My First Catered Party and A Spooktacular Halloween Cake

Last week I catered my first party for 40 people. My friend Holly asked if I would make a cake and heavy hors d'oeuvres for her 40th birthday extravaganza. I immediately said "yes!" then began brainstorming recipes and  ideas. Holly said she wanted a Halloween themed chocolate cake and sliders. I pretty much had carte blanche with the menu and decorating and I had so much fun. Here's what I made. 

I made 1). Ham wrapped Asparagus Spears with Boursin Cheese 2). Cream Cheese with Red Pepper Jelly and Spicy Saltine Crackers 3). Sausage, Garlic and Mushroom Pizza Puffs with Herb Red Sauce 4). Pork Tenderloin Medallions on Hawaiian Rolls served with Pesto Mayo.

I also made 7 Layer Dip with a Sour Cream Spiderweb served with corn chips and Sweet and Spicy Smoky Meatballs (that I forgot to take a picture of). And birthday cake!

My friend Holly doesn't actually turn 40 until December but she wanted to celebrate early with a "Happy Hollyween" party. I wanted to play up the "over the hill" theme so I did a graveyard scene and dug an early grave for her. I used Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies and a black edible marker for the tombstones. I used Peeps Marshmallow ghosts, Brach's pumpkins and edible chocolate rocks for decorating. I used melted dark chocolate and Wilton leaf sprinkles to make the tree. I used this Chocolate Cake Recipe, this Vanilla Buttercream Recipe and Chocolate Ganache to make the 2 layer 12-inch cake. It was a success! 

Spicy Saltine Crackers
(recipe given to me by my aunt Melinda)

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• 1 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon dill weed
• 3 Tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 box (4 sleeves) Unsalted tops Saltine crackers

In a measuring cup, combine the oil and seasonings. Mix well.

Place the crackers into a 2 gallon Ziploc bag. Pour the seasoned oil over the crackers and shake vigorously until well coated. Let crackers soak up the seasonings for at least one hour or overnight. Leave them in the sealed bag until ready to serve.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

Hayden's 1st Birthday Party!

As I mentioned in the last post, we celebrated Hayden's birthday last Saturday with a party at our home. We had friends and family over for food, cake and fun. I'm not big into character themed birthday parties and cakes and since Hayden doesn't have much of an opinion yet regarding these kinds of things, I did what I wanted- and that was simple and classic party food, made pretty. 

As part of the decoration, Mr. H and I made a photo banner of Hayden, starting with a photo from when he was just hours old all the way up until 12 months. I love it!

I went for a buffet style setup so everyone could take and eat what they wanted, and used the cake as the centerpiece of the table. Here's what I made: 

• Brown Sugar Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
• Browned Butter and Cinnamon Spice Rice Krispie Treats
• Veggie Tray with Ranch Dressing
• Deviled Eggs
• Pork Tenderloin Mini Sandwiches
• Cheese Tray
• White Cheddar Cheese Puffs (Hayden's favorite snack!)
• Slow Cooker Lil Smokies

Last November I made a chocolate layer cake for a family friend (Hi Marnie!) and loved that cake so much. It really was one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had and what sets it apart from others is that it's made with copious amounts of brown sugar. I knew I wanted that cake for Hayden's birthday so, I increased the recipe 1.5x and baked it in two 12-inch pans. I used a double recipe of my favorite cream cheese buttercream for the frosting because I wanted to be able to tint it a soft robin's egg blue. 

One of my favorite photos from Hayden's party- I love the grin on his face as he feeds Autumn a rice krispie treat!

I fell in love with the Bunting Banner that Christa from Mini Baker made for a wedding shower cake a few weeks ago. I contacted her and we emailed back and forth and she made a custom birthday banner that read "Happy 1st Hayden" complete with hand painted blue stars. It turned out better than I expected and complimented the cake and decor. If you want one of your own, head on over to Mini Baker's Etsy Shop, browse around at her handmade items and place your order! She's got some cute stuff over there. Thanks Christa for working with me on such short notice- it turned out perfectly!

Hayden dug into his cake like a pro. At first it was just fingers in the frosting, then before you knew it he was shoving handfuls of the stuff into his mouth. Then he got to the cake part and started sharing with his Daddy and Autumn and was starting to make a mess on the floor. I don't really know why he started crying, but it was funny. A naked baby covered in cake with teary eyes is enough to make a sucker out of anyone. Silly boy. 

And lastly here's a picture of the three of us, just after singing Happy Birthday. It was a great day and we're so blessed that we made it through Hayden's first year in tact and without any major injuries, growing better with each passing day. Happy Birthday Hayden, We love you!

And thank you to all of you who supported us, cheered  us on and offered words of encouragement  throughout the past year. We appreciate each and every one of you!

Jumping On The Pulled Pork Bandwagon

Hello all! It's August already so I thought it was 'bout time to share the last recipe I made for the 4th of July. It seems everywhere I go someone is posting a recipe for BBQ pulled pork or chicken. Is it just me or are they everywhere?! Normally, I'd hold off and post it at a later date but I'm jumping on the bandwagon and sharing this delicious recipe with you. Why? Why not? Everyone else is doing it!

This really was a good pulled pork recipe. I've tried a couple different versions before- one using a spice packet that turned out too salty, another time using rootbeer and brown sugar which was too sweet for my taste and I've tried pulled chicken which was simple and good albeit a little dry. This time I wanted to use a pork tenderloin because it's what I had in the freezer so I searched around and found one that got great reviews and was cooked in a crock pot. Making it in the crock pot was essential because I also had brownies, a birthday cake and a cheesecake to make all on the same day.

There are a lot of ingredients in this but most of them are spices. You can make the spice blend ahead of time and have it ready for whenever you are. Rub it and let it sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. The longer it sits the stronger the flavors will be. Really it all depends on how much time you have to spend on this. It was slightly spicy, a little salty, and barely sweet. Mixed with your favorite BBQ sauce it's the perfect combination of flavors. I used a 2 1/2 lb. pack of tenderloins and was able to get 8 pulled pork sandwiches from it. It reheated nicely the next day too.

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
adapted from Cooks Illustrated

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Spice Rub:

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 (2-3) pork tenderloin
• 1-2 cups barbecue sauce (use as much as you like)

Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Cut each tenderloin (2) into three pieces so it fits easily into your crock pot. Place tenderloins in a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Massage spice rub into meat. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the pork can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Unwrap and place pork in slow cooker liner. Add ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is fork-tender.

Transfer meat to cutting board. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers (be careful it's HOT).

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner. Stir in 1 cup barbecue sauce. Add more if desired. Heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot.

Makes about 8 pulled pork sandwiches.

NOTE: Original recipe calls for triple the amounts of spice and a bone-in pork roast. I also added a couple spices and omitted the liquid smoke. The unadapted recipe from Cook's Illustrated can be found HERE or HERE.

Because the world needs one more pulled pork recipe.

Blue Ribbon Award Winner

I got an email yesterday from a reader from Ohio (hi Nina!) who entered My Favorite Pork Tenderloin into her county cooking competition.

She placed 1st place and received a blue ribbon--for my recipe! How awesome is that?

You can read about it HERE in the Springfield News-Sun.

Thanks Nina and congratulations on your win!

Take 2!

Last week I said I'd share with you a recipe using some of my favorite pork tenderloin. Well here it is: Cuban Sandwiches!

Have you ever had a Cuban sandwich? It's basically pressed/grilled white bread sandwich filled with pork, ham, white cheese, pickles and mustard. It's delicious! I had my first Cuban sandwich on our honeymoon. No, we didn't go to Cuba, we went to Lake Austin Spa & Resort. Oh, it was so peaceful and quiet and romantic. And we ate healthily and very well. Granted it cost a pretty shiny penny, but it was so worth it to lay in hammocks overlooking the lake and hanging out with ducks. We didn't have a care in the world. We went to the spa for a couples massage, took a cooking class and did arts and crafts. Oh, good times...(sigh).

Okay, where was I? YES! Cuban Sandwiches. At the spa we could go into the dining room anytime we wanted or order room service. We chose to eat in the dining room most of the time. Some people even showed up wearing their bath robes and slippers, that's how laid back this place was. One day for lunch we ordered the Cuban and we fell in love. Our lives were forever changed after eating this sandwich. You don't have to go to the spa or even to Cuba, you can make your own at home. And I urge you to make the pork tenderloin I posted last week just so you can make this. I hope you enjoy!

Cuban Sandwiches from Monica H

• Baguettes or 6" Sub rolls
• Pork Tenderloin
• Sliced Deli Ham
• Swiss or Provolone Cheese
• Yellow Mustard
• Dill Pickle Slices
• Butter for pan

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat.

Slice the bread lengthwise and spread the interior with yellow mustard. Top each side of the bread with a slice of cheese.

Top the bottom piece of bread with a slice or two of deli ham, pork tenderloin slices and dill pickles. Sandwich the two pieces of bread together.

Place a tablespoon of butter in pan and spread around pan. Place the sandwich in buttered hot skillet and weigh it down with another skillet. You want to press the sandwich till filling is warmed, cheese is melted and bread is golden. Flip the sandwich over and toast the other side.

Once the bread is your desired shade of golden brown and cheese is melted, place on a cutting board and allow to rest for a couple minutes before cutting in half with a serrated knife.

NOTE: This can also be made in a panini press if you have one.

Oink! Oink!

This recipe for pork tenderloin should definitely be on my favorite's list. The only reason it's not is because I hadn't blogged about it yet. I would make it #31, but it really deserves a spot in the top 10. It really is that good, granted you don't over cook it.

I used to think that I didn't like pork tenderloin because the only kind I ever had was the pre-marinated, overly salty stuff from the supermarket. And even then, the only time I had it it was dry and tough. My mother in law (bless her heart!) made it this way. Rather than putting the whole loin in the oven or searing it, then roasting it, she'd cut it into medallions and pan saute it with onions and apples. I think her thought was good, but the execution was not. She ruined pork tenderloin for me.

Then one day while strolling through Costco (I love Costco!) I spotted pork tenderloin. There were 2 loins in a pack and they came bundled in 2 packs, so there were a total of 4 loins for around $12-$14. Not a bad price if you ask me. I wasn't sure how I wanted to flavor it, but I read the cooking directions on the package and planned to follow them. I looked in my pantry and in the refrigerator for ideas, I whisked a bunch of stuff in a bowl, poured it over the tenderloins and 45 minutes later, I swooned.

I wrote down the "recipe" from memory and have been making it this way ever since. Make it, you won't be disappointed. And the best part is, you don't have to marinate it, so you can make this when you get home from work or marinate it over night if you wish and pop it in the oven when you get home. Just don't forget to invite me over because I never get tired of this!

My Favorite Pork Tenderloin from Monica H

• 1 pkg. pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins, about 2-2.5 lbs.)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 T. country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
• 4 T. honey
• 2 T. fresh orange juice
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary OR herbs de provence
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 T. olive oil

Yield: 1 cup of marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry. Place in a 9x13-inch Pyrex sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Take a paring knife and poke holes in the tenderloins (on the top side only) about an inch deep. Peel garlic cloves and quarter each clove of garlic-lengthwise. If they're really big, cut them a bit smaller- about the size of slivered almonds. Place the garlic slivers in each pocket. Set aside while making marinade.

In a measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while still whisking.

Pour the mixture over the tenderloins and put into preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting once halfway through the baking process.

Once removed from the oven, allow the tenderloins to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon the pan sauce over the tenderloin medallions and enjoy!

Stay tuned for a recipe using the pork tenderloin leftovers!