Some Days There's Pie

Tuesdays with Dorie...

2012-02-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Starting up again on February 7th with the Baking With Julia book... so excited! Still time to sign up.

You must own the book, though. It is a copyright thing and we do not share the recipes online but we share lots of pictures and how much fun it is to bake together! Hope you join us!!! :)

Here is an article you can enjoy as you wait for the challenge to start.

Coming up... for February 2012

2012-01-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

We have actually been doing a little of this in January as we have been cleaning the freezer out somewhat. It needs to be defrosted soon so we will continue this. I am also trying to use up things that have expiration dates that are getting close. This is a good challenge if you are trying to cut your budget and use up product from your pantry and freezer.

What a Pantry Challenge is NOT

It is NOT a total abstinence of grocery shopping.

It is NOT putting stockpiling on hold.

It is NOT oatmeal and rice and beans until the cows come home.

What a Pantry Challenge IS...

A pantry challenge is a focused, but limited, time to “eat from the pantry.” Rather than buying groceries like you normally would, You would focus on what you already have. You would build your menus around the ingredients you have been avoiding using.

Check out these sites for more information. I am hoping to share some ideas and recipes as I go with this. I will be inventorying the pantry and freezer and planning menus around what I have. I will be replenishing some basic things as I run out... such as flour, eggs, milk, some other staples that are needed to create meals on a regular basis but the goal is to use as much of what I already have as possible.

It is part of my "use what you have" mentality that I have been seeking to do more of in all areas of my life.

Here are some other links of note on this topic...

Money Saving Mom

Getting Freedom from Debt - Printable Freezer Inventory Sheet

Families.com What is a Pantry Challenge

Tightwad Tuesday's Pantry Challenge

Good Cheap Eats Daily Logs for the Challenge

French Friday... Broth Braised Potatoes

2012-01-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Broth Braised Potatoes... chicken broth, lemon rind, rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper, bay leaf and garlic all make these potatoes very flavorful!

I will be making these again, too...

Eating Real Food...

2012-01-25T22:49:00.002-07:00

This is the book I am really spending time with nutritionally this year. Sally Fallon Morell went against the norm and trends of modern day nutrition to write something she truly believes in. I am growing to agree with her more and more as I learn about nutrition myself. She takes us back to tried and true eating... real food... natural food.

You can read more about Sally here... and here

I am planning to cook a lot from this book this year...

Check out some of Sally on YouTube.com... this is part one of three.

Here she shares why soy is NOT good for us... and since I am allergic to it I get this!
Check out her book... and her stuff on the internet. She has some really great things to say about how we should be eating. :)

French Friday... Quartre Quarts

2012-01-22T21:17:00.002-07:00

For January 20, 2012

QUARTRE QUARTS

I, honestly, just had too much going on to be able to do this cake before today. It was a lovely finish to Sunday dinner. I was a little worried as I mixed and it seemed so dense but it turned out very delicious with a great crumb to it. Mine was also a little flatter because I do not own an 8-inch spring foam but a 9-inch instead so it was spread over a larger area and did not get as tall as it should. That did not change the texture and flavor one bit. We cut it into six servings as the recipe suggested. We have six in our family. PERFECT! To do it again I would make a recipe and 1/2 and then use my 10-inch spring form pan. That should help the height. YUM!!! Everyone loved it!

The finished cake in the spring form pan

macerated fruit

The crumb was beautiful!

Fruit and whipping cream were a perfect pairing with this...

and, of course, coffee... decaf for evening. :)

Food from our family table this week...

2012-01-20T13:46:00.002-07:00

The initial phase of Julia Child's Potato Leek Soup

Small fruit crisps for clients

Challah for a client

The final product with the potato leek soup

Cilantro/garlic/lime chicken before grilling

Big salad

Pineapple salsa to go with chicken

steamed broccoli

Chocolate Amish Bread

My plate... I never can finish a whole chicken breast, though, so half of this went to one of my big guys.

A Tres Leches Cake for a special client... a personal friend and fellow church member!

Happy Birthday Miss Chong!

Ready for pick-up!

Small Home-Based Business Friendly...

2012-01-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

Texas has finally gotten on board with this but there is lots of opposition from big corporation and city health departments all over the state. Home Baking Businesses are part of the Buy Local movement... please support your local home baker businesses as well as your local Farmer's Markets that allow them to sell in some locations.

SB 81 - The Texas Cottage Food Law from Christian Remde on Vimeo.

Food as medicine...

2012-01-13T20:31:00.003-07:00

I have always loved learning. With my job I get to learn new stuff ALL THE TIME! That is part of what makes me so happy about what I do on a daily basis. This week I have been doing research on a few dietary restrictions for different medical conditions. I have been reading about diabetes, learning more about gluten free diets and looking up some information on gout.

I have also been very interested in nutrition and in treating physical ailments with the right food instead of popping pills. I believe the right diet can help to heal and nurture the body. Sometimes pills are necessary but I do believe that if people would just eat better it would solve a lot of problems with their health... me included. I love studying about food and nutrition so much I am planning to go back to school for that nutrition degree at some point. I would love to start next fall on the science classes to get ready for the master's program at NMSU for nutritionist. This is a very exciting prospect to me! I have wanted to study nutrition for a long time.

I am studying the intricacies of the glycemic index right now for some clients. I can understand why it is so hard to figure out a diabetic diet! I am going to keep working on it and start putting menus together so I have some backup stuff when I need it.

I also checked out a book on CD to listen to as I work. It is the book Wheat Belly by William Davis

I also came across some good things to know about gout as I read this week. I learned that poppy seeds are one of the worst things you could eat so I made a Challah without them for a client this week. I also learned that cranberries are EXCELLENT for treating gout. I will be reading more about this in the coming days.

I am going to work on some lists for me to keep handy as I work with a variety of diets and as I prepare meals for clients. I am starting a notebook to help me keep things together. I need the organization. LOL

"Fast" Food...

2012-01-12T13:59:00.002-07:00

We are moving into the Lenten season soon and I have been doing a lot of reading and research on fasting. I have chosen to do a 21 Day Daniel Fast this year. I have been on two weeks of "preparation" for this and have not officially started. I have been cutting back on sugar and caffeine to prepare my body for this big change. I have also been eating more vegetarian in the last week. Coming off of the Christmas season with all the crazy eating I needed an extended preparation time for this so my body would not go into SHOCK! LOL

I truly believe that fasting should not be used unless you are praying with it. The Bible is clear that we should engage in both... together.... "prayer and fasting" is listed together every time it is mentioned. I am personally seeking the Lord for some answers for our family during this time and need some focused prayer time. I feel strongly that this is something I should do right now. I have to admit, though, that it is hard for a chef to fast. The clients I cook for have some healthy menus right now and that should help a great deal. I do have to taste things as I go to make sure they are up to my standard for preparation before passing the food on to the client so there will be tasting... just not indulging.

I thought I would share some tools I will be utilizing during this time for those interested in doing this type of fast, too.

You may be asking, "What is a Daniel Fast?"

It is a 21 day fast of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds... basically a vegan diet... for the purpose of clearing the body while focusing on the aspect of prayer and seeking God.

The original story comes from the book of Daniel in chapters 1 and 10.

This is a great link from a doctor... not exciting but good information to see who Daniel was and what he did, why we fast and how it affects the body and mind throughout this process. This is fascinating to me to see how Daniel and his friends would have been "healthier" than the kings men in the story from the Bible about this. It is a study he is discussing.

Here is another page with a great list of what is acceptable for the 21 day duration.

So, here is what I mean by preparing...

One, I have been reading two books in preparation for this.

Two, I have found video and recipe helps online that I will be referring to in a pinch throughout the process.

MarthaFry.org shares her grocery planning and shopping tips on her site along with her experiences and insights for her family

There are four video resources I have enjoyed on youtube.com that share information and recipes.

The Daniel Fast

Susan also has more videos on her site

The Ultimate Daniel Fast

Chef Judson Todd

Martha Fry

Three, I will be writing an extensive menu plan and grocery list as I go to make sure I stay on track. I am already developing a chart that keeps my menus and daily reading in front of me as I go. I am of the opinion that the planning I do ahead will keep my mind focused more on the prayer time than on the food prep time once I start. I don't want to make this about the eating.

Several of these sites started the fast on January 8th and are sending daily e-mail to encourage those fasting. The e-mails I have been receiving are being saved for me to start reading next week when I start officially. They are packed with good stuff so I encourage you to sign up for those if you can.

I am planning on sharing recipes here as I go that help me. There are lots of things that will be vegan in nature and can be used all the time and not just during fasting. I hope you will enjoy this series as I share.

I am a "flexitarian" so you can expect me to go back to eating animal products once I have completed this fast. I hope you will consider this for yourselves. Please feel free to share other resources you might have found or will find along the way here.

Thanks for reading!

French Fridays... a little late

2012-01-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

The goal of this group is to cook and bake our way through this book

I received this book over a year ago as a Christmas present. We will not be sharing the recipes here because it is our intent to share our personal journey in photos and encourage you to pick up your own copy to do the same. We do not want to break copyright laws by posting published recipes and Dorie worked hard on this and should get paid. It is a magnificently beautiful book!

This particular recipe for the week of January 6th is the Bubble-Top Brioche.

Brioche is made from an enriched dough... that means is is loaded with butter, sugar and eggs. LOL It rises more slowly and makes for a very flaky, rich product. It is quite delicious!

Initial dough before overnight refrigeration

The dough the next morning

Shaped Brioche proofing

Baked rolls

We enjoyed these with family today for our Sunday Dinner together.

A lovely treat, indeed!

Check out the website for upcoming challenges and pick up the book to join us if you like.

It's the little things that make me happy...

2012-01-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Loose Leaf Tea and a Tea Ball... this is such a great little treat for me!

and Earl Grey Tea at that... Mmmmmmmm...

Got a new pair of pie birds for Christmas. This means there will be a pie in my near future.

What is a pie bird you ask?

It is a little hollow ceramic bird that is placed in the center of your pie as it bakes to release steam. This provides a "drier" pie... Fruit pies, especially, tend to be a little too runny from the steam and juices that build up during baking. Releasing the steam helps it to be more solid in it's structure once cooled and sliced.

These are "old time" devices and are a collector's item for some people. I hope to collect more myself. ;)

Foodie Bandwagon...

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am getting back on the bandwagon for some food challenges this year. I am starting with a French Fridays with Dorie recipe this weekend. I got this book last Christmas a year ago with the intention of working through it and then school took over. Now is the time... gotta keep my skills sharp! This week's challenge is Bubble Top Brioche Rolls. When I have a little time and money for ingredients I will work my way back through this list

and a Daring Baker Challenge straight from the official Daring Kitchen will be presented to you by the end of the month on their deadline. Again... working back through some challenges past as I have time and ingredients

I am also very excited that Tuesdays with Dorie are starting back up again in February 2012. They are working through Baking with Julia.

Count me in!

Check out this article that Dorie Greenspan shares on her Baking From My Home To Yours book. I love to read her stuff so much!

Happy New Year to you all!

2012-01-05T14:00:00.001-07:00

I have been a little distracted with getting kiddos back into routines and getting myself back on track after a few weeks of being sick. I wanted to share a few things I have found over the past few days. If you are like me, you are getting back to normal eating after putting in too much "holiday food" and you might need some direction to help you get there. I found some great places to help you eat better... more whole foods and real nutrition.

The first one is an online free course that actually begins tomorrow. It is a webinar... Gnowfglins is putting it together for us and it should be online around 1:00pm Pacific time tomorrow. Check it out and get on their e-mail list. They will send you information to get you there. UPDATE: THIS IS A LINK FOR THEIR HANDOUT OF TIPS... GREAT STUFF!

Are you looking to eat more gluten free this coming year? Here is a new website that has a great post to get you started. It is called Balanced, Healthy Platter. I am excited about this new venture of theirs. They will be adding articles to help with all kinds of food allergies. We recently discovered that our youngest has some more allergies and are adjusting the diet again for him. This will be a great resource for lots of different allergies and how to deal with them. They also have a great post on a detox smoothie and how to detox without starving yourself. Great stuff!

One more resource I found is a 8 Week Plan to Real Foods. You can get on their e-mail list at this page and then they will start sending you e-mails about how to do this. I am excited about this one, too. Take a look around their Vintage Remedies website, too... it is a nice site! There are online courses and packages to learn more about becoming a home or professional herbalist.

I am hoping to be here a lot more this year. If there is something you would like to see here please let me know. I am writing more about healthy, fasting, allergies, healing your body with food instead of medications and so much more. There will still be fun stuff like baking and special seasonal treats. I am currently working on a family cookbook for our 50th family reunion coming in 2013, too.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I am working on some posts about food and the Bible. God has me hungering and thirsting after righteousness and I want to spend some time looking at what all that really means. I hope to share some of that journey with you, too.

So Happy New Year... and lets get better together this year!

Homemade Marshmallows... very easy

2011-12-23T13:05:00.002-07:00

These are our marshmallows... we tinted them blue and cut them into star shapes

They are fabulous and very easy... here is the tutorial I followed. Very easy to follow and this website has great recipe videos for lots of other things, too.

More from our kitchen as we winter in...

2011-12-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

We have been stocking things up for the winter months... basically just when they are in season we buy a little extra and then we can enjoy it through the months it is not in the stores. I shared the pumpkin baking not too long ago.

After thanksgiving we used a few turkey carcasses to make stock (ladies from our church gave us their's). It is SO SUPER SIMPLE to make stock... everyone should be doing this and saving money. It is SO delicious, too! Great for soups, stews, sauces and a variety of other cooking uses.

and I have a few bags of pecans that have been frozen.

I am, however, quite low on my frozen bananas for smoothies! LOL Must raid a store soon to see if they have some bulk buys on overripe bananas. They make great banana bread and muffins, too.

There are also frozen blueberries, a variety of meats purchased on recent holiday sales and frozen Amish bread and a meatloaf. I am hoping to get back to more bulk cooking and baking in the new year. It is so very convenient to have things ready to heat and serve. :) It also saves a ton of money since most our money goes to the crazy gas prices these days... we will take the savings wherever we can get them. LOL

Christmas Grasshopper Pie...

2011-12-21T17:11:00.002-07:00

One for the family that I made with the overflow from the one for the customer (that is why it is not as pretty... making it stretch) LOL

and the one for the customer.

This is basically a mint Oreo cookie crust (made from scratch), chocolate pudding (or chocolate pastry cream and whipping cream filling) and then the whipped cream topping. There are so many variations on this but I make one without the creme de menthe for families with little kids. The one with creme de menthe is quite yummy, though. This pie is great for Christmas or St. Patrick's Day or any time of the year. It is minty and chocolate. YUM!

Slowing down a little...

2011-12-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit crazy lately... some business and more with the family. We have been in the concert season of late. We have been flitting from one concert and event to another with all the kiddos seasonal endeavors.

I thought I would pop in and share a little of what I have been up to...

Thanksgiving was full of pie making and baking and there are orders for some other items for pies coming up. I have been doing some menu planning and then there is the philanthropic side of my life.

I am sure you know... if you have been around long... that my children commission me on a regular basis, to bake for a variety of events. I don't charge them money. LOL So, in the past two weeks I have made cookies, a Tres Leches Cake, Sticky Gingerbread Cake, Amish breads and muffins and today I made fudge.

I used the standard fudge recipe on the back of the marshmallow cream jar. Nothing fancy but yummy!

All chocolate fudge with little sprinkled candies on top

The kids are taking them to teachers for class "fun" tomorrow.

This evening I got to make my first London Broil.

It was a standard piece of Top Round that I marinaded in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil blend with garlic and pepper. Once it was ready (two days in the fridge for us) I turned on the broiler and cooked on each side for about 5-7 minutes and served. London Broil is served medium rare. IT WAS AMAZING!!! I will be doing this again. We made it a low carb meal with veggies and a big salad made with Romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, pecans and red onion. I made a balsamic vinaigrette to go with. YUM!

I am working on a plan for blogging lots more in the new year. I am also revamping business stuff a little to focus less on catering and more on baking and personal chef endeavors. I just love those more so that is going to be the focus. I am still waiting to order a PC training program.... kinda pricey but I will come up with the money when I need to.

Stay tuned for quick recipes, cookbook recommendations, lots of foodie pics and menu plan ideas to bring your family to the table. New plan coming soon...

An Early Thanksgiving Meal... random photos

2011-11-21T16:08:00.001-07:00

Buttermilk before going in to bake...

Pumpkin muffins for a customer... they tend to be lighter in color because I use fresh pumpkin.

Here is the pumpkin puree I use.

Here is the plethora of pumpkin in the freezer right now... I wound up bagging about 32 cups when it was all said and done.

Cranberries with orange peel and orange juice and sugar. Bring to a boil... boil until cranberries pop and then cool. YUM!!!

Fresh green beans for tonight... I still have to trim and cook them. I will add onion, almonds and butter to saute them.

Stuffed the turkey with fresh rosemary, apples and onions.

Salt and pepper on the skin

Gelled cranberry sauce ready for serving

There will also be wild rice, turkey gravy and bread.

We will finish with the pie and coffee and a movie. I love Thanksgiving!!!

Let the baking begin!

2011-11-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

My standard traditional pie shell

Pecans from Costco... I sometimes also use walnuts

The sugar/custard filling

Before the baking...

Fully baked and setting. Nice... no runny in this one.

Have I ever mentioned that baking pies is my favorite? Well, I also enjoy baking bread.

I wonder if there is room in the world for a pie and bread shop? LOL

Roasting a Bird...

2011-11-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

Here is a video I did some time ago...very amateur. I was 25 pounds heavier than I am now! LOL I would also change a little bit of the things I said here. I would not cook a bird to 185 anymore... I would go no higher than 180 and no lower than 165 or 170. I also do not use the pop button method because it tends to overcook and dry out the bird to do that. I thaw my bird for at least 3 days in the refrigerator before I cook it. I still LOVE THE SKIN!!! LOL I will share some more tips and such over the coming days... both my tips and some great links I find. We are also going to brine our turkey this year I think. It makes for a much more moist bird to do this. I might even do another video! :o LOL We shall see...

Gluten Free Time...

2011-11-13T18:16:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to put this up for MONTHS! I am not gluten free but am eating much less these days with my fibromyalgia but I do bake for some gluten free clients. First and foremost it is important to use clean and decontaminated equipment when doing this. You do not want to use pans or machines that have been exposed to gluten. Do a thorough cleaning before using. If you are making the switch do a thorough FULL KITCHEN cleaning. You don't even want to be breathing it if you are highly allergic. This is not as necessary if you just have a mild sensitivity and can tolerate some gluten but a good cleaning can still be nice just in case.

These are a few of my favorite gluten free blogs...

Gluten Free Girl

Jen's Gluten Free Blog

Simply Gluten-Free

Gluten Free Mommy

Gluten Free Diva

Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

Jules Gluten Free

Baking Love (one of my most favorites!)

Gluten Free Day

Ginger Lemon Girl

Gluten Free for Good

Strawberries are Gluten Free

Wheat Free Meat Free

The Spunky Coconut

a Donut recipe I want to try soon... Premeditated Leftovers

Other Great Resources in magazine and book form

Living Without magazine for Gluten free living

My favorite so far...

Own and use this one ALL THE TIME!!!

Reading this one right now and I found it at our local library. Nice story about Elisabeth and her transition to a new way of eating. I really like her!

Got this one a the library, too and it is LOVELY!!!

If you want to still use your bread machine... remember to really clean it well before making the transition!

One of the original gluten free bloggers! Fabulous recipes and they are all tested and tested again. Great stuff!!!

Here is the Gluten Free Girl's story... I am reading this one from the library right now, too.

Just bought this one and cannot wait to dig in and play over the holidays with this

She has two cookbooks, actually... and she has one of the original gluten free bakeries in New York City. Lovely recipes and beautiful books!

Found this one at our local library, too and it is spectacular! I plan on checking it out again soon for some test kitchen work and if I really love it I will wind up purchasing it, I am sure. :)

If you are looking for mixes this is the place to go.... Bob's Red Mill is working to provide quality gluten free mixes for your convenience! I love Bob!!!

So, here is the start of what I have read and researched. I am on a mission for me and for my clients to give them delicious alternatives. So much of what is available in stores is just not good... not delicious... not satisfying. My mission is to help change that for those who are living with this food restriction.

Baking pumpkins

2011-11-07T14:00:00.002-07:00

The best pumpkin to use for baking in pies and breads is a smaller one. It will be about the size of a small head... not the tiny ones. One that is possibly a Sugar Pumpkin if they have them labeled.

I never really realized the value of those little pumpkin carving kits until I actually picked one up at the dollar store and now I won't go back to the knife. I love the little "saw". It is perfect for taking the top off the pumpkin and carving faces and shapes into the pumpkin. As you can see, it is the little "screwdriver" looking item in the bottom right of the picture above. I also have a scraper next to it. All from the dollar store!

After I cut the top out I did use my big knife to cut the pumpkin in half. This makes it easier to scrape it out if you cut it in half first.

Scrape out all of the goo, strings and seeds. I pick the seeds out to season and toast and they are quite good and certainly great for you!

You can brush some oil on the "meat" part or just put them in plain but I turn them with the skin side up so the meat part does not brown too quickly and leave burnt spots.

I bake them at around 325 for somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 to 2 hours depending on how large it is.

Once you have baked it until the meat is soft you scrape it all out of the skin and store it. I prefer to puree mine and measure it into freezer bags by the cup measure and then label each bag with how much is in it.

The meat is stringy usually but the puree process gives you the texture you want for baking purposes.

Once you are done you should only have the seed strings and skin left. If anyone has a use for these outside of composting feel free to share. LOL I have never determined their usefulness. ;)

Now, you are ready to bake... Get to it! You only have 17 days left until Thanksgiving! :)

Finally Back Online!

2011-10-26T14:39:00.003-06:00

I had a bit of glitch lately with a switch from one internet service to another and it threw us offline for almost a month. I am back and putting together some yummy stuff for November! We have a cool front heading our way in the next 24 hours and I have a GROSS (144 or 12 dozen) of monster cookies to bake for my boy for his 18th birthday for this weekend. I am excited to be back and sharing all we are going to be doing over the holiday season.

If you would like to order some Thanksgiving or Christmas goodies you can place an order anytime between now and then. I will try and post a pdf of our items available. On all cupcakes and muffins I can do personal custom orders. Whatever flavor you are looking for I can help you come up with just the right cupcake!

Just shoot me an e-mail if you are local and I can work it all out with you! :) See the Home page for more info.

Menus for this week....

2011-09-26T22:00:00.001-06:00

Monday

Romaine Lettuce with pears,

craisins, pecans, feta cheese, croutons

topped with Grilled Chicken Breast

Tuesday

Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff

Egg Noodles

Veggies

Wednesday

Taco Salad

Fruit

Thursday

Green Curry Lentils

Raw Veggies

Naan bread

Friday

Vegetarian Chili

Veggies for topping

(tomato, avocado, onion)

Cornbread

Saturday

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
Salad

Sunday
Cabbage Rolls
Veggies
Salad
Bread.

Menu Planning for September 12-18

2011-09-12T14:56:00.003-06:00

Monday

Pinto Beans and Cornbread

Tuesday

Mexican Lasagna

Salad

Wednesday

Whole Wheat Waffles

Fruit

Thursday

Salad Supper

Friday

Turkey & Bean Chili

Saturday

Brisket

Roasted Red Potatoes

Broccoli

Big Salad

Cake

(Eagle Court of Honor for my son)

Sunday

Whatever is left from yesterday...

Weekend with the Women's Club...

2011-09-12T11:44:00.000-06:00

My sweet friend Regina invited me to the annual Fall Festivities at the local Women's Club.

This is a local organization that does a lot of volunteer work and gives back to the community through service and donations.

They are also avid supporters of their own and women's businesses in the community.

She invited me to give me a little exposure for my business and I fell in love with those women IMMEDIATELY!

They are precious!

Regina sells Scentsy products and this was her booth. Her Mother-in-law was there, too. Her MIL used to be in my aerobics class that I taught a few years ago. It was so great to see her again! It made me miss that part of my life to see her again. We loved meeting to work out together. Now that I am doing gentler exercise like walking and Pilates I could never keep that pace again I am afraid. LOL It is sure hard on the joints but it was very fun when I taught it.

There were some other favorite booths and stops I made throughout the morning.

Another local lady makes glycerin soaps that are just lovely! Her name is Kim and she can be found at www.kimsoapbox.com

There was a bake sale filled with beautiful baked goods made by the members

Another annual event they do is a Granny's Attic Sale. This is a collection of items the ladies donate to sell for charity. They had some very beautiful things.

I found a little French Press for $5.00... I will share that on another post.

They also offer one weekend a year Tea Room to raise money for charity and again, the ladies make all the food and serve you. It was fabulous!

Lovely tables...

Lovely meal... a chili relleno style casserole, fruit salsa and chips

Lovely dessert... Lemon Chess Pie and coffee

I loved going out and supporting this group of women! It was a wonderful time had by all.

Some other vendors you can check out...

Texas Chili Warehouse at www.texaschile.com

Thinking in Trees with Larry Colley at www.thinkingintrees.com

Betty's Handcrafted Beads at www.bettysbeads.com

Inflammation and Food...

2011-09-07T14:48:00.000-06:00

UPDATE:
I have continued to read more and more about this and there seems to be mounting evidence. Here is another great article with lots of links to click through and read more.

Do Nightshades Promote Inflammation?

Also... my postings are not ALL the information there is on inflammation nor is it intended to diagnose anything. It never was designed for that. It is MY personal journey to find what is going on with MY body. Everyone is different so you need to find what works for you. I only share information in order to give you something else to CONSIDER and not to tell others what they should do. Please take my posts in the way they are intended. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day.
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I have recently been on a journey. About six months ago my nurse practitioner gave me the diagnosis of "mild fibromyalgia symptoms" meaning that I had some but not a complete abundance. It has been noted in many scientific research that this syndrome does not necessarily come on all at once but slowly over time. I was not showing full blown symptoms but some symptoms that indicated that might be what was going on. Now, I have been back to the doctor... a new doctor because the old one went on maternity leave and decided not to go back to work. We are testing for the full blown thing now. I am having LOTS of symptoms that have escalated in the past month or so. For me, that means I am on a quest for a NUTRITIONAL/DIETARY solution because that is what I do. I turn to the diet first to see what is going on. As a business owner I try and do this for my clients, too. If we are eating the right things we will begin to heal and feel good. Sometimes we need medications but so often, if we are getting the right nutrition and the right amount of water it can make a HUGE difference in how we feel.

With that being said, my first trail has taken me to foods that cause inflammation. I learned today that plants in the "Nightshade" family cause joint and internal inflammation to be worsened as well as causing acne on the outer skin. Now, you ask, what the heck is a NIGHTSHADE PLANT? I know this because I asked that question, too.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines Nightshade, also known as Solanaceae as follows...

any plant of the genus Solanum (family Solanaceae), which has about 2,300 species, and certain other plants of the same family and other families. The species usually called nightshade in North America and England is Solanum dulcamara, also called bittersweet and woody nightshade. Its foliage and egg-shaped red berries are poisonous, the active principle being solanine, which can cause convulsions and death if taken in large doses. The black nightshade (S. nigrum) is also generally considered poisonous, but its fully ripened fruit and foliage are cooked and eaten in some areas.

Ok, so that did not help much! LOL I wanted to know WHAT KIND OF FOODS ARE THESE? So, here is more from EB...

Solanaceae (in Solanaceae (plant family))...eggplant (S. melongena); tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum); garden, or capsicum, pepper (Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens); tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum); deadly nightshade, the source of belladonna (Atropa belladonna); the poisonous jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) and nightshades (S. nigrum, S. dulcamara,

basically these foods have alkaloids and alkaloids cause inflammation

Oh, that is better....

But... not really. I love those foods! Ok, that stinks!!! AND THEY ARE CONSIDERED POISONOUS TO THE BODY... in large quantities!!! YIKES!

The following foods have been found to cause inflammation:

eggplant
tomatoes
tomatillos
all kinds of peppers both mild and spicy, jalapenos, pimentos, bell peppers, chilis, etc.
all products made from peppers... spices, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red peppers, some curries, tabasco sauce or the equivalent
tobacco
ground cherries
pepinos
Potatoes... but NOT SWEET POTATOES (hurray!)

Note that cooking these items REDUCES but does not ELIMINATE the effects on the body. If you are sensitive to them or if you have a history of inflammation you may want to consider cutting these out of your diet.

Where I Stand...

I am going to go on an elimination diet and test these for myself. Each person may react differently and I have to know, for myself, if these are triggers for me.

Some resources

SmithsonChiro

I Heart Wellness

Arthritis.About.com

Encyclopedia Britannica

Nightshade plant science information

Whole Foods Research Page

Native Remedies Blog

I am also reading this...

Menu Plan September 5-10

2011-09-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

Monday

Pasta Salad

for Potluck at the Pool

Tuesday

Grilled Pork Chops

Rice

Veggies

Wednesday

Beef Stroganoff

Pasta

Veggies

Salad

Thursday

Green Bean and Bass Pouches

(Rachael Ray)

Fruit Salad

Friday

Delivering Bread for

Italian Dinner for Press Box

Lasagna for home

salad

bread

Saturday

Finger Food Dinner at Baptism

September Goals...

2011-09-04T20:09:00.000-06:00

Buckling down this month to do the official kick-off to build the business. Tomorrow is Labor Day and this week is the first full week of September. My first e-mail goes out Tuesday with a list of items for the Fall. I am doing baking to get things started. I am still saving for a personal chef course and then I will work on that. I am setting three to five big goals to do each week

For the week of September 5-10

* Send out Fall Baking Price List and begin taking orders for Holiday items. As I do the baking I will take photos for the portfolio to post on the blog and in the cookbook I am building with business recipes... see below for this goal.

* Marketing Goal... put business magnets on vehicle and carry business cards everywhere I go. Pass out at least 5 cards each week and keep building e-mail list and send weekly updates and reminders.

* Continue reading Personal Chef and Catering Books by Denise Vivaldo and add Jay Conrad Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing Excellence book. I will also be purchasing Dave Ramsey's new book, EntreLeadership by the end of the month. I will do a book review on my favorites as I go.

* Continue to revise and complete business plan (for the month of September)

* Spend time building recipe collection. I have purchased a notebook, stickers, recipe cards and tabs and will be typing in recipes to print and put in notebook to organize the menus and recipes I use. Print all menus and price lists to put in notebook. Be on the lookout for new things and spend time testing recipes as I go. Purchase new printer cartridge soon...

IN THE TEST KITCHEN.... APPLE RECIPES AND PUMPKIN ALE RECIPES....

Menu Plan for August 29 - September 3

2011-08-28T18:28:00.000-06:00

Monday

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

Salad

Veg

Tuesday

Ratatouille

and Herb Biscuits

Wednesday

Cleaning out the Fridge!!!

Thursday

Tilapia

Pasta Salad

Fruit

Friday

Soft Tacos

w/lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa and cheese

Fruit Salad

Saturday

Chicken Pot Pie

Salad

Sunday

Church Dinner

Finishing strong...

2011-08-28T18:13:00.000-06:00

Book to read:

Continuing to read...

Denise Vivaldo's Home-Based Personal Chef Business

The rest of the goals are carried over from last week until the end of the month. The biggest goal this week, though, is to get the prices lists for the fall together and get them out in e-mail and online by Thursday September 1st. I will be putting up September goals by the end of the week, also.

My first solo job...

2011-08-28T17:39:00.000-06:00

I did a menu for a Summer Salad Supper...

I served a green salad with apple, craisins, walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette, a gourmet taco salad with grilled chicken, brussel sprouts and quinoa with a walnut pesto, a traditional Italian pasta salad and to finish the meal I served an apple and blueberry crisp. I make all my own vinaigrettes and dressings. No preservatives or artificial chemicals in any of this food! :) Here are some photos...

Lunch Box Ideas...

2011-08-23T05:00:00.020-06:00

First, let's make it very clear that I am not ashamed that I am a total Doctor Who Geek... and I love this lunch box! It is to be released for sale in October 2011... click the picture for details. LOL Moving forward....

During school... both, when I homeschooled and now that three out of four are in public school, I have kept fresh fruit in a bowl on the table and in the refrigerator. I also keep things such as carrots and celery cut up and ready to pack.

If I have to cut apples up for packing I will soak them in lemon water and then strain and pack them and add just a touch of the lemon water for transport and it keeps apples and pears nicely until lunchtime.

If my children take apples they often want peanut butter or some kind of dipping sauce.

A Nice Little Cream Cheese Fluffy Fruit Dip

8 ounces cream cheese
a Tbsp honey
whipping cream to lighten
a bit of cinnamon,
nutmeg
and/or cardamom if you like
or you can add a touch of vanilla extract

Whip it all together and use for dipping fruit of all kinds - berries, melons, apples, etc...

I will sometimes cut up cheese cubes or slices to go with the fruit, too. My children are big cheese and fruit consumers. LOL Try a variety of cheeses. I cut them about the size of dice. Six cubes is a serving. I cut cheddar, monterrey jack, colby/jack, pepper/jack and mozzarella for them. It is often cheaper to buy the big block at Sam's or Costco and cut it yourself. It doesn't take that much more time and there are no fillers in the block cheeses like there are in the prepackaged precut stuff.

Costco has great fruit in spring and right through late summer and early fall. I can find things like plums, strawberries, blueberries, melons, celery, carrots, pears, apples, peaches, grapes and broccoli. These are great snacking items and so easy to wash, prepare and pack.

If crackers are your thing... there are some really cool gourmet style crackers offered for sale at Costco and Sam's but maybe you can find them on your grocery aisle in smaller amounts. I, honestly, love the big box with my big family and the variety is great... not to mention the different shapes for my younger ones. Very fun food!

I truly believe that raw foods are a great source of nutrition and I encourage my children to eat lots. We do not drink juice or send those juice boxes when they can have water and fresh fruits. They get a juice at breakfast a few times a week and they really do not need more. Juice can often be empty calories and have sugar and corn syrup added. We don't really need all of that so we skip it. I have been known, however, to send an almond or rice milk with them for a special treat for after they drink their water. They sell them in little travel boxes now that can stay at room temperature.

My children are meat eaters but there are certain vegetarian items they really enjoy.

They are fans of hummus and I have used a variety of different beans with much success. The favorite is still the garbanzo bean hummus but black bean hummus is a close second.

My Black Bean Hummus

goes something like this...

1 can or 12-14 ounces cooked black beans rinsed and strained

1-2 cloves garlic

lime juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 Tbsp Tahini

a handful of Cilantro

Throw it all in a food processor and blend thoroughly

Olive Oil - drizzle until smooth consistency to finish.

Serve with crackers or on tortilla or Naan bread

You might check out this great link for Bento Boxes or create your own versions with little Rubbermaid or other plasticware from places like Walmart, Walgreens, local grocery stores, Dollar Tree or other dollar stores or discount places. You might even find used stuff in good condition at thrift stores such as Goodwill or Savers in your area. Just stay away from obvious microwave damage and staining or questionable use marks. I have also invested in a small collection of glass containers with lids for refrigerator storage. Anchor Hocking has some nice stuff as do Corningware and Pyrex.

If lunch is fun and in fun little containers and lunch boxes then, I know, I would feel special about my lunch. I know my own children do, too. Add a hand sewn napkin (choose a cotton cloth with a fun pattern that they will love and individualize for each child) and a cool or funky set of plastic utensils and you have a very fun and friendly lunch experience from the minute they open their lunch each day. Just a small way to tell them "I love you!" ....and a very appreciated one even if they don't always say it out loud. LOL

To finish off a meal you could also put something a little special in every now and again... I recommend Monster Cookies. They are a fave around here. :)

More ideas coming... stay tuned!

Menu Plan for August 22-27

2011-08-22T05:00:00.001-06:00

Monday

Meatloaf w/ground turkey

Red Potatoes

Veggies

Tuesday

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tomato Soup

Small Side Salad

Wednesday

Crockpot Chicken

Spinach/Strawberry/Walnut Salad

Rice

Veggies

Thursday

Lentils and Rice Taco Bake

Tortillas

Salsa

Avocado and Tomato

Friday

Girls Night!

Gnocchi sauteed with bacon and butter

w/Bechamel Sauce

Veggies

Brownies for Dessert

Saturday

Baseball night!

???

It is also BACK-TO-SCHOOL week in our house... as it is for many of you guys. My family tends to love taking either sandwiches or leftovers from the night before in their lunches. I will share a few lunch ideas as I go through the week with you guys and, of course, AFTER SCHOOL SNACKAGE!!!

Goal Setting for the end of August

2011-08-21T17:00:00.001-06:00

Book to read:

Continuing to read...

Denise Vivaldo's Home-Based Personal Chef Business

and also reading...

3 Organizing Goals to accomplish for the week

* Set a daily schedule for me to follow... homeschool, housework, business tasks, etc...

* More file cabinet maintenance as I go through crates and boxes

* List making for event for Thursday - shopping and equipment list... shop and do some prep on Wednesday and finish and deliver Thursday - did I mention I have a job on Thursday, btw? WOOHOO

Paperwork/Research tasks

* Build contracts and pricing lists

* cost recipes and input at least 5 new ones a day...

build notebook once input is completed for hard copies

* Business plan continued...

* More pricing for shipping and send sample to see how it ships

* Test 3 new recipes this week for the fall - this will make family happy! LOL

Contacts to make

* Continue to build e-mail list

* Purchase Personal Chef Course by August 31st

* Adding electronic business card to all outgoing e-mail

* Contact doctors offices and other office locations to see about leaving business cards in the lobby

* Contact Chamber of Commerce for information and contacts on Women and Business locally

From whence cometh your food?

2011-08-20T21:28:00.002-06:00

My husband and I took our younger two boys out fishing this morning. They are in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. They are earning belt loops and merit badges for fishing so this was a very cool opportunity for them. The local Fishing Club puts on events for youth throughout the year and this was one of those events today. They did a special day for scouts.

It was a great opportunity for the boys to see where food comes from. I am a huge believer that our society is missing something by not seeing the source of food in it's natural habitat. To be honest right up front our boys did not catch anything. The catfish below was from a man that was helping the boys fish. They got to get up close and personal with a real live catfish.

They learned some skills... saw a real fish being caught and then released and then...

I realized I had catfish in the freezer... so we had catfish for dinner. This is a baked catfish recipe that is a hit in our home. (had to use regular bread crumbs because I did not have Panko crumbs in the house - Panko is much preferred but still, this was good) They loved the connections made today between the real fish and dinner. It was a great lesson and a delicious meal. The veg in the background is some seasonal summer squash, simply sauteed with a little salt and pepper. We also had fresh watermelon. I love days like today!

Blueberry Syrup...

2011-08-19T20:56:00.004-06:00

I love making fruit syrups...

they are simple and delicious and they add a little nutrition to the plate, too.

LOL .... a little

I start with pureed fruit - 1 to 2 pints of blueberries or strawberries

1 to 2 cups of sugar

1/2 a cup to 1 cup water

a squeeze of lemon

2 Tbsp corn syrup

Bring it all to a boil and let it cook down to thicken a bit.

Then, I finish it off with 2-3 pats of butter and then strain and serve warm over French toast, pancakes or waffles. It is a Saturday morning staple in our house

Thought I would also share with you guys that I am on Facebook now with a business page... Family Table Personal Chef and Catering. Come and see me there if you get a chance. :)

Family approved meals...

2011-08-17T21:38:00.001-06:00

This is my Pasta e Fagioli

(it is rarely the same every time because I use it to clean out the fridge when I make it most of the time)

It has loads of veggies in it and ground turkey and pasta and beans. My kids eat this... they don't complain about it. It is the same for the Ratatouille I make which is a completely vegetable dish. It is possible to feed veggies to children instead of chicken nuggets and fries every night. It took battles in the beginning to get them to try new things but then they figured out that they had no choice and over time... it happened... they like fruits and veggies now. It makes my heart happy when they eat like this.

Green Chicken Curry

This was AN ENORMOUS HIT in our house. Aarti Sequeira is the author of this fabulous recipe. I did sub chicken breast, which is lower in fat and gets drier in the cooking, but it was still awesome! Try it for yourselves and see what the kids say.

As I do my research...

2011-08-17T05:00:00.008-06:00

I am learning more about local and state requirements. This particular law - the Texas Cottage Food Law - has some exciting news for people like me. It is expensive to start a business and this particular law will save me quite a bit of facility rental and other fees. I know that it is important to have very sanitary conditions but a law like this would allow me to use a church kitchen that may not necessarily be completely up to specs. It would allow me to bake in a very clean environment that may not pass the equipment requirements completely and give me time to purchase items as I make money and can afford them.

There are lots of people that have issues with this law and I can see why. There are many home bakers that are not sanitary. They have not been to culinary school or through a SafeServ course. It will certainly have to be regulated to some degree but I am grateful it helps me at this time in my new venture. I am interested in following the progress of this as they make adjustments and changes to refine it but for now... I will use it to my financial advantage. I am certainly grateful for such a time as this! :) It is in effect as of September 1, 2011... perfect timing don't you think?

This week's at-home menu plan...

2011-08-14T17:00:00.002-06:00

Monday

Crockpot Pinto Beans

Cornbread

Fruit

Tuesday

Dinner out with scouts at a Court of Honor across town

Wednesday

Roasted Chicken (Lime and Cilantro)

Pineapple Salsa

Rice

Zucchini

Thursday

Curried Lentils

Rice

Veggies

Friday

Baked Catfish

Sweet potato fries

side salad

Saturday

Homemade Pizza Night

w/salad

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2011-08-14T16:05:00.000-06:00

I have had a request for this recipe.... I got the original from my American Cuisine book from culinary school. I have changed a few things so this is the one we use at our house. This is one of the kids MOST favorite dishes. We eat it as a side with meat entrees or by itself for a meatless dinner. I get this recipe request for all birthday celebrations and comfort food treats.

2 cups of elbow noodles... can use gluten free noodles if you like and it works great.
4 Tbsp REAL butter not margarine. ;)
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups colby/jack
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
salt and white pepper to taste

Cook elbow noodles according to package.

Strain water off and add the butter. Stir in to melt

While you are waiting for the noodles to cook you can heat the evaporated milk in a saucepan just to boiling and then turn off. Temper the hot milk into the eggs (meaning whip the eggs while you slowly pour hot milk into them so they don't cook or curdle). Add the cheese into the hot milk and eggs to start incorporating and melting the cheese.

Once the pasta is done and buttered and the cheese/egg/ and milk mixture is ready stir all together plus a bit of salt and pepper to taste and put into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Week of August 15th... Goal Setting

2011-08-13T12:42:00.000-06:00

I updated my list post from this past week and will rewrite a list of goals each week here for my business progress.

I think I am going to break it down for the rest of August like this...

Book to read:

Denise Vivaldo's Home-Based Personal Chef Business

3 Organizing Goals to accomplish for the week

* Build a business notebook this week with customer information section, menu section and recipe section. Input all into computer and then print hard copy for new notebook. Later I will be adding forms for personal chef and such but for now I need a skeleton format to get started.

* Continue to go through, at least, one box per day until clutter is culled and gone

* Set up one file drawer for business only... the other three are children and family, educational notes and papers and scouting stuff.

Paperwork/Research tasks

* continue to write business plan. Spend at least one focused hour per day building this

* Contact different companies about shipping cost for shipping foods and perishable items

* Sign up for CIA newsletter.. build a file in bookmarks with food sites that are sources of industry information and trends.

Contacts to make

* Continue to build e-mail list

* Give out at least 5 business cards this week

* Be in touch with Michelle this week on information gathered and menu items available right away.

For Jennie... Peanut Butter Pie Friday

2011-08-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

I don't typically share a recipe more than once here but this is for a special reason. A fellow blogger... Jennie at In Jennie's Kitchen suddenly lost her husband, Mikey, recently. She shared a post in memory this week. His favorite pie was peanut butter pie. So, to honor his life and her memory I am sharing my peanut butter pie recipe again. We just made it on August 6th for our middle boy's birthday so I have new pics, too. We did a twist on it with some mini Reese's Pieces on top. Please visit Jennie's and leave your well wishes and prayers for her and enjoy a peanut butter pie in memory of her precious husband this weekend.

You need 24 graham cracker squares
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

I put the graham crackers into a food processer or blender and process until fine crumbs. Then I add the sugar and butter and combine. It will still be very crumbly. You put it into the pie pan and press the bottom and up along the sides until it is evenly distributed. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes and then remove and cool.

While it is cooling you can make the pie filling.

Ingredients include...

To food processor add:

* 8 ounces cream cheese
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 6 Tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)
* 8 ounces whipped topping
* chocolate chips (optional)
* chopped peanuts for topping (also optional)

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and milk in processor and blend until smooth. Fold in topping (I use a separate mixing bowl and not the food processor to do this). Spoon into baked crust. I also put some chips into the pie and some on top. Garnish as you like with chocolate chips and/or peanuts. Refrigerate until firm.

My favorite two foods in one dish...

2011-08-10T05:00:00.001-06:00

I love brussel sprouts. I have love, love, LOVED them since I was a little girl. I have recently discovered the delight that is quinoa in recent years. My new favorite "me" meal is brussel sprouts with black quinoa. This is a recipe we did at work.

I rinse and quartered brussel sprouts and then saute them in butter just until they start to turn a little tender. Don't overcook them to soggy... I like that little crunch texture they still have.

While I saute the brussel sprouts I cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the packaging. This particular quinoa came from Indian Harvest... a bean and grain place that is used by our local culinary school. I got this particular one as a sample from them in the mail.

Once both are cooked, I toss them together and add a little salt and pepper to taste. Very simple... very delicious. We have also made this and tossed it with a pesto sauce. Great vegan meal by itself or as a side with your favorite meat dish.

Goal Setting to kick off the week...

2011-08-08T14:51:00.003-06:00

After I registered a business last week I started some list making and finally dug out some books I have been intending to read for quite some time. Timing is everything I think. LOL The time is right now and these books are speaking directly to where I am.

The book I have chosen for this week is...

I am already half way through this one in about two days. I am a slow reader but I have been disciplining myself to sit and read more. I will be writing goals each week to keep me on task and for the first few months I will be including a business book of some kind in the rotation.

Goals for this week are...

~~1. Read the above book - completed~~

2. Complete the process of writing a business plan - in progress... may take several weeks to complete

3. Price and make a decision on which personal chef program I will complete for certification and register.... in progress... waiting on money to purchase course but have one chosen

~~4. Make an equipment list and start pricing the items. Decide what I will save for first for purchasing. in progress but written down~~

~~5. Start building an e-mail list - in progress but written down~~

6. Clean church kitchen thoroughly and start preparing it for use... wound up with emergency at home with plumbing and did not make it up there... next week for sure.

7. Build holiday baking menu to start sending out for orders. Set a deadline for placing orders. Will send out by September 1st and pick a deadline soon.

~~8. Write out menu for Eagle Court of Honor and start pricing items for purchase. Budget for the extra expense on our personal budget and have oldest make his list of guests to prepare for.~~

9. REFinish desk and set it up for business - in progress... Dan is refinishing this right now

10. Set up filing system and add to it as I clean out all the crates and boxes around the house with papers in them... I am the crate lady it seems... it is pathetic! LOL I cannot resist a good crate. Cleaned out two a day and started filing system... still in progress... will take several weeks still

Gluten Free Muffins...

2011-08-08T05:00:00.003-06:00

Baked these for a client last week. They turned out very nice.

These are gluten free banana pecan muffins.

I have enjoyed baking gluten free items very much. It is really like being in the "experimental kitchen". I enjoy experimenting and trying out new recipes. One of the most exciting things I do is "play" in the kitchen. I love my job!!!

Oh, and Dan has been buying me a variety of different dishes lately... this particular one is for my Italian pasta collection. I love dishes, too! :)

Kombucha progress...

2011-08-07T05:00:00.001-06:00

Original SCOBY that I started with. These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to about 6 months if you do not reuse them right away. You can also give them away to friends and family that are interested in starting their own Kombucha.

The baby SCOBY that grew off the original.

My latest batch of green tea Kombucha. This is a very lovely elixir! LOL I like the green better than the black tea I am thinking.

A week's worth of meals... for less than $100.00

2011-08-06T05:00:00.001-06:00

If I have not shared this before (my facebook people have heard this for sure) we are living the Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover. That means that we are scraping and pinching every tiny bit we can to get out of debt as quickly as we can. One of our biggest issues upon evaluating what we spent was our grocery budget. We have taken that to heart and changed our ways... mostly. LOL Being a foodie I tend to like odd little treats in the way of food and drink when I can get it but I am learning to delay gratification in this realm. I did buy a chocolate soda and a bag of gnocchi the other day but for the most part I have been a really good girl the past few months.

With culinary school and crazy work schedules I have been neglectful in the sharing of menus that we eat at home so I am going to start putting more of that here again. So, without further adieu...

This week's meals include:

Taco Salad - lettuce, ground meat, tomatoes, avocado slices, grated colby/jack cheese, salsa, red onion or green onion and it all goes on a bed of tortilla chips. YUM!

Whole wheat waffles with pecans and homemade strawberry or blueberry syrup and a side of Vermont Maple Syrup Sausage.

Beef Lasagna with broccoli and garlic toast

Chicken Fried Steak and homemade mashed potatoes with a big side salad and dessert is peanut butter pie for a birthday boy's complete favorite meal on Saturday evening!

Baking a cake for church dinner and cutting up fruit as a side and this will all go with everyone else's contribution to the meal

Grilled Chicken with veggies

Roasted Pork Tenderloin (on sale this week and gonna get two big meals out of this one) with rice and veggies

Breakfasts include homemade granola with yogurt or milk, breakfast egg burritos, a variety of hot cereals, toast and fruit. We do not eat cold cereal in our house anymore... WAY too pricey for the budget.

Lunches are usually leftovers, big salads or sandwiches and there is always fruit for snacking.

Another key to making sure you stay under budget is to check the sale fliers and circulars and STICK TO YOUR LIST... do not buy something that is not on it.

So, that is what a week of meals looks like in our house. Sometimes there is more vegetarian stuff and in hot summer months lots of cold meals are a hit. In the winter there are lots more soups and comfort type foods.

If you need a little help getting started there is a great resource on the left-hand side of my blog. It is a link straight to E-mealz.com and it gives you a week's worth of meals at a time and a shopping list to keep you on track. Once you get the hang of it you can do it yourself but it is a great way to start off and get it under control quickly. Go check it out! :)

A little drum roll please...

2011-08-05T10:42:00.001-06:00

I have an announcement.... I am now the sole proprietor of a new business here called Family Table. I am in the process of putting a home office together and working on files and sorting to get my head wrapped around the organization part today and in the coming week.

I am starting with baked goods... both regular and gluten free. I have a glitch right now, in that, I do not have a floor mixer and am limited on the amount of yeast breads I can make at one time. I can, however, bake lots of quick breads, muffins, cupcakes, cookies and cakes without that. I am also making granola and will be in he test kitchen coming up with new flavors and fun names for them. I am currently offering blueberry/almond and cranberry/pecan. I can also do a special order for requests.

I am also working on a way to ship these and sell on the internet.... at least the granolas for now. I am in contact with a friend to build a partnership, maybe, for shipping breads to her B&B on a regular basis.

I am working on a menu of pies and holiday breads, muffins and other assorted treats. I will be taking local orders soon... starting in September. I need a few weeks to get all this up and running.

Eventually, with a little more reading and maybe some training, I hope to add a personal chef service and small affairs catering.

I have my artistic sister-in-love working on a logo for business cards, stationary, notepad and other forms of advertising for me.

God is good.... I am so grateful for all of the encouragement I have already received from friends and family. I will share all the details as I go when I have things available. I will share it all RIGHT HERE!!! I have added a Family Table Page link at the top and will try and keep it updated and will be adding more tabs for an "about us" and some other information.

So, welcome to our family table... real food for real families every day of the week! :)

Food for my boy...

2011-08-04T17:31:00.001-06:00

The blue and red table cloths did some serious coloring on the food photos! LOL This was the small spread for about 15 that I did for our oldest's Eagle Board of Review. We are currently planning the Court of Honor to celebrate in a few weeks.

Meat and cheese platter

Watermelon and White Honeydew in season

Veggie Platter

Fruit Platter

Cheese and Crackers

Simple little party trick...

The cheese ball above is made with goat cheese I purchased at Costco. I chopped pecans and then I shaped the cheese into a ball and rolled it in the nuts to cover. It is yum and SO very simple. :)

These cookies are the monster cookies I made a few weeks ago only I used Reese's mini candies, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips for a real peanutty/chocolate thing. I served them with homemade ice cream. It was a HUGE hit!

Raw Foods Fermentation Class...

2011-07-24T20:02:00.000-06:00

Here is the table set up for our Kimchi lab. You will see the bowl of veggies and cabbage for the slaw and the crock for the Kimchi. The container next to that is the Kombucha jar. The machine at the far right end is her dehydrator. She will be offering a dehydrator class sometime I am hoping.

This is what is called a SCOBY... Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast

Here is a cool link that tells more about this Kombucha thing and the SCOBY

This is the Kimchi crock up close and personal. The thing in the top is the "weight" that keeps the concoction of cabbage and veggies, spices and herbs under liquid during the fermenting process.

Another photo of a crock and work station for our class.

Here is the mixture that went into the crock before sealing it up to ferment. This process takes weeks to complete.

Oh, YUM... a jar of chilled Kombucha ready to enjoy during the workshop.

Here is nice hummus we had during one of our breaks.

Here is another spread we had on raw dried crackers

A nut cheese we enjoyed. For the cheeses we basically soaked and pureed nuts and added probiotics and set in a cheesecloth to drain the liquid over a day or so and then shape and garnish for service.

Here is the finished sauerkraut being put into jars. This was one they made ahead to send home with us. We made one to replace this for them and it would take about a week to ferment.

More nut cheeses garnished and ready to enjoy

and another tray of nut raw vegan cheeses

Our lunch spread.... complete with raw vegan dried patties made with mushrooms, nuts and a variety of herbs and spices. A little salty for me but that is fixable.

Our Fruit Kimchi mixture and then we put it in jars to take home and ferment

on the counter.

We finished the day with a latte made with coffee and almond milk and these delightful raw vegan cookies made with lemon and coconut. These were fabulous. The recipe is on the website for the Raw Food Rules group that offered this class. They have lots of other great recipes to try, too... check them out here!

Save the link...

2011-07-23T23:59:00.000-06:00

I am now officially a domain owner... you can save the link as www.chefleann.com now and that is where you find me here on the blog. Go ahead... what are you waiting for.... save the link! LOL Thanks!!! :)

Monster Cookies... Leann's version

2011-07-20T15:14:00.001-06:00

There are a plethora of monster cookie recipe floating around out there but, being the personality that I am, I cannot follow their recipes to the letter. I must make changes. So, with that in mind here is what I do for my kiddos...

I take the basic oatmeal cookie recipe from Betty Crocker's Giant Red Cookbook I got when I first got married (BTW, the cheese pizza recipe in that thing is the BEST!!!) and I tweak it.

the basic is...

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter (softened)

1/4 cup shortening (if you don't have shortening... which I sometimes don't... then I just double the butter and it gives a little different texture but they are still delish)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups oats (I use old fashioned but the recipe calls for quick cooking... if you put old fashioned in a food processor and pulse a few times they become quick cooking.... just so you know)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (typically whatever I have on hand at the moment)

The recipe has raisins but I leave those out (when I make it sometimes I use craisins instead, too)

The recipe is one where you cream the butter/shortening and sugars together then add the egg. In a separate bowl sift all the dry ingredients and then mix the two together... add the oats and nuts and there ya have it.

I double the recipe then...

To that I add:

1/2 cup mini M&M candies

1/2 cup mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

1/3 cup chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)

1/2 cup Reeses Pieces

1/3 cup white chocolate or peanut butter chips (again... whatever is on hand)

I use a small ice cream or cookie scoop to place them on parchment on a baking sheet and then bake them for about 12 minutes or until done at 375 degrees.

They are quite chunky and gooey and yummy!!! They freeze beautifully for lunches so you can make a giant batch and then bag them two by two for the kids school lunchboxes.

There will be a picture attached as soon as I make them this week... maybe tonight maybe tomorrow... I promise! :)

Silver City, New Mexico...

2011-06-06T23:01:00.000-06:00

I love Silver City! There is an historic district where there are lots of great little shops. My favorite places to stop are the Herb Shop and the Cooperative. We were there recently but we were only able to get into town on a Sunday morning. Most everything is closed on Sundays with the exception of a little bakery that we visited and a few other little restaurant and dine in places so go during the week or on a Saturday to get the full effect. I did manage to get a few photos while we were there that you might enjoy and when you get to Silver City you must stop into their historic district for an afternoon of shopping, eating and discovering this little treasure of a town in the lower Gila Wilderness area.

Enjoying pastries for our "second breakfast" of the day

Lots of fresh loaves for sale so we took a few home... see the bottom for the ones we took home...

The pastry window

The Coop... great goodies inside... a must see

Bear Creek Herbs is also a must see!

Looking for a cup of coffee??? This is your stop!

Blake's LottaBurger is a New Mexico tradition

Three delicious loaves to remember the trip... YUM!!!

A Multigrain Honey, a Black Olive and Feta and a Cranberry and Walnut

One more stop that I love there is a little used bookstore. It is also on the historic street area. There is always a little treasure that I find when I go in. Hope you get to go and discover this great little treasure for yourself someday. Tell 'em Chef Leann sent you! LOL

Mango Salsa...

2011-06-06T22:12:00.000-06:00

or Pineapple Salsa... I make them the same but use either pineapple or mango that is in season. The above photo is the pineapple version. I don't use exact measurements for this. I make until I love it and then eat it on chips or pork or chicken or whatever I feel like eating it on.

Start with your main ingredient... pineapple or mango

then add to that

red onion

cilantro

lime juice

kiwi or strawberry

small amount of chopped chipotle peppers (I buy the canned chipotle for this and use it sparingly unless you like lots of heat)

add a little honey or agave nectar

salt and pepper to taste

On a mission

2011-06-06T21:14:00.001-06:00

I have collected a variety of cookbooks over the years but the one thing I have not collected were books on cupcakes, making specialty frostings and books on decorating those little gems. We, daughter, youngest and I, made a trip to Barnes & Noble today to get a free cupcake for our littlest boy for his birthday (sign up for the kids club on BN and they will send you a free treat coupon for birthdays). While we were there I browsed the magazines and cookbooks like I always do and found these little treasures...

Eating Well Magazine

Vegetarian Times Summer issue of Farmer's Market

Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas

Easy Cupcakes published by Love Food

Cannot wait to get baking and cooking with my new recipes to try! :)

Cake for a big boy and a little boy...

2011-06-02T21:09:00.001-06:00

I made a graduation cake last week for a young man who used to love Batman Beyond as a little boy. His high school colors were blue and gold and then the family asked for the logo on top and were fine that it did not match the rest of the cake.

At the end of making the cake I had leftover frosting and fondant left. I knew I had a birthday coming this week so I stashed everything in the refrigerator and pulled it out today to make the second cake. It worked beautifully!!!

Here is the second cake... I lightened the blue a little and went to work.

MY LITTLEST LOVED IT!!!

Saved money, used up my leftovers and everyone was happy! :)

Mango and Cherry Chutney

2011-06-01T20:25:00.003-06:00

According to Barron's Food Lover's Companion a Chutney is...

[CHUHT-nee] From the East Indian word chatni, this spicy condiment contains fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices. It can range in texture from chunky to smooth and in degrees of spiciness from mild to hot. Chutney is a delicious accompaniment to curried dishes. The sweeter chutneys also make interesting bread spreads and are delicious served with cheese.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/chutney#ixzz1O59y6waN

I am sorry but I don't have exact measurements on this... I made it up on the spot at work and tried it and adjusted as I went but here are the basic ingredients.

* mango, peeled and seeded and chopped roughly

* dried cherries chopped

* brown rice vinegar

* water

* chopped onion

* minced garlic
* cumin/coriander

* salt and pepper to taste

I would have liked to add some kind of nut but we chose not to due to how we used it.

mix everything together and cook until liquid is reduced and thickened.

This is an item that should have a little sweet, savory, salty, spicy and if nuts are added you get a little crunch, too.

Serve on top of whatever you like! YUM!!!

Lunch with my hairdresser...

2011-06-01T19:51:00.000-06:00

I usually get a haircut about once every three months or when my hair reaches the place of utter unbearable annoyance. I have found a fabulous little shop close to home that will do the full service (wash, cut, style) for TEN WHOLE DOLLARS!!! I have a precious Korean lady named Chong that does my hair. There have been a few times in the last couple of years that I have called and they are slow and tell me to come on in right away. Usually when I get there on a day like that they are having their lunch because I tend to go somewhere between 10:30am and 1:00pm. They always offer me a taste but today they gave me a whole bowl all to myself. They know I am a foodie/chef and will talk food with them. I love Korean food. I have a friend in church that makes Mandoo and Kimchi for us on occasion.

I got the recipe for today's treat just by tasting and asking a few questions. Here is what I had...

* Soba noodles cooked and drained and rinsed (Soba is a buckwheat noodle and is typically gluten free)

(these are soba noodles)

* cucumber thinly cut in a julienne cut

* thin strips of pear

* chopped green onions

* salt and pepper to taste

* white sesame seeds

* chicken or beef broth (she used beef today and if you wanted to make it vegetarian you could use veggie broth) with a bit of brown rice vinegar to make the liquid

* just a tad bit of Asian pepper seasoning

served cold in a bowl with chopsticks or a fork...

Oh my GOODNESS!!! It was delicious

A typical week at work...

2011-05-30T20:18:00.002-06:00

a request from a friend to do the graduation cake for their oldest son.... colors from the school plus a logo from Batman Beyond as a personal funny for the teen. It was a huge hit! :)

We have a Home Meal Replacement (HMR) personal chef service and this is one of the packaged meals. Pork tenderloin with a a cherry sauce and veggies.

Prepping for three more big events for the week... a birthday, a graduation and a wedding

Graduation party for a teen who is a vegetarian so we did veggie hors d'oeuvres and this lovely lemon cake with a lemon curd filling... I did the inside cake and curd and Aida (my boss) did the mascarpone frosting and decorating. I think she loves the creative stuff so I prep and she decorates a lot. I love working with her!

Here is a mango/cherry chutney I made for the event. I do most of the cold sauces and some of the more classic items when I can. I did a beurre blanc this week, too... it was yummy!!!

Thai Lettuce Wraps on Endive

a lovely sweet and sour sauce for dipping with the wontons

Mini fruit tarts with pastry cream and an apricot glaze

Potato and Pea Samosas with that chutney I made above

The wontons and sauce

Espresso Chocolate Diamonds with whipped cream and raspberries

a birthday party setup for an 80th birthday - 50 guests. We made everything except the cake on this one

Very busy week... in addition I did some gluten free items, too and got $100.00 in tips to boot! I worked the graduation and the birthday but not the wedding. The birthday and wedding were at the same time so I ran the birthday event. I loved it so much!!! It was a great week and now, to rest.

I have some family time this week and a birthday cake for my youngest to make.

Been a busy week at work...

2011-05-21T00:42:00.000-06:00

Friends of the Library French Art and Hors d'oeuvres

Ribbon cutting with the Electric Company and the Mayor

because it was an early event my littlest was along for the morning... we started the day at 4:30am... YIKES!!! LOL

Personal Chef Client meals packaged and ready to go for delivery

cupcakes for my son's band banquet

Graduation Day... May 13, 2011

2011-05-16T17:54:00.000-06:00

Breakfast of graduates!

Practicing walking in...

at the famous Don Haskins Auditorium... (guy that Glory Road was made about)

Decked out in all the junk! LOL

with my amazing friend Dawn... she did culinary school with interpreters... she is deaf.

Biggest culinary arts class since the school opened about 10 years ago!!!

with my favorite person on the planet! The man who encouraged me most!!! My husband... Dan!

Almond Milk... and CHEEEEEESE

2011-05-11T11:21:00.000-06:00

I spent some time this morning putting together a few raw items to help me stay on the healthier track. I am not sure if all of you know that I have lost about 27-28 pounds over the last 18 months. It has been slow coming off but it has been the little changes that have made all the difference and I feel so much better than I did. I still have about 12 pounds left to shed to hit goal weight. One of things I am beginning to incorporate more and more is some vegan and raw vegan menu items. As summer approaches it is so much easier to eat this way naturally.

One of those changes is getting off of dairy. I have the lactose issues and it has just made me feel better to drink non-dairy alternatives. I have been buying them...

The thing about these is that there is often sugar added and chemicals to keep it from going bad. They are great in a pinch and taste great, too, but when there is an opportunity to make it fresh I think I will take advantage of that from now on. I got to enjoy the fresh stuff at that workshop I attended on Saturday and I am hooked! It is delicious!!!

I made a sweeter version this morning using vanilla and raw agave to enjoy with my granola and as a treat when I need a little sweetness in my coffee or just a glass of "milk" for whatever reason. Here is my stash...

Here is the "cheese" spread I made this morning to have on my raw crackers I will be making later.

Almond Cheese

2 cups nut pulp
1/2 to 1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 bunch dill, cilantro, or other herbs for flavor
1 clove garlic

You can also add onion or bell pepper/red bell pepper. I just happened not to have those on hand right now because I need a grocery run soon! ;)

Blend all ingredients until smooth (in a blender or food processor). Use as a soft cheese dip, spread, or you can dehydrate it for a more solid cheese. Use a cheese cloth to shape it for drying if you like.

My next project, after I get some real work done around here, is to clean up my dehydrators and start testing some cracker and chip recipes. I could get carried away with this and take lots of pictures and share recipes so beware. That might just happen over the coming weeks! LOL

Playing....

2011-05-10T14:51:00.003-06:00

Ok, bear with me... I am tweaking. LOL I am playing with layout and some weekly posting themes so stay tuned... I am BAAAAAAAAACK!!!

I want to share more pics, recipes, foodie book and movie stuff, links, cookbooks, etc... the next few days might be a bit wonky on the page while I find what I want but it is coming... :)

UPDATE: Ok, a little blurry still and not exactly what I want but I need a break so I will toy with it again later. I am learning how to use paint.net. This could take awhile. LOL

Raw Food Basics Workshop...

2011-05-07T21:40:00.000-06:00

I spent the day with the Raw Food Rules Team

We started the day with a lecture session with lots of information on eating raw and why it is good for us to make changes even if they are small and over time.

Then we learned about wheatgrass and it's amazing benefits and how to grow our own

Then we used an extractor to get wheatgrass juice

it is recommended to have from 1 ounce a day if you are healthy to about 4 a day if you are fighting things such as cancers and chronic illnesses.

The second session was on making nut milks. This one was almond. Then we learned about using the leftover pulp to make nut cheeses or flours for raw desserts. Here is the lump of almond left after making the milk...

The next session was a recipe session where we saw a zucchini "pasta" and marinara sauce being made and then we got to enjoy our demo foods

The assistant showed us how to do the zucchini in a spadoodle machine to make it look like pasta.

We also had a quick discussion about Kumbucha and then samples. This was FABULOUS!!!

Our second recipe was a taco salad

with a walnut "meat" mixture made using cumin and coriander with walnuts that had been soaked and then dried in a dehydrator to activate the enzymes in the nuts.

It was served over a "tortilla round" made by pureeing frozen/thawed organic corn and adding a little salt and cracked black pepper and then dehydrating it until crispy.

I think this one was my favorite meal item of the day... YUM!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

We ended the day by seeing the instructor demo a use for the almond paste flour from the milk that was made earlier. She ground it in the food processor and made it into a raw cupcake with a cashew cream frosting on top. We enjoyed them with our vanilla almond milk as our final dessert before heading out.

We had a great time and delicious food and came away feeling energized and rejuvenated. I am looking forward to more workshops in the future here. I think we have a "cheese and fermentation" session coming in the summer. I will share more if we do...

Chipotle Turkey Burgers...

2011-05-03T21:38:00.000-06:00

Simple little recipe that is perfect for the grill or indoor in the oven or stovetop... This recipe makes six burgers.

1.5 pounds ground turkey

2-3 Tbsp chopped chipotle peppers

(more if you desire a kick and less if you just want a hint of it)

1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

dash of Worchestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

One egg for binder

Mix the all together and form patties. They will be about a quarter pound each uncooked. I stick them in the freezer to get them to hold together better before I grill or cook them. This particular evening I served them on some telera rolls. Telera is a traditional Mexican bread used for filling with meats and cheeses or just buttered and eaten like a dinner roll. They are larger and make great hamburger buns. We find them here on the border and I had the privilege of taking a Mexican Breads and Pastries class in school. We made them and I have a personal recipe for them. It is a great sandwich bread. Toast the bread if you like and then serve with a little lettuce, red onion, salsa, avocado, Mexican cheese such as Pepper Jack. Very family friendly meal that the kids will enjoy, too. You can grill fruit like pineapple as a side or serve with a salad, roasted veggies... whatever you like. DELISH!!!

13 Days...

2011-04-30T22:13:00.000-06:00

I am thirteen days from graduation. I have finished my last class already and my final Culinary Arts Portfolio (CAP) is in. It is all done but the walking! WOOHOOOOOOO!!!

I have taken on a few more hours at work lately. For those who do not know... I am an official sous chef for a local caterer now. I am part-time in my hours right now. I am still homeschooling two of my kiddos and this works out beautifully for us.

Thought I would drop by and say hello. I am hoping to really and truly get back to much more blogging since my time is more my own from now on. Here is a little treat from the dinner we had for my husband's birthday. Enjoy...

The children set the table and did a beautiful job choosing very springy seasonal colors!

Green beans blanched/shocked and sauteed with a little olive oil and salt

roasted red and golden fingerling potatoes and fried okra - certainly not lowfat but YUMMMMMM!!!

Dan's favorite... he gets it once or twice a year now but chicken fried steak is a hit!

Not complete without the cream gravy to go on top!

Even the littlest among us can use a knife and fork. Caught him using good manners here. LOL

Oat Milk...

2011-03-19T22:32:00.000-06:00

I cannot drink cow's milk so I try other stuff all the time... at the store I love the Rice Milks or the Almond Milks out there that they have given us in recent years. I am also allergic to soy so I don't do those but I have a few recipes that I am beginning to play with to make some other alternatives. The one I most recently made was an Oat Milk... it was quite tasty. I drank several glasses right away because it was just so delicious! It is quite inexpensive to make, too. It is nice over granola or just straight up for drinking. Here is the recipe...

First post...

2011-03-15T15:56:00.000-06:00

of the new year! LOL You would not believe the schedule I have kept since last we spoke!!! I am on spring break with only four weeks of culinary school left and then graduation. I am getting ready to make a Chocolate Guinness Cake for St. Patty's Day and I have LOTS to share with you guys. I started all those soup posts and they are saved in my draft pile and I will finish and post those sometime. I also ran into a snag with budget and have not been keeping up with the Dorie Greenspan recipes but will be back on that by May I hope. It requires extra ingredients and we are on the Dave Ramsey budgeting plan and often don't have that little extra for the odd ingredients needed. I will eventually but right now I need the spending discipline. I tend to blow budget on food and books... it is who I am.

Here is a photo of the Guinness Cake I made last year... just in case you want some foodie photos to tide you over. I have a slew of them from work I hope to start putting up for you on a regular basis and some cool school restaurant pics, too. Just give me some time... thanks for being patient as I finish this phase of my life and move into the professional chef phase. You guys are a bunch of good eggs! :)

Ingredients for the cake:

1 cup Guinness
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Ingredients for the topping:

8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the over to 350 F, and butter and line a 9 inch springform pan.

Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter — in spoons or slices — and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and baking soda.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the frosting. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift over the confectioner's sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsifted confectioners' sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.

Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Makes about 12 slices

New Year Ahead...

2010-12-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

I just completed my registration for my last semester of culinary school. I have a restaurant class left and it is a ten week course and then GRADUATION!!!

I will be continuing in my role as a sous chef at the catering business I work for as well as taking on some personal challenges just for me.

One of those challenges is the French Fridays with Dorie.

I got the new book by Dorie Greenspan for Christmas and wanted to join in the fun.

I am also working on my journal and recipes from my entire time at school as well as building my portfolio that must be presented at the time of graduation for review. Ok, so that is required but I am doing it up right not shabbily like most of the students turn in. LOL

Oh, and I am really and truly going to blog about soups this month. I have pics and recipes I have been working on and hope to finally get all that up for you guys as well as blogging more frequently now that I am back from my parents. (been out of town for nearly 6 weeks)

So, you guys have a very happy new year and we will see you on the flip side! :)

Aunt Dorothy's Squash Dressing...

2010-12-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is what we had today with our roast... I tweaked it a tiny bit by adding bell pepper and celery, too. Here is the finished recipe with tweaks.

1 pan of basic cornbread (no sugar kind - we don't do sugar in our cornbread here) - about 3 to 4 cups crumbled

1 stick of butter

about 1 cup of Trinity (2 parts onion to one part bell pepper and one part celery)

3 cups cooked zucchini squash (chopped small)

1 1/2 cups cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the Trinity ingredients in butter and then combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees

Foodie Fiction...

2010-11-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for foodie books lately and a friend recently sent me this book...

What a fabulous story! The premise is that Lillian, the restaurant owner of this little place in a small town, has a cooking class that she offers. It draws this cast of characters from a variety of backgrounds and tells their stories. It is beautifully done! Loved it very much and want to say thank you to Cathie Jo for sending it to me!!! :) Check it out for yourself if you get the chance. It is delicious!

Officially a hired foodie...

2010-11-02T16:42:00.000-06:00

I got hired last week at the catering business that I have been working for with my practicum. I will be working at least 20 hours a week. Sometimes more.... the last two weeks I pulled two 40+ hour weeks at work. This week is much lighter. I did take pictures and make soups in the month of October and still plan on sharing all of that with you... along with even more we plan on eating this month. :) I love soup season!!!

Here are some photos of stuff we have been making at work...

Lemon bars with raspberry

Euphoria Cake

One of our salads we did for a church dinner for 250+ people

Flan

Cabbage rolls - vegetarian style

More lemon and raspberry treats

Euphoria bites for a cocktail event

A white cake with a pecan and caramel filling

roasted pear and walnut salad with a maple vinaigrette

More cake shots

Another Euphoria for a party of 12

Work Week Foodie Pics...

2010-10-08T13:03:00.000-06:00

Four grain bread

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Fudge brownies with frosting

Catered ribbon cutting

Asparagus, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and balsamic vinaigrette

Chipotle chicken salad and crackers

Using Montessori tools to decorate on the table was fun!

more toys on the table!

Prepping for my own personal church's Sunday meal... not my professional kitchen job

Drink station

Dessert station

Chocolate Cream Pie Pics...

2010-10-01T12:56:00.001-06:00

Pie crust made from an Amish cookbook that I picked up in Yoder, Kansas

Chocolate pastry cream

Made 7 of these for church dinner

Just before cutting the last one.... YUM!!!

A Soupy Month Ahead....

2010-10-01T11:06:00.000-06:00

I LOVE soups.... love love LOVE them!!! I am making a plan to have lots more this month and will share all the soupy goodness with you along the way. :) I am planning on using some seasonal things..... mushrooms, pumpkins and squashes, beans and lentils, some heartier items that I have been wanting to try but it has just been too warm until now, etc....

Stay tuned for my SOUP ADVENTURES!

Doing a little research...

2010-09-30T22:57:00.000-06:00

I am going to be cooking for my parents in about a month or so and need to do a little research for diabetic and cardiac diet cooking. Here are a few great sites I found today...

Cooking for Diabetics

Diabetic Cooking Magazine

Diabetic Crockpot recipes

Cardiac Diet

Heart.org - heart healthy cooking

I also ordered a few specialty cookbooks for both heart disease and diabetes. I will share more later on those after I have a chance to review some things... :)

Autumn Sunday Dinner

2010-09-26T20:26:00.000-06:00

When I was growing up Sunday Dinner was a HUGE deal in my house. It was the one day one day of the week where we made SURE we all came together and sat down to eat a meal together... and then watch the Dallas Cowboys play! LOL We would go to church and then come home to delicious smells of pot roast and veggies or Meatloaf and macaroni and cheese with veggies. I have wanted to do this in my home for a long time and make a nice setting and lovely food and just enjoy our Sundays quietly together. We would often finish with an afternoon nap. We have gone to Dan's parents for a long time and honestly, I am ok with NOT going every week. I enjoy coming home and being together as just our little family. These people... my husband and kids.... are my favorite people on the planet and I just like my time alone with them. So, today we got to be here at home and enjoy this meal together....

Pork loin cooked in cranberries and the sauce is in the background there.

Plated lunch with pork, Israeli couscous and green beans

Spring Mix with a homemade vinaigrette and feta cheese

Dark Chocolate brownies with homemade whipped cream

Week of September 20th-24th at work...

2010-09-23T14:56:00.000-06:00

Lean beef meatballs to go with....

Pasta and Marinara Sauce

Rice and Chicken

Curried Cauliflower and there was corn and spinach, too

I made these dinner rolls... YUM!!!

and I did the Tres Leches Cake, too

Close-up!

Gluten Free Bread Mix...

2010-09-20T20:59:00.001-06:00

I grabbed a bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Homemade Bread Mix at the store a few weeks ago. I was baking regular whole wheat bread today so I thought I would try that out while I had the oven on the routine going. Here are the results.... the full instructions are on the packaging for both making it by bread machine or by hand.

This is such a simple solution for people who need to make something for themselves. It is SO much better tasting that the store bought gluten free bread. It has that fresh bread taste and the only thing that was a little weird... which I seem to notice about most gluten free products both fresh and store bought is that it has a little bit of a slime taste... I think it is the xanthan gum or guar gum but it is not unsavory. This really is a good alternative to the prefab gluten free products.

This was my first attempt and it worked pretty well... It sank down on one side a little but was still really tasty and a good texture.

Another shot...

The "crumb" on this turned out very nicely.

I highly recommend Bob's Red Mill version... I have never been disappointed with his products and this one does not disappoint either.

Future Pursuits...

2010-09-20T15:27:00.001-06:00

I had a conversation with the guy in charge at school recently... Chef Webb. He has this knack for really coming to the very heart of an issue. I appreciate that about him, greatly. I went into his office with my little script about what I needed to say and then I knew... once that was out on the table then I would just let him talk. He is also very "thorough" in his expression of ideas and opinions. LOL But that is charming to me and so it was fine. I like a person who knows there mind and who knows there subject matter and am totally willing to just sit and soak that up. I soak well... ;)

The whole thing started with my desire to express that I had NO desire, whatsoever, to work in a restaurant or to own a restaurant. I think that has been pretty obvious from the beginning of this whole process. I needed to say it out loud to him, though, and he was not surprised one bit. He has noticed, as have I, that it is too stressful for me to be in that "Hell's Kitchen" environment. It is not something that feeds my spirit. Oh, I can do it but I don't LOVE it. It does not light my fire, so to speak. Once I laid that out on the table we were ready to discuss what I COULD do well.

He began to talk about my strengths and we came up with a list of things...

*I tend to be more organized and things like running the commissary or organizing the kitchen, inventory stuff, etc... is where I have really shined.
*good at putting pen to paper - my journals are always thorough and fun to read
*cooking and baking skills are all intact and I am very qualified in those areas
*catering is a positive thing that I could do well and have THOROUGHLY enjoyed my time with Aida
*personal chef is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY - I do this daily at home already and could easily get paid a nice salary doing this for others
*run a church or business culinary department (which I am loving where I work now)
*own and run a bed and breakfast
*teach cooking classes
*write articles on food and maybe a cookbook or books of my own
*furthering my education in food science and working for a company in the food science department
*nutrition and food combination of skills would open TONS of doors for me in school districts and nursing homes or businesses

Lots of options and these were just my favorites out of what we talked about. Now, after the meeting, he gave me an assignment. Between now and my graduation date I am making a 1 year, 5 year and 10 year plus plan for where I want to be and what I want to have accomplished. I am making a notebook of all my experiences in culinary school and a resource of recipes I gathered along the way. I am including my journals I had to do for each class and some other stuff I have learned in my time with Aida at the internship. Next semester I have 10 weeks of restaurant service and then I am graduating with honors. I will also stay on and work with Aida for pay after my internship. We are working out the details after I get back from my parents home in between semesters.

There is SO much to learn still and I want to make time to go to workshops and take extra classes and go to conventions as I am able. I love that I was able to have that conversation with Chef Webb. He has been a great mentor for me along the way and I appreciate that about him. He takes time to talk with students which is rare in our world today.

I also hope, along the way, to make this blog bigger and better and full of great stuff for you guys. That will take a plan, too, and I am working on that along with the other stuff.

As my friend Nattie always said... "Onward and Upward..." this is a great adventure indeed!!!

Oh, and here is a little article that inspired me today...

A Catered Event...

2010-09-18T20:59:00.000-06:00

My boss turned the reigns over to me today. She let me prep, pack, deliver and work a Health Fair event today. I had so much fun. I was there solo and did the whole thing from start to finish today. Here are some highlights...

Fruit, cheese and nut platters

Close up

meat, crackers, tomatoes and grapes

veggies and salami

Antipasto - grilled asparagus, sauteed mushrooms and artichoke

Pineapple salsa and chips

Dinner...

2010-09-11T20:03:00.000-06:00

It has been some time since we had German Pancakes but since we have had that multitude of apples I thought it was a good time to have them again. The recipe we used tonight is from the All Recipes.com website. This one is called simply German Apple Pancake.

During this apple season you should give this a try. It makes a great breakfast, dinner or a simple dessert with a scoop of ice cream on top. YUM!