Entertaining/Orange-Scented Mulled Wine

Orange-Scented Mulled Wine


Warm coriander and pungent cardamom―instead of the usual cinnamon―give this traditional spiced wine an earthy floral twist.
–Inspired by Megan Nordtvedt, Seattle

Ingredients


1 large orange
Seeds from 8 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
8 to 9 tbsp. sugar, divided
2 bottles (750 ml. each) dry red wine
1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
Thin orange slices (optional)

Preparation

1. With a vegetable peeler, pare 8 thin strips zest (4 in. by 1/2 in.) from orange. Juice orange and reserve juice.

2. Wrap cardamom and coriander seeds and ginger in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine.

3. In a nonreactive saucepan, crush orange zest and 7 tbsp. sugar with a wooden spoon to release oils from zest. Add reserved orange juice, wine, and spice packet. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered, 30 minutes. Discard spice packet and orange zest.

4. To serve, heat wine, covered, over medium heat just until steaming. If you like, stir in liqueur and more sugar to taste. Ladle into heatproof glasses. Garnish with thin orange slices if you like.

This is a new segment for SID, I will feature an Entertainment section periodically to include appetisers, entres', and more.

We all love and enjoy food, we entertain in our homes to show off the ambiance to kick off football, and other sports. Pick a drink, or appetiser and create a theme party, i.e. with this drink I would add specialty cheeses/grapes and a country to celebrate such as Italy.

 I hope you enjoy watching for all of the new posts and recipes. Find Wine Glasses and Decanters at my store.



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Entertaining/Easy Appetisers

Herbed Cheese Log

On a 12- by 15-in. piece of plastic wrap, mix 1 tbsp. each minced fresh chives, cilantro, and basil leaves.

Roll a 5 1/2- to 6-oz. log of fresh goat cheese in herb mixture to coat evenly. Set on a small serving dish and drizzle with 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve with toasted baguette slices.
Makes: 8 servings
Time: 10 minutes

Spicy Sesame-Nut Mix
In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg white until frothy; whisk in 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tbsp. sesame seeds, 4 tsp. dried rubbed sage, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Add 1¾ cups each salted peanuts and pecan halves and 1 cup pine nuts; stir. Divide the mixture between 2 large parchment-lined or nonstick baking pans and spread evenly.

Bake at 300°, stirring often, until nuts are golden and fragrant, 20 to 25 minutes. To prevent sticking, turn mixture often as it cools.
Makes: 6 cups
Time: 35 minutes

Deviled Eggs with or Without Bacon


In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, cook 2 strips coarsely chopped bacon until crisp and brown. Drain on paper towels; crumble when cool.

Set aside 1 tbsp. bacon fat. Shell 6 hard-cooked eggs and halve lengthwise. Put yolks in a small bowl and, with a fork, mash in reserved bacon fat, 1/4 cup sour cream, and 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard. Add hot sauce and salt to taste.

Divide yolk mixture evenly among egg whites. Top with bacon and flat-leaf parsley leaves just before serving.

Makes: 12
Time: 30 minutes

Soft Tacos with Chiles and Cheese (Rajas con Queso)

Broil 3 fresh poblano chiles, turning to char and blister on all sides. Let cool. Discard stems and seeds; cut chiles into thin strips.

Cook 1 sliced white onion in 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chile strips and top with jack cheese slices.
Cover and cook over low heat until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Scoop chile mixture into 6 small warm corn or flour tortillas.

Makes: 6
Time: 20 minutes via

Last month, I began posting my, "Entertaining Articles", look for them periodically each month. You can type Appetisers or Food in the search bar at the top left of my blog to find all of the articles and recipes. Also take a look at my cookware collection.

Entertaining/Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach

Cream cheese melts in the heat of the pasta to form a luscious sauce. The fresh spinach called for here provides a delicate flavor that frozen spinach just doesn't duplicate. For speed, we recommend the prewashed kind available in supermarkets.

Servings: 4


Ingredients

10 ounce prewashed spinach
2 tablespoons butter
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound spaghetti
5 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Remove any tough stems from the spinach. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the scallions and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and stir until wilted. Simmer until the liquid evaporates from the spinach, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the spaghetti and toss with 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the spinach mixture, the cream cheese, parsley, Parmesan, and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.

Spinach Options: You can buy fresh spinach in various forms, depending on how hard you want to work.: · Salad bar: Weigh out 10 ounces of spinach from your supermarket's salad bar, and you're ready to cook--no rinsing or stem removal required.: · Prewashed bags: Supermarkets carry 10-ounce bags of spinach. This has been cleaned of all visible sand, but we would still give it one final rinse before cooking.: · Bunches of fresh spinach: You will need 1 1/2 pounds to equal 10 ounces of packaged cleaned spinach. Remove the stems and then wash the leaves several times to get rid of the grit.

Wine Recommendation: Chenin blanc grapes make a wine that is fruity but bursting with acidity--an excellent match for tarragon. Try either a bottle of Vouvray from France or one of chenin blanc from California.

Entertaining/Pomegranate Fizzies

Pomegranate Fizzies


You can throw these sparklers―dressed-up kir royales―together as guests walk in the door.

This is my new,"Entertaining", section, which features, specialty drinks, appetisers, entres' and more. The posts will show randomly, so be sure to add SID to your favorites. You can always type the word (Entertaining) in the upper left corner of my blog and search for all entries in the new section.

Ingredients


1 bottle (750 ml.) cold extra-dry sparkling wine or sparkling apple juice

About 2/3 cup cold unsweetened pomegranate juice

About 2 1/2 tbsp. pomegranate seeds

Preparation

Fill wine flutes three-quarters full with sparkling wine. Add a generous splash of pomegranate juice to each, and drop in 1 tsp. pomegranate seeds.

Outdoor Entertaining Tips

The warm, pleasant weather of spring just begs to be enjoyed. Here are a few tips that will help you make the most of this season meant for entertaining.



Light Up the Night


Don’t settle for harsh overhead floodlights. Use glass hurricanes to hold tabletop candles so the wind doesn’t blow them out, and position torches around the edges of the party to create a perimeter and cast dramatic shadows

Color Talk


Go for color. Use bright color like melon, fuschia and lemon-yellow to pop against the green. The inclination to use green botanical prints in a garden setting is a natural one, but they will disappear when surrounded by shrubs and plantings.

Trash Talk


Don’t forget to place an attractive trash can nearby to prevent trash from piling up on the table. And make sure it starts out empty!

Sun Salutations


If your party is a daytime event, be sure to provide shade, even if it means renting a tent. There’s nothing worse than watching your guests turn lobster-red before dessert.

Bug It


If you’re not averse to chemicals, spray your terrace or patio with insecticide before the party. For a green approach, plant marigolds around the patio, which are a natural bug deterrent.

Work Surface


Bring an extra table or teacart outdoors. You always need more table surface than you can predict for extra glasses or hors d’oeuvres.

Scents and Sensibility


Plant fragrant blossoms around your terrace, which will release their heady scent at dusk. A few recommendations: Eleagnus, jasmine, mock orange and passion vine.

Light a Fire


Invest in a fire pit and you won’t be able to make your guests go indoors. The mesmerizing effect of the fire works as well outdoors as in and can save your party from a chilly night.

Hot Tunes


Play warm-weather music like salsa or reggae. These tunes were meant to be enjoyed outdoors.

I hope you enjoyed My Houzz Ideas