It's a Halloween tradition in Michael's neighborhood - every home serves a special treat so the parents can socialize while the kids tank up on sugar. Michael's got peanut butter cups, s' mores, vampire blood punch with eyeballs, and Garlic Soup to Go.
It's Thanksgiving weekend and you've still got a house full of people and a refrigerator full of turkey, dressing, potatoes, cranberries, etc. Michael shows you how to keep the good times and good food rolling with these clever leftover recipes.
Even cutting the tree is a party when friends gather at a Christmas tree farm for a warm and cozy meal by the fire of cioppino, roasted garlic bread, hot peppermint chocolate and Christmas cookies. Turn a Christmas chore into a unique celebration!
Gather around the tube and prepare for our remakes of classic TV dinner food - Salisbury steak, apple pie, mashed potatoes and peas, and grilled cheese sandwiches with a tomato soup dipping sauce - served in separated plates just like the original.
Chef Jan Birnbaum and Michael go head to head to create their versions of this spicy classic; then the neighbors get to judge who does it best. It's a hot pot party complete with the fixins!
Michael's relatives get together for an Italian festa famiglia - a down home picnic featuring Chiarello family favorites like gnocchi della nonna and forever roasted pork. Bring on the horseshoes and bocce balls, the Chiarellos are in town!
Michael gathers his best chef friends and gives them a mission - remake pot luck classics with no more than 5 ingredients, no more than 10 steps, it must be finished and ready to eat, and no exotic ingredients. Church suppers will never be the same!
Michael celebrates his one year anniversary with a re-creation of his full moon wedding feast. Close family and friends gather to look at wedding pictures, laugh about the good times they had and salute the years ahead.
It’s a picnic under the stars followed by a rocking concert as Michael puts together a pre-concert spread at the local outdoor bandstand. Nothing goes together like music and food, especially . . .
Nothing says fall like apples. Michael is preparing for a great fall meal that celebrates the harvest. We've got it all from a crispy fall salad to pork and apple dressing, and a flaky apple dessert. It's enough to bring out the farmer in anyone!
When the days are long and the winter won't end, a sure cure for cabin fever is a summery party in the dead of winter. Bring on the sun with a citrusy, tropical menu with all the sunny flavors of summer. It's a trip to the sunbelt without a plane ticket.
The perfect meal when unpredictable and guests stagger in a different times. A choice of friendly soups bubbling on the stove, including Michael's mother's menisha, a Butternut squash and apple soup, and finish with a hot roasted pear soup.
Can you have a party for ten for under $100? Michael can and he'll show you tricks for keeping the money down with the fun up with a simple to make meal that's so elegant, you'd think it came from the Ritz.