Dinner for Two Giveaway From Cafe Rio!

Put on your ponchos and grab your maracas, kids, 'cause we're doin' a Cafe Rio giveaway!  Their Communications Director (who's super cool) contacted me after she came across my blog, sent me a little care package, and offered to do a giveaway on Eats and Beats for Cinco de Mayo! Woohooo!

So, for those of you who live near (or visit places near) a Cafe Rio and want TWO FREE MEALS...

Someone Painted Me!

Such a fun treat to have been contacted by Judy Levins of Lot 5 Studio asking if she could paint the photo of myself that I use for the blog. She's been practicing impressionist style oil paintings of cityscapes. Here's how it turned out.

Pretty great for less than a day's work, don't you think?! Thanks so much, Judy!

Now off to enjoy my Ham, Asparagus, & Fontina Frittata for dinner. I forgot how easy this is to make!

Kettle Brand Makes Bakes! and They're Good! and They're Giving Them Away!

Giveaway!!

I don't know of many people who wouldn't choose a healthier alternative to their favorite foods if one were offered that still tasted good. Which is why so many of us tried baked chips when they came out several years ago... and then tried to actually like them. Baked chips tasted okay and the texture was okay. I assumed the book was closed on that one.

But then I was contacted by Kettle Brand again- they know I like to add kettle chips to the mix when hosting casual lunches or picnics- and was told that they were releasing a line of bakes. My interest was piqued. They sent me three bags to sample, and I'll just cut to the chase and say they are about 5 times better than any other baked chip I've ever tried. Truly. It's CLEAR they made the chips by slicing real potatoes and not by compacting potato flakes into the shape of a potato round. What a relief to know that some companies still use whole foods. Amen? And they taste really, really good. Really.

We sampled their Sea Salt, Sour Cream & Onion, and Cheddar & Roasted Tomato flavors. The first two taste very much like elevated versions of other chips because of the higher quality ingredients Kettle Brand uses. The Cheddar & Roasted Tomato is a flavor unique to Kettle Brand and it is GOOD. I will definitely buy them in the future. Shawn and Kate really liked them, too, which is saying something because I really wasn't sure Shawn could enjoy a baked chip.

Now for the Giveaway. We're going to be selecting TWO winners this time! And each winner will get to CHOOSE which three of the five available flavors they want in their gift box. Here are their baked flavors:

• Sea Salt
• Hickory Honey Barbeque
• Sea Salt & Vinegar
• Cheddar & Roasted Tomato
• Sour Cream & Onion

You can qualify to enter up to three times. Here's how:

• The first one is a freebee. Enter your name along with which three flavors you're most interested in trying! My bag would consist of the Hickory Honey Barbeque, Sea Salt & Vinegar, (for Shawn; it's his fav,) and Cheddar & Roasted Tomato.
• You can enter your name a second time if you "like" the Eats and Beats Facebook page.
• You can make a third entry if you send someone else to "like" the Eats and Beats Facebook page. As soon as they've "liked" it, come back and enter your name a third time.

All comments must be posted by Midnight PT Tuesday, February 5th. The two winners will be chosen at random and announced on Wednesday by the end of the day!

Pretty great that you can actually SEE the potato skin!

Thanks, Kettle Brand! Click the link to see my last Kettle Chips giveaway and learn more about their company.

Tips From the Sages- What Information to Include in an Invitation

You may have guessed based on my most recent posts, that I've decided to expand the scope of what I talk about on Eats and Beats. I'll be continuing to post menus and music, but the other aspects of entertaining are so much fun, and I just think they're worth giving more attention to than I have up until now.

I have a few books that offer great perspective and super helpful advice on hosting. I'm always surprised by how empowered and reassured I feel when I draw from the experience of these authors. So, instead of being a hoarder, I'm going to do posts here and there highlighting some of the gems I read.

Any of you remember when I told you about "It's Just a Dinner Party," the book I got from my friend, Cheryl? Well, I was reading from it this morning and thought I'd share a couple of their thoughts on what to include in an invitation.

"You wouldn't know it from what you see in other books or magazines, but the most important element in an invitation is the information. Not the fluff, glitter, bows, paper quality or typeface. The information.

"Luckily, you already know the basics:

• Who the party is for
• What type of party it is-and what type of food will be served
• Where it is
• Why you are having the party
• When the party is

Include this information in your invitation. Then add:

• Who you are and how to reach you
• An RSVP requirement and instructions
• A map or written directions to the event location
• Other pertinent information (attire, gift acceptance, etc.)

"Remember, your guests should not have to pull a Sherlock Holmes to figure out whether or not to bring a gift, what to wear, where you live, or how to RSVP. It shouldn't be hard to attend a party. Give them the information. Also, try to avoid cutesy terms or vague instructions. 'Festive Attire' could lead to guests arriving in thong bikinis, body glitter and feather headdresses. Be warned (and be more specific.)"

Isn't it great how straight-forward Ron and Julie Malloy (the authors) are?

I have to say that I'm a bit hesitant to mention gifts at all in my invitations, because strict etiquette says it's a no-no. But there's something to be said for people who don't live by the rule book; it puts us at ease in a way, doesn't it? Don't let etiquette boss you around! You put that tacky vinyl tablecloth on your table!

I think I'll leave it at that for the night... Sweet dreams!

C'Mere, Baby!

I don't know if I was just expecting the absolute worst or if I'm one lucky ducky, but having two children is really not too bad! It's such a relief for many reasons, but partly because I am itching like a crazy person to get back to Eats and Beats. I've already planned 80 posts for 2013. Of course I really need about twice that number to properly stock my blog for a whole year, but 80's a good start, right?

Anyway, Sundays for us are traditionally a family day, so that's what I'm going to focus on for this post.

Louisa, aka Lou and Loulou, joined the gang in November, and what can I say but that we're in love? She has a very sweet and mild disposition, and, judging by the fact that she doesn't react poorly to anything I consume, I think she's going to be a lover of all foods. I even whipped up some spicy sausage and lentil soup and she seems to be able to handle the heat! My sweet little foodie baby.

Kate has taken to Lou like a champ. Whenever the baby's not with us she let's out a dramatic, "Oh, no! Loulou!" For now she seems perfectly content to share mom and dad's attention. Like I said, one lucky ducky.

While we're speaking of Kate, she'd like to share with you Eats and Beats readers her specialized technique for eating popcorn.

Step 1: Acquire a two-sided teaspooon.
Step 2: Fit one popcorn kernel into each side of the teaspoon.

Step 3: Use the teaspoon as a platform for hands-free eating.

Cheeseballs would work well too. Marshmallows will likely be too big. Jelly beans may be too small..and slippery.

Kettle Chips Review and Giveaway!

What? What is this? Eats and Beats is having its first give-away? Oh, you betcha! And from none other than the hugely popular potato chip brand Kettle Brand Chips! Dang it, who doesn't love a good kettle chip, especially from THE Kettle Brand Chips. 

Well, guess what, kiddos: in August Kettle Brand celebrated its 30th birthday, invited us to the party, and offered to send us home with some super yummy limited edition chips as a party favor. Until August 2013 you can find these four flavors from the past on the grocery store shelves:

Jalapeno Jack

Cheddar Beer

Red Chili

Salsa with Mesquite

I was lucky enough to be able to sample all four courtesy of Kettle Brand. YUM. It was hard to pick a favorite among the robust flavors, but both my husband and I couldn't get enough of the Jalapeno Jack and Salsa with Mesquite (though all four bags disappeared with embarrassing speed.) Each really were as you might imagine they'd taste. The Jalapeno had the slightest spicy kick to it that I really loved while still honoring the otherwise sweet flavor of a jalapeno pepper. And I'm a total sucker for mesquite. Ooooooh, baby. For more on these limited edition flavors, click here.

Okay, okay. Now for the giveaway. Kettle Brand Chips is sending a set of all four to one lucky Eats and Beats reader! Comment below by midnight PST on Friday the 19th and tell us which flavor you're most excited to try. I'll announce the winner by the end of the day on Saturday! Happy crunching!

Learn more about this company with environmental and social heart.

The Real Kettle Chips (Made with actual food ingredients. Nothing fake about these puppies!) 

Sustainability and Charity (Every year they give over 175,000 potatoes to hunger relief organizations! Plus, find out how they convert all of their vegetable oil waste into biodiesel!) 

History 

Whoot! Thanks, Yummly!

I know! I've totally been gone forever! I don't know what to say for myself except that I need to buck up in spite of this whole pregnancy thing and just start blogging again for crying out loud! I'm happy to say that even though I haven't been super attentive to my site, others have still been coming, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

Aaaaand, thanks to Yummly for featuring another one of my posts! My Dulce de Leche Brownies have been one of my very most popular posts. Which reminds me to thank David Lebowitz, because mine are simply an adaptation of his brownies.

To see Yummly.com's brownie post, click here!

A few of my other favorite treats from past blog posts are these warm, buttery, gooey Mini Chocolate & Almond Croissants...

...this easy peasy Amaretto Pound Cake a la Mode

...and these treats from my New England roots, whoopie pies!

Thanks again, Yummly!

A Refreshing Take on Entertaining (From "It's Just a Dinner Party")

For those of you who're loyal enough to have been waiting for another post (since it's been nearly a week since my last,) thank you! I have been sick, sick, sick, but I'm happy to report that it seems as though things are looking up. *knock on wood* Shawn has been more than awesome about taking Kate for me and even took time off from work to be home on a particularly bad day. Kate had so much fun with dad while I was in bed, that I don't know if I'll ever be quite enough to make her totally happy again. Such an awesome guy.

Anyway, one bright point of the past week came to my doorstep wrapped in a bright pink envelope! An old friend of mine, Cheryl, sent me a great little book on entertaining called "It's Just a Dinner Party" by Ron and Julie Malloy. So thoughtful! Of course I haven't gotten very far into the book, but I wanted to share some of the thoughts from the book that I found to be so grounded and very refreshing.

"It is our goal to illustrate that entertaining shouldn't be intimidating, and that it can be a tremendous source of joy."

What I love about the book is that it brings perspective to what the real goal of entertaining is. It's not to impress or intimidate your guests, or to stretch yourself to the breaking point making everything perfect, but to create an opportunity for friends and family to enjoy a shared experience and enjoy each other's company! I also love that their approach pretty much entirely revolves around their guests. When planning they ask themselves questions like "What type of party suits them," and "Where would [the] guests like to be?" Also, I love how they assure you that entertaining can be done by people with full-time jobs, not just housewives with enough free time to whittle their own wooden place-card holders.

Beyond their fantastic perspective, they give lots of super helpful tips that I have not found in other, more typical books on entertaining. Tips like:

• Buy extra ice.
• Hot rooms make people sleepy.
• Your guests are more valuable than your crystal.
• Don't stretch yourself too far financially.
• Honor yourself and your own personal style.
• Remember that in order for your guests to be happy, you need to be happy.
• Stick with natural, simple foods.
• Clear a section on your kitchen counter for dirty dish stacking.

Thanks a million, Cheryl! I'm so inspired and can't wait to start practicing some of what I'm reading!

Fat Friday?

Janna, why didn't you do a pancake post for Pancake Day? And why no banana bread for National Banana Bread Day yesterday? This is at least partly a food blog, right? Hey. I'm new to this whole food blogging thing and I don't know every food holiday yet! And I'm not a morning person. And Kate's cutting 4 new teeth, so.... you know... there's that. Besides, where were all the posts on January 16th for National Fig Newton Day? (Yes, it does exist.) How would you like it if I were to randomly declare tomorrow National Vegetarian Sandwich Day and start pointing fingers when all the other bloggers out there post about things like roasted chicken or the latest salted caramel desserts that I'm seeing everywhere. (Not that I mind 'cause I love salted caramel.) ...Okay, the (bizarre) truth is that I'm being defensive to the imaginary voices in my head, because technically nobody has complained to me about not having sweet breakfast starches on my blog this week. ... Are you still there?

Anyway, the day before Ash Wednesday is Shrove Tuesday, a.k.a. Fat Tuesday, a.k.a. Pancake Day, and it was this past Tuesday. Apparently it's customary to eat pancakes before Ash Wednesday because it uses up ingredients that people typically have on hand that they're not supposed to eat during Lent. National Banana Bread Day.. no idea how that happened. So, for any of you who were in fact lamenting the lack of bananas and pancakes on my blog this week, allow me to introduce you to Eats and Beats' Fat Friday. This morning Kate woke up at 5:45, so I decided to make the most of the ante meridiem hours by making Ina Garten's Banana Sour Cream Pancakes.

I'm honestly a very, very strict only-healthy-foods breakfast eater. But, OH. MY. GOSH. They made my eyes roll back into my head they were sooooo gooooood. The woman doesn't make pancakes; she makes panCAKES. Perfect texture, and mouth-watering flavor. Ina, you fattening, good-habit-breaking devil. If food could kill... wait, it can kill. Dang it!

Well, here you go: a recipe for you to use once a year so you don't have to make pancakes and banana bread right in a row if you don't want to 'cause this gives you some of each!

................................

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes by Ina Garten

Makes 12 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

2 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving

Pure maple syrup (Janna's note: Do not ruin these pancakes with the fake stuff, or I'll hunt you down.)

Directions:
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. 

Normally the lemon would be whole, but I needed a wedge to make some avocado spread for sandwiches yesterday. Recipe for those sandwiches will be posted soon!

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. 

Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. 

Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

When it comes to syrup, use the good stuff, folks! Pure maple syrup, preferably from Vermont where I grew up. :)

................................

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program...

... to let you know that Eats and Beats is now on Facebook! I wanted to make it easier for you to keep up with all the new menus, music, hosting tips, and other goodies on Eats and Beats, as well as offer you some some fun extras. "Like" the Facebook page and don't forget to share it with all your buddies! Just click on the logo below to be taken directly there. See you on Facebook!

We'll be back with the rest of Menu #2 soon...

2012 Resolutions... and Thoughts About Turning 30

Forgive me in advance for getting a bit more personal than usual.

I'm 29...  so 2012 is going to make me 30. I don't think I dread turning 30 the way some women people do. Truly, I've never minded getting older. Yet, there really is something about that number that forces me to take stock. Even in my early 20's I didn't see myself ever turning 30. But now I'm less than 8 weeks from completing 30 years, and I know that getting to 40 is going to feel like it went by in half the time it took to get from 20 to 30. Then I think, Easy there, Janna. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. That should be good advice, but deep down I really know the time is going to fly, and it matters that it'll fly. All of a sudden things my mom has been saying for years like, "I know I'm grown up, but my mind still seems the same as when I was 19," are becoming uncomfortably personal. Right now I feel like, for the most part, people see me as I see myself. I just don't know if that will be true as I get older, so I'll have to learn to place less value there. I'm also haunted by directives I grew up with such as, "Learn wisdom in thy youth." I worry about what important opportunities for establishing sound patterns for my life I may have not jumped on while in my 20's. Lastly, I wonder if I really understand what I'm leaving behind.

Age 23 with my adorable niece. 

There's an entirely different part of me that thinks the 30's will far surpass the enjoyment of my 20's. "Thirty, flirty and thriving," right? (Flirty with just Shawn, of course.) I know who I am, what I want, and where real happiness comes from. At least I understand those things much better than I didn't 10 years ago, and, frankly, it feels great to have that kind of charge of myself. So, why look back?!

Age 29 carrying my own little girl.

With that, I'd like to kick off 2012 and this next decade of my life with purpose. My resolutions for self and Eats and Beats (that aren't too personal to share) are to...

• Continue to enjoy my family. Shawn and Kate are awesome, so this one shouldn't be too tough.
• Make dinner for Shawn and myself more often. I love to create special menus, but I'm kind of pathetic when it comes to the day-to-day stuff.
• Be fit. I know this should be much more specific. I need to work out the details, but for now I just know that I miss the level of activity I used to maintain and I really need to get moving again. Ick.
• Make sure Kate sees the camera pointed at her more often than she does at food. First things first!
• Conquer a souffle. Ack!
• Make my first cheesecake. It's about time, don't you think?!
• Pray that Eats and Beats becomes successful enough that I can stop shamelessly advertising each post to my friends and family on my personal Facebook page. You know you're praying for this too. :)
• Continue hosting for the love of it. I really don't think I'm in much danger here, but I've never put my hobby on display for anyone except my guests, so it can be a little nerve-racking! 

Okay, now I want to hear from you! What are your resolutions? Also, what would you like to see on my Eats and Beats resolution list? Types of menus you'd like to see, hosting topics you'd like addressed, playlists for a certain type of event, I want to hear about it! 

The Birth of "Eats and Beats"

Any of you who host as a hobby know that there's an entertaining itch. However often you get it entirely depends on you, but if you're a host, you do inevitably get it. The first time I got the itch as a married woman was within two weeks of moving into our unfinished townhouse in DC. We hadn't replaced the torn-out carpet of the top floor, our wooden stairs were unfinished and unpainted, nearly all of our belongings were still in boxes, our bed was in the dining room, many of our outlets were without covers, our walls were bare, and our kitchen cabinets had no doors. And, yet, I had the itch. ...as well as a husband that didn't understand what he had agreed to. Easter was approaching and I knew a lot of our friends would be in town at least for the week leading up to the holiday. So, I sent out the invitations and then got to work. I figured out a menu- I believe we had deviled eggs and artichoke dip w/ baguettes as our starters, followed by salad, spiced ham, blue cheese mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus, and an Easter-themed cupcake swap as a take-home dessert.  I created my shopping and to-do lists and laid out a simple timeline.  For days before the dinner I could be found changing out doorknobs, installing new light fixtures, painting trim that I had missed, and cleaning (and re-cleaning) the floors where dust was settling from all of the remodeling.  The night before the party came, and boxes were still everywhere, including the ones that held all of my kitchen gear.  Oh, and did I mention that our dining room table was up in Maryland?  Are you feeling stressed just reading this?

It gets worse.

Since I was so busy getting the house, kitchen and food ready, I needed Shawn to go up to Maryland to get the table and chairs. But the only person we knew who had a truck we could borrow was in Maryland.  So he had to drive up, pick up the truck, pick up the table set (along with some other furniture we had stored there) drop everything off at the townhouse, go back up to Maryland to give back the truck, get in our car, and drive back down.  Ah... the worst laid plans...  In an effort to be as efficient with this inconvenient trip as possible, Shawn packed the truck pretty tightly. So tightly that the door of the truck bed popped off causing him to lose mid-highway one of our nightstands and his desire to live. That's an exaggeration.  But it was 1 a.m. by the time he managed to return the truck, so he opted to stay up in Maryland for the night. Sensing his frustration, and knowing that it was almost entirely my fault and that I was going to need his help again in the morning, I got to work while he was away. I moved the bed upstairs, assembled the table, set the table (a day-ahead-of-time must when hosting,) and hung pictures on the walls. I wanted to make him feel like his efforts had been worth it. But as hard as I tried, there were still boxes to be moved out of sight and I needed him to pick up the baguettes from the store. Needless to say, he wasn't as enthused as I was with the project, but he stuck by me nonetheless.

Amazingly, the food was coming along on schedule, and, though I was running on little sleep, I was in a sprightly mood. The guests arrived shortly after I began running my playlist. I handed each a glass as they walked in and encouraged them to choose from the selection at the drink station I'd set up. They enjoyed each other's company while sampling the appetizers, and before too long we all moved to the table for the main affair, which was delicious, if I do say so myself. The night continued into one of the most memorable we've ever had with them, culminating in the exchange of warm hugs and some very clever cupcakes.

Pulling this night together was an unusual amount of work because of its timing, and I assure you, hosting does not need to be this stressful. Since then I have learned a lot of valuable lessons.  I enjoy hosting now as much as I did several years ago, but now I know how to do it in a way that makes it much more seamless and doable so that the process of creating the event is as much fun as the event itself.

I've poured over ingredients, table settings, serving dishes, songs, themes, and interviews of my favorite chefs, weeding out what I consider clichéd and outdated, appreciating the best that I can find, and creating what I can't find, in hopes that my efforts will result in the most "oooooo's" and "mmmmm's" I can possibly muster out of my guests. Perhaps I shouldn't admit how much of my free time is spent doing this. I do not wish to give anyone the impression that I have perfected the art of hosting. I haven't. But since this is one of my great loves, maybe all my obsessing has resulted in something worth sharing? Either way, here it is. "eats and beats:" a blog of my menus, music, and hosting tips for you to take and make your own so that entertaining can become one of your great loves too.

Welcome, and enjoy!