Easy Entertaining for Beginners

This delicious Italian salad is made with toasted sourdough bread cubes and fresh summer vegetables.  Serves 6-8. 

1 seedless cucumber, peeled, sliced
½ cup red onion, peeled & chopped
1 heirloom tomato, chopped
2 cups bread cubes from sourdough baguette, toasted
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry or champagne vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place 1-2” bread cubes on baking sheet. Toast until crunchy, about 13-15 minutes, turning halfway through baking. Cool and toss all ingredients together 15-20 minutes before serving.

6 beef burger patties, Angus ground chuck, if available 
Salt and pepper to taste
6 gourmet hamburger buns, toasted with butter
6 thin slices of feta cheese
1 medium red onion, sliced & grilled
Oregano Mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried & crushed or ground, Greek

Mix mayo and oregano together and refrigerate. Pre-heat grill and rub with oil. Grill onion slices 2-3 minutes on each side and set aside. Season and grill burger patties 3 minutes per side until desired doneness. Top burgers with feta cheese and grilled onion. Toast lightly buttered buns on grill and place burgers on buns. Top with Oregano Mayo and tomato slices and lettuce, if desired.
Note: Buy a block of feta cheese and slice thinly. If you cannot find a block, purchase crumbled feta cheese and carefully top burger and melt slightly on grill.

1 – 16.5 oz. roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup strawberries, sliced

2 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1 – 8 oz. carton mascarpone cheese

1 – 3 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar

Glaze

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ cup orange juice

Spray 9-10” tart pan or pie pan lightly with cooking spray. Press cookie dough into pan and up the sides and bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool. (The dough will settle down the sides of the pan, but will still make a tall enough edge to hold the toppings.)

Mix all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and simmer 1-2 minutes. Cool.

6-8 ears fresh corn

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup grated cotija cheese or parmesan

Red pepper hot sauce or ancho chile powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Peel back outer husk of corn and remove silks and run corn under cold water. Replace husks and wrap each cob in heavy duty foil. Cover the grill and cook, turning every few minutes for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil, peel back husks away from corn but do not remove(this serves as a handle to make it easier to eat).

Slather with mayonnaise, salt & pepper and  cotija cheese and serve. Let guests splash hot sauce or sprinkle ancho chile powder on their corn, if they desire.

1 package (18-19 ounces) chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients needed on package

1 (8 ounce) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can cherry pie filling

Pre-heat oven and spray 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray and dust with cocoa. Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour into sheet pan. In small bowl, mix cream cheese, egg, and sugar, salt and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on cake and bake according to package directions. Cool and top with cherry pie filling.

Serve these tender, poached Bosc pears topped with the decadent Coconut Cream for a special occasion dessert. Truly delicious!

Serves 8

3 cups water

½ cup orange juice

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

8 pears, ripe such as Bosc, washed, peeled, cored & cut in half

Coconut Cream

3 cups whole milk

1 cup coconut, flaked or shredded

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

6 egg yolks, large

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons butter, room temp

In a large saucepan, bring to boil the water, orange juice sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Lower heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until thickened and syrupy. Add the pear halves and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until pears are tender when poked with a fork. Do not overcook. Remove and cool completely.

In a medium sauce pan, stir together the milk, coconut and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and slowly bring to scalding, but not boiling, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick. With a whisk, add the sugar, flour and cornstarch. Add the egg mixture to the hot milk slowly while whisking vigorously and continue to simmer over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat & cool. When almost cool, stir in butter. Allow to cool completely.

To serve, place two pear halves on each plate. Fill with coconut cream and serve.

Note: If your pears are hard when you purchase them, place them in a brown bag and leave on the counter or in the cupboard for a couple of days until they ripen.

Serves 6-8

1 ½ pounds potatoes, Yukon Gold, peeled, chopped

1 ½ pounds turnips, peeled, chopped

1 tablespoon salt

4 cloves garlic, peeled

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup milk

1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Cover the potatoes and turnips pieces in a large pot and cover with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 17-18 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well and pour potato mixture back into pot.

Heat the butter and milk in a heat-proof measuring cup in the microwave for 1 minute. Mash potato/turnip/garlic mixture with the butter and milk. If you need a bit more milk, add 1 tablespoon at a time. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

NOTE: This recipe may be made in advance and re-heated in the oven. Follow directions (except do not add the parsley) and add to a 9 x 13 casserole dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray (oil). Cover tightly. Take out of fridge and let sit to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking.  Cover and heat at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Add fresh parsley and stir to serve.

Serves 6

6 pork loin chops, 6 oz. each, about 1 inch thick

Olive oil

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Salt and pepper

Apple Cream Sauce

2 cups cooking apples (McIntosh, Granny Smith), peeled, cored & chopped (2-3 medium apples)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2/3 cup apple cider

1 large thyme sprig (produce aisle)

2/3 cup chicken broth, purchased

1 ¼ cups half and half

To make Apple Cream Sauce, place the apples, onion, garlic, cider, thyme sprig and chicken broth in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer for 13-15 minutes. Discard the thyme and add the half and half. Carefully blend sauce mixture in blender or food processor (contents will be hot). If extra smooth sauce is desired, strain through a strainer over a bowl and serve the Apple Cream Sauce with the Spice Rubbed Pork Chops. This sauce may be made 1 day in advance, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Re-heat on low heat in a heavy saucepan for 4-6 minutes to serve.

Rub each pork chop generously with olive oil. Mix together the dried rosemary and marjoram and rub on both sides of chops. Salt and pepper both sides as well. Marinate at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until no longer pink inside. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with the Apple Cream Sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped

2 cups long grain rice

4 cups vegetable broth, purchased

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup pineapple pieces, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add onion, stirring for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add rice. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until rice turns from translucent to milky white, about 4-5 minutes. Add hot vegetable broth, cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir in salt, pineapple and basil and serve in hollowed out halves of pineapple for a festive presentation.