Category Entertaining

Parties That Cook’s Summer Team Building Recap and Tailgate Recipe Ideas

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , June 5th, 2012 @ 1:58 pm

One fine Tuesday in May, Parties That Cook hosted its 2nd Annual Giants Game and Tailgate Party – the San Francisco office’s version of a team building event. At just before 4pm, Rosie and Rebecca headed downstairs to the shed to get the buffet set up. Before long, stomachs were growling, and it was clear we were ready to EAT.

We thought we’d share with you some of the mouthwatering dishes brought by our amazing team! Get ready for some serious hunger pangs…

Chef Anne started us off with a delicious (and familiar-looking) Crostini of Kalamata Olives, Figs, and Blue Cheese. YUM.

Chef Jen brought over some beautiful Spring Rolls that packed some heat!

Kelle made a cool Bean Salad – usually Three Bean Salad in Arizona. Kelle nixed bean three, and felt “Two Bean Salad” didn’t quite have the same ring to it.

John bought tasty pupusas as a backup dish for his daughters, along with a fresh Shrimp Salad and a couple types of mignonettes for the Oysters!

Laura spent the day at Bodega Bay, and couldn’t leave without buying as many unbelievably FRESH Oysters as she could. When it came time to walk over to the ballpark, folks were in a frenzy slurping down oysters!

Chef Heather whipped up a fabulously healthy Pesto Dip, accompanied by Red Bell Pepper dippers and rustic sliced bread. **No need to be alarmed by this display of pure health. We later saw Heather pull a full chocolate cake (flourless) out of her purse at the game.

Erica arrived in true tailgate fashion, which a cheesy, gooey, piping hot Buffalo Chicken Dip (recipe coming soon). A favorite in her sister’s East Coast house is now a PTC legend. What little was left is now being hoarded in our fridge and rationed out to make it last.

Chef Tanya did us all a favor and recreated one of her favorite Indian Chaat dishes: Bhel Puri. This flurry of potato, tomato, mango, onion, green chutney, tamarind, and puffed rice was SO good! Even Rebecca, the resident spicy foods refuser couldn’t help herself. Her warning: the heat is definitely noticeable, but the flavors are worth it!

Crissy decided to make a beast of a Tuna Casserole. Someone was eager to dig in before I could get a shot of the perfectly-topped and undisturbed casserole. Even with the office attacking appetizing leftovers for days, the dish stood strong. Well played, casserole.

Chef David was on site making the best Carnitas I’ve had in a long time. Tacos for everyone!

Bibby was so excited to share her Mom’s famous recipe for “Oven Sandwiches”. (Recipe coming soon!) Bibby opted for Brioche Buns instead of hot dog buns, and I’d venture to say the easy switch made a world of difference. Simple ingredients. Simple steps. Simply delicious. What more is there to say?

Rosie spent the day slaving away at her… desk. She cleverly set up a slow-cooker in the office so she could keep her work day productive. The results: amazingly delicious, tender, and saucy Pulled Pork Sliders. Oh man, my mouth is watering just at the thought!

Chef Mick outdid himself this year, and not only cooked up another gorgeous Bacon Explosion, but also used the remaining meat to make his own sausages! We didn’t stand a chance…

Michelene mixed together adorable Chocolate Milkshake Shooters. Unfortunately, their convenient size allowed folks to easily take multiple shots. Even without any alcohol involved, I had a tough time cutting myself off!

And last, but certainly not least: Beth brought in homemade, stick-to-your-teeth-but-you-don’t-even-care, dentist’s worst nightmare Caramel Corn! She even added her own personal touch – Cayenne. You better  believe this popcorn with a kick was smuggled into the Giant’s game. It’s the quintessential ballpark snack!

Ah, sweet satisfaction. Don’t you just love eating way too much good food? At least we had the opportunity to walk some of this smorgasbord off on the way to AT&T park! Check back for Bibby’s Oven Sandwich recipe, the Buffalo Chicken Dip, and more inside scoops on life working at Parties That Cook!

Parties That Cook Chefs Explore Seattle Foodie Events

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , May 8th, 2012 @ 6:22 pm

Helping us feel like she hasn’t even left, Carolyn is back with another guest blog! This time, she’s here to recount two deliciously fun Seattle adventures with our very own Erin Coopey, a Parties That Cook Lead Chef in Seattle. Let the cravings begin.

One of my favorite things about being the Portland AND Seattle Manager for Parties That Cook is the opportunity to meet great chefs and winemakers and taste their delicious creations in both cities! On a recent trip to Seattle, I was lucky enough to join one of our Lead Chefs, Erin, at two great culinary events.

First, was the annual Passport to Woodinville, which we discovered when we saw we weren’t the only ones heading into Woodinville that Saturday. Erin and I happened to be teaching one of our popular Date Night couples cooking classes at Efeste Winery that very weekend. Wow, were we excited.

There were over 90 wineries open for tasting, along with food, music, and beautiful sunny weather (what a tease)! Since we were teaching our class, we decided to return the next day. I was in good hands with Erin as my guide, educator, chauffeur and all-around fun wine tasting partner – she knew exactly where to go. We had a blast!

Our approach was quality over quantity as we focused on known wineries, except for one accidental off-the-beaten-path winery, Hollywood Hill Vineyards. Their Syrah was one of the best! Erin’s membership at several winery clubs allowed us to enjoy additional tastings. In return, we indulged, and bought our share of wine (and a Dusted Valley hoodie for myself). Other highlights included Airfield’s Lightning (a Rhone-style blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne), Gewurztraminer, Mouvedre (I love discovering new varietals!), and Dusted Valley’s Petit Syrah – so proud of their reds that their wine club is called Stained Teeth Society.

Another stop Erin knew about, tucked among the wineries, was not actually winery, but a distillery. A distillery in the wine country? You got it. Within their alluring, funky walls, Project V Distillery proudly distills Washington winter wheat into vodka. “Damn fine booze,” as they like to say (and I would have to agree). I was a bit skeptical when the distiller asked if I wanted to taste their chai-infused vodka, but boy, it didn’t take long after that first sip to imagine it mixed with citrus flavors, or in a White Russian. Mmmm…. We thought it best to get some food in our bellies, so we finished off our day at The Purple Café. Of course, our wine country lunch included a flight of cheeses and glass of wine. While enjoying our meal, we recalled our day’s tastings and felt very satisfied with our choices. Already thinking about next year’s Passport!

Photo by Gregory Heller

The second food event was the Seattle Chefs Collaborative monthly event, which featured Mushrooms & Oysters of the Northwest – what fun! My gracious guide, Erin, and I met at Melrose Market Studios and were greeted with a glass of locally-made Communi-Tea Kombucha (bubbly is always a good start to an evening).

Soon enough, we found ourselves tasting and discussing the finer ingredients of Xinh’s original Mushroom and Oyster Stew among a lively group of chefs. The mouthwatering aroma wafting from Art of The Table’s homemade dashi broth drew us further down the buffet. There, we discovered a light, subtle broth filled with shiitake mushrooms and udon noodles, and topped with crispy fried shiitakes – heavenly!

Next up was a taste from the ocean – freshly shucked oysters! We first tried Hama Hama’s baby hama hamas (turned out to be our favorites!), followed by Taylor Shellfish’s oysters, featuring 3 unique varieties from the Olympia area. The Kumamoto’s were getting a lot of thumbs ups. A fresh squeeze of lemon juice and a couple dashes of Tabasco and down the hatch – Yum!

Thank you, Erin, for showing me around two great foodie events in Seattle! I look forward to returning for more!

And thank you, Carolyn, for writing up this great recap! I’m sure those of us in PTC’s San Francisco office are thoroughly hungry… and jealous!

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