EVENT: In the Small Kitchen, Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You
MENU: Dark Chocolate Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks; Chocolate Chip Cookies with Milk and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Good news in the oven at BGSK!

No, we have not conceived a love child. Or maybe on second thought, we have conceived something, and maybe it is a love child of sorts. It’s not a little girl though (that’s Helena, daughter of Rebecca, who’s enabling our first catering gig). What it is: a book! It’s been a year-long process, with a lot of help in the…

EVENT: Jordana’s 25th Birthday, and the 1-Year BGSK Anniversary
VENUE: Jor’s Parents’ Apartment, Upper West Side
PARTY SIZE: 40-50
TYPE: Hardy, Asian-Themed Cocktail Buffet
MENU: BBQ Chicken Satays (P); Soy-Sesame Tofu Satays (C); Asian Meatballs with Tomato-Ginger Chutney (P); Manchurian Cauliflower (P); Summer Rolls (C); Peanut Udon Noodles (C); Potato-Pea Masala with Cilantro-Mint Chutney (P); Naan (Local Indian Takeout); Cupcakes Three Ways (C)
PHOTOS BY: Alex

Exactly a year ago, as I…

EVENT: The Lapine Thanksgiving
VENUE: Phoebe’s Parents’ Barn, Katonah New York
PARTY SIZE: 35-40
MENU: Grilled Turkey (Uncle Porky); Apple Cider Gravy, String Beans with Spiced Nuts, Semi-Sweet Potato Mash with Spiced Caramelized Onions (Mom); Mixed Greens with Lemon-Chive Vinaigrette, Pumpkin Leek Stuffing with Turkey Sausage (Me); Cranberry Sauce (Aunt Susan); Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie (Cousin Holly); Pumpkin Cheesecake (Cousin Jessica); Fruit Cake (Cousin Julie)

My dad’s side of the family is very close. In fact, my aunt, the only girl of four, married a man whose name…

EVENT: Thanksgiving
VENUE: Cara’s Mom’s House, Riverdale
PARTY SIZE: 12-25
MENU: Turkey; Gravy; Roasted Brussels Sprouts; Double Baked Sweet Potatoes; Cauliflower Puree; Broccoli Puree; Grandma Jane’s Chestnut Stuffing; Biscuits; Chocolate Marquise with Mocha Whipped Cream Frosting; One-Crust Apple Tart; Pecan Pie; Pound Cake

My mom throws Thanksgiving every year in the house I grew up in. The size varies from about 12 to 25, depending on where my uncles wind up, but the contents of the menu rarely change, even if the…

EVENT: Bon Appetit Holiday Recipe Contest-Vote for the Mousse here!
DISH: Chocolate Mousse with Gingerbread Whipped Cream
PART OF THIS HOLIDAY MENU: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon; Inside-Out Ravioli Pasta

Last week, Phoebe and I got to discussing the strange and tragic dearth of chocolate around the holidays. Between the spices and the nuts, the fruited loaves and the Christmas cookies, I suppose there just isn’t room for it (though my Thanksgiving dessert spread, which features my sister’s rendition of Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Marquise with Coffee Cream, and the cake…

EVENT: Thursday Night “Home-Cooked” Meal
VENUE: Upper West Side Shelter for Seniors
TYPE: Sit-Down, (Paper-) Plated Family Dinner
PARTY SIZE: 20
MENU: Mediterranean Catfish Spaghetti; Salad; Cookies

For most of my life, I’ve felt more or less involved in my community. Back in high school and college, I often volunteered by way of class or curriculum at a variety of different organizations in New York City and Providence. It’s occurred to me over the course of this past year that since I’ve left school and have been…

EVENT: A 24th Birthday Din-arty
VENUE: Phoebe’s Parents’ Apartment, Upper West Side
TYPE: Large Buffet Dinner Party
PARTY SIZE: 40
MENU: Mini Meatball Subs; Wild Mushroom Mac ‘n Cheese; Pesto Mac ‘n Cheese; Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheese; Arugula Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette; Big Kid Hot Chocolate (Adam); Red Velvet Cupcakes (Salima)

Birthdays are always kind of stressful. Every year I face the approaching day with a super laid-back attitude. And then the day arrives, and…

WEEKNIGHT MENU SUGGESTIONS: Lemon-Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts; Apple Walnut Cake

The other week I came upon a recipe on Sprouted Kitchen for Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas. I loved the idea of combining fresh ginger and lime juice with some of the more typically “Fall” dried spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. I used butternut squash instead of the potatoes suggested, since I had it on hand. The result was delicious, if a little less caramelized than I normally like my squash due to all the moisture in the…

EVENT: Welcome Home Essie Potluck
VENUE: Phoebe’s apartment, obviously
PARTY SIZE: 15
MENU: Root Veggie Gratin (C); Squash and Sprout Orzo Salad (P); Eggplant Parmesan, & Pasta Pomodoro with Ricotta Cream (Jennie); Ginger Salsa (Essie); Tofu (Leora)
MAIN CONTRIBUTOR: Jennie, obviously

We welcomed Essie home from her two year sojourn in Mozambique with a classic rendition of the everybody-contributes dinner party we’ve made a standing tradition in her absence. In this case, we had a little bit more of the socialist mentality than usual.…

DISH: Arugula Caprese
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Arugula, Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Pinenuts
MENU: Prosciutto & Fontina Panini with Arugula Pesto; Espresso Biscotti

I love Caprese Salads as much as the next home cook. They are simple to make, can be assembled in advance without worrying, like other salads, about soggy greens, and once the platter is complete, the result is downright beautiful. Every time Leora brings her token Caprese to Mag Club, it always ends up the centerpiece of the table, my pictures from the…