My friends! Long time no speak. I've been a little busy, sticking my fingers everywhere I could. Some of you know I entered a contest with Sutter Home Wine "Build a Better Burger 2010". The odds were tight, thousands of contestants across the board. I thought I had it in the bag but I will get them next year. The experience was overwhelmingly fun, exciting and a little disappointing (because I didn't make it the finals) but I will most definitely try again until I make it to the finals. Met some nice people online and shared our burger receipes. Love the experience! Watch out for me next year Sutter Home!
I also started school, this is my last year in Culinary, getting my Chefs degree. If things go as planned I will be attempting to get my Bachelors in Food Science. Lets see, but meanwhile, I have been cooking up a storm in my lil o'kitchen. Which as you know still is not complete. Renovations take time and most of all MONEY! Slowly but surely. I am excited to share with you my new venture, I am now supplying my homemade empanadas with my homemade dough to a Bar Lounge in downtown JC. Will advise soon due to discretion.
After weeks of perfecting my dough making I finally have a winning formula. These delicious meat, chicken, sausage or spinach feta filled puff delights are a hit. I get orders from local businesses. A weekend mid afternoon snack for a hair dresser down the block is exactly what she needs to continue her long day. The friendly neighbor knocks on my door as the smell of my empanadas sneaks through the crack of her door alluring her to my kitchen craving a couple for herself. The barbershop with my fellow Dominicans bag it up with a few of these delights to stop the hunger as their busy day progresses.
So as you can see I have been busy, it's fun and rewarding! I know I have finally chosen the correct path. I love what I do and its only going to get better.
Thanks again for following me through my journey.
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fun trip to the Farmers' Market
Hi!!
My dear friends and family how about a little chat about fresh produce? With my new refrigerator I can now store all the fresh food and fruits I want. Tuesday morning like about 8am I went to the Farmers Market on Rt 17 East Rutherford. I absolutely love walking into the fresh market with fresh herbs and fruit smell in the air. You can enjoy fresh foods all year around but there is something special about Summer that brings out the colorful and delectable essences of herbs, making your dish enticing and simply delicious.
I bought myself a little book called "A Field Guide to Farmers' Markets", this guide was very useful and made my trip to the market fun and perhaps educating as well. I had a list of what I needed at home to prepare my freshest dishes. Here are a few things I picked up at the market and how to use them in a recipe. From appetizers to main dishes, fresh herbs will do the trick.
I picked up some Chives, Shallots and Scallions; these are in the Green Onion family. Green onions have a mild flavor compared to the dry mature onion we commonly use for cooking. Chives and Scallions are frequently used in salads or spreads. I love cream cheese and chives, simply fine chop the chives and blend into a container of cream cheese. This spread is amazing on a small open faced bread topped with prosciutto and a melon ball. YUM!! Simple, fresh, elegant and most of all delicious, great summer hors d'oeuvres that your guests will love. Scallions can be used in almost anything and prepared in any way, one of my favorite ways to use scallions is to wrap a piece of marinated meat (any kind even chicken) with the scallion then grill it on stick or roast in the oven. The green onion exudes tremendous flavor in to the meat and gives color contrast. I just love it! Now for the must have in my kitchen, what I can not be without are Shallots. Along with the garlic, shallots are in abundance in my produce basket. I create my most delicious dishes with shallots. Sauteed in butter or oil with garlic add some chicken base and white wine let reduce - season with salt and pepper, and voila, there you have an easy white wine sauce. Use that same liquid to poach a fish or drizzle over roasted chicken. Amazing! Like all onions store in a cool dry area and away from potatoes.
What else did I pick up...? Oh yeah fresh parsley, cilantro and thyme. Parsley stems and thyme are two of the several ingredients used to make stocks or mother sauces, the basis to all soups and sauces. Removing leaves from the parsley stems, storing the stems for later use and pureed the leaves with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice a little sherry vinegar salt and pepper to make a delicious Chimichurri Sauce ideal with Flank Steak. Cilantro is also a great fresh herb to add to your chimichurri sauce. Nothing goes to waste...
Potatoes is a starchy crop that can be prepared in a variety of ways. I bought red and white young potatoes. These potatoes have less sugar so they tend to hold their shape longer after cooking. I combined both the red and white young potatoes to make Boiled Parsley Potatoes. I scrubbed them and cut them into wedges submerging them into cold water immediately to prevent browning. Add salt and bring the water to a boil, once tender drain water and return to heat until steam has been evaporated. Finely chop the parsley leaves adding them to the potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. How tasty does that sound...? Great side dish for your flank steak and chimichurri sauce. And to compliment this simple yet delicious meal a fine glass of Zinfandel or Pinot Noir red wine. Your palette will thank you!
To summarize, a fun trip to the market awakens creativity and imagination. With a little knowledge on how to select your fresh produce, you can create and indulge in amazing and delightful dishes for you and your family to enjoy. Take advantage of what our four seasons has to offer. From year round greens and potatoes, to sweet Vidalia Onions that are best used in the spring. Be creative, have fun and ENJOY!
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
My dear friends and family how about a little chat about fresh produce? With my new refrigerator I can now store all the fresh food and fruits I want. Tuesday morning like about 8am I went to the Farmers Market on Rt 17 East Rutherford. I absolutely love walking into the fresh market with fresh herbs and fruit smell in the air. You can enjoy fresh foods all year around but there is something special about Summer that brings out the colorful and delectable essences of herbs, making your dish enticing and simply delicious.
I bought myself a little book called "A Field Guide to Farmers' Markets", this guide was very useful and made my trip to the market fun and perhaps educating as well. I had a list of what I needed at home to prepare my freshest dishes. Here are a few things I picked up at the market and how to use them in a recipe. From appetizers to main dishes, fresh herbs will do the trick.
I picked up some Chives, Shallots and Scallions; these are in the Green Onion family. Green onions have a mild flavor compared to the dry mature onion we commonly use for cooking. Chives and Scallions are frequently used in salads or spreads. I love cream cheese and chives, simply fine chop the chives and blend into a container of cream cheese. This spread is amazing on a small open faced bread topped with prosciutto and a melon ball. YUM!! Simple, fresh, elegant and most of all delicious, great summer hors d'oeuvres that your guests will love. Scallions can be used in almost anything and prepared in any way, one of my favorite ways to use scallions is to wrap a piece of marinated meat (any kind even chicken) with the scallion then grill it on stick or roast in the oven. The green onion exudes tremendous flavor in to the meat and gives color contrast. I just love it! Now for the must have in my kitchen, what I can not be without are Shallots. Along with the garlic, shallots are in abundance in my produce basket. I create my most delicious dishes with shallots. Sauteed in butter or oil with garlic add some chicken base and white wine let reduce - season with salt and pepper, and voila, there you have an easy white wine sauce. Use that same liquid to poach a fish or drizzle over roasted chicken. Amazing! Like all onions store in a cool dry area and away from potatoes.
What else did I pick up...? Oh yeah fresh parsley, cilantro and thyme. Parsley stems and thyme are two of the several ingredients used to make stocks or mother sauces, the basis to all soups and sauces. Removing leaves from the parsley stems, storing the stems for later use and pureed the leaves with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice a little sherry vinegar salt and pepper to make a delicious Chimichurri Sauce ideal with Flank Steak. Cilantro is also a great fresh herb to add to your chimichurri sauce. Nothing goes to waste...
Potatoes is a starchy crop that can be prepared in a variety of ways. I bought red and white young potatoes. These potatoes have less sugar so they tend to hold their shape longer after cooking. I combined both the red and white young potatoes to make Boiled Parsley Potatoes. I scrubbed them and cut them into wedges submerging them into cold water immediately to prevent browning. Add salt and bring the water to a boil, once tender drain water and return to heat until steam has been evaporated. Finely chop the parsley leaves adding them to the potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. How tasty does that sound...? Great side dish for your flank steak and chimichurri sauce. And to compliment this simple yet delicious meal a fine glass of Zinfandel or Pinot Noir red wine. Your palette will thank you!
To summarize, a fun trip to the market awakens creativity and imagination. With a little knowledge on how to select your fresh produce, you can create and indulge in amazing and delightful dishes for you and your family to enjoy. Take advantage of what our four seasons has to offer. From year round greens and potatoes, to sweet Vidalia Onions that are best used in the spring. Be creative, have fun and ENJOY!
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
Thursday, June 17, 2010
New Kitchen on a budget
Hi!!!
I'm back, sorry for the delay, been so busy. I believe I mentioned I wanted to start a catering business, so I have began the process. I catered a small party last weekend and I must say it was a success!! I made mini croquettas (from scratch) and mini beef and chicken empanadas. I also made open faced Sun-dried Tomato Tuna Pate Canopies. Just a fancier way of saying open faced sandwiches.
As I began to prep Friday afternoon for the Saturday night festivities, I realized I really am not equipped to handle mass production. Keep in mind I had to make 240 mini Tapas and that is not a lot, this required plenty of frig space, counter space and of course space for my equipments. As I prepared my delicious Tapas with minor difficulties my mind began to tick tock. Thoughts ran through my head on how I can improve my kitchen space, suddenly it hit me... I sketched out in my head exactly what I wanted to do.
1st - I need my pots and pans accessible to me at all times, they have been hidden in the stove, under the cabinets under a pile of other pots and pans and bowls and stuff! AAAHHH!!! I can't stand it! I have been shopping around for a pot hanger but damn are they expensive, the cheapest one is about $100 and only hangs like 5, what am I going to do with that...? So I kept brainstorming, then, ah huh!! Pegboards, yes pegboards... I have the wall space why not, so I went to home-depot and bought 2 pegboards for only $6.95 each, 2 satin colonial red spray paints at $3.00 each. Went home and sprayed away. WOW! I am in love... I had my dear boyfriend measure and cut out the boards to fit the wall space. Now I have a very country, warm and fun display of my pots and pans on my walls.
2nd - I needed a bigger frig. Of course since I am on a budget I had to do some research, my friend told me about an appliance warehouse that is stocked with refurbished appliances or appliances that might have small damages from the manufactures but still in excellent condition. I went for it, I marched right into the warehouse and there she was, a 33" Stainless Steel double door-bottom freezer LG. She was a beauty and I wanted her. My budget for a frig was about a grand, "NO MORE" I said to myself. Trying to hide my excitement I asked how much...? What? How much? OMG I knew she was meant for me... It only cost me $600, yeah brand new never used Stainless Steel LG for only $600. It only has a very small dent and scratch on the freezer door. Other then that she is PERFECT!!
Last but not least counter top make-over. This kitchen is a little outdated, kinda has a retro 70's look to it. I love it but could use a little updating. The counter top was a lime green color and the cabinets are a dark unfinished wood. I love the wood but hated the lime green counter top. Of course researched on that too and came across a few low budget options. There is this Granite imitation spray painting, I thought about it but as I read the blogs and comments on this product, for the most part the product is not food safe, so on to the next idea. My mom is always looking to improve her place (I guess I got it from her) so she bought an adhesive Granite imitation paper from Walmart. At first I wasn't convinced that it would look good, maybe because she really didn't do a great job in applying the paper on her counter but as I shopped for a few things in Walmart I saw the roll of paper and for just $5.95 a roll I thought to myself I might be able to pull off a new counter top. So I went for it. What a major difference! I couldn't believe it, it gave my counters a totally new look but keeping it's retro 70's look. Good choice mom, thanks!
So you can see I have been petty busy making over my kitchen on a budget. I am still not quite done, I have to paint and for my biggest project, an add on counter with bottom racks. I can't wait to continue my on a budget kitchen make over.
P.S. I forgot to take some before pictures, but I will try my best to have some before and after so you guys can see and comment.
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
I'm back, sorry for the delay, been so busy. I believe I mentioned I wanted to start a catering business, so I have began the process. I catered a small party last weekend and I must say it was a success!! I made mini croquettas (from scratch) and mini beef and chicken empanadas. I also made open faced Sun-dried Tomato Tuna Pate Canopies. Just a fancier way of saying open faced sandwiches.
As I began to prep Friday afternoon for the Saturday night festivities, I realized I really am not equipped to handle mass production. Keep in mind I had to make 240 mini Tapas and that is not a lot, this required plenty of frig space, counter space and of course space for my equipments. As I prepared my delicious Tapas with minor difficulties my mind began to tick tock. Thoughts ran through my head on how I can improve my kitchen space, suddenly it hit me... I sketched out in my head exactly what I wanted to do.
1st - I need my pots and pans accessible to me at all times, they have been hidden in the stove, under the cabinets under a pile of other pots and pans and bowls and stuff! AAAHHH!!! I can't stand it! I have been shopping around for a pot hanger but damn are they expensive, the cheapest one is about $100 and only hangs like 5, what am I going to do with that...? So I kept brainstorming, then, ah huh!! Pegboards, yes pegboards... I have the wall space why not, so I went to home-depot and bought 2 pegboards for only $6.95 each, 2 satin colonial red spray paints at $3.00 each. Went home and sprayed away. WOW! I am in love... I had my dear boyfriend measure and cut out the boards to fit the wall space. Now I have a very country, warm and fun display of my pots and pans on my walls.
2nd - I needed a bigger frig. Of course since I am on a budget I had to do some research, my friend told me about an appliance warehouse that is stocked with refurbished appliances or appliances that might have small damages from the manufactures but still in excellent condition. I went for it, I marched right into the warehouse and there she was, a 33" Stainless Steel double door-bottom freezer LG. She was a beauty and I wanted her. My budget for a frig was about a grand, "NO MORE" I said to myself. Trying to hide my excitement I asked how much...? What? How much? OMG I knew she was meant for me... It only cost me $600, yeah brand new never used Stainless Steel LG for only $600. It only has a very small dent and scratch on the freezer door. Other then that she is PERFECT!!
Last but not least counter top make-over. This kitchen is a little outdated, kinda has a retro 70's look to it. I love it but could use a little updating. The counter top was a lime green color and the cabinets are a dark unfinished wood. I love the wood but hated the lime green counter top. Of course researched on that too and came across a few low budget options. There is this Granite imitation spray painting, I thought about it but as I read the blogs and comments on this product, for the most part the product is not food safe, so on to the next idea. My mom is always looking to improve her place (I guess I got it from her) so she bought an adhesive Granite imitation paper from Walmart. At first I wasn't convinced that it would look good, maybe because she really didn't do a great job in applying the paper on her counter but as I shopped for a few things in Walmart I saw the roll of paper and for just $5.95 a roll I thought to myself I might be able to pull off a new counter top. So I went for it. What a major difference! I couldn't believe it, it gave my counters a totally new look but keeping it's retro 70's look. Good choice mom, thanks!
So you can see I have been petty busy making over my kitchen on a budget. I am still not quite done, I have to paint and for my biggest project, an add on counter with bottom racks. I can't wait to continue my on a budget kitchen make over.
P.S. I forgot to take some before pictures, but I will try my best to have some before and after so you guys can see and comment.
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Beginning
Where do I start...? Well I'm on the verge of a new beginning... What a cliche. But it's true, after many years of slaving over tons and tons of paper making someone else rich I got the boot. This damn economy, yeah I'm blaming it why not, everyone else is. Anyhow, I sort of wanted and needed a new change in my life but didn't have the guts to make the move. I suppose I should thank the economy for laying me off. I went back to school to get a degree on what I love to do the most and that is cook. Damn but so many people beat me to it. Everywhere I turn there is someone talking about food and how much they love doing it. Everyone wants to be the next TOP CHEF. Gees where does that leave me? It leaves me way in he back. So this means I have to do something extraordinary and different. I have to stand out from all these other chef wanna-bees (just like me).
Ahhh!!! What can I do to be different? I have an inspiration and boy does he have an appetite. But I still need more, I need something else something that jumps out at people and says "look at me I'm special"... I guess I have to keep looking and searching for something exciting and innovating.
This is all for now... I will post up some new and creative recipes for you all to try at home.
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
Ahhh!!! What can I do to be different? I have an inspiration and boy does he have an appetite. But I still need more, I need something else something that jumps out at people and says "look at me I'm special"... I guess I have to keep looking and searching for something exciting and innovating.
This is all for now... I will post up some new and creative recipes for you all to try at home.
Talk to you soon!
Cyndi
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