Strawberry Blueberry Napoleons

This recipe for Strawberry Blueberry Napoleon is another great entertaining gem - easy to make, sophisticated presentation and can be made in advance and assembled in 3 minutes after dinner.

Don't let the phyllo pasty intimidate you - even if they are a broken mess when you put them in the oven, they will end up looking great. I also must confess, I never have bothered with the balsamic sauce.

I made it most recently when we had our also pregnant neighbors over for dinner. Greg made his famous steak frites for dinner and I was in charge of salad and dessert. It was a fun night and we enjoyed getting to know our neighbors better - we've only lived in our house about five years now, so I suppose it's about time!

Summer Squash Lattice Tart

And I'm back...not sure where I went. I've been cooking plenty, but just haven't been blogging about it. I think I got off track with the holiday craziness. I'm about to have my first baby so we'll see how long I can keep this up, but until then I am back.

I've made Martha's Summer Squash Lattice Tart tart lots of times when entertaining as it always gets lots of "ooohhhs and ahhs" both for appearance and taste. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner at the Pannoni's this year with friends and I brought this over as an appetizer. While no, it's not the easiest dish to make it's not really hard either (just don't make this on top of five other complex dishes when entertaining).

Shortbread Fingers

Growing up I was never a fan of shortbread, but as an adult I've really come to love their buttery delicousness. I think I truely came to appreciate them while living in London as they are the perfect accompanyment to "a spot of tea".

These were delicious adn was another Martha Steward Baking Handbook recipe. I couldn't find the exact same one on line, but I think this one is pretty close.

Tiramisu Eggnog Trifle

I was looking for something special to bring as dessert our annual Christmas Party and found this recipe for Tiramisu Eggnog Trifle on Epicurious which got great reader reviews. I am not usually a huge fan of tiramisu generally, as I think it's mushy. Despite my best efforts to keep this one from being mushy (didn't soak the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture but a second), it was but it was still pretty good and was a great option for a group that isn't big fans of chocolate - I know, shameful!

The best part of this dessert is the visual presentation with the chocolate leaves. I was hesitant to tackle them, but all the reader comments said it was easy and it was. I used the bay plant leaves I had in my backyard with white chocolate (see above!) with a few redhots to make it look like a poinsettia. My only advice is to make twice the amount of leaves you think you'll need as some will break as you peel the leaves off.

Banana Cream Pie

My friend Dave loves Banana Cream pie, so when it came time to tackle the Banana Cream Pie recipe in the Martha Stewart Baking Book, I decided to surprise Dave. While he was definately surprised and politely gushed over it, I don't think it was very good - the custard part was too gelatinous for me (not even going to post it!)

Chicken Pot Pies

It was Guy Fawkes Night last week and in celebration of it and our one year anniversary back from the UK, I decided to make chicken pot pie. I was really pleased with this recipe from Epicurious. I served this to some friends with a side salad and it got good reviews.

While not exactly light, if you pour out the bacon grease instead of sauteing the onions in it, it's much more reasonable. I substituted the french beans for a frozen peas for a more traditional approach. They were easy and a delicious way to warm up a cold and rainy night.

Beef "Ghoul"osh

Every year around Halloween (my favorite holiday) I make Martha Stewart's recipe for beef goulash. It sticks to your ribs and helps counter balance all my candy corn consumption.

This isn't a lite meal and is best shared with friends. This recipe will make enough for plenty of leftovers.