Your Place Gourmet

Gridiron Get-Togethers

2009-09-14T04:59:00.009-07:00

The NFL season has begun and many of our neighbors like to invite friends over to root on their favorite team and enjoy some great game day food.

Casual sandwiches, dips, and other finger foods are perfect for game day get-togethers as they can be made ahead so the host can enjoy their own party. The recipes below are also easy clean-up.

Stuffed Sandwich

Serves 8

Assorted sliced deli meats

Assorted sliced cheeses

Thinly sliced tomatoes

Thinly sliced red onions

Salt & pepper

Cream cheese

Mayo, mustard, or oil & vinegar

Loaf of round crusty bread

Cut a round hole at the top of the bread. Scoop out the insides of the bread leaving it hollow. Spread thin layer of cream cheese on sides and bottom to coat the bread.

Layer your sandwich with your favorite cuts of meat and cheese, adding alternate layers of onion and tomatoes. Add condiment of choice. Keep layering until bread bowl is filled and packed firmly.
Spread cream cheese on the inside of the top piece, and place back on top of your sandwich. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight) before serving. Cut in the shape of a pie wedge.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Serves 8

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (10 ounce) can chicken, drained (or equivalent rotisserie or freshly-cooked, chopped chicken)

1 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Corn chip, scoops

Beat cream cheese, ranch dressing, and red hot sauce.

Fold in shredded chicken.

Put all in slow cooker on medium until melted and bubbly. Stir

Serve in slow cooker on low heat during party with Frito scoops.

Coca Cola Sloppy Joes

Serves 8

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 cup Coca-Cola

2/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dry mustard

Brown beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain well.

Stir in remaining ingredients as listed. Mix well.

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Dollar Stretching Dinners

2009-08-10T11:34:00.008-07:00

Feeding a family in these economic times can be tough. Always on the hunt for money saving menus and dollar stretching dinner ideas, I seem to find the best values to be casseroles and other one dish wonders. A loaf of homemade bread (see recipe here) costs less than one dollar to make and can round out the meal.

Casseroles and one dish meals can help to stretch the expensive ingredients by bulking up the dish with less expensive items. Many times the bulk item is a starch, such as pasta or rice.

The recipes below cost roughly $2 per serving. They also freeze well, so consider doubling the recipes and putting the extra pan in the freezer for a future meal.

Skillet Spaghetti & Simple Meatballs
Serves 4

Simple Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced onion
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine egg, water, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper and combine. Add ground beef and mix together using a spoon or your hands. Form into meatballs about 1" in diameter and place on a broiler pan (I use a portion scoop for this so all meatballs are uniform in size). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until meatballs are no longer pink in center. While meatballs are baking, prepare the Skillet Spaghetti.

Skillet Spaghetti

28-oz. pasta sauce – homemade or your favorite jar pasta sauce
1-1/2 cups water
12 oz. spaghetti pasta, broken in half
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large (12") skillet, combine spaghetti sauce and water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add spaghetti and stir well, making sure spaghetti is submerged in the sauce. If necessary, you may add another 1/4 cup or so of water.

Bring to a boil again. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. You may add more water or tomato sauce if the mixture appears to be too dry. Cook until spaghetti is al dente. Top with cheese and serve immediately.

Mediterranean Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole
Serves 14

2-3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1.25 cups feta cheese, crumbled
6 cups cooked brown rice
1 10 oz package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
1 28 oz can tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
salt, pepper, basil, and oregano to taste

Add olive oil and garlic to a COLD skillet. Turn heat on to medium. When the garlic has started to soften, add chicken and par cook, about 5 minutes. Add can of tomatoes, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken breasts and set aside to cool slightly, then chop into bite sized pieces. Return chopped chicken to pan. Add sun dried tomatoes and herbs. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the Romano cheese and combine thoroughly. Place in a large baking dish and sprinkle with grated Romano. Bake for 25 minutes; until cheese is brown on top.

Baby, It's Hot Outside!

2009-05-17T18:00:00.014-07:00

It's mid-May, which can mean 100+ degree days here in the desert. The beginning of hot season tends to dull our appetites and make us crave cool and refreshing foods. Besides Philly Swirl sugar free bars (0 points!), I am in the mood for chilled fruit and vegetable based dishes.

Cold dishes like soups, salads, and cut-up fruit make up a large part of my family's diet when the temperature rises. The best thing about these dishes is that they are low calorie, low point foods, so I can maintain a healthy diet and continue my weight loss journey.

Strawberry Soup
Serves 5

2 pints strawberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cardamom (or ginger if you prefer)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until well blended.
Chill and serve

Cold Cucumber Soup
Serves 4

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into large chunks
1-1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 small onions, cut into wedges or chunks
4 sprigs of parsley, stems removed
2 sprigs fresh dill, stems removed OR 1 teaspoon dill weed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve chilled.

Fruit Dip
Serves 12

1 8oz package fat free cream cheese, softened
1 7oz jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese that is either room temperature or slightly warmed in microwave. Beat until smooth.
Remove lid from marshmallow creme and heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Add to beaten cream cheese and beat again until smooth.
Add vanilla and lemon juice, beat until combined.
Chill and serve with fresh fruit for dipping.

Stocking a Healthy Pantry

2009-03-07T09:25:00.003-07:00

Whether watching your weight or just trying to provide the family with healthier fare, the first step should be to stock the pantry with healthy items. With a well-stocked pantry, dinners can be made in a flash, which helps resist the urge to eat high-calorie, fat-filled, and sodium-laden restaurant meals or fast food. A partial pantry list is below.*

BROTH. Either canned or dry, fat free & low sodium broth is a must. I buy this stuff by the case and use it almost daily. Use it instead of water to add flavor to rice, without adding fat or calories. Broth is also a good substitute for alcohol or oil to save calories in a recipe.

BEANS. Dried beans and canned beans are a great source of both protein and fiber. Beans are also terrific for bulking up a recipe and adding texture and "meatiness" to meatless dishes.

COOKING SPRAY. Using cooking spray instead of oil or butter makes dishes healthier and far lighter. A couple of quick sprays is all it takes.

HERBS & SPICES. One of the best ways to reduce the use of salt is by using herbs and spices. Bold flavors, without salt, are key in a low sodium diet.

WHOLE GRAINS. Try brown rice instead of the white. It is healthier and has a more pleasing texture. Experiment with grains such as quinoa, bulgur, and kamut. Whole grains are filling and a great source of fiber.

HEALTHY OILS. Such as olive, canola, and grapeseed. A small amount of healthy oil is a necessary part of a healthy diet. The body needs it for healthy skin and hair.

CANNED TOMATOES. Diced, chopped, pureed, and whole. Tomatoes are low in sugar and high in fiber and potassium. Eating tomato based sauces instead of those made with cream is great for the waistline.

BALSAMIC VINEGAR. Aged until syrupy and intensely flavored, a little bit goes a long way as a salad dressing, needing very little oil.

PASTA. Preferably whole wheat and in lots of different shapes (including couscous). Add a few simple ingredients to pasta and lunch or dinner is a snap. Pasta is delicious at any temperature, which makes it great to pack for lunches as well.

Girl Scout Cookie Time! How Many Points?

2009-02-17T18:25:00.012-07:00

Of course Girl Scout Cookie season lands right in the beginning of my weight loss journey. I love Girl Scout Cookies, so I budget for them so they'll fit into my daily points. I also budget for a glass of skim milk to have along with them. It helps me get my dairy for the day and that makes me feel a smidge better about my GS Cookie obsession.

This year's cookie variety lineup includes the usual offenders, plus the new Dulce De Leche cookies with caramel chips and a caramel drizzle - egads. In order to budget these once-a-year cookies into my day, I have had to calculate the points for each. I am surely not the only one fitting GS Cookies into my day, so here are the values. P.S. - A cup of skim milk is 2 points. :-)

Trefoils 4pts (5 cookies)
Dulce de Leche 5pts (3 cookies)
Do Si Do 3pts (2 cookies)
Sugar Free Chocolate Chip 4pts (3 cookies)
Lemon Chalet 4pts (3 cookies)
Tagalong 3pts (2 cookies)
Samoa 3pts (2 cookies)
Thin Mints 4pts (4 cookies)

Points-Friendly Soups

2009-02-15T17:16:00.007-07:00

I like soup. In fact, I could eat soup year-round, even here in the Sonoran Desert. Studies show that broth-based soups can curb your hunger for very few calories. Pureeing some ingredients can give broth-based soups a creamy texture, without the added fat and calories of cream. The Spicy Black Bean soup below is creamy and satisfying, and only 3 points for 1-1/2 cups. The Zero-Point Asian Soup below is great for when you are craving something warm and comforting, but have no points left for the day.

Spicy Black Bean Soup - 3 points
Servings: 8

Cooking spray, 1 spray
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 (15 oz.) black beans, canned, undrained
1/2 teaspoon(s) red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon(s) cumin powder
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth, fat free, or vegetable broth
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with green chiles, such as Rotel
1 (12 oz.) can yellow corn, drained

Coat bottom of large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently,until onions are soft but not brown - about 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in blender; add sauteed onion mixture, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Cover
and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

***I just add the can of beans, red pepper flakes, and cumin to the pot with the onion mixture and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.***

Add second can of beans and the chicken broth to the stockpot and puree with immersion blender
until smooth.

Stir third can of beans (DO NOT PUREE FIRST), tomatoes and green chilies, and corn into stockpot.
Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Yields about 1-1/2 cups of soup per serving.

0 Point Oriental Soup
Servings: 8

3 cans FF chicken broth (14.5 oz cans)
1 package frozen Oriental-style stir fry veggies (about 1 pound)
1 can (small flat can) Bamboo shoots
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or add another tablespoon soy)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic chili paste (or to taste)
juice of 1 large lemon

Bring chicken broth to a boil, add veggies and turn off heat.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to blend.

You can adjust the seasonings to taste, adding more or less soy, vinegar, etc. til you get the flavor and "heat" you want.

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins - 2 WW Points

2009-02-07T22:04:00.005-07:00

So, I am back on the Weight Watchers wagon and currently in my 5th week. It's going pretty well and there hasn't been much temptation - until today. I turned on the television this morning and it is "Chocolate Weekend" on Food Network. Now I've got a chocolate monkey on my back. Luckily, I had the few simple ingredients on hand to make 2-point Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins. My snack tonight was one of these muffins and a cup of skim milk. It hit the spot and took care of that chocolate monkey, too! Here's the recipe - if you could even call it that.

Chocolate Pumpkin 2-Point Muffins
makes 24

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 (15oz) can of pumpkin
1 cup of water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Either place paper cupcake liners into muffin tins or spray them with cooking spray.

Blend together all three ingredients, using either a whisk or an electric mixer. Evenly distribute batter in muffin tins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Muffins will be extremely moist.

*Can be made with any flavor of cake mix, so experiment to see what you like the best. My family likes spice, chocolate, and strawberry the best.

Saving Money By Going Meatless

2009-02-03T18:02:00.009-07:00

Meatless entrees are favorites of my personal chef clients for a number of reasons, including special diets, personal preference, and religious requirements. Vegetarian entrees are also gaining popularity in the current economy as budget stretchers. The recipes below are for a few of the meatless entrees that my clients repeatedly request.

Meatless Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4

1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Eggplant Lasagna
Serves 6

2 medium eggplant peeled and cut into 1/4" thick, lengthwise slices
2 pinches garlic salt or to taste
8 ounces mushroom, fresh, sliced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 cups Marinara sauce, lowfat
6 ounces Mozzarella cheese, lowfat or fat free - finely shredded

Preheat the broiler.
Mist a 13" x 9" glass baking dish with olive oil spray. Set aside. Lightly mist the eggplant with olive oil spray. Place on a medium nonstick baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with garlic salt. Broil 6" from the heat source for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until tender. Meanwhile, lightly mist a medium nonstick skillet with olive oil spray. Set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until there is no liquid remaining in the pan and the mushrooms are starting to brown. Preheat the oven to 350. Place half of the eggplant in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the mushroom mixture, half of the marinara sauce, and half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, mushrooms, sauce, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until hot and the cheese is bubbly. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into 6 equal portions. Serve immediately.

Southwestern Vegetarian Bake
Serves 6

3/4 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 ounce) can mexicorn, drained
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 (2 1/4 ounce) can black olives, sliced, drained
1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded

In a large saucepan, bring rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes, until tender. In a bowl, combine beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, cheddar, pepper and rice. Transfer to a 2 1/2 quart baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Sprinkle onions and olives over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle Mexican cheese over top. Bake 5-10 minutes longer, until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes.

Back On The Wagon in 2009

2009-01-11T10:53:00.006-07:00

We've all heard, "the cobbler's children have no shoes." In my case, I have helped several of my clients lose weight by preparing meals for their specific diet plans, yet my weight continues to increase. Maybe I need to hire a personal chef too!

As many people do, I've committed to getting back on the wagon this new year. After reaching my goal with Weight Watchers in 2004, I quit smoking and gained back the weight - and then some. Ugh.

This past Monday, I started again - journaling and counting my points. It's not so bad, actually. It's really a stark wake-up call as I again realize that my portion sizes had gotten out of control and my food choices were not the best.

Of the healthy meals that I prepared for my family this week, there were two that I really enjoyed. The first was Garlic-Pecan Mahi Mahi and the other was General Tso's Chicken & Brown Rice. These dishes both have a points value of 6. Add a cup of green beans or broccoli and you have a complete low points dinner that satisfies.

The General Tso's Chicken recipe was found on Recipezaar.com and the Garlic-Pecan Mahi Mahi recipe was adapted from the WeightWatchers.com message boards.

General Tso's Chicken (6pts)
serves 4

3/4 Cup chicken broth (low sodium)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
2 Teaspoons peanut oil
1/4 Cup scallions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Pound boneless, skinless chicken breast - cut into 2" chunks
2 Cups cooked brown rice - kept hot

In a medium bowl, whisk together: broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger; set aside.

Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic, and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned on all sides - approximately 5 minutes.

Add reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through - about 3 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over brown rice. Recipe yields approximately 1 cup of chicken & sauce and 1/2 cup brown rice per serving.

Garlic-Pecan Mahi Mahi (6pts)
serves 4

1 Pound Mahi Mahi filets
2 Teaspoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Ounces chopped pecans

Spray grill and fish with PAM. Grill (or broil) fish until white and flakey.

While fish is cooking, melt butter in small pan. Add pecans and garlic. Saute' over medium heat, stirring frequently so pecans toast but do not burn. When fish is cooked, top it with the garlic pecan butter.

Thank You From Soldiers in Rounds 4 & 5

2009-01-05T06:26:00.007-07:00

I received this fabulous thank-you card from one of my Baking Gals team's Round 4 soldiers - Deb Davis - who is serving at a M*A*S*H type unit in Qatar. Check it out!

Team Your Place Gourmet has also received a big THANK YOU email from one of our Round 5 soldiers - Alan Scobel - who is also serving in Qatar.

Kim
Hello! Just wanted to thank you for all the goodies! It was pretty nice, especially being around the holidays. Of course I couldn't eat all of it, so usually I'd just leave a box around our shop (which has about 30 people in it), and within a day or two it was all eaten. All of the cookies & snacks were great! The shop really appreciated it. To all who attempted to make the no-bakes, they were awesome. Tasted like they should have! haha. I'm out of here & going back stateside sometime this month (hopefully the earlier part), so I just wanted to thank you for setting this up, and my shop thanks you as well! I tried to e-mail all who sent packages, if they left an e-mail addy, but most did not. If you could thank them for me I'd appreciate it. Thanks again!
Alan Scobel

To read more about these brave soldiers, check out my previous blog entries.

Decorated Christmas Sugar Cookies

2008-12-21T14:09:00.007-07:00

Maybe it's because I only decorate sugar cookies once a year, but I seem to have amnesia for what a pain in the rear it is for me. Not being artistically talented, I find decorating sugar cookies to be challenging. Leaning toward OCD, I'm never happy with the results and it takes me quite a bit of time to do the decorating. Take a look at the picture to the left. There are 19 cookies in that photo. It took me SIX HOURS to decorate those 19 cookies. I have three dozen more, undecorated, in ziplock bags. I am not going to decorate them. Hell, I probably won't even frost them at all. In my opinion, they are just as good with a cup of coffee when not decorated. In fact, maybe they are even BETTER since I don't care about messing up the decoration by eating them. Each year, I swear I won't do decorated sugar cookies again. Then, each year, my "cookie-amnesia" kicks in and I get to rolling and cutting that sugar cookie dough. Maybe next year, I'll re-read this blog entry and it'll all come back to me before I preheat that oven.

Operation Baking Gals - Round 5 Has Shipped!

2008-12-14T01:34:00.002-07:00

Well, here are a couple of the packages being sent out for Round 5. Each round, I include something in addition to the homemade cookies. This round, it was beef jerky and sunflower seeds. The cookie varieties for this round included requests by the soldiers for: No-Bake Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, and Rice Krispies Treats.

I packaged the cookies in the personal chef meal packaging that I use for my clients. Once packaged in the lidded, plastic containers, I vacuum sealed the containers with my FoodSaver.

My soldier from Round 3 is safely back in the States from Afghanistan. Nick said the guys would get excited whenever they'd see a bunch of boxes being delivered. He also gave me some feedback on the cookies/packaging that worked the best and worst. Nick noted that cookies packaged in plastic containers (gladware, rubbermaid), those that were vacuum packaged, and those containing apple peels or bread, arrived the best and freshest. He said the worst were those packaged in recycled food containers (Pringles cans).

I want to thank the bakers on both of my teams for the time, effort, and resources you have donated to boost the morale of these soldiers. I know how busy everyone is around the holidays. You are appreciated more than you know. Merry Christmas!

One Pot Winter Meals

2008-12-11T10:38:00.018-07:00

This is my son’s second year playing a winter sport. Since the games and practices take place mainly on weekdays, we need meals that are quick and easy to avoid the fast food and carryout trap. One pot meals can really fill the bill. Just add a loaf of crusty bread or a salad and you’re all set. One pot meals are also perfect for winter and for busy schedules because they keep warm well on the stove until the end of practice and they reheat beautifully the next day.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
1lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup instant brown rice
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
4 cups cabbage or cole slaw mix
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brown the ground beef. Drain. In a large bowl, mix everything else into the meat. Pour into an ungreased casserole dish, cover and bake for 60 minutes.

Chicken & Noodles
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
10 cups hot water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder (or soup base)
1 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/2 pound cooked, boneless skinless chicken breast, torn into large pieces
1 (16oz) bag frozen egg noodles

Mix carrots, celery, onions, water, bouillon, melted butter, pepper and chicken pieces in large stock pot.
Bring to a boil, turn to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add noodles and simmer on medium-low heat for an additional 10 minutes.
Serves 6-8

Savory Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
3 pound chuck roast
1 tablespoon Season-All seasoning salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (I use Wildtree grapeseed oil)
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced onions
1-3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons beef bullion powder or beef base
2 bay leaves

Coat roast with Season-All. Brown roast in oil, on all sides (I use the pressure cooker base). Add carrots, celery, and onions when meat is nearly browned, add water and Worcestershire sauce.
Place potato halves on top of roast and add pepper, beef bullion powder, and bay leaves.

Lock lid in place and bring to pressure over medium-high heat. Cook at high pressure for 1 hour.

Release pressure naturally – do not use quick release. Test for tenderness. If not done to your liking, return to pressure for 10 minutes, quick release and test again.
When finished, serve with crusty bread for a hearty meal.

One Dish Chicken Fajita Dinner
2 (1-1/4oz) packages of fajita seasoning mix (I use Penzy’s, to taste)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks
2 red bell pepper, cut into strips or chunks
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips or chunks
4 cups cooked rice (brown or white)
Vegetable oil, for sautéing (I use Wildtree grapeseed oil)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Sautee chicken strips or chunks, until almost cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.
Sautee peppers for 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken back to pan with peppers.
Add fajita seasoning and 1/2 cup water to pan with chicken and peppers.
Cook until chicken is done.
Serve mixture over rice and top with grated cheese.
Serves 4-6

Turn Leftover Turkey Into Two Different Dinners

2008-11-28T00:43:00.008-07:00

Ah... Thanksgiving night. The stock has been made from the turkey bones and all the leftovers are put away. Now I start thinking about what I'm going to do with all that turkey. We had an extra turkey this year due to a fluke, so I'm looking to make two delicious dishes from the leftovers. Of course I will make a Turkey Pot Pie, but the cool and rainy weather today has me thinking soup. I really enjoy soup and a Turkey Posole sounds wonderful!

While I have all the ingredients on hand to make the pot pie, I am short a few items for the posole. I refuse to hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving with all the crazy shoppers & drivers, so it looks like the posole will have to be made later this weekend.

The Turkey Pot Pie is a meal unto itself, but a nice green salad is a good accompaniment. I like to serve a good, homemade cornbread (possibly jalapeno or cheddar) with my Posole. Both of these meals are terrific comfort foods as well as family favorites.

Turkey Posole
Serves 8
3 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow onions, cubed
2 fresh poblano chile peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts turkey broth
4 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 ounce) cans white hominy, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
water, as needed
salt and pepper to taste

In large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and poblano chiles in oil until soft. Stir in garlic, and cook for one or two minutes.

Season with chile powder, cumin, and oregano. Add turkey broth, cooked turkey, canned green chile peppers, cannellini beans, and hominy. Add water if more liquid is needed to just cover everything in the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour to blend flavors.

Garnish with tortilla chips and sour cream or a squeeze of lime.

Turkey Pot Pie
Serves 8
1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 cubes chicken or turkey stock/broth
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out bottom pie crust and place in the 10 inch pie pan and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened.

Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Operation Baking Gals - Round 5 - The Holiday Round

2008-11-22T08:31:00.007-07:00

Your Place Gourmet is again hosting two Operation Baking Gals teams for Round 5. This round is really special since the packages will arrive around Christmas and New Year's Day. Since Operation Baking Gals is designed so that the featured soldier shares all the goodies with his/her fellow soldiers, it helps to get goodies into the hands of soldiers who may never receive letters or packages from home.

Our soldiers for Round 5 are Alan Scobel, deployed to Qatar, and Kathy Miller, deployed to Iraq. Alan is based out of Maryland and Kathy from Phoenix.

Below is a little info about both soldiers as well as some pics. To join one of my baking teams to send holiday goodies to these brave soldiers who are far from home, protecting our freedoms, please go to the Baking Gals website . There, you can register, and then join a team - it is a two-step process. For my past bakers, you should already be registered so all you have to do is sign in and join a team or two! The shipping window for Round 5 will be December 5th - December 19th, so get signed up NOW!

Alan Scobel is a Senior Airman stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. He is in the 379th Expedititionary Civil Engineer Squadron and is an HVAC Technician, which is heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration, there are about 150 soldiers in his squadron, which also includes carpenters and plumbers as well. Alan deployed to Qatar on August 1st and will be there till late January or early February, than he will return to his home base, which is Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and is part of the Air Force District Of Washington Command. He works the night shift and and for the bakers, the temperature can get to 85 in November. He was asking about no bake cookies and oatmeal raisin.

Kathy Miller is also a flight nurse here in Phoenix and, when not deployed, works for the same company as Deb Davis. Here is some info from Kathy: "I miss everyone back in Phoenix, but really love what I am doing here as well. Deb is about 3-4 hours away by plane. We landed in Qatar, dropped Deb off, then flew on to Iraq. Qatar is a small country that comes off of Saudi Arabia and sticks out into the Persian Gulf. We are in the middle of Iraq north of Bagdad. Would love to receive some cookies for my troop. We have 5 providers, 6 nurses, and 13 med techs. The people I have asked said either chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia, oatmeal raisin, or chocolate chip with walnut. Whatever you guys want to bake would be great though. The food here isn't that good and anything from home is a big treat!!"

Again, to join one of my baking teams to send holiday goodies to these brave soldiers who are far from home, protecting our freedoms, please go to the Baking Gals website . If you have difficulty with the site, please send me an email to chefkim(at)yourplacegourmet(dot)com with "I want to bake" in the subject line.

Operation Baking Gals - Round 4 Has Shipped!

2008-11-11T18:11:00.004-07:00

Round 4 is Done! A huge thanks to all the bakers on my TWO teams this round. Here is a few pic from one of them who also got their local library to donate books and movies. Looking forward to Round 5 - Get your favorite holiday cookie recipes out to share them with our brave men and women serving overseas.

Round 5 will be our holiday round, with our shipping window falling early to mid-December for delivery around Christmas. I'll be posting again shortly with the info on joining an Operation Baking Gals team for Round 5. Stay tuned!

Holiday Guests on Special Diets

2008-10-30T23:13:00.006-07:00

With food sensitivities on the rise, chances are at least one of your holiday guests will have some sort of food or ingredient restriction. A couple of years ago, we had a guest for holiday dinner who had casein (dairy) sensitivity. This prompted me to seek out alternative recipes for traditional favorites. From dairy free to diabetic, your food sensitive guests will appreciate your effort and you can feel good knowing your holiday table includes something for everyone.

Casein Free Apricot and Toasted Almond Stuffing

1 cup brandy
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced (10 apricot halves)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups stuffing cubes, (cubed dried white bread)
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup toasted almonds, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F
Place the brandy and apricots in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add celery, onion and garlic, sauté until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add brandy and apricots, and cook until half of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and cool.
In a large bowl, combine apricot mixture, stuffing cubes, broth, almonds, cranberries, egg, thyme and pepper; tossing gently.
Spoon the bread mixture into a 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray.
Cover with lid, and bake for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
From Nature’s Bounty Health Notes

Gluten Free Rolls

4 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
1 packet yeast (about 1T)
1 cup sour cream
½ cup potato starch
1 cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients. Mix well to remove all lumps. The dough will be quite wet. Wet hands to handle dough. (Re-wet hands as needed.) OR use a portioning scoop and just “plop” into muffin cups
Take about 1/4 cup of dough and shape into a ball. Drop into greased muffin tin. Repeat until all dough is used.
Bake 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in middle tests clean.
From Recipe Zaar #42322

Diabetic Friendly Pumpkin Custard

4 eggs' worth of egg-substitute/eggwhites (1 carton Eggbeaters or store-brand equivalent)
1-2/3 cups Splenda
1-1/2 tsp ground cinammon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
A pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp salt
2 15-oz cans solid pack pumpkin (Libby's is good)
2 cups low-carb soy milk (I use Silk brand or the H-E-B store brand)

Using an electric mixer, combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Start with the eggs, work in the Splenda and spices and salt, then the pumpkin and the soy milk (slowly) last.
Pour it into a 2-quart glass pan. Bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 15 minutes, then 60 minutes on 350, or until a knife comes out clean.
Cool on a rack, then either serve warm, or refrigerate. Makes six fairly generous servings.
Adapted from S.John Ross at io.com

NEW EASIER WAY TO JOIN AN OPERATION BAKING GALS TEAM!

2008-10-15T12:53:00.011-07:00

Go to www.BakingGals.com where you can register, check out all the teams, and then join a team. Registering does NOT commit you to baking, you must JOIN a team if you'd like to participate.

Once you register, you will receive an email from the moderator to notify you of your registration. After that, please go back to www.BakingGals.com to join a team!

Portion Distortion

2008-10-14T22:43:00.018-07:00

Sponsoring the Estrella's Biggest Loser event and leading a nutrition and cooking class has got me doing research into the common reasons people have been gradually gaining weight for the last twenty years.

Americans waistlines are growing and a big part of that is the gradually increasing portions being eaten. Be it convenience foods or restaurant meals, the quantities of food being served has multiplied. I think this can be attributed equally to 1)Consumers not realizing the portions have gradually gotten larger, and 2)Consumers not being aware of proper portion sizes.

Check out these examples of portions 20 years ago versus today.

It is difficult for the best of us to estimate proper portion sizes. Here are some visuals that can help you Eat Healthy! Courtesy of checkyourhealth.org

	Handful = 1-2 oz. Example: 1 oz. nuts = 1 handful or 2 oz. pretzels = 2 handfuls
	Fist = 1cup Example: Two servings of pasta or oatmeal
	Palm = 3 oz. Example: a cooked serving of meat. (NOT including your fingers or thumb)
	Thumb = 1 oz. Example: piece of cheese
	1 fruit serving= ½ cup canned or 1 medium fruit (about the size of a tennis ball)
	1 meat, poultry or fish serving= 3 oz (about the size of a deck of cards)
	1 grain= 1 slice bread, presliced (about the size of a cassette tape) or 1/2 cup pasta (about the size of an adult woman's palm, stacked 1" high)
	1 dairy serving=8 ounces (the size of a container of individual yogurt)
	1 vegetable serving = 1/2 cup cooked or canned vegetables (about ½ a baseball)
	1 fat serving= 1 teaspoon (about the size of 4 stacked dimes)

Operation Baking Gals - Round 4

2008-10-14T00:12:00.016-07:00

October brings Round 4 of Operation Baking Gals and Your Place Gourmet is hosting another team. This team will be shipping to two soldiers, one in Iraq and one in Qatar.

Here is some info on each of them:

Our soldier in Iraq is Crystal Sheffield. Crystal is a Weapons Director assigned to the 607th Air Control Squadron. She is in Iraq, serving with another unit, because that unit did not have enough soldiers. The unit Crystal is serving with will be in Iraq through the holidays. Crystal is based out of Luke Air Force Base and is married to a fellow soldier.

Our soldier in Qatar is Debbie Davis. Debbie is a nurse, working with many of our wounded warriors who would absolutely love to receive baked goodies - not to mention all the medical personnel who would love the goodies as well. Debbie has been in the military for 17 years, with the first 8 being active duty and the last 9 in the Air Force Reserve. This is her third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In her first two deployments, she worked as a critical care air transport nurse and transported the most critically injured soldiers by fixed wing aircraft. In this third deployment, she is working at a medical squadron at Al Udied Air Base, Qatar. She says, "I can't tell you how fulfilling it is to be able to help men and women who are fighting for our country. They are truly the best of the best."

All these soldiers are a long way from home and family. Knowing there are people who support their hard and sacrifice makes the deployments tolerable.

If you'd like to join Team Your Place Gourmet, please register on this site and email me with your username at ChefKim(at)YourPlaceGourmet(dot)com with "I want to be on your baking team," in the subject line. Once you are registered, you will receive an email from the site moderator. After receiving that email, please come back to the site to join a team.
Feel free to forward the information to your family and friends who may want to bake.

This is how it works: Ship anytime between October 30th - November 10th and use the USPS (Post Office) to ship your package. What can you bake? That's up to you! Just keep in mind that it will take about one week to get to Crystal and Debbie and will be subjected to temperatures over 100 degrees and lots of jostling around along the way.

Just because you baked in previous rounds does not automatically put you on a team. You MUST register for each round in which you want to participate.

*NEW EASIER WAY TO JOIN A BAKING TEAM* Go to www.BakingGals.com where you can register, check out all the teams, and then join a team. Registering does NOT commit you to baking, you must JOIN a team if you'd like to participate.

If you or any of your baking friends want to join my team, please post a quick comment here and email me at chefkim (AT) yourplacegourmet (DOT) com and I'll send you more info and either Crystal's or Debbie's address.

The USPS has special APO/FPO flat-rate Priority Mail boxes. You can fill this box and mail it for only $10.95 ($10.50 for click-n-ship), regardless of how much it weighs. These boxes are available at your local post office and are free of charge.

Thank you for participating!
-Kim
Your Place Gourmet - Personal Chef Service

Estrella's Biggest Loser Kick-Off

2008-10-13T22:48:00.015-07:00

Tonight was the kickoff to the Estrella Biggest Loser event and the turnout was terrific! Each registered participant weighed in and had their official start weight recorded by Lisa of Easy Fitness Solutions, as well as "before" pictures taken by Michelle of Michelle Roles Photography.

Each week, contestants will weigh in and have the opportunity to participate in that week's class. The classes range from a group bike ride around the lakes to nutritional classes given by Chef Kim of Your Place Gourmet and Dr. John Monroe of Healthy Life Family Medicine.

Prizes will be awarded for the most weight loss by the mid-point of the competition at October 30th weigh-in, and then grand prizes for the final weigh-in, to take place on November 20th. The prize at the mid-point will be a one week personal chef service provided by Your Place Gourmet and the final prizes will be his and hers fitness bicycles provided by Estrella Mountain Cyclery.

Operation Baking Gals - Round 3 Photos!

2008-10-07T20:45:00.009-07:00

Here are some of the favorite pictures sent by members of Team Your Place Gourmet during Round 3 of Operation Baking Gals!

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Fix

2008-10-05T23:07:00.003-07:00

My son and I were spending a lazy Sunday hanging around the house, baking bread & buns for this week's lunches, when we spotted giant chocolate chip cookies on the television screen. It was an episode of Unwrapped on the Food Network and it was all about desserts. They covered commercially-made desserts of all sorts, from cheesecake to rice pudding. Everything looked good, but my son and I both perked up at the sight of the giant chocolate chip cookies - so we hopped up and made one ourselves.

Not in the mood to be all that creative, we grabbed the chocolate chips and made the recipe on the back of the bag. Instead of spooning the dough into individual cookies or into a rectangular jellyroll pan, we spread the dough into a round pizza pan. Twenty minutes later, we had our giant chocolate chip cookie. No decorations or message written in icing; just a down and dirty chocolate chip cookie. And it was delicious.

Hey, Team - Thanks For All Your Hard Work!

2008-10-04T08:29:00.005-07:00

As we are about to wrap up the official shipping week for Round 3 of Operation Baking Gals, I want to say thank you! Thank you to all the bakers on my team and all the other teams. Thank you to the non-bakers on my team who shopped for and sent other goodies and necessities. Thank you, everyone!

In about a week or so, our soldier and his company should start to receive packages. Can you imagine being deployed thousands of miles away and suddenly being bombarded by 30-60 care packages from home? I wish I could be there when these guys open the packages and get a whiff of the sweet smells of home; cinnamon, ginger, chocolate, and more.

We received some great photos from team members of themselves, their families, the packages they sent, and even a four-year-old team member, hard at work coloring a special picture to include in a care package. The plan is to have all the photos burned to disk and mailed to the guys who received the packages.

The outpouring of support has been overwhelming and I encourage everyone to participate in future rounds. Just this little effort on our part has brought a huge morale boost to so many who are far from home, protecting our freedoms. Don't forget to check out the Operation Baking Gals Blog to see the teams of past rounds and to get information on future rounds. To participate in future rounds, please contact BakingGals(at)Gmail(dot)com. Remember, the next couple of rounds will be during the holiday season.

See ya for Round 4!

Team Your Place Gourmet Gets Press!

2008-09-26T22:42:00.005-07:00

Woo-Hoo! Team Your Place Gourmet got some press! An article appeared in the Arizona Republic this week. Check it out HERE.
The print version includes a picture of Nick and a picture of Nick's mom and me, in the kitchen with some cookies. I bought an extra copy of the paper to send the article to Nick with his packages this week.

Big Screen Birthday

2008-09-21T17:46:00.020-07:00

Last week was my only child's 16th birthday, so we figured a party was in order. We held the party in our backyard. Once the sun went down, the temperatures were comfortably in the 90s and it was breezy. The kids played video games and watched movies on a giant screen, listened to music, hung out in the pool, and had a terrific time.

The screen was 16'x9' and the sound system rocked! We notified neighbors that we'd be having this party and we had a fun-filled evening with no complaints from residents and no visits by the police. The company providing the entertainment is called Celestial Nights Family Entertainment. Celestial Nights is owned by a Goodyear resident, but provide services all over - even out of state. I'd encourage anyone looking for a fun and different activity for special occasions, fundraisers, or block parties to given them a call. The owner's name is Charles. Tell him Your Place Gourmet Personal Chef Service sent you!

In addition to the fabulous entertainment of the evening, another huge hit was the delicious cupcakes. My friend, Amy, is an ultra-talented wedding cake baker and I asked her to make the cupcakes for the party. I told her a variety of flavors would be fine and let her choose.

Amy made four different flavors of cupcakes and frosting: Yellow cake with chocolate buttercream; White cake with vanilla buttercream; Chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream; and Pink Lemonade cake with vanilla buttercream. I had never tried pink lemonade cake before, and I have to say, it could be my new favorite! The hubby also took a liking to the pink lemonade, so now I'll have competition for the leftovers. My 16-year-old, however, said he could not choose a favorite as he loved them all!

The rest of the food for the evening was simple, teen-friendly party fare. We had pizza, meatballs, buffalo chicken dip, veggie platters, and other various munchies.

Operation Baking Gals - Team Your Place Gourmet Round 3

2008-09-08T23:12:00.034-07:00

September brings round 3 of Operation Baking Gals and I am hosting a team of my own. Team Your Place Gourmet's soldier is my friend Robyn's son, Nick. Nick is a 20 year old LCpl in the Marine Corps, deployed to Afghanistan. He is an infantryman in 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment serving at Forward Operating Base Bala Baluk in Western Afghanistan. Nick and his unit deployed to Afghanistan on April 7, 2008 and will remain there through the month of November. They are headquartered at Marine Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California.

This is how it works: Ship anytime the week of September 27th - October 6th and use the USPS for your package that will be going to a camp in Afghanistan. What can you bake? That's up to you! Just keep in mind that it will take about one week to get to Nick and will be subjected to temperatures over 100 degrees and lots of jostling around along the way.

If you or any of your baking friends want to join my team, please post a quick comment here and email me at chefkim (AT) yourplacegourmet (DOT) com and I'll send you more info and Nick's address.

The USPS has special APO/FPO flat-rate Priority Mail boxes. You can fill this box and mail it for only $10.95 ($10.50 for click-n-ship), regardless of how much it weighs. These boxes are available at your local post office and are free of charge.

Thank you for participating!
-Kim
Your Place Gourmet - Personal Chef Service

Here's Team Your Place Gourmet so far:
Jen Barber of Goodyear, AZ
Brent Evans of Charlotte, NC & Personal Chefs Network
Brenda Bernardi of Goodyear, AZ
Rosa Santiago de Boyd of Goodyear, AZ
Rose Carameli of Lorain, OH
Marianne Qoyawayma of Scottsdale, AZ
Amanda Jagla-Onstott of Hercules, CA
Michelle Roles of Avondale, AZ & Michelle Roles Photography
Jennifer Wolfe of Surprise, AZ
Debbie Burgess of Lancaster, SC & The Hungry Fox PCS
Mike & Robyn Harris of Avondale, AZ
Amy Menousek of Goodyear, AZ
Linnea Cummings of Anchorage, AK & Alaska Dinner Factory
Anne Hanson of Goodyear, AZ
Traci Grisham of Litchfield Park, AZ
Heather of Brooklyn, NY & Sherry Trifle
Cat of The Cat's Pajamas
Anna of Mediocre Chocolate
Amanda Petker of Clermont, FL & The Waterside Novice Baker
Rachel Feinberg of New York, NY & Sweet Tarte
Jennifer Herman of Waddell, AZ
Kimberly Jones of Goodyear, AZ
Ginger Harmon of Goodyear, AZ
Charlene Onstott of Phoenix, AZ
Willa Epperson of Surprise, AZ
Lisa Lanza of Southington, CT

Our team is full! Don't let that stop you! Please send an email to bakinggals@gmail.com and put "Any Soldier" in the subject line.
Check out the article in the AZ Republic!

Operation Baking Gals - Round 2

2008-09-07T23:24:00.031-07:00

Last month, my friend Debbie turned me on to Operation Baking Gals (gals = give a little support), where teams of bakers send soldiers baked goodies from home. In August, I joined Team Hungry Fox and sent baked goods to Debbie's soldier; her son-in-law Daryl. Daryl celebrated a birthday during round 2, so we also tucked birthday cards and other surprises into the packages sent to him. Daryl shared the goodies with the 22 airmen he works with. He is deployed to Iraq.

To check out the stories and teams from previous rounds, check out the Operation Baking Gals blog, and see how it all began. You can also find helpful hints on what to bake and how to package your goodies. Photos of Nick, our soldier for Round 3, will be posted there shortly, as well as the growing membership list of Team Your Place Gourmet.

Here is the recipe for the cookies I sent to Daryl in Iraq.

Armadillo Droppings

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
1-1/2 cups peanut butter
4-1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup sliced almonds, or nuts of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together oats and baking soda; set aside.

Mix sugars, margarine, and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add oat mixture and stir well (dough will be stiff). Add butterscotch chips and nuts.

Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and flatten slightly onto a greased baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes.

Makes about 7 dozen.

Apple Season

2008-09-06T23:21:00.009-07:00

Although it doesn’t feel like autumn here in the Valley, apple season is upon us. Local grocery stores carry several varieties so you are sure to find your favorite. Even better, go right to the orchard. Some places even have pick-your-own. This is a great activity to do as a family, as is creating delicious dishes with the fruit you just picked!

Once you get the apples home, you should refrigerate them for maximum freshness since apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated. For optimal storage, apples should be kept at 35-40 degrees.

Check out these easy, delicious, apple recipes.

Apple Chicken Salad
1 pound of cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (using a rotisserie chicken saves time and adds tons of flavor)
1 cup apples, chopped and unpeeled
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons raisins
1 cup Italian dressing (or dressing of your choice), more or less to taste
6 teaspoons brown sugar
Nuts (your favorite) to sprinkle on top

Stir together chicken, apple, celery, and raisins in a large bowl.
Whisk dressing and brown sugar together in a small bowl, then pour over chicken mixture. Toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle each serving with nuts.
Looks really pretty served on lettuce leaves
Serves 6

Apple Stuffed Squash
3 acorn squash
2 apples, chopped
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut each squash in half, lengthwise, and scrape out seeds.
Place quash, cut side down, in baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
While squash is baking, mix remaining ingredients.
Once the squash have been baked for 25 minutes, remove from oven, turn cut side up, and fill with apple mixture.
Return to oven and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
Serves 6

Easy Baked Apples
6 baking apples, cored (Roma work well)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 teaspoons margarine or butter
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon water

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Place apples in 13x9 baking dish. Place ½ tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of margarine into cavity of each apple.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until apples are tender.
In small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and water and spoon over baked apples.
Cook 10 minutes longer.
Serve warm or cool.

No Bake Apple Pie Cheesecake
16 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz whipped topping, thawed
1 (0.8 ounce) package Wildtree Apple Pie Cheesecake Blend
1 graham cracker pie shell

Combine cream cheese, whipped topping and Apple Pie Cheesecake Blend in a mixing bowl and beat until blended. Spoon into the pie shell.
Chill, covered, for at least 2 hours.
Serves 8

Apple Cheese Spread
8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 medium-size apple, peeled and cored
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp. lemon thyme or other lemon herb--lemon basil, lemon verbena

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and lemon juice.
Grate the apple into cheese mixture. Add in the pepper and herbs. Mix well and chill. Makes 2 1/2 cups. Use on bagels, toast, crackers or apple slices.

Labor Day Weekend Gatherings

2008-08-29T07:00:00.015-07:00

Labor Day weekend is the traditional end to summer and many folks hold their last outdoor party of the season. In the interest of being a guest at your own party, it’s good to have some recipes tucked away that are simple to make and can be scaled to feed a crowd.

These recipes are a snap to make, can be prepared ahead of time, and work just as well for a Labor Day picnic as a birthday bash as a family reunion.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

2 kiwi fruits, peeled and diced
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced (or your favorite apple)
8 ounces raspberries, halved
16 ounces strawberries, quartered
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves or apple jelly
10 – 10” flour tortillas
Butter flavored cooking spray
cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray.
Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar, then spray again with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes.
Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges.
Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes and serve with fruit salsa.
Serves 10

Tortellini Salad with Grilled Chicken

6 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1 – 8oz bottle your favorite Italian dressing
12 oz cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
½ cup mayonnaise
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
½ cup sweet red peppers, chopped
12 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), cut into slivers
Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in a ziplock bag, pour entire bottle of Italian dressing over the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Turn the bag several times.
Remove chicken from ziplock bag and discard marinade. Grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from grill and cut into bite-size pieces.
While chicken is grilling, boil water and cook tortellini until tender but still firm - about 8 to 10 minutes. If using frozen, cook according to package directions.
Drain. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain thoroughly.
In a large salad bowl, combine mayo, eggs, red pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper, chicken, and tortellini and mix until well combined. Add additional mayo if necessary to reach desired consistency.
Serves 6-8

Corn Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

1 – 12oz bag frozen roasted corn (Trader Joe’s is fantastic!)
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Thaw corn in refrigerator and drain.
In a large bowl, toss together the corn, tomatoes, onion, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Chill at least one hour before serving.
Serves 4

Refreshingly Simple Punch For a Crowd

4 – 1/4oz packets of unsweetened strawberry drink mix (like KoolAid or Wylers)
2 – 46oz cans pineapple juice
3 cups white sugar
4 quarts water
1 – 2-liter bottle of ginger ale

In a large punch bowl combine drink mix, pineapple juice, sugar and water.
Stir until dissolved.
Just before serving, stir in the ginger ale.
Serves 45.

Favorite Birthday Cake

2008-08-17T12:31:00.012-07:00

Italian Creme Cake. I can't even begin to describe the decadent deliciousness of it. From the torte-like coconut buttermilk cake layers, to the cream cheese and toasted pecan icing in-between and encasing those layers; it is pure heaven. Of course my favorite birthday cake clocks in at close to 1,000 calories per serving. The way I see it, I'll have it once a year on my birthday - indulge until I go into sugar shock - then that will knock out the craving for me for another year.

Last year, my husband and son made my Italian Creme birthday cake from scratch as a surprise. They did a fabulous job and I believe this is the recipe they used, from Southern Living.
Make sure you use real buttermilk as it makes all the difference.

Italian Cream Cake
Serves 12

* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 2 cups sugar
* 5 large eggs, separated
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 cup flaked coconut

Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting

* 1 cup chopped pecan, toasted
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted

1. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well.
2. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
3. Add vanilla; beat until blended.
4. Combine flour and soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
5. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.
6. Stir in coconut.
7. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.
8. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round baking cakepans.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.
11. Spread Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
12. Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed with and electric mixer until creamy.
13. Add sugar, beating at low speed until blended.
14. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.

Saving Money with Boxed Lunches

2008-08-16T00:37:00.022-07:00

The first week of August is back-to-school for students around here. While school lunches have come a long way in the last 30 years, some kids (and parents) prefer to pack their own. Many families choose to pack their own lunches as a money-saving measure, although when purchasing convenience items and pre-packaged snacks, the savings disappear. With food costs climbing at a shocking pace, it pays to take a bit more care shopping and preparing meals. Spending a little extra time can save a family hundreds of dollars per year.

Reusable containers save money and energy. Instead of using zip bags for sandwiches, try the reusable storage containers with lids. These containers come in all shapes and sizes that are perfect for boxed lunches. With sandwich sized zip bags costing five to ten cents each, the savings add up.

Instead of individually packaged snacks, fruit cups, and yogurts, purchase the family size containers and spoon portions into small containers when packing lunches. A 6oz (one serving) container of yogurt costs $0.75. You can purchase a 32oz (over five servings) container for approximately $2.00. That’s a savings of nearly 50%. Another big savings can be had by purchasing the family sized can of fruit cocktail ($0.07/ounce), versus the individual fruit cups ($0.18/ounce). Cha-ching!

Kids love cheese cubes and sticks. The individually wrapped (or cut or cubed) varieties cost about $0.50 per ounce – that’s $8.00 per pound! Why not purchase a 32oz block of cheese for less than half that price and cut it yourself?

For sandwich fillings, think about using the leftover protein from dinner. That leftover chicken or beef from last night’s meal is delicious on a sandwich, in a wrap, or atop a salad, is far better than that sodium-laden luncheon meat from the deli, and is much less expensive.

I started making my own bread to avoid preservatives (many times, the pan grease used in commercial bread baking is preserved with petroleum-based products – yuck), and found that I was saving money at the same time. It ends up running about ten cents per slice.

Homemade goodies will make your kids the envy of the lunch table. Baking up a pan of snack cake or a few dozen cookies is very easy to do, less expensive than pre-packaged, and you can control the sugar and fat content. Muffins are great to pack in lunches and can be made ahead as most of varieties freeze beautifully.

Below are the recipes for my family’s favorite homemade sandwich bread and their favorite muffins. The bread is super easy as the bread machine does the work before plopping the dough in a loaf pan to be baked in the oven. The muffins are also frequently requested by my personal chef clients.

Soft Whole Wheat White Bread

Makes1 Loaf

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup hot water

3 Tablespoons sugar

4 Tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons yeast (regular or quick rise)

Place ingredients in bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set to dough cycle.

When dough cycle is complete, place dough into a greased loaf pan.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 30 Muffins

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (Regular or mini)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and oil until smooth.

Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake at for 16-20 minutes.

Operation Baking Gals - Sweets To Our Soldiers

2008-08-14T20:50:00.016-07:00

Earlier this week, a friend of mine turned me on to the Operation Baking Gals organization and blog. Operation Baking Gals recruits volunteers to bake and send goodies to service persons overseas that they can share. What a fabulous idea!
The second round of Operation Baking Gals will be having their mass mailing the week of August 23-30. I have joined Team Hungry Fox for this round and will be sending my goodies to Daryl, who is in Iraq. Next round, I plan to host my own team. Stay tuned and I'll be posting the info to show how you can join my team! To join a team for the current round, head on over to Operation Baking Gals and enlist!

All this baking talk has me craving Snickerdoodles. Snickerdoodles were my favorite cookie growning up. None of my friends had ever heard of them, so I thought my mom was the only one on Earth who made them. When I was dating my husband, one of our conversations turned to cookies and he mentioned snickerdoodles. I was amazed! He was the first person I'd ever met, outside my family, who knew what snickerdoodles were. I believe that was the moment I knew I would marry him.

Snickerdoodles
About 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Coating
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In large bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until creamy.
Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 300 degrees and combine coating ingredients in small bowl.
Form dough into walnut-sized balls.
Roll dough balls in coating mixture and set 1" apart on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes or until crackly, yet still very soft.
Cookies will look underdone, but will set up while cooling. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

USPCA 2008 Recipe of the Year!

2008-08-09T14:42:00.010-07:00

Of all the awards given out at the USPCA's annual conference, my favorite is the Recipe of the Year. Probably because I love trying out the new recipes. At this year's conference, the top recipe was a fish dish - and I have it here for you! Courtesy of the USPCA 2008 Recipe of the Year winner, Chef Leah Peachey, owner of Savory Selections Personal Chef Service in Augusta, Maine! Luckily, I'm a personal friend of Ms. Peachey's so I was able to obtain an advance copy of the recipe. Thanks, Leah - I'm making this for dinner tonight!

Baked Crusted Haddock
4 servings

1-1/3 pound fresh Haddock (or other firm, mild, white fish)
2 med lemons, 1 for zest and 1 for garnish
1/3 teaspoon lemon zest
5-1/3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup cracker crumbs, whole wheat bagel crisps, crushed
7/8 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup oats, quick cooking
2/3 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Melt butter on stovetop in a 3 quart saucepan; remove from heat.

Crush bagel crisps in Ziplock bag.

Zest lemon and set zest aside for later.

Slice lemon for garnish and chop parsley.

Into the pan of melted butter, mix in cracker crumbs, seasoned breadcrumbs, oats, parsley, and lemon zest.

Rinse fish under cold water and place in baking dish.

Juice 1 lemon and pour over fish.

Place crumb topping over fish.

Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.

Sourcing Local Foods

2008-08-09T11:35:00.010-07:00

In my search for locally grown and produced foods, I was referred to the Arizona Farm Bureau (AZFB). Julie, the Director of Public Relations for AZFB, excitedly directed me to FillYourPlate.org. FillYourPlate.org lists local member farms and producers who will sell to you - not just to the grocers.

Once you are at the Fill Your Plate site, you can search by the product you are seeking, as well as by city or even zip code. Once the list comes up, you can double-click on the name of the farmer/grower/producer and a box will pop up with contact information and, in some cases, a little blurb about them.

I had no idea there were so many food products grown in this area. From eggs to herbs to fruit to flowers to shrimp. Yes, I said SHRIMP grown in Arizona. I am completely blown away and have contacted the shrimp farm, requesting a tour. I'll update the blog after touring the place. I can't wait!

I'm also in contact with a producer of all-natural, locally grown pork called The Meat Shop. They don't have a website yet, but I'll post as soon as they do. Tim, the owner of The Meat Shop, is on board for a local "dinner party" or "neighborhood bbq" that I am planning, consisting of all locally grown foods and highlighting the growers and producers. To fill your freezer with this delicious, all-natural pork, contact Tim at 602.751.8756 or tjwelder@cox.net.

Eat Local! Your food will be fresher, tastier, and less expensive than having it shipped in from somewhere else - AND - your dollars will stay in your community.

Foodies & Winos 2008

2008-08-05T08:39:00.007-07:00

The blog entry I wrote last year after attending the United States Personal Chef Association's (USPCA) annual conference was titled, "Foodies & Winos." I've just returned home after this year's conference and found the title just as apropos for this year, so I'll just add "2008" to the end.

The conference committee likes to showcase the local cuisines of the host city. Well, since the conference was in Arizona and I live in Arizona, the food served at the luncheons was not new or exciting to me (or the other Arizonans attending). Next year, however, the conference will be set in New Orleans. I fully expect to eat and drink my way through the city. With any luck, enough wine will make us completely forget about the oppressive humidity of Louisiana in late July. I'll have to ply my friend from Maine, Chef Leah, with enough wine that she stops worrying about the behavior of her naturally curly hair while down on the bayou. ;-)

Speaking of my friend, Chef Leah, her creation won the "Recipe of the Year," award! I have yet to lay my hands on this recipe, but as soon as I do, I'll be trying it out and maybe posting it here (with Chef Leah's permission, of course). That's a pretty awesome achievement to have your recipe judged above all others by a group of professional foodies!

Another friend (and a valley local, being in Peoria), Chef Leslie, was most helpful (and entertaining) sitting next to me at the Kosher cooking class. The biggest thing I got from that class is the fact that I'm now even more freaked out by the rules of Kosher cooking (since I'm not Jewish - and the rules were not explained during this class, just kind of thrown out there) and I'll be referring any Kosher clients to Chef Leslie. The lingering question for me is, "Is silicone Kosher?"

On the last morning of conference, Chef Leslie and I had breakfast with Chef Gail Kenagy, who is the new president of the USPCA, and world-renowned food stylist and author, Denise Vivaldo. This was the highlight of my weekend. Chef Gail is one of my all-time favorite people, and Denise is one of the most entertaining speakers I've ever seen. Oh yeah - and Denise says, from what she sees in Beverly Hills, silicone MUST be kosher - and Botox too!

Eat Breakfast - There's No Excuse Not To

2008-07-31T15:25:00.027-07:00

You’ve heard it countless times, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” The problem is, who feels like preparing breakfast every morning when we’re already running around trying to get the family ready and out the door on time? One of the solutions to this dilemma is to prepare breakfast items that can be made ahead. Some of these items have really quick heating times and others don’t even require heating. There are even grab-n-go options for days you have to eat during the commute. From kid favorites to figure friendly options, make-ahead breakfasts are the cure to your no-time-for-breakfast blues.

Breakfast burritos are the ultimate to-go breakfast and they can be customized in countless ways by changing up the meats, cheeses, and veggies – not to mention the new flavored tortillas and wraps. Breakfast bars are great items to keep in your bag for when hunger strikes between meals, and a smoothie can be a nutritious and refreshing start to the day any time of year.

Breakfast Burritos

Makes 24

12 eggs, beaten

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage, cooked

1/2 cup your favorite salsa

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or other)

24 burrito size flour tortillas

Optional add-ins:

Onions

Mushrooms

Spinach

Green peppers

Cooked hash browns

Scramble eggs in large skillet until cooked. Stir in salsa and cooked sausage. Also stir in any optional ingredients you’d like.

Warm tortillas in microwave for 10 second or until warm and soft.

Scoop 1/2 cup of the egg mixture onto the tortilla and roll up, burrito-style.

Wrap each burrito in foil or plastic wrap. Place wrapped burritos into gallon sized zip-topped freezer bags and freeze.

To heat and eat:

Unwrap burrito.

To microwave: wrap burrito in paper towel and microwave approximately 2 minutes or until heated through.

To oven heat: wrap burrito in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Oat & Apricot Breakfast Bars

Makes 8 large bars

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup uncooked oats (quick or old fashioned)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

16 dried apricot halves, diced

2 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup Eggbeaters (or 2 large eggs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, oats, apricots, and sunflower seeds, mixing well.

Whisk together egg substitute and butter.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix quickly, until just combined.

Spoon into prepared pan and smooth across the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until firm.

Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into 8 rectangles.

Veggie Cups

Makes 18 muffins/cups

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup diced ham

1/4 cup diced mushrooms

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 large eggs, beaten

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Sautee bell peppers, onions, ham, mushrooms, and tomatoes together.

Divide this mixture between 18 muffin cups and spoon into each.

Combine the beaten eggs with the shredded cheese.

Pour egg and cheese mixture into the muffin tins, almost to tops.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until cooked through.

When completely cooled, wrap in foil or plastic wrap, and then in zip-top bags to freeze.

May be eaten hot or cold

Frozen Purple Smoothies

Serves 4

3 cups frozen raspberries (or peaches, or mixed berries)

1 cup grape juice (purple is sweeter, may use white for less sweet)

1 cup milk (or 8oz container of yogurt)

Optional – 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Pour all ingredients into blender and mix well. OR Place all ingredients in a bowl and use an immersion blender to blend.

Spoon or pour into individual containers to either enjoy now or freeze for later. Styrofoam or heavy paper drink cups with lids work well for this.

If frozen, remove from freezer when you get up in the morning and smoothie will be ready to eat/drink when you leave for work/school.

Can also move from freezer to refrigerator the night before consumption to thaw.

Get It Ground!

2008-07-20T12:06:00.012-07:00

Many of my clients depend on me to create healthy meals that will help them lose or maintain weight. To do this, I choose very lean cuts of meat. For my weight loss clients, I try to use 95%-96% lean ground beef in recipes calling for ground beef. My local grocer usually stocks 80%, 90%, and sometimes 93% lean. The leaner the ground beef, the higher the price. In this week's sale ads, ground beef prices ran from $3/pound for 80% to $5.79/lb for 93%. In fact, you can sometimes find a brand name of very lean (96%) ground beef in the meat case for nearly $7 per pound.

In these same sale ads, ultra lean boneless roasts (top & bottom round, shoulder) at approximately 95% lean, were on sale for $1.88/pound. Why not grind these? I asked the meat manager if he would please grind these lean roasts for me and he happily obliged. I ended up paying $22.50 for 12 pounds of 95% lean ground beef, rather than $69.50 for 12 pounds of 93% lean ground beef that was in the case - more than 3 times more expensive!
This also works for other types of proteins (chicken, turkey, pork). Unfortunately, most meat counters will not grind anything but beef, due to the possibility of cross-contamination. For these cases, I have purchased a meat grinding attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer.

With this freshly ground beef, I have Salisbury Steak w/Rich Brown Gravy and Muscle-Packing Meatloaf on the menu for this week. Both recipes are from my latest favorite cookbook, The Most Decadent Diet Ever! by Devin Alexander.

Salisbury Steak With Rich Brown Gravy
4 servings

Ingredients:
1/3 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons onion soup mix
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound 96% lean ground beef
3 tablespoons, unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup fat free, lower sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
olive oil spray
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings (about 3-1/2 cups)

Combine the egg substitute and oats in a medium mixing bowl. Let stand for 3 minutes to soften the oats. Add the onion soup mix, minced onion, garlic powder, pepper, and beef. Mix until well combined, and then shape into 4 oval patties about 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 4-1/2 inches long.

Put 2 tablespoons of the flour in a medium shallow bowl. Dip the patties in the flour to coat them on all sides. Shake off any excess.

Put the remaining flour in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in enough broth to form a paste. Then slowly whisk in the remaining broth, then the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Set aside.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. When the skilet is hot, lightly mist it with olive oil spray. Put the patties in the skillet, side by side. Brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Pour the broth mixture into the skillet. Add the onion rings to the skillet and use a wooden spoon to stir them gently into the broth mixture, being careful not to break the patties. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, flipping the patties once, halfway through.

Transfer the patties to a platter. Spoon the onions and gravy over the patties. Serve immediately.

Each serving (1 pattie with 1/4 of the gravy and onions) has: 205 calories, 26 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 573 mg sodium

Muscle-Packing Meatloaf
4 servings

Ingredients:

olive oil spray
2/3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/3 cup minced whole green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1-2 tablespoons seeded, minced red jalapeno pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons seeded minced green jalapeno pepper, to taste
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound 96 percent lean ground beef
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Spray a standard (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch) non-stick loaf pan with spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk and the oats. Let them sit for 3 minutes or until the oats are softened. Add the egg whites followed by the Worcestershire, carrots, green onion, parsley, red and green jalapenos, garlic and salt. Mix them well.

Add the beef and mix them until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it so that the top is flat. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top. Bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside. Remove it from the oven and let it sit 10 minutes. Slice it into 8 slices and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Each 2-slice serving has: 239 calories, 27 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 61 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 694 mg sodium

Love Those Buns!

2008-07-05T20:12:00.007-07:00

Whenever I make a pot roast or pork roast, it is a two-day meal. The first day being the roast with side dishes, then I shred the leftover roast to make pulled pork or bbq beef for the next day's dinner on buns with chips or some other casual accompaniment. Actually, I look forward to day two more than roast day.

A few months back, the pulled pork dinner day was upon us and I had forgotten to purchase buns. ugh! The thought of driving down the hill to the grocery store (24 miles round trip in a vehicle that gets 16 mpg with gas over $4/gallon) really didn't appeal to me - but I dislike eating this type of food on slices of bread. I also knew that the bread recipe that I use for whole wheat sandwich bread would be the wrong texture for buns.

I started perusing recipes and found this one for Whole Wheat Buns. The texture is fantastic, they smell wonderful while baking, and now my family is spoiled and only want homemade buns from now on. Since they freeze spectacularly well, I don't see where this will be a problem.

Also - I make the dough in my bread machine so I can work on other things at the same time. The recipe comes from Bread Machine Magic.

Whole Wheat Buns - Hamburger or Hot Dog

Makes 12 hotdog buns or 8 hamburger buns

1 cup water
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Dough setting, and press Start.

When dough has risen enough, the machine will beep. Remove bread pan, and turn out dough onto a floured counter top. Gently roll and shape the dough into a 12-inch rope.

With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces for hamburger buns or 12 pieces for hot dog buns.

Grease a baking sheet (I use parchment, rather than greasing). Roll pieces of dough into balls and flatten for hamburger buns or shape into 6-inch rolls for hot dog buns. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rise in warm oven 10 to 15 minutes until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 400°F Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown (be careful mine cook pretty fast). Remove from oven and cool on racks. When ready to use, split buns horizontally.

Banana Split Cake

2008-07-03T08:19:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite summertime treats is Banana Split Cake. I have fond memories of my mom making this cake for me growing up, for my birthday, and even as a special surprise when I visit.

This is the perfect thing to bring to potlucks and gatherings. The recipe is super easy, using very few ingredients, but everyone who tastes this will be asking you for the recipe! This is a no-bake dessert and the original recipe calls for 2 eggs, but you can use egg substitute if that freaks you out.

Banana Split Cake

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

3-4 bananas, sliced

large container of Cool Whip

marachino cherries and walnuts or pecans for garnish, if desired

Mix together the melted 1/2 cup butter with the graham cracker crumbs. Gently pat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan - do not pack tightly.

Beat together the 1/2 cup softened butter with the confectioners sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Spread this mixture evenly over the cracker crumb crust.

Next, layer banana slices. On top of banana layer, spread the drained crushed pineapple.

Spread Cool Whip over the top of all and garnish with marachino cherries and nuts, if desired.

Can I Afford a Personal Chef?

2008-07-01T05:47:00.001-07:00

Many people ask themselves (and me) this question. The majority of the time, the answer is YES! I then ask a series of questions that make it clear whether or not a personal chef service is affordable. A few of these questions are:

Could you use some extra hours in your week? Having a personal chef gives you 10-15 hours per week to do other things.

Would you like to eat more healthy meals and less additives and preservatives?

Do you purchase healthy ingredients at the grocery store with good intentions, but end up throwing it away because it went bad before you could cook it?

Do you eat out more than twice a week?

If you answered "YES" to more than one of these questions, you can afford a personal chef and will actually save money by having one.**

**Most people don't realize the amount of money they spend on going out to eat, fast food, take-out, or the cost of the groceries they waste because it goes bad and gets thrown out before they can cook it - Not to mention the gas used driving around town to pick up these things. Another thing people tend to not be aware of is the amount of calories, sodium, fat, artificials, and preservatives they are feeding their families.

Summer Vacation - Kids In The Kitchen

2008-06-07T20:13:00.002-07:00

School is out! Many teens and tweens will be home during the day and rooting through the fridge and cupboards for food. You can either keep your kitchen stocked with quick (but unhealthy) commercially prepared items, have a personal chef stock your fridge and freezer with healthy and ready to heat and eat fare, or you can start your kids on the road to kitchen self-confidence and self-sufficiency by encouraging them to prepare some meals. Having healthy ingredients in the house will help your kids create salads, tortilla roll-ups, and other creations that are good for them. Who knows, they may even offer to make you a meal to show off their skills.

Recently, I was lucky enough to give a cooking class for a group of Girl Scout Cadets (ages 12 – 17). The group was fairly large (15 or 16 girls), and wanted to learn how to make something that could be individualized (especially the vegetarians in the bunch), as well as made by themselves at home. We decided on calzones with homemade pizza sauce for dipping. These recipes are simple and quick, and the girls were thrilled with their creations.

In keeping with the simple and quick theme, I had the girls use Rhodes frozen dough balls for their calzones. While pizza dough from scratch is very easy, it can be a bit time consuming. I also had the girls create their calzones without sauce, and then made sauce in which to dip their delicious pizza pastries.

The calzone and sauce recipes we used are below.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Serves: 8

1/2 cup(s) onion, chopped

2 tablespoon(s) garlic, minced

2 tablespoon(s) olive oil

1 15 oz. tomato sauce

1 6 oz. tomato paste

1 teaspoon(s) salt

2 teaspoon(s) oregano

2 teaspoon(s) basil

1/8 teaspoon(s) pepper

Sauté onion & garlic in olive oil until tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Easy Calzones Using Frozen Roll Dough

Serves 8

8 Rhodes Texas™ rolls (or 16 Rhodes Dinner Rolls), thawed but still cold
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1, 2 1/4-ounce can sliced olives
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup heated pizza sauce

Flatten each roll into an 8-inch circle. Combine ham, olives, mushrooms, green peppers, and cheese. Place 1/4 cup ham mixture on each circle. Fold dough over (like a turnover) and seal edges with a fork. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping. **Recipe courtesy of Rhodes Frozen Dough.

Homemade Calzone/Pizza Dough (Bread Machine)

Makes 8 calzones or personal pizzas

1 1/3 cup warm water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups all purpose flour (can substitute up to 50% with whole wheat flour)

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order specified by its manufacturer.

Set to dough cycle

When dough is complete (my machine’s dough cycle is a little over an hour), dump out of bread machine pan onto lightly floured board.

Knead a couple of times with floured hands until dough is not too sticky to work with.

Use with your favorite pizza or calzone recipe.

Tis The Season - For Pumpkin!

2007-11-05T21:31:00.002-07:00

October brings thoughts of haystacks and jack-o-lanterns. Jack-o-lanterns get me thinking about recipes using pumpkin. Pumpkin is loaded with the antioxidant, beta-carotene, which some sources say can prevent disease. In addition to being healthy, pumpkin is also delicious and adds flavor and moisture to dishes. I like all types of recipes that call for pumpkin, from snacks to main courses to desserts. Some of my pumpkin recipes have come to be family and friend favorites. In fact, the Pumpkin Ring recipe below makes a cake that I consistently get requests for at potlucks.

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells

32oz Marinara (homemade or in a jar)

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 (16oz) can solid pack pumpkin

½ cup dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

36 jumbo-sized pasta shells, cooked to firm stage, drained, and cooled

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Spoon a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.

Combine beaten egg with pumpkin, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg.

Stuff shells with mixture and arrange stuffed side down in a single layer in the baking dish.

Cover shells with rest of spaghetti sauce.

Cover dish tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle mozzarella over top and bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes more until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling.

Adapted from Woman’s Day Magazine

Roasted Pumkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons Canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Let pumpkin seeds dry on paper towels. Toss cleaned pumpkin seeds with oil and salt; spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 250° oven for about 1 hour, or until the pumpkin seeds are dry, stirring occasionally.

Pumpkin Fluff

2 c. skim milk

2 pkgs. sugar free vanilla pudding mix

Blend till stiff

Then blend in:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup fat free cool whip

cinnamon and nutmeg or pumpkin pie spices to taste

Serves 8, Serving Size: 1 cup, Points per serving 2

Adapted from Weight Watchers Online

Pumpkin Smoothie

1c. skim milk

1 low fat vanilla yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 pkts splenda

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup pumpkin

4-6 ice cubes

....mix it up in the blender.

Makes 1 serving, 4 points.

Adapted from Weight Watchers Online

Pumpkin Ring

3 cup bisquick baking mix

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened

4 eggs

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin

2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup milk

----GLAZE----

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 12-cup bundt cake pan or angel food cake pan, 10 x 4 inches. Beat all ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread in pan. Bake about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely. Beat glaze ingredients. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Sauteed Spinach & Roasted Beets

2007-10-25T23:09:00.001-07:00

I love root vegetables. From beets to sweet potatoes to rutabega. I have clients who love them as well, so I've been preparing them quite a bit this week.

On Tuesday, I finished shopping for my client and was on the way to their home when I realized I had forgotten my latex gloves - a MUST when preparing beets. I stopped at the craft store, a sporting goods store, and another grocery store in the area, seeking gloves. None were to be had. As I was pulling out of that last parking lot, trying to decide if I should go back home for the gloves (adding an extra 45 minutes to my day) or just suffer with red hands for a few days until the beet juice wears off, I noticed a dentist office. Hey! Dentists have GLOVES!! I walked into the office and told the receptionist of my dilemma. She was happy to provide a pair of gloves and another employee even requested a business card as she may be interested in hiring a personal chef!

Sautee'd Spinach & Roasted Beets

1 pound beets, scrubbed but not peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon thyme, dried

20 ounces spinach, fresh

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 teaspoon garlic, pressed

Heat oven to 450 degrees

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment. Slice beets into thin rounds (about 1/8 inch). Toss slices with olive oil, salt and thyme and spread in one layer on baking sheets. Roast 20-25 minutes, the beets should be soft, glistening and dark around the edges. The thinest slices will be crisp and almost burnt around the edges.

Meanwhile, saute the spinach with 1-2 T olive oil, the ginger and garlic in a saute pan. When both are done, combine

Serves 4

Fine Cooking Magazine

Two Contest Prizes This Month!

2007-10-05T22:25:00.002-07:00

I sent my October eNewsletter before realizing it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I'm sending another newsletter at midmonth with ANOTHER contest prize in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness. That's right - October will have two prizes! This second prize is a custom handmade bracelet made by Jenny T Designs in the Healing Jewels collection.

Each month, my eNewsletter contains news, recipes, and a CONTEST with prizes. You can't win if you don't enter. You can't enter if you don't get my newsletter. :-)

If you don't already subscribe to my enewsletter, sign up now!

Now Accepting Plastic

2007-09-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but I rarely write checks anymore - nor do I carry cash - I use plastic; both debit and credit cards. The card I use for any given transaction depends on several factors, not the least of which are the perks related to each card. With my personal debit card, I get cash back that adjusts to the top three spending categories each month. One of my business credit cards gives extra points for grocery and fuel purchases. Being a personal chef, 90% of that card's usage is groceries - Cha-Ching!!

In my business Your Place Gourmet - Personal Chef Service I've decided to accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express cards. I find it terribly irritating when the particular store or service provider, from whom I'd like to make a purchase, doesn't accept the card of my choice. I wanted my clients to be able to use their favorite card. I also wanted to offer payment plans and automatic billing to my regularly scheduled clients.

Grapeseed Oil?

2007-09-23T23:11:00.002-07:00

Have you tried this stuff? It's fabulous! It's got a higher smoke point than olive oil, no cholesterol, and expands when heated so you use less. I had someone send me a bottle to try it out and I'm hooked! Natural grapeseed oil is absolutely flavorless and light. The infused oils are terrific too. So far, I've tried garlic infused and butter flavored. Next on my list to try are jalapeno and zesty lemon!

Another thing I learned about grapeseed oil is that the bargain-priced oils tend to be chemically extracted, rather than expeller pressed. Chemically extracted?? YUCK!

I found the Wildtree Herbs products to be the best for my dollar, but couldn't find anyone in my area who sold it. So... I became a culinary consultant for the company in order to purchase it directly. I don't do home parties and such - just not my thing - so this territory is wide open if someone wants to do that. If that's you, contact me and I'll get you hooked up.

Speaking of Wildtree, the products helped me get dinner on the table in a flash today. I cubed up some pork tenderloin and tossed it in the slow cooker with some Wildtree Asian Ginger Plum marinade & dressing before I left the house for my son's lacrosse practice. Once we returned from practice, I heated some garlic infused grapeseed oil and stirfried some Asian veggies in a snap. Brown rice rounded out the meal. This dinner was healthy (as the Wildtree products are all-natural and cholesterol free), quick, and delicious! My husband packed up the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

Asian Mini Buffaloaves with Honey-Garlic Sauce

2007-09-16T20:09:00.001-07:00

Last week, I hit the pavement in search of locally grown/produced foods. I ended up purchasing some buffalo and some honey. The buffalo was from Arizona Buffalo Company in Buckeye and the honey was produced at Uncle Mac's Honey Company, which is located in Laveen but the products are only sold in Goodyear at the SwapMart.

At first, I created dishes using each ingredient. I made honey-peanut butter bread in the bread machine and bison bourguignon in the pressure cooker. Both recipes were outstanding! Now to create some tasty meal using both buffalo AND honey in the same dish. After tweaking some classic dishes, I came up with a play on meatloaf, "Asian Mini Buffaloaves with Honey-Garlic Sauce." My 14-year old (who initially turned his nose up at the idea of "buffaloaves") just finished up his second helping. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Asian Mini Buffaloaves with Honey Garlic Sauce

Buffaloaves
1-1/2 lbs ground buffalo
1/3 cup water chestnuts, finely chopped
3/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 egg
1 garlic clove, minced

Sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Buffaloaves
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix lightly but throughly to blend. Too much mixing will make the loaves tough.
Spray insides of muffin cups with cooking spray. Divide meat mixture into 12 muffin cups.
Bake at 275-300 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from pan and serve immediately with honey garlic sauce.

Sauce
Combine ingredients in a sauce pan.
Cook and stir on low heat until hot and bubbly.
Serve loaves and sauce with rice or Asian noodles.

Herb Gardening For Dummies

2007-09-04T06:18:00.001-07:00

Growing tired of spending $4 for each little package of fresh herbs at the grocer (then having half of them go to waste), I decided to invest in one of these hydroponic gardens so I could grow my own herbs, then harvest only what I need each day. I'm sure I could have created a cute little dish garden on my own - much more cheaply too - but I know from past experience that I would forget to water it and all that good stuff.

This is my herb garden, about 10 days since set-up. The pods that still have their little "greenhouse caps" on them are later sprouting varieties. For my first attempt at herb gardening in water, I've got Mint, Italian Basil, Dill, Thyme, Parsley, Purple Basil, and Chives. This is also the first time I've taken a picture with my phone. I hope my herb-growing skills are better than my photography skills.

Personal Chef for Pups?

2007-09-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

With the recent news of contaminated pet food and treats, I have received a few requests to make all-natural pet products - ie: offering pet personal chef service. Currently, I am recipe testing several items (my three pups are the lucky tasters!) and hopefully should have something to offer my pet clients within the next couple of weeks. I'm working on kibble (dry) dog food as well as fresh/frozen moist dog food, doggie biscuits and cookies, as well as doggie birthday pup-cakes!

Stay tuned to this blog and to Your Place Gourmet for updates.

Celebrating the End of Summer with Food

2007-08-31T13:25:00.001-07:00

Labor Day BBQs signal the unofficial end of summer - even though summer feels like it lasts until November here in the Valley.

While we are not hosting a Labor Day party this year, we will be attending one and bringing a side dish. I've decided to make a tasty, colorful salad that takes advantage of the season's fresh sweetcorn and tomatoes. This salad is easy to make and holds up well on a buffet. If you don't have access to fresh corn, frozen roasted corn in your grocer's freezer will work almost as well.

Corn Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
6 ears of corn, cooked, cleaned, and removed from the cob OR 1 – 12oz bag frozen roasted corn (Trader Joe’s is fantastic!)
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

If using frozen corn, thaw in refrigerator and drain.
In a large bowl, toss together the corn, tomatoes, onion, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Chill at least one hour before serving.
Serves 4

How Old Is That Food I Bought Today?

2007-08-30T12:00:00.001-07:00

In researching local food sources, I found that, on average, our food travels 1,500 miles before it reaches our dinner tables, according to 100 Mile Meals. This means our "fresh" food is probably 5-8 days old by the time it reaches our grocers' shelves.

Gaining momentum is a movement to eat more locally produced food. By doing so, local growers are supported, and an awareness created of what is actually produced within a 100 mile radius of our own back yards.

The trick is trying to eat mainly (or only) locally produced foods. I'm going to give it a shot, so I and my company will participate in the September 2007 Eat Local Challenge and make this an option for my clients as well.

Off to find recipes using the tasty ingredients produced within my 100 miles.

Foodies and Winos

2007-08-15T20:05:00.001-07:00

I am just back from the USPCA's annual conference, held this year in Philadelphia. Aside from the interesting classes that I attended, the best part of the conference had to be the people I met and the friends I made. Over many, many glasses of wine, I got to know chefs from all over the country. The sharing of helpful hints, war stories, and names of reasonably priced packaging suppliers was plentiful as we ate, drank, and laughed our way through the weekend.

During the conference, one of the classes I attended was given by Mark Tafoya of The Gilded Fork. This particular class was titled, "Harnessing the Power of the New Media," and was all about using blogs, podcasts, and other new media as a way to boost our businesses. While I am miles away from any sort of podcast, consider this my first attempt at blogging. If I get really daring, I might attempt to make my own changes on my website http://www.yourplacegourmet.com/

Another memorable class I attended was a Food Styling class, given by the master food stylist, Denise Vivaldo. What a fun gal she is! While I haven't really started experimenting with food styling, the image above is of a dish I made while writing my monthly food column for My Hometown Estrella magazine.
All photography is by Michelle Roles Photography in Avondale, Arizona.
http://michellerolesphotography.com/