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Fun, Food, & Great Friends

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Well, after some pretty busy work weeks I found myself with a free weekend night (a rare thing for me) and so some friends and I planned a last minute summer BBQ. We all love good food so instead of buying in lots of stuff we all brought dishes…it was so much fun! I made a total of four things with the help of my friend Kate. I tried a new recipe from Food & Wine magazine and absolutely loved it. The recipe is from Sue Zemanick, who was voted “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine a few months back. The recipe was Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato & Avocado. I highly recommend trying it out and not skimping on the the quality of the ingredients. This salad is so fresh and tasty, but must have top quality ingredients for you to get the full experience.

Like I said, we had a fabulous night and of course I had to fully document it with fun photos. I also have to thank my friend Matt for providing some great eye candy for you too…I can always count on him for good photos! So to let you in on the rest of the menu we had Crostini with Burrata, Olive Tapenade, Arugala, & Prosciutto, a delicious Farro, Cherry Tomato, & Arugala Salad made by my private chef friend, Jonathan, homemade grilled pizzas by my chef friend, Brian, and two desserts by yours truly…I will describe more later! So I hope you enjoy checking out the photos!

And for dessert I made Sour Cream & Lemon Sorbet with Gingersnap Cookies and Pichet Ong’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. Both desserts were extremely yummy! I will be doing a full post on the Reese’s Bar to come so watch out for them because they will knock your socks off!

Thanks for checking them out! Here is the recipe for the Chile-Lime Crab Salad!

Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato & Avocado

adapted from Sue Zumanick

Serves 4

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon very finely chopped jalapeño
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, plus cilantro leaves for garnish
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 1/2 Hass avocados, diced ( 1/2 inch)
1/3 cup minced red onion
1 large heirloom tomato, cut into four 1/2-inch-thick slices
Tortilla chips, for serving
In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with the olive oil, vegetable oil, jalapeño, chopped cilantro, honey and garlic. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the crab with 3 tablespoons of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, gently toss the avocado with the red onion and 2 tablespoons of the dressing; season with salt and pepper.

Tags: chile lime crab salad, chocolate peanut butter bars, crostini, farro salad, food and wine, fun bbq menu, homemade reeses bar, sour cream and lemon sorbet
Posted in Desserts, Recipes, Savory Food | 28 Comments »

New Cooking Classes

Friday, September 5th, 2008

Cooking classes are definitely a huge passion of mine. As some of you might know, before I went into the pastry field I was actually studying to be an elementary school teacher. All of my life this is the job I thought I was going to go into and was blessed to be able to work as an aide for many years. I absolutely loved teaching, but felt that God was leading me into a new passion and I jumped head first into it and have never turned back since. However, God knew He didn’t give me the love for teaching and sharing my passions with others for nothing and has helped me find ways in this new field to share and bless others. I feel so honored to be able to help and guide others that share my same passion for desserts and food and inspire those that never knew they had it within them. I have loved being able to teach classes at Prep Kitchen Essentials in Seal Beach and at my church Rockharbor in Costa Mesa and now I am excited to announce a new opportunity that I have been given. This month I am starting to teach cake decorating classes at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, CA. I am teaching three separate courses that consist of three classes each. Here are the three classes…

Module 1 – Basic Cake Decorating (9/08-10/08) $120

This relaxed and friendly course takes you through the basics of using a
variety of icings to decorate typical cakes required for birthdays,
graduations, etc. You will be shown techniques related to piping, use
of modeling paste for flowers and ornaments, and the covering of cakes
using a variety of icings tools and equipment. This will be taught as a
beginners level course. Perfect for either the recreational cake
designer or the individual who wishes to gain professional skills.

Module 2 – Wedding Cakes (10/08-11/08) $120
This course is suitable for creative cake-makers who may have completed
a beginners cake-decorating course. The course will primarily focus on
the techniques and styles needed to decorate beautiful wedding cakes.
Please do not sign up for this class if you are not familiar with the
basic principles of cake decorating.

Module 3 – Specialty Cakes (11/08-12/08) $120
This course caters for participants who wish to advance their basic
skills. Learn a variety of new, contemporary techniques using icing and
fondant, allowing you to create beautiful and unique cakes. On
completion of the course, students will have a greater understanding of
cake design and the satisfaction and confidence to further their
abilities.

The classes still have spots left in them and are priced quite low for how much information you will be learning in them. If you are interested in signing up just check out their website and they can give you all the information. Hope to see some of you there!

Well before leaving I wanted to share some photos with you from my cooking class at Rockharbor. This class was on appetizers and we had a great time! The menu was…

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip with Pita Chips

Caribbean Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Crostini with Fresh Mozzarella, Arugula, Prosciutto, & Olive Tapenade

Bruschetta

I wanted to pass on this recipe of Ina Garten’s from Barefoot Contessa. Her recipe for Sun-Dried Tomato Dip is fantastic and extremely easy…a double winner in my book! I highly recommend that you try it!

Tags: cake decorating classes ca, cake decorating classes oceanside ca, cooking classes california, great appetizer recipes, prep kitchen essentials cooking classes, rockharbor church, Sun dried tomato dip
Posted in Cakes, Cooking Classes, Desserts, Recipes, Wedding Ideas | 27 Comments »

Cooking Class Menu Plus the Cookbook Winner

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Last Friday night I taught a class at Prep Kitchen Essentials and we had a great time. The class was on Fresh & Easy Dinners and it turned out to be a fabulous night! But before I share all the delicious details from the class with you I wanted that thank you all for you for your great inspirational ideas. I loved reading each and every one and couldn’t pick a favorite, so instead I let the random number generator choose the winner (I know…I’m pathetic)! Anyways, the winner is BRANDI!!! Congratulations Brandi and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!

Well, onto the menu…

Caribbean Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Panzanella

Rigatoni with Grilled Summer Vegetables & Feta Cheese

Bake Pork Chops with Radicchio Slaw

Creme Fraiche & Lemon Sorbet

Here are some photos from the class…First off is the Rigatoni with Grilled Summer Vegetables & Feta Cheese!

Next is the Bake Pork Chops with Radicchio Slaw & Panzanella..

And the last dinner item was my favorite…the Caribbean Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette!

And sadly I didn’t get any good photos of the delicious Creme Fraiche & Lemon Sorbet, but here is at least one photo of the bowl!

Well, I couldn’t leave without sharing one recipe with you so here is my favorite from the night…enjoy!

Caribbean Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

adapted from Cooking Light

4 servings

4 cups chopped cooked shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)

5 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, divided

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon grated lime rind

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 large limes)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

Dash of salt

8 cups fresh baby spinach

1 cup chopped peeled mango (about 1 large)

1 cup julienne-cut radishes

1/4 cup diced peeled avocado

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

2 tablespoons unsalted pumpkinseed kernels

Combine shrimp, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and chili garlic sauce in a large bowl; toss well. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Combine remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar, oil, and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Mix together the spinach, shrimp mixture, mango, radishes, avocado, green onions and pumpkin seed kernels. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Tags: baked pork chops with radicchio slaw, caribbean shrimp salad with lime vinaigrette, creme fraiche and lemon sorbet, long beach cooking classes sweet and saucy, melody brandon cooking classes, panzanella, prep kitchen essentials cooking classes, rigatoni with grilled summer vegetables and feta cheese
Posted in Cooking Classes, Desserts, Recipes, Savory Food | 20 Comments »

Beau-Coup Winner Plus a Recent Cooking Class

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Thanks so much everyone for the comments you left on the last post…you are too kind! I am so glad that you all enjoyed Beau-Coup and I loved reading about your favorite finds! The winner of the $50 gift certificate is Landa from the All-Purpose Blog!!! Congratulations…hope you buy something fun!

Well, two days before that huge cookie order was due I actually had a cooking class scheduled that I would be teaching at Prep Kitchen Essentials. The class had been scheduled a while back and while at first it didn’t sound like I would be able to make it through it with a smile on my face (since my legs were about to go out on me) I ended up meeting a lot of great people, cooking some fabulous food, and enjoying the night. Here are some photos from the class and of course I have to share at least one recipe with you too!

The class was titled: Romantic Italian Date Night for Two and the menu was…

Crostini with Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella and Black Olive Tapenade & Pesto

Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup with Pesto Croutons

Pork Tenderloin with Mint Pesto

Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Here is the homemade Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Pesto Croutons.

Here is the Pork Tenderloin and Mint Pesto.

And finally here are the Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce.

We definitely had a great time at the class!

Well, as promised here is one recipe from the class…enjoy! Also if you are interested in coming to some of my classes you can check out Prep Kitchen Essentials new class list and sign-up!

Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

adapted from Fiamma by Elizabeth Katz

(makes 6-8 servings)

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all- purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 cup finely crushed amaretti cookies (about 16 cookies)
1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (5 ounces)
1 cup heavy cream
vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar for garnish

Whisk the ricotta and eggs together in a medium-size bowl until
smooth. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and amaretti and stir
until well blended. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

While batter is chilling, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. In a
small saucepan, bring the cream to a bowl and then pour the hot cream
over the chocolate. Let it stir for a couple minutes and then stir
until smooth. Keep warm or re-warm in microwave for a few seconds in
needed.

Fill a medium-size pot with at least 3 inches of oil and heat until
the oil reaches 360 degrees. Carefully drop the crochette batter by
the heaping tablespoon into the hot oil and cook, turning once, until
brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove
them and then place them on a paper towel to drain. Dust them with
powdered sugar and serve immediately with chocolate sauce.

Tags: cooking classes long beach ca, crostini, Fiamma, Prep Kitchen Essentials, ricotta beignets with chocolate dipping sauce, tomato and red pepper soup with pesto croutons
Posted in Cooking Classes, Desserts, Recipes, Savory Food | 27 Comments »

The Cookbook Winner Plus More Cupcakes

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

So sorry it has taken me so long to announce the winner…life is busy as normal. But before I congratulate the winner I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the contest. I was absolutely blown away with how many people left comments. Not only did I get a lot of comments, I got really nice comments…THANKS!!! I was so happy with this last cookbook giveaway that next week I will be doing another one so make sure and check back with me. Well, I have delayed enough…the winner from the random drawing is MANDY SESSLER!!! Congratulations Mandy! Please email me your address and I will send the book off to you so you can start the baking!

Today my friend from pastry school is having her 40th birthday party and she asked me to help out. For the dessert she wanted cupcakes of course. She said she wanted to keep it simple so we went with vanilla cupcakes with chocolate mousse buttercream and chocolate cupcakes with Chockylit’s cream cheese frosting (aka Vanilla Bean Frosting). Both of these are simple delicious! The vanilla cupcakes I tried for the first time are from Vanilla Bakeshop. They gave the recipe away on the Martha Stewart show and I knew I had to try it. The chocolate mousse buttercream is from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey which is a fantastic book that I recommend. This is probably my favorite chocolate frosting right now…definitely worth a try.

As you can see I topped the pearls with little balls of goodness! On the chocolate mousse buttercream I sprinkled Pearlized Ivory Dragees from Surfas. On the cream cheese frosting I sprinkled Valrhona Chocolate Pearls from Surfas too (You can also get them at a lot of Whole Foods too). These are a fun topping that also taste delicious!

Tags: birthday cupcakes, Cake Love, chocolate mousse buttercream recipe, cream cheese frosting recipe, delicious chocolate cupcake recipe, dragees, surfas restaurant supply store, valrhona chocolate pearls, vanilla bakeshop recipe, vanilla cupcake recipe
Posted in Cupcakes, Desserts, Recipes | 29 Comments »

Prickly Pear Margaritas

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Well, as promised I am sharing this delicious, refreshing, addicting drink! So get ready to get some chips and guacamole, a margarita glass, and some salt because here it comes!!!

I combined a couple different recipes that I found and came up with this one…it’s a keeper! Just for those of you who are still wondering what prickly pears are they are actually the fruit that grow on top of the flat cactus pad. Some say that they taste like a cross between a melon and a fig…I say they taste AMAZING!

Prickly Pear Margaritas

serves 6

3 1/2 cups crushed ice

3 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

3 oz. frozen limeade

6 Tequila

4 1/2 oz. Cointreau

3 oz. prickly pear cactus juice

3 T. sugar

Lime wedges and kosher salt for garnish