Paella ready to take ot the dinner table

One of my favorite summer (any time really) dishes to make is Paella. Throughout the year I prepare many “Paella Parties”. A Paella Party is a wonderful dinner party food as it served family style in the middle of the table and the presentation is always spectacular. A couple years ago my husband bought me a large paella pan and the burner to go with it so I am able to serve up to 20 people from the one pan (now that’s a husband who REALLY understands his wife’s business!). Along with the paella I may make an appetizer or salad and dessert and if my client would like – some delicious sangria. This particular party I made a fresh green salad, paella with little necks, shrimp, chicken, chorizo and scallops. The Sangria was a white sangria with a cinnamon and lemon simple syrup and spicy red sangria – all with fruit “marinated” in some brandy. A delicious time was had by all!

As a personal chef I will cook for a client’s small dinner party 20 to 40 people. I have had the opportunity through out the years I have been a personal chef to have some amazing clients that I love working with. The advantage to them when they hire a personal chef is the personal attention they get. I ask clients to tell me about their favorite foods and tastes, learn more about the occasion and who their guests are and what type of evening they want to have. Some events are formal and others more casual and the more I ask the easier it is to create a menu that they and their guests will really like. Beautiful and tasty food is my goal and when I was ready to serve one of the guests (who happens to be a very creative jewelry designer) complimented me on how beautiful all of the food was she later came back around and said that the food was not just beautiful but delicious. That was the best compliment! Here are some photos from the party – the scenery was even more beautiful than the food – not too shabby working conditions if I have to say so myself. Notice the infinity pool – as my server and I were moving around the guests passing appetizers with came a little too close to falling into this pool…would have been cool (it was a very hot night) but not so cooool.

Mini crab cakes with cilantro lime aioli

Another appetizer - mushroom puff pastries

Salad with baby greens, sugar snap peas, fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, goat cheese and toasted almonds with a sherry vinaigrette

Poached salmon with herb vinaigrette

In July I made a trip home to Pennsylvania for my graduating class 50th Birthday party (a whole other story) and also to visit my brothers. While visiting my brother Michael and his wife Michele and their two beautiful children (yikes…now teens!) I baked a family favorite – cherry pie. My brother Michael LOVES cherry pie but he only knows cherry pie from the canned pie filling…I thought he/we all deserved a treat. I had made a stop at a fruit stand outside of State College, PA (Port Matilda to be exact)  – Way Fruit Farm and purchased some beautiful fresh cherries.  I was going to be really selfish and take them home for myself but part of being a foodie is the incredible overwhelming desire to share what you have with others and enjoy their food experience.  I think Mike enjoyed his!   There is nothing that can compare to a fresh fruit pie with fresh homemade crust.

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

Tuesday's Client Meals

Peanut Blossom Cookies

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

I had the great opportunity and pleasure to prepare a tasting dinner for the Colonial Wine and Spirits Australian Wine Dinner. Carol Larson, our wine educator, gave a great comprehensive overview of the wines regions of Australia. Guests sampled the wines along with a small tasting each dish. Following the tasting guests were invited to join together to enjoy their favorite wine of the evening along with full portions of the dishes they just tried. It was a great evening…just ask the Sassy Ladies!

Australian Wine Tasting Dinner

Entree 1

Salmon spiced with lemon myrtle with macadamia sauce and plum chutney paired with

d’Arenberg’s “The Hermit Crab” Viognier Marsanne and Tohu Pinot Noir.

Rutherglen Estates “Red”

Pepper Crusted Lamb Chops with mint macadamia pesto paired with

Chicken with Spinach Truffle Sauce

Individual Pavolovas with Kiwi & Passion Fruit

Colonial Wine staff member - Lisa

My husband and I love Friday nights.  The two young adult children are at work (both work in local restaurants) and we have the house to ourselves.  We always have a night dinner in front of the fire, a bottle of wine and our favorite music.  We have something special for dinner – something fresh or a new recipe.  This past Friday night we had an amazing seafood dish with shrimp, mussels, little necks and scallops over pasta and some pesto bread.  We opened one of our Long Island wines – Wolffer Estates, 2005 Estate Selection Chardonnay. Yummy!

Amuse Bouche – Strawberry Tartar with Goat Cheese

Roasted Fennel Soup with Spiced Grilled Shrimp served with Comtesse Therese, 2006 – Russian Oak Chardonnay

Porcini Dusted Scallops with Rich Mushroom Broth garnished with Microgreens served with Brooklyn Oenology, 2005 Merlot (this wine was absoutely outstanding!)

Herb Stuffed Lamb with Roasted Plum Sauce, Maytag Blue Cheese Polenta Rounds and Steamed Asparagus served with Wolffer Estate, Claletto, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

Thank you Long Island for producing some great wines we did not even know about until our tour. We had an amazing time and met some great people along the way.

Strawberry Tartar with Goat Cheese

Roasted Fennel Soup with Grilled Shrimp

Porcini Dusted Scallops

I love this potato!  A friend from BNI gave me this great potato.  This potato will not see itself in a scalloped potato dish.  It will sit on my counter until it sprouts multiple tentacles!

Not meant for scalloped potatoes!