Category: recipe

Les Dames d’Escoffier teaches you to cook like a “Dame”

The Phoenix chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International is launching a monthly virtual cooking series during the next four months. The virtual chef led session’s start this Wednesday, May 24th with Chef Candy Lesher teaching you how to make “Enchiladas Verde Con Nopales”. Chef Lesher and Chef Tamara Stanger will teach each 50-60 session in alternating weeks and will be available for questions at the end. Recipes will be sent out five days in advance so participants can prepare ingredients and cook alongside. The chapter’s president in training Dame Debbie Elder will moderate each session.

The cost is $35 per class or $100 for all four classes and participants are encouraged to “share the screen” with friends and family. You can register for classes at their Eventbrite page.

Les Dames d’Escoffier session schedule

Enchiladas Verde Con Nopales- Chef Candy Lesher – Wednesday, May 24th 6:30 p.m.

A unique offering of garden-fresh enchiladas, this version is draped in a vibrant roasted chili and tomatillo sauce enriched with toasted pepitas. Stuffed with a savory medley of vegetables and cheese, the surprise ingredient tucked within is nopales from the prickly pear cactus! This delicious ingredient elevates enchiladas beyond the norm on every level — flavor, texture and nutrition too! Easy to assemble, they can be baking in less than an hour with their unique combination of readily available ingredients.

Pie Crust 101 Chef Tamara Stanger – Wednesday, June 21st 6:30 p.m.

As the name implies, this class will cover all things scratch-made pie crust including the history of pie crust, Chef Stanger’s favorite pie crust recipe and rolling crust (every novice baker’s dreaded moment), as well as different variations suitable for specific dietary needs and a range of flavor profiles. Chef Stanger will also discuss when blind baking pie crust is necessary, how to do it and the basic information for a variety of pie fillings.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Chef Candy Lesher – Wednesday, July 12th 6:30 p.m.

Tasty, rich and hearty, this soup is a breeze to create and will become every home cook’s satisfying go-to option for healthier Southwest cravings. Participants will learn how to make an inexpensive vegetarian-based broth that puts store-bought boxed versions to shame — and then discover the steps to extract the most impact from every ingredient for new levels of vibrant flavor. For ease and speed, directions will utilize an Instant Pot/pressure cooker; stovetop instructions will also be provided.

Southern Pies with a Southwest Desert Twist Chef Tamara Stanger – Wednesday, August 23rd 6:30 p.m.

In the world of desserts, Southern pie reigns supreme. Using the pie crust basics from her previous class session on June 21, Chef Stanger will show participants how to utilize indigenous Southwest desert ingredients to recreate classic Southern pies such as shoofly, vinegar and chess pies. This one-of-a-kind class is not to be missed!

Check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

Good Things Coming edibles from Chef Aaron Chamberlin

Chef Aaron Chamberlin is no stranger to taking quality ingredients and turning them into delicious tasting foods. Having owned several well received restaurants over the years he’s now turning his attention to doing the same in the cannabis industry as CEO of Good Things Coming. The new brand makes edible cannabis foods with locally sourced and fresh ingredients.

“If you’re going to eat a brownie or have a piece of candy, that splurge should taste amazing, it shouldn’t just be a delivery vehicle for cannabis,” said Chef Aaron Chamberlin, CEO of Good Things Coming. “Whether you’re a foodie or not, there’s no reason an edible can’t be an epicurean experience.”

Chamberlin uses unique ingredients to the cannabis industry including Yuzu, Citrus, Lavender Lemon and Mango Chile. His recipes try to include as many organic and all-natural ingredients combining nutrition and taste. He went into the cannabis industry because of its upward growth potential and to challenge his creativity as a chef. The THC used is a lab tested distillate of the plant from Arizona’s Copperstate Farms 40-acre indoor grow house.

Current products from include Lavender Lemon Drops and Fruit Jellies in Mango Chile, Yuzu Citrus, Pomegranate and Very Cherry. His French Chocolate Brownie Bites are made with French Valrhona chocolate and a touch of sea salt. Products are good for medical and recreational cannabis users and offer both a high and low dose THC options. Good Things Coming products can be found at dispensaries throughout Arizona.

For more information about the product line and to see which dispensaries carry their foods visit the website.

Sips & Bites: News you can use from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

Mediterra Bakehouse seasonal breads available at farmers markets

Handmade breads made with grains grown on their farm in Coolidge are available in 4 seasonal varieties through December. Pumpkin Boule, Fig & Anise, Chocolate Cherry Levain & Christmas Stollen can be found 4 days a week around phoenix at local farmers markets.

Romeo’s Euro Cafe hosts 3rd Tuesday dinner

The popular downtown Gilbert restaurant offers a 3 course dinner with 3 wine pairings for its monthly dinner. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and is $39++ per person. Reservations can be made by calling 480-962-4224 or email

Grgich Hills wine dinner at Tommy V’s Urban Kitchen

The famed Napa Valley winery will have its wines featured with at 5-course dinner in downtown Scottsdale. The Thursday November 19th dinner will be have socially distanced tables of no more than 8 people. $90 ++ per person, to view the menu and make a reservation head to http://tommyvscottsdale.com/ .

Tropical Smoothie Cafe 1st to use edible straws

All 9 Phoenix area locations are serving their seasonal Cranberry Truffle and Cranberry Crisp smoothies with a strawberry flavored edible straw. Each SORBOS individually packed straw stays firm for 40 minutes and is biodegradable.

Winning burger & shake now available at Aioli Gourmet Burgers

The contest had lots of recipes entered but only one could win each category. The FRC burger from Francis Campos of BASIS Phoenix H.S. and The Boo Shake by Kaitlynn and Mackenzie from Adobe Mountain H.S. are now available at the burger shops in Litchfield Park and 2 in Phoenix. 10% of all burgers sold are being donated to Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers

Cannabis dispensary, The Mint is holding a cannabis infused recipe contest

Arizona largest cannabis dispensary, The Mint is holding a contest to find the best cannabis infused recipe. Through June 30th, Arizona card holders 21 years of age and older are encouraged to submit their creations. The winning recipe will be featured in The Mint’s kitchen to join other menu items for to-go orders. Cannabis infused foods with less sugar help people battling everything from cancer & epilepsy to Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

Entrants need to their share recipe, idea or creation along with the proposed name, key ingredients and description. 10 finalists will be judged by a panel of chefs by July 1st and a grand prize winner will be announced on July 10th which is when the industry celebrates cannabis concentrates and extracts. The winner will also have their recipe in a cannabis infused cookbook to be released in August. The winner will receive $2,500 in cash and a $2,500 donation to a food bank in their name. Sales of the cookbook will also be donated to food banks who have been struggling to feed people the last few months.cannabisRecipe submissions are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. June 30th 2020 and can be sent to Recipes@TheMintDispensary.com. The Mint has a dispensary in Mesa and Guadalupe with a third planned to open this year in north Phoenix.

 

An Eggnog recipe for Hickman’s Family Farms Holly Jolly Eggnog

I’ve never been a fan of eggnog but from the looks of the ingredients in the recipe below I may have to start sipping on a glass or two. Eggnog dates back to when the country was first settled as the settlers were combining wine, spirits, eggs and sugar. Most are made from family recipes passed down from generation to generation.

Since eggs are a main ingredient in eggnog, Hickman’s Family Farms have provided their Grandma Gertie’s recipe. I’m probably not going to make it but if you do I’ll give it a try, preferably with the Maker’s Mark added.

Hickman’s Holly Jolly Eggnog

  • 5 Hickman’s Super Jumbo egg yolks
  • 5 Hickman’s Super Jumbo egg whites
  • 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 ½ cups Shamrock 2% milk
  • 1 pint Shamrock heavy cream
  • 3 Tablespoons favorite brandy eggs-tract (optional-Maker’s Mark Whiskey)
  • 2 teaspoons nutmeg
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Gradually add one cup of sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved.
  2. Add the milk, cream, egg-stract or whiskey and nutmeg and stir to combine. Set aside.
  3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a clean stand mixer and beat to soft peaks.
  4. With the mixer still running gradually add 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
  5. Whisk the egg whites into the egg yolk and milk mixture.
  6. Chill and serve.

For cooked eggnog, follow this procedure:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Gradually add one cup of sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg yolk and sugar mixture.
  3. Return the incorporated mixture to the pot and cook until it reaches 160º.
  4. Remove from the heat, stir in the egg-stract or whiskey.
  5. Pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.
  6. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a clean stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form
  7. Once egg yolk and milk mixture is cool, slowly fold into stiff egg whites.
  8. Stir to combine
  9. Serve chilled

For more recipes from Hickman’s Family Farms go to https://hickmanseggs.com/

 

Macayo’s Recipe Boxes make great stocking stuffers

Earlier in the year Macayo’s Mexican Restaurants made available a limited amount of recipe boxes and they sold out quickly. I’m glad to report the custom-made wood boxes filled with family recipes are available and will again sell out quickly. If you haven’t bought presents for your favorite foodie or home chef these would make a perfect gift.

Friday December 14th at 9:00 a.m. they will go on sale on-line and at their Mesa, Phoenix and Glendale locations. Each Recipe Box includes 72 family recipes including Spinach Con Queso, Green Chile Pork Stew and Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad.

Each Recipe Box is $35 plus tax with a limit to 2 per person. Macayo’s will donate $5 of each sale to Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-Cap).

The three locations where the boxes will be available are…..

Mesa- 1920 S. Dobson Rd. 85202 (480)820-0237

Glendale- 6012 W. Bell Rd. 85308 (602)298-8080

Phoenix- 3815 N. Central Ave. 85012 (602)264-6141

 

Kitchen Kit’s No Bake PB Chocolate Cookie recipe from Joanie Simon

It’s a no brainer what to post about today as I listen to food blogger/ recipe developer Joanie Simon on the TV preparing some of her favorite foods. It should come as no surprise that Joanie is this month’s Kitchen Kit creator from Bite Magazine. Joanie’s ingredients from Arizona food producers combine to make her “No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies”.

In your Kitchen Kit will be 3 of the 5 ingredients to make the cookies including PB Americano Classic Peanut Butter, Zak’s Haitian Cacao Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, McClendon Select Desert Blossom Honey and an easy to read recipe card. Joanie’s video for the cookies is on-line at her website

Combine with rolled oats and sunflower seeds from a your local market and your all set.  Full sizes of ingredients are included for you to make plenty of batches of cookies or use for your own recipes.

This no-bake recipe is both simple and delicious, says Simon. “You can make them for the kids, but in reality you’ll probably eat them all for yourself.”

The Kitchen Kit from Joanie Simon is available until the end of October and cost $35 plus shipping and can be ordered at ReadBite.com

 

 

 

 

Fresko Mediterranean Kitchen offers a Greek Salad recipe for lighter summer eating

Summer is rapidly approaching and lighter eating keeps your energy level high and your weight low. One of the ways to eat lighter is with the Mediterranean diet which is full of fish, vegetables and nuts. To bring attention to the Mediterranean diet, May is Mediterranean Diet Month and Fresko Mediterranean Kitchen offers a Greek Salad recipe for home preparation.

A Mediterranean diet has health benefits such as reduced incidents of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and more. Plus you don’t have to turn on your oven as the summer heat starts to head over 100 degrees.

Kody Harris of Fresko Mediterranean Kitchen

Corporate chef turned restaurant owner Kody Harris grew up in a Greek family with both her mother and fathers family coming from the old country. When she was young Kody learned the ins and outs of Greek cooking and prepares food that is fresh and full of flavor from tried and true family recipes at Fresko.

The Greek Salad recipe

This delicious salad recipe yields 1 salad and is a good way to include olive oil, vegetables and spices in to your diet.

Ingredients:

2 oz. romaine lettuce, cut

5 oz. cucumbers, cut into ½ inch chunks

4 oz. Roma tomatoes, cut into ½ inch chunks

.5 oz. red onion, thinly sliced

.5 oz. green peppers, thinly sliced

2 oz. feta cheese, cut into ½ inch chunks

8 Kalamata olives

2 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tsp. red wine vinegar

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. oregano

Pita chips for serving

Instructions: Place romaine in mixing bowl and add ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar. Mix to coat and place in center of a bowl. Place remaining ingredients in mixing bowl and toss to coat. Mound ingredients on top of romaine. Garnish with pita chips.

If you’d prefer to leave the cooking to Cody you can visit Fresko Mediterranean Kitchen at 5033 E. Elliot Rd. Phoenix (Ahwatukee) 85044 http://www.freskokitchen.com/