That's What Bob's Cooking

Friday, March 23, 2012

Where have I been?

Let me start off by saying, while I may not have been posting a lot lately, I have been experimenting with recipes, and Lord knows, I have been eating! That being said, in my personal life, I had a lot of time, so I decided to pick up another job, as my full time job, allows my afternoons and weekends off. So I put in a few applications, and waited, and waited…..finally I got a call back from a very interesting company out of Minnesota, that works exclusively with Target store. The store I would be assigned to, was directly on my way home from my first job. This job allows you to set your own hours with VERY few restrictions. It works SO well from me….well, as you know when it rains it pours. I was talking with one of my vendors I work with, at my full time job (prior to starting working at Target!), and mentioned that I might be looking at picking up a few hours here and there. He said that is exactly how he started with his company. I didn’t think much about it, and right after Christmas I got a call to start merchandising 1-2 stores on my way home, when I wasn’t working at Target, and Sunday morning too. Well, as it all works out together, it has kept me VERY busy….some might say even too busy to spend what I’m making, but that’s just crazy talk!

In addition to working 3 jobs, I am attempting to increase my catering business. Last year was a great starter year from me, perfect with my new career path, and before taking on multiple jobs. This year, it’s a little tougher. I’m trying to bid out 2 weddings and already have a reception booked, for this summer, and a wedding in December.

That brings me to part two of my personal life. My partner, of 12 years, has a growing interest in charity work. A friend of ours does a lot of fund raising with a local charity to raise money and visit Vietnam to disperse the raised funds to the needy and mainly children. Craig asked if he could photo journal and blog their trip. They were heading out March 1^st and would be gone for four weeks….let me repeat FOUR WEEKS. That would be the other reason for 3 jobs!

While he’s abroad, experiencing exotic things, and givin’ away money, I’ve been working on a few classic recipes, and something’s I don’t get while he’s around (He doesn’t eat 4 legged animals, just fish and poultry). So I’ve been making a few dishes that I remember having as a kid…..Porcupine Meatballs, Pot Roast, and the MOST amazing Tuna Noodle casserole (I’ll be making that one again!) I have also been working on a few desserts, outside of my comfort zone, which is pretty big!

Anyhow, I just wanted to update you followers, and let you know to keep an eye out, I will be posting a few dazzlers soon! And while you wait here are a few things I’ve found that I’ve really enjoy….check em’ out!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Curry-in-a-hurry

Curry in a hurry?

Yup that’s what I said. One of my best friends turned me on to curry on a visit to her and her new husband in Kelowna Canada, quite a few years back. While she was making dinner I took note of what she was putting in the pan. I was able to recreate it when I got home. I usually make curry from scratch (fresh cut veggies, etc….) but when I’m in a hurry, I make this version.

Curry-in-a-Hurry

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced

1 32 oz bag of mixed frozen vegetable (you choose which variety you want)

1 lg can cream of mushroom soup

Powdered curry (or I used Golden Curry. It comes in a brick that you chop and melt)

Directions:

Sauté Chicken until completely cooked.

Add frozen veggies, soup and curry power to taste. (I usually go heavy on the curry.)

Mix together and allow to simmer to meld together for a few minutes.

Serve over rice.

Lemon Burst Cookies

Lemon Burst Cookies

I saw this post on Pinterest this past weekend and it's all I could think about. So today while I was at work I was asked what I was bringing for Valentines treats tomorrow. Well my decision was made. Lemon bursts it is. Then I was standing in front of the Cake mixes and couldn't find strawberry....but there was red velvet! Perfect! So here is the recipe for Lemon Burst Cookies.

Lemon Burst Cookies
Ingredients

1 box Lemon Cake Mix*
1- 8 oz container Cool Whip
1 egg
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
In medium bowl, beat cool whip, egg and cake mix until well blended. Dough will be thick and sticky.
Drop by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat.
Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10- 12 minutes
Notes

*Try these using strawberry or orange cake mix for variety.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cranberry Chicken

Over this past holiday season, we ended up with an extra box of cranberry sauce. When I came across this recipes I was like, wow, this sounds different, but I have to try it.

Also, as many of you know, I am SO opposed to frivolous sodium content, so after some research I found a homemade version of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, without excess sodium (and not containing beef bouillon-yes Lipton has been bouillon in it).

SO after trying this recipe, I’ve found that it’s a keeper. ENJOY!

Cranberry Chicken

3 Boneless Chicken Breast (I cut these in half, but have also made it whole)

1 Can Cranberry Sauce (whole berry of jelled, your preference)

1 bottle French Dressing (not Catalina or creamy)

1 Pkg Onion Soup mix (I use a homemade version, cause the Lipton version has been and TOO much sodium)

Mix together Cranberry, French dressing, and onion soup mix. Place chicken in 9 x 11 pan, pour cranberry mix over the top of the chicken. Bake in 375°F over for 45 minutes or until cooked to 180°F. Serve over rice.

Homemade Low-Sodium Onion Soup mix

Ingredients

¼ cup dried onion flakes

2 tablespoons low-sodium or sodium-free beef bouillon granules (I used Herb-OX chicken)

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon parsley flakes

1/8teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Stir together. Use as a substitute for 1 envelope onion soup mix. I made about 6 times the recipe, so I could have it when I needed it. I used a little more than ¼ cup to replace the packet of soup mix.

Pin It

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Big Waste.

The Big Waste.

Normally I write soley about food and the cooking of it. I try to stick with simple dishes and include pictures. But I was watching the Food Network the other day (big surprise for those who really know me), and saw an ad for a new special called "The Big Waste" ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-specials/the-big-waste/index.html ) and I was SO Impressed with the direction that this show could go in. Notice I say could go in, because it appears that the shows direction is to have the FN chefs creating a meal out of thrown away food. And while doing this they "stumble" across the American publics need to buy "perfect" food. If this is the direction that the show goes in I will be hooked for sure!

In one of my many career reincarnations, I worked in a produce department. I bring this to mind because of he fact that this area of the store is the most superficial of all areas. People will dig through produce to find the best looking, blemish free piece of photographic miracle, that has ever graced this earth. I can say this, because I do the same thing. "That head of leaf lettuce has a small fold in one of the leaves, that orange (peel) has a small brown spot, that cucumber is too curved." I mean really? Aren't you going to chop up that lettuce, peel that orange and slice up that cuke. Why is it acceptable to us to drive a Prius, recycle, compost, but select only the most perfect food? I understand the cost argument. I do. But do you realize that costs would go down if we bought everything offered at our local retailer, regardless if the quality? Now I'm not saying you should buy wholey unusable spoiled products, but I am saying that, we (myself included!) need to be less selective in the drive for perfection.

Now that being said, I go back to the show and one scene, edited for us to see, where Anne Burrell is talking to what appears to be a grocery store clerk who says, they throw away 14 bags of food a day. 14! I can say that I've seen that and more depending on the sales volume of the store I've worked in. Imagine how much food is wasted while people in our own country, our own cities, our own neighborhoods, and our own familys, go hungry.

I must say I can't wait to watch this show and hope to see it make a difference, and not just end up being another cooking challenge rerun. Way to go Food Network. Keep up the responsible programing. Now to see more health consious programs, so less of us will flip between "Paula's Best Dishes" and "Biggest Loser"....

My Complete Profile

I was born and raised on the East side of Portland Oregon, by two native and second generation, Oregonians, my Mom and Dad (Jack and Joan). Oregon, and the Northwest are deep in my blood. That being said, I have always had an interest in cooking. I would love to add a warm loving story here about how my Mom nurtured my love of cooking by setting me up on or near the counter top to help with whatever she was cooking. Well, that's not exactly the case.

Being a child of the 70's and 80's, I had a great exposure to classic foods like Spam, Tang, Rice-a-Roni and Hamburger Helper. While many of these premade, sodium roller coaster, treats where regulars on our table, my Mom would have to hold the title as "casserole queen". Casseroles are her favorite and her specialty. Whereas, my Dad was more of a spur of the moment kind of cook. His creations included many of the items from our makeshift pantry. Sometimes, i think he was thinking, "the more ingredients, the better it'll be!". I think my first attempt at cooking would have to have been making cookies, either peanut butter (with the criss-cross fork tine print on top), or chocolate chip cookies. Over the years I have made so many of both of these recipes, I have surely lost count.

During middle school, my Mom encouraged me to take Home Economics, thinking that all kids, boy or girl, should know how to cook out in this world. This sparked a growing interest in cooking. So when I entered my junior year of High School, at David Douglas, I enrolled in the culinary arts program, we called it Food Services I. This was a class that had been offered many years before, where the students ran a restaurant, The Kilt, during the lunch periods. Unfortunately, since the class had not been offered in several years, so we didn’t have enough students to open the restaurant, that year. Within the first few weeks of this class, my instructor asked if I'd like to be involved in an outside "club" (kind of like a version of Eagle Scouts) that was mentored by local business owners. It sounded interesting so I joined (not to mention it got me out of the first 2 periods of the day).

At our first meeting I was approached by Sylvia Poesdel, the owner of the Portland landmark restaurant, Sylvia's Italian Restaurant & Dinner Theatre. She asked me if I would be interested in an afterschool job, coming to work for her to learn the cooking/chef trade on the job. I jumped at the chance and started in October of 1985. During my senior year I rejoined the culinary arts program (Food Services II) and this year we were able to reopened the restaurant, which the rest of the students voted me to manage. I just absolutely loved it! I worked at Sylvia's until after I graduated, in 1989. I learned a lot about the restaurant industry, and I would have to say it would be one of just a few life altering jobs I have had throughout my career.

After high school, while I was working at Sylvia's, I applied to culinary arts school. The Two things kept me from continuing my career in culinary arts, were financial and having worked out in the field, I saw so many negative attributes to being a chef, I decided that since I love to cook, I wanted it to be a hobby, and not a drag to go work each day.

When I left Sylvia's, I worked at a hotel, then Safeway. From there I joined Fred Meyer in the Service Deli, and was quickly promoted to a manager. During the next 8 years, I worked throughout the Portland and Southern Oregon areas. In 1998, I earned a promotion to the regional specialist position (District Manager) in Seattle. During this career move, I learned so much about the Food Service industry. I was charged to develop a new service salad case program, as well as work on a new catering program. I had the opportunity to work with manufacturers to develop these new programs.

In 2000, I met the love of my life, Craig. I also, moved from the food service program to the grocery department as an assistant manager. In the capacity I learned to develop my management skills as well as managing inventory. By being the best in my category, I earned the position of manager, where I moved from store to store cleaning up and reorganizing as I went. I also was entrusted with training future Food managers for the region. At which point I was pursued by another company to run a store for them, and enter back into the restaurant industry. During these 3 years, I learned the Restaurant Supplier side of the business. While I enjoyed the time I spent in this opportunity, I yearned to go back to the Grocery industry, and spend more time with my first love, cooking, and writing about my adventures….in the kitchen!