Steve and Sandy Throw a Birthday Party

By Sandy Hu

Since the kids have grown up, we celebrate birthdays casually – cooking a special dish or getting takeout from a favorite restaurant, and picking up a cake or pie.

But yesterday, Steve and I threw a birthday party for ourselves, inviting a small group of friends. Chris was home from New York over the weekend to attend a wedding, so our whole family was together – another reason to celebrate.

From decorations, to gift bags to food, we spent many hours planning and executing our party. It always requires more time than you think, but with the whole family pitching in we pulled it off! (For all our party planning tips and pics, visit Special Fork’s Pinterest page.)

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In a Hurry? Stir-Fry!

By Zoe McLaughlin

Investing in a wok is a great way to make delicious meals fast. You don't need special training to use a wok and create scrumptious Asian cuisine. And you don’t need a range with a gas burner either; just make sure to buy a flat-bottomed wok.

Woks aren't limited to Asian cuisine. In fact, if I’m in a hurry to leave the house in the morning, I often make scrambled eggs and veggies in a wok. It’s ready in minutes and cleanup is easy.

Today’s recipe is a stir-fry that takes minutes to make and is unique because it uses celery leaves. Often celery leaves are thrown away but they actually have a much stronger flavor than the celery stalk. The beef pairs very well with the cumin seeds and the addition of the celery leaves at the end give this dish a burst of flavor.

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Zorba’s Dinner

Traditional moussaka at the Greek Fest.

By Marilyn Hunter

Last week, we celebrated another year at the annual LA Greek Fest, a three-day festival of culture, music, dancing and great food.

We splurged on gyros, souvlaki, spanakopita and moussaka. The boys got their fill of games and rides and Nick took home the grand prize for the Zorba Night Dance Contest which was quite a feat as he competed against dancers of all ages and skills. We think it was his enthusiasm and two missing teeth that hooked the judges. It didn’t hurt that his name is Nicholas. I had to accept the grand prize of “very old Metaxa Greek brandy” since he’s only six.

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A Return to Chase’s

By Lori Powell

As promised per my last post, I am blogging again about Chase’s Daily Restaurant in Belfast, Maine. Since corn, green beans (my own are almost done) and tomatoes are still so plentiful, I thought I would share my version of a salad I had at Chase’s that used those classic summer ingredients.

What’s nice about this recipe is that minimal cooking is required; the only thing that is cooked is the fresh green beans, which are just given a good blanching.

Blanching is the process of cooking something quickly in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, draining immediately and then refreshing in a bowl of cold water that includes a few ice cubes. This not only stops the vegetables from cooking but also helps to retain their vibrant color and crisp texture – the trick is to not undercook or overcook.

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Are you Ready for Some Football Food?

By Katie Barreira

Maybe I can taste football season in the quickly cooling air, because I’ve been craving game day munchies 24/7. Inspired by the legendary combo of spicy wing sauce and cooling blue cheese dressing, I threw together this prize-worthy pizza using leftover rotisserie chicken. Given the crowd’s reaction, I’m betting that it’s the champ of your next tailgate party.

If you don’t have a pizza stone, an inverted baking sheet makes a great substitute. Use the method in this recipe to get a crisp, golden crust on any pizza.

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