Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I just realized how long it has been since I last made a blog entry. Mon Dieu, as the French would say!

The second Farm to Table Dinner on September 15 did go a little smoother. We had hot plates this time (which means the food is still hot or warm when it gets to the diners). Janell, my sister, and I both managed to cut our fingers on the mandolin we were using to slice lemons. Yikes! It was a very sharp blade! At the request of my partner, Jan, I did make up a "gravy" to go on the roasted pork. I used some of the pork jus, some chicken broth, white wine, worchestershire sauce and a little butter and it was done. And made so many people happy, apparently (I do not believe that every form of protein needs a sauce or gravy, but it is nice to have at times).

I changed up the "mini pastries" at the end of the meal. I did try several recipes from a cookbook called "Bite-sized Desserts" by Carole Bloom. The flavors of the pastries was excellent, but after trying several recipes and having them fail, I gave up and went to some tried and true recipes instead. The only thing that came out well were the Pistachio Tea Cakes. I also made French Chocolate Bark, a recipe Ina Garten has used on several of her cooking shows (Back to Basics). You take two kinds of chocolate and melt them together, spread them out on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet then sprinkle chopped apricots, cashews and dried cherries over the chocolate and let it set. Yum!!

By the next day (September 16), I was exhausted. We washed and packed up the dishes, wine glasses, silverware and serving pieces so they would be ready for next year. Yes, it looks like we will do this again next year, although probably not two dinners, just one. I don't remember if I put up the Old 1862 Ranch webpage but here it is: www.theold1862ranch.com You can see pictures of the ranch there as well as the menu from this year. Jan is already wondering what we could serve next year! I told her to ask me in a month or two, lol.

I was busy with nursing work all the next week, at GIC and then three wellness clinics. I also needed two days to complete the list from my personal chef client as I was cooking for essentially two weeks. I made only one dessert, though. Chocolate Orange Mini-cheesecakes. They were very cute! the tops were sprinkled with a mix of orange zest and sugar, a kind of candied orange zest.

I was busy making Seafood Gratin,

Chicken and Cilantro Pesto Pasta,
Chicken Teriyaki with noodles,

Mini Taiwanese Meatballs, Field Greens with Oranges, Strawberries and Chai vinaigrette, Frisee and Apple Salad with Dried Cherries and Walnuts, Asiago Risotto Primavera, Aromatic Lamb Meatballs (from Nigella Lawson's recipe) and Green Fatoush Salad with Pita Chards, Chicken and Spinach Wraps with Hazelnut Sauce, Curry Chicken Wraps with Nectarine Chutney,
Penne alla Vodka,

and Pasta with Pancetta and Peas.

Quite a lot of work!

I also catered some food for a dinner at the local fencing club. They had Baked Spaghetti, Tri-tip Beef and Mushrooms in a Red Wine Sauce, Ratatouille, Buttery Raspberry Lemon Cake and an Apple Pie Cake. Several of the club members made salads and some other desserts. Cooking and baking took most of Saturday (September 22) afternoon. I delivered the food at 5:30pm. AND forgot to take pictures of all the food. I must admit, I get so caught up in the joy of preparing a dish, that I often forget about taking pictures. I should be better about that, as food (for the most part) is my business and I need to be a better saleswoman!

Sunday afternoon, Jordan and I drove up to Chalet View Lodge to meet the new chef. His name is Dave Sypnicki. He started at Chalet View Lodge's restaurant two months ago. It is a "business within a business" as he put it. He did not go to culinary school but instead did a three year apprenticeship with a famous chef in Portland, Oregon (apprenticeships are almost a lost art here in the States). He has worked at several places in northern California. Also new to the restaurant is a wood-burning pizza oven. We had one of their pizzas for dinner while talking to Chef David. He makes his own pizza dough and topped our pizza with fig jam, blue cheese, Applewood smoked bacon and arugula. Don't wrinkle your nose--it was a wonderful combination of flavors! And after he found out I was a chef, he made the offer to have me be a "guest chef" in his kitchen. He also expressed an interest in helping with our Farm to Table dinner next year! What a treat it would be to work with professional help in the kitchen. Especially as I was considering expanding the menu to more courses next year. We'll see what happens!

Monday I had to have surgery but it was a quick out-patient procedure. I am off all this week to recooperate. I felt pretty good today so decided to make Spaghetti and Meatballs for my friend, Jan, who had back surgery a week ago. And as they say, "no good deed goes unpunished". After chopping herbs to put in the meatballs, the knife fell off the counter and fell on the floor. Although I jumped back, the chef knife landed on its handle, bounced up and sliced my lower leg open. Yikes again! I had to call my sister to take me to the doctor's office so I could have it stitched up (four stitches). It was a crazy accident, but showed me that perhaps I need to take it easy the rest of this week....

Monday, September 10, 2012

Well, we are finally moved in to our rental house. There are still boxes sitting around, but for the most part, the living room and dining room and most of the kitchen are put together. I guess you need to live in a space for a bit before realizing what looks good here or there.

Labor Day, Jordan and I had dinner with friends. It was a lovely evening to eat outside. And I didn't have to cook!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I worked in my nursing job. The days were complicated by going from nursing to cooking two of those days. I could not do all of my personal chef cooking after working all day so had to split the cooking up. The meals have been fairly simple the last several weeks as I did not have the availability of baking at home. Thank goodness my client was sympathetic! I did manage to make a Pecan Bourbon Tart dispite the lack of proper pans.

Friday morning I went shopping to buy all that I needed for the Farm to Table dinner I was cooking for. Our friends Jan and Jim own a ranch right on the Nevada California border. It is just beautiful out there. The weather was lovely with little wind (Nevada is famous for it's gusty winds). And folks seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the food. Here is our menu (which we will repeat this coming Saturday):

Appetizers: Gazpacho
Cowboy Gourgeres (Parmesan Chive Biscuits with a slice of ham)
Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
Proscuitto Melon Skewers with Basil Oil Drizzle

Surpirse Cocktail: Limoncello Collins

Entree: Tuscan Roasted Pork Loin
Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes
Southern Italian Ratatouille
Asiago Risotto (as a vegetarian option)
Focaccia bread

Dessert: Frozen Watermelon Lime Bars (Yum!)
Assorted Pastries: Blackberry Almond Tea Cakes, Pear and Ginger Mini-Cheesecakes, Apricot Walnut Tarts, Bittersweet Chocolate-Orange Truffles, and Pineapple Empanadas.

All I can say is that a good time was had by all! We decided to do two Farm to Table dinners this year. We'll see about next year, lol. I had some great help--my sister and a friend of mine, Diane. We had wait staff that served for us, the tables were set with white linen tablecloths and napkins, lovely dinnerware, wine and water goblets, and twinkling lights under the grape arbor on the patio. Jan and Jim really do have a nice ranch (it has been around since 1862!). No pictures to show so I will have to take some this next time. We are making a few minor changes to the dinner routine but I guess we learn each time we do these dinners.

Tomorrow I will be back to nursing and the next day a personal chef job. I do believe that life is settling back down (thank goodness!).

Labor Day, September 3, 2012

I'm finally back! In looking at my past writings, I was surprised to see it has been almost a month since I last blogged. August was filled with packing up one house and organizing a new rental house. For a week, Jordan and I were vagabonds (at least it felt that way). We had a week in limbo after our house sold and we could get into our new house (I was going to say home, but it doesn't feel that way yet). During that limbo week we stayed two nights in a hotel, two nights with friends and two nights with my sister. It was complicated by Jordan needing to travel to So Cal over a long weekend, which extended the date the furniture and boxes were to be delivered.

But we are finally in our new house, slowly unpacking. The furniture is mostly placed, but I always feel it takes some time to get the "feel" of house before you come to realize how everything works together (or not). During this entire process, Ah Choo (our cat) stayed with my sister, Janell. When we brought him back on Saturday, he cried (meowed rather) for 15 minutes and wouldn't come out of his carrier. Poor thing. He knew that he was not "his house". He did, however, eventually come out and explore, although he did not wander far from my side (no wonder they call ragdoll cats, "puppy cats"--they follow you everywhere and sit at your feet).



In the midst of all this chaos, I still managed to work 3-4 days a week as a nurse and at my personal chef job and did a little catering. I must say though, I am happy to see the end of August!

I tried my hand at Chocolate Pots de Creme-it turned out well. And I even had the appropriate little pot to bake it in thanks to my client!



I will spend this week working three days at my nursing job and one or two afternoons doing personal chef work. But the big event this week is the Farm to Table dinner my friend Jan and I are putting on. She and her husband own The Old 1862 Ranch north of the city of Reno. They are the hosts, I am the "Executive chef" (such a fancy sounding title, lol). You can check it out at www.theold1862ranch.com and see the menu as well as pictures of the ranch. I'll be sure to blog afterwards so you can see some of the dishes we make and let you know how it goes!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Life sure gets complicated....(although I have always thought we make our lives as complicated as we want them to be, now, I'm not so sure, lol)

We have started packing up for our move since we have sold our house. Imagine running a cooking business at the same time you are packing everything up in a box. Yikes!
"Everything alwasys works out", as my mother says. "Maybe not like you thought it would, but things always work out." After already chosing an apartment, we are going to look at a house tomorrow. The apartment we chose is upstairs. Which means it will be hard if not impossible for my mom to get to when she comes to visit. And, it's going to be a pain schlepping all my cooking "stuff" up and down the stairs (just a little whining). We'll see where this leads....

Between working as a nurse and making lunches and meals for clients, it's been a busy week. Today was a good cooking day, though. Tuesdays are my personal chef gig. I do try and make myself stretch to improve by not making the same old meals all the time.

Today I made Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach;



Duchess Potatoes; (And here I need to add a disclaimer: Duchess Potatoes are piped onto a cookie sheet and look very fancy. But I forgot my pastry bag and tips so I used a ramekin instead. They still taste good that way!)



Almond-Crusted Chicken and Nectarine Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing (the nectarine looked so pretty sitting on the lettuce, I just had to take a picture of it before I added the chicken!);





Fresh Tuna Salad with Pineapple;



Grilled Lamb Kebab Salad with Cucumber, Tomatoes and Pita;



Grilled Thai Beef Salad; Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Couscous;



Chicken and Cilantro Pesto Pasta (say THAT fast three times!); Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions;




Pasta Carbonara and for dessert: Raspberry Lemon Pudding Cakes.

It all looks yummy! The Raspberry Lemon Pudding Cakes were easy. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp melted butter
Zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
12 oz raspberries (2 2/3 cup), divided

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set six ramekins (about 1 cup size) in a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and granulated suar until thick and creamy. Whisk in the flour, butter, lemon zest and juice and the milk until well-blended.
3. In a deep bowl with a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar untl the whites hold stiff moist peaks when the beater is lifted. Stir one quarter of the shites into the yolk mixture until blended, then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites. Gently fold in half of the raspberries.
4. Spoon the batter into the ramekins. Pour enough hot tap water into the baking pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake until cake layers are set and tops are golden-30 to 35 minutes. Remove ramekins from water and let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with more berries on top and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Make ahead: Chill airtight up to 1 day, pudding layer will become more distinct.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Well, last Thursday I flew to San Diego to meet Jordan (he was at a conference there). We spent three lovely days in Escondido, CA, just north of San Diego. Jordan's sister has returned for one month from Baku. Baku for those of you who are not familiar with it, sits on the Caspian Sea and was a part of Russia for many years. She seems to really like it there as compared to Abu Dabi where she taught last year. It was nice seeing her, if only for a short while. We did manage a trip to Temecula, one of the new grape growing regions of California. We stopped at a winery called Leonesse. we had a great lunch, which we finished off with a Chocolate Almond dessert.



While in So Cal, I met with the lady who will be helping get started on a cookie business. She seems to know what she is talking about, so we'll see. Her name is Mary Carter and she started Food Trade Consultants. I found her through the CIA in Hyde Park, New York. I'll keep you posted!

We drove back Sunday as I worked as a nurse all day Monday but also had to produce lunches for the orthopedic clinic. Kinda hard to juggle all that sometimes, lol. I went shopping after I got home from So Cal, although most of the non-perishables I bought before I left. The ortho group got Bruschetta Chicken over romaine lettuce for lunch. The greens were easy. The chicken breasts get marinated for an hour or so, then baked. The topping/dressing is made up mostly of tomatoes, mixed in typical brusccheta-style. You add garlic, herbs, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Tasty! I had my sister, Janell, deliver it so I could work. Once I finished work as a nurse, I headed over to Trader Joe's to shop for my personal chef client, then home.

This morning Jordan and I went over to see our new apartment. Apparently the house sale did go through, so now we start the tedious task of packing up and deciding what to take and what not to take....

The afternoon I spent cooking for my personal chef client. This week's offerings are: New York Strip with Madeira Pan Sauce, Smashed Potatoes and Cream Cheese, and Roasted Asparagus;


Aida's Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad;


Apple Coleslaw; Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic and White Beans; Arugula Salad with Shrimp, Corn, Cherry Tomatoes and Red Chile;


Beef Taco Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing;


Butter Lettuce, Chicken and Cherry Salad; Chile Lime Crab Salad with Tomato and Avocado; Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Dates and Cinnamon and for Dessert--Quick and Easy Chocolate Mousse.

The mousse really is quite easy: whipping cream, cream cheese, a little sugar. butter and dark chocolate. YUM! I found the recipe on the Pier 1 Import's website for entertaining. Never know where you'll find inspiration!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Summer is half over-where DOES the time go?! Makes me wonder if I appreciate my days enough, they pass so quickly...

Sunday Jordan and I drove up to Rainbow Lodge, which is exit 168 off !-80 on your way to Sacramento. Apparently is was a big stagecoach rest station back in the day and has remained so since then. The lodge is old (the original) and was built with stone and wood. There is a funky big fountain near the entrance. Three stacked rings of stone with a pipe sticking out of it that shoots water. No trickle down effect here! Jordan thought they had a Sunday brunch, but no, they just had a breakfast/lunch menu. The service was poor, the food mediocre, but the setting was lovely. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We won't be going back there anytime soon!

Monday morning I worked on lunch for the orthopedic office. Pasta Primavera for the masses. Once it was delivered to the Cafe where the employees pick it up, it was on to my second gig for the day: dinner for the SCOR MEC meeting. They chose Asian Beef Stew topped with Crunchy Spicy Salad, a recipe from Nigella Lawson on the Cooking Channel. For dessert: No-Bake Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes. They were so cute!



Tuesday I was up early-my personal chef day, but also dinner for the ROC board meeting. The board meeting folks had Cranberry Meatballs, Parmesan-Spinach Cakes, Broiled Lemon-Basil Salmon with Sesame Green Beans and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. For dessert: Mixed Berries with Grand Marnier Cream.

My personal chef client had a long list of items so I also made the same salmon dish for them for Tuesday dinner; Asian Beef and Broccoli with rice; BLT Chicken Orzo Salad;
Fetuccini with Walnuts and Parsley; Kale and Chicken Stew; Orange Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin; Chickpea Salad; Lamb Kababs with Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette; Crispy Cabbage, Mango and Red Onion Salad; Bruschetta Chicken on Salad Greens and for dessert:
Venetian Carrot Cake-defintely not your mama's carrot cake. It is made with almond flour, rum, raisins, carrots, eggs, olive oil, salt and sugar. I then frosted it with Mascarpone frosting. Different, but really good! I'll add more pictures later.

Today, it was lunch again for the othropedic group and surprise (!) they asked for Broiled Lemon-Basil Salmon with Sesame Green Beans.



The rest of the day was a little more relaxing, lol. Tomorrow's lunch for the orthopedic group is Fettucine with Walnuts and Parsley complimented with strips of chicken. Hope they are enjoying their lunches! I've had good reports so far.

Tomorrow afternoon I fly off to San Diego. Carsley, Jordan's sister is leaving soon to go back to Baku (on the Caspian Sea-looks and sounds very romantic) so I am going to spend a few days with her. Jordan is already there at a conference. We will drive back Sunday. And then I start this routine all over again! :-).

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Another busy week! It's certainly not like I am overworked but I must say, I like having some down time, lol. Hope I'm not getting lazy!

Sunday Jordan was out of town, so I had dinner with an old friend at the Steakhouse at Tamarack Junction, down on South Virginia. They have certainly gone for the classy look, having only recently opened their doors. I had a Ceaser Salad to start, an entree of Steak Diane with a twice baked potato, and for dessert, my very own Coconut Cake. It was SO cute! I had to take a picture, lol.



Monday I made lunches for the ROC. It's nice having their kitchen to use, which was put in specifically for catering events in their conference room (again, I think the fourth floor of the ROC building is the best kept secret in Reno!!). There is a fair amount of counter space, a refrigerator, a stove AND a dishwasher. Who'd have thought?
Lunch this past Monday was Mexican Lasagna with a mixed salad with lime vinaigrette. It was popular when I made it for the Wellness fair and guess it remains popular (although my sister told me it was NOT lasagna but a Mexican casserole-semantics, I say).

Tuesday was my personal chef day. Lots of salads this week. The offerings this week were Salmon with Couscous; Albacore Tuna Salad (this recipe used raw tuna that was poached, then flaked into the salad but also incorporated into the dressing. I thought that was unusual. This tuna salad also had green beans in it.);



Yellow Split Pea Salad;



Watercress Salad with Steak, Sauteed Shallots and Blue Cheese;



Tomato and Haricot Vert Salad; Tuscan Panzanella (this is a traditional Italian salad that uses leftover bread, mixing it with tomatoes and sometimes lettuce and other salad materials); Vietnamese-style Chicken Salad; Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin with a Summer Salad with Peach-Walnut Dressing; Spinach Salad with Chicken, Cashews, Ginger and Fried Wontons; Far East Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-fry; Parmesan Spinach Cakes; and for dessert: Prune and Apple Crustade (made with diced prunes, carmelized apples which are then wrapped in phyllo dough and baked-another Laura Calder recipe from the Cooking Channel). A busy day!



I worked earlier in the day Tuesday so I could be home to meet the buyer at the house. She wanted another look round and wanted to take some pictures. Still waiting to hear from the bank on whether or not they accept the offer, though. Lots of waiting around....

Wenesday's ROC lunch was Tuna Salad Nicoise, which used canned tuna, boiled red potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and lots of lettuce. This recipe came from the book "What Color is Your Diet", which is mostly about putting more fruits and vegetables into your diet to make it more colorful, versus the white or beige of processed wheat and fast food. The recipes I've used for the ROC came from their CFO, who apparently is quite health conscious. I had nver heard of this book or the author so was curious enough to buy it so I can read it. Never hurts to bone up on health issues and healthy eating recommendations.

Thursday's lunch was Chicken Breast Seven Color Salad, which contained an unbelievable amount of veggies. Spinach, yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, mandarin oranges, avocado, green onions, grapes, and of course, chicken, flavored with teriyaki. It had an oriental style ginger dressing with very little oil. It was pretty!

Friday was my nurse day, working at GIC. It was awefully busy for a Friday, but I can't complain. Good people, nice patients, good doctors. I got off later than expected because we were so busy, but that's good too!

Friday evening, Jordan and I went out to dinner at the Gas Lamp restaurant. Not going out so much since Jordan is down to only his USC job. Watching our pennys, so to speak, lol. A glass of wine, a split salad and chicken pasta entree later, we came home happy people.

Today I did not get everything done I was hoping. My friend, Ric, called and asked me to provide some food for a fund raiser he and the fencing club are doing in September and asked me out to lunch. Yes, Arlington Gardens, lol. The Arlington Gardens manager had been looking for an evening "on-call" chef/cook and I did talk to him about it, but it does not sound like a very nice job. I would be working alone mostly, doing my own prep but the most grievous part of the job, would have been heating up pre-made food for banquets, etc, unless people were willing to pay extra for meals "from scratch". Always interesting to see what restaurants do in the way of providing food. I know a lot of the bars and more casual dining restaurants use a fair amount of pre-made food or ingredients. I guess that's one way to get consistancy in your food prep!

I did go through my clothes closet, though, to weed out some of the clothing I haven't worn for a long time. No sense keeping them if I am not using them. I've read that we wear only about one third of the clothes we own, going back to our most favorite or most comfortable clothes consistently. Makes sense to me.

Tomorrow, I have shopping to do for this next week but also hope to get some baking in. I want to make Coconut Macaroons. I was going to put mini chocolate chips in them but now am thinking about using chopped macadamia nuts with dried papaya. That sounds interesting to me and should work well with the coconut.

Monday and Tuesday coming up, I have two catering jobs doing dinners for two different medical group meetings. So between those, the three lunches for the ROC and my personal chef gig, I should stay busy, don't you think?