It's Big Time

Think back to the time when you listened to your favorite song over and over by pressing the “rewind” button on your tape player, when Saved by the Bell was a new episode each afternoon and you totally rocked your white slouch socks and white Keds.

Maybe you even owned and proudly wore a swishy tracksuit, too. That was fun.

Now, think about that someone who was a special mentor to you around that time. Think of someone outside of your family who you really looked up to.

Mine was Mrs. Wood, my fourth grade teacher. She was amazingly kind and thoughtful; always patient and willing to help me or any of her students with school work or whatever it was that we came to her with.

I was very lucky to have Mrs. Wood as a mentor. She was someone that set positive examples for me and those who were around her. Unfortunately, many young children in America aren’t as lucky to have someone like that in their lives as you and I may have been.

For the past three and a half years I have been involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation’s largest mentoring network. This non-profit organization matches adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) age 6-18 in communities across the nation. 

The goal is to provide a positive role model to children who are struggling with hardships, whether it be at home, school or elsewhere, and give them the opportunity to build a relationship that will impact their lives forever.

Here’s me and my Little. Her name is Darcy.

She’s nine years old. Her favorite restaurant is Olive Garden. She loves Shirley Temple's, going to movies, coloring and painting, and puppies. She loves puppies. When we are together, we spend most of our time laughing. We really bring out the best in each other.

I encourage you to get involved. Whether it’s with BBBS or another mentor program, the impact you can have on a child is beyond measure. It is a great commitment and sometimes time consuming, but the rewarding feeling of giving back to a child is unlike anything else. To watch them grow, to see them improving in school, helping them break out of their shell and noticing their self-esteem rise is something you can do and something so many children in America need.

Here’s some proof from BBBS. National research shows that positive relationships between a Big and a Little has a direct impact on their lives:

·         More confident in their schoolwork performance

·         Able to get along better with their families

·         46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs

·         27% less likely to begin using alcohol

·         52% less likely to skip school

·         81% of former Littles surveyed agree that their Big gave them hope and challenged their perspective of what they thought possible

Find out more information here: http://www.bbbs.org

Get volunteering information here: http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.9iILI3NGKhK6F/b.5962345/k.E123/Volunteer_to_start_something.htm

To find a location nearest you and fill out an online application click here: http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.9iILI3NGKhK6F/b.5961203/k.61FA/Sign_up_to_volunteer.htm

Are you already involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters? Are you thinking about joining? Let me know your story!

Happy volunteering,

Christi

Here's the Dish

I'm still dreaming about this meal. It's a keeper. 

Make your shopping list, get your ingredients, and give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

Let's take it from the top with the appetizer:

Pea Pesto Crostini

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

1 10-ounce package of frozen peas, defrosted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil

For the crostini:

8 1/2-inch-thick slices of whole-grain baguette or ciabatta bread, preferably day-old
1/3 cup olive oil
8 cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 small tomato, diced

Preparation:

To make the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add in the olive oil until it is well combined, which takes about one to two minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

To make the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat.

Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, which takes about one to two minutes.

Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice. Top with tomato and serve.

So far, so good. Let's move on to the main course!

Individual Lasagnas with fresh sweet corn and mascarpone cheese,

                served with blistered tomatoes and roasted asparagus

Ingredients:

For the lasagnas:

Butter for greasing the ramekins

12 lasagna sheets
3 cups fresh corn
1/2 cup whipping cream, at room temperature
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup, or 8 ounces, mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 cup, or 4 ounces, finely grated Romano cheese, plus 1/2 cup, or 2 ounces,
Zest of one large lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1.5 cups, or 6 ounces, shredded sharp Provolone cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

For the blistered tomatoes:

1 pound, or 2 dry pints, cherry tomatoes

For the roasted asparagus

1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed

Preparation:

You’ll need (6) 10-ounce ramekins

To make the lasagnas: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter six 10-ounce ramekins. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, which takes about eight minutes.

Using two cooked lasagna noodles in an "x" shape, line each ramekin, pushing the noodles gently into the bottom of the ramekins, allowing any excess pasta to overhang the side.

In a food processor, blend the corn, cream and garlic until chunky. Add the mascarpone cheese, 1 cup Romano cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the basil and pulse until just combined. 


Spoon 1/4 cup of the filling into the bottom of each ramekin. Sprinkle about two tablespoons of Provolone cheese on top.

Fold two overhanging pieces of pasta over the filling. Trim the ends of the pasta with scissors, if necessary. Add another 1/4 cup of filling and top with another 2 tablespoons Provolone cheese.

Fold over the two remaining pieces of pasta. Spoon any remaining filling on top of the ramekins. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/2 cup Romano cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, run a knife around the edge of the ramekins to loosen the lasagnas. 

Unmold the lasagnas and transfer to serving plates.

For the blistered tomatoes and roasted asparagus: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place asparagus and tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for five to eight minutes or until crisp tender.

Whew! While that's doing its thing in the oven, 

go ahead and get your truffle on.

Tarragon and Merlot Truffles

Ingredients:

1/3 cup heavy cream
1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli
1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons Merlot wine
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the cream and chocolate in a medium bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, which takes about six minutes.

Stir in the tarragon, wine and salt until smooth.

Refrigerate for two hours until firm. Let the mixture stand at room temperature until moldable, which takes about 45 minutes.

Using a melon scoop, scoop level amounts of the truffle mixture on to the prepared baking sheet. Roll into 1/2-inch balls.

Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Roll the truffles in the cocoa powder until coated.

Arrange on a platter and serve or refrigerate in an airtight container.

Don't be scared to try this one. Let me know how you do!

Cheers,

Christi

The Evening of My Royal Dinner

I am so thrilled (and slightly surprised) to begin this post with one word to sum up my Royal Dinner.

Success!

Our menu consisted of exactly what Giada De Laurentiis served July 9. (Minus the beef tenderloin crostini. The menu was becoming a bit too much for me to handle.)

Pea pesto crostini
Beef tenderloin crostini with basil curry
Mini lasagna with blistered tomatoes and pencil asparagus
Tarragon Merlot truffles

The party began with an Italian Prosecco and pea pesto crostini appetizer. My, my. The crostinis were amazing. The color was such an unbelievably beautiful bright green. I served the pesto on a baguette that I had sliced and basted with olive oil and baked until golden brown. I placed a fresh cherry tomato on top which gave it the perfect burst of flavor. These were gone in minutes.

This delicious baguette was purchased from the farmers' market in Fayetteville.

Next, I prepared the creamy corn mixture for the mini lasagnas and layered in ramekins. This filling is out of this world. It is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. 

For real.

While those baked, we enjoyed a friendly game of corn hole.

A half hour later, they came out piping hot and beautifully brown; ready to devour.

Dinner was served with a side salad, sprinkled with radishes and pepper and topped with sweet Italian dressing. Perfect.

This beautiful bouquet of gladiolas was also purchased from the farmers' market.

After we stuffed ourselves with the main course, we continued our great conversation over tarragon Merlot truffles. 

I was a little scared about this dessert at first. Merlot truffles with tarragon? An herb mixed with chocolate? However, I did not hesitate. If De Laurentiis planned to serve this to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I was confident they were sure to be marvelous.

They were. They were.

After I coated them in cocoa powder, I worried they were going to be too rich for more than one.

I had four. As did my guests.

The tarragon added a unique flavor that provided the perfect ending to our dinner fit for royals.

NOTE: This menu is a bit time consuming. You'll need a partner to tackle it. I don’t know what I would have done without MD’s amazing Sous Chef skills.

The great news is, much of this can be prepared ahead of time. The pea pesto and creamy corn mixture can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready. The truffles can also be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Complete recipes will be posted this Wednesday. Be sure to come back.

Ciao for now,

Christi

Awaiting the Arrival of the Duke and Duchess

Prince William and Katherine Middleton headed out on their first royal tour as a married couple June 30. After spending one week in Canada they are jetting off to California. This will be the Duchess’ first visit to the States.

After they arrive at LAX this afternoon, they will be greeted by California’s governor and head straight to Beverly Hills for the beginning of many charity events, including a polo match in Santa Barbara on July 9 to benefit the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Celebrity chef, Giada De Laurentiis, has been selected to whip up the royal dinner for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the polo match. Her menu consists of four dishes for a modest group of 3,600. A VIP lunch is planned for 600 followed by a general public dinner for 3,000 that evening.

Her theme is a California feel while sticking with her Italian roots. Tiffany & Co. is the main sponsor, so I’m sure much of the décor will consist of their iconic robin’s egg blue and beautiful white flowers.

I am a huge fan of De Laurentiis, but have always been a bit intimidated to attempt recreating her amazing Italian cuisines. I figure this is the perfect time to try my hand at her perfectly planned menu fit for the Duke and Duchess.

First up: Pea pesto crostini

Second course: Beef tenderloin crostini with basil curry

Entrée: Mini lasagna with blistered tomatoes and pencil asparagus.
Dessert!: Tarragon Merlot truffles

Stay tuned for Monday’s post to see how I do. I'll also include the recipes for you to try!

Cheers!
Christi

Nuts!

It’s that time of year. It’s time to spend evenings in your backyard, enjoying the warm (sometimes steaming hot) air while sipping on a cool beverage and enjoying a satisfying snack.

Luckily, I’ve got just the summer snack for you.

About a month ago MD and I were in Ladue, Mo., a city just outside of Saint Louis. We made our usual stop at the Plaza Frontenac. We went from store to store and became especially excited when walking into Sur La Table. Oh, that is very much our heaven on earth.  As we strolled through the store falling in love with nearly everything in sight, we came across a small table with a few samples; sparkling lemonade, tiny pieces of bread to sample the rich balsamic vinegar and small plastic cups filled with a few cashews.

Here’s where your new summer snack comes in.

Everything was very scrumptious, but those cashews kept me going back for more; not that anyone was offering them to me any longer. So, I settled with the recipe written on the back of a card and promised to share.

They are sweet, then spicy, nutty and crunchy. The fresh rosemary is so aromatic and really gives the cashews a unique taste.

This is such a wonderful treat alone, or enjoyed with cheese and grapes. It’s quick, delicious and perfect for your next happy hour. Bake tonight and share tomorrow. (They are even more fabulous the next day.)

MD’s review: “These are so amazing! Get them out of here. Never mind, leave them here for me.”

Serves approximately 3 cups
Takes only 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 ¼ pounds of cashew nuts (no salt)
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon cayenne (More if you’re brave. I’m not.)
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place the cashews on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. While those are getting nice and toasted, mix your rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar and butter in a large bowl. Once your cashews are ready, remove from the oven and toss around in your mixture until covered completely.

Enjoy right away, or store in a sealed bowl to snack on throughout the week.

Let me know if you make these! 

Red, White and Blueberries

(Yeah, that's the apron I donned while baking.)

After picking a basket full of fresh blueberries last weekend, I thought this would be the perfect treat to feature those little blue gems. 

This patriotic tart is a refreshing treat to enjoy after the eating-swimming-drinking-eating-swimming-drinking kind of day you will have. It’s light. It’s fresh. The berries are fresh and in season. It has the perfect amount of sweet and tart. And, it won’t take too much of your time.

To begin, you will need:

1 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
One handful of fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 375° F. Once your sheet of pastry has thawed, unfold it and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

2. Using the tip of a knife, score a 1-inch border around the pastry, but don’t cut all the way through. Brush the border with the egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden and puffed, about 18 to 20 minutes.

3. When it’s ready to remove from the oven, use the tip of a knife to rescore the border of the pastry without cutting all the way through. Gently press down on the center of the pastry sheet to flatten it. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the cream, lemon zest and confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly within the borders of the pastry.
   *Note: Have patience, my dear. If you don’t spread slowly, your flaky pastry will get all caught up in your delicious filling. You don’t want that. But if that happens, it’s okay. We are about to cover it with berries.

5. Arrange the blueberries in a single layer over the filling.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Here I am enjoying it again this morning. Mmm. 

Happy Fourth of July, my friends!

Cheers!

Christi

Baking (soda) Cookies

After two evenings of craving chocolate chip cookies, MD tried to take on the task himself. After he got our mixer out at 9 p.m., I realized he was serious about making cookies and I sort of took over from there. He didn’t mind much. However, I must give him credit for finding this recipe. My, oh, my.  It’s a keeper, my friends.

The problem: we didn’t have the semi-sweet chocolate chips the recipe called for. We dug a little in our pantry and found one bag of white chocolate chips and a bag of M&M’s about a quarter of the way full. His response, “Eh. That'll do.”

We mixed, measured, stirred and spilled. Then we got to a step in the recipe that I’d never seen in any other recipe. “Dissolve baking soda in hot water.”  Hmm. Well, okay.

We did that and went on with the recipe as usual. After the first batch came out, I quickly realized this whole “dissolve then add” situation was for a mighty fine reason.

They were amazing! Evidently, more than just magic happens when you dissolve the baking soda in hot water before adding to your batter mixture. Something about premature release of carbon dioxide and that it will incorporate into your batter better, it might activate your baking soda quicker. Yeah, yeah. I’m only concerned with the magic it did to these cookies.

Disclaimer: They were okay; only because they really needed to be made with semi-sweet chocolate chips. The cookie dough was already sweet enough before white chocolate came to the party.

My point is: Make these. This is the chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ve been searching for. You’re welcome.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges are nicely browned. 

Serve with milk!

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/detail.aspx