SPRING FORWARD!

Springtime is upon us and that Ground Hog's timing was correct! The days are getting longer and the shorts are coming out! With all the upcoming celebrations upon us (St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Opening Day on the Bay), it is nice to have some fun recipes to serve your guests..

~Spring Pea & Parmesan Bruschetta
1 bag frozen peas (or 2 c fresh shelled peas, blanched)

½ red onion, julienne

1T garlic, chopped

1 c heavy cream

2 T butter

½ c parmesan

1 bunch mint, chopped

1 bunch, basil, chopped

2 t sea salt

2 t freshly ground pepper



1 large baguette or 2 small

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 t sea salt
1 t freshly ground pepper



In a sauté pan, melt butter. Add red onion and garlic, sauté. Add peas and cream, salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. In a Cuisinart, pour ingredients into the bowl and process. Add parmesan, mint & basil. Process just enough to incorporate. Slice baguette on the bias to make crostini. Put into a bowl and add olive oil, s & p. Toss and put onto a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes. To serve, spoon pea mixture onto crostinis or put pea mixture into a decorative bowl and put crostini on a platter. Shave some additional Parmesan on top and garnish with Pea Shoots. Enjoy!
      For more Spring Brunch recipes, email lisa@bellaluxe.net or better yet, Let us doing the cooking!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...

Planning a special evening for someone you love? With Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year falling on the same day this year, there are far more possibilities to making this a night to remember!

1. The Dress: Something red and silky for her, and red cashmere for him.
   
2. The Food: Lobster Rangoon (An updated classic!), Fresh Dungeness crab salad stuffed in vine tomatoes with frisee, and then Filet Mignon, haricot vert & fingerling potatoes.
   
3. The Drink: Saketinis for the salad, Silver Oak Napa Valley Cab (a fav!), followed by...
   
4. The Chocolate: warm dark chocolate cake, raspberries, Homemade Fortune Cookies and Champagne, of course!
   
5. Don't forget... THE LOVE. A card, a rose, a phone call, a simple "I Love You" is all you need! Kisses from my babies, Milan and Luca-the best!

Happy (almost!) 10th Wedding Anniversary, Jeff! I love you! Lisa

Happy Healthy New Year!

Did you OVERindulge during the holidays?

Let me tell you that long before New Year's Eve hit, we couldn't look at anymore rich food! The season started with Luca's 4th birthday and do you know what he picked out for the family dinner? Two lobsters, four Dungeness crabs, two pounds of shrimp, mussels & clams (and a partridge in a pear tree!)! That was December 6th and it was all downhill from there! I know that every year we all try to make our New Year's Resolutions to eat better, lose weight, exercise, blah, blah, blah! It is the same every year! If you could compromise, by eating better without sacrificing taste, exercising at your convenience or drinking without the guilt, would that be so bad?It is now way past January 1st and you have already gone back to your old ways!

Here are a few tips to get you back on track!

• Yoga. This is an easy way to start an exercise practice that you can continue your entire lifetime. Tony is my favorite Yogi. My Mom started Yoga at 54 years old!
• Spine Health. Go to the chiropractor. I had nerve pain that I was living with-who wants to hurt?
• Walk. Sometimes that is the only exercise you have time for. Take the stairs, park in the back parking lot, but walk!
  
• Buy local and organic, if you can. Especially fruits and vegetables. They smell AND taste like the real thing!
  
• Laugh. A good laugh (and sometimes a good cry!) does wonders for the soul! It can make a really bad day seem much better!
• Love. Your mate, your kids, your friends, your dog, your job! Life is too short not to be in love! Don't you feel better already!!??

Giving Back

Saturday was a busy day in the Bay Area! Like-minded Philanthropists were on hand at a slew of events this past weekend to give back to kids! First thing Saturday morning, Jeff and I loaded the kids into the car and we headed to Breakfast with Santa at San Domenico School! The Fifth graders served up lots of bacon and pancakes (made by the Dads!) and then wowed us with a show and a visit from Santa. All the proceeds went to the Primary School's Leadership Service Learning Projects. What fun! Then, off to the city to SantaFest at the Presidio's Officer's Club. Kids of all ages were on hand to decorate gingerbread houses and visit with Santa, followed by a dinner for parents and their kids that are living or being served by transitional shelters of San Francisco. Santa was a busy guy today! Thanks to Monica Pauli for getting us involved in such an amazing event! After dropping off goodies for the dinner, we dashed over to The Fairmont Hotel! Friday and Saturday, we tied all the red sashes and cushions on gold Chiavari Chairs to complete the Luxe decor for the annual Christmas Ball hosted by the San Francisco Commandery of The Knights of St. John.. It was a festive night of dining and dancing to the sounds of Marianne Kent's Bay Society Orchestra . Break-down of the chairs and centerpieces were definitely Champagne driven! The proceeds of this event go towards Episcopal Charities, Clausen House, and George Mark Children's House, the first children's hospice in the U.S., among other recipients. Kudos to Dame Darlene Hines and her committee that chaired this event. We had fun helping out for these causes and giving back to our community.

Holiday Sweets!

With Holiday Flavors like

• Vanilla Bean


• Black & white


• Cinnamon toast


• Vanilla mint


• Chocolate Mint
  
• Gingerbread
• Coconut snowball (my personal favorite!!!)

Who could resist one flavor??? My friend Rachel from The Velvet Crumb

is baking up cupcakes and minis for the Holiday Season. The can definitely LUXE UP your next event!! Thanks to Curtis for these pictures! They are good enough to eat!

The Holidays are Coming!

Thanksgiving is over and I started the week in full panic mode. Will I have enough work this month? What to get my family for Christmas, not to mention the two December birthdays??!! When to go get the tree and all the decorations out of storage? It is enough to get anybody's heart racing!

Relax and let us assist you in planning a special party or just the holiday dinner...

1. Plan ahead! It saves time and money. Plan on what you will make yourself, what you will buy prepared and what you will ask others to bring. Or better yet, call a caterer!
2. Clean and decorate the house prior to any event you are having. I always clean the house (or have a housekeeper or service come) the day before. Then, I arrange my flowers or orchids based on my party presentation. It saves as lot of time the day of when you are trying to cook and do last minute errands. Plus, you haven't even showered yet!
3. Rent glassware and dishes! For a nominal price, you can have all the glasses matching (for once!) and not have to do the dishes! You can even rent a fabulous linen to give instant Holiday charm to your room! If you plan on using the fine china, definitely hire someone to assist with the dishes. I started out in high school as a hostess helper and see what happened?!
4. Keep it simple! If you plan on doing all the planning, shopping, & cooking yourself, you owe it to yourself to streamline. Don't forget the music-program the IPOD and forget about it! For cocktail parties, wine and champagne, and one signature drink. Don't do a full bar unless you have hired a bartender. If not, your husband will be serving drinks all night-and he won't be happy! Simple Artisanal cheeses, fruit and desserts are easy to assemble ahead of time and perfect for a small cocktail party. Or, make some great soup and serve it in mugs with fresh baked bread! Yum!
5. Enjoy! My job is really to let the hostess be a guest at her own party. How many times have you done everything for a party and REALLY enjoyed yourself? You know that anyone who arrives early for your party gets to open wine and arrange plates of crackers. You were replenishing the smoked salmon when you should have been enjoying that glass of wine, instead, you can't remember where you left it! P.S. Your kitchen is a pigsty, your feet hurt and your husband went to bed... Happy Holidays!

Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family! We are all rushing around trying to remember if we did, indeed, order that organic, brined turkey! Should we serve wine because someone always drinks too much and do I have to make candied sweet potatoes (because Grandpa always asks for them, but he NEVER eats them!)???? Sometimes it is alright to just slow down and think about what it is we really are thankful for.

Five Things that make Thanksgiving tolerable!

1. Pizza delivery!

It is 4:00 p.m.the day before Thanksgiving. Your house is clean and you are high-fiving yourself because you think you have all the groceries for Thanksgiving, but remember that you have nothing for tonight's dinner! You have Super Shuttle dropping Aunt Madge at 4:30 p.m. at your house. What to do? Order a pizza to be delivered at 6:00 p.m., open a bottle of wine and relax!

2. Grocery Stores open on Thanksgiving Day!

Can I tell you how many years that I relied on stores to be open because we forgot the butter to make the pies ( or decided we didn't want to make one)? Oh yeah-we need more wine-Aunt Madge drank 2 bottles last night!

It is also a good escape from the family for an hour!

3.Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Football!

It keeps the kids and the men out of my kitchen-enough said!

4. A Good Laugh!

Watch the latest installment of my favorite ladies, "The Real Housewives of Late Night" -they will make you forget your own family holiday drama! If you have time, watch the 4 episodes prior-they are hysterical!

5. Be Thankful!

For your family, your home, your health,your self, your job, your friends, and the food on your table.

(and be thankful that there is still another month until Christmas!!!)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving from my family to yours!!!

Farm to Table

A couple of weeks ago, my husband returned from the Delta with BUCKETS of pomegranates, quince, pumpkins & persimmons. This was weeks after we cleaned out the 40 fig trees on the island to make our famous balsamic fig jam. My husband's business acquired a marina in the Delta last year, and attached is a bountiful 16 acre island. I have used the persimmons in salads, carved the pumpkins for Halloween, even gilded the pomegranates for the upcoming Thanksgiving centerpiece. The quince, however, was the big challenge! What is a quince??? It really is a cross between an apple and a pear, but the texture is awful! It definitely tastes better cooked. I recently catered a Spanish dinner and my client had purchased Manchego cheese and Membrillo. Membrillo is a Spanish quince paste, which is the quinced cooked down with lemon & sugar. Problem solved! I will make Membrillo to serve for the upcoming holidays. Hello! Make sure you have 2 days and a lot of patience! This was the most painstaking cooking project I have ever endured. I found a fabulous blogger online named Alejandra, as she chronicles her quince journey, so I credit her with the recipe. Check out her blog archive for November 2008 if you dare make the membrillo paste! The results: beautifully rich, burgundy colored paste that goes well with salty and creamy cheeses, Serrano ham or just on toast! Enjoy the fruits of your labor this season!

Richard Avedon at SFMOMA

103.7 The Band hosted an event at SFMOMA on Thursday, October 22, 2009.

People were were treated to a lavish spread, catered by yours truly, then proceeded to the Richard Avedon Exhibit. Gloria Ferrar Winery, Joie de Vivre Hotels, popchips, Maya Restaurant, Crane Lake Winery, &

Del Prado Juice were also on hand to serve their goodies to the public. Along with the Red curry-Pumpkin soup shots and Chicken salad with Arugula Chimichurri in phyllo cups, we featured four different toppings to accent the fabulous different flavors of popchips. Of course, the evening wouldn't be complete without delectable cake from Christian at Krumbscakes and Rachel, serving her fabulous mini cupcakes from The Velvet Crumb.

BEST SNACK!

+

Are you sitting at the computer starving because you haven't had lunch yet?

Well, my newest favorite quick snack (and Milan's, too!) is a big juicy apple (my favorite is McIntosh) plus an individually packed yummy of Justin's Nut Butters . My favorite is the maple Almond butter and it comes in a 100 calorie package that I just throw in my purse. When I am in need of a snack for me and the wee ones, this is handy, delicimo and great for the lunch box, if your school allows it! Enjoy!

URBAN DARLING

How do you think we got the fashion in "The Food Fashionista"? Well with a little help from our friends at

Urban Darling, don't you know! Corinne Phipp is my little secret when it comes to getting my look together. She is even recession-proof! We went shopping with a budget in mind, and she promised that a lot of the items I bought would last a couple of seasons (unless I get some of that Fig Balsamic down the front of me!). She even gave me a lot of ideas about finding great shopping bargains. This gal is a gem and all of you Moms out there need your closet audited! I know you have some maternity clothes still lurking in there! She helps people (you men out there need help, too!) of all shapes, sizes and budgets look totally FABULOUS! Trust me......

Celebration of Life

We recently catered a gorgeous garden party in honor of author, Joan Ryan. She was promoting her latest novel, "The Water Giver, The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance". Family and friends gathered on this beautiful evening (under a spectacular oak tree!) to celebrate and to listen to an excerpt from the book. It was very moving, since this was about Ms. Ryan and her family's journey after her son's near-fatal skateboarding crash. As a parent, I was very moved and plan to read the book immediately. The publishing date is today-I'm not Oprah, but this is a must-read.

INSPIRED KIDS LUNCHES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EahKPqaB6Q
click here

I came across a video I did on "The View From the Bay" a couple of years ago, and it has some fun ideas for the "Back to School Lunch Blaaaaahs"

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend! Taa Taa!

FUN IN THE SUN

The Bella Luxe gang spent a glorious 4 days on the Piers 30-32 in San Francisco.
1. Excellent weather
2. Fabulous "Fresh" food
3. Beautiful people (everywhere!)

The V.I.P.s, indulged in lots of Luxe standards and healthful meals a plenty for the players and referees.

Along with sliders, carnitas, and braised beef piadinas, we served an array of Antipasti Misto.
Here is a simple recipe for an hors d'ouevres to serve for company.

Food Fashionista Original Recipe:
Gorgonzola with Balsamic reduction and fresh figs

Balsamic reduction:
3 cups balsamic vinegar ( we like O brand! )
1 cup brown sugar
2 T vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped, reserve bean
2 T freshly ground pepper
8 fresh figs, (any varietal will do or substitute 10 dried figs)
Directions:
Put everything in a saucepan (including the vanilla bean) and bring to a boil.
Lower heat on stove and let simmer, reduce by half.
Cool and transfer to a blender, blend until smooth.
I like to keep the syrup in a squeeze bottle in the refrigerator.

To arrange the platter:
Take a large wedge of Gorgonzola dolcelatte or Blue Cheese or even Fresh Ricotta and place on platter.
Place pieces of salami or prosciutto around the cheese (optional)
Quarter fresh figs, apricots or nectarines around platter, as well
Squirt or spoon the balsamic reduction over the fruit and cheese, garnish with almonds or pistachios, fresh herbs
Serve with crackers, flatbread or focaccia

Easy & Delicimo!

Spring Forward!

Welcome Spring! Now that we have had some sufficient rainfall, let's see the sun! Get the house ready for some serious cleaning and get the Easter bonnets out! Last year at this time, I did a fabulous day of cooking at Williams-Sonoma in Union Square! It is time to host a Brunch or get some new ideas! Scroll down the left side of the blog to my archive of March 2008. There are several recipes to help get the brain moving and the hands cooking! Enjoy!

FOOD FASHIONISTA ORIGINAL RECIPE

FABULISH!

A drizzly day in the organic garden at San Domenico School didn't keep the 9th grade girls out of the kitchen!

The girls spent a wet day gleaning the gardens of Star Route Farms in Bolinas, then returning with gorgeous cases of red & yellow chard and baby kale. They continued to forage the school garden, with their trusty PreK assistant, Milan. They all returned bearing gifts of leeks and assorted herbs. Along with a few simple ingredients that I brought along, we were looking at the makings of a fine soup! Those who didn't forage, washed their ingredients meticulously, then all went to a post of either julienning the greens, slicing the leeks, de-stemming the herbs, or grating the Parmigiano-Reggiano. When all jobs were completed, we all gathered around Chez San Domenico (just a really cool island in the middle of the garden with a propane stove and electricity!) We made a simple pesto out of gathered Italian parsley, Curly parsley, Sage & Savory, Extra Virgin Olive Oil , the grated parmesan, garlic confit & black pepper. Sorry, no nuts-SD is a nut-free zone. We wizzed it up in the RoboCoupe and set that aside. On our stove we did 2 large pans, since we were making soup for 25 people and fast, normally it would be done in one big pot! Mr. Mello, a Sophmore teacher, was along for the class and he was in awe of all the goings on in the kitchen! The girls set upon melting butter and sauteed the leeks in one pan and then some olive oil in the other to saute the chard/kale combo. We deglazed both pots with water (a few Veggies were among us-but no matter!) and brought them to a slow boil. The leek broth simmered first and to that we added a package of potato gnocchi and brought that back up for a few minutes. We then added the 2 pots together, stirred in our wonderful pesto, adjusted for salt & pepper and soup was served! Literally from start to finish, this soup took 30 minutes and the gals were ready for something to warm them up-even Milan was in line for her soup! I will post the recipe next, since you got the prepartion above, but there are a few additions that I made when I made the soup for my family just hours later. My husband is NOT a vegetarian, so we added Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, red chile flakes and store bought pesto (15 minutes it took me!). This was Slow Food that is FAST! Enjoy with some hot crusty bread. Thanks to Shelley Flint, the campus Sustainability Director, for arranging a wonderful day together! Ciao Bella!

Chard Soup

1 head of Chard, julienne

2 leeks, finely sliced

2 T butter (or olive oil)

1/2 pound Italian sausage (optional)

(saute everything together)

4 c. Chicken stock or water

4 Roma tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes) (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

(deglaze)

1 package of potato gnocchi

(bring to boil)

1/2 c prepared pesto or see recipe below

1 T red chile flakes (optional)

(stir into soup, maybe use more or less to taste)

Serve and Enjoy!

Pesto

2 cups assorted herbs (basil, parsley, sage, savory or any combo)

2 cups grated Parmesan

1/2 cup garlic confit ( garlic and olive oil that have been simmered together for 5 minutes) or 1/4 c raw garlic

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

1/2 cup water to thin, if necessary (more or less)

1 cup nuts (optional) (pinenuts, almonds, pistachios, anything!)

2 T black pepper.

Put into a Cuisinart or blender and blend until smooth

Happy Green Day!

You don't have to be a wee bit Irish to have fun today! Look at what the City of Chicago does-so fun!

My little Leprechauns had fun yesterday choosing their outfits for today!

We're Back!

After taking a blogging breather, we are back and ready to cook! February was a slow month in the catering world, but I got to slow down and enjoy my family and friends, reconnect with old collegues and just plain relax. Since we are deep in the middle of this recession, we have all had to make some choices. Gucci or groceries, Manolos for Mommy or Stride Rite for the kiddies? Well the choices are obvious, but not always the most fun to make. My kids have learned that they don't get to buy every toy or book they see, unless it comes from their piggy bank. Gardening is also a great way to teach the kids about where food comes from. On Monday, I will be with the ninth grade girls at San Domenico School cooking out in their organic garden and every Wednesday, thereafter with the Primary School Garden Club. Get cooking!

Hot Cakes!

Aren't these individual cakes fabulous? My friend Christian ( the West Coast Ace of Cakes!) is at it again! His Valentine's Cakes are divine and just in time to order for your sweetie-order by Thursday! They arrive in a heart shaped box for on $25! The View from the Bay was at Bella Luxe yesterday filming Christian assembling these goodies with students from San Domenico. Look for the show TODAY at 3 p.m. Simply sweet sexy!

SUPER SWEET

VS.

EQUALS

A Fabulish Dessert AKA centerpiece for your Super Bowl Party!

Order by today to ensure your cake by Sunday. My friend, Christian is the Pastry Chef De-Luxe in the Bay Area with specialty cakes for every WHIM!