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The Chew cohost and author of The Happy Cook invites us into her New York City home for a dinner party with besties including Lauren Bush Lauren and Katie Lee. Check out her easy menu and genius hostess hints.
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At Home with Daphne Oz
Ask Daphne Oz where she's the happiest, and her answer comes easily: the kitchen. "I love the way being in the kitchen makes me feel. Cooking, eating, entertaining — food was always love for me in that way," she says. In her newest cookbook, The Happy Cook, the New York Times best-selling author shares easy family favorites (her dad is Dr. Oz!) and simple party dishes. ($19, amazon.com)
"I like to provide my family [husband John; daughter Philomena, 2; and son John Jr., 1] with really delicious, healthy meals, but I also want to save myself some time. I just aim to do the little things a bit better — which is why the book is full of quick flavor boosters and easy swaps. Eating your own food should always feel like a celebration."
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Family Dinners
Since she grew up making dinner each evening with her mother, it's especially important to Daphne that her children pick up her love of cooking — and eating. "My grandmother taught me not to make dinner a battle of wills — if you're constantly fighting to get your kids to eat the thing you make, it becomes less about the food and more about them trying to resist you." Daphne's solution? Nightly family dinners. "My mother and grandmother were my original 'happy cooks' — their tables were the ones I felt happiest gathered around, and my parenting has really been formed by that," she explains. "My husband andI sit the kids down to dinner with the mentality of 'This is what we're all eating.' I want to cook one meal for all of us and not feel like a short-order cook, so we show them by example what we want them to eat. Our kitchen is where the fun happens, where we all share the end of the day and where they start to feel like grown-ups."
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Hosting Made Simple
"My entertaining motto is 'Always be a guest at your own party,'" says Daphne. "I really think that's a huge deal. People take their cues from you — if you're stressed out and worried about things going right, your guests are going to feel that and be anxious, too. Also, only make recipes you've made many times before so you're guaranteed a success. For dinner parties, I love to serve family-style meals — I'll make a big salad, some crusty bread and butter and then one main protein dish like a roast chicken or a whole fish, plus a bunch of veggie sides where I can go wild with the flavor pairings: beets and plums with tahini, carrots with capers and mint, spicy string beans, candied squash and yams."
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Raw-Beet Carpaccio
While the traditional Italian dish uses raw meat, this vegetarian versionswaps in thinly-sliced beets. A light vinaigrette and a handful of microgreens top off a colorful appetizer.
Get the recipe»
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5
Braised Chicken Thighs with Almonds and Olives
This dish calls for Marcona almonds, a Spanish variety that's been nicknamed "the Queen of Almonds," so you know they have to be good.
Get the recipe»
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Almost Mongolian Beef Satay Skewers
A three-ingredient sataysauce keeps things simple. And chances are you already have ketchup, honey and Sriracha on hand.
Get the recipe»
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7
Outlaw Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
For maximum flavor and moistness, Daphne incorporates carrots into her carrot cake recipe two ways — some blended with the wet ingredients and some shredded and folded in at the very end.
Get the recipe»
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Homemade Fruit Sodas
For each recipe, blend ingredients until smooth. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain puree to remove any seeds or pulp.Refrigeratein an airtight container for up to one week. Each recipe makes 1 to 2 cups concentrate (for fourto sixservings). When ready to use, combine with sparkling water as desired.
Raspberry-Lime
2 cups raspberries
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (to taste)
Strawberry-Watermelon
2 cups strawberries, hulled
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
Lemon-Peach
2 cups cubed peaches
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (to taste)
Orange-Blackberry
2 cups blackberries (blueberries and/or raspberries work well, too)
1 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 to 4 oranges)
Pineapple-Mango-Ginger
1 1/2cup cubed fresh pineable
1 1/2 cup cubed mango
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
Tip: You can use frozen fruit instead of fresh;just thaw before pureeing.
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Go Behind the Scenes with Daphne
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Want more from Daphne? Hear more of her tips — including the one dish everyone must master — in this exclusive video.
