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Princess Parties…with a twist!

January 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

Yes, I’m still planning a Princess Birthday Party (Fairy Ballerina Princess, to be exact)… and yes, I’m still on the lookout for fabulous Princess party ideas. A couple of weeks ago, I found a really fun “Princess and the Pea” party, and that started me off on a path of “quirky” Princess parties… or Princess Parties with a twist!

Click HERE to check out the super fab Princess and the Pea party, found the Hostessblog. Make sure you scroll down to read all of the party details so that you can recreate it!

One of the newer Disney Princesses is Tiana… from the Princess and the Frog. Now, I know she is a DISNEY princess, after all… but I think the movie was unique and the concept of a Tiana Princess and the Frog party is unique too! Check out the wonderful write-up about a baking party with this Princess/Frog theme, from Kara’s Party Ideas. She even includes tutorials on how to make the fabulous flower poms and cupcake liner poms she features. Easy, inexpensive and fabulous!

Obviously, this is a really good idea… I found another absolutely GORGEOUS party write-up about another Princess and the Frog party. This one has a “bayou-esque” feel to it (according to the party hostess), and I am just in love with the decorations, the cake… well, all of it… from Kiki’s List:

And.. one more party with a twist… a LEOPARD Princess Party. From Anders Ruff, check out the amazing party with leopard and princess combined! This party had it all – cookies, cupcakes, dipped strawberries, embellished favors (to take home), spa favors… and so much more! Once again – scroll down to the end of the page to see how it is done!

Our Leopard Print Favor Boxes would have gone perfectly with the Leopard Princess party!

So totally Princess… (and Diva!)… with a twist!

Happy Thanksgiving…

November 24, 2011 1 Comment

Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season!

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Best Mushroom Gravy Recipe

February 7, 2011 1 Comment

I’m sorry if once again my photo disappointments and doesn’t convey just how absolutely delicious this mushroom gravy actually is! A while back I came across a mushroom meatloaf with mushroom gravy recipe in Bon Appetit that sounded delicious. It was a bit of a long complicated recipe but I had high hopes. Unfortunately the meatloaf itself was bland. Really bland. Not nearly as good as my husband’s meat loaf (recipe next week!). Oh…but the mushroom gravy was so good.

Whether you call this a gravy or sauce (it’s a perfect mushroom sauce for steak!), it will be delicious on meat, potatoes, rice and noodles. There’s a bit of chopping to this recipe and it makes tons, so don’t hesitate to cut the ingredients in half. Also – if the gravy isn’t thick enough to your liking, add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it (it already uses a flour-butter thickening paste to do this, however, I wanted mine to still be a bit thicker). To make the slurry mix 1/2 tsp. of cornstarch to 1 tsp. of ice cold water. Add this mixture to the gravy, bring to a boil for 30 seconds. If it still isn’t thick enough, repeat. (If you are making a full recipe I would start with 1 tsp. of cornstarch and 2 tsp. of ice water).

Mushroom Gravy Recipe (adapted from Bon Appetit, September 2010)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/4 cup chopped shallots
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme*
1 cup dry red wine
6 cups low-salt beef broth
2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, shallots, garlic, and thyme. Saute until vegetables are soft, about 18 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced to glaze, about 3 – 5 minutes (watch carefully so that it doesn’t completely evaporate). Add broth. Boil until mixture is reduced to 4 cups, about 25 minutes.
Blend butter and flour in a small bowl to smooth paste. Whisk cream and flour paste into gravy. Simmer until thick, stirring often, about 5 minutes.** Season with salt and pepper, and then serve. NOTE: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover and chill. Rewarm before using.

* If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can substitute 1 tsp. dried thyme.

** It is after this 5 minutes of stirring that you should decide if you want your gravy thicker. If so, add the cornstarch slurry.

Diva Entertains has the largest selection of Leopard and Zebra Favors! Peacock favors and cow favors too!

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Jam Bar – A Delicious Homemade Jam Dessert

April 22, 2010 1 Comment

Diva Entertains Jam Bar

If there is one recipe, more than any other, that reminds me of my mother, it’s her Jam Bar Recipe. It was a constant in our household growing up but at that time I didn’t pay it the attention it deserved. At that young age, when I thought of dessert, I thought of ‘chocolate’ – cake, brownies, cookies. However, when I started cooking for friends in my college years I turned to this recipe. And although it was an immediate hit with whomever I served it to – I soon came to love it too. *LOVE*. Now I always have some bars in the freezer; ready to serve at a moment’s notice (after defrosting them, that is:).

These are similar to a shortbread but richer and moister thanks to the addition of egg yolks. However, those eggs help to create a sticky batter. The easiest way to work with this type of batter is to run your hands under cold water, then shake the excess water off. You don’t want to get the batter ‘wet’ – just have your hands damp enough so the batter won’t stick.

I’ve made this recipe at least 100 times. And I have learned that the vast majority of tasters/recipients have preferred it baked to the point where the edges are just beginning to brown, as shown below. and the top of the bars have just a hint of browning. This gives them a very rich and moist crumb. However, if you prefer yours a little more browned and crisp, by all means cook them a few minutes longer. They will be delicious both ways!

Diva Entertains Baked Jam Bars

Jam Bars (Makes one 9″ x 13″ pan)

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large or extra large egg yolks, room temperature
4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
14 – 15 oz. of your favorite jam or preserves

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray*.
Beat sugar and butter together until combined – do not over beat. (This is a dough, not batter, so you don’t want to beat the butter and sugar to a ‘light and fluffy stage)
Add egg yolks until just combined. Then beat in flour until incorporated, a minute or two; do not over beat.
Pat 1/2 of dough into the bottom of the baking pan. Because the dough is sticky it will be easiest to do if you wet your hands with cold water (then make sure to shake them to get any excess water off) and ‘pat’ pieces into place.
Spread the jam over the bottom dough layer. The easiest way to do this is to first warm the jam jar for 30 seconds in the microwave.
‘Pat’ the remaining dough in place by taking small portion of dough at a time. Don’t worry that you have to ‘piece’ it together – it adds to its looks and charm!
Bake for approximately 30 minutes, and then check for doneness. For soft, extremely most jam bars remove from oven when edges are lightly browned. For a crisper top and a firmer bar, let cook a bit longer until the top is lightly browned too.

Diva Entertains Patting Dough for Top Layer

Diva Entertains Laying Dough for Top Layer

*I like to use a non-stick spray made specifically for baking. These typically have flour added to them and are found in the baking section along with the other non-stick sprays.

Filed Under: Bar Cookies, Uncategorized

Asian Broth with Mini Turkey Meatballs

April 15, 2010 Leave a Comment

Diva Entertains Asian Chicken Broth1

Upon coming across this recipe on my recipe swap and noticing that it came from Eating Well.com, I immediately dismissed it (“yeh – like that’s going to have a lot of flavor”). But upon seeing that a good friend posted the recipe *and* that she raved about it gave me pause. After reading the ingredients…and then immediately thinking of how I can tinker with it…I decided to give it a try. And I am so glad that I did. Because it is delicious! FULL of flavor. So much so that I have already made it several times this month. (I had a miserable sinus infection and flu and this was far better than any other medicine I consumed!)

Asian Broth with Mini Turkey Meatballs (adapted from Eating Well.com)

4 big servings

2 Tbsp. hot sesame oil, divided
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 oz. orchiette pasta (or similar size)
3 cups thinly sliced bok choy
1 cup sliced Shitake mushrooms
3 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 T. rice vinegar

Mix ground turkey with minced garlic and ginger. Shaped into 1″ or smaller mini meatballs.
Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add 1 T. hot sesame oil and heat until shimmering. Add turkey meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
To large pot add broth, soy sauce, vinegar and remaining 1 Tbsp. hot sesame oil. Bring to a boil and them reduce heat to a simmer. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Add turkey meatballs, bok choy and mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes. Serve.

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Welcome!

December 13, 2009 3 Comments

Welcome to the Diva Entertains Blog! We are currently under construction! But it won’t be long before we have wonderful recipes and entertaining tips to share with you with the emphasis on “Easy Yet Elegant Entertaining”.

Nicole Mone’s fictional book, “The Last Chinese Chef” opens with the paragraph below. Upon reading it it nearly took my breath away because this is how I feel about entertaining. I hope that the Diva Entertains Blog will convey that to you and will be a useful and “entertaining” source of information. Now the quote:

“Apprentices have asked me, what is the most exalted peak of cuisine? Is it the freshest ingredients , the most complex flavors? Is it the rustic, or the rare? It is none of these. The peak is neither eating nor cooking, but the giving and sharing of food. Great food should never be taken alone. What pleasure can a man (or woman, my addition) take in fine cuisine unless he invites cherished friends, counts the days until the banquet, and composes an anticipatory poem for his letter of invitation”.

Until we are live….

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