Since I started in the beginning of January at Park Event Operations we have done quite a few Sustainable and Local focused events. Having the vendors and partners to get such fresh, flavorful and responsible products is great-and important! Anytime you can get your groceries from a local farm will not only help your community, but they are guaranteed to be a better tasting and fresher product!
Dining Room With A View
A lot of people have been to The living Seas, but the lucky ones have been able to enjoy the tanks in their dining room!
This was a Salad Bar filled with Goodness!
The Chefs prepared so many salads, marinated and pickled vegetables, the cheeses were amazing- and the breads…oh, the breads!
The Display of Citrus Beet Salad is Gorgeous!
I love the detailed knife work!
Citrus Beet Salad
The food is beautiful enough to stand alone, but the props and decor add so much!
Beautiful Spread!
Rabbit, Duck, Artisan Sausages…But the BEST was the Blue Cheese and Pecan Focaccia Bread- So good!
The guests raved about it all-
A Different Kind of Flower...
Love the Fireplaces!
And the hot food….Amazing…..
2012 Casseroles...
Shrimp and Grits Casserole
Cheers to the South Carolina! Gotta love the Shrimp and Grits!
Florida Yardbird- Looks soo good!
I loved the shaved fried mushrooms- surprising to me as I really don’t like fungus 😦
Grilled Pork Belly
It’s hard to beat a slider for lunch- I see them as a way I can eat multiple plates!
Slider Trio
Duck Fat Fries- Crispy, Delicious!
The fish to make these sliders came from The Land- Fresh and Sustainable!
Having The Land right next door is pretty awesome!
The Waygu Beef came from Ocala, another local product!
Waygu Beef is considered to be as delicious as Kobe Beef- Great part is it comes from this side of the world!
Dessert on the Piano!
Well, that’s a little glimpse into an event in a park, a look at some creative, beautiful dishes and a shout out to using all the local and sustainable products you can!!
As the year opened I closed the door on a huge part of my life for the past 12 years. I said goodbye to a job and a kitchen I gave my heart to, to friends that have the same battle scars as I, to hallways that I have hurried back and forth countless times and to an experience I would never trade. So many memories, laughs and tears- My love for cooking and catering proved limitless in that old building. So in the last few weeks, as I transitioned into my new role at Park Events I thought a long way back about my times at the Contemporary. There certainly are a lot of good memories, I will miss that family but am happy to be welcomed into a new family and onto a new adventure.
Upon my trip down memory lane, I recalled one of my favorite family meals- one that exemplified a “Family Meal” in a kitchen. There are a few dishes that each of us shared frequently when it was our turn to cook for the kitchen, this one coworker had two of my favorites- Strawberry Cinnamon Milkshakes and Garlic Chicken Potato Soup. Jose would make this soup every time that one of us walked into work with a sniffle or a cough- it was the “Ultimate Cold Remedy”. Though Jose left many years ago, his Milkshakes and Garlic Chicken Soup lived on!
Better then Mom's Chicken Soup!
With or without a cold, this soup will lead you to a second cup and a clear sinus, “Extreme Mom’s Chicken Soup”!!
Ingredients
4 ½ lb whole chicken, broken down
12 cups cold water
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 carrots, cut in thirds
3 celery stalks, cut in 2 in pieces
2 bay leaf
1 tsp. whole peppercorn
1 spring rosemary
2 tbsp. sliced garlic
3 large baking potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 tbsp. slice garlic
Chicken Soup Mise En Place
Method
First make sure chicken is cut into equal size pieces, cut the breast into three pieces and the thigh into two. You can either buy a whole chicken and break it down yourself or buy one already broken down into 8 pieces. Either way cut the breast and the thighs further, so they cook evenly.
Put the chicken into a large stock pot, along with the water, vegetable, spices and the first 2 tablespoons of garlic and simmer for about 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove all the chicken from the pot. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the skin and bones and return the skin and bones to the pot. Continue to simmer stock about 4 hours. Cut chicken meat into ½ inch pieces and refrigerate. Strain the stock and return it to the pot, bring it back to a slow simmer and carefully skim fat off of the surface with a ladle.
Cooked and Deboned Chicken
Peel and dice the potatoes into ½ cubes, and add to the pot along with remaining garlic. Bring the stock back to a low simmer and cook potatoes until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Add reserved cooked chicken and return the soup to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste and you are ready serve.
Anyone else on a healthy eating kick? I don’t like to think of it as a diet- but in the end, I guess that’s what I am doing. Admittedly, my pants are tight-all those darn cookies got me 🙂. So, like many others across the country, I am back on the wagon again. Exercising more, eating healthier, drinking less frequently and waiting for my pants to loosen up!
Over the holidays I took a trip to Alabama to see my In-laws, and happily returned with a large bag of lemons from their tree. Faced with a busy start to the year at work and fearing the lemons might end up in the garbage, I have decided to preserve them. Preserved lemons are a popular condiment in Indian cuisine but can be used in endless dishes- stews, spreads, as condiments to fish and chicken, even in Bloody Mary’s! They are wonderful to have in your refrigerator when you are faced with another night of vegetables for dinner. As long as our dinners aren’t boring and bland I can eat healthy every night!
Backyard Alabama Lemons
My husband brought this recipe home a few years ago and it never fails! They do take six weeks to prepare so get started early- by the time you get sick of the same salad you’ve been eating every week they will be ready.
Sir Duke likes some zest to his kibble too!
Ingredients
10 Lemons, wedged and seeds removed
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup olive oil
3 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tbsp whole cardamom
Lemon Wedges
Preserved Lemon Mise en Place
Method
Place lemon wedges in a plastic container and sprinkle kosher salt evenly over wedges. Pour olive oil into container and mix well. Add cinnamon and cardamom and toss together. Cover the lemons with a piece of parchment paper and place a second container on top to weigh it down.
Week One of Preserving Lemons
Refrigerate for 6 weeks, stirring once a week. After 6 weeks, lemons will be preserved and ready to use. Cut lemon wedges into small pieces and use with fish, chicken, vegetables, flat breads, stews, ect.
Use cans, jars, or anything else to apply some weight!
Yield is about a gallon or 20 servings.
Preserved Lemons- Week One
I’ll check back in a few weeks with a glimpse of the lemon preservation progress, until then, get yours going too! Perhaps Bloody Mary’s at Easter brunch?
Hi, I’m Ryan. Carroll’s brother. As it says on her “about” page, I DO get envious of people’s reactions when we are together meeting new people. It goes like this:
New Person: Hi, Ryan and Carroll, it’s nice to meet you. What do you two do? Me: I teach college students who are studying to be teachers. New Person: Oh, that’s nice. Carroll: I’m a Chef at Disney World. New Person: Oh My Goodness, really? That’s amazing. Is it as great to work there as I hear? Is?…Where?…What?…Yadda Yadda Yadda… [30 Minutes Later] New Person: So, Ryan, tell me what you do.
No worries, though. I don’t begrudge Carroll at all. In fact, I think it’s awesome that Carroll (and Sir Wes) work their Chef magic at Disney, and I learn from them all of the time! But enough about me…let’s get to the fooooood!
My History with Shrimp and Grits
Being raised in the Northeast, I never knew about shrimp and grits. I never even heard of grits until I was 15 years old, when I moved from Philly to Virginia Beach. Friends of mine pushed them on me, but I never cared for them. By the time I moved to Charleston, SC (perhaps the Southern Mecca for shrimp and grits), I had made up my mind…I just didn’t like them. Sure, I tried a spoonful of a friend’s bowl here and there, but, meh, they never struck my fancy. Quite the opposite, frankly. It wasn’t until I first experienced this recipe, made by my friend Anna, when I understood the fuss. This recipe has been a big hit with everyone: fans of the meal have said that this was the best they’ve had (even a Charleston restaurant owner!!) and folks who are anti-shrimp and grits (like myself) have said “these are the only shrimp and grits I’ve ever liked.”
My Cooking Background
An upfront disclaimer – I’m not a chef, I’m an educator. I love my job, but if I could be something else in life, I would like to be a chef. Or a movie director. Maybe a professional hockey player. Anyway, I love to cook, and know enough to both follow and stray from a recipe. I strayed a bit from the original recipe and I’ll tell you where I did so, so you can make your own choices. I might even ask you, the reader, to give me some advice.
Shrimp & Grits
10-12 servings
Grits, White & Creamy
12 cups chicken broth
1 2lb Bag ~(5 cups) coarse stone-ground white grits (not the instant kind)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and white pepper to taste
Bacon Gravy
1 lb pack bacon cooked and crumbled
½ Cup melted bacon fat
¾ Cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
4 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley
salt and white pepper to taste
Shrimp (marinade for the day before the meal)
3 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Mesquite Seasoning (I recommend this; it’s well worth the price and goes great on meats, grilled veggies, and especially, grilled shrimp!)
Shrimp (the day of meal)
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Sausage
~1 ½ lb raw sausage (I used 5 healthy sized Andouille links, but Italian sausage will work just fine. I’ve also had great success with Turkey Andouille.)
Prep Notes:
First, I’m a home-brewer. Every book I’ve read on home-brewing says to drink some beer while brewing it. I generalize and transfer this approach to cooking and you’ll see it in the pictures.
Second, there’s always some good music playing while I cook. For this meal, I was using Spotify to stream some music. In case you have Spotify, check out Cooking with Ryan.
I also cook the bacon and sausage the day before to save me a little time on party day! Below, I present the instructions in the chronological order in which I performed them, but you can change them around to suit your needs.
Lastly, this recipe originally called for large shrimp. I used the large shrimp, but next time would instead use medium-sized shrimp as they’re better for mouth-sized bites. Plus, you get more per person. I used fresh, local shrimp with the shells on, but don’t hesitate using frozen shrimp – Alton Brown told “me” that they work just as well! I DO like getting shrimp with the shell still on, though. With the right tool, however, cleaning them is a breeze. See my video below in the next section.
Day Before the Meal
Shrimp
In a large bowl containing the shrimp, add seasonings, garlic and oil. In all honesty, I didn’t use measurements here; I just used what seems right, making sure not too add too much salt or too much oil. However, Carroll roughed out the measurements (see above) for you in case you need them. Place in marinating bag overnight.
Large Shrimp- Local from Charleston, SC
Shelling & Veining Shrimp
Ingredients for Shrimp Marinade - excluding the wine!
Prepped Shrimp!
Bacon
Raw, diced bacon
For the bacon gravy, you will ultimately need crumbled, crispy bacon. I did it the day before the meal. Make sure to reserve the bacon fat. Most people will probably cook the bacon and then crumble it. I cut it first and then cooked it. Is there an advantage either way? I don’t know. If you cut it first, make sure you stick the bacon in the freezer to get it cold cold cold; cutting sinewy bacon is no fun, and kind of gross. How do you do it? Is your way just a preference thing, or is there some cooking strategy behind it? Either way, make sure you reserve the bacon fat for the gravy!
Bacony Goodness
Sausage
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place the sausage on a baking sheet with raised sides. Bake sausage on baking sheet on top rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Sausage should be firm to touch, with clear juice seeping out. Let cool, and then cut into bite-size pieces.
Sausage
Bite-Sized Sausage
Day of the Meal
Grits, White & Creamy
Real Grits, not Instant
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a heavy pot. Pour the grits in slowly, stirring constantly so there’s no bottom-burning. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir until they expand into a thick, heavy “mass-o-grits” (~5 min). Continue cooking grits for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until all of the stock is absorbed and the grits become soft.
Creamy Grits
Add heavy cream and cook for 10 additional minutes, making sure to be stirring often. The grits will become thick(er) and heavy. Season to taste. You may need to add stock or water should the grits become too thick.
Bacon Gravy
Melt, or re-melt the bacon fact in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over low heat. Introduce the flour gradually in order to make a roux. Continue cooking for ~5 minutes, stirring frequently, until nice and brown. You should smell an earthy, bacony goodness. Increase heat to medium and slowly add 2 cups of chicken broth. Whisk vigorously at first and continue a constant whisk until thick. Continue to add broth until a desirable consistency develops. (you may not need all of the remaining broth). Add the cooked bacon. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes adding broth if gravy becomes too thick. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Shrimp
Heat the olive oil in large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and sauté until pink (~2 min).
Add sausage to shrimp and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of broth and scrape pan’s bottom.
Carefully pour the bacon gravy onto shrimp and sausage mixture and bring to a low boil. Turn heat to low and add parsley. Use broth reserve to thin gravy mixture if it becomes too thick.
Bacon Gravy with Shrimp & Sausage
Ladle grits into a bowl, and spoon a healthy portion of gravy mixture over the grits. Self-service works great!
Shrimp & Grits
All Gone!
If anyone makes this, or a variation, lettuce know!
Vanilla Lemonade 