Make Ahead Party Fare

We are having a big party at the house in a few weeks and I've learned that it makes a LOT of sense to do as much ahead of time as you can.

I thought it would be helpful to share a couple of recipes I am using that you can make ahead of time and freeze.

Vidalia, Artichoke and Spinach Dip

This is my variation on the old standby. I've never made this before --it just came together. It tastes amazing even before being cooked so I have high hopes.

This is a double recipe and fits easily into your standard 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. You could also use a long shallow dish to get more yummy crusty top.

1 1/2 cups Vidalia onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 14 oz cans quartered artichoke hearts, well drained
12 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and all the water squeezed out
1 lb cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. shredded Pizza blend cheese ( mozzarella, smoked provolone, Romano, Parmesan)
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 TB Uncle Lou's Corruption
1 TB ground corriander
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp freshly ground pepper blend
olive oil
cooking sherry

Saute onion and garlic in a generous splash of olive oil until translucent, using cooking sherry to deglaze the pan. In a deep mixing bowl blend the cream cheese, grated cheese, mayo and buttermilk then add the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and then put in a 2 1/2 q. Pyrex dish. Cut a piece of waxed paper to fit over the top then cover the whole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze.

The day before the party put in fridge. The day of the party check to see how thawed it is and allow enough time to get it ready to go into the oven. You want 350 degrees and cook it until it bubbles and is golden on top. Serve with crostini, crackers and (my favorite) warm crusty bread.

(unbaked)


Sausage Balls with Vidalia

I fiddled around with another oldie but goodie and came up with a winner. It's a little more complicated than the traditional recipes but truly worth the extra effort. Again this is a double recipe.

2 lbs pork sausage ( I used Purnell's Old Folks Medium)
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp corriander
2 c. Vidalia onions, finely chopped, sauteed in olive oil with a tsp of garlic powder until softened
6 c. Bisquick
5 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
3 c. grated sharp cheddar
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
8-12 TBSP Uncle Lou's Corruption ( what can I say?*grin*)
@ 1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Saute sausage with the next four ingredients until browned off, chopping into fine pieces. Remove from the pan and hold. Add the onions to the pan and saute until softened.

Mix the Bisquick, cheeses and Uncle Lou's together. Add the sausage, onions and blend. Add enough buttermilk to make it hold together.

Gently form 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased foil baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with parchment paper then aluminum foil. Freeze.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown--20-25 minutes.

(ready to freeze or bake)





I hope you try these ---they are great when you have a crowd. If you need to convert the recipe down just email me and I'll do it for you.

The Vidalias Are Here! The Vidalias Are Here!

When I'm in the mood to cook I sometimes know what I want to make. But a lot of the time I just throw some things together. This dish was inspired by the first Vidalia onions of the season and a jar of sun dried tomatoes.

Here is the mis en place:

@ 1 1/2 lbs boneless country style pork ribs
one small Vidalia sweet onion, sliced thinly
one small jar marinated sun dried tomatoes, chopped
one red bell pepper, chopped
one bunch asparagus, sliced diagonally
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme and oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp coriander
sherry
Olive oil
@ 1/2 lb cavatappi
and a glass of red wine for the cook*grin*

I cut my favorite stand-by meat, boneless country style pork ribs, into chunks and dusted them with the ground coriander and then sauteed in olive oil until golden. I got the pasta going because I knew I'd use some of the pasta water. I used cavatappi which is a corkscrew hollow pasta--one of my favorite shapes.

Once the meat is seared remove it and set aside. Add the onions and deglaze the pan with some sherry---again if you use 'cooking' wine don't use salt until the end. After the onions are translucent add the remaining ingredients to the pan, the asparagus last to keep it from over cooking.

I used about a cup of cooking sherry plus about a cup of the pasta water (this makes a great 'thickening' agent for a light sauce) and reduced until it was enough to lightly coat the pasta.

Once you have the sauce reduced add the meat back in with the well drained pasta and toss until covered. Drizzle a little EVOO over to finish.

Into the bowl and topped off with freshly grated parmigiano- reggiano , fresh ground peppercorn blend and freshly ground sea salt. And of course a nice glass of red or sauvignon blanc;-)

This turned out very yummy and will definitely go in the book. If anybody wants a more specific recipe email me. You could easily substitute chicken breasts/thighs and or shrimp in this.

Derby Day Redux

We had a great time at my friend's Derby party. I enjoyed very much being able to help with the sumptuous spread.

Just some of the nibbles

The gorgeous flowers by Stephen Hein

There's always room for Jello....shots ;-)

The fare included corn pudding bites, country ham from Wilson's (omg YUM), the Derby Cheese Torte(by me), crudite, fresh fruit, and chicken and pork satay(by me).

Down the other side of the table you found jumbo shrimp, a cheese tray, Bourbon marinated beef tenderloin, blanched local asparagus with lemon sea salt, salmon mousse, and chocolate covered strawberries. The desserts, which I somehow missed with the camera, included mint julep brownies, mint julep cheesecake and lemon rum cake.

Folks had a big time at the party and after 10 lbs of tenderloin, 10 lbs of country ham, 7 lbs of shrimp, 5 lbs of chicken and pork, 5 dozen chicken wings, bacon wrapped tots(by me)




sausage balls, The Nuts, and tons of cheese in a variety of ways no one left hungry and there was basically nothing left over.

I thought I'd share a couple more recipes for the party staples I did. These will work at any party where you want easy, delicious fare that you can make ahead and that will hold on a buffet table.

Sausage Balls

I didn't have a recipe for these so I grabbed one off the web. I made a few adjustments, substituting Monterey Jack for cheddar and buttermilk for milk and adding the Corruption.

3 c. Bisquik
1 lb country sausage (I used Purnell's Old Folks Medium)
2 8 oz packages of finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 c. + lowfat buttermilk
4-6 TB Uncle Lou's Corruption

Mix all ingredients together until well blended, adding enough buttermilk to make the dough hold together. Shape into one inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes.

If making ahead of time shape into balls and put on cookie sheets and freeze. Once frozen store in an airtight container until ready to use.

I think the next time I make these I am going to use a little more sausage and brown it off before I add it to the mix. I think it will make the balls fluffier. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Chicken and Pork Satay

This is very easy and much better than the satay you will see frozen in the big box stores. Soak your wooden skewers in water for at least half an hour.


I cut 2.5 lbs of chicken breast into thick strips. Throw any extra small pieces into the marinade.
I marinated the chicken in a mix of Ponzu, tangerine juice, sesame oil, peach habanero hot sauce and sherry for about half an hour on the counter. Make sure you bring the chicken to room temperature before grilling. These will take about 12-15 minutes depending on how thick you cut them.
I used boneless country style pork ribs for this, cutting 2.5 lbs into thick strips. They spent about half an hour on the counter marinating in coconut milk, coconut rum, corriander, lime juice and basil. These will take about 18-20 minutes on a hot grill.

With both of these I cooked them a day ahead and undercooked them a bit because I knew they'd be reheated in the oven. They were so good.

We are already planning for next year --that is a Derby tradition!

Starborough Sauvignon Blanc

I love wine.

When it starts to warm up I go for a nice Sauvignon Blanc. I find it a much more versatile white than Chardonnay. A good Sauvignon Blanc will go with a wider variety of foods. This is a most excellent thing when we are talking casual summer foods which can run the gamut from spicy grilled meats to crisp, citrusy salads to ripe sweet fruits in one meal.

I've had exceptional Sauvignon Blancs--Cloudy Bay comes to mind. But I don't want to pay close to $30 a bottle for wine to sip on my deck while grilling. So I search for things to try in the $9-$15 range.

I've found a winner.

This luscious Sauvignon Blanc is an appealingly delicious wine. It's lush without being overly so. The citrus note is lime, I taste pear and there is an overall tropical flavor. I don't pretend to know technical wine terminology. I know it's just plain good.

I think it tastes like summer.

I tasted it with a wide range of foods--Shrimp with Hot Garlic Sauce, crisp apple slices with butterkase and smoked ham, a big spoonful of Moose Tracks ice cream--- and was not disappointed once.

Most likely because the wine is designed to be drinkable.

Starborough is owned by E & J Gallo. If you let that put you off this yummy wine I guess that will make it more available to those of us who appreciate a wine for what is it, not for whose label is on it.

Do yourself a favor and give it a try.

I found it at Shopper's Village liquors in Chevy Chase

866 E High St
Lexington, KY 40502

(859) 269-3003