Personal Chef Debbie's Final Tomatoes of the Year

Today I HAD to pick tomatoes.

I haven't picked in about 10 days ~ too much to do and too little time to do it in. And, let's face it. We're at the end of the tomato growing season up here in Cincinnati. So I didn't pay too much attention to the plants.

And by "not too much attention" I really mean none. I didn't water. I didn't weed. I didn't even look at the plants.

And I wouldn't have looked at them today either. Until I heard the weather forecast.

We're going to have a light frost tonight.

For those of us who are thermostatically challenged, frost is our friend! I welcome the frost! I embrace the frost! I long for the day we average a high of 45°.

But enough about my hot flashes.

So I decided I'd pick the few final tomatoes of the season.

Did I mention I hadn't picked in about 10 days?

Well. I had tomatoes out the ying yang. Perfectly formed, big juicy, red, ripe tomatoes. In fact, there were 65 of them! 

Yep. 65. 

And today is October 18th. Unbelievable!

So I'll be making a batch of my world~famous spicy tomato sauce. A big batch.

But not for a few days. I still have to finish a website for a client, prep food for a video shoot, change from summer to winter clothes ~ yes, I'm still wearing shorts but we discussed that little temperature problem, as well as take care of my clients this week, talk to a new potential client who wants food 2x a week and conduct a cooking class.

I'll be lucky if I have time to share a glass with Bacchus this week.

Oh wait. There's always time for Bacchus.

And the “Spoiled Brat of the Year Award” Goes To….

Me! Yeah, I know you all find that hard to believe.

We arrived in Las Vegas for the start of my birthday trip. Two months ago, sweet husband Tim asked if I wanted a party or a trip for my birthday. Being the spoiled brat that I am, I naturally said “Both!”

Room4
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

When we checked into the hotel at 9:00 a.m. local time, we never expected that not only would our room be ready but that they could upgrade us to a suite. Floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Strip and the mountains; a massive Jacuzzi that could easily accommodate four people; a huge walk~in shower with two doors and a steam room; and a lighted make~up area that’s fit for a showgirl.

Tim at Mon Ami Gabi
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

My birthday dinner was at one of my favorite restaurants Mon Ami Gabi a French bistro with sidewalk seating overlooking the fountains of the Bellagio. We, of course, had a premium table on the railing. The evening air was cool, the air was clear and the French Martinis were flowing. What is a French martini you ask? Ketel One Vodka, Cassis, pomegranate juice and champagne. Yummy! Dinner for sweet husband Tim was Steak au Poivre with a brandy peppercorn sauce and pommes frites. Por moi, Filet Mignon medium rare with the most amazing Roquefort butter reduction. The reduction was soooo good that I asked for the recipe. I’m going to make a batch of this and serve it at my next Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service black tie event.

Roquefort Butter Reduction
Veal or beef au jus, reduced to very thick stock
2c Roquefort cheese
1/4c Butter, the best quality you can purchase
1/4c Cream
Place Roquefort, butter and cream into food processor fitted with steel blade. Process until thick and smooth. This should not be runny and should be workable with your hands. Roll into log and wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate until very cold and slice into thin slices. Wrap slices individually and freeze. Remove from freezer 60 minutes before ready to use.
Heat au jus until very warm but not boiling. Place in individual containers and top with slice of Roquefort butter. Allow butter to slowly melt into au jus.

Sweet husband Tim had even more surprises for me ~ tickets to see Tom Jones! Now as many of you know, Sir Tom is my absolute favorite entertainer of all time. We got all dressed up ~ I even wore heels so you know I was serious about this ~ and had an absolutely wonderful time. What can I say except he was HOT and I’m not talking about my flashes.

One other recipe that I begged for was the French Sunrise Martini.

4oz Navan Natural Black Vanilla Cognac
Large splash fresh squeezed orange juice
1oz pomegranate juice
Orange slice, for garnish
Drizzle pomegranate juice down sides of chilled martini glass. Pour in Navan and splash with fresh orange juice. Enjoy!

Today we’re on our way to my favorite resort, the J.W. Dessert Ridge Resort and Spa in Scottsdale. With membership in the exclusive Cloud Club, I can start my day with a mimosa, move on to the spa pool for more mimosas, then clean up and back to the Cloud Club for happy hour, appetizers, after dinner drinks and dessert.

Spoiled Brat to the nth degree and lovin’ every minute of it!

Thank Bacchus!

Oh you HAD to be here! The wine had breathed the proper amount of time ~ which in my life, means it's been opened and poured into a wineglass.

I was working at my computer after an extremely long and difficult cook day. Mr. Client loves lots of spices, onions, garlic, jalapenos etc. ~ you get the idea ~ while Mrs. Client is a no salt, no fat, no cheese, no dairy, no meat, no spice, no onion, no, no, no, no, person. Needless to say, these cook days, while fun since they are my favorite clients, are sometimes (OK most times) quite challenging.

By the way it's Friday. It's the third day in a row of 100+ degrees and I've had to schlep my equipment in and out of homes too many times this week.

And don't even ask me about the hot flashes!

So my sweet husband, Tim, interrupts the work in progress ...

Be really glad that you weren't asked to submit a videotape for Bravo TV last year!

Huh?

And he begins to read to me ~ from the Time Warner Channel Guide, September 2007 ~ which has never been high on my reading list, but, thank Bacchus he's always around to read it to me:

Bravo TV New Show: Better Half
Premiers: October 2007
What's it About:

(You gotta love this)

Hosted by Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and produced by the folks who brought you Battle of the Network Reality Stars, this six~hour reality competition pits the spouses of trained creative professionals (chefs, hairdressers, etc.) against each other. The professionals will have two days to train their spouses in their craft, and then the results will be assessed by the judges. As anyone who's ever tried to train their spouse in anything will tell you, it's a huge pain in the ... I mean it's funny, honey! It's fun!

It's taken me 22 years to train him to find the dishwasher. Teaching Knife Skills would be equal to earning a Master's Degree in two days!

Thank Bacchus I was on my second (or was it fifth) glass of wine. God I love Bacchus!