Showing posts with label to. Show all posts
Showing posts with label to. Show all posts
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Lettuce Entertain You and Get to Know a Farmer
This quick and dirty video recipe for grilled romaine hearts was shot on location at Tanimura & Antle, a family-owned lettuce farm we toured as part of the Get to Know a California Farmer field trip Michele and I just returned from in Carmel, CA. The event was to introduce their website and, as the name implies, help us get to know a farmer, and thats what we did. We got a fascinating look into how lettuce gets from their farm to your table. Brian Antle, the farm’s Harvest Manager, ran the tour, and it was a joy to hear him talk with such pride about what his and the Tanimura family had created from this land.
After the tour we were treated to a wonderful lunch showing off some of the farm’s famous foliage. The grilled romaine salad you’ll see in the video was a big hit, but we also had some beautiful pizzas, as you can see below. It always feels special to eat produce that was just picked hours before.
You’ll also see a short video I did showing how the lettuce goes from dirt to final packaging on this slow-rolling mobile processing plant. You’ll have to pardon the dirty lens, as I hadn’t planned on filming in the field, and never checked it. I believe the smudge is gumbo, but there’s really no way to tell for sure. Dont let that deter you, or youll miss a cameo by social media guru, Jay Baer, on a bed of lettuce.
After lunch we got to tour Naturipe Farms, one of the largest berry producers in the state. Our guide, Tom, did a great job of explaining all the challenges that go into growing berries, especially strawberries. I learned that organic doesnt mean that no pesticides are used. They just need to be certified pesticides, and are often the same ones used in conventional farming. The highlight for me was his explaining how fish meal is regularly used to fertilize organic strawberries, unbeknownst to most vegans we assumed.
Anyway, it was a really fun trip, and I want to thank Adfarm and Get to Know a California Farmer for inviting us. Also, huge thanks to the farmers who shared their stories and delicious products with us. For more information on Get to Know a California Farmer, please check out their website! Its a fantastic way to connect directly with the people growing the food you put on your tables every day. They’re also running a sweepstakes on the Facebook page where you could win $10,000 worth of groceries. It’s only open to California residents, and ends soon, so get over there and check it out. Enjoy!
Grilled Romaine Salad
How Lettuce is Harvested
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
How to Make Perfect Sushi Rice Raw Fish Sold Separately
This video recipe I just did for About, shows the easy-to-follow steps involved in making perfect sushi rice. By the way, "sushi" is NOT raw fish. Sushi actually refers to the seasoned rice thats used in sushi bars for various preparations. You cant make great sushi without great sushi rice. The texture must be sticky and tender, yet at the same time firm and separate. You must be able to mold into shape, but it has to collapse when you bite down.The good news is if you follow these steps it will come out every time. Of course, what good is a bowl of sushi rice without knowing how to roll your own California rolls? Well, I will give you a few days to find a bamboo sushi mat, and some Nori (seaweed wrappers). Theyre pretty cheap, and if you cant buy them where you live, get them online (see below). In a few days Ill show you how to make your own sushi (relax, I will only use cooked fish). Then you can tell all your friends you roll like Chef John. Enjoy!
Click here for ingredients and transcript
. .
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Garlic Ginger Bok Choy – Cheap Easy and Fun to Say!
Bok Choy is becoming very easy to find in grocery stores these days as the trend to eat green veggies continues to grow (for good reason). This is great vegetable for many reasons; it’s cheap, it takes about 3 minutes to cook, it has a beautiful subtle sweet flavor, and of course it’s packed with nutritional goodness. As you’ll see, the best tip for great Bok Choy is how to trim the tops and bottoms separately so they both can cook perfectly.One quick anecdote before you watch the clip. I was taking roll call on Day 1 in one of my first classes as an instructor at the Culinary Academy, and was going down the list calling out the names and listening for the traditional call back, “here Chef,” when I saw on my roster “Bok Choy.” Well, that’s an interesting name, so I called out the name and heard in a very deep voice, “here Chef.” I looked up to make eye contact, as I did with all the students as I called roll for the first time, and sitting there was this very tall, Scandinavian-looking gentleman with blond curly hair. I asked him if that was his nickname and he said no, that was his real name. Now, the classes at the school were 3 weeks long, and as much as I wanted to, I resisted the temptation to go up and ask this man how he came to get the name Bok Choy. So, Bok Choy, if you are reading this post, please email or comment and tell me how you got the name! It’s been 5 years and I’m still wondering.
Ingredients:
3-4 Heads Of Baby Bok Choy
1/2 Cup Sliced Red Peppers
2 Clove Garlic
1 Tbl Ginger
1/2 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbl Vegetable Oil
1 Tbl Soy Sauce
8 Drops Sesame Oil
Friday, April 18, 2014
Hummus Recipe How to Make Hummus
.JPG) |
| Hummus |
Ingredients
Kabuli Channa / Chickpeas - 1 cup
Garlic cloves - 4 nos
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Thick curd - 3 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Salt and Red Chilli powder to taste
.JPG) |
| Hummus |
Method
Soak kabuli channa in water overnight. Next day drain soaked channa and pressure cook until soft and tender. Allow to cool until channa reaches room temperature.
Place curd in a fine strainer, reserve thick curd and discard any water is found.
In a mixer blender add cooked channa, garlic cloves, olive oil, strained thick curd, lemon juice, sesame seeds, required salt and red chilli powder.
Run the mixer until channa is ground to creamy and smooth paste.
Remove hummus to a bowl, make small well in the center and pour 1 tsp olive oil in it or sprinkle little chilli powder on top.
Serve with warm pita chips or with crackers or with thickly cut vegetables.
.JPG) |
| Hummus |
Monday, March 31, 2014
Peach and Blackberry Flognarde As Delicious to Eat as it is Fun to Say!
I was looking around for a name for this unusual clafouti-like combination of peaches, blackberries, thyme and black pepper, when I saw an article that said in France, a clafouti that uses fruit other than cherries is called a flognarde.A flognarde? Yes, a flognarde. I enjoy saying flognarde so much, I think even if this recipe hadnt come out as well as it did, I would have still made it regularly - just to say, flognarde. As I mentioned in the video, I couldnt find a proper French pronunciation, so please enlighten me on how it should really sound. Until then, Im going with "flog-nard."
This recipe is dedicated to the more adventurous among you. I knew going in that the thought of adding black pepper and thyme to a dessert-ish recipe would freak some of you out. But, thats okay.
The pepper gives this a very subtle hint of heat, and the thyme adds an almost unperceivable herbaceous, slightly lemony aroma. Is this something you will enjoy? There is really only one way to know. Enjoy!
1/2 cup wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
pinch of salt
1 tsp butter
1 pint blackberries, rinsed
1 ripe peach, sliced
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Getting Ready for Our “Passport to Dry Creek Valley” Spring Break
My wife and I are right in the middle of preparing for a huge catering event this weekend in Sonoma. It’s called “Passport to Dry Creek Valley,” which is an annual event showing off the wines, and vineyards, of the beautiful Dry Creek Valley (photo from visitwineroad.com). We will be doing the food for our dear friend Bill Frick, at the amazing Frick Winery for the 12th straight year. Despite all the planning and prep work, its a lot of fun and we always look forward to it.There are over 50 wineries involved in this event, and thousands of wine enthusiasts will be
eating and sipping their way through the valley. By the way, if you have a chance, check out the Frick Winery website. Bill produces some of the most delicious wine in California.Due to the limited time to film clips and write articles, there will probably not be any new videos until after the weekend. I may do a couple posts before I leave, especially if any new About video recipes air, but no promises! This will be the perfect time to review your favorite recipes and make sure you havent missed any. Dont forget to use the google search box in the side bar to find the ingredients you are interested in. Enjoy!
Friday, March 14, 2014
CouponDunia in A simple recipe to save money Bloggoversary giveaway ₹200 gift card to flipkart
Today I am posting an interesting recipe to save some money. First thing everyone looks before buying any product is discount, yup! if you see me in any grocery store you would find me with a small bag filled with coupons. I love to save money, and always think twice before spending money on something, because I know the value of money. Here in USA coupon system is very popular, if you try to search some coupons online you can find tons of coupons to many popular stores all across USA. I was wondering why this system is not implemented in India, and to my wonder few days back I came across this site CouponDunia.in and I was so excited to see so many wonderful coupons and shared this with my family in India about this. My brother already used the Dominos coupon and told me its working. So, I thought about sharing about this wonderful website with you all.
Here are the few interesting coupons I found
Ebay Coupons
Now-a-days eBay is becoming very popular in India. It may be because of its ease of purchase or low price than the market price.
Couponsduniya.in is offering some wonderful coupons for televisions, computers and many more electronics.
Dominos Coupons
The days are gone where people used to celebrate their birthdays with coke and samosa, now pizzas are rocking the party. You could save some money on pizzas by using this wonderful coupons online like my brother did for Dominos.
Flipkart Coupons
My most favorite coupon is for the flipkart, currently they are offering coupons for apparel, electronics, books and many more. I love this site. It always makes you feel better when you purchase a product lower than the regular price. You can find them on Facebook too!
It is really very interesting website and I hope this information is helpful to you.
Today is my 2nd Bloggoversary so, I have decided to giveaway ₹200/- gift card from Flipkart.
This giveaway is open to all the people in India
To enter this giveaway the rules are:
1. Like me Facebook or follow me on twitter
2. Follow me on my blog
3. Leave a comment on my blog on any post you like.
Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on 15th April 2013.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
How to Bridal Make Up
Everyone, meet my beautiful friend Amy. She got married this past weekend (our trip to Maine over the past few days for the wedding was why Ive been absent from your lives here, and for that, I am deeply sorry) and asked me to be her make-up artist for the ceremony. Ive never been proposed to, but Im pretty sure thats one of the best questions you could ever be asked. The whole "will you do my make up" thing, I mean.
It goes without saying that Amy is a naturally gorgeous human being. Youll be equally jealous to know shes as nice and sweet a person as she is beautiful. So really, she didnt need any make-up on her special day, but as we all know, make-up isnt a matter of need, its a matter of LIFEeEEEE!!!!!!!! That said, I wanted to enhance Amys natural radiance as much as possible, while making her feel elegant, timeless, and I mean, lets face it, sexy for her wedding.
I think its imperative that a bride think about how she wants to look in pictures. After all, youll have them the rest of your life and you do not want to look back and wonder why you look so pasty or how in the hell you decided to sport a unibrow and red lips.
Make up for pictures is NOT the same as make up you wear to like, work, or your cousins bat mitzvah or whatever. But just because you might wear more make up than normal doesnt mean you have to look like this drag queen. It mostly comes down to the following:
- A lightweight but full coverage foundation set with loose powder
- Eye primer so as you weep with happy tears your eye make up doesnt drip down your face
- Ditto for a waterproof mascara, but only if you use lash primer--otherwise theyll be too crusty. Sick.
- A soft flattering lip color without shimmer. Shimmery lips dont photograph well.
So, we went with a simple but dramatic eye, fresh and dewy skin, and a soft pink lip.
{A few tools of the trade}
Face
Bare Escentuals Prime Time Primer
Sephora Instant Radiance Foundation
Smashbox High Definition Concealer
MAKE UP FOREVER Sculpting Palette
Sephora Blush in Peach Fusion
Coty Loose Powder
Eyes
MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
NARS Eye Shadow in Blondie
Sephora Kohl Waterproof Liner in Keep Black
MAKE UP FOREVER Shadow in Slate Gray
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara
Ardell Half Strip False Eyelashes
Lips
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude
YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Lingerie Pink
Sephora Lip Liner in Native Nude
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
In Case of Emergency How to Make a Tomato Rose
You know, for emergencies like if my equipment fails, or I get injured saving a fireman stuck in a tree (he was up there trying to save a cat), or like in this case, I get called down to Los Angeles to produce a historically-based reality food show. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Stick to itiveness
Ever since I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the one with Gene Wilder, mind you, not that craptastic veneered-Johnny Depp one), Ive had a mild obsession with anything gold. Coupled with my lifelong obsession with the Wizard of Oz and ruby slippers (as evident in the video below), its no surprise these gold glitter nail polish stickers by Sally Hansen piqued my interest.
Ive been rocking my own combination of gold glittery nail polish for the last couple of months using this very tough to remove top coat. Tired of blowtorching specs of glitter off my nails, I shelled out the $9.99 for the "real nail polish stips" in hopes of achieving the same look with a better wear and easier removal.
{Yep, those are my feet. Youre welcome}
The kit includes instructions, an orange stick, a mini nail file, and of course the nail polish strips.
Pretty sure the strips are designed for fingernails, but I figured my toes could use a little attention. 
It looks pretty sick at first, kinda like youre going for the world record of Longest Toenail, but its just until you get it situated on there just right. Then you file away the excess.
In the end, they turned out pretty well. They were easy to apply, albeit a bit time-consuming at first. Plus, theres no nail polish smell and because theyre stickers, no dry time! So thats, in the words of Miley Cyrus, "pretty cool."
Ten bucks might seem a bit steep, but they say it lasts up to 10 days, and with 20 strips, you can get two manicures out of it (unless youre some kind of 11-fingered weirdo). I like the glittery shades, but the display at my drug store had a couple dozen colors to choose from, including a black lace situation. I think Ill try that one next.
{Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips}
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce – Im Fine Now But I Used to Be Nuts
Not outwardly, as I have a decent poker face, but inside I was like, “what the hell is that?” That’s how it was for me early in life. If I saw a food prepared differently from the way I’d always seen it, I just assumed it was a terrible idea. Like ketchup on a hot dog…okay, so I happened to be right that time, but generally it’s not a great attitude to have.
As I pondered this season’s annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, and which styles I hadn’t tried yet, I remembered how off-putting that walnut-studded version was, and I decided to face my demons. I’m happy to report, as usual, I was totally wrong. It works perfectly.Besides the nuts, I really enjoyed the job the maple syrup did sweetening the acidic berries. I recommend using a Grade B maple syrup if you can find it. It’s darker and thicker, and boasts a stronger maple flavor, so it’s the preferred syrup for cooking and baking by those in the know (also know as, “Canadians”).
So, if you’re looking for new and exciting cranberry sauce recipe this holiday season, I hope you give this a try. You’d be nuts not to. Enjoy!
Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:
(makes about 2 cups)
(makes about 2 cups)
1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries, washed
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup port wine
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped walnut, toasted a light golden-brown
Monday, January 20, 2014
Too Hot To Cook Make a Lettuce Wrap
I love lettuce cups and garden wraps- so fresh and light.
Too hot to cook and you're contemplating going gluten-free to boot? Try a greenwich on for size. Garden fresh lettuce wraps make for an ultra-easy lunch that is perfect for sizzling summer days. Wrap or cradle your favorite sandwich filling with tender Boston lettuce or crisp romaine. Stuff smaller cups with your favorite salad or use larger leaves to wrap and roll a layered classic.
One of the first recipes I started with on my gluten-free journey years ago was the simple idea of wrapping various sandwich fillings in crisp washed lettuce leaves. The possibilities are endless.
Boston lettuce (aka butter lettuce) leaves make deliciously tender wraps. Romaine is sturdier; fill it lengthwise- like a boat- and simply fold it, rib on bottom. When fillings are messy, wrap the wrap with a piece of wax paper, plastic wrap or foil.
Lettuce wraps are great fun for kids. Set up a buffet style Greenwich Bar- with all the fixin's- and let them choose from an assortment of fillings to design their and wrap their own creations.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Read more + get the recipe >> Friday, January 10, 2014
How to Host Out of Town Visitors
{Obligatory blogger shot at a farmers market}
Normally, Tuesday posts are reserved for the often imitated, never duplicated (its probably true) TwoFaced recipe series, in which The Paleo Project and I take one shared ingredient and whip up our own paleo masterpiece. But not today. Instead, I bring you photographic evidence as to why there was no paleo cooking or baking this week (spoiler alert: it involves alcohol and non-paleo food).
You see, continuing our blog BFF adventures, Jenna came down this weekend just to visit me for Blogger Blitz DC and stayed at the CupcakesOMG! abode. I dont know if it was the making her sleep on my couch part, force feeding her carbohydrates, or missing out on basically any and all D.C. sightseeing, but at some point this weekend, I realized I was a terrible hostess. Im hoping that some of our new inside jokes and a rare glimpse into life with Kyle made the visit totally worth it for her, otherwise, this.is.awkward.
{First stop of the trip--a house of chocolate!}
{Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate with a homemade marshmallow. I mean, have you even HAD
a homemade marshmallow? Its like the angels were sitting around one day and all "lets make
the most delicious treat of all time" and then the prettiest of the angels took the lightest of the
sweetest clouds and dropped it down to Earth in little bite-sized squares. The end.}
a homemade marshmallow? Its like the angels were sitting around one day and all "lets make
the most delicious treat of all time" and then the prettiest of the angels took the lightest of the
sweetest clouds and dropped it down to Earth in little bite-sized squares. The end.}
Following a busy day of eating, shopping, and the watching half of The Help on OnDemand, we decided we should venture out for more eating and a lot more drinking.
{Kyle joined up with us at dinner and picked up the tab. Hes a regular sugar daddy!}
{I do like to enjoy a beer through a straw sometimes, yes. This, however is plain ridiculous,
but for what its worth, I was trying to play them like a harmonica. I dont even know
HOW to play the harmonica, btw.}
but for what its worth, I was trying to play them like a harmonica. I dont even know
HOW to play the harmonica, btw.}
Jennas second/last day in D.C. included brunch at Liberty Tavern, which happens to have one of the best brunch buffets in all the land. It also makes for great posing opportunities.
{Thank god were eating again!!!}
{The one "monument" of sorts I let Jenna see--the fountain at Dupont Circle}
Whens the last time you hosted a visitor? Do you cook for guests or do you go out?? Am I a bad hostess for not taking visitors to see the sights???
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