Lend Me Your Ears

Patio Toad

The Margarita Lifestyle – Chippin’ Dippin’ and Sippin’

     There’s nothing like a cool and tasty margarita on a hot summer’s day! It’s a grand accompaniment to go along with the guacamole and homemade chips I posted last week (click on Time To Take Your Culinary Entertaining Outdoors). All are made with fresh ingredients, and everyone knows chippin’, dippin’, and sippin’ is the perfect Rx for summer. So here it is – the best recipe ever for The Perfect Margarita!  Pitcher     Two Servings      6 oz.              3 oz.             Lime juice (two limes = about 3 oz.)      ½ cup           ¼ cup        …

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Kentucky Derby

Derby Day Is About Horses – And Kentucky Bourbon

     Of course, in the state of Kentucky it’s going to be all about the horses. Once a year this passion manifests itself in a marvelous event known as The Kentucky Derby. Many people travel great distances to experience the energy and the excitement surrounding what has become known as “The Run For The Roses.”      But Derby day is so much more than just a horserace. As the title says, it’s also about the bourbon. The locals are very fond of their native drink. They begin drinking early in…

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Dinner

So, What’s For Dinner?

Quote: “Dinner is not what you do in the evening before something else. Dinner is the evening.” – Art Buchwald      Perhaps what’s hardest about preparing for a dinner party is coming up with an idea of what to serve. When Dorothy and I are selecting dishes, we consult a menu we’ve compiled of our favorites. It’s in an actual menu format, and we keep it as an opening page in the front of our personal cooking notebook. We can scan the entries, and usually something will seem appropriate for…

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Seating Strategies For Your Dinner Party Guests

Quote: I don’t care where I sit, as long as I get fed. – Calvin Trillin Who To Invite “Dining partners, regardless of gender, social standing, or the years they’ve lived, should be chosen for their ability to eat – and drink! – with the right mixture of abandon and restraint. They should enjoy food and look upon its preparation and its degustation as one of the human arts.” ― M.F.K. Fisher   Deciding on a seating arrangement is one of the more important chores in preparing for your dinner party….

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A Cheese Course? Of Course

“A MEAL WITHOUT CHEESE IS A ONE-EYED BEAUTY”      This quote is attributed to Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. He was an eighteenth-century lawyer and politician as well as a noted epicure who is credited with many other quotes regarding food. A Wonderful Addition      I think a cheese course is a wonderful addition to any meal. It is usually inserted between the main meal and dessert. When we are hosting a dinner party, we have found that dessert is often too heavy an addition after a huge meal, and replacing dessert…

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Marbella

Your First Dinner Party? Start Simple.

Keep It Really Simple      If you’re interested in hosting a dinner party, don’t start with a sit-down dinner for eight.      Host a dinner with yourself and one other person. Pick an elegant but simple recipe and perfect it. A simple but exquisite dish is Chicken Marbella.  It may take several iterations to get it right, but your patience will be rewarded. It’s Showtime      Next try a dinner party for four. Serve the dish you have practiced preparing, and figure out how to make it special. Pick…

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entertaining

Parties and Gatherings – Having People Over

     There are many reasons to have a party, but it’s mainly about wanting to mingle with the people we enjoy.      Your friends will be touched to be invited, and that you will be welcoming them into your home. It shows affection, and it’s a wonderful way to show appreciation for their friendship.       A party can also satisfy many of our social and emotional needs as human beings. It’s a chance to explore personalities and to mesh friendships. It’s also a chance to meet new people and to be introduced to new thoughts and ideas. And always remember,…

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Rib roast

The Standing Prime Rib Roast

A Regal Presence On The Table      Preparing and serving a prime rib roast is always an event. Its regal presence on a table makes the occasion special, and its aroma can get my digestive juices flowing faster than any other food. It’s also interesting to watch our guests catch the first whiff of what’s in the oven. When they realize it’s prime rib, their excitement is almost palpable.     As human beings, we seem to continue to love meat. Our long history of the way we’ve consumed our eatables goes all of the way…

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tango

A Trinity Of Passions – Food, Love and Tango

     Of all the dances we have to choose from, the tango offers the best means for us to demonstrate our individuality, uniqueness and style. But it’s teasingly incomplete.  We must  decide on the recipe for our own individual tango. Like a cooking recipe it requires interpretation, iteration and alteration.  Simmer it on the dance floor and it can become interesting, alluring, and sensual. And like great food the result can be a dish that is absolutely heavenly.      According to a recent ABC News poll, nearly nine out of ten people in our country say they believe…

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