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Tuesday Two Minute Tutorial: Remoulade Sauce!

This week, The Dads want to encourage you to make your own sauces! Why buy store bought when you can make homemade quick & easy for less money? Bonus: The taste is so much better!

We made a Remoulade Sauce this morning since our friends will be coming for dinner tonight. The first course that we will be serving is an avocado sliced on the plate, topped with jumbo lump crab meat that has been tossed in this fantastic Remoulade Sauce!

When you make your own sauces, do you follow the recipe or add your own twists? What’s your favorite to make?

Watch The Dads video below for our tips and tricks!

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The Dads’ Menu for an Intimate Dinner Party!

This week, we threw a dear friend’s very special birthday dinner!

The Dads' Party Table

Our friend, Xavier recently moved to the U.S. from Barcelona, Spain. So, this was his first birthday celebrated here in the U.S! We were delighted to be able to help make his night extra special!

Here was our menu plan for the evening:

5:00 PM

Guests arrive!

Happy Hour
· Bombay Sapphire Martinis
· Red Wine
· Antipasti Tray with Assorted Imported Meats, Cheeses, Olives, Peppers, etc. (See The Dads’ Antipasti Picture below!)

The Dads' Antipasti Platter

6:00 PM

Dinner (Serving 6)

First course

Fois Gras pate’
– Wine pairing: Ice Wine

Second course

Poached Pears in Port Wine (See The Dads’ Recipe in our “Recipe” Section!)
– Served on a bed of salad with Gorgonzola Cheese, Spanish Candied Walnuts. Dressing: Homemade Balsamic Vinegar infused with Pear and Cinnamon Vinaigrette.

Third course

Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Parmesan Pesto
– Served with Pewee Potatoes roasted with Pearl Onions and French Green Beans. (See The Dads’ Recipe in the previous post below!)
Wine pairing: French Bordeaux

Fourth course

Harris’ Yellow Cake with Decadent Chocolate Frosting (See The Dads’ Recipe in the previous post below!)

The Dads' Yellow Layer Cake

Needless to say, the evening was a success!

Be sure to look under our “Recipes” and “Videos” tab to find our Rack of Lamb and Poached Pears recipe! Also, we will be posting Harris’ recipe for Yellow Layer Cake very soon! Stay Tuned!

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Tuesday Two-Minute Tutorial: Peewee Potatoes and Pearl Onions

This week’s Tuesday Two Minute Tutorial is all about how to roast those tiny peewee potatoes that restaurants always serve. These can be great for any dinner from the most simple to the big holiday ones. We like roasting peewee potatoes with pearl onions. The onions get nice and caramelized, and give the potatoes great flavor. What an easy and impressive side! Check it out!

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Dave’s Favorite Meatloaf Recipe!

Last week, we posted the video of Dave demonstrating how to make his favorite version of Glazed Meatloaf. However, here is his written out recipe so that you can easily try it at home!

If you ask Dave about this recipe, he will tell you that he “Love. Love. Loves!” this one! He says it comes out very light and with the perfect flavor every time. Give it a try for your next comfort food kick and let us know how it turned out!

Have any tips on how you make your meatloaf special? Let us know in the comments!

Dave’s Glazed Meatloaf

Ingredients:

Meatloaf

2 lbs Meatloaf Combo-Pack (Beef, Pork, Veal)
1 T Unsalted butter
1 Medium Onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 Med celery rib, chopped fine (about ½ cup)
1 Clove garlic, minced or pressed (about 1t)
2 t minced fresh thyme leaves
1 t paprika
¼ C Tomato juice (we use Spicy V-8)
½ C Low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 Large eggs
1 T Soy sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
2/3 C Crushed saltine crackers
2 T Minced fresh parsley leaves
¾ t Salt
½ t Ground black pepper

Glaze

½ C Ketchup
1 t Hot pepper sauce
½ t ground coriander
¼ C Apple cider vinegar
3 T Packed light brown sugar

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheet (recipe recommends putting a metal cooling rack on a baking sheet and covering with aluminum foil then poking holes in the foil so the meet does not sit in the oil that comes out of the meat while cooking – this is optional).

2. Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 – 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add tomato juice. Cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan, until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, saltines, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Add combined meat; mix gently with hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to prepared baking sheet and shape into a 10” by 6” oval about 2 inches high. Smooth top and edges of the loaf, leaving a slight well in the top for the glaze.

4. Combine ingredients for glaze in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Spread the glaze evenly over the meatloaf and place into the oven to bake.

5. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 135 to 140 degrees; about 40 minutes. If the glaze looks runny and not fully cooked, I place under the broiler for until bubbly; about 2 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and let cool/rest about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

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Ideas for a Romantic Dinner at Home!

Dave shows off his decorating skills with a romantic tablescape for two- just in time for Valentine’s Day! He decided to use the family room as his setting for his special dinner, rather than the kitchen or dining room. Dave also breaks out the best china, silver, and crystal to celebrate in style! Check out the transformation in the video below!

Changing up your setting just by changing the room in which you enjoy your meal can make for a surprisingly elegant and intimate evening. Try planning your Valentine’s dinner in a room that is filled with your own memories. Check out some of these cool details Dave adds to his Valentine’s Day table!

Dave’s Special Valentine’s Day Menu (Let us know if you want us to do one of these recipes!)

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Here, he uses their special red tinted Waterford glasses and unique bottle opener!
Valentine's Day

And here are the name tents for dinner. Even if it’s just the two of you, name tents will make your dinner at home feel professionally catered! These elegant cherub-shaped name plate holders are from Germany and bring back lots of wonderful memories.

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From our hearts to yours- Have a Beautiful and Happy Valentine’s Day!

With Love,
The Dads: Harris & Dave

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Brenden’s Super Bowl Side Dish: All-American Potato Salad!

Our son, Brenden called to say he was going to a Super Bowl party and wanted to bring a side dish to contribute to the buffet. Brenden knew instantly what he wanted to bring, his dad’s All-American Potato Salad!

He called his dad and asked for the recipe. While we didn’t have time to make this salad ourselves prior to Sunday, we typed up the recipe having all the confidence in Brenden’s culinary skills to be able to make this recipe without video instruction!

He sent us this picture of his potato salad, but he amped up the bacon quantity… instead of 6-8 strips of bacon, he chose to make it a pound! We’re always proud when our kids try out our recipes and have the guts to experiment with them on their own!

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Go Brenden! He’s who we were cheering for on Super Bowl Sunday!

Here’s our Recipe:

All-American Potato Salad
(The perfect make-ahead picnic salad)

Make this salad a day ahead to let the flavors blend. Garnish with bacon, eggs and parsley before serving; always a big hit!

Ingredients:

4 pounds large red potatoes, scrubbed
½ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 large stalks celery, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Garnish:

8 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
4 hardboiled eggs, quartered
Parsley sprigs

Directions:

In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife (being careful to not overcook as you’re not making mashed potatoes). Drain potatoes in colander.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, salt and pepper until blended. When potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, cut into small chunks (about ¼ inch). We like to leave the red skin on the potato but if you prefer not to have skin in your salad, peel your potatoes while they are still warm. Add warm potatoes to vinegar mixture; gently stir to coat. Let cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise, milk and mustard until blended; pour over potatoes. Add celery, red onion and chopped parsley; gently stir to mix. Cover; refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).

Before serving, garnish with crumbled bacon, egg quarters and parsley sprigs.

Yield: 12 servings.

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The Best Fresh Pasta: The Dads Tested- Italian Grandmother Approved!

We just ventured into making our own pasta and did a lot of experimenting! After trial and error, here’s the best fresh pasta recipe we found out there! Have you made pasta from scratch? Tips you would like to share? Send us an e-mail or leave a comment above! Enjoy!

The Dads Pasta

Ingredients:
• 3 ½ Cups Unbleached all-purpose flour (we prefer King Arthur)
• 5 Extra-large Eggs, Farm Fresh if you can get them
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil

Directions:

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or the center of your countertop.

Make a well in the middle of the flour; sprinkle the salt over the flour.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk your eggs and olive oil together and gently pour into the well (be careful not to let the egg mixture burst through the wall of your well).

Using a fork, begin incorporating the flour starting with the inner rim of the well and working your way out. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape so the eggs don’t escape. If they do, don’t worry – keep on going and it will still come together.

As all the flour gets incorporated, you will have to begin using a kneading action with the palm of your hand as this will become a bit of a difficult mass to work. Parts of the mass will also become dry bits but just keep incorporating them.

Now use both hands to knead the dough, primarily using the palms of your hands. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board/countertop and scrape up any leftover dry bits and discard them. Lightly flour the board, if necessary, to prevent sticking and continue kneading for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and wrap securely in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you’re not planning to work the dough and cut into pasta at this time, you can refrigerate the dough overnight and cut the next day, but not any longer as it will turn dark in color.

Next is the fun part and that’s cutting the pasta! If you have a machine, make certain to use the rolling press, starting with the largest opening and slowing stepping down to the smallest opening. Once fully kneaded by the machine, select the size cutter to use and begin rolling the dough through the cutter.

We found it’s really helpful to have a second person working with you at this point as when you’re cutting the pasta it helps to have someone else holding and pulling it from the cutter as it cuts so as not to have it clump under the machine.

Then, hang to dry on racks or cook fresh. For a drying rack, we just used a rack from our oven turned vertical and hung the pasta over the rack. For the pasta that we were cooking right away, we just laid it out on baking sheets and cookie racks.

The Dads Pasta

The above recipe makes approximately 1 pound of fresh pasta.

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Recipe: Spiced Nuts

Spiced Nuts are a good snack to keep on hand around the holidays. Just put them in a candy dish when company comes by or wrap them in up with a bow as a gift. Check out Dave’s recipe for this sweet and smoky nuts.

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Ingredients

  • ½ t ground cumin
  • ½ t cayenne pepper
  • ½ t ground cinnamon
  • 4 C unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts,      pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds
  • 4 T unsalted butter  (substitute Earth Balance buttery spread      for Vegan version)
  • 6 T brown sugar
  • 1 t kosher salt
  • 1 T water

Directions

Heat the nuts in a dry large skillet over medium to medium high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. 

Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. 

Add the spices, stirring to incorporate and coat the nuts. 

Add the sugar, again stirring to coat and combine with the spices. 

Add the kosher salt and water and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes. 

Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. 

Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes.  If there is still butter on the foil under the nuts when cooling, use a paper towel to absorb.

Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.