Simple Entertaining: Wonton Cups

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

When it comes to entertaining, I have two choices: I can knock myself out doing a menu to impress, or I can take the simple way out.

I look at it this way. I can have more people over more often with a casual menu. Or I can work myself into a frenzy to entertain a few very well.

I tend to do both, actually, but recently I’ve gone the simple route. A simple menu might start or end with versatile wonton cups that are a snap to make. They can be an appetizer or dessert, depending on whether the filling is savory or sweet . The recipe is easy to double or triple, depending on the size of your crowd.

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Smoky Grilled Short Ribs

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

When I fire up the grill, I put everything on it I can find in the fridge. Not because it’s lots of work to build a charcoal fire, but because it’s sacrilege to let that fire burn without infusing its smoky goodness into as much food as possible.

On this same kettle fire, I cooked chicken thighs that were pulled from the bone and used in sandwiches and on salads. I cooked burgers for the boys’ lunch, and I smoked tomatoes, onions, Poblano peppers and pineapple for some sauces and a fruity pico de gallo I was inspired to make.

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Mushroom Fever

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

This past Memorial Day weekend, I stopped at a roadside stand and saw two gorgeous ingredients that I just had to have… the most perfect looking shiitake mushrooms and some flowering scallions that I had never encountered before.

Interestingly, the buds of the flowering scallions are similar in flavor to chive blossoms and like them, are perfectly edible. The blossoms have a slighter milder, if not sweeter taste.

I already had grilled salmon and burgers on the menu so I thought, why not turn these two lovelies into a side dish for the meal? Normally I sauté sliced shiitake mushroom caps but since I was going to fire up the grill anyway, I decided to grill the mushroom caps whole.

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Unripe Fruit? Make Biscuits!

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Many times I hear people telling me that they buy fruit to use in a dessert, but when they get it home from the market and cut into it, they find out it’s unripe and think it can no longer be used. And while that’s true for fruit that they wish to serve fresh, it’s quite the opposite for other fruit desserts or baked goods. In fact, unripe fruit is the perfect thing to bake with because it is sturdier than when ripe and can be heated without breaking down too much, while still imparting a great flavor.

Peaches and apricots are the unripe fruits of the moment at farmers’ markets where I live in San Francisco. But just because they’re not ready for fruit salads or parfaits, doesn’t mean they can’t be used to make a mean cobbler, pie, or biscuit.

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Memorial Day

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Special Fork is taking today off in observance of Memorial Day. And while we all appreciate a three-day weekend as a kick-off to summer, before we light the grill and dig into the potato salad, let’s pause to remember what the holiday is for: a time to honor those who fought and died for this country.

My reflections on Memorial Day are ingrained in childhood memories.

Have a great holiday,
Sandy

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