Chef Antonia Lofaso recently took some time to chat with Tasted to reveal some fantastic time-friendly tips for creating delicious and interesting party food. These quick and easy recipes will give you something fun to try in the kitchen, whether your goal is to make a unique sweet and savory treat like fried grapes with sherry vinaigrette, or your own at-home ricotta cheese. Antonia shows you how it’s done with some tips from the chef on how to make your treats taste just right in a short amount of time.

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Sample Recipes

Antonia was thrilled to have an opportunity to share her incredibly delicious, quick and easy recipes for busy parents. If you would like to try your hand at some of the recipes as a preview for the cookbook, check out these edible delights:

Shrimp Lo Mein with Bell Pepper, Edamame, and Scallions

Caramel Almond Popcorn

Open-Face BLT with Eggs on the Sunny-Side

This fork-and-knife sandwich goes great with a brunch Bloody Mary, or with the more kid-friendly Strawberry-Limeade (page 000) or Watermelon Spritzer (page 000). I like your basic Oscar Meyer bacon, but you can also substitute turkey bacon, or a vegetarian option, if you prefer.

Serves: 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the sandwiches:

• 1 pound bacon
• 2 6-inch baguettes, sliced lengthwise
• 4 large butter lettuce leaves
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or use non-stick cooking spray
• 4 eggs

For the tarragon mayo:

• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning)

WHAT TO DO

Cook the bacon according to package directions.

While the bacon is cooking, combine the mayonnaise and the tarragon in a small bowl, and blend well.

Set the broiler to high, and toast the four halves of baguette in the oven until they’re slightly brown. It should only take about a minute.

Spread the tarragon mayo on the toasted baguettes. Layer on the butter lettuce and tomato. Season the tomato with salt and pepper.

Spray a 10-inch nonstick pan with nonstick cooking spray, or melt 1 tablespoon of butter for each batch of eggs, and heat on medium-low. You can make two sunny side-up eggs at a time. Crack the eggs into the pan, keeping the heat low so the eggs don’t brown. Cook the eggs for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the both the yolks and the whites thicken and set. Layer one egg onto each sandwich, and serve warm.

Recipes © Antonia Lofaso as printed in The Busy Mom’s Cookbook by Antonia Lofaso (Avery/ Penguin Group, 2012). Images courtesy of Alex Martinez.

Microwave popcorn has convinced us that cooking fresh popcorn is hard or time-consuming. It’s not. You can do it on the stovetop, and it only takes a little oil and a few minutes. Just follow the package directions. Or you can always use microwave or premade, plain popcorn in this recipe.
Serves: 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 2 cups raw whole almonds

WHAT TO DO

Combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepot. On medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring any more.

Once the caramel has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda.

Spread the popcorn in a large baking dish. Pour the caramel over the popcorn, using a spoon to toss the popcorn and almonds around and make sure they’re all coated.

As the caramel cooks, stir a few more times to keep the caramel from sinking to the bottom of the dish.

Recipes © Antonia Lofaso as printed in The Busy Mom’s Cookbook by Antonia Lofaso (Avery/ Penguin Group, 2012). Images courtesy of Alex Martinez.

Lo Mein noodles are fun to eat, and they make a great dish for kids to practice using chopsticks.

Serves: 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 12-ounce package dried Lo Mein noodles
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil, or vegetable oil
• 2 cups peeled and deveined 16-20 shrimp, tail on or off, as preferred
• Pinch salt
• ½ headNapacabbage, shredded
• ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ cups out of the shell edamame, defrosted
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, sliced thin
• Dash salt
• 1 ½ cups oyster sauce
• 4 scallions, including whites, chopped

THE BUSY MOM’S TIP: Chow Mein noodles can be substituted for the Lo Mein noodles, but rice noodles and udon noodles won’t work for this recipe. They’re harder noodles and will absorb too much of the liquid.

WHAT TO DO

Cook the Lo Mein noodles according to the package directions. They’ll only take 1 or 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Season with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and set aside.

In a wok or 14-inch sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil on high.  Add the shrimp and season with a dash of salt.

Cook the shrimp for about 1 minute, until almost done. They should be partially pink, but still showing some of their grey color and should still be somewhat flexible. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Add the cabbage, onion, edamame, and red bell pepper to the pan. Add a dash of salt and sauté on high. As the vegetables develop color, keep stirring them until they’re slightly browned.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the shrimp and oyster sauce, and let it all warm through.

After sauce is warm, add the noodles, and remove the pan from heat. Toss the noodles 3 or 4 times to coat.

Garnish with scallions.

Recipes © Antonia Lofaso as printed in The Busy Mom’s Cookbook by Antonia Lofaso (Avery/ Penguin Group, 2012). Images courtesy of Alex Martinez.

You can order your copy of Chef Antonia’s “The Busy Mom’s Cookbook” online from the following stores:

Chef Antonia Lofaso is a busy mom with a daughter to raise and a restaurant kitchen to run, but she knows how important a delicious meal is for her family.

Antonia’s new book The Busy Mom’s Cookbook includes 100 quick and delicious home-cooked meals that are not only delicious, but fun to cook.

The Busy Mom’s Cookbook is now available!

As a single working mother with a passion for food and cooking, expect delicious and fun recipes that the whole family can enjoy.

At Black Market Liquor Bar where Chef Antonia crafts delicious meals to accompany the unique wine and spirit offerings, one of the popular accompaniments include the lemon pepper shrimp with a side of Crystal’s aioli.

The garnish of sweet mandarins add just the right complement to the savory salt and pepper with lemon flavoring of the shrimp.

Antonia’s Tips for Perfect Peel and Eat Shrimp

Sautee your shrimp with tail and shell on.  Generously season with Lawry’s Lemon Pepper. This is such a great dish to share among friends, getting your fingers “finger licking good” while you peel and eat!