Fun Foodie Weekend

A great, but busy, weekend in my foodie world. Catering, entertaining, yummy Valentine's breakfast and sitting in a studio audience for a friend's cooking demo.

I'll start with my catering gigs. Besides a supplement income I always get to try delicious dishes I don't make at home and learn new techniques. The yummiest of the two jobs I worked was my good friend Chef Todd's Valentine's Dinner on Friday. He created a menu intended to evoke a sensual mood. And it did with ingredients like pork belly, honey, truffle oil, beef loin and chocolate to name a few. He talked to the guests about foods that get you in the mood. He also wrote about it in his column. Check it out:

http://www.montereyherald.com/toddfisher/ci_14371879?nclick_check=1

I realize this was intended for V-Day, but I think it is important to always show love in your cooking.

Then there was my Valentine's Day Breakfast:

This was delicious pancakes drizzled with homemade chocolate ganache, fresh vanilla whip cream, chopped strawberries and toasted hazelnuts. With two pieces of crispy bacon it was perfect! But I think the best part about it was that I made it with the nieces and nephews, my man, and good friends. It made it so much fun and special. I loved how easy and affordable it was.

To end the weekend I headed to San Francisco to watch my friend Todd do a cooking demo on a local show. It was so much fun to sit in the studio audience and learn how to make a clam pizza. Check out the video: 

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=view_from_the_bay/food_wine&id=7274668

I had a great weekend of learning, cooking and love. It was affordable and fun! Tasted and learned about great food on the job, made an impressive breakfast for less than $2 a person and got a live demo for free!

My Breakfast Version of Chocolate Covered Strawberries

For actual Valentine's Day we will have guests over. I decided it would be great to make breakfast. I was talking with my Mom about what I should make. Chocolate covered strawberries came up which lead to the following creation:


Pancakes with chopped strawberries, drizzled with chocolate ganache and finished with fresh made vanilla bean whipped cream and chopped pecans. My take on chocolate covered strawberries.

I always need savory with my sweet, so I will be serving bacon too. With a pot of French Press coffee, I think it will be the perfect Valentines breakfast.

Cant wait to post a picture!

Love is in the air and it is in the redwoods: Valentine's Day Hike

I had to share this great hike for Valentine's Day: "READY, SET, GO: Big Basin"

It is a guided Romance in the Big Basin Redwoods hike. Who knew there was so much love going on in the beautiful redwoods of California? From banana slugs to ladybugs to woodpeckers. I personnaly find the redwoods alone romantic.

You can stop in Boulder Creek to pick up a picnic lunch or have lunch. I recommend stopping by the Boulder Creek Brewery for a yummy local brew.

Imagine surprising your Valentine with a hike in the Redwoods followed by a picnic lunch. The cost of the hike is free and parking for the day is $10. You can easliy put together a nice picnic lunch together for $20.

I think this would be an unforgettable Valentine's outing for under $40!

Love is in the air...... and it smells so good!

I have always enjoyed cooking at home for my Valentine. Why? Several reasons:

• Love to cook
• Excuse to indulge with cooking- truffle oil, lobster, filet mignon, favorite champagne etc.
• More affordable
• Intimate- fireplace, no strangers, bed in the next room. You get the idea.

Most important, I do not like eating at a restaurant on a holiday. I think it is due to having worked too many holidays in a crowded, overbooked restaurant. So it is the last place I want to be.

But over the years I have picked up great ideas and learned a few tricks on what makes for a memorable meal.

I have enjoyed great Valentines meals and they have been at home. Some have been a little complicated, but always affordable and delish!

Over the next few days Im going to share some creative and affordable Valentines meals that are great to share with your love, family or a group of friends.

What is a must for a romantic meal?

Never Can Get Enough of Bacon

After my bacon pancake fest on Sunday, I needed more bacon. I looked in my fridge and the following is what I created...

I started with cooking four pieces of bacon in my favorite heavy pan, then removed the bacon when it was nice and crispy. I added butter and olive oil to the yummy bacon fat, after the butter and oil was heated I added two seasoned chicken breast. I removed the chicken once it was cooked to succulent perfection on both sides and placed each one a plate.

I added veggie stock and yes, more butter to the pan. Scraped all of the chicken and bacon pits from the pan. I then added fresh garlic, basil and cream. Let that cook for about five minutes. I then added to the pan sauce mushrooms I sauteed in butter, olive oil, salt and pepper.

I poured the mushroom pan sauce over each chicken breast and finished it with the bacon crumbled. Served the chicken with pan sauteed potatoes for a side.

The result.......

The crispy bacon gave such a great texture to the dish and of course its yummy flavor!


I hope there is no such thing as to much bacon.... or butter.....