April 2009


As a Personal Chef I cook for several families and individuals with menus ranging from family style comfort foods to special diets for those looking to lose weight or have something yummy with dietary restrictions.    My job as their personal chef is to plan their menu based on their food preferences, dietary needs and how they like heat their foods.  On their “cook-day” I shop and arrive at their home with everything needed to prepare their meals – you see my car and you would agree everything.   At the end of their “cook-day” their kitchen is cleaned, their meals are packed and placed in the refrigerator and freezer and their house smells like someone has been cooking all day!  Every Monday I cook for a family of four – their menu consists of light entrees for the parents and some good hearty comfort foods for their children.  On the menu this Monday (this menu was more comfort than light!) – Chicken parm calzone with homemade marinara sauce, Lamb and Red Wine Pot Pie with honey glazed carrots (this was amazing!!!), a lightly breaded chicken piccata with rice pilaf with peas and pistachios (minus the pistachios right now), balsamic and soy marinated flank steak with baked potato spears, penne pasta with five cheeses and for dessert  – peanut blossom cookies!

Tuesday’s client is someone who eats a healthy light diet – low carb/low fat and low glycemic.   It is balanced throughout the week with a couple of carbs such as brown rice and whole wheat pasta.  This week his menu consisted of – halibut with zucchini, tomatoes, corn and tarragon baked in parchment with a baby green salad with champagne vinaigrette, cinnamon and orange scented turkey cutlet with apple and sweet potato,  saute, pork chop with apple cider glaze with lightly steamed and seasoned green beans, turkey and spinach meatballs with homemade marinara sauce and whole wheat pasta and cashew chicken with brown basmati rice.   All in a days work!

Monday's family style client meals

Monday's family style client meals

Tuesday's Client Meals

Tuesday's Client Meals

Peanut Blossom Cookies

Peanut Blossom Cookies

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

It was a rainy day in New England (actually two really crappy rainy days but I guess April showers bring May flowers?)  So, after baking the rosemary pine nut shortbreads and making some delicious chicken stock I made a batch of mini meatballs, stashed them in the fridge and ran off to the gym.  After I came home, dinner was easy.   Add some pasta, add the pre-cooked meatballs and some spinach – let it all simmer slowly make hubby’s martini,  shower and – dinner was ready!   This is the second time I have used this recipe, it is Ina Garten’s Italian Wedding Soup recipes and I think – it’s the best.  I will post on the recipe section of the blog…make it….enjoy it.  Bread would have really tasted great with this but I am determined to cut down on the bread.

It has been raining all day and something comes over me on rainy days and I get the urge to bake or make soup – maybe today will be both!  I had some fresh rosemary left over from a dish I made for a client on Monday and I had a craving for shortbread – why not combine the two.  There are plenty of savory shortbreads that incorporate fresh herbs. 

Shortbread dough in the process

Shortbread dough in the process

 

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