Planning a French dinner party

Having the perfect French dinner party is not as hard as you might imagine. All of these recipes are special and not that difficult to prepare. Be sure that all your ingredients are the freshest possible. Plating is important so take the time to make sure that every dish looks as good as it tastes. Set your table with a crisp white cloth and use cloth napkins to add a perfect touch of class.

Menu:

• Potage de chataigne
• Banquette de Veau Francaise
• Pots du creme chocolat

Recipes:

Potage de chataigne- Chestnut soup

• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 6 oz cooked chestnuts
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Add all the ingredients except the heavy cream to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir in the half cup of heavy cream.

Get out the blender and process the soup in small batches. You can do this with an immersion blender if you have one. Spoon the soup into bowls and serve hot with a tablespoon of heavy cream on the top.

This recipe will make six servings.

Banquette de veau- French veal stew

• 2 lbs stewing veal
• 1 large onion studded with cloves
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 4 peppercorns
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1-quart boiling water
• 12 small peeled onions
• 5 Tbs. butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups veal stock
• Juice of a lemon
• 2 egg yokes
• 1 6 oz can sliced mushrooms
• 2 Tbs. parsley

Cut the veal into bite size pieces, add the large onion, carrots, the bay leaf, the thyme, the peppercorns and the salt. Pour the boiling water over and bring to a boil then simmer for one hour or until the veal is tender.

Cook the small onions in 2 Tbs. butter in a small pan for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.
Drain the veal and retain 3 cups of the veal stock. Melt the remaining three Tbs. of butter and stir in flour to make a smooth paste then add the stock. Remove a little of the thickened stock and add the lemon juice and egg yokes, add back into the stock. Add the mushrooms, veal, and the parsley. Bring it back just to the boiling point.

Get a large platter and plate the stew and then place the onions on the platter with it.
Serve with rice and a good red French wine like Bordeaux. Have some crusty French bread cut up and placed on the table.

Pots du creme chocolat- Chocolate cream pots

• 2 cups milk
• 8 oz. sweet chocolate
• 6 egg yokes
• whipped cream

Break the chocolate up into pieces, pour milk over and cook on low heat, stirring continually. When it reaches the boiling point remove from the heat immediately. Beat the egg yokes until thick and lemon colored. Pour the chocolate in and stir. Pour into small custard cups. Makes six servings. When serving, add a dollop of whipped cream.

Using a French press make a pot of good strong French coffee to end the French dinner party. Sit back, relax and accept all the compliments.

Easy and nutritious school lunches for your child

When it comes to school lunches it can be easier for a mom or dad to just pay for hot lunch at school. The problem with that is that you have no idea what your children are actually eating. Many children don’t really like the food that is offered in the hot lunch program at school.  Easy and nutritious school lunches are something most parents can manage with a little creativity and plenty of good taste. 

If you want to make sure that your children have a good and nutritious lunch you need to pack it yourself. Here are some tips that will help you to provide a quick and vitamin filled lunch that your children will enjoy.

Sandwiches are a traditional lunch food. Many sandwich fillings are things that most children will love. With more and more schools being designated nut-free zones, it has now become impossible to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If your child is an adventurous eater you can try to introduce them to hummus which when served with crispy vegetables in a wrap is quite a delicious sandwich. 

Carrots can be grated into the wrap with slices of cucumber. Turkey and ham are traditional sandwich meats, why not use a pita and stuff it with meat and cheese. The meat and cheese can also be cut into small squares and serve with crackers. By using whole wheat bread, pitas, wraps, and crackers you can raise the nutrition value of the lunch.

Use leftovers to make great lunches. By taking last night’s chicken and slicing it with some dried cranberries, cherries or grapes you can make a delicious filling for a pita or wrap. You can add thin slices of apple to the chicken. (be sure to put some lemon on it to keep it from darkening)  If your school is not nut free, peanut butter and apple is a delicious and nutritious choice.

Celery is a nice crunchy choice for lunch, it can be stuffed with peanut butter, cream cheese or other cheese spread. Add raisins or dried cherries to make ants on a log!! Children like crunch and carrot sticks, cucumbers and pickles are all low-calorie options that taste good and travel well.

When it comes to a drink, some of the new vegetable juices that taste like fruit juice are delicious and children love them. Freeze up a small yogurt and place it in the lunch box in the morning, it should be thawed out just in time for lunch. They sell things like Gogurt which are made to do just this.

You need to include snacks in a lunch. Steer clear of the too sweet or too salty snacks. Popcorn is a good choice and pretzels are quite good as well. Apples, melon slices, chocolate pudding, and bananas are all great sweet snacks that are easy to fix and child-friendly.

To fix your child an easy and nutritious school lunch just takes a little creativity. Consider buying a lunch box that can be placed in the freezer overnight and then keeps food at a safe temperature or invest in cold packs. 

Blueberry peach galette

If you are looking for an easy and delicious summer dessert that is impressive, a fresh fruit galette is a perfect answer. I didn't inherit my mothers way with a pie crust, when I make a homemade one there is no guarantee that it will come out flaky and delicious. I use Pillsbury pre-made pie crust from the dairy department. Right now, a blueberry peach galette is the perfect way to take advantage of the fruits that are currently in season.



Take one pie crust out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Place in a small enough pan to keep it from falling apart. (I learned this the hard way) A 9 or 10-inch square works well or you can use a standard pie plate.

Wash one container of fresh blueberry and 4 smallish peaches. Slice peaches into a bowl and add blueberries. I added 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, juice of half a lemon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Mix together.

Heat oven to 375.

Pour fruit into the center of dough and then pinch up the sides. You can brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar if you want, I didn't this time.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool. I served with heavy cream but ice cream or whipped cream would be delicious.

My other galette recipes


Strawberry cheesecake galette


Strawberry rhubarb galette

Normandy chicken

When it comes to hearty and flavorful fall meals a roasted chicken is a delicious option. It matches well with root vegetables which are at their freshest in the fall. If you watch for an oven roaster to go on sale this is also a very budget friendly meal. Roast chicken Normandy is a family favorite recipe at our house.

You should have a large roasting pan and some rosemary, salt and pepper, cinnamon sticks, mulling spices, and olive oil. You will need to make a trip to the grocery to get a 6-8 pound roasting chicken, a half-gallon of local apple cider, two Macintosh apples, purple turnips, parsnips, carrots, an onion, sweet potatoes and red skinned potatoes.

Stop and the local liquor store and get a small bottle of Calvados. With this grocery list, you have the ingredients for a luscious fall meal and a great cocktail to add to the heartiness of the meal.

Recipe

6-8 lb oven roaster chicken
3 large potatoes
1 large sweet potato
1 large yellow onion
3 large carrots
3 large parsnips
5 small turnips
2 apples
½ cup plus 1 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ cup Calvados (or apple juice)

Take the chicken out of its wrapper, remove the giblet package and discard, wash the chicken and place in the roasting pan. Cut one of the apples into quarters and place inside the chicken. Rub or brush one tablespoon of olive oil on the chicken, sprinkle the 2 tsp. rosemary over the skin of the chicken and add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Get out a large bowl and a cutting board. You don't need to peel any of the vegetables except the onion. Peel an onion and cut into large chunks and place in the bowl. Cut the potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnip and carrots and add to the bowl. Pour in ½ cup olive oil, 1 tbs rosemary, 1 tsp each salt and pepper and toss.

Core an apple and cut into pieces and add along with ½ cup of Calvados. Pour the vegetables around the chicken. 

Spread evenly and place in a 450-degree oven. The chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. How long it will take depends on your oven and the size of the bird. Check at 45 minutes and with a wooden spoon; stir the vegetables so that they will brown all the way around. 7 lbs will take almost 2 hours to cook.

While the vegetables are cooking you can turn the cider into mulled cider. Warm the cider with the mulling spices in a sauce pan, you will need to follow the quantity direction on your spices and the mixture will need to be strained. Place in an Irish coffee cup with a cinnamon stick and a shot of Calvados for adults.

When the chicken is at 165 degrees, remove from oven and allow to rest. Move to a serving platter with the vegetables placed all around it. This will serve 4 people with leftovers.