Happy Mother’s Day Queenie!

I’ve mentioned my mother, Queenie, not being the most skillful in the kitchen, but I haven’t given her credit to the Bloodmary’s that flow from her pitchers (my Dad may argue that he makes them, but I know she drinks them…).  In fact, she likes them well enough to have taken Bloodymary’s as her Fantasy Football team name as well as her email address.

Thinking about my mom, and what I thought she might like, and what she could actually make I landed on Bloodymary Gazpachos.  The vegetables in the gardens are hitting their stride, the cucumbers are fully grown, the tomatoes are ready, we have peppers we don’t know what to do with, and corn is hitting the bins….spells out gazpacho to me. 

Mise en place, mostly from the garden!

When you have a Mother’s Day brunch to bring something to why not make it Bloodymary Gazpacho.  Serve it in a rocks glass over ice, or if drinking at brunch doesn’t fit the crowd, just put it in a soup cup and watch the guests relax!

Bloodymary Gazpacho

• 3/4 cup diced green tomatoes
• 1/2 cup, peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
• 2 Tbsp diced red onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 Tbsp diced jalapeno
• 4 Tbsp corn kernels, raw
• 1/2 lime, zest and juice
• 10 oz bloodymary mix
• 8 oz vodka
• Kosher Salt
• Granulated Sugar

Method

In a food processor or blender add the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, corn and lime zest and juice.  Give only a few pulses, keeping a “gazpacho consistency”.  Add in your favorite bloodymary mix and preferred vodka and quickly mix.  Adjust flavor with salt and sugar; all bloodymary mixes are different so only add a pinch at a time.  Refridgerate until ready to serve, overnight will allow the flavors to meld.  Pour over ice in a rocks glass or as a soup shooter.  Garnish with your favorite pickled vegetable, a stalk of celery, a stuffed olive,  or a spicy pepper.  This recipe also makes a fantastic shrimp cocktail dip!

Makes 4 cocktails

Summer Garden Vegetables

Cheers to all the Momma’s- may your day be filled with love, memories and celebration!

Happy Mother’s Day Queenie! Love you!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Jalapenos

Sir Wes has a nice little jalapeno pepper plant growing in the backyard, which I helped myself to.  After washing them I carefully split them length wise, not cutting the top part.  I swirled my paring knife around a bit and then I gently tapped out the seeds. 

Dessert from the backyard!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 small jalapenos, seed and inner flesh removed
• White and dark chocolate coins

Method

Blend the peanut butter, sugar and salt together until smooth.  Carefully fill each jalapeno and wipe any excess peanut butter.  Melt chocolate in a double boiler as directed by the package instructions.  Gently dip the filled jalapeno into the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper until the chocolate coating is set.  Refrigerate up to a week.

Sweet and Spicy!

The jury is still out on jalapenos and peanut butter, but all have agreed they are not for the meek! 

Who is willing??

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Ole!!

This is the type of event that keep us motivated in Catering and always searching for what is next.  The Front of the House provided such an innovative setup, from the gorgeous glowing highboys to the serpentine roman tables to the fantastic buffet sets. 

The set up was definetly something to tweet about #digiNow12

The Entertainment and Florist jumped right into the theming of the night.

The Bars were amazing- so cool!  The specialty drinks were a hit, not just because of the awesome presentation, but the flavors as well.  I attached the recipes below, these were all developed by our Front of the House team!

Sangria de Patron

• 2 oz Patron Silver
• 2 1/2 oz Monin Hibiscus
• 3/4 oz Lemonade
• 1/2 oz Lime Juice 

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice.  Shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass.

Black Cherry Cooler

• 1 1/4 oz Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon
• 1/2 oz  Triple Sec
• 2 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass.  Top with Black Strap Rum as a floater.

Ginger Snap

• 1 1/4 oz Skyy Citrus Vodka
• 1 oz Canton Ginger Liquor
• 3 oz Lemonade
• Splash of Ginger Ale

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Top with Ginger Ale.

The food for the event was equally inventive, we had fresh grown organic produce from The Land at Epcot, Chef Damon and his team were distilling with the RotoVap,  live herbs were growing from their roots on the salad station, and Chef Matt and his pastry team created artisan gelatos and lollipops in the middle of the World View Plaza before the fireworks started.

The dinner was creative, tasty and fresh with a focus on local, sustainable and taste that hit all notes!

Events like this not only surprise and delight our guests, they keep our cast engaged and driven to deliver the most excellent service possible.  These event keep our passion flowing !

jgkfg

Carrots straight out of the dirt

As an amateur baker, with huge expectation regarding carrot cake, I have decided I am just not to up to carrot cake making, so when I got these carrots from my neighbor’s garden I had to think outside the box, which led me to blondies.  Vegetable in desserts…

Chewy Carrot Toffee Blondies

Ingredients

• 8 oz butter, melted
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground ginger
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots, about 3 large carrots
• 1/2 cup toffee pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Combine melted butter, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger in large mixing bowl and blend.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.  Slowly add flour and salt, until incorporated.  Mix in carrots and toffee pieces.   Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the batter evenly.  Bake on for 45-50 minutes, until golden in color.  Allow blondies to cool before cutting into squares.

Makes about 32-40 squares.

Vegetables in Dessert- Think of it as an efficiency!

Carrot and toffee are a complementary combination, add a pinch of salt in and there is the icing on the cake! 

Chewy, Salty and Sweet- Perfection

Happy Eats!!!

Vanilla Maple Dutch Baby, AKA Breakfast Popovers

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup bread flour (substitute all-purpose if you don’t have any Bread flour on your shelf)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons butter
• confectioner sugar
• maple syrup
  

  Maple Vanilla Dutch Baby

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Arrange the racks in the oven to leave the middle rack available and put in a 10 inch skillet (or oven proof skillet) to heat.  While pan is heating, mix the batter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whip the eggs until light and airy; add milk, flour and vanilla extract; whip for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.

3. Remove pan from oven and drop in butter, swirling the pan until the butter is melted.  Immediately pour in batter and place back into the oven. 

4. Bake from 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden in color.  Remove from oven and drizzle maple syrup over the puff, shake confectioner sugar to finish.  Serve immediately.

You can switch around the flavors- add chocolate drizzle, fresh berries, warm pie filling or the tradtional squeeze of lemon and powder sugar!

Serves from 4 to 1 friends, the less people the luckier the serving

Inspiration from Dubai!

A couple of friends dropped a gift bag on my desk a few weeks ago filled with curries, spices and dried lemons from Dubai.   How lucky, and for no reason- just because they’re nice guysJ.  I have never seen dried lemons before, much less cooked with them so I was really excited, absolutely LOVE new ingredients!  Traditionally dried lemons are used in Middle Eastern and Persian cooking.  The lemons are picked when they are ripe, then boiled and salt water and dried in the sun.  They have a strong sour flavor so they should be “cooked with” not eaten as you can other dried fruits.   I took my friends recommendation and decided to try the lemons out with a roast chicken. 

Dried Lemons and Curry, what a great gift!

The flavor was light and delicate, but the aroma of the lemons was strong, a great combination.  The lemons are traditionally used in stews, which will be next!

Dried Lemon and Curry Chicken with Almond and Raisin Popcorn Rice

Chicken Marinate

• 1 roasting chicken
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoon medium curry
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 dried lemons, split in half
• 1 inch ginger root, sliced

To prepare the chicken, start by rinsing the bird with water and patting it dry with paper towels.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan and pour the olive oil over it, spreading it evenly over the chicken.  Sprinkle the curry, salt and pepper all over the chicken, including the inside cavity.  Place the sliced ginger and dried lemon halves into the cavity and truss the chicken.  

Ginger and Lemons to stuff the bird with!

Spool of Twine

Trussing the chicken is a great way to keep the bird cooking evenly.  There are many methods to truss a chicken, but the as long as the legs and wings are kept close to the body and the cavity is closed you will have an evenly roasted chicken!

I like to roast chicken at 475°F for 25 minutes and then turn the oven down to 400°F for another 45 minutes or until the thickest part of the thigh hits 165°F on a meat thermometer.  Great color, Great flavor and plenty of juice!

To go with this chicken I made a flavorful rice, using one of my favorite types of rice- popcorn rice.  Sir Wes and I discovered it on a trip to New Orleans a few years ago and have been hoarding the bags for special meals only.  It has a rich, nutty flavor and is very aromatic.  The flavor is great all by itself but for this meal I added a few twists.

Popcorn Rice is Gourmtastic!

 Almond and Raisin Popcorn Rice

• ¼ cup diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of popcorn rice, rinsed in water and pat dry
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons toasted almond sliver
• 4 tablespoons raisins
• Fresh ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium high; add in onions and sauté for a minute.  Add rice and sauté for a few more minutes.  Toasting the rice like this will refresh it, who knows how long it has sat on the shelf; it will also enhance the natural flavors of the rice.  Add the chicken stock and the water and bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cover the saucepan with a lid.  Allow the rice to cook for about 40 minutes.  The water should be absorbed and the rice tender.  Fluff with a fork and add in the cilantro, almonds and raisins.  The raisins will rehydrate naturally as they sit with the hot rice.  Sprinkle with ground black pepper before serving.

Inspiration from Dubai!

Serves 3-5 really good friends depending how hungry they are!

This is a clip from the Press Register:

“The Midtown Krispy Kreme, which opened in 1972, closed permanently at 11 a.m. Tuesday, halting conveyer belts that company officials boasted once made 1,000 dozen doughnuts an hour.  

By noon Wednesday, workers had taken down the sign out front and boarded up the windows.  

Though the last doughnut had been fried and glazed more than 24 hours earlier, a sweet smell still lingered there by early afternoon. A glassed-in shelf marked “original glazed,” “chocolate iced custard filled,” “powdered blueberry filled” and other flavors was bare.  

Employees didn’t know the restaurant was closing until that morning. Six of them were transferred to the company’s west Mobile location, while the remaining 11 were given a one-week’s severance check.

The Government Street store once made enough doughnuts to fill two tractor trailer trucks and a dozen delivery vans daily, but was down to filling just one van. The company, which once thrived on delivering doughnuts from Hattiesburg to Gulf Shores, is turning its focus to in-store, retail sales.

“I would rather make them hot and give them to you fresh than give them to you in a box when they’re two days old,” McAleer said. “That’s what we do best.”

So when Sir Wes requested a Donut Cake, I knew I could not wiggle out of it…. 

I wasn’t sure how to keep it together, but then thought about trying marshmallow, like you would when making rice krispie treats.

Sir Wes' Birthday Cake

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 7 ounces mini marshmallows
• 40 glazed donut holes
• 1 ½ cup chocolate buttercream
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup heavy cream

Melt the butter and add in the marshmallows stirring until smooth.  In a large mixing bowl place the donut holes and pour the marshmallow over, tossing gently.  Immediately put into two plastic lined 8 inch cake pans.  Allow to set for about 20 minutes.

Flip the first layer onto a plate and gently remove the plastic wrap.  Spread ¾ cup of the chocolate buttercream over the donuts.  Flip second layer on top of the buttercream layer.  Use remaining ¾ cup of buttercream to spread over top. 

Melt chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler, when smooth and melted, add in heavy cream and stir well.  The glaze can be poured over the cake.  Allow an hour to set. 

Donut Hole Cake

Happy Birthday Sir Wes, I hope you enjoy my tribute to your hometown and a piece of your history!  XOXOX

A Donut Cake was a must for Sir Wes' Birthday this year!

The weekend was a unique one for me,  as the event was held at Walt Disney World.  I mentioned in my previous post that I had helped plan a few of the FBF events, writing menus, station design and layout, which led to my excitement.  The entire Disney team rallied to make these events unforgettable – chefs from across Walt Disney World happily volunteered to participate.  The Food Blog Forum Orlando was destined to be the tops.

Of all my credentials, this one is my favorite!

We spent the weekend at the Poly –Cast Member lingo for the Walt Disney Polynesian Resort—keep reading you will be an insider soon.  We were welcomed by the famous Little Lady Laura, who I spent a few days with when I started working in Park Events.  She was fabulous at connecting with all of the guests and helping to create a seamless event (I did see her slip down the Poly poolside, so rest assured, she had a blast).

The Poly Lobby

After a long week of “getting it done” at work, Sir Wes and I happily enjoyed the season’s first poolside sangria before I went to the reception at The Grand (AKA- Disney’s Grand Floridian).  I knew the reception would be the perfect way to start the weekend- it was held outside at Summerhouse, overlooking the lake and the pool.  Beautiful weather, fantastic service and food that would be talked about all weekend!  I knew how great it would be, the dishes were flavorful and elegantly presented.  I actually even tried the beef short ribs (for those who are not aware, I stay away from pork and beef). Just a bite, though – Sir Wes wanted to make sure the flavor he added came out right.  Kudos to Chef Douglas, Chef Larry, Sir Wes and the talented Grand Culinary Team.

Perfect weather!

Before sunrise, the bloggers were on their way to Epcot for the day-long forum, but before the speakers started, we broke bread.  And here is where I start to get proud- it was AWESOME.  The Park Event Operation (PEO) team delivered a St. Patrick’s Day Eye Opener that continued the culinary train started the previous night at the Grand. 

The speakers were captivating!

The morning was spent listening to inspirational talks by Jaden and Scott Hair of Steamy Kitchen, Dianne and Todd of White on Rice Couple, David Leite, who spoke about Bigger and Bad Ass Posts, and Dawn Viola, who rounded  this talented group. They all offered so much great advice, inspiration, and constructive criticism that I’m sure you could not get out of a book. My scribble-scrabbled notes were miles long. 

I snuck out a few minutes early so I could get a sneak peak, and I felt like a child waiting to give mom a present- I just couldn’t wait for everyone to see.   The room set up was fantastic, full of bells and whistles.  

The team did a wonderful job setting the stations and the tables-  plenty of room to accommodate 100+ bloggers and their huge cameras.  I told one of the chefs before the guests arrived- “wait until you see the mass of camera’s about to walk into the room”!  The “Healthful Taste of Disney” lunch was recorded by many as the most creative and flavorful meal they had experienced.  How could I not be grinning from ear to ear!?!?

The Chefs were creative and healthful, they also were able to accomodate so many different allegeries and dietary concerns, which, by itself, is magical for some guests!

After the lunch, we had roundtables of small groups which was great for getting a ton of my questions answered. I was also comforted to see the other Bloggers had similar questions and doubts.  And then came my favorite part, a food styling and photographing demo from Aran of Cannelle et Vanille and Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple.  There are a few reasons I started blogging, but the biggest was my love of taking photographs and wanting to grow that hobby.  Aran’s photographs are like Food Ballet – colors and textures just dance and they leave you feeling enriched.  Just beautiful.

Inspiring!

The forum broke and Bloggers spread thru Epcot to enjoy the remainder of the day before gathering back to a dessert party with a phenomenal viewing of the fireworks. The desserts were all amazing, but the talk of the event was the Guinness Ice Cream with Bacon Brittle- I’m thinking of getting the recipe for you soon!   The following morning was a brunch hosted by Whole Foods Orlando, which I was unable to attend. You can, however, read about it by searching Twitter for #FBFORL and see for yourself how big of a hit it was. 

Kudos to Pam and Karen!

It is difficult to sum up the feeling I had when I drove home. I took so much away from the weekend and I am certain that it will impact my blog, my work and my life.  I shared with my leaders and peers at work just how much all the bloggers enjoyed everything.  They felt Walt Disney World went over the top, and showed a tremendous amount of gratitude.  The reactions of the guests at the Food Blog Forum is what we, as cast members, take away; to be able to take a part in creating this type of magic, is an honor.  A lot of hours and hard work were put into this event and I was fortunate enough to see firsthand how magical it is for our WDW guests.  I wish every Cast Member was able to experience how impactful their efforts are, it is a gift that will resonate with me every day.

I took a walk early one morning to grab a shot of the Food Blogger Forum venue in the break of dawn.

The unique part is that I while I was signing up for this talent loaded conference put together by amazing bloggers, I have also have been working on planning the events from an operational stand point.  And I have been getting sooo excited because our teams are really pushing boundaries to give the bloggers an awesome experience.  We, as chefs and caterers love when our guests are equally as passionate about food and beverage, and never want to disappoint!

Inside these doors is where the Magic happens!

Our teams spend weeks planning events, looking at guest flow, station designs and looks, as well as the food presentations, and that’s just some of the details.  We dream big- and consider what a right fit for each event and what we can do operationally.  Our teams are numerous and it is quite a feat to keep everyone on the same beat.  

Logistics!

Creativity is quite important!

My favorite events to help plan are the functions with high detail- whether it’s a dinner for 5000 people in a theme park with numerous action stations, off premise kitchens and only an hour to set, or a more intimate dinner with a highly creative menu and room set up.  The adrenaline rush that comes from pulling off these events is what I love about catering.

Mornings at Epcot are so gorgeous!

Planning events are pretty awesome, it is great having the ability to sit down with such a creative team and bounce ideas until something sticks. Those planning meeting are definitely my favorite!  They certainly can go on for hours, and sometimes we have to walk away because we have hit a brick wall.  I told a friend recently, that it is embarassing how much I love my job, but it is true.

What great timing -The Flower and Garden Festival is going on too!

And now, after weeks of planning the events of the food blogger conference, I am hanging up my chef hat and putting on my guest hat!  I am definitely going to soak it all in and I can’t wait to experience the magic first hand!

SOOOO Glad I am on my "Lent Mulligan" this weekend- these desserts and pastries are going to be awesome!

In a few minutes the quiet of the day will be gone- So pretty!

Preserved Lemons are ready!

Preserved lemons are very versatile- from vinaigrette to a cocktail! 

Remove the flesh and pulp. The skin is all you need.

The first dish for the lemons was inspired by not having much in the refrigerator- another busy week at work.  Perfect timing to as it was Monday!  Have you heard about Meatless Mondays- I’m pretty impressed about how this initiative has gained steam.  Meatless Mondays, is a nonprofit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Families across the country are joining in- whether their reasons are health based or financial based, 1/3 of the country has reduced their meat consumption in 2011.  Grains, tofu, soy are offering replacement proteins and a healthy alternatives.  This brings us to the popularity of grains- which can be seen all over the food magazines and in most restaurants.  Chefs are now wondering …what else can we do with grains?? 

Preserved Lemons Debut!

Here is the recipe that my preserved lemons made their first appearance-

All of this was in the kitchen- waiting to get used up!

Preserved Lemon and Curried Grains

• 1 ½ cup uncooked spelt
• 1 ½ cup uncooked kasha
• 1 ½ cup uncooked lentils
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup diced onions
• 2 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 24 oz. coconut curry broth
• 6 tablespoon chopped preserved lemons
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 6 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 3 oz. roasted red pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 ½ cup green beans, cut into bite size pieces
• ½ pint grape tomatoes
  

  Preserved Lemon and Curried Grains Mise en Place

   

It’s pretty easy to cook grains- start by washing them off with water.  Put a pot on the stove and add the washed grains, add water or stock to about two inches above the grains.  Bring to a slow boil and cook until tender.  When the grains are a la dente, drain them from the pot with a colander.  You can cool them down and reheat them when you are ready to serve.  This is a great way to prepare meals for a busy week.

I had a few pots working

1. Cook the grains to a la dente.
2. Place a large stock pot on the stove over medium high heat; add olive oil, followed by the onions and garlic.  Sauté until translucent.
3. Add the cooked grains to the pot and stir in broth.
4. Mix in the lemons, curry, cilantro, roasted peppers and ground red pepper.  Allow to gently simmer, giving the flavors a chance to meld.
5. Put the green beans and tomatoes into the pot about 15 minutes before serving- this will keep their beautiful, bright color. 

Add the bright veggies at the end so they keep there color and don't turn to mush!

Like with many other soups and stews, this dish gets better with time. Give it an hour or a day the flavor will deepen.  Another similarity to soups and stews is ingredients can be of the “clean the fridge” mentality- no beans? Use cauliflower- any vegetable or none will work!  The grains can also be switched up.

Flavorful and healthy- take that meatheads!

My favorite meals are alway the ones when I have “nothing’ to cook for dinner!

Preserved Lemon and Curried Grains

Cheers to Meatless Monday!