Potluck Parties

These past two months, Mag Club ESP has been in full effect. And what was on the menu? Beans, beans, and nothing but beans.

At Julie’s, we had falafel, spicy black bean dip, two types of lentils, white bean and cabbage salad, and hummus. A few weeks ago at Michelle’s, the spread was a little more diverse, but no sooner had I whipped out my Tupperware of Spanish Rice with Crispy Chickpeas than I noticed Kate’s bowl of roasted chickpeas in full crunchy glory sitting on the coffee table right before me.

Roasted chickpeas have become a potluck go-to of …

CHECK OUT OUR 10 Best Super Bowl Snacks AND Vegetarian Super Bowl Buffet!

The Super Bowl is coming up, and it’s bound to be a good game. We hear people are excited.

What do we have to contribute? Cool old Giants sweatshirts, lots of team spirit, some luck to the office pool, and food.

Together with Food Network and a host of other food sites and bloggers, we’re participating in the Big Game virtual potluck. And we’re bringing Pulled Pork Quesadillas, which are colorful, easy to assemble, and based on our favorite game day meat: pork butt. To make …

MAG CLUB HALL OF FAME: Southwestern Artichoke Dip; Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad; Caprese Salad; Chocolate Bottomed Blondies

It’s no secret that Jordana is, er, the weak link of Mag Club cooking. It’s never cause for complaint though, since her contribution usually involves take-out sesame noodles from the restaurant on the ground floor of her building. It also often times means booze. The Jordana recipe we’ve featured in the past was homemade Sangria from this Cinco de Mayo gathering in the first year of Mag Club’s inception.

But there was one Mag Club, about a year …

OTHER WARM DIPS: Panko-Crusted Spinach Dip; Ali’s Southwestern Artichoke Dip; Gooey Mexican Dip

Back on the hottest weekend this summer, that week in July when the wind stopped and the temperature never once dropped below 100°F during daylight hours, Alex and I journeyed even further south than our overheated New York to Philadelphia, to meet his parents and brother for a concert.

On Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, we walked around the city like regular sightseers, not sightseers who were drenched in sweat, ridiculously thirsty, and even a little dizzy from the heat. I hadn’t even been …

There’s quite an art, as you’ll be finding out all this week, to brown bagging. We are big believers in the benefits of bringing your lunch with you to work (we have a whole chapter about “packing the quarter-life lunchbox” in our book!), on planes and trains, and wherever your day may take  you.

We want to motivate the college set–post-grads starting first jobs and undergrads doing summer internships–to get in the habit early. So this week we’re co-hosting a Brown Bag Challenge with Small Kitchen College and a host of other bloggers. The challenge is sponsored by BuiltNY, …

EVENT: Oscar Night!
VENUE: The Couch, In Front of the TV
PARTY SIZE: 10
TYPE: Best Picture-Themed Potluck Party
MENU: True Grits with Southwestern Shrimp; Fighter Black Eyed Peas; Blackened Swan; King’s Cake

I love watching the Oscars. And perhaps it is this love that has dissuaded me from ever hosting an Oscar party. You see, I love printing out fake ballots, placing bets on the predictions, and getting overly competitive about the winners. I also love judging celebrities as they walk down the red carpet, and complimenting Rachel Zoe for all her bananas choices …

EVENT: A Stormy Philharmonic in Central Park/Indoor Picnic
VENUE: Jackie’s Apartment, Gramercy
PARTY SIZE: 10
TYPE: Cultural Parkside Picnic, Turned Coffee Table Buffet
MENU: Roasted Eggplant Sandwiches with White Bean Spread and Chive Pesto; Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches; Pomodoro Fresco Pasta Salad; Wine & Cheese

One of my favorite summer evenings since moving back to the city post-college is when the New York Philharmonic takes the stage in Central Park. Last year, I picnicked on the grass with Stephanie and all her friends—a birthday to remember, especially when the sky opened up during the orchestra’s last aria, …