Girls Night In Cooking Class

Teaching cooking classes is always a great experience. We have recently been in over
100 kitchens. Yes, 100.  Some kitchens are super small where barely 2 people can fit into.
Other kitchens are so large that you have to walk across the room just to get to the trash can.
Some have gas stoves, some are electric and some are broken.

This class was a girls night-in class among 4 great girl friends.
One of the ladies had just moved into this great new home and they chose the
Thai menu and some of the items that their menu included were the
veggie dumplings, chicken satays and veggie Pad Thai.
These 4 ladies were fun to cook with!

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Personal Chef Dinner in Philadelphia

Most Personal Chef Dinners are .... personal... sort of. Not really. Maybe?
We often take pictures of our In-Home Cooking Classes but
not so much for the Personal Chef Dinners.

This group was generous enough to take some pictures for us.
We started off with just one item for a taste test for this dinner.
(We have dinner options where the entire dinner is a taste test
if you choose that option)

Testing your taste buds with Let's Cultivate Food starts off by
viewing 5 different items-- in this case, it was cheese.
You get to taste 5 different cheeses that look very similar and sort of
taste similar but are VERY different at least in where they came from.

As you can see from the picture, you have to figure out which cheese
came from a cow, goat, buffalo, sheep or soy.

In this person's case- they got one correct. The circled 'buffalo' which is 

the mozzarella cheese. My sous chef takes care of this portion of 

the class and again, he was fascinated by the facial expressions and 

head tilts of this groups/ tasting and guessing. It's always interesting 

to watch and see how quiet and serious everyone gets trying to 

decipher which item is which.

  

The first dish in this 4 course dinner was the raw tuna and cucumber 

skewers. I cut Kirby cucumbers (because I wanted less seeds and a 

crunchier cucumber) into little cubes about the same size of the raw tuna 

(sushi-grade) that I cut after the cucumber. I cut the cucumbers first 

so that I wouldn't have to take the time to wash the cutting board 

to save time.  (Anytime you have a meat/protein- you want to 

wash your cutting board)

For Personal Chef Dinners especially-- it's all about time
management because dinner is served in a timely fashion
like the way it is (or should be) at a restaurant.

The 2nd appetizer for this group was another seafood item- butter 

sauteed shrimp on cucumbers with avocado and diced red onions on top.  

Both appetizer dishes had wasabi mayo as the sauce and gluing agent. 

The 2nd course dish was the mango slaw lettuce wraps with sweet 

and spicy pork belly.  Shredded scallions were served as a garnish and 

endive pieces as well to be wrapped in as a 2nd option to the pieces 

of red leaf lettuce. 

I like to take veggies and use them in a way that is not necessarily 

the norm. In this case-  I used different colored bell peppers and 

cut them in zigzag cuts and used them as a bowl.  

(The sweet and spicy pork belly was put in the  

peppers for this Personal Chef Dinner.

Here is a closer look at the mango slaw. It had cubes of mango,
savoy cabbage, red cabbage, red bell pepper, cilantro, tomatoes and
an easy marinade of rice vinegar, a sweetener, a splash of soy for
some salt and the juice of a lime.

The main entree was the 'World Peace Noodles'  

This is a dish I created- starting  with the name. 

It is a favorite dish among many people. I simply named it 

"world peace noodles" because it has many different kinds 

of noodles and of course veggies in it.

Have you ever watched a beauty pageant or the scene from 

"Miss. Congeniality"  with Sandra Bullock and she says that she 

really does want world peace. hahaha. This dish has 4 different 

kinds of noodles AND they are all stir-fried TOGETHER

AND they get along!  WHAT!??  They are different and they 

get along?  They simply get along EVERY.SINGLE.TIME! 

The veggies in this specific World Peace Noodle dish were: snow peas, 

celery, carrots, enoki mushrooms, bunapi mushrooms and savoy cabbage.

The noodles were: green veggie noodles (made from spinach and broccoli), 

linguine, vermicelli and stir-fry noodles (aka: lo-mein noodles)

The sauce for these World Peace Noodles is super simple. 

Drizzle some veggie oil into your saute pan and start with the heartier 

vegetables like the carrots and celery to have them cook down. 

(I don't recommend olive oil in this dish because it will throw the taste off) 

Add the rest of the veggies and drizzle in some soy sauce --

enough to coat the veggies- maybe about 3 TBSP and about a TBSP 

of sesame oil.  Add about 2 TBSP of sugar or sweetener of your choice. 

Toss in a handful of each different kind of noodle.  

(You want the noodles to be already boiled and ready to go) 

Once the noodles are mixed in with the veggies it's a matter of using 

your muscles to toss everything together.  

Add drizzles of more soy sauce as you taste it while tossing/mixing 

in the saute pan.   You can also add more sesame oil but keep 

in mind that the sesame oil is being used as a seasoning oil 

for flavor and not to fry with. 

What's great about this dish is that it's colorful and a little fancier 

than a plain ole 1 noodle dish and it's easy and the natural flavor of 

the sweet carrots, snow peas and savoy cabbage work really well 

with the different kinds of mushrooms in it.

Lastly, the group was served dessert after they finished their main entree.  

Because this menu was Asian Fusion friendly and slightly customized 

I wanted to make the dessert on the lighter side with fruit rather than a 

heavy cake/pie or baked dessert which is more associated with our 

other Personal Chef Dinner menus like the 'Italian Indulgence'

or the an 'American Tuscany', 'A Night in Bangkok' and many more!

Again, I like to take everyday things and make/prepare it in a way that 

is not the norm.  Why did I cut the fruit into cubes and pile them up 

almost like a rubics cube or tetris-like?

WHY NOT!?!

When would YOU like your Personal Chef Dinner? 

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

It's not always what it seems like.

Today, I wanted to share a poem 

Mashed potatoes on the ceiling.

Green beans on the floor.
Stewed tomatoes in the corner.
Squash upon the door.
Pickled peppers in my pocket.
Spinach up my sleeves.
Mushrooms in my underpants with
leeks and lettuce leaves.
Okra, onions, artichokes,
asparagus and beets;
buried neatly underneath the
cushions of our seats.
All the rest I've hidden in my socks
and down my shirt.
I'm done with all my vegetables.
I'm ready for dessert!

         ---Kenn Nesbitt---

This poem makes me laugh a little

because of the things we don't like to eat

as little kids...

I'd like to share a story of a little boy named M.

When M was little, he did not like certain vegetables

especially PEAS-- almost with a passion.

M wasn't the fastest of eaters but he wasn't the slowest

of eaters either BUT, when peas were presented for dinner 

he would take over an hour to finish eating.

M would somehow take the peas when no one was looking,

and throw them under the table for the family dog to eat and enjoy.

(You know how dogs love leftovers and such right!?!!)

Every time the peas showed up during dinner time--- this became the ritual.
(Throw them under the table for the dog to eat)

Years later, as an adult- M has grown to love all kinds of veggies.

Peas are NOT one of them though. M still doesn't eat peas.

M was reminiscing with his mom a little while back and they both

discovered some interesting things.

M:  Mom, Do you remember how the family dog loved peas.

Mom:  What do you mean the dog liked peas? The dog didn't like peas.

M:  Yes it did. I gave the dog peas under the table ALL the time.

Mom:  (with a burst of laughter)  OH! that makes sense now!

All these years-- M's mom thought that her younger son was

the messiest kid eater because she would notice food

under the table and would have to clean it up.
(realizing later that it was always peas)

M thought that the dog ate them because he would come home from

school and during the next night for dinner would glance under the
table and see that there were no peas under the table.

#Itisnotalwayswhatitseemslike   #hahaha

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

3 month old baby took an In Home Cooking Class

As I continue to share pictures of cooking classes, I want to share this one also.
This class was with 4 adults (husband and wife) along with 2 of their friends
AND a 3 month old baby. Do you see the chalk board in the background?
"3 months old"   The baby didn't participate on the hands-on part of the class. Haha.

The menu for this In-Home Cooking Class was a custom menu:
Beef sticks, Veggie Dim Sum, Exotic stir-fried rice and General Tso's Chicken.

This group of 4 was enjoyable and they were great learners as well! 

That evening was delightful!  The island counter in the center of the kitchen 

made the space perfect for a cooking class as well!

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

The BBB Salad

With all the snow we've acquired in the past few weeks-
I recall seeing a AAA truck helping someone who was stuck
in the snow on the side of I-476 the other week
and strangely thinking back at that is what made me
unofficially name this salad the BBB salad.

BBB because the main ingredients are:
Blueberry,  pork Belly and Baby kale.
I know, its a stretch when the 'kale' and 'pork'
are more important than the 'belly' and 'baby' aspect of it.

I think salads can be quite satisfying because we are able to create
so many different combinations and we can use our favorite items-
we can appropriately change the salad pretty much
every time we eat one.  YAY!

Today, for lunch I wanted to make a simple salad but not just
a plain garden salad which is healthy but can be tiring and boring as well.

I started the BBB salad with the base of 4 leaves of Romaine lettuce
and 3 hearty handfuls of Baby kale. I enjoyed the baby kale more than
the mature kale (often associated with kale chips) frankly,
because it was more tender and not as sharp in taste.

The other goodies were:
half a cucumber sliced,
1/4 of an orange bell pepper diced,
1/4 of a pint of blueberries,
about 10 snow peas sliced into small bite sizes,
2 eggs hard boiled,
leftover Chinese take-out noodles,
pork belly sauteed til crispy in soy sauce, pepper paste, sugar and garlic powder,

Oh, and the dressing was Olive oil Italian Dressing. Quite often the best way to have

certain meats is to have them marinaded- and salads can be the same,

if you take a dressing and use either tongs or I like to use those throw away gloves

and toss the dressing with my hand- it ALWAYS tastes better rather than just pouring

the salad dressing on top.  What are some of your favorite things to put in a salad?

In Home Cooking Class Philadelphia area
Trying to stay healthy,  Let's Cultivate Food

Sushi Rolling In-Home Cooking Class

I've encountered so many people who don't eat a certain type of food
because they have never tried it before and they simply "think"
they don't like it... even if they have never tried it!

I think it's pretty important to have kids try all kinds of foods as well.
Too often and sadly, kids end up sometimes with a limited palate
all because their parents had a limited palate and only gave them what they
enjoyed.  I think this happens quite often with certain veggies and seafood
most commonly.

During our Sushi rolling class with S & A... this was not the case
but it often can be with sushi.  I remember the first several times
I tried sushi and sashimi and I certainly DID.NOT.LIKE.IT at all.
I think I tried it at least 3-4 times before starting to enjoy it.
Now, I just can't get enough.

Sushi is a popular menu choice for Let's Cultivate Food's
In-Home Cooking Classes AND also for Personal Chef dinners.

Below are a few pics of one of many In-Home Classes we have completed.
S & A were such a great couple. They were so eager and excited
to learn how to roll and make sushi. It was a blast to share an evening
with them! I start with a demo with the fresh ingredients I bring to your residence.

Eager learners really do learn SO quickly... they start rolling their own rolls in minutes!

We try to do a variety of different kinds because... the more the better! RIGHT!?!

'S' learned the trick of how to evenly cut the roll pieces.  Pretty easy trick

once you know- often that's how it is- it always seems easy once we know

how to do something!

'A' rolling out the 'sushi' rice evenly out onto the nori.  (Sushi rice is different than 

regular long grain rice) Many people don't realize that sushi rice is different

AND that some premium pieces of nori are $4-7 a sheet! WHAT!?!

Regular and inside out (aka: naked rolls) So many combinations can be fun!

Tada!  S & A made their first EVER tray of a variety of sushi and veggie rolls!

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Greek Yogurt - the basics

When someone says Greek Yogurt-- what pops into your mind?
Healthy? Super-food? Good protein? Good bacteria? Nutritious?
Makes you 'regular'?  Are you running through all the different
brands of Greek Yogurt right now in your head?

In a nut shell, Greek yogurt is made by straining yogurt to
get rid of the whey; (whey is the liquid after milk has curdled)

I think that most of us think that all Greek yogurts are good for us.
Every brand has a different recipe which means the nutritional value
is different as well, especially when it comes to the amount of sugar,
corn starch, actual bacteria and other added ingredients.

The FDA has regulations on just regular yogurt...
so what that basically means is that it can be regular yogurt with
the label simply marked as "Greek yogurt" which still isn't horrible
BUT you will be paying a lot more since the Greek is more expensive.

Some things to look for in true Greek yogurt; with any product-
just read the label. The main ingredients should simply be milk
and the active cultures; what I like to call the "good bacteria".
Stay away from things such as: "added whey cultures, modified corn starch."

Greek yogurt gets its thickness from the straining process, however,
some companies like to skip the straining process and they just add
a thickener like corn starch to mimic the thick richness we favor in
Greek yogurt. Sometimes even a gelatin is added to give it a slippery
looking texture.  Anything to make it more appealing to our eyes right!?

Last bit of fact just for fyi purposes: yogurt (any kind) and frozen yogurt
are not made from the same recipe; so frozen yogurt is not
made simply by freezing regular refrigerated yogurt, but that's a whole
other post with more info!

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle and Panera Bread

The 3  restaurant chains to watch in 2014.

These 3 restaurants are the leaders when it comes to casual restaurant chains.
Buffalo Wild Wings was started by 2 guys over 30 years ago.
They have been consistently growing and currently have 959 locations in 49 states.
Buffalo Wild Wings is planning to serve Pepsi rather than Coca Cola to help
spice up their menu (Doritos).

Chipotle Mexican Grill started in 1993 and currently has  1539 locations globally.
They recently started selling tofu along with their other proteins.
Chipotle also has made a pizza partnership where the pizzas are made to order
and baked in 2 minutes.

Panera Bread started their journey back in 1981 with the original being Au Bon Pain Co.
In 1993, Au Bon Pain purchased the St. Louis Bread Company and renovated them
into Panera Bread. There are currently about 1500 Panera Bread locations  in 40 states.

Enjoy all 3 chains,  Let's Cultivate Food

French Toast Rolls

I've always been found of wraps... especially lettuce wraps.
I also love rolls. I even have a whole board dedicated to wraps and rolls on Pinterest.

I also love taking everyday foods and changing them up a little
just to make it different. I unfortunately don't get to eat brunch too often
BUT lucky for me- french toast can be eaten any time of the day.
I think most breakfast foods can be devoured at any time of the day...
or is it simply the thought that it's breakfast food and eating it at a different time
of day makes it more special?  Hmm, I wonder.

I was grabbing lunch at Chilis Restaurant for lunch the other day and I remember
this mom saying to her 2  young sons that this lunch was special but their dinner
was going to be even more special simply because they went out for lunch.
She told them that they were going to have 3 different types of cereal for dinner.
I'm not sure if this was a save money tactic or a just being clever tactic.
Either way... a cereal buffet could be fun!

To make french toast rolls:
Simply take some sliced bread and cut the crust off on all 4 sides.
Add some cream cheese or Nutella and add your choice of fruit.
(berries or banana are most divine)

Roll them up almost like sushi and then dip them in some egg
like the way you would for regular french toast.
(having the egg on a plate vs a bowl for these rolls will be a little easier)

Fry them in a pan (again just like the way you normally would regular french toast)
Once the rolls have cooked and browned-- while still warm roll them in
a sugar and cinnamon mixture, again on a plate will be easiest!

quite divine and delish,   Let's Cultivate Food

Mochi rice cake with pork belly

Duk is the Korean word for rice cake.
When we typically think of cake... we think of a sweet dessert type of cake.
Rice cake is certainly not sweet simply because it's just rolled rice often made
into long cylinders cut into smaller pieces.

It is sort of similar to tofu in the way that it will take on the flavor of the sauce
but not like a sponge like texture like tofu.

I decided to take some pork belly which is basically bacon- pre-curing or smoking.
It is often sold in long strips or slabs that you can cut yourself.

An easy way of slicing the pork belly is to place it in the freezer for a minute or 2
-which will make it a little firmer so it;s easier to slice.
Pork belly is also a cut of meat used when you eat Korean BBQ.

Oh and this is what the Duk (rice cake) looks like, well- a common form of it.
It stores in the freezer really well also.

The sauce is soy sauce, water, sesame oil, sugar, black pepper & red pepper paste.

The pork belly has unbelievable taste and flavor on its own so if you saute the pork

first it helps give the rice cake flavor as well.  This is a popular street food in Korea

that is done in many different ways. This is just one simple way.

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Overheard a conversation the other night...

I was at a Chinese restaurant a few nights ago and
over heard this conversation at the table right next to us.
The restaurant was slightly busy but the girls next to us were
quite loud in their conversation...

The conversation went something like this:

Older Sister: (in a very snotty tone) "I don't eat Asian food."

Younger Sister: "What are you talking about?  You don't eat Asian Food.?"

Older Sister: (again in a snotty tone) I don't do Asian food.
I have NEVER eaten any Asian Food. I DON'T DO ASIAN FOOD!"

I was pretty mortified (since I am Korean-- that's Asian by the way)
of the tone especially since the server was standing right there ready
and waiting to take their order.

As the server patiently stood there to take their order
the older sister had her arms crossed at this point
and was pretty much huffing and puffing in a way.

The young sister at this point said, "That's enough,  just look at
the menu and order something."
         
Older Sister: (not having even opened the menu yet) yells again,
in this rude and snotty tone- "whatever, I know I won't find a
single thing I like."  she finally opens the menu and
screeches out   "Oh! General Tso's. I LOVE General Tso's chicken.
 I'll order that and I'm not sharing any with you!"

Younger sister: "How can you say something like that?
You love Chinese food. I know for a fact  that you've eaten Chinese food."

Older sister: "I've never heard of Asian Cuisine. I thought it was
some weird crap. They should put on their menu that they
have Chinese food also not just Asian cuisine.

Younger sister: "You do know that China is a part of Asia right!?!-
What's wrong with you?!?!"

Older sister: "No, I didn't know that. I thought China was an island.

Overhearing conversations like this really makes me annoyed but also
it makes me wonder are these people real? I'm certainly not an expert
in geography and all but.... that's pretty much all I can say... but... really? HUH?


was slightly mortified,  Let's Cultivate Food

Avocado Caprese Toast

I love the combination of fresh mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes and basil.
Also known as an Insalata Caprese  or a appetizer salad
that is in the style of Capri.  (an island off of Italy)

A heartier way to have a caprese salad in the form of brunch
or lunch is on toast.

Take some of your favorite crusty bread and cut it into slices.  

If you can-  toast or warm the bread so it's a little softer and simply warm.

Mix your combo of ripe tomatoes fresh mozzarella cheese and basil 

cut in chiffonade  (long strips)  in a bowl and add a sprinkle of salt 

and drizzle a little olive oil. (about 2 TBSP)

While the caprese contents are marinating in your bowl--

take your ripe avocado and mash it up with a fork or a potato masher.

The only thing you have to actually cook is an egg. 

A poached or egg cooked over easy is best so that 

the egg yolk drizzles onto your toast.

To dress your slice of bread-

take your butter knife and smother your bread with the mashed avocado-

then add the egg on top of the avocado and top with the caprese salad.

In Home Cooking Classes Valentine's Class Birthday

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Caprese Burger

What would happen if you took a burger and added
some fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil INSIDE the burger?

A stuffed caprese burger or a stuffed margherita burger.  YUM!

Make the beef patties on the thin side... add some fresh mozzarella cheese, 

tomatoes and basil (cut in chiffonade or whole) then, add another thin beef patty

on top and press together so that the burger is stuffed.

If you want to step up the healthy portion of the burger... 

I recommend adding some spinach rather than lettuce and 

you can also add some sauteed slices of zucchini 

and more tomato or sun dried tomato!

AND of course some bacon... oh wait I said healthy part... oops!

In Home Cooking Classes Philadelphia
Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Artichoke Spinach Dip

I  you!

Get it? I artichoke you. I 'oughta' choke you!

ok, ok I'll leave the comedy up to the comedians.

I just wanted to share a very easy and healthy recipe for a 

non bake Spinach artichoke dip.

You can use bread, carrots, celery, pretzels, crackers
or bagel chips (my favorite) to dip into this delicious dip.

The recipe is  ~~~>
~ 1 single size of Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla- preferably plain)
~ 1 clove of garlic minced very small
~ 1 small jar of artichoke hearts (please drain them first)
~ a small bag/box of frozen spinach (thawed first- I prefer to chop them small also)
~ sprinkle  (about 1/4 - 1/2  teaspoon of each)
    onion powder
    garlic powder
    pepper flakes (cayenne)
    salt, black pepper
    lemon juice

In Home Cooking Classes Birthday Valentines Day

Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food

Belkin Crock Pot WeMo Slow Cooker

Ahhhh, technology.
It always seems to amaze me... the things people and companies come up with.

I'm not the biggest fan of a crock pot simply because I think I just
don 't have the patience for it.  I know most slow cooker users
will say that it's so easy because you throw-- often meat and veggies into the pot-
add some seasonings and step away for many hours.
It's the many hours that bothers me. I'm a busy body so I need to be doing something.
I do enjoy using a slow cooker from time to time especially when it comes to a
Holiday meal and you want the beef or whatever type of meat for that matter
to be tender and soft.

I read the other day that there is now a Crock Pot that you can use with your WIFI!
WHAT!?!!!  crazy!     It's similar to the way that you can control your TV or DVR settings
from an app from your smart phone.  You control the settings from your smart device.

It's made by Belkin and Crock Pot. The official name is the
"Belkin Crock Pot WeMo Smart Slow Cooker. "

WeMo is a line of products made from Belkin International where you can
control devices by being simply connected to the internet along with
having sensors. I've read that because these devices are controlled through IP networks
they can be disturbed through other users...  not too worry though because
I highly doubt someone will hack into your slow cooker...

Belkin is also has a Mr. Coffee smart coffee maker and a Holmes smart humidifier
in the works as well.   The slow cooker will be $99 when it comes out in the Spring.
In Home Cooking Classes Philadelphia


Zestfully,  Let's Cultivate Food