JA Henckels & cooking classes

So my hubby opened a set of JA Henckels we got for a wedding present 5-6 years ago. Our anniversary was on Sat and we had never opened them. We were saving them since we already have a nice set of Henckels and I didn't want to open them until we bought our new house. Well come to find out our new set is for Professional Chefs! I couldnt believe it, what timing. Needles to say I am using them now. Everything happens for a reason they say....They are much heavier than the older Henckels but very nice. It will take some getting used to but I think I will do just fine. I am hoping to use them for the catering gig on Sat night but if not, I will definitely be using them in 2010 in the classes I am assisting with the Chief Chef Don Heiser. www.firehousegourmet.com Our first class is Valentine's Day. Sign up now!

I am officially working as a caterer!

I am so excited. I was offered a position with a caterer earlier this week and I proudly accepted. My first event is a private party here in Encinitas on Dec 12. I cannot wait. These last few years of volunteering at the awesome San Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival has paid off and I didn't even expect it. That's the best part. It was a great surprise. Thanks so much to Michelle Metter and Ken of the festival. I really appreciate it. Have a nice weekend and have fun cooking!

San Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival & More.....

Hello all. Wow! What a wonderful and fun long weekend! I volunteered at the San Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival again this year. I have done it since inception and absolutely love it. I acted as Sam The Cooking Guy's sous chef on Thurs and assisted the Top Chef All Stars on Fri. Good to see Chef CJ and Chef Brian Malarkey again! They are a blast every year! Thank you to Michelle and Ken the creators. You have brought out the foodie in me! I love it so much I am embarking on a new career in catering. I reconnected with two other volunteers last week who cater on the side. I look forward to assisting them some time in the near future. I am also in the process of being mentored by the famous Chief Chef Don Heiser of the Firehouse Gourmet. It's been about a month now and I have already learned a lot. Follow him on Twitter @firegourmet. He is starting classes the first of the year in which I will be assisting. If you would like to see the class schedule please let me know. We would love for you to join us. I also just got home from my first interview with Dream Dinners in Carlsbad. My second interview will be next week some time, please wish me luck. Thanks! I am cooking this year for Thanksgiving and Can't wait. I am using a recipe from Anne Burrell for our turkey. Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

So I made Julia's Beef Bourguignon the other night. Wow! Is all I can say, it was sooooo much work but man was it delicious. It DOES take hours to prepare and make. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't had it yet. Here is the recipe. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=822280 Have a great holiday weekend!

Thee Bungalow presents Julia & Chef Paul

I am a Just My Ticket member and I just received this offer from them: enjoy a great evening of fine dining as Thee Bungalow presents Julia & Chef Paul, a 3-Course Tribute for only $29.95 to Julia Child from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". Julia's recipes will be created by Chef Paul and served in a 3-course menu from September 1st through Sept. 12th. Thee Bungalow
Just My Ticket

Food in Dallas

I was in Dallas from Aug 6-9 for an AMAZING women business owners conference for www.eWomenNetwork.com While I was there I had dinner at Mi Cocina http://www.mcrowd.com/ in Downtown Dallas. Really good Tex Mex food and the service was outstanding! I also ate in the bar of Nana Restaurant one night at the top of the Anatole Hilton. The food and views there were amazing! His french fries in Truffle oil were to die for! Tonight I am making Bobby Flay's Pork Shoulder Rajas with Quick Kimchi in Lettuce Leaves with Kojuchang Sauce. I cannot wait to eat it. You can get the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pork-shoulder-rajas-with-quick-kimchi-in-lettuce-leaves-with-kojuchang-sauce-recipe/index.html Have a great day and have fun cooking!

Enjoy your time cooking in the kitchen with love!

“The kitchen is where the action is, where the big conversation is happening. It's the place to be.”
— Chef Jewels Elmore

Julia Childs birthday is August 15th

I just got an email from Sur La Table. They are celebrating Julia's birthday this Sat. at all their store locations. Go check it out! http://e.surlatable.com/a/hBKgnaOAJLoQBB7upH5At0fy6GW/juli3

Happy National Farmers Market Week!

Hi - I just voted in the "Love Your Farmers Market" contest sponsored by Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org to help my favorite market, Encinitas Downtown Main St. Farmers' Market, win a grand prize of $5,000. I care about promoting fresh, local and healthy foods, and I need your help to get enough votes to help Encinitas Downtown Main St. Farmers' Market win. Please vote here: http://www.care2.com/farmersmarket/3729?refer=18460.03.1249487203.570612. If you don't live in Encinitas, please vote for your favorite local farmer's market. Support your local growers! Happy Cooking!

Julie & Julia

The premiere of Julie and Julia was wonderful last night. Thank you to the San Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival for the tickets. I can't wait for the festival again this year. http://www.worldofwineevents.com/ I am looking forward to working and attending again this year. If you love food and cooking you will love the movie, esp. if you are a Julia Child fan. She made an amazing Beef Bourguignon I am going to make next week. You can find it here, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=8222804 I was drooling as we left the theater. Definitely check it out when it comes out on Fri.

Yesterday I made homemade mushroom and Canadian bacon pizza for lunch. I wanted Pepperoni but was out. We always use Alton Brown's dough recipe. It's awesome. I have been using it for years. You can find it here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pizza-pizzas-recipe/index.html

Have a great day and Happy Cooking!

Long beach Crawfish Festival and more!

The Long Beach Crawfish festival was fun, the crawfish of course were amazing as they were the highlight of the day. The music was not as good as it was last year nor was the attendance. It seemed as though last years was much bigger.

I made the Rachael Ray pasta salad on Friday for our TGIF jazz in the park concert and it was good, I got great reviews from the friends who were with us. I will warn you though, it took way longer for me to make it than Rachael did on TV. Here's the recipe, http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/italian-pasta-salad-sausage/.

Saturday night we had dinner at a great little restaurant in Long Beach. http://www.utopiarestaurant.net/ We have been wanting to eat there for years, great food, great service, and great art. It's called Utopia and it is owned by two partners. We met one last year when we were up there for the crawfish festival. We met the other on Sat night. He is Persian (really nice guy); we talked to him for a while. The specialty of the restaurant is lamb. I hear it's amazing. We will try it next time. My husband ordered the chicken parmesan and it was excellent. I highly recommend it with a glass of red wine. I had the steak salad which was good too with the Malbec we ordered.

Tonight we are going to see the premier of Julie and Julia. I will let you know how it is tomorrow. Have a great day and happy cooking!

Long beach Crawfish Festival and more!

I received some free passes this a.m. to the movie Julie and Julia. I will let you know next week how it was.
On Saturday we are heading to Long Beach for the Long Beach Crawfish festival. We go every year and the music and crawfish are amazing. You can get info. and tickets here, www.longbeachcrawfishfestival.com. They are offering active military free tickets too! That's awesome!
This a.m. I saw a recipe from Rachael Ray, What's for Dinner Tonight: Italian Pasta Salad with Sausage. It looked amazing, perfect for our TGIF free jazz night at the park on Friday night. Rachael turns everyone's favorite summer side into a one-dish meal! Get the recipe here: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/italian-pasta-salad-sausage/ I will let you know how it is next week. Have a great day and Happy Cooking!

Giada's chili

OK, so I am watching Gordon Ramsay on Hell's Kitchen. I cannot believe how disrespectful this guy was to Chef Ramsay! Unreal! Thank God he's gone.

So last night I made Giada De Laurentiis' White Bean and Chicken Chili along with her Cheddar & Scallion Bread. They were both amazing! I didn't need to substitute anything. You can find the chili recipe here, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/white-bean-and-chicken-chili-recipe/index.html. You can find the bread recipe here, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cheddar-and-scallion-bread-recipe/index.html. Happy Cooking! Have a great night!

San Diego Bay Food & Wine Festival

SAN DIEGO BAY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST WINE & CULINARY EXTRAVAGANZA RETURNS FOR A FIVE-DAY FEAST OF THE SENSES!

170 WINERIES * 70 FINE DINING RESTAURANTS
COOKING & WINE TASTING CLASSES * CELEBRITY CHEFS
LIVE AUCTIONS & MORE!

JOIN US NOVEMBER 18 - 22, 2009
Click To Buy Tickets & Visit The Festival Homepage
Contact: 619-342-7337 or online at worldofwineevents.com

Moo Shu Pork by Emeril

Hello all. Welcome to my first post on my new foodie blog. I was laid off from my first and last 8-5 job I ever had 7 years ago. While I was debating on what I wanted to do I discovered the Food Network and have been watching it religiously ever since. Before I started watching I only knew how to cook 3 things and I didn't do it too often. Now I cook pretty much every day and LOVE it!

Last night I made Emeril Lagasse's Moo Shu Pork and it was awesome! I had to make a few substitutions but it was good. Instead of shiitake mushrooms I had to use regular mushrooms and instead of green onions I used red onions. I did not have any bean sprouts so those were left out. We had it with sake and Stella beer as well as a Rodney Strong rose wine. I highly recommend the beer, it seemed to go with the meal the best. Emeril is one of my favorite chefs and I highly recommend this recipe. You can find it here. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/moo-shu-pork-recipe/index.html

I am Going to the Women's Conference in Long Beach, CA in Oct. and I am looking forward to meeting Paula Deen there, another one of my favorite chefs. Last year I met Rachael Ray and Rocco DeSpirito. Rocco was very personable and friendly!

Tonight I will be making Giada's White Bean and Chicken Chili along with her Cheddar and Scallion Bread. I will let you know how it goes. Have a great day and eat well!