A Caterer's Dream- Two Similar Recipes

Could it get any better? I love having options. Don't have the exact ingredients for one recipe, but, yippee!, I've got the items for a similar one. Another experiment proves yummy. Here's the details: I have a recipe for a spinach pie- the indiviual type. Make a filling of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, onions, pine nuts and spices. Fill phyllo dough, cut and wrap similar to egg rolls. No problem, right? Well, no pine nuts and mozzarella comes up short. I found a similar family recipe that I adjusted to using the phyllo dough rather than pie crust, skipped the pine nuts, and added cream cheese instead of mozzarella. Wow!! They were to die for! And the next day...magnificent!

Throw It Together and Delish!

So, that's exactly what I did for dinner tonight. Home for 1 1/2 hours between work and appointments. I had to come up with dinner with some leftovers. Searching the fridge and freezer came up with a "throw it together" meal that was outstanding! I started with sauteing mild Annaheim peppers in olive oil, adding frozen, grilled onions and mushrooms, a little black pepper, frozen hash browns, and fajita chicken strips. This was a one-dish wonder! The smell...fabulous! I ate on the back patio and the neighbors called over the fence for invitations for dinner. Thankfully, they were kidding, because I wanted this for tomorrow's lunch!!

Back to the Basics with Meatloaf...

Yes, meatloaf. The old standby to throw something together and have it taste great. I've gotten a request to cater a family dinner for 12. The Mom and hostess wants to spend time with family and not hang in the kitchen, (a room she secretly hates). So, as we talked, she states her family is very picky and don't like any new-fangled (her word) flavors. She wants 2 meatloafs, one no onions, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, side salad, cheese biscuits, and apple pie. Wow, that's right out of middle America! I grew up on that meal! Easy as the apple pie!!! So, instead of looking through my bank of recipes, I grabbed my family cookbook and pulled out the recipes Mom used to make. I hope they love it as much as I did!

Lasagna Heaven

One of my favorite catering events is a party wanting lasagna. There are so many ways to make lasagna that you can please every person attending with a few different variations. I was asked to cater a reception for a company board meeting. There were 20 people and all I had to do was drop off the food and pick up the pans the next day. They had the dinnerware and drinks. Could it get any easier?? The request: 4 lasagnas; meat, vegetarian, chicken, and gluten-free; salad with vinaigrette; garlic bread; and some red velvet cake balls. What a great dinner! Thankfully, they did not ask for one to be cheese-less...that would have been a challenge. All went well and not one board member went home hungry- my assumption since the lasagna pans were picked clean!

Garden Fresh Hodge Podge Catering

And what is that you wonder??? A friend of mine has an awsome one acre size garden and asked if she gave me ingredients, would I cook various foods for her? It took me about 30 seconds to say "of course!" She grows it, but hates to cook it. So, each day she would bring me a bag of supplies and I can take however much time I need to bang out a few meals. I guess I use the word "meals" loosely, because she just wanted lots of different foods, not necessarily grouped for eating together. I made zucchini bread and cake; fresh salsa and pesto; a heavenly strawberry glaze for the chicken she bought, not raised; a meatless shepherd's pie; stuffed peppers; luscious cucmber salad; and her favorite: a big lettuce salad with tons of leftovers thrown in (like raspberries, carrots, red onions, shallots, cucumbers, green and red peppers, tomatoes, green beans, pea pods, and strawberries.) I threw in bunches of sauteed veggies that she can freeze. What a great ending to a fabulous growing season!

Non-Labor Day Weekend

I've been trying to have a weekend devoid of work- in the true sense. I watched some movies, read a book, worked out in the gym, enjoyed the outdoors, went to a play, walked my dogs and chatted with friends. All in all, very relaxing. I have one more day left in which to do little to nothing productive. I normally cook for the coming week on Sunday, so tomorrow I plan to make a few meals to cover my lunches Tuesday through Friday. Because I don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen, I'm planning a couple of crockpot meals. One of my favorites is beef roast with potatoes, carrots and onions. I'm also making a crockpot with chicken and mushrooms bathed in buttery rice. My last one is taco meat and beans for burritos. Good thing I have a few crockpots! This frees me up during the week to prepare some French Vanilla and Red Velvet Cake Balls for an office party. Time to continue my relaxation.