Housewarming Party

Quite a bit belated but last September we threw a little housewarming brunch. It was so nice to have all of our friends & family come by to support us in our new venture. Here are some photos (from almost half a year ago... sorry I've neglected this space for so long). 

swirl

I took this photo when we were at renningers last month. swirl ice cream makes me smile. 

goat cheese & pistachio filled dates

I feel like I'm always looking for easy appetizers to take to get togethers, especially around the holidays. I want something easy to make, that I can assemble ahead of time, without a lot of ingredients that still tastes really delicious. these goat cheese filled dates fulfill all my requirements. I had these dates at my friend heather's baby shower & the hostess was kind enough to give me the recipe. they are so delicious I could sit down & eat the entire plate. I promise, your guests will love them! 

goat cheese & pistachio filled dates

4 oz soft goat cheese (I used the kind with honey!)
3 tbsp shelled, salted pistachios, lightly toasted & chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
fresh ground pepper
10 medjool dates, pitted & halved lengthwise

in a small bowl, combine cheese, 2 tbsp pistachios & 1 tbsp chives until smooth. season with a little pepper. spoon cheese mixture into each date half to cover. garnish dates with remaining pistachios & more chives. cover in the refrigerator until ready to serve (I usually pull them out about 15 minutes before my guests arrive so they aren't too cold). 

pie pops

why is it that everything is better in miniature form? mini golf, puppies, bite-sized cupcakes, european cappuccinos, horses (any rob & big fans out there?) and pies. a whole pie just never looks that appealing to me, but make them mini & put them on a stick & I can't stop eating. I had some blueberries left in the freeze from our summer picking, so I used them to make a sweet filling for the pops. 

although it will feel like summer for another 3 months here in florida, these pie pops make me wish for fall weather. here are bakerella's instructions if the cooler weather inspires you to make some for yourself. 

mini caprese skewers

we had two get-togethers to go to in the same day & I wanted to make something easy that I could take to both parties, without too much effort. with all the delicious tomatoes in the store this season, I decided to create these little mini caprese skewers. I bought a ball of mozzarella & used a really small circle cookie cutter to cut out pieces (or you could just cut it with a knife), halved a bunch of grape tomatoes, picked some fresh basil from the garden, & threaded everything onto toothpicks. I added a little drizzle of fresh lemon, olive oil & salt & pepper too for flavor. they were delicious & the perfect one-bite appetizer. 

inspired by pinterest week: donut fruit skewers

have you ever heard the following?

"there is a sign-up sheet on my desk for anyone who would like to contribute food for the surprise baby shower."
"please bring an item for the (required) breakfast meeting potluck. we will have (required) fun!"
"would you like to volunteer to bring something for the birthday celebration?"
"you bring the food, we'll provide the drinks"

if any of these comments sound familiar to you, then you're in luck. thanks to pinterest, I discovered this easy, cute, make-ahead food that is perfect for any event that you don't want to put a whole ton of effort into. I got the idea for these donut fruit skewers from the val so cal blog. instinctively you may be duped into thinking these are only a breakfast item, but trust me- I've made them for other-time-of-day occasions & they are always appropriate. and you get the fruit in there, so they are really healthy, right? right? strawberries, blueberries & raspberries were in season, so that's what I used for the fruit. and the donuts are just store-bought entenmann's ("the display case at the end of the aisle" for you seinfeld fans out there). happy breakfast (or lunch. or snack. or dessert). and happy 4th of july today! 

breakfast (or dinner) bread bowls

aaaand pinterest saves us yet again from another night of cereal for dinner. robert baked up these little "breakfast" bread bowls thanks to this recipe & they were delicious. so delicious that we also made them again for breakfast the next day. you just scoop out the bread from a roll & fill it with whatever you choose. we used some sliced ham, cherry tomatoes, chives, boursin cheese & an egg. then you bake them until everything gets nice & melty. serve them with some potatoes & fruit & it's a perfect meal, any time of day. 

tuesday

robert & I decided to take the day off today. and it was awesome. I have no doubt that if I were financially independent, I could entertain myself for years on end without a bit of boredom. ah, a girl can dream. here are a few snapshots from the day. 

{breakfast at metro diner}

{flowers from robert}

{craft time}

{one of robert's new faves- a belgium stout}

{dinner prep}

{roasted sweet garlic bread & almond soup- homemade by robert. amazing.}

art walk

we had a fun evening walking around downtown at our city's monthly art walk. we started the evening with some delicious pork tacos & handmade chips at a new (awesome) hole-in-the-wall restaurant. they only serve a few items & everything on the chalkboard menu is $7 & so delicious. after dinner, we strolled the streets & listened to live music while browsing all the local artist's booths. we ended up at the museum of contemporary art to check out their 60s exhibit, which was really excellent. thought I'd share a few shots from the evening. happy mid-week!

{andy warhol }

{my handsome husband, lookin' all serious}

{such a brilliant idea. artist joe forkan paints scenes from his favorite film}

{goodnight moon}

super bowl snacks

the only two reasons for me to watch the super bowl: snacks & commercials (oh, & tom brady didn't hurt either). we made some pretty delicious snacks this year. "preeetyyy preeetyyy good," as larry david would say. here are my two faves. robert made joy the baker's mini pretzel dogs and they were amazing! like, auntie anne's good. and then I made spoon fork bacon's chocolate covered ruffles. so addictive. I don't think we'll be waiting for another super bowl to roll around to make either of these again. 

butternut squash tortellini

robert made me the most delicious meal last weekend: giada's roasted butternut squash tortellini with cranberry sage walnut sauce. in case you're feeling up for a challenge, you should totally try this. it was amazing.

giada de laurentiis' butternut squash tortellini with brown butter sauce recipe: 
squash tortellini

• 1 butternut squash, approximately 2 pounds, cubed (about 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 large shallots, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 4 small amaretti cookies, crushed (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 package small wonton wrappers

brown butter sauce:

• 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 tablespoons torn fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries, or mixture of both
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

directions:

to make the tortellini, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f. on a foil-lined baking sheet toss together the butternut squash, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, herbs de provence, salt, and pepper. bake in the oven until soft and golden, about 25 minutes. meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. cook the shallots and garlic until lightly golden, about 3 minutes.

in a food processor, combine the butternut squash mixture, the shallot mixture, and the ricotta cheese and pulse a few times to blend. add the crushed amaretti cookies, the nutmeg, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. pulse until smooth. the tortellini filling can be made one day ahead (I would highly recommend this).

to make the tortellini, lay out 6 wonton skins, keeping the remaining skins inside the package or under a very lightly dampened paper towel. place 1 tablespoon of squash mixture in the middle of each skin. dip a pastry brush in a little water and wet the edges of the skin. gently fold the square wrapper into a triangle, making sure the edges are securely closed and there are no air pockets inside. dampen the two bottom corners of the longest side of the triangle and gently bring them together, pressing lightly to secure. place the formed tortellini on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. before laying out another 6 wonton sheets, be careful to dry the work surface. this will help keep tortellini from sticking to the baking sheet. continue until all the butternut squash mixture is used. there should be approximately 36 tortellini. (the tortellini can be formed, frozen on the baking sheet, transferred to a tightly sealed plastic bag or container and stored for up to six months. to cook, simply toss the frozen ravioli into the salted boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.)

to make the sauce and serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

add the sage, walnuts and cranberries and let cook until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes. turn the heat off and season with salt, and pepper.

stir to combine. then, gently place the tortellini in the boiling water and gently stir. when they begin to float they are done, about 3 minutes. using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the tortellini onto a serving platter, top with the brown butter sauce, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

station tavern

another delicious restaurant on our trip to san diego: station tavern. back in the 30s & 40s, there was a trolley line that ran over this piece of property. the owners have incorporated that trolley theme into the design of the restaurant. the space is totally open and almost all outdoors (ah, san diego weather!). plus, the food was really good, too.

{check out the foot rest- it's an old rail from the original trolley line}

{local beer: green flash}

{and a tasty margarita}

{who knew a turkey burger could be so delicious}

{gimmie some of your tots}