• crackers, bread sticks, pita toasts, tortilla chips and other savory snacks.

• dried figs, dates or other fruit

Offer some sliced cheese along with a couple of wedges on a board (use an attractive wooden cutting board) along with pretty knives for serving.  Offer 4-5 varieties total:

• Soft cheeses such as fresh mozzarella, goat cheese (tart), brie (mild) or an herb cheese spread

• Medium cheeses such as  blue cheese (tart), cheddar, jack or Swiss

• Hard cheese such as Parmesan (salty).

All of these flavors work well together and are splendid served with wine. Serve fruity white and red wines such as Pinot Noir, Port or Sherry. A delicious  Riesling pairs nicely with the creamy (soft) types of cheeses.

Chill the white wine in the fridge (45-50 degrees) and serve the red wine at room temperature.

Look  for a fabulous baked brie that will wow your guests and is a quick and easy recipe to prepare in Recipes/Appetizers category.

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

Easy, Budget Friendly Decorating Ideas:

a. Fly the flag at your front door! Many discount and drug stores carry inexpensive flags with mounting hardware in one kit.

b. Give each guest a poppy to wear (with pin or sticky tape) in honor of those who have fallen in battle. This tradition started after WWI to honor those who had died in battle.

c. Decorate the table in red, white and blue. Purchase a white or blue checked tablecloth and patriotic disposable tableware. Have a low vase of beautiful poppies or red and white anenomes in a pitcher on the table and purchase small flags at a party supply store and put them in festive containers like aluminum galvanized or enamel buckets in sand. Or use patriotic banners for decorations on your serving table. Use a clean wheelbarrow or child’s red wagon with ice to chill drinks.

1. Start a tradition:

a. Take a few moments to share a story about a fallen veteran (family member or any soldier). This puts the focus on honoring and celebrating a real hero’s life and sacrifice.

2. Activities:

a. Make homemade vanilla ice cream with an old fashioned crank ice-cream maker. Let the kids help!

b. Pull out the badminton, volleyball or have a family softball or basketball game. Play games like three-legged race, balloon toss, sack race.

c. Visit a national park during Memorial Day weekend. Many national parks observe Memorial Day weekend by parades, memorial speeches, reenactments and living history demonstrations, and the decoration of graves with flowers and flags.

d. View a parade: Go to: http://www.vetfriends.com/memorial_day_parade/index.cfm to find parades in your area.

Happy Memorial Day!
Patricia Mendez

Don’t get me wrong, work and responsibilities are all part of life. Having healthy relationships with family and friends are usually at the top of the priority list for most folks. Having those near and dear into your home for social interaction adds quality and wealth to life. If this is the year you are determined to spend more time with those you care about, consider these tips:

1. Cut down on meeting your friends in expensive restaurants and plan a couple of simple dinner parties/family barbecues this year in your home. Entertaining in your home adds a wonderful level of intimacy that you just can’t find in most restaurant atmospheres.

2. Start small. Six to eight people is a good number for a first dinner party. Think about who you would like to invite and choose a dinner party menu with easy recipes. If you don’t have any cookbooks, conduct a quick internet search. There are many great websites and recipe databases where you can get terrific recipes.

Even if you have never entertained in your life I believe anyone can learn with a bit of instruction, patience and practice. You can do it!

Happy Entertaining,
Patricia Mendez

2. Call to RSVP that you will attend and then be a no-show when you get a better last minute offer.

3. Bring a friend who was not invited.

4. Be fashionably, habitually late to every dinner party.

5. When invited to a family event, ignore your children and let them run amuck at your host’s home.

6. Attend the party in a grouchy mood. Make sure everyone knows about it.

7. Or don’t say a word to anyone all night and definitely don’t get out of your comfort zone to meet and socialize with new people.

8. Dominate every conversation no matter what it is about.

9. Leave your cell phone on and when it rings continually, have long conversations that other party-goers are forced to listen to.

10. Drink too much and then insist that you are ok to drive.

Happy Holidays!
Patricia Mendez

1. Defrost it in the fridge in it’s original wrap in a pan for 2-3 days to thaw.
2. Take out the bag of giblets (liver, heart, kidneys) out of the large cavity of the turkey and (reserve for stock) before roasting.
3. Take out the neck in the opposite smaller cavity of the turkey (reserve for stock) before roasting.
4. To make it easier, I recommended that they not put the stuffing in the turkey, but rather bake it in a separate casserole dish.
5. I told them to refer to the “My First Thanksgiving” chapter of my book, Easy Entertaining for Beginners for further simple instructions and a detailed step-by-step checklist.

They thought that sounded easy enough. I got a call from Martin the night before Thanksgiving and he sounded a bit confused. He said, “Mom, I know you said the turkey neck would be inside the turkey, but ours is still on. Do I just rip it off?”

I knew immediately what he was talking about. I gently told him that the body part he was referring to was not the neck, but rather the tail of the turkey! He was a little embarrassed, but I told him not to be. Think about it. When the bird is alive, he is not laying on his back as he is in the neat packaging he arrives in from the store. He is the other end up. It can get confusing if you have never prepared a turkey and I thought it was a perfectly understandable mistake. I waited till I hung up to have a good laugh.

The next day as we were in the final 30 minute countdown before the meal, I showed them how to use an instant-read thermometer to see if the turkey was finished roasting. It was no where near ready and I could feel the doubting look in my turkey roasting abilities cross Martin’s face. Hmmm… follow the checklist in your chapter and everything will be finished on time?? I admit I was stumped. The stuffing was in the casserole, not in the turkey which can typically increase the roasting time. What in the heck was going on?

It ended up taking another full hour to roast. As Martin was readying to carve it for the meal, my daughter-in-law said, “Oh, by the way, I stuffed the turkey with some leftover ham I had in the refrigerator. I thought it might be good.” Ham! Now, that was original and my shaken confidence was restored.

Ah-Ha, there was a perfectly sensible reason the turkey took an extra hour to roast. There was about 4 cups of chopped up ham tightly squeezed into the cavity so the turkey took much longer to fully roast! I wasn’t going crazy after all. And you want to know the really funny part? The turkey AND the ham tasted pretty darn good. They did a great job and we had lots of fun.

Happy Entertaining!
Patricia Mendez

Let me start by saying what most cooking classes and books don’t tell you. Of all the meals you typically prepare in a year, this one can be the most labor-intensive. Preparing a Thanksgiving meal can be a lot of work. Every year, fantastic cooks and chefs are challenged to come up with a new take on what is a very traditional meal. They offer all types of variations and new recipes. However, since most people eat a Thanksgiving meal only once a year, they like the basics: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls and pumpkin pie for dessert. So if you are a beginner who is cooking for a crowd, to keep it as simple and doable as possible, stick to the basics. The reason I tell you this is not to discourage you, but rather to prepare you. I like to know what I’m getting into ahead of time, so I can gird my loins for the battle!

Having said that, if you follow my previous advice of pacing yourself and being organized you can pull off a delicious, memorable meal for your family and friends. And you will have joined the millions of home cooks nationwide who stare in disbelief when a Thanksgiving meal that has taken 3 days to prepare has been consumed in 15 minutes flat! Take it as a compliment. Your family will enjoy your meal and your guests will have one more thing to be thankful for…you!

Happy Entertaining,
Patricia Mendez

I hosted an Easy Holiday Entertaining event at my home recently. The one thing that my guests agreed on was the fact that they are busier than ever in their lives. EASY Entertaining ideas are needed and have great appeal to them.

I think entertaining should fit your life. Whether you work full-time inside or outside your home, the thought of squeezing in a dinner party, Thanksgiving feast or Christmas Open House can be overwhelming. Here are a few timesaving tips:

1. If this is your year to host Thanksgiving or a New Year’s Eve party, be realistic and cut down on other things to make it managable for you. You don’t want the holidays to be a blur of exhausting activity that leaves you needing a week to recuperate.

2. It is ok to take guests up on their offer to bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert to a large meal like Thanksgiving. This can take some of the pressure off and you can concentrate on the main meal items.

3. It is ok to take guests up on their offer to help with clean-up after a large meal, like Thanksgiving.

4. It is ok to fill in your menu with some favorite purchased items that you know your guests will enjoy. You can pick up a mouthwatering dessert at a local bakery. Local warehouse stores are huge successes because they understand what their customers need. At the holidays they carry tons of delicious dips, fresh breads. pre-made food. Take them out of the store containers and serve on your serving pieces for a beautiful presentation of purchased food along with a few recipes that you prepare.

5. Do a few things and do those well. Concentrate on the food, table and the tone that you set as host. Forget the idea that everything has to be absolutely perfect. If you concentrate your efforts on these three areas, you will pull off fun and enjoyable dinner parties.

Patricia Mendez

1. The tone you set for your gathering as host.
2. The food
3. The table

All of the other bells and whistles of entertaining can be added and learned along the way as you gain some experience. But I would like to encourage you that you can host successful entertaining if you concentrate on the three basics above. You can create wonderful memories and connect with family and friends in a very effective way.

There is nothing wrong with meeting your friends in restaurants and that definitely has it’s place in our busy lives. But if you are doing that exclusively you are missing out. Socializing only in restaurants and happy hours is not quite the same as being invited into some one’s home. No big crowds, no waiting in long lines, no expensive bills. Just a chance to slow down in an intimate gathering with warm hospitality and good food. This is the gift you give to others when you host at-home entertaining.

1. Since habitually running behind schedule can throw your timing and your schedule completely off, the remedy is simple. Just a bit of organization can keep all of your planning and preparation on track. The result? A host that is not frazzled and exhausted as the guests arrive. For example:

a. When you plan a get-together, give yourself 2-3 days for preparation. That might sound like a lot to you in our instant microwave world, but it is so well-worth the effort. You won’t be exhausted and you will have the chance to fix any mistakes you might make.

b. When you do some of your entertaining preparation a day or two before your dinner party, you will have time to get dressed and ready a couple of hours before guests arrive. Turn on the music, light the candles and take a deep breath. Remember, you are giving a gift to your guests of delicious food and warm friendship.

c. When guests arrive, make sure you greet each one and make introductions. Get a beverage in their hands and help guests who might not know each other well get acquainted. Offer a conversation starter such as something guests might have in common or something interesting from their lives. For instance, you could say, “Mary, I would like you to meet John.” “John, Mary was born in your birthplace, New York City.” Chances are, they will start chatting away about New York City and what is was like to grow up there and where exactly they each were born, etc. You get the picture. These attempts can encourage the start of a conversation for guests who are unfamiliar with each other and avoid the awkwardness that can be felt by guests who are new to your gathering. This sets a friendly tone for your party.

d. Lastly, you want your guests to feel of all the way you could be spending your time, being with them on that particular occasion is exactly where you prefer to be.