Parsnipity Parties

02/02/2025

Pollo al b***o alla fiorentina (Florentine Butter Chicken) with Gnocchi. "Restaurant" meals in the comfort and beauty of your own home.

30/12/2024

We had a little party for my husband's birthday last night that we wanted to keep casual; no fancy catering. However, we had a wedge of brie, some dried cranberries and puff pastry and I decided that the wedge of brie looked like a Christmas tree. So I wrapped it in puff pastry along with my original recipe for cranberry sauce and it was the hit of the party! It was pretty and the flavors were amazing.

I made the cranberry sauce (recipe below). I placed the wedge on egg-washed puff pastry and placed the cranberry sauce on top of the wedge. I wrapped the wedge like a present, pinching together the seams. I then flipped it and cut a star out of the puff pastry, holding the star in place with a toothpick. I brushed with melted butter and then sprinkled with pink rosemary salt. I placed the extra cranberry sauce under the tree. I baked it in a 180 c (350 f) oven for 35 minutes. I removed the toothpick and then drizzled the tree with honey and sprinkled with thyme leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Cranberry Sauce
In a small pot, combine:
8-10 ounces (or so) of dried cranberries
½ cup of a berry-flavored syrup such as you would use for Italian ice. In Portugal, I use Albergaria brand xarope de groselha (current syrup)
1 cup triple sec
2 long strips of lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
Allow cranberries to soak in this liquid until they plump up
Add:
1 tart apple, very finely diced
peels of two apples (apple peels have pectin in them and this will give the sauce a jammy quality)
Cook over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken and the apples are cooked through. Cool and remove cinnamon stick, lemon peels and apple peels before serving. I like to garnish with orange zest.

28/10/2024

Baby Shower Menu: Deviled Egg Babies, Veggie Train with Hummus, Sushi Mosaic, Coronation Chicken Rounds, Asian Meatballs, Egg Salad Sandwiches, Salmon Puffs with Dill Mustard Sauce, Cheese and Crackers. Cupcakes by Dr. Emily Schoen Reid. Food art by Craig Bjork.

23/09/2024

Have you ever dreamed of having your own private chef working away in your kitchen to serve you beautifully fresh meals? Parsnipity Parties can make that happen.

Chef Cynthia recently created a Portuguese meal, as requested, for some clients in their home on the Silver Coast. They enjoyed their Portuguese meal served elegantly and with the tweaks and twists Chef Cynthia is known for. For dessert, they opted for a Craig Bjork cheesecake, always a favorite at a Parsnipity event. This meal accommodated allergies to nuts, fish, sesame, mustard, tropical fruits and gluten. Do you want to treat one of your friends with special dietary needs to a meal catered to those needs and delicious for everyone? A private chef highly motivated to making safe and yummy meals is just what you need.

22/09/2024

If you would enjoy learning how to make beautiful, nutritious food at home from scratch, follow my tips and tutorials at Cooking Outside the Box.

Helpful hints, recipe ideas and information on preparing healthful food from scratch.

01/06/2024

Another animal event. Anyone want to go?

27/05/2024

Yesterday I donated my catering for a Silent Auction for The Kitten Connection at PHABRIK art+design in Serra d'El Rei, Portugal. I chose the theme "Spring Kittens" for the menu because we all know to celebrate spring is to celebrate kittens. I want to thank Dr. Emily Schoen Reid who acted as sou chef. Click through the photos to find out what we created for our vegan/vegetarian hors d'oeuvres. The event raised over 2000 euros for the rescue of kitties.