Sweet Potatoes, cont.

Well, I made the Irish Potato Candy.  Did you try?  In case you didn't, but might try it, here are a couple of things I found as I made them.  (See my post with the recipe, if you haven't already.)

The recipe says it makes 60 candies, but mine only made about 40.  I think some of my potatoes are pretty big, though.  After you add the confectioners' sugar, it takes a while to beat to a smooth consistency--it seems like it will never get there, but it does.  Just use a high speed on your mixer.  And it's definitely worth adding 1/2 a tablespoon of cocoa to the cinnamon.  It adds a really good flavor.

I'll tell you one thing.  They're tasty.  Enjoy!

Herb Primer

I love fresh herbs.  They add so much to a dish--a freshness that dried herbs just can't match.  Of course, this time of year, you have to buy them in a store--and pay a fortune in the process.  That's why these days, I try to stick with the few herbs we have inside that have survived from the summer.  One little parsley plant--looking like it is about to take it's last breath--and yummy tarragon. 

But soon enough, the weather will be getting warmer and the rosemary will be green again, the thyme will come alive with its wonderful fragrance, the sage will show its fuzzy leaves, the parsley will start to peek through the dirt and the basil will be standing high--ready to be used in pretty much everything we cook during the summer. 

Preparing for then, I found an article in The Shreveport Times that works as sort of an herb primer.   It's a little bit basic, but gives a description of many common herbs and some of the foods that benefit from the herb's flavor.  Keep it in mind--we'll be using homegrown fresh herbs before we know it!

Sweet Potatoes

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, I've been thinking about these yummy candies that you probably have had--Irish Potato Candy.

It seems like many folks have their own recipe for these sweet little treats--none of which, by the way, include potato.  They're called Potato Candy because they look like potatoes.

Here's a recipe that I found that got good reviews.  It's pretty easy.  I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to.  Let me know if you do--and how you like it.  Or if you have other recipes.

Irish Potato Candy (makes about 60 servings)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners' sugar

Ground cinnamon for coating

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.  Add vanilla and sugar; beat until smooth.  Using your hands if necessary, mix in the coconut.  Roll into balls or potato shapes, and roll in cinnamon.  Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set.  If desired, roll in cinnamon again for a darker color.  (Some comments said that the cinnamon might be a little too strong as written, so they put a half tablespoon of cocoa for every tablespoon of cinnamon.)

Enjoy!

You're a What?

Although the personal chef industry is growning, there are a lot of people who don't understand what it is I do.  Many think I'm a caterer or cook meals to order for wealthy people.  Neither are the case.

To put it very basically, I cook everyday dinners for people who don't like to cook, can't cook or just don't have the time to cook.  I do a detailed survey with the client to find out what they like, don't like, can or can't eat, etc.  Then from that information, I come up with a menu for the client to approve. 

Food from a personal chef service cooling
before packaging.



Once approved, we schedule a cook day.  It's on this day that I go out and do all the shopping, haul all of my equipment to the client's home, cook up all the food, package it for the fridge or freezer, label everything with reheating instructions, clean up.  I leave the client's fridge and freezer full of delicious, custom-made dinners that they can enjoy with very little effort on their part.  I leave the kichen sparkling clean and smelling yummy.   

 This isn't just for the very wealthy.  If a family of 4 went to Olive Garden 5 times, they would pay virtually the same as they would pay me to make them 5 meals.  That doesn't include drinks, desserts, appetizers, waiting for a table, noisy dining areas, traffic and all the other things that often come with eating out.  Plus, you get to eat your tasty dinner in your sweats if you want!

I just came across a good article about some personal chefs in Connecticut (in The Stamford Times).   It features 2 chefs.  The first one sounds a little bit more like me than the second--he made a career change to become a PC.  Don't forget to check out my website (at the top of this page) and let me know if you have any questions!

I hope this helps to take some of the mystery out of what a personal chef does and lets you see how I could take some of the stress out of your dinner time!

What?!?!

I see a lot of incredibly stupid things on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  Most of them political.  But last night, Stewart introduced a product that boggled my mind.

It's Del Monte's Single Serve Banana.  There are some in the picture.  Yup.  It's a banana in a plastic pouch.  To paraphrase Stewart--and to express what I was thinking--What purpose does the plastic do that the banana peel doesn't already serve? 

No offense to anyone who may have already bought one of these--or may in the future--but who is going to fork over what I assume will be more money to buy this?  As Stewart said, it's for "those who love bananas, but hate their biodegradability." 

We can only sit back and see what shows up next in our grocery store.  For a good laugh, watch a video of Jon Stewart and this great new product.

The Case of the Disappearing Spoon

I don't use spoons that much.  Pretty much every night, Mary Beth sets the table with fork, knife and spoon--no matter what's for dinner.  Usually, I will only use the fork...and maybe the knife.  The spoon usually just sits there waiting to go back in the silverware drawer.

Except for the spoon at her place.  Somehow, it seems that she uses the spoon at almost every meal.  She says it's so she can scrape up the last little bit of food on the plate.  I'll take that as a complement to my cooking.

I just ran across an entertaining and informative article from the Denver Post about, of all things, spoons.  I know, only I would read an article about spoons.  But you should read it, too.  It's funny and teaches a lot about the history of this utensil.

The main reason for writing the article is that the author, Tucker Shaw, has noticed that many restaurants in Denver are not giving spoons to guests unless they are requested (or if you order a meal that requires one).  He goes on to praise the longevity and smooth curves of the spoon:

It is a graceful shape, intimate and welcoming. Romantic even. Composer Jerome Kern in 1905 wrote "How'd You Like to Spoon With Me?" without causing scandal. Ponder the outcome if he'd written an ode to forks.

He goes on to explain how spoons are ancient--they've been used much, much longer than forks, which only were available to the middle class during the Renaissance in Europe.  Heck, some cultures don't even use forks--think about the Asians using chopsticks instead.

So tell me...are you a spoon person?  Have you run across restaurants that you frequent not setting the table with spoons?  And if there are none, do you ask the waiter to fork over a spoon?  (Sorry, that was bad.) 

Whoopie!

Pretty much all of us know what a Whoopie Pie is--a yummy, cream-filled chocolate cake sandwich.  Anyone who has traveled a little bit West to Amish country has at least seen them being sold--if not tasted them. 

Years ago, when we first started going to Maine each year, we were very surprised to see Whoopie Pies being sold in Maine.  And they were everywhere--just like they are in Amish country.  We couldn't figure out the connection.

Now, apparently, there are battle lines being drawn between those PA Whoopie supporters and those in Maine.  It seems to have started when the ME legislature decided to pass a bill naming the Whoopie Pie the official state "treat".  (Blueberry pie seems to me to be a better pick, but hey, I'm no politician!)

A "Save Our Whoopie" rally was held in Lancaster County to show all those Mainers that the Whoopie started here in PA.  Most articles you read say that it's a light-hearted conflict, but you have to wonder if people aren't taking it a little bit too seriously on both ends. 

The "battle" has even caught the eye of The Wall Street Journal--in an article called "Bakin' Whoopie".  You can read the Mainer's point of view in an article from the Bangor Daily News.

Sad as this sounds, Mary Beth and I have actually discussed this issue.  Personally, I think that there must be some connection between the two places that lay claim to these treats.  Despite some very slight differences in recipes, they're basically the same in both places and are called the same thing in both places.  Sounds to me that somewhere along the line, someone moved from PA to ME (or maybe the other way around, but I doubt it) and took her Whoopie Pie recipe with her.  The rest is history. 

I guess it doesn't really matter.  Living near Amish country and traveling to Maine each year, I can get my fill of Whoopie Pies throughout the year.