Food | House of Earnest

Category: Food

May 13, 2013

Hospitality outside Home

I don’t write a ton about cooking, but I blog about the home. Entertaining inside of it, decorating it, and creating things by hand that make home a better place. There are cases though where hospitality and the comforts of home extend outside our houses. Being a thoughtful hostess goes beyond my walls today as I am so excited to have the opportunity to take a few freezer meals to some good friends of ours who just had a baby this weekend!

Click the links above for the recipes!

In my whole kitchen repertoire, I make three casserole style recipes regularly – Chicken Enchiladas, Italian stuffed shells, and French Country Chicken. The name French Country Chicken might bring to mind something breaded and double friend, but this recipe is actually reminiscent of the French countryside with braised cannelloni beans, blistered tomatoes all in a thyme sauce. The chicken enchilada dish is one our of favorites, not too spicy, but with a good flavor, and there really isn’t a ton I can say about Italian stuffed shells except for that if you like cheese, you’re gonna love them.

There may not be a couple with a new baby in your life, but if you know someone who is sick, elderly, or just could use a little pick-me-up, this is such a great way to help someone out and show that your domesticity reaches beyond your own home.

If you’re someone who likes to plan your own family’s meals in advance, you can use this same method to freeze meals to eat during the week as well.

I hope you’ll give these three easy freezer meals a try and let me know how you (or someone close to you) likes them.

Have a great week guys!

p.s. We have winners in our Corksicle and our Mrs. Meyers Clean Day contests! The winners have been notified, so check your inboxes!

5 Comments

December 18, 2012

Caramel Gingersnap Icecream

in Food, Party Style, Seasonal with 8 Comments

Get ready to blow the minds of everyone at your Christmas gathering. Not only does ice cream (in December) sound extremely impressive, but the tastes going on in this caramel gingersnap creation are seriously going to win you lots of respect from the family who is devouring it.

It really couldn’t be more simple, so this delish dessert keeps things easy for your holiday cooking because it’s more about assembly than actual cooking. My secret is to use store-bought vanilla bean (it’s gotta be the kind with the flecks of vanilla) ice cream to give a great foundational flavor, then I add a really wonderful combination of textures and tastes with crumbled gingersnap cookies and caramel.

ONE empty out your quart of vanilla bean ice cream into your mixer with the paddle attachment. TWO with the mixer on low speed, add in the crumbled gingersnap cookies. THREE spread one third of the ice cream into the bottom of a freezer-safe dish. FOUR drizzle caramel ice cream topping onto the first layer and repeat with two more layers of ice cream, separated by drizzled caramel sauce.

Wrap or cover the ice cream and place in the freezer until you plan on serving, but at least for two hours to reharden.

You and yours will literally fall of your chairs, it’s so good. I cannot say enough good things about this ice cream, so you’re going to have to make it to believe it. The great part is that it takes few ingredients and can be prepared ahead of time. I’m making a few batches this week for next week’s festivities!

I hope you’ll give this a try – and let me know if you do!

Have a DELICIOUS Tuesday!

p.s. I lied to you yesterday. Although I did do two posts for today, I had a slight technological issue and was only able to get one up! I hope you can forgive me!

p.p.s. If you entered the 24 Merry Days giveaway on House of Earnest yesterday, Thank you! Today’s giveaway is over at Lolalina and is for a set of really cute Rifle Paper Co. notebooks! Check it out!

8 Comments

November 13, 2012

Late Harvest Gathering

in Food, Party Style with 12 Comments

So I’ve been talking about my plans for this harvest dinner since way back in August. My plans were a little displaced when I had to take a last minute business trip to China, but I think that was all for the better. I took a warmer, slower approach to celebrating the beginning of the holiday season, rather than the end of summer. I wanted it to be relaxed and communal, so I made the gathering on a Sunday afternoon to encourage football watching, lounging and certainly no hurrying.

The table was set with a handmade shibori dyed linen table cloth (DIY coming tomorrow!), and stacked with casual white plates mixed with acacia appetizer plates from Crate and Barrel. I mixed and matched moody floral and gingham napkins wrapped in DIY faux bois napkin rings, and finished everything off with my little monogram favors.

We snacked on little maple leaf shaped butternut squash canapes topped with goat cheese and cranberry sauce along with a couple of varieties of cheeses and nuts. For the main meal, I made a classic beef wellington served with a cold israeli cous cous salad and butternut squash soup served in hollowed out acorn squash. Our friends washed it all down with a Pear and Sparkling Cider cocktail. I wrapped the plain glasses in twine and topped off the drinks with birch paper straws from Garnish.

I told you last week that I was going to make something out of persimmon, so I landed on something cold to follow-up the chain of heartier dishes at dinner. I made a gingersnap and caramel ice cream with chopped persimmons. It was so easy too! I’ll share the recipe on Thursday!

I was so pleased with how each detail turned out. It was a great mixture of food, conversation, and relaxing. I can’t wait to share some of the DIYs and Recipes with you guys in the days to come!

p.s. the DIY faux bois napkin holders are for a feature in Delighted Magazine for the winter issue. I’ll let you know when it comes out so you can see how to make them!

12 Comments

November 8, 2012

In Season: Persimmons

in Food, Party Style with 9 Comments

To start off, I’m fairly unfamiliar with the Persimmon. I didn’t even know how to spell it before researching for this post, but I know that it’s in season. The local market where I do most of my grocery shopping only carries in season fruits and vegetables, which can be somewhat frustrating when you’re looking for bok choy in February, but is really nice when someone like me is trying to use and get to know new things.

I saw some very orangey-red plump persimmons at the store last weekend and contemplated purchasing, but stopped short. What on earth would I do with them? I got home and hopped online to find out that they’re a very traditional holiday fruit. Breads, scones, pies, bundts, preserves, you name it. I was intrigued.

I scanned through a ton of recipes, and found a few that looked right up my alley. I have another grocery trip in store for Saturday morning to prepare for my harvest supper on Sunday, so I’m going to pick a few up. I think I’ll try the mini bundts, possibly.

Let me know – have you ever tried or made anything with persimmons? Let me know!

photo credit: fresh persimmons | table | bundts | scones

9 Comments

October 15, 2012

Pumpkin Seeds Three Ways

in Food, Hand Made with 9 Comments

I have no doubt you’ll have some pumpkin carving going on in the next couple weeks, and there is no way you should throw out the seeds. I usually make plain roasted seeds, but thought that there was definitely an opportunity to spice them up with some fun flavor combos this year – Chili Lime, Sweet & Spicy, and Rosemary & Olive Oil.

With each of the flavor combinations I made, I started by boiling the seeds in salted water for 10 minutes before roasting to plump them up with a little flavor. From there, I mixed one cup of boiled seeds the spice mixtures and roasted at 375 for 18 minutes, stirring twice.

One medium pumpkin yielded three cups of seeds, so it was just enough to make a batch of all three! Keep Reading for all three recipes!

9 Comments

October 3, 2012

A Sweet Bite of Autumn

in Food, Party Style with 8 Comments

I always get the itch to start baking once fall rolls around and I’m always into something that can be done quickly, easily, and come off as fancy.

Palmiers get a bad rep – maybe it’s the french name – but they couldn’t be simpler to make. They fall into the category of looking far more complex than they actually are. I found some maple sugar at Trader Joes during my last trip and thought it would be an ideal opportunity to make one of my long-time favorite pastries.

They’re flaky, sweet (but not too rich), and oh-so-simple. If you’re interested in a little autumn treat (I took a batch into work this week), then keep on reading for a step-by-step and the printable recipe. Continue Reading…

8 Comments

September 18, 2012

Fall into Figs

in Food, Party Style with 8 Comments

Before this week, I’d never laid a hand on a fig. I saw them in the grocery store and thought they were some sort of upscale fruit I shouldn’t bother getting to know. I always wanted to be the kind of person who was like, “oh yes, I just adore figs.” But I wasn’t…

…that is, until now. I was walking by the figs on this trip to Trader Joe’s and thought that I should definitely pick them up. I went home, cut one open, and bit into it. I decided that something tangy and creamy should accompany the fruit and settled on a tart with goat cheese, carmelized onions, and rosemary. I followed the carmelized onion ‘how-to’ from Victoria’s kitchen basics post and piled it all onto a store-bought pie crust.

It makes such a pretty presentation and the colors are just perfection.

I’m definitely not a whiz in the kitchen, but I wanted to learn something new and felt that figs, with their deep indigo color and hearty fruit, would be a good fit for an early fall appetizer. They’re on the tail end of peak season, so snatch some up on your next trip to the store and impress your friends with a little tart.

Have a FIGGY Tuesday!

8 Comments

August 28, 2012

Summer’s Last Days: I Scream, You Scream

in Food, Hand Made with 19 Comments

One of the quintessential pieces of summer is ice cream, so why not send summer off with some of the fresh home-made treat this Labor Day weekend? You don’t need an ice cream maker, or hours of time. This home-made ice cream took me five minutes last night and was every bit as delicious as the stuff your grandma makes. It’s no-cook, no machine, and deceiving delicious.

Keep reading for full instructions!

19 Comments

August 14, 2012

Hand Made: Compound Butter

in Food, Hand Made with 7 Comments

Even if you’re not a cook or a baker, making something impressive from the wonderful, fresh produce available this time of year isn’t out of the question. Compound butter is so so easy and , belive me, your friends will be impressed. There are so many iterations possible, I am totally sure that you’ll find one that suits you.

Yesterday, I was excited to use some of the herbs I’d brought home from the local farmers’ market, and thought that making compound butter would be a great way to get multiple uses out of the fresh bundles with little effort. This project uses store-bought butter, brought to room temperature, and couldn’t get easier.

Keep Reading for the step-by-step and some fun combinations!

7 Comments

May 16, 2012

Your Perfect Pantry

in Food, organize with 9 Comments

Cooking is one of those things that I’m just getting better at and relish the next steps that often make ‘whipping up’ something fast seem easier. I remember early on when recipes would call for this or that and I’d rarely have it. Trips to the grocery store were expensive and confusing, trying to pick up each little spice and herb that the dish called for.

Somewhere a long the line I fell into a spot where I was actually prepared. I had a well stocked pantry and when I’d read through a recipe I had most of the stuff on hand and would only have to pick up the fresh meats and produce.

You don’t have to start off stocked to the brim with everything, but here are a few staples that I always have on hand, and have made cooking up something tasty on weeknights easier to tastier.

You might be thinking that I’m missing this or that – there are a couple of things not shown that I usually stock (milk, canned tomatoes, cannelloni beans, parmesan cheese), but for the most part these items are the base of every meal I make.

If I don’t have taco seasoning, I mix cayenne, cumin, and S&P. For a quick creamy sauce, I use tempered eggs. If I need a good topping for some sliced bread I smash up garlic cloves with coarse salt and mix with olive oil. If I need a quick and delish weeknight meal, I sauté red pepper flakes and garlic in olive oil then mix with some pasta, canned crushed tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan.

I find that I don’t need a lot when I get creative and let my taste buds do the work.

I hope this is helpful for all of you aspiring cooks! Have a prepped pantry doesn’t happen overnight, but your trip there can be delicious and enjoyable with these staples!

Have a TASTY Wednesday!

Photos: 1. Bodie and Fou | 2. House of Earnest

9 Comments