Ok, so the second oops.  I forgot the cord to connect my camera to my computer during my travels (ok, didn’t really forget as much as I didn’t think I would need it.)  Which means I can either go buy a cord, hunt around my parent’s house for something that can work, or I can post things without pictures.  Since I’m feeling rather lazy about the whole missing cord dilemma right now, we’re going with option number three.

I guess there is also a third oops to this post.  Over the weekend I stayed with one of my best friends in NYC, who conincidently is enrolled in pastry school at The French Culinary Institute (yea, my friends are kinda awesome).  Although when I showed up at her apartment on Friday, I was surrounded by cookies.  We’re not talking a batch of your regular toll house either.  There were at least 10 dozen of several different kinds.  So pretty much my final “oops” to this post was the fact that 2/3 meals each day consisted of cookies.  I would pretty much wake up in the morning and eat cookies for breakfast.  I would come home, “not hungry” and yet somehow ended up eating a couple of macaroons.  Oops.

So this is where I would add a couple of pictures of the cookies, which include (but not limited to) macaroons (french kind, not coconut), Russian tea balls, biscotti, chocolate mint thumbprints, gingerbread, chocolate shortbread….yea, I’m pretty sure I’m missing a couple too.

So [insert picture here]

[and here]

.

.

.

.

[here too].

Then you drool a little bit.  Then I totally plug her mad cookie skills and say she’s decided to start selling her baked goods.  Drop me a line if you’re interested and I’ll get you in contact.

The occasion?  My sister was hitched last weekend in an all-out affair.  To give you an idea of what it was like, my family is half-Italian, part Irish and lives on Long Island…in other words; we know how to throw a party.

I suppose the festivities started Friday night with the rehearsal dinner, but to be honest, we would be here for the next week if I had to discuss that menu as well, so here’s a picture and we’ll move on to the main event.

My sister’s actual wedding was beautiful and perfect in every way…but by the time we were ready to celebrate, we were famished.  So perhaps the best place to start would be the cocktail hour.
Living up to its name, we did in fact have cocktails.  In fact, there was a “Martini Slide,” or as I like to call it, “an ice luge for adults.”  Serving multiple types of martinis (a staple in my family), the alcoholic ice sculpture was magnificent.

There was also food at the cocktail hour I swear!  The hors d’oeuvres were plentiful and were served either at a station or by a waiter.  I didn’t get to take many pictures of these since there was lots of socializing, but here’s the breakdown:

Stations:
•    Raw bar with clams, oysters and shrimp cocktail
•    Asian: dumplings, Peking duck
•    Pasta: lobster ravioli, butternut squash ravioli and crepes filled with spinach and ricotta
•    Carving/Kebab Station – stuff roast loin of pork, beef, chicken, veggie & fish kebabs
•    Tuscan – All types of cheeses, breads, meats, olives, marinated vegetables
Passed:
•    Baby lamb chops
•    Baked stuffed clams
•    Tomato soup shots w/ mini sandwiches
•    Franks en croute
•    Thai Crab Cakes
•    Kobe-Beef Sliders
•    Tuna on wontons
•    Beef Negiyamki
•    Lobster spring rolls
•    Simosas
•    Bruscheta
•    Roasted yam tart w/ pecans
•    Coconut Shrimp

Phew!  Ok, the main courses were the best part in my opinion.  It started off with an artichoke and wild mushroom tartlet with herbed goat cheese served with baby green.  As my aunt said, “I could have had four of these and called it a day.”

There were three choices of entrees:
•    Filet Mignon served with sweet potato and Yukon gold fries with asparagus bundle, topped with a merlot demi-glaze
•    Roasted French-cut chicken breast stuffed with apples and cranberries served with a mélange of roasted vegetables and potato
•    Pan-seared panko-encrusted striped bass with herb risotto and sautéed spinach topped with a lemon caper sauce

I ordered the Filet Mignon, and it was cooked perfectly.  Additionally, the portion sizes were quite generous.  I had plenty to eat and was able to share it with both my sister and her fiancée husband.

And then there was the dessert!  Of course the wedding cake was beautiful….both untouched and eaten!  The family heirloom wedding topper of course made it look even better.

Just when I thought I couldn’t eat any more, the Viennese table showed up
Viennese Display…
•    Ice cream sundaes
•    Bananas foster
•    Mixed fruit crepes
•    Vanilla and Chocolate mousse
•    Candied apples
•    Cheese cake (NY & Italian styles)
•    Pecan pie
•    Maple Walnut cake
•    Tiramisu
•    Chocolate covered pretzels
•    Assorted cookies and pastries

And then there were Zeppole.  The chef was Italian and offered to make them.  My grandmother used to make them and it was a nice addition to the wedding.

Overall, the food was amazing, the day was perfect and after rolling myself home and then back to Boston, I got to enjoy some more of the leftover wedding cake. Yum!

Ok…so technically the party past already, I apologize for the late invite.  Although quite frankly, I’m not sure I could have handled more guests; I ran out of chairs in my apartment.
The party was successful (or at least my friends are good sports and like to humor me).  It was actually the first time I had cooked for more than 5 people and I haven’t heard of any cases of food poisoning, so I guess technically that defines a successful party; depending on who you ask.
Initially, I was excited to have a get together with friends.  Having just moved to Boston, I thought it was a good idea to get some people together and eat.  Then of course I started getting overwhelmed, not with what to make, but what not to make.  There are so many options and I wanted to impress, but not make it too complicated that the meal wouldn’t be done cooking until midnight.  Eventually I decided on a menu, presented below (with selected recipes!).  I do apologize for the lack of pictures though, it’s difficult to cook for ten people and take pictures.
As a side note though, I do recommend having dinner parties during the workweek.  It is likely your guests will bring more alcohol than consume, thereby replenishing your wine rack.

Simple Green Salad
Stuffed and Broiled Tomatoes
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts

-8-10 beets depending on size
-1/3 c Goat cheese
- 1/3 c Pine Nuts
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Red Wine Vinegar

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil (it will help keep the moisture and flavor in) and cook in oven ~45 minutes or until skewer can be inserted easily
• Meanwhile, toast pine nuts over medium heat until they begin to brown, then remove from heat
• Let the beets cool ~10 minutes then remove skins by holding a beet in a paper towel and rubbing the it off. This will also prevent your hands from turning hot pink
• Add the chopped beets, goat cheese and pine nuts to a bowl. Toss with olive oil and vinegar to taste

Chicken Roulade with Mustard Sauce

Sauce:
-1/2 c plain yogurt
-1 tbsp Dijon mustard
-2 tsp chopped chives

Chicken:
-4 boneless chicken breasts
-1/3 c plain yogurt
-1 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 c breadcrumbs (I used Italian style for extra flavor)
-1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
-2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt & pepper

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Lightly brush baking pan with olive oil
• Mix together the yogurt, mustard and chives for the sauce and set aside
• Sprinkle ~1 ½ teaspoons of basil in the center of each chicken breast and season with salt & pepper. Roll the chicken breast up, enclosing the basil
• In a bowl mix together the yogurt and mustard. Separately, mix together the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan
• Roll each chicken breast in the yogurt mixture then the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil
• Bake ~30 minutes and serve with the sauce on the side

Source:  Williams-Sonoma Chicken Cookbook

Mixed Berry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies

WARNING: If you tend to eat the batter while making baked goods, chances are you will end up with very few of these cookies

Ingredients

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Scharfen-Berger aka the Rolls Royce of chocolate)
1 c + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c + 2 tbsp Cocoa powder (I used Droste)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c + 2 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c whole milk

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• In a double-boiler (or make-shift one, like I used) melt the bittersweet chocolate until smooth then remove from heat and set aside to cool
• Stir flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together in a bowl
• Beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy
• Slowly add the sugar to the butter until smooth
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well
• Beat in the salt and vanilla
• Add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated
• Mix in the milk
• Slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated
• Place ~1 tablespoons onto baking sheet lined with parchment, about 1 inch apart
• Bake until the cookies are barely firm, ~7-10 minutes – highly recommend using a thin metal spatula to transfer from pan to wire rack for cooling
• Store in an airtight container

Source:  Tartine Bakery Cookbook

Now any takes to help with some of the dishes?!

The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

The Lemon Bars:

Happy Eating!