Carlin's Home Cooking

Canning 2013

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 18:44:00 -0700

If you are a friend on Facebook you know that I went a little overboard with blackberries last weekend. I found beautiful Georgia grown blackberries at the farmer's market on Saturday and went to work on them.

I made Honey Blackberry Thyme Jam, Blackberry Jelly, Blackberry cobbler and then my husband had an intervention and I froze 2 more packages for future cobbler use.

I had normal work this week - KitchenAid work, a cooking class, Loving Meals Ministry meals, and in between I canned. In addition to the blackberries we bought many pounds of peaches, 20 pounds of tomatoes, okra and sweet black cherries.

I found a great magazine at the grocery store by Better Homes and Gardens. While I've found all of the recipes online,I like to leave the ipad out of the kitchen when canning.Large pots of boiling water, boiling fruits and vegetables, sticky juices, vinegar, and not much room in the kitchen, the magazine is less expensive if destroyed.

So far this week I have made Peach Bourbon Jam, Ginger Peach Jam, Spicy Pickled Okra, Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce, White Balsamic Pickled Mushrooms and two batches of Sweet Cherry Preserves. I also froze a few remaining tomatoes and enough cherries for one cobbler. I'm done now for this week. Which is perfect since I have to go to Savannah for KitchenAid work this weekend. I know, life is rough.

Cooking Camp Last Session - Judges and Guests

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 06:27:00 -0700

I can't believe that all four sessions of camp are finished now! June and July are a blur to me. So much fun and some work too.

Great student chefs this past week. I know I say that after every session, but it's true. I enjoy working with all of the students. I enjoy getting to meet them, their parents, the judges, see what they create.

Thursday was our judging day and we had three wonderful judges this time. We had Malika Bowling who writes for Atlanta Restaurant Blog, Scott Lamphere who teaches cooking classes in homes and at The Cook's Warehouse and does catering, and Mara Davis

The students used all skills to make great, beautiful food for the judges.

Knife skills.

Presentation caramel.

Mise en place.

Winning salad.

The winners - Cooking Goddesses.

Friday is guest day every session. Each student invites 2 guests, we vote on the menu and cook. The menu this week as chosen by the students:

Parmesan Bread

Sauteed Tilapia

Sauteed Chicken with Mushrooms

Roasted Asparagus

Braised Mushrooms

Mixed Berries with Cinnamon Dumplings

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

And even a group shot with all of the wonderful students! Love my job!

Cooking Camp - Final Week of 2013!

Wed, 24 Jul 2013 16:03:00 -0700

This is it for the summer! The final week of cooking camp and it is wonderful. A great group of students. So far this week we have sauteed, simmered, baked, roasted, braised, garnished and consumed wonderful meals.

The students!

The food!

The work!

Tomorrow the competition!

Summer Cooking Finally!

Wed, 17 Jul 2013 15:26:00 -0700

We have had a lot of rain. A lot. It seems like forever since we've grilled out. For the Fourth of July it was of course raining, but that was also the day my husband and I cooked for the new grand baby to be. Who is now the new grand baby. Charlie arrived last Thursday so we had perfect timing on getting ready to go food to the family. Everyone is well, Charlie is cute and Molly the 2 1/2 year old seems to like being the big sister.

We finally grilled this week. It's the middle of July already! We had a perfect summer meal on the grill. I brined pork chops, using this brine recipe which was very good. I also made the first grilled okra of the year and fresh Georgia corn. Summer.

Oh, and Smore Bars. Summer.

What foods mean summer to you?

Cooking Camp Session Three - July 2013

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 05:41:00 -0700

Last week was pretty busy. In addition to camp I taught at the Y Monday evening and presented a demo at the Atlanta Merchandise Mart on Thursday with Fagor. On Sunday I did indeed rest.

We had another great week of camp. We were full again with 12 students and most of them had been to camp before. Lots of cooking!

We had wonderful judges for the day of competition on Thursday. We had Gloria Smiley who teaches at The Cook's Warehouse, Vicki Kuerer an independent recipe developer, Christian Rodriquez a chef at Rosebud restaurant, Alex Desiderio director of training and operations at the Georgia Aquarium, Allison Palestrini SE director of Share Our Strength, and last and very important Faye Gooding president of Le Creuset America. Le Creuset was the sponsor for camp this year and supplied equipment and prizes.

The judging on Thursday was close as usual, the judges sampled many wonderful dishes. Just one example.

The winners were Romallia shown here with Faye Gooding of Le Creuset.

Friday the students cooked lunch for family choosing their favorite recipes of the week. One of the most popular was the pineapple upside down cake created for the judging Thursday by team Sour Aprons. We used the braising pan for the cake.

We had appetizers, two entrees, roasted vegetables, and two desserts for lunch for family.

Another great week!

Soggy July 2013

Sun, 07 Jul 2013 13:02:00 -0700

Yes, still raining! It could be worse, we do not have water leaking in the house anywhere, no trees have fallen and we've had no problems getting around.

Luckily I can still cook and I have been cooking! Last Thursday I did a personal chef cook day for my step daughter Christine. She, husband Chuck and daughter Molly are ready and waiting for little brother. He's due in 2 weeks, but it's really any time now.

My husband and I made meals for her when she had Molly and she casually asked if we were thinking about doing that again this time. Of course we said yes. My husband had the day off on the 4th, and wanted to help so that was our cook day. The last time he cooked with me as a personal chef was when Molly was born, 2 1/2 years ago. I was slightly concerned with him helping. It's work!

I created a menu, got approval, shopped on Wednesday and we started cooking Thursday at 7:30 am. We made:

Meatballs Stroganoff with Crumb Topped Green Beans, Honey Bourbon Pork Tenderloin with Broccoli Bake, Pizza Pasta Bake, Baked Macaroni, Ham and Cheese with Honey Glazed Carrots, Skillet Roasted Chicken with Cheesy Creamed Corn, Bolognese Sauce, Cashew Crusted Chicken on Pineapple Basil Rice with Garlic Green Beans, Alexander's Beef Tips with Sesame Asparagus, and Baked Steak Burritos with Bacon Black Beans.

This is more recipes than a normal cookday for me, but I had help and we won't get back to Greenville before the baby comes. Depending on when that might be.

We finished about 1:30 which gave us time for a well needed nap. And then we had bacon and eggs for dinner!

Friday my husband went back to work, happily I imagine, and I went to the store for groceries for Saturday lunch. I shopped and then made a green salad, potato salad, fresh fruit salad, roasted chicken, roasted salmon, roasted shrimp, Snickerdoodle brownies and frosted sugar cookies. We did a little better for dinner Friday, I made a chicken stir fry.

Saturday we loaded three coolers with food and headed to Greenville, SC. We visited with family, had a salad buffet lunch, Chrissy hid the leftover Snickerdoodle brownies during cleanup. and we headed home about 4:30. Not a perfect day for a drive, but we made it home and rested again!

Today I did some deskwork to get ready for camp next week, the Y class Monday night and a demo with Fagor on Thursday, I have a busy week. In case I get bored at my desk, Layla brings me "the stick". She doesn't want to play with it, she just seems to need me to have it.

July Cooking

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 05:59:00 -0700

It's July already! I had a wonderful week last week, I had some work, I did some cleaning, I did some knitting. I took an entire weekend off!

I rarely have two weekend days off in a row. Some of that is by choice since I schedule a lot of my work myself. I was able to take a cooking class last week. I learned about Moroccan food at a class taught by my friend Nancy Waldeck.

I did do a little work on Sunday but it was by choice. I wanted to test a cheesecake recipe that I made in the pressure cooker. Yes, the pressure cooker. I have mentioned before that the pressure cooker is wonderful. It's not just for pot roasts, stews, risotto.

The crust was the traditional graham cracker crumb crust. The filling was a lemon cheesecake filling. I cooked it on high for 15 minutes then let the pressure release naturally, it took about 10 minutes. Very creamy. I used this nice little pan. No pictures, I foget sometimes especially when I have the day off.

We've been having a lot of rain and a lot of storms so I decided on Sunday that dinner was going to have to be in the kitchen, not on the grill. I still wanted to grill my vegetables though so I got my Lodge grill pan out.

I seasoned the chicken with Greek seasoning and into the oven it went to roast. I used a recipe from the cookbook Plenty to make a fresh parsley sauce - parsley, garlic, lemon, olive oil and I grilled some zucchini, eggplant, fennel and cheese.

I grilled each type of vegetable separately since they take different amounts of time to get soft.

The cheese went into a smooth, nonstick pan.

Last night I made risotto in the pressure cooker. So easy! I based it on this recipe, used lemon, zucchini and leftover chicken. While we had our salad, the risotto cooked with no stirring needed!

I don't think I'll cook today. I'm meeting a friend for a networking/business lunch. I have a few errands to do also. Tomorrow I have a cook date for personal chef customers.

We're having a different Fourth of July. My husband and I will be cooking all day but we'll be making meals for my stepdaughter so she'll have food all ready to eat when the new baby comes. She'll have enough to do with the new baby and will need to eat and feed her husband and daughter. Luckily I'm a personal chef and can take care of that for her!

Friday is more cooking but not just for us. We will be delivering the meals on Saturday so I'm making lunch for the family. The new baby is due any time now so it will be an easy meal and we can have a relaxing visit.

Sunday will be a day of rest since I have another session of camp starting Monday June 8th. Busy and happy!

June 2013 Almost Over

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:37:00 -0700

June has gone by quickly! I have had lots of work all month with two sessions of camp, KitchenAid work, cooking classes and even started some knitting. Great month.

Since camp was last week, this week I need to get back to normal and get organized with work and home. Saturday I taught a cooking class at the Doraville library. I've been to the library for several years now, the librarian is wonderful. The library theme this year is Beneath the Surface for teens and Dig Into the Library for younger people.

I try to follow the theme so we made potato salad with multi color potatoes and fresh herbs, blueberry parfaits and a punch. Of course we talked about potatoes growing beneath the surface, but we also discussed that beneath the gorgeous colors and delicious tastes of herbs and fruits there are vitamins, minerals and health.

I have had this punch recipe for a long time and have no idea where it came from. I like it because it is tangy.

Summer Quencher Punch source unknown

serves 12

3 cups water

12 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

750 milliliter sparkling white grape juice, chilled

1 1/2 cups ice cubes

In a punch bowl mix the water, lemonade, blueberries, strawberries.
Just before serving add the grape juice and ice.

We made French Potato Salad because there is no mayo! I used all chicken broth and no wine since this was a teen class at the library.

Sunday was a day of rest and it was wonderful. We went to church, got some groceries, napped, read, knit. Perfect.

Monday back to work for KitchenAid and then home to do some laundry, knitting. I'm trying to do a lot of knitting because my step-daughter is due with her baby any day now and I need a blanket for the new baby. I might be a little late but at least I've started!

Tuesday I had planned to make a meal for someone from church, change the sheets and work for KitchenAid. As I was relaxing in bed yesterday morning with my tea, lovely Layla the cat decided to be sick on the bed. So I added the comforter to the laundry list. Was not in the plan!

I get started with my day early, so took the comforter off of the bed at 6:30. Unfortunately my husband was still in bed and didn't totally agree with my start time. He could have stayed in bed, he had the blanket and sheets!

I had the Loving Meal ready about 7:30 but noticed that the peaches were nice and ripe so decided to move KitchenAid work to Wednesday and make a pie. Flexibility and variety in my days.

I used a recipe that I pinned and it was good. Not difficult just took some time. I used this recipe Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie.

So back to plan today, KitchenAid work and then tonight I am taking a cooking class. Moroccan food with Chef Nancy Waldeck!

Cooking Camp Session Two Recap 2013

Sun, 23 Jun 2013 14:45:00 -0700

One more week of cooking camp finished! Another good week, this time at the East Cobb location of The Cook's Warehouse. This session we had 10 students, about 5 were seasoned cooking campers.

We used fresh food, we cooked, we made new friends during camp.

We had a fabulous team of judges for the competition Thursday - Peter Rubin, Nancy Waldeck, Scott Weaver, Will Snead of Whole Foods and Alex Reethof.

And the winners were: Cookaholics!

And the last day, lunch for guests. Lots of good food for all.

And next week, different work. More variety!

June Cooking Camp - Session 2 2013

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:59:00 -0700

Here we go again! Same recipes, different students, great lunches for me. I managed to remember to take a few pictures yesterday when we sauteed and simmered and today which was roasting and baking.

Lunch Day 1

Tuesday we roasted peaches, pork, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and garlic. We baked Parmesan bread.

We even had time for strategy meetings, there is a competition on Thursday!

Scones, Tabbouleh and Vegetables

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:19:00 -0700

Another week flew by! I had some things to get organized after a week of camp. I had some cleaning to do, some KitchenAid work, a class to teach, dinners to make for us.

And so it's Friday! On Monday I taught at the Y. The class had asked for a class about scones so that's what I did. I made Lemon Oat Scones, Cheddar Sage Scones and Chocolate Chip Scones.

I've had the Chocolate Chip Scones recipe for many, many years and am not sure where it came from. I made mini scones for class but make larger ones for yourself and enjoy them with strawberries or raspberries and whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Scones source unknown

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in bowl. Add chips.

Stir in cream with fork until dough holds together in a sticky mass. Add a tablespoon or 2 of cream if needed.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Knead several times. Pat into 10 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges.

Place on parchment covered cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15 minutes until golden.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights at our house were "forage for yourself" nights. I had KitchenAid events, husband had a meeting, not much cooking.

By Wednesday I needed to cook! I had an evening event but I roasted a chicken in the morning and made tabbouleh salad so we'd have good food in the house. This recipe from Cooking Light is one I make often. It's flavorful, easy and delicious.

Thursday I had lunch with my friend Cathy! This doesn't sound momentous maybe but we've been trying to get together since last November. Sad I know but we both have busy lives with work and family and it just didn't happen. We met at 12:30 and talked until 3:30.

She is also a personal chef and I met her when I first started my business because she was one of the first personal chefs ever. I asked her questions about starting my business and we've become friends. Sixteen years later we talk about our business lives, personal lives, problems, triumphs. Good to have someone like this in my life.

I came home and relaxed a minute or so before making dinner. I have been looking at the books Plenty and Jerusalem and have been very interested in the recipes. I made three different recipes for dinner and we had a lot of food but that just means no cooking tonight and we'll still have a delicious meal.

I made sweet potato wedges with a lemongrass dipping sauce from Plenty.

I made kohlrabi and cabbage salad from Plenty.

And galettes from Jerusalem. There was a choice of topping with feta or an egg and I went with the feta since I wanted to keep some for today. I knew the feta would heat well.

More KitchenAid work today and then this afternoon maybe some reading and relaxing. I don't need to cook dinner! Maybe I'll make some scones and have afternoon tea and scones while reading.

June Camp Week Recap - First Session 2013

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 09:52:00 -0700

This past week was great and went by quickly. I showed pictures from the first day but tried to snap through the week. I didn't have time each day to organize them and post!

We cooked.

We had the competition Thursday with judges Gena Berry and Christine Seeley-King.

And the winners were The Eclectic Foodies! They received wonderful prize bags from Le Creuset.

Friday we had lunch for friends and family. I have no pictures because we were very busy cooking for 40 people! We had roasted vegetables, home made bread, tilapia, cake with roasted berries and peach upside down cake. A very delicious lunch.

I left The Cook's Warehouse and went to teach an in-home class with Lizabeth and her friend Bess. They are 15, best friends and like to cook. This was a birthday present for Bess. We made bison burgers, black bean burgers, pasta salad and strawberry shortcake. No pictures from me, we were having fun cooking!

Saturday I had no set plans. Wonderful! We did our grocery shopping and when we got home I made my own strawberry shortcake. I had wanted to all week, but things were busy. It was worth the wait.

No camp next week but I will be working. As I've said before, I like the variety in my work. I have lots to do for KitchenAid next week and then another session of camp. Life is great!

Summer Camp Session 1!

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:22:00 -0700

Fantastic first day of camp at The Cook's Warehouse Ansley! The theme this year is techniques and today we focused on saute and simmer. We have gorgeous equipment from our sponsor Le Creuset.

The menu was chicken with sun dried tomatoes, tilapia with lemon and parsley, basil parmesan rice and apple caramel cake.

We are over full with 14 people! So much fun. I snapped some pictures, but also left my camera out and about so other people used the camera.

Before:

During:

Dishes:

Done!

Lost Week of May

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:35:00 -0700

I usually am not too stressed in my life. I like what I do and try to keep some balance. I was not planning on being in bed with some kind of horrible plague the week of May 5th.

But I was and it seems like that week was lost. Last week was back to normal with cooking, Jazzercise, teaching and even taking a class. I like normal!

I did make some good meals. A basic roasted potato and salmon. I like Penzey's Lemon Pepper on fish. Nice, simple, tasty.

I took a class on Thai cooking, beautiful ingredients.

Chef Philippa Kingsley taught us about turkey salad, duck curry and how to toast rice. And then use it. Oh yes, we ate well too!

I finally made broccoli pie from my new favorite cookbook Plenty. It had been on the menu the week of the plague. Delicious!

Last night I made eggplant stacks using a recipe I found on Pinterest. Yes, I enjoy Pinterest. I used the recipe more as a base for what I had at my house. The stacks were delicious and since someone in the house does not like eggplant, I have some for the freezer for later!

In between I cooked for a new customer, did some work for KitchenAid, got my materials ready for summer camp, attended a webinar today about social media and more. Normal things for me.

Now time to have some lunch!

What a Week!

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:24:00 -0700

I had a pretty rough week. Not because of work, I hardly worked at all, but because of illness. The original plan for my week was almost a vacation week.

My husband was out of town all week, I had some nice meals planned for myself, I thought I'd knit, maybe do some sewing, I had books from the library, nice week.

But no. I woke up Monday and I was sick. Dripping nose, headache, chills. Luckily my Monday work could easily move to Tuesday and I stayed in bed. I took aspirin, tea with honey, slept, did not make a nice dinner. Also luckily I had Vodka pasta sauce and pennette pasta. I could just manage to boil water.

Tuesday I got up, took a shower, went to do some work for KitchenAid and realized that I should be in bed still. Luckily I get to the store before it opens and spend a lot of time in the warehouse. I wasn't around many people that I could contaminate.

Back home, back to bed, pasta again. And tea with honey.

Wednesday I thought I'd change things up a little and go to the living room. Shower, chair, book, back to bed after an hour. Yes, more pasta for dinner.

Thursday I felt better. I got up and made eggs! I could taste them! I was congested but felt good. I rested and decided to try and make dinner. I made leek fritters from Plenty.

I chopped, sauteed, whisked, pan fried, made sauce. And had fritters with sauce for dinner. So very good.

Luckily I have some left. My husband is back from being out of town and will be home for dinner. I have a meeting with a new client at 4:00, so don't want to come home and cook. I can heat fritters along with some soup from the freezer. Perfect!