I’m a program coordinator for a beautiful building that doubles as a music venue and an event space. Every year we hold a Fall-themed festival, which we name accordingly, depending on the subtheme. It’s usually a pretty large affair, a lot of fun, and a big hit in the community.
Staff members were taking on some of the food and decorating responsibilities, and some parts of it were being outsourced. It was an effective way to save money, especially because we have some seriously talented team members. Typically our team was responsible for preparing appetizers, while the other food was catered.
I took on at least 3 different appetizers to make on my own. Since they were in large quantities, it tended to be a decent amount of work. Luckily, everything I came up with to make was easily done with a Cuisinart food processor.
I had recently upgraded and bought myself a new Cuisinart DFP-14BCWNY Food Processor from KitchenWorksInc. I knew this event was on its way, and considering how much I use my food processor at home, I figured it would be wise to level up a bit.
Every year I try something new. I usually give it a test run about a month before just in case changes need to be made. I always make some kind of soup. This year was a pumpkin apple soup served with a side of crostini with cinnamon butter. I make both the soup and the butter in the food processor.
I was trying out a cranberry cream cheese dip. You start with taking fresh cranberries and cooking them over the stove to get them to a jelly-like consistency. Then they need to be puréed in the food processor. I add the cream cheese and some green onions to give it a more savory flavor. This can be served with bread or crackers.
My next plan of attack was to make butternut squash, yellow onion and sage latkes cooked in a brown butter. The food processor is crucial here to shred the veggies for the latkes perfectly. This is an amazing combination and I might just consider it making a staple at our Fall event.
This year’s festival was probably our best ever, and people raved about the food. Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like I’m getting pretty good at this stuff. I certainly would not be able to pull it off without my Cuisinart food processor, so I can’t take all of the credit.
