entertaining

Happy Thanksgiving week! The holiday season has officially arrived and I am so excited because that means I get to visit with tons of friends and family over great food and copious amount of wine. Aw, yeah.

It also means I have to go brave the cold weather, and dare I say, snow. I can’t talk about it, it’s making me shiver. Moving along.

I haven’t quite reached that point in my life where I have enough square footage to entertain, but I love helping my family do it. Making large breakfasts every morning (sometimes—most of the time—accompanied by a mimosa bar), doing crafts with the kids, picking out the best movie to go with our popcorn and of course eating all the gluten free desserts in sight. OK, so maybe that last one doesn’t help too much, but someone’s got to do it.

What I’m trying to say is, I guess I can’t fully relate to the stress of having a full house to feed, but with what experience I do have, breakfast has always been the hardest meal to cook for a large group. The standard in my family has become French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. While this is one of the best breakfasts that exists, it’s also a lot of work (which is why I usually let my brother do all the cooking—thanks bro!). This Southwestern take on an egg and potato scramble whips up fast and stays warm without getting too soggy, too dry or just too gross making it perfect for entertaining a large group of family who are rolling out of bed at all different times of the morning.

Colorful bell peppers and tender onions grace soft, fluffy eggs and crispy potatoes. Topped with a little shredded cheese or sliced avocado this one-dish meal makes a light, yet flavorful and filling breakfast before the main event later in the day.

Southwest Breakfast Scramble

Author: Devon O'Brien

Serves: 1

Ingredients

½ frozen breakfast potatoes/hash browns (cubed potatoes)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅓ cup chopped bell pepper (whichever colors you like)
¼ cup diced onion
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Salt
Pepper
Optional toppings: Cilantro, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa
NOTE: This recipe makes one serving, multiply the ingredients by the number of people you have to serve to make a larger batch for entertaining.

Instructions

In a small skillet, heat the canola oil on high. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Salt and pepper to taste, dump on a plate and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove and lower the heat to medium-high. Add the olive oil, peppers and onion, cook until tender.
Meanwhile lightly beat the eggs and milk. Add to the pan with the veggies and reduce to medium-low. As the eggs start to set up, drag a wooden spoon through them, pulling the cooked eggs to the center. Do this until the eggs are completely cooked. Place on top of the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Top with any desired toppings and serve.
NOTE: This recipe makes one serving, multiply the ingredients by the number of people you have to serve to make a larger batch for entertaining.

This recipe, like most of my recipe, only makes one serving (it’s great for every day, not just entertaining!). To make enough for a houseful of people, just multiply the ingredients by the number of people you have to serve for a big batch.

One of my favorite things about college was the little family I made. There was a small group of us who spent most of our waking hours together, watching scary movie after scary movie, running to the gas station for snacks, roaming the woods of a nearby park, watching football every Sunday and most importantly, eating family dinners.

It might seem inconvenient to cook dinner with a bunch of friends you don’t even live with, but it was really nice getting home from work or class and always having people to give me a built-in one-hour break. The way I see it, you have to eat dinner at some point, so if I’m going to do anything other than homework and studying, it might as well be dinner with friends. We’ve whipped up more fajitas, nachos and tacos than most people would care for, but my friend Dave’s favorite was always this Seafood Risotto, and I have to admit, it’s pretty bomb-diggity.

After having some terrible, dry mushroom risotto at restaurant in Milwaukee (and several requests for the recipe from Dave) I decided it was time to bring this delicious dish back to life in my kitchen. This creamy, cheesy risotto spotted with tomatoes and loaded with calamari, scallops and shrimp has a pasta-like texture that made it one of my go-tos after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Seafood Risotto

Author: If You Give a Girl a Degree

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
½ of a white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup arborio rice
1 quart chicken broth
¾ cup white wine
1 pound seafood (I use the frozen mix of shrimp, scallops and calamari from Trader Joe's)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Parsley or basil, for garnish

Instructions

Heat the chicken broth in a small saucepan until just simmering, keep it warm on low heat.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the rice and garlic and stir until slightly toasted.
Turn the heat to low, add ½ cup of the warm chicken broth at a time, stir continually until the broth is almost entirely absorbed, then add another half cup. Continue to do this until all of the broth is absorbed, then do the same with the wine. It is important to keep the heat low and stir constantly. Patience is key, with risotto sometimes taking up to an hour to cook.
Meanwhile heat the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil in small pan over medium-high heat. Add the seafood and saute until cooked through.
Add the tomatoes to the seafood and cook until heated through.
Add the seafood and tomatoes to the rice mixture and stir until all excess liquid is absorbed.
Stir in the butter and cheese until entirely melted, season with salt and pepper and serve with a fresh parsley or basil garnish.

Risotto can be fairly intimidating to cook, but the only trick is being patient, cooking it on a low heat very slowly and stirring constantly. Get someone to pour you a glass of wine, relax and stir the night away. It’s not the best quick, weekday dinner, but it comes in handy for entertaining, when you are trying to impress someone or for a romantic date night in. Ryan was in town this weekend and we had a great time cooking this together, drinks in hand (he also made a great photo assistant—he slipped that beer into the shot).