Caroline and I have a very serious celebrity chef crush on Ina Garten which was sparked over a decade ago when we found her first cook book “The Barefoot Contessa” named for the specialty food store she grew into a mammoth business in the 90’s. We each now own 10 of her cookbooks…you know it’s love to commit that much kitchen space to one woman! We are always talking about Ina like she is our girlfriend and we are all hanging out in the kitchen together talking through the menu and entertaining plans. We know we can count on Ina’s recipes to be simplistically sophisticated and truly 2/3 of what you need you already have in your pantry, which makes the shopping a breeze.
Of course we have our favorites and this is definitely not our first homage to Ina event, but we wanted to try a few recipes that we had not made before and were so glad we did because they were outstanding and as any Ina fan knows the focus and insistence is always on good ingredients, that plus her laid back confident demeanor always makes us feel more excited and relaxed about entertaining…much needed at the holidays!! A big XO-Ina!
Happy Holidays-Mrs. Wonderful!
We wanted something with meat on our holiday cocktail buffet and we needed it to be compact and easy to eat. Leave it to Ina to come up with these perfectly delicious little sausage stuffed puff pastry roll-ups…no assembling anything at the table and they are definitely not the usual “pigs in a blanket”. The dijon mustard, sausage and buttery pastry was a great addition to our menu. We used pork sausage, but any sausage you prefer will work.
I have made these so many times and just adore them. Roasting nuts just screams holiday and the chipotle heat combined with the sweetness of the orange juice and maple syrup and then add the rosemary to that combination and you know it is going to be good. Plus the recipe makes a lot and you can store them in an air tight container for a week and keep enjoying!
Tequila is most definitely the hottest thing in the cocktail world these days so we decided to replace vodka in one of our favorite drinks and serve a Cranberry Tequila Cosmopolitan at our holiday party. I know most men hear the word cosmo and smirk, but when we added tequila to the mix they seemed to let go of their machismo and join in on the festivity of the cocktail…and don’t we all feel like we’re on vacation when tequila is in our glass no matter what the season!?
A sandwich can be a handy addition to any cocktail buffet, they are easy to eat while standing and chatting, and easy to assemble. These are so perfect and fresh, the creamy tangy goat cheese and herb spread mixed with the graininess of the bread and sliver of cucumber is refreshing and also hearty, which is important when making sure your guest have enough in their belly’s to handle all the adult refreshments!
Caviar-conjures up images of champagne, crystal, and evening gowns…love that! Ina’s dip (which is divine) is made with cream cheese and herbs and is a wonderful way of delivering caviar and all that glam to a crowd. We made Rori’s chip which requires a bit of patience and a lot of cookie sheets. When I make this dip again (which I intend to do immediately!) I think I will purchase a good store bought chip and save some time. We also served crudites along with the chips, which is a good way to get your vegetables at the holidays.
We love when we get to end any event with chocolate and champagne, but we decided to change it up just a bit and end our holiday party with Ina’s salted caramels and champagne…so creamy, salty and bubbly…whoa! It may have been the end of the party, but we saw it as a great beginning to a Happy Holiday Season!!
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