How do you make simple foods sensational? Great presentation creates a sense of excitement and expectation, creating balance and contrast without overwhelming the food.

Combine color, texture, shape, simplicity and height.   Crispy, crunchy, creamy– combine these elements for exciting texture. Add it with Dole Salads, fruits and vegetables.

Make sure the garnish “belongs” to the dish, like a sprig of rosemary on lamb or lemon slices on fish.

Think of the plate as picture frame and present food artfully inside it.  Don’t overcrowd – try to leave some empty spaces.

As a rule of thumb, the more complicated the dish, the simpler the garnish.

These elements come together to make even a humble  cheeseburger a work of art.

Baby Mushroom Bacon Cheese Burgers with Field Greens
Prep: 20 min.
Cook: 10 min.
Makes: 12 servings

1-1/4 pounds ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 small (silver dollar size) soft buns, cut in half, toasted
Mayonnaise to taste
3/4 cup DOLE® Field Greens [Read more →]

Tortilla Lasagna

Dinner time is an important time to bond as a family and build memories that will last a lifetime. Certified Angus Beef brand ground beef is a great ingredient for family meals- it’s nutritious, versatile and kid -friendly.

Here’s a delicious lasagna recipe with a Mexican twist. Make a hearty filling using ground beef, taco seasoning and salsa. Instead of lasagna noodles, use corn tortillas. Instead of pasta sauce, pour over some enchilada sauce kicked up with the zing of green chiles. Top it all off with pepper Jack cheese. Your family will love this familiar dish- and you’ll feel great about serving it. You can find more family friendly beef recipes, and cooking tips at Certified Angus Beef.com

I’m showing Rob and Sheila how to make adorable little mushroom potatoes on Fox 19 this morning. They’re from my book, Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends. I’ll also review a little “Potato 101″ with them:

Russet or Idaho potatoes are the ones with rough brown skin and lots of eyes. They’re a low moisture high starch potato and that makes them great for baking and frying.

Round white or round red potatoes. Aside from the color of their skin, they’re nearly [Read more →]

Mix in a glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Orangatini
2 ounces Three-O Rangtang vodka
1 ounce Three-O Vanilla vodka
2 ounces orange juice
1 ounce ½ & ½
In a cocktail shaker, mix all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice and vanilla bean

.
Tigertini
3 ounces Three-O Pomegranate vodka
1 ounce pomegranate liqueur
½ ounce thyme-infused simple syrup
Squeeze lime
Sprig fresh thyme
Club soda
Place thyme in bottom of glass. Add crushed ice, vodka, pomegranate liqueur, syrup, and lime, and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

Lil Joe’s Manatini
1½ ounces Three-O Citrus Vodka
1½ ounces Three-O Cherry Vodka
½ ounce grenadine
2 ounces sweet & sour
Squeeze lime
Splash lemon-lime soda
Mix ingredients together over ice in a cocktail shaker. Give one brisk shake pour into a glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top. Garnish with lime.

Four Petal Paw Paw
2 ounces Three-O Bubble vodka
1 ounce Three-O Berry vodka
½ ounce grenadine
2 ounces pineapple juice
Shake with ice and strain into martini glass.

Serrv.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. I love their selection of eggs!

Kashmir Eggs

Bird’s Nest with Eggs

Combarbalite Eggs

“May your home always be too small to hold all your friends”

Mini Ruebens in Rye Cups
From Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends
Makes 12

The Rye Cups are so simple- they’re really just a variation on crostini- but they look like they took real effort. You can use [Read more →]

In Ireland hosts offer their guests tea, whiskey….or buttermilk! In India, buttermilk is drunk to counter fiery curries. Moroccans pour buttermilk over pancakes. Swedes pour it over cereal. Americans seem to think buttermilk is, well, butter milk. Oh no! Cultured buttermilk is made much like yogurt; bacterial culture is added to nonfat or lowfat milk and then fermented. It’s the lactic acid in buttermilk that makes it an ideal tenderizer for baked goods and marinades. I always have it in my fridge.

Buttermilk Coconut Pie
Makes One 8 – 9 inch pie

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Make ahead: Can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Crust:
One unbaked 8 or 9-inch pie crust (use your favorite pastry recipe or a ready-made crust)

Filling:
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, sugar, melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Stir in the shredded coconut. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake 1 hour or until the center is set.

A good variety for St. Patty’s Day, all available at The Party Source.

Guiness -The classic
Harps Lager -clean and crisp still Irish with familiar flavors
Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Red Ale-produced out of Cleveland with big time flavor.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine – something just totally from left field
O’Fallon Goat Breath Bock Ale – yeah for that reason a name and label that will stir up conversation.

Listen to the interview.

Guy Fieri competed on- and won- the second season of The Next Food Network Star. The rest, as they say, is history. The undisputed “Bad Boy” of Food Network hosts four popular shows and can’t walk down the street without being recognized. From Guy off the Hook, to Guy’s Big Bite, to the Ultimate Recipe Showdown, to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, you can find Guy on the Food Network pretty much any time you tune in.  And now, Guy is coming to Cincinnati! [Read more →]