Tag holiday recipes

Parties That Cook’s 2011 Corporate Holiday Events Wrap-Up: Part II

We’ve finally reached the home stretch. This blog features some of the final corporate team building events and private cooking parties of 2011! There’s still a bit to cover, so hold tight and power through these fun event recaps with us. Oh, the memories…

Kicking off this corporate event recap is a Chicago event for Sedona. We know it’s going to be a fun group when employees are willing to come cook with us on a Saturday! They even used our favorite Chicago venue for public cooking classes: Charlie Baggs. Sedona host, Guy N., selected the perfect type of event for his group that “loves to compete in unique areas.” After this Kitchen Challenge, Guy raved, “The chef’s were terrific – they were the highlight of the event. Even with this lively of a group, they handled things warmly and encouraged trying new things. They were fun, helpful and kept things on track while teaching and encouraging the interaction. The event offered a wonderful interaction and experience, and the knowledge gains were terrific.” Nicely done, Chicago team!

Skip forward about a week, and we’ll hit Encore Consumer Capital‘s Chef’s Table with a competitive twist. Host Shanna B. is no stranger to Parties That Cook, having used us twice before. “The customer service was amazing! A hands-on cooking party is a really great idea for team bonding and bringing everyone together. We are all very competitive people and the competition factor helped make it a memorable and successful night for everyone.”

Menu items included Soft Pretzel Bites with Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce, Broccoli Chive Soup with Lemon Cream, and Carved New York Strip Steaks – YUM! Shanna added, “This event was also successful because we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal! The chefs were extremely helpful and were always there to lend a hand when needed. Everyone was able to join in and cook a little bit of each dish, and we were all able to sit together and enjoy dinner as a team.” Shanna mentioned that she thought an all appetizer or all dessert party would be fun to try. You’re in luck, Shanna! Check out our Sumptuous Small Plates event (available with a competitive add-on) and our newer event: Cupcake Wars!

That very same day, our crew brought the Parties That Cook mobile kitchen to a private home in Los Gatos, CA. XL Construction Group hosted a Chef’s Table event with a mouthwatering menu featuring Canapes of Camembert Olive Tapenade, Crab and Red Pepper Beignets, and Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Filet Mignon.

Repeat host, Kate P., came to us after having seen us in action with her previous company! About her experience this time around, she said, “As usual, the event was great! Everyone loved both the cooking experience and the eating. The staff was excellent. Our chefs – Heather and Amy – were terrific, as was our server Elizabeth and our dishwasher, Dana. It was a great menu — fun to cook but not too challenging (just right!) — and the food was delicious. Love you guys! Easy, good, entertaining! We’ll definitely do it again.” Wow. We just love when repeat clients…continue to repeat!

After a week of twenty events, the week of SDG‘s 55-person Chef’s Table was like a walk in the park (13 events). Still, we had to bring our A-game. It was great to hear that the SDG host, Sharon S., thought we hit it out of the park!

“Great event! We knew they did a great job at our partner event so no need to look for another company. Everyone had a good time and it was a wonderful way for people to mingle.” Their crave-inducing menu included Puree of Pear and Champagne Soup, Steamed Salmon Papillotes, and Warm Chocolate Soufflé Cake. I’m getting jealous just typing this! Sharon didn’t need to say anything other than, “We didn’t leave much on our plates…” Still she sums up her experience very nicely with, “Very organized, fun staff, and a good team building event.”

Big thanks to all our corporate event hosts who allowed us to use their comments and wanted to be featured in one of our blogs! We’ve received a lot of feedback over the years, including recipe notes, venue comments and ideas for new events (barbeque, sushi, and pasta from scratch, just to name a few)! You never know, your next suggestion could end up being our next hit event (Ahem, Cupcake Wars..), so keep ’em coming!

Next up: 2012 Corporate Team Building Events and Private Cooking Parties!

Parties That Cook Gives Santa Something New with Mexican Chocolate Chipotle Cookies

This week’s blog is dedicated to our favorite Gleekster, Brittany S. Pierce, who brings being blonde to a whole new (hilarious) level. Up until a couple of weeks ago, she still believed in Santa Claus! Now we can’t just let this holiday season slip by without giving you a new cookie to leave for the big guy. If you would rather not leave a plate out at night, feel free to give some of these scrumptious Mexican Chocolate Chipotle Cookies to your Secret Santa, that guy in the red suit at the mall, heck, even I WILL TAKE THEM! The spice in these cookies is not overwhelming –just enough of a kick to keep Santa on track for the rest of the night!

Mexican Chocolate Chipotle Cookies
This recipe can also be found in our Holiday Recipes Section!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper (can sub. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne or smoked paprika)
6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar crystals or can substitute granulated sugar
Parchment paper

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Prepare Baking Sheet: Cut out parchment sheet to exactly fit the baking sheet.

Sift dry ingredients: In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, black pepper and chipotle pepper.

Cream Butter:
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until incorporated (but don’t over mix).

Shape Dough: Shape the dough into a 12-inch log and wrap in parchment or plastic wrap. Put dough in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm the dough.
Put sugar crystals in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll the dough log in the sugar, pressing the sugar into the dough to coat the log evenly and thoroughly.

Make Cookies:
Cut the log into slices ½-inch thick and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets until the cookies are no longer soft to the touch, about 10 minutes. Let them rest on the baking sheet for about 1 minute to firm them, then transfer to a rack with a metal spatula.

Serve: Cool completely, and serve cookies on a platter.
Serves/Makes

Serves 24

Check out our Holiday Recipes Section for similar recipes!

I mentioned the Parties That Cook Cookie Exchange in Tuesday’s post as a teaser for today. This cookie exchange photo recap is for those of you out there who, like me, take the holidays as a pass to bake and eat whatever your heart desires (or doesn’t desire, actually).
The Feast.

Bibby’s buttery cookies

Erin’s chocolate dipped macaroons

Traci’s macadamia nut, butter and cranberry cookies

Susanne’s key lime cups

Rosie’s coconut macaroon thumbprints
with homemade plum jam

Carolyn’s shortbread bars
with chocolate and nuts

Beth’s pinwheel cookies

Rebecca’s peanut butter blossoms

Michelene’s chocolate mint cookies

Erin’s chocolate turtles with pecan legs and chocolate shells
Yes, she made 2 kinds of cookies!

Cassandra’s chocolate butter cookies OF DEATH
Terribly delicious recipe courtesy of Paula Dean

Two late submissions did not get photographed, but were definitely worth the wait! Chef Jill stopped by with mint macadamia nut cookies, and Crissy brought in Mexican Wedding Cookies the next day! It was probably better to have some time between cookie binges. Overall, this Holiday Cookie Exchange was such a success! Not a bad cookie in sight. We even managed to avoid duplicates despite a rebellion against a proposed sign-up sheet. Though I sure am glad that we didn’t show up with ten varieties of chocolate and mint! Happy Holidays from Parties That Cook!