My husband had a reunion on Friday of his old computer buddies. Our house was
filled with lots of talk of Linux and retro-computing, and food, of course!
Cooking for others can be tough. At least it is for me. I've often found it difficult to find recipes that both my husband and I would like. And parties? That's even more of a problem. How do you satisfy so many tastes and preferences? And what sort of atmosphere do you want to create with your food? Casual? Picky? Lots of decisions to make for a person like me.
Luckily, Rachael Ray has set out some menus in her cookbooks for the decision-challenged. I wanted something hearty and casual because these guys are definitely not formal! I found a menu in her 30-Minute Meals that sounded good: Mini-Turkey Patties with Cranberry Sauce; Chutney, Nut and Cheddar Cheese Balls with Assorted Crackers and Flat Breads; Pear, Grape, Smoked Cheese, and Meat Board. For the dessert, I chose to substitute the Espresso Brownies from Rachael Ray's GetTogethers book, along with the gooey cake that I had made for Thanksgiving. I also added some fresh bread that I made that morning in my bread machine.
I truly enjoyed the Mini-Turkey Patties with Cranberry Sauce. They were small and spicy, two things that I enjoy. And the potato and pecan coating was deliciously crusty. The Cranberry Sauce was not something that I would have chosen myself, but it was good nonetheless. It balanced the spices in the patties themselves with just a little sweet and tang.
The Chutney, Nut and Cheddar Cheese Balls were easy to make, which is always a plus. The taste was interesting: not bad, but not something that I really enjoyed. I suppose I expected something more along the lines of the sharp cheddar logs that you buy at the grocery store. I think the one spice that I just didn't like was the ginger. I've tried to develop a taste for it but have not been able to as yet. Perhaps using less ginger the next time might make it more appealing to this woman.
For the Smoked Cheese and Meat Board, I chose a couple of cheeses and one summer sausage. Everyone seemed to enjoy this as it was NOT turkey and dressing. Most of the cheese and all of the sausage was devoured by the end of the day.
I was excited about the Espresso Brownies. Chocolate and coffee are my two favorite food groups. The flavor was dark and rich. They would've been wonderful with ice cream! (Unfortunately we didn't have any.) The thing I would change the next time would be to cook the mix by the directions on the box rather than in the recipe. The whole outside edge of the brownies burnt by the time that I took it out of the oven. Luckily, I was able to rescue the inside of the brownies. Whether or not the problem lay with me, the recipe, or the oven, I don't know. (Our oven is not the best.) The brownies themselves, though, were still delicious and a great ending to the party.
Cooking for others can be tough. At least it is for me. I've often found it difficult to find recipes that both my husband and I would like. And parties? That's even more of a problem. How do you satisfy so many tastes and preferences? And what sort of atmosphere do you want to create with your food? Casual? Picky? Lots of decisions to make for a person like me.
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Luckily, Rachael Ray has set out some menus in her cookbooks for the decision-challenged. I wanted something hearty and casual because these guys are definitely not formal! I found a menu in her 30-Minute Meals that sounded good: Mini-Turkey Patties with Cranberry Sauce; Chutney, Nut and Cheddar Cheese Balls with Assorted Crackers and Flat Breads; Pear, Grape, Smoked Cheese, and Meat Board. For the dessert, I chose to substitute the Espresso Brownies from Rachael Ray's GetTogethers book, along with the gooey cake that I had made for Thanksgiving. I also added some fresh bread that I made that morning in my bread machine.
I truly enjoyed the Mini-Turkey Patties with Cranberry Sauce. They were small and spicy, two things that I enjoy. And the potato and pecan coating was deliciously crusty. The Cranberry Sauce was not something that I would have chosen myself, but it was good nonetheless. It balanced the spices in the patties themselves with just a little sweet and tang.
The Chutney, Nut and Cheddar Cheese Balls were easy to make, which is always a plus. The taste was interesting: not bad, but not something that I really enjoyed. I suppose I expected something more along the lines of the sharp cheddar logs that you buy at the grocery store. I think the one spice that I just didn't like was the ginger. I've tried to develop a taste for it but have not been able to as yet. Perhaps using less ginger the next time might make it more appealing to this woman.
For the Smoked Cheese and Meat Board, I chose a couple of cheeses and one summer sausage. Everyone seemed to enjoy this as it was NOT turkey and dressing. Most of the cheese and all of the sausage was devoured by the end of the day.
I was excited about the Espresso Brownies. Chocolate and coffee are my two favorite food groups. The flavor was dark and rich. They would've been wonderful with ice cream! (Unfortunately we didn't have any.) The thing I would change the next time would be to cook the mix by the directions on the box rather than in the recipe. The whole outside edge of the brownies burnt by the time that I took it out of the oven. Luckily, I was able to rescue the inside of the brownies. Whether or not the problem lay with me, the recipe, or the oven, I don't know. (Our oven is not the best.) The brownies themselves, though, were still delicious and a great ending to the party.