crostini with pears, goat cheese, thyme and honey

Is really, really good. You should make it now. And don't skimp on the black pepper. That is all.

the vegetarian question

Vegetarian dinner guests are often met with a mixture of disdain and contempt. Many chefs outright loathe people who don't eat meat. Vegans? Forget about it.

All this hatred is so misguided. Vegetarians, in my experience, are downright apologetic about their lifestyle choice. "Oh, don't go out of your way," they'll say. "I'll eat around the meat!" I found myself saying this when I was temporarily gluten-free. (Did I mean it? No.) Eating around things does not make for a fun meal, no matter how much your guests smile and swear that they don't mind.

what's for dinner, sarah schiear?

People, I found someone who likes to throw dinner parties as much as me. Or possibly more! Sarah Schiear, food editor and author of food blog 20something cupcakes, is a dinner party machine. Food Network, give this woman her own show! Whether she's hosting a cocktail party, a boozy brunch or a fancy dinner for two, she's an expert at crafting delicious menus (and cocktails, lots of cocktails). I'll let her explain in her own words...

1. Name, occupation, and city
Sarah Schiear. By day, editor at Mr. Food. By night, author of 20something cupcakes. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

2. When was the last time you threw a dinner party, and who was invited?
The last dinner party I threw was in early November; it was something of late brunch that went into the night. We had a couple of friends over because I had just discovered a fabulous new fresh seafood market, and I had a burning desire to make ceviche. This is how menus are usually born for me — I get an idea in my head, and the rest follows. I made a glorious ceviche by Rick Bayless, from whom I also discovered the most wonderful idea for a champagne margarita. I wanted to make huevos rancheros, as I knew a few guests to absolutely adore them, but I also knew I didn't want to be standing over the stove frying eggs up to order. My solution? A huevos rancheros bake in the oven. I added the eggs at the end and cooked them just enough to achieve those delightfully runny yolks, and topped it all off with a quick avocado salsa. It was delicious.

dinner party inspiration for 2012

I put up our new calendar in the kitchen last week. Nothing makes you feel more aware of the possibility and uncertainty of a new year as a blank calendar. Leafing through our 2011 calendar, I noticed all of the dinner dates and parties written on so many little white squares. What will this year bring? What friendships will be forged, which farflung friends will pay us a visit, how many precious meals will we share with our family? And what will we eat?

I don't know about you, but I need some fresh inspiration for this year. Here are some places I go to be inspired and, well, steal ideas.

a note fromm mabel

Mabel heer.

Mommee told me wot a creest-mas is, so i wont to weesh you a mery creest-mas with manee bones and kookies and tumy skreetches and leezards and al the theengs you wont. And laying on the bak of the cowch as much as you wont. And if you dont have a creest-mas at your hous, I hope you get manee treets aneway.

Hapy new yeare!

Sinseerlee,
Mabel

how i learned to stop worrying and love ham hocks

Throwing a dinner party is like learning to ride a bike. With practice, you get over that initial shakiness and stop worrying about crashing and (literally) burning.

I have plenty of practice, so it's not often that I am wracked with uncertainty about dinner parties. But then my friend Casey and I made plans for dinner on a Wednesday night and I had no clue what to serve.

a salad for all places

Maybe you’re expecting a detailed account of everything I cooked for Thanksgiving. If so, I am sorry to disappoint you. My mother-in-law hosted and made a lovely spread and I hardly cooked at all. Between writing about turkey for a solid month straight, traveling with an excited little dog, and being plain exhausted, I fell short in the cooking department this year. Of course I tried—I had a slight hissy fit about not being able to make my favorite cranberry sauce. (Mom beat me to it with her own spiced version, delicious in its own right.)