Tuesday, July 1, 2014
MY BLOG HAS MOVED!
Find me at Chewandchat.com, or simply wait a few second and you will automatically be transferred. All my old posts and new posts are there.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Deer Valley Resort Is Tops In 9 Categories of Park City's Best
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Rovali's Giving Away Decadence Cake
Rovali's on Historic 25th Street in Ogden is giving away a whole Chocolate Decadence Cake as part of its campaign to reach 1,500 Facebook friends. You can enter through the restaurant's Facebook page at http://a.pgtb.me/6N2v0s. Sharing the page with family and friends will give you an extra entry.
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The winner will be announced August 5. Thursday, July 25, 2013
Taste of The Wasatch Fundraiser Aug. 4
To fight hunger in Utah, over 50 of Utah’s top chefs, restaurants and bakers will gather on Sunday, August 4, 2013 at Solitude Mountain Resort from 11:30 a.m. for VIP ticket holders and noon for general admission until 4 p.m. for the second annualTaste of the Wasatch.
Taste of the Wasatch is the state’s most popular culinary benefit. “Funding this year is more important than ever as demand for food continues to increase. One in five Utah children is food insecure or at-risk – meaning they don’t know if they will have food to eat or where their next meal is coming from.” says event organizer Karen Zabriskie. “And right now, hundreds of Utahns are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days."
All of funds raised at Taste of the Wasatch will stay local and to benefit Utah Food Bank, Utahns Against Hunger, and TheOgden Weber Community Action Partnership. This enjoyable outdoor afternoon benefit is expected to raise nearly $125,000 to help fight hunger. Guests will enjoy live music (performed by The Staff) and a silent auction which includes weekend getaways, five-night stay at any All Seasons Resort Lodging, art, jewelry and fabulous dining experiences. Some live auction packages include the chefs themselves as they offer to cook a multi-course meal for you and eight of your closest friends.
Over 1,500 are expected to attend this gastronomic gala while enjoying fine cuisine from restaurants such as Stein Eriksen’s Lodge’s Glitretind, Log Haven, Deer Valley Resort, The Canyons, The Copper Onion, Plum Alley, Les Madeleines, Pallet Bistro, Aerie and more. The now famous Utah Bakers Dozen will showcase fine desserts from more than 15 of the state’s best pastry chefs and bakers. New restaurants teaming up to help the cause this year include Caterina, Cucina Toscana, Del Mar al Lago, Luna Blanca Taqueria, Riverhorse on Main (back after six years),Vivace and Zest Kitchen & Bar.
Tickets for Taste of the Wasatch are $90 for General Admission and $125 for Reserved Seating (VIP), if purchased in advance. Group discounts are available. Tickets can only be purchased online at www.tasteofthewasatch.org. Due to changes in the DABC liquor laws, this event is open to adults 21 years of age and over. Bring your ID, e-ticket and enjoy responsibly.
Sponsors: Taste of the Wasatch is presented by Solitude Mountain Resort, Nicholas and Company, Whole Foods Market, Salt Lake Magazine and Coca-Cola Smartwater.Monday, July 22, 2013
Zucchini & Bacon Soup
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| Zucchini grows like crazy in Utah gardens. By Valerie Phillips |
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| Zucchini & Bacon Soup by Valerie Phillips |
Last week, I picked my first zucchini of the summer, and I used it to make Zucchini & Bacon Soup on the KUTV Noon News.
I also wrote about zucchini in my Standard-Examiner column.
Today I went over to the community garden, and two more zucchini had grown to cucumber size, almost overnight. Looks like the zucchini season is already in full swing.
As Ron Bird and I discussed on the KUTV segment, zucchini doesn't get a lot of respect because it's so easy to grow. We take it for granted. You wouldn't think of giving away your asparagus or snap peas that way, would you?.
It's not just Utah that has a thing about too-much zucchini, because I've found stories from other areas of the country about trying to disguise it in brownies and leaving it on neighbors' doorsteps too.
When I was developing this Zucchini & Bacon Soup recipe for my cookbook, my daughter said, “Oh, you made some broccoli soup!”
She was ready to ladle herself a bowlful. But when I told her it was made with zucchini, not broccoli, she put the ladle down.
When I was developing this Zucchini & Bacon soup for my cookbook, "Soup's On!" my daughter saw it and said, "Oh you made broccoli soup!" When I told her it was zucchini, not broccoli, she was disappointed.
“If you would have let me think it was broccoli, I probably would have eaten it and loved it,” she said.
Truth hurts.
I’ve served this soup for a dozen book signings and the Layton Parade of Homes, and people often mistake it for broccoli soup.
It's just proof that you can make anything taste better if you put enough bacon, butter or cheese in it.
Even zucchini is about 95 percent water, it's a good source of vitamins A, C, K and B6, and lots of minerals and fiber.
The beauty of this soup is that it needs very little prep work. It takes about two minutes to cut the zucchini into chunks. You don’t have to chop onions or cook bacon, since you’re using dried onion flakes and ready-cooked bacon (the shelf-stable kind that is often sold near the salad dressings). As a bonus, this type of bacon has 33 percent less fat.
You just let this soup simmer 10 to 15 minutes on the stove or in the microwave, until the zucchini is tender. Then you puree it in two batches in a blender, or with a stick-style immersion blender right in the pot. Add the half-and-half and it’s done. You could use milk or fat-free half-and-half if you want to cut the fat content, because most of the rich, thick consistency comes from the zucchini itself.
If you want, you can scoop a spoonful of sharp cheddar on each bowl as you serve it. (Makes it easier to fool people into thinking you're serving broccoli soup, if that's your aim!)
When you’re cutting the chunks of zucchini, it might seem as though you have too much of it. But with its high water content, it cooks down pretty quickly.
Zucchini & Bacon Soup
Try to use small or medium-size zucchini for this soup; the large ones are pithy and seedy.
Two 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
3 pounds zucchini (8-9 cups of chunks, about 5 medium zucchini)
1 cup chopped frozen onion (or about 3 tablespoons dried onion flakes)
3-ounce package real bacon bits (about 3/4 cup)
2 cups half-and-half, or fat-free half-and-half
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Heat broth over low heat while slicing the zucchini in chunks about 1-inch thick.
2. Turn the heat to high and place zucchini, onion and bacon in the pot.
3. When the liquid comes to a boil, turn heat to medium and cover with a lid, allowing mixture to simmer 10-12 minutes. (Or place in a large microwavable casserole dish, cover and microwave for 10-12 minutes).
4. Remove pot from heat and allow mixture to cool several minutes.
5. Puree with a handheld blender, or in two batches in a stand blender. Start with blender on lowest speed, then move to high to reduce splashing.
6. Return to pan. Add cream or milk and pepper to taste. Reheat and serve. Makes about six 1/2-cup servings.
Options: Garnish with bacon bits, fresh basil, shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese.
This recipe comes from “Soup’s On!” by Valerie Phillips (Covenant, 2012).New Slow Cooker Book: A Lot of Crock
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| Slow cooking is great for summer. Photo by Valerie Phillips |
Last month I talked to Brenda Stanley, author of a new book, “That’s a Lot of Crock!” (Cedar Fort, $12.99), for a Standard-Examiner column.
A few years ago I did a story on Brenda's cookbook, "Zucchini Houdini." At the time, she was a TV news anchor in Idaho, and her cookbook was a departure from her mystery novels.
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| Brenda Stanley, author of "That's A Lot Of Crock!" |
“It keeps the house cool, because you’re not heating up the kitchen by standing over a stove or heating up the oven,” said the author, who also writes her own blog as well as a cooking column, “Tales of the Dinner Belle,” for the Standard-Examiner.
“And in summer, you want to be doing a lot of things outside. You can put something in the Crock-Pot so you have extra time to work in the yard or do things with the kids. When you come back home, dinner will be ready.”
Stanley, who lives in Blackfoot, Idaho, owns three slow cookers. One is the classic model first rolled out in the 1970s by the Rival Company, which trademarked the name Crock-Pot. Over the years, slow-cooker manufacturers have come up with features such as removable inserts, locking lids, a keep-warm setting, programmable cooking timers, insulated carrying bags, double- and triple-pots, and a pot that can be placed directly on the stovetop for browning meats.
But most of the basic principles of slow cooking have remained the same over the many years that Stanley has been cooking with them.
Stanley, a former television news anchor for the NBC affiliate in Idaho, has written three novels as well as the cookbook “Zucchini Houdini.”
“I feel you need to write what you know, and I have a large family,” she said. “They are grown and gone now, but I had five kids, with two sets of twins born 20 months apart. I needed something that was going to be efficient and a money-saving way to feed all these people.”
She relied on a slow cooker for weeknight meals. “I refused to do the eating-out thing. I liked having family dinners when I came home from work, where I could relax and listen to what my kids had been doing during the day. The easiest way to do that was the Crock-Pot.”
Slow cookers are also budget-friendly because they can tenderize a less-expensive cut of meat, such as a chuck roast, with long, slow temperatures, as in Stanley’s Greek Beef recipe.
“The Crock-Pot was made for the chuck roast,” she said. “I found that any of the chicken recipes are honestly better if you use a chicken thigh — they’re more tender when you use the cheaper cut.”
Her book contains more than 80 recipes, from main dishes to desserts.
“These are recipes that someone might have given me a long time ago and I’ve always used; or one that just came out of necessity, where I’ve got this or that in the pantry, let’s put this together and see if it works.”
Putting the book together allowed Stanley to clear out her old files of recipes written on yellow legal pads, or old cards and notes.
“The No. 1 mistake people make is to lift the lid to check on the food, because it takes another 15 minutes to get the heat back up to the same temperature,” she said. “Also, overfilling is a mistake, because it doesn’t cook as well. Filling it up about two-thirds is the best.”
Pasta and rice can become gluey with long cooking times. Stanley recommends adding them to the pot a half-hour or so before serving time.
At her book signings, Stanley has found interest in the book from a wide variety of people.
“There are people who like to cook, but also people who don’t feel like they’ve got the time and they say their family is sick of having frozen pizza. I hope this book will help them get their family to sit down together at the table.”
Many of her recipes can be found on her website, Talesofthedinnerbelle.com. Her Mexican Chicken recipe is simple and easy to make.
“The Spicy Asian Beef Short Ribs are amazing,” she said. “It’s one of my signature recipes when I have company over.”
The Hot Fudge Cake recipe is proof that slow cookers aren’t just for dinner.
All three of these recipes come from her book:
Spicy Asian Short Ribs
3-4 pounds beef short ribs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions
Trim excess fat from ribs and place in the slow cooker. Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper.
Pour mixture over ribs. Place carrots and cabbage on top. Cook on low 7-8 hours.
Transfer the cabbage, short ribs and carrots to a plate and cover with foil. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid and discard. Turn the slow cooker to high. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Whisk into the cooking liquid and cook until thickened. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs and vegetables and sprinkle with the green onions.
Mexican Chicken
20-ounce can enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup water
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Mix together the enchilada sauce, brown sugar and water. Pour into the slow cooker. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork while still in the slow cooker. Serve in tortillas with your favorite fixings, or over rice, or however you like.
Hot Fudge Cake
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, divided
2 cups flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups boiling water
Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, the flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix in milk, butter and vanilla until well blended. Pour into the slow cooker.
Mix together remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over mixture in the slow cooker. Pour the boiling water over top without stirring.
Cook on high about 2 hours or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let it cool about 10 minutes before serving.
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