tangy Creole-Style Wings
• Spicy Mardi Gras Shrimp
• Jambalaya with Duck and Sausage

A couple of weeks ago I was thinking back to the party as I was planning my weekly menus, and I decided that there was no way I was going to wait until next February to evoke the fun and energy of Mardi Gras. I had a package of Jambalaya on hand but wanted to do something more with it. After a bit of contemplation I realized it would make a great stuffing for pork tenderloin (or pork chops, chicken breasts, or even beef tenderloin). I played around with the idea a bit and decided to add in a bit of apple for some sweetness and balance as well as a few green onions for a bright, crisp crunch. The result was beautifully stuffed tenderloin that I was able to put together on a weeknight. The stove and oven do most of the heavy lifting, so I helped with some homework and got a few chores done around the house while the jambalaya was simmering and the tenderloin was baking. I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe next time you’re in the mood for a little New Orleans-inspired fun.

Recipe: Jambalaya-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: 4
• Prep Time: 20 minutes total
• Cook Time: 75 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 box Zatarain’s Jambalaya Mix
• ½ lb. smoked sausage (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium apple, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
• 3 green onions, white and light green parts only, sliced.
• 1 pork tenderloin, butterflied (see Recipe for Success)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare the jambalaya mix according to package directions using only ½ of a pound of sausage (or none at all) instead of the full pound called for on the package.
3. While the jambalaya cooks, heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat for two minutes. Add the apple and sauté until it just begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. When the jambalaya is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, gently fold in the apples and the green onions, and set the mixture aside for five to ten minutes to cool.
5. Season the inside of the pork tenderloin with half of the salt and all of the Creole Seasoning. Spread the jambalaya, apple, and green onion mixture evenly over the tenderloin, leaving a 1 inch border on all sides.
6. Roll the tenderloin jelly-roll style into a neat spiral. Secure it with kitchen twine or tooth picks. Season the outside of the tenderloin with the remaining salt.
7. Place the rolled tenderloin in a greased glass baking dish. Cook for 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the roll registers 155 degrees. Allow the tenderloin to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe for Success

• If you have a few extra minutes at the grocery store, ask your butcher to butterfly the pork tenderloin for you because they can do it quickly with a great result. If the butcher isn’t an option, you’ll find it’s very easy to butterfly the pork tenderloin yourself. Culinate has a great visual tutorial that walks you step-by-step through the process if you haven’t done it before.
  
• You’ll most likely have leftover jambalaya and apple mixture but not to worry – it makes for a great lunch. You can also use it to stuff a second pork tenderloin if you are serving a bigger crowd. Conversely, you can use leftover jambalaya from a previous dinner in this recipe.
• You can make the jambalaya up to a day before you plan to stuff and serve the pork tenderloin and you can prep the tenderloin up to four hours before you plan to roast it. Cover the stuffed tenderloin with plastic wrap and stash it in the fridge. Set it out on the counter for about 30 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven to take the chill off.
• To borrow a phrase from Emeril, you can kick this recipe up a notch by substituting duck breast for the smoked sausage in the jambalaya. You can also substitute Zatarain’s new Spicy Jambalaya Mix for the traditional recipe. If you do, I’d go a little easier on the Creole Seasoning.

With peach season in full swing, I spent some time experimenting with subtle variations on my family’s favorite cobbler recipe. My goal was to create a slightly sophisticated cobbler that still stayed true to its roots. I wanted intriguing without being foofy. The end result was a traditional cobbler scented lightly with lavender, honey, and vanilla, but cooked in a cast iron skillet to remind everyone that it was indeed a cobbler. I served it with good ol’ vanilla ice cream because that’s just what we do in my family, but of course if you’d like you could serve it with freshly whipped cream or even a cream anglaise sauce.

Recipe: Lavender Vanilla Southern Peach Cobbler

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: 8
• Prep Time: 60 minutes (because it takes a while to peel this many peaches)
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Optional Special Equipment: 9 inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

• 4-5 lb. peaches (about 16-18 medium peaches), peeled and cut into ¼ – ½ inch slices
• 2 Tbsp. good quality honey
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 ¼ tsp. vanilla
• 1 ½ tsp. dried lavender
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 stick + 1 Tbsp. butter softened, divided
• 1 egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. raw sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the sliced peaches, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and lavender in a large mixing bowl. Taste for sweetness and add more honey to sweeten to taste (see Recipe for Success).
3. In a food processor combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Pulse 3-4 times to mix. Add the egg and the stick of butter to the dry ingredients. Process on low speed for about 30 seconds to a minute until the dough comes together in a sticky ball.
4. Place the remaining Tbsp. butter in the bottom of the cast iron skillet or baking dish and place in the hot oven for 5 minutes or until melted. Carefully remove the hot dish from the oven and swirl the butter around until it coats the bottom of the dish.
5. Spread the peaches evenly in the baking dish.
6. Drop tablespoons of the dough all over the top of the peaches and press them down with your fingertips to form a mostly uniform crust. Don’t worry if it’s not completely even or covered. The crust will spread a bit during baking and the slightly uneven look is very rustic.
7. Brush the top of the cobbler with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the peach juices are bubbling up on the sides.

Recipe for Success

• The amount of honey you use has everything to do with how sweet and ripe the peaches are. Early season or under-ripe peaches may need a little more help in the sweet department. Late season and juicy overly-ripe peaches may do just fine on their own. Start with just a couple of tablespoons of honey, taste the mixture, and add more until the mixture is just about (but not quite) as sweet as you’d like it to be. The peaches will give off some of their natural sugar and sweeten while they cook to round out the final flavor.
• You can use regular sugar instead of honey if you’d like. I think the honey lends a complexity to the peaches that you don’t get with sugar, but that’s a personal preference.
• I made this is a cast iron skillet because it makes it feel more traditional. You can use a deep dish oven baker or even a glass pyrex dish just as easily.
• Instead of greasing the bottom of the baking dish with melted butter you can use baking spray. The butter tastes better though and what’s one more tablespoon among friends?
• I use a tablespoon scoop or mellon-baller to drop the dough in even rows over the peaches. After that it’s easy to press into an even crust.
• You could make this cobbler with frozen peaches if you had to. I’d reduce the amount of peaches to about 3.5 lbs (a couple of good size bags) and I’d thaw and drain them first to prevent the cobbler from being too watery.

It’s been almost exactly one year since the Austin food bloggers got together for our first ever potluck, so it was only fitting that we gathered again this month for our first potluck of 2010. (It really does take us this long to recover from the foodpalooza that is our holiday season.) The food and company were amazing as always. Foodie is the New 40 and Aimee Wenske have some beautiful photographs of the event on the blogs, and as their posts show, we ate very well that day. I enjoyed everything I tasted, but was especially enamored with the Greek Unorthodox Empanadas from first time potluck attendee Girl Gone Grits. I’m a big fan of empanadas as prep-ahead party food, so I expect to see some version of those empanadas on one of my party menus soon.

A Blogger without a Plan

To say that I’m a planner is an understatement. My life –food-related and otherwise – is run out of a series of spreadsheets that range from simply weekly menus to 1500 lines of to-dos for the whole year. When I have a plan I’m comfortable, even if the plan changes along the way. Without a plan, I’m a fish out of water. Imagine my horror when I looked up two days before the potluck and realized I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what I was going to make. To further complicate matters, I had plans to attend a farm tour the morning of potluck so any and all prep work had to be done the evening before.

After a moment or two of panic, followed by some deep breathing, I realized I was going to have to wing it. After a bit more panic I decided to turn this into what my mother would call a “teachable moment” applied to myself and find out what lessons I could learn when faced with a situation where my traditional planning wasn’t an option. With that in mind, and only an hour or so to select recipes, I went in search of two recipes that fit these criteria:

• Were suitable for a picnic. Picnic-friendly recipes hold well, are portable, and are easy to eat without much cutlery.
• Would travel well. My food wouldn’t just have to get to the potluck, it would have to go the farm tour first, so portability was a must, with some assemble on site acceptable.
• Could be prepped in an hour or less the night before or morning of my potluck. Why an hour? That’s pretty much all the time I had to work with if I was going to get a good night’s sleep.
• Were elegant. I was absolutely unwilling to sacrifice quality because of a lack of time. I was convinced I could put together a lovely dish even with my limited time.

Herbed Bocconcini

I’m happy to report that I found a lovely collection of recipes during my search and the most difficult part of the hunt was deciding which two recipes to make. I narrowed the selection to:

• Herbed Bocconcini
  This recipe comes together in minutes and its perfect for highlighting any herb you like. I used fresh oregano because it’s what I had on hand and added a little lemon zest to balance the richness of the cheese and olive oil. I also used a blood orange olive oil for its unique flavor profile. This recipe is a great one for showcasing high quality cheese and olive oils.
• Filo Cups with Pesto and Artichoke Filling
  This was my own creation inspired by Puff Pastry Baskets with Artichoke and Pesto Filling. I seriously considered making this recipe as is, because puff pastry is so easy to work with (see Puff Pastry Perfection below) but decided that I’d be pushing my time limit. Instead, I substituted pre-made mini Filo shells to further reduce the prep time. I also used canned artichoke hearts in the interest of time and am very happy with the results. You’ll find the recipe at the end of the post.

Fast, Cheap, Good – Pick Two

My day job is at a marketing agency and in the creative world we are reminded every day that any given work product can be a combination of two of the following: fast, cheap, and good. As I was exploring recipes that fit my criteria, I discovered that the axiom applies here as well. Fast and elegant recipes have short ingredient lists and rely heavily on the quality of the ingredients to work. The reality is good ingredients aren’t always the least expensive. This doesn’t mean you can’t bargain hunt, but when you are only bringing a few key ingredients to the dish, it’s important to not skimp on quality.

A Collection of Picnic-Friendly, Fast, and Easy Recipes

My recipe search yielded a host of picnic possibilities and I realized that they fell into four categories that are generally really great for any picnic or potluck situation, particularly when you are short on time. As you plan your own picnic or potluck treats, consider these examples of the kinds of recipes you might want to explore. They will help you narrow your search on your favorite recipe sites or blogs.

Cheese, Glorious Cheese

It’s really hard to go wrong with cheese in a picnic or potluck situation because it’s almost universally popular and it can sit out for quite a while. There are so many great cheese available that you can find great quality ingredients to share with your friends and family with relative ease. Some good cheese-centric recipes I came across include:

• Sweet-’n'-Salty Honey Cheese Spread
• Smoky Green Chile-Cheddar Cheese with Avocado-Mango Salsa
• Goat Cheese Bites

Puff Pastry Perfection

If I had to list my top 3 three secret ingredients for entertaining, puff pastry would be one of them. It’s versatile, easy to work with, and oh-so-impressive. It holds up well when you store it in an air tight container, and it works beautifully in both sweet and savory applications. Cheese straws are a go-to technique for many of my entertaining needs because they are easy and let me highlight favorite cheeses. You can make them ahead of time and they pair nicely with wine. Once you’ve made cheese straws by a recipe, you’ll find yourself dreaming up all sorts of ingredient combinations. These three will get you started:

• Lemon-and-Black-Pepper Cheese Straws
• Pistachio Pastry Twists
• Parmesan and Herb Cheese Straws

Food on Sticks

Skewers of any sort of food are just plain ol’ fun for any party setting. They rely on great combinations of ingredients and some assembly time, but not much actual cooking. I’ll often enlist the help of my family to make a bunch of skewers once I’ve prepped the ingredients and made a couple of sample skewers. The goodness of skewers is really only limited by your imagination. Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:

• Melon, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto Skewers
• Antipasto Skewers with Pesto Dip
• Mini Caprese Bites
• Mozzarella and Nectarine Skewers With Pesto

Don’t Forget the Veggies

Many potlucks and picnics are heavy on the carbs and proteins, and crudités are often the only option. Consider upping the veggie stakes with one of these recipes:

• Crunchy Zucchini Rounds With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
• Chicory “boats” with marinated chestnuts & parma ham

Toasted Bread Rules

When all else fails, break out the crostini. Two or three high-quality ingredients on a piece of toasted bread will cure all potluck and picnic ills. When I go down the crostini path, I do try to surprise people with combinations they might not have seen before. If you have to travel a ways to your party, you may want to prep all of the ingredients ahead of time and plan to assemble the crostini on site. This helps keep them from losing half of their toppings in transit. When you’re looking for your next crostini inspiration, try one of these unexpected but still very easy recipes:

• Crostini with Honey, Gorgonzola, and Figs
• Artichoke Crostini
• Crostini with Mascarpone, Fresh Berries & Drizzled Honey
• Flamed Chorizo

Recipe: Filo Cups with Pesto and Artichoke Filling

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
• Makes: 30 mini cups
• Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 c. prepared pesto
• 1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and finely chopped in a food processor
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 packages mini Filo cups, thawed
• Freshly grated parmesan for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine the pesto and chopped artichoke hearts. Stir to mix well. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Line the cups up on your serving dish and spoon about 1 Tbsp. of the pesto and artichoke mix into each cup.
3. Sprinkle each cup with a bit of the parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe for Success

• My local Central Market makes amazing pesto so if I don’t have time to make my own, I know I have a source. I do however try to freeze extra pesto just for times like this. If you have an extra 15 or 20 minutes, as well as an abundance of basil, then by all means make your own. The pesto is the star player here though, so be sure you buy good pesto.
• A small scoop makes filling the cups with the pesto and artichoke mixture fast and easy.
• I highly recommend transporting the filling and cups separately and then doing final assembly at the picnic site. The filo cups will hold up for about three or four hours before the bottoms get soggy, but they are somewhat fragile, so you’ll have less breakage if you keep them in their packaging until you’re ready to serve them.
• You can make the artichoke and pesto mixture the night before, but be sure to store it in an air-tight container with a thin layer of olive oil on the top to keep the pesto from turning brown.

I hope you enjoy the podcasts and, as always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated. Please let me know how I can use the podcast medium to make the site and its content more useful to you.

In celebration of Spring and the many fun activities it brings, I challenged myself to create a menu for a casual dinner for 8 that required no more than one hour of preparation time the night before and another 90 minutes of preparation the day of the dinner (grocery shopping not included). The hardest part about building the menu wasn’t finding recipes that would fit with my time limits, but it was choosing from all of the amazing options.

Meats like lamb and pork cook quickly and the Spring’s best vegetables need minimal assistance to shine. My final menu included a spectacular but dead-simple rack of lamb, an oven risotto that would free me from standing over the stove stirring, beautiful artichokes that are fun to eat, and a luxurious panna cotta that comes together quickly the night before the dinner. This menu would be lovely for Easter or for any other get together in the Spring or Summer. In fact, it comes together so quickly that it’s actually practical for weeknight entertaining. Your guests will think you were in the kitchen all day, and well, where’s the good in disabusing them of that notion? Your secret is safe with me.

The Menu (serves eight)

Main Course

Rosemary Pesto Lamb Rack
quadruple the recipe

Baked Risotto with Morels and Asparagus

Artichokes with Garlic-Thyme Mayonnaise
double the recipe

Dessert

Lemon Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce

To Drink

Medium-bodied red wine such as Erath Pinot Noir

The Plan

I create all of my preparation plans in Excel because I find it easy to work with and to modify as I go. I’ll admit it’s a little over the top for most, but if you’d like to see the detailed spreadsheet I used to get to this plan, you’re welcome to download a copy in Excel or PDF format.

The night before

• Set the table and set out serving dishes
• Make the panna cotta and raspberry sauce

90 minutes before dinner

• Open the wine so it can breath
• Prep the lamb and let sit at room temperature
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1 hour before dinner

• Prep the artichokes and mayonnaise

40 minutes before dinner

• Put the lamb in the oven
• Bring the artichokes and water to boil
• Prep risotto ingredients

30 minutes before dinner

• Reduce the lamb oven heat to 400 degrees
• Start the risotto on the stove and then place in oven

15 minutes before dinner

• Remove the lamb from the oven and allow it to rest
• Remove the artichokes from the boiling water and drain
• Sautee the asparagus for the risotto

5 minutes before dinner

• Remove the risotto from the oven and stir in the asparagus
• Plate all of the dishes

30 minutes after dinner

• Make coffee
• Plate panna cotta
• Serve dessert

Keys to Success

You’ll be cooking for this dinner right up until it’s time to serve the meal. However, that doesn’t mean you have to feel harried or not enjoy pre-dinner time with your guests. Some things I’ve found helpful when cooking a meal like this one include:

• When you set the table and set out the serving dishes the night before, be sure to also set out dessert dishes and forks, as well as coffee mugs. This will make the transition from the main dinner to dessert much easier.
• Run and empty the dishwasher so you can load your prep dishes into it as you go. Your kitchen will be neater when guests arrive and it will be easier to ask them to help you with any last minute preparation.
• Ask guests to arrive 15-30 minutes before you plan to serve dinner. By this point in the process most of your heavy prep work will be done and you’ll largely be stirring and checking on the status of cooking dishes. You’ll be able to welcome guests easily and leave some wiggle room for anyone who might be running late.
• You won’t want to abandon your guests while you finish dinner, so consider setting out some olives, cheese, and bread near the kitchen so you can chat with them while you finish cooking. You may want to serve a different wine, or possibly some bubbles, with your pre-dinner nibbles to get everyone in the party spirit.
• If you plan to serve water or tea with your dinner, instead of or in addition to wine, pre-pour the drinks and stash the glasses in the fridge. You can set them out just before dinner is served.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Friends can carry dishes to the dining room, pour wine, or even rinse a dish or two.

While I’ve purchased and cooked both ham and lamb for many years, I’ve never really made a serious study of either. Given that all I learned about turkey for my Turkey Buying 101 post had such a significant impact on the way I selected and cooked my Thanksgiving bird, I decided a similar knowledge gathering exercise for ham and lamb was in order. Luckily, Howard Miller, the meat guru from Central Market, was more than willing to share his extensive experience with me once again. I’m happy to report that buying ham and lamb isn’t quite as multi-faceted as buying a turkey, but there are some important things you should keep in mind as you go forth to acquire your spring meat.

Ham – The Heat and Eat Favorite

When most of us think about ham during the Spring, and honestly during just about any other season, we think about a smoked ham that is ready to eat. Fresh ham, AKA pork roast, definitely has its place but doesn’t show up nearly as frequently as the ubiquitous smoked ham. Smoked ham is such a favorite from table to table for two reasons:

1. It’s part of our culinary memory. My mother serves ham during the spring just like my grandmother before her and my great-grandmother before her. For some, the Easter table in particular simply isn’t the same without ham. During our discussion Howard did say that he thinks ham doesn’t take quite the starring role that it did in past years. Now, instead of being the only meat on the table, it may be one of a couple of main course selections, but make no mistake, it’s still there.
2. It’s easy. Ham is pretty much a no-fail dish. You heat it according to package directions and serve it. If cooking a big meal for friends and family causes you stress, ham is a perfect main dish because it’s one less recipe you have to find and make. Conversely, if you enjoy the thrill of putting together an over-the-top menu, ham is still a great option because it frees you to focus on fantastic side dishes and exceptional desserts.

Buying Ham: The Basics

In the past, many hams were bone-in with a layer of fat on them. These more traditional hams have been largely replaced by the spiral sliced ham. When selecting your spiral sliced ham, you’ll need to consider two things:

1. How much to buy. Depending on the appetites of your guests, the number of other dishes you’re making, and the amount of ham you want left over, you should plan between 4 and 8 ounces of ham per person. If ham is one of a couple of main dishes and you have 3-4 side dishes plus dessert, then the 4 ounce per person range is probably better. However, if ham is the star of the show or you want quite a bit for leftovers, then buy 6 to 8 ounces per person. Ham is sold in whole or half ends and besides their weight, there’s no difference between them.
2. Glazed or not. Many hams come with some sort of glaze for additional flavor. Honey is common, as in honey baked ham, but fruit-based flavors are also popular. Whether you buy your ham with extra flavor added or not is entirely based on personal preference. I tend to buy my ham without the extra flavor so I can put my own personal touch on it and also because I can better control the ingredients in the glaze to avoid corn syrup and other unnatural additives. If you do buy an already flavored ham, be sure to read the ingredient list carefully.

What about Organic Ham?

They key to a successful smoked ham is the brine, and when you brine and smoked a meat it gets harder for the entire process to stay organic. You can get hams that are organic and nitrite free, but they may not have the smoky flavor you are looking for. While organic ham may be harder to come by, ham from sustainably raised pigs are easier to come by, thanks in large part to the wonders of the Internet. The Kitchn has a great article on sources for sustainable ham. Many of these producers raise heirloom variety pigs and feed them organic diets, so they may be your best option if

Ham Recipes

If you’re like me and prefer to buy an unflavored or unglazed ham so you can put your personal touch on it, here are some recipes you might find useful:

• 5 Ingredient Easter Ham with Cola-Pineapple Glaze (Steamy Kitchen)
• Blackberry Rum Glazed Ham (Steamy Kitchen)
• Easter Ham with Mango Ginger Glaze (Steamy Kitchen)
• Ham with Champagne and Vanilla Glaze (Cooking Light)
• Gingersnap-Crusted Ham with Apricot-Mustard Sauce (Cooking Light)
• Baked Ham with Sticky Meyer Lemon-Spice Glaze (Cooking Light)
• Ham with Burbon, Molassas, and Pecan Glaze (Bon Appetit)
• Marmalade-Glazed Ham with Sweet Orange-Tea Sauce (Bon Appetit)
• Thyme Honey Glazed Ham (Gourmet)

Lamb – The Fool-Proof Meat with the Bad Reputation

Thanks to years of old, tough, rank mutton being offered up as lamb, true lamb has developed somewhat of a sullied reputation. This is truly unfortunate seeing that today’s lamb is exceptionally tasty and so very easy to cook. It’s versatile, readily available, and a lighter red meat option. It looks lovely surrounded by the other flavors of spring: asparagus, artichokes, citrus, and new potatoes. Are you sold? I hope so. A Spring without lamb really just isn’t Spring at all.

Now, on to the business of procuring lamb.

Buying Lamb: Sources

Most of the lamb available in the United States is from one of three places:

• Domestic sources. Lamb is raised throughout the United States. Close to Austin, Loncito Cartwright raises grass-fed, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free lamb that he sells at local farmers markets. At our local Central Markets, we have access to lamb from Colorado, and in El Paso where I was raised my parents buy fresh lamb from San Elizario. Howard said that American lamb is usually milder than other lamb because of its grass-fed diet, and when you buy lamb from the US, it’s typically available fresh.
• New Zealand and Australia. The Aussies have a very productive lamb business and they regularly ship their lamb to the United States. This imported lamb is usually smaller than domestic lamb, and it may be less expensive than American lamb, particularly at large warehouse clubs like SAMs. Because the lamb has to be shipped half way around the world, it will have been frozen at some point during its journey.

I’ll be honest and say that I buy my lamb from several different sources. For special occasions or when I’m buying less expensive cuts of lamb, I will buy from Loncito at the farmers market. Loncito’s lamb tends to be the most expensive of all the lamb in town, but it’s important to our entire food chain to support our local farmers. I also buy lamb regularly from Central Market, particularly when I want to buy just a single rack of lamb chops or a lamb London broil. However, when it’s time to feed lamb to a crowd, I turn to SAMs for lamb from New Zeland. The quality is good as is the price, making lamb a viable option for my dinner table regardless of the number of guests.

Buying Lamb: Cuts

When buying lamb, particularly for the Spring holidays, two cuts stand out:

• Leg of lamb. A good size leg of lamb will feed a crowd nicely and it’s usually available at a manageable price point. Howard’s advice is to have the butcher remove the leg bone and tie the leg for you so it cooks evenly. Unlike other meats that rely on a bone for moistness and flavor, lamb has enough flavor and cooks quickly enough that you don’t need the bone (or much fat even) to get a good result. Howard’s favorite way to cook a leg of lamb is simple. Make small slits all over the lamb and push cloves of garlic down into each slit. Rub the entire leg with olive oil, and sprinkle it liberally with kosher salt. Brown it on all sides in a little oil in heavy pan and then finish it in a 375 degree oven.
• Rack of lamb. Lamb racks make for a beautiful presentation and they are one of the easiest cuts of meat to cook. For a section of lamb ribs to be called a rack, the bones have to be Frenched (or have all of the meat and fat removed from the top of the bone). A rack typically has 8 rib sections, and a serving for one person is usually two rib sections, unless you’re our family and then it’s four. Two racks are perfect for a small dinner party and they look beautiful on a bed of herbed rice. Howard is a fan of simple preparation of lamb. Rub the outside with oil and salt, and maybe some strong herbs like rosemary and thyme. Brown the lamb in a heavy pan and finish it in a 375 degree oven. You can also cut the rack into individual ribs, season them with salt and pepper, and cook them quickly over hot, direct heat on the stove or grill. This is the best way to guarantee even cooking and it’s a perfect option if you want to serve “lamb pops” as an appetizer.

Regardless of the cut, when you’re buying lamb, try to buy it as close to the day you plan to serve it as possible. Unlike beef, lamb doesn’t age well.

What about Organic Lamb

Lamb isn’t the least expensive meat to raise in the first place, and when you add the requirements of organic ranching into the fray, organic lamb can be expensive and difficult to find. It’s not impossible however. While you may not find organic lamb at your local grocery store as you would organic chicken or even beef, you can order it online. A quick Google search turned up a slew of organic lamb sources. If you happen to leave near one of these suppliers you’ll have the extra benefit of buying local organic lamb – the holy grail of lamb as it were.

Lamb Recipes

Lamb works beautifully with stronger herbs and other flavors because it has enough flavor to hold its own. If you’re not quite sure what to do with your Spring lamb, here are a few recipes to get you going:

• Rosemary-Pesto Lamb Rack (Bon Appetit)
• Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs (Martha Stewart)
• Spiced Butterflied Leg of Lamb (Martha Stewart)
• Classic Rack of Lamb (Simply Recipes)
• Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb (Simply Recipes)
• Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic, Olive Oil, Fresh Thyme, and Grilled Lemons (Bobby Flay)
• Crispy Rack of Lamb with Honey and Mascarpone (Giada De Laurentis)

• I like Zatarain’s products and have cooked with them for years. As much as I’m a fan of from-scratch cooking, sometimes not everything can be from scratch and I feel good when I put their food on my table.
• They are affiliated with John Besh, a chef that I respect and admire.
• I wanted to take advantage of the group activity to learn more about how other celebrate Mardi Gras.

And just to keep the blogger police at bay, I want to disclose that Zatarain’s has sent me a party pack with some sample products, decorations, and other goodies, but I’m still supplying the majority of the food for this shindig. I’m not being compensated in any other way.

I’m in the midst of planning my party and realized that sharing my menu and ideas now might be helpful to anyone also planning a celebration for this weekend or next week. Because I’m throwing a weeknight party, I’ve tried to select recipes that are practical for having guests over on a school night. However, because I want to really offer a sampling of New Orleans-style flavors, my party menu is pretty extensive, featuring 10 items plus drinks. I’m not suggesting you do the same. Instead, I’ll point you at all of the recipes I’m making with relevant links and then include a couple of possible menus that show how to mix and match them.

My Mardi Gras Recipe Collection

As I selected these recipes I wanted to capture the essence of New Orleans cuisine, put a few new twists on some old favorites, and stay family-friendly. I’m also serving my menu buffet style so I chose dishes that would be easy to serve and eat. I toyed with the idea of making both gumbo and jambalaya, but time simply won’t allow for it. If gumbo is more your style, it’s a great substitute for the jambalaya on any menu.

• Artichoke Dip with Crab and Creole Seasoning – I’m going to modify my guest-favorite artichoke dip by adding some jumbo lump crab and a little Creole seasoning to the blend. Look for a recipe for this one about a week after Fat Tuesday in my party recap. This dish holds beautifully over night and bakes about an hour before the party. I’m serving it with slices of bread and pita chips.
• Creole Mustard Dip – This dip is a Creole-take on a traditional onion dip. I can also make it ahead and it will be a nice alternative for those who don’t like artichokes or who can’t eat shellfish.
• Crudités – I always put fresh vegetables out on a buffet because they are familiar to folks and very kid-friendly. They also help to balance out the heavier dishes. I’ll probably put out some Ranch Dressing for the kids as well.
• Roasted asparagus – Asparagus is always nice addition to a buffet table because it’s good warm or cold, and its richness stands up to heartier foods. I really like the simple preparation that Elise from Simply Recipes uses and I can pre-prep the asparagus several hours before the party and put it into roast just before guests arrive.
• Sweet and Tangy Creole-Style Wings – This is a John Besh recipe that I can’t wait to serve. People love wings and this will be a new variation for them to try.
• Spicy Mardi Gras Shrimp – It’s just not Mardi Gras without shrimp but some of my guests don’t eat them. For the rest that do, I’m offering an easy and flavorful make-ahead dish.
• Jambalaya with Duck and Sausage – I’ll be modifying a Zatarain’s recipe to dress it up a little with duck and artisan Andouille sausage. This is a good example of how a couple of next-level ingredients can be combined with high-quality convenience foods like the Zatarain’s jambalaya mix to put a great dish on the table.
• Root Beer Cupcakes – I didn’t realize that Zatarain’s started with a patent for root beer extract, so when I found out I thought it only appropriate to incorporate it into my menu somehow. I think these cupcakes will be fun and unexpected. I’m modifying a cake recipe to work as cupcakes to make serving dessert easier.
• King Cake – It’s not Mardi Gras without King Cake. If I were having this party on a weekend I would make the cake myself, but because this is a weeknight party, I’m ordering a cake from a local bakery. If you want to make your own, Epicurious features John Besh’s King Cake recipe from his recently released My New Orleans cookbook.
• Hurricanes – I’m not usually big on mixed drinks at parties because they are difficult to manage, but it’s just not Mardi Gras without a sweet and powerful hurricane. I’m using a recipe from Emeril that will be great for a crowd. I particularly like that it uses two different types of rum for depth of flavor.

Suggested Menu: Elegant New Orleans Supper

If you’d like to host an easy-yet-elegant dinner party on or around Fat Tuesday using recipes from this menu I’d recommend:

Appetizer

Artichoke Dip with Crab and Creole Seasoning

French Bread and Pita Triangles

Main Course

Jambalaya with Duck and Sausage or Gumbo

Roast Asparagus

Dessert

King Cake

Suggested Menu: Mardi Gras Cocktail Party

As the start to an evening or on Tuesday after work, consider celebrating the spirit of the holiday and New Orleans with sparkling wine, Hurricanes, and these nibbles:

Artichoke Dip with Crab and Creole Seasoning

Creole Mustard Dip

French Bread and Pita Triangles

Sweet and Tangy Creole-Style Wings

Spicy Mardi Gras Shrimp

Root Beer Cupcakes

What are you serving for Mardi Gras? Do you have any favorite recipes? Please share in the comments.