easy does it: entertaining

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easy does it: entertaining food & entertaining
birthday luncheon
Honor someone special with a personalized celebration.
by patty roper | photography by bonnie dickerson
Honor your best friend forever, mom, sister, or anyone special
on their day with this easy, colorful, and fun luncheon. It would also be a lovely venue and menu for a bridesmaids’ luncheon or dinner with family and friends. Set the scene with the honoree’s favorite color and preferred flowers. Choose a china and style that matches her preferences. Personalize the occasion with the
honoree in mind.
Decorate the entrance table or front hall chest with the guest of honor’s monogram made of wooden craft
store letters painted metallic gold and tied with a silk ribbon. Place mini bouquets in tiny vases with gold
ribbons attaching nametags above plates to direct guests to their places. (The guest of honor is always seated
to the right of the hostess.) Easy table decorations create a relaxed atmosphere with several contemporary,
rectangular clear glass vases wrapped with gold ribbons down the length of the table. Each display holds an
asymmetrical arrangement of like flowers gathered with gold ribbon bands. And now is the time to pull out
your favorite goblets, silver, and linens. Enjoy using your wedding gifts, family heirlooms, and antiques and
flea-market finds. It will make everyone feel special.
Welcome guests with a fun Biscuit Bar. Serve delicious Buttermilk Biscuits or prepared tea biscuits with
choices of Chocolate Sauce, honey, jams, and whipped cream, as well as coffee and tea. Homemade Raspberry Jam in tiny jars with special labels makes a great favor for guests.
Guests enter the dining room and enjoy Supreme Chicken Breasts over rice, Baked Asparagus, and Strawberry Pretzel Salad. And of course, dessert is the guest of honor’s favorite, Tiramisu Cheesecake. But the best
treat of all is honoring your BFF!
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easy does it: entertaining food & entertaining
BFF
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easy does it: entertaining food & entertaining
Fall is calling.
biscuit bar
Time for Renaissance.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Chocolate Sauce & Whipped Cream
Jams & Honey
Coffee & Tea
Buttermilk Biscuits
1 to 1¼ cups self-rising flour
½ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
¼ teaspoon salt
½ stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, buttermilk, shortening, and
salt; dough will be sticky. Knead dough, and roll to ½-inch thickness on
floured surface. Cut biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, without twisting. Place
on lightly greased baking pan with sides touching to produce taller, fluffier
biscuits. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and brush with butter.
Return to oven for 2 minutes until lightly browned.
Yield: 1½ dozen
Chocolate Sauce
¾ cup sugar
²/³ cup evaporated milk
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¹/³ cup light corn syrup
¹/³ cup butter
1½ teaspoon vanilla
In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and
corn syrup over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, over
medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Remove
from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm over biscuits.
Yield: 2 cups
Raspberry Jam
4½ cups crushed raspberries
1 (1.75-ounce) box Sure-Jell fruit pectin
7 cups sugar
In saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together raspberries and fruit
pectin. Heat to a hard boil. Add sugar, and mix well. Bring to a rolling boil
for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim foam from
top with a metal spoon. Stir and skim for 5 minutes to cool slightly and
prevent floating fruit. Ladle into sterilized jars, and seal immediately.
Yield: 8 half-pints
experience Fall and one-of-a-kind
outdoor shopping and dining.
Renaissance at Colony Park.
Time Well Spent.
Altar’d State ■ Angie’s ■ Ann Taylor ■ Ann Taylor Loft
Another Broken Egg Café ■ Anthropologie ■ The Apple Store
Apricot Lane Boutique ■ Aqua The Day Spa ■ Banana Republic
BankPlus ■ Barnes & Noble Booksellers ■ Barnette’s Salon
BellaChes Specialty Gifts ■ Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Brooks Brothers ■ C Spire Wireless ■ Caché ■ Charming Charlie
Chico’s ■ Coldwater Creek ■ Custom Tailoring by Al ■ Ethan
Allen Furniture ■ Five Guys Burgers and Fries ■ Francesca’s
Collection ■ The Fresh Market ■ GNC ■ Amy’s Hallmark
Hearron Fine Gifts ■ The Hyatt Place Hotel ■ I.O. Metro
Furniture ■ J. Crew ■ J. Jill ■ Jolly Orthodontics ■ Judith Lee’s
Justice Just for Girls ■ Learning Express Toys ■ Lemon Meringue
Libby Story ■ Lucky Brand Jeans ■ Material Girls ■ Merle
Norman ■ Mint the Restaurant ■ Oswego Jewelers ■ P.F. Chang’s
China Bistro ■ Pink Bombshell ■ Portrait Innovations ■ Red
Square Clothing Co. ■ Ridgeland Visitors Center ■ Ruth’s Chris
Steak House ■ Sand Dollar Lifestyles ■ Scottrade ■ Sephora
SleepStore by Miskelly ■ Smoothie King ■ Solstice Sunglass
Boutique ■ Soma Intimates ■ Southern Breeze Art Gallery
Sweet Peppers Deli ■ Talbots ■ Traditional Jewelers ■ Vintage
Wine Market ■ White House/Black Market ■ Williams-Sonoma
FInd uS On FACebOOk
I-55 at Old Agency Road, Ridgeland, Mississippi
For leasing information, contact The Mattiace Company at
601.352.1818. See all our retail stores and restaurants online at
www.RenaissanceAtColonyPark.com
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MENU
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Supreme Chicken Breasts
Baked Asparagus
Tiramisu Cheesecake
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Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Crust:
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup butter, melted
2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
Strawberry Layer:
1 (6-ounce) package strawberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
For garnish: Lettuce leaves, whipped topping,
and fresh strawberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For crust, mix confectioners’ sugar with butter, then add pretzels.
Press mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake 8 minutes. Cool; and chill 30 minutes. For filling,
with mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over pretzel
layer. Chill for 30 to 45 minutes. For strawberry layer, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add strawberries; stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese layer, and chill until set. Cut into squares or shapes
with a cookie cutter. Serve on lettuce leaf with a whipped topping and fresh strawberries.
Yield: 12 servings
Supreme Chicken Breasts
1 (2.25-ounce) jar sliced, dried beef
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Black and white peppers, paprika, onion salt,
and celery salt to taste
12 strips bacon
2 (10.75-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
Cooked rice
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spread dried beef in a single layer on the bottom of a greased 9 x
13-inch baking dish. Cut each breast into 2 strips. Sprinkle each strip with seasonings. Roll each strip
with spices on the inside; wrap with slice of bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place each chicken
roll on top of a piece of dried beef. Combine soups, sour cream, and cream cheese; pour over chicken. Cover with foil, and bake for 2½ hours. Remove foil and brown for 20 minutes. Serve over rice.
Yield: 12 servings
Pat Caskey, Ridgeland
Baked Asparagus
1½ pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon each olive oil and lemon pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place asparagus on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and
lemon pepper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Lynn Slay, Brandon
Tiramisu Cheesecake
½ stick butter, melted
2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
5 tablespoons triple-strength coffee or Kahlua, divided
1 (4-ounce) bar semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
1¼ cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
For garnish: Powdered cocoa, whipped cream,
chocolate-covered coffee beans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and vanilla wafer crumbs; moisten with 2 tablespoons coffee or Kahlua. Press on the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of lightly greased 9-inch
springform pan. Sprinkle chocolate pieces over crust. For cream cheese filling, with mixer, beat
cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and remaining 3 tablespoons coffee or Kahlua. Beat
until combined. Bake on middle rack of oven with a pan of water on bottom rack of oven for 45
minutes or until set. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven with door open for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven to wire rack. Stir together mascarpone and remaining ¼ cup sugar until creamy.
Spread over warm cheesecake. When cool, chill 3-5 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with cocoa, and
garnish with whipped cream and chocolate-covered coffee beans.
Yield: 8-10 servings
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