Category: appetizers

Timing Is Everything

On By Leslie Byars RegisterIn appetizers, sides, The Parties3 Comments

Have you ever felt like you are attached to your oven with a ball and chain during a party? With that in mind, menu planning can be more important than you think. Below is an actual schedule that my friend Cindy had on her counter during her last dinner party. I asked her if I could keep it. I have very few friends who could pull this evening off, Cindy being one of them. She did it beautifully. This is easily doable if your menu is carefully planned from the start.

Cindy’s timing cheat sheet from her dinner party. Can you imagine keeping up with this and talking to your guests?

When hosting a dinner party, use all your cooking resources. Spread out the cooking—to the grill, stovetop, and oven or ovens. Make something ahead such as a salad. Have it ready to go in the serving bowl you plan to use in the refrigerator. You will be thanking yourself when the entire party is standing in the kitchen in your “cooking triangle”—which is now referred to as The Devil’s Triangle.

On one of those nights where the menu is complicated, I try to do a simple appetizer. One of my favorite Emergency Appetizers is as easy as putting out a bowl of pistachios. Not only will they hold your guests over until dinnertime, they are now entertaining themselves. How about that? I put out two attractive matching bowls and that’s it. Jon usually gives them a test run, like leaving a used toothpick in a bowl to show guests what to do.

Appetizer, check!
Be on the lookout for a pair of matching bowls.
Garden shops are a great source for serving pieces. These bowls are from Oak Street Garden Shop at oakstreetgardenshop.com.

The Star of the Show

This is the first time I can remember in a long time not being with my sister, Beth, on Thanksgiving. I’m going to miss her and our dressing bake-off.

First of all I have to say this is not an exact science—well, for me that is. It is kind of feel and taste as you go. But it has never seemed to disappoint anyone at the Thanksgiving table.

Mama Lil’s Thanksgiving Dressing

Makes 3 quarts

1 cup butter

1 ½ cups celery, finely chopped

¾ cup onion, finely chopped

2 (9-inch) pans of cornbread, crumbled (Leslie’s Tried-and-True Cornbread), see page 179, Leslie’s Party Diaries

3 to 4 biscuits, crumbled

1 to 2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ground sage

1 teaspoon pepper

Poultry seasoning to taste

A pinch of thyme and marjoram (optional)

2 eggs, beaten

3 to 4 cups warm chicken broth

Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté celery and onion until translucent, for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Making dressing is therapeutic to me. I love the aroma of celery and onions cooking in butter.

Add cornbread and biscuit crumbs and next 5 ingredients. (This is the point where I like to taste the mixture for flavor, before the eggs and broth are added.)

Stir in eggs. Gradually add chicken broth, 1 cup at a time. You may not need it all, so go slowly. And, on the other hand, you may need more. So be prepared. (When the mixture is in the baking dish it should easily jiggle, but not slosh.) Pour into a buttered 3-quart baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and thoroughly heated.

Yields 3 quarts

Mama Lil's Thanksgiving Dressing
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 ½ cups celery, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup onion, finely chopped
  • 2 (9-inch) pans of cornbread, crumbled (Leslie’s Tried-and-True Cornbread), see page 179, Leslie’s Party Diaries
  • 3 to 4 biscuits, crumbled
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • Poultry seasoning to taste
  • A pinch of thyme and marjoram (optional)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 to 4 cups warm chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté celery and onion until translucent, for about 5 to 7 minutes.
  2. Add cornbread and biscuit crumbs and next 5 ingredients. (This is the point where I like to taste the mixture for flavor, before the eggs and broth are added.)
  3. Stir in eggs. Gradually add chicken broth, 1 cup at a time. You may not need it all, so go slowly. And, on the other hand, you may need more. So be prepared. (When the mixture is in the baking dish it should easily jiggle, but not slosh.) Pour into a buttered 3-quart baking dish.
  4. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and thoroughly heated.
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https://dearpartydiary.com/timing-is-everything-especially-on-thanksgiving-day/

Leave it to my mother to have a china pattern called “Mayflower”. We eat on it every year.

Coming up in the next few posts, easy-to-eat holiday appetizers, food gifts with packaging, and some very interesting cocktails. You don’t want to miss. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and most of all, safe travels.

I would love to hear from you. Don’t be shy about making comments or asking questions. I love getting mail! Leslie

Toaster Oven Blues

On By Leslie Byars RegisterIn appetizers, appetizers4 Comments

Shortly after I mastered the Easy Bake Oven—or the lightbulb burned out, I’m not sure which happened first—I moved my culinary training to the toaster oven. At age seven or eight, I would whip up English muffin pizzas, Mr. Magoo toasted sandwiches (bread, American cheese, and topped with thin slices of bologna), and of course, my specialty, cinnamon toast. Boy, those were the days.

“Where have all the toaster ovens gone?”

Are clean countertops really worth it? I know it is the trend to appear as if you are not cooking in your kitchen—I too am a victim of this sometimes. And the thought of a greasy, boxy, tarnished apparatus taking up 2 cubic feet of counterspace is definitely a sacrifice. But not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could toast my turkey sandwich, melting the cheese and all, without preheating my big oven. And the cleanup of the 5-inch by 8-inch tray was a snap—and who ever cleaned them anyway? They were permanently lined with foil.

I think we are doing our children a disservice by eliminating toaster ovens from our kitchens.

“How are they ever going to learn how to cook?”

The recipes in this week’s post are for the children in our lives. Let’s get them back in the kitchen and out of the drive-thru lines.

The Doll Salad

The Doll Salad is a fun activity for young spend-the-night company.

The first salad I ever ate was in the shape of a doll—my mother was good. This is an easy way to sneak a few healthy bites into your child’s tummy, and a fun activity for spend-the-night company too. Order a pizza and ask the kids to make their own salad. Cut up their favorite fruits and vegetables, and let them go to town.

Form a ruffle-like skirt by overlapping the strawberry slices.

I used a small stainless cup for the head and to hold the salad dressing. The hair is made from strips of American cheese slices, and I used half of a fresh peach for the body, sliced strawberries for the tutu/skirt, and carrots and celery for the arms and legs. Grapes and blueberries are used for the buttons, shoes, and eyes. Anything your child likes that you have on hand will work. Get creative!

“Children want charcuterie too!”

Tic-Tac-Toe to My Tummy

Fix a children’s charcuterie platter at your next family gathering. Not only is this an activity for the kids, but also it will hold them over until dinner is on the table. I call this Tic-Tac-Toe to My Tummy.

Edible playing pieces make each game different and delicious.
Saltines and a slice of American cheese, quartered, make the tic-tac-toe board. Replace as needed!

On a small cutting board, arrange saltines and cheese to make a tic-tac-toe board. In small bowls around the board, place some of your child’s favorite fruits, nuts, cheeses, crackers, and deli meats. Anything that fits on the playing board is fair game. Well, you know the rest. The winner eats!

And, how about a homemade trick-or-treat for those special ones in your life? These quick and easy blond brownies are also the perfect sweet bite to end any casual meal. You’ll be surprised how moist and yummy they are!

“Yum” is the first word out of everyone’s mouth once they try these.

I’m not the biggest fan of making desserts, so when I find one that is foolproof and quick, I’ll make it over and over.

I use my KitchenAid mixer for this recipe (because it is sitting there), but you can use a hand mixer too—or your arm. I do believe the power of the mixer may give it an extra whip that makes them super yummy.

Yum Yum Bars

Makes 24 (2-inch) squares

2/3 cup butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

1 pound brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ¾ cup flour, sifted

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat softened butter and brown sugar on medium speed in a heavy-duty mixer until thoroughly combined; add eggs and vanilla, blending after each addition.

Combine sifted flour and salt in a medium-size bowl. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture; beat at medium speed until combined, scraping down sides once.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, and with a wooden spoon stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

In the preheated oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 9-x-13-inch glass baking dish.

After the butter has melted, remove from the oven and tilt the dish to coat the bottom of the pan completely.
Spoon mixture into the pan, and spread out evenly. (Don’t worry if the mixture does not cover the bottom of the pan entirely; it will spread out while baking.)

Bake for 30 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Learn from Leslie: For perfectly cut bars, place pan in freezer for a few minutes to chill before cutting.

Yields 24 (2-inch) Squares

Yum Yum Bars
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Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1 pound brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ¾ cup flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Combine sifted flour and salt in a medium-size bowl. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture; beat at medium speed until combined, scraping down sides once.
  3. In the preheated oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 9-x-13-inch glass baking dish.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
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https://dearpartydiary.com/toaster-oven-blues/

For those special neighbors or family trick-or-treaters, package Yum Yum Bars in cute little boxes. It will be the first thing they grab when they dump out their candy bag. Who doesn’t love a present?
Throw in a few candy corn in the box for color.
Pedestal from The Cupboard, Decatur, Alabama, at shopthecupboard.com