company dinner | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: company dinner
- Winter Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pecans and Goat Cheese
  
  Posted at 9:57 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 27th
  Winter Squash with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pecans and Goat Cheese
  
  A colorful, tasty salad is a fabulous addition to your holiday table or buffet. One of my favorite fall/winter veggies is butternut squash. I use this versatile vegetable in soup, lasagna, roasted, pureed, and salads.
  
  I love this salad for its taste, vibrant color, and texture. The pecans and pomegranate arils add crunch. I have a few tips to cut down on preparation time when I make this salad. I buy bagged kale that has already been cut and washed. Then I remove the large stems from the cut kale making it easier to eat. Also softening with lemon and oil is a great tip. I use packaged butternut squash instead of peeling and cutting myself.
  
  Did I mention that this salad looks beautiful and is healthy!
  
  Ingredients
  
  FOR THE SALAD:
  
  12 oz. Shredded Kale
  
  1/2 Lemon, Juiced
  
  1 tablespoon. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
  12 ounces. Shredded Vegetables, I used Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots
  
  2 Medium Apples, Peeled, Cored, and Diced, I used Granny Smith
  
  1 1/2 c. Candied Pecans (See Note)
  
  4 oz. weight Crumbled Goat Cheese
  
  20 ounces Roasted Butternut Squash (See Note), I purchased a cut-up Butternut Squash package
  
  1/2 cups Pomegranate Arils
  
  FOR THE DRESSING:
  
  1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
  
  4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  
  4 teaspoon Pure Maple Syrup
  
  1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  
  1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
  Directions
  
  Put the shredded kale in a large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. Use your hands to massage the lemon juice and olive oil into the greens, about a minute or so. The greens should wilt slightly and take on a deep green color.
  
  Add the other shredded vegetables/greens to the bowl as well as the chopped apple and pecans.
  
  Make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients in a lidded glass jar. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and then pour it over the salad. Mix well.
  
  Place greens on a long-serving plate. Add the crumbled goat cheese, butternut squash, and pomegranate arils on top. Serve.
  
  Notes:
  • To make the candied pecans, put the pecans in a small skillet with 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup and 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard. Cook on medium-low heat until nuts are toasted and sticky, 5-6 minutes. There shouldn’t be any liquid left in the pan. Add a pinch of salt and remove it from the pan to cool before adding them to the salad.
  
  • To make roasted butternut squash, put the squash on a small baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch or two of sea salt. Roast at 425ºF until browned and soft, about 20-25 minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Apples, Autumn, cheese, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, company dinner, Easy recipes, Elegant, entertaining, family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Holiday Celebrations, Salad, Thanksgiving, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged butternut squash, holiday salad, pecans, pomegranate, winter salad
- Cranberry Sauce with Grand Marnier and Oranges
  
  Posted at 10:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 16th
  Massachusetts, abundant in cranberries bogs, produces glorious fresh cranberries that are harvested in the fall coming to market just in time for Thanksgiving. You can get frozen cranberries all year long a wonderful alternative when fresh are out of season. I just love fresh cranberries and I buy copious quantities for making naturally fresh cranberry sauce along with bread, cakes, stuffing, and roasted vegetables. You could say I go cranberry crazy this time of year. And you have to be quick since fresh cranberries are gone from the market right after the new year. As you might have guessed homemade cranberry sauce is a must, a favorite accompaniment to our Thanksgiving dinner. Each year I tweak the ingredients for a different sauce; sometimes I add pecans for a crunchy texture or lemons for a tangy sauce, this year I made cranberry sauce with chopped oranges. I like my cranberry sauce spirited adding a little liqueur; to this recipe, I added Grand Marnier; a french orange liqueur. If you are interested in reading more about cranberries and blogs their natural growing habitat click on this link. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/cranberry-bogs1.htm
  
  CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH ORANGES AND GRAND MARNIER
  
  INGREDIENTS
  
  1 medium navel orange, seeds removed, chopped
  
  1 lb. fresh (or frozen) cranberries
  
  1 cup of sugar, if you like tart cranberry sauce use 1/2 cup
  
  2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  
  1 3″-long cinnamon stick
  
  ½ tsp. ground allspice
  
  Pinch of kosher salt
  
  2 tablespoon Grand Marnier
  
  RECIPE PREPARATION
  
  Place the orange in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to come 1″ up the sides of the pan. Bring to a boil, then remove immediately from heat and drain orange in a mesh sieve or colander. Rinse under cold water; return to saucepan. Add cranberries, sugar, butter, cinnamon, allspice, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat cook stirring often until cranberries burst, juices are syrupy, for about 9-12 minutes. Stir in Grand Marnier simmer for another two minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. and discard.
  
  DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Autumn, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, company dinner, cooking, Easy recipes, Elegant, entertaining, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Holiday Celebrations, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian | Tagged cranberry sauce, Fresh crandberries, Grand Marnier, oranges
- Sunday Best Roasted Chicken
  
  Posted at 12:19 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Feb 23rd
  Lazy Sundays are perfect for cooking wonderful family meals. Sunday dinner, a tradition in our home, has all our family coming together to enjoy sharing time and food as a family once again. I learned to cook form my mother who masterfully created a different feast every Sunday. In our Italian American family, we honored the tradition of large family Sunday dinners. My life busy lifestyle is drastically different from my mother’s but I enjoy, like she, leisurely Sundays preparing a bountiful meal without hurrying through the preparation.
  
  Roasted Chicken is easy to create with many different seasonings that bring out the flavor of the chicken. I love to experiment with different ways to make a whole chicken from marinating to roasting. However, you choose to cook a whole chicken to be creative and have fun!
  
  Perfect Roasted Chicken
  
  1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
  
  Kosher salt
  
  1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
  
  1 lemon, halved
  
  1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
  
  2 olive oil
  
  2 teaspoon ground sage
  
  2 teaspoon ground thyme
  
  1 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  
  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  
  Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt inside out of the chicken.
  
  Place on a large plate cover and refrigerate overnight. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Put the chicken in a roasting pan. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
  
  Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil, sprinkle sage, thyme, salt, and pepper over chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
  
  Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Chicken, company dinner, family meals, sunday dinner | Tagged easy, roasted chicken, sunday dinner
- Italian Pot Roast
  
  Posted at 9:30 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jan 20th
  Sunday dinner was a tradition in my family growing up. My mother, an exceptional cook, would prepare a feast with enough food to feed our entire neighborhood. All were welcome to join us for dinner. When I married and started my own family, I continued having large Sunday family dinners.
  
  One of my mother’s famous Sunday meals was her Italian Pot Roast. She preferred an Eye Round Roast, but you can use a Shoulder or Brisket. I like to make this just like my mother on a stove, but it can be cooked in a slow cooker. After the meat is browned on the stove place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for eight hours.
  
  Italian Pot Roast
  
  4 lb. Eye Roast
  
  1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  
  salt and pepper
  
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  1 cup chopped carrots
  
  1 cup chopped onions
  
  1 finely chopped celery stalk
  
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  2 bay leaves, crushed
  
  1 teaspoon thyme
  
  1 teaspoon rosemary
  
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
  1/4 cup tightly packed parsley leaves, chopped
  
  3 tablespoons tomato paste
  
  3 cups red wine
  
  1(28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped*
  
  2 tablespoons flour
  
  1/4 cup water
  
  1 lb. penne pasta
  
  Cut slits in eye roast and insert sliced garlic into slits. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a large casserole, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until hot but not smoking. Brown beef on all sides. Transfer beef to a plate. Pour off browning fat.
  
  Add carrots, onions, and celery, stirring until golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley and tomato paste. Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beef and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 3 hours, until meat is tender.
  
  Remove beef, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Mix two tablespoon flour with 1/4 cup water. Add to the sauce to thicken. Simmer on low heat stirring until sauce thickens about 3-5 minutes. While sauce is thickening cook pasta according to package directions.
  
  Place cooked pasta on a large plater, pour the sauce over pasta. Slice beef and arrange over pasta. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
  
  *I used Cento certified San Marzano tomatoes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Beef, company dinner, dinner, Easy recipes, entertaining, family meals, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta | Tagged Cento San Marzano tomates, Pot roast, sunday dinner
- Chicken Veronique
  
  Posted at 8:29 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Mar 31st
  This is a wonderful country french chicken dish that I have made for years. It can be made earlier in the day and reheated before serving. I dress this dish down or up depending on the occasion. If I want to make it more Sunday or company fancy I use split chicken breast, or for every day I use an assortment of chicken pieces. Either way, it is an easy and wonderful meal that will be enjoyed by everyone.
  
  Chicken Veronique
  
  An assortment of Chicken pieces ( Split breast, thighs, and legs) about 3 lbs total or 6 Split Breast
  
  1 tablespoon butter
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
  
  2 leeks, thinly sliced( Use just the white part of the leek)
  
  2 garlic cloves, crushed
  
  2 tablespoon flour
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
  
  1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
  
  1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
  1 bay leaf, crushed
  
  1 can (10 3/4-oz size) chicken broth( I use low fat, low salt)
  
  1/2 cup dry white wine
  
  1 1/2 cup of seedless green grapes
  
  A small cluster of green grapes for garnish
  
  1. Rinse chicken and wipe with a damp paper towel
  
  2. Heat butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet, brown chicken, a few pieces at a time, turning on all sides. Remove chicken as it browns. When finished browning chicken remove any excess drippings except 2 tablespoons.
  
  3. Add mushrooms, garlic, and leeks to skillet and cook for about 3 – 5 minutes until cooked.
  
  4. Wish together flour, wine, and chicken broth add to mushroom mixture. Add salt, rosemary, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, and grapes to the pan.
  
  5. Bring just to boiling, stirring. add browned chicken: reduce heat and simmer covered, until tender – about 30- 40 minutes: turn occasionally.
  
  6. I like to serve this over couscous but you can serve over white rice. Cook couscous according to package instruction. Place couscous in a large casserole dish. Place chicken on top and then pour the sauce over. Garnish with a cluster of green grapes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Casserole, Chicken, company dinner, family meals, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Hearty Meal, Stew, Uncategorized | Tagged chicken stew, Easy recipe, grapes
- Sole Meuniere
  
  Posted at 6:14 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 22nd
  The sole taste amazing with the combination of lemon, butter and capers. Sole is a mild tasting fish that absorbs the flavors in this dish staying firm. I add capers for extra flavor. Quick and easy especially for cooks that have shied away from making fish. And for non fish eaters, sole is not fishy, even they will enjoy eating Sole Meuniere!
  Sole Meuniere
  
  Ingredients:
  
  1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  8 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each
  8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  1 tablespoon capers
  1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  
  Directions
  
  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Have a baking dish ready
  
  Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate or use a plastic bag. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side with salt.
  
  Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 4 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot butter. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 1/2 of capers and 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fish filets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 4 fillets. When they’re done, add the cooked fillets to the baking dish in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in company dinner, Easy recipes, Fish | Tagged easy, fish, lemon, main dish, sole
- A Show Stopping Strawberry Cream Cake
  
  Posted at 7:04 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 19th
  A wonderful light white cake that is filled with whipped cream and strawberries! Need I say more. This cake is my sister’s favorite and when I lived near her I made this cake for her birthday. I don’t know why I haven’t made this cake for such a long time but this year I brought it back for my twins birthday. Everyone just loved my version of strawberry short cake!
  
  Cake:
  
  6 eggs, separated
  
  1 13/4 cup shifted all-purpose flour
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
  1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
  1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  
  2 pints strawberries, washed and hulled
  
  Cream Frosting:
  
  2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  
  1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1/4 cup currant jelly, melted
  
  In a large electric mixer bowl let egg whites warm at room temperature for 1 hour. Sift four with salt. With mixer at high speed beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised.
  
  Preheat oven to 350F. In a small mixer bowl at high speed and with the same beater, beat yolks until very thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in remaining granulated sugar; beat 2 minutes.
  
  At low speed gradually beat in flour mixture. Add lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water and the lemon peel, beating just to combine – 1 minute. With wire whisk, with an under-and-over motion, gently fold egg-yolk mixture into egg whites just to blend. Pour batter batter into an ungreased 10-by-4-inch tube pan: bake 40 minutes or until top springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Invert pan, let cake cool completely about 1 hour.
  
  With spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan; remove cake. Divide cake into thirds with toothpicks. With these as a guide, split cake into three layers, using a long bladed serrated knife. Place bottom layer, cut side up, on cake dish. Slice 1 pint of strawberries. In a medium bowl, beat cream with confectioners’ sugar; add vanilla.
  
  Spread bottom layer with 3/4 cup cream and half of slice strawberries. Repeat with second layer. Top with the last layer, cut side down. Frost top and side with rest of whipped cream; toss 1 pint strawberries with jelly. Arrange on the cake.
  
  Refrigerate 1 hour. Serves 12
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, company dinner, Elegant, entertaining | Tagged cake, strawberries, sweet cream
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