This is the cocktail set that inspired a night fit for a Mad Man.
My parents had this cocktail pitcher and glass set from the 1960s and it’s been sitting on a shelf in the RootsLiving butler’s pantry for years gathering dust. So we decided to put it to good use by throwing a 1960s dinner party.
We knew the night would have to start off with some cocktails so deciding on that was no problem. We made a pitcher of Manhattans.
But food for a 60s dinner party could go several ways. Should we go the bean sprout hippie route complete with grass brownies for dessert? Or should we go the chic fondue route, a la Mad Men style?
We chose the latter, minus the fondue.
If you haven't had iceberg lettuce in awhile, try this.
We served the Manhattans with appetizers of deviled eggs, tiny pigs in a blanket, and potato chips with onion dip.
For the main course we had beef stroganoff, served with a wedge salad.
And for dessert we had ambrosia, made with Cool Whip.
Surprisingly, some of the easiest things to make got the most raves: don’t underestimate a good onion dip or the power of Cool Whip.
Here are the recipes:
Appetizer/Cocktail Hour
Main Course
Open up a few cans and you've got ambrosia.
Dessert
This is a good recipe to keep in your repertoire now that colder days approach.
Here’s a quicker and easier recipe than Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon.
With temperatures in the 40s yesterday I was looking to make something in my dutch oven. So I looked on the Staub website and found this recipe. It’s time consuming (needs two hours in the oven) but pretty simple to make and dirties only one pan: your dutch oven.
Once you crisp the bacon, brown the beef, and saute the mushrooms, you throw everything back into the dutch oven and wait 2 hours for it to be done. I don’t have the steamer insert so I didn’t make the potatoes as described in this recipe on the Staub website. Instead I opted for mashed potatoes and some crusty bread.
Beef Bourguignon (From the Staub Website)
Ingredients:
Heat a 5 qt. cocotte over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate. Add the mushrooms to the cocotte and cook until golden and just tender, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the plate with the bacon. Season the beef generously with the salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, warm the cocotte. Working in 3 batches, brown the beef on all sides until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate. After the last batch of beef is browned, deglaze the cocotte with 1/2 cup beef broth, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return all the beef, bacon, and mushrooms to the cocotte. Add the flour, stir to coat evenly, and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrots, pearl onions, garlic, and tomato paste to the cocotte. Add the brandy and simmer for 30 seconds. Add the wine, remaining beef broth, and bouquet garni to the cocotte and increase the heat to medium-high, bringing the liquid to a boil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour. Check the stew and give it a stir. Continue cooking the stew, covered, until the beef is fork-tender, 30 to 45 minutes more. Taste the liquid and season with salt and pepper, if desired, and discard the bouqet garni. Spoon the beef bourguignon into a shallow bowl. Serve with potatoes and garnish with parsley.
Find more recipes in the Food section.
These radishes have a crisp, clean taste. And they're mild.
This is as simple (and colorful) as it gets.
My friend Kristi recently gave me some watermelon radishes she got from a local farm as part of her CSA (community supported agriculture) delivery. I never heard of them and asked how to prepare them.
“Eat them raw,” she suggested. “They’re very good with hummus.”
So I washed and peeled them, and then sliced them into disks. They go well with hummus and make a colorful, healthy appetizer.
Roasted potatoes go well with this dish.
My friend Jeannie gave me the most beautiful cookbook for Christmas. It’s part of Williams-Sonoma’s “Authentic Recipes of the World” series. And this one focusses on the city of Florence.
Northern italians cook simply with the freshest and best ingredients at hand. And that’s what you should do here.
So splurge: buy a good chicken, not one of those thawed out ones for 99-cents a pound. And use the best lemons you can find. There aren’t too many more ingredients to this dish but here’s the list:
What I did:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Rub outside of chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle skin and insides with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with two whole lemons. Put the chicken in a lightly oiled shallow roasting pan and cook for about 1 1/4 hours, until golden brown. Baste occasionally. Transfer chicken to a carving board and remove the lemons. Then tent some aluminum foil over it. When the lemons are cool to the touch, cut them in half and squeeze the juice into the roasting pan. Throw the lemons away. Add 3 tbspoons of water to the pan and place over high heat. Cook for about two minutes, until reduced by 1/3. Carve the chicken and arrange on a platter. The pour the lemon pan juices over it.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub outside of chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle skin and insides with salt and pepper.
Stuff the cavity with two whole lemons.
Put the chicken in a lightly oiled shallow roasting pan and cook for about 1 1/4 hours, until golden brown. Baste occasionally.
Transfer chicken to a carving board and remove the lemons. Then tent some aluminum foil over it.
When the lemons are cool to the touch, cut them in half and squeeze the juice into the roasting pan. Throw the lemons away.
Add 3 tbspoons of water to the pan and place over high heat.
Cook for about two minutes, until reduced by 1/3.
Carve the chicken and arrange on a platter. The pour the lemon pan juices over it.
Makes about 4 servings.
This ancient Italian recipe is quick and easy to make and won't heat up your kitchen.
Afternoon thunderstorms gave some relief from the Greater Boston area heat wave today.
And so, I returned to the kitchen after a week of take out, cold cereal, and quick omelette dinners.
But it’s still hot. So what’s a well-intentioned cook to do?
Tonight, I’m making some “Easy Week Night Pasta.” Here are some other recipes that won’t heat up the house (too much) but are certain to bring a warm smile to your face:
1.) Beach Salads and Bruschetta
2.) Octupus’s Garden Gazpacho With Leftover Chicken Hummus Sandwiches
3.) Mortadella and Ham Salad Tapas
4.) Grilled Braciole Fit for a Saint
5.) Breakfast for Dinner: Gingerbread Pancakes
6.) Soup & Sandwich Night With Style (Instead of Take Out)
Find more dinner ideas in the Food section.
Mary shows off her kitchen skills and a necklace she bought on her last visit to Spain.
Watching my friend Mary cook in her kitchen is more exciting than watching Rachel Ray and Giada De Laurentiis battle it out on the Iron Chef. You can see, hear and smell the food cooking, knowing that in a few minutes you’re getting some!
Mary’s a great cook and hostess and last night she and her husband Ray invited a few close friends to their home in Gloucester, Mass. for sangria, tapas and paella, followed by a wine tasting. The tapas included a homemade aloili, stuffed mushrooms, manchego cheese and crackers, a mortadella and ham salad, and bowls of almonds and olives.
But the main course was paella, two in fact: one made with seafood and one made with chicken. Both were perfectly prepared: light, moist, a hundred flavors playing on your tongue at once with only a delicate hint of saffron.
Mary notes: “There are so many variations on this dish. For the fisherman husband who does not like seafood, I leave that out and have chicken and chorizo. You can also make a veggie type with asparagus and beans, etc. I’ve played around with quite a few versions, but usually end up doing something like this… It’s like building layers of flavor all in one pan. Best served with a nice glass of tempranillo or garnacha, and good friends of course. J“
When making paella the rice cooks in the pan absorbing the flavors from everything else.
Chicken Paella (You can also substitute seafood for the chicken, such as shrimp, scallops, mussels and/or lobster.)
Ingredients/Shopping List
What Mary did:
Heat a paella pan or very large, shallow skillet or pot, preferably with 2 handles over high heat. A large cast iron skillet would also work here. Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear in the olive oil until brown all over. Transfer to a plate with tongs. Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions and bell pepper until softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chorizo. Bring the liquid to a boil and then stir in the rice and saffron. Add the browned chicken pieces. The rice should be completely covered with liquid. Cook the paella without stirring for 20 minutes. When the liquid has all been absorbed, pour the peas over the top of the pot, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Let stand 5 minutes and then serve with lemon wedges.
Heat a paella pan or very large, shallow skillet or pot, preferably with 2 handles over high heat. A large cast iron skillet would also work here.
Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear in the olive oil until brown all over. Transfer to a plate with tongs.
Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions and bell pepper until softened.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chorizo.
Bring the liquid to a boil and then stir in the rice and saffron.
Add the browned chicken pieces. The rice should be completely covered with liquid.
Cook the paella without stirring for 20 minutes. When the liquid has all been absorbed, pour the peas over the top of the pot, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel.
Let stand 5 minutes and then serve with lemon wedges.
Mmm. After eating the tapas and paella we sampled a few bottles of some red Spanish wine. But to be honest, we had so much fun I can’t remember which bottle we liked best.
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