Well, as you can see, I have not posted many recipes in the past month. That is due to the fact that I was directing a play at my son’s school and it took over my life for about 4 weeks. The play was a huge success. Now that it is over, I can get back to my beloved blog site. Thank you all for your patience. I hope you enjoy all the upcoming recipes. Also, take note of my new logo at the top of my home page. I am very excited about it. I worked with Sherry Frydenlund, here in Denver.  She specializes in corporate identity and I think she did a fabulous job. I am planning on developing a line of chef’s coats, tea towels and aprons with the logo on them.

Last night I made the Greek Style Green Beans recipe on my website. Instead of using dill weed as the herb flavor at the end, I began the recipe by cooking the green beans, garlic and tomatoes in EVOO’s Tuscan Herb Olive oil. Then I did not add any dill or other herbs at the end. It was delicious with a subtle hint of herbs gently coating the green beans.

My boys love to get breakfast burritos from a little roadside stand here in Denver called Big Mama’s Burritos. These burritos are filled with potatoes, cheese and eggs and their secret vegetarian chili sauce. Looking at my leftover Braised Fennel and Potatoes, I had the great idea that they would make a delicious filling for breakfast burritos. I tried it last night by sauteing my leftover potato mixture in a pan until heated through and then adding 2 beaten eggs. I continue to stir until the eggs were cooked through and nicely blended with the potatoes. Then I added in some shredded cheese and poured on some nice chili sauce. I actually bought a small cup of Big Mama’s chili sauce, but you could use any homemade or store bought sauce or salsa. I heated up tortillas and filled them with the potato, egg and cheese mixture. What an easy way to recreate leftovers into a whole new dish!

Fabulous Creating at EVOO Marketplace

Yesterday I spent a gorgeous Denver afternoon at EVOO Marketplace in Denver demonstrating their oils and vinegars in some of my recipes. I used their Dark Chocolate balsamic vinegar in my Tomato and Basil Bruschetta topping. I featured their Tuscan Herb Olive oil in a marinated goat cheese dish. I splashed their Honey Ginger balsamic vinegar on an endive spears topped with cream cheese, toasted pecans and fresh mango. Lastly, I made a dressing using the Blood Orange oil, Meyer Lemon oil, Meyer lemon juice, Peach balsamic vinegar, and some orange zest. I drizzled that over endive spears topped with orange segments and avocado.

All the recipes were very well received, and I promised everyone I spoke with that I would put the recipes on my website to share. So please look for those recipes in the next 4 posts to my blog. Thank you to everyone who shared the day with me. It was a pleasure cooking for all of you and talking with such fine foodies.

I have a new culinary discovery about which I am so excited, I could not wait to blog about it. On March 6, I posted a blog about EVOO marketplace (see my link) and their fantastic olive oils and vinegars. Well, I really did not understand the value of my new discovery until now. Today I met with the owner, Mick Major, to discuss the possibility of my designing recipes for him using his products. The end result was he sent me home with 12 assorted oils and vinegars, and I began to play.

I made a panini sandwich for my son with Chipotle oil, turkey, mayonnaise and mustard. He loved the subtle smokiness of the chipotle and the little spice it added to his otherwise normal sandwich. For my husband, I created a vegetarian panini. First, I grilled some zucchini slices brushed with EVOO Garlic Oil and sprinkled with smoked sea salt and pepper. I spread some mayonnaise and garlic oil on the bread. Then put in some cheddar cheese, tomato slices and the grilled zucchini. I toasted the sandwich in my panini pan. Finally, I tossed some mixed baby greens with a mixture of EVOO’s Persian Lime oil and Peach Balsamic Vinegar. I put this in the sandwich right before serving. The flavors were amazing! I really think I am on to something! Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I taught the first cooking class of Vegout Gourmet in my kitchen. I believe the ladies who attended had a great time and learned a lot. Instead of doing my scheduled Cooking with Grains class, the ladies requested a full dinner party menu so we could invite our spouses at the end and serve them a full 4-course meal. Yes, at times I do cook and eat seafood as demonstrated by the smoked trout salad we concocted. We worked hard for four hours beginning with the basics of making vegetable stock and ending with a delicious barley risotto. One of our biggest surprises was how delicious the smoked trout skin was after we crisped it in the oven. It was like sprinkling bacon bits on top of the salad.  The complete menu was as follows:

Fun with Risotto

• Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

• Smoked Trout, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

• Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

• Steamed Broccoli with Garlic, Walnut, Browned Butter Sauce

• Pear and Blueberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuit Topping

Look for all of these recipes posted on the site. Read the rest of this entry »

I was guiding a gourmet market tour here in Denver recently with Culinary Connectors, and I learned something very interesting at the Truffle Cheese Shop. When you buy a hunk of fresh Parmesan cheese, you usually have a rind as part of that hunk that is inedible. So instead of throwing it away, throw the rind in stocks or sauces while they simmer to add a lovely Parmesan essence. What a great tip! I can’t wait to make my next tomato sauce and try it out.