Side Dishes
Hard to believe that today was the last and final event in the Sears Chef Challenge! It’s been great fun and an incredible experience. Best of all, I’m competing for two wonderful charitable causes – the Saddleback Church Food Pantry and The Sheepfold. Individual videos of each chef are being created from event 3 for voting, which begins on June 26 through July 10. Please, vote for me daily and help me win for these two giving and caring organizations!
Today we were at the Sears in Buena Park, CA. It’s so close to Knott’s Berry Farm that you can see the roller coasters. My roots go back to Buena Park as my family lived there until I was five. My dad’s first church was the little white Church of the Reflection in Knott’s, long before it was an amusement park. Walter Knott himself agreed to allow my dad to hold services there if he would also hold a service for employees on Sunday before the park opened. My history with Knott’s is still to this day why I am completely crazy about boysenberries! But today we are talking about salmon. In season right now, what could be better (not to mention good for you) than fresh, wild salmon.
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The Sears Chef Challenge Event 3 – Grilled Jalapeno-Mint Shrimp with Hominy Succotash
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The third of four events in the Sears Chef Challenge took place this weekend. I was cooking and teaching at the Sears store in Orange, California. Another terrific day, thanks to Linda Cooper and the Sears team. We were fortunate to have the vivacious Chef Rachelle Boucher in attendance. So good to finally meet her face to face as she definitely added her own special spice to things!
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Easy No-Cook Cranberry Salad
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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday to cook for. Get the coffee going early, ease into a day of cooking and and turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I love tradition. Puttering all day in the kitchen preparing to delight everyone with a feast to come is a joy for me.
My family had a strict tradition with our Thanksgiving menu and woe to you if wanted to mess with it. You risked excommunication from the family. The tradition was roast turkey with dressing and gravy, mashed potatoes, green vegetable (yes, the ever present green bean casserole), creamed pearl onions and cranberry salad.
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The Religion of Mashed Potatoes
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There are some subjects in the world of cooking that elicit firm convictions about how something should be made. One of those subjects is mashed potatoes. To some cooks, how you properly make mashed potatoes is practically a religion. Some preach russets. Some believe in only Yukon Golds. Some use their faithful old hand masher. For others, a ricer or food mill is the key to perfection. Skin on or off? Chunky or smooth? Milk, cream or half and half? These are serious matters for mashed potato lovers.
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It's about cooking fresh, cooking seasonally and discovering fun new ingredients, tips and tricks. I hope it brings you inspiration, education and enjoyment. Thanks for stopping by!