CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 30 2010

Pillsbury Perfection Skillet Baked Morning Biscuits seemed just the way to greet everyone with smile and a brown sugar and honey drizzle glaze (gaze). The California peaches and plums tossed their juices together in a big glass bowl while eggs rose to the occasion with crisp bacon and mushrooms named fritatta. My guests love the big breakfasts I am preparing and as I watch them wolf down the full plate and guzzle glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice, I know I am where I should be. Whether in a galley, in Alaska, thousands of miles away from the ones I hold dearest, or in my own designer kitchen on Lake Lenore, I am always home where the pots are boiling over with love from my pantry!.

A high pressure morning brought rays of sunlight streaming through a brilliant blue sky. Next, Wrangell! One of the sweetest little towns in Southeast. Captain, First Mate and I took the skiff after docking at the new marina and went into town about a mile away. We gratefully stopped to pay homage to the Totem House where protective, more than a hundred year old totem poles stand erect over looking Wrangle Bay. Wrangle seemed a ghost town by late afternoon, but we always stop and shop at the Eagersman Everything store, contributing to the economy of a community that knows us by name. Guests are off to view the petroglyphs at low tide. Markings of a time long ago when only natives walked the shores. Holding on to history as I blog, text, double click and send.       

Meyers Chuck, could be my favorite place in Southeast. A community that has a history for more than 70 years. Halibut Bill, Jig Man and Little Lori …. a little place with a big heart.
It has been couple of years since I have stepped on Terra Firma here at MC and as we make the turn to see if there is space at the dock, my mouth drops in shock. Dock is full and 4 other boats are anchored in the harbour. We used to be the only ones here. The world can change, so can I, but not MC. My baby blues squint to keep the new construction out. I close my eyes and turn away to keep from bringing reality to life. Memories best kept in the windmills of my mind. But, don't get me wrong, to those of you who have never been here, there is no other world more charming and enchanting.

Doll porpoise running with the wake

Meyers Chuck ... FOR SALE ...Lenore's Cook Camp and Catering! Relocate!

We sit well in the water and everyone know us by name, bow and stern. On to make dinner after our little skiff excursion. Enjoy this amazing recipe. It may be too warm in our air-conditioned Florida climate ... if so, I am planning on sharing this recipe at one of my upcoming fish classes. Enjoy it today or put it on the back burner for another cooler day.

PECAN CRUSTED HALIBUT WITH MAPLE SWEET POTATOES
6 6 oz. pieces halibut fillet
3 c. small chopped raw pecans
1/3 c. favorite pancake mix
3 egg whites beaten
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
6 small sweet potatoes or yams
3 T. unsalted butter
Pinch nutmeg
¼ + c. maple syrup
lemons
Wrap sweet potatoes individually into tented foil. Place on sheet pan and bake in 400 degree oven until soft. Let cool slightly. Remove from foil and tear off the skin. Smash and season with butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Season halibut fillet with salt and pepper. Mix the nuts and pancake mix.
Place beaten in egg whites in shallow bowl. Dredge the halibut pieces in the egg and then the nut mixture. Set aside.
In a nonstick pan melt together 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter over low heat. Place the halibut into the pan, top side first. Cook each side for 3 minutes. Nuts will be toasty and golden in color. Place fish on parchment lined sheet pan and bake in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Dollop mashed sweet potatoes on plate, top with halibut, drizzle with maple syrup and a generous squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!!

Until we meet again ... dinner was divine and the Baked Peaches Amaretto made for a lovely ending ... 
 

CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 28 2010

We say goodbye to Sawyer Glacier and its entrance waterfall for the last time this season. On our way to Cape Fanshaw we weave our way through a water skiers dream seas, just like glass, giving us the advantage to spot whales on the horizon. As we near the 5 Brothers Islands, where we have been lucky enough more than once to see humpbacks spouting and bubble feeding. Ah ha, they are doing just that. Not a pod or in a grouping. We can hardly see them under the water. They are lazy rogue whales, singularly, slowly moving in their play and feeding ground.

It's lunch time and everyone is eager to be called to the table. The dining room is right in the main salon with panoramic views so whale spouting, eagle soaring or porpoise jumping with the wake will not be missed. I understand that a hearty breakfast of wild mushroom frittata, turkey sausages and cherry scones with lashings of butter and drizzled with homemade cherry syrup give way to a lighter soup & salad lunch. Keeping guests balanced is my way of keeping them smiling. I profess there are no "fat, calories or cholesterol on board" ... with a wink and a smile. They laugh as they take the last bite and push themselves away from the table. Moseying over a few steps to the galley and circling for the last cookie or two on the sheet pan ... and by the way "what is for dinner?"     

MY SISTER APRIL"S BROCOLLI and BLUE CHEESE and APPLE SLAW
Baby April, as I so fondly call her, is a wonderful cook and that is only topped by the amazing ways she can decorate a room and tablescape. I adore her!
2 pkgs. (12 oz each) broccoli slaw
1 pkg. (10 oz.) julienne carrots
1 bunch green onion diagonal sliced
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 c. chopped fresh dill
1 c. dried cranberries
1 Red Delicious apple sliced thin
1 Granny Smith apple sliced thin
1½ c. crumbled blue cheese    
1 small jar of lite blue cheese dressing (your choice)
2 heads of Bibb lettuce or Romaine lettuce
1 c. toasted pecan or any favorite nut
Mix together the broccoli slaw, carrots, green onion, fresh herbs, cranberries and apples. Add crumbled blue cheese. Toss with dressing just before serving.
Place leaves of lettuce on plates. Mound salad in center and sprinkle with nuts.
If you prefer to use another dressing rather than blue cheese, try a raspberry vinaigrette and any favorite cheese of your choice. Enjoy!

Cape Fanshaw proves to be too exposed with the threat of northerlles coming through the coast guard radio weather report. We decide to cast our fate and move on to a place that our friends often drop their anchor. A beautiful spot it is and no wonder whale whisperer, Captain John of the MV Discovery secures his hook in this beautiful anchorage. Our guests are anxious to kayak, explore the area on the shoreline and by skiff.tion

Dropping our crab pots we hoped for some Dungeness, but we were all a bit taken back when an extra large star fish attached itself to the pot and ate up all the bait. Everyone looked to me as if to say "you don't have a recipe for star fish do you?"

CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 27 2010

VERY VERY BERRY CRUMBLE
On the morning navigating our way to the glacier I made this very berry delicious crumble to entice our guests to the early rise. Who can resist waking up to the aroma of the rich. ripe sweetness of berries and sugar? I placed it on the breakfast bar with whipped cream and vanilla yogurt and to make this morning even more special I offered them a steaming hot cup of cafe au chocolate. Voila' the day begins with a smile.  

6 cups favorite berry selection (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry)

1/4 c. dried cherries
1 t. grated lemon zest
1 t. grated orange zest
1 c. granulated sugar
2 T. corn starch
1 t. ground cinnamon
pinch salt
TOPPING
1½ c. all purpose-flour
1 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
½ t. kosher salt
¾ c. old-fashioned oatmeal
½ c. sliced almonds
½ lb [2 sticks] cold unsalted butter, diced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the berries in a large bowl and add the zests, sugar, corn starch and cinnamon. Pour into a glass pie baking dish. For the topping, combine the flour, sugar, salt, almonds, oatmeal, and butter in a bowl. Using your hands crumble the butter through the ingredients into big chunks. Sprinkle evenly over the berries, covering the berries completely. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan covered with foil and bake for 50 min. to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the berries are bubbly and dripping over the side. Serve warm with ice cream. Enjoy!!

Our wonderful all girl crew, Jeannette, Jennifer and Lenore, always having fun!

Another foray up the arm to South Sawyer Glacier was mystical and enchanting with low slung clouds whipped and folded with heavy fog. Tide was low so we were able to hug the right fork snug to one side. Granite rock formations higher than the eye could transit seemed in arms reach. Then as we turned the corner, to see for the first time, or has it been my 20th or 30th, Sawyer Glacier with arms out stretched, an open door, a clear path. Icebergs parted the seas to get us closer than we had been in years. Quiet is not the word to express the stillness. Grateful shivers and blessings of goose bumps … why me? How lucky I am!      

"Every day begins with a smile and continues the same path with grace and with ease. Embracing life in Mother Natures breast of purity is so easy when the world is no bigger than the next bend or way point. Summers spent on the MV Jamal has been my life for the last 19 years. It has been an adventure. Spending time on the waters has a way of grounding me. It is an ending and a beginning. I love opening my heart and sharing my life. Please join me, there is room for all of you."

CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 25 2010

“Pirate Day” is one not to be taken lightly on the MV Jamal … arrgh! Guests get in the spirit masked and masqueraded with scarves, bangles, eye patches, captain hooks and funny looks. We have a blast pretending to be the "ner do wells" of the Alaskan Caribbean and assure our captives supper for a gold coin or two. It amazes me how when given the opportunity the child comes out in all of us. Remembering that what happens on the Jamal … stays on the Jamal! Arrgh … and sometimes that growl is hard to loose the next day when the costumes come off!

Now in port in Juneau provisioning and cleaning the boat to sparkle as we get ready for our next guests. I love stopping here in Juneau Alaska. We are nestled in among the big ships, but our bow is brilliant and our ship draws 10. (10 feet below the waterline is a very sea worthy vessel) We have the respect of the harbour master, other captains and crews that share the IVF (Intermediate Vessel Float) and because we are such a capable all girl crew they have to find excuses to come around as frequently as they do to see if they can lend a hand, or two, or three. The dock is just alongside Taku Fisheries and my friend, Gary, who I have been saying hello to for 15 years, still manages the thousands of fish, halibut and salmon, that is processed through here and shipped all over the world. Fishing boats pull up to the dock and a giant hose snakes its way through the  icey cold hulls, hopefully stuffed with todays money catch. Sometimes you win and sometimes you loose. The small window of time is monitored very closely by Fish and Game and sometimes that opening can be as short as 12-15 hours. It is a hard life so with every bite I am remembering the effort it takes from sea to land to table.  

CAPTAIN JENNIFER'S HALIBUT DIP

 ... our lovely Captain Jennifer is a wonderful cook and loves to hang out in the galley. She made up this halibut dip years ago when she first found ginger to be one of her palate passions, along with halibut, salmon and all her snacks that she eats off her shoulder. (no calories there) and no halibut is safe. Shhh ...she actually doesn't know about the big fillet I have hiding in the refrigerator right now. 

2 c. cooked halibut

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. ginger puree

1/4 c. lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Lots of dry dill

Mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasonings. Place in buttered gratin dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. I like the top crisp and the insides creamy. Serve with crackers or baguette. Enjoy!

Our captain Jennifer, brilliant and sea savvy and with the support of her all girl crew is the best in Southeast Alaska! Join us for an unparalleled experience!

CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 21 2010

The day was long, well over 12 hours running, to put us in position for the warm springs that Baranoff Island that will be greeting us with the tomorrow. As we slinked our way through welcoming whale sightings, doll porpoise playing hide and seek with our bow spray, with bantering guests and crew smiling our day came to a close at Eagle Cove. Rightfully named. Tall timber pine trees with white bald eagles adorning like Christmas ornaments. What in heavens name can draw them all to this nest? Mother natures secrets.

Another day begins with fresh ground and brewed French Roast coffee, and Apple Butter French Toast with Almond Butter and warm Apple Cider Syrup. We are just finishing the last lip licking bite and imagining our cold bodies from head to toe doing the same, dipping and swirling in the hot springs. As we turn the corner to starboard we see the giant, steaming, rolling waterfall at Baranoff. We push ourselves away from the table and loosen our belts, today is going to be an exciting ride.


APPLE BUTTER FRENCH TOAST


8 large croissants, torn into 4-6 pieces each
1 16 oz. container Egg Beaters
1 c. cream
1 c, buttermilk
1/2 c. apple butter
1/2 c. dried apples
1/4 c. dried cherries
1/2 c. brown sugar
pinch salt
Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. pecans
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. apple butter
Apple Syrup:
2 c. unfiltered apple cider
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. apple butter
2 tablespoons butter
 

Almond Butter
Vanilla Yogurt

Place torn croissants into a bowl. Mix egg beaters with the next seven ingredients. Pour the egg mixture into the croissants. I usually squeeze the mixture with my fingers to incorporate the eggs with the croissants. Pour the french toast batter into a buttered 3qt. shallow baking dish. Mix topping together and scatter on top of batter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until french toast is baked golden brown and puffed. While french toast is baking make apple syrup. In a saucepan reduce syrup mixture by half. Swirl in the butter. Serve with vanilla yogurt and almond butter on the side. 
Enjoy!

Heading out to witness salmon fisherman working their purse seining catch. They have only 13 hours to make a haul that fills their boats and bank accounts. Imagine as I am crossing my fingers for their good fortune and thinking of the hard work enjoyed with every bite. The dance of the catch that dances on our pallets. You have to see it to believe it. Skiffy jamming full throttle to keep the propeller out of the nets coil, while the big boat pushes full throttle in the opposite direction to cinch the purse closed. Then with an up, up and away the purse is pulled on deck by young strong arms and hopeful dollar sign green eyes. Hundreds of salmon or only a few can lift your tired spirits with cash flow endorphins or wash your dreams away.

With love ...

CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 17 2010

Morning broke to the welcome mat being rolled out like a green carpet for the dept of Agriculture … 2 Forest rangers, cinnamon swizzle coffee cake, proscuitto stada, fresh fruit & berries and a wealth of information. All satisfyingly digested with listening ears and  hungry stomachs. Last question of the morning … “what, given the years you have been out here in Alaska, is its future?” John, the slender 8 year veteran ranger and his female ranger partner said “well … people more than anything have definitely had the most significant impact on its future … now that will make you think. Whats for lunch?

As you can imagine I am in my element galley or kitchen, even 5000 miles away from those I hold dear. It is raining hard and fast today with temperatures in the mid 50's ... ahhh ... to be nestled in to some hot and humid climate sashaying around in skimpy T's and barefoot in the sand. I miss you all ... but a "chefs gotta do what a chefs gotta do" and that means cooking my way into the hearts of millions even if it is thousands of miles away. 

Light Love Laughter and Delicious Lenore

CHEFS LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 15 2010

Up at just before dawn, although it is still light from the day before, we are excited to embark on a journey that will last the entire day. On to Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier. I have been up and down the passage at least 20-30 times, North and South arm, choosing one over the other depending upon where the pack ice is less dangerous. Big chips of glacier ice from boat size to boulder to pebble. As you get closer to the calving glacier the water can become slush. You may be able to steer yourself safely in, but upon returning the wake paved way you created can close. Beware, our hull is only 5 inches of fiberglass, draw ten feet below the water and some of those chips of ice you are motoring around have another 90% below the water line. Like weaving a thread through a needle, Happily I proclaim, we made it safely in and as we navigated our way safely out, we netted baby chips of glacier ice to whirl inside the blender for cocktails on the fan tail, as we celebrate our day with frozen Glacier Margaritas made with million year old ice and twenty year old tequila!

 
 

CHEF'S LOG ALASKA DATE JULY 14 2010

Not 1 hour out of Juneau, with winds hitting 45 mph gusts and 4 ft seas breaking, opposing wind and current, we were greeted in Stephens Passage by a pod of humpback whales.

Capt Jennifer spotted the misty fountains on the horizon, one then another. By the time we called out “Whales on the port” we could not only see one, but several. Then the magic of nature enveloped as in amazement we behold the 2 babies reported in earlier sightings. Playfully, fins and tails started breaking the water line as we approached, closer, never heading them off and never motoring nearer than 50 feet. We cannot stop them from turning towards us though. And that is just what they did, all 15 of them, with babies nursing on mamas sides. We motored down and in that same instance the seas calmed and allowed us to experience the wonders of nature. A National Geographic afternoon.

For the first day of every charter guests are greeted with the delicious aroma wafting from the galley and sit down to a yummy roasted chicken dinner. the comforting and home spun food welcomes them on board. With a sigh of relief and tummies full they retire and dream of their high seas adventure. Ahhhh, wonderful and the chef can cook! 

LEMON HERB ROASTED CHICKEN

1 (3 to 4 pound) free-range chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, halved
2 T. herbs de Provence
1/4 bunch each fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb baby carrots
1 lb baby onions
2 lbs small red new potatoes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the chicken and the cavity with herbs de Provence, ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper, and then stuff the lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs inside. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a roasting pan. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine to help hold its shape. Toss the potatoes, carrots and onions in the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper and scatter the vegetables and oil around the chicken. Roast the chicken and  vegetables for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn down oven temperature to 350 and continue cooking for another 40-60 minutes. Rotate the pan every 20 minutes or so to insure a golden crispy skin. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer says 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs of the chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.) Remove the chicken from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes, so the juices settle back into the meat before carving. Carve the chicken by removing the back bone first and then disjointing the breasts, legs and thighs. Place on a serving platter and squeeze the lemon and garlic over the meat. Drizzle with any remaining pan juices Scatter the roasted vegetables and enjoy!
          

Off to Alaska!

I take the high road to a new adventure every summer on board the MV Jamal. Only a few things I can count on and year after year ... that brown and black bears and perhaps some cubs will be looming on the shoreline, eagles skydiving like seagulls and nesting in the rocks, humpback whales bubble feeding and spouting on the horizon, doll porpoise playing hide and seek with our wake, glaciers calving and moose bucking playfully on the rocky shore ... ahh ... the life of a chef ... and all I have to do is cook salmon, halibut, black sea bass, Dungenes and King crab and make glacier ice margaritas ... and smile.

Let’s back up, I haven’t even landed yet.

Let’s go back to a few weeks ago when I was enjoying the red carpet treatment with limos, handsome bodyguards, papparazzi, Paula Deen and cream cheese. The experience, as my friend Mike says is “ShowBiz”. It was a dawn to midnight, whirlwind experience comforted each night by a big white bed in my hotel suite at the Mansion, caressed and bathed in a bubbled tub in the middle of the room, buttered on both sides by the double plated delicious crispy fried cuisine at Lady and Sons and Brother Bubbas, my heart strings trussed by the friendships made with the other finalists, the fingerlickin’ good love and support, in Savannah, that my sister April, nephew Christopher and friends provided and the I will never be spoiled by the generous lashings of well wishes from everyone at home. Experiences are good, but you, with heart and souls invested in me are the icing on the cake! Thank you from the bottom to the top of my heart.

Weather forecasts report 59 degrees, partly cloudy in Alaska, so I am glad I brought my winter gear with me again this year. You never know though, temperatures have reached as high as 85 at this time of year, and sunscreen and a bathing suit were the robes of the day. You know, like a good girl scout I am prepared for either.

I wish y’all (still carrying a few leftovers from my hospitable few days) a summer filled with cool appetizers, lots of liquid libations, lip licking chocolate desserts, afternoon sun showers, full mooned nights, beach blanket weekends, belly laughs and pitter patters of the heart. Think cool thoughts, wear a little less clothing and sashay, don’t run through this summer, its better than you think and you will want to savor the memories!.

I will be blogging, sending pictures and recipes to keep you all entertained. By land or by sea I am at your service. Kerrisha, Tina, Jacqui and Jay will be cooking all those menus we have created for your parties and events. Deliciousness prevails whether I am hands on or virtually nurturing all the preparations with them for you. TLC across the miles, from coast to coast, from sea to shinning sea.

Now, I cannot leave you without sharing a cool appetizer for a hot day. Not so much cooking, but assembling delicious, seasonal fresh ingredients, artfully arranged and divinely devoured by you!

Cook and smile, cook and smile ... by jove I think I’ve got it!!

ICED CUCUMBER SOUP “MARTINI”

5 cups of English cucumber (the ones in the plastic sleeve) peeled, seeded
and chopped
3 T. chopped fresh mint
2 T. chopped fresh dill
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. vegetable stock
1/2 c. lemon vodka (or add more stock)
3/4 c. plain whole milk organic yogurt
2 T. lime juice
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Fresh mint sprigs

Puree cucumber in food processor or blender. Add in the buttermilk, yogurt and stock. Add the lemon vodka. Blend in the mint, dill, salt, pepper and lime juice pulsing to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Ladle into “martini” glasses and garnish with pickled cucumber salad and fresh mint sprig.

Lemon Vodka Pickled Cucumber Salad
1 English cucumber sliced paper thin
½ c. tiny minced red onion
¼ c. “lemon vodka”, or substitute rice vinegar
1 t. white sugar
Mix together and marinate for one hour

Enjoy!

Sweet Feet

Barefoot summer and sandals have a way of showing me that my feet and toes need some attention. Somehow, without me even knowing it they have become a sore point and that’s not just because I am standing on them all day! How could they have been so neglected? Close-toed shoes have a way of hiding the obvious … with summer all ablaze and sand between my toes, it’s time to succumb to my weakness... a pedicure.

Start by taking care of your self with a “delicious” fruit bath that turns those calluses into supple feet, as soft as a baby’s. At the same time this recipe provides you with vitamins, calcium and nutrients. It’s an hour spent that nourishes your body, inside and out, and your soul. It’s just another way of saying “Yes” to me.

Now, wiggle your toes and let your pretty self smile. Embrace yourself from head to toe!


SWEET FEET “FOOT BATH and TASTY TREAT”

1 c. frozen pineapple pulp
1 c. frozen papaya pulp
1 c. frozen mango pulp
1 c. frozen passion fruit pulp
Buy Goya brand or other frozen pulp found in the freezer section
of your local supermarket
1 c. honey
4 c. organic vanilla yogurt

In a blender process all of the ingredients together. Reserve two cups to be eaten and divide the rest evenly into two plastic bags. Wash your feet with your favorite soap. Slip each foot into each bag and tie the bags around your ankles with a twistie tie. “Squish” (that’s a technical term) your toes into the fruit. Squish, squish, squish ... Enjoy the next hour relaxing while you are eating your healthy sweet treat. Then, remove your feet from each bag and toss the bags away. Rinse your feet with cool water and massage your soft toes and heels and arches with your favorite moisturizer. The nutrients of the fruit and yogurt deliver enzymes into your feet that hydrate your skin while providing nutrient and calcium absorption in your body. And It is a delicious hour too … enjoy!

Hot Grill ... Cool Appetizer!

Friends coming over for an evening grill? If you'd like some company under the stars and over the coals serve them something light and refreshing.
Coming up with this recipe was easy. I was responding to a need, of which, I believe delicious food and beautiful presentations can be a sure cure. Well, that, belly laughs and sometimes a martini can also be the best medicine! With this recipe you've got it all!
Cucumbers counteract toxins and lift depression: cleanses the blood, influences the heart, pancreas and spleen. You can even apply cucumbers to summer sunburn and feel its cooling relief. So, please enjoy. Serve your guests a shaken and stirred, blended delicious cold soup, splashed with vodka and ladled into a martini glass to get this party started.

ICED CUCUMBER SOUP “MARTINI”

5 cups of English cucumber (the ones in the plastic sleeve) peeled, seeded
and chopped
3 T. chopped fresh mint
2 T. chopped fresh dill
2 c. buttermilk
1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
½ c. lemon vodka (optional) or add more stock
½ c. plain whole milk organic yogurt
2 T. lime juice
½ t. salt
¼ t. cracked black pepper
Fresh mint sprigs

Puree cucumber in food processor or blender. Add in the buttermilk, yogurt and stock. Blend in the mint, dill, salt, pepper and lime juice pulsing to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Ladle into “martini” glasses and garnish with pickled cucumber salad and fresh mint sprig.

Lemon Vodka Pickled Cucumber Salad
1 English cucumber sliced paper thin
½ c. tiny minced red onion
¼ c. “lemon vodka”, or substitute rice vinegar
1 t. white sugar
Mix together and marinate for 1 hour. Enjoy!

Cook More ...Eat Less! Eat Healthier! Nutrition for the Soul , Body and Spirit!

Friends and clients ask me all the time how they can eat healthier, loose a pound or two, cook for themselves and not dread the Mon-Fri mealtime. It's not hard I tell them, but sometimes what is difficult is changing your thought about it. So lets just start there...affirm you are going to embrace this lifestyle change with good intention. Nothing is written in stone, make it fit your tastes, needs and desires.
You've got to love it. That is the main ingredient.

Cook more, eat less! Nutrition for the soul.

Let's think about it — when you eat in restaurants or order from your favorite take-out restaurant, you almost always eat more calories, fat and sodium. Portions are significantly larger and it is impossible to know exactly what is in that Vegetable Pad Thai you are eating, after all, congratulate yourself you did order the vegetables; plus, you’re paying a premium and you do want your money’s worth. It is funny how we can all justify not taking care of ourselves. One way to begin saying YES! to me is to start planning your dinners in advance. Create a grocery list. Shop on the weekend and take a couple of hours to prep some foods that will make it easier to stick with your plan. . You will have so much already prepared and waiting for you, you will be excited to come home and create a healthy meal. It does get easier with practice. Keep it simple. Menu ideas and recipes should be quick and easy and fit into your lifestyle.
Here are some ideas, guidelines to be modified with whatever works for you.
Your shopping list should have 4-6 fresh vegetables 3 proteins, 2 lettuces, 4-6 fruits, 2 dairy, 3 grains and some dairy and a few extras.
Example:
Staples: Garlic, Onions, Olive Oil, Vinegar, Kosher or Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper, Lemons
Vegetables: brocollini, carrots, artichokes, cauliflower, cucumber, bell peppers
Proteins: Whole free range chicken, ground turkey, salmon fillet
Lettuce: Romaine, Baby Spinach
Fruits: Tomatoes, Melon, Grapes, Apples, Clementines, Pears
Dairy: Non Fat Yogurt, 1 kind of cheese (after all we are human)
Grains: Brown Rice, Quinoa, Lentils
Extras: Raw Nuts (I always keep mine in a glass jar on the counter), 85% cocoa chocolate squares (again, I am human)
Prep Day: Cook the artichokes, drain and refrigerate, Blanche half the brocollini, carrots and cauliflower. Wrap in towel and place in container in refrigerator. Place raw vegetables in refrigerator. Cut cucumber rounds and bell pepper sticks and place on a paper towel in a dish and refrigerate. (absorbs the moisture that makes vegetables rot)
You can reheat blanched veges in the microwave or eat them cold, season either with a drizzle of olive oil or your favorite salad dressing.
Wash grapes, cut into clusters and refrigerate wrapped in a kitchen towel. Wash and dry clementines, apples, pears and tomatoes and place them in a bowl on the counter ready to eat. Cut the melon into portion size sections and refrigerate.
Roast the chicken, cut into portions. Prepare turkey burgers, wrap in saran and refrigerate. Make a turkey meatloaf, cook, cool, wrap and refrigerate. Place the salmon fillet in a baking dish, season with olive oil, salt and pepper, refrigerate and it is ready for baking or broiling.
Cook brown rice and lentils, place in covered dish and refrigerate. Eat hot or cold with olive oil or your favorite dressing.
So, now what haven't I used? Well the lettuces are there to be a side salad or a main course salad mixed with some protein or vegetables. And you can always saute or microwave the fresh spinach with a little garlic and olive oil. The roasted bones of the chicken can be thrown into a pot with water for a quick stock and then voila a soup with the rice, lentils and or the leftover chicken and raw vegetables.
Somehow I think you get the picture. A few hours of prep on any day you choose can take the drudgery of weeknight mealtime. You may be so on top of your game that you invite a neighbor to join you.
Effortlessly with grace and with ease. You don't have to do it all the first week..We are looking for progress not perfection. Do what feels right for you. Baby steps makes big progress!
ps...and I think you know what to do with your square of chocolate...enjoy!

She Cooks! Nutrition for the Mind

Believe it or not I do not think of myself as one who really sets goals and monitors their outcome, Hmmmm...as I read that I don't know if I can be that honest...It just doesn't sound like the me I think of myself as...you know goal oriented...I guess what I mostly have is thoughts...good thoughts, I do monitor those, like about this blog..i believe and can visualize Bob Proctor reading this blog and then of course making the recipe I have chosen to support it..you see I admire Bob, he is my mentor, like NH was to Bob. I want to work with him like my objective here is to.... Food and spirituality, how do I bridge that. I guess by just as my friend Kwaku said last night ...”don't ever forget about it.”

Today is the first day of a personal, spiritual and physical cleanse. Fruits and vegetables, sans protein. A vitaminly rich 4 oz. Of something good for you 4 x per day...oh and a few nuts tossed in with careless abandon. As I am reading this a few ozs of yogurt would go nicely. I wonder if I will garnish my cupfuls.

And exercise. Ok I know. We all do.

A few timely steps up and down on my heart rate accelerator. Starting off slow always works. I feel determined, I always do the night prior. I smell the artichokes, nearly done. Food is done, people are finished. Artichokes are my favorite food on the planet. Having some as a last summer (meant supper) kind of event...before d-day… didn't think of it that way until now.

Yum

I have been, my whole cooking life, waiting for a state of the art kitchen to call my own, that is relative too you know, state of the art.

The house I bought some 18mos ago was going to be the one....opening that front door, no kitchen in sight just a bare space where logically it would have been, you could see a few wires protruding from the wall. I could see me there, cooking, just cooking, that is all I ever really want to do. Well, seasons and reasons why it did not happen overnight, even though my decorator (sister) her beau (my honeydew too) kept assuring me that it was time and money keeping my vision from being realized. All I wanted to do was cook. So when it was finally 85% finished and I could cook, why was I not Cooking? days later …and still was not cooking...why? But you don't understand, I go into to unrehearsed kitchens all the time and find no problem foraging around turning this and that on till something works...but not in my kitchen. I had to look at it, charm it, zen it, decorate it, stand back and wait for the right moment. Breathe into it. There is something I knew would tell me and move me to the right moment. It was time, I was shopping for produce and came upon the most beautiful, green, luscious, prickly pile of artichokes, two reached up and spoke (poked) to me to take them home. Say no more. They sat overnight in my sea blue glass bowl waiting...of course, to plunge head first into salted water from my boiling All-Clad pot. Artichokes, that was what I was waiting for. They had to be the first thing I would cook in my new kitchen, it all just seemed right. My favorite thing to eat would be my first thing to cook. Simmered artichokes, plain and outstanding.
…listening from my bedroom I could here the simmer and smell the earthiness.
At the moment, and I had to be precise, I took the artichokes out of the green tinted water they were perfectly tender. Cut them in half this time, never have done that... Some things just seem so right. For the first time cooking them was more satisfying than the shredding of each baby leaf through my teeth and the devouring the soft succulent heart. Be still mine.

ARTICHOKES STUFFED WITH CHEESE SOUFFLE...I know it not part of my program, but this recipe is part of my life, rich and full

• 4 T. softened butter
• 6 T. flour
• 2 c. hot milk
• ½ t. paprika
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 t. salt
• ¼ t. white pepper
• 4 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• 1½ c. coarsely grated Swiss cheese(the best you can buy)
• ¾ c. finely grated Imported Parmesan + some to sprinkle on the top
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim and prepare 6 artichokes and cook in boiling salted water until hearts are tender. Drain upside down. Remove choke and clean out the hairs around the heart.
In a large saucepan, melt 3 T. butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the butter and flour foam and froth. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the hot milk, then simmer over medium heat and stir slowly until thick, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the seasonings, then the egg yolks, 1 by 1. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Whip the egg whites to stiff, shining peaks, then whisk 1/4 of them into the sauce to lighten it. Delicately fold the remaining egg whites into the sauce, alternating with the grated Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Cut pieces of foil large enough to surround the artichokes. Brush the foil pieces with olive oil and wrap around the artichokes. Turn the souffle mixture and fill to the top into the prepared artichokes, dust with paprika. Bake until the souffle has puffed 1 or 2-inches.and the top is slightly browned about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!