January 21, 2016

How to tell if your eggs are fresh.

When did you buy your eggs?  Last weekend or the weekend before?
All egg cartons have a sell by date on the side of the carton aka an
expiration date.  You definitely want to look at that sell by date
BUT more importantly-  you want to look at the number above.
Look at the egg carton I purchased this morning.
(Today's date is January 21st, 2016)


The number above the month (FEB) in this case is "005".  
This number indicates that these eggs were packaged on January 5th.  
The number goes all the way up to... 365.  Yup, you guessed correctly! 
The number of days that are in a single year.  The eggs NEXT to these eggs 
(not pictured)  were on sale for 2 dozen eggs for $3.00.
The number on the eggs on sale were 360 meaning they were packaged
on December 26th, 2015.  Yikes!  Those 360 numbered eggs are pretty old.
Keep in mind that prior to packaging more often than not eggs 
are also stored up to one week.  As long as eggs are stored in 
temperatures of 33-40 degrees when raw- they will be ok.

The consecutive dates of the year from 1-365 on egg cartons are called 
the Julian Date. Don't worry if your Julian Date is 20 days over or even 25 days. 
 As long as fresh shelled eggs that are raw are stored in appropriate 
temperatures-  most eggs are ok  4-5 weeks beyond the Julian date.

So then what's the point of the expiration date then... you ask!?
Again, as long as un-cooked eggs are stored in temperatures up to 
40-45 degrees they are good but as the expiration date gets closer-
the egg will lose some quality ie: if you are baking-
the cake might not rise as high as expected or the whipped consistency 
in  a meringue might not be as fluffy etc. You get the idea.

Always read labels in your food.  You can eat healthy and fresher
sometimes simply just by looking at parts of a label or stamping.




Whip it Good Let's Cultivate Food

December 16, 2015

​​​​Aromatic GIFT CERTIFICATES that simmer...

Purchase a Gift Certificate as a aromatic gift
that will simmer in your recipient's heart forever!


To purchase your Gift Certificate ---
please click tab above titled 'to BOOK'
and select the Gift Certificate option.



August 4, 2015

No bake... Coconut Ball Dessert

I love desserts like many, many people do.
I especially love cake. Birthday cake,
chocolate cake, vanilla cake, graduation cake,
holiday cake, retirement cake,
the occasion doesn't matter.
Cake is cake. Right!?!

I loved baking cake so much one year
that my family banned me from making
cakes. Yes, banned me from making cakes.
Crazy right!?  What kind of messed up family
is that right!?   Well, I will say that they were
4 layered cakes with pies baked inside them
and such. A little extreme I guess.

I will happily say that I'm allowed to make
cakes now especially during holidays. Yay!

I must want to eat some cake I guess
because today I wanted to share a no-bake
coconut ball snack dessert.
.... not a cake... go figure!?!!

When you are cooking for immediate
family that have special diets-
it's definitely not easy.
In my family we have both Celiac and
Diabetes that I have to consider when
cooking. Yep, that's right-
both sugar free and gluten free. Yikes!
Most food is not too tough
but when it comes to desserts-
it's definitely not an easy task.

Here is a no-bake dessert snack that is both
Gluten free and sugar free.  :)





recipe:
~ 3 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
~ 6 TBSP of coconut oil
~ 1/4 cup of sugar substitute  (20 TBSP)
    ( I like stevia because it's made from
     a natural plant--- called stevia)
~ 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
~ sprinkle of salt

gently blend all the ingredients together using
a fork or spoon and roll into balls
or whatever shape you think you'd most enjoy.

You don't have to refrigerate them
to harden or anything...
but you can if you'd like them a little chilled.

You can also garnish them with chopped nuts
or sunflower or even sesame seeds if you wish!



Zestfully Let's Cultivate Food

July 14, 2015

Easiest yogurt pops EVER!

Take your favorite yogurt.
Scoop it into little cups or little popsicle trays
and freeze.  Now, talk about easy.
When you are ready for one...
all you have to do is turn it upside down
and say abracadabra...
or run some hot water on the side of the one
you want to snack on until it easily falls out.
(20-30 seconds or so)
I like to add some more fruit of whatever the flavor is...
My favorite is adding smashed bananas into the strawberry
banana flavored yogurt.  Add some banana, yogurt, banana
and yogurt.... you get the idea.




Keep it cool Let's Cultivate Food

July 8, 2015

Watermelon Lemonade!

Watermelon is perfect for summer.
Everything about this drink screams out.... summer!

From the color to the refreshing watermelon to the chilled
sweetness of the watermelon and slight tartness of the
lemonade combination- you can't go wrong with this drink.

Again, it's SO easy to make.  Your family and friends will be
so impressed that they'll look at you twice!

Let me share with you not only how easy it is to make
watermelon lemonade but a few simple tricks that will
really WOW your family and friends as well.

First start off with some cut watermelon.
You can purchase a whole watermelon or you can purchase
already cut watermelon in a clear container from the supermarket.
There's always a debate which is cheaper...
whether to buy the whole watermelon or to buy it already cut.

If you were to literally analyze the weight of the inside, red,
edible portion of the watermelon compared to the price per
pound of a whole watermelon...

THEN.... buying already cut watermelon is more often than
not cheaper simply because most people are going to throw
away the whites and rind of the watermelon which is a huge
portion of the watermelon that accounts for the extra $ per pound.


Anyways,  take some cut watermelon cubes and throw it into
your blender and blend it for about 30 seconds. Yup, that's all it takes.
Make sure you add a little bit of water, maybe about a 1/4 cup -
otherwise it might not blend/mix well.

If you wish to have the watermelon not as pulpy- feel free to run
the blended watermelon through a strainer.  Otherwise,
just add your blended watermelon to your choice of lemonade.
I often prefer Crystal Light lemonade but feel free to use any kind
that floats your boat!

Before you blend all your watermelon cubes, take some of it
(depends on how many people you will be "chilling" with)
and place the cubes into a cup or bowl and throw it into the freezer.

As you serve your summer watermelon lemonade--
you can drop some of the now frozen watermelon cubes and use it
in place of ice cubes. Using the actual watermelon as frozen cubes
will not only keep it more flavorful and enjoyable but it will also
not water your drink down!  Your friends will truly be impressed!

If you add a little wedge of watermelon or lemon or even mint as
a garnish... it looks really nice as well.




Cheers to summer drinks!,  Let's Cultivate Food

CATERING menus

Not only do occasions these days seem endless
but so are menus for catering.

What is your occasion?
Does your occasion or party have a theme?

Is your occasion a bridal shower?
A baby shower? A graduation party?
A holiday party? A retirement party?
An office function? A super bowl or fantasy sport party?

Regardless of the occasion-
Let's Cultivate Food would not only happily cater 
your event but we love themes and making the food
personal to the occasion or person.

We even make food signs relating to the occasion
and or the food often using food puns even!

Below are a few of the most relished menus.
We can personalize any of the below menus
along with substituting items and or creating
special diet menus as well.

Members of the Let's Cultivate Food team
have diabetes, are gluten free and vegetarian
so we're experienced on a daily basis
if you need to take that route!


MOST POPULAR MENUS:
(Menu options also change with seasons)


HORS D’OEUVRES   
Individual cups of Veggie Crudite with homemade sriracha mayo
Caprese Skewers
Let's Cultivate Food's Dumplings with homemade soy and duck sauce
Shrimp Cucumber Avocado appetizer
Chicken Satay skewers in a Thai peanut sauce


ASIAN FUSION FLAIR 
Spicy pork belly mango slaw lettuce wraps
Mac and cheese stuffed egg rolls with sriracha sauce
Exotic veggie stir-fried rice with pineapples
Fresh raw spring rolls
Chicken Tikka Masala


TACO BAR PAR-TAY 
Ground Beef with 12 spices
Shredded BBQ Chicken
Greens (chiffonade romaine and cabbage)
Guacamole, Salsa, Sour cream, shredded cheese, 
Flour and corn wrappers
Taco spring rolls


TUSCANY FLAVORS
Meatball sub on a stick
Classic Caesar salad with croutons and homemade dressing
Sun dried tomato & roasted pepper crostini
Stuffed Shells with a homemade marinara sauce
Rigatoni with arugula and veggies tossed in red sauce


AMERICAN PICNIC
Loaded Potato Salad with bacon and shredded cheddar
Grilled Cheese bites
Seasoned Killer Corn 
Muffaletta sliders 
      (ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, olive salad, hot peppers)
Homemade coleslaw



Please email for pricing, 
detailed  information on the food items, 
possible substitutions and any questions!

email: letscultivate@gmail.com