Mashed potatoes are made into cocktail party fare when served in a martini glass.  Set up a topping bar by setting out bowls of shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, sour cream, crispy onions and fresh chives.  Let guests top their taters with whatever they please.  Make sure you include spoons. 

On a practical note: Rinse the martini glasses shortly after the party is over to spare yourself the trouble of scraping dried potatoes off your glassware (trust me, it’s no party). 

Photo source:  http://loveandsplendor.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/danielle-paul-august-07/

No need to order a fancy arrangement from a floral shop.  Making a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece isn’t as hard as it looks.  Here’s how:  Buy 3 bunches of flowers, choosing fall colored flowers in coordinating shades, and make sure each bunch provides a varying texture to the arrangement.  Start by holding three of the bushiest or tallest flowers (same type), and begin gathering the other stems, one by one, in a vaguely symetrical pattern around the center stems.  Continue until you have used all the stems (or save a few for a small bed-side arrangement).  Trim stems at an angle under cold running water, and place in a vase filled with sugar water.

Creamy brie, sweet onions and tart craisins combine to make an extraordinary quesadilla.  Think of these as a hip twist on traditional baked brie. Serve these quesadillas at a fall cocktail party, or as a Thanksgiving appetizer.  The onions can be prepared up to two days in advance; the quesadillas can be cooked several hours in advance, and warmed in a 250 degree oven before serving.

Brie, Caramelized Onion & Craisin Quesadillas

1 Tbs. butter

½ Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

8 whole wheat flour tortillas, 8 inch

12oz brie cheese, cut into ¼” slices

1/3 C. craisins or dried cherries

1/3 C. cilantro, chopped

cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

1.            Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with tin foil and set aside.  Melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet.  Add onions; cook until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, place onions in a medium bowl to cool.  Onions can be made up to two days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2.            Wipe skillet clean and heat over medium-high heat.  Place 1 tortilla in the skillet, top with ¼ each of the brie, onions and craisins.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and top with another tortilla.  Cook until bottom tortilla is slightly brown and crisp; flip and cook other side.  Place cooked quesadilla on prepared sheet pan and keep warm in the oven.  Cook remaining 3 quesadillas, keeping each warm in the oven until finished cooking.  Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges.  Serve immediately, garnished with sprigs of cilantro, or keep warm in oven until ready to serve.

Serves 12 as an appetizer (2 wedges per person)

http://www.thefamilygroove.com/nov09_TheDinnerParty.htm

Infuse the flavors of fall into a year-round favorite.  Adding pumpkin puree to store-bought hummus adds a slightly sweet, warm flavor to this crowd-pleasing dip, and a healthy dose of beta-carotene.  Serve this as part of a Halloween, Thanksgiving or fall cocktail party menu.  I even like to whip up a batch for an afternoon snack.

Pumpkin Hummus

1 C. garlic hummus (store-bought or homemade)

1/2 C. pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 ground cloves

1/4 C. toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), optional

crackers, tortilla chips or pita wedges

Combine hummus, pumpkin and spices in a small bowl.  Stir until well combined.  Transfer to a small serving dish; sprinkle with toasted pepitas.  Serve with whole-grain crackers, tortilla chips or pita wedges.

Creating a centerpiece for a fall dinner is as easy as picking up a bag of mini pumpkins at the grocery store or farmer’s market. These adorable miniature pumpkins – the most common are Jack-Be-Little or Baby Boo – are inexpensive and hearty enough to last for weeks. Place the pumpkins on a simple cake stand or platter and pile them high. Tuck fresh leaves or cut branches of fall berries in empty spaces for a finished look. For a more modern version, use a white rectangular platter and place an odd number of pumpkins in a straight line, alternating with tea lights.

http://www.thefamilygroove.com/oct09_TheDinnerParty.htm

I have upped the nutritional content by using barley instead of Arborio rice for this comforting risotto.  You won’t lose any of the creaminess and you’ll have a delicious whole grain recipe to add to your repertoire.

Although risotto should be served immediately, there are several components of the dish – such as frying the sage leaves, roasting the squash and chopping the onions - that can be prepared in advance so you don’t have to spend too long in the kitchen once your guests arrive. 

Serve this as a first course, as a side with roasted or grilled meat or on its own as a vegetarian entrée.

Butternut Squash Barley Risotto with Fried Sage Leaves

1.5-2lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (for roasting squash)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 C. low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbs. unsalted butter, divided

1 medium onion or 4 shallots, chopped

½ C. dry white wine

1 ½ C. pearled barley

½ C. freshly grated Parmesan

A dash of grated nutmeg

16 sage leaves, washed and dried (garnish)

1.       Melt 2 Tbs. butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sage leaves to the pan and cook until slightly crisp.  Remove leaves with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on a paper towel.   The sage leaves can be fried several hours in advance.

2.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss diced squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in a roasting or sheet pan.  Roast squash for 15 minutes, toss, and roast for another 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender and golden.  Squash can be roasted up to 2 days in advance.

3.       Heat broth in a small covered saucepan until simmering.  Cover and keep broth at a slight simmer over low heat. 

4.       Heat remaining 1 Tbs. butter in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat.  Once melted, add the onion (or shallots) and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.  Add the barley to the pot and coat the grains with the butter-onion mixture until slightly translucent (this will prevent the barley from absorbing the liquid too quickly and makes the risotto more tender).  Add the wine and cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Add about ½ C. simmering broth to the barley and cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is absorbed.  Continue adding the broth, ½ C. at a time, and stir constantly.  Let each addition of broth be absorbed before adding the next.  Cook until the barley is creamy but still al dente, about 20 minutes total.  (You may have leftover broth.) 

5.       Remove risotto from heat and add the squash, Parmesan and a dash of fresh grated nutmeg.  Stir until well combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish each serving with 2 fried sage leaves and serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings as a side or first course (serves 4 as an entrée)

·        By using a good technique to make risotto you can achieve the creaminess without the addition of any cream.  If you feel that you risotto needs a little more creaminess add 1-2 Tbs. of butter at after you stir in the squash and parmesan.

·        If you don’t want to bother with peeling and dicing the squash you can simply split it in half lengthwise, seed it, and roast it (cut side down) on a sheet pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  Roast until tender, scoop out the flesh and add it at the end of the recipe when you would add the roasted cubes.

·        Some variations on this recipe:  You can add pancetta to the risotto (dice it and cook it with the onions before you add the barley); add chopped sage or ground cumin for even more flavor. 

·        Don’t plan on making any extra for leftovers – I have yet to find a technique that keeps the creaminess after reheating it.

This seasonal salsa is interesting enough to serve at a holiday soiree.  Using pomegranate seeds  in place of tomatoes gives this salsa a hip twist.  Make the salsa at least a few hours in advance so the flavors have a chance to come together.  Serve this jewel tone salsa with red tortilla chips for added color.  Yellow or blue chips will taste great too.

Pomegranate Salsa
¼ cup 100% pomegranate juice (fresh or bottled)
2 large pomegranates
½-1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (depending on how much heat you like)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
½ Tbs. agave nectar or 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. rice vinegar

1.       Fill a large stain-resistant bowl with water.  On a cutting board lined with paper towel or another stain-resistant surface, cut pomegranates in quarters and put them in the water.  With your hands submerged in the water, bend back the peel of one quarter of the pomegranate and carefully remove the seed sacs (called “arils”) from the white pith.  The pith will float to the top of the water and the seeds will sink.  Use your hand to skim the pith off the top of the water and throw it away.  Continue doing the same thing with each quarter until you have removed all of the seeds from the fruit.

2.        Combine remaining ingredients and seeds in a medium size bowl and gently mix until well combined.  Refrigerate the salsa for up to 2 days.

Who says you have to be at a formal event to have a beautifully decorated table?  This holiday season, dress up your tablescape with inexpensive slip covers and festive ribbon sashes for your chairs.  Using a 4″ thick satin ribbon, some clippings from your tree and a pine cone (faux snow frosting spray paint optional), you can make your own chairs look event-worthy.

-If the ribbon slips down the back of the chair use a safety pin to secure it to the fabric cover.
-If you are using fat pine cones that are too thick to stay on the ribbon without any help, use floral wire or brown string to tie around the tip or bottom of the pine cone.  Make a loop and string the loop onto the ribbon before tying a bow.

Copy this look with simple chair covers from the following stores:

Pottery Barn ($9.99 each) – http://www.potterybarn.com/products_g/p2160/index.cfm?pkey=cchairs

Target ($12.99 each) – http://www.target.com/Cotton-Short-Dining-Cover-Natural/dp/B000GUAVHQ/sr=1-2/qid=1228252222/ref=sr_1_2/186-9856728-8858520?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Achair%20covers&page=1

Bed, Bath and Beyond ($7.99-9.99 each) – http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/search/search.aspx?nty=1&dim=1&Ns=P_Price%7casc&sstr=chair+covers&order_num=-1