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It’s so easy to pick up recipes with the countless resources available such as the various food shows on television, lifestyle magazines and the internet.  Recently, I was working out at the gym and playing on TV was a food show featuring summer appetizers.  One of the easy-to-make recipes they featured were the best crab cakes with lump crabmeat I have ever tasted.  I was so impressed with how easy the crab cakes were to make and how great they tasted that I thought I would pass along the recipe.

Best Crab Cakes with Lump Crabmeat

1 pound lump crabmeat

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 of green onions

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of lime juice

Couple of splashes of Tabasco sauce

1 egg

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Place the lump crabmeat into a bowl and go through it to ensure there are no shells.  Add to the crabmeat the mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, chopped cilantro, green onions, egg, lime juice and Tabasco sauce and mix together.  Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes.

Remove the crab cake mixture from the refrigerator and form the crab cakes.   The recipe will make 8 nice size crab cakes.

Fill a bowl with about a cup of Panko breadcrumbs and then take your formed crab cakes and gently place them in the bowl and cover them with the breadcrumbs.

Now, cook the best crab cakes by heating them in a non-stick frying skillet and coating the bottom of the skillet with olive oil.  Place the crab cakes in the heated skillet and cook them for about 6 minutes, roughly 3 minutes on each side.

Once the crab cakes are cooked, remove them, place them on your serving dish and serve the best crab cakes with your choice of toppings, whether it be guacamole, tarter sauce or a Thai chili sauce to name a few.

Other summer appetizers that are impressive and easy to make are the following:

1. Skewered Cooked Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce (recipe on page 77 in Budget Bash)
2. Dates with Goat Cheese Wrapped in Prosciutto with a Balsamic Glaze
3. Mini-Hot Dogs (old-fashioned but everyone loves them!)
4. Shot Glasses with either Gazpacho or Cucumber Soup

And for dessert to compliment those great summer appetizers be sure to include:

1. Skewered Summer Fruit
2. Brownie Bites
3. Lollipop Cookies

The above mentioned appetizer selections can all be served via tray-pass and therefore you don’t have to worry about setting up a buffet.  Just make sure that if you tray pass the crab cakes to make them in bite-sized portions.  For easy decor, use loose flowers such as Cymbidium orchids, small rosemary branches or tea roses on your appetizer trays.

I hope you enjoy making these crab cakes with lump crabmeat.  As I mentioned earlier, I thought they were the best crab cakes I have ever tasted.  They are an easy item to prepare and will impress your friends if you serve them along with other summer appetizers at your next party.

Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical for all!

With the heat of the summer and the fact that we have longer days, many times we would like to eat something light as well as later in the evening.  Ideally speaking, a quick easy dinner as well as an easy healthy dinner.  Here is a healthy food recipe for a quick meal.

Based upon one of my favorite marinades, this healthy food recipe is a quick easy dinner that can be made for 1 or more people (if you are entertaining).  What I did earlier this week was prepare halibut over brown and wild rice mixed with dates and served green beans on the side.  This easy healthy dinner took no time at all to make.

The ingredients to use for this quick meal are:

1 portion of halibut
Brown rice
Wild Rice
Dates
Green Beans

To start this quick easy dinner, marinate the halibut in a bowl of equal parts olive oil, balsamic vinegar (2 tablespoons each) and a clove or two of garlic.  Coat the halibut and place the fish in the refrigerator for about two hours.  (Turn to page 95 in Budget Bash for more uses for this marinade.)

In the meantime, follow the cooking instructions on the back of the packages for the wild rice and the brown rice and cook both types of rice separately.  When I made this healthy food recipe, I used 1/4 cup of wild rice and 1 cup of brown rice.

Once both sets of rice are cooked, mix them together and add chopped dates.  Be sure you check the dates for nuts.  Allow the heat of both sets of rice to warm up the chopped dates.  Set the rice aside.

Once the halibut is marinated, cook the fish in the oven until tender and flaky but not raw in the middle.  To make this a really quick dinner, purchase freshly frozen green beans and heat them up over the stove while you are cooking the halibut.

If the rice has cooled, you may want to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to reheat it.  Set the rice on your dinner plate, then place the cooked halibut on top and then the cooked green beans to the side, and there you have a quick easy dinner using a healthy food recipe.

I like to save even more time cooking dinner in the summer and often will prepare my combination rice serving ahead of time and refrigerate it.  I make a couple of servings and then take it out for this dish or another quick meal that I may cook during the week.  (For other time-saving ideas, check out Budget Bash.)

I hope you find this healthy food recipe for a quick easy dinner enjoyable.  What is so great about this easy healthy dinner is that it takes no time to make and is easy to clean up.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Last night I had the most delicious easy and quick dinner with heirloom tomatoes and I thought I would share this summer salad recipe with you.  This quick dinner recipe uses just a few ingredients including balsamic glazed halibut and takes only minutes to make.

Heirloom tomatoes are in season right now and they are so delicious whether plain, dressed with olive oil and accompanied with basil or tossed in a summer salad.  Last night I used the tomatoes with this easy and quick dinner that is also a low-fat and healthy recipe.  What is so great about this quick dinner recipe is that you can make it for yourself or serve it at your next dinner party.

The first part of this quick dinner recipe is to marinate the halibut in a bowl of equal parts olive oil, balsamic vinegar (2 tablespoons each) and a clove or two of garlic.  Coat the halibut and place the fish in the refrigerator for about two hours.

The ingredients I used to make the summer salad were:

•    Arugula
•    Dates
•    Heirloom Tomatoes
•    Shaved Parmesan Cheese
•    Lemon, Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper

Once the halibut is marinated, cook the fish in the oven until tender and flaky but not raw in the middle.  (For detailed instructions on this recipe and more turn to page 95 in Budget Bash.) While the fish is cooking, toss the arugula, dates, heirloom tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Then slice a lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the summer salad (be sure to squeeze the lemon with the rind facing towards the salad so as  not to get any seeds onto the greens), add some olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and place the salad onto your dinner plate.

Once the halibut is cooked, place it on the plate to the side of the salad or on top whichever you prefer and serve.  (Note, for this easy and quick dinner recipe you can also substitute a chicken breast for the halibut and still use the same marinade.)  Serve this quick dinner recipe with your favorite white wine and enjoy!  The blend of flavors along with the sweetness of the dates (substitute figs when they are in season) is light and delicious.

I hope you found this easy and quick dinner idea using heirloom tomatoes in a summer salad enjoyable.  What is so great about this quick dinner recipe is that it takes no time to make and is easy to clean up.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Saint Patrick Day is just around the corner so why not take a healthful approach to what you serve with these easy vegan recipes for vegetable side dishes.  Celebrating with holiday parties is fun and since there will be plenty of green beer to sip on make sure to include some fresh healthful food for your event.

It’s easy and cool to offer shot glasses filled with celery or asparagus soup.  Asparagus soup is one of the many easy vegan recipes that you can do the night before and then after work, simply take the soup out of the fridge, fill your shot glasses and serve on Saint Patrick Day.

How about green olive tapenade on a toasted sourdough baguette?  For holiday parties on Saint Patrick Day this dip can be made a few days in advance and again, just pull it out of the fridge prior to guest arrival and serve either already topped on the baguette or as one of your vegetable side dishes. (Recipe for olive tapenade can be found on page 83 in Budget Bash.)

Other vegetable side dishes your friends would enjoy on Saint Patrick Day are a cucumber salad with balsamic vinaigrette, Waldorf salad, fennel and mint salad or a cucumber and seaweed salad.

Of course, keeping it vegan and real let’s not forget a bowl of edaname either cold or warm with or without salt.  All of these easy vegan recipes mentioned for your holiday parties won’t take much time and some can be made well in advanced, refrigerated overnight and then quickly transferred into fun and simple serving dishes as vegetable side dishes.

Roasted Asparagus Soup Recipe

2 1/2 lbs. thin asparagus, trimmed & cut into 2″ pieces
2 leaks, white & light green parts only, cleaned and finely chopped
2 T. Olive Oil
salt & pepper to taste
2 1/2 C. vegetable broth
Chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a heavy roasting pan, combine asparagus, leeks, olive oil , slat and pepper.  Mix to combine.

Roast, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes or until leeks are golden brown & asparagus are tender.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender and add the broth.  Process until completely pureed, taste to adjust seasonings.

Pour soup into shot glasses & garnish with chives if desired.

Waldorf Salad Recipe

3-4 Granny Smith Apples
2 Celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 oz. walnut pieces or pecans chopped
Mixed greens if desired
French vinaigrette dressing

Cut a few slices of apple with the skin on for decoration and then peel and core the rest of the apple and cut into thin strips.  Toss the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent apples from turning brown.

Add the chopped celery, apple slices, nuts and mixed greens and toss with French vinaigrette.

French Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

2 tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tbs champagne vinegar
6 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix ingredients in a cruet and serve with salad.

I hope you found these easy vegan recipes for vegetable side dishes fun to make for your holiday parties on Saint Patrick Day.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!

Amuse bouche is a fun way to start your Valentine menu for your Valentine Day dinner.  Your amuse bouche can be anything from a soup served in a shot glass to a bite-sized beautifully prepared vegetable.

In keeping with this weekend’s Valentine menu, why not keep it red such as tomato soup or a stuffed tomato? There are many variations of stuffed tomatoes that you can prepare as an amuse bouche for your Valentine Day dinner.

One stuffed tomato recipe is to sauté onions and celery.  Then add herbs and breadcrumbs with a bit of water to create a paste.  Using medium tomatoes scoop out the center and stuff the tomatoes with the stuffing.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes and serve.

Other amuse bouche stuffed tomato mixture ideas for your Valentine Day dinner can include goat cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese or bacon.  The possibilities are endless for a Valentine menu.

To learn more cost-saving and helpful party planning tips, recipes, along with other menu ideas and party décor tips, simply check out Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget.

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and remember to keep in mind the Budget Bash mantra; make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Countdown to Friday and I thought I would share with you the Christmas hors d oeuvres and dinner menu I am serving on Christmas Eve since the hors d oeuvres are easy party appetizers. 

My Christmas hors d oeuvres include a Salmon Mousse, a Walnut and Mushroom Pate and Cheddar Cheese Crisps all of which are easy party appetizers.  Serve these appetizers with fresh sourdough crisps, crackers or fresh vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes and asparagus.  Both the Salmon Mousse and Walnut and Mushroom Pate recipes can be found in Budget Bash – Simply Elegant Events on a Budget.   

In a previous post I provided the Cheddar Cheese Crisps but just in case you missed it, here it is again.

Cheddar Cheese and Rosemary Crisps 

½ lb sharp cheddar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups of flour
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons of finely chopped Rosemary

Combine all the ingredients but the rosemary in a Cuisinart.  Stir in the Rosemary.  Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Divide dough in ½ and roll out to ¼” thick.  Cut crisps and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

For Christmas Eve Dinner we are serving a bib lettuce salad with goat cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries and a vinaigrette and old fashioned chicken pot pie.  For dessert, pecan pie which I can’t wait to have a slice of. 

The decor for the event is simple, red votive candles in clear votive glasses, silk poinsettia flowers with gold painted pine-cones and pine leaves and maybe a pine green organza runner.  All of which I keep in my party planning design box.  (More cost-saving design tips can be found in Budget Bash.) 

I hope you have a safe fun joyous holiday and remember this holiday season to keep in mind the Budget Bash mantra:  make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Sometimes a non profit event you work on will actually change your lifestyle and your eating habits.  A whole new vocabulary (such as eat vegan and vegan catering) has become a part of my daily life and in January, I will attempt the 21-day vegan cleanse courtesy of PCRM.

I think one of the effects from PCRM’s non profit event (scheduled for April 10th of 2010) is that they improved my eating habits and got me to think about what I eat.  At least once a week, I try to eat vegan (or I will admit, more often vegetarian) and to include an increased amount of tofu vegan foods.

Working on this non profit event has also caused me to look to substitutes when I cook.  Why not use olive oil instead of butter when sautéing?  How about vegetable broth instead of chicken stock?  A lot of people think that when you eat vegan, the food will be dry, tasteless and chewy which is not the case at all. 

What I have been exposed to via PCRM are delicious tofu vegan foods at funky hip vegan restaurants that also offer vegan catering.  In fact for Thanksgiving and for a couple of dinner parties, I made a vegan pumpkin pie.  I have also cooked a “neatloaf” – vegan meatloaf – and quite often I whip up a walnut mushroom pate that looks like chopped liver.  (More vegan recipes and party ideas can be found in Budget Bash).

The Environment and a Vegan Diet

When you eat vegan, I believe you also start to take a second look at your environment and how you can possibly decrease the amount of waste produced.  A diet of tofu vegan foods puts less stress on the environment because this diet requires less manufacturing. 

Also, consider your wardrobe. Are there certain leather accessories that you can do without or can you switch them to fabric products?  Now more than ever, designers are looking to stylish alternatives for leather, suede and fur and creating alternative fashion statements that are fun, functional and hip.   

Tofu Vegan Recipe

Below is a delicious and easy tofu vegan recipe for a walnut mushroom pate.  I included this recipe in Budget Bash since it is impressive to serve yet simple to make.  (Hint, I keep it in the fridge and just eat it without the crackers after working out for a good source of protein.)

Walnut Mushroom Pate

3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ pound fresh sliced mushrooms
½ onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound firm tofu, mashed
½ cup walnuts
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic in olive oil until the onions turn soft, about 5 minutes. 

Put the mushroom mixture and tofu in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Add the walnuts, salt and pepper and puree again until smooth.  Chill the pate thoroughly before serving with your favorite bread or crackers.

Enjoy the mushroom pate and stay tuned for my details from my 21-day vegan cleanse.  After all, you never know what effects producing a non profit event may make upon your everyday life.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra:  make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

The holiday party season is here so what I thought I would do is suggest some party appetizer ideas for your Christmas party food.  What you want to keep in mind to maintain a low-cost budget catering menu is to incorporate easy finger foods along with your holiday buffet. 

As the party host, be creative with your presentation of your Christmas party food and make it easy for your guests to pick up and eat.  Create an interactive buffet station by using skewers for your vegetables at the crudités station.  Make a vegetable garden presentation using skewered vegetables “planted” in wheat grass.  

At the dessert station, build your own fondue station.  Again using skewers, offer strawberries, bananas, rice crispy treats, Oreos, marshmallows, to name a few easy finger foods your guests can choose from.  If you are trying to watch your weight, select the fruit over the cookies and walk away from the dessert station before you dip into the chocolate!

Christmas party food has a tendency to be very rich and abundant in calories so if you are trying to watch your weight, select the low-calorie alternatives.  Party appetizer ideas to watch your weight include selecting the fresh vegetable crudités versus the macaroni cheese bites.  Even though the spinach and artichoke and cheese dips are more delicious, dip your veggies into the salsas or various flavored humus dips if offered. 

As a host, serving crudités, dips and small bites is an effective use of budget catering.  To stretch your dollars further offer easy finger foods such as an anti-pasta station with sliced meats, cheeses and skewered tortellini.  (Budget Bash offers great party appetizer ideas and a menu with recipes that can be found beginning on page 80.)

Other party appetizer ideas to help keep your costs low include tray-passing heartier items such as beef or turkey sliders, pigs in blankets, shrimp cocktail and shot glasses filled with soups.  You can serve either hot soups such as the classic favorite tomato soup or a cold gazpacho or cucumber soup.  By tray-passing these items, you are able to control the portions and timing of the food.

To help maintain a low-cost budget catering menu at the bar, feature a holiday martini such as a peppermint martini.  Here is an easy recipe for a peppermint martini.  (Budget Bash features other martini recipes beginning on page 87.)

Peppermint Martini

3 parts vodka
1 part white crème de menthe

Pour ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice and shake well.  Pour straight up into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with a mini-candy cane hanging along the rim of glass or prior to pouring the drink into glass, crush the candy cane and wet down the glass rim.  Then dip the rim into the bowl filled with candy cane pieces.

I hope you found these party appetizer ideas helpful for your Christmas party food.  You can keep costs at a minimum with budget catering by controlling the portions via tray-passing some easy finger foods.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Okay, I couldn’t resist one last minute idea for a Thanksgiving dessert.  This easy Thanksgiving recipe is simple to make.  It is a pumpkin cupcakes recipe that takes just minutes but is delicious and will impress your guests. 

One of the concepts I discuss in Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget is to make your parties as stress free as possible.  This Thanksgiving dessert is an easy Thanksgiving recipe and I made these cupcakes just a few weeks ago and they came out great. 

This pumpkin cupcakes recipe I picked up from Real Simple Magazine and modified it slightly.

1 18.5 oz box of yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients called for in the packaged directions)
Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg to taste – Generally speaking I use about:
1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ginger and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
12 oz of cream cheese (Bar form, not whipped) – room temperature
6 oz of butter – room temperature
2 cups of powdered sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla
½ teaspoon of lemon juice

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Use two 12-cup muffin tins and line them with paper cupcake holders.  Prepare the cake mix as directed but with the following changes:

Add the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to taste and substitute the can of pumpkin puree for the water that is called for on the package directions. 

Pour the batter into the cupcake holders about half-way and bake for about 18 to 22 minutes or until they are done and then let cool.

In the meantime, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat until smooth.  Make sure they are both at room temperature so that the icing is not lumpy.  Add the sugar and beat until smooth.  Add the vanilla and the lemon juice and mix.

Please note that everyone has a slightly different take on cream cheese icing so you may want to add more sugar or cream cheese, it’s your decision.  Once the cupcakes are cooled, ice and serve. 

You can put mini-pumpkin candies on the top of the cupcakes if you desire for an added touch of décor. 

Budget Bash also offers a recipe on a dairy-free pumpkin pie (page 100), advice on easy design and décor (page 26), step-by-step easy flower arrangements (page 59) and more.  

I hope you enjoy this easy Thanksgiving recipe for an additional Thanksgiving dessert item at your dessert buffet or dinner table.  This pumpkin cupcakes recipe takes no time at all to make and the cupcakes are delicious and moist.  It is also a welcome addition to another Thanksgiving dessert such as apple pie or pumpkin pie. 

Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

The countdown to your traditional Thanksgiving dinner is starting, just 5 days away so I wanted to make sure to give you this gluten free dairy free, vegan pumpkin pie custard recipe.  It’s quick and easy to make and if you don’t tell anyone the custard is gluten free dairy free, vegan pumpkin pie custard they will never know.

Gluten Free Dairy Free, Vegan Pumpkin Pie Custard
(Note:  This recipe makes 8 servings.  Also, you can pour the pumpkin custard directly into a 9” Pyrex baking dish if you prefer a “pudding” style pie.)

1½ cups of soymilk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups of solid-pack canned pumpkin or cooked pumpkin
½ cup sugar (preferably raw or Turbinado) or other sweetener
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cornstarch until smooth and then stir in the pumpkin, sugar or other sweetener, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  I prefer to adjust the spices to taste.  Pour into either 8 large ramekins or a 9” Pyrex baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until firm.  Ovens vary so start checking at 45 minutes to prevent over baking.  You want the filling to be set but the center still trembles slightly. 

Cool before cutting.

I hope you have a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving dinner and that you enjoy this gluten free dairy free, vegan pumpkin pie custard recipe.  For other gluten free dairy free vegan desserts such as Berry Mousse Topped with Seasonal Fruit (page 101) as well as recipes for dinners and appetizers pick up a copy of Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget. 

You can read about Budget Bash and what it offers including advice on invitations (page 15), step-by-step easy flower arrangements (page 59) and more at www.budgetbashbook.com.   Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!