DIY Network

Knitting Party: Food Preparation From "Weekend Entertaining" episode WKE-309

The knitting theme is carried out in the menu too; host Jeanne Benedict serves up Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs wrapped with fettuccini and accented with toothpicks with lentils and mimic a ball of yarn and knitting needles. Snowballs that follow the spherical shape of a ball of yarn and are accented with sandwich picks to look like yarn needles are made for dessert.

This party is rated 3 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most difficult, and is geared toward the skills of a frequent entertainer.

Hourly Breakdown

Food Preparation -- 5 hours

Total Prep Time -- 22 hours

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Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients --

1 lb. ground chicken breast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely minced rosemary
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. lemon zest
Olive oil
1 box spinach fettuccini
1 can pre-cooked lentils
One 15 oz. can chicken stock
Sandwich picks

Preparation:

Using clean wet hands mix together ground chicken, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, scallions, rosemary and garlic.

Shape into golf ball sized meatballs, wetting hands as necessary.

Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Cook the Spinach Fettuccini according to package directions.

Note: Do not add any olive oil to the water or after the fettuccini has cooked because the fettuccini needs to be as sticky as possible.

Put one sandwich pick end through the end of one piece of fettuccini and secure.

Wrap the fettuccini around the meatball, and secure the other end with the other sandwich pick, angling it in such a way that it looks like a pair of knitting needles crossed in a ball of yarn.

Top each sandwich pick with a lentil, to look like the top of the knitting needle.

Place each meatball in a glass baking pan when you are finished. Cover and refrigerate until ready to heat.

Pull the meatballs out of the refrigerator about an hour before heating. When ready to heat, pour about a tablespoon of chicken stock over each meatball (to keep them moist) and cover the pan with foil. Put in a 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until the meatballs are hot.

Serves: Approximately 20 meatballs

Snowballs

Snowballs

Ingredients for the Cake --

1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix and required ingredients
4 Tbs. flour
Vegetable oil spray

Ingredients for the Frosting and Filling --

4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
Three 7 oz. jars of marshmallow cream
6 Tbs. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 Tbs. coconut milk
1 drop pink food coloring gel

Ingredients for Tinted Coconut --

1-1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 scant drop of pink food coloring gel
1 tsp. water

Special Equipment Needed --

3-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 1-1/2 ball shaped aluminum pan

Preparation --

Preheat oven according to package directions on the cake mix box.

Spray the ball pans with vegetable oil spray and then dust each compartment with flour.

Prepare your cake mix according to package directions, and put 1/3 cup plus about one tablespoon of cake batter in each of the 12 half ball pans. Bake according to package directions for cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted n the center comes out clean.

Cool for five minutes on a wire rack and then remove from the pans and cool on a plate for another 30 minutes. While they are cooling, prepare the frosting and coconut.

Put all the frosting ingredients, except food coloring, in a large bowl and mix well. Remove 3/4 of a cup of the frosting to a separate bowl and then add the food coloring to the remaining frosting and blend until the color is uniform.

In a small bowl (with lid) combine one scant drop of food coloring, and one teaspoon of water until it is uniform in color. Add one cup of coconut flakes, and put the lid on the bowl. Shake until the coconut is tinted. Add the 1/4 cup of white coconut at this point and shake to continue.

Once your snowball rounds are cooled, cut about 3/4 of an inch off the bottom of each snowball and dig out about a 1" hole in the larger part of the round. This will now be the top. In order to get your snowball to sit flat, you may need to cut a small slice of cake off the base.

Put one tablespoon of the white frosting in each of the 12 snowballs where you made the hole in the middle. Replace the "tops," and press slightly to reseal. Frost each of the snowballs with the pink frosting, and then top with about 1-1/2 tablespoons of coconut per snowball, taking care to press the coconut along the sides so it will stick well.

Expert Tip: It is great to go to flea markets and get antique or old tin molds and that way you can add a bit of character and history to every dessert you make.

Servings: 12 snowballs

Round Roll Sandwiches

Round Roll Sandwiches ( Web Exclusive)

Sandwiches purchased from Whole Foods Market:

Turkey with Sun Dried Tomato Aioli
Black Forest Ham and Grain Mustard
Chicken Salad

For the knitting needle accent, cut skewers in half and push a tack in the end.

Fruit Salad Stuffed Oranges

Fruit Salad Stuffed Orange with Chopsticks (Web Exclusive)

Ingredients --

Thick skinned navel oranges (it makes it easier)
Fresh fruit, cut unto small pieces
Sandwich picks

Preparation:

Simply cut the top one fourth of the orange off, and then run a knife around the inside of the top inch or so to loosen the flesh.

Scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

Fill with pre-made cut fruit, and stick in the sandwich picks to mimic knitting needles.

Pesto and Mozzarella Stuffed Tomatoes

Pesto and Mozzarella Stuffed Tomatoes (Web Exclusive)

Ingredients --

Large cherry tomatoes
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cubed fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil, chopped and whole leaves
Sandwich picks

Preparation:

Get the next size up from cherry tomatoes, and cut the top third of the tomato off.

Scoop out the flesh on the remaining 2/3 of the tomato, and pour 1 tablespoon of prepared Balsamic Vinaigrette in the bottom of the tomato.

Stuff the tomato with cubed fresh mozzarella cheese and chopped fresh basil. Top with one tablespoon of Balsamic Vinaigrette, and a small fresh basil leaf. Stick two sandwich picks into the pesto.

	Melon Cooler -- Click below on the Watch the Video link, below, to see how to create these delicious and refreshing melon coolers.
	Media Watch the Video

Melon Cooler (Web Exclusive)

Ingredients --

Small cantaloupe
Small honeydew
Small personal mini seedless watermelon
One 2 liter Sprite (67.6 fl. oz.)
1 cup Torani Watermelon Flavored Syrup
1 cup orange juice

Materials --

Skewers
Tacks
1" melon ball scooper

Preparation:

Push a tack in the end of the skewers to mimic a knitting needle. Scoop six melon balls from each of the three melons.

Layer one of each fruit ball on the skewer.

In each tall glass of ice, pour approximately 10 oz. of Sprite, 1/4 cup Torani Watermelon Flavored Syrup, and 1/4 cup or orange juice. Stir and add the melon skewer.

RESOURCES :

EK Success Scrapbooking
EK Success Ltd.
Website: www.eksuccess.com

Whole Foods Market
Website: www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Create for Less
Website: www.createforless.com

Fabric.com
Website: www.fabric.com

PlumParty.com
30-00 47th Ave. 7th Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101
Phone: 718-433-2434
E-mail: plumparty.com
Website: www.plumparty.com

Zwilling Cutlery
J.A. Henckels, Inc.
Website: www.jahenckels.com

Torani Watermelon Flavored Syrup
Torani
233 E. Harris Ave.
S. San Francisco, CA 94080
Phone: 650-635-1128
E-mail: sdent@torani.com
Website: www.torani.com

Bixby Knolls Party Rentals
2540 N. Palm Dr.
Signal Hill, CA 90755
Phone: 562-426-9437 or 714-891-4092
Fax: 562-426-0453
E-mail: bkparty@earthlink.net
Website: www.bixbyknollsrentals.com

Crystal Palace Yarns
Wholesale only; list of distributors on their Website.
Website: www.crystalpalaceyarns.com or www.straw.com

Ellison, a Proud Parent of Sizzix, LLC
Website: www.sizzix.com

Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex, Inc.
Website: www.hamiltonbeach.com

Cost Plus World Market
Website: www.worldmarket.com

GUESTS :

Harry Schwartz
Culinary Expert
PO Box 1320
Yarmouth, ME 04096
Phone: 207-846-8881
E-mail: chefharry@chefharry.com
Website: www.chefharry.com

Marc Friedland
Image Expert
Creative Intelligence
4988 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
Phone: 323-936-9009
E-mail: mf@creative-intelligence.com

Kevin Lee
Celebrity Event Designer
La Premier Flowers
Phone: 310-435-4286
E-mail: kevin@lapremier.net

Stephanie Barnard
Scrapbooking Expert
PaperKuts Scrapbooking Magazine
We apologize no contact information is available.