A hunting I will go....

My brother Scott and his family live just outside of Dallas, Texas. I will be visiting them the beginning of November for a couple of weeks. My brother is an avid hunter and fisherman. Although we consider him still a New Yorker, he has most definitely acclimated to living in Texas. The last time I was there, we feasted upon most of his game. Venison, Wild Hog, and Halibut. He was out of stock of his dove and his last duck hunt he didnt bring any home. I have been advised to learn how to cook game meat. He has already aquired some dove, arrives home from his Utah duck hunt the same morning I arrive in Dallas, and I am babysitting for a few days while he goes on his birthday hunt for some deer and hog. I am praying that he succeeds, as the venison and wild hog were outrageous. I bought him a game cookbook last year for Christmas, but I have decided I am going to start researching some game recipes. It will be nice for him to have alternative ways to cook his game, and I love cooking for them when I am there. So, if anyone out there knows of some good ( and tested ) game recipes, let me know. My research begins today....I will let you know what I come up with.
Remember...May all your bites be tasty!

Papa Johns Soup?

The other day, my mother mentioned she felt like having my Beef or Mushroom Barley Soup. Whenever mom brings up soup, I always think about my Papa John ( my grandfather on my mothers side) as he always made the BEST soups. He was a great cook for an Irishman. I would like to think mine is as good as his. Not knowing what I felt like cooking this morning, I contemplated going to the market and purchasing the ingredients I did not have on hand. Wanting to please people is why we become chefs....so I made the soup. I decided to make both...Mushroom Beef Barley soup. It was quick and easy and really is delicious.Being a chef I rarely measure things when I am cooking at home. So I will try my best to create some sort of recipe for you. I started with carrots, celery and onion otherwise known as Mire Poix. Beef stock is best, but I hadnt made any so I used some beef base to make my broth. I used portabello, baby bello, and dried wild mushrooms that I reconstituted. I saved the water after the mushrooms were rehydrated and added that to the beef broth. I bought some bottom round cut beef (for pepper steak it said on the package...but pretty much any inexpensive beef is good). Salt, Pepper and dried thyme were the only other ingredients. I know my knife skills are better than most people not in the culinary field, so my prep time is short. It only took me about 30 min start to finish and a couple hours to cook. I bought some nice ciabatta sticks at the supermarket bakery and threw them in the oven with some shredded asiago cheese until it was melted. mmmmmmm yummy. Asiago is one of my favorite cheeses, its sharp but smooth and I love it on bread.
I served mom her soup, she mm mmm mmm'ed, told me it was delicious....and teasingly I said Yes I know! I did say thank you too. It was really good and I made so much I have 3 containers to freeze, but thats what I do. Prepare alot for future use!! Easy to pull out a container with 2 or 3 servings for a late nite quick supper!! I would hope that I would have made my Papa John proud.....there were a few things that he made that I couldnt live without and fortunately I believe I may have replicated them well. Thanks Papa John!!

Recipe for Papa Johns Beef/Mushroom Barley Soup

1 med onion small dice
2 stalks of celery small dice
3-4 carrots small diced
4 qts beef stock or broth
1 cup pearl barley
1 lb fresh mushrooms ( any kind you like) chopped
1 cup dried mushrooms
1/2 lb of small diced beef
Soak dried mushrooms in 2 cups of water for 15-30 while preparing the rest of the soup.
In large pot - saute onion carrots and celery in 1 TBS olive oil. Just to sweat them. Add your beef stock to the veggies.
In saute pan, brown diced beef that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Do not drain and add to soup. Using the same saute pan- add 1 TBS butter and 1 tsp of olive oil to cook down the mushrooms. Cook until soft and browned. Add to soup. Drain rehydrated mushrooms, reserve liquid for soup. Do not use all of it...there will be some sand and dirt in the bottom of the bowl. Chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add to the soup. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add 1/4 tsp of dried Thyme. Bring soup to a boil and add the barley. Lower heat and simmer. Barley takes a long time to cook. A soft simmer is best.

The longer you cook the soup, the more flavor there will be. I hope you try it and like it. May all your bites be tasty!

Back to the Beach....

Last nights dinner was reminiscent of my summer, cooking on Fire Island. The fun part of working on Fire Island this season was that I got to change up the menu. We are not a fine dining restaurant and needed to change some of the menu to better reflect our vision. I added lighter and healthier fare such as wraps and paninis, and a few vegetarian items for those more health conscious. One of my favorites was my Grilled Vegetable Wrap. Easy to make, delicious, and healthy it was a nice addition to the menu. One of our bartenders/waitress, Chelsea ordered it almost everyday....sometimes with a different variation. She loved it! She would stop by the kitchen door, look at me, and say....Micheley....and smile. I knew what she wanted, she rarely strayed from her favs. I decided last nite to make it for my mom and her husband for dinner. Its my moms late night at work and something light is always good. I grilled ( if you cant grill - roast them ) up some farm fresh eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, portabello mushrooms and red onions. Seasoned with salt, pepper and some olive oil. I added some pesto ( store bought is fine ) to a saute pan with the veggies until they were heated thru. I added some fresh spinach greens to a whole wheat wrap, placed the veggies in pesto on top, garnished with some shaved parmesan cheese and rolled up the wrap. Mom and her hubby, Sil, loved it. It was filling, healthy and full of flavor. As I used to do for Chelsea....you can add your own variations such as grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, your favorite veggies, or anything you like. I didnt really know what I was putting in the wrap until I got to the farm stand....and saw what local produce was available. Local and fresh just made it better. Tonite I am not cooking, but I did buy some other produce for tommorow. Lets see what I can come up with.
PS- If anyone can come up with a really cute.....like me.....sign off.....suggestions are welcome!

Amuse-Bouche

The culinary definition of an Amuse Bouche...is a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. Amuse-bouche are different from appetizers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but, when served, are according to the chef's selection alone. These are served as an excitement of taste buds to both prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse into the chef's approach to cooking. That is the definition of this blog. The idea to start this blog was suggest by an old HS friend and supported by a favorite cousin of mine. I decided there was no time like the present. I hope to stimulate your taste buds, educate your culinary knowledge as well as my own, give you some insight as to why and what I love to cook and eat, and have some fun doing it. I look forward to writing and reading your comments and suggestions. As the great Julia Child said...." Bon Appetit". Of course I will hopefully come up with something witty and personal of my own to sign off with! LOL

Another day, another dollar?

To start off, I have to say, that working a 10 1/2 hour day 5 days a week, had definitely kept me from posting any new blogs. Thats over. I was recently let go from my job and now I spend a few hours each day, job searching, networking, and posting resumes online. The economy is, as we all know, bad. I will not be homeless, I will never be hungry, and I have anything I truly need. So I am grateful. Keep me in your prayers that I find something sooner rather than later. It is frustrating to be home and trying to keep busy. I have filed for unemployment, and I believe the claim has been approved. Thank you God. I immediately filed my taxes, and again, Thank you God, I have already received my Federal refund. Wooo who!! I keep saying God gives us what we need, when HE thinks we need it. I just have to put in the footwork. On a happier note, I decided several weeks ago to join Weight Watchers. I pay monthly and go to a meeting every wednesday morning. I wont miss the meeting since they are prepaid. I am truly accountable. I get frustrated on mondays and tuesdays and am usually pleasantly suprised on wednesday mornings. I have lost 16lbs to date. Not too shabby. I have gone to family for dinner, gone to the city for dinner drinks and a show, went to Starbucks with my brother Marc, and have survived a week of being unemployed....and still have lost weight. I am determined to keep losing and keep up the healthy eating. I was going to stop the monthly automatic payments and decided against it. I am worth it. I will cut corners elsewhere so I can still afford to go to WW even on unemployment. I am proud of myself and want to keep up the good work. My 30th HS reunion is this July and I think I may go. LOL. I am working out again, and feel sooo much better, physically and emotionally. If nothing else, thats worth the 40 bucks a month!!

I'm not getting older, I'm gettin better?

Its really quite amusing when you sit and think about it. When we were kids, we would listen to our parents ( and that generation ) speak about things, saying to us " wait until you're our age" and we would laugh. Guess what? I am that age now. I am 47 and quite proud of it. I dont think I look as old as I am, I definitely enjoy life more at this age, and I dont think of myself as 47. In my daily routine, certain things remind me how old I really am. Last month I received a notice about my 30 year HS reunion. 30 Years??? Last weekend we celebrated my son Paul and my cousin JP's birthdays. Paul just turned 27 and my cousin will be 39 in a week. 27??? How can that be? He was just Paul4 for those of you who remember that year. He liked HeMan cartoons, micromachines, and cheese macaroni. Of course he still likes the cheese mac, but he has outgrown Care Bears and Topsiders. I still think of him as my baby, although I wont say that to his face and fortunately he doesnt read my blog. At least I dont think he does. I look at my neices and nephews and my cousins kids who all call me Aunt Michele, and ask myself if its possible I am that old now. No it cant be true. I look at my brothers who as of this coming may, will all both be in their 40's now, and think to myself, we were just kids. Even my cute little cousin Jeanine, who adored me when I was a teenager, is all grown up with a family of her own. I was at her house yesterday, as she was coloring my hair ( taking the grey out ) , and I playing with her youngest. It blows me away since I feel like it was yesterday I was playing with her like that. I have to admit, some days I feel like I am 97 not 47, after a 10 hour work day sorting and putting away deliveries, but for the most part I still think of myself as young. Am I, Are WE, getting older not better? Or are we getting better as we get older? I would like to think the latter is true, and until I have to believe otherwise, thats how I will think of myself. Its a rhetorical question so please dont comment with an answer ....I prefer staying in dark for now. I am practing for when the dementia sets in.

Only 360 days til.....

Wow! All the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and in a blink of an eye its gone. Christmas has come and gone and I am sad to see it go, yet somewhat relieved. I attended a party at my cousin Karens, which was alot of fun. I got to see her brother Bruce, my son and his gf came and I drank a few Chocolate Martinis. Bruce and I slept over so we didnt have to drive home which was a blast!! A Christmas pajama party for the over 40 crowd.HAHA. Then it was work and get ready for Christmas. Although I was finished my shopping by early October, I still had many things to do. For me, this year at my new job, I was fortunate enough to have wednesdays and thursdays as my regular days off. That really only meant I had more time at home to shop, prep and cook for Christmas eve at my moms. All went smoothly and I actually got to leave the kitchen a few times. We decided last year to do a cocktail party of H'or dourves instead of a sit down dinner. Mom seems to think its actually more work, but I tend to disagree, plus I love the different appetizers going out at different times. Paul ( my son ) came out and spent the evening with his girlfriend and moms hubbys family and kids were all here. It was a nice nite had by all. The next morning I prepared a few things and headed off to Ama's house, after a Lessard Crepe breakfast. The Lessards were all there in full force at some point and Ama outdid herself this year. Traditions were kept and new ones were made. We decided to do a Secret Santa this year which was alot of fun. We all had fun giving our gifts and seeing who had us. We even picked our names for next Christmas, I am finished my shopping now LOL. Months of planning, days of decorating, baking and cooking, wrapping presents and decking the halls are over. On wednesday this week my day off I will be taking down the lights, undecorating the tree, repacking the boxes and putting away the Christmas dishes until next November. New Years now was another story. I had come down with a cold and wasnt feeling well by New Yrs eve. I did some running around in the morning, did all my laundry of work clothes, and was in bed by 630pm. Medicine and exhausted from work, I was sound asleep at 1210am when my son Paul called to wish me a Happy New Yr. He asked if I was sleeping and embarassed I said " No, I'm sick" 47 years old and I cant even stay up till midnite for 2009! How sad is that? My brother Marc came out for dinner on New Yrs day with my neice and my sister in law. I of course cooked up a storm and we played Banana-grams. I was happy to see them but glad to get to bed since I really wasnt feeling well. My holidays are officially over for this year and I will look foward to the next one. They mean alot to me, the memories of Christmas past and the anticipation of Christmas's to come. As Ama wrote in a book for me " Cherish the memories, Keep the traditions". I cant wait to make more to cherish!!