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Showing posts from August, 2017

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

History of Labor Day

Labor Day: What it Means Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Labor Day Legislation Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in h

National Chop Suey Day

Todays 5 facts about Chop Suey: Chop suey is a Chinese American dish originating in the mid to late 19th century for Chinese immigrants in San Francisco Many believe there are similar recipes in the Toisan region of China. A chop suey fad swept the ‘big city’. In 1896, Americans began to visit New York Chinese restaurants in large numbers for the first time.  Chop suey consists of small pieces of meat, chicken or shrimp stir-fried with celery, onions, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, mushrooms and/or other vegetables, and served over rice, usually with soy sauce. Most Chinese servers in the 1890’s were know for their yellow jackets. Today’s Food History 1809  Oliver Wendell Holmes was born. American physician, poet and humorist. Author of ‘ The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table,’ ‘The Professor of the Breakfast Table,’ ‘The Poet of the Breakfast Table,’  and  ‘Over the Teacups.’ 1896  Supposedly, the Chinese-American dish, chop suey, was created in New York City by the Can

Preserved Lemons in an “Instant”

Okay it’s really not an instant, in fact it takes about 30 minutes or if you do the oven way 3 hours--I prefer the stove top method. 1 lemon, cut into 1/4 inch/6mm thick slices 1/2 cup/125ml lemon juice 1 tablespoon/15ml/g coarse salt In a shallow sauce pan add the lemons, juice and salt. Bring to a boil until the salt dissolves. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes and the rinds become almost translucent and liquid is reduced by half. Oven method 6 lemons sliced into 1/4 inch/6mm slices 6 tablespoons 75ml/g coarse salt 1 cup/250ml lemon juice Preheat an oven to 200F/100C Place lemons in a baking dish just large enough to lay the slices in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pour over the juice (it should just cover the lemons). Place in the preheated oven for 3 hours.  Pour lemons and brine into clean airtight jars.  Let cool, cover and store in the refrigerator.   Palm Beach Personal Chef Fort Lauderdale Personal Chef Miami Personal Chef Freela

August 21st is National Sweet Tea Day!

Here’s 5 facts about Tea: Many say  iced tea  was ‘invented’ at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair where ice was added to hot tea to cool down the visitors. Thomas Sullivan ‘accidentally’ invented the teabag when he sent out tea samples in small silk pouches to customers in 1904. The pouches proved much less messy thatn raw tea leaves. The rest is history. Tea is believed to have arrived in Europe thanks to a Portuguese Jesuit priest named Jasper de Cruz after visiting China in 1590  Drinking tea helps boost the immune system do to its natural antibacterial properties. Tea can also help regulate cholesterol. Today’s Food History 1814  Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford died. American physician who invented the percolator, a pressure cooker and a kitchen stove. He is frequently credited with creating baked Alaska. 1988  Pubs are now allowed to stay open 12 hours each day (except Sunday) in the U.K. 1997  The largest food recall in U.S. history. Hudson Foods closed it

Gluten Free Asian Turkey Burger Recipe with Spicy Pickles

The fresh herbs wake up your mouth and moisten the turkey at the same time. Press your thumb in the middle of the burger to make an indent. This will help keep the burger flat during cooking. The pickles are a quick side dish and a great alternative to the dill variety. Serves 4 1pound/450g ground turkey ½ cup/118ml crisped rice crumbs ½ teaspoon/2ml salt ¼ teaspoon/1ml black pepper 1 teaspoon/5ml garlic powder (optional) ¼ cup/60ml chopped parsley ¼ cup/60ml chopped mint ¼ cup/60ml chopped basil 2 tablespoon/30ml lime juice ½ teaspoon/2ml sriracha Preheat oven to 350F/176C/GasMark 4 Combine rice and dry spices in food processor until smooth and crumb like. In a large bowl combine crumb mixture with lime juice and sriracha. Add ground turkey, and chopped herbs mix well. Form into four (4) 1 inch/2.5cm thick burgers. Cook for 5 minutes per side on hot grill or pan rotating 90 degrees for cross hatch marks halfway through. Serve with t

Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

Absurdly Easy Chocolate Cake, so says Bryan Daniel Serves 6-8 3 Cups/375g US all purpose flour 2 Cups/383g granulated sugar 6 tablespoons/42g cocoa powder 2 teaspoons/9g baking soda 1 teaspoon/5g salt 3/4 cup/185ml neutral oil 2 tablespoons/30ml white vinegar 2 teaspoons/10ml vanilla extract 2 cups/500ml cold water Preheat oven to 350F/176C/Gas4 Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Add in the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and cold water.   Mix well until there are no more lumps. Pour into prepared (oiled/floured pans with either waxed paper or parchment on the bottom) pans 2 8-9 inch/20-23cm rounds.   Bake for 30 minutes. personal chefs and event catering Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) www.yadachef.com fort lauderdale catering and personal chefs

August 18th is National Ice-Cream Pie Day!

Here are today’s five thing to know about Ice Cream: An average dairy cow can produce enough milk in her lifetime to make a little over 9,000 gallons of ice cream. A cow has only 1 stomach with 4 areas where food is digested: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and the abdomen. The udder of a cow can hold between 25-50 lbs. of milk. In the U.S., all ice cream needs to have a minimum of 10% milkfat if it is to be labeled “ice cream”. This includes custard based (French Style) ice creams. Sorbet, has no milk at all! Today’s Food History 1850  Honore de Balzac died. French author. Balzac would lock himself away during creative bursts, drinking coffee and eating only fruit and eggs. When he finally took a break, he was known to consume huge quantities of food. One report recalls that at the Véry restaurant he consumed at one sitting  ‘a hundred Ostend oysters, twelve cutlets of salt-meadow mutton, a duck with turnips, two partridges and a Normandy sole,’  not to mention the dessert