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Cheese, Please! How to Make a Memorable Cheese Plate

June 14, 2016 by

For the avid foodie, there are few things in life more beautiful than a good cheese plate. If you want to create a truly gourmet quality cheese plate for your next dinner party or holiday gathering at The Asher, use these simple tips for assembling the perfect spread.

  1. Consider the basics. Before beginning, consider how many people you’ll be serving and what other types of food you’ll have. This will help you to determine how much cheese to buy.
  2. Determine quantity. For an hors d’oeuvre, your cheese plate should include one to two ounces of cheese per person. If you plan on serving it after the main meal, pare it down to just one ounce per person.
  3. Choose the perfect serving platter. Invest in a sturdy cutting board, a marble cheese platter, or an attractive slate slab.
  4. Choose the cheeses. Lighter options, like goat cheese and fresh mozzarella, are great options for before dinner, while fuller bodied cheeses include cheddar, aged gouda and bleu cheese.
  5. Create a theme. If you’re still unsure of which cheeses to choose, create a theme. Pick cheeses from one specific region of the world, or opt for cheeses that are all made from goat’s milk.
  6. Organize. Spread your cheeses out on the platter for easy cutting, and be sure to offer a different knife with each kind. You’ll also want to serve complementary breads and crackers alongside.

The Perfect Cheese Platter [Real Simple]
How to Set Up a Cheese Platter [Food Network]
Creating the Perfect Cheese Plate [Food and Wine]

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Think Beyond the Salsa With These Cilantro-Centric Recipes

December 8, 2015 by

When you think of salsa, you likely think of the zesty flavor added by cilantro. Cilantro is also a great addition to many other dishes, however, even those outside of Mexican cuisine. These three recipes will have you rethinking the way you view cilantro in the most delicious ways possible!

Asian Noodle Salad with Chicken and Cilantro [Martha Stewart]
Instead of the usual Southwestern cuisines, try cilantro in an Asian-cuisine-inspired dish for a change. This noodle salad requires no cooking at all to create a fresh, interesting meal with a traditional Vietnamese sauce. Top it with cucumber and cilantro for a bit of added flavor.

Miso-Maple Sweet Potato Tacos with Coconut-Cilantro Sauce [The Kitchn]
There are so many delicious flavors in this taco dish, your taste buds will hardly know where to begin. Tender sweet potatoes covered in a miso and maple syrup glaze take the place of the usual taco meat, and avocado, cilantro, and toasted pepitas make a tasty garnish. The cilantro comes in at the end, when it’s blended with coconut to create a uniquely flavorful sauce for topping.

Zesty Quinoa Salad [AllRecipes]
If you want to eat healthily without sacrificing taste, you’ll absolutely love this quinoa salad. Fresh vegetables and black beans make it bright and nutritious, while cilantro and black pepper add major flavor.

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Just Like Mom Used to Make: Chicken Pot Pie Recipes

November 10, 2015 by

With its light, fluffy exterior and its thick chicken stew inside, chicken pot pie is a classic recipe that will make you feel warmer and cozier with every bite. If you want to adapt this time-honored dish for your own friends or family, here are three great recipes to show you how.

Ina Garten’s Chicken Pot Pie [foodnetwork.com]
You can be sure that the Barefoot Contessa herself will have a few things to add to such a classic dish. Ina Garten’s pot pie gets an elegant makeover with the addition of fresh parsley leaves and chicken bouillon cubes, and serving it in miniature bowls makes it even more chic.

Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie [bettycrocker.com]
If you’ve been dreaming of chicken pot pie but you’re short on time, this six-ingredient recipe is the perfect solution. It uses frozen vegetables, cream of chicken soup, and biscuit mix to make pot pie easier than ever.

The Epicurious Chicken Pot Pie [epicurious.com]
When you have the time to make the crust, chicken, and filling all from scratch, this is the recipe to use. This pot pie is perfect for a dinner party with your foodie friends, as it incorporates complex ingredients like black peppercorns, dry white wine, and dried chanterelle mushrooms along with the usual meat and veggies.

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Delicious Uses for Lavender Beyond the Garden

July 14, 2015 by

Lavender is a purple flower that smells just as beautiful as it looks, creating a heavenly aroma when found growing in the wild. In addition to its incredible look and scent, lavender is also becoming a very popular addition to many recipes. The floral taste adds something special to desserts, drinks, and even dinners, as you can see from these delicious dishes.

Lemon Lavender Fizz [Saveur]
The fizzy blend of gin, lemon juice, and club soda in this cocktail sparkles on your tongue, while the lavender-infused simple syrup adds a fragrant, floral taste that’s truly unique.

Honey Lavender Ice Cream [Martha Stewart]
Lavender lovers will tell you that there are few things the herb tastes better in than sweet, creamy ice cream. This honey lavender ice cream recipe incorporates both the warm taste of honey and the soft flavor of lavender into one decadent dessert that’s worlds away from your usual Neapolitan.

Lavender Lemon Chicken [Food.com]
If you want to try incorporating lavender into a more savory dish, this chicken recipe is a wonderful place to start. A whole chicken is roasted in a lemon butter sauce seasoned with thyme and lavender, creating a tender, juicy inside and a perfectly golden browned exterior.

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Molten Chocolate Cake, Reinvented: Try These Three Recipes

May 12, 2015 by

There may be no more indulgent dessert than molten lava cake, a combination of crumbly pastry and gooey chocolate filling. There are many ways to make this treat with a variety of ingredients, and each rendition is tailored to special tastes and diets. Here are three recipes for molten lava cake that you might want to try.

  1. Red Velvet Molten Lava Cake [Half Baked Harvest]
    Silence your sweet tooth with this delicious twist on red velvet cake. Mix in red food coloring, coconut milk, and melted chocolate for an elegant take on this classic recipe.
  2. Molten Chocolate Cake [Pioneer Woman]
    Real butter, fresh eggs, heavy whipping cream, and semi-sweet baking chocolate all get representation in this authentic molten cake recipe. Enjoy tantalizing step-by-step photographs while you prepare it.
  3. Molten Chocolate Cakes [Food and Wine]
    A mere seven ingredients and four steps; making a fabulous molten chocolate cake doesn’t get any easier than this recipe from Food and Wine.

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Two Websites with Soup Recipes You Can Make at Home

January 13, 2015 by

Hot, steamy soups are some of the simplest and most fulfilling meals you can make, whether you choose a creamy tomato or a light vegetable soup. These step-by-step recipe websites are full of simple, delicious soup recipes that even the least experienced chef can make right at home.

Health.com
Health.com’s list of 12 Healthy Soup Recipes is a great resource for finding nutritious soups and stews. Unlike store-bought soups that can be full of sodium, these recipes are naturally flavored and low in calories. The Chunky Chicken Noodle is a heartier version of the childhood classic, with much less salt than the original version. On this site, even seemingly fattening, creamy soups like the Broccoli, Cheddar and Potato Soup use only low-fat, low-calorie ingredients to create nutritious soups that are just as tasty as the traditional versions.

Smitten Kitchen
This site isn’t just a clever name; it’s also a wonderful resource for healthy, flavorful soups. Smitten Kitchen’s Matzo Ball Soup contains fluffy, doughy matzo balls made with simple ingredients. Unique soups like Black Bean Pumpkin, Winter Squash with Gruyere, and Silky Cauliflower are gourmet-style choices that will impress your friends, and only you’ll know how easy and enjoyable they were to make.

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Four Unique Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes

September 16, 2014 by

Even when you don’t have the sniffles, chicken noodle soup is a warm and delicious dish that’s full of nostalgic charm. You love the traditional chicken broth and egg noodles, but there are a variety of other ways to prepare this classic soup. Update your chicken noodle soup recipe to something a bit more sophisticated with these simple and flavorful recipes.

Tyler Florence’s Chicken Noodle Soup [The Food Network]

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup [Country Living]

Sensational Chicken Noodle Soup [Campbell’s Kitchen]

Healthier Chicken Noodle Soup [Fitness.com]

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Make Quiche at Home with These Recipe Websites

May 13, 2014 by

Enjoy eating quiche but not in the habit of making it in your kitchen at home at The Asher? Here are two informative websites that can show you how to make a tasty quiche even if you aren’t a professional chef.

AllRecipes
The AllRecipes.com breakfast quiche section has recipes including both sweet and savory options, and just about all of them look delightful. The Tomato and Basil Quiche might add a bit of Italian cuisine flavor to your next brunch. It pairs perfectly with a mixed green salad. The Ham and Cheese Breakfast Quiche is a more kid-friendly version, perfect for serving with fresh fruit and a glass of juice.

MarthaStewart.com
For more unique quiche recipes perfect for weekend brunch gatherings, Martha Stewart’s beautiful website is a great place to look. The site's Broccoli Cheddar Quiche boasts cheesy flavors, while the Shallot Mushroom Quiche uses Fontina cheese and caramelized shallots for a sophisticated taste. Though these may seem like gourmet creations, the recipes include detailed, simple-to-follow instructions.

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