Archives for May 2016

chocolatemousse May 23, 2016 Leave a Comment

Lets Light This Chicken Up:

Grilling Poultry 101

Grilling chicken can be a bit tricky to master. A perfect piece is well-browned on the outside and tender, moist, and juicy on the inside. Cooking poultry on the grill is a slow process, but well worth the patience.

Here are a few tips to ensure success:

1- Grease the Grill: Even if your chicken has skin or is marinated, play it safe and lightly spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with oil.

2- Heat the Grill: Mark the chicken on a hot grill, this seals in the juices and makes it will ensure that the chicken does not stick to the grill.

3- Close the Top: Once the poultry has grill marks, lower the flame and close your grill cover. This will make your grill work like an oven, and your food will cook more evenly. Covering the grill also cuts off some of the oxygen, leaving a smaller chance of flare-ups.

4- Be Patient: The chicken will cook more evenly (and quickly!) if you follow the recipe cooking instructions or turn it over only once midway through the grilling.

5- Use the Correct Utensil: Use long-handled tongs or a wide metal spatula to move the chicken. Poking it with a fork will cause juices to escape.

6- Limit Seasonings: Marinades and sauces, usually contain a high sugar content, and will burn if the grill temperature is too hot. Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper just prior to grilling and sauce when the chicken is almost fully cooked.

Chipotle-Orange Glaze

Ingredients

2 oranges

1 small shallot, minced

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced

2 Teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

1 Tablespoon molasses

3/4 Teaspoon cornstarch

To Taste Kosher Salt

Directions

Grate zest from 1 orange.
Squeeze 2/3 cup juice from both oranges
Combine zest, juice, shallot, chile, and thyme in small saucepan.
Whisk in 1 tablespoon molasses and 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch.
Simmer mixture over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt.

chocolatemousse May 19, 2016 Leave a Comment

Hey Honey

With Hay Fever season in full swing, many people are desperate to find relief from their allergy symptoms. Natural therapy is becoming a very popular choice of treatment. So why eat a “spoonful of sugar to help your medicine go down”, when just a daily spoonful of honey, could be your relief from those pesky spring allergies?

Eating local Honey works similar to a vaccination, by introducing small amounts of a virus or germ to the body and triggering an immune system response. This causes the production of antibodies designated to fight off the invaders. A daily dose of honey is like gradually vaccinating the body against allergens, a process called immunotherapy. Honey contains a variety of pollen spores that give allergy sufferers trouble when flowers and grasses are in bloom. Introducing these spores into the body in small amounts makes the body accustomed to their presence and decreases allergy symptoms.
Local honey is the best because it is produced by bees within a few miles of where you live. The proximity increases the chances that the varieties of flowering plants and grasses giving the allergy sufferer trouble are the same kinds the bees are including in their honey. After all, it wouldn’t help much if you ate honey with spores from a type of grass that grows in Michigan if you suffer from allergies in New York.
So, not only is Honey a treat for your taste buds, but it is good for you… and not just for your allergies. Honey offers incredible antiseptic, antioxidant and cleansing properties for your body, health, and skin care. From eye conjunctivitis to athletes foot, it’s powerful healing attributes have been used for thousands of years.
Honey, perhaps the tastiest natural medicine. Eating for health has never been sweeter.

Honey Cookies

3/4 cup Brown Sugar 1 Egg
3/4 cup Honey
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1 pinch Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Slivered Almonds

1- Combine brown sugar and honey in large mixing bowl, beating well.
2- Add egg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt
3- Stir in flour, baking soda, and almonds.
4- Press dough evenly into a greased baking pan.
5- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
6- Cut into 3 x 1 inch bars. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely

chocolatemousse May 17, 2016 Leave a Comment

There’s Much to Do Before You Say “I Do”

Wedding Planning Check List

We all know that your wedding is the most important day of your life. If you want to ensure it’s exactly what you want you will need to plan accordingly. I recommend using a timeline to keep you on track and help alleviate the feeling of being overwhelmed. Breaking down your planning into a monthly timeline is one a great way to make sure you don’t forget anything as well as ensure you have top pick of venue, cater, photographer, D.J and florist. Here is just a snip-it of the timeline I suggest to my brides.

Year to 9 month

BUDGET: Before you can make any others choices you must pin down the exact amount you have to spend. I recommend knowing you absolute max budget and working at least $5k under that. This will give you some wiggle room should you need it.
Cater/Venue: As you will want to ensure a specific date at the location of your choice your venue is definitely one of the first things you should book. If the venue will not be catering the wedding it is as important to hire the caterer of your choice to make sure they are available and can work accordingly with the venue to plan your perfect day
Guest list: It’s a good idea to start thinking about this early as there will probably be a lot of family input and change before a finalized version can be agreed on

9-6 month

Save-the-date: This is a good time to let your guest know you’re going to be saying “I do” so they can plan and budget for travel and gifts.
Florist: It’s good to shop around but by at least 6 months you should nail down who you want to use and know what the floral expenses will be.

6-4 month

Invitations: It’s time to order those invites! Keeping on task with this item is very important. You can’t have a wedding without guests and knowing how many people are truly attending is paramount for both the caterer and venue. This means it’s important to order them with enough time to make changes and still get them out should something go wrong with the printing.

4-2month

Purchase Bridal Party gifts: These girls have done a lot for you through all your craziness over the last couple months, make sure you have selected gifts that truly express your appreciation.

8-6 weeks

Invitations: f you have not already done so, it is imperative you send out your invitations. Even though your guests have already received their “save-the-date” it is very important that you know how many people are truly attending, especially if “plus-one” was an option. Your caterer will need to know exact details so that rentals, staff, and food can be arranged accordingly.

6-2 weeks

Make the final checklist: Are all your final orders in and are they correct? Did you order décor and does the appropriate vendor have it? Have you finalized a seating arrangement and layout of the reception? Is the dress ready? Does he have the rings? Now is the time to make a detailed and organized checklist and go through it weekly until the date of the ceremony to avoid missing anything.

Last week

Wedding Attire: Not only should you make sure you have your dress but you should double check with the entire wedding party that they have their attire in a safe place and that it fits.
License: You can not apply for your wedding license more than 30 days prior to your wedding date but it can be prepared in a minimum of 48hrs so about a week prior to the date is a good time to apply.
Dress Rehearsal: Take a deep breath, this is just the run through. But it is a great time to catch any last minute revisions.

DAY OF

RELAX AND ENJOY!

As the time of your wedding approaches, there will be many more things you WILL absolutely need to do and other things that I would highly advise considering. My biggest recommendation is to hire a caterer, like myself, who is also well versed in event planning. They will keep you on track, work with your other vendor, help reduce your budget by using pre-established contacts and will help to alleviate some of those weddings anxieties . If you would like more wedding tips and suggestions give me, chef Heather, a call!