Tampa Caterer Shares Super Bowl Recipes & Party Planning Tips

Are you having friends and family over to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday? Score big with these simple Super Bowl party planning recipes and tips.
The Super bowl in being played at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, so lets' get cooking with some



Texas Style Dry Rubbed Wings.
Grab:
4 -lbs of chicken wings, both drumettes and wings
1- tabs chipotle powder
1- tabs granulated garlic, no salt added
1- tabs toasted cumin seeds
1- tabs smoked paprika powder
1- teaspoon of kosher or sea salt

Preparation:
Wash wings and clip pointy tips just slightly at the ends. Pat with a paper towel and move to the side to allow drying. Preheat oven to 500 degrees; mix all your spice in a bowl large enough to accommodate the wings.
Toss wings in dry rub spice until well coated, layout on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with a high temperature cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes at this temperature, reduce heat to 350 and cook about another 20 minutes. Try putting these on a hot grill over an open flame turn frequently for the first 10 minutes until they get crisp, cover grill and move the wings to the side continue cooking an additional 15 minutes until finished.

Beer Cheese Fondue
Grab:
2 lb. block of Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 lb. block of Swiss cheese, shredded
1- 6 pack your favorite beer, dark beers work beautifully in this recipe
2- tabs cornstarch
2- cups low sodium Chicken Stock
1-head of cauliflower (blanched)
1- head of broccoli (blanched)
1-large loaf of sour dough bread, chunked

Preparation:
Blanch Vegetables in boiling salted water for 3 – 4 minutes, remove and place in ice water bath to stop the cooking process, chill and separated floret’s from the heads.
Bring 1-bottle of beer to boil, reduce heat to med-low, and slowly add in cheeses until all have been incorporated keep stirring. Combine chicken stock with cornstarch and mix well, add to hot cheese mixture a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Fondue should be thick enough to cling to your vegetables and breads.


Pittsburg Black and Blue Burgers
(Pittsburg Rare is a term coined in cooking that is as old as the Steelers themselves.) When cooking steaks, burgers or anything Pittsburg Rare you sear/char the outside black quickly over a very high heat, which locks in the juices and leaves the center rare. Typically this method produces a crunchy outer layer a wonderful contract to the cool soft center.

Grab:
3 – lbs of lean ground Beef
6 – ounces of crumbled Blue cheese
3- tab chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1-tabs course ground Black pepper

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and mix well, Divide into 9 equal 6 - ounce portion, and hand form patties. Chill well and take straight from the fridge to a very hot grill.

events by Amore UPDATES: Tampa Caterer Shares Gasparilla Party Planning Tips

events by Amore UPDATES: Tampa Caterer Shares Gasparilla Party Planning Tips

Tampa Caterer Shares Gasparilla Party Planning Tips

Gasparilla is one of Linda Caivano-Baldwin's favorite times of year! As the owner of Amore - It's A Lifestyle in South Tampa, she has planned parties big and small for this fun day. Here are a few tricks of the trade from her that you can easily do at home!

1. Halloween decorations do double-duty when you use them again to create fun Gasparilla-inspired centerpieces. You can take a ceramic skull, add an inexpensive 3-cornered felt hat, and then surround the skull with some beads and coins.

2. For another Florida touch, pop a little floral foam inside the ceramic piece and add a few flowers. Will there be children at your party? Weave some gummy worms in and out of the mouth and add chocolate coins for a sweet treat.

3. If you are feeling a bit more industrious, stop by Home Depot or Lowe’s and grab a piece of plywood, dark brown stain and a few door hinges. Stain the board, attach the door hinges and place the finished piece over your buffet table, and you have an instant pirate- themed buffet.

4. Use plastic pirate chests to hold cocktail napkins and disposable utensils.

5. Drape Jolly Roger flags over the tables and hang fishing net from the ceiling.

6. Plan a children’s scavenger hunt or let the kids create their own treasure maps on large rolls of paper that you can purchase at any home craft store. Mom or Dad can singe the edges of the drawings to give them an authentic look. Tape them to the walls so all your guests can enjoy!

Still need beads and other Gasparilla supplies? Check out Features Costumes and Bead Barn, 3015 W. Barcelona Street in Tampa and Buccaneer Beads, 3808 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tampa. Both carry a large supply.

Have fun this weekend!

www.amorelifestyle.co , www.eventsbyamore.com, www.amoretogo.com 4245 Henderson Blvd. Tampa FL. 33629 P: 813.287.2253

The 5 Most Important Lessons to Learn about Cooking Food that will Keep you on your Diet

1. That what you cook is not nearly as important as how you do it! If you dust a chicken breast with some spices and either boil - broil or cook it in a pan on medium heat, it's going to taste yuck!. Take that same chicken breast and rub it with fresh herbs, lemon, garlic and then cook it at high heat on the stove top, and you'll seal in the flavors and bring out the spices, now you will end up with a dish that tastes entirely different and is very enjoyable.


2. Don't make the mistake of squishing your burgers with the intention of pushing out the fat, what you are really doing is drying out your meat and taking out all of the flavor and juice. Buy extra-lean instead of lean meat it makes all the difference.

3. Experiment making your own salad dressings, substitute low-fat or fat - free plain yogurt or Greek yogurt for mayo, or buttermilk in the recipe.

The trick is to strain it through a fine mesh colander or
drain it overnight, which allows all the liquids to be removed. That gives you a higher concentrate of flavor in the yogurt and it will be a better binder. Add in finely chopped fresh parsley, garlic, onion, green peppers and a pinch of cayenne pepper , let the flavors blend for 2 hours in the fridge. The result is a thicker, full-bodied delicious alternative to a higher calorie dressing.


4. STOP thinking " no - fat" and start thinking "smart fat" "No-fat cooking tastes terrible, but if you exchange the bad saturated fats for healthy (good) monounsaturated fats, everything will taste better, you will be eating a whole lot better and be much less likely to cheat!


5. Relatively inexpensive but healthy kitchen essentials you should have on hand to guide you on your path, are a food scale (so you know how big your portions really are); an olive oil sprayer, to add flavor with minimum calories; and a mallet to tenderize low-fat (lean cuts) of meats.




Linda Caivano - Baldwin C.P.C.E.

Eat 'Clean' to Shed Holiday Pounds!

Trying to shed some holiday meal pounds? Dieting doesn't have to be bland. Try these tips for healthy, yet entertaining, meals.

It's a problem many of us face: How do you lose those extra pounds you put on during the holidays?

The scrumptious meal at Thanksgiving is quickly followed by holiday parties, cookie swaps, pie-baking, Hanukkah celebrations, Christmas feasts, New Year's Eve buffets and New Year's Day football parties.

Now it's the New Year, and that brings with it new resolutions to look and feel your best. Dieting doesn't have to mean eating only broiled chicken and salad. When I wanted to lose weight – and lose inches – I started eating clean. Here's what you do:

* Combine lean proteins and complex carbs at every meal
* Avoid salt, sugar, white rice and white flour
* Avoid saturated and trans fats
* Avoid soda and other sugary drinks
* Eat proper portion sizes
* Drink 8 cups of water per day

I know it can sound daunting, but you can make ultra-healthy food that tastes good. Here are some of my favorite recipes that are full of flavor, but are low-calorie, low-carb, and sodium and gluten-free:

* Instead of a typical meat lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, make a hearty, healthy lasagna by layering eggplant, ground up chicken that's seasoned with oregano, parsley, basil, thyme and fennel, with a tomato/basil sauce and a little cottage cheese to hold it all together. It's 190 calories for an 8-ounce piece.

* Instead of making traditional chiles rellenos, which are typically peppers stuffed with cheese and meat and then breaded and deep-fried, make a filling out of spinach and chicken with just a half-ounce of queso cheese to hold it all together, and then roast it. Calorie count: 147

* Skip a piece of plain chicken and instead make Orange Basil Chicken. Just puree the whole orange, add fresh basil and a little garlic and marinate it for 30 to 45 minutes, then bake it, basting it with the marinade every so often to give it even more flavor. There's no need for any oil or salt.

For copies of these recipes visit our website http://eventsbyamore.com/togo.html and click on the link to view our recipes

Linda Caivano-Baldwin is a Certified Professional Catering Executive (CPCE) whose skills have been honed by 25 years in the catering, restaurant, and event production industry. In 2006, she founded her event production and catering company, Amore – It's A Lifestyle, at 4245 Henderson Blvd. in South Tampa. This fall, she added a line of ultra-healthy, ready-to-heat meals called Amore Now – Healthy Lifestyle To Go. To view the recipes listed above, visit her website at www.eventsbyamore.com.

Host a gathering for NYE

Thinking of hosting a New Years Eve cocktail party?
The gifts are unwrapped, and the last of the roast pork sandwiches are officially gone. Are you feeling a little let down, well don’t! Instead invite some close friends over to celebrate and toast to good fortunes in your future.

The party should start a few hours before midnight; around 9:30 or 10:00 pm is a good idea.

The tips below will help you throw one last bash, and create the perfect atmosphere for your soiree.

A cocktail party, especially one with a New Year’s theme, is meant for mingling, and nibbling on delicious morsels of food.


You will need some sort of bar to hold your bottles, glasses and food. Consider moving a low cabinet over to the side of the room and out of the way.
Maybe you don't bother with a full bar, but instead do just sparkling wine!
Try:
• Veuve Clicquot $39.95
• Moet & Chandon $13.95
• Domaine Ste. Michelle $8.95
• Freixenet $7.95

Another cost-friendly alternative is to arrange the ingredients for three or four cocktails out on the table along with shakers so guests can create their own drinks.
Ideas:
Classic Martini [Gin/Vodka, Dry Vermouth, Blue cheese-Stuffed Olives]
Bellini [Peach Schnapps and Champagne]

Decorating tips
• End tables placed in the corners of the room can house snacks and things that are easily picked up.
• Turn your space into a lounge by creating a good party flow. Rearrange furniture into “conversation clusters” so that the couch is freed from the wall and placed in the middle of the room, two wing chairs are grouped in another area and a couple of floor cushions are placed in a corner for more intimate conversations.
• A few white paper lanterns can give your space a festive touch without looking over the top, check out Pier One for this item, they have tons and they are very inexpensive.
• .
• Pick up a light dimmer from your local hardware store for the party room. Turn the main light down a bit and place floor lights, replaced with low wattage bulbs on the peripheral of the space. Start the evening with brighter lights when everyone is getting to know each other, going darker the closer you get to midnight.
• Noisemakers and party hats, “New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be complete without them.” Go for a chic approach and choose hats and noisemakers in similar colors to match your room’s décor place them everywhere even on your buffet

The Menu
• Guests don’t have the luxury of sitting down to a table to use knives and forks, so meals should be served appetizer-style, either laid out on the sideboard or taken around with napkins. Our chef’s at Amore www.eventsbyamore.com have compiled a great line-up of hors d’ oeuvres specifically tailored for a New Year's Eve cocktail party menu, you can order to pick them up or if the budget allows service is always a fabulous option.

• Mirrors make very sexy serving trays and with the addition of a few tea lights will make the serving table twinkle all night long. Just wash your mirrors thoroughly and adorn with a few votives held in small holders and place them on the table you are using for food to pick up the light.


Small gifts are simple to make, yet a great memento of the fun your guests had as at your party.
• Purchase a stack of re-writeable CDs that come in colorful cases (even better if the color coordinates with your decor scheme) and burn a personal album for each guest containing a selection of your favorite music.
• Pick up inexpensive, Chinese take-out style boxes or order online in any color www.papermart.com, and fill them with gold chocolate coins. Personalize each box by writing a good luck wish for the New Year and signing your name.

Iron chef fundraiser

Iron chef fundraiser