if you have to have a bare-bones kitchen for whatever reason, there are few things you truly need – a baking sheet, a sautee pan, a sauce pot, a non-wood cutting board and a good knife. read: you don’t necessarily need a set of knives, but just one really good one that becomes your best friend. as your chef-like abilities grow, you’ll add fancier things, like grating planes and marble cutting boards and a whole slew of knives; one thing will always remain – your trusty chef knife.

forget those knives that claim to cut through pennies – i mean, who is really cutting through pennies anyway?

this chef’s knife from victorinox (our friends who make the classic swiss army knife, just in case you don’t know) is the only knife you’ll ever need, and the one that will be by your side from your first day in the kitchen with your basic recipes through that piece de resistance.

one of the most beautiful things about this knife? it’s price point. $38 for this bad boy!

so if you don’t believe me, you can check out this chart from cook’s illustrated & pick up your own copy for a great review about chef’s knives and their 2 month test to find the best bargain buy chef’s knife. i was just SO excited to see MY favorite knife there i had to tell you guys to go out and get one for yourself.

note – this knife has the highest ratings possible for blade design, handle, kitchen tasks, and edge retention.

happy may day, dolls! it’s finally starting to warm up and stay warm on a more consistent basis here, which means we can finally start dining outside again! time to sweep up the patio and do a little refresh on my outdoor dining dinnerware.

to do the same you’ll need some basics – my suggestion is to keep things bright and fun! seriously, don’t take it too seriously. it should be fun and lively when you dine outside. pick bold colors and have fun playing with patterns.

1. start with your dishes – they can be melamine (target has a great selection this time of year) if you are concerned about breakage, or traditional ceramic/porcelain, etc. highly recommend keeping your fine china indoors though. pick a bold pattern and color.

2. grab some place-mats – they have a way of finishing off a table even with melamine plates and paper napkins and plastic utensils and cups. here’s the key: if you have a dish with a big pattern, then make your place-mat a tight pattern. if your dish has a tight pattern like the one above, then pick a place-mat with a big pattern.

3. napkins – pick a complementing color in a tight pattern. here, i love that pop of red/coral against the blue and yellow. you can use cloth napkins, which i like for fancier affairs, or paper napkins – which, by the way, can be perfect for fancier affairs now that they make such awesome paper napkins.

4. juice glasses. i love the size of juice glasses for water, iced tea and wine. it’s casual and relaxed and to me that’s what dining al fresco should be all about. of course you can stack water glasses, wine glasses, etc. at your place settings the fancier the event.

5. utensils. plastic. silverware. whatever pleases you. i do love that plastic flatware that looks like silver…

that’s all you need!  share pictures of your dining al fresco adventures – i’d love to see!

i love this time of year when the pool cover comes off, the flowers come out and the grill is fired up. i love, and i mean love dining outside. the food is lighter and more casual; the colors are vibrant; the noise, the breeze, the sun – i could go on and on.

in thinking about several occasions where i’ll be entertaining outside this spring and summer, i thought i’d share some of the things i’ve been pinning and some tips as you think about entertaining al fresco this year.

1. plan a menu. choose foods that are light, easy to put together and made in larger quantities. pick up a few pretty bowls for the summer – i like colored bowls versus clear for things like salad because once the contents get all over the side that glass doesn’t look so pretty anymore.

2. save that clear glass for beverages and vases. when it comes to drinking glasses, have a variety of heights – it will make your table glitter. for example, if you are serving brunch, have short juice glasses and tall champagne flutes. for vases, mix and match your glass and choose translucent colors in the palette you’ve selected. this is a good place to see through the glass, drinks and flowers. the stems of the flowers add texture to your table.

3. choose a runner in your palette or that complements. if you can’t fit a runner or table cloth because you are like me and have a round table with an umbrella that goes right through the middle, use placemats that give the same effect (in your palette or complements). also, keep your flowers low so you can have conversation without having to duck around an obstruction.

4. string large bulb lights for ambiance. go for the large bulbs, this is key, so it doesn’t look like christmas in july in your backyard. tealights in low vases or small cups on your table also adds to your ambiance.

most of all, have fun! stay tuned all spring and summer for lots more al fresco tips!

i’m not sure if cannolis are a thing beyond the reach of NJ, but in this NYC metro area they are a thing. if you’ve never had one, they’re just wonderful. the shell is typically fried and filled with a pastry cream that’s sweet, but not too sweet. the other day i stumbled on a recipe for mini cannoli cups and knew i just had to attempt these at home. i must say, not too shabby!

i followed two recipes, but ultimately if you want to make these i recommend gimme some oven’s recipe. don’t let the cornstarch freak you out. for me it made me a little nervous because it made it feel like there were so many more steps. there aren’t. just try it!

i used cooking with sugar’s recipe for the crust portion of my attempt. just note that if you follow cooking with sugar’s recipe, unless you make the crust very thin you will get a lot of crust flavor in your cannoli. this, you should know if you’ve never had a cannoli, is not what a cannoli tastes like. but, if you are a crust lover as i am, then definitely go this route. i think the won tons (a la gimme some oven) will give the filling the spotlight in every bite.

it’s amazing when your filling suddenly stiffens up on you – it will turn a pudding like consistency.

roll out pie crust with sugar and cinnamon (or use gimme some oven’s recipe and rock out your wontons – i think i would go with this version next time)

pop those bad boys in the oven

fill your cups up and dress with chocolate chips. dust with powdered sugar if you like.

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Recipe from Gimme Some Oven:

Makes approximately 30 servings:

• 1 package (16 oz.) wonton wrappers (***or use pie crusts; roll out with sugar and cinnamon pressed into the dough; everything else is exactly the same, even the precooking the crusts before filling)
• 1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
• powdered sugar (for dusting)

In a bowl, slowly whisk 1 cup of the milk into the cornstarch until smooth. Let sit about 20 minutes.

Transfer mixture into a sauce pan, and then add in the remaining milk and sugar. Heat on medium-low, stirring constantly until it is very thick and smooth (about 7-10 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the filling to avoid “skin”, and let cool until the mixture reaches room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then press 30-35 wonton wrappers (you can do this in multiple batches) into a mini baking cup pan to form the “cups”. (Be sure that the corners do not fold in after the pan sits for a minute!) Bake the cups for 10-15 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown. Remove and let cool.

After the milk mixture has reached room temperature, whisk in the ricotta and cinnamon until smooth. (You can also do this with an electric mixer on low.) Use a pastry bag to pipe the mixture into the baked wonton cups, or use a spoon to scoop it in. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, then dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate, or serve immediately.

valentine’s day is one of those “holidays” that i have never really been into. but this year, we thought it would be fun to celebrate with our friends – to celebrate how we’re all like a big family that truly loves each other and cares for one another. what is better than that?! i wanted to bring everyone something a little extra special so i went with “dressed up” thumbprint cookies. these hugs (instead of kisses) looked like tuxedos to me, so i had to run with it.

for these thumbprint cookies, i grabbed a bag of hershey’s valentine’s day special hugs – they have a little raspberry swirl in them that gives them an extra punch. popped them onto a sugar cookie, added a love note, and ta da! happy valentine’s day, it is! i also used this martha stewart recipe, but you can definitely use break and bakes or sliceable pre-made dough.

what are your plans for valentine’s day? will you do something special for your other half?

thumbprint cookies are quite simple once you have the dough prepared. preheat to 325-350 depending on your oven. bake your dough 8-11 minutes depending on the thickness; let the cookies cool and then place your kiss (or in this case, hug) onto your cookie. let cool another 5 before handling and then you’re done!

he liked them!

i plated the cookies on a gold square plate and dressed up with the special valentine’s day edition hershey’s hugs. hopefully all our friends enjoy them for our valentine’s day gathering!