Tuesday, January 07, 2020
If you want to see pretty pictures of food and the occasional snippet of my life in the mean time, my instagram is www.instagram.com/chickswithknives
See you there!
(Wow, this platform is so retro it took me a few seconds to re-set my brain and use it! HA!)
xoxo
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James Andrews Beard was an American cook, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. Beard was a champion of American cuisine who taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts
Facts about SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) SNAP benefits can only be used to purchase food. The average monthly per person benefit is $138. One dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.73 of local economic activity or benefit.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Blueberry-Coconut Cream Cheese Schmear
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© 2013 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
Labels: blueberries, Breakfast, LittleBlueDynamos, Vegetarian
Blueberry and Corn Salsa with Grilled Chicken
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© 2013 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
Labels: blueberries, Chicken, Entree, LittleBlueDynamos, Side-Dish
Blueberry Aigre-Doux with Pork Chops
Try it my peaches, and enjoy. XOXO
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© 2013 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
Labels: blueberries, Entree, LittleBlueDynamos, Pork, Sauce
Blueberry Barbecue Sauce Glazed Ribs
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© 2013 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
Labels: Beef, blueberries, Entree, Grilling, LittleBlueDynamos
Monday, June 24, 2013
Charred Zucchini Soup with Chorizo Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Labels: Soup, Vegetarian
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Lemon Buttermilk Cake #2
Apparently, I am somewhat obsessed with making this purdy lil' cake. According to the notes in the margins I have made it nine times since 1999. For me, that's a lot, since I rarely bake and even more rarely eat cake.
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© 2012 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
Labels: Dessert, Vegetarian
Saturday, January 14, 2012
What Happened to 2011? Dates with Honey
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Apparently, I did not blog in 2011. Well, not here anyway. I did post a few of my (edited) thoughts elsewhere though. On the L.A. Weekly blog Squid Ink in particular. That was fun.
© 2012 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2012 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
Labels: Appetizer, Vegetarian
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Triple Truffle Mushroom Arancini
To make arancini you first must have left-over risotto.
But honestly – who has such a thing? Leftover risotto? Ha! But even if one does – who suddenly thinks to fry it instead of re-heating it?
Oh, wait, I know! I know! (Hand shoots up in to air)
Me. I had left over risotto and I fried it.
That’s sort of what I do. I guess. I cook, I eat, repeat.
Anyway…
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted on this site. Not for lack of cooking, or photographing, but just from lack of…um…posting.
Ha!
But here I am. Posting. I think I was motivated to do so because I am attending something called Blogger Prom this upcoming week and part of me realized I don’t exactly qualify to be there unless I am a blogger…so I thought I might as well hop to it. (Though in actuality, I’m not even going as a blogger, I’m going as a guest of one of the Prom Committee members. Insert confused snickers here.)
So here you go my peaches, my loves…
A simple recipe (well, no, that isn’t true at all…it’s a bit complex. Not in a Top Chef kind of way, but still…) for you to make at home.
And I do hope you will.
So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.
2 cups day old mushroom risotto (porcini mushroom, if you can)
3 ounces brie with truffles (or, not, your call)
2 eggs
1 ounce water
1 cup flour
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
3 cups vegetable oil
Truffle salt to taste
1 small black truffle, shaved (domestic is realistic.)
½ cup mayonnaise (home-made is best!)
White truffle butter
Silver dust (available from high end pastry supply shops)
Chives
Put the truffle butter on a plate.
Slice your chives on the bias.
Form the risotto in to balls with a pinch of the brie in the center. (If you dampen your hands before doing this, it works better.)
Pour the mayo in to a small squeeze bottle.
Stir together the eggs and water in a small bowl. Place the flour in another bowl and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
In a deep sauce pan heat the oil over medium high heat to 350F.
Dip each ball of rice in to the flour, then egg, then panko.
Fry until crispy. Remove from oil and place on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with truffle salt immediately.
When cool enough to handle, inject the balls with a small squirt of mayo.
Rub the mayo insertion point on the truffle butter. Top with a slice of black truffle that has also passed over the truffle butter. (This helps it stick)
Dip a dry paint brush in to the silver dust. Position the brush over an arancini and knock gently to coat. Top with a slice of chive and serve.
>Makes about 20 arancini.
© 2010 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2010 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com If you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.
Arancini means little oranges.
I've been bloggin' so long, turns out, I've done something like this before...check it out!
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Most commercial truffle oils are flavored with synthetic compounds such as 2,4-dithiapentane, one of many molecules that give Italian white truffles their distinctive aroma.
Labels: Appetizer, Vegetarian
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Pickled Asian Pears
Hi peaches!
SO get this…recently I was invited to a food event featuring some lovely local chefs doing a cooking demonstration. I was in and excited to go, since a few of my friends were planning on attending, too. Sounded like a nice way to spend a few hours…ya know?
Plus…there were cocktails.
The funny part was that when I checked in and was handed my nametag I honestly was mildly surprised to see I was there representing this blog! Ha!
It’s not that I forgot I had it, I just somehow didn’t realize other people were still tuned in!
Oops.
So…after that jolt…and three weeks later, I’m back here…with a quickie post on pickled Asian pears. Because they are beyond delicious, super easy to pull off and you should make some.
Try this my peaches, and taste the joy.
xoxo
Pickled Asian Pears
(This is a quick pickle, which means it does not need to ferment and is ready to eat as soon as it is chilled.)
4 large Asian pears, peeled, cored and sliced in to ¼ inch wedges
1 large red onion, sliced in to thin wedges
3 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
In a large, non-reactive (that means, don’t use aluminum) sauce pot, combine the onion, water, vinegars, wine, sugar, salt and spices. Let simmer for 3 minutes then taste and adjust salt/sugar/vinegar to balance. It should be a bit salty (it IS a pickle) and not overly tart.
When the flavors are to your taste, then add the pear and simmer 4 minutes. Don’t boil, simmer. Boiling not good. Simmer, good.
That’s it! Take off the heat and let cool. Transfer to another container and chill in the fridge until ready to eat.
I served them alone, but you can try them on a cheese plate, or with pork, or any bbq kind of meal. Super yum!
Makes about 3 cups.
© 2010 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2010 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com If you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.
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Asian pears are in season from July into late October.
Desserts for Breakfast posted a beautiful Asian pear frozen yogurt and lemon ginger macarons recipe. Check it out here.
Labels: Appetizer, Condiment, Gluten Free, Pickle, Vegan, Vegetarian
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
5 Holiday Gift Ideas for Chefs and Food Lovers
Well then kiddies, it’s that time of year again!
Time to get those gifties picked out and who better to help you than lil ol’ me, here at my lil ol’ blog, Fresh Approach.
Just some fun little things for the chefs and food lovers in your life.
I went ahead and chose five things that I know I love and hope you will too!
Happy Holidays!
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1. Pig Corkscrew from Graham and Greene.
Is this not the cutest thing you have laid eyes on in ages? I love it and everything about it. Plus, it opens wine...so...you know...bonus!
It’s from a British website though…so, it costs a bit, but they do ship overseas, so fear not, you just have to call and arrange it.
2. Royal VKB and Margriet Foolen’s Slow Cooker from A+R store.
A very chic and modern slow cooker/tagine. I love the design asthetic of this, and that there is a video explaining how to use it. What could be better?
In the winter, it's perfect for making warm, delicious stews, and in the summer, you can (and will!) wow your guests with light fish tagines.
3. Krinos Taramosalata – I don't know how things went down at your house way back when, but when I was a little girl my parents always put this out for cocktail parties. It's a caviar spread that captures the taste of the ocean without the pricetag of the Sturgeon stuff.
It’s also the ideal thing to offer with pita or crudite.
Salty, creamy, perfection! If you have never had it, it's worth checking out. Great stocking stuffer, too. Of course.
4. The Forking Fantastic Cookbook – Zora O’Neill and Tamara Reynolds are two ladies who run a supper club in Astoria Queens, (And I think we all know how I feel about supper clubs!) and I have to say…they really are fantastic.
Get a copy and read all about their culinary adventures. Then try their Fried Chicken For a Crowd recipe. Omg, yum.
5. Pewter Place Card Holders.
I know, I already sent you to the Pig Corkscrew, and now these. But seriously…how sweet are these? Plus, they are from Hazelnut New Orleans, a really great store that I am pretty sure you will love.
Okay kids, that's all! I hope you found some inspiration! Have a terrific holiday season and see you in 2010!!!!
xoxo
© 2009 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2009 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com If you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.
This is what I suggested in years past! 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004
Labels: Something Else
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Potato-Buttermilk Vichyssoise with Potato Chip Garnish
Potato delight!
Growing up, my parents (much to their credit) didn’t have a lot of pre-made foods in the house. No frozen dinners, or packets of instant anything. And there just weren’t any unhealthy snacks. (Again, to their credit.) Maybe there would be pretzels, and once in awhile a few dozen packets of airline peanuts would show up, but that was about it. Certainly no chips...
Now, one day, when my brother and I were 9 (me) and 11 (him) we decided we really needed those potato chips…and since there were none to be found, we naturally just got it in our heads to make them ourselves.
(This is where us seeking adult supervision would have been helpful. But we were really independent children, and not exactly prone to telling anyone what we were up to most of the time. Or, ever really.)
If I recall correctly, without consulting any one or any books, we surmised that chips are made by dropping thin slices of potato in to hot oil. Super easy! So, we got out a large pot, a giant jug of olive oil, some knives, some tongs and paper towels. We set the pot on the stove, filled it with oil (I’d say just around a gallon) and sat to wait for it to boil.
Yes. We sat waiting for the oil, to boil.
Now some of you may not realize what is wrong with that statement, so please let me clarify. Oil, does not actually boil. I mean it gets good and hot, yes, but it does not visually indicate it is hot with bubbles breaking the surface. No, really hot oil just starts smoking. At first. Then it bursts in to a huge flash fire.
Good times, good times. And by that I mean, near fiasco. (And alas, this is not even the first or last story of us nearly burning the house down. Oops!)
I do know we somehow got the fire out, (we are nothing if not level-headed people) poured the screaming hot oil off of the balcony (Believe it or not, this was the action that got us in the most trouble. The stain from the oil never came out of the pavement below. ) and fanned the extremely thick black smoke out of the kitchen as best we could. When my parents found us we were sitting nonchalantly on the couch watching cartoons and eating apples.
The lesson there kids, is that oil doesn’t boil…and when we are adults and armed with a little know how, chips actually are easy to make at home.
I still don’t have pre-made food in my house though…so recently, much like that day…when I wanted something fried and salty, I did what I have always done. Made them myself. And they were good. And the house is still standing. A triumph indeed.
Now try this my peaches, and taste the joy.
3 large fingerling potatoes
2 cups canola oil
Salt
1 large sweet onion
4 cloves garlic, rough chop
1 quart buttermilk
Peel all of the potatoes. Slice one in to thin rounds, and the other 2 just into a rough chop. Soak the slices in cold water while you prepare the soup.
In a medium soup pot, sauté the potato pieces, onion and garlic until soft. Add buttermilk and salt and reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and puree in batches. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Taste and add salt and white pepper as needed.
In a medium pot, pour oil to a depth of ½ inch. Heat until a thermometer reads 310F. Remove sliced potatoes from cold water and pat dry. Fry until golden, remove, sprinkle with salt and let cool.
Use the chips as a garnish on the soup.
Serves four.
I used Weiser Family Farms potatoes and sweet onions, that I got at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. The buttermilk was left over from making butter. Yes, I'm that big a geek.
© 2009 Fresh Approach Cooking
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Labels: Luncheon, Soup, Vegetarian