Food

For me, Valentine’s Day is just as good a time to pop some bubbly and make a delicious meal or order delivery. What we skip? Reservations. Like New Year’s Eve, we like to avoid the overpriced “special” menu.

When it comes to gifts I suggest both the stereotypical jewelry and chocolate to some off the beaten path.

Whip it Good!

You can read the idea of whipped cream for Valentine’s Day as naughty or nice. You decide. If you’ve ever tried fresh whipped cream, you know that no preservative-laden grocery variety can match the sweet, creamy peaks you get with the real thing. But if you’re daunted by the thought of hand-whipping your own topping, fear not. We’ve found a gadget that does the work for you. The iSi Easy Whip produces twice the volume of hand whipping — one pint of liquid yields about five pints of whipped cream — in seconds. Isi Easy Whip, $49.95 TheDailyGrommet.com

Small World

Sorta silly. Kind of quirky. What’s so special about a glass vessel, a pile of rocks, some plant life and a little figurine or two? I’m not exactly sure where the magic comes from, but the combination is totally endearing. Maybe it’s the tiny people. Twig Terrariums, $50 TheDailyGrommet.com

Dangling Dazzlers

The standard jewelry gift for VD. Bejewel her ears with Opal, Swarovski crystal embellished earrings. Bijoux Heart earrings, $205 TheOutnet.com

Bedtime Beckons

A fun and flirty chemise that’s not over the top nor shy and this item won’t be awkward for the gift giver or reciever. Oscar de la Renta chemise, $69 BareNecessities.com

Brownie Obession-YUM!

Dark and delicious double chocolate espresso brownies. Skip the milk and serve with some champagne on Valentine’s Day. $21.95 for melt in your mouth delicious. StirCrazyBakery.com

Love is a Battlefield

Pat Benatar sang, “Love is a battlefield.” Why not heal with a purple heart. Crunchy, salty-sweet caramel toffee packaged in a petite purple heart. $15 Vosgeschocolate.com

I’ll be sneaking this little package of yummy caramels into the movies tonight.

Whitney Dineen is  a former model with whom I worked with many times as a fashion director and when she wasn’t modeling she was in the kitchen baking up plenty of goodies for friends. She moved from NYC to LA and turned her love of baking into a business of offering her creations to all including a powerful clientele like Steven Spielberg, Matthew McCanaughey, and Kirstie Alley.  Now she lives in Oregon with her husband and kids, but still bakes up delicious goodies thtat you can find at WhitneysGoodies.com

Hello Friday. Pour me one of these, please.

Spending your summer at home can still feel a little indulgent. Find relief from the heat and make summer backyard gatherings a chic affair with a sparkling drink, a frothy drinkable dessert or one of myt favorites for summer, rose or vinho verde wine.

NUVO Sparkling Sunset, a delicious, fruity drink perfect for a warm weather get-together.

Nuvo Sparkling Sunset

3 oz NUVO Sparkling Liqueur
3 oz pineapple juice
Splash of fresh lime juice
Top with sliced fruit of your choice

Or for a drink that tastes like dessert choose one of my favorites, the mudslide. This reminds me of the yummy drinks I recently had on my boat trip off of Panama.

Baileys Mudslide
For one serving

Wino  Weekend:

If wine is what you’re looking for set your sights on a rose or vinho verde. Leave the reds for fall and the buttery whites until Labor Day. This summer keep it light, crisp and bubbly.

Some of my favorites:

2010 Adega Cooperativo Regional de Monçao “Trajarinho” Vinho Verde, $8.99

2010 Adegas Cooperativos de Monção “Muralhas” Rosé Vinho Verde, $9.99

2010 Domaine Begude Pinot Noir Vin de Pays d’Oc Rosé, $12.99

All from KLWines.com

Shopping the Larchmont Farmer’s Market on Sunday is part of my weekend routine and one recent Sunday my gal pal Judy Ludy (master of cook & baking) and I were inspired to create a meal of fresh ingredients that were almost solely from the market. My husband came along to document the experience and, of course, eagerly await the food.

On the menu for six guests:

Dinner:
Roasted chicken (we bought rotisserie chickens from the grill guy at the market. It saved us time in the kitchen.)
Japanese Eggplant, Mozzarella & Tomato (Slice the eggplant length wise to wrap around the cheese and tomato-hold closed with a toothpick to grill on bbq)
Roasted Squash and Zucchini (so simple-long slices grilled with evoo, sea salt and pepper)

Two desserts: Just because!
Peach Cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream (Judy’s trick-cut out a 1/3 of the sugar)

Berry Trifle (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries heated in a pot with some lemon juice and a little sugar will reap plenty of juices to be soaked up by your choice of cubed pound cake or angel food cake. I make fresh whipped cream with a touch of vanilla and sugar and then I fold in a jar of lemon curd to the mix. Judy baked a lemon pound cake for the trifle that was awesome, but you can use store bought to save time. It’s all about the layers.

And plenty of wine from Rose to Vinho Verde.

YUM!

Devastatingly Delicious, Decidedly Naughty and Wickedly Addictive Dessert

Dare I tell you about the infamous Seven Layer Bars that have taken over our home for the last few days?

Yes, I shall share the tale of the outrageous, foodgasm that erupts in your mouth each time you take a bite of one of these sinful pleasures. Sinful is where this short story starts. Our friends invited us to a glam affair to “Ring in the Rapture” although as we all know it The Rapture didn’t happen so it turned out to be a chance dress up and partake in sinful drinks and sweets. I made two desserts–devil’s food cake mini cupcakes with vanilla icing and red drizzled pitchforks and the seven layer bars which I like to think of as 7th Heaven.

I made two batches and kept part of the second batch back home when I couldn’t figure out how my husband and I could balance more than four trays of desserts. AND, that my friends is how at around 3pm each afternoon I start hearing a voice beckoning me into the kitchen to open up a tinfoil lined container housing these decadent little treats. I confessed to my friend, Jesse Brune who also happens to be a classically trained chef and my trainer that I should just throw them away. He, who has a love of sweets as well, agreed, “Throw them away or you’ll be doomed.” OK, he didn’t say doomed aloud, but he and I can communicate telepathically.

So after my training session today I went home and ignored the container until 4pm (oh, how strong I am) when I went into the kitchen and chose two squares and slowly ate them while taking a break to read the Hollywood Reporter. I went back into the kitchen and unwrapped the foil again to just take a look, a last look was the plan before I threw the rest away. Then I thought, perhaps I should freeze all the rest, but four squares. Only fair to let my husband have his share before they’re packed away for a few weeks until some fated night he suggests cupcakes for dessert or a mad dash to Milk for the blondie sundae and I say, “We’ve got bars in the freezer.”  And guaranteed he’ll say, “Those will do. Those will definitely do.”  And yet, I still haven’t packed them yet in freezer bags. Maybe just one last look, one last bite before they hit the cold.

So here’s the simple recipe for the wickedly addictive bars:

Seven Layer Bars

1 stick of butter
1 cup of graham caracker crumbs
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 package of chocolate chips
1 package of butterscotch chips
1 can of condensed milk
Your choice: 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or 1 cup of mini marshmallows

How to:
Melt the butter and pour into a 9 X 13 pan. Layer graham cracker crumbs on top (they will soak up the butter). Then layer the various chips. I admit I also added in peanut butter chips as well. Add the coconut on top of the chips and then add your nuts if you choose to use nuts. Then pour the condensed milk over the layers. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you want marshmallows add them halfway through baking scattered on top. They will soften, get a little oozy and turn a light brown on top.

Take out of oven and let cool. Once thoroughly cooled you can put the pan in the fridge for 10 minutes to make them easier to cut into bars or just go for the soft melty goodness that will happen.

Enjoying a naughty good time at the Ring in the Rapture party. Me, with my halo and Daysun with his horns.

If you don’t have time to bake, buy a cake and cover it in fondant or add candy or sprinkles to match your party colors or theme. It will take the pressure off you at dessert time.

Don’t let guests leave empty handed. Write or print up the recipes from that evening’s dinner, roll up and secure with ribbon and tie around a mini bottle of wine or champagne.

Guests arrive and you’ll still be cooking? Have small ramekins filled with mixed nuts (preferably heated with some spices) stacked by the wine or beer you’ll be serving. Guests will be impressed by the mini treat individually prepared. It’s like traveling first class on Continental.

Once the menu has been decided, print a menu to be displayed on the table or have a small printed menu folded within the napkin on each guest’s plate. Or display in a frame lit from the back.