Urban Tarte

Tea Time!

2012-02-03T12:38:00.000-06:00

It's that time of the year when I wake up with sore throats. This year, especially, since Chicago has decided to vary it's temperature day to day by a factor of about 30 (Literally, it's February and the temperature was 55 on Tuesday and is now 30 on Friday!).

Now, I have no time to stay at home and nurse my tender throats. I'm busy people! So, my quick fix throat soother? Throat Coat Tea steeped with a cinnamon stick. After 10 minutes of brewing, remove the tea bag, add a big spoonful of raw honey and the juice from 1/2 lemon. Stir to melt the honey and then sip-as hot as possible (this is when it is absolutely acceptable to slurp!)-and you can start your day with a throat that feels a bit more soothed....

**also a delicious bed time tea, add a shot of Cognac or Armagnac and you will fall fast asleep!

Put the lime in the coconut......

2011-07-08T11:31:00.001-05:00

Fresh off the plane from a decadent trip to Puerto Rico, I feel like I need to give a little ode to watermelon. In recent history I have stayed away from buying watermelons, I tend to –I am NOT kidding you-always purchase grainy watermelons. So much so that I stopped buying them whole and only purchase the precut slices. How ridiculous is that?

View from our balcony, ocean looming just past the palm trees

So, I have now promised myself that I will try, try and try again with this beautiful red melon made mostly of water (and delicousness). Part of this inspiration came from a very small but perfectly executed amuse bouche I received from the chef the last two nights of my stay. On a pristine white plate, a single perfect cube of watermelon sat. gently dolloped on top was the creamiest goat cheese, a lovely drizzle of olive oil and a generous shower of cracked pepper. The crisp burst of sweet water from the melon married so well with the mouthfeel of the cheese, savory fruitiness of the olive oil and the sharpness from the cracked pepper. and I found myself wanting more of it! Simultaneously refreshing/crisp and rich/decadent. And here I am. Post vacation (insert big sigh and “whoa is me”) and wanting to eat watermelon everything. So, below are two recipes that I am going to prepare over the next few days and welcome into my belly. And maybe you should too!

Sweet and Savory Watermelon Salad

Inspired by FERN at the St.Regis Puerto Rico Resort

2 big slices watermelon, cut into bite size cubes
4 oz. very creamy goat cheese (rule of thumb- the more expensive the goat cheese, more often than not the better and creamier it will be)
a nice drizzle of good quality olive oil (nice and green!)
fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place the watermelon in the bottom of your serving bowl.
Top with the goat cheese, it probably won’t “crumble” because it is so creamy, so just get it into manageable pieces to put on top.
Drizzle with a nice amount of olive oil and then top with some cracked pepper.
Voila! Enjoy!

Watermelon Agua Fresca

6 cups cubed watermelon
handful mint sprigs
club soda
1 lime, sliced
1 orange, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Put the watermelon in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour through cheese cloth and strain out the solids, squeezing the liquid into a large bowl or pitcher (you want to keep the liquid by the way, so squeeze it over a big bowl/pot/pitcher-not your sink!).
Pour a glass half full with the watermelon water and then finish with an equal amount of club soda.
Add a few slices of lime, few slices orange and a sprig of mint. Stir and enjoy!

Chive Talkin'

2011-05-18T09:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite herbs is chive. It is so versatile and can add such a surprising element to so many dishes. The addition of chive to something as simple as cauliflower soup can completely change the flavor of a dish. And, now that spring is upon us chives and their relatives (ramps, garlic scapes) are in season-hooray! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use chives in the simplest manner with big flavor impact.

Add a sprinkle on top of some soft scrambled eggs.
Add a plentiful amount to cauliflower soup (I featured the recipe last month, look it up!)
Saute some wild mushrooms (also in season) with minced shallot, crushed garlic-only at the end! Remember garlic cooks for only 30 seconds to 1 minute- and just before serving add a glug of olive oil, some lemon zest and a handful of minced chive.
For a quick appetizer, place some good quality chevre (goat cheese) in a ramekin, drizzle with olive oil and bake until warmed through about 15-20 minutes. Top with chive and serve with fresh baguette.
Boil some baby red potatoes. One cooked, smash them with the back of a fork and add a few pats of butter. Pour in a touch of milk to loosen and then add some fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano and a handful minced chive.
Make a breakfast omelet stuffed with chevre, sautéed mushrooms, parmigiano and minced chive.
Sass up some pre-made hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of chive.

Now, go have fun and discover your own favorite ways to use this delightful herb!

Cauliflower soup for a rainy day...

2011-04-22T10:07:00.001-05:00

It is now almost fully through April here in Chicago. This month we have had days that are 80 degrees as well as days that are 30 degrees. Seriously. If you’ve ever spent any time in Chicago during spring you know how emotional the weather can be, it will change at any given time for no reason at all. So this morning I sit on my favorite spot on the couch looking out over the fabulous skyline of the city that is only partially visible due to the fog that comes in off the lake. Rain is tapping on the window and the harsh brightness of the grey sky is providing just enough light to prevent flipping the switch.

My only saving grace is a lovely white pitcher filled with flame colored tulips that sits by one of the windowsills in addition to the knowledge of what I plan on making for dinner. A beautiful big bowl of creamy cauliflower soup topped with some chives (or ramps!) and a lovely glass of wine. As the temperature is a chilly 40 today I imagine that the fireplace will be lit in addition to plenty of candles, as candles provide some of my favorite light-lovely, romantic and comfortable.

Another reason why I love this recipe so much is that it is deceptively fabulous. There are only 4 ingredients. Really! Cauliflower, butter, chives and salt. It will lay on your tongue as if there is a hefty amount of cream added, but that's part of the beauty of cauliflower. Trickery!

You will only get two pieces of equipment dirty, a sauce pot and a blender, and the results are simply decadent. If you are looking for a beautiful soup to make for yourself, your darling, or even a dinner party whip this up and your mood will certainly perk up whether you have a rainy spring or lovely sunshine.

Cauliflower Soup

Serves 3-4 as main dish

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, cut into 8-10 pieces
2-3 T. unsalted butter
salt, to taste
chive or ramps for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Fill a large saucepot with water and bring to boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and add the cauliflower.
Cook the cauliflower 8-10 minutes until a knife can easily pierce through the flowerettes.
Place the cooked cauliflower in a blender along with a few ladles of the cooking water. Begin blending, adding enough cooking water to blend into a smooth, velvety puree. (I end up adding anywhere between ½ cup and 1 cup cooking water and blend for a few minutes to make sure it is extremely smooth).
Once you’ve reached the consistency you are happy with pour out the remaining cooking water from the saucepot and then pour the cauliflower puree back into the pot to keep warm.
Add the unsalted butter and stir with a whisk until fully melted and incorporated. Ladle into serving bowls and top with finely minced chive.

Tasty Tempeh.....

2011-04-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

There are many nights that I come home late from a 12 hour work day and barely have time to cook for myself. Yes, yes, it’s true- the cobblers kids have no shoes…..the chefs mouth is never fed….. So, my solution to this problem is to always have a few things on hand that I can throw together at last minute’s notice. Some of those things are- frozen fruits for my smoothies, quinoa flakes to make my morning porridge, baby greens/avocados/almonds to make a quick lunch or dinner, tempeh/tofu/beans to add some vegan protein to a dish, and of course chocolate (seriously, did you NOT see that coming?)

So, one of my favorite meals to throw together quickly is a mixed baby greens salad with avocado/ toasted nuts/ whatever extra vegetables are lying in my kitchen and bbq tempeh. Now, for some of you the thought of eating tempeh might be a little overwhelming (and some of you might not even know what tempeh is! Check out my favorite brand here), so you may certainly substitute shrimp or chicken -two things that are SUPER easy to keep on hand at all times in the freeze.

After reading this post, a good practice for you might be to think of 1-2 dinners that are relatively non-perishable that you can keep on hand at all times for a quick “throw together” dinner for those nights in which you maybe forgot to stop at the grocery store or if you get home late, etc. Maybe try incorporating some bbq tempeh to your diet. It’s tasty, super filling, and loaded with fiber!

BBQ Tempeh

1 package tempeh, cut into 12 pieces (lengthwise)
1 T. olive oil
½ cup bbq sauce (one of my absolute favorites is Stonewall Kitchen’s Maple Chipotle Grill Sauce)
*Extra bbq sauce for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat large nonstick pan over medium heat 1 minute. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds.
Add the tempeh in a single layer and cook until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Turn over and cook the other side 5-6 minutes as well.
Add half the bbq sauce and cook a few minutes on one side. Turn over and add the remaining ¼ c. bbq sauce and cook another few minutes until the sauce is thick and caramelized. Serve with extra bbq dipping sauce.

Happy Healthy Eating- kendra

Drink this....NOW! (your body will thank you)

2011-03-12T13:08:00.001-06:00

After a busy week with work and social events my body has now succumbed to the germs of the season and I have a cold. And lost my voice. And have a constant sinus headache. Sounds fun, right?!

Now, many people ask me what I eat on a daily basis and especially what I eat when I get sick. And while I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains pretty consistently, when I am sick I increase the amount of produce I consume exponentially! It’s so important to pump your body full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and lots of liquids to kick out those bad bugs! But the problem is that sometimes when I am sick I don’t really have an appetite, so my solution to the problem is super smoothies. Delicious, filling and packed with vegetables and fruits you will have no idea how healthy they are because they are so tasty!

Smoothie Ingredients

Below is my recipe for my favorite smoothie. I typically have this for breakfast during the week and then I can feel great about beginning my day with 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables. And when I’m not feeling well this smoothie is a great way to pack my body with plenty of nutrients to put me back on the right track to health.

Kendra’s Super Smoothie

1 banana
¼ cup blueberries
¼ cup strawberries
1 cup spinach
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup beet juice
½ cup mango juice
juice from 1 lemon
1 T. flaxseed oil
1 t. vanilla powder or a squeeze of honey

Throw everything in your blender and mix until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Enjoy!

Yes, this is my comfort food....

2011-02-01T21:09:00.000-06:00

The wind is howling....the snow has been accumulating (only about 4 inches thus far, though) and it's chilly willy by the windows! so I lit some candles, turned on the music, started up the fireplace and thought "hmmmmm.....what to have for dinner?" And I answered with so many different things...arugula and ricotta ravioli with spinach? Chicken thighs over kale and red pepper? Brie and baguette? And then I remembered I had purchased some white truffle salt today. YEAH BABY! So now, what to put the truffle salt on......a spoon? no. my shoe? no, although I would seriously consider eating my shoe if it was crusted in truffle salt. popcorn? no, need more substance. brussels and cauliflower. Brilliant!

But what else to serve it with, because of course I need a complete protein (so that means I need a carbohydrate with a dairy or a carbohydrate with a legume or nut). And my decision was to prepare a quinoa toss with sauteed onions, red peppers, wilted kale all tossed with a white balsamic and sweet almond vinaigrette topped off with toasted pepitas. YES PLEASE!?! So, the next time you are planning on getting snowed in and you want some comfort food plan on making this. I promise you won't feel guilty after eating a big, satisfying bowl by the fireplace.

Quinoa with Onions, Kale, Red Peppers and Toasted Pepitas

Serves 2 as main meal and 4 as side dish

½ cup quinoa, rinsed
½ yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, julienned
½ bunch kale, stemmed and sliced into 2”strips
1 T. Earth Balance
3 T. olive oil
3 T. white balsamic vinegar
¼ c. toasted pepitas
sea salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Put rinsed quinoa in a small saucepan. Add ¾ cup water and 1 T. Earth Balance, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a fry pan over medium heat (preferably metal). Add 1 T. Earth Balance, melt 30 seconds and then add the onions. Saute until translucent-about 6-7 minutes- then add the red pepper.
Saute onions and red pepper 2-3 more minutes then add the sliced kale. Using tongs, turn and flip the kale until wilted-about 3-4 minutes-
Add the cooked quinoa to the pan with vegetables and toss with tongs to mix. Scoop into a bowl and then drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Give it a nice pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and toss to mix.
Portion onto serving plates and top with toasted pepitas.

The end of the world, the calm before the storm......

2011-01-31T23:41:00.000-06:00

Today Chicago was more panicked than I've seen it in awhile. The grocery stores were full, parking lots stacked with cars like when you used to line up matchbox cars as a kid. And though Chicago has the highest price of gas in the country, cars were lined up like the pumps were dispensing gold. This all begs one question-has no one in Chicago lived here during a winter? Yes, I know we are supposed to get more snow than we have sine-gulp-1967 (which my father recounted to me today. He said that as the blizzard was gaining momentum he had to pick up my mother from the el stop and it took him an hour to go around the block. awesome, can't wait.) But this all still seems like we're panicking as if the world were ending! Thankfully, it is not. Just some snow. Some beautiful, lovely, fluffy snow.

So let's plan our snow day!! I've begun planning thusly-I've moved my clients up a day (since I know I won't be able to get out of my garage on Wednesday!), I've thought about what food I have in my house (really, enough to last me a full two weeks) and-most importantly-I've planned what recipes to test. Oh, yes, darlings. a day full of delicious dishes, fabulous baked treats, mugs of hot tea laden with honey and lemon, a crackling fireplace and maybe a movie or two! Not bad, right? Here's a sampling of a few of the recipes I'm contemplating....and just remember, i'll look at recipes and then figure out how to change the ingredients around to be gluten free or include chia seeds or remove the dairy. So, check out these links and see if you're inspired to play in the kitchen during our snow day!

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper and Charred Tomato Soup (drizzle kitchen recipe), French Chocolate Macarons, Figgy Buckwheat Scones, French Apple Tart, Truffle dusted popcorn (drizzle kitchen recipe).....those are just some that have been on my list lately.

What recipes will you be playing with in the kitchen during this snowstorm??!!

Awwww, nuts!

2011-01-26T16:43:00.000-06:00

Ok, get ready darlings. Today's post is a long one....there's just too much vital information that you must know about-NUTS! So, if you can get through all my exciting information surrounding these little nutritiont powerhouses I know that you will have a much better understanding of your need to incorporate them into your daily food routine.

Almonds, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts are among some of the most common nuts in the American culture (peanuts are actually a legume, not a nut!). They sound delicious, don’t they? But then your thoughts of noshing on some delicious roasted nutty-ness are halted by the thought that they are pretty fattening, right? Well, friends, I have some good news for you. If you haven’t heard yet, the past decade has resulted in some incredible positive research touting the amazing health benefits of nuts including reduced cholesterol and lowered incidence of heart disease and stroke. Hooray for walnuts on your salad! Hooray for almonds on your oatmeal!

Let’s start with almonds. They’re fairly inexpensive, readily available, and easy to incorporate into almost everything! Their nutritional composition boasts heart healthy mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein and dietary fiber. Almonds also contain a substantial amount of vitamin E (in the alpha-tocopherol form), a fantastic antioxidant that has also been proven to lower the risk of heart disease. The skins of almonds boast hefty amounts of flavonoids, strong antioxidant properties, which when combined with the vitamin E content from the meat of the nut can dramatically help reduce cholesterol levels. (Almonds eaten without the skins are still fabulously healthy, but made even healthier when eaten in the whole form – skin on).

A few of my favorite ways to incorporate the health benefit of almonds into my diet are:

Drinking unsweetened, vanilla almond milk in lieu of cow’s milk
Using almond meal (ground almonds with skin on) to substitute for ¼ of the flour in a baked recipe, and definitely in pancakes and waffles!
Tossing some toasted almonds over salad
Sprinkling almonds over some greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Mmmmmmm!
Sprinkle some almond slivers over tomato soup to give a bit of crunch

In addition to all these incredible heart healthy benefits of almonds, they contain a whopping 7.62 grams of protein per serving (1/4 cup) which is more than an egg! Which means almonds are a fantastic snack as they provide you with plenty of protein to keep you fueled after your body uses up sugar and plenty of good fats to keep you feeling full longer.

Next, let’s touch on walnuts. With similar health benefits as almonds, walnuts can also boast their high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect against heart disease and stroke, high amounts of vitamin E, plenty of fiber and protein. The form of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linoleic acid, that is in walnuts are especially important to consume since it is essential for optimal function of every cell in the human body, but is solely obtained by food. It is not created in the body. So a simple addition of crushed walnuts on your cereal or in your salad can help put your body on the right track to heatlh!

Here are some of my favorite ways to include walnuts into my diet:

Make a salad dressing with toasted walnut oil: 1 T. toasted walnut oil, ¼ t. Dijon mustard, 2 T. lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Top sautéed pears with greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup and toasted walnuts.
A fabulous addition to any salad!
Make a snack mix with dark chocolate chips, dried blueberries and walnuts (but don’t forget ½ cup is about a serving size!)

A few other nuts that are important to mention are pecans, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts. All three nuts are also high in fatty acids (like omega-3 and omega-6 which are the most commonly known), have plenty of protein, fiber and vitamin E. They are all important to add into your diet as they all have cardiac benefits including reduction of the following-stroke, development of Type II diabetes, dementia, advanced macular degeneration and gallstones. Pecans have especially been a source of interest since a study at Purdue University found a link between the form of Vitamin E in pecans and the ability to kill prostate cancer cells. In addition to the health benefits mentioned above, hazelnuts also have good amounts of folate, arginine and B vitamins. While Brazil nuts contain high amounts of selenium, which is beneficial in skin health and will help give you a healthy glow.

Hopefully you are now convinced that even though a serving of nuts seems small, ¼ cup, that they have the ability to pack a wallop of nutrition along with plenty of protein and good fats to keep you full. In addition they have incredible amounts of fiber, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, Vitamin E and in some Vitamin B. Nuts are an affordable way to help add protein to a vegetable salad, crunch to soup and are a great breakfast topper. So grab a handful today and make your heart happy!

Here comes the sun, little darling!

2011-01-09T12:14:00.000-06:00

As I look out onto a beautiful winter day in Chicago, I remember that this picture perfect scene is misleading. You see I am all cozied up inside with the warmth of a fireplace and the heat from the oven, wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms, listening to music and drinking a steamy cup of café au lait. And the sunshine that is filling the room would lead my mind to think that it might, just might, be warm outside. Eeeeh. Wrong answer, try again! It is in fact 25 degrees outside. Oh, yeah, baby-it’s cold outside.

So, the impending question is what to make on this lazy Sunday? This beautiful day that lends a lovely chill to the air…..and the answer is a (gluten free and dairy free!) creamy roasted red pepper and tomato soup, garnished with quinoa, rice “cheddar” cheese and basil. Alternatively you could certainly use any cooked grain you would like, wheat berries, barley, brown rice. And, of course, if dairy is not an issue for you feel free to use mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese (just be sure to toss it in a teensy bit of flour before adding it to your soup).

And who knows, depending on how inspired I feel today I may also throw together a lovely French Apple Tart (a la fabulous pastry chef Sara Moulton) to munch on with some tea for dessert-or an afternoon treat!

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Serves 4

3 red peppers, tops sliced off, cored and sliced in half lengthwise
3/4 lb. plum tomatoes, slice in half lengthwise
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 ½ T. sweet smoky paprika
3 cups good quality vegetables stock
1 cup cooked quinoa (or any other cooked grain or rice)
1 cup rice cheddar cheese, (I happen to love a brand called Daiya)
¼ cup sliced fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly coat the peppers and sliced tomatoes with olive oil and place on the parchment paper, tomatoes cut side down. Roast until their skins are blistered and charred, about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat a medium to large stock pot. Sauté the onions with a hearty glug of olive oil until they begin to sweat, you want them to be translucent not browned.
Add the sliced garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the smoky paprika and stir to coat the vegetables. Pour in the vegetable stock, turn the heat down to low and place lid on top.
Once peppers and tomatoes are nicely charred, add them to the stock and continue simmering the soup another 20-30 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until nice and smooth (alternatively you may do this in batches in a blender. Just be careful that the steam doesn’t cause the top of your blender to pop off while in process!)
Once all blended fold in the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese and the basil.

Happy Healthy Eating! -kendra

Reality Bites

2010-12-29T15:08:00.001-06:00

The week after Christmas is always a challenging food week for me. For the days surrounding Christmas I inevitably let myself eat-are you ready for this- whatever I want. Seriously! If it’s a quinoa salad, fantastic!, but it typically means I am indulging in things such as- shrimp, plenty of fromage and baguette, any chocolate that appears within a 5 ft. circumference of my person, pastas, sweet potato soufflés, crusty rolls and then there’s the cookies! And the desserts! My, oh my, oh my.

Coming off that food high, meals can certainly present themselves to be a challenge. Regaining that self control and remembering that you need to eat things like quinoa and fresh vegetables and fruits in order to not feel like a sloth can be a challenge after eating things like flourless chocolate cake, cheesecake, fruit tarts and the like. Enter a fabulous soup and a fabulous bread. Oh, yes, I said bread (for all you “atkins” fanatics here’s a good life tip for you-bread is NOT evil and can be incorporated into a healthy diet. Period. End of story). And this soup is like none other….it’s chunky and creamy, it’s nutty and sweet and it will fill you up my dearies. I guarantee you will NOT be hungry after eating this meal! And the added benefit of preparing soup is that it makes a large amount so you can portion it out and have delicious meals the remainder of the week. That is, until New Year’s Eve arrives and you are bound to gorge-yet again-on some fabulous libations and scrumptious cuisine.

The other benefit of making winter soups is that root vegetables are very inexpensive this time of year (wink, wink- a benefit of eating seasonally). So do your wallet and your waistline a favor and prepare this comfy soup and bread. Enjoy the healthy and oh so enjoyable aspect of eating this way…..that is until New Year’s Eve!

Winter Vegetable Soup

Serves 6-8

2 carrots, peeled and ½” dice
2 stalks celery, ½” dice
1 yellow onion, ½” dice (see a pattern with this whole dice sized thing?)
2 parsnips, peeled and ½” dice
6 cloves garlic, rough chop
3 T. flour (I prefer brown rice flour, but all purpose will work)
½ cup white wine
1 16oz. can diced tomatoes
1 sweet potato, peeled and ½” dice
2-3 pieces of parmigiano rind (I find these at whole foods but you could just as easily purchase parmigiano and cut off the rind yourself)
2 bay leaves
handful fresh parsley
2 sprigs thyme
water (probably about 2-3 cups…enough to cover the vegetables by 2-3”)
salt and pepper
1 zucchini, ½” dice
2 cups kale, cut into bite size strips (a chiffonade would be fantastic!)
1-2 cups cooked kidney beans, white beans, really any beans you like
fresh grated parmigiano, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a medium-large soup pot over medium heat. Add a healthy glug of olive oil and add the first four ingredients. Saute until just softened, about 7-8 minutes. You don’t want a lot of browning here.
Add the garlic and another little glug of oil, sauté 30 seconds until just fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over all vegetables and stir to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes until the “flourey” flavor cooks off.
Add the wine all at once and stir until a thick sauce forms (this will happen very quickly) then add the tomatoes and stir to combine.
Pop in the sweet potatoes, parmigiano rind, bay leaves, parsley, thyme and enough water to cover the vegetables by about 2-3”. Cover and cook 30-40 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
After the 40 minutes scoop out 1 cup of the soup into a tall heat safe container and puree to a smooth mixture using an immersion blender (alternatively you may use a stand blender but be careful with the steam as it can cause the lid to pop off). Add the puree back into the soup and stir to combine.
Finally, add the zucchini, kale, beans and cook another 10-15 minutes covered. When ready to serve add a nice sprinkling of parmigiano to finish.

Seeded Spelt Flatbread

This fabulous bread recipe is from Heidi Swanson's website, I used the recipe as a base but added whatever I had in my pantry rather than following the recipe to a T. I used a mixture of half spelt flour-half all purpose flour and use sesame seeds with wakame, millet, amaranth, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds as my mixture. I also eliminated the mustard seeds. Of course, topped with chunky sea salt and butter fresh from the oven is the best way to finish!

Heidi Swanson's Seeded Flatbread Recipe

Happy Healthy Eating!

My favorite DIY holiday gift!

2010-12-18T17:42:00.000-06:00

Every year I try to be more and more creative with the gifts I give to my clients. I like to give something in relation to a charity in addition to making something-I mean, how can you get a gift from a chef that doesn’t have to do with food….a revolution may occur.

So, last year it was an ornament designed by St.Jude patients and peppermint bark. And this year I wanted to give something they could feel good about, something their bellies would feel good about and, finally, something their kitchen would feel good about. So, what did I decide? I know the suspense is just killing you….. This year’s gift pack will include a donation to St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital from Drizzle Kitchen, an assortment of holiday cookies and a jar of homemade bourbon vanilla extract. So fun!

Making your own homemade vanilla is so incredibly easy, it lacks even the need for a recipe. It simply requires 2 ingredients. Yep, that’s what I said, two-dos-deux. That’s it! And it is such a lovely gift that I know your friends and family will love. The biggest challenge I had was finding food-safe containers to store the vanilla in. This is very important as you certainly don’t want to poison your recipients (well, maybe for some recipients that is the intent….so use whatever cheap plastic container you can find in that instance). Otherwise, I found luck with glass spice containers at any craft or container store. I found my cute little jars at World Market (I know!) and they were relatively inexpensive. Next, I purchased Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans from my absolutely FAVORITE spice shop- The Spice House-in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago or in Evanston (or online @ www.thespicehouse.com). Finally, I used a locally produced vodka as my base from Traverse City, Michigan (www.grandtraversedistillery.com).

Day One- Bottling of the Vanilla Extract

And here is the grand recipe for homemade bourbon vanilla extract. You need one vanilla bean for each 1/3 cup vodka you use (each of my jars held exactly 1/3 cup vodka which was perfect!). Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise to expose the inner bean flecks and then again in half through the middle if you need it to fit into a shorter jar. Place inside your container. Add the vodka. Seal up the container and place in a cool, damp place to steep for 4-6 weeks. Give it a slight shake every so often and you’ll see the color go from clear to a beautiful deep amber color. And voila! You have made your own spectacular vanilla extract. Merry merry, happy happy! Enjoy giving these little nuggets of vanilla love to anyone you deem worthy and I know it will put a smile on their face.

Day Three- Bottled, Tagged and Ready for Gift Delivery!

**If you would like to learn more about St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital or if you would like to make a donation please visit their webpage @ www.stjude.org and help bring a smile to a beautiful child’s face who is bravely battling cancer.

Big smile for fall.....

2010-11-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

Today is a fabulously beautiful fall day and I am sitting by the fireplace with a big smile on my face. I just poured myself a glass of Chardonnay (hey- sometimes a girl’s gotta have a little mid afternoon libation after working 70 hours a week for the past month….!) and am so excited about my impending dinner. What will I be making? Well, I’ll tell you the ingredients and we’ll see if you can guess…. Ground pork, ground veal, ground sirloin, pancetta, mirepoix (come on now, you know what this is! Onions, carrots, celery. Equal amounts.), tomato paste, white wine, whole milk, thyme, fresh parmigiano and a whole lotta fabulousness.

I know the suspense is killing you. Right? Well, if you were thinking Bolognese you were correct (and should reward yourself with, I dunno, maybe a piece of chocolate. Or a glass of wine!) And rather than serving it over pasta, I have some white beans soaking right now that I am going to sauté with some sliced garlic and wilted spinach and serve the sauce over that.

Hell yes. Now that is the best fall comfort food dinner ever. Oh! Don’t forget about the delicious Bordeaux I’ll be drinking with it…… yep. Big smile….Happy fall darlings.

Bolognese over Garlicky White Beans and Wilted Spinach

½” slice pancetta or 3-4 pieces bacon, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
½ lb. ground veal
½ lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground sirloin
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 T. tomato paste
at least ½ cup white wine (or red, to be honest I’ve used both and it turns out delicious either way. So use whatever you have on hand!)
at least ½ cup whole milk (yes, it HAS to be whole)
3 sprigs thyme
chopped parsley or basil, if you want
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
fresh parmigiano-reggiano
white beans (you can soak your own dried I usually start with about ½ cup dry-SO much better!) or you can use canned cannelini if that’s easier J
2-3 cloves sliced garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3-4 cups chopped spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

Render the fat from the bacon or pancetta by placing in a cold pan (decent size, this is the pan you’ll be making the sauce in) and warming over low heat. Once you have a nice sheen of rendered fat remove the pancetta or bacon with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel. Save for garnish later (yeah!).
Add the carrots, celery and onion and continue cooking over low heat until softened (the name of the game her is low and slow…you don’t want ANY browning). Remove using a slotted spoon once softened and onions are transparent, this should take about 10 minutes.
Add all three ground meats to the pan and cook, breaking up occasionally with the back of a spoon. Cook until there is no more pink showing. Add the vegetables back in to the pan and add the tomato paste. Stir to coat, add a hefty pinch of sea salt and then add a nice gulp of wine to the pan. Stir one to mix and then let it hang out on its own for awhile, covered, until the wine is almost all absorbed into the meat and veg (this might take awhile, 15-30 minutes or so… depending on how patient you are!).
Add the sprigs of thyme and then add a nice hefty drink of the whole milk, making sure you add enough to almost coat the meat and veg. Again, stir once to mix and then cover and let cook until the milk is absorbed (yes, again, the lower heat you can cook this on the better. So if it takes 45 minutes awesome! But if you are impatient or need to eat, like, immediately (only because it smells sooo good!) you can raise the heat and it will be done in about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the beans, garlic and spinach. In a large nonstick sauté pan, pour in a nice layer of olive oil. Add the beans and let sit in one single layer. Strip the leaves off the thyme sprig and sprinkle over the top. Let it sit and cook over medium heat until you have a nice browned layer of beans (8-10 minutes) flip beans using spatula and cook on the other side for a few minutes. Remove from pan.
To the same pan add a touch more oil and then the slivered garlic. Cook over low heat 3-4 minutes just until garlic becomes beautifully fragrant and then add the spinach and cook, turning with tongs until just beginning to wilt then remove from pan to stop cooking.
When ready to serve your amazingly delicious dinner, put a nice spoonful of creamy browned beans on the bottom of your bowl, a nice sprinkle of sea salt, then the garlic wilted spinach, then a hefty spoonful of velvety Bolognese deliciousness and top off with a nice amount of freshly grated parmigiano.

OMGeeeeee. You will be so happy you have this recipe in your repertoire now, trust me. I know it might seem like a lengthy recipe but after you make this once you’ll realize how easy it is! It’s also a great sauce to make a few days before you know you want to serve it because the flavors will only become more pronounced and lovely after it’s been hanging out in the fridge for a few days. Mangia!

"Eat butter first and eat it last...and live 'till a hundred years be past" -Old Dutch Proverb

2010-10-15T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am a healthy chef. Yep, I said it. And many of my friends tease me by asking what sort of “nuts and twigs” I’ve been eating when I see them. Ha! (although it is totally true, if I were an animal I would probably be a squirrel, eating nuts and seeds and running around all the time). I digress…..my point is that as a healthy chef I really have to rely on high quality ingredients or techniques that bring about the most intense flavor so you don’t have to drench your food in butter or cream or cheese to hide bland cuisine. This brings me to one of my most favorite things in the world to work with- browned butter. Yes, yes, I know butter isn’t the healthiest thing in the world. But that’s my point ladies and gents! Is that by browning the butter and enhancing the flavor ten fold you can use just a little smidge of it and you get such delicious and intense flavor. Num, num, num.

Here is how to brown butter and a few ways I like to use it. Plus, it will make your kitchen smell just incredible…enjoy!

Browned Butter

Place any amount of high quality unsalted butter (I prefer Plugra, but any good brand will be perfectly fine!)in a small metal saucepan or fry pan and turn heat to medium. Allow butter to melt and swirl occasionally to move the foam around. After about 5-6 minutes you will probably see the edges begin to brown, continue swirling the pan until the liquid is a beautiful amber color and it smells nutty. Remove from the burner and transfer to a heat safe bowl, be sure to scrape up any delicious brown bits stuck to the bottom!

Favorite ways to use browned butter (“bb”)…..

Use the bb to sauté some white beans, shallot and garlic. Add some chopped fresh spinach to the pan at the end and toss just until wilted. Squeeze of fresh lemon juice over, a touch of fresh parmigiano and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Toss roasted pumpkin or butternut squash wedges with the bb, add some minced sage, a light drizzle of maple syrup or sprinkle of maple sugar and sea salt.
Make frosting for anything fall scented- 12 T. bb (warm) + 4 c. sifted powdered sugar +1/3 c. whole milk, ½ and ½, coconut milk or almond milk.
Drizzle some bb over pumpkin soup or butternut squash soup and top with toasted pepitas.

Happy healthy eating! xx, Kendra

It's a staple in chicago, people.....

2010-10-09T18:33:00.000-05:00

I just so happened to be free last Sunday (and for those of you who know me you’ll understand how rare that is!!), so I called up one of my sisters and suggested that I come spend the afternoon/evening with her and the kids. Thought it would be fun to hang out and I needed to use up the pizza dough I had lingering in my fridge, it had been waiting patiently to be rolled into a delicious crust for a few days. And she couldn’t say “yes please!” fast enough. I have to admit, I am extremely lucky that I get to say that I am best friends with my two sisters. And despite our large age differences (Kara and I are 6 years apart and Krista and I are 13 years apart. Yep-you guessed it, I was a “blessing.”) we all seem to relate to each other and support each other in the most incredible way.

So, last Sunday I was off to suburbia (gulp) with a bottle of wine (duh) and 6 lovely balls of smooth pizza dough (yum). After some errand running we were back at the homestead and everybody was beginning to get that food scavenger bug in them…..you know, the evil bug that creeps out when you know dinnertime is approaching but you feel like you might die if you don’t put something in your mouth. Right. Now. So, Kara opened the vino and I got to work on the pizza with the help of my adorable and culinary talented nephew (who, mind you, is only 7. But he was always in the kitchen with us, from the time he was a babe….i think it might be a genetic thing this cooking talent!). We decided we were going to make a quick sauce from their beautiful garden tomatoes+shallot+olive oil (we didn’t even cook it! Simply whir it up in the food processor, strain it through a mesh sieve and use the thick tomato “pulp” on your ‘za!).

Then we thought about toppings- sauteed portabello mushrooms with some garlic and shallot, whole milk mozzarella and dried oregano. Simple and delicious. So, I went to work mincing the shallot and dicing the mushrooms with Colin volunteering to be the mushroom sauté master once ready.

Then we rolled, spread, sprinkled and baked the pies on a piping hot stone.

The house had that pizzeria smell of toasted flour, cornmeal and a bit of crisped cheese from the part that oozed off the crust. Then, Kara threw together a fabulous salad and it was finally time to enjoy Colin's and my hard work. Ohh, darlings, how I wish you could smell this pizza through your computers...just look at it. Oozy cheese, fresh tomatoes...yep. you want pizza for dinner now, I just know it!

Way to go buddy, you can be my sous chef anyday! xo, Auntie Kendra OR xo, Kendra (in the fashion of my father who always felt the need to clarify if he was “Dad” or “Mr. Peterson” on my college answering machine).

*For a fabulous refrigerated pizza dough recipe check out Heidi Swanson’s fabulous blog for her rendition of whole wheat pizza dough….mine was roughly based on hers! http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001506.html

Mangia!!

Who doesn't love a rice crispy treat? (oh yeah-and it's allergy free!)

2010-09-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the second in my series of Drizzle Kitchen Demonstrations at Williams-Sonoma on Michigan Ave. It’s so fun to bring such a big topic into this giant of the culinary world and reach an audience that is growing by leaps and bounds each year.

Yesterday’s demonstration was on allergy free desserts. Let me now answer the question most of you are asking yourselves at this moment- allergy free means free of the top 8 allergens the government recognizes as being most prevalent. They are (in no particular order) wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, treenuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish. So, clearly the fish and shellfish are no biggie when it comes to baking (duh!). But, think about pretty much anything you’ve baked in the past and I am confident that it has included at least one of the other allergens! So, the trick here is to make food that doesn’t taste like cardboard, doesn’t look gross or underbaked (most allergy free products have a tendency to look “grey” when baked as opposed to the beautiful golden brown we’re so accustomed to), and would appeal to people whether they have allergies or not.

So, bless my friends as they are my guinea pigs much of the time! My first big recipe that was successful was for black bean brownies. Now, I know my betty crocker lovin’ friends would look at me like I was an alien if I told them that’s what I was serving them. So, I have learned now to simply tell them I made a new “healthy” recipe, in that instance I told them it was for fudgy brownies. And they LOVED them!! Ha! So, after they had all taken a bite I giggled (evil) and told them the brownies were made with black beans instead of flour J

Well, years later I have tested multiple recipes that are allergy free and with all confidence I will tell you baking is the absolute hardest thing to do. There are so many factors-different combinations of flours (you cannot simply substitute 1 gluten free flour for all purpose), egg substitutes (a chia egg vs. flax egg vs. egg sub), different milks (coconut, rice, hemp) and then you have the fat (coconut oil, earth balance soy free, shortening, olive oil). Not to mention that the food science behind baking is completely different in regards to structural development with allergy free baked goods. Sound fun, right? Want to get started? Ha! Well, it’s actually not that bad once you play with a few recipes. And that is exactly the message I want to get across to all my families that come to me with panic in their eyes and the fear that because their child can’t eat peanuts, gluten or dairy anymore that there will never again be birthday cake, bread or pizza. So not true!! So, here are a few great allergy free recipes that I taught some panicked mothers yesterday. They found them very helpful and easy and I hope you will too!!

Also- a BIG HUGE ENORMOUS thank you to Enjoy Life Foods for sending me some samples to pass out and use during the demonstration. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their products and hope you will find some relief in knowing that if you want to buy cookies, chocolate chips, cereal or bagels that you can find a guaranteed top 8 allergy free product within all Enjoy Life foods. You can purchase them online or at any Whole Foods location.)

Nutty Chocolate Rice Crispy Squares

1 c. brown rice syrup
1 c. organic cane sugar
1 c. sunflower seed butter
5 c. Enjoy Life Crunchy Rice Cereal
1 c. Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine brown rice syrup and cane sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Add the sunflower seed butter and stir often until all combined. Remove from heat.
Mix sunflower seed butter/sugar syrup mixture and Enjoy Life Crunchy Rice Cereal in large mixing bowl until all coated. Sprinkle in chocolate chips and stir.
Press into a greased 9x13 pan and allow to cool. Cut into squares and try not to eat more than 1…or 2….or 3! Yum!

Everyone loves a nutty chocolate crispy treat!

Coconut Cuppy-Cakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

½ c. + 2 T. brown rice flour
½ c. + 2 T. buckwheat flour
¼ c. potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1 t. xanthan gum
1 c. organic cane sugar
½ c. flaked unsweetened coconut
1 t. baking soda
½ t. sea salt
1 c. coconut milk (light is fine)
1/3 c. light olive oil, vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
1 t. pure vanilla
1 t. white vinegar
*optional addition of 1 c. Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips rather than frosting.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 baking cups with cupcake liners.
In large bowl mix together the brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, cane sugar, coconut, baking soda and sea salt. Whisk together to break apart lumps and blend.
In another small bowl mix together the coconut milk, olive oil, vanilla and white vinegar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the coconut milk mixture in. Gently whisk until just combined.
Scoop into lined cupcake tins, 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Allow to cool 15 minutes in tins then remove to cooing rack to cool completely. Frost if desired with chocolate frosting.

Tomaaaayto, Tomaaahto

2010-09-12T17:17:00.000-05:00

With the recent chill in the air it may seem unlikely that tomatoes are in season. Well, let me tell ya the BEST tomatoes are in season right now! And they are….drumroll….heirloom tomatoes. By far the most fun and tasty of tomatoes. “Why” you may be asking yourself at the moment. You see, the word heirloom is an umbrella term and refers to many varieties of tomatoes that are all flavorful in their own unique way. My favorites are the green zebra and any variety of purple. Any color lends such a unique fresh color to your dish. As far as flavor, each variety is different and most have much less acidity than a standard tomato. Here are 2 ways to use these lovelies before their season ends (super soon!).

Caprese Stack

3 heirloom tomatoes, variety of colors, sliced into 1” rounds
1 ball fresh water packed mozzarella, sliced into 1” rounds
a few leaves of fresh torn basil
crème di balsamic (you can purchase this squeeze bottle of grape must at specialty stores like Williams-Sonoma, Sur le Table and Whole Foods)
few pinches sea salt and coarse ground pepper

Start your stack with a tomato and add a slice of mozzarella, places the slices a bit askew. Top with a piece of basil and continue the stack 2-3 more times. Make sure the top layer is a tomato. Drizzle with the crème di balsamic and sprinkle with the sea salt and pepper. Mangia!

Panzanella Salad
3 cups torn day old –good quality- bread (1” chunks)
½ cup shredded basil (you can tear with your hands)
½ red onion, sliced very thin
2 cups chunked heirloom tomatoes, a few varieties
2 balls fresh water packed mozzarella, cut into 1” chunks
¼ c.-½ c. extra virgin olive oil
2-4 T. white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2-3 pinches good sea salt
lots of fresh ground pepper
Have all ingredients ready and prepared in separate containers. Just before serving combine everything into one bowl and give it a good toss. Taste for seasoning and enjoy!

Men in spandex pants. Errrr-I mean football.

2010-09-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

Football. The quintessential American fall sport that every household watches as a family while they wear their team colors, right? Not so much for this little lady. I grew up in a household full of women, with a father who didn’t much care to spend an entire afternoon watching grown men wear spandex and chase after an odd shaped ball. However, as I grew older I realized that people actually do spend entire days and even weekends watching said sport. So I adapted the best I could and decided I wouldn’t pretend to be in love with the sport rather I would be the person to provide the perfect tailgate menu. OF COURSE! (I have applied that talent to any sporting event, truth be told..).

So, needless to say, I am heading to a friends house tonight to watch some football. And what am I going to do? Cook. I am going to drink some fantastic wine and prepare some delicious food. Chive spike hummus, vegetable and 3 bean chili with cumin whipped greek yogurt, charred cheddar cornbread And I couldn’t be happier to be in the kitchen doing my own thing while cheers and whoops and sighs come from the living room while my friends all watch men in spandex chase after an odd shaped ball.

Chive and Spinach Spiked Hummus

Makes 2 cups

· 1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

· 2-4 T. tahini

· ½ avocado

· 1 cup loosely packed chopped spinach

· ½ red onion, diced

· zest and juice of 1 lemon

· ¼ cup olive oil

· warm water (about ¼ cup, but you may wish to add more depending on the thickness of hummus)

· 2 T. chopped fresh chive

· hefty pinch of salt and pepper

Add all ingredients from beans to olive oil to the bowl of a food processor. Blend together and add ¼ cup warm water. Add more depending on how thick or thin you would like your hummus. Scoop into a bowl, add the fresh chive and salt/pepper. Mix to combine and taste for seasoning. Adjust with more salt, olive oil or lemon juice as you see fit and enjoy with your favorite vegetables or whole wheat pita!

A tiny taste of fall....

2010-09-05T23:02:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is the recipe for the buttermilk apple bread pudding….and let me tell ya-it was delish! It’s taking all my will power to NOT go downstairs and make myself a big, warm, gooey bowl of it right now. But-alas-my full belly (just ate a humongous kale and aduki bean salad) is telling me it’s a better idea to wait until tomorrow. So, here I sit salivating while typing up this blog.

My friend Jessica came over last night to share in the glory of said apple bread pudding. We had a great night, just us two gals. It began with a fantastic bottle of a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, pretzel bread and brie. I mean, we could have just gone right to the bread pudding after that and been happy little campers. But, sometimes I turn into an Italian Mama and really want to feed my guests. And, anywho, the cool weather we were enjoying yesterday gave me a hankering for some roasted sweet potatoes. So, at the last minute I decided to roast some chicken legs over a bed of shallots, whole garlic cloves and diced sweet potatoes. Once the chicken was cooked, I removed the whole tray from the oven and placed the chicken on a separate plate. Then I added some chopped baby spinach to the still warm pan and tossed the sweet potatoes, shallots and garlic with the spinach just long enough to give the spinach a slight warmth. A drizzle of fresh lemon juice, some fresh shaved parm and we were off and running! Once Jessica tasted dinner she asked me how I made it. I promptly gave her an explanation similar to the one I just typed and she looked at me with all seriousness, with that deer in the headlights look, and said, “I’m just gonna call it fancy chicken. K?” I actually almost peed in my pants-it was the funniest thing she could have said at that time.

So, now with the smell of cinnamon wafting through the air we were onto bottle of wine number deux. Still savoring our delicious dinner, we were laughing and reminiscing college memories when the timer went off for the bread pudding. Oh-we were excited…it smelled so incredible in the kitchen, the tang from the apples and the cinnamon spice filling the room with yumminess. We couldn’t wait to dig in!

And so we did. Very quickly I might add, even though we probably lost a layer or two of lining on the roof of our mouths, c’est la vie right? Small price to pay for the gloriousness of butter, apples, bread and cinnamon. Mmmmm. Just creamy enough, tart enough from the apples and just enough caramely-nutty topping to give it some crunch. And the tiny tinge of sea salt crystals, well, ‘nuff said.

Buttermilk Bread Pudding

Serves 10-12

Bread Pudding Mixture

3 eggs
1 flax/chia egg (1 T. flaxmeal or Chia + 3 T. hot water)
1 ¾ cup reduced fat buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. vanilla
2/3 c. organic cane sugar
6-7 cups cubed whole grain bread (or gluten free!)

Apple Layer

¼ c. unsalted butter
4 apples, diced
1 t. cinnamon
¼ c. brown sugar

Top Layer

2 T. unsalted butter
½ c. light brown sugar
½ c. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds. Or any combination of the 3!)
¼ c. whole milk
1 T. sea salt (I prefer Maldon)

Instructions

Lightly butter a 10” deep dish pie plate or 9x13 pan, preferably glass. Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all bread pudding mixture ingredients except bread in a very large bowl. Whisk to mix all together. Add the bread and gently toss with hands to coat all. Set aside.
While bread is soaking, sauté the apples. First melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the apples and sauté until they begin to soften, 6-7 minutes. Add the cinnamon and brown sugar and continue to cook over low heat 2-3 more minutes until sugar is all melted and bubbling gently.
Pour half the bread mixture in the greased pan. Pour half the apple mixture on top of that. Add the remaining bread mixture and finally top with the remaining apple mixture.
Using the pan the apples were cooked in, melt the 2 T. butter for the “top layer.” Add the brown sugar and nuts and stir with spatula to mix together. Carefully add the whole milk and stir to create a creamy caramel coating for the nuts. Pour evenly on top of the bread pudding.
Place pie pan or 9x13 in oven and cook at 350 for 30 minutes, covered loosely with foil. Remove the foil and cook another 15-20 minutes until browned and bubbling on the sides.
Serve plain, with a drizzle of extra buttermilk or with a scoop of vanilla gelato.

rain, rain go away....

2010-09-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

I’m sitting in my office at home right now, drinking a glass of wine listening to the patter of rain hit the window. I’m also thinking about the holiday weekend and the bowl of early season apples I picked up at the farmer’s market earlier this week. With a potential girls night dinner (and the obvious wine that comes along with any good girls dinner) I am throwing around a million ideas for what to do with those beautiful red and green speckled gems. Cinnamon and vanilla bean applesauce with honey crème fraiche? Coriander and citrus spiced apple cobbler? Then I remembered the whole wheat bread scraps in the freezer….and the almonds I just toasted up….and the coconut milk I just bought….and the couple of extra eggs I had in the fridge. I also thought about the fact that Chicago is about to have a 15-20 degree temperature drop (I mean, it’s not that big of a shock….that is, afterall, completely standard behavior for Chicago) and I felt like a homey, chewy, warm baked dessert is just what the apple doctor ordered.

So, apple bread pudding it is. And I might just throw in some toasted amaranth, maybe some millet. You never know…. In the meantime, until I make my soon to be tasty apple bread pudding, make do with this oatmeal and honeyed apple breakfast recipe. I love it for those mornings when you want to curl up with a good book, a steamy mug of freshly brewed coffee and a bowl of somethin’ tasty. (and be sure to stop by again on Saturday for the bread pudding recipe!)

Steel Cut Oatmeal with Honeyed Apples

Dairy Free (Gluten Free if you get Bob’s Red Mill Oats)

Serves 2

1 t. coconut oil

½ c. steel cut oats

1 ½ c. boiling water

¼ c. + 2 T. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 t. coconut oil

1 apple, cored and cut into 1” chunks

1 t. ground cinnamon (I prefer freshly ground Saigon)

2 T. honey (as local as you can find)

1 T. chia seeds

1 T. toasted almonds

DIRECTIONS

Heat a medium saucepan 1 minute. Add the coconut oil and the oats and stir to coat. Toast the oats 3-4 minutes.
Add the boiling water and cook 25 minutes, covered. Do not stir
Add the almond milk and stir to combine. Cook another 8-10 minutes.
While the oatmeal is cooking, prepare the honeyed apples. Begin by heating a sauté pan 1 minute over medium.
Add the teaspoon of coconut oil and then the apples. Saute the apples over medium heat until beginning to soften and brown lightly.
Add the cinnamon and toss to coat, cinnamon should be fragrant.
Add the honey and stir to coat. Remove apples from heat.
Split the oatmeal evenly between two bowls. Divide the honeyed apples up between the two bowls.
Sprinkle the chia seeds and the toasted almonds over the apples in the bowls.

Enjoy!

Music and Mascarpone....

2010-08-27T15:46:00.000-05:00

The other night five of my girlfriends and I spent the most beautiful evening outside, under the stars listening to Ray LaMontagne and David Gray perform. Between the 65 degree weather, delicious food and amazing music the night was pretty much perfect! Ray LaMontagne and David Gray are two of my favorite artists and to hear them while the lights of downtown buildings sparkled above and the breeze off Lake Michigan was just enough to give you that first taste of fall, it was fantastic!

I knew there were to be lots of giggles, lots of story telling and lots of wine while sitting on a blanket with my ladies. So that morning I was trying to think of something easily portable, delicious and not too heavy to bring for dessert. I’ve been trying to use as many berries as possible as I know the end of their deliciousness is nearing, and Chicago stores will soon be shipping strawberries in from Florida, California or even crazy places like Brazil or who knows where…..So I knew strawberries were meant to be part of the evening. I also thought it would be fun to incorporate some booze and maybe add a creamy element (taleggio? Crème fraiche? Vanilla bean whipped cream?). Then a lightbulb went off and I went to work on my quick and fabulous dessert- red wine marinated strawberries with creamy mascarpone cheese. I mean, really? Yeah, amazeballs. The strawberries themselves were so bright red and sweet, the wine I used was a red blend from Italy with just enough tannins to let the strawberries shine through, just a touch of honey mixed in and I let them marinate for about 6 hours until we left for the show. When it came time to assemble I speared the strawberries, plopped a nice spoonful of dreamy mascarpone cheese on top and then dipped the mascarpone section of the berry in turbinado sugar. Lovely!

So, the next time you need something simple, sweet and at the same time decadent try this out! You could even make it into a trifle (first drain off the wine), add some chunked pound cake, some crushed up cookies or even just some toasted almonds and you’ll have a really beautiful dessert that people will think is just sumptuous and seductive…..

Red Wine Macerated Strawberries with Mascarpone

8 oz. ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
enough red wine to cover the strawberries in your container (about 1 cup)
2 T. honey or agave
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
¼ cup turbinado sugar

The morning you plan on serving the strawberries combine them with the wine, cover and refrigerate until time to serve (at least 4-5 hours up to 12). When ready to serve, if you are at a picnic use a wooden skewer to spear the strawberry. Next put a dollop of the mascarpone on top and then roll the mascarpone section of the berry in the turbinado sugar.

*Alternatively, if you want to serve this at a dinner party-drain the strawberries and divide into 5-6 small dessert dishes. Top with a few tablespoons of mascarpone cheese and sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar (or maybe some orange blossom honey!) and sprinkle with toasted almonds, crushed cookies (amaretti cookies would be divine!) or some chunked yellow cake.

It's not goodbye, just a pause between visits...

2010-08-24T21:23:00.000-05:00

The final location of my 10-day Hamptons/Manhattan food adventure was set to take place at ABC Kitchen (thanks S for help on the rezy!). It is a Jean-Georges restaurant that focuses on local seasonal ingredients with an ambiance of south beach white meets Anthropology chic meets New York energy. White painted brick walls, white washed floors, low lighting-mainly provided by CB2ish glass chandeliers and candle holders-and a great soundtrack all lent way to the three-hour dinner that my dear friend, Joyce, and I enjoyed.

Dinner went by much too quickly, unfortunately, as I could have tried multiple more dishes offered on the menu. However, we were able to enjoy some incredible flavors while catching up and laughing (at times doubled over!) about the past 10 years of adventures we’ve been through. Pretzel crusted calamari served with an acidic yet creamy dipping sauce, skate wing carpaccio with seasonal plums that was sliced so thin it folded over on itself, and peeky toe crab on the most addictive buttered country bread began our meal.

After which the chef sent out a beautifully bright dish of shaved tuna surrounded by a light broth that hit your cheeks sweet tart receptors but rounded out with fresh mint. Always fun to get a surprise at your table! Then, as many girls do when dining together, we decided to order a bunch of other things and share-tapas style-as opposed to ordering large entrees independently. Poached halibut with zucchini and pancetta was our shared “main” dish, accompanied by shaved summer squash and parmigiano-reggiano over arugula with an herbed yogurt dressing. The summer squash was shaved so it was almost transparent, coated with the creamy-tangy dressing and finished off with the nutty bite of the parmigiano-reggiano, I could absolutely eat that every day for lunch and feel ultimately fulfilled.

And to finish it off, because I am the kind of person who most definitely needs something sweet after every meal, we turned to the fantastic advice of our server. His recommendation provided us with a bright white bowl filled with a ruby red sauce of macerated berry juice, tiny bites of marinated strawberries, crunchy and airy mini meringue stars and a sour cream poppyseed ice cream canelle. Oh, yeah, that was the way to finish off my last meal! The sweet tart of the soft berries, the sugary blood red strawberry sauce, the tiniest crunch from the meringue and the peculiar bite from the poppyseed in the ice cream was the best curtain call on my NYC trip.

I am looking forward to many more adventures in New York over the course of this year and of course many more incredible meals to accompany each trip!

Food, Glorious Food!

2010-08-19T19:18:00.000-05:00

So this week of New York travels has consisted of some exploration of the city independently as well as with some friends. Monday was spent having a fantastic lunch at a quant French restaurant in Southampton followed by a walk around some shops, and a relaxing drive back into the city. After some down time reading a new book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, dinner was a sizeable amount of fantastic sushi in Washington Square. There are few things better than a piece of buttery, velvety salmon with white waves of marbling. Mmm- melt in your mouth love.

Tuesday morning was back to Soho, to visit the lovely French café tucked in between the hustle of the neighborhood. After a cup of coffee and a beautifully flaky layered, chewy croissant I was off to start my day and prepare to get some advice from a friend on writing my cookbook. The advice and creative information I absorbed from her put me in an inspired mood to move forward and give some legs to the process! On my way back from the meeting I decided to stop at Todd English’s Olives bar in the W Union Square and have a glass of wine, look up some of the websites that were recommended to me and catch up on some work. The independence that one can feel from sitting by yourself, watching the action before you while being comfortable with no “plus 1” by your side is invigorating to me. I have begun to make a habit of taking myself out for brunch on the weekends, sitting with the paper and just enjoying my time by myself and a great cup of coffee!

Tuesday evening provided another fantastic dinner at Ippudo, which consisted of the same cucumber dish I described in the last entry, some crispy fried pork belly, a fantastic bowl of slurpy perfectly gingered and salty ramen and more agedashi tofu! Dinner was followed by a lovely walk to a little ice cream shop, which lured us in with the wafting smells of sugary waffle cones and fresh baked cookies. A scoop of creamy, light green pistachio ice cream and the night was complete!

Yesterday, my last full day in Manhattan, was chock full of city exploration in the northern parts. I began the morning at Starbucks with a friend on the Upper West Side then walked through the middle of Central Park where no walk is complete without passing a movie being filmed! When I exited the park to the Upper East Side, I met a girlfriend at an exquisite home that houses some beautiful artwork, called The Fricke. A self guided tour of the mansion led us to enjoy the Degas and Renoir pieces it holds, it was such a beautiful quiet sanctuary in the middle of the bustling city.

What follows a beautiful museum- a beautiful meal of course! My friend Heidi, fellow locavore and health food junkie, took me to a vegetarian restaurant called Candle 79 where we both had fantastic meals. She ordered the raw lasagne with cashew cheese, tomatoes, zucchini and basil-pine nut pesto and I had the charred vegetable and seitan sandwich with polenta fries. For those of you who are shifting in your chair as you read “cashew cheese” I assure you it is delicious when made well. It is creamy with the velvety mouthfeel of whipped ricotta cheese, and flavorful but mellow enough to be a good medium for the other flavors held in the rest of the dish. The fresh basil combined with the seasonal juciness of the ruby tomato made for an incredible bite of summertime. My sandwich, was not too far off in the fresh seasonal flavor profile, although because it was charred it also encompassed the meaty and umami flavor from the grilling process. The polenta fries were executed perfectly. Creamy and tender in the middle and crunchy on the outside with just enough corn flavor and creaminess to make you wish every fry was this tasty.

We decided to pass up dessert in anticipation of the French macarons we had picked up on our way to lunch. And the delicate bite of the cookie, combined with the deep richness of the chocolate ganache filling inspired me to look for a macaron cookbook at our next desintation. Our most anticipated adventure for the day was a cookbook store on the Upper East Side called Kitchen Arts & Letters. This quaint little bookstore holds a plethora of titles, both new and old, in print and out of print, English publications as well as many other languages. And though small in actual size, the quantity of books it held provided enough entertainment to keep me occupied for the two hours we were there although I am confident I could have stayed two days! So, inspired by the pistachio-chocolate macaron I enjoyed earlier I decided to seek out a macaron cookbook, published in French. (I have been trying to gradually learn French and have been told by many other chefs that a great way to do so is to get a cookbook en francais !)

Stay tuned for my next post about ABC Kitchen….

Empire State of Mind

2010-08-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

So, it’s been a few years since I’ve been a single girl back in New York. I used to spend quite a bit of time in Manhattan and I have to say it’s so fabulous to be back. I love the feel of the city, the continual patter of footsteps on every street and the overall energy it gives off. It also helps that I have some fantastic friends in the city who enjoy indulging in similar things I do-food, wine, cooking, new restaurants, great conversation.

It was a wonderful and empowering feeling when I stepped off the plane at LGA, got into a cab and he asked the best way to get to the address I was headed. Yes, I was back as a pseudo-New Yorker. You have to have a sort of confident presence to really enjoy and blend in and not look like you’re referencing your google maps mobile app every 2 seconds. And it’s fantastic when you realize where you are and how to get places. Even though it has been 3+ years since I’ve been back here running around on my own it took but a few hours for me to remember the layout of the neighborhoods I used to frequent. Experiences like this help me remember how to be independent, confident and comfortable in my own skin.

And, as expected, I have already been to some incredible restaurants. Torrisi Italian Specialties- on Mulberry b/w Spring and Prince in Nolita-is this fabulous little space with seating for barely 15 people. It’s darling inside and the food was fantastic. A $50 prix fix menu, basically, you choose your entrée but everything else comes to the table sort of family style (but without the Italian mama, stuff your gut until you bust portion sizes). The mozzarella is a lovely little pillow of soft cheese that is chewy and buttery all at the same time with the perfect amount of grit from the sea salt sprinkled on top. The pickle salad was a great way to taste, all in one bite, the stages that a cucumber goes through to become a fantastic pickle. And everything else was just as beautiful but dessert needs to be mentioned here. A non-pretentious, non-“pastry chef” compilation of the most delicate and perfect Italian cookies. A variety of about 5-6 total, with enough for one cookie or bar for each guest and the perfect way to end the evening with a touch of buttery sweetness.

The following evening was met with a reservation at Ippudo noodle bar in the East Village with 2 fabulous girlfriends. As a place I have been previously, I knew how delicious it was and was excited to try some of the same things and also a few new ones. One of my favorites-their marinated cucumber dish is just one of the best things you can put in your mouth. Chilled, thick coins of cucumbers marinated in a fantastic asian dressing topped with crushed and toasted sesame seeds and a bit of spice. Simple and amazing. The ramen is, of course, fantastic and the agedashi tofu-mmmmmazing. I would eat that every day for lunch (and maybe dinner sometimes?) if possible. The broth is delicious and light with ginger perfuming every bite and just enough saltiness for the tofu to cut through. A great way to cleanse your palate and make your tummy happy with a filling yet light dish that is so satisfying.

Ok, enough food writing for now but I will certainly post in the next few days about my fortunate encounter with some delicious cuisine at Locanda Verde and Babbo (both in one day-fantastic!).

Clean and Clear and Under Control......

2010-08-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

So the 5-day detox was just as rough as I thought it was going to be! However, it felt so incredible to have cleared my body of the everyday toxins and to have pumped it full of an incredible amount of fruits and vegetables!

My usual daily routine consisted of something similar to this-

Breakfast Snack- Glass of water with ½ lemon juice, 1 cup fruit

Breakfast- Shake (either a lemon-lime shake, see recipe below, or a shake from Karyn’s Raw)

Mid-morning Snack-banana with raw almond butter

Lunch-dehydrated kale chips or sprouted sunflower seeds, glass homemade nut milk (I prefer almond milk) with 1 cup Karyn’s raw/vegan granola OR-raw “yogurt” with mango puree from Karyn’s Raw

Dinner- big salad (my favorite is a mixture of spinach, red cabbage, romaine, mango, jicama, fresh corn, strawberries, grape tomatoes, sprouted sunflower seeds, halved snap peas and a raw cashew “ranch” dressing)

Dessert- you guessed it. Fruit!

Now the challenge that I ran into is that it is the nature of my chosen career path that I am super active an on my feet 10-14 hours per day. In addition to that I work out almost every day. So, I found myself feeling a bit sluggish at the end of day three most likely because I am actively burning calories and the raw/vegan diet provides few complex carbohydrates from whole grains. So, one I found karyns raw granola I did feel a tremendous amount better that I did before adding that to the diet.

Another challenge I could foresee many people having is that if you lead a busy lifestyle and would like to prepare most of your detox food yourself you really have to prepare it all from scratch. Our food products sold in the grocery store are pasteurized and are therefore heat processed to be so. Hence-not raw as they are heat treated during the pasteurization process…..so even though almond milk is indeed a vegan product unless you are making it yourself it isn’t raw. Good news=its super easy to make! Just takes a bit of planning and forethought. And that seems to be the theme of the detox, lots of planning.

In the end I am glad I took the plunge and cleansed my body. I would recommend weaning yourself off coffee prior the detox. Going cold turkey on that in addition to the cleanse itself led my body to many migraines, which could be prevented had I cleared myself of caffeine prior the 5 days. So, next time you feel motivated feel free to contact me with any questions you are looking to have answered or any advice you are seeking. Happy cleansing!

Lemon-Lime Shake

1/2 avocado
½ frozen banana (I break them in half prior freezing)
1 cup coconut water
1 T. flaxseed meal or chia seeds
juice of 1 whole lemon
juice of 1 whole lime
1 packet stevia
5-6 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until it is a beautiful light green, silken drink.

New Beginnings....

2010-08-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

I’m back! I know it’s been awhile since my last post. Much has happened in the world of Kendra Peterson and unfortunately my blog was pushed aside while I tried toI get my head back on straight. This is certainly the best re-introduction to the life of Kendra and Drizzle Kitchen. So, thank you for your patience my fabulous friends and enjoy the post!

August has always been one of my favorite months. Why you may ask? Well, my birthday happens to be August 9^th. And in celebration of my birthday I adopt what I lovingly call “birthday month.” This may seem insane to many, however the purpose of “birthday month” is not to buy myself presents everyday or go out to dinner all 31 days. Rather it is to celebrate being me. I might take myself out for coffee one morning rather than make it at home or I might take a day off from working out and take a long walk with a girlfriend. Just doing little things that I wouldn’t normally allow myself to do.

Well, this August is especially symbolic of me celebrating me. I am newly single and it has been a long journey thus far to bring myself back to being and feeling like Kendra, post break-up. It was a long relationship and we were living together. So, life threw me one of those curveballs that you just can’t control, no matter how hard you try. So instead I am controlling the outcome. I am taking back my life and starting fresh. So, what perfect timing for birthday month (I almost feel as if it should be capitalized, no? I mean, it is sort of a holiday?!).

So, to start off birthday month I am doing a cleanse of my life. I am trying to purge all negative emotions, I am trying to allow myself to breathe and not feel stress as I have in the past few months. And within that realm I have also decided to do a 5 day detox. To rid my body of any negative and harmful things the environment/food/alcohol have placed there (with my assistance, of course). I am also taking myself on a 10 day trip to New York. To visit friends that I haven’t seen in some time, to revisit some of my favorite NYC spots, to walk through Central Park on a lovely summer day and to just have time away from the busy-ness of my life. So, the detox is also in preparation of enjoying some of my favorite places (and trying some new ones!) for food and perhaps a glass of wine or fourty.

Are you curious as to what I am consuming on this crazy detox of mine? Well, between how busy I am and the fact that I cook for other people about 12 hours of the day its been an interesting start as to what I will be eating, how I will be getting it and how I’ll have any time to make it! The basis for my detox is no caffeine, no alcohol and only raw/vegan foods. That being said, I will tell you I am ever so grateful for Karyn’s Raw. It’s a fabulous little spot on Halsted, just south of Armitage. She has a fabulous juice bar, raw smoothie bar and a great selection of raw and organic ready prepared foods. There is also a restaurant attached which is fantastic.

In addition to having karyn’s as an easy option, I decided to also get myself in gear and prepare some tasty raw/vegan delights. Here is my menu for the day….

- ½ c. blueberries and ½ c. mango

- 1 c. mango coconut yogurt

- 1 banana/nut milk/coconut water/banana/flax shake from Karyn’s

- 1 c. snap peas and 1/3 cup homemade guacamole

- ½ c. dehydrated kale chips, bbq flavor (definitely bought those at whole foods!)

- ¼ c. sprouted sunflower seeds

- biiiiiig salad made of: chopped romaine and spinach, strawberries, red pepper, soaked garbanzo beans, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh corn and a raw ranch dressing (recipe courtesy oft my good friend Dawn Jackson Blatner!)

- not sure about dessert yet. I know I’ll be craving something sweet. Perhaps some homemade chocolate almond milk. Yum!

And lots and lots of water with lemon juice squeezed in. tomorrow I plan on getting some fresh fruit juice from karyn’s (the stuff at the store is pasteurized b/c we’re paranoid in this country. Through the process of pasteurization, the product is heated and therefore not raw anymore….many nutrients are lost).

So, I’ll keep you updated with my detox and what exactly I am eating and what exactly I am feeling……and come next week I’ll be posting about my adventures back in New York City!

Because every mom loves chocolate....

2010-05-06T14:23:00.000-05:00

The other night my girlfriends came over for an impromptu dinner, which are my favorite kind of dinners! I like the last minute girlie dinner dates because if planned in advance my brain swirls around with all the different things I want to make and I really have a hard time deciding. So, if it’s a last minute thing I have to cook the way I truly enjoy-simple, easy and with what I have on hand.

So this week dinner was an Asian noodle stir-fry (recipe on the last posting!) with tofu, red peppers, snow peas and rice noodles. Yum. And for dessert the girls brought over the goods for a sundae bar. Double yum. So I decided to throw together a hot fudge sauce to make the sundaes extra special. Let me tell you- make sure you send the extra sauce home with your friends because you will eat any leftover fudge straight from the fridge with a spoon!

As I was pouring the fudge into to-go containers for the ladies I thought-“I am going to make another big batch of this hot fudge, pour into cute glass jars, tie a ribbon around it and give it to the sweet mommies in my life!” So, hopefully this super duper easy recipe will inspire you to give your mom a homemade gift to help celebrate her special day.

Hot Fudge

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (I prefer Scharffenberger bittersweet, but it can be a bit too dark for some people’s taste!), chopped
2 T. unsalted butter
1 T. liquor of choice (chambord, grand marnier, rum, bailey’s or just vanilla)

DIRECTIONS

Combine whipping cream, honey, brown sugar, cocoa powder and half of the chocolate in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 7-8 minutes until the chocolate is melted and the fudge is bubbling.
Remove from heat, add the remaining chocolate, unsalted butter and liquor. Whisk together until chocolate is melted and sprinkle a touch of sea salt into the sauce.
Allow to cool a bit before serving.

Girls night in....

2010-05-04T23:43:00.001-05:00

Tonight was a last minute girls get together. And in the middle of my menu brainstorming one of my friends sent me a text that read- “can you make those really good noodles I like?” I immediately knew what she was speaking of! This dish is one of my go to meals during the week, usually because I have all the ingredients on hand. You can change the protein to whatever you would like-leftover roasted chicken, cubed tofu, sliced pork tenderloin. And even though this dish is quick to throw together, the flavors lend it to multiple layers of deliciousness. Salty from the butter sub, sweet from the brown sugar, spicy from the siracha and fresh from the herbs. It’s an all in one pan kind of dish, which the token family dishwasher will appreciate! I hope you try it next time you’re craving chewy rice noodles (with a delicious sauce and lots of crunchy vegetables…yum!)

Ingredients

-8 oz. (1/2 lb.) rice noodles, cook according to package instructions

-1 lb. skirt steak, sliced thinly against the grain

-3" piece ginger, grated

-8 cloves garlic, minced

-1 piece lemongrass (remove 4-5 outer leaves, trim bottom and cut top down so you are left with about a 3-4" piece, slice thinly and slowly-lemongrass is really tough- and then mince)

-1 bunch green onions, minced

-4 T. vegan butter substitute (I use earth balance soy free)

-4 T. packed brown sugar

-1/2 lb. snow peas, cut in half

-1 red pepper, julienned (cut into long strips)

-1/2 cup fresh mint, minced

-1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Directions

Make beef marinade-2 T. oil, half of the minced green onions, 1 t. grated ginger, 1/4 of the lemongrass, salt and pepper. Mix together, pour over beef in baggie and let marinade at least 1 hour. Remove from marinade and then pat dry.

Heat large saute pan over medium heat. Add a touch of oil and then saute the beef until just not pink anymore. Remove to plate.

Add the butter sub to the pan and melt. Add the brown sugar and stir. Cook 1-2 minutes until brown sugar is dissolved into the butter sub. Add the remaining chopped green onions, the remaining lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Stir.

Add the vegetables and stir into sauce, saute 3-4 minutes until a bit softer.

Add the beef, mint and cilantro and stir to combine. Add the rice noodles and use tongs to combine all ingredients and coat noodles with sauce.

*-I like to add lots of siracha (spicy chili sauce) to mine* sometimes a squeeze of fresh lime juice is also tasty :)

Enjoy!

Mangia!

2010-04-18T19:24:00.000-05:00

I am having a girlfriend over for dinner tomorrow and my mouth is already watering for the pasta I am going to make. Thinking about the seasonal produce I of course want to use asparagus and from there I thought, what sounds good? The answer-pasta!!

I don’t eat a lot of pasta at home, I actually don’t eat a lot of pasta in general. But there are a few combinations that I simply can’t resist and, on occasion, get a craving for. Butternut squash or pumpkin filled ravioli in a browned butter sauce (I mean, really, how could that be bad?), light and fluffy perfectly made gnocchi in a fresh tomato basil sauce (of course with plenty of fresh parmigiano-reggiano) and the final is fresh linguine with a pancetta/bacon, cream and parmigiano-reggiano sauce with fresh spring peas and asparagus. Any of those three will most definitely win me over as a friend (in case any of you are wondering how to get me onto your good side….)

The best part about the asparagus and pea pasta is that it really takes just a few ingredients. Of course, just like with any recipe, you should use this recipe as just a building block and add whatever flavors you like into it. Mushrooms, yes! Arugula, yes! Shrimp, hell yes! Let yourself get creative and I guarantee you will be pleased with the results. (Plus, let’s be honest if you mess it up there aren’t a whole lot of dishes that can’t be fixed with a boatload of fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano!)

So, go to your local farmer’s market or co-op this week (or grocery store which hopefully will carry some local asparagus and fresh peas) and pick up some goodies to throw in this pasta dish. Mangia!

Fresh Linguine with Bacon, Peas and Asparagus

1/4 cup diced pancetta or 4 strips bacon, diced (easiest to do when frozen…)
1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-2” pieces
1 cup fresh shelled peas (blanched about 1 min) or frozen peas
2 cloves garlic, smashed with back of knife and roughly chopped
3-4 shallots, diced
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2-3 big spoonfuls mascarpone (or ¼ cup heavy cream)
1 cup fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano
juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ lb. fresh linguine
handful parsley, roughly chopped (probably about 1/3 cup) *

DIRECTIONS

Heat large pot of water for the pasta. (don’t forget to add the salt!)
Put pancetta, or bacon, in large sauté pan and render fat out over medium-low heat. About 8-10 minutes until browned and crispy. With slotted spoon, remove pancetta from pan.
Add the asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes.
Add the peas, garlic, shallot and crushed red pepper. Toss with tongs. Cook 4-5 minutes until fragrant.
Cook the fresh linguine according to package and –this is very important- save ½ cup the pasta cooking water.*
While the pasta is cooking (and by the way, it won’t take very long. Fresh pasta cooks in 3-4 minutes), add the mascarpone or heavy cream to the pan, stir to melt. Then add the parmigiano-reggiano, a good glug of olive oil, half the lemon zest and juice and the linguine with its ½ cup cooking water. Toss to coat everything and cook a few minutes to make a beautiful creamy sauce.
Sprinkle the parsley over all, toss again, season with salt and pepper and serve.

*there have been so many times I have forgotten to save the pasta water, so now when I add the pasta to the pot I also put a glass measuring cup inside my colander to help remind me when I am draining the pasta!

*sometimes I add mint and/or basil in addition to some parsley in this dish. Hopefully you are growing one of those in your garden, so pick it, smell it (yum!) and throw it in!

Dragonfly Kisses

2010-04-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

When I was eight years old my mother passed away. Since then, at different times in my life dragonflies have become a clear connection between her and I. When my sisters divided up my mom’s jewelry I received a dragonfly necklace. Floral arrangements I would receive just happened to have a dragonfly pick mixed within the flowers. And at random times dragonflies appear when I am taking walks or running or just spending time with friends outside.

That symbol is such an incredible source of comfort for me, that is accompanied by a bit of sadness. But the overwhelming sense is that I am amazed and feel so lucky that I have been able to recognize that special symbol that I share with my mother.

Lately, I have been dealing with some serious personal issues. All of which are out of my control. For the second time in my life I don’t know where my path is heading. This is all very scary and unsettling and overwhelmingly sad. And in the midst of this whirlwind that has become my life I have tried to sort through it all, understand my emotions, organize my thoughts and come out on top as an elegant, calm, strong and deserving woman. Let me tell you, it is not easy. Anger is an unfortunate emotion.

So, the other night when this happened it made my heart smile and feel like my mom is, as always, watching down on me and at my side to help guide me through this time.

It was a beautiful night and I had the deck doors open in the condo. Now, the condo I live in is on the 33^rd floor of a highrise in the middle of downtown Chicago. We don’t get much nature around us except the occasional bird coming from their flight over the lake or en route. I had a girlfriend over and we were chatting and all of a sudden a dragonfly flew in one of the doors and landed on the wall. At first I was a completely shocked that this huge bug was in the condo! And then I realized it was a dragonfly and my heart felt both elated and sad at the same time. I know there was a message from that dragonfly, I still have yet to figure out the clear path of the message but what I do know is it is another instance of my mom telling me she’s here by my side to help comfort me.

My point in telling this story is that through traumatic and life changing events I understand all too much that it is really hard to feel any sense of calm and comfort. But I believe it is extraordinarily important to recognize symbols in your world and then be able to recognize how they enter into your days when you just need a little something to help hold you up. So search your soul and find your symbol and I know you’ll see it surrounding you when you need it most.

Superbowl Recipe Numero Uno.....Salsa

2010-02-01T22:25:00.000-06:00

This really is one of my favorite things to throw together for a big gathering. For one thing, this salsa is so packed full of vegetable deliciousness you have no need to feel guilty about eating the whole bowl yourself. Seriously. The second thing I love is that even the "meatiest" and "manliest" of men like this salsa, not even realizing how good it is for them! (ha!)

But really, other than a whole load of chopping, this is really a throw it all in one bowl and toss it together type of recipe. It's great for barbecues, boat parties, football games, tailgates, superbowl parties or just anytime you want to make a homemade salsa that won't make you feel guilty and is awesomely good.

Garbanzo, Black Bean, and Tri-Pepper Salsa

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly on a bias
1 red pepper, small dice
1 green pepper, small dice
1 yellow or orange pepper, small dice
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup corn kernels, (preferably fresh but frozen will work)
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 avocados, small dice
½ cup cilantro, finely minced
1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1-15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T. good quality olive oil
1 T. cumin
2 t. smoky paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

Put all ingredients from garlic through lime zest and juice in large bowl and toss to combine.
Add avocado, cilantro, garbanzo beans and black beans and stir gently.
In separate small bowl whisk together the olive oil, cumin and smoky paprika. Drizzle over large bowl with salsa and stir to coat.
Sprinkle with a heavy pinch of salt and a bit of pepper. Serve with multigrain tortilla chips.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

2010-01-31T12:13:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl Sunday (SBS) is just one week away, which means I need to plan out the menu before the craziness of my coming week gets the best of me! Some important things I need to remember while planning this menu-

1. I am a Saints fan.

2. There will be lots of hungry dudes at the party.

3. I do not want to spend an entire day with something like a bowl of cheetos or fried wings in my face (b/c inevitably I would eat them…all…...simply just because they are in front of me).

4. I do not want to spend a fortune.

These things brought to mind an awesomely themed SBS menu. And here is it is-

2-bean and vegetable salsa with multigrain tortilla chips
Caramelized onion dip with whole grain pita wedges and snap peas
Andouille sausage and chicken jambalaya
Shrimp etouffee with steamed brown rice
Fruit kabobs
Mini black bean brownie bites (don’t get freaked out, they’re awesomely delish!)
Dark chocolate covered whole wheat pretzel sticks

The menu conception was a collaborative effort of my boyfriend’s and mine. Once New Orleans won their spot in the super bowl we knew we wanted to make some classic Creole dishes, and jambalaya and etouffee immediately came to mind. From there I thought about how I could balance out the menu with some more vegetables while still having some fun party foods that also wouldn’t come with a high price tag. And, of course, dessert is an integral part of the menu. And when I say integral I mean- the most important….

So from today until the SBS I will be posting the recipes for the aforementioned menu. And even if you don’t make those recipes, hopefully I’ve inspired you to create a tasty, healthy and affordable SBS menu. Go Saints!

Oldie but a Goodie.....

2010-01-24T10:03:00.000-06:00

I recently revisited a delicious vegetarian pasta dish for a cooking lesson I taught to one of my favorite vegetarian couples this past weekend. My everyday schedule gets so hectic with cooking for clients, catering, teaching, writing and testing recipes that sometimes I forget about my simple recipes that are tried and true and delicious!

The following recipe is a nice simple dish, with minimal ingredients and quick cooking time. It is an all vegetarian dish but would easily take to some grilled shrimp, some shredded chicken or even some cubed pork tenderloin. It is also a fantastic summer dish, made even better by the addition of some farmer’s market arugula or spinach, even some microgreens. Yum!

The recipe is one of many pasta recipes that is void of tomato sauce. Most people think of red sauce over spaghetti noodles when they think of pasta, but there are so many delicious ways to prepare pasta (whole wheat or multi-grain of course)! This recipe uses a light sauce of caramelized onions, pasta cooking liquid, lemon juice and goat cheese to coat the noodles. I try to use a local herbed goat cheese whenever possible since it’s such a big flavoring component plus it melts better as the small batch goat cheeses tend to be creamier. So with that said, whip up a batch of this delicious pasta next time you need a quick dinner and I guarantee you won’t miss the tomato sauce at all!

Pasta with Charred Eggplant, Caramelized Shallots, Lemon and Goat Cheese

Serves 3-4

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise and then cut into 1x3 strips
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
½ lb. fusilli or penne
1 T. unsalted butter
4 shallots, sliced thinly
1 large garlic clove, sliced thinly
¼ t. crushed red pepper
2 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled (avoid the pre-crumbled, it’s not as creamy)
juice from ½ lemon
zest from ½ lemon
2 T. toasted slivered almonds
2 T. fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, put the eggplant on the paper, drizzle the oil over, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Put in oven and roast for 30-40 minutes until deeply browned.
Meanwhile, heat a pot of water and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking put the sliced shallots and the 1 T. unsalted butter in small fry pan. Set over low and cook about 20-30 minutes (while the eggplant is roasting).
Once the eggplant is done, get out medium size saucepan. Warm pan over medium heat 1-2 minutes, add the caramelized shallots, sliced garlic and crushed red pepper and warm about 1 minute. Then add the pasta, eggplant and goat cheese and toss until goat cheese melts and coats the pasta noodles. Finally, squeeze the lemon over the pasta, sprinkle the zest over and mix to combine. Spoon some pasta into individual bowls and top with the toasted almonds and parmigiano-reggiano.

Perfect Timing....

2010-01-10T21:28:00.000-06:00

So the holiday season is over, phew! As much as I love it, I have to tell you as a private chef and caterer it is a very stressful time of year as my schedule becomes double and triple booked. Luckily the week of New Year’s Eve is usually a bit more relaxed (aside from the standard cooking on New Year’s Eve!). I was grateful that I had that week all to myself and was able to enjoy a bit of “vacation” time with my boyfriend and have some fun before heading back to work.

Well…. The beginning of my week back went just fine and then Wednesday came along. I had my coffee in the morning, went down just ok. Tried to eat a Lara Bar, only half made it into my body. Ate a full orange and then was done with work. Came home and spent the rest of the night on the couch praying what little I ate earlier that day would stay down! So it is now Sunday and I am beginning to feel like a human being again, thankfully.

But it made me think about how people eat when they are sick, what sort of flavors don’t make you feel even more nauseous than you already are and how to keep foods nutrient dense while feeling under the weather.

The way my eating pattern went was this- English muffin (sprouted grain would be preferred) for breakfast with a teeny bit of butter, a smidge of all fruit jam. An orange would be my midday snack and sparkling water (and the occasional Fresca, so good!) was about the only drink I could get down. Anything fizzy sounded good. Dinner was (sometimes) a bowl of chicken soup and a piece of bread. Towards the end of my sickness I started craving things like rice pudding (what?!) with frozen fruit on top and frozen kefir. Orange juice also sat well in my poor little tummy.

So, I have decided to make a list of the things that I found helpful and still nutritious while I was bed-ridden. I hope these will help you while you are sick to put you on the path of healing sooner.

-naturally sparkling water with lemon, orange, and fresh ginger slices. Drink with a straw, big gulps tend to upset tummies that are already unhappy.

-clementines and oranges. The fresh juiciness of the fruit helped quench my thirst and sat well with me.

-any broth based soup with noodles and maybe some veg. it’s important to keep your body nourished, so as long as you can stomach (ha!) getting those smells near your sniffer and those flavors into your mouth it can be very helpful with getting rid of that shaky weak feeling. If you can, heat your soup (low sodium, preferable) with some Kombu on the stove for about 30 minutes. Kombu is a kind of seaweed that helps impart some fantastic minerals into your soups and is practically flavorless. Score!

-sprouted grain English muffins, or at least whole wheat English muffins. A tiny pat of butter and some all fruit spread. Start with half a muffin, see how that goes. Some days it would take me half an hour just to eat that half….ugh. But I always felt better after.

-crystalized ginger pieces. Chew on these sugar coated candied pieces of ginger and your stomach is sure to be put at ease. It’s a natural remedy for an upset stomach. Sweet!

-oh, and if you’re a coffee drinker and you’re too sick to have your coffee….get ready for that mid-afternoon caffeine headache. You can help prevent this by drinking some Mate tea (I prefer cold beverages when I’m sick, so I drink the Mate-Lime bottled tea sold at Whole Foods) or prepare yourself to take some pain-reliever around 2 or 3.

Hopefully you won’t need to use these tips this winter season and you will stay nice and healthy. But if you do catch any sort of sick bug, try and use my tips to help your body bounce back as quickly as possible!

Sugar High

2009-11-27T12:07:00.003-06:00

With the holiday season nipping at our heels this weekend I thought it the appropriate time to write about the proverbial message of “make good food choices at holiday parties.” Yes, we’ve all heard from our friends and read the healthy eating articles about “How not to gain the holiday lbs” and my message will certainly include the truth about that. However, today I am writing about a much more serious food related issue. Type 2 Diabetes.

The University of Chicago just released a study (you can see the CNN article here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/26/diabetes.projections/index.html) that projects within the next 25 years the number of Americans with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes will double. Of that projected 44.1 million, 90% of those cases will be Type 2.

Let’s briefly cover Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes so we all understand the drastic differences between the two. Type 1 diabetes is NOT a preventable disease. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body loses the ability to break down glucose (food sugars) in the blood and turn food into energy. Typically you are diagnosed with Type 1 when you are young. The treatment for Type 1 is insulin injections.

Type 2 diabetes is a very preventable disease. Here are some things that will help reduce your risk of developing Type 2- high blood pressure, family history of heart disease, and (the most common) simply being overweight. For some people, they may not have any of these risk factors and their body still develops Type 2 diabetes however that number is low. We are seeing a rapid rise in the number of Type 2 diabetes that is directly linked to the obesity problem we have in this nation.

So, I am writing this message in hopes that we can start a chain reaction and help promote the message of a healthy lifestyle. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever have ice cream or deep dish pizza or cake. I’m just saying you should have it every day. I’m not saying that you have to run 10 miles a day. I’m just saying you should try and be active every day, go for a walk, play tennis with your family, go to a park and play tag.

I know how to eat healthy can be a bit confusing, there are so many messages and so much information I understand it can be a bit overwhelming. So here are some great tips to help start your new life to healthy living!!

Don’t keep soda in your fridge. If you don’t keep soda in your fridge you won’t drink it at home! So simple!! A single can of soda can have as much 13 teaspoons of sugar (that’s about 40 grams!!!!)! Instead, get your family used to water with orange, lime and lemon slices (ok, maybe a bit extreme if you’re used to soda) OR watered down juice (start with 2/3 juice 1/3 water, then after a week or so switch to ½ juice and ½ water).
Start using all whole grain products. Save white bread, white pasta and sugary cereals (made without grains) for special occasions. Even if you are buying the “white wheat bread” make sure you read the ingredients. It has to say whole wheat flour not just wheat flour. If it just reads “wheat flour” you are getting de-germinated wheat, which is lacking in fiber and bran and many nutrients you get from the outside capsule of wheat. Food companies have come a long way with the flavor and texture of their wheat products. So, start using whole wheat products and your family will get used to that being the flavor and texture of what breads, pastas and cereals should taste like! Trust me, when you eat pasta out at a restaurant it will be a nice treat J
You must eat breakfast. I know many people aren’t hungry in the morning, but even just starting your day with a banana or piece of whole wheat toast will help jump start your body’s metabolism. It has been proven that people who eat breakfast burn more calories and lose weight faster than those who don't have breakfast! Studies have also shown children can focus more and perform better in school when they have breakfast. Same can go with concentration for adults in the workplace! So make it a priority to have breakfast- whole grain cereals (look for those with more than 5 grams of fiber), oatmeal, fresh fruit, piece of whole wheat toast, greek yogurt (or any natural yogurt, none of that low-calorie artificially sweetened stuff) and scrambled omega-3 eggs are just a few suggestions to start your day!

Hopefully these few tips will help you on the road to a healthier 2010 (look for another entry soon about healthy holiday appetizers that don’t taste like cardboard…..)

Happy Black Friday, hopefully everyone’s gotten some great deals!!

Buh-bye Fried Onion Topper

2009-11-23T14:42:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately for my family (but fortunately for me!), there are few food traditions we have surrounding the holidays. I have always used this mass gathering of people as my little culinary laboratory audience, testing new recipes and getting feedback from a nice sized crowd all at one time. With that being said I am confident that we have never, ever had green bean casserole (THANK GOD) or sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top (DITTO THE PREVIOUS COMMENT). Now, I don’t mean to be offensive to those of you who do enjoy those items. However, I will offer up a few suggested side dishes to expand your holiday culinary horizons. There are so many incredible ways to prepare vegetables with amazing flavors why limit yourself to fried, canned “onions” as a (frozen/canned) green bean topper, high fructose corn syrup (marshmallow) topped sweet potatoes and canned crescent rolls? So here are some suggestions for some variety in your holiday side dishes, all of which are just as easy as poppin’ the top on some canned goods.

Peas with Prosciutto (and a touch of cream!), serves 4-6

3-4 oz. diced prosciutto
2 T. unsalted butter
1 lb. frozen peas
2 T. cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Place diced prosciutto and butter in large (not nonstick) fry pan and turn heat on medium-low. Render some of the fat out of the prosciutto and cook until lightly golden. Add the peas, sauté until warmed through. Finally, add the cream cook another 30 seconds to minute and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Maple Glazed Root Vegetables, serves 4-6

3 large sweet potatoes (look for those rather than yams), cut into 2” chunks
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2” chunks
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” chunks
1 celery root head, peeled and cleaned and cut into 2” chunks
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/3 cup maple syrup (real stuff here people, none of that Mrs. Butterworths business)
1 T. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place all vegetables in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat all the vegetables with oil. Pour onto sheet tray and spread out evenly. Roast at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Turn oven down to 350, roast another 15 minutes. Mix together the maple syrup and Dijon mustard in small bowl. Remove vegetables from oven, drizzle with maple-mustard mixture and stir to coat. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until nicely caramelized.

Ok, this next recipe is delicious. Many people are not familiar with gougeres. Please let me help you become intimately familiar with these delicious little french morsels of love. A gougere is a sort of cheese puff, made from a dough called Pate a Choux. It is the same dough used to make cream puffs and éclairs. It’s a wonderful dough that can be used for sweet or savory things simply by adding either sweet components (orange zest, a bit of sugar) or savory components (gruyere cheese, fresh herbs). In a classic gougeres recipe gruyere cheese and fresh thyme are added. PS-you can make these little nuggets weeks ahead of time, prepare them the entire way except do not bake them. Scoop them onto your sheet tray, freeze them individually for about 1 hour then remove them from the tray, put them in a freezer baggie and freeze until ready to use! Simply bake them a few minutes longer….fabulous!

Gougeres, makes about 32 pieces

Based on Pastry Guru David Lebovitz’s recipe

· 1 cup water

· 6 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

· ½ t. fine grain sea salt

· 1 cup white whole wheat flour

· 4 large eggs

· 2 sprigs thyme, leaves chopped finely

· 1 c. grated gruyere cheese

Line 2 sheet trays with parchment paper or silpats. Preheat oven to 400. Simmer water, butter and salt in large, heavy bottomed saucepan. With heat on medium-low, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 2-3 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. You will end up with a ball of beautiful, yellow dough. Remove from the heat and let rest 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, add the eggs one at a time, beating heartily after each addition. Eventually you will end up a smooth shiny ball of dough. After all the eggs have been added, mix in the thyme and gruyere. You may now use a piping bag set with a large round tip to form your puff circles, you may use a large storage bag that has the corner snipped off or you may simply spoon these out (about 2 T. per puff). Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375 and continue baking another 20-30 minutes until uniformly golden brown.

Bon Apetit Turkey Tom!

Turkey Day Tidbits Part I-Hello Tom!!

2009-11-18T16:20:00.002-06:00

Ok, call me crazy but I could handle a Thanksgiving with no turkey.

(I know you may now be a little scared and think that I am a touch insane or just not well in the head. I promise I’m ok, and yes do end up eating turkey every year on this holiday…) I would be absolutely fine if the protein at the meal was, say, roasted filet or a nice seared piece of salmon. But, alas, I succumb to the pressure of this all-American feast and endure the laborious prep of this mild-flavored turkey, Tom. (oh, btw, we’ll be referring to the turkey by his name, Tom, for the remainder of this entry.)

And rather than read about how I would prepare another dish to present as the main course for this feast, I’ll just jump right in to Part I of my Turkey Day Tidbits Helpful Hints Sheets.

Part I

YOU MUST BRINE YOUR TURKEY. It doesn’t matter if you are buying the cheapest frozen bird or the most incredible organic, free-range fresh bird you must brine it. Absolutely. Luckily for me, my family has been brining our turkey for about 15 years now. We started long before the brining frenzy began, so even though we do indeed serve turkey every year (ba humbug) my family has been preparing it in a manner that enhances the mild flavor of the turkey by adding aromatics (orange zest, peppercorns, garlic, rosemary, etc.) and moisture to the turkey through use of #1-a brine and #2-compound butter, which we’ll talk about in just a sec.

How does a brine work?? Fantastic question! So, here’s where my food science nerdiness really comes out. In order to understand a brine we must first discuss what it is. A brine in it’s basic recipe/equation is ¼ cup kosher salt to 4 cups water. From there you can add other aromatics, similar to how you make a marinade. Back to the NaCl and H20, or salt and water. Turkey Tom naturally has sodium and water in him, just like humans. The purpose of this brining liquid is to have a higher amount of salt and water outside the bird (in the brining liquid) than inside the flesh, then through the process of osmosis salt molecules and water molecules will travel back and forth b/w the bird and the liquid to create an equilibrium. The salt molecules inside the flesh of the turkey will leach onto the water molecules and help the Tom stay much more moist than without the brine. (careful, though, you can brine too long and throw off the osmosis equilibrium and end up wit a salty bird…..and be sure to rinse Tom off before roasting!)

TURKEY BRINE (for about an 8 lb. turkey, adjust accordingly)

¾ cup kosher salt
4 cups boiling water
6 cups ice water
2 cups cold apple cider
2 oranges, zested
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
12 peppercorns
1 T. dried rosemary
1 T. dried sage
1 T. dried thyme

Add the ¾ cup kosher salt and 4 cups water to a small saucepan and heat until the salt dissolves. Pour the hot liquid into a large bowl, or pot, and add all the ice water (if you have room, otherwise just let the hot salt-water cool to room temperature and then proceed). Pour the cooled salt water into a large (I mean big, huge, monstrous) bag, add the remaining ingredients and then add the turkey. Place your turkey into a large bowl or a bucket (incase it drips) and turn the bag every few hours. For a turkey 8-12 lbs. let it brine 5-6 hours. Any larger than that and you can let it brine overnight.

When ready to roast, remove from the brine and rinse thoroughly with water. Pat dry and you’re ready for your compound butter!

MASSAGE TOM WITH BUTTER

My last piece of essential advice about preparing Tom for his box of doom (aka-the oven) is to prepare a compound butter to rub between the skin and the flesh of the breast. I never understood why people only put seasoning and butter on the outside of the bird, not many people eat the skin! So using a compound butter on the breast meat not only gives flavor to the actual meat itself but it also prevents that delicate white meat from drying out. Also known as the “no more basting tip!!!” Many people think basting is the way to prevent the breast meat from drying out but it has been found to add zero moisture to the meat. The only thing basting does is pick up fat and sugars from the liquid on the bottom of the pan and pour them over the skin, making the skin golden brown and crispy (hey, you-here’s another tip- butter on the outside of the bird does the same thing. AND since you won’t be opening up the oven every 20 minutes to baste you’ll reduce the cooking time. Heck yeah!).

So, here is a guide to what I add to my compound butter for Thanksgiving, however you could use it any time of the year if you are roasting a whole bird of any sort!

COMPOUND BUTTER (this is a good amount for a 15lb.+ bird)

-2 sticks unsalted butter, super soft

-sprig of rosemary, chopped

-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped

-4 sprigs of thyme, chopped

-1 orange and 1 lemon, zested

-5 cloves garlic, minced

-2 shallots, minced

-about 1 T. salt and 1-2 t. pepper

Mix all these ingredients together and, using a spoon, scoop some up and place under the skin on either side of the breast bone (on the breast meat). Use the skin to “scrape off “the spoon and give Tom a nice little massage to work that butter into the skin. Reserve a bit of the butter to rub on the outside of Tom.

Now that Tom has been bathed in a brine and massaged with some compound butter he’s ready to roll! Place him in a roasting pan on top of a roasting rack (yes, you do really need to use a roasting rack) and begin by cooking him at 400, breast side up, for about 20-30 minutes until nice and golden. Reduce the heat to 350 and if you like, you can now flip him over to help the juices run into the breast meat or you can cover him with some foil if the breast is browning quickly. An instant read thermometer is also a must have for turkey day, as that is how you will be able to tell when the turkey is done! The leg and thigh (dark meat) needs to reach about 165/170F, which will eventually reach 175/180F, before you remove from the oven and the breast meat needs to reach about 160F, which will eventually reach 165F. Be careful not to touch the bone w/ the thermometer as you will get a faulty read and be sure to take the temperature in multiple spots!

(here’s a good temperature video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfPesBm3bDQ).

Good luck, and as always feel free to tweet me- @drizzlekitchen or email me- Kendra@drizzlekitchen.com if you have any questions! Come back tomorrow for part II of Turkey Day Tidbits!

Thanks and Giving 2k9

2009-11-16T12:37:00.004-06:00

As Thanksgiving approaches there are a million charities that are sending pictures, letters, free address labels all in attempt to collect donations. And I have no doubt that all of these charities are good at the core, helping the homeless, saving starving puppies, helping build a new children's hospital, etc, etc, etc...

Well, I'm no charity so I'm certainly not asking you for any money (but I'll be MORE than willing to take any sort of donation to the Kendra Peterson for Jimmy Choo's Foundation). However I would like to let you know about one of the three charities* that I have dedicated my business charitable donations and my personal charitable donations to. St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN is one of the most amazing organizations I have ever come across. The foundation and hospital were founded by Danny Thomas in 1962 and since then have become one of the leading researchers in children's cancer. Since St. Jude was established the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (the most common form of childhood cancer) has increased from 4% in 1962 to 94% today. It’s advancements like these that I think are so amazing and the are because of any and every donation that comes into St.Jude.

I could go on for pages and pages about how incredible the charity is and every amazing thing they provide for their patients and families but I will make my message a bit more concise so you aren’t reading for days (there really are that many incredible details!!). I was lucky enough to get a private tour of the hospital last year and here are some of the things that touched me the most:

· On site lab: some of the cancers treated at St.Jude are so rare that it’s not profitable for large drug manufacturers to produce medicine for those in need of it. St. Jude refused to accept that and now produces their own drugs on site to make sure everyone gets the medicine they need whether they make 5 pills per year or 5 thousand.

· Cafeteria: the cafeteria recently received a huge face-lift, with different themed food areas that provide nutritious and fun cuisine for patients, staff, families and visitors. Example- the gelato/bakery counter (which looks like an old soda fountain shop and has stools sized for kids and adults) where kids can come and decorate their own cookies and cupcakes and can get house-made gelato.

· Each treatment area was a different theme: my favorite area was new york. The floor tile looked like sidewalk and grass, the walls had skyscrapers painted along with trees and a central park theme and the ceiling tile had different shaped tiles to look like sky and clouds!

· In-patient rooms: Critical care patients have their own private rooms (fully stocked with fun stuff including Wii!) and parents have a separate adjoining suite so the parents can be near their child during intensive treatment and the patients feel that they have their own space.

· Outpatient: Most of the treatment at St. Jude is outpatient and through generous private and corporate donations, housing is provided for families as well as gift cards (for food, phone calls, gas, etc.) to ensure they have what they need while the children are going through treatment.

· There are no white walls at St. Jude. They don’t want the hospital to look like a sterile, scary hospital so there is no wall in the facility that is white. Whether there is artwork from the patients hung, pictures of supporting celebrities hanging or murals painted this hospital feels like anything but a hospital.

· Blood supply: More than 50% of blood supply in hospital come from employees

· Teen zone: There are “hang out areas” where parents not allowed. There are tv’s, magazines, games all geared toward teens so they can have fun and feel like a teenager. Many pop teen artists also come and perform for the patients in the Teen Zone.

· St. Jude treatment is free to patients. (You must be referred by a doctor and it must be a cancer they are currently researching, which is almost every childhood cancer)

These incredible tid-bits of information about St. Jude are just some of the reasons that I choose to support such an incredible hospital. The advancements that St. Jude has been able to make in medicine are a direct result of the amazing support they have received, whether it is a $1.00 donation or a $100,000 donation. Every little bit counts and with the holidays approaching St. Jude is sending out a fantastic message that can touch everyone- “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not. ” And if you would like to donate or just learn more about St. Jude you can do so here: www.tg.stjude.org

There are also many retailers that participate in the “Thanks and Giving” campaign; Williams-Sonoma companies (pottery barn, pb kids, pb teen, WS Home and West Elm), target, brooks brothers, ann taylor among many others which are all listed at the aforementioned website.

Thank you for taking the time to read about an amazing charity! And whether you choose to donate or not, be sure to give thanks for the healthy children in your life.

*Other charities I choose to donate to are- Imerman Angels, www.imermanangels.org and UNICEF, www.unicef.org

School Daze

2009-08-28T09:08:00.001-05:00

Back to school… dah dah daaaaaah.

So, another school year is upon us. For kids that means another year full of homework, sports practices and tests. And for parents that means another year full of making sure homework is done, picking up kids from practices, making breakfasts, packing lunches all the while keeping your sanity!

Meals tend to be tricky during the school year, with all the different schedules, kids picky tastes and little time to prepare food. During the school year I have many parents who ask me for simple, family friendly recipes that can be made relatively quickly. The following recipe is one of my absolute favorites. Not only because it encompasses two of my favorites- chocolate and breakfast- but because it can be prepared for breakfast, lunch or dinner! And it can be frozen and reheated quickly…..easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I also love sharing easy breakfast recipes with parents as breakfast is extremely important. Especially for kids who need to focus during school. There are many studies that show children who eat any sort of breakfast perform better in school than those who do not. And make it a healthy breakfast, even better, as they don’t crash too quickly from a sugary breakfast treat. So, enjoy the following recipe knowing that it is tasty, your kids will enjoy it, and you are helping them with a great start to their day!

Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

· 6 T. hot water

· 2 T. flaxseed meal

· 1 ½ c. white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour

· ½ cup oats, ground finely in food processor

· 2 T. wheat bran

· 1 t. baking powder

· ½ t. baking soda

· 1/3 c. organic cane sugar

· ½ t. salt

· 2 ¼ c. buttermilk

· 1 organic egg

· 2 T. organic butter, melted

· ½ c. organic mini chocolate chips

PREPARATION

1. Mix together the hot water and flaxseed meal, set aside.

2. In large bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, ground oats, wheat bran, baking powder and soda and cane sugar.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk and egg, add the soaked flaxseed meal and water and finally the melted butter.

4. Preheat nonstick griddle over medium heat.

5. Combine liquid and dry ingredients and stir with spoon until just combined.

6. Pour onto greased griddle in ¼ cup portions. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips over top. Cook until bubbles begin to appear then flip over and cook 2-3 more minutes. Serve with fresh fruit and you’re off to a great start!

Vive le Fois Gras!

2009-08-11T11:43:00.013-05:00

Get ready kids, this is a long one......

As some of you know, August is my birth month. And with that comes a celebration of my birthday for, oh yes, the entire month. Nothing crazy or extravagant, but my intention is to celebrate me for the entire month. That may mean getting a manicure one day and the next eating the entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Really I just try to do something nice for myself each day.

Now, this can get a bit tricky when you incorporate a significant other into your life. Some boyfriends thought this was a great idea and others thought I was clinically insane. However, when the right man comes along.....oh, yes. I decided to make sure when Brad and I began dating that he was completely aware of just how much I love my birthday. And in turn he also receives birthday month. It's a beautiful relationship!

So, this year, Brad has really gone above and beyond in the birthday celebration. I was told in mid-July that I needed to let my clients know I would not be available the week of August 9th. The only other details he gave me was that I needed my passport and what things I should pack. Everything else was to be a surprise! So, on the morning of August 9th I had my bags packed and I had my cute and sporty airplane outfit on and about 20 minutes before our flight was to take off I heard "Good morning ladies and gentleman, flight 7430 to Montreal will begin boarding soon..." Yay! I finally knew.

One and a half hours later we arrived in Montreal where we were greeted everywhere with a lovely, "Bonjour!" The hotel we have been staying in the past two nights is in a very cool part of town with pretty much everything within walking distance. We have a lovely suite

with a balcony, sitting room and espresso machine (of course that makes me happy!). We have been doing some touristy things as well as just exploring neighborhoods

on our own. And, of course, eating amazing food.

This is where I will really begin to get passionate. The food we've had here

thus far has been incredible. But the meal we had on my actual birthday, August 9th, was one of the best meals I've had in years. That's right kids, YEARS. We ate at a restaurant named, Au Pied de Couchon, A Pig's Foot. At 8:00 they were so crowded they didn't even have a table or seats at the bar for us. (Good sign #1 that you are about to eat at a great restaurant.) As we headed out in search of a wine bar to bide the time until our 9:30 reservations the host ran after us to let us know about two seats at the bar that opened up.

Our bartender/waitress, Emily (of course pronounced Ahh-ma-lee), was so excited, passionate and vibrant she made us want to order everything on the menu! (Good sign #2 you are about to eat at a great restaurant.) We promptly ordered some beautiful wine and then she recommended 2 appetizers. The first was fois gras comesquis, basically a 1.5"x1.5" piece of fois breaded in panko and fried. It

came to the table in unassuming white dish, all golden brown and toasty on the outside. I waited approximately 1 minute, as directed by Emily, and then popped the entire thing in my mouth. Ahhh.... c'est magnifique. Crunchy and nutty from the fried panko and the fois turned into a velvety smooth rich liquid that filled your mou

th as you popped the layer of panko. The perfect little bite. The next appetizer we had was a beautiful tuna tartar, unbelievably fresh tuna, its translucent red shining beautifully against the basil microgreens that were placed atop. No overpowering oils or other flavors, just a touch of salt, pepper, drizzle of olive oil and the microgreens. Allowing the fish to take the mainstage, not shallot or avocado or sesame oil. Delish!

Now we get to the serious stuff, peeps. For our main dishes we again enlisted the help of our fabulously fun Emily and she instructed us to get the house specials. I ordered Ploque a Champlain and Brad ordered Duck in a Can (which may be my favorite name for a dish-ever). Let's begin with the Ploque a Champlain. A buckwheat pancake layered with smoked h

am, gruyere cheese and finally a perfectly seared piece of fois gras. The surrounding sauce was a play on sweet and savory with a bacon and maple pan sauce. (Oh, btw, they have their own sugar

shack in which all their maple syrup comes from!) I'm not even sure how I can describe this. It was the perfect juxtaposition of salty ham, nutty cheese, rich and buttery fois and sweet maple. The flavors blended together so well I am quite sure this would be my chosen last meal.

For Brad's Duck in a Can, they literally prepare this dish in a can and it's the most beautiful way to showcase simple flavors, minimal ingredients and the way they work together so incredibly. The ingredients in this dish are as simple as this- duck breast, fois gras, thyme, demi-glace. They seal the can containing these ingredients, steam the can to order and the open it at your table and invert it onto a bed of celeriac puree.

OMG. The perfect bite is as follow, fois + duck breast + celeriac puree + sauce (from the can!). The brightness of the celeriac puree balances out the rich and buttery nature of the 2 pieces of duck. A fun, whimsy way to present an unbelievable dish.

The remainder of our time at Au Pied de Couchon was spent chatting with Emily, taking a happy birthday shot (vodka, lemon and house maple syrup-so yummy!) with the sous chef (another Emily) and relishing our incredible meal.

We still have a few days left in Montreal, with more surprises to come my way I am told. So, I hope you look forward to the next installation of Kendra's Birthday Travels as I am sure there is to be more amazing food my way which I will absolutely share with you.

Au revoir!

"It's like a circus in your mouth..."

2009-07-28T08:54:00.002-05:00

Well, I am on my first of two August vacations and am finally feeling what summer is meant to be! With the 70 degree days and 55 degree nights we’ve been having in Chicago I was hankerin’ for some heat. Let me tell you I now have it and then some in Isle of Palms, just outside Charleston. I am here with two of my best friends and we are just soaking up the sun.

While planning this vacation quite some time ago, we decided that we would take advantage of the convenient fact that I cook for a living and would put those skills to use. So, on the plane we decided what we wanted to have for dinner each night (all but one, a girls gotta splurge sometimes!) and made our grocery list.

Now, I am sure many people are thinking, “Wouldn’t you want a break from cooking? It is vacation after all and most people take a break from their jobs during a vacation.” Well, my job is different than many in that I truly do love to cook as my work but also for myself, friends and family. I just usually don’t have the time to do so or I am just so tired of shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning up after a 10-hour day with clients. So, the best part about a vacation is that none of those outlying hindrances present themselves! So, cooking on vacation is one of my favorite things about it, no pressure, no where to be, no schedule. It’s a fun and relaxed way to be able to enjoy what I love.

So, after a long day in the sun we decided to grill out. And what screams summer more than a good brat? Our menu that evening consisted of beer and onion brats, a summer corn sauté and caprese salad. Eileen and Charlotte prepared the caprese salad while I prepared the brats, onions and the summer corn sauté. It was so fun to cook with my ladies! So, everything was finally done and we were definitely hungry. We filled our plates with juicy brats and melted onions on toasted buns, scooped some of the buttery corn onto our plates and set our dinner plates next to the caprese salad and began to enjoy our delicious meal with the background of the ocean waves tickling the sand while the sun began to set. It was great.

We were all enjoying our meal and Charlotte said, “This corn is fantastic, what did you put in it?” So I told her about the few ingredients and how simple it was. Then Eileen exclaimed, “It’s like a circus in your mouth!!!” I almost peed in my pants. You know when you’re with certain friends and sometimes random things are said and at any other time or with other people it just wouldn’t be funny? This was definitely one of those times and we all laughed and laughed and laughed.

Needless to say, this recipe is a winner with everyone I’ve ever presented it to. It’s simple, easy and, in the words of Eileen, a circus in your mouth. Enjoy!

Sweet Summer Corn Saute with Basil-Lime Butter

· 6 ears bi-color summer corn (preferably from your farmers market or better yet a stand on the side of a country road!!)

· 3 T. unsalted butter

· 10 leaves basil, finely minced

· ½ lime, zested

· 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

· salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Shuck corn and remove kernels from cob (either with one of those gadgets or a good chefs knife)

2. Preheat a pan over medium heat 1-2 minutes, add butter and swirl until beginning to brown and smelling sweet.

3. Add corn and sauté until corn starts to caramelize, 7-8 minutes. Add basil, zest and garlic cloves and stir to heat all ingredients. Continue to sauté 2-3 more minutes, add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

If you grill it, they will come....

2009-05-30T19:01:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite nights during summer months is Sunday. While many people would choose a different day, as Sunday is the end of the weekend, beginning of a new work week, etc., I picked that day because our friends get together for a BBQ, every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend.

In addition to great conversations and beautiful weather that we get to enjoy on a beautiful downtown balcony (thanks Marty!) the food we make is simply good food. It’s a sort of pot luck theme and most of our friends bring something delicious they made with farmers market vegetables, or dessert from a local patisserie or a great bottle of wine.

Brad, my boyfriend, is in charge of the grill. And I, being someone who cooks professionally, am in charge of some pretty important details like the meat marinade, vegetable prep and marinade, and typically some appetizers. Now, little do many of these friends know, but all the food I make is much healthier than they are accustomed to. But I have to brag a bit because during every BBQ the inevitable shout of “Kendra, this dip is amazing! What’s in it?” or “the vegetables are so good tonight!” comes along.

The thing I love the most about these BBQs is that I get to introduce food to people who may have never had something like Greek yogurt before, let alone made into a caramelized french onion dip. Or I get to show people that you can put the asparagus right on the grill, no need to wrap them in foil or roast them in the oven!

This brings me to my the topic of vegetables on the grill. Delicious! If have hesitated in the past to put your veggies right on those searing hot grates, prepare yourself for a whole new world of flavor this summer. Vegetables, unlike animal proteins, can char without the concern of carcinogens forming on the charred surface. And because you can get those vegetables nice and dark they develop such amazing flavor that is unattainable with any other cooking method. And one of my favorite vegetables on the grill is Asparagus.

Now, I am sure many of you are groaning because of the inevitable thought, "asparagus makes my pee smell.” Ha! Yes, this is true. But let me at least enlighten you with the reasoning behind this and then we will continue on to how delicious and healthy it is for you. The reason you have such vibrantly scented bathroom trips after you eat asparagus is due to an amino acid that gets excreted called asparagine. So, whether you feel better or not about it, whatever, but at least you have some random fact that might get you kudos for blurting out at your next bbq.

In addition to being delish, asparagus has some very good nutrient content. For one cup of asparagus you get about 25 calories, half of those coming from protein. Asparagus is also a good source of beta carotene, vit C and A, vit. B6, potassium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and thiamine. So eat those asparagus spears and make your body happy (just don’t forget to spray the air freshner after you use the restroom, ha!)!

Grilled Asparagus

· 1 lb. asparagus, washed and ends trimmed about 1”

· 1 T. olive oil

· fresh squeezed juice from ½ medium lemon

· fresh sea salt and cracked pepper (about 1 t. each)

Place asparagus in baggie or bowl and toss with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Mix so the stalks are all coated then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until tops are beginning to char and asparagus are tender, about 7-8 minutes. Enjoy!

Whole Foodsapalooza!!!

2009-05-19T00:43:00.008-05:00

Tonight I was welcomed into the magical place of Whole Foodsland. It was glorious (I think I see Blue….)! As a chef who spends on average 8 hours in a Whole Foods store every week (that translates into 4 or 5 trips) I can tell you I have seen the inside of many a Whole Foods location, new and old and this is a beaut.

No new store can even come close to the grandeur and beauty of this store. I liken it to my own little Disneyland (that I get to visit every week!!!). It is a huge candy shop for those who are health conscious, those who have allergies, those who want pure and unadulterated food and those who value a green grocer.

Now, for my play by play…

After I parked my car on the second floor of the covered parking garage (located adjacent to the store) I took the escalator down to the first floor where I was greeted by a beautiful mahogany and brass bartop belonging to the coffee house/local beer bar, 1550.

Next I met my lovely friend and amazing dietitian, Dawn Jackson Blatner, and we walked into the expansive section called “Whole Body.” The Whole Body section provides organic and sustainable clothing, yoga equipment, mind/body/spirit literature, cookbooks, beauty products and specialty health foods.

It was in this section that I spotted Dawn’s cookbook prominently displayed and looking great!

After we weaved our way through beautyland (not without a handful of samples from Jurlique, Burt’s Bees and ZumBar soap) we popped through the produce section where we were stopped by Rick Bayless at his Frontera Grill station (thanks Rick for coming even during the NRA show! You’re a trooper...). The steel and wood fish case was next. A wraparound design with a high bar on one end to sit and enjoy some fresh fish was really a sight, I can’t wait to see it filled with all the lovely colors of sea critters!

Then we saw the holy of most holies. The bulk bins. Now, just to warn you, I am going to spend some time on this section. I am going to get all cartooney with my high voice and excitement level and jump up and down and clap my hands like a little girl who just got a pony. Seriously, I heart the bulk bins here. I am including some pics so you can sort of get an idea of how massive this section is. These sleek containers house everything from garbanzo beans to buckwheat groats to locally produced granola to organic malted milk balls (they’re delish. Yes, of course, I have had them)! Now, I am a HUGE advocate for the bulk bins as you are able to get as little or as much as you need for one or fifty recipes. Also, it saves on

packaging and the labor cost of making, filling and shipping all those cute little resealable bags (you know you like those rice bags. Time to let go….). There is a make your own granola bar. (Skip and clap inserted here.) There is a nut butter station. (Squeek of excitement here.) And last but not least there is a – get ready for it….here it comes….oh, boy- a bulk sweetener section! (Heel click, squeaky chirp of excitement and lots of happy giggles should definitely be inserted here.) This section holds local honeys and agave nectar. YAY!

Next we hit up the wine and cheese section where Dawn informed me I was most certainly a “bad influence” on her. What? That’s crazy. The wine selection is lovely and next to it a wine and cheese bar stands, with a high bar, stools. Here you have the option to have wines by the glass and to have wine and cheese flights. How fun is that?

After we turned around and noticed all the different Kefir yogurts (Dawn is addicted…) our eyes moved down the row towards the milk selections and the egg selections. That's when

I noticed these darling little farm fresh eggs, nestled into a sweet little home of faux hay.

I mean, could that be cuter?!

Next we stopped at the Vosges sample table because you would have to be clinically deemed INSANE to walk past that, down the aisle a bit I made Dawn try some mate tea (delish if you haven’t had it) and then I believe we did get more wine. Oops!

We scooted past the bakery (trouble!), through the Chicago dedicated eateries (Pilsen Taqueria, Taylor Street Italian, etc.) and past the immense selection at the Food Bars. At this point we were like two kids at Christmas. We couldn’t stop looking around and getting excited about the quinoa flakes or the agar agar or the selection of bulk spices!

Overall, it is really a stunning shop, worth stopping by any time of the day and we didn’t even see the riverwalk! (it’s a huge section with outdoor seating along the Chicago river, supposed to be stunning) The staff was extremely friendly and the vendors were incredible. The events they have lined up for the summer are family friendly in addition to some that are geared towards the dude and some for the ladies. Well done!

Thank you Whole Foods for offering us this sneak peak! I am most certainly looking forward to learning the zigs and the zags of this new store. Bulk Bins, I’ll be seein’ you soon!

"We're not worthy....we're not worthy!!"

2009-05-14T15:55:00.003-05:00

For most chefs Thomas Keller is an enormous source of inspiration. His Napa restaurant, French Laundry, made him famous and he has now expanded his incredible talent to Per Se, in New York, and his bakery, Bouchon, in Las Vegas and Napa.. His belief in sourcing seasonal ingredients from local purveyors as opposed to wholesalers and supply chains has earned him many accolades and has influenced many chefs who are now opening restaurants with similar beliefs. (If you are in Chicago check out The Bristol and The Grocery, fabulous.)

I recently had the extreme pleasure of meeting Thomas Keller and cannot speak highly enough of him. He was in Chicago, visiting the Williams-Sonoma on Michigan Avenue, to sign copies of his latest book, Under Pressure. The book, a beautifully manicured guide to sous vide cooking, is worth every penny. The pictures are stunning, the layout flows beautifully and the explanation of assembly superb. Most people will use the book as inspiration, as opposed to following the recipes to a T, or attempting to prepare sous vide. But that is perfectly ok with him. In an interview a few years ago with Powell’s books in Portland, Oregon, he reiterated his belief that recipes should not be a specific roadmap or a blueprint for your food, rather a source of inspiration, a loose guide for flavor combinations and techniques.

This, among with his belief of using local and seasonal ingredients, is one of the reasons I find Chef Keller to be such an important influence in our culinary culture today. I cannot speak enough about the importance of trying to use local and seasonal ingredients. It is better for the environment, it is better for the small farmer, it is better for your health and the food tastes better! Think about how much better a strawberry that you purchase from your farmer’s market in June tastes than a strawberry flown from South America in December. There’s a reason for it! Eating seasonally means you are getting produce that is picked when ripe which in turn means all the vitamins, minerals and flavor compounds have been allowed to mature. When you are buying berries in the dead of winter they not only taste drastically far from a ripe summer berry, but they are lacking a lot of important nutrients.

So, my message for you all today is try and visit your farmers market this summer. Even if you only purchase one or two things, I believe you will feel good that you are supporting a local farmer and feel good that you are providing your body with beautiful food that tastes incredible. Plus it’s a fun thing to do during these months of lovely weather! My favorite market is the Green City Market in Chicago, at the south end of Lincoln Park. If you are there early on a Saturday you will most certainly see me running about smelling produce, picking up fresh flowers and noshing on a whole grain scone. Come say hello! And you can meet some amazing people along the way….

Thank you, Chef Keller, for helping inspire people with ingredients, dishes and beautiful cuisine.

Sugar (alternative) and Spice and Everything Nice....

2009-04-25T00:29:00.007-05:00

Mmmm….sugar. It really is one of my favorite things in life!

It turns my coffee into a tasty delight, makes cookies delish and turns cream, milk and eggs into dreamy vanilla ice cream. Yes, sugar, my BFF.

Now, even though my tastebuds love these sugary treats, my thighs happen to have some anger towards these carbon/hydrogen/oxygen molecules. Which brings me to my next point of discussion- sugar substitutes. I know it can be extremely confusing between the aspartame, sucralose, dextrose and others to understand which are the good, bad and ugly. There are many studies linking consumption of some of these sugar substitutes to cancer, migraines, dizziness, among other adverse effects. However, there are also many studies stating the safety of these sweeteners. There will continue to be positive and negative study results however none of these substitutes are natural. And in my food choices and my lifestyle I strive to incorporate as few artificial and as many natural products as possible. So, onto some positive news coming from the FDA.

As the newest kid on the (US) block, Stevia shows much promise for those seeking a natural sugar substitute. It is a non-caloric sweetener derived from the stevia plant. Stevia’s origin is as a South American plant where its leaves have been used for their sweetening properties for centuries. Stevia, also known as rebiana on packaging, can be anywhere from 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and contains absolutely no carbohydrates, unlike some other sugar substitutes. It has zero calories and dissolves like powdered sugar, even in a cold beverages. Many natural food stores have been carrying tabletop versions of stevia for use as a sweetener for many years. But most recently the government finally joined the bandwagon!

On December 17^th, 2008, the FDA approved stevia as safe to use in foods and beverages. With this announcement came some other news from a few big guys in the beverage business, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Both companies announced they will be launching stevia-sweetened beverages in the near future. PepsiCo has already placed one of their products on the shelves, Trop-50, an orange juice sweetened with stevia containing 50% fewer calories than it’s counterpart of traditional orange juice.

I believe the most exciting news about this sugar substitute is that it is natural, contains absolutely no calories and does not raise blood sugar levels, meaning it is a fabulous alternative for diabetics and people trying to lose weight.

So next time you are out to breakfast and you see a stevia packet (probably the brand Truvia) or you are in the grocery store and you see a stevia sweetened beverage, give it a shot. See what you think. And see how mother nature (may have) intended sugar alternatives to be!

Rooty, Tooty, Fresh and Fruity!!

2009-04-13T18:05:00.003-05:00

Say this ten times fast – “Synsepalum dulcificum.” Well, the easier name for the item at hand is “miracle fruit.” I came across an article awhile back and was immediately intrigued.

The “miracle fruit” is the size of about an almond but otherwise looks similar like a cranberry. So now, the crazy cool thing about this little nugget of curiosity is that when you eat one and the pulp rubs across your tongue it has an altering effect for the next 15-20 minutes. It turns bitter, sour and acidic foods into sweet foods that taste like candy. Turning fruit into candy? Yes, please!! So, for foodies alike, of course this sounds fun, easily and safely changing how food tastes? It’s like the most fun science experiment, ever!!

But, here’s the part that I think is so unbelievable. While this little fruit provides solely entertainment for most, for people with cancer this fruit can really earn it’s name. For those bravely enduring chemotherapy, one of the side effects is a terrible metallic taste that remains in your mouth, so bad that many stop eating. This can result in a dramatic amount of weight loss and can lead to malnutrition. Enter the possibility of the “miracle fruit.” According to Dr. Mike Cusnir, an oncologist at Mt.Sinai Medical Center, a majority of patients participating in a study that uses the “miracle fruit” gave good feedback that it improved the taste of food. And while it is in the very beginning steps of investigation by doctors, I am very optimistic that this could help many people!

How does it work? Well, let me channel my inner Alton Brown (my college degree is in Food Science and Nutrition after all!!) and explain to you the science behind it. To put it simply (with information from Linda Bartoshuk, a professor at the Uof F Center for Smell and Taste) there is a protein called miraculin in the fruit which has sugar molecules that bind to the tongue. Once an acid of a certain pH hits the tongue, the sugar molecules press into the sweet receptors, thus masking the sour or bitter taste. Again, that was the simple explanation and for further detail simply Google “synsepalum dulcificum miraculim” and you will find plenty of articles to explain in much further detail (such as pH boundaries, temperature restrictions, histidine presence, etc.).

There is also some discussion of the possibility of using the fruit for weight loss, specifically for those with diabetes. Because the fruit is all-natural and has few calories, and because of the ability to turn the taste of healthy fruits into a candy-riffic experience, the researchers hope that will help curb dessert cravings so people can sub fruit instead.

So, next time your niece, nephew, son or daughter asks for some help with a science experiment suggest Synsepalum dulcificum. They’ll come across as super smart and super cool.

"I shake my little toosh on the catwalk..."

2009-04-09T22:46:00.006-05:00

Last week I had some professional photos taken by a beautiful and talented photographer by the name of Melissa Song. It has been almost 2 years since I began Drizzle Kitchen and I realized it was about time that I do the big girl thing and get some well-done pics as the cannon just wasn’t cutting it anymore.

So I searched and searched and surfed and surfed and finally came across some inspiration on the Internet. I knew I wanted some pictures that captured my personality and passion. Pictures that didn’t involve me in a chef coat behind a stove. I wanted color, excitement and food love all the while in a very urban, crisp space.

Success!!

Melissa managed to coax out a fabulous photo personality from behind my nervousness and shot some great pictures! Not that I ever doubted her talents, but I certainly doubted my ability to “perform” in front of a camera. The first few shots I was certainly getting my bearings about me, but after about 10 minutes I began to enjoy myself! She did such a great job making me feel more comfortable than silly, and gave me some great tips from when she used to model.

If you would like some more information about Melissa and her photography (she also does family events, pregnancy photos and the most adorable children’s pics in addition to headshots) you can check out her website at www.melissasongphotography.com. Also, if you want to see some more examples of professional shots (and more of my pics!) you can checkt out this site, www.gallery.me.com/songphotography/100819 .

Thanks Mel, it was fun and we’ll definitely be doing another shoot soon!

Summer, where are you??

2009-03-29T22:25:00.003-05:00

I picked up a flat of strawberries for an unbelievable price this week at one of my favorite fruit and vegetable markets, Stanley’s, and was inspired to make something that would smell and taste like summer. (For anyone not in Chicago, the weather has been less than desirable this week and then today is snowed 5 inches!?!? So I needed some “summer” food…)

For me nothing could scream more summer than a beautiful, juicy, jeweled fruit crisp. And because I already had one element of the crisp, the strawberries, I had to decide what avenue to take. Strawberry-peach? Strawberry-blueberry? Oh, no….something even better. Two flavors that beautifully balance each other out- bright, juicy, sweet strawberries and crispy, tart and tangy rhubarb. But I wanted to introduce another flavor to help marry these beautiful flavors even more…and what better than fresh ginger?! It is one of my favorite ingredients and in this recipe it adds a brightness to the fruit flavor and lends a push to the flavor of the orange zest.

Now, what is everyone’s favorite part of a crisp? The crust, of course! And the topping for this fruit crisp is as delicious as it is healthy, including whole grains such as oats, wheat germ, whole wheat and flax. In addition to the fiber and lignans from the whole grains and flax, the crust has some omega-3’s and vitamin E from the addition of walnuts. So, enjoy these summer flavors and hopefully the warm weather will be soon to follow!

Ginger Scented Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

INGREDIENTS

Filling

2 cups hulled and halved strawberries
3 cups ½” sliced rhubarb
¾ cup organic cane sugar
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. water
½ orange, zested
2” piece ginger, run over microplane

Topping

¼ cup oats (old fashioned or quick cooking)
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup wheat germ
2 T. flaxseed meal (or another 2 T. wheat germ or oats)
½ cup organic brown sugar
1/3 cup crushed walnuts
6 T. chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the filling by mixing all filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside to rest while preparing the topping.
In another bowl mix together all topping ingredients but butter. Add the butter and using the tines of a fork, smash the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like little pebbles.
Grease a large ceramic pie plate or 9x9 baking dish and pour in the strawberry rhubarb filling. Top with the oat and nut topping and place in a 350 oven for 40-50 minutes. Bake until filling is bubbling and top is brown.

Tap a Friend....

2009-03-23T23:38:00.002-05:00

My good friend, Charlotte, and I woke up at 6:45 on Sunday morning. Bless her. She is a great friend who woke up that early to volunteer with me for something called the “Water Walk.” The Water Walk was a 1 mile walk and kick off event to start World Water Week. This week is all about bringing awareness to people who have access to clean drinking water about the lack of clean water to many, many people around the world.

This awareness is brought about UNICEF. A junior project of theirs, begun by the partnership between and incredible ad agency in New York and restaurants in New York, The Tap Project is the focus of this week. I became aware of The Tap Project after my boyfriend saw some information about it in a marketing newsletter (he’s in the ad world, as well). And I thought, what a perfect thing for me to volunteer for. It’s a fantastic charity that uses restaurants to reach people- I’m in!

So, a few months ago Brad and I began reaching out to our contacts in the restaurant world. At the bottom of this blog there is a list of the INCREDIBLE people who decided this was something they wanted their restaurants to be a part of, thank you to all who are participating. Let me give you an idea of how this all works. Restaurants sign up to participate. When you go to those restaurants to dine, the server will ask you to please donate $1.00 for your glass of tap water to provide 40 days of clean drinking water for a child. At the end of the week the restaurants send their collected money to UNICEF and through that money clean water is provided to villages that are in desperate need.

I hope everyone can understand the impact we can have on peoples lives, specifically children. Brad and I attended a training for The Tap Project and learned about how much water can affect a child’s life. In many of the towns that are in need of clean drinking water, families send daughters two or three times a day to walk miles to and from a water source to collect unclean water for the family. Many times because the children are drinking this dirty, contaminated water they become ill and again because all they have to rehydrate their sick bodies is contaminated water they do not get better and many times die. These are children who can’t even go to school because they either have to travel too far to get the water for the family and can’t make it back for school or they are too sick to attend.

Waterborne illness is the second largest killer of children under five. This is a startling and very sad fact. My hope is that by spreading this knowledge my friends and family will understand the dire need of funds for this amazing organization. The Tap Project has such a beautiful mission and such a simple one. Help bring clean water, one of the basic essentials of life, to people who need it. I hope you will help me support the restaurants this week that all the Tap volunteers worked so hard to commit to the program. Please visit one of the restaurants I have listed below or log on to www.tapproject.org and search by your zip code to look for other participating restaurants. And when you go, tell your server that you are there because they are a Tap restaurant! This will help the restaurant understand how the word spreads and will help them commit again next year. Thank you in advance to everyone who will help support this week and continue to support the effort to bring clean drinking water to the world.

Restaurants Brad and I recruited for The Tap Project

-Thank you!!-

Quartino, 626 N. State Street
Hotel Sax Bar, 333 N. Dearborn
Le Colonial, 937 N. Rush
Hugo’s Frog Bar and Fish House, 1024 N. Rush
LuxBar, 18 E. Bellevue Pl.
Perrenial, 1800 N. Lincoln
The Bristol, 2152 N. Damen
Tsunami, 1160 N. Dearborn

So, “tap a friend” for dinner or even just drinks this week and please support these incredible restaurants with your business and help us support The Tap Project. Thank you!!!

I heart organic....

2009-03-15T22:01:00.004-05:00

I am currently drinking a glass of wine, after a lovely dinner…..reminiscing about the busy week I had! It’s nice to be with good friends just relaxing (and enjoying a meal someone else prepared!), after cooking for clients this week, catering two 20 person parties and recruiting restaurants for The Tap Project (www.tapproject.org), a UNICEF program I volunteer for.

I would like to speak a bit to the wine that I am drinking at the moment. A beautiful glass of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I was introduced to the incredible vinos of the Willamette Valley by one of my favorite people, Diana Hamman of The Wine Goddess (www.winegoddess.com). If you like pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is the hot spot of the moment. Please go to your local wine shop (my favorite is Sam’s Wine and Spirits in Lincoln Park) and ask for one of these deliciously smooth, low tannic, easy drinkers! (Here’s a tip- one of my favorite labels is Van Duzer-enjoy!)

And, as promised, here are the recipes that are featured on my 190 North segment. I know many of you tuned in, thank you! I hope you were inspired by the segment to incorporate more organic, locally grown food into your diet.

Whole Grain and Nut Pancakes with Strawberry-Rhubarb Chutney and Maple Whipped Greek Yogurt

INGREDIENTS

· 6 T. hot water

· 2 T. flaxseed meal

· 1 ½ c. whole wheat pastry flour

· ½ cup oats, ground finely in food processor

· 1 t. baking powder

· ½ t. baking soda

· 1/3 c. organic cane sugar

· ½ t. salt

· ¼ c. walnut pieces

· ¼ c. pecan pieces

· 2 ¼ c. buttermilk

· 1 organic egg

· 2 T. organic butter, melted

· 6 oz. container greek yogurt

· 2-3 T. maple syrup

· Strawberry-Rhubarb Chutney*

DIRECTION

1. Mix together the hot water and flaxseed meal, set aside.

2. In large bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, ground oats, baking powder and soda, cane sugar, salt, walnut pieces and pecan pieces.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk and egg, add the soaked flaxseed meal and finally the melted butter.

4. Preheat griddle over medium heat.

5. Combine liquid and dry ingredients and stir with spoon until just combined.

6. Pour onto greased griddle in ¼ cup portions. Cook until bubbles begin to appear then flip over and cook 2-3 more minutes. Serve with maple whipped greek yogurt and strawberry-rhubarb chutney.

*Strawberry-Rhubarb Chutney

INGREDIENTS

· ½ lb. strawberries, cleaned, hulled and quartered

· 2-3 stalks rhubarb, cleaned and leaves trimmed

· 1” piece ginger, cleaned and peeled and run over a microplane grater

· zest of ½ orange

· 2 T. organic cane sugar or agave syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut rhubarb into 1” pieces.

2. Place strawberries, rhubarb, ginger, orange zest and sugar in small heavy saucepan. Turn heat on to medium.

3. Cook fruit until it softens, 10-15 minutes, and remove from heat. If you desire a thicker syrup strain out the fruit and continue cooking the syrup until it is bubbly and thick.

4. Use as a topping for pancakes, ice cream or anything else you would like!

The Drizzle Kitchen Debut!

2009-03-07T11:15:00.004-06:00

I know it has been quite some time since I have written you lovely people. It’s been an insanely busy week for me. And with that busy-ness I would like you all to know that Drizzle Kitchen was filmed yesterday for its first TV segment!!

The Chicago TV show, 190 North, is airing a show on being “green” and reached out to me with interest in my private parties that focus on organic, healthy, green cuisine. So be sure to check me out on 190 North on March 15^th , ABC7 Chicago at 10:35pm.

And what food did I prepare for that show? Well, I can’t ruin the surprise! But I will tell you that next Sunday (March 15^th) I will post the recipes so you can have them and make them after you see me on the show!!

In addition to preparing for the show I had a private cooking lesson to prepare for. The client I had to prepare for has a myriad of allergies. The most challenging of those are gluten, dairy, eggs and garlic (along with many many more). This client is 12 years old and should be able to have fun with his food! Remember when you were 12 and you ate pizza and ice cream and donuts and queso dip? Those foods make him extremely sick.

My goal was to make food fun. So, while he isn’t able to eat boxed pancake mix (with minimal nutritional value, mind you) he is able to eat his “special” pancakes with mini chocolate chips and raspberry maple syrup (all which are gluten and dairy free AND he can now make by himself!). And while he isn’t able to eat powdered, instant chocolate pudding he is able to eat coconut chocolate pudding with toasted coconut and raspberries on top (again, all gluten free and dairy free AND he can make by himself).

So, we had fun! He helped me prepare all the recipes and loved everything. His mother was extremely grateful for turning his food into fun, rather than a difficult task. And this is the message I hope to pass along to my readers. Having allergies is certainly challenging. However, much of your perception of those challenges relates to how you look at it. Have fun exploring new foods and ingredients! So, you might not be able to eat white pasta and jarred sauce, but you can eat Moroccan tagine chicken with quinoa pilaf. Get excited about the foods you can eat. And if you have a friend with celiac, or any other food related disease have fun with them! Make dinner and try some new foods.

Make it an adventure and not a chore… Here's a fun recipe to get started!

Pasta with bison, spinach and mushrooms

Gluten-free and Dairy-free

INGREDIENTS

· ½ lb. gluten free pasta, penne shape if possible

· 1 ½ lbs. ground bison

· 1 T. fennel seeds

· 1 tsp. dried oregano

· 1 tsp. paprika

· 1 tsp. garlic powder

· 1 onion, medium dice

· 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced

· 2 garlic cloves, sliced

· 3 cups baby spinach

· 1/3 cup nutritional yeast or soy “parmesan” cheese (you may sub traditional parmigiano-reggiano if you can eat dairy)

· 1 T. red pepper flakes, optional

· 6 T. olive oil

· salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the pasta according to directions on box, drain and run cool water over noodles to stop cooking.

2. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 T. olive oil and then add the bison pieces. Add salt and pepper, fennel seeds, dried oregano, paprika and garlic powder.

3. Cook about 7-8 minutes, until beginning to brown, then remove pieces to a separate plate.

4. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the onion to the pan, and cook until softened and browned. Add the mushrooms and cook 7-8 minutes until browned and caramelized. Add the garlic slices.

5. Next, add the spinach and turn with tongs until wilted. If you are adding the red pepper flakes, do that now.

6. Put the bison back into the pan, pour the noodles in the pan and stir to combine all. Add the remaining 4 T. olive oil. Serve pasta with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, soy parmesan or parmigiano-reggiano on top.

And the award goes to...

2009-02-16T22:46:00.001-06:00

The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards for Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists was announced this week. These awards are quite possibly, aside from the coveted Michelin Stars (www.michelinguide.com), the most important awards a restaurant or chef can receive.

If you aren’t familiar with these “Oscars” of the culinary world, allow me to give you a short description. James Beard was a forefather of American Cuisine. He is regarded by many as the father of American gastronomy as well as the chef that brought French cuisine to the American middle and upper class in the 1950’s. His life was filled with the highest of regard for culinary education and his legacy continues on with the James Beard Foundation, which provides scholarships and celebrates American cuisine.

So, with that being said, I look forward to this list of nominees year after year. It is thrilling to see the Chicago chefs and restaurateurs that are listed and I would like to mention those listed this year. Congratulations!

· Outstanding Restaurateur Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.

· Outstanding Chef Jean Joho, Everest.

· Outstanding Chef Paul Kahan, Blackbird.

· Outstanding Restaurant Everest.

· Outstanding Restaurant Blackbird.

· Best New Restaurant L2O.

· Best Pastry Chef Jimmy MacMillan, Avenues at the Peninsula.

· Best Pastry Chef Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate.

· Outstanding Wine Service Avenues at the Peninsula.

· Outstanding Wine Service Bin 36.

· Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Anthony Terlato, Terlato Wine Group (Bannockburn).

· Outstanding Service Courtright’s Restaurant (Willow Springs).

· Outstanding Service Spiaggia.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Suzy Crofton, Crofton on Wells.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Christophe David, Nomi at Park Hyatt.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Curtis Duffy, Avenues at the Peninsula.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Kendal Duque, Sepia.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Koren Grieveson, Avec.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Michael Maddox, Le Titi De Paris (Arlington Hgts.).

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Martial Noguier, Café des Architectes at Sofitel

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Arun Sampanthavivat, Arun’s.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Bruce Sherman, North Pond.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Giuseppe Tentori, Boka.

· Best Chef: Great Lakes Paul Virant, Vie (Western Springs).

**You may find more award listings at www.jamesbeard.org.**

Congratulations to all Chicago chefs and restaurateurs for being nominated for these prestigious awards.

I hope you all enjoy reading the names of these fabulous chefs and restaurants. I love when this list is released as I get excited (and make some sort of squeak of excitement!) to read which restaurants I have been to as well as which restaurants I have not tried but now know I should! Enjoy and happy eating….