Sherried Beef
This dish is one of my mom’s go-to party recipes and it’s always a hit. We had it from time to time for special occasions at home as well and were always happy to eat it for days afterward if she was willing to make enough to have leftovers. Most recently it was a smash hit at my father’s retirement party and she received many requests for the recipe and decided to share it with us here on the site as well. This is one that will definitely stay in your recipe box for years to come.
Mushroom Almond Pate
This amazing Mushroom Almond Pate is a vegetarian answer to the rich flavors and textures of liver-based pate. The depth of flavor and richness of this spread belies it’s vegetarian (or vegan) roots. This is a great alternative to the more common party offerings such as onion dip and cheese balls or a fantastic treat just because. It doesn’t take much work beyond chopping the onion and mushrooms and the willpower to leave it alone in the fridge (though I won’t tell if you eat it straight out of the processor bowl–it’s pretty amazing before it’s ripened too). Have it with crackers or toast points for parties, or with chunks of french baguettes, apples and brie for a simple dinner with a glass of wine. Once you’ve made this pate it will earn a permanent spot in your repetoire and I can guarantee that you’ll be passing out the recipe afterward.
Chicken Marsala
This chicken marsala recipe is the one I’ve been asked for the most and for the longest time, going on nearly a decade. It’s a deceptively easy chicken dish to make, though time consuming, and very much worth the effort. This is not your cafeteria chicken marsala. For starters, marsala sauce isn’t a cream sauce. It’s a wine sauce with butter and mushrooms that elevates meer chicken breast to something absolutely decadent. This makes for a fabulous dish for entertaining but also one that’s easy enough to make that it is a great Sunday dinner dish as well. Serve this on a platter covered in mushrooms and sauce and no one will even remember that it’s a holiday centered around a different bird.
Garlic Bread
This is simply the best garlic bread I’ve ever made. It’s a little involved, but those that love garlic, butter and crusty bread will swoon over it. Dusted with cheese and golden with garlicky goodness, it’s definitely one for the arsenal and can help make even a dinner of spaghetti and sauce straight from a jar a truly memorable experience.
Pumpkin Cake
This pumpkin cake is one of my absolute must-make recipes for most of fall and winter, no matter what the occasion. It’s a great dessert to have on hand during the holidays, and is a way to get your pumpkin fix if you’re not a huge fan of pumpkin pie as well. The cake itself is super moist and can be enjoyed simply topped with powdered sugar, plain, or dressed up with a cream cheese icing. Make it early, make it often and it will always get eaten.
Wilted Spinach
Wilted spinach is an awkward name for a perfectly lovely dish. Spinach has scared off so many people, but this method of cooking yields a tender but not mushy green flavored with whatever you choose to add to it. It makes an excellent side to all sorts of dishes, but is also good stirred into others to add a pop of color as well as up the nutritional profile a bit. In this version I use a little butter to gild the leaves, but feel free to substitute olive oil or the cooking fat of your choice. It does need just a little fat of some kind to help aid in the absorbtion of nutrients, but it also helps carry the flavor of whatever aromatics you’re using to the rest of the dish. Garlic butter is a classic topping, and one I very much recommend.
Roasted Potatoes
Roasted potatoes can round out nearly any meal for any occasion, from celebretory to weekday dinner. This is a simplified version of my favorite method to make potatoes as a side to nearly any dish, but it goes particularly well with chicken marsala or roasted meats. The little extra punch of flavor from the garlic and broth help take these a little further than your everyday plain potato side dish but not far enough to abandon its supporting role in your meal.
Peppered Beef Tenderloin
This beef tenderloin is about the easiest entertaining main dish in my repetoire. It always comes out tasting good, the leftovers are smashing and you can work it to satisfy people of almost all done-ness preferences. It goes equally well with an involved spread of multiple dishes or just roasted potatoes and salad and is impressive no matter when you serve it, so add this one to your roster of go-to entertaining recipes.
Goat Cheese Endive Appetizer
I started making this appetizer of goat cheese on endive leaves a few years ago at a dinner party I threw and haven’t hosted a party since where they weren’t requested and promptly devoured. They really couldn’t be any easier, but look and taste way better than the sum of two parts. They would be great at cocktail parties as well as just to have as a simple appetizer to hold off the hordes of hungry people before any holiday meal and as they take next to no time to make, are a perfect treat to throw at your family and buy yourself a little more time when needed. The leaves form edible “spoons” to serve a tiny lump of goat cheese, so there is no need for cocktail pics or any other serving utensils.
