Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Trick or Treat Warm my Feet

Trick or Treat night is always a good night to whip out a good slow cooker recipe. Tonight I put together a quick and easy chicken tortilla soup. Add some yummy condiments, and tada you have a dinner to warm you, and whom ever shows up on this cold and windy night.



Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 Tbs olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped ( I like using different colors)
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup corn kernels
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbs chili powder
1 10 1/2 oz fire roasted tomatoes, with their juice
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
Tortilla chips or strips

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add jalapeno, corn, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder and tomatoes and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Add chicken and broth , cook on high 4 to 5 hours or low 7 to 8 hours. Top each bowl with tortilla chips, and condiments of choice.
Serves 6 to 8

Serve with:
Sour Cream
tortilla chips
avocado sliced
Mexican cheese blend
fresh lime wedges

Enjoy with all your little monsters!


Monday, October 29, 2012

Pumpkin Carving

My one peice of advice. Get good tools to carve you pumpkin. If you design has intricate areas, shave the inside down, A LOT.  It will make cutting the narrow areas much easier to cut out.
Happy Halloween!


Friday, October 26, 2012

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Diane Phillips

I am so excited and honored to be able to work alongside Diane Phillips tonight. She has been such a mentor to me over the last few years, and I am in awe how much I learn from her every time we meet. Not only is she the author of several top selling cookbooks, she is a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. I so blessed I can also call her my friend. Go check out her cookbooks, and get cooking.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping can be a chore, everyone knows that. I especially need to stay organized when doing my grocery shopping because a lot of the times I am shopping for other events such as cooking classes, or catering events as well. I get such a kick out of shopping for a meal, adding it all up, and realizing how much money I saved verses going out to eat. A steak dinner for 4 at home with baked potatoes and roasted asparagus approximately $30. If 4 of us went out to dinner it would be $30 per person + +. Eating at home can and should be a joy, and you can make everything just the way you want it.
Something we like to do to make our steak nights a little more special is to make a quick hollandaise. This quick and easy accompaniment can be very versatile and can be used on your steak or your vegetables.
Blender Hollandaise
3 large egg yolks
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 dash of Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stick of butter, melted
In a blender combine egg yolks, lemon juice, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Pulse blender several times to combine. With the blender on slowly drizzle in melted butter. Tada you have hollandise.

If you would like to turn this into a bearnaise:
2 Tbs white wine
2 Tbs tarragon vinegar
1 medium shallot, minced
1/2 tsp fresh or dried tarragon
1 clove of garlic smashed
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, and reduce by half. Make hollandaise the same just substituting 2 Tbs water for the lemon juice. Strain wine reduction, pour into blender, and pulse several times to combine.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Freezer beef and cheese manicotti

Just helped a friend make manicotti to freeze and serve later. Instead of individualy wrapping each one to freeze, we used the sleeves that they were packaged in, covered them with plastic wrap, and in the freezer they go.


First Entry

Over the years I have been so blessed to work with a great company like Cookswares. Through them I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing chefs such as, Diane Phillips, Elizabeth Wiley, Dave and Liz Cook, Virginia Willis, and the list goes on and on. I have always had a passion for cooking, and having the opportunity to be an instructor has allowed me to share my passion with others. The encouragement and support from my family, friends, and students is so rewarding that I decided to finally start a blog. Through this blog I will share some tips and experiences as I continue my path. I do hope to put the recipes that I have tweaked over the years in a book someday, and will evidently need recipe testers. Hopefully no one will judge my horrible grammar and spelling, and simply enjoy my experiences in the kitchen.