April's Kitchen Chit-Chat

Vanilla-Grapefruit Shortbread, January 11, 2017

2017-01-11T17:50:00.003-08:00

Such a long time since my last post! In the last six months, I have returned to nursing full time (medical insurance is expensive, as most of you well know!), had surgery for a rotator cuff tear and lived through a total deck teardown/rebuild. I"ve been out of my shoulder immobilizer for only 2-3 weeks. Interesting times!

November 10 through Christmas, I was in a shoulder immobilizer. That was a killer for me! I SO wanted to make at least 50 kinds of Christmas cookies, lol. I did manage to make Vanilla-Grapefruit Shortbread left-handed (yay, me!). It's mixed in a food processor, then pressed into a 9-inch springform pan. Easy to do one handed. :-) I found the recipe in Bon Appetit.

Vanilla-Grapefruit Shortbread

Makes 16

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 tablespoon finely grated grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup plus 1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
Himalayan pink salt, dried hibiscus flowers, red sprinkles or sanding sugar, dried rose petals, and/or cracked pink peppercorns (for serving; optional)

Special Equipment: A 9-inch springform pan

Preparation

Lightly butter pan. Pulse grapefruit zest, vanilla extract, ½ cup butter, and ⅓ cup powdered sugar in a food processor until smooth and homogenous. Add flour and ½ tsp. kosher salt; pulse just to combine. Press dough evenly into prepared pan, smoothing top with a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. Prick shortbread all over with a fork 1"–2" apart, and bake until edges are golden and center is pale but firm to the touch, 15–18 minutes.
Remove band from pan and immediately cut shortbread into 16 wedges. Let cool.
Whisk grapefruit juice, a pinch of kosher salt, and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Spread a thin layer of icing over shortbreads with a small offset spatula, leaving a thin border of crust exposed. Top as desired. Let sit 10–15 minutes to allow glaze to set. Retrace cut marks.
Do Ahead: Dough can be pressed into pan 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

I used a Hawaiian Sea Salt from Molokai (which is kind of a brick color). Any of the mentioned toppings would not only taste good but also make the shortbread very pretty. Easy and well worth it.

Must-make summer dishes, June 18, 2016

2016-06-18T10:53:00.003-07:00

Hello, all! I have moved my blogging to my new website-www.aprilcookstonight.com. You can hop over to my website anytime to read new blogs. I hope to have a newsletter going soon as well. I am trying to link the two sites, this one and aprilcookstonight.com but have not been very successful to date! :/

So...I am reprinting the blog I just did for all of you to read:

I get a TON of emails, a lot of which revolve around food, food prep, packaging, etc, every day. Sometimes it's exciting to look through them (I'm always looking for new favor ideas, the latest food craze and new recipes) and sometimes they are a rehash of older food ideas or articles.

One of the emails I always enjoy looking at are the ones from thekitchn.com. They always have great ideas and it has been exciting watching the emails and website evolve into an increasingly sophisticated site.

The most recent email I received had an article titled "22 things you need to eat before the end of summer." You can click on the title to see the complete article. I'll cover just two that caught my eye.

I love the Creamy Zucchini Fettuccini! What's not to love about zucchini? It's versatile in so many ways. It can be sweet or savory. You can serve it in plain site or hide it in a muffin or cake. This recipe offers up a creamy pasta with an alfredo sauce spiced up with chopped zucchini and red pepper flakes. Oh, and did I mention it comes together in about 20 minutes? Great for weeknights or a quick weekend dinner.

Another recipe in this article is a dessert, perfect for using those luscious summer strawberries and impressive enough to serve to guests. They call it "Towering Strawberry Shortcake". YU-UM!

You can make it a two layer cake (the chiffon cake recipe is included) or you can double the recipe to make it a four layer cake. Either way, it's not as hard as it sounds and trust me, your guests will enjoy either version. The surprise in this recipe is the basil whipped cream. Before you turn your nose up at this addition-just try it. Adding herbs to old standby recipes often adds the boost needed to send the recipe over the top. And it's not hard to do. I challenge you to give it a try!

And check out the way the strawberries are sliced--some have the tops left on, some are sliced in half, other strawberries are sliced, some are sliced side up, some are sliced side down. This gives a nice variation in color and texture and is what makes this dessert even more interesting. It's the little things that add to the beauty of a dish when you put them all together.

There are 22 recipes in all-from alcoholic drinks to salsa to main dish to dessert. Check them out and brighten up your summer meals!

Pictures courtesy of thekitchn.com.

Shhhh...."don't tell them it has prunes" spice cake, April 24, 2016

2016-04-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

I am embarrassed to look at this blog and see it has been months (months!!?!) since I have posted. Not good. I have been in the process of rebranding myself and creating a new website. Hopefully it will be published in the next few days at www.aprilcookstonight.com. I hope you'll check it out something this week!

I have told myself I need to be more consistent in blogging, and I could give you all the reasons one should blog when you have a business, but you already likely know those things. My blog will also be right on my website but I will connect this blog site to that as I have so many entries on this site, plus some great memories! I hope you will continue to stick with me. :-)

I was talking to one of my personal chef clients recently about the prune cake Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) makes-her "Iny's Prune Cake." She insisted it was really good so I was thinking of trying it. He then shared that his mother (now deceased) had also had a recipe for prune cake and asked if I would make it for him. I'm game, why not?

The recipe called for Mocha Frosting as well, most unusual for a prune cake, but my client insisted it was great. Ok, says I.

Turns out he and mom were right. It makes a great combination! And now, I get to share that recipe with you. You can also try The Pioneer Woman's cake to compare. Let me know what you think....

Pat's Prune Cake with Mocha Frosting

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
Butter, for greasing the pan
8 oz pitted prunes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of shortening, room temperature (I use butter but you can also use Crisco)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup broken nut meats, optional

Preparation:
1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter two 8 or 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
2. Place the prunes in a small saucepan. Cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until they are soft and mashable, about 8 minutes.
3. Drain the water from the prunes, then mash or puree them. Set aside to cool.
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the shortening or butter until creamy, then add the sugar gradually. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla. Add the prune puree.
6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in increments of 1/3, alternating the flour mixture with the buttermilk, mixing until smooth. Stir in the nuts, if using.
7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake the cake. You want it to be nice and moist.
8. Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Move the pans onto a wire rack to cool for 10, then turn out cakes directly onto the wire rack to completely cool.

Mocha Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup of heavy cream
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons cocoa (or 2oz melted semi-sweet chocolate)
3 Tablespoons strong hot coffee, or 1-2 Tablespoons of instant espresso powder

Preparation:

1. Sift the powdered sugar, set aside. Beat the butter and the cream until soft, then gradually add the powdered sugar gradually. Blend until creamy. Add the salt, the cocoa and the coffee and beat for 2 minutes.
2. Allow the icing to cool, then add the vanilla. Permit the frosting to stand for 5 minutes, then beat it again. Frost your cake. Serve and eat!

Dessert and Great Bread-What more does a girl need? (Saturday, February 20, 2016)

2016-02-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, and happy February!

It's finally warming up here (after a sudden snow storm this past week!) and Ah Choo (my rag doll cat) has been wanting to spend more time out on the deck. (My sister took this picture. It looks like a studio portrait, doesn't it?)

He gets to watch the neighbor's dogs and watch the birds fly by. While he was sitting out there this morning, a pigeon came to sit on one of the pillars. My first thought was-"Don't you realize there's a cat sitting a few feet away?!" Apparently not, although Ah Choo tried very hard to reach him, chattering at him the entire time.

Since I was unable to go to Hawaii this winter to cook for my personal chef client (alas, the downside of working at what Jordan calls a "real job"), I was available to make Valentine's Day desserts at Gas Lamp restaurant. We decided on Eton Mess (what could be better than whipped cream, strawberries and meringue? OK....maybe chocolate!) and Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting. The cupcake recipe came from the cookbook, "Cupcake Diaries" from DC Cupcakes. All my desserts sold out!! YAY!

I've started to bake bread again, trying to make a more palatable whole grain loaf. I still really like using Jim Lahey's "no knead bread" recipe consisting of 3 1/2 cups of bread flour, 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp yeast. I have found, however, that using whole grains requires more yeast so for this loaf, so increased the yeast to 1 tablespoon. I also increased the salt to 2 teaspoons, which improved the taste of the bread.

So, I used 1 3/4 cups of bread flour, 1 3/4 cups emmer flour (considered an ancient grain), 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of yeast and 2 teaspoons of salt to make my bread dough. Mix it all together, and let it sit on the counter, covered with plastic wrap, for 12-16 hours.

Its ready to shape into a loaf when the dough has risen and is bubbly and smells a little like fermented alcohol. It makes its own "biga" while it sits on the counter, hence the need (usually) for little yeast. I used a pastry scraper to get it out of the bowl and onto the floured counter and shaped it into a boule. I also like the way Jim Lahey bakes his bread in a preheated Dutch oven inside a hot oven. This method gives you an artisan looking loaf just like you'd get at an artisan bakery. Here are the results:

I finally got a two thumbs up on flavor from Jordan. It was good-makes great toast too!

Totally not food related, but my best friend is coming to town next Sunday and we're taking a girl's road trip through northern California. Can't wait! Reno to San Francisco then up the coast. Gorgeous country. And time with my best friend! I'll take plenty of pictures. :-)

Til next time-Bon Appetite!

January 26, 2016

2016-01-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, all! It's a lovely, sunny (but very cool) day in Nevada. I, however, am stuck indoors, sick, so figured it was time to slow down and write another blog.

I also blog once a month with a group of chefs I met while doing cooking demos for Wolf-SubZero products. Couldn't ask for a lovelier group of women! Our blog site is www.cookingwithsteam.com.

This recipe was my post from earlier in the month. These Apple Pastry Roses are so much fun and so easy, I had to add the recipe here.

A few weeks ago I was in the mood to be creative and remembered a post I saw on Facebook demonstrating how easy it is to make pastry roses using puff pastry and sliced apples.

Hmmm…great idea! I had puff pastry in the freezer and apples sitting on the counter. And---I wanted to do something nice for the girls at work. (There are some advantages to working with a chef, lol)

First, thaw the puff pastry (1-2 hours in the refrigerator or 30-45 minutes on the counter). Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then I cut two red apples in half, cored them and sliced them into thin slices. This can be done by hand or with a Mandolin. The apple slices need to be soft in order to be “rolled” into a rose shape. You can peel them or not, it’s a personal preference. If you are using red-skinned apples, the red adds more to the illusion of an actual “rose” in appearance. Either way, your pastry will be tasty.

Next I placed the apple slices into a microwave-safe bowl with some lemon water and microwaved them for about 4 minutes. Drain the apples, discarding the lemon water. You can add a small bit of sugar and/or cinnamon at this point to further flavor the apples.

Unroll your thawed puff pastry onto your lightly floured work work surface. Cut each sheet into six strips. Spread apricot jam over the cut strips, then lay the apple slices (overlapping slightly) at the top of the strip so that a portion of the round end of the apple is above the edge of the puff pastry stip. Fold the opposite side of the puff pastry strip onto the bottoms of the apple slices, then roll them up slowly, taking care not to displace the apple slices.

Place your apple slices into a muffin tin (this will help them hold the shape much better than “free-forming” the pastries on a baking sheet). Bake them at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan to cool on a wire rack. By taking them out of the pan to cool, the pastry roses won't get soggy bottoms. Before serving, dust your Apple Pastry Roses with powdered sugar and serve. They are YUMMY!

Last weekend, Jordan and I drove to San Francisco to attend the Fancy Food Show. Technically it started Sunday, but we drove down Friday so we could attend classes on Saturday. They offer all kinds of education for people who want to bring food products to the market but also help those already in the food business. It was very informative, covering everything from packaging, pricing, labeling, to food trends, what age groups are buying what (millenials, GenX, etc), co-packers, distributors, brokers, and on and on...

And then there were the vendors from all over the world! Vendors who sold spices, coffee, chocolate, candy, snacks of every variety, healthy, organic, vegan, vegetarian, cured meats (charcuterie), cheeses of every kind and variety, cookies, baked goods, crackers, soups, gluten-free products, wine, alcohol,... I could go on and on. It was almost overwhelming, there was so much to see and try!

We had heard about a vendor that had a product that used bugs as a source of protein. Animals that we eat as a source of protein take 75% of the world's resources but only feed 25% of the world's population. That means there are people looking for alternative sources of protein, like vegetables and insects. Turns out the woman who had the "bug product" went to Harvard and studied African studies. Which meant she spent some time in Africa, ate bugs, and discovered they weren't that bad. Huh.. So she and another Harvard grad came up with chips made with cricket flour, corn flour, flax, and a few other things and there she was. There were 3 different flavor profiles. Jordan and I decided to be brave our last day and try the chips. Not bad, not bad. Funny after taste, not a bad taste, but one that is hard to describe. Just different.

While we were in San Francisco, we had a chance to eat out a few times. We ate Franch food at Mathilde French Bistro, Italian food at Buca di Beppo, and Ethiopian food at Sheba's Piano Bar and Lounge. We met the owner at Sheba's as well, lovely woman! She seated us and then stayed and talked a while (it was kind of early and we were the first customers, lol).

That's all that's going on in my world right now. Hope you try the "roses," they really are tasty!

January 1, 2016

2016-01-01T14:43:00.002-08:00

Can you believe it is now 2016? Me neither!

December held several catering jobs for me, although I also turned down two that just didn't seem to "feel right" to me. The kind where you see red flags associated with client requests. I've learned over time to listen to those feelings. Better off happier with fewer jobs than crazy busy and unhappy!

I did get a new car. The winter so far has been snowy and cold and my little Miata die not do well in the snow. Since I drive to Carson City (about 40 miles round trip) at least three days a week, it made sense to get a car that could handle bad weather better. So....I opted for a Kia Soul. In Alien Green, lol. Cute, right?

I did not bake as many Christmas cookies as I had hoped to either..... I did, however, have a last minute cookie order and one of the cookies I made were these Glazed Lavender Cookies. They really turned out well! And the recipe is very easy.

Lemon-Glazed Lavender Shortbreads

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dried lavender
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Cream the butter in an electric stand mixer until fluffy. Add the flour, sugar and salt and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add the lavender, beating just until the lavender is incorporated.

3. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out the cookies using a round cookie cutter (or cookie cutter of your choice) and place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake on the center rack of your preheated oven for 20 minutes. You should not let these cookies brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire cooking rack.

5. Make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and lemon juice together. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the glaze over each cookie, then spread the glaze to cover the entire top of the cookie. Let them sit for one hour before serving. Enjoy!

My Mom, sister, Michele, and nephew, Dylan, came up for Christmas. It was nice spending time with family.

Christmas dinner was bone-in prime rib (only the second time I have made this but it's surprisingly easy to cook), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts and glazed Delicata squash. Mom said no dessert, so I put out some of the candy we got as gifts. All good stuff! I did NOT get a picture of Christmas dinner this year, can't believe I forgot to do that!

I also made mini Chocolate Cakes for one of my clients and although there was a bit of work involved, they turned out well, if I do say so myself.....

The recipe called for a three layer mini cake, but that seemed just, well, too tall, so I made them with two layers of chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream between the layers, then glazed them over with chocolate ganache. Before the ganache totally set, I pieced thin chocolate pieces around the edges, a little like a puzzle, and finished off the top with gold sugar crystals. Beautiful, non?

January looks to be a quiet month, but we shall see. Still hoping to post more often, and with a little more time on my hands, maybe I'll be able to do just that! Stay tuned!!!

Sunday, November 29, 2015

2015-11-29T11:23:00.001-08:00

Back at it again, my friends!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We decided (gasp!) to out to dinner for Thanksgiving this year. I've been cooking a lot lately and wanted to be waited on for a change. :-). I can't remember the last time we went out for Thanksgiving dinner, although I know we have. We went to a restaurant called Bricks that has been open for many years now. Jordan, Janell (my sister) and I dined on turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans. Janell and I had butternut squash soup as a started (quite good) and finished with pumpkin pie. Jordan had short ribs-not much of a turkey guy!

My family is coming up from Southern California for Christmas so I'll be doing plenty of cooking then. Haven't decided whether to have beef or ham or turkey for Christmas. I am leaning toward a New York roast......

I have a large catering job on Friday, December 4th for one of the medical offices here in Reno (their Christmas party for 50+). They have ordered appetizers, turkey AND ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots and two different desserts. Quite the party! This particular doctor is very generous!

The next week I have a catering job for a Ladies Book Club. I made them dinner last year and they asked me to do it again this year. I was asked to cater a dinner party the same night but had to turn it down! Hard to believe I was asked to do two events in one day. (I know, a good problem to have!)

I am working on a new project that involves making filled waffles out of puff pastry-good stuff!

The fillings so far have been Baked Italian Omelette, ham and gruyere with a spot of strawberry jam and of course, chocolate. The filling possibilities are endless! I'll keep you posted.

I made another Rose Frasier cake for a client. Not difficult to do but it has many steps to it. Apparently the women in his office LOVE this cake, lol. I've made it several times for them and it is generally gone before lunch!

You take a sponge cake flavored with rose water (or rose extract), split it in half, fill it with fresh strawberries (notice the decorative placement of halved strawberries around the edges) then fill in the excess space with a pastry cream and a voile!) The blueberries are an added request from my friend.

It's a recipe out of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, "Baking Chez Moi". I was gifted this book last Christmas by a friend. I must admit, on looking through the cookbook for the first time, I felt like Julie in Julie and Julia, the movie about the woman who took a year and made every recipe in Julia Child's French cookbook, blogging about it the entire year. I wanted to make EVERYTHING in the book! It all looks so yummy. And how can you go wrong with Dorie's recipes?! Needless to say, I have not baked everything but have made quite a few things out of "Baking Chez Moi." I'll keep working ont it-lofty goal that it is.

I am about to begin baking for Christmas, both cookies and candy, both of which I sell during the Holiday season. I make a toffee I call "Simply Crackers Toffee" and currently it is being carried by Wedge Cheese Shop here in Reno. Part of the crunch comes from crackers. I originally used saltines but had many requests asking me to make it gluten free, so came up with a recipe using quinoa crispbreads. Even the people who eat gluten thought it was better with the quinoa! So, now that's all I use for this toffee and people seem to love it! Who'd have thunk?

I finished a new cookbook called "Crepes," which I hope to publish soon on Amazon Kindle. It's at the editors right now. Wish me luck! What do you thing of the cover so far? I think I am going to move the word "crepes" up to the top so it can be better seen. I sent the .pdf to my niece to look at since she's the reason I wrote this in the first place and she loved it. She read it in one sitting, lol. I'll let you know when it's published.

That's all for now-see you soon! Bon Appetit!

November 15, 2015

2015-11-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Yikes! I have been duly chastized for not keeping my blog up to date, so here I am, my friends!

Many changes over the last several months. We bought a house, I took a part time nursing job in nearby Carson City but am still catering, and I have one personal chef client I still cook for weekly.

I spent the summer working away as a nurse, still in my per diem status, but working almost full time as there have been lots of staff changes at GIC. They then offered me a part time job and I took it. Nice people in Carson at GIC.

In August, I finally made a trip to Denver, Colorado to see all my culiinary friends. I stayed at the Capitol Hill Mansion B&B where I lived while I was in culinary school (you can check out that adventure in my earlier blog entries). Loved staying with Carl again! I played guest chef for two days, making breakfast for the guests. I had a blast!

In September, Jan, Jim, Jordan and myself (hmmm...I'm the only non-J name!) hosted our fifth (!) annual Farm-to-Table dinner at the Old 1862 Ranch. We sold out again, which is always a relief but surely a blessing that after all this time, people still want to come out. The first night got really cold once the sun went down. No one stayed very late that night! Unusual weather for September. The second weekend we had gorgeous weather, and guests stayed and talked and talked. It was just like having friends over for dinner!

Guests chose from three entrees: Osso Bucco Milanese, Butter Roasted Chicken with Roasted Vegetables or Fresh Papperedelle with Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce (vegetarian). I am thinking of writing a second book to compliment the first farm-to-table book I wrote last year. What do you think? A worthy undertaking? The Farm-to-Table dinners are a lot of work but in the end, we enjoy putting them on. And it's fun to see both old and new friends!

In October I catered three wedding receptions. (Have I told you how much I hate weddings?) I catered these particular weddings because they were friends and had asked long ago that I cook for their receptions. Little did I know they were all in the same month!

For the first two weddings, I provided appetizers, salads and main courses. The first bride's father is a pastry chef, so he made the wedding cake. The second bride and groom wanted to use "Nothing Bundt Cakes". Who am I to argue with that?!

I did, however, make the wedding cake for the third wedding reception. This couple got married almost a year ago but decided to wait to have a wedding reception with their families. They ran away to Vegas and got married by Elvis (yep, that's how they swing). The third wedding reception was a Halloween party with a Halloween inspired wedding cake (and now I know why those bakeries charge an arm and a leg for cakes--they are VERY time consuming!!). Wanna see the cake? (evil laugh here, hahahaha)

Before the blood.....

After the blood was added......

There is a candy coated "brain" from a mold sitting on top of the cake that is filled with chocolate mousse, as requested, I might add. the cake itself is a marble cake (vanilla cake batter swirled with chocolate cake batter then baked). I ended up "flinging" the "blood" at the cake and made quite the mess in the kitchen! The couple was happy with the cake, and that is all that matters.

I have sworn off weddings from now on. All my nieces are married, so I won't get swept up into any more family weddings! Weddings are a LOT of work! Whew!

Now the Holidays are fast approaching. I will be selling my toffee again at Wedge Cheese Shop in Midtown. I will be selling it online as well.

I'm getting ready to bake a ham and a turkey for one of the local businesses tomorrow. They will provide their own sides. That seems fairly straight forward!

I have two Christmas parties booked for this Holiday season. One for 75 people (office party), and one for ten people (a women's book club). I'll let you know how they turn out!

And, I'll be adding more recipes for you to try as well.

So thanks for tuning back in and for checking up on me. I'll see you soon!

May 10, 2015

2015-05-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again. Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Life has been quite busy--baking full time at Creme Cafe, cooking as a personal chef (albeit only once a week), baking desserts for Gas Lamp restaurant, working as a nurse AND helping Jordan with research on Wikipedia and WOEIDs. Life has not slowed down much!

And did I mention I was just in Chicago to cater my neice's wedding?? For 240 people!! The last of my brother's daughters, Ruthie, married JJ on April 25. It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding (I know, I know, outdoors in April?!? in Chicago?!?) but it rained the day of the wedding and they had to move it indoors. So there was Ruthie in her tea length wedding dress (a very practical girl) and blue rain boots she borrowed from her sister, lol. She was beautiful, though!

The menu was almost a picnic type fare, with chips and salsa, deviled eggs, a veggie platter with dip as appetizers, then fried chicken, grilled brats, potato salad, cole slaw and fruit salad. All she wanted for dessert, though, was waffle tacos! Belgian waffles spread with Nutella, then filled with your choice of strawberries, bananas and/or blueberries. They were a hit, I must say (and I do make a mean waffle, lol)

It was nice spending time with my family again as well. Even my Mom got to come out from So Cal (she didn't think she'd be able to make it). A good time was had by all and I am now officially the favorite aunt (a status my youngest sister held until recently-just kidding).

Baking at Creme Cafe has been both fun and frustrating. I usually make scones, croissants (plain and/or chocolate or almond), and coffee cake on a regular basis. Creme also bakes for another restaurant called Sup (pronounced soup as the "u" usually has a German Umlaut over it-two dots). So that means "Sup cookies", small chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, Lemon bars, Mississippi Mud bars and 7-Layer bars. I also bake bread for the BLT sandwiches as well as English Muffins for our breakfast sandwich. And of course, if someone wants just a plain English muffin, they are sold ala carte. The frustrating part comes at the end of the week when there are baked goods left over because they didn't sell. I get lots of compliments on my baking but all I want to say is "Then please BUY those great baked goods." (I try not to say that out loud, lol)

Tonight I finished making Zachary Golper's Orange-Bergamot Custard Tart with Rosemary Chocolate Ganache for one of my clients. It looks lovely, don't you think? And it's not too difficult. I had to search for bergamot essential oil, though. Found it at Whole Foods! I'll get a chance to taste it tomorrow. Yum!

Well, once again, I hope to be better at this blogging. I really do enjoy writing, just don't seem to have as much time anymore! Thanks for checking in on me!

Bon Appetit!

Monday, February 16, 2015

2015-02-16T22:07:00.002-08:00

Well I am back in Reno after two restful weeks on Maui. When I left on Saturday, it was raining quite hard. Makes it seem not so bad to have to leave, lol.

Sunday I caught up on some rest (it's the time differences that always get to me!) and worked on my book some more-editting. Jordan and I stopped by Gas Lamp for a drink in the evening, more to see if they needed anything baked this week. They said they were ok on desserts.

Today I was back at Creme Cafe, baking. I made English muffins (the recipe on the King Arthur website is the best). Wolferman's muffins here I come!

Then it was on to slider rolls (which are really dinner rolls but they are just the right size). Beth says these slider rolls have become so popular that we are going to start marketing them in the near future. You'll be able to by them by the dozen.

Next was the no-knead bread I make from Jim Lahey's book "My Bread". Really the best recipe I have found to date. And so easy! Just four ingredients-flour, yeast, salt and water.

Next on the list was Coconut Macaroons. Always a hit-and they are gluten free! I drizzled chocolate over the top just to dress them up a bit.

I had three meetings in the afternoon (Creme related), then it was time to go home. I am a nurse tomorrow, so I will sign off now so I can get some sleep!

Friday, February 13, 2015

2015-02-13T23:31:00.001-08:00

As I went to bed last night, I heard such a ruckus outside. Turns out the resort across the street decided to have fireworks! I always enjoy them so got up to watch for a while. Too noisy to go to bed anyway.

Tomorrow I go back to Reno-which is a good thing-but also said as my time on Maui has been very relaxing and quiet. No demands. Ah well.....back to reality, lol.

It was cloudy this morning but cleared enough to go to the beach today (likely my last trip there as it is raining as I write this and that rain is suppose to continue through tomorrow). You can usually tell when a storm is coming to the islands-the wind picks up quite a bit. If you happen to be sitting on the beach and the wind is blowing hard-you can get "sandblasted," or as we joke, you can have a microdermabration sesstion at no cost. Still, a gorgeous day. Lots more people here because of the long weekend.

Upon returning, it was time for lunch. Chinese Chicken Salad today. The recipe is from EatingWell. I've given you the link here so you can check it out if you are interested. A nice sald for lunch anytime, a nice dinner salad in the summer.

I spent the afternoon making one last meal for tomorrow (it will be after I leave). Maple-Chili Pork Tenderloin with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. An I made 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies. Always good! Did I take pictures? No, I forgot! Not much of a food blogger, am I, lol?

I thought you'd like to see where I have been staying and see me working in the kitchen. It really is a nice condo. These are shots of the living room, dining area and kitchen. There is a bedroom upstairs and then another one down on the first floor (where I stayed). I am very lucky to have been able to come here these last two weeks!

Nice kitchen, aye? It must have been remodeled because I have been in other kitchens in this complex and most of them are pretty dated. The buildings are likely 30 years old (give or take).

We went out for dinner for my last day here to Montage, a lovely restaurant. Everything was delicious! From the Tempura Goat Cheese Balls to the Poppyseed Pound cake with Baisl Ice Cream. Wow! Very cool. I will leave you now as it is time for bed. Here are some shots from tonight at Montage....

The Kapalua Butterfly

The view from our table looking out toward the ocean.

And of course, the Maui sunset......

Wish me safter journeys back to Reno tomorrow! Aloha!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

2015-02-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

We awoke to a cloudy day-guess you never know what is going to happen. It's winter and there always seems to be a storm lurcking out there somewhere. We are, after all, in the middle of the ocean.

After breakfast, we went to the beach (not a hard decision, lol). I have yet to check out the pool area here. I decided I was going to try boogie-boarding. I haven't done it in a long time and although I was scared (have you seen how big some of those waves are?!), I decided I did not want to skip anything just because I was afraid. So out came the boogie board and I carried it down to the beach. I sat on the beach a good long while until I realized I shouldn't put it off any longer. I walked across the beach and into the water....

I think I was waiting for the most opportune time (which was not going to happen, lol, as the waves just kept coming), but eventually got the courage to put the board into the water and get on it.

After several attempts to balance myself on the board, I finally got out a little ways into the water. It's a little frightening when one second you are in ankle deep water and the next the water is up to your waist because a wave rolled in! I let the water carry me out but I was tossed around a lot and ended up scraping my toes on the rocks that run in ribbons in the sand under water. I can't imagine walking on those volcanic rocks. I was finally out deep enough that I could turn around and glide back to shore. The undertow here is SO strong. There are no lifeguards on any of the beaches here so you enter at your own risk.

So in I rode. I tried boogie boarding and lived to tell about it (she says very dramatically). Don't have to do it again. The beach in this section is very wild, not calm like the beach in Ka'anapali, which is why it is lovely to come and sit on the beach but never really get in the water. Still, I was quite pleased with myself that I hadn't chickened out!

Back to the condo and time for a shower and lunch. Lunch today was a Shrimp and Cucumber Salad. Boil some shrimp (3-4 jumbo shrimp per person) and let it cool. Dice 1/2 a peeled, seeded cucumber. Toss both the shrimp and the cucumber with a lemon vinaigrette (very simple: lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper), place it on salad and serve. What could be easier? I was feeling particularly artistic today and so made a flower out of my spinach before loading up the plate with shrimp and cucumber.

I spent the afternoon chosing photos and wording for the back of my print cookie cookbook. I chose a saying from the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. I thought a little humor might be appropriate, lol. A monster after my own heart! :)

I also looked at recipes and otherwise just put my feet up. I was looking for a dessert recipe using coconut milk. I found one for Coconut Chocolate Mousse. I had all the ingredients and beat the coconut milk the appropriate time, but it never really whipped. The author said that might happen and to just try another brand. Maybe I will try again, maybe not. Like I said yesterday, I am not sure why I have this facination with alternative milks, etc. The mix still tasted really good, so I decided to put it in the freezer and call it a frozen dessert. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Dinner was Caramelized Wild Mushrooms Ragu with Pecorino Polenta and Truffled Mascarpone. OMG good, guys!

For the Polenta:

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup dried polenta

1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a simmer in a heavy 6 quart pot. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook on low. stirring frequently, for approximately 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and olive oil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

For the Mushroom Ragu:

3 cups of assorted fresh while mushrooms

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine, such as an extra dry Prosecco

1 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp minced flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Salt and pepper to taste

While the polenta is cooking, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium high in a large 12 inch saute pan. Add the cleaned, dry mushrooms to the pan. Cook until the mushrooms caramelize and become crusty golden brown. Add the shallot and salute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan of any brown bits and reduce by half. Add the stock and simmer until the stock is reduced by half. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if desired.

For the Truffled Mascarpone:

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1 tsp white truffle oil

Stir the truffle oil into the mascarpone. Serve the wild mushroom ragu over the hot polenta. Add a dollop of the truffled mascarpone, a sprinkle of pecorino cheese and a pinch of minced parsley.

I cannot tell you have good this is! I am planning on making this the vegetarian dish for the next Farm-to-Table dinner! Mmmm, mmmmm, good!

Before you know it, the sun goes down and another is ending in paradise......

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

2015-02-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Today was a surprise field trip (as I call it-restaurant research!). We had breakfast out at the Westin Hotel in Ka'anapoli. Stunning views, and really, pretty good food. They have renamed the restaurant since I was there last. It is now the Relish Burger. Hmmm.... Anyway, we had Eggs Benedict-very, very nice! There was even talk about a road trip to one of the local wineries. Imagine-wine making on Maui! What a surprise! All in the name of research, I say. :)

I was trying to buy new Crocs but apparently the Crocs store at Whaler's Village has closed. Too bad. I did not realize this, but the main business on Maui used to be whaling. And Lahaina on Maui was the state capital. The royal family used to come on a regular basis to Maui because it was such an important source of local income. It was in the late 1800s however, when the capital of the Hawaii was changed to Honolulu. Lots of history here! Whaler's village has a lot of information on whales as well as a whale skeleton on display. The size of the vertebrae are astounding!

Then back to Kapalua. Time for a trip to the beach! After all the rain and clouds yesterday, the sun shone brightly today. About six surfers in the water as far as I could tell. The waves were not all that large, still a great time to practice, I suppose. I was nosing around the condo this morning and found beach chairs, umbrellas and boogie boards. I am thinking I will try to boogie board before I leave this lovely place. My friends think I am crazy! Still, I do not like the thought of getting to the end of my life, feeling like there were things I didn't do just because I was afraid. Life is too short.

Lunch today was Lentil and Couscous Salad. Very nice. Two salads in one really. A tossed green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with a vinaigrette. The lentils and couscous (same amount of each) are both cooked separately, cooled, then tossed with the same vinaigrette as the green salad. The lentil and couscous salad are then placed on top of the greens, then topped with feta cheese.

The afternoon was filled with editing my cookbook and dealing with finalizing a wedding we are doing in October. The couple are friends of mine so I really want to cater the reception and having Creme Cafe behind me will make the job much easier. And so it is settled for now. It's a nice feeling to have friends who want you to be a part of their wedding because they love the way you cook. :)

Dinner tonight was Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Salad. Both lunch and dinner were fairly light meals. The pork tenerloin was browned on top of the stove (just salt and pepper) in an oven-proof frying pan (you could grill this as well), then finished off in the oven. About 5 minutes before the pork was done, I brushed the pork tenderloin with apricot jam. The salad is either arugula (which I could not find at the grocery store), watercress or spinach. In my case, spinach was the easiest thing to find. The dressing: equal parts olive oil and white wine vinegar, apricot jam (a tbsp or so), finely diced shallots (1-2 tbsp), then salt and pepper. It makes an unbelievably good vinaigrette. Toss the salad with the dressing, plate it, top with sliced pork tenderloin and top with roasted apricots. Now there are no fresh apricots available, which is what should be used in this recipe, so I used dried apricots and just plumped them up with hot water. I roasted them in the oven as well. A rather tasty dish, if I do say so myself. It would be a great summer evening dish.

Another recipe from the EatingWell.com files.

Dessert was rice pudding made with Almond Milk. Don't ask me why almond milk, but I have experimented with using almond milk and coconut milk off and on for the last year. I do like the way it tastes in some things, although I would not want to drink it by the glass neccesarily. Still, it was tasty! No dessert picture tonight.

After dinner we watched "The Mind of a Chef" on PBS with David Chang, narrated by Anthony Bourdain. What a pair! Still, it was better than I thought. David Chang, though extremely talented as a chef, can be annoying cocky at times.

After that-blogging, then reading a bit, then bed. Another gorgeous day in paradise.....

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

2015-02-10T22:11:00.000-08:00

It was cloudy and rainy today. Guess that happens even in paradise!

I did end up making Cream Scones this morning. They turned out lovely! The recipe is one a friend gave me from the NY Times. I am even considering making it for Creme Cafe when I get back! I could not find currants so used golden raisins instead. You could use any dried fruit and they would taste just as good! Here it is:

Currant Cream Scones

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling
1 1/3 cup dried currants, or any other dried fruit
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/3 cup sugar. Stir in the currants or whatever dried fruit you decide to use. Mix together by hand until the ingredients are just blended.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly. Roll the dough out to a one inch thickness. Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out the scones, rerolling the dough as needed. Place the scones one inch apart on a baking sheet coverd with parchment.

Use a pastry brush to paint the tops of the scones with meltd butter, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the scones are golden, about 12-15 minutes. Let the scones cool on a baking rach. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter and jam.

This was a lazy kind of day so I worked mostly on the computer, did some more editing on my book. No beach today!

Lunch was a Croque Madame, the French version of a grilled ham and cheese. Only most of the cheese is on the outside of the sandwich. Top it with a fried egg and you are set!

The afternoon was spent trying to find a picture for the cover of my cookie book, at least until I got a call from my boss at Creme to discuss a wedding we are suppose to cater in October. Sometimes it is difficult to get people to understand how much it really costs to cater an event-any event. One thing to do it yourself, another to ask someone to do all the work for you. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

When it was near time for dinner, I made rice pudding (in anticipation for a dessert for tomorrow evening). Then started in on dinner, which was Bell Peppers Stuffed with Coconut Rice and Shrimp. SO good!

Dessert was Pineapple Foster over ice cream. Yum!

So other than eating good food, not much happened in paradise today so I will leave you with another Maui sunset picture...

Monday, February 9, 2015

2015-02-09T22:57:00.001-08:00

I was all set to make Cream Scones this morning but we decided to wait until tomorrow morning instead. Tomorrow is suppose to be a rainy day--a good day to bake!

Breakfast on the veranda, Greek Yogurt with fresh pineapple and 9-grain bread toasted and served with Guava Jelly. Great stuff, Guava Jelly!

Next, time for the beach. You do get into a routine here, once you've been for a while. No rush, nothing really to do. No worries. Today at the beach, however, the wind kicked up and started blowing sand. A little like being sand-blasted or having your own micro-dermabrasion, lol. Time to leave as sand gets everywhere! I did take a few pictures though. Today the waves were pretty small. There was only one surfer out there and he didn't stay out long.

I did not add this picture yesterday, but it is remarkable because it shows how small the surfer is compared to the waves. Amazing no one drowns!

After the beach, you need a shower, just to get all the sand off! Then it was time to fix lunch. Chicken Caesar Salad, dressing from scratch! I have the original recipe from Harrah's Steakhouse in Reno.

Harrah's Caesar Salad

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
1-2 anchovies
1/2 lemon, juiced
6-8 shots Worchestershire sauce
1-2 shots Tobasco
1 large tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 egg yolk
1 head Romaine lettuce
2 large tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 cup croutons

Preparation:
In a large wodden bowl, grind the garlic with 2 forks. Add the anchovies and continue to grind the two until smooth. Add the lemon juice and grind until well mixed. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and mix well. Add the Romain and toss, then add the Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons. Plate and serve.

Still the best recipe I have come across for Caesar Salad!

I spent the afternoon reading, texting my boss at Creme Cafe (I had to tease her about Pigs in a Blanket. Did you know they sell Pigs in the Blanket at the Maui Market? Who would have thought?) and researching recipes. I did do a little editing of my cookie cookbook. I am waiting to hear back about getting a cover design. I am pleased I am finally finished! I had wanted to publish before Christmas but that did not happen.

By the time dinner rolled around, it was too windy to eat on the veranda so we had our Turkey Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Sautéed Zucchini with Cherry Tomatoes indoors. Ellie Krieger's recipe.
Dessert was Blueberry Crumble with Whipped Cream. I had leftover crumble topping to use. Only blueberries looked good at the market so that is what we got!

The days here are definitely quiet. I must be getting older because that doesn't bother me as much as it did 5 years ago when I was so busy I didn't know how to be still. Two weeks in Hawaii, spent cooking and reading and sunning is not a bad gig to have, aye?

I'll leave you with more Maui sunsets. They are SO gorgeous, with every day a little different. It is clouding up, getting ready to storm....

Sunday, February 8, 2015

2015-02-08T22:29:00.001-08:00

Woke up to cloudy skies this morning which caused us to shop in the morning for this next week rather than the afternoon. There is, after all, another week of cooking left to do!

By the time we returned to the condo, the skies had cleared. It was time for lunch and so I worked at getting out today's menu of Chicken and White Bean Salad. This recipe is from EatingWell.com. Easy but filling! Again, I have attached a link for anytone interested in checking out the recipe. Always nice to have a salad recipe that works both for lunch and dinner. I like all the colors in the salad as well.

Being Sunday, I decided not to do any real work today. We went to the beach after lunch (I guess no beach vs pool-they're all beach days!). I still love watching the waves roll in and watching the surfers as they try to ride the waves.

My friends (as a belated Christmas present) got me Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook "Baking Chez Moi", an all dessert cookbook. I spent most of the afternoon reading this (much like other people read novels, lol) and have decided I want to make everything in the book! Shades of "Julie and Julia"! Can't wait to get home to try some of these recipes!

Dinner tonight was Ratatouille Over Pasta. This turned out much better than I thought! Ratatouille recipes differ slightly, some say saute the vegetables separately and then combine them, other recipes say throw them all together and let them simmer. This particular recipe called for cooking each component separately, then combining them to simmer on the stove for about an hour. The flavors were amazing. Guess I'll need to start making Ratatouille this way all the time!

Dessert was a repeat-Banana Cream Delight. Remember that? Banana cream pie without the crust? Still good, lol. After dinner, we watched PBS's series on a baking competition in the UK, much like the American "Chopped" show, only much nicer! The British are so polite!

Hard to believe I have less than a week left before it will be time to go home! I will leave you with a lovely Maui sunset...

Saturday, February 7, 2015

2015-02-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

I've been here a week already. Hard to believe!

It started off as a cloudy day but soon cleared by 9am. It was a beach day today. I have always joked to my friends-do I go to the beach today or the pool? While the weather is nice-the beach. Only two surfers today. Does that mean too much partying on Friday night or not as many people here? It's interesting to people watch at the beach. I have seen two women over the last several days put up umbrellas to shade themselves, only to have it turned inside out by the wind! It is an interesting site. Lots of kids out here and there is much to be seen about parenting by watching all the couples with their children. As I have none, I guess I cannot be too critical, but nonetheless, the difference in parenting in the world today is very interesting.....

Lunch today was Egg Salad-tastey, a blast from the past, an old-fahioned meal. I had mine on toast, the others had theirs on lettuce leaves. Sitting out on the veranda, I feel very lucky to be able to come here and enjoy the warm weather in the middle of a Nevada winter!

I spent the afternoon (after catching up with Jordan) working on my cookie cookbook. I finished it!!!!! Title: 25 Days of Home Made Cookies. I am waiting on a book cover design and I still need to go through and edit it, but it is all written. I am excited to publish again. I enjoy writing. And when you enjoy writing you hope that other enjoy reading it. Time will tell!

Dinner was Chicken Saltimbocca. Actually pretty easy to put together. Served over pasta with a side of asparagus. This is the skiniest asparagus I have ever seen!

My friend insisted on taking a picture of me-evidence that I am indeed, in Hawaii, lol. First thing I did was check my hair, but alas, not much to be done...

And here is dinner--it turned out well!

Dessert was a repeat, Strawberry Shortcake. The last of the shortcake so we will not be repeating this one!

The longer I am here, the easier it is to just sit and not do anything. But I would like to use my time wisely and get a few things done. Like finishing my cookbook. Writing about what you are passionate about makes a difference!

So not much else to tell...another day in paradise..... BUT I will leave you with more beautiful Maui sunset pictures!

Friday, February 6, 2015

2015-02-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

Another sunny day in paradise......What can I say?

I awoke early and so did my usually stretching and meditation. Then on to a breakfast of yogurt and coffee then coffeecake (second breakfast as we say here, lol). From the veranda we could see whales really close to the shoreline. I am always in awe of these creatures. So large but so graceful. I finished Jordan's project before leaving for the beach and sent it off.

Then it was on to the beach. It really is the perfect beach. The waves lull you into peacefulness. I have learned quite a bit watching the guys who surf at this beach regularly. One-don't fight the waves on your way out, dive under any waves that crash before you have reached your destination. Otherwise you will tire before you get very far off shore. Two, there is a narrow window to catch a wave-if you are not fast enough to get on top of the wave, it will pass you by and you will need to wait until the next wave. If you are so lucky to catch a wave-go for it, stand on your board and ride it out. Some of the moves the surfers make are amazing. Certainly not in my skill set, nor do I want it to be. It is a gift to watch them as they work at catching waves. They seems to get "beat up" a lot while waves crash around them. I am getting more sun and a little crispy around the edges. I'll have to watch that!

Lunch was a Garden Veggie Frittata with a half slice of English muffin. Yum!

The afternoon was spent reading, answering emails and working on my cookie book. I got on fiverr.com to try and get an eBook cover. We'll see what I come up with. We did a little shopping as well and I bought some aloe vera while we were out to put on those crispy edges so as not to let the burn get worse.

Dinner tonight was Pot Roast-very mid-west, lol, but really tasty! Chuck roast braised for several hours, the flavors melding together to a savory goodness.

All in all, a relaxing day, as it should be in paradise... More gorgeous sunset pictures...

Thursday, February 5, 2015

2015-02-05T22:13:00.002-08:00

Hmmmmm....another sunny day in paradise! It is hard to remind oneself that one is here to work. Not hard work, certainly. Breakfast of whatever is here, toast, coffeecake, yogurt, fruit. Even second breakfast, depending on how early you get up.

A little computer work after breakfast and then off to the beach! Kapalua Beach is gorgeous as ever. Surfers (although the wavew were not as big as the last few days.), couples with children, and even a wedding at the other end of the beach! It was over by the time we got there. The wedding party milled around waiting to have pictures taken. My friend thought I should walk down and ask if they needed a chef, but I am sure everything had already been arranged. An hour and I am done-don't really want to sunburn. Nothing will ruin a vacation sooner that sunburning when you first arrive! Back at the condo, there on the walk-way was a lone plumeria that fell off the tree. Still beautiful--and the smell? Heavenly!

Back to the condo in time to fix lunch. This recipe hales from Better Homes and Gardens magazine from years ago! Today was Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Damn, I'm good! (if I do say so myself, lol)

The afternoon was spent on the computer answering emails, making sure my brother got the menu for his daughter's wedding in April (I am catering it!) and answering texts from Creme. I also made Chocolate Chip cookies with oatmeal in them. Easy and tasty! One of the people we ran into a few years ago asked "How can you bake in this heat?" Pretty easy with air conditioning. Plus, I love to bake, so no chore.

I got a chance to talk with Jordan before he comes back stateside. Not sure if the UN meeting was a success or not, but I am sure I will hear about it later. I need to start working on my cookie book. If I am diligent, I can finish it by the end of this Maui trip and get it published in the next few weeks!

It is still windy here and apparently will be for the next few days. Makes eating outside a challenge but you hate to waste sunny days here and the veranda is partially protected.

Dinner was Prosciutto-stuffed Chicken Breast with Mushroom Sauce, mashed potatoes and Glazed Carrots. Very tasty, she said modestly (lol).

Dessert tonight? Banana Cream Delight. Kind of like banana cream pie without the crust. :)

After dinner chores: update the blog, do a little laundry, read a little, then bed. I will leave you with another beautiful Maui sunset.....

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

2015-02-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

Wednesday turned out to be a rainy windy day. I'm ok with that, the setting is still beautiful! Paradise by any other name....

Lest you think I am lolling here in continuous sunny weather-here is a pic for you!. I awoke to rain and was actually glad, because I had gotten a little too much sun the day before so my face and chest were reddened. It did however, clear up some and my friends went to the beach, while I stayed in. I talked to my mom in the morning-always a pleasure!

After that, it was time for lunch. California BLT sandwiches. What makes it California, is the avocado and the basil mayonnaise. Toasted bread, bacon, lettuce and tomato. I mashed the avocado to make it easier to eat the sandwhich. Otherwise the slices of avocado tend to smush out. The basil mayonnaise was a mix of regular mayo with a little bit of olive oil, garlic, chopped fresh basil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Very easy, actually but it makes a nice statement on the sandwich.

The afternoon was spent working on menus. I think I will be very busy when I get back. Beth has lined up a few catering jobs. I had to pass off a catering job to her. I was contacted by the office staff of one of my clients, a doctor. They want to throw him a surprise birthday party on February 12. I will still be gone, so told them they could contact Beth as I was unavailable. Beth in turn was contacted and asked me to make up a menu, which I did. Black tie, I was told in the original email. So I made a fancy menu, passed it on to Beth and it was accepted by the office staff. I tried to keep it elegant but simple so Beth and her staff would have no problems executing the menu.

Dinner last night was Smothered Chicken. That is a baked chicken breast, topped with creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms with sliced mozzarella cheese. Bake it until the cheese starts to brown, serve and eat! I served it with mashed potatoes. Oh, so yummy!

A little reading time, then bed. And another beautiful sunset.....

It was cloudy when I got up this morning, but soon cleared. We went to the beach. What a great beach, so calm yet wild. Looking out onto the ocean, you can expect to see whales playing out in the channel. A tail jumps out or the entire whale jumps out of the water and splashes down. You have to keep a close eye out or you'll miss it. Whales are such glorious, magnificent creatures. So lucky when you can watch them play! And the surfers are always fun to watch. The energy they expend, standing up and catching a wave, getting knocked down only to get up again.

After the beach it was time for lunch. Crab Salad Melts. Crab salad, which contains, crab (surprise!), minced celery, red bell pepper, thinly sliced asparagus, mayo, Old Bay, sliced green onions piled on an English muffin, then topped with shredded Gruyere cheese, then broiled. Hmmmm, hmmmm, good! I served it with a wedge salad topped with Ranch dressing. We ate out on the veranda, but I have to say it was so windy it was not very pleasant! The wind blew so hard it blew the coffee out of my cup when I went to drink it. AND it blew the last bite of my salad off my fork and onto the floor. I guess I should be thankful I did wear the coffee or the salad!

This afternoon I worked on some research Jordan asked me to help with. For some unknown reason, I like doing research. Almost any kind of research, doesn't seem to matter much what it is.... Go figure!

I had to start dinner a little earlier than usual as I made Beef Bourguignon for dinner. Laura Calder's recipe, the best I have tasted so far. Side of mashed potatoes and I was done....

Dessert tonight? A repeat of the Strawberry Shortcake. It REALLY is a good shortcake recipe, lol.

Now, it's time for bed. Guess I'm still on PST! I will leave you with a parting sunset shot. Hawaiian sunset are gorgeous, always.....

Monday, February 2, 2015

2015-02-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

Another day in beautiful Maui. It was cloudy off and on today. A storm is set to come thru Hawaii. It gets more windy by the hour, but I guess that is to be expected.

Lunch on Sunday was not quiche but a frittata. We sped things up so we could go shopping and finish for this week. Same zucchini-Gruyere cheese filling, just no crust. Served with a side salad!

Then off to shopping at Farmland Foods-kind of like our Whole Foods. I did not go to the beach or the pool Sunday-just sat on the veranda. Lazy me, lol!

Dinner was Shrimp Veracruz served over rice, a dish from EatingWell.com. A great source for healthy recipes and a dish that goes together quickly!

Dessert was Strawberry Shortcake. Hmmm, hmmmm, good as the Campbell's soup commercial used to say. :)

I was up early for me this morning, 6am. Stretching and meditation before starting my day. Coffee and toast to start with guava jelly-SO good! Then coffeecake for second breakfast out on the veranda. Got to take advantage of the good weather while we can!

We went to the beach this morning. Glorious! AND I got whale pictures! Two small whales were having a good time beating their tails in the water. Beautiful creatures!

There were six surfers there this morning. Think this guy spends much time at the beach? Guess I'm just jealous of the tan, lol.

And this is me, sitting on the beach, unsuspecting that anyone was taking pictures!-

Lunch was Ham and Cheese Grilled Sandwiches with Strawberry Pinot Noir Jam from Food and Wine Magazine. . They turned out great, if I do say so myself! That and a little fruit, hit the spot!

I spent the afternoon working on menus for two weddings. One is my niece's wedding in April, back in Chicago. The other is a friend from work that is getting married in Reno in October. Lots to work out! I talked with Jordan as well, who is in Germany this week for a meeting with the UN-long story. Hope it works for him.

Dinner was Tuscan Roasted Chicken with Roasted Vegetables. Another good recipe!

There was Mixed Berry Crumble for dessert-one of Nigella Lawson's recipes. Oh. So. Good.

And now, time for bed, I think, but I will leave you with a lovely sunset picture....

Sunday, February 1, 2015

2015-02-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

The last week has been a full week of work, trying to stay ahead of the game and travel. Whew!

As I wrote in my last post, I now work full time at Creme Cafe in Reno. Not only do I bake (a FABULOUS chocolate bundt cake recipe from www.food52.com. I did take the liberty however, of adding some chocolate ganache frosting to it for even more chocolate goodness.) but I am planning menu changes, formulating daily specials, and making up the catering menus monthly based on what is available with seasonal produce. AND, I am working to update and make contemporary the Creme website. So as you can see, there is a lot involved in this job, lol. The owner is in the process of hiring a CIA-grad chef to take over as the lead line cook, so I will be working with him in the future to update and stay on top of menu changes. I have also been trying to teach staff new techniques and showing them how to execute the new menu.

With all this going on (plus I still bake desserts for Gas Lamp Restaurant) suddenly it was time to leave for Maui and my two week gig as a private chef. All expenses paid, time in paradise and all I have to do is cook lunch and dinner? Who wouldn't go?!

I arrived on Maui on Friday, January 30. Slightly cloudy but some sun, lush landscaping and of course, the beautiful Pacific ocean all around. I got here about mid-day, unpacked and just relaxed! We had dinner at Merriman's (how nice not to have to cook on my first day here!)--wonderful as always. Good food, good wine, good company!

Saturday morning there was coffee and toast on the deck at the condo-gorgeous view here in Kapaula!

Then off to the beach. Such a peacefulness at this beach and not many people come here! You often see surfers out on the water, trying to catch a wave. Some are good, some not so good! But they all look like they are having a good time. We even saw a few whales jump out of the water, although it seems you have to keep a constant vigil in order to see this happen. This time of year the whales swim freely through the channels between islands. An amazing site, but hard to catch in a picture..

I sent the picture of my feet at the beach to my boss at GIC (nursing job)-she texted back that she wished she were here. :)

After the beach, it was time for shopping so I could begin preparing all the great meals I was brought here to create. Sometimes the produce here on Maui is the same as back in Reno, sometimes there are things here we don't even see back on the mainland. It is pretty cool to wander the isles, although I was told to "focus on the mission", lol.

Lunch was a Greek-inspired salad with chicken (from EatingWell.com), which instantly "beefs up" the meal and makes it more satisfying.

We only shopped for a couple of days so part of the afternoon was spent formulating a shopping list for Sunday so we could buy food for the rest of the week. We weren't sure how many people would be out shopping for Super Bowl Sunday! More fun to food shop when the place isn't packed. I also baked a coffeecake to last the week for what my employer calls "second breakfast", a joke but an apt description, lol.
A good old-fashioned coffeecake with cinnamon, sugar and nuts on top and in the middle of the cake. And just so you don't think professional chefs make mistakes--I forgot to add the sour cream to the batter, and didn't remember until I had it almost all in the baking pan!! I scraped it back into the bowl, added the sour cream and fortunately or unfortunately, had to mix in the first cinnamon sugar layer with the batter. It darkened the batter but the taste is still fabulous and it did not seem to affect the texture at all. I just kept on going....

Dinner is timed so that we sit down to eat right about the time the sun is setting. Both lunch and dinner was out on the veranda/deck. How lovely is that? You can't do that back in Nevada in winter!

For dinner, I made Filet Mignon with a Maple-Balsamic Reduction, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Parmesan Potato Croquettes. A recipe from Nadia G, the talented chef from Bitchin' Kitchin' (yes, she really is a culinary-graduated chef, lol). SO yummy! I am attaching links to the recipes so I do not have to write them all down. You, too, can enjoy these great meals at home (she says tongue in cheek)!

Of course, the rest of the scenery needs no explanation......

Today is Sunday and there is more shopping to do. We have food for today's meals but I usually only buy what is needed for each meal so there is really nothing extra here (besides cereal, bread, milk, half'n'half, cream and butter). Lunch today is a Zucchini Quiche served with a side salad. Better than a restaurant!

I will be blogging daily, so hope you'll join me for this cooking vacation-I have my Zen on!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

2015-01-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

Oh my......two months since I last posted! And so much has happened in that time! Mostly good things, lol.

I catered five large Holiday parties in December. Interestingly enough, four of these dinners were exactly the same!!! One man threw four different parties throughout the month for different reasons. There was Roasted Turkey, Holiday Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Bourbon Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans with Caramelized Onions, Stuffing, Gravy, appetizers and two different Slab Pies for dessert. That's a LOT of food! At the end, he was happy, so that's good.

My Mom, sister Michele and nephew Dylan drove up from LA for Christmas. My sister Corie and her husband Stu drove down from the Portland area to spend Christmas here as well. Although family time can be both wonderful and frustrating at the same time, it was nice having everyone here.

Right around Christmas, the owner of Creme Cafe here in Reno approached me about coming back to work for her. She offered more money and regular hours, plus a chance to do menu development, build the baking portion of the business and help with catering. We are also talking about offering what we call "The Supper Club". We would offer monthly dinners, much like the Farm-to-Table dinner I do each year in September. Moving Creme Cafe across the street to a larger facility was much harder than she thought it was going to be so she was feeling overwhelmed. Hence the call for help. In the two-three weeks since I have been back, business has picked up, I am posting on Facebook for the cafe and am developing menu options for the catering we do. A lot of work! I've been enjoying it though. Today I went in for a couple of hours so I could bake cookies for Sup (couldn't add the German symbol that changes the pronounciation from sup-like supper to soup), a wholesale account she has for baked goods. I made Cinnamon Apple Turnovers while I was there. I tucked 6 inch squares of puff pastry into large muffin tins, then filled them will chopped apples tossed with brown sugar, cinnamon, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and a small amount of cornstarch, folded the corners inward, brushed the pastry with an egg wash, then baked them at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Once they were cooled, I drizzled them with a confectioner's sugar glaze. Voila! Done!

And now, in only a week-I will be flying to Maui for a two week private chef job. A rough life, I know, but someone has to do it, lol. I'll be posting more during that time (with more free time there than I've had in a while, lol). How cool is that? :-)

I'll also post more from the adventures at Creme Cafe so you can come along on the journey. Welcome to 2015!!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

2014-11-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

It must be a month since I written, as I seem to get the itch to write about every 3-4 weeks. So let's catch up!

I am working on getting a printed version of my ebook-"Farm-to-Table Dinner Recipes". I have had several requests for it and so am waiting for a printed copy to come so I can make sure I like it before I actually release it on the public! I have changed a bit of the text and added a few more pictures. The cover will be the same, however I then needed a spine and back cover. So many things to consider! I'll post again once it is available in print.

November has been kind of slow, business-wise. I have had a few catering jobs and been to a couple of networking events. Have I mentioned how important networking is to a business, especially a small business? No one will hire you if they don't know you exist! Reminds me a little of being a politician, out meetin' and greetin' and kissing babies, lol.

I was working on making my Simply Crackers Toffee gluten free and tried it last week with a cracker (oddly a GF cracker from France!) made with quinoa and millet. I had one of my friends in mind for this, but I am also doing a bakeshop for the Holiday season and wanted something that anyone could eat. Little did I know how successful this new version would be! I took a portion of the toffee to work with me (nurse job) and it was a HUGE hit. The doctor that bought 2 pounds of toffee last year using the saltines, thought this was better. Who'd have thought? So I am switching to the quinoa cracker for the crunch in the toffee. I am also working on a new list of goodies, using some of the cookies, candy and granola from last year's Bakeshop. Please feel free to order!

I had some apples to use up so today I made a Russian cake called "Apple Sharlotka". Should difficult (just because of the strange name) but it really is easy! I get all kinds of food and recipe related emails and received this recipe from a Food and Wine email. The Rrecipe is from Chef Matt Danko, who uses his father’s recipe to make sharlotka, a deliciously light and fluffy Russian apple cake. Here you go!

Apple Sharlotka

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and side of an 8-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the almond extract and the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar at medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow and a ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.

Spread the apples in the prepared pan in an even layer, then pour the batter evenly over them. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the batter to sink in a little.

Bake the sharlotka for about 1 hour, until it is golden and crisp on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 15 minutes. Unmold and transfer to a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

MAKE AHEAD The sharlotka can be made up to 4 hours ahead.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

2014-10-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

So here I am, another month gone by! How are all of you?

Guess what? I published an ebook about the farm-totable dinners I've done over the last four years. I am SO excited about this! It just came out on Amazon.com as a Kindle ebook. If you are interested in downloading it (you do not need a Kindle device to download it, just the Kindle app which can be downloaded onto your computer, smartphone and all tablets), here is the link: "Farm-to-Table Dinner Recipes". The ebook is still in the promo stage so is $0.99 for another day, then goes up to $1.99 for another week. It has gotten about 9,000 downloads,so a big thanks to all of you who have already downloaded it! (Think big smile here!)

I've decided what I really love doing is--DINNER PARTIES! I am planning on refocusing most of my business to dinner parties and small group catering. I've done three dinner parties in the last six weeks and really have had a great time, met great people and made some really great food!

One of the appetizers I made for the last party that was a HUGE hit, was Proscuitto-Wrapped Pears with a Maple-Black Peppercorn Glaze. It's easy, fast and the taste is heavenly! So here's the recipe:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns, divided
12 slices (6 ounces) prosciutto, halved lengthwise
2 Bartlett pears--halved, cored and each half cut into 6 equal slices (24 slices total)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and 1½ tablespoons black pepper. Add the pears and toss to coat.

2. Remove the pear slices from the maple syrup mixture and wrap each with a slice of prosciutto. Place the prosciutto-wrapped pears on the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining ½ tablespoon black pepper.

3. Bake until the prosciutto is crisp and begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

I am cooking today for one of my personal chef clients. Today is a short menu day as he is getting ready to leave town. I'll be making Oven Fried Chicken with Classic Cole Slaw, Couscous, Lentil and Arugula Salad, Creamy Asparagus Pasta, Chicken Salad Veronique, Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Chocolate Pots de Creme. Don't those sound great?

That being said, guess I better get busy and cook! Ciao for now!