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.
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
Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté celery and onion until translucent, for about 5 to 7 minutes.
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.
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
I will never forget my second-grade spring break. My parents had the bright idea that we would take an educational tour of the state of Kentucky. We started at Lincoln’s Birthplace, hit a few horse farms, ate breakfast on the track at Keeneland, and ended up at My Old Kentucky Home. Somewhere along the way—one of our first night stops—we went to Harrodsburg, Kentucky, to the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
We saw every inch of this authentic Quaker village, but the part I remember most was the disappointed look on my dad’s face when we got to our room in the inn. It wasn’t the twin beds with trundles underneath, the stark white walls, the uncarpeted floor—it was the tiny, black-and-white television sitting on a small table in a corner of the room. It was Masters week, and that was not what he was picturing for his viewing pleasure. The fairways, greens, azaleas, and sky were all fifty shades of gray.
As you can tell, this book has gotten a lot of use. This is one of Shaker Village’s many cookbooks.
The silver lining—the food was delicious. We left with all three of their cookbooks and used recipes from them often thereafter. One of my mom’s favorites is the Tomato-Celery Soup, which we called Shakertown Tomato Soup from that day on.
It’s a cinch to make and takes maybe 15 minutes if you are a slow chopper. This company-worthy recipe easily can be doubled or tripled, and it is also perfect any weeknight with a simple grilled cheese.
I try to keep these ingredients on hand at all times so I can make this without a trip to the store. (Even though this sock monkey sugar bowl lid has been broken, I could never part with this handmade treasure that Sallie made me years ago.)None of your guests would ever guess this beautiful recipe started with a can of tomato soup. Plate and bowl from Anthropologie at anthropologie.com. Spoon from my dear friend, Virginia.
Tomato-Celery Soup
Serves 4 as a starter
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 (10½-ounce) can of tomato soup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Garnish with heavy whipping cream and chopped parsley
Sauté onion and celery in butter; do not brown. Add tomato soup, one can of water, lemon juice, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for five minutes. Celery will remain crisp.
Top with cream and chopped parsley.
Use a squeeze bottle to dollop whipping cream for perfect circles.Use a dry toothpick to pull through center of dollop to make a dreamy heart.
With Thanksgiving approaching I can’t help but think about all of the things I am really thankful for—excluding the given, of course, health and family.
10 Things I Can’t Live Without
My morning cup of coffee
Le Creuset cookware
Acuvue Oasis contact lenses
Pasta
Warmth of the sunshine
Listerine Breath Strips
Rainbow platform flip-flops
A wood-burning fireplace
Sterling silver
Clean sheet night
I would love to hear from you. Don’t be shy about making comments or asking questions. I love getting mail! Leslie
My friend Elizabeth introduced me to a green bean bundle over 25 years ago. I’m not sure where she got the recipe, but it is still one I love to serve my guests to this day. It is often even requested—and yes, I’m talking about you, David Fullington.
It takes only a few minutes to wrap these cute bundles.
When purchasing the green beans, I usually buy an extra can or two. You’ll see what I mean when you get in to this one. (And, no, these are not in the “organic” section of your grocery store—try looking on the vegetable can goods aisle.) Over the past few years the whole green beans seem to be getting shorter and shorter. So you will need to pick through and find the longest ones in order to make presentable bundles.
Green Bean Bundles
Serves 4 to 6
2 (14.5-ounce) cans whole green beans, drained
4 slices thinly sliced bacon, cut in half
Toothpicks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Drain green beans in a colander. Sort through the beans, and gather 8 to 10 beans; wrap the bundle with ½ slice of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Repeat with the remainder of the beans and bacon.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep warm.
Bake green bean bundles for 40 to 45 minutes until bacon is nicely browned. Pour warm dressing over bundles, and serve immediately.
Learn from Leslie: The bean bundles can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated.
Leslie Likes: Del Monte Blue Lake Whole Green Beans
The dressing will sizzle when poured over bundles hot out of the oven. Serve immediately. Pottery by Earthborn Pottery at earthbornpottery.netI love the combination of the bacon and the vinegar dressing. It melts in your mouth.
When I first saw this stalk of Brussels at Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t wait to wrap some bacon around it. I loved the fact that it did not have brown-tipped stems and ugly outer leaves that needed to be removed. It was as fresh as you can get.
It was tagged like a cow’s ear with a recipe suggestion. The first step read to place the stalk in the microwave. Yeah, right!? Believe it or not, it DID fit in my microwave but the turntable jammed and it would not spin. Needless to say, I skipped that step, their entire recipe, and did my own thing. So here it goes.
Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts
Serves EVERYONE (I promise)
1 whole Brussels stalk
5 to 6 pieces of applewood smoked bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse stalk and pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Wrap bacon slices around the stalk, weaving it around the Brussels until it is secure. Place on baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Weave the bacon slices around the stalk, tucking it securely into the nooks and crannies around the sprouts.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting with drippings from the pan after 30 minutes. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the stalk.
Remove from the oven, and check the sprouts for tenderness with the tines of a fork.
Serve on a cutting board with a knife and fork. Let everyone carve their own.
Any leftovers can be removed from the stalk and stored in the refrigerator; they reheat nicely. Cut the bacon slices into smaller pieces to serve along with the Brussels sprouts.
Learn from Leslie: If you think you want to cook only half of the stalk, think again. My sharpest chef knife did not faze this stalk (until it was cooked)—so it’s all or nothing!
“Useful” Thanksgiving Hostess Gifts
In the back of my book, Leslie’s Party Diaries, there is an Extras chapter. It has a section called Useful Hostess Gifts. These are items that someone really needs and hopefully wants to receive as a hostess gift. Here are a few more ideas for Thanksgiving weekend to take to your friends or family.
Leslie’s Party Diaries—a cookbook is always welcome to those who enjoy cooking. $39 plus tax and shipping while supplies last. Available at lesliespartydiaries.com and dearpartydiary.com.
Filled with many family favorites, Leslie’s Party Diaries is the perfect hostess gift for the holidays. Well, I am a little biased.It’s the thought that counts. Say thanks with a custom gift tag from Say Grace Papergoods; contact Gina Winn at 205.329.4097, Instagram @mamawinn4.
Planet-Friendly Paper Plates—these will come in super handy for the turkey sandwiches and all the fixings the next day. They are sturdy, attractive, and can be tossed. Do you really want to unload the dishwasher again?
Unloading the dishwasher is one of my least favorite chores in the kitchen. Any hostess will welcome these sturdy, biodegradable, attractive paper plates. (10-inch plates, 25-pack, $19.99) Available at Amazon.com. (Prime)
Williams-Sonoma Turkey Gravy Base—Be the GRAVY SUPER HERO this Thanksgiving. This gift is not meant to insult the host but to be “backup” if the main batch gets gobbled up on Thanksgiving Day. However, I’ve seen the most experienced cooks second-guess the gravy procedure. This base takes the guesswork out of what can be a tricky, last-minute necessity.
Equal parts of this turkey base and milk make a delicious, effortless gravy. It can also be “doctored” with pan drippings and homemade broth if desired. It’s nice to have extra for the leftovers too. Available at Williams-Sonoma for $12.95, williams-sonoma.com
Williams-Sonoma Mulling Spices—I call it THANKSGIVING IN A JAR. Go ahead and pick up one or two of these for yourself too while you are there. Your entire house will smell like Thanksgiving when you have this simmering on the stove. It moves into the holiday season well too.
Mulling Spices available at Williams-Sonoma for $12.95, williams-sonoma.comA tablespoon or two is all you will need in a small saucepan of water. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Refill water as needed.
Party Tip: Stock Up For the Holidays
My husband, Jon, is the “Costco King”—he can do the run in under an hour, door to door, and it’s not even close to our house. In fact, he could give lessons on how to shop in bulk efficiently and effectively. He has it down to a science—down to filling up the car on the way out of the parking lot. Follow his lead and you’ll never dread going again.
If you have a Fitbit or other tracking device, put it on before you enter the store. You are multitasking here. Count your steps.
Have a list—DO NOT WAVER FROM THE LIST. (Costco does not take Amex anymore, so you won’t even get points for all those extra items.) So won’t be tempted.
Know your storage and consumption limitations—don’t let your eyes get bigger than your stomach. Check expiration dates and do the math. (For example: Is it possible to eat 72 Nature Valley bars in 14 days?)
Don’t let your husband go alone, unless he is like Jon.
Luckily, I was surrounded by good food and talented cooks my entire life on BOTH sides of my family.
I believe even if you think you don’t like to cook, by being exposed to it on a daily basis, it will eventually rub off on you—whether you want it to or not.
For instance, Lily, my 20-year-old, until about a year ago used to sprint through the kitchen to avoid any cooking or dishes. Now, she has turned into a real foodie. She shares her love for cooking and healthy eating in her Instagram account called lilsburydoughgirl. Check out her “Jalapeño Business” coming to you this semester from Barcelona, Spain. It’s quite impressive and—hot!
Lily’s Instagram creations. Follow her on lilsburydoughgirl.
I love it when the first time you try a recipe it works out perfectly. That’s what happened the first time I made Nanny’s Red Sauce, a recipe given to me by my cousin Vicki, and my Aunt Nancy from Columbus, Ohio—both wonderful cooks. Nancy is my dad’s oldest sister–she is 97. She is Nanny to all of her grandchildren.
Recipes are meant to be shared.
Nanny’s Red Sauce
Makes 5 cups
8 cups fresh tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, chopped
½ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine all ingredients except basil and Parmesan cheese. Roast 45 minutes; then pulse in a food processor and salt to taste. Toss with pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.
Simply toss Nanny’s Red Sauce with any style of pasta. It’s hard to beat plain old spaghetti.
Nanny says, ‘If you can read, you can cook.’
Simply remove the cores and cut the tomatoes into quarters or wedges. There is no need to peel the tomatoes.It takes about 7 or 8 medium tomatoes to make 8 cups.After the tomatoes, onions, and garlic have roasted for 45 minutes, ladle them into the bowl of the food processor. Be sure to get all of the juices too.Pulse until smooth for a creamy, rich texture.
I’ve made this recipe four times in the past few weeks. I’m like a squirrel stocking up for winter. Vicki says it freezes well—and that’s all I needed to hear. While the tomatoes are still at their peak, I thought I would fill the freezer. I may give it as Christmas gifts with a bag of pasta. It would make an easy and delicious Christmas night supper when you realize all the grocery stores are closed.
One recipe makes about 5 to 6 cups. A double batch will make about 3 quarts. It freezes beautifully.
It can also be left a little chunky too—pulse just two or three times. I also tested the recipe with roma tomatoes for the off season. It was delicious too.
For a more chunky-style sauce pulse 2-to-3 times max!
Oh, I forgot to mention, when you roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic, your house smells like the most amazing Italian restaurant. It’s worth doing it before you are having company—it’s that good.
I wish I could bottle this aroma.
Learn from Leslie: If you double the recipe, use two separate pans to ensure the ingredients and seasonings are equal and accurate. Vicki likes to do a double batch. She leaves one batch chunky and purees the other into a smooth sauce.
This is the recipe that keeps on giving.
Besides tossing it with a variety of pastas, it also makes a wonderful sauce for Chicken-Parmesan. See recipe below.
Individual Chicken-Parmesan is an awesome choice for a small crowd. Dinner knife by Cutco at cutco.com.
Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4
1 ½ pounds chicken tenders
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of Nanny’s Red Sauce
8 slices of Muenster cheese, thinly sliced
Between two sheets of wax paper, pound chicken tenders with a meat pounder or rolling pin until ¼ inch thick; set aside.
In a small, shallow dish, beat eggs and water with a fork; set aside. In another small, shallow dish, combine Panko, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter and olive oil at medium-high heat. While skillet is heating to medium-high, dip chicken tender into egg mixture, then into Panko mixture, coating both sides evenly. Place in hot skillet. Repeat with rest of the chicken. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
The chicken tenders cook quickly in medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet.Place chicken on top of Nanny’s Red Sauce in an ovenproof dish.Top with two thin slices of Muenster cheese, and broil 2 to 3 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil. Stainless ovenproof bakers by All-Clad at all-clad.com.
And there’s more! A warm, savory appetizer is always welcome at any dinner party or cocktail hour. Use warm Nanny’s Red Sauce for dipping. These mini-meatballs also can be served over pasta as a main course.
A mini cast-iron skillet is the right size for these mini-meatballs. They are available at lodgemfg.com.
Savory Mini-Meatballs
Makes 38
½ pound pork sausage
½ pound ground chuck
1/2 onion, grated
1 carrot, grated
¼ cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup ketchup
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Shape the mini- meatballs with a melon ball scoop. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
A melon ball scooper is the perfect size to form a miniature meatball.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with toothpicks and warmed Nanny’s Red Sauce for dipping.
Learn from Leslie:
If the ground chuck and sausage comes in a 1- pound package, with the remainder make two patties of each and freeze for a quick hamburger night or sausage biscuit breakfast.
Fresh fruits and flowers set the tone for this colorful event.
Nothing says party more than a chilled bottle of Champagne. During football season, Thanksgiving weekend, or anytime during the holidays, take time to set up an attractive mimosa bar. Start with a decorative tray and a variety of fresh juices, such as orange, pineapple, and cranberry, and of course, ice-cold Champagne. For those less festive folks, throw out a bottle of vodka.
A little humor never hurt anything.
A quick and easy appetizer to serve with a mimosa bar is Parmesan-Parsley Popcorn—which falls into my Emergency Appetizer recipe category. I always have these ingredients on hand. I love to serve such a simple nibble in an interesting container. It changes everything.
Even though I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, I am somehow obsessed with vintage ashtrays. Certain things jump out at you and there is no explanation—other than there is a sense of nostalgia to them. I feel they will soon be extinct.
Be on the lookout for unusual serving pieces like these vintage treasures.
A large vintage ashtray is the ideal size and shape for a snack like this popcorn, and it’s always good to do something unexpected. The best compliment you can get after a party is for one of your guests to tell a friend what you did. Give them something to talk about.
One bag of microwave popcorn, tossed with Parmesan and then topped with chopped parsley. Impressive, huh?Buttery saltines are always a crowd-pleaser; add a seasoning salt and they are over the top. Next time you have last-minute company, try Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend on top of saltines dipped in melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes at 275 degrees. (Bake on a rack on top of a cookie sheet.)This blend of sesame and poppy seeds, sea salt, garlic, and onion is not just for bagels anymore.The buttered saltines will get extra crispy baking on a rack instead of directly on the baking sheet. Find one that fits comfortably on top of your baking sheet.And another really easy Emergency Appetizer is making a mad dash to the “olive garden” bar at your local grocery store. Spoon up a container of specialty olives, add a fancy lemon curl on top, and you are done. Voilà!
Somewhere near the ashtrays at most flea markets are the vintage ice trays—soon to be extinct too, thanks to modern-day ice machines. Look for an interesting ice tray shape, like this honeycomb-shaped one, to make a specialty cube to add to the bar. Pineapple juice freezes beautifully, and a cube of it will add a fresh taste to many of your concoctions without watering it down. Cranberry is a good choice too.
Small cubes are perfect for a skinny Champagne flute.Cranberry juice frozen in a unique ice-cube tray almost looks like fruit when dropped into a glass of Champagne. It flavors as it melts. It’s a two-for-one special.
When time allows, order funny, printed cocktail napkins or interesting, custom cocktail stirrers.
Custom stirrers are available from Etsy at etsy.com/shop/FranJohnsonHouse.How special are these stirrers?
Take advantage of fresh fruits and use them as a container for your garnishes, as I did here with the fresh pineapple. I simply cut a fresh pineapple in half, hollowed out the fruit from one side, and reserved the rest for garnish. You now have a beautiful bowl—that doesn’t need washing at the end of the night.
Decorate the bar with a pineapple bowl filled with the mimosa garnishes.
If hosting a special occasion with an honored guest, save one of the Champagne corks, place it in a mini glass shadow box, and let it be his or her party favor to remember the event. It will make the perfect keepsake. I buy these by the dozen—they come in handy for wine corks too. Thanks, Elizabeth, for sharing this idea with me years ago. (I have one sitting on my coffee table now that she gave me from our wedding.) It’s a thoughtful, easy gift. Your guests will be impressed.
This keepsake Cork Holder can be ordered from Mercantile + Co. at ggmercantileco.com.
Save Recipe
