Super Easy Meal #2: Baked Potato Bar

As promised, today I'm offering up another simple meal so you have plenty of time to enjoy your family and friends this holiday season.

Super Easy Meal #2: Baked Potato Bar

Our cafeteria at work serves a baked potato bar every couple months, and it's one of my all-time favorite lunches. I don't know why it took me years to realize that I could have a baked potato bar at home, too! Keep this meal simple by purchasing prepared toppings. Here are some ideas: butter, chili, sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, bacon, broccoli, and plenty of salt and pepper.

And cooking your spuds couldn't be easier. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Scrub your potatoes clean and use a fork to poke holes all around them. (If you forget to poke holes, you may have a potato explosion. Exciting, but messy.) Microwave potatoes on high for 12 minutes, flipping halfway. At this point they'll still be pretty firm, but will start to feel a little softer. Pop the potatoes into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until a sharp knife can be inserted very easily. Allow everyone to top the potatoes however they'd like!

With such an easy supper, you'll have plenty of extra time to rest up for New Year's Eve!

Super Easy Meal #1: Pork Chops & Applesauce

We're all too busy playing with our Christmas presents to worry much about dinner. So, this week I'm offering a couple easy meals.

Super Easy Meal #1: Pork Chops & Applesauce
For this meal, you'll need a little help from your local butcher. Swing my his meat case and peruse the selection. I'll betcha he's got a tray of plump pork chops brimming with golden stuffing. See 'em? Maybe over there between the chicken breasts and the rump roasts? Yep, now you've got it. Get enough stuffed chops for your family. Grab some green beans (preferable the ones that some kind soul has gone to the trouble of trimming for you) and applesauce, and you're ready to go.

Once you're home, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, prep your green beans for roasting. Wash, trim, and spread them on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with lots of salt and pepper. Then set the tray aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high in a large oven-safe skillet. Generously sprinkle your pork chops with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, brown the pork chops for about 3 minutes on each side. (You'll know the meat is ready to flip when it doesn't stick to the pan.) Pop the whole pan in the preheated oven, and cook for about 15 minutes, until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Tent the chops with foil and allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes.

When the pork chops have about 5 minutes left to cook, add the tray of green beans to the oven to cook.  They'll need about 12-15 minutes total. Stir them around halfway through. (Check out this post for a detailed description of roasting green beans.) You want them to be crisp-tender with golden brown spots.

Serve the pork chops with applesauce and green beans. (Oh, and if you're feeling ambitious, make your own applesauce. It's delish.)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and your families!
With Love,
Erin & the Lady of the House

The First Noel
The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

And by the light of that same star
Three Wise men came from country far
To seek for a King was their intent
And to follow the star wherever it went.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

This star drew nigh to the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both Pause and stay
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then entered in those Wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Twas the night before the night before Christmas...

It's Christmas Eve Eve! Can you believe it!? Are you finished shopping? Are your presents wrapped? Are your halls decked and your tree trimmed? Are you ready for friends and family to fill your home with joy and mirth? Are you amused that I used the word "mirth"?

In case you're still finalizing your menu for the holidays, check out some of these tempting favorites.

Goat Cheese Spread with Pecans & Cranberries:

Spicy Nuts:

Roast Beef Tenderloin with Bacon Port Sauce:

Mom's Cheesy Potatoes:

Roasted Green Beans:

Minty Mindies (these taste JUST like Thin Mints!):











Oreo Truffles:

They're Here!!

Here's an old post I thought I'd dig up and dust off for you. Hopefully these tips for hosting guests is helpful in the coming days!

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Ding Dong


I grew up in a family that hosted house guests more often than not. Weary travelers arrived at the safe harbor of our tiny 4-bedroom, and Mum made sure they were comfortable. The fact is, they'd never had it so good.

I'd like to think I picked up a fraction of her ability to make those "foreign" feel completely at home. So here are some tips for opening your home



-Do Come In.
Nothing is better than a joyous welcome--a rush to the door--a genuine greeting. Get over yourself and your to-do list, and get to the door, tongs in hand. It's the primer to the party. You set the mood, not your TV. That being said, make sure Goodbye is as kind. Thank your guests for coming, and how about this...maybe even linger at the door for a moment while they back out. Pay it forward people.

-So Fresh and So Clean, Clean.
Please don't make your guests wipe their hands on your bath towel. Make sure there's a clean hand towel or paper guest towel at the ready. If you're going linen (my personal preference), have a few on hand, and pop by the loo to see if it needs to be swapped. If your guests are spending the night or a few nights, check on their linens. It's so easy to throw in a load of towels, and they'll love the 5-star treatment.

-A Little Goes a Long Way.
For overnight guests, make sure their room or sofa is well equipped with plenty of I-thought-about-you tokens. A bottle or carafe of water at the bedside is friendly, as is a little bouquet of flowers. A stack of glossy magazines is also so lovely to set out. Think of the things you neglect to do for yourself, and go for it.

-Duh! Or Stuff You Might Forget in the Flurry of Cooking.
Plunger in the bathroom. Room spray or a candle in there too. Yummy hand soap. ice!!! A clever comment when someone spills or breaks something. ("Thank you for breaking/ruining this! I have been looking for a reason to go out a buy a better one!") Your smile. Good music: Pandora, but make it a blend of a few genres. A little too much Michael Buble, and we all get the crazies.

It's a short list, but hopefully poignant. Be fabulous!!

xoxo
Lady of the House

Salmon with Dill Cream Sauce

I spent last week in San Francisco, home of the Lady of the House and one of my all-time favorite cities. Most of my time was spent in meetings for work, but I made sure I had some fun, too. A certain Lady brought me to fabulous SPQR where we toasted friendship with generous pours of prosecco and piles of pasta. And I brought back a little treat for the husband, which he is enjoying as I type: a homemade chocolate peanut butter cup from Z. Cioccolato in North Beach. It has flaky sea salt sprinkled on top. It was a good present.

After a week of non-stop action, I'm having a lazy day. I'm refusing to change out of my sweatpants. I wrote Christmas cards, read my book-of-the-moment, and watched football with the husband. I reveled in the Christmas lights strung about my home sweet home. As delightful as my visit to San Francisco was, I love being home.

Even on the laziest of lazy days, this fancy-enough-for-company salmon is wonderfully doable. It's easy, my dear readers. Sweatpants easy.

Salmon with Dill Cream Sauce
Serves: 4

1.5 pounds salmon fillet
Salt and pepper
Lemon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sour cream
1 lemon, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place salmon on a baking sheet, skin-side down. Sprinkle with salt and lemon paper to taste (I'm pretty generous with both), and drizzle with olive oil. Bake salmon in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Squeeze juice from half of the lemon over the cooked salmon.

While salmon is cooking, stir together sour cream, juice from the remaining lemon half, and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (This will probably be more sauce than you need, but you can store the leftovers in the fridge and serve with sliced veggies the next day.) Serve salmon with creamy dill sauce sauce.

Chocolate Trifle

We got together recently to celebrate Kelly's birthday, and I was in charge of birthday cake. Since we were planning to stuff our faces with plenty of food and drink before Kelly blew out the candles, we wanted to keep dessert a bit lighter. Well, I'm not sure I'd consider this "lite," but I did use No Pudge brownies. It therefore qualifies as downright healthy in my book.

Now, you can certainly make all of the trifle components from scratch: homemade fudgy brownies, pudding slowly stirred in a saucepan, cream whipped to soft peaks. But I didn't this time. 'Tis the season to take shortcuts, I suppose.

Anyway, the trifle was a huge success. The best thing about it? It takes best if you let it sit in the fridge overnight, so you can make it ahead.

Chocolate Trifle
Serves 6-8

1 package brownies, baked according to package directions for an 8"x8" pan, and cooled (As I mentioned, I used No Pudge brownies to make this a "healthy" dessert.)
3.8 ounce package instant Devil's Food pudding, made according to package directions with 2 cups milk
8 ounces Cool Whip
Raspberries, for garnish

Cut brownies into 1" cubes. Gently fold 3/4 of the Cool Whip into the pudding until it's evenly blended. Layer 1/3 of the brownie pieces in the bottom of a trifle bowl. (If you don't have a trifle bowl - a glass bowl with straight sides - just use whatever bowl you have. A clear bowl is prettiest so you can see the layers.) Top brownies with 1/3 of the pudding mixture.

Repeat the layers two more times until you've used all the brownies and pudding. Top with the remaining Cool Whip and garnish with the raspberries to make it look fancy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, preferably overnight.