ChefDawn

Blueberries and Cherries and picking , oh my!

If you are in southern California and like to pick your own fruit, head out to Somis for Blueberry picking from 9-2 M-Sun!  Also, you can go cherry picking in Leona Valley off of the 14 in Antelope Valley.  Off picking I go....

Back Cooking

After months of trying to iron out my business plan, I'm ready to go.  Yes, I'm starting cooking classes again.  And I'm launching my blog and website with my personal chef business.  Can't wait to tell you more!!!

Where have I been?

Thank you for all my loyal supports, friends and family for keeping up with my blog.  I am not sure where the time goes but with four daughters, I hardly find time to do what I want!!!!

I came across this article today and wanted to pass it along.  Are there any good chains out there anymore?  I think EPL (El Pollo Loco) is still the best bet.

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/26542/americas-unhealthiest-restaurants

Also, did you hear that Acai Berry might be a scam?  Check this out....

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7148408

So I'm now eating for my blood type - Type "O".  Also, I'm a Hunter genotype.  I'll be writing more soon about my adventures in eating!

Kids Cooking

Straight from CTSafekids.org (Conneticut Safe Kids) comes this great information on what kids can do!

AGE-APPROPRIATE TASKS FOR CHILDREN

Since each child is different, it is important for parents and caregivers to consider the developmental levels and abilities of their children when it comes to assigning kitchen duties. Remember that children should always have close adult supervision!

Children over age 5 can:

• Stir ingredients together in a bowl.
• Rinse foods under cold water.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes in dough

Children over age 9 can:

• Use a butter knife or plastic knife to spread peanut butter or slice soft cheese.

Children over age 10 can:

• Squeeze garlic from a garlic press.
• Use electrical kitchen appliances, such as a blender, food processor, electric mixer, microwave or toaster oven.

Children ages 12 and up can:

• Chop or slice with a paring knife.
• Turn stove burners on and off and select oven temperature.
• Flip pancakes on a hot griddle.
• Place a tray of cookies in the oven.
• Peel vegetables.
• Use an electric can opener.
• Shred cheese with a hand grater.

Children over age 14 can:

• Operate the stovetop without adult supervision.
• Drain cooked spaghetti into a colander.
• Remove a tray of cookies from the oven.

For more great information, check out www.ctsafekids.org . 

Heirloom Tomatoes Are The Best

My tomato plants have been planted for six weeks.  I have a few in the ground, several in pots and six in Topsy Turvy Planters (inverted planters that hang).  As those tiny yellow flowers bloom, my mouth is watering for my two favorite light summer dinners:

1.  Bread Salad

2.  Grilled Flat Bread Salad

Both of these recipes feature my fruit salad of tomatoes with either toasted french bread of a flat bread dough that I cook on the grill.   

Some of those delightful yellow flowers have turned into small green beads ... and now marbles.  I can not wait to start harvesting.

For those of you who have never heard or tried an heirloom tomato, you might not have ever actually tasted what a REAL tomato tastes like.  The tomatoes that most of us find in our local super markets are tastless and meally.  Heirlooms are grown from seeds ... the seeds of which come from long lines of tomatoes going back decades or even a century.  The product is delicious tasting fruit in countless colors, shapes and sizes. 

I can't wait to teach you how to make these two delicious salads. 

Yummy Malted Milk Cookies

I got this recipe out of a magazine and it won 1st prize by someone named Teresa Wargo of Pulaski WI.  I can't for the life of me figure out what magazine but these cookies are like candy.  They are super sweet and chewy.

You need:

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup firmed packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons instant hot chocolate (or I use the instant coffee mixes)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups crushed malted milk balls

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray cookie sheets or use silpat mats.  Cream butter and sugars together and then add egg and vanilla.  Combine until mixed.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture.  Add malted milk balls and stir well.  Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm to the touch.  DO NOT over cook.  Cool for 5 minutes and then trasnfer to a wire rack to cool completely.    ENJOY!

Next Series In The Works!! NEED YOUR HELP

Good evening everyone!  First of all, if you want to get information about my next series, please sign up on the right of my site where it says "Join The Fun".  ----->

Next --  I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!

I have so many ideas for my next series but I want to meet YOUR needs.  So - simply reply or respond to this post with your ideas.  The series will be four weeks, about one hour per week.  Do you want to see a menu around a certain item (avocado menu, oranges menu, shrimp menu, vegetarian menu) or maybe around a certain type of food (Mexican, Italian, Asian, Vegan) or maybe a category (pie, soups, casseroles) or maybe a style of cooking (bbq, braising, crock pot).  ANYTHING that you love to do and want to learn more or everything that you have always wanted to learn but didn't know how.  BRING ON THE IDEAS!!!!!

I'm excited and anxious - I CAN'T WAIT!!!

This article was written by David Bjerklie of TIME Magazine and it has been sent all over the internet.  I thought you might find this interesting.  Thank you David Bjerklie for such an interesting perspective on fruits and vegetables.

You are what you eat, so eat well.

A stupendous insight of civilizations past has now been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called "The Doctrine of Signatures" was astoundingly correct. It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater.

Here is just a short list of examples of Whole Food Signatures.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.


A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.


A Walnut looks like a littl e brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Eve n the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.


Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.


Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.


Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and fun ction of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).


Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as  well to overcome male sterility.


Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.


Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits,  Oranges , and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.


Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

"The news isn't that fruits and vegetables are good for you, it's that they are so good for you, they can save your life."

Cooking Party For Kids

 

For my daughter's 9th birthday (see second picture from the left), I gave her a cooking party.  The kids made their own dough and pizzas and got to decorate and take home their very own cakes!!!!  We had 17 girls, a rather large girlie fest!!!!  The kids had such a fun time.  You can do parties just like this for your kids.  Or you can hire specialists who can come and put on this type of party for your child.  Kids just love to cook and introducing them to cooking at a young age will benefit them their whole life long!

Ideas For The Next Series Needed!

Good evening everyone!  First of all, if you want to get information about my next series, please sign up on the right of my site where it says "Join The Fun".  ----->

Next --  I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!

I have so many ideas for my next series but I want to meet YOUR needs.  So - simply reply or respond to this post with your ideas.  The series will be four weeks, about one hour per week.  Do you want to see a menu around a certain item (avocado menu, oranges menu, shrimp menu, vegetarian menu) or maybe around a certain type of food (Mexican, Italian, Asian, Vegan) or maybe a category (pie, soups, casseroles) or maybe a style of cooking (bbq, braising, crock pot).  ANYTHING that you love to do and want to learn more or everything that you have always wanted to learn but didn't know how.  BRING ON THE IDEAS!!!!!

I'm excited and anxious - I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Chicken Stock

If you have ever made or tasted homemade chicken stock, you will know what I am talking about.  Homemade stock is mildly sweet, delicately scented with chicken flavor and wonderful.  To make stock, I put a few washed and cut up chickens (no giblets) in a large pot with peppercorns, pasley, bay leaves, celery, carrots and onions.  I cook it on low for a hour or two or until the chicken is fork tender.  I strain out all the stuff and let the stock cool before putting it in the fridge.  The next day, I scrape the fat layer of the top and either use or freeze the stock.  The broth that you buy in the market is flavorless and salty.  I use it in a pinch, when I 'm out of the homemade stuff but usually I just make a ton of the stock at home and freeze it for a few months until I use that batch up and make a new one.  The other day I was craving lemon chicken soup.  I made the stock, used the chicken for chicken salad and made the soup, which we enjoyed for a few days after.  I'll get you the lemon soup recipe if you email me.

Salad Bar Night

Tonight my kids made a salad bar.  So much fun.  They love to chop the veggies and choose their own toppings for their salad.  They also put out chicken and roasted almonds, which are behind the lazy susan.  Hope you had a fun dinner too!

Peppercorn Facts

Did you know that there are four types of peppercorns? 
Actually there are only three.  The black peppercorns
come from the Tellicherry, Sarawak, Malabar and
Vietnamese plants and vary in degrees of heat and
flavor intensity.  White peppercorns originate from
the same plants as the black variety but are vine
ripened longer and the black shell is removed before
drying.  Green peppercorns are young berries and are
not as sharp and complex as their black and white
counterparts.  Finally, the pink peppercorns are not
actually peppercorns at all but berries from a entirely
different tree.  They tend to be mild and soft and are
used in peppercorn blends.  Which ever peppercorns you
use, grinding pepper fresh enhances the taste of any dish.
Pepper that is ground in the factory generally loses its
flavor fast and sometimes tastes like dust in your food.

Why Some Recipes Do Not Work

I can tell you that over the 25 years that I have been cooking and baking, there have been numerous recipes I've prepared that have turned out awful! However, over the years, I have developed a sense that helps me to look at a recipe and just know whether or not it will work. I can construct a recipe in my head and know how it will look and taste before my whisk starts spinning. For those of you who have not developed this sense yet, here are seven reasons that recipes do not work.

1. One of the most common errors in recipes are mistakes in the measurements of ingredients. Perhaps you only need 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of the 1 1/2 teaspoons requested or maybe 1 ounce of butter instead of 1 cup, but misprints often occur and there is very little way that you would know.

2. Inaccurate ingredient descriptions occur frequently in recipes. I have seen recipes ask for "sugar", not telling the cook whether they need brown or white. Sometimes recipes do not specify if you are to use dry or fresh herbs.

3. In recipes that are passed down from generation to generation, often ingredients are used that are simply not available today, or not used in that manner. The best example of this is pork fat or lard. Lard was used heavily in baking during the early part of this century. Now, because of health reasons, we do not bake with animal fat. However, many recipes were never converted and are obsolete.

4. Several years ago, I tried one of Emeril's recipes which called for pure cane syrup. This item is used primarily in the south and should not be confused with corn syrup. Cane syrup is not widely available here in Southern California and at the time I did not have access to the internet to check what an appropriate substitute was. This happens for many regionally based and specialty products. Substituting products that are not available to you can produce disastrous results if you do not know what you are doing.

5. If a recipe was written by a chef who lives in a different climate or altitude, the recipe may not work. For example, the special sourdough bread that is made in San Francisco can not be duplicated anywhere else than in San Francisco. The spores and bacteria that grow when the starter is developing is unique to that area of the country. Should that dough be taken to Chicago, for example, the end product would taste drastically different than the bread of S.F.

6. Stories and recipes that are passed from person to person sometimes get distorted and details change. My grandmother has some recipes in her head. When I ask her for the recipes, she rattles off the ingredients and instructions without looking at a recipe card or book. She has prepared these recipes so many times that she doesn't need to "look". However, it is so automatic for her that she misses some of the key steps or elements that make her dishes so terrific. I guess this is how stories get changed the more they are told.

7. The final reason some recipes do not work is because they just don't! There are recipes out there that are just bad recipes.

And do not assume that because a recipe did not work, that it is your fault. There are so many reasons that recipes do not work, user error is just one.

Scented Play Dough Recipe

My kids LOVE this stuff.  Its so easy to make!!!

4 cups flour

2 cups salt

2 tbs cream of tartar

1 small package jello

Mix the above and add

4 cups water

1/4 cup oil

Food coloring

Cook on low fire until you see it get thick.  Do not over cook!  Pour out onto a silpat mat and knead after it has cooled.  It will come together.  If it still sticky after you kneed for a few minutes, just add more flour.

We made strawberry, blueberry, peach and apple.  Apple was the best smelling dough!

Cooking Class In My Home

Here are a few pictures from cooking classes I have taught in my home.  I have so much fun teaching these classes.  My students report that they love them too.  Stay tuned for the first teleseminar on cooking coming soon!  If you are one of my students, please leave a post!!

California Festivals for 2008

My husband and I love to take our kids camping. 
When we are planning our trips, many times we
will plan around the festival in a certain area.
We have gone to the Avocado Festival for three
years in a row and plan to go again this year. 
Meet me there!

Here is a comprehensive list of festivals in
California from now until the end of 2008. 
If you find more that are not on this list,
let me know the date, name and location and I will
add it.

April 11-12, 2008 California Wine Festival
San Diego, California

April 12, 2008 Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival
Country Palm Springs, California

April 15-16, 2008 World Beer Cup
San Diego, California

April 18-19, 2008 California Poppy Festival
Lancaster, CA

April 19, 2008 Taste of Uptown / Hillcrest
San Diego, California

April 19, 2008 Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival
Lompoc, California

April 20, 2008 Avocado Festival
Fallbrook, CA

April 19-20, 2008 CAntique Farm Equipment Show
Tulare, California

April 19-20, 2008 California Poppy Festival
Lancaster, California

April 25-27, 2008 Stockton Asparagus Festival
Stockton, California

April 26-27, 2008 Apple Blossom Festival
Sebastopol, CA

April 26, 2008 25th International Beer Festival
San Francisco, California

April 3- - May 5 Raisin Festival
Selma, CA

May 16-18, 2008 26th Paso Robles Wine Festival
Paso Robles, California

May 17-18, 2008 Hughson Fruit and Nut Festival
Hughson, CA

May 17-18, 2008 Artichoke Festival
Castroville, CA

May 17, 2008 Uncorked!San Francisco Wine Festival
San Francisco, California

May 17-18, 2008 Strawberry Festival
Oxnard, CA

June, 2008 (Sat & Sundays)Lavender Festival
Cherry Valley, California

June 8, 2008 Ojai Wine Festival
Lake Casitas, CA

June 9. 2008 Cherry Festival
San Leoandro, CA

June 14, 2008 Sushi and Sake Festival
Long Beach, California

June 15-20, 2008 Palm Springs Restaurant Week
Palm Springs, California

July 12-13, 2008 French Festival
Santa Barbara, CA

July 17-19, 2008 Robert Mondavi Winery's Taste3
Napa Valley, California

July 18-19, 2008 California Wine Festival
Santa Barbara, California

July 18-19, 2008 Peach Festival
Marysville, CA

July 26-28, 2008 Gilroy Garlic Festival
Gilroy, California

July 26-27, 2008 15th Oxnard Salsa Festival
Oxnard, California

August 16, 2008 San Rafael Food & Wine Festival
San Rafael, California

August 16-17, 2008 Tomato Festival
Fairfield, CA

August 30, 2008 Long Beach Crab Festival
Long Beach, California

September 6, 2008 Kendall-Jackson Winery Heirloom
Tomato Festival
Santa Rosa, California

September 6-7, 2008 Pittsburg Seafood Festival
Pittsburg, California

September 6-7, 2008 Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival
San Francisco, California

September 6-7, 2008 Lemon Festival
Oxnard, CA

September 13-14, 2008 Art Bark Fest - Animal Art & Wine Festival
The Village at Squaw Valley, California

September 14, 2008 17th NatureSweet Carmel TomatoFest
Carmel, California

September 13-14, 2008 Dry Bean Festival
Tracy, CA

September 19-21, 2008 Almond Festival
Oakley, CA

September 26-28, 2008 Lobster Festival
Redondo Beach, CA

October 5, 2008 Cajun Food and Music Festival
Napa, CA

October 4, 2008 Eggplant Festival
Loomis Basin, CA

October 3-5,2008 Avocado Festival
Carpenteria, CA

October 11, 2008 Candy Festival
Fairfield, CA

October 11-12, 2008 Chocolate Festival
Oakhurst, CA

October 18-19, 2008 Apple Festival
Springville, CA

October 28-29, 2008 Cultural Food Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Oct 31-Nov 2 Los Angeles International Tamale Festival
Los Angeles, California

November 22-23, 2008 Mountain Mandarin Festival
Auburn, CA

November 28-30, 2008 Apple Butter Festival
Yucaipa, CA

December 6-7, 2008 Tamale Festival
Indio, CA

There are many websites that you visit for festivals
in your state.  If you go on the various search engines
and look up your state plus the word festivals, you
will find lots!  Try festivals.com, or
festivalsandevents.com,

Pick Your Own Fruit and Veggies

I found a great website for information on places you can go with your family or organization to pick your own fruit and vegetables.  Go to www.pickyourown.org and enter your state.  The site directs you to different regions in your state to find growers who allow you to pick your own.  This site even connects you with locations in other countries to pick your own! 

During the summer, we usually take the kids to Underwood Family Farms in Ventura County, CA.  They have two locations but my favorite is their Somis location that has hundeds and hundreds of blueberry bushes.  We take home 20 pounds or more of blueberries which the kids eat or I freeze or I bake!  We also visit Leona Valley once a year to pick cherries.  Ranier, or the white variety are my favorite.

If you have been picking in Southern California, and the location is not on the list at www.pickyourown.org, let me know.  I am always looking for new places to take the kids.

Festivals Family Fun

One way to spend time together as a family is to go to festivals. There are several types of festivals but my favorite are ones centered around food. Every year, we go to the avocado festival in Carpenteria, CA. We take our travel trailer and stay on the beach for the weekend. We have gone to the Gilroy Garlic Festival too. Yes, I have tried garlic ice cream and avocado ice cream. To find out about festivals in your area, simple Google your state name plus the word festivals. You should find several websites that list all the festivals in your area. You can also go to festivals.com or festivalsandevents.com.

Referrals

Good Easter Morning!  I have spent the last few days putting together the neatest list of kitchen tools and toys that you can find.  Everything on this list I either own or own something very similar.  I have tested all these products and only recommend them to you because I like them.  Many of the items are cheap!  Some are very expensive.  I do not recommend you go and replace everything you own for things that I recommend.  However, if you do me the favor of referring two people you know to www.chefdawn.com, I will email you this  11 page list of awesome kitchen gadgets and where to get them.  Not only that, but you will also see on the list that I have made arrangements for some of my vendors to give you a discount for mentioning my website.  Many students and friends of mine come into my kitchen and want to know what tools I love.  It is so hard to pick out just the right spatula or a good pot.  This list makes it easier for you to purchase tools for you kitchen.  This project has taken me a long time.  It has pictures of many of the items, along with descriptions and helpful hints.  You will LOVE it!!!!  Email me at dawn@chefdawn.com