An Inspired Kitchen

Lemon Drop Cocktail Party

I have incredible friends who have been involved with their children’s school and in the community and year after year  always step forward to host fund raisers.  Last week, Rosemary and Carolyn hosted a Lemon Drop cocktail party and raised a lot of money for the high school athletic program.  I was happy to make several appetizers and bring  them over and help set up.  It was the perfect cocktail for a beautiful sunny afternoon.  We mixed the fresh lemon and orange juice with the citron vodka and simple syrup ahead of time and put it in a beautiful drink dispenser.  The bartender (aka my nice brother) just had to rim the martini glasses with superfine sugar, put some ice in a shaker, fill the shaker with the lemon drop mixture and pour it into the glasses.  For flower arrangements, we filled tall glass vases with fresh lemons and picked hydrangeas from Carolyn’s garden.  It was a lot of fun.  Click here for the complete menu….

Nectarine and Blueberry Crumble

This recipe has been a family favorite for years.  It was originally my Grandmother’s recipe, and we all loved it when she would bake it for us.  It is so simple, but very good.  You can use any combination of fruit.  Peaches and blueberries, figs and raspberries, Jonogold apples with cinnamon and cloves, or any fruit your family likes.  One of our families favorites is Blackberry and Apple crumble and mom made it in summer when we would pick lots of blackberries around our house.  If using all berries, add a little flour to the fruit before baking.  This is also a great recipe to make for a crowd and serves a lot.  This nectarine and blueberry crumble is a very homely dessert, but the crisp, buttery crust is delicious and it is a great comfort food dessert.  Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to take it over the top!  It’s simple to make with a food processor and takes minutes to prepare.  The secret to a great crispy crust is to pour half of the crumble over the fruit and lightly press it down and then pour the rest of the crumble over.  The other trick is to really process the butter and flour together well in the food processor to almost a sand-like consistency.  Click here for the recipe….

Mango Salsa

This mango salsa recipe is a great accompaniment to grilled salmon, chicken, pork or even tortilla chips.  I grilled a salmon for a party and served this alongside and it is a wonderful summer dinner.  Dice up a ripe mango (or papaya or pineapple or combo!) and add red onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, fresh lime juice and mix together.  It’s better if you can make it ahead of time so the flavors have a chance to meld together.  I digress here, but it is also a great quesadilla appetizer if you take a tortilla and sprinkle diced brie and the mango salsa over, add a tortilla on top and cook it with a little butter in a non stick skillet until the brie melts.  Cut it in wedges and serve. Click here for the salsa recipe….

Chicken Dukkah Skewers with Balsamic-Honey Glaze

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice mix consisting of toasted hazelnuts, sesame seeds, dried mint, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, and is traditionally served as a dip with bread.  There are a lot of variations, but I think it is delicious.  The first time I had it was in San Francisco as a dipping sauce for bread and it was mixed with olive oil and was complex taste and really tasty.  I found this recipe for an appetizer and you coat chicken pieces with Dijon mustard and dip the skewers in the dukkah mixture and grill.  You reduce balsamic vinegar and honey to make a glaze that you drizzle over the cooked chicken or you can put it in a bowl and use it as a dipping sauce.  I put a piece of foil under the wooden skewers so they don’t go up in flames on the  grill.  You can find the spice mix at good gourmet stores, but it is quick to make.  Click here for the recipe….

Poppa’s 100th Birthday Lunch Party

My dear friend’s Ben and Dee had a party for Ben’s father Poppa who turned 100 and I was so happy to help put the lunch together for their family and friends.  They wanted to keep it simple so we came up with a hearty salad of grilled chicken with mango, red peppers, cilantro, red onions and a vinaigrette with orange and crystallized ginger.  I grilled asparagus and made some flavored butters to go with the meal.  For drinks, I made a mixed summer berry water and a citrus and fresh mint water with tons of ice which were so pretty and refreshing on the hot summer day.  Dee picked hydrangeas and dahlias from her garden and that’s what we used to decorate the buffet and dining tables.  It was a very special day to celebrate a very special man.  Click here for the menu, time line and grocery list….

Mango and Grilled Chicken Salad with Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette

Mixed Summer Berry Ice Water

Fresh Citrus and Mint Ice Water

Fresh Corn, Red Pepper and Basil Salad

I had a lot of leftover fresh summer corn that I cooked for a dinner party and decided to cut the corn off the husks and make a salad with fresh basil the next day.  You could also use frozen corn if you would like.  I had a lime in the refrigerator, but you could also use lemon, and if you don’t have fresh basil, add fresh oregano, thyme or dill.  It’s a nice light, refreshing salad.  Click here for the recipe….

Grilled Pineapple with Caramel Sauce

I was inspired by Bobby Flay with this summer dessert and have made it my own.  It’s such a fabulous light dessert and an unexpected way to serve pineapple.  I love to get great grill marks by leaving the pineapple for several minutes once I put it on the grill and then turn it 180 degrees to get the cross hatch marks.  Take a pair of scissors and cut some of  the pineapple leaves off and put them in a baggie for decorations.  Cut the ends off and cut the skin off the pineapple.  Cut it in 6 pieces and store it in tupperware along with the leaves in the fridge until you need them.  The caramel sauce can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator and takes 5 minutes to make.  Right before I grill them, I brush some caramel sauce on each side and place it on the grill.  When they are cooked, put them on serving plates and drizzle some more caramel over, decorate with the pineapple leaves, and add a scoop of coconut sorbet and scatter some raspberries or blueberries to really take it over the top if you want.  I usually give everyone a sharp knife to cut the pineapple, along with a spoon to  get every last drop of the fabulous caramel sauce so we don’t all start licking the plates clean!  Click here for the recipe….

Blueberry Mojito

This is my favorite summer drink and it is the house drink at all of our parties.  I found a great cheat for the drink.  Instead of juicing hundreds of fresh limes (ok I exaggerate – but it’s a lot!), I use frozen limeade concentrate.  That way I can always have it on hand if someone drops by and I can make as large a batch as I need.  For 10 drinks I take a pitcher and thaw 2 cans of limeade and pour it into the pitcher.  Then add the juice of 1 lime, and one thinly sliced lime.  If you want, you can add any kind of berry and blueberries are really good in it.  I have a large mint plant growing outside and I take several large stems and remove the leaves, rip them up and add them to the juice.  Take a wooden spoon and muddle it all together and store in the refrigerator until you need it.  To make a drink, add ice to a tall glass, splash of rum (or mango rum is delicious!), the mojito mix, and top it off with some sparkling water.  Give it a stir and serve.  You can garnish with fresh mint and a slice of lime.  This drink is also a good non-alcoholic drink and kids love it.  It’s so refreshing and the lime cuts the sweetness which is delicious.  Click here for the recipe….