Gift of Life House Dinner

Let's Cultivate Food decided to donate a charity dinner to a great place and cause...
"Gift of Life House" located right here in Philadelphia- 401 Callowhill Street to be exact.
Gift of Life House is a donation run foundation where 5 area hospitals connect with for
patient care. Patients and their families stay here during and after their surgeries from being an
organ transplant donor or recipient. Let's Cultivate Food came in to cook a dinner for these awesome
heroes that stay at Gift of Life House.

                             
I started the early afternoon off by checking my ingredient list and getting some
orange infused green tea ready.  I will say.... this green tea is the best sweetened green tea EVER!
I infused fresh oranges for this dinner but another favorite is infusing basil and strawberry but
that's usually more of a favorite during the warmer months.

The salad was "Soba Noodle Salad" which consisted of Soba noodles, romaine lettuce,
grape tomatoes and green and red seedless grapes all cut in half.

Here is a closer look at the healthy freshness.

Of course we had to make some dumplings. Can't have a dinner without some form of dumplings!
The 2 dipping sauces were soy and apricot sauce. (both home-made of course)

We also had "World Peace Noodles" I gave this dish the name world peace simply because
it is a mixture of many different types of noodles... getting along together happily and peacefully
all in one big bowl/tray. The veggies this time around consisted of red, yellow and orange bell peppers,
baby portabella mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, carrots, celery and onions.

  The noodles were: linguine, spinach noodles, wheat linguine and vermicelli noodles.

 We also had buffalo chicken mac and cheese as a last entree.

We had some cupcakes... not just any cupcakes but psychedelic cupcakes...

And the giddy jello wedges... always a crowd favorite!

 Some "melted snowman" drinks...

One of my awesome helpers was.... not only a pharmacy resident at a local hospital

but one of the best and kind-hearted people in the medical field that you will ever encounter!

Another hero, who helped out is a local locksmith by day... volunteer firefighter by night...
yes, I wasn't just throwing the word hero in there for no reason!

Top curriculum supervisor and leader of charter school in Philadelphia is joined by
her adorable 3 year old son who helped out as well.... (he had the cutest apron on too)

Master marketing genius and one of Philadelphia area's best high school coaches

joined Let's Cultivate Food with decorating the cupcakes along with so much more.

This is me and top curriculum supervisor of Philadelphia charter schools 

(we go waaaay back to making our first dumplings as 9 year olds in 4th grade.) 

Coaches are always focused not just during games but in whatever they do... to get it done right!

Here is our group for Let's Cultivate Food's first small charity dinner after we quickly made food
for about an hour and a half before serving the food. (some are more excited than others to be done!)

To tie in a slight winter theme from the drinks of melted snowmen... I wanted to have little felt scarves
around the napkins and forks.

Sometimes having good soap helps with the cleaning... but in Let's Cultivate Food's case...
it was truly the awesome people who helped volunteer their time and energy on a Saturday night!

Thanks again guys!!! You know who you are!

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Scrumptious Shrimp Appetizers

Do you love shrimp?
Do you like easy to make PLUS  looks good  PLUS tastes good type of appetizers?
Of course you do....right?

This appetizer is great for many reasons.
Easy to make --- check!
Inexpensive --- check!
Looks and tastes healthy --- check!
Takes very little time to make --- check!
Good for people watching their weight --- check!
Great for office parties, friends and family dinners, treat yourself because you're awesome---check!

Ingredients:
Shrimp  (the medium size (21-26-ers) 
(These were the med-large ones and I think they are a little too big.)
1 large cucumber
1/4 of a ripe avocado
2 small red radishes or 2-3 slices of a small red onion (garnish)
Mayo (about 3 TBSP)  +  Wasabi paste (1 tsp) (sauce and gluing agent)
sprinkle of garlic powder (to your liking)
1/2-1 TBSP of butter to cook shrimp in (optional)

First peel, wash and de-vein the shrimp. 

(leaving the tail on or off is your choice)

Add a little butter (about 1/2-1 TBSP) or olive oil in a pan and 

saute your shrimp. When the one side turns pink, turn it over, 

turn the stove off and sprinkle some salt and pepper. You can also 

just steam them. (sea salt gives the best flavor if you have it)

Once both sides of the shrimp are pink... take the shrimp out and

let it cool on a plate/cutting board.

Cut your cucumber into slices. (Keep in mind you don't want 

the slices to be too thin) Mix you mayo & wasabi together. 

Lay your cucumber on a plate and dab with a paper towel if it's too wet.

Spoon a little mayo-wasabi sauce onto your cucumber, 

lay your shrimp on the sauce (works like a glue) and lay the little square-ish 

shape of avocado in between the tail and head of shrimp. Add your finely diced 

red radish or onion on top at the end as a garnish and THAT'S IT! You're done!

This simple one bite appetizer is filled with crunchy crispness from the 

cucumber with the wasabi mayo making the shrimp and avocado a little 

creamier with the sharp taste of the radish garnish finishing the appetizer 

in our mouth wanting another one and leaving your stomach happy, 

calm, not heavy and fresh!

Zestfully,  private party chef Yoon

Ravioli Lasagna in ONE

When the new Wegmans in KOP opened, there were many things that were free!....
....including frozen items.  I seldom buy frozen things simply because we have access to
fresh things most of the entire year. So after a little winter cleaning of the freezer I
remembered having a package of  little 5 cheese raviolis.

I also had taught an Italian style cooking class and had some fresh mozzarella cheese on hand.
I wanted to use up the ravioli but also kind of wanted some lasagna as well---so it hit me and I
decided that I wanted to try and make ravioli and lasagna....together... BOTH!
Why not... it's kind of like double duty!?!!

Because the ravioli wasn't hand made from scratch---this entree took no time to make!
I took one medium onion, sliced it up and sauteed it with some olive oil.
Once the onions had cooked down I added a small can of diced tomatoes along with
salt, pepper and some dried basil seasoning.

I started the bottom of an oven-safe pan with the onion and tomato mixture.
I then added the mini raviolis that I boiled in a pot of hot water for about 7 minutes.

Next was the fresh mozzarella that I cut in half. Although I said this was ravioli lasagna---
You can see how it's not layered like a traditional lasagna.

I then made another layer of the onion & tomato mixture, then ravioli followed by cheese

and another sprinkle of the dried basil seasoning along with some Panko bread crumbs to top it off.  

Lastly, I baked it in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes or basically until your cheese is melted.
So 2 Italian favorites in one! Bellissimo!

You know how traditional lasagna is better the next day once everything has settled...?
Well, this ravioli lasagna was both good right when it was made and the next day as well!

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

It's not always the way it looks

As a Korean child growing up, rice was always a staple food and eggs were commonly
associated as a quick and easy banchan. (side dish)

As an adult now... making food art makes me giddy at times.  For this one...
I simply took some rice and shaped it into a teddy bear's head. I added American cheese
for the inside of the ears and nose while carefully adding good ole seaweed for the eyes
and triangle nose. (You can simply use kitchen scissors for that)  Then use your best egg
frying skills and just lay in on top of some more rice. (the body of the bear- under the "covers")
It's pretty self-explanatory.  Total giddiness!

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Penguins APP

When I say I like to create food that is not the norm....
I'm not kidding!  I love to take food and create it in ways
that make it look almost like art!  With that... here are some penguins!
Lately, EVERYTHING is holiday and winter related.

Now, here is a REALLY simply appetizer that will WOW your friends
and family.  I just call them penguin apps.

All you need are toothpicks, carrot slices, black olives, cream cheese
and little sliver cut pieces of carrot  for the penguins mouths/beaks.
A pairing knife will totally come in handy for making this appetizer!

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Super EASY Festive Donuts

Pinning is my drug... I mean.... where lots of ideas are shared. I came across these cute festive
diy donuts and had to make these!  Who doesn't love donuts? These are ridiculously easy
to make and even easier to EAT!!

Take some mini chocolate or powdered donuts and simply cut them in half.

Take some cake frosting/icing and some red and green food coloring and stir in several
drops of food coloring getting it to the colors you want it.
After your festive icing is ready--- take a small spoon and smear the icing
on the bottom half of the mini donut.

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Snow man Pizza

What does December make you think of?  All the lights? The possible snow? The candy, cookies,
and hot chocolate?  With all the festive gatherings and events it's easy to get swept up in the
crazy hustle and  bustle of the Chanukah & Christmas season.  I wanted to make something
that was winter related to something that is everyday food. What better than a snow man pizza!
I made mine a snow man margherita pizza but you can make it with any topping you want and like!
Take some pizza dough (often in the deli section if you want already made dough) or the dry packages
where you just add water is often found in the baking aisle of the supermarket.

One your dough is rolled out and ready--- simply divide it into 3 balls; representing the
snow balls of the snow man.

After you roll out the 3 circles of dough, you want to get your  pizza toppings ready.
I used salad tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella balls and a small can of tomato sauce.

Then comes the fun part! The decorating! Having some black olives would of probably
 helped in looking more like a snow man.

So my snow man is a little more abstract than I initially wanted but none the less....
the pizza was good!  It baked for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees.

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food