Category archives: The Main Ingredient

  • SIPS - The Aurum Manhattan

  • Vernon Duke's heartfelt and melancholy song  "Autumn in New York" is the perfect listen for homesick New Yorkers this time of year. The song was originally written for the Broadway musical Thumbs Up!  My favorite version was recorded by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Listen. Short of being in[...]
  • SIPS - The Spritz

  • All new this month, I am deputing SIPS; a specialty cocktail blog post for each month of the year.  Happily, I have both my own experience with some really great SIPS and will also be drawing great cocktail ideas from some of my favorite friends, clients and caterers to contribute to this series of [...]
  • Chocolate Cups

  • A big thank you to Liz Green of Bar Candy for sharing with us her unique, elegant and yummy product!  These edible chocolate "cups"  make for a beautiful and interesting cocktail or dessert display at your next wedding or event!  I am so excited to contribute to The Main Event's blog (I am a hu[...]
  • Chocolate Lovers Rejoice

  • Last night some friends and I were discussing the one food we cannot live without.  For me it was a no brainer - chocolate.  I just love it.  I love its velvety texture, the way it melts on your tongue, the deep rich flavor.  Yes, you could say I am obsessed.  So you can imagine my joy when my addic[...]
  • Mamma Mia! Meatballs

  • For years now, I have been trying to make meatballs. I mixed the meat with veggies, ketchup and other choice ingredients, rolled them into balls and then placed them in a saute pan to cook.  Invariably, they would fall apart and my spaghetti and meatballs always became spaghetti with Bolognese sauce[...]
  • Twix Pie

  • Shortly After Halloween I entered the local bake off contest.  I decided to enter all four of the categories: cakes, cookies, pies and miscellaneous.  I had been working on a chocolate cake for some time so I knew I would go with that as my cake submission.  For the miscellaneous category I entered [...]
  • Luna Loves Lima Beans

  • Perhaps it was Camilla Cream, the main character from the book A Bad Case of Stripes, or perhaps it was just my curiosity.  Whichever the inspiration as I was strolling down the bean aisle of the grocery store I picked up a bag of Lima Beans.  After unpacking the groceries I must admit the beans wer[...]
  • Tarragon Latkes

  • When you grow your own Tarragon, you end up with A LOT of dried tarragon each fall.  I harvest it, dry it and put it in containers to give as gifts, and I still have more than I can use till the next harvest!  So, this year, to spice up my latkes, I of course added some Tarragon. Ingredients 1[...]
  • Italian Cooking with Hannah Hopkins

  • My friend Hannah Hopkins, Executive Chef at Steamboats' Mambo Italiano, asked me to assist her at last weekends Culinary Arts demonstration as part of the All Arts Festival.  So of course I said "YES." What a treat to cook with such an accomplished chef and all around great woman (and she's a fel[...]
  • Apricot Baked Chicken

  • This  family favorite is a staple in our house.  My mother always made it, and it's easy as pie (way easier actually).  It's a perfect dish to bring to a potluck as well as serving for a dinner party.  It only takes a few minutes to assemble and then bakes for an hour.  My good friend (and best reci[...]
  • What to do with your leftover Turkey

  • I am on day 3 of what to do with my leftover turkey.   Here's what I whipped up for dinner tonight: a chili with lentils - one of the healthiest beans around.  It's got a bit of a kick, so if you are sensitive to heat just use one chili. Turkey Chili 3 dried ancho or habanero chili’s (each abo[...]