Easy Entertaining for Beginners

Hi Everyone,

People are always looking for ideas for entertaining. I have been a bit behind in my blog posts because I have been concentrating on planning, prepping, hosting AND taping 4 cooking demonstrations for use on the internet. (I still have 2 more to go!) If you have ever considered taping your own cooking show or just curious about how one is produced, here are the steps I took:

1. I chose the recipes and tips that I would highlight on each show.

• Since I specialize in helping beginners learn to host casual entertaining, I chose recipes from my book that are easy and delicious.

2. I organized myself with shopping lists, recipes and a loose script for the show.

• I cannot stress enough that the prep stage the week before is one of the most important. There are a lot of details that need to be present and pulled off well to make the cooking  demo part of it look easy.

3. I practiced, practiced and then practiced some more!

• There is a balance needed with this part. Yes, you need a script that you have mostly memorized, but you also want to be spontaneous and be yourself!

4. Shopped for props and organized all kitchen utensils, bowls, tools needed. Chose my wardrobe. Did all grocery shopping.

• This takes some time and focus, so whatever you do, don’t wait until the day before taping to do this part. Pacing yourself will really help relieve stress.

5. The morning of the shoot, I set everything up in the kitchen. Applied  my makeup with special matte finish makeup to minimize shine from camera angles.

• This is crunch time. Just walk yourself through the entire demo. This will help you catch anything you may be missing. I have a very fair complexion, so I needed to purchase a special make-up. My husband, Augie says that light skinned people are the hardest to light. Your wardrobe needs to be a darker color; blue works well. I found this part right before taping, challenging. You are trying to focus on your part (hosting) when there is a lot of movement/conversation from crew going on around you. I was trying to focus and not to sweat all my makeup off! Very different than teaching before a class or group of people. Now I know why many tv chefs have a live audience. It is a bit easier to know if you are connecting the way you want.

6. Augie works in the motion picture business and with the help of some friends also in the biz, provided professional lighting, camera, sound and direction. This took about 2 hours to set up.

• All these guys were so professional and know exactly what they were doing. Because of this we were not slowed down with loads of technical problems.

7. Taped each show (2 per day)  with many angles and close-ups.

• This part is a lot harder than it looks. Being able to walk and chew gum at the same time helps! Having energy, smiling, being yourself and accomplishing your goal to give great information and encouragement to potential viewers is a lot to remember. We had our share of bloopers and multiple takes and it was a team effort! I’m excited that we have produced quality shows.

• I have appeared as a guest chef on cooking shows before, but those shows always had a host to help guide. In this show I was the host and chef so it was much different.

8. An additional 2-3 hours to clean everything up. Whew! Were we tired.

• As you can imagine there is a lot of equipment, food, props, dishes.  Dang, my fairy godmother wasn’t around to wave the magic clean up wand!

Now, the raw taping will go to an editor who will have the important job of putting it all together. This has been a great experience and I can’t wait to see the finished products!

Happy Entertaining!

Patricia Mendez

(Serves 4-6)

1 pkg. (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crust dough
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup powdered sugar
cooking spray

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll open dough and lay flat. With a 4-5 inch bowl, cut 4-5 circles out of each dough by placing bowl rim on dough and cutting around with with a sharp knife. Taste the cherry pie filling and if it is too tart for your taste, spoon about half of the contents into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and stir. Use the rest of the filling for another use (pancake topping – mmm…). Place about 1 heaping teaspoon of cherry pie filling in the middle of each dough. With a pastry brush, spread the edges of the dough with slightly beaten egg and fold over to form a half circle. Press edges down with yuour finger and with the backof a fork, press around the edges to further seal. Brush the outside of mini pies with egg and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Place powdered sugar in small strainer and shake over pies to lightly cover pies. Serve warm or let cool completely and place in a sealed container to transport to another location.

(Serves 4- 6)

Meat from 1 precooked rotisserie chicken (available at most grocery stores), skinned, boned and shredded
1 cup seedless grapes, washed, dried and cut in half
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon good quality curry powder (optional)
6 red lettuce leaves, washed and dried
6 large tortillas

To make the chicken salad, in a medium bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, grape halves, walnuts, celery, mayonnaise and curry powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, place lettuce leaf in the middle of each tortilla and spoon chicken salad down a line in the center. Wrap each side of tortilla in about 2 inches to close the ends and roll the tortilla wrap tightly. Cut in half and wrap in a paper towel and put in a zipper-lock bag. Transport in a cooler with ice to your location.

Tip: You line the tortilla with the washed and dried lettuce leaf to keep the wrap from becoming soggy.

Serves 4

12 tortillas, flour (or corn, if preferred)
1 – 8 oz. package Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 can – 4 oz. diced mild green chiles, drained (optional)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
Salsa, purchased (optional)

Spread one side of tortillas with butter or margarine. Place butter side down of one tortilla in a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle with shredded cheese on top of tortilla and then sprinkle some of the mild diced green chiles on top. Add another tortilla with the butter side up. Cook 1-2 minutes and carefully turn over when golden brown. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes until tortilla is golden brown and crunchy and cheese is melted. Move to a cutting board and carefully cut the quesadilla down the middle vertically and again horizontally to make 4 quarters. Spoon about a teaspoon of salsa on top of each quarter and serve immediately.

1 rotisserie chicken, (purchased-cooked) skinned, boned and shredded OR
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
grated zest of 1 lime
1 small serrano chile, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad

3 heads romaine lettuce, or 2 bags (10 ozs. each) prepared chopped romaine
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3/4 cup grated Cotija Mexican cheese or Parmesan Cheese
1 cup purchased croutons

To make the dressing: put 1/4 cup of olive oil in a blender or food processor with the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lime zest, chile, mayonnaise and salt. Thoroughly blend together and slowly add the remaining 1/4 olive oil while blending on low speed. Taste, and if necessary add more salt.

To make the salad: if using heads of romaine, remove the outer leaves and discard. Wash and dry the romaine and cop coarsely. Place in a large salad bowl. Add the cilantro and cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the chicken: either skin, bone and shred a purchased rotisserie chicken OR slice each breast in half, width-wide to make 2 thin breast filets. Cut each filet in 1/2 inch strips. In a small bowl, coat chicken strips with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Heat large skillet to high and when very hot, quickly stir-fry chicken breast strips, stirring constantly, until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

To serve: add the croutons and shredded rotisserie chicken or chicken strips to the salad. Shake or whisk the dressing well and toss about half or three fourths of the salad dressing with the salad. Serve with Crunchy Quesadillas for a quick summer meal.

This is one of my family’s favorite autumn treats. Delicious as a breakfast bread, an afternoon treat with a cup of tea or a tasty dessert. Make in advance, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month.

Serves 8-10 (makes 2 loaves)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups apples (about 2-3 medium), peeled, cored, finely chopped
cooking spray

Streusel Topping

2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir the eggs, pumpkin and oil and add to flour mixture. Fold in the apples and pour into 2 – 5 x 9″ loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. With a criss-cross motion, cut until streusel is crumbly or the size of small peas. Add the walnuts and sprinkle the topping over batter and bake 50-60 minutes or until butter knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and empty loaves of bread on wire rack to cool. Slice and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

This recipe makes happy childhood memories of a warm kitchen on a chilly autumn day.

Serves 8

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 apples, Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 inch round slices
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups canola oil
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

In a large bowl, whisk the egg with the milk and melted butter. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. If batter is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons milk and set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet over high heat until temperature reaches 350 degrees. Adjust heat if necessary. If the oil starts to smoke, it is too hot.

Sprinkle sliced apples with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Dip the apple slices in the batter and carefully drop into the oil and fry 2-3 minutes on one side. Turn over and fry for 2 minutes more until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Spoon 1/4 cup powdered sugar into strainer and tap lightly with your hand to sprinkle sugar on the fritters. Keep in warm oven until all the fritters are done and serve immediately.

1 package (8 oz.) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup light whipped topping
1 bag purchased ginger snaps

In a mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese with pumpkin, powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in 1 cup light whipped topping. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve with ginger snaps.

TIP: To fold in whipped topping, use a spatula and lightly mix with cream cheese mixture to keep it fluffy.

1 package (8 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup (4 ounces) nonfat sour cream
1 (1.25 ounce package taco seasoning
2 (9 ounce) cans of bean dip
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped finely
1 (4.25 ounce) can of black olives, chopped and drained
3 jalapeno chiles, seeded, chopped finely

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Mix in taco seasoning; set aside. Spread the bean dip in a large clear glass bowl or large platter. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the bean dip. Top with layers of lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomato, olive and chopped jalapenos. Serve with tortilla chips
.
TIP: You may add 3 mashed avocados mixed with 2 tablespoons of lime juice as another layer on top of the cream cheese mixture, if desired.