Asparagus Tarts with Panko Crust

Asparagus Tarts

It is spring in Michigan, the time of year when I get a bit of a green tinge from eating too much local asparagus. And, since I planted my very own crop last year, this is a special season as I had the chance to savor a few of my own spears – but just a few. Asparagus, a perennial, cannot be harvested in the first two years after planting. This allows the shoots in years one and two to grow into tall lacy plants which send lots of nutrients to the roots for later harvests. But, of course, I couldn’t bear to wait until year three. So, I cheated and picked just a few spears. They were a true guilty pleasure!

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2012 Smorgasbord Menu — Assembled by Friends of A Global Garnish

Pickled Herring, Eggs, Cucumbers and Beet Salad

Pickled Herring (Inlagd Sill), Eggs, Cucumbers and Beet Salad (Rodbetesalad)

Every year for the past 17 years, my good-hearted friends have allowed me to plan our menu for our year-end progressive dinner. They really are silly about the whole process — each year thanking me profusely for planning the menu and giving out assignments. Don’t they know that this is an ideal situation for me??  Have fun planning a lengthy menu and then give out assignments for everyone else to prepare??  It is second best only to having a commercial kitchen and staff at your beck and call. Continue reading

Do-Ahead Party for a Crowd – Easy Appetizer Menu (Part 3 of 3)

Asian Rolls

After much delay, I am finally getting around to posting the third (and final) part of my blog series:  Do-Ahead Party for a Crowd – Easy Appetizer Menu.  I had been waiting for an occasion to make the final recipe, and I could not have found a happier one – our youngest son’s wedding.

A WEDDING AND A WOMBAT  

Do-Ahead Party for a Crowd – Easy Appetizer Menu (Part 2 of 3)

Lime-Cumin Chicken Salad in Square Won Tons

There are certain flavor combinations that I find magical.

Sometimes these are flavors that take each other up a notch when combined in sequence – like Roquefort with a good Cabernet Sauvignon.  Both the cheese and the wine are excellent alone; yet, when you pair them in the right proportions by eating them sequentially, each one enhances the other. Continue reading