Spicy Chex Mix

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Andrea

When the holidays roll around a lot of people think of Chex Mix as one of the staple holiday snacks. Growing up we didn’t have it until it started appearing on the shelves in packages. It was a long time before I realized you could make this yourself. Maybe that’s strange to some, but the snack wasn’t a staple at our parties. We’re a more chip ‘n dip kind of folk.

I have to say, that I love the taste of Worcestershire sauce! It is that flavor that drew me in and kept me coming back for more snack mix. It’s spicy, salty, and so potent. Right up my alley! I prefer the original flavor of snack mix for this very reason. I’m not really into the other flavors and variations of the snack mix. Call me a Chex Mix purist.

I decided to create my own recipe and of course it has a heavy Worcestershire base to it. Lea & Perrins happens to be my favorite Worcestershire sauce and when Foodbuzz offered us the opportunity to get a free bottle of it for using in holiday recipes, I jumped at the chance.

Holiday Party Foods 2010 Edition

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Andrea

Tis the season! Now is the time when everyone is out and attending holiday parties left and right. Heck perhaps you are even hosting one! If you need some ideas on what to make for your next gathering, OHC is here to help you out!

Just out of the oven

You can’t really go wrong with bacon and cheese right? Bacon wrapped jalapenos are the answer! Very portable and can be made ahead of time. Just heat right before serving!

Ham and Cheddar Potato Puff

Got leftover mashed potatoes? Quick and easy potato puffs are great for appetizers! Even if you don’t have leftover mashed, use fresh! These also can be made ahead of time and just need to be heated up before serving.

Pear and Brie Crostini

Maybe you’re going to a fancier party? Or maybe you just want to wow your friends? Pear and Brie Crostini is a great combo and a perfect way to put that cranberry sauce to use. It looks gorgeous and tastes just as amazing.

Time to Eat

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Andrea

Growing up my mom liked to serve Thanksgiving dinner during early afternoon, like around 1pm and it drove me bonkers. Who wants to eat a heavy meal that early in the day?

Not me.

On TV you always saw these big elegant Thanksgiving dinners. Huge sit-down affairs with wine bottles littering the table, decorations out in full force, and the good China sparkling away. This is what I wanted. An elegant candlelit dinner.

When Scott and I started having our own Thanksgivings this is exactly what I planned out. Elegant evening meals with wine and candles and pretty plates. Do you know what I found out?

Doing that is a pain in my butt. You spend all day cooking, you end up eating late, and then you still have to clean up! It’s 8pm before you’re sitting down to relax for the day. I had enough of that real quick! I thought back to childhood and realized maybe my mom knew what she was doing.

Thanksgiving Table Decorations

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Andrea

I like to decorate my table for Thanksgiving dinner. I think it makes the dinner more festive and helps set the right mood. My trick to getting a lovely table that doesn’t stress me out is by keeping things simple.

Because it’s just Scott and I eating dinner, I decorate the back of the table. If I were hosting and doing a buffet style, I would put the decorations down the middle with the food intermingled on each side.

I tend to stick with things I already have on hand at home for decorating, which include:

Fall decorations
Fake flowers and leaves
Candles
White twinkle (or Christmas) lights

Everything I buy, I buy on the cheap. You don’t have to spend a crazy amount of money to make your table look fancy.

Dollar stores can have some really great knick-knacks, like little pumpkins and fall scented small candles.

Garden Ridge is my go-to store for all decoration needs. They are cheap and they have a ton of stuff that looks amazing. I can get glass and ceramic pumpkins there for a dollar.

Stretching The Drinks At Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Andrea

If you are hosting and putting on Thanksgiving dinner, then you know that it can come with a hefty price-tag. Whether you’re feeding two, 12, or 25, food costs money and so do the drinks that go along with it!

And even though everyone is hungry and ready to eat now, drinks tend to go the quickest. Am I right? Drinks are free flowing all day long, “because it’s a holiday!” and it’s easy to spend a lot of money just keeping everyone supplied.

If you are hosting, having guests chip in and bring a drink or five is a great way to keep your budget in check and also for others to show their gratification for your hospitality.

However drinks are still going to go quickly! How can you make the drinks last longer?

By combining them with something else! Yes technically it’s a mixed drink of sorts but the kind that won’t kill your budget or have you wondering if you are going to run out of beverages.

Thanksgiving Links 2010

Posted on November 20, 2010 by Andrea

Here are some links I came across that you might find interesting for some weekend reading. All Thanksgiving related, everything from turkey to wine. :)

Budget friendly Thanksgiving Tips

100 Links to recipes and tips

Hilarious post on how to handle the possible stressors of hosting for the big day

Wine-Time:

List of wines for the big dinner and they aren’t too expensive either!

Also? Give beer a shot! You might find a great craft beer for dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving from OHC!!

Thanksgiving Apple Stuffing

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Andrea

I have been cooking with apples more and more lately. Before I couldn’t stand the taste and texture of cooked apples and now I’m finding that I can tolerate it a bit more.

I still don’t want any apple pie though! You all can have that.

I’ve also been toying around with new ideas for some holiday dishes and one I played with was stuffing. Oh man both Scott and I love stuffing. Mmmmm! I love it super seasoned with crispy edges. My mom made alright stuffing but you know, I used to really like the box mix stuff! I used to make that for Scott and I all the time. Then about nine years ago, I started researching how to make stuffing from scratch and I discovered that it’s not hard at all.

From that point on, I started making homemade stuffing. This allows me to control the ingredients and how much seasoning I want, it’s a win-win for us all! Plus you know homemade is better than any box of whatever.

Talking Thanksgiving with Chef Michael Chiarello

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Andrea

OHC is in full Thanksgiving mode! It is next week but there’s still plenty of time to talk side dishes, wine, and turkey. Recently I had the great opportunity to submit a few Thanksgiving questions to Chef Michael Chiarello and I have to tell you that I was excited beyond words.

Chef Chiarello was (and still is) by far my favorite Chef that was on the Food Network. I love his show because he proved how easy it is to get in the kitchen to cook something and also how that simple food can be elegant and sophisticated. He threw amazing dinner parties that were simple to put together leaving the guests satisfied and the host with time to chat and enjoy themselves.

I asked him three questions and here he is presenting his answers.

I hope you enjoyed it!

A huge thank you to Chef Chiarello for taking the time to answer this food blogger’s questions. And another big thank you to Jackie for setting all of this up!

Creamy Cauliflower

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Andrea

Growing up, cauliflower wasn’t one of my favorite vegetables. I would eat it if I came across it on a veggie tray but that was with the help of some serious ranch dressing. Otherwise I didn’t touch the stuff.

Developing into an adult and with my ever expanding list of “Foods I Didn’t Eat But Do Now”, I decided to give cauliflower another try. I liked it well enough but then I discovered roasted cauliflower and fell immediately in love. We’ve been having roasted cauliflower at the HQ a lot this year!

Recently Scott and I were discussing Thanksgiving plans and possible side-dishes to make. The topic revolved around either sticking with the same old stuff or branching out and trying something new. One of the things he suggested was a creamy cauliflower type dish.

Hrm….

That got my wheels spinning and I decided to do a test run that very night! I came up with this creamy cauliflower casserole that both of us adored. It’s got a cheese sauce and prosciutto, so how can you go wrong?

OHC’s Approach to Thanksgiving

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Andrea

Thanksgiving Dinner

OHC loves Thanksgiving! It means that I can spend all week cooking and Scott can spend all weekend eating good food. I realize that spending a week cooking can be most people’s worst nightmare but when you love cooking as much as I do, then Thanksgiving is a dream come true.

The reason I spend all week cooking is because I plan out Thanksgiving.

If you know anything about me, then you know I love Google web-products. GCal and Google Docs have saved my life time and time again. Google can be your best friend during the holidays.

With GCal I plan out the week before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving week. Then I print this out and stick it to my fridge so I have in front of me and can stay on task.

The week before I plan out my grocery list. I have my menu in front of me and I write down every ingredient I need for that recipe. Off of that I make a master list of things I’ll need from the grocery store. Then I do a walk-through, looking over each of my fridges (I have two) and my pantry to see what I already have on hand.