"Could You Please Pass the Jelly?"

Do you remember the Polaner All Fruit commercial? I'm dating myself here, as the YouTube video clip of this is from 1989...and yep, that still counts as the '80s.

In it, a sophisticated dinner party politely asks for and passes around the "all fruit" (referred to by name) until one seemingly Southern (read: redneck) gentleman exclaims "Would you please pass the jelly?" while the other guests bemoan his uncouthness.

Oh, here - just watch it.



Yep...he called it jelly.


In the words of our goofy commercial guest, "What in tarnation does this have to do with entertainin'?" Lots, if you're ready to see how jellies and preserves can step up your appetizer platters.

My favorite pairing for preserves is brie cheese. If you haven't yet experimented with brie, don't be afraid, and do it now. Brie is a soft cow's cheese named after the French region it is thought to be originated from. Because it's mild, it pairs exceptionally well with a sweet accompaniment like preserves.

Here, brie is paired with fig preserves. Cured meats, grilled pita bread,
grapes and fresh dates add to this perfect pre-brunch platter.

If you're in a hurry, the preserves can stand alone when paired with assorted cheeses, crackers and nibbles. But, if you have a little more time - say, 15 minutes - you can make a fabulous appetizer that comes off high-end without the fuss.

I made this baked brie app for an early Easter dinner and it quickly became the favorite. The recipe is so easy I can't even pretend to put it into recipe format, so here it goes.

Baked brie, pre-bake...

1. Take one roll of refrigerated crescent roll dough (I use Pilsbury).
2. Unroll half of the dough onto a baking sheet.
3. Place a small wheel of brie in the middle (Look for a small wheel of Brie President cheese in the specialty cheese section of your grocer).
4. Top with 1/4 - 1/3 cup of preserves (I like Smucker's Three Berry preserves from their Orchard's Finest line).
5. Lift the dough up and wrap it around the cheese, securing at the top with the extra remaining dough as needed.
6. Bake the crescent dough as directed (usually at 350 for 12 minutes).

...and out of the oven.

The dough browns, the cheese melts and the preserves go gooey to give this a sweet touch. Be sure to serve with crackers.

Now, who says jelly ain't sophisticated?

An Easter in Napa Valley

After yesterday's entry on spring-themed table settings, I kept having thoughts of spring...which led to thoughts of Easter...which then led me to fondly remember a past Easter weekend trip to Napa Valley. (I'm pretty sure thoughts of Reese's peanut butter eggs snuck in there somewhere, too, but let's stick to the Napa trip.)

Ah, Napa Valley. Amazing wines, beautiful landscapes and good company. With all this and more awaiting us, our group arrived at our rental house in downtown Napa and settled in.

Todd, Shelley and I sitting amongst the vines in Napa.

My favorite part about being in a rental house is that setting up for meals is like your own scavenger hunt...where are the plates? How about serving bowls? What can I use for a vase? It's these scenarios that bring out the creative gene in all of us.

We stopped at the local drugstore for some cheap Easter flair - candy, colored grass and the like - and the table started coming to life. I rolled a small clump of plastic Easter grass between my palms until it maintained a somewhat circular shape then placed it in the middle of the plate. On top I placed a few small green leaves brought in from outside and finished with a malted candy egg on top. Instant spring placesetting.

Leaves, flowers, petals, sticks, pebbles...never underestimate
what you can find outdoors to create placesettings indoors.

After adding more vines & flowers from outside, brightly colored plastic Easter eggs and white votive candles in drinking glasses, the table was set & ready for an Easter feast. And what followed was a very memorable Easter brunch and a weekend full of stories and laughter - but mostly laughter. (For an example of this laughter, see photo below.)

Our best "Food & Wine" photo shoot impression.

Celebrating the holidays with friends is something very special because friends are indeed the family we choose for ourselves. Yes, the food, drinks, placesettings and decor add great ambiance, but it's important to remember the most important part: the people that add a spark and bring it all to life.

Spring Table Settings

As I embark on Fellow Does Fab's blog adventures, my friends are kind enough to appease me. More than once they've been told "Wait! Don't sit down yet. Let me get a shot of that placesetting..." or "Put down the bacon-wrapped date - I need a picture!"

My dear friend Shelley is no exception when it comes to snagging items for the Fellow, as many times her meals are the inspiration. I'm always in for a treat when Shelley hosts because she has amazing culinary skills (it's what she does for a living) and a very fresh, simple style. I thought I'd pay a little homage to her, and thank her for all of the meals she cooks for me, by highlighting 2 of her tables.


A great use of simple materials that creates
a memorable, rustic centerpiece.

The first centerpiece uses one two of my favorite decor items: fresh fruit and candles. When I saw this on Shelley's table, I was struck by the beauty of it's simplicity. You can also substitute many fruits in this arrangement: lemons, limes, clementine oranges or another fruit that complements the season or the meal you're serving.

I promise - it's that easy. Fruit. White votive candles. Done.

Sam's Spring Ale on a spring day.

Shelley had me over for a little al fresco dining on a beautiful spring evening. Her stand-out side (pictured here) was roasted broccoli, tossed with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, then spritzed with fresh lemon juice. We took the leftover lemon wedges as garnish for our glasses and found it to be the perfect pairing for the Sam Adams Spring Ale I brought, which also has a citrus note.

Because the table arrangment is clean and crisp, the beverage bottles take an active role in the scene. Whenever you're setting a table, remember that everything you place...well, has a place. Every day items - here, a Pellegrino bottle, beer bottles and lemon wedges- can add a simple style that looks (and truly is) effortless.

No matter what's on your table this spring, here's hoping you ALL have a Shelley in your life to share it with!

Style to the Maxx, Right on Target

If you're not familiar with the term "occasional chair," it's basically what it sounds like: a chair you sit in it occasionally. Sound like a waste? Never! Because a true occasional chair is great at holding coats, clothing, handbags...moreso than holding up your butt.

I've been on the hunt for an occasional chair for my guest room for some time now and today, I scored big.

Albeit hit-or-miss, the T.J. Maxx near you has some fantastic finds. Earlier this week I saw a chair there that caught my eye, and I gave it the true style test: check it over carefully...then walk away. If you're still thinking about it 2 days later, then it's for real, and you should go back and buy it. This simple little practice has saved me many a hideous impulse buy. In a moment of weakness (or insanity), a ceramic peacock may sound like a great idea ("Birds are really hot right now!") but trust me - everything can benefit from the Two-Day Test.

The sharp lines of this pillow complement the geometric
pattern of this occasional chair's upohlstery.
That's a fancy way of saying "It looks nice."


After picking up the chair, I needed to find a suitable throw pillow to complement the pattern. The pattern is bold, which means a solid color pillow would be too muted. At the same time, because the pattern IS so bold, a conflicting bold pattern wouldn't work. Enter my favorite store and yours: Target (pronounced "Tar-jay" in many style circles). 

I happened upon this felt pillow with soft-to-the-touch yet sharply-defined edges. I knew the textured fabric here would stand out more than a standard pillow. I took it home immediately and, as pictured above, I found a great combo. Look for it in store, or check it out at Target's website.

This textured pillow is felt - because I touched it. Get it?

An occasional chair is a stylish and affordable way to fill space, especially a corner. As with any piece of furniture, you can certainly splurge here, but there's no need to when you can peruse brick-and-mortar stores like T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshall's.

I also found an interesting array of affordable chairs on one of my favorite websites, http://www.overstock.com/. Check out this black & ivory Chippendale-style occasional chair.

Chippendale Occasional Ivory & Black Chair.
(And no, it does NOT dance.)

So what if you only sit on it occasionally? Sometimes fashion supercedes function. And in moderation, I'm okay with that.

Bringing Bollywood Home

Going out for Indian food is a big treat for me. Not because it's inaccessible (I can virtually see my favorite Indian restaurant from my doorstep) or expensive. No, Indian food is just a treat because I really like it.

You name it, I crave it: chicken jalfrezi, vegetable biryani, saag paneer and stacks of garlic naan. But, my favorite is chicken tikka masala. I pick around the chicken just to spoon the thick, tangy tomato-and-yogurt sauce onto my plate. Mix in some pea-studded jasmine rice? Bam. I'm set for the night.

During our last trip to Crate & Barrel, Chuck brought me a jar: Tikka Masala Sauce. Usually I don't want to mess up a good thing (Why would I make Indian at home when the place down the street does it so well?) but one of the reasons I love Chuck is he's always pushing me to try new things. I like finding what I like and continuing to like it that way. Chuck, on the other hand, is always on the hunt for something new and exciting. (Remind me to tell you about the times - yes, TIMES, as in more than once - he made me swim with sharks. That's not the kind of "new & exciting" thing I like to do, but I haven't died yet...so I'll keep trying new things with him until I do.)



Indian sauce from a home store? Indeed.
One bite and you'll be the star in your own Bollywood feature.


We took the Maya Kaimal Tikka Masala sauce home for a mere $5.95 and, in order to honor it, built an Indian-themed meal to come out of my kitchen instead of a carry out bag from Baba India. What happened next was pretty great.

First, the jarred sauce. VERY tasty. Since making it - and by making it, I mean dumping in the skillet with your choice of meat - I've found the sauce tastes better the longer you simmer it. Let that stuff sit on the stove on medium low heat for an hour and it truly brings out the flavor. We opted for shrimp, although boneless, skinless chicken thighs poached (read: boiled) and then shredded would have done nicely in the sauce.

Next, I found a tasty jasmine rice recipe. I opted for more frozen peas (1/2 cup instead of the directed 1/4 cup). A teaspoon or so of turmeric, an affordable saffron substitute available in the spice aisle at your local grocer, will also kick this up.

JASMINE RICE RECIPE

Besides the sauce, another surprise stand-out was a quick and easy tomato salad. It's cool texture is the perfect complement to a spicy sauce.

Shrimp Tikka Masala over jasmine rice,
Indian tomato salad and one cheat:
store bought naan.

 INDIAN TOMATO SALAD

 2 medium red tomatoes, chopped
 2 medium yellow or orange tomatoes, chopped
 (4 red tomatoes can be subbed)
 1/4 cup of unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
 1 tablespoon sugar
 2 serrano chili peppers, finely diced
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 tablespoon of olive oil
 1 teaspoon of whole yellow mustard seeds

1. Put the peanuts in a plastic baggie and lightly crush with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy drinking glass.

2. Add all ingredients in a bowl except the oil and mustard.

3. Over medium-high heat, heat the oil and mustard seeds in a small saucepan with the lid on for approximately 1 - 2 minutes. Some of the seeds will pop and burst. When the popping stops, immediately pull the saucepan off the burner.

4. Pour the hot oil over the other ingredients. Stir and serve.

Would I serve this to guests? Absolutely. Throw in some store-bought naan and you've got a meal fit for a padishah.

What Indian food do you crave? Leave your comments here and let's see if I can find a suitable at-home substitute!

Pucker Up For Our Friend the Lemon

A tall glass of cool, sunny lemonade brings with it a longing for summer. But in reality, the peak season for this tart fruit is the winter months. So, before spring is sprung on us, I wanted to sharing a recipe and some everyday uses for our fruity friend.

"Don't be such a tart."

I love this simple lemon vinaigrette recipe, the perfect dressing for a spring mix salad.

SPRING SALAD with LEMON VINAIGRETTE

• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Roll the lemon on a hard surface to soften it, cut it in half and use a citrus reamer or other tool to extract the juice. Stir together the lemon juice, vinegar and mustard in a bowl. Using a whisk, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mix until completely dissolved. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This makes approximately 3/4 cup of dressing.

To complete the salad, toss the dressing with 3 - 4 cups of mixed greens, bagged or fresh. For bagged salads, I like Spring Mixes or Baby Spinach. For fresh greens, I enjoy spinach, arugula and then something with a little color like red leaf lettuce or radicchio.

You can also top the salad with goat cheese, feta cheese or a few shavings of fresh parmesan. It's a very light, tasty starter for your meal just as outlined here.

OTHER LEMON USES
Outside of being a tasty addition to cocktails, desserts and dressings, lemons and their freshly-squeezed juice have multiple uses in the kitchen.

Clean your wooden cutting board. Because wooden cutting boards shouldn't be put in the dishwasher, here's a natural way to clean them: cut a lemon in half, sprinkle some coarse sea salt on your wooden cutting board and give it a scrub. Lemon juice is a strong acid that can eliminate most bacteria.

Keep your foods fresh. Fruits like apples and pears brown quickly after being cut because of oxidation (a big word for "what air does"). Keep them looking fresh by dipping them in fresh lemon juice. It also has the same saving affect on guacamole if you stir in some lemon juice (or the juice from its cousin, lime).

Decorate! Lemons are an affordable, simple way to brighten up any space. Place them in a bowl or vase for an easy centerpiece. Plus, after enjoying them "aesthetically" for a few days, you can then put them to use with the tips mentioned above. 

A simple bowl of lemons brigthens
up my own dining room table.

Need something to brighten up the house or your plate? Before the winter months come to a close, bring yourself closer to the sunshine of spring and summer by picking up a bag of lemons.

Rachael Ray Turns 1,000

Rachael Ray looks great - I mean, really great - for 1,000, doesn't she?

Not years, friends - episodes, as in episodes of her television show The Rachael Ray Show. I'm a fan of Rachael's for many reasons, but most of all because I find her cooking segments really approachable. She clearly walks through the ingredients, what they are if they're a little uncommon, where you can find them and exactly what she's doing. I like that.

Here's the most popular Rachael Ray recipe, according
to fans, from her first 1,000 episodes.

On today's Good Morning America, Rachael shared the most popular recipes from her past television shows. The top of the list, according to fans? Buffalo Chicken Chili, a chili that tastes like buffalo chicken wings. I can see this being a big hit for any sports-viewing party. You can play up this buffalo-style chili - and play down its heat - with some nice, cool and crisp celery stalks.

To see the recipe posted on her website, click here.

In the words of Rachael herself, "Yummo and delish!"

Congratulations on hitting 1,000, Rachael - I'm waiting for the next 1,000 episodes.