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Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

Fried Mozzarella Salad

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Entertaining Ideas, Recipes, Salads, tagged , , , , on July 1, 2011| 1 Comment »

I must issue a warning that today’s salad might not be the most healthy you could choose -but the tastiness more than makes up for it!

Sticking with the Patriotic Theme, this salad is a fun pop of color for your 4th of July table and it comes together quickly!

Start by drenching mozzarella slices in flour.

Then coat them with beaten egg.

And finish off the coating with Panko bread crumbs mixed with shredded Parmesan cheese. If you enjoy nuts, you can add chopped toasted pecans here. For someone allergic to nuts, not such a great option.

Start getting your oil hot for frying while you finish battering the cheese slices. Aren't they pretty?

If you have a deep fat fryer, great. If not, use a heavy cast iron skillet and heat the oil until bubbling hot. Carefully fry the cheese. It took just seconds to cook both sides.

I whipped together a dressing using raspberry juice, vinegar and olive oil. If I hadn't decided to make this at the last second, I would have used a bottled raspberry vinaigrette.

Put down a bed of spinach leaves then toss on some raspberries and blueberries. Top with your dressing.

Place cheese on salad and enjoy if you haven’t devoured the cheese before it makes it to the salad. Even Captain Cavedweller, who does not like cheese, ate more than his share (including some of mine).

 

Fried Mozzarella Salad

Sliced Mozzarella Cheese

Flour

Egg (beaten)

Panko Crumbs

Parmesan Cheese (shredded)

Salt

Spinach

Raspberries

Blueberries

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Prepare spinach and berries and set aside.

Put flour in one bowl, beaten egg in a second and the panko crumbs mixed with the Parmesan cheese and salt in a third. Make sure the bowls are wide enough your cheese slices will sit flat inside.

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or cast iron skillet. You want it to be good and hot.

Drench cheese slices through flour, egg and panko mix. When they are all finished, start frying. It will take just a few seconds to brown each side. The smell will begin to weaken your knees. Should you give in to temptation and take a bite, you may never get the cheese onto the salad.

Drizzle dressing over spinach and berries then top with a slice or two of the cheese.

Enjoy!

Happy Fourth of July Entertaining!

She Who Wishes you a Safe and Happy Holiday!

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Patriotic Trifle

Posted in Desserts, Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, Recipes, tagged , , , , on June 30, 2011| 3 Comments »


I love making trifles.

They are fast, easy and so good. And people will think you have slaved over these babies for hours.

I’m just going to give you a list of ingredients and you can adjust the portions based on how many you want to make.

The cast of characters.

 

Cut the cake into bite-size pieces and layer in the bottom of your serving dish. I used stemmed goblets because they were pretty, but you can make this in individual bowls or make one great big layered bowl of trifle – use a clear glass bowl for the must stunning presentation.

 

Top the cake with vanilla pudding. I used instant and for this intent and purpose  it works just fine. And it is fast and easy when you are feeling slug-like.

 

Top the pudding with berries. I used raspberries and blueberries because I wanted this to look patriotic and festive, but you could use any combination you like.

 

Layer delicious freshly whipped whip cream on top of the berries. You could use frozen whipped topping, but fresh whipped cream tastes so much better.

 

Repeat layers and finish with a berry on top.

 

Patriotic Trifle

pound cake, cut into bite-sized pieces

instant vanilla pudding, made according to package directions

berries

whipped cream

Layer cake, pudding, berries and whipped cream in a pretty serving bowl or individual serving pieces. Repeat layers and top with whipped cream and a berry. Refrain from snitching too much while you are layering and enjoy the looks of awe and joy as your guests dig into this delicious dessert. You can make ahead of time and refrigerate for an hour or two – but don’t make too far in advance because the cake can get soggy.

Enjoy!

She Who Loves Trifles

 

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Super Easy Patriotic Dessert

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Entertaining at Home, Fast Recipes, Holidays, tagged , , , , , on June 29, 2011| 3 Comments »

If you are looking for a dessert that is so simple and effortless it practically makes itself, let me know when you find it.

All kidding aside, this dessert is super fast and easy and delicious so if you aren’t exactly Betty Baker, whip this together then stand back and listen to the ohhs and ahhs as your guests like their plates clean and ask for more!

Start with a pre-made pound cake (I used Sara Lee’s frozen pound cake). Slice into about quarter to half-inch slices – depending on if you want hearty or more delicate slices.

Wash raspberries and stir in a spoon or two of sugar. Set aside and let the sugar work its magic on the raspberries while you rinse the blueberries.

I used freshly whipped cream, but you can also use frozen whipped topping if you aren’t into beating defenseless cream into a frothy pile of deliciousness.

Put the cake in a fun serving bowl or platter. I just picked up this blue beauty (and the little blue bowl) last week at Sur la Table – one of my new favorite stores. I kept wandering around in there so long Captain Cavedweller finally agreed to come back and pick my drooling self up half an hour later. It was a good thing he came when he did or I’m not sure I could have restrained myself from buying approximately 37 more things that I really, really wanted. But I had to have these! Had to!

Use red, white and blue dishes for your berries and whipped cream. It looks fun and festive without being a lot of work!

Enjoy!

She Who Really Likes Finding Favorite New Stores!

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Fourth of July Party Ideas

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Holidays, Party Theme, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , on June 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The rest of this week, I’ll be posting Fourth of July party tips and ideas. You may even get a recipe or two if you stick around.

Today, I wanted to post a few cute and fun ideas I came across last week in my travels. Please keep in mind Hubby and I were on vacation and I got to go to at least 75 stores which is about 74 more than I usually do a month let alone a week so I don’t remember exactly where I found what.

This was one of the first things I found and had to have. I think I grabbed it at one of those outlet mall kitchen stores. I think. It is silicone and works really slick. I strongly advise against putting it in the dishwasher. Even the top rack warped it. Still makes the mold just fine, but it doesn’t sit flat or straight.

I used juice to make the cubes. That way when added to punch or pop on a hot day, you aren’t diluting the liquid. Freeze fun colors like red juice or blue Kool-Aid for an unexpected patriot pop of color.

You can also use this mold for jello, mints, chocolate  – all sorts of fun and entertaining items. I was most entertained by the frozen juice stars. They were pretty yummy.

This one is easy – you can get patriotic cupcake papers just about everywhere right now. They are in grocery stores, departments stores, kitchen stores. I think I got these at Wal-mart last year.

The point of all this rambling is do something fun with these besides cupcakes. Arrange them on a serving tray and fill with a patriotic snack mix like Chex Mix with red, white and blue M&Ms. Use them to hold solid berries like blueberries or strawberries. Raspberries can get a little smooshy on you in the heat. Fill them with grapes, nuts, bits of fresh veggies. Put battery-operated tea lights in them and place them around for decorations on your buffet table. Place a Tostito’s scoops chip in each one and fill with cheese, taco-seasoned meat and olives. Put a brownie bite inside and finish with a dollop of whipped cream (use Reddi-Whip in the heat to keep a swirled shape the longest.)

I loved this mini patriotic pinwheels. What I’m going to do with them exactly I don’t know, but the possibilities are so exciting! You could tuck them in a salad or dessert for a fun accent. Put a piece of rectangular florist foam in a long container, cover the top with moss, then poke in stems of red,white and blue flowers and use these little gems for a final accent for your centerpiece. Use them to mark dishes that are extra hot or spicy.

Think outside the box and have fun with your Fourth of July entertaining. You’ll be a savvy entertaining!

She Who Needs to Get Crackin’ on Her Own Fourth of July Buffet Plans

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