EVENT PLANNING BOOKS

Need a dish for your neighborly pot luck ugly sweater party? Try my savory Christmas Cobbler! Boil a hen and debone it. Another fast option is to purchase roasted hen in the market. Just debone it to reserve the meat. In a pot on the stove, add a half stick of butter to sauté 1 cup of sliced mushrooms. Add ¼ cup of flour and stir. Slowly add 2/3 cup of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Add the small pieces of chicken, a pinch of chopped rosemary, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and a pinch of finely diced pimentos. Stir and pour the mixture into a heat resilient dish that you wish to take to the party. Top the chicken cobbler mixture with slices of pie crust dough to form a lattice work design, hence Christmas Cobbler. Then, use a cookie cutter to cut pie crust holly leaves. Bake the Cobbler until the lattice work and holly leaves are golden (with an enhanced egg wash). Remove the Chicken Cobbler and place tiny lignonberries between the holly leaf clusters and you are off to the party. Just warm your Chicken Cobbler in the microwave, just prior to being served. This attractive main course will offset any compromise that you have humored yourself into by over-dressing for the sweater prize. © Kelly McBride Loft

Festive flavors impact and poached pears are perfect for the season! Poires au Vin are poached pears in red wine. On the stove, in a large pot, add a good red wine. Some prefer Pinot Noir wines or Cabernet Sauvignon wines. I prefer a deep red Cabernet Sauvignon with Bartlett pears. Prepare the liquid: Add 1/3 cup of sugar to every cup of wine. Add 2 – 3 cinnamon sticks and 1 lemon rind. Stir until dissolved. The amount of wine depends on how many pears; however, the wine should at least halfway cover the pears. The pears are to be rolled, very carefully with wooden spoons, to poach the pears if the liquid does not cover the pears. Select semi-ripe pears with the stems. Carefully, peel the pears leaving the stem in-tact. Gently, slice off the pear bottom so that the pear will sit steady in the pot and on the plate. Poach the pears for about 40 minutes until the wine has penetrated the fruit turning it deliciously red. As an option, I have placed 10 pears in a crockpot and cooked the pears for 8 hours. It was wowing impact to our guests at the beach with no culinary “babysitting” or having to roll the pears. A lovely sauce can be made from the remaining wine. Reduce the wine by heating, stir in a small amount of arrowroot to thicken and pour over the top of each pear. Serve the pears hot or cold with Mascarpone cheese, whipping cream or just topped with toasted almond slices. It is so December delicious! © Kelly McBride Loft

Be a consistent drummer to set the holiday pace with a steak and potato dinner. Actually, the steak and potato pairing has been served-up for centuries. Today, the Le Relais de Venise (L’Entrecôte) restaurant in Porte Maillot, Paris is still known for specializing in steak and potatoes (pommes frites), which was even famous during WWII!  There is usually a long line to indulge is this Paris restaurant’s consistent cuisine. It’s a comfort pleaser, to enjoy a good cut of beef tenderloin. For holiday simplification, you don’t need to fire up the grill to have a good steak. Marinate the tenderloin(s) for at least 30 minutes. This can be in red wine, mixed with a little coffee or just some red vermouth, with fresh garlic. In a non-stick pan, with a lid, sear the beef tenderloin in butter (or compound butter with herbs) and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Add some fresh cracked pepper. Cover and cook until the desired finish is reached. It is all very quick and tasty. Pair your delightful beef with a baked potato or potato style of choice for a steady lifestyle combination. If Parisian style, try some home-fried steak frites! The world may be rushing at the holiday pace but your steak and potato dining experience can be long and slow – just when you need it the most. © Kelly McBride Loft

The holidays are just beginning and it takes just a tiny bit of thought to make a dish or dessert look elegant. Simple raspberries paired with mint leaves will dress-up a plain cheesecake. A tomato peel rolled up as a rose flower and paired with basil leaves provides a culinary consideration for either an individual plate or for a savory dish. Try candied glazed blood orange slices topped with glazed whole cranberries for festive food décor. Especially during the holiday season, herbs are most helpful to have on hand to pop a flavor or impact a dish design, such as rosemary.  Cinnamon stick bundles add spice and presentation appeal. Maraschino cherries are a December favorite, too. Kelly’s tip: Keep your culinary décor basket full by stocking it with herb garden favorites, cherries, lingonberries, star anise, cinnamon sticks, dried apple slices, etc.  It’s all of your go-to goodies in your go-to place to dress up your food as you dress up for all your holiday occasions! © Kelly McBride Loft

Thanksgiving, truly, is for giving thanks for our blessed lives. Each year I try to add something new to our family’s meaningful dinner. This year, I chose grilled fresh green bean bundles wrapped in turkey bacon! Green beans are part of my family heritage. My grandfather was a gifted gardener. He prided himself in his fresh green beans, yellow squash, pumpkins, beets, along with pecan and fruit trees. Honestly, until I was grown, I really didn’t understand how gifted he was, as I tried to grow my own vegetables – which he made to look as such an easy accomplishment. One of my fondest childhood memories is snapping green beans with my grandparents around their kitchen table. Years later, I was working 6-days per week in the city and moonlighting as our daughter was in college. I was teaching private etiquette classes and the restaurant staff was snapping green beans. I stopped preparing for the class and joined in the snapping frenzy! It was a delight – an unexpected tap into my childhood of joyful memories. Ah, – who knew – green bean therapy in height of the pressure. Such as it goes… green beans are always on our Thanksgiving menu! Try Kelly’s Thanksgiving Green Beans for some snapping family togetherness: Snap off the ends of fresh green beans, so that the base “string” is removed. Bundle the green beans and wrap each bundle in turkey bacon. Broil the green beans until the turkey bacon is cooked thoroughly. Serve to your endearing family for bonding moments of love filled moments around your family’s special table. © Kelly McBride Loft

Sometimes things feel upside-down, as the hectic holiday season approaches. The faster you go, the more things pile-up on the to-do list. Try my Open-face Chicken Pie and smile at the daunting tasks ahead!  On parchment paper, bake a lattice design, shaped in individual circles. Carefully remove the “pie tops” from the parchment to place on individual plates. In a small bowl, combine equal portions of honey mustard and sour cream. In a larger heat-proof bowl, add chunks of thoroughly cooked fresh chicken, diced celery, and a dash of freshly chopped basil. Sparingly add the mustard and sour cream mixture, to taste, by gently stirring into the chicken.  Heat the mixture to incorporate the flavors, but not to the point of boiling.  Add a scoop of the warm chicken salad on top of the homemade pie crust topper. Garnish with a basil blossom or herb sprig and upside-down moments are to be celebrated! © Kelly McBride Loft

Poultry entrees are popular during autumn and Cornish hens are not to be forgotten. Two Cornish hens can easily fit into a large Dutch oven. The best part is that once the hens are prepared, just bake the hens at 375⁰ for about 2 hours, until thoroughly cooked, and you are free to enjoy other domestic projects. Just marinate the bird(s) overnight in pineapple juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of soy sauce, ½ jar of orange marmalade, salt, and pepper. Stuff each hen with a mixture of crumbled day-old biscuits, chopped celery, chopped bell pepper, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and a pinch of sage. Place the hens into the Dutch oven and let the aroma’s fill your home with homecooked magic. For a lovely glaze, just before serving the hens, melt 1 can of jellied cranberry, 1 can of pitted dark cherries, orange zest, 1 generous tablespoon of Brandy and 2 tablespoons of Chambord liqueur. Simmer and reduce the mixture down to thicken. Ladle the glaze onto the hens and autumn has spoken! © Kelly McBride Loft

Halloween calls for a fun dessert, especially since Halloween is in the middle of the week this year. The hors d’oeuvre multi-treat buffets are most popular during the weekend. So, with school and work schedules, a stepped-up dinner meets the occasion with smiles. Try my Halloween Parfaits for fun and easy entertaining, which are perfect for mid-week treats. First, slice fresh apples and gently stew the fresh slices in 1/3 portion of apple cider, 1/3 portion of apple brandy and 1/3 portion of apple jelly with a cinnamon stick and a half stick of butter. Stew the apple slices until tender, but not falling apart. Prepare a brandy glass per person or traditional parfait glasses. Place the stewed apples in the glasses, top with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce! Finish the desserts with a cinnamon stick on top of each dessert design.  It’s a delightful sweet treat specialty for harvest Halloween togetherness. © Kelly McBride Loft

Hunting for a meal that reflects autumn but you are craving seafood? Ahoy, October. Try my Seared Seabass with Corn Chutney. The flavor of seabass is gentle and refined. It is my favorite fish. Marinate the fish in half orange juice and half sherry. Sear the fish in a touch of olive oil for that magnificent crust. To deep cook the fish, after searing, add a couple of tabs of butter to the pan and douse the seabass with Pastis liqueur. Cover and cook until the desired texture is reached. (Just don’t over-cook the fish.) To make the Corn Chutney simple heat a can of creamed corn, add chopped Hatch peppers (to your level of heat comfort), 1/2 teaspoon of completely crushed cloves, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary, salt to taste, and shredded Gruyère cheese to thicken the mixture, as desired. Either set the seabass on top of the chutney or set the chutney on the side of the seabass. Top the seabass with 2 sprigs of rosemary and you’ll wish for a harvest moon while on this slow boat dining experience. © Kelly McBride Loft

Finally, snow dusts the Rocky Mountains and the summer of 2018 becomes a distant memory. It is time to dust off the Dutch oven. Tucked begin the summer wok and the springtime molds for chilled salads, you may find yours waiting its re-discovery. Try my smothered pork chops for a warm home-cooked meal. Just the simple aroma will bring your October guests running to the table. First, purchase quality bone-in pork chops that are about ¾” thick. These can be briefly marinated with a dash of white vermouth. Pepper and sear the chops in a dash of olive oil, briefly, to seal in the flavors. In the Dutch oven, pour out one large can of crushed pineapple. Set the seared chops on top of the pineapple. Pour on chicken broth, just covering the chops. Add chunks of green bell pepper, a carrot per person, 1 whole peeled onion, dried mango, and sun-dried tomatoes. Season with some salt and place the lid on the Dutch oven. Bake at 400⁰ F for at least 2 hours. Yum. Who’s the weather responder now! © Kelly McBride Loft

An enjoyable culinary composition does not need to be complicated. With just 3 ingredients, a European style salad of Langoustines (small lobsters), figs, and mint make a divine chilled specialty. Try crostini with crushed pecans, and topped with chopped raisins for entertaining quick hors d’oeuvres. Tastefully inspired artichoke hearts filled with sautéed spinach, and topped with pine nuts creates a quintessential vegetable. For a fun dessert just spread puff pastry with jam, lightly twist the dough, and after baking dust with powder sugar.  The dynamic 3-some combines for a trinity of collectiveness for entertaining ease and it provides the perfect indulgence during this fast-paced season to hit the ground running. © Kelly McBride Loft

Squash is so flavorful and autumn-esque! My grandparents grew yellow squash in their garden; so, fresh produce was available and a part of our lifestyle. Today’s markets offer a grand selection from spaghetti squash to acorn squash; thus, a garden variety is always near urban neighborhoods. Here is a family autumn recipe that is sure to please. Prepare a yellow squash per person by trimming off the ends and washing the squash thoroughly. Boil the squash until tender (not soggy). Slice each squash in half, lengthwise. Hull out the inside and place the pulp in a separate bowl. Place each “shell” of the squash skin into a baking dish. Mash the pulp with a fork and little by little add crumbled crackers, leaving mostly a quantity of squash filling. Add a dash of pepper. Stuff the mixture into each squash “shell.” Top each with a very thin slice of butter. Then, top each shredded cheese. Bake or heat the stuffed squash in the microwave until the cheese melts. It will become a family favorite and if served with a squash bird, it will become even more special. To make the squash bird, cut the big end off of a yellow squash so that the squash sits upright. The tip, stalk end, become the bird’s head. Place 2 cloves for eyes near the tip end. Cut two wings from another squash and pin the wings on with tooth picks. It’s sure to bring a smile and a chuckle as those dine, knowing that you took extra effort to make them feel special! © Kelly McBride Loft

Autumn finally breezes in after taking its time through a slow simmer summer. Friends and neighbors gather more frequently and you can welcome them with a delightful autumn platter of open-faced flat bread sandwiches. This selection is versatile as hors d’oeuvres, brunch, lunch, picnic, or before the theatre. The focal impact is to cut pastry leaves with a leaf cookie cutter and pre-bake the leaves to set on top of each open-face flatbread sandwich.  As for the flatbread preparation, suggestions are naan bread, thin focaccia, or thin crust pizza bread cut into rounds or squares. Top the flat bread with interesting culinary choices such as golden and red sliced tomatoes on Manchego cheese; beet slices on goat cheese; arugula and fresh uncooked spinach with a blue cheese crumble; chicken and watercress on flavored cream cheese; or fanned slices of avocado with fetta cheese. Top each flatbread open-faced sandwich with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a golden baked pastry leaf. Serve these artful delights at your gathering for a fall in love with fall occasion. © Kelly McBride Loft

Hearth, home, heartfelt … these words are significant when evoking thoughts of home-baked bread. Some of us are time challenged and even with bread baking machines, time is crucial; hence, the reason for the success of the major grocery store chains’ bakeries. For that hearth fire taste, that home indulgence, and that heartfelt moment, all it takes is a lovely bread basket. Baskets are not just for the Easter season. During September, bring the wholesome look of autumn to your table with a bread basket filled with interesting breads. What a thoughtful gift for a neighbor, too! Bread and butter are always quality dining choices. Just remember that bread plates are to be placed on the left. This can be remembered as bread being a gift from the heart. © Kelly McBride Loft

Home-cooked meals are extraordinary opportunities to gather around the table, especially as autumn nears. Just the simplicity of fantastic aromas will call your clan to dinner. Try my apricot skillet chicken to entice your family faster to the kitchen table and it is so easy! In a large skillet (using a lid), pan sear (with the skin side first) in half olive oil and half butter, 4 chicken breasts. Turn frequently and add a dash of sherry and seasoning. After searing, bake the chicken, briefly, in the oven until it is thoroughly cooked.
Into the drippings of the seared chicken, add 4 tablespoons of apricot jelly, 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and dash of Worcestershire sauce. Stir into incorporated. Finish the sauce with a tab of cream. Add the cooked chicken back into the skillet and coat the chicken with the sauce. Top with chopped rosemary and serve with cranberry sauce and boiled potatoes. Wholesomeness is synonymous with heartfelt kitchen goodness when your family dines at a home. © Kelly McBride Loft