Another delicious dish courtesy of Simply Elegant.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

pork tenderloin trimmed 1 lb
granny smith apple 4 each
salt and pepper (seasoning)
all purpose flour (dusting)
canola oil 1.5 oz
unsalted butter 1 oz
brown sugar 1 oz
dry white wine 3 oz
dried cranberries 1 oz
lemon, juice and zest 1 each
Calvados 1 oz

Method:

Cut pork tenderloin into 8 equal pieces. Peel and core apples and cut into even-sized
wedges. Season pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Saute golden brown on both sides in canola oil. Keep meat warm. Combine butter and brown sugar into pan used for cooking the pork. Heat for approximately 5 minutes. Add white wine, apples, dried cranberries, juice of one lemon and its zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and stew briefly. Add Calvados. Put apples on plate in a circular fashion, serve pork medallions on top.

Enjoy!!

Because there are all sorts of simply elegant ways to fold napkins that can make a dramatic impact on a table setting, we’ve decided to share six more napkin folding techniques with you.

Whether it’s a formal sit-down dinner, an everyday family meal, or a festive party buffet, artfully folded napkins add stylish flair and enhance any occasion. No matter how simply or intricately done, elegant and creative napkin folds transform meals into celebrations.

French Pleat

Fold napkin in quarters.
Roll the first layer of the napkin toward you to the center.
Fold the second layer toward you and under the first - Do not Roll.
Leave the same width of the napkin as the rolled edge.
Fold the next layer of the napkin away from you and under the second leaving the same width as other two folds.
Fold under the right and left side edges to center back.

Crown

Fold the napkin in half diagonally forming a triangle.
Fold the left and right triangle to the top forming a square.
Turn napkin to form a diamond. Fold the bottom point 2/3 of the way to the top point and fold the bottom point back again to the base line.
Turn napkin over and tuck the far corners into one another forming a round base.
Stand a napkin upright and flair out the two top corners to form a Crown.

Flame

Fold tall four corners of a flat napkin to the center.
Fold the bottom half under the top half.
Fold the right half over the left half.
Turn the napkin clockwise to create a diamond.
Roll the top layer toward center forming a band.
Turn the second layer under to form a second band.
Fold the left and right hand edges under.

Trifold

Fold the napkin in half diagonally form a triangle with the long point facing you.
Fold the far left and right had corners of the triangle toward you to the bottom point.
Fold the napkin in half bringing the bottom point under to meet the top point.
Lift the napkin at the center to stand upright on the two side edges.

Peak

Fold the napkin toward on end into quarters.
Fold the right and left edge under and towards you creating a triangle at the top of the napkin.
Roll the right and left edges up into the base edges of the triangle.
Turn the fold over standing the triangle point up with the open edge facing you.

Candle

Fold napkin in half diagonally forming a triangle.
Fold one-quarter of napkin’s base edges, forming a cuff.
Turn napkin over. Carefully roll from left to right.
Tuck the remaining corner inside the cuff to hold the Candle firm.
Position the Candle with the highest point of the napkin facing you.

Napkin folding is an art that is easy to master. These simple folds will enhance your table and delight your guests.

Stuffed Pork Rib Roast (with wild mushrooms and mission fig and a port mushroom glaze)

This sumptuous and simply fabulous pork recipe will not only look great on your elegantly dressed dining room table but the taste is out of this world.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

2lb pork rib roast
1 cup dried assorted wild mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
1 large shallot minced
1 cup diced dried mission fig
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 cups tawny port
2 tsp olive oil

Method:

Hydrate dried wild mushrooms in boiling water for approximately 15 minutes. Afterwards strain reserving all the liquids. Add together mushrooms, diced fig and sage. In a sauté pan add olive oil and sweat shallots, garlic and paprika until translucent. Add this to mushroom farce and mix well. With a boning knife make a horizontal slit into one end of the pork rib roast without cutting the sides. If you cannot get all the way through, go half way and then turn to the other end and repeat. Take the mushroom fig farce and gently fill cavity of pork rib roast. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roast pork rib roast until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. While roast is in the oven in a sauce pan add reserved mushroom liquid and port and reduce over moderate heat. When roast has reached 140 degrees F, allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Cut in between each bone and plate. With a spoon add a small amount of port mushroom glaze.

Enjoy!!

We at Simply Elegant know that an important part of ensuring that your event is a success has to do with paying special attention to the details. Those small finishing touches can make a big difference. And that’s why this week, we’re going to look at napkin folding.   

A perfectly set table is a small masterpiece. And a beautifully folded napkin adds an elegant finishing touch to a dining table. Napkin folding is also a perfect way to dress up your table without much extra cost!

Cloth napkins make your guests feel that the meal is an event filled with moments worth savouring. Intricately folded napkins on the empty dinner plates or in water goblets add beauty and a formal polish to the table.

There are a number of different napkin folding options, and here’s a pleasant surprise, they are actually a lot easier to fold than you may think.  

Here are five napkin folds and instructions on how to create them.

Opera House Fan

Fold napkin in half.
Fold the bottom edge of the halved napkin up about one inch and hold in place.
Fold it back under the napkin in the opposite direction another inch. Continue this pattern until you are within four inches of the top of the napkin, finish with the last fold down away from you rather than up.
Fold accordion pleats in half down the centre with folds facing the outside. A four-inch flat portion of the napkin now sticks out from the center of your folds.
Fold accordion in half with folds on outside; four inch flat will protrude from the center.
Fold the unfolded corners diagonally and tuck them under the accordion folds then open the fan and stand it up.

Bird of Paradise

Fold the napkin in quarters with the four edges toward you.
Fold the edges up to form a triangle.
Fold the left and right points of the triangle to the center and then fold the extended points under.
Lift the center and hold the base – pull the four napkin edges out of the center to create the bloom. 

Rose

Fold all four corners of a flat napkin into the center: then fold four points again to the center.
Turn the napkin over and fold four points again to the center pressing all folds tightly.
Turn napkin to form a diamond. Using one hand to hold two points at front center of the napkin and with the other hand reach under that point and pull up flap.
Repeat at three other points.
Holding center points, reach between petals and pull out additional flaps.

Cardinal Hat

Fold the napkin in diagonally forming a triangle.
Fold the left and right hand corners of the triangle to the top.
Turn the napkin over so that no folds are visible.
Fold up the bottom tip of the triangle and fold in half.
Fold the right side over the left making a circle.
Tuck one end of the triangle into the other.
Place the Cardinal Hat in an upright position and flare out points slightly.

Goblet Fan

Fold napkin in half with the edges at the bottom.
Accordion pleat form right to left.
Fold the bottom third up.
Insert into goblet and spread pleat to form fan.  

When it comes to the art of napkin folding, remember that each napkin fold will suit different themes and styles. For best results use square napkins when creating napkin folds. Well-starched napkins form the cleanest folds.

Talk about a healthy fish dish that’s delish. Rainbow trout is low in fat and calories and is also a good source of many important nutrients. A 3-ounce serving of cooked rainbow trout contains 22 grams of protein and only 130 calories, 4 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, and 30 milligrams of sodium.

This recipe is easy to prepare and taste fantastic.

 1. One Rainbow Trout with Head on for each person you want to serve.
2. Several Lemons cut into slices
3. Rosemary Sprigs
4. Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Sprinkle each trout inside and out with salt and black pepper.

Line it with rosemary and several slices of lemon. Squeeze lemon all over the rainbow trout.

Tightly seal each rainbow trout inside a tin foil package.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn tin foil packages over at approximately 20 minutes to cook evenly.

Serve with saffron yellow rice and asparagus.

Enjoy!

Okay, there’s no getting around it, we need to talk about… The weather.

Calgarians are a hearty group. We embrace the chilly mountain summer air and we laugh in the face of summer snowstorms… But what’s with all the rain?  The last time we checked, Calgary was supposed to be one of the sunniest cities in Canada.

Ah well, as we at Simply Elegant say, “when life gives you a rainy day, have a Rainy Day Party.”  Just because it’s pouring outdoors doesn’t mean we can’t bring the sunshine inside. After all, it’s family, friends, and good times that ultimately brighten our lives.

And guess what?  We’ve been saving all our rainy day party ideas for a rainy day.  So  now it’s time for us to share our Rainy Day Party ideas with you…. 

- Send your Rainy Day Party Invitations on cheery and sunny stationery.

- Decorate your house with bright and sunny themes.  Make a big sun out of yellow construction paper and hang it from the ceiling or on the wall. Hang a few white, puffy paper clouds from the ceiling. If you have any sunlamps, make sure they’re on.   

- Have an indoor picnic. It’s fun and easy to set up.  Choose a room for your picnic that has lots of floor space and then spread a large blanket on the floor. (You can even cut some ants out of construction paper and scatter them around.) To help enhance the feel of bringing the great outdoors inside, arrange paper flowers all over the floor. And (of course) bring a picnic basket that’s packed with sunny day food – oh, and don’t forget the picnic plates!   

- Serve “Weather Themed Foods and Drinks” such as snow cones, cold salads, fresh fruit, funnel cakes, cold chicken, citrus coolers, and rainbow trout. Or, you can beat the rainy day blues by serving comfort foods.

- Play weather related music.  Stormy Weather, Let The Sunshine In,  Ain’t No Sunshine, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?  There’s no shortage of songs about the rain. In fact, there are over 5,000 albums containing at least one song with the word ‘rain’ in their title. Talk about a flood of rain songs.

- Or you could throw a Movie Marathon Rainy Day Party.  Rainy days and movies go hand in hand. A few viewing suggestions include: Waterworld, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Twister, and Rain Man.  If these aren’t to your tastes, not to worry, it’s easy to find a list of the best rainy day movies. You’re sure to find something there that suits your viewing tastes.  

- Or how about having a Rainy Day Board Game Party? Nothing beats the precipitation blahs like playing a board game. Board games remain wildly popular, and for good reasons. They’re fun and provide plenty of guest interaction.  Who needs to worry about the showers outside when you’re trying to find the money to put up hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place?

A Rainy Day Party is the perfect thing for a… well, a rainy day. We hope you enjoy yours. Oh, and try not to be too disappointed if the sun makes an appearance – that just means you can take your Rainy Day Party outside.

We at Simply Elegant believe in community and in helping one another when we can. We were so taken with teenager Megan McNeil’s message of hope, we wanted to share it with you.     

Just 19, Megan has battled a rare childhood cancer called Adrenalcortical Carcinoma since she was 16. She wrote the song song to lift the spirits of other kids in the chemo ward never dreaming it would soon be produced by legendary music producer Garth Richardson (Hedley, Rage Against the Machine). But that’s exactly what happened. The result? “The Will to Survive,” a beautiful uplifting song that celebrates anyone who faces adversity and keeps on going, but especially kids battling cancer. 

Best of all? You can purchase a copy of the song on iTunes and Amazon.com  Net proceeds from “The Will to Survive” will go childhood cancer organizations, including  The James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research, which funds the James Birrell Laboratories at The Hospital for Sick Children and its research into neuroblastoma, one of the deadliest childhood cancers; and BCCCPA, a parents group engaged in support for families battling childhood cancers. 

The Will to Survive will be played on radio stations nationwide starting in September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

There is a Facebook Page called I want to give children fighting cancer The Will to Survive where fans can get regular updates and the website www.willtosurvive.org features the latest news, videos and other information.  The website is www.willtosurvive.org

We hope you find Megan as inspiring as we do. And we hope you’ll consider supporting the childhood cancer cause of your choice in the month of September. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to download the song. 99 cents doesn’t get you much these days. But it just might buy a cancer fighting kid The Will to Survive.

Click here to view the embedded video.

How does the idea of a light and crisp India Pale Ale on a summer day sound? Or what about enjoying a full-bodied glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with tonight’s dinner?

And what if the winery or brewery they came from was in your own house? If you’re a “Do It Yourself” type of person, then we think it may be time that you invested in beer and wine making kits.   

Now we know that lots of people are leery when it comes to the subject of beer and wine making kits. The two main issues are:

1) Beer and wine making kits are overly complex and “scientific”
2) Homemade wine and beer tastes awful. 

So… Let’s address these issues, shall we? 

The truth is that you don’t need a PHD in biology to make your own beer or wine. In fact, basic beer and winemaking isn’t much more difficult than making soup.

And, get ready for it, it tastes great.

But we have even more good news. The best part is that doing it yourself means that not only are you enjoying a better quality of beverage but you’re doing it at a substantially reduced cost.

That’s right, it’s easy to do, the taste that is comparable to store-bought wine and beer, and it’s a lot cheaper than store bought wine or beer. Cheap and delicious tasting booze – what’s not to like? 

Let’s take a fast overview of beer and wine making kits.

As we mentioned, there is a startup cost, but your investment will eventually pay for itself if you are brewing in any significant quantity. The ingredients and various sanitation compounds that you will be buying are inexpensive when compared to a finished product you buy at the store.

Most homebrewing stores or online merchants will offer a beer starter’s set and/or a wine making kit that will provide most if not all of the necessary gadgets and equipment. Prices can range anywhere from a basic $40.00 kit to a few hundred for a “state of the art” kit.  

Plus, basic beer and winemaking can be done at home with (mostly) the same set of tools. You may even have some of this stuff lying around the house already.

With both wine and beer, your finished product is only as good as your ingredients. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to stick with the all-in-one ingredient kits until you are ready to branch out into more complex recipes. These cost effective kits include all of the ingredients and instructions to make a particular style of beer or wine.  A $40.00 beer kit will get you around 50 bottles of high quality beer for about 85 cents apiece. And we believe it is waaay tastier than the “buck a bottle” stuff from the beer store.

Wine kits work in much the same way and can cost approximately anywhere between $70 and $200 on average. (Although wine takes longer to make.)

So, if you were looking for an everyday wine, a $70 kit will yield 30 bottles of wine at less than $4 a bottle. It’s not going to be a world-class wine or anything, but it will be on par with bottles you would pay twice as much for in a store.

Obviously, a more expensive kit will get you a higher end wine.

After it’s corked, why not put your own personalized monogram label on the bottle? You might even want to serve it at your wedding celebration or your next event.

And if you really start to get into the winemaking then you can find ingredients in your own backyard. Wild flowers and elderflowers can make very tasty wines.

But best of all, beer and wine kits can be a lot of fun. And as you mature as a homebrewer, you will find even more creative ways to cut costs and improve your quality.  

Cheers!

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

5 lbs upper part of wing
1/4 cup vegetable oil 

Jerk Spice:

4 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white sugar
½ tsp garlic powder
1 scotch bonnet (seeds and membranes removed)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
5 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mango Salsa:

2 ripe mango peeled and seeded
2 green onions sliced thin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp fresh lime juice

Method:

Preheat BBQ to moderate heat. Score smaller part of wing around the bone with a knife and pull meat downwards. Coat wings in vegetable oil. For the jerk spice; add all dry spices into a dry frying pan and toast over moderate heat for approximately 1 minute to release the essential oils.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Coat oil dipped chicken into jerk spice and place on BBQ. Turn frequently until done. For the mango salsa; dice mango into small chunks. Add the remaining ingredients and fold gently.

Enjoy!!

Now that we’re right in the middle of the dog days of summer, we thought it might be a fun idea to offer some suggestion on how to throw a dog party. 

Yes, a party for your pooch. And why not?  After all, our pets are part of the family. And more and more, people are celebrating the tail-wagging member of the household.

Like all events, dog parties can range from down-home casual to upscale. The choice is yours. But one thing is for certain, if you want your dog party to be a howling success (sorry), you’ll need to do some planning…

- Put some thought into your guest list. You want to make sure that you and your dog are friendly with the other party animals. Make sure the dogs get along. A party can be soured by quarrelling canines. (Jack Russell Terriers tend to be aggressive with larger dogs and they like to get all the dogs barking.)  

- Keep in mind that some dogs are frightened by loud noises and might not do well at parties.

- Make sure that the dogs are up to date on all vaccinations and rabies shots and treated for internal and external parasites.

- Have plenty of toys and distractions for the dogs to make sure they don’t get restless.  

- You can make your own dog party invitations. If you’re feeling creative, you can make your own cards by stamping a paw print with a paw print stamp , and then writing your own personal message. (We’re rather fond of the “humans optional” gag.)

- Have the party outdoors so that the dogs can run around.

- Set up treats and party favours for both dogs and people. Purchase, or make some doggie treats for all your dog’s canine friends. Make bone shaped sugar cookies for the 2 legged party goers.

- Create your dog party theme with cut out paw prints that stick on everything; hang some streamers; cut out some dog bones from construction paper to dangle from the streamers.

- Make sure that dietary restrictions or food concerns are known before the dogs eat anything.

- Keep chocolate, strawberries and raisins away from dogs and make sure there is plenty of fresh water. On hot days, dogs need two to three times more water than they usually drink.

- If the dogs wear costumes, they should be made from breathable fabric and shouldn’t restrict an animal’s mouth or nose.

- Make sure the party environment is pet friendly by removing anything they can chew on, or, um, anything else on…

- On that subject: Designate a “pooper scooper” area for the dogs.

- Let neighbors know about your party (when it comes to a backyard filled with dogs, sometimes things can get pretty loud). Try and keep the excited howling to a minimum. (Yours and the dogs.)

- Make sure that the guests are all in agreement about your “house rules.” Some owners like to think their dogs are model houseguests and so they don’t always pay attention to their dog’s behavior.

Don’t forget the games at your dog party.  A few simple party games are fun for both your 2-legged and 4-legged guests.  Here are a few suggestions…

- Treasure Hunt: You can lead your canine guests and their owners on a hunt for a hidden treasure (let’s say, a bone). Divide your guests into three or four teams. Have hidden clues set up around the backyard for each team. The teams will follow the clues to a secret map, which leads them to the “treasure.”

- Obstacle Course Relay: Have dogs and their owners maneuver through an obstacle course. You can borrow, buy or make obstacles such as jumps, tunnels and ramps. There can be prizes for the pup that completes the course in the shortest time, the most creative interpretation of obstacles, the happiest competitor etc.  

- Best Trick Competition:  Pick three judges. (Human ones, that is.)  Then get the dogs to perform their best trick. 

We’re all social creatures and a dog party is a fun excuse for people (and pets) to get together.  Yap (sorry), it‘s all about having a good time. Oh, and one last thing, don’t forget to make sure all your guests leave with a doggie bag.