Dishing with Style not only presents you with gourmet quality recipes, but teaches you how to present them to family and guests for the best eye appeal. Rory Trovato’s writing style is casual as she teaches you how to plan and serve a variety of meals.

The first recipe, Creamy Hot Chocolate with Kahlua, was presented in a wine glass that sat on top of a periwinkle-colored cloth napkin. The combination of the periwinkle and the deep brown of the drink caught my eye in an instant.

Before she lists the recipe, she explains what it is and gives suggestions on when to serve it and what ingredients she found were the best for this recipe. In the case of the hot chocolate, she says that she serves it after dinner and uses high quality chocolate for the drink, such as Lindt or Callebaut. The recipe is followed by more tips on how to serve the hot chocolate, along with tasty variations of liquers and garnishes.

Overall, I find this book very useful in its layout as well as the food presentation tips. Most of the appetizer and entree recipes are too exotic for my family’s tastes, at this point in time. Adults who enjoy California cuisine will love them, however.

When I first saw this omelet in a menu at a local restaurant, I wrinkled my nose at the thought of mixing the taste of eggs with marinara sauce. Then I remembered all the times I used to pour catsup over my eggs to give them some “zip.” This was no different, so I decided to try the omelet to see if I liked it.

This has become one of my favorite omelet recipes. The olives add texture as well as flavor. But for the purpose of this recipe, I used them as more of a garnish. You can also substitute the standard pepperoni with the turkey if you’re concerned about the grease.

Ingredients

10 slices of thin sliced pepperoni - diced
1/4 cup of shredded Mozarella cheese
3 eggs - well beaten
1 cup marinara sauce
sliced black olives to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Beat eggs thorougly. Then pour into a preheated 10 inch non-stick skillet, swirling them around to cover bottom of pan. Let them start to set up. Add salt and pepper.

2. Then, add shredded cheese and diced pepperoni to one side of eggs. Let eggs continue to cook until they are wet but no longer runny.

3. Heat the marinara sauce.

4. While the sauce is heating, use a spatala carefully lift empty side of eggs and cover the cheese and pepperoni. Now carefullly flip over to lightly brown top side of omelette.

5. Place the omelet on a plate. Pour marinara sauce on top, followed by the olives. Serve immediately.

This recipe came from the owners of Southmoreland Bed and Breakfast, who shared two of their best pie recipes with Fox 4 News.

Ingredients

1 Nine inch pie shell
1/2 cup Sugar
3 T. Flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
6 cups thinly sliced and peeled apples
One Half Cup Chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel

Topping

1 cup Packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Butter

Directions

1. Prepare the topping by stirring together brown sugar, flour and oats. Cut in butter until topping resembles course meal. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add apples and gently toss to coat. Transfer the apple mixture to the pie shell. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apple mixture.

3. Bake at 375º for 50 minutes to an hour. Cover the edges with aluminum foil for the first 25 minutes to keep them from burning.

4. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped pecans and drizzle with caramel. Cool on a wire rack.

Source: MyFox Kansas City