Sausage & Kale Lasagna

Tags

dinner, Healthy, Italian, kale, pasta, pork, Winter

New Years has come and gone and so have all those New Year’s resolutions right? I would like to say that I resolved to lose those last few pounds of baby weight, or that I will go to the gym 5 days a week, or maybe I will lay off the frozen yogurt this year. But who am I kidding? I like food too much to be that dedicated. It’s not that I don’t strive to be healthy, but I don’t like to set strict limits on what I eat since I am a chef. If I go to a nice restaurant and I know their pastry chef has just created a new peanut butter parfait for the menu, I won’t be turning that down! I try to do everything in moderation though, so that is always my goal when it comes to eating and working out. Since December is always a busy month (at home and at work), it is way too easy to stuff Christmas cookies or cheese dip in my mouth when I’m in a hurry (and it is so easily accessible!). So when January rolls around, I do like to lighten things up and eat a little more balanced.

Sweet Lamb Tagine

Tags

baby, ethnic, lamb, moroccan, motherhood, stew, tagine, Winter

If you couldn’t tell, 2013 was a very busy year for me. Not a single blog post! As much as I wanted to take photos of the food I was cooking and share them with my family and friends, sleep deprivation took over. My daughter was born in February, and being a first time parent was a big change. I thought maternity leave would be a perfect time to try new recipes and get back into the kitchen after a very tiresome pregnancy. I guess no one told me that when the baby was napping, the only thing I would want to do was sit in my sweat pants and eat Wheat Thins and hummus while catching up on year old episodes of Downton Abbey and Top Chef. The little amount of energy I had remaining was used toward such fun tasks as scrubbing spit up out of my clothes or cleaning a never ending pile of bottles. 2013 was definitely one of the most exciting years of my life, but it was also geared solely to my daughter and to motherhood. Since Naia (my daughter) is now almost a year old and finally on somewhat of a schedule, I am hoping to find some balance this year and do more of some of the things I love (cook, eat, and share!). And as Naia grows older, hopefully she will enjoy being my sous chef.

Preserving Winter with Kumquat Tangelo Marmalade

Tags

canning, Citrus, jam, Winter

In my last post (about shrimp tacos) I was complaining that the cold weather needed to make its exit because I was ready for warmer temperatures. But now I am trying to preserve Winter? Don’t get me wrong, I am still ready for Spring to be here, but I thought I would embrace the last couple weeks of Winter by saving the best fruit of the season and turning them into a marmalade.

Deco-dent Key Lime Mousse

Tags

Art, Citrus, Lime, mousse, Winter

The company I cater for is lucky because we get to do all the catering for the local art museum. A new exhibit just came to town that highlights the Art Deco movement of the 1920’s. The premier event was last night, and we did a seated dinner for 200 guests. These events are always fun because the menu is in the style of the exhibit. Since the Art Deco movement started in Paris, the food we made had french flair but was still seasonal. We also added some modern touches to the classics. The passed apps included foie gras mousse in puff pastry with a port wine gelee, beet and goat cheese napoleon with a mandarin reduction, and a seared scallop tostada.  

What’s to love about Winter?

Tags

Citrus, Winter

Citrus! I know the market seems a little dull at the moment with all the root vegetables, hard squashes, and dried peppers and beans. But don’t fret, you can still get your fresh fruit fix in with oranges, grapefruits, pomelos, limes, blood oranges, and tangerines. My favorite at the moment? The cara cara orange. It’s a red fleshed naval orange that is super sweet and juicy. I just picked up some organic ones at Whole Foods for $1.99/lb. They are great by themselves, but I have also been throwing them on salads or in my yogurt. And did I mention they are seedless?