Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Caper Aioli | Easy Summer Entertaining Recipes

This is one of my all time favorite 'restaurant' recipes.  Anytime I go to a restaurant and I see grilled artichokes on the menu, I order them.  I've found that I like them best when simply grilled with a little bit of seasoning and a great dipping sauce.  I used to be intimidated by making a dipping sauce- especially those named 'aioli' until I discovered that 'aioli' is mayonnaise...  Now I use mayonnaise as a base to make all kinds of great dipping sauces- this lemon and caper is one of my favorites.  It is great with grilled shrimp, too- a favorite from my catering days.

Grilled Artichokes
with a Lemon Garlic Caper Aioli

3 artichokes, quartered
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of sea salt + 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper

for the aioli:
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 lemon, the juice of
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of capers (or more, if you'd like)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper

Combine olive oil and 1 clove of garlic cut in slices.  Let the garlic infuse into the oil while you are preparing the artichokes.

Cut the artichokes in quarters, lengthwise.  Fill a medium saucepan with water with 1 tablespoon of sea salt.  Bring to a boil.  Add artichoke quarters and cook for 20-30 minutes until tender.  Remove from water and let them cool on a baking sheet.  If you are preparing these ahead of time, you can refrigerate them at this point up to over night.

Before grilling, brush the garlic infused olive oil onto all sides of the artichoke hearts.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side until there is a nice char on the leaves.

For the sauce, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic capers, salt and pepper.   Add more lemon, salt and/or pepper to taste.

The grilled artichokes are the perfect compliment to Grilled Prosciutto & Fresh Mozzarella toasts.

Summer Brew | Orange & Blueberry Wheat Beer

Summer Brews are the best - refreshing, flavorful, citrus-y and light.  The original Summer Brew is beer mixed with vodka lemonade.  Delicious.  However, I'm a huge fan of wheat beers (Boulevard, Blue Moon, etc.) topped with an orange... so, I created my own version of a summer brew with fresh squeezed orange juice, vodka and wheat beer.  I garnished it with fresh blue berries and an orange slice to make it colorful and fun... it is, after all, a cocktail.

Orange & Blueberry
Summer Brew
4 cocktails


3 oranges, 2 juiced, 1 sliced
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup of vodka
4 wheat beers (ex. Boulevard, Blue Moon)
Fresh Blue Berries

Mix together the fresh orange juice, water, sugar and vodka just before the party - keep it cold in the refrigerator, then add the beer and garnishes when served.

Summer Brews are great for outdoor parties - more refreshing than wine on these hot summer evenings.

Get the Marinated Steak Kebabs recipe, here.

See all of the details of my Outdoor Dinner Party, here.

Star-Spangled Sangria | 4th of July Outdoor Bar & Decorations

Another re-post from last year - one of my favorites! 
.....

Sangria is one of my favorite Summer drinks... wait, is it that obvious?  Yes, this is my second Sangria post of the Summer.  This version was created especially for TheDaily.com for our 4th of July DIY Entertaining video.  To see the video, more details and recipes (including a Red, White & Blueberry Ice Cream Cake) from the shoot, click here!

Star-Spangled
Sangria


1 bottle of white wine (pinot grigio works great)
1 cup of peach brandy
3 red apples
1 pint of blueberries
1/4 cup of sugar

Cut the slices of the apples off of their cores into 4 large slices from each apple. Using a small star cookie cutter, cut a star out of each apple slice. Place the stars into the bottom of a pitcher. Add blueberries. Pour in the brandy and let the fruit soak in the brandy for at least an hour, and up to four hours. Add white wine to the fruit and brandy mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup of sugar, or more to taste.

Serve chilled or with ice.

I served the Spangled Sangria in Mason Jars with Berry Skewers.  Just thread red and blue berries on a wooden skewer.  Not only just for looks, they work great to keep your drink nice and cold when frozen, too!  Click below to continue reading after the break!

Nine Color Salad - The Perfect Spring Salad

This "Nine Color Salad" is from a place in KC called Spin Pizza.  They specialize in gourmet wood fired pizzas with really high quality, simple ingredients.  This salad is so tasty.  I'm not sure if it is the combination of all of the different greens, or the crunch of the radishes and celery, or how the feta combines with the vinaigrette and coats the leaves of lettuce, but whatever it is - it is great.  And totally cravable.  Yes, a cravable salad.  This is how I recreated it for our friends last weekend:

Nine Color Salad
a cravable salad from Spin Pizza

Boston Bibb Lettuce
Radicchio
Radishes
Red Onion
Celery
Scallion
Feta Cheese
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Dried Italian Herbs
Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/4 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon of Dried Italian Herbs
1 tablespoon of Sugar
2 teaspoons of Sea Salt
1 teaspoon of Cracked Pepper
1/2 cup of Olive Oil

Roast the cherry tomatoes by drizzling them with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, then sprinkling with dried Italian herbs.  Roast at 425 for 5-8 minutes.  Let them cool while you prepare, wash and chop the other salad ingredients.  To make dressing, shake together all of the ingredients in a jar or stir them together with a whisk.  Toss all of the ingredients and serve.

White Peach Sangria | Summer Cocktail Recipes

I can't think of a better (and easier) drink to make for a Summer party than White Peach Sangria.  It is beautiful, easy to drink, refreshing, can easily be made in large quantities... and as potent as you want.  Sounds perfect to me.

If you're serving this at a celebration (or just a Saturday night...) try using half Proseco, an inexpensive Italian sparkling wine, for a little more festivity.

I served these at my Ladies Night Patio Party in my new rustic French Fleur de Lys glasses- I think they are the perfect casual, but elegant glass for sangria.


White Peach Sangria
the perfect summer drink


1 large 750ml bottle of Pinot Grigio (or any other white wine you like)

1 cup of Peach Brandy

2 tablespoons of sugar (you can add more if you like it a little sweeter)

4 peaches, sliced with skin on

1 orange, sliced

Ice (optional)

In a large pitcher (or two) combine all of the ingredients, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Serve chilled or with ice.

For the complete menu and all of the recipes from my Ladies Night Patio Party, click here!

The Best Homemade Biscuits - So, So Simple

Homemade Biscuits : Another tribute to the simple things... and another excuse to put my new Baking Pantry to use.

Real biscuits are so good.  The way the crumble, are buttery and flaky, and dense but light at the same time.  So, so good.  Think they're too indulgent to make for yourself?  Consider replacing the side of potatoes, or rice you were planning to serve for dinner with a biscuit - a worthy swap!  I love to fix these when we're having something really healthy like sliced seared flank steak with grilled vegetables.  What can I say, I need something indulgent at every meal.

Homemade Buttermilk

Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for the board and cutting)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken
1 cold extra-large egg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment.  Add butter and mix on low until it is a rough mixture.  In a small measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and egg and beat lightly with a fork.   Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. 

Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about 6 times to shape into a 2-3 inch high disk.  Using a round cutter, cut biscuits.  If you don't have a round biscuit cutter, you can use the rim of a glass or small bowl... or whatever else you can find!  Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat liner.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, just until they begin to brown on top slightly. 

Next time you're headed to someone's house for dinner, give them as a gift with some homemade blackberry jam - that is a lot easier to make that you might think.  Such a treat!

Coming soon... homemade blackberry jam recipe! 

For more baking inspiration - see my mini Baking Pantry Upgrade... it will make you want to head to The Container Store!

Planted Pansies Centerpiece | Spring Centerpiece | Mother's Day Centerpiece

 
It is no secret that I like planted flowers indoors - I love that they are seasonal, last longer than cut flowers and are usually much less expensive.  Do you know how much it would have cost me to make a floral arrangement to fill this pewter bowl- especially if I had it done at a floral shop.  Hundreds.  Hundreds!  For $12 I made this very sweet and seasonal centerpiece that would great for Mother's Day... or any other occasion like a Tuesday? 

Use potting soil to fill the container.  After a couple of days the flowers should be transferred to a pot, as this bowl doesn't have any drainage.  It will work great for about 5-7 days, though.  

Start by placing the flowers around the perimeter of the bowl, then fill in with soil.  Pack them in tight for a full effect.

Use moss to cover any exposed dirt... not a lovely sight on the dining table.

 Lovely

 Here is the easy-to-pin strip!

The Best Mac and Cheese Recipe | Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I remember being at my Grandma Steffens' house when I was about 6 or 7 and she asked what I wanted for lunch.  Macaroni and Cheese.  It was the only thing I would eat when I was younger.  It was an obsession.  A problem.  The only macaroni and cheese I would eat came from a blue box.  In fact, at least once a week you can bet that I'm still treating myself to a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

On that day at my Grandma's house I can remember her pulling a casserole dish out of the oven and putting it on the table.  The top had a layer of bubbling cheese.  I was terrified.  What was is?  Doesn't she know that Macaroni and Cheese is cooked in a saucepan, not a casserole dish?  Where was the powdered yellow-orange cheese?!

I'm not suggesting you should make this Baked Mac and Cheese recipe for your very picky 6-year-old, but I guarantee will be a big hit with anyone over the age 12.  Or 18, maybe.  If you really want to go for it... try my Lobster Mac and Cheese - great for Valentine's Day...  Would be great with a Pan-Seared Filet Mignon!

Baked Mac and Cheese
beyond the blue box

1 pound of macaroni
sea salt
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
4 cups of milk
12 ounces of cheddar, shredded
8 ounces of havarti cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
4 slices of bread, for crumbs

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add a couple of tablespoons of sea salt. 

In a saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter on medium low heat.  Stir in flour.  Cook butter and flour for 1 minute, while stirring.  Whisk in milk.  Cook over heat while whisking, until smooth.  Cook for 5 minutes on medium until thickened and bubbly.  The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat.

Add shredded cheeses, stirring until melted and smooth.  Season with cracked pepper.  Set aside.

Cook pasta until almost done - making sure it is not completely cooked.  Strain the pasta.  Add pasta into the cheese sauce and stir to coat the pasta.  Pour into a baking dish.

To make breadcrumbs, pulse bread in a food processor until it is in fine crumbs.  In a small skillet, melt remaining two tablespoons of butter, add the bread crumbs and cook over medium heat until they have toasted.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top of the macaroni.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly. 

Dahlias | Fall Flowers from the Farmers Market | Fall Centerpiece

When Summer ends, my mind turns to Mums and pumpkins.  I always forget about Dahlias.  Last weekend at the Farmer's Market I came across these Dahlias.  I loved that there were Fall colors of orange, deep red and rust, but also had coral and pink tones. 

To top it off, the farmer had added a few sprigs of Tuberose to the arrangement, that are also in season in early Fall. 

The scent of Tuberose is amazing - it reminds me of our wedding last October.  All of the men wore tuberose boutonnieres.

I put the bouquet in one of my tin arrangements.  These are the kind of casual floral 'arrangements' that I like to use as centerpieces on my table - it looks like it could have been cut and gathered from my own garden... if I had one!