The Start of a New Year Breathes New Life Into Chickfuel

Geez!  It's been almost 3 years since I last posted.  Ugh.  So much has changed.  I became single, sold my house, bought a new one, started fixing it up, closed the physical storefront of of my retail store, recreated it as an online store, renovated my salon, started another business creating and making vaguely naughty purses (I call them Merkin Bags and have them on Etsy), started working on a men's leather line called "Sackle" and lost my beloved poodle Lazlo.  I feel now like it happened in the blink of an eye, but living through it took an eternity.

I'm ready for a fresh start.  Entertaining and travelling have not been a priority in the last two years with everything else that has gone on, even though they are my favorite diversions from daily life.  I have had people over during the holidays and created some new concoctions.   AND I have booked a trip to L.A. for 3 weeks from now. These are my inspirations for the two things that fuel this blog - they are what is CHICKFUEL.

Ingrid came into town for the holidays. Perfect!  Time to lushly entertain!

I made a champagne cocktail and a tray of charcuterie to nosh on while imbibing.  The champagne cocktail came about because I had some less that perfectly fresh fruit I wanted to use up by juicing in my trusty "Juice-O-Matic" and frankly there's more than likely a bottle of bubbly in the fridge at all times, so it's often a big part of my repertoire.

 

In went 2 navel oranges and 2 kiwis for a pulverizing.  They yielded 6 ounces of juice total which was a bit chunky from the kiwi.  I liked it that way, but those wishing for a smoother drink can use an immersion blender (or a regular one for that matter) to make a fine blendable puree.

The juice blend was a gorgeous festive green.

The drinks turned out lovely and are a beautiful addition to any holiday table with their bright color and fizzy texture.  Na Zdarovya!

Champagne Cocktail

makes 6 drinks

1 bottle Prosecco, champagne or any other bubbly.  I like mine dry.

6 ounces fruit juice - today was orange & kiwi

Put 1 ounce juice in the bottom of a champagne glass and fill the rest of the way with bubbly.

Bubbly Mocktail

makes 3 drinks

1 litre of lemon fizzy water

6 ounces of fruit juice

Dash of bitters

Put 2 ounces of juice in the bottom of a tall glass, dash of bitters and fill with fizzy water.

The charcuterie platter above was made entirely of groceries from Trader Joes.

- Smoked Salmon

- Smoked Trout

- Prosciutto

- Sopressata Salami

- Gouda

- Boursin

- Stilton

- Triple Cream Brie

- Salmon Spread

- Horseradish Hummus

- Capers

- Olives

- Honeycrisp Apples

- Pita Chips

- Whole Grain Crackers

- Multi Grain Batard

It's an easy, breezy crowd pleaser with no cooking involved and minimal cleanup.  YAY!

Happy 2013 to all my peeps.  May we share another beautiful year together...

May Not Look Like Much, But WOW!

Ah, the lowly mushroom cap. So unattractive, yet so incredibly tasty!
I was feeling nostalgic this evening for a special Chicks night at the Earle last year during a rare visit from one of my out of state Chicks and a local friend of hers that I have had the pleasure of getting to know better in the last couple of years. They are two lifelong friends who have been generous enough to share their friendship with me and I have a lot to thank both of them for in terms of advice, support and my own personal growth. Along with laughing, sharing and commiserating, we ate mushroom caps that night and ended up ordering a second order because they were SO GOOD and they made us happy. So Chicks, make this recipe and enjoy. They are my own version, but I think that they are as good as the ones we had that night. And Anne, when you finally get back into town, I will make many, many of them for the three us to indulge in.

This recipe is a SNAP if you have a food processor. It takes 5 minutes to prepare and 15-20 minutes to cook depending on the size of the mushrooms. Make lots, as they will be gone in an instant. I made this recipe to prepare one 10 ounce package mushrooms – multiply accordingly. Also, if Trevor is coming over, omit the olives. Kelly says it’s the one thing he can’t stand…

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

10 ounce package of white button mushrooms, stems removed and saved
6 pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano shredded
2 T Pine nuts
2 T Olive oil
1 T Fresh parsley
3 Garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet and twist out the stems, leaving a hole where they once were. All other ingredients along with the stems go in the processor and pulse until chopped. You may have to scrape the sides once in order to get a good mix.
Use a spoon to scoop the filling into the mushroom crater, creating a small mound on top of each cap.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until toppings are firms and caps are soft.

Enjoy!