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Let's Get Cooking (cooking therapy)

A new branch of  YaDa Chef . We are working with a national company providing services for broken families, and will expand further to help those with PTSD, and other trauma  and or physical and mental challenges. Using cooking and baking as therapy tools. Sharing the cooking and eating process with others can be extra helpful. Having an excuse to be in the kitchen or around a table with others can boost social skills and confidence. Many cooks know what a sanctuary the kitchen can be so YaDa Chef has created courses partly aimed at teaching healthy cooking and eating skills for those living tough, chaotic lives. Classes also soothe stress, build self-esteem and curb negative thinking by focusing the mind on following a recipe. Psychologists say cooking and baking are pursuits that fit a type of therapy known as behavioral activation. The goal is to alleviate depression by boosting positive activity, increasing goal-oriented behavior and curbing procrastination and passivity

National Milk Shake Day Recipe

Today is national chocolate milkshake day.  Why not add some spirits! Bourbon, chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream?  Don’t mind if we do. 2 ounces/60ml bourbon 2 ounces/60ml chocolate syrup 1/2 cup/125ml whole fat milk 1 cup/138g vanilla ice cream Tools: blender Glass: milkshake or 16 oz. pint Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If too thick add more milk Palm Beach Personal Chef Fort Lauderdale Personal Chef Miami Personal Chef Freelance Chef www.yadachef.com

National Hot Dog Day - September 10

The  National Hot Dog and Sausage Council  has designated July as Hot Dog Month and for 2017 Wednesday, July 19 as National Hot Dog Day .  Over 25 million hot dogs are sold at baseball stadiums each year. Whether they are grilled, boiled, broiled, pan-fried, rotisserie cooked, cooked on a stick over a campfire or any other way, hot dogs are a favorite summertime staple.  They are loved by children and adults alike plain or garnished with one or a combination of mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish, cheese, bacon, chili, or sauerkraut. On May 31, 2012,   a world record was set for the most expensive hot dog. The “California Capitol City Dawg” sold for $145.49 at Capitol Dawg in Sacramento, California.  The “California Capitol City Dawg” features: A grilled 18″ all-beef, in natural casing frank from Chicago served on a fresh-baked herb and oil focaccia roll spread with white truffle butter, then grilled topped with whole grain mustard from France, garlic and herb

Fresh Herbs and Tomato Crostini Recipe

1/4 cup/60ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves, pressed 1  French bread baguette, cut into 1/4 inch/6.35mm thick slices 3 tablespoons/45ml fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons/30ml olive oil 1/4 teaspoon/1ml salt 1/8 teaspoon/.5ml pepper 1 large tomato, finely chopped 3/4 cup/37g finely chopped green onions Large handful chopped fresh parsley 15 chopped fresh mint leaves 1/3 cup/60g crumbled feta cheese Preparation Preheat oven to 350F/176C/Gas 4 Stir together olive oil and garlic; brush on 1 side of each bread slice. Place bread slices, garlic sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly toasted. Whisk together lemon juice and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add tomato, onion, parsley and mint; gently toss to coat. Top each bread slice with tomato mixture (about 2 rounded teaspoonfuls/30ml each). Sprinkle with cheese. ** Alternate Recipe ** Green Tomato-Fresh Herb Crostini: Substitute 1 finely chopped large green tomato for red tomato. Proceed with recipe as dire

September 9 is National “I Love Food” Day

Here are today’s five thing to know about Food: Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events.  Sideboards are also known as buffets as they may be used to offer the dishes of a buffet meal to guests. A buffet can also be referred to as a cafeteria, snack bar, counter and smorgasbord. The word buffet comes from Fr bufet “bench, stool, sideboard”, from the 12th century. The definition of buffet was extended to mean a “meal served from a buffet” in 1888. One form of buffet is to have a table filled with plates containing fixed portions of food; customers select plates containing whichever food items they want as they walk along. https://foodimentary.com/2012/09/09/september-9-national-i-love-food-day/ Palm Beach Personal Chef Fort Lauderdale Personal Chef Miami Personal Chef Freelance Chef www.yadachef.com

Polish Pickled Beets

Pickled Beets Serves up to 8 3 cups/1.124 pounds/510g/6 medium beets, roasted and peeled* 1 tablespoon/15ml fresh grated horseradish 8 whole cloves  2 cups/500ml white vinegar 1 tablespoon/15 sugar 2 teaspoons/10ml YaDa Chef Maya Natural Sea Salt In a large glass bowl or baking dish layer the beets with horseradish and cloves.  Boil vinegar with sugar and salt stirring to dissolve.  Pour over the beets, cover for 24 hours.  * make it simple and use canned beets private chefs and event catering Palm Beach + Boca Raton + Fort Lauderdale + Miami Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) 561-285-7466 www.yadachef.com south florida catering and personal chefs

Duchess of Bedford, Creator Of Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is a traditional British meal taken in mid-afternoon. It consists of a pot of tea plus finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, cakes and pastries. Here are two noteworthy points about afternoon tea. The concept was inadvertently created by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in 1840. As the main meal of the day shifted from midday (luncheon) to evening, English high society didn’t dine until 8 p.m. The hungry duchess needed something to tide her over during the stretch between lunch and dinner, and ordered tea with small sandwiches to be brought to her room. Over time, her friends joined her, and “afternoon tea” expanded from her circle to all of society—an elaborate social and gustatory affair with sweet and savory delicacies, special “tea cakes,” and even tea gowns to bridge the fashion gap between casual afternoon and formal evening dress. The custom spread downstream and tea rooms and tea gardens opened to serve tea to all classes. Afternoon tea is

Grunt Cooking Term(s)

Grunt: There are 2 surprisingly different definitions of grunts in cooking: A type of fruit cobbler or pie, traditionally served on America's east coast that is a combination of a pie and a cobbler. It consists of fruit, most often berries, which are cooked beneath a crust of biscuit dough. The Grunt was named for the echo of sounds coming from the bubbling fruit under the dough as it cooks. A Grunt is similar in preparation to the Slump with the exception that the Grunt is steam cooked and the Slump is baked. Type of fish. White grunts could be the most under appreciated fish in the Gulf of Mexico.   People love to catch grouper and snapper, but these bottom dwellers rival both species as table fare and can be caught by just about any angler, regardless of skill level.  "That's how I built my reputation," joked Dave Zalewski, one of the longest running charter boat captains on the west coast of Florida. "That's why they call me Captain Grunt."

August 31st is National Trail Mix Day!

Here are today’s five thing to know about Trail Mix: Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, developed as a snack food to be taken along on outdoor hikes. Trail mix is considered an ideal snack food for hikes, because it is tasty, lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit and/or granola, and sustained energy from the mono- and polyunsaturated fats in nuts. Many claim that trail mix was first invented in 1968 by two California surfers who blended peanuts and raisins together for an energy snack. However, trail mix is also mentioned in Jack Kerouac’s 1958 novel The Dharma Bums as the two main characters describe their planned meals in their preparation for a hiking trip. The recipe for trail mix is most likely European in origin, where it has been known as a snack under various names  in various countries since the 17th century. Today’s Food History 1742  A plague

Apricot & Cashew Energy Bars Recipe

These delicious bars are filled with wonderful healthy ingredients including apricots, cashews, hemp seed, unsweetened coconut, and oats; a great snack to send the kids to school with or take to work. Most packaged granola bars or snack bars are stuffed with artificial flavors, colors, added sugars,  so these are a great alternative, and super easy to make! Serves: 8 1 cup/5.3 ounces/151g dried apricots ½ cup/2 ounces/56g raw cashews ¾ cup/2 ounces/57g shredded unsweetened coconut ⅓ cup/1 ounce/27g rolled oats 2 tablespoons/30ml agave syrup 1 tablespoon.15ml coconut oil, melted 2 tablespoons/30ml hemp seeds ¼ teaspoon/1ml sea salt Line and 8 inch/20cm baking pan with parchment paper or saran wrap, and set aside. Pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly, place in a separate bowl. Pulse apricots in food processor until finely chopped. Add all other ingredients to the apricot mixture and process until well combined. Add the chopped cashews to the mixture and pulse until combined

Here's What That Drawer Underneath Your Oven Is Actually For

If you're like us, you probably use that big drawer underneath your stove to hoard cookie sheets, muffin tins, and bulky skillets. But regardless of what you put in it, we bet you aren't using that space for its intended purpose: a warming drawer. Yep, that's right. It sounds crazy that appliance manufacturers expect us to let such a large potential storage space sit empty, but on some oven models, it's designed to be a spot to keep your food warm. If you're skeptical, just dig up your oven's owner's manual. You may find a description like this: "The warming drawer is designed to keep hot foods at serving temperature. Always start with hot food. Cold or room-temperature foods cannot be heated, warmed, or cooked in the warming drawer." This news may or may not come as a surprise to you, but if you think you'd miss the extra storage space, we have a solution. Continue storing your extra pots and pans in the drawer—and then just empt