10 Favorite Cookout Side Dishes

You can do better than a bag of potato chips this summer. We’ve got fresh, seasonal salads; quick pickles; pasta dishes and the best dips. Here are 10 summertime sides ready for your picnic table or patio.

1. Fresh Tomato, Cucumber & Feta Salad

A quick take on the classic Greek salad, this version highlights delicious summer produce, including sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and colorful bell peppers. The dressing, a simple combination of Italian seasoning, vinegar, and good olive oil, is great for dipping pieces of bread.

2. Honey Sriracha Chicken Dip

This sweet and spicy dip is the perfect side for any game-day get-together or outdoor celebration. It features shredded chicken, cream cheese, Honey Sriracha Seasoning Mix, and green onions for a mouthwatering modern take on a classic summertime favorite. Plus, you can serve it up hot or cold in the 5-qt. (4.7-L) Serving Bowl! 

3. Southwestern Salad

Bring what everyone loves about tacos to an easy-to-transport salad. The grilled chicken and black beans make it hearty enough to be a meal or a zesty summer side salad. Serve it at a cookout in an insulated bowl, so the lettuce and veggies stay crisp and chilled outside from the time the party starts until the table is cleared and the burgers and sides are replaced with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

4. Korean Potato Salad

While potato salad might seem like a distinctly American dish, it’s commonly eaten as a side dish in Korean cuisine, possibly introduced by American soldiers during the Korean War. Spiralized red potatoes meet a rice-wine vinegar and mayonnaise dressing for an unusual take on the potato salad we know in the U.S. This version gets extra flavor from honey, chopped green onions, and spiralized seedless cucumbers scattered over the top.

5. Fruit Salad With Yogurt

There’s no better way to cool down on a hot summer day than with a bowl of creamy fruit salad. From fresh berries to ripe bananas, this refreshing fruit salad brings all the best flavors of summer right to your table. And, with our Cup Slicer, you can make this recipe at a moment’s notice for a delectable snack, side dish, or healthy dessert. 

6. Ambrosia Pretzel Salad

This delicious recipe is a fresh twist on a summer potluck classic—the ambrosia salad. Traditionally made with marshmallows, fruit, and whipped topping, our version takes the decadence one step further with the addition of cream cheese filling, shredded coconut and pretzels. Make this showstopping dessert in the 8″ (20-cm) Square Pan With Lid, which you can take with you and easily store leftovers for later.

7. Creamy Avocado Pesto Primavera

Put your herb garden to good use with this dish, which combines a classic basil pesto with creamy avocado. Combine the pesto with spiralized carrot, squash, and zucchini noodles, and add summer’s favorite tomatoes and crisp-tender broccoli. Add chicken to turn this side dish into a main course meal. Then, freeze the leftover pesto to use in future meals.

8. Mexican Street Corn Dip

Elote, a popular Mexican street food that consists of a fresh ear of corn coated in cheese and delicious spices, has been turned into a dip that’s the perfect summer side dish. Grill the corn, fresh jalapeno, and onion for maximum flavor, then chop and combine with the rest of the ingredients and warm for a creamy, spicy, satisfying side.

9. Fresh Tomtato Salsa

A bright salsa made with ingredients straight from the garden is perfect with chips, yes, but it’s also great on grilled chicken or fish. Combine tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and seasoning, then chop roughly together until it’s at your desired chunkiness.

10. Raspberry Tequila Sangria

Does sangria count as a side dish? We think so! This adults-only beverage is made for hot summer evenings on the porch. Combine raspberries, tequila, triple sec, and sparkling wine for this refreshing sipper; the recipe starts with a warm sugar syrup, so be sure to leave time for chilling in a pitcher.

Originally published https://blog.pamperedchef.com/entertaining/10-favorite-cookout-side-dishes/?pws=sharonjacobson

9 Salads for the Summer

9 Salads for the Summer

Julie Daly had asked me to blog about side dishes or salads for the summer. I was going to work on this, but then realized Pampered Chef had beat me to it.  So here is their collection of 9 salads for this summer -- https://blog.pamperedchef.com/food-drink/9-salads-made-for-summer/

Salads are much more than just a bowl of lettuce. This summer, spice up a lunch or dinner salad with mixed textures, fresh herbs, and creative touches like grilled fruit. Make a light but filling salad for an easy office lunch or a quick dinner when the family’s busy schedule brings everyone home late.

1. Grilled Peach Salad

Pork is meant to be paired with fruit, and this recipe lets you grill both the tenderloin and sliced peaches for a lovely contrast. Sweet butter lettuce is the perfect backdrop for chopped pecans and crumbled goat cheese. The salad is finished with a light honey, thyme, and red wine vinaigrette that has depth from browned butter and is quick to shake together at home.

2. Skinny Caesar Salad With Grilled Romaine

Crunchy romaine lettuce gets two treatments in this salad: Half the lettuce is served cold and fresh while the other half gets flash-grilled to a charred finish. Top with a light dressing, add asparagus and zucchini, and garnish with homemade croutons.

3. Mediterranean Salad With Hummus Dressing

Packaged hummus mixed with lemon juice and fresh chopped parsley make a great dressing for this warm salad. Grill and press the chicken for a perfect sear, then mix it with sliced red peppers, onion, Greek seasoning, and a melange of hearty greens including kale, chard, and baby spinach. Canned artichoke hearts and cannellini beans add heft to this perfect main dish salad.

4. Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad

Creamy avocado, spicy arugula, and easy sliced deli smoked chicken come together for a light but satisfying spin on a caprese salad. You’ll recognize the tomatoes, snipped fresh basil leaves, and mozzarella balls as the classic components of caprese. Here, they’re reimagined as a summery main dish.

5. Summer Fruit & Spinach Salad

Enjoy the flavors of summer with this easy and delicious salad. Studded with fresh berries and citrus, this light dish is the perfect addition to any brunch or bridal shower, or quick and easy dinner.

6. Power Kale Salad

Super healthy kale meets spiralized zucchini noodles in this big salad, which has lots of options for toppings, including grilled chicken or salmon, seasonal tomatoes, or pomegranate seeds. Shake up a quick dressing—a lighter, lemony take on the classic Caesar— and let it sit on the hearty greens for a minute to soften them before serving.

7. Strawberry Spinach Salad

This sweet summer salad is the perfect combination of fresh spinach, strawberries, sliced almonds, and cucumber tossed in a creamy poppyseed dressing! It has all the flavor, texture, and deliciousness you need for a potluck in one bowl. You can quickly make it in the morning in an on-the-go serving bowl and bring it to your friend’s backyard barbecue or family picnic later in the day. 

8. Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad

This restaurant-worthy salad is chock full of delicious steamed summer vegetables like corn, zucchini, tomato, and sliced green beans. Season the grilled chicken with a smoky barbecue rub, and chop crispy bacon for added texture. Arrange the ingredients in a large serving bowl for a lovely presentation before drizzling it with a creamy buttermilk dressing and tossing it together.

9. Southwestern Salad

This salad gets a creamy kick from ranch dressing whisked with lime juice, fresh jalapeño, and taco seasoning. Blend the dressing with the classic ingredients of Tex-Mex—black beans, corn, red pepper, grilled chicken, and black olives—for a satisfying salad that’s easy to like.

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Help Me with It

Help Me with It

A few members of our Zenful Kitchen community have asked for help and ideas for using one of our most popular small appliances, the Deluxe Air Fryer.  In part because it is an air fryer. The main idea behind an air fryer is making fried foods without all the oil that comes with deep frying. You can make your favorite crispy, flakey, crunchy chicken tenders, french fries, fried pickles, or popcorn shrimp at home.

But an air fryer can do much more and become a powerhouse in your kitchen for everything from roasted sweet potatoes to beef jerky. Here are some things you can make in an air fryer that use more than just the air fry function of our air fryer.

If you need some ideas on how to use your Deluxe Air Fryer.  You can start with the Cooking Guide, which came with your air fryer.  You can also find it here. It will walk you through everything you can do in your air fryer within each function. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite recipes to make in the air fryer using four of the 8 functions.  

The Rotisserie Setting:  The Rotisserie setting is one reason; this is one of my favorite products.  Try this Peruvian Chicken in the air fryer, and you’ll never want what’s sitting under a warming lamp at the grocery store again.

The Air Fry setting:  I am still working on a low carb option for these but try our Air Fried Onion Petals.  It is so easy to make these tasty and easy restaurant style appetizers at home in moments.  You can Start by using the Veggie Wedger to cut those onions right through the root and keep the pieces intact. Then, separate the petals and bread them.

Toss the onion petals in flour seasoned to taste, an egg wash, and then breadcrumbs to give them that crunchy texture. Air fry for 20 minutes to get texture without frying in fat.  Try serving with a simple dip, like mixing mayo, barbecue sauce, ketchup, and paprika. You’ll be craving these snacks all the time.

Roast Setting: The beauty of the roast setting on an air fryer is that you can use it like an oven without waiting for it to preheat. Toss vegetables with 1 tbsp of oil and season them how you like. Use the two cooking trays and the Roast setting to make roasted green beans, bell peppers, thin asparagus stalks, carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and more.

You might think Coconut Shrimp is your only seafood option in an air fryer. But roasted shrimp with a little oil and seasoning is perfect in just four minutes using the air fryer roast setting. You can also roast salmon, cod, or tilapia. 

Dehydrate Setting:  Create your own dried fruit snacks for a fraction of the cost using the dehydrate setting on the air fryer and one of your favorite fruits. Apple chips, banana chips, and pineapple chips are just the beginning of what’s possible.
Fruit leather is pureed fruit that’s dehydrated. You might remember eating them by the foot in grade school. Today you can find organic, naturally sweetened alternatives at the grocery store, but those options can get a little pricey. That’s why so many people are making their own. With more people adding dehydrators or air fryers with a dehydrating function to their home appliances, fruit leathers are easier than ever to make in your kitchen. here are a few simple fruit leather recipes to follow and all the tips and tricks you need to get delicious homemade fruit leathers every time.

Basic Fruit Leather Recipe with Fresh Fruit

What’s great about DIY fruit leathers is how easy they are to adjust to your family’s tastes and dietary needs. Plus, you can make fruit leather two different ways—with fresh fruit or with frozen fruit. Our friend @lunchesandlittles developed a delicious (and nutritious!) recipe for Strawberry & Peach Fruit Leather.

Strawberry & Peach Fruit Leather

• 1 lb. (450 g) fresh strawberries

• 1 can (29 oz./820 g) peaches in juice

• 1 mandarin orange, cut in half

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) honey, agave, or another sweetener

1. Rinse your strawberries and remove the stems. Then, place them in your blender pitcher. Juice half of the mandarin orange and add it to the pitcher. And finally, top it off with honey, agave, or sweetener.

1. Pulse or blend the mixture until fully combined and smooth. Then, transfer the strawberry puree to a clean bowl and set it aside. Clean the blender pitcher.

1. Next, drain the peaches and add them to the clean pitcher. Again, pulse or blend until smooth.

1. Pour the strawberry and peach purees into the Deluxe Air Fryer Fruit Leather Trays, alternating between the two flavors to create a swirled design. Smooth out as needed.

1. Place the filled trays into your Deluxe Air Fryer and set it to DEHYDRATE at 120°F (49°C). Then, let it dehydrate for approximately 12–15 hours or until the fruit leather is no longer tacky. Continually rotate the trays to ensure an even cook for each tray.

1. Remove the trays from the Deluxe Air Fryer and let them cool. Then, roll the leathers up parchment paper (as shown below). You can store them in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Basic Fruit Leather Recipe with Frozen Fruit

Our Test Kitchen experts found that making fruit leather gives great consistency no matter the season—and adding a little honey or agave gives a sweet taste. You could also use other natural sweeteners like maple syrup, coconut sugar, or pureed or powdered monk fruit.

5 Steps to Basic Fruit Leather

1. Add the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.

2. Divide the mixture into each well of the Deluxe Air Fryer Fruit Leather Trays. Spread the mixture out evenly, making sure the edges of the tray are clean.

3. Cook on DEHYDRATE according to the time listed below, rotating the trays halfway through.

4. Check for your desired doneness at the minimum time listed. The fruit leather is done when they’re no longer tacky. (Each tray might dry at a different rate.)

5. Cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

Favorite Flavor Combinations

Name

Ingredients

Dehydration Time

Strawberry

• 2 pkgs (16 oz./454 g each) frozen whole strawberries, thawed and drained

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) orange juice

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) agave or honey

12–15 hrs.

Mango Pineapple

• 1 pkg (16 oz./454 g) frozen chunked mango, thawed and drained

• 1 pkg (16 oz./454 g) frozen chunked pineapple, thawed and drained

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lime juice

• 1½ tbsp (22 mL) agave or honey

12–14 hrs.

Cherry

• 3 pkgs (10 oz./300 g each) frozen, pitted sweet cherries, thawed and drained

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) agave or honey

14–15 hrs.

Peach Raspberry

• 2 pkg (10 oz./300 g each) frozen peach slices, thawed and drained

• 1 pkg (8 oz./250 g) frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) agave or honey

8–10 hrs.

More dehydrate setting: Skip the nitrates and filler and make jerky at home with your own choice of meat. Try beef jerky from a sirloin or flank steak for starters, then experiment with game meats and poultry. For chewier jerky, slice your meat against the grain. 

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Veganize it

Veganize It!

If you know my wife, Zoe you know she is a picky eater. She, like many people, eat with her eyes first. She finds recipes that look good, shares the link with me and includes a note that says can you veganize this.  Then I figure out how veganize it.  There is no reason she should not be able to eat the same dishes she loved before. I just have to prepare them differently.  Some recipes I get on the first try, like taco soup.  Others I have to work at, like mac and cheese. It is still not 100% where I would like it to be, but it might not until I teach myself how to make my own vegan cheeses.  However, for now, it is 90% of the way there and good enough we both enjoy a hot bowl of it.  I wish I could learn how to make vegan cheese curds.  I have found a few recipes and in my spare time (LOL) I will try them. 

So today I thought I would share a recipe that she gave me to veganize. Whether you are vegan or not, the vegan version would be great for anytime you are doing a Meatless Monday or are looking for a plant based option.  The recipe she gave me this morning to veganize is Chili Cheese Hasselback Potatoes. I have always wanted to try this style of potatoes, so now I have an excuse.

Nothing will change in the directions, just the ingredients.  Most of these ingredients are vegan friendly, but some are not, so in parentheses and italics I have put the vegan options, sometimes there is more then one.  Any questions, just ask.

Chili

• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (these are fine, but I prefer avocado oil)

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 pound ground beef (you can use a package of Beyond Burger or Impossible burger, or a package of meatless crumble or you can even make your own if you want to with TVP or with Tofu. My favorite ground beef crumble is Wegman’s brand Don’t Have a Cow).

• 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

• 1 cup beef stock (you can use vegetable broth or Better than Bouillon has a vegan beef broth)

• 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans

• 3 tablespoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

Potatoes

• 4 russet potatoes

• 1/4 cup butter, melted (you can use the vegan butter of your choice.)

• Cheddar cheese, sliced (there are a number of vegan cheeses on the market, but my favorite is Violife Mature Cheddar Slices.)

• 1 teaspoon salt

Toppings

• 1 cup sour cream (there are a number of vegan sour creams on the market, but our favorite is Tofutti Sour Cream or my homemade version.)

• 1/2 red onion, diced

• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced

https://www.tastemade.com/recipes/chili-cheese-hasselback-potatoes

What Pampered Chef products will I be using.  Easy!

To make the chili, I will be using my Rockcrok Dutch Oven, but any of our Dutch Ovens will work. The Manual Food Processor to dice the onions and peppers and the Garlic Press to mince the garlic. The Mix n Chop to brown my Impossible burger (if I am using that). The Smooth Edge Can Opener to open the can. My adjustable measuring spoon to measure my spices. They will get baked on one of my pieces of stoneware, probably my Medium Bar Pan so the chili stays on the pan while I am making them.

To prep the potatoes, I will be using two of my bamboo spoons, to keep me from cutting all the way through the potatoes. Of course my cutting will happen either on my Flexible Cutting Mat or a Bar Board with one of my Forged Cutlery Knives.  You could use the Color Coated Knives if you have those, but I am a Forged Cutlery addict. I will use a Silicone Prep Bowl to melt my butter and then brush it on with my Chef’s Silicone Brush.

If you need any of these or want to learn more about them message me.  You can also go to pamperedchef.biz/sharonjacobson  Do you have a recipe you want me to veganize me.  Send it to me and let me see what I can do.

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Pancakes and Waffles and More! Oh My!!!

Pancakes and Waffles and More! Oh My!!!

I love the ideas my Pampered Chef customers give me to write about each month. This month Leah asked me to write about Pancakes and Waffles and Products for them.  I hope you are hungry and in the mood for what she must have been craving when I asked her. LOL 

In some ways pancakes and waffles are very different. On the other hand, when it comes to Pampered Chef, they have one thing in common – the product you can cook them both on.  Our Deluxe Electric Grill and Griddle are amazing for making so many things, but when you swap out the plates for our waffle plates, you can go from making pancakes to waffles or vice versa in just minutes. This is perfect for if you have waffle and pancake lovers in the same family. Another fun way to make waffles, especially for kids, is our Waffle Stick Pan.  You can serve up a cup of warm syrup and a plate of waffle sticks they can dunk and eat

I make my own vegan pancake and vegan waffle mix and I know some of you may have your own favorite way to make them, but on those days you don’t want to bring everything out of your pantry, we have our Pancake & Waffle Mix, so you are ready to go in no time,

One of the things my mother used to worry about was making all her pancakes the same size.  We have a solution for that, our Batter Maker & Dispenser which ensures that the same amount of batter is dispensed whether  you are making brownies or pancakes, just decide how much batter you want and squeeze. Oh and BTW, it makes and dispenses your batter, so you have less to clean up. If you want to make fun shapes for your kids, use our Easy Pancake Molds and Emoji Stencils On those days you want a slightly different kind of pancake, try our Dutch Baby pancake.

Leah suggested I also tell you about other items which might make your waffle and party night easier. So let me suggest our Tortilla Warmer which I sometimes use to keep stacks of pancakes warm and our new silicone angled turner which is awesome for sliding under pancakes and flipping them over.

I am not sure about you and your family, but mine loves their syrup warmed and their butter melted, so I do that in our silicone prep bowls, which allows me to warm, pour and then reseal if (which they never do) leave leftovers in the prep bowls.

Here are a few pancake and waffle recipes you might want to try

Lazy Day Pancakes

Pina Colada Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes & Waffles

Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Pancakes

BBQ chicken & Cornbread Waffles

If you want to add any products to your kitchen to make pancake and waffle night a bit easier, you can use this link or ask me about getting the Deluxe Electric Grill and Griddle at 60% off https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/summerbuying?redirect=shop-landing-page

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Peace In the House – Part 2

I was recently asked to propose some strategies for settling conflicts around mealtime in the house. In part 1 of this series I offered some ideas on how to make comfort food healthy.  This is a challenge in my own household.  This second struggle is one I think many people, as well as households, face. I know in my own life I want to be able to cook these gourmet meals that I work on for hours, but my life and work schedule sometimes require me to have dishes I can throw together in 30 minutes or less.  Now that we are vegan and eating a plant based diet, finding that balance between fast and preparing fresh and healthy meals is an ongoing challenge. So perhaps I will do a part 3 to this series, but for today I want to talk about the power of power cooking with a focus on chicken.  Sometimes prepping ahead can help us have the satisfaction of serving up meals that look like we spent significant time cooking and actually come together in no time.

Dinner doesn’t have to be hard—it can be as easy as 1, 2, 3 if you try this helpful “Power Cooking” method. You just cook chicken in a big batch, prepare your recipes, and then toss it in the freezer until you’re ready to use! Download this “Power Cooking Chicken” Recipe Guide for five chicken recipes that are easy to prep and freeze for later and follow along here for helpful cooking tips so you can get dinner done without the fuss.

The Deluxe Multi Cooker is the best tool for power cooking; it’s a sous vide cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, and steamer all in one! And because it has 16 preprogrammed settings you can cook just about anything with the push of a button—meat, rice, yogurt, beans, eggs, and even desserts. Hosts can get this any time for only $150. That’s about what it costs a family of four to go out to dinner just two times! Watch this quick video to see everything you can do with this dream machine, then comment “power cooking” below if you’re interested in getting the Multi Cooker for a big discount…or even for free!

 The key to easier mealtimes is to do some simple prep at the start of the week, like batch cooking your protein. Pressure cooking and sous vide are both great hands-off options. If you’re shorter on time, go with pressure cooking. If you have more time, give sous vide a go. Even though sous vide takes longer, the chicken retains more moisture, so it stays super juicy as you use it throughout the week. You can use either method in the Deluxe Multi Cooker!

 Keep your pantry stocked with a few seasoning mixes so you can keep dinner interesting! Then, experiment by flavoring your proteins or veggies in different ways. Swipe through to check out four of our bestselling seasonings—they’re each used in the recipes from the “Power Cooking Chicken” Recipe Guide! And bonus, you’ll also learn another quick recipe for each seasoning. What seasoning do you want to try?

 Here are my best tips and products to become a power cooking pro. You’ll wonder how you ever got dinner done before! Remember to download the “Power Cooking Chicken” Recipe Guide for five easy-to-make and easy-to-freeze chicken recipes.

Do you have an idea for a future blog? Need help? Need inspiration? Let me know I am here to help you.

Need some of our amazing products for your kitchen visit my site at pamperedchef.biz/sharonjacobson or join my vip group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/539359660273506

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Small Indulgences

Small Indulgences

I remember Zoe telling me about a friend’s father who had diabetes.  She remembered a conversation with him about his non diabetic friendly eating patterns. He said, he only ate these treats on special occasions. Then he said, everyday is a special occasion.

There is nothing wrong with indulging yourself every once in a while, but doing it everyday is no longer an indulgence. For the longest time I was like this gentlemen and eating what I wanted when I wanted. Now, I have learned to give myself a special treat from time to time. Zoe has long told me I deserve to treat myself. Failing to do so can take away from your own satisfaction with one’s life. For the longest time I did not buy foods for our kitchen because Zoe did not like them. She consistently encouraged me to buy things I wanted to eat too. Unfortunately, what I wanted to buy was always more expensive then her indulgences, so I would not buy them.  One day, I finally agreed with her and bough a few things I had really wanted to try or eat, like scallops, jumbo shrimp, some gourmet cheeses, and definitely sashimi or ahi tuna. Now my indulgences are a bit different, but still decadent, at least for me. Like the mushroom plants that I ordered so I could have some gourmet mushrooms like king, lobster, chicken of the woos, shemaji and emoji.  I love mushrooms and Zoe hates them. So buying them for me is a definite indulgence.

There are things for the kitchen which I consider indulgences because I love being able to cook with them and they are appliances I normally would not get, like a soux vide machine. I have been wanting to treat myself to one for the longest time. It was so awesome when Pampered Chef came out with its own in our Multi Deluxe Cooker.  Now I can treat myself to some vegetables cooked soux vide.

Not being able to leave the house easily, sometimes getting those indulgences can be a challenge. Recently, a friend came over for lunch. Knowing I wanted to indulge and get a few things from the liquor store. She indulged me and gave me my own private stash that I could turn to when I wanted to indulge myself with one of my favorite liquors.

It is not the indulgence itself, it is the way it makes me feel. Whether I am indulging in a food, or an appliance or a glass of wine, or buying myself a new outfit, it is the joy it brings me and the feeling of value it brings to my heart.

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Oldies but Goodies

Oldies but Goodies

Amongst my mother’s belongings was a ratty old drawstring bag that held a few old pieces of costume jewelry.  The bag was filled with holes, but the bag itself was filled with memories. I remember my niece coming to visit me and asking about her grandmother, my mom. She said she wished she had something of hers to hold on to. She and I both missed my mom. So I gave her this ratty old bag. It was not the bag itself that was of value but what it stood for. It was a bag my father had bought to her from his time in Korea.  He had filled it with mementoes for her of his love for her. Decades later all my mom still had was the bag.  It was ratty and worn, but mostly from her holding on to it and feeling the love that had bought it to her.

My niece now has that bag and it is of no use to anyone but her. It is a memory of a woman we both loved with our hearts and souls. A woman, my mother, who never wanted her to run barefoot when she was a toddler. A woman who birthed me in her heart when nobody else would give me a home. A woman who taught me to love others unconditionally and to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

I no longer have my mother’s bag, but my kitchen is filled with memories of her. Like her tea server and her Pyrex bowls and casserole containers.  I may not use them as often anymore, but their mere presence brings back memories of times in the kitchen with my mom. My son talks about the memories he and I have created in our kitchens. Like the time I taught him to bake cookies using those same Pyrex bowls and we made dishes together using my bakeware and my mom’s.  It is not about the products, it is about the memories they represent.

We all have things which trigger our memories. We hold on to them, long after the people and places are gone. Having my mother’s bakeware around makes me feel loved. It reminds me of how she taught me to cook and bake. It reminds me of how she sat me on the floor with a pot and a spoon when I was a toddler and told me to stir. It reminds me of the mother daughter dates we would have around food. Like sitting on a blanket on the kitchen floor drinking club soda out of a wine glass and eating bagels, lox and cream cheese that were just for the two of us.  The kitchen for me, is a place my mother and I bonded. It is where she taught me valuable lessons about life and the spiritual messages from food.

My son and I have created memories together using my Pampered Chef.  My stoneware is no longer new and is well seasoned.  He remembers the meals, not the equipment. He remembers making lasagna with me, not necessarily the rectangular baker, although he still remembers it. He remembers the garlic cheese bread and fighting someone for the last piece,  not that it was made in our fluted cake pan. It is the memories which are invaluable. Hold on to those memories. What we hold on to may become tattered and old, but the memories will stay with us forever.

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A Beginner's Mind

A Beginner’s Mind

I remember reading these words from Shunryu Suzuki. He said, “in the beginner’s mind
there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”  I remember these words when I am cooking because they keep me humble in the kitchen. It doesn’t matter how often I have made a dish. I strive to remember to open to the newness of the dish when I am making it. When I fall in the habit of there being one way to make the dish then I miss all the possible ways of making it.

Moving to a plant-based diet, has helped me stay in that beginner’s mindset. There are dishes I loved making for my family before. Now I need to keep experimenting and trying new techniques and ingredients or using tools in new ways. For example, I used to use the Pampered Chef Mix n Chop to break up my ground beef and Italian sausage when making lasagna and the Mix n Chop is amazing for that. I no longer need to worry about that, but I found the Mix n Chop to be so useful in chopping up my tofu and mixing it with the vegan cream cheese, basil, spinach and other spices I added to my mixture to make it taste like the ricotta cheese I remember eating.

The first time I made the ricotta from tofu there were some things I did not like about the texture, so I began looking at what other people were doing and then started trusting my taste buds and my creativity.  I wanted something that would give it that creamier texture, but not to creamy that resembles ricotta. So to my two pounds of chopped up tofu, I added a container of vegan cream cheese.  I used to add basil to my ricotta, so I added some here as well and I have always thought there was a slightly nutty taste to ricotta, so I added a little freshly ground nutmeg.  I had seen someone add some spinach to theirs and thought it added color and more iron, to the dish.  Making my ricotta was the most time consuming, but most fun part of making this dish.  Well that and layering it. 

While there seem to be certain rules of layering when it comes to making lasagna, there really are not.  You can layer your noodles, sauce, filling, and cheese however, you want. So I have made Mexican lasagnas with corn tortillas instead of lasagna noodles.  I have made them with layers of butternut squash puree for the sauce and roasted veggies and my tofu ricotta. It may not look like the standard lasagna, but it has all the layers of a lasagna and it forces me to return to my beginner’s mind and get creative.

It makes me think about how I can do X or make Y without any of the things you use to make X and Y.  I am sure that is where the idea for lasagna rolls came from.  I can imagine someone saying, make lasagna without a lasagna pan.  Whoever said the layers have to be flat?  Who said what the noodles need to be? Or the sauce? Or the filling? Or the cheese?

At the end of the day what matters is that the people I served thought dinner was delicious.  It came out so amazing that one of my non vegan friends said it was the best lasagna she had ever had and that she could not tell there was no dairy based cheese in it. Had I not been willing to empty myself of what I thought I knew, I might not have been open to experience all the possibilities of lasagna and of my Mix and Chop.

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sporlight

Spotlight

My dearest friends know I love watching cooking shows. I love them for a number of reasons but one is because for me cooking is deeply spiritual. I often find parallels between the spiritual lessons I have learned on my journey and cooking. For example, in some of the cooking competitions I can generally tell who is going to win by how humble they are in their relationship with the ingredients, the other cheftestants and the judges. Those who are egotistical rarely win and those who are humble usually do. 

What I have come to realize this week is that there are times we need to let others be in the spotlight and shine.  In all my years of teaching, I have always tried to help my students present and show off their talents. I have always preferred to be there to support them and gain their confidence. It is one of the reasons that I would have been horrible as a department chair, I just do not like being front and center. I prefer to help others shine and  be in the spotlight.

The same is true for cooking. I have developed this pension for Pan-Asian noodle dishes.  It is my new comfort food.  Udon or Soba noodles with a simple sauce and a variety of stir-fried vegetables.  This week I have been on a mushroom kick and stir frying a wide diversity of mushroom and some green onions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. On the one hand this is a noodle dish, but the noodles are like me hiding in the background and letting the vegetables shine through

I am the same way with my Pampered Chef business. I want my team and my hosts to shine.  I see myself more as a conductor helping others have these amazing performances. I prefer to do what I do best but let the light shine on those I love and want to encourage.  At the same time, I am ever mindful that I am in the spotlight in the orchestra for which I am a performing member. I am grateful for those who help me shine, but I am most comfortable in helping others shine.

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Brewing

Brewing

Recently, one of my mentors, Robin Miller Shilling, shared a book called The Coffee Bean. If you have not yet read this amazing book, I strongly suggest you do so. It is an amazing story about what happens when we are going through one of those hot water moments in our life.

The book challenges us to consider whether we are carrots, eggs or coffee beans. Carrots become soft when you put them in hot water. Eggs get increasingly hard when you put them in hot water. Coffee beans, however, are transformed when you let them sit in hot water.  It is a powerful life lesson about how we allow challenges to affect. Do we allow them to weaken us, make us hard or transform us into the best we can be in the situation.

This morning, I realized the same is true for room temperature water as well.  We are not constantly living in hot water situations and moments. Most of our time is room temperature. So I wondered what would happen if I allowed a carrot, egg and beans to just sit in water. My carrot and egg remained unchanged. However, my coffee transformed, although not as quickly as in hot water.  My water still took on the color of the beans and some of the flavor.  Not only were my beans transformed, but so was the water in which it was immersed.

As I prepared to make some iced tea in my Cold Brew Pitcher I saw this pitcher as a vessel that, like the pot, facilitated my personal growth and transformation. It is a reminder that even when there are no challenges in my life, the Ultimate is still transforming and using me to transform the world around me.  Whether I am using it to make cold brew coffee, iced tea, or infused water, a difference is being made. Do you need a reminder of how we are each cold and hot brewed in our lives? Use our Cold Brew Pitcher.

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Consistency Compounds

Consistency Compounds

I love all the cutting tools we have with Pampered Chef. There is the Rapid Prep Mandolin which slices, dices, and juliennes. There is the Close & Cut the Quick Slice, the Simple Slicer, the Egg Slicer Plus, Garlic Peeler & Slicer, the Apple Peeler, Corer & Slicer, which make slicing various foods so easy and can save one so much time.  Of course, there are our knives, the Color Coated and the Forged Cutlery, which make any kitchen job so easy.

Over the years I have found myself using all my tools, especially the Rapid Prep Mandolin, as a way to save time in the kitchen. There is nothing wrong with that and I am grateful to do that. At the same time, I realized I could do all those knife skills myself, well most of them, if I practiced my knife skills.  I see chefs use mandolins to do very thin slices, so I know there is a time and purpose for everything.

It was the other day, however, when I was watching and listening to some of my favorite chefs, that I realized they were practicing something I teach all the time – consistency compounds.  I would sit in amazement of their knife skills, but realized those skills developed over time and with consistent practice. I have not developed the knife skills I want, not because I do not have the right tools, but because I do not practice my knife skills consistently.

I also came to realize there is a reverence to how they each handle the food during the process.  They handle the ingredients with reverence. There is a discipline and respect for each ingredient. I was struck by how they each held on to the root of the onion, for example, as they prepared it to be diced and chopped.  It made me question whether we hold on to the roots of our spiritual beliefs when we are moving through our cooking practices. Do I hold on to my roots when I am cooking? Do I embrace the basics? Do I think about what I am cutting, how and why?  Do I give thanks for the ingredients and all those who bought it to me? Do I honor the knives I have and those who prepared them so that I can slice, chop, dice, julienne and perform other skills with them?

Do I practice my skills with the discipline that I practice other spiritual disciplines?  Or do I call upon other quicker methods to help me achieve my goals?  There is a time and place for every tool.  However, if we want to grow and evolve in our kitchen skills, then sometimes we need to take the time to practice our knife skills so we can become more efficient.  Consistency does compound, so perhaps we need to become more consistent in practicing our knife skills.

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Be Open to Learn

Zoe and I do not even an own a television anymore, so I get my cooking show addiction by watching shows and/or excerpts on YouTube. The other night I was watching a two part episode of Master Chef where Gordon Ramsey was teaching how to make a tarte tartin, which reminds me of Pampered Chef’s Upside Carmelized Banana Skillet Cake, but with a pie crust instead of a cake top. The second part of the episode was the home chefs making one, knowing that the worst one was the one would be eliminated.

There were more than a few that just looking at them, did not look edible or up to par. After going through them all, the judges were down to the bottom three. Fred was pretty sure he would be sent home. Sam was feeling the same and Evan knew his was amazing even though he was in the bottom three. If someone had asked me who I wanted them to send home, I would have said Evan. Why? Because there is something to be said for humility and being open to learn.

As a teacher, I am far more willing to work with with someone who is honest, has integrity, but is seeking to learn then those who think I have nothing to teach them and I am just a bad teacher who is not seeing their shear brilliance. For me Evan, was that latter student. Even as he walked out, it was about how awesome he was.

In order for one to gain new skills, one has to be open to learn. You have to be open to being a student and expanding your skill base. Whether it is associated with cooking or something else, being humble and recognizing you do not know it all is an important skill.  The other day I was watching an interview with Marco Pierre White, who mentored Gordon Ramsey, where he talked about how he is ever learning and evolving in his cooking. Whether one is a home cook or a professional chef, if you are not willing to learn and grow, your cooking will remain the same.

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Y is for Yogurt and Granola Parfait

I love this recipe for a few reasons. It is simple, yummy, and balanced. Even though I work at home, I do not always have or take the time to make a well-balanced breakfast. What I love is that in just a few minutes I can grab some of the granola I premade, some berries out of the refrigerator and some Greek Yogurt and I have a great breakfast filled with protein and fiber, I can eat while I am working and sipping my morning cup of coffee.

The other thing I like about this is that with the Make and Take Snack Jar I have portion control at breakfast, which is one of those skills I need to work on in my life. I also have a balance of protein and fiber and I do not need to worry about what is really in my granola a I made it myself.

Making my own parfaits reminds me to maintain balance in my life, to make time for what is important, and not take on more than I need in my life. If you want to make these, here is the link https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/sharonjacobson/recipe/Appetizers+%26+Snacks/Healthy/Yogurt+%26+Granola+Parfait/1113008 and you can find the Make and Take Snack Jars at https://pamperedchef.biz/sharonjacobson

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