Wednesday, March 27, 2013

What a couple of weeks it has been! I was offered and accepted a part time job as a nurse. Until the economy improves, it seems a safe bet to add my nursing income to my chef income. Lots of hours, being oriented to different aspects of the job I didn't do before because I was per diem.

Last weekend was also busy! Friday evening I went to a Tuaca "shindig" called Drinks & Ink, held at Rise Nightclub. I was invited last year as a "press member", (sorry, but I just can't see myself as real "press") and was also invited this year. Not only as "press" but was also asked to act as a judge in a contest set up for local bartenders. The bartenders had to come up with a new cocktail using Tuaca (a vanilla citrus liqoure from Italy). Lots of entries. The judges were myself, Corey Miller (the famous tattoo artist from LA Ink, now the new American "face" of Tuaca) and Conor, a DJ from a local radio station. It was tough (and no, you don't drink each cocktail glass dry-ya gatta pace yourself!) but we managed to pick one (and it was quite yummy!). TDJ Ramidrums (a "famous DJ" who plays percussion while playing his music lineup) was the guest artist. Last year it was Corey Miller's band. It was an adventure!

Saturday, Jordan and I drove down to San Francisco. I signed up for a cheese making class at the Cheese School of San Francisco. What fun!! The instructor was a woman named Sacha, who taught as well as working at a small artisan cheese company. She was born in Australia, raised in New Zealand, then moved to France where she learned cheese making. I've been toying with making cheese for quite some time. I love cheese! While on my school culinary trip, we visited a parmesano reggiano farm and cheese making facility. The Italians are quite rigid in how they make their parmesan cheese. Getting cheese out of milk (whether is it cow, sheep or goat) is a bit magical. You heat your milk, add an acidifier, a coagulant, then watch the milk curdle into what is the beginning of all cheeses. Amazing!! I learned to make feta, creme fraiche and fromage blanc. Hand-crafted cheese is SO different from your everyday cheese. I think I am officially hooked on making cheese!

Sunday and Monday, I spent cooking for a personal chef client. Lots and lots of cooking!

I made Broiled Lamb Skewers with Baby Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette, Israeli Couscou with Roasted Eggplant and Cinnamon-Cumin Dressing, Turkish Chicken Thighs, Couscous with Apricots and Toasted Cumin,

Rice-Encrusted Chicken Breast with Creamy Mustard Sauce, Far East Shrimp & Vegetable Stir-fry, Stacked Sweet Corn, Bean and Beef Casserole, BLY Steak Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad, Glam Mac & Cheese (made with gorgonzola cheese!), Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Grapes, Mashed Roots with Buttermilk and Chives, Asparagus with Zesty Citrus Dressing and Tiramisu.

Whew!
Well, time to make dinner. I think leftovers are in order after this long work day!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

What a lovely day it is today! And you might very well ask what I am doing inside if it is such a nice day, lol. Well, I was outside doing some yardwork-very much needed cleaning of the flower beds and some rose bush pruning. After all that hard work, I made a cup of my new favorite tea (matcha tea from Japan at www.hibiki-an.com/. It comes as a green powder, which you then mixed with boiling water and whisk until foamy. I actually make a matcha latte using steaming hot rice milk (although you could any type of milk you wanted to). I guess the Japanese are right when they talk about how calming it is to make and drink tea, an act that should not be rushed.

I have errands to run also, but have decided to write a little while I have the time. I was offered (and accepted) a part time nursing job at the same company I have been working per diem for. It is a great opportunity and relieves some of the financial worries I have had over the past year. With the present economy (which does not seem to be improving very quickly despite what they tell us), it is wise to have a back-up plan.

Jordan and I also got together yesterday with our business partners, Jan and Jim to discuss this year's Farm To Table event. We all feel we get better and better each year, but I have decided to "step things up" by offering not only appetizers (and we already have ideas for our signature cocktail!), an entree and dessert. We will offer appetizers, a salad course (or soup, undecided right now), main course, a cheese and fruit course and this year, a single dessert. Although I put up four dessert recipes, Jan has already decided she wants the Mascarpone Cheesecake with a cashew crust and Passion Fruit Caramel Sauce. I must admit, the cheesecake is an excellent choice! We will be trying all the recipes before we come up with a final menu, but that's the great part of "research", lol, getting to taste the results!

Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day or the wearing of the green. I think we will be going out for corned beef, cabbage and boiled potatoes. It's a meal I can eat about once a year, but am not sure I want lots of leftovers, especially when making food for only two people. Also, friend of mine (Melanie) is singing with her band tomorrow at a restaurant called Rapscallian's. I can't wait to see her perform. Melanie is a jazz singer so this should be good!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The weather has turned beautiful in northern Nevada. Sunny and in the 70's, :-)). Yeah!

More and more I have wanted make some of my own snacks, yogurt and granola. This comes from taking a nutrition class through Coursera.org. Even though nurses learn some nutrition, I have learned that much of what we eat and put into our bodies affects not only our health, but can also help us fight certain disease processes. So much of what we eat also contains preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

After returning home from Maui, I started making my own granola using olive oil. Quite tasty, I must say! It has oatmeal, olive oil, honey, sesame seeds, a variety of nuts and some dried fruits.

Then two weeks ago, Jordan and I took a walk and happened on a shop called Big Horn Olive Oil Company. This place is amazing! They have plain olive oil as well as infused olive oil, at least 20 different balsamic vinegars (including some white balsamic vinegars), some of which are also infused with fruit flavors. I bought some Blood Orange infused olive oil and made a new batch of granola. The orange olive oil gives another fruity layer to the granola and makes the granola taste even better! I dropped off samples of the granola made with plain olive oil and some of the blood orange olive oil and guess what?! Big Horn Olive Oil Company now sells April's granola!! I am very excited about this. Last week I also made some appetizers using Big Horn products (promoting my abilities, lol). I trimmed white corn tortillas to fit into a mini-muffin pan, then painted the tortillas with Chipotle infused olive oil. I marinated chicken breasts over night in Persian Lime infused olive oil, tequilla, orange juice, salt, pepper and chipotle powder, then roasted them in the oven. Mercedes, the owner of the store gave me some of their black bean and corn salsa to use on these appetizers. So picture little tortilla cups (I know, I need to take more pictures!), filled with shredded chicken, then topped with black bean and corn salsa, a little sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a small dollop of sour cream. Everyone loved them!


Big Horn Olive Oil Company sits next door to Whispering Vines, a wine store that puts on a wine flight night every Thursday evening. Since Big Horn also sells cheese, crackers, maple syrup among other things. I am hoping Big Horn will contract with me to make some appetizers they can use in tandom with the cheese platters they sell to Whispering Vine patrons on Thursday evening. Only time will tell...

Tomorrow, I plan on dropping off some savory palmier samples to see how they go over. It would be nice to work with Mercedes and her crew. They are all very nice people.

I am also hoping to bring my Farm to Table partners over to Big Horn to sample some of everything. Mercedes and her husband came up with a variety of "sodas" that can be made using the white balsamics and Perrier water. They are amazing! And pretty much low calorie. I would like to feature these drinks at our next Farm to Table in September. Lots happening.....(did I say I was excited about all this? Lol)

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The last day in February! I guess it's true that the older you get, the faster time passes. It is a gorgeous day here in Reno. The sun is shining and the temperature is in the 50's. Nice!

Since returning home from Maui, I have worked almost every day as a nurse. I have gotten some cooking in, though. It is very relaxing, a good therapy for whatever stress I have.


In honor of Valentine's Day, I made Chocolate Raspberry Brownies. Heavenly! The secret ingredient? Raspberry jam!

Jordan and I did not go out to eat for Valentine's Day. He is not a big believer in what he calls invented holidays that make you spend a lot of money. (He gets cranky about some things, but likes to gifts when you least expect it, so that's not so bad.)

I started cooking meals again for my biggest client, recently back from Maui. It is always a pleasure cooking for someone who has an adventurous palate and who gives me a lot of room for experimentation.

On the menu were things like Eggplant Pmodoro woth Pasta,

Rice and Lentil Salad (it calls for brown rice but I only had Jasmine rice so used that instead. Still healthy!)

Baked Ravioli (a quick dinner when you start with frozen ravioli).

Spiced Lamb served with Root Vegetable Mash and Pureed Peas. A good sauce does wonders for a meal. I just love experimenting with unusual flavors.

And let's not forget dessert! Zesty Lemmon Pie, made creamy by using sweetened condensed milk. Yum!

Over the weekend I made a Lemmon Layer Cake. We were invited over to a friend's house for a Bagna Cauda party. Bagna Cauda (which means "warm bath" in Italian) can be served hot or cold, but in this case, olive oil, butter, LOTS of garlic and anchovies were melted in an electric skillet. One the mixture is hot enough, you can cook meat, seafood, poultry and vegetables in it. Quite tasty, but in no way low-calorie, lol.

I brought dessert since three people with birthdays in February attended this party. Yellow cake soaked with lemon simple syrup, then layered with lemon curd between the layers. It was finished off with Italian Buttercream flavored with Limoncella and more lemon curd. No specific recipe, but a culmination of recipes and techniques.

Monday afternoon I was back working as a personal chef. Lots of good dishes this week! Spicy-Sweet

Pork Tenderloin woith mashed potatoes and glazed carrots. (I found rainbow carrots at the market and could not resist buying them rather than baby carrots for the glazed carrots!)

Dessert was an Applesauce Tart (inspired by watching an old Julia Child program). Served with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

There was also Saltimbucco alla Romana, Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, Proscuitto Stuffed Chicken Breast with Green Beans, Shrimp Cocktail Salad, Southwestern Salad and Taco Salad.

I've also been working on finding the best granola recipe. Since starting my Nutrition class, I have been tryng to eat a healthy diet, including eating foods that do not have lots of preservatives. We have been learning lots during this class. Time will tell whether or not I can make it stick!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Wednesday night dinner was Seared Beef Filet with a Marsala Pan Sauce, mashed potatoes (Have I told you how much I LOVE mashed potatoes?) and Garlicky Sauteed Spinach. Lovely, such a nice cut of beef (although we did find some grissle inside once the meat was cut into that was not apparent with the meat in one piece). Dessert was a repeat of Chocolate Mousse. Chocolate-it's own food category!

Thursday, the 7th, was a very relazing day. Sunny, 80. I did funish my online Nutrition class in the morning. Lunch was Serrano ham wrapped pear slices served with Manchego cheese and crackers. One of the easiest meals to make as well as one of the tastiest!

After lunch I was scheduled for a massage! Yeah!! They were running a little late, but I stood on the walk, looking at the ocean and talking to the spa manager. I have to say, the massage therapist was excellent. I walked back to the condo (right next door to the outside area used for massage), apparently looking quite relazed and peaceful, I am told, lol!

We went out to dinner at Merriman's at Kapalua. We had a front row seat for the sunset. A girl can't ask for much more! I had a great time, dinner was great-a kale and butter lettuce salad, fresh fish with mixed grains and veggies and a Chocolate "Purse" (creamy chocolate wraped in several layers of phyllo) for dessert. Merriman's is one of the best restaurants on Maui, I have got to say. And what a view!

Breakfast this morning (Friday, February 8) was at the Westin in Ka'anapali. I did not get a picture of it, but the pool there looks straight out of Disneyland or Pirates of the Carribean. Waterfalls, two pools, palm tress galore, you get the picture! This was the view in the other direction. Not to shabby. We all had Eggs Benedict, which the hotel did a good job on (good Holladaise sauce). And Starbucks coffee (have I told you Starbucks is my favorite coffee, lol?).

The Westin is close to Whaler's Village, a big shopping center. They have a Crocs store there I wanted to check out. I need new shoes for work and Crocs are really comfortable for all day wear. I found some cute black Crocs with a band of gray/silver flowers over the instep. Cute! And even better? My boss bought them for me!! What a nice gesture!!

As we were all still full from breakfast, I spent lunch poolside. Today is my last full day on Maui......most sad, although I miss Jordan and Ah Choo. It has been so peaceful here. And I've been able to do one of the things love best: cooking! How cool is that?

I sat out on the lanai'i for a while, looking at the ocean, listening to the surf. So peaceful. The last meal I'll make here is Shrimp Scampi served over pasta and an Arugula Salad. Good stuff, Maynard!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The days here in Maui have been flying by! It is difficult to admit that on Saturday it is time to head home. But I won't dwell on that-isn't it more important to live in the moment? Life is definitely too short to do otherwise.

This is the second week of my Coursera Nutrition for Health and Wellness through the University of California0San Francisco. The instructor, Katie, added a short introduction video to the second week that said over 24,000 (!!!) people have signed on to this course, from over 100 countries around the world. On the discussion board, many people introduced themselves, and said they hoped to improve their English. It seems hard enough to learn nutrition in English, that I can't imagine trying to learn it in a foreign language! Learning new things daily is a good thing, though.

Tuesday morning we ate some of the zucchini muffins I made Monday evening (after the stuffed zucchini dinner). And of course, coffee. Starbucks. Has to be my favorite brand of coffee.

Tuesday's lunch was a Chickpea Salad. Chickpeas (canned: drained and rinsed well), diced yellow bell pepper, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, diced celery, all tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. Very healthy, vegan as well as good tasting. Nothing against any of the vegetarians or vegans out there, but I guess I still like a little meat in my diet. I guess you can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but you can't take Wisconsin out of the girl. Wisconsin-dairy state, lots of cows!

Tuesday afternoon we went to the Kapalua beach near the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Not many people seem to go to this beach, other than surfers and people with dogs. It is a beautiful beach! It is often windy though as it open to trade winds blowing (which also whips up sand so on a windy day you sometimes feel like you are being sandblasted! Good for a natural dermabrasion, lol?). There were whales playing out in the water. One actually jumped out of the water while we were watching! I don't know about you, but I thought that was way cool! Whales are such magnificant creatures. taking a picture with my iPhone does not do justice to some of the sights here on Maui.


After we came back from the beach, I started dinner (early). I made Beef Bourginon (Laura Caulder's recipe, not Julia Child's). The beef needed two hours roasting in the oven in a wonderfully fragrant sauce of beef stock, red wine, onions and carrots and garlic, as well as a small bouqet garni. The end result was a darkly rich sauce with a garni of onions (alas, no small round/boiling onions were to be found in the Maui market), mushrooms and bacon (bacon makes SO many things taste absolutely divine!). And we finally had that cheesecake for dessert!

I was going to leave the cheesecake plain on top (I can be a purist when it comes to cheesecake!) but Grace Parisi put jam on top of her little cheesecakes.....I didn't have raspberry or strawberry jam but I DID have guava jelly! So I heated a little of it in the microwave then poured it on top of the cheesecake before I put it in the refrigerator to chill. It looked gorgeous with that red-orange color on top. And most importantly, the cheesecake tasted good (yeah!).

Wednesday (today) we went out to breakfast at Maui Fish & Pasta. Doesn't sound like a good place for breakfast by the name, but they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I may sound like a snob, but I can cook a better breakfast. And they have the worst coffee! Too bad... But, I always like going out to breakfast, so no complaining!

Lunch was leftover Ribolita soup, pear slices wrapped in serano ham, Manchego cheese and crackers. I am trying to use up the food that is left. No sense wasting food! It's been raining off and on, sprinkles really but as the sun is out again, I am heading outside to catch some rays before they go behind the clouds again! Aloha!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Today we had small showers most of the day. Some sun did peek out, but it was mostly cloudy. Still warm though! :-)

While sitting on the lanai this morning (and I have to admit, almost any morning you can find whales playing in the ocean near shore), we saw several whales out on in the water between Maui and Lanai and Molokai. A small whale was doing what is called "lobtailing". This is done to warn other whales of danger but also to "scare" fish so that they swarm in a tighter "school" to make it easier for the whales to eat (oh, my!). It was SO cool to watch the whales as they jump out of the water or "lobtail" of just blow water into the air through their blow hole.

Before starting lunch, I made a small cheesecake to serve as dessert for the next day. Cheesecake needs to chill some before serving or it just isn't quite right. I followed a recipe from Grace Parisi whose recipe was for 12 individual cheesecakes. I had Oreo cookies left over from making the Chocolate-Raspberry Truffle Tarts, so had the crust. I had cream cheese, but no fromage blanc ("white cheese", kind of fresh tasting cheese, somewhat like creamy chevre). I substituted ricotta cheese for the formage blanc and whipped it up. I did not have any cupcake papers or foil so made a small 5 inch square cheesecake. It's for dinner Tuesday night! Here is Grace Parisi's Mini Cheescakes, you'll see mine later.

Mini Black-Bottom Cheesecakes
Contributed by Grace Parisi of Food and Wine Magazine
Active: 20 MIN
Total Time: 45 MIN
Servings: Makes 12 Tarts

F&W's Grace Parisi made several versions of these brilliant little jam–topped cheesecakes, substituting fromage blanc and other tangy soft cheeses for the usual sour cream. Some versions were sweeter, others more tart; all were delicious. In these single-serving desserts from Parisi, the rich and creamy cheesecakes are baked atop a chocolate-wafer base. You don't need any special equipment to make them—just a muffin tin and foil liners.

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray
24 plain chocolate wafer cookies, preferably Nabisco
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup fromage blanc (6 ounces), at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, warmed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups and spray the cups with vegetable oil spray. In a food processor, crush the chocolate wafer cookies. Add the butter and process until fine crumbs form. Spoon the chocolate cookie crumbs into the prepared baking cups and press with the bottom of a glass to compact. Bake for 5 minutes, or until almost set. Leave the oven on.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the fromage blanc, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the baking cups, filling them three-quarters full.
Bake the cheesecakes for 15 minutes, or until slightly jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and spread 1 teaspoon of the warmed raspberry preserves on top of each cheesecake. Transfer the muffin tin to the freezer and chill the cheesecakes until set, about 15 minutes.
Remove the cheesecakes from the pan and peel off the foil baking cups. Transfer the cheesecakes to a platter and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The mini black-bottom cheesecakes can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
NOTES Instead of Fromage Blanc Crème fraîche, goat cheese, lebneh or quark.

For lunch I was feeling industrious so made Croque-Madame, the French version of a ham and cheese sandwich (this particular version topped with an egg). Mine was a little unusual as I used whole grain artisan bread (tastes kind of nutty). You spread both sides of your bread with soft butter, then toast it in the oven. Once the bread is toasted, spread a little Dijon mustard on one side, layer sliced ham and shredded Gruyere cheese, then top with a second slice of toasted bread. While your bread is toasting, you can make your bechamel sauce (really more like a Mornay sauce as the bechamel gets flavored with Parmesan and Gruyere cheeses). Top your sandwich with some of the bechamel sauce, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of shredded gruyere and pop is back into the oven for ten minutes. While your sandwich is warming in the oven, soft fry an egg and place the egg on top of your sandwich once it comes out of the oven. The yolk should be soft enough that when broken, it will run out over your sandwich. Quite a decadent lunch, but well worth it!!

I did make it to the pool for a bit in the afternoon but showers finally drove me back to the condo. Still, no complaints. It is lovely here!

Dinner was Stuffed Zucchini with Tomato Sauce, another recipe from Ellie Kreiger. Healthy, easy to make (kind of easy-I had to core out zucchini without a melon baller but found some very long handled measuring spoons in a drawer that work well for this!). This dish looks impressive, although almost anything "stuffed" presents well.

I made Zucchini muffins to eat for breakfast the next day. I just couldn't toss out the zucchini I scraped out for the stuffed zucchini dinner! It was definitely a good use for leftover zucchini!

More to follow.....