Chef Debbie Says: I Love Birthdays When They're Not Mine!

Last Saturday was sweet husband Tim's birthday. Number 54 (in case you were wondering).

In Yummy! world, a birthday means a party. And a party means friends. And drinks. And food.

Lots and lots and lots of food. (Well, actually lots and lots of drinks too, but you knew that already didn't you?)

After several days in the kitchen, here's what the masses nibbled on:

Beef tenderloin, rubbed with bourbon barrel smoked sea salt, roasted rare and sliced paper thin

Marinated jumbo shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce

Honey Dijon marinated pork tenderloin, sliced paper thin and served with spicy mango and papaya salsa

Salmon 3~ways with Yummy~ized blinis: salmon roasted with maple and dill; roasted with Dijon and sesame; and, sweet and spicy. Blinis were served on toasted sourdough, topped with dilled deviled egg salad, creme fraiche and Tobiko caviar

An entire tray of 50 blinis ~ which were gone in about 15 seconds...

Sesame chicken with sweet garlic chili dipping sauce

Truffle paté and black peppercorn paté

Creamy caviar dip

New Orleans spicy crab dip

Tim's favorite spicy deviled eggs with crab ~ 48 whole eggs were gone almost before I could put the platter down

Brie with balsamic caramelized onion chutney and spicy pecans

Cheese, cheese and more cheese

Parmesan cubes with 2 dipping sauces: black truffle honey and red chili apricots

Chunky Danish bleu dip

Roasted 3~onion dip

And desserts. And fruit. And chocolate truffles. And sweet and crunchy pecans...

Judging from the amount of food left over ~ which was a crumb here and there ~ I'm thinking none of the guests had seen a scrap of food since about Tuesday...

If I'd followed a traditional caterer's calculations of:
# of Hours x # of People = Total # of Bites
I would have been about 20 pounds short just on the protein!

So even though it's a lot of work, I thank Bacchus that sweet husband is in good health, that we have amazing and wonderful friends and that I had Sunday off to clean up!

Chef Debbie's Spoiled Brat Vacation Update

Spoiled brat is back, and back with a vengeance!

Whew! It's been a long time since spoiled brat has made an appearance and I was afraid she was gone for good...

This is the view from our balcony. The trees directly below us are full of hummingbirds and I love sitting outside in the afternoon visiting with Bacchus and watching the hummers zip by.

Yesterday we went to the Phoenix Botanical Garden and they are featuring an amazing Chihuly exhibit spaced all throughout the catci. His work has been carefully placed to enhance the natural beauty, grace and color of the surroundings.

I took 200+ photos of the catci, flowers and butterflies.

Here's one of the Chihuly glass exhibits and it's over 30' tall. Unbelievable! I'm can't imagine how they shipped some of these pieces. I can barely get a dozen wine glasses from point A to point B without breaking some!

So sweet husband and I just got back from dinner at Meritage Steak House. We skipped lunch so we could eat there and we still couldn't finish our entrées.

Dinner was prix fixes with soup, salad or cheese course, main entrée with starch and roasted asparagus and a choice of 7~layer chocolate cake or crème brûlée.

I had the smoked prime rib (every bit of 14oz which I couldn't even begin to finish) and it came with the most sinful sour cream~blue cheese~horseradish cream, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Maple crème brûlée to finish dinner ~ cuz you just have to have something sweet at the end of a meal.

Tomorrow is another day in paradise. Up around 6:00 a.m.

Funny how I don't complain about getting up here at 6:00 a.m. to walk for 60 minutes while at home getting up that early going to work is, well, just work!

So tomorrow morning. Walk 60 minutes. Chef prepared breakfast. Pool for a couple of hours. Shade for weenie red head Debbie. Downtown Scottsdale for lunch and pop into a few shops. Back to the hotel to clean up and dinner at Radio Milano here in Phoenix.

Just another day in paradise.

Chef Debbie's Easter Hodgepodge Blog

Today's blog is full of chatty little blurbs.

This is finally the last weekend of tax season.

Sweet husband, Tim, has been working 7 days a week since mid~February and it'll be nice to see him for more than about 10 minutes a day before he falls into bed.

Yesterday, I drove over to Indiana to meet my dear foodie friend and personal chef extraordinaire, Liz Geeslin, of In Good Taste Personal Chef Service in Lebanon, IN.

We met in Shelbyville for lunch at a bookstore~cafe called Three Sisters Books & Gifts located in the public square circle.

It's a darling place ~ not a frilly, foufou place ~ that is actually owned by three sisters. They specialize in panini sandwiches and homemade desserts ~ I had the cherry~chocolate cake which was light and fluffy and oh, so good! If you're ever in the area, it's well worth slogging through the road construction to stop in for coffee and dessert.

The weather is finally going to be nice for the weekend ~ but next week it's going to rain almost every day! If you're boiling eggs to hide for the kiddies on Easter morning, boil a few more and try this client favorite:

Deviled Egg Salad with Dill
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
12 large eggs
2T shallot, finely minced
1/4c mayonnaise
1/4c sour cream
1T Dijon mustard
2T flat leaf parsley, chopped
3T fresh dill, chopped
2T chives, chopped
kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Place eggs in single layer in large Dutch oven. Add enough cold water just to cover the eggs. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat ~ water will have large rapidly breaking bubbles. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 14 minutes. Drain and run cold water over eggs until cool enough to handle. Drain and peel eggs.

Grate eggs using large hole side of box grater. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I've had several clients over the last week asking what a personal chef has for a holiday dinner. Well. That's an interesting question for this time of year.

I'm making Marinated Baby Lamb Chops for my clients' Easter dinner but with sweet husband working all day, and the small fact that he's not a huge fan of lamb, we're going non~traditional for Easter dinner.

Yep. About as non~traditional as you can get. Ham & Beans with homemade jalapeno cornbread. And lots of chopped onion on the side. It is difficult, though, to find a proper wine to go with Ham & Beans!

If you like Lamb Chops, this is what my clients are having for Easter Dinner:

Marinated Baby Lamb Chops with Cucumber~Mint Relish
Serves 4

8 baby lamb chops
1/2c olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2t dried rosemary, chopped
1/4c fresh mint leaves, chopped
1T lemon juice
1t salt

Relish:
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, small diced
1T salt
1/4c onion, minced
1/4c red bell pepper, chopped
1/4c fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4c rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Prepare relish: Place diced cucumber in fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 1 hour. Pat dry with paper towels and place in a clean bowl. Add remaining relish ingredients and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours. Stir well to serve.

Place lamb chops in large zip~lock bag. In small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, mint, lemon juice and salt. Pour marinade over lamb chops, seal and refrigerate up to 8 hours.

Preheat broiler. Place lamb chops on broiler pan and cook until medium~rare, approximately 2~3 minutes per side depending upon thickness of the chops. Remove from oven and serve with cucumber~relish.

Christmas Roses for Chef Debbie

The holidays are almost over.

Very loud singing chorus of Hallelujah!

Don't get me wrong. It's been a long, hard and profitable year with the last couple of months bringing 7~day work weeks and sometimes 2 clients a day. That can mean 18 hours, or more, at a time on these old legs.

Old being the key word.

Knowing how hard I've been working ~ and trying to not be a grumpybutt (which I've been told can "occasionally" occur when I'm overworked and to my mind under appreciated) ~ sweet husband did something he's never done before in our 20+ years together.

Surprise roses.

For no reason.

At least, I think, for no reason.

Or maybe it's because after he hurt his leg helping me at Thanksgiving, I've tried to not ask him to do so much.

I've tried not to ask him to load and unload the Yummy~mobile, haul and tote everything in and out of every client's home every day or ask him to come load me up "just a few minutes early to help me finish cleaning up."

Just a few minutes cleaning up in Yummy~world that means 2 hours scraping plates, cleaning and reboxing chafing dishes, washing or drying said plates, reloading the crates to reload in Yummy~mobile, yada yada blah de blah)

Thinking about it, the surprise roses were for no reason.

Except that sweet husband really is a sweet husband.

A (Crappy) Day in the Life of a Personal Chef

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 17. Only 14 more days to go.

Yesterday was not a good day. After dealing with clients who think that I might purchase some of their menu items from flea markets (see Blog dated 07/16/08), I was feeling pretty low.

Then the Yummy~mobile died.

I had an appointment downtown and drove back up to my end of Yummy~world. I stopped at one of my favorite butcher shops, Luigi's Olde World Market, and went in to get something to throw on the grill. I decided it was a good night to visit Bacchus and gnaw on a big hunk of red meat.

Got into the Yummy~mobile, ready to go home and visit with Bacchus on the back deck, read my book and occasionally talk to the hummingbirds before I had to start the grill and get on with dinner.

Well, the Y~mobile had other ideas.

As in it didn't want to go anywhere.

So I had to carry the steaks back in and ask them to keep them in the case until I kicked the truck back into working order.

The kicking didn't work. Go figure.

Sweet husband Tim was the first call. Yeah, I know. It should have been AAA. But it wasn't. It was sweet husband. And he came right away to help me ~ sad damsel that I was.

Yep. Feeling pretty sorry for myself about now.

My wonderful friends at Luigi's all came out to see if they could help. Nope ~ not the battery (it's brand new). Nope ~ not the electrical system. Nope ~ not the spark plugs. Nope. Nope. Nope. You name it, that wasn't the problem.

Sweet husband arrives to the rescue. Turns out, it's probably the fuel pump. Since everything else has been replaced in the last year or so, the fuel pump is the only thing that's left that's not brand new. Damn. That sounds expensive!

Today has to be better. No. Let me rephrase that. Today WILL be better!

What a Party!

Sweet husband Tim's birthday was last week. He turned 52. A couple of years ago, I was afraid he would never see 52.

Sweet husband had a heart attack.

He's fine now.

But now I celebrate his birthday by having a big party every year. And, I'll continue celebrating his birthday every year. The alternative is too terrible to contemplate.

Chris's Food
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

As you can probably guess, when I throw a party I cook for days! I planned the menu a couple of weeks ago, spent a day and a half shopping and three days cooking.

Here's Chris O'Brien WGRR 103.5FMhalf of the morning team of Married with Microphones trying to convince everyone he's the one responsible for everything on this table. Uh huh. According to Janeen, Chris's idea of haute cuisine is a birthday dinner at Cracker Barrel.

While I'm not one to typically twirl my own whisk (too much), the menu was pretty awesome.

Date Relish (this is sooooo good! The recipe is at the end of this post)
Dilled Caviar Dip (with my favorite Tobikko salmon roe)
Creamy Spicy Sun~Dried Tomato Spread
Crostini with Feta~Chili Spread (this is an awesome spread with roasted poblano and jalapeno peppers mixed with feta)
Three Onion Dip
Double Truffle Beef Tenderloin (we went through 9 pounds of beef!)
Roasted Tomato~Olive Bruschetta
Spicy Cashew Crunch with Ginger
Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pecans
Jumbo Marinated Shrimp with homemade spicy cocktail sauce
Black Truffle Pate and 5~Peppercorn Pate with cornichons and Dijon mustard
Nah Owlans Style Crab Dip
A 5~pound side of salmon fixed two ways: Roasted Sweet and Spicy Salmon and Roasted Sesame and Dill Salmon
Mediterranean Baklava with walnuts, cashews and pine nuts
Brownie bites with my world famous Kahlua dipping sauce
Mini Chocolate Brickle Cream Cakes

Kristy & Ryan
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

And libations. Lots and lots of libations.

Notice all of the champagne bottles in the sink next to Kristy and Ryan? That's because we ran out of space on the recycling counter and started piling bottles in the sink. Heaven forbid I actually carry the bottles downstairs during a party! The recycling guy who does our pick up on Mondays has to really wonder about us. There are weeks, like this party week, where I can easily have 3 cases of wine bottles out for recycle. And I can't even count that high for the beer bottles!

Luigi
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

And, speaking of downstairs. The blackjack table was in full swing and Luigi was the big winner. At the end of the night he had at least five $5,000 chips.

But, when I went down to play a bit I hit 21 in the first 5 out of 6 hands. When you're lucky, you're lucky.

So to our wonderful friends, thank you.

Thank you for coming to our party.

Thank you for your love, friendship and support.

And save the date for Tim's next birthday party ~ Friday, February 13, 2009.

Date Relish
Adapted From: Sunday Suppers At Lucques, Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber
Makes 8 appetizer servings

1/2c fresh dates
2T olive oil
2T lemon juice
2T Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
2T cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt

Pit the dates and chop into small pieces. Toss the dates with the remaining ingrdients. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

Appy Party at Chez Yummy~issimo!

As a Certified Personal Chef and owner of Yummy~issimo! I don't have a lot of free weekend time so when I found myself taking the week off between Christmas and New Years, I decided to have a small party at Chez Spangler. Those of you who know me know that I don't do decorations. But this year, the decorating demon came over me.

Demonly decorate I did. The fireplace, the chandelier, the antique peer mirror, poinsettias and bows everywhere. It looked great before the holidays. Now I'm waiting for the crazy cleaning clown to show up.

Robyn & Vic
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

So, party at Chez Spangler. It was just a small one with Tom and Vic, Robyn and Brad (and their super friends Nanc and Rob) and Judy and Alan. Kristy and Ryan were supposed to be there, but he got really sick. The party was in part a thank you for the amazing meal that Ryan cooked for us last month. Now, I'll have to have another party ~ maybe he wanted to approve the menu in advance? The only thing that would have made the party better is if the Kristy~Ryan and Beth~Kenny duos had been in attendance. But Robyn and Vic had a great time together!

Appy Table
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

The appy menu:

Double truffle beef tenderloin
Crab and shrimp double stuffed eggs
Caviar and dill dip
Spicy sun~dried tomato dip
Antipasto with Parmesan~artichoke dressing
Homemade pate with Calvados and currants
Mini Greek pizzas with lamb and pesto
Cheese, cheese, cheese

Sweet husband ~ who doesn't cook and still needs instruction before approaching the oven ~ suggested the beef was too rare. I didn't know there was such a thing! I think he was in the minority as the 3~pound tenderloin was gone in a flash.

Oh crap! I'll have to ask Bacchus which libation is appropriate for taking all of the decorating demon crap down.

Yummy~issimo: My Recipe for Double Truffle Beef Tenderloin

Well, Christmas is almost over and, as always, I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the right one, my hands hurt from double duty chopping and whisking. But on the other hand, the left one, I wish we could keep the feeling of peace and kindness that seems to be in abundance this time of year.

Santa Adam
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

So I arrived at the Cristo's beautiful home yesterday morning, pots and pans in tow and enough bags of food to feed an army. Santa Adam was waiting for me, singing hat, blinking red nose and Christmas jammies.

First things first. Adam makes the most incredible cappuccino of all time. Move over Starbucks. His double cappuccino, double foam and extra cinnamon is a work of art. After my shot of caffeine, I'm ready to cook.

The entire family was going to be at dinner as well as several friends for the pre~dinner cocktail party. The food had to be magnificent. The appys:

Marinated Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with Dill and Garlic Aioli
Smoked Salmon Red Pepper Dip with assorted crackers
Stuffed and Baked Baby Bellas
Prosciutto and Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels

With two vegetarians in the dinner group, I always need a WOW salad. A few days ago I was fooling around with some pomegranates and decided to make a pomegranate vinegar. This stuff is absolutely incredible! Look for the pomegranate vinegar and my soon~to~be world famous Pomegranate and Shallot Vinaigrette Salad Dressing under the Yummy~issimo! label sometime in the near future.

They didn't want the typical Christmas dinner fare of beef tenderloin, lamb or ham. No seafood either. That left chicken. For dinner:

Microgreens Salad with Baby Oranges with Pomegranate and Shallot Vinaigrette
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Artichokes and Herbed Goat Cheese
Couscous and Spicy Mango Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Shallots, Sage and Balsamic
Risotto with Parmesan, Sun~Dried Tomatoes and Baby Peas
Double Cheese Spinach Gratin

With sweet husband Tim helping in the clean up, I was home in front of the fire with a glass of wine by 8:30.

Red Nose Tim
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

Speaking of sweet husband, he really got into the Christmas spirit this year!

Sweet husband is really excited about his Christmas present this year. I bought a 42" HD flat screen plasma TV with DVR. It's going to be installed in the wall over the fireplace on Thursday. For the last 20 years I've fought the idea of a TV in the family room but I guess this year he can watch the Bowl games in front of the fire.

J&A
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

This is the first year that we could actually have a Christmas dinner together and we invited his sister, Judy, and her husband, Alan, to join us. After cooking for everyone and her sister this month, it was really nice to be at home in my comfy clothes in my kitchen cooking dinner for the people I love.

Double Truffle Beef Tenderloin
4 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied
2t Truffle salt
1t fresh cracked black pepper
White truffle oil for drizzling
Remove beef tenderloin from refrigerator at least 3 hours prior to cooking. Sprinkle with truffle salt and cracked pepper. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 475. Unwrap tenderloin and roast 30~35 minutes. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 135. Tent loosely with foil and allow to rest at least 30 minutes and up to one hour. Slice and drizzle with white truffle oil. Yummy~issimo!

Merry Christmas. May 2008 be filled with peace, love, happiness, good food and great wine!

Green Tea Martinis at Lunch

So I attended sweet husband Tim's office holiday party today.

You know the routine.

The entire office, including spouses, shows up at the restaurant for lunch. They stick us in a private room far away from normal people. Silly hats, Secret Santa gag gifts, Christmas muzak on the sound system.

In years past there have been a large selection of soft drinks for our dining pleasure.

This year, party central was at Soho. Soho Japanese Bistro is a great sushi restaurant where I just happen to know the bartender, Ian. Well, you'd know Ian too if you'd spent as much time there as I have in the last couple of years.

So, sweet husband is having a Dr. Pepper with his steak and shrimp and I get all wild and crazy and order a Green Tea Martini. Ian makes a kickbutt Green Tea Martini.

Sweet husband is ready to hide under the table.

Green Tea Martini disappeared entirely too quickly for polite company.

Sweet husband's feet are barely visible under the tablecloth.

So the server comes around seeing who else needed soda refills. Not me.

Ian walks in ~ of course I'm sitting as far away from the door as possible and he has to pass by every one of the firm's Partners to get to me ~ proudly offering me his holiday gift of another Green Tea Martini.

I just couldn't hurt his feelings.

Well, green is the color of the season. And Green Tea is really really good for you.

Champagne with The Beach Boys

So back to last Thursday. Great friend Kristy invited sweet husband Tim and me to the grand opening of The Savannah Center. The Savannah Center is a multi~gazillion dollar conference center slash reception hall slash private party hall in West Chester.

Kristy said it's going to be a great party and one we can't miss. And Kristy knows parties.

I hadn't even heard of it. Needless to say, if I'd pull my head out of the oven once in a while maybe I'd know what's going on in the world.

So we get all dressed up and you know how much I love to do that (sarcasm intended). Makeup, high heels, blow~dried hair, little party purse which holds no more than the requisite tip money and business cards.

We arrive at the Center and immediately after we walk through the door there are servers in black tie with trays of champagne. Whoohoo! My kind of party!

Long story short. Open bar with top shelf everything all night, so many different buffet stations that I lost count, a sushi bar, a beef tenderloin bar, raw bar and a dessert station that was so beautiful it could make you cry. Even with the masses of people who were invited, I never had to wait in line for anything ~ that's how many servers, bartenders and food stations they had set up. Saw tons of old friends and acquaintances. Funny how I haven't seen many of them in a long while but they all knew I was a Certified Personal Chef and owner of Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service.

And if that's not enough reason to have a great time, there was a private concert by The Beach Boys. Now knowing spoiled brat for a long time, Kristy had VIP tix for sweet husband and me. That meant a private "meet~n~greet" with the BBs with 2nd row seats for the concert. Well when the concert started, Mike Love invited the first few rows to come up to stand by the stage.

Yep. Spoiled brat. Front row, dead center champagne glass in hand.

What a way to spend a Thursday!

My Sick Yummy~mobile!

Today when I was leaving my Yummy client's home, the Yummy~mobile wouldn't start! Well, let me modify that. It would start but it wouldn't stay started. This client lives way out there ~ you know, go out as far as you can until the road ends, turn left, keep going for another hour, turn right at the green barn and then keep going. Yeah, I can see trying to give the Triple Thing directions out there!

For the one person in Cincinnati who hasn't seen the Yummy~mobile, let me tell you about it: A deep green Ford Expedition with the Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service garlic logo wrapped around the back and sides. The license plates even tell a story: YUMMMMY. OK, so it is a 1999 and it does have 91K miles but until today I haven't had a bit of trouble with it.

Maybe it was because I was feeling a bit too confident in my car~ness zen. Last week we had to have sweet husband Tim's VW Passat worked on ~ to the tune of $1300. The VW was originally my car and I never had a bit of trouble with it. But when sweet husband inherited it ~ after I stole the Expedition from him ~ he's had nothing but repair bills on the VW. So I was feeling a bit too high and mighty that MY car was running just fine, thank you very much, and that I drove it so well that I never had to take it to the shop. There's some saying about pride and a fall but I can't remember what it is ever since I fell off that ladder this afternoon.

So I finally get the Yummy~mobile started, gun the motor like I'm a 15~year old with a learner's permit, and whip it into reverse. Yummy Client has a very long down~sloping driveway. Put Y~mobile in drive. Start the engine again. And again. And again. You get the idea. When I finally drive into civilization I have to put it into neutral and give it gas (OK gun it like crazy) so that it didn't die at every stop sign, street light or other pain~in~the~spatula rush hour car in my way.

Very long drive later, I get to the repair shop. Sweet husband Tim was there waiting for me and called about nine times during my nerve~racking drive there. Now, I've already packed and unpacked the Yummy~mobile twice today and now have to do it again and attempt to pack it all into the VW.

How fun.

Bacchus and I will be good friends tonight.

Oh, by the way, sweet husband is driving the third car ~ the Blue Bomb ~ until I get the Yummy~mobile back. A 1989 used~to~be blue Olds, somewhere in the neighborhood of 190K miles (we're not sure how many miles as the electronic system hasn't worked in years), no AC, no power windows, sometimes the electronic panel works and sometimes it doesn't and then there's the left front tire that doesn't hold air very well. Oh, and it's so pretty too.

Did I mention he's a really sweet husband?

Party with Cincinnati Magazine

So last week, in the middle of my week from hell, sweet husband Tim said, "I saw an ad in Cincinnati Magazine about a party on Saturday night. Sounds like fun. Let's go!"

What? As a Personal Chef and owner of Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service, I cook for a party almost every weekend. Why would I want to PAY to go to one where I have to pay for alcohol and the food will be inedible at best?

The look on my face must have given my thoughts away ~ that or the words that came out of my mouth (something to the effect of) "Are you effing crazy? I have a Saturday night off and you want to go out? I'm staying home!" or something sweet and wifely like that.

So, dressing for the party ~ after donning make~up (which I NEVER wear), extremely high heels, one of my three only non~food stained outfits, and hair that was actually blown dry and not pulled into a ponytail ~ I have to admit I didn't look too bad for somebody with burn marks over 90% of her arms, short nails that haven't been polished or buffed or whatever you do with them and an attitude that screamed "I want to be home in my shorts and braless in a big, baggy T~shirt!"

The bright side ~ and you knew this was coming, didn't you ~ was that I met some people I didn't know. Not only people, but PEOPLE.

We walk in, sweet husband Tim looking smashing and dashing in black, and the first person we saw was Arun Lai and his lovely wife, Beverly. Now Arun knows even more people than I do ~ and I know a lot of people! The first person he introduced me to was John Allen, Executive Operating Officer of the Cincinnati Reds. I also met David O'Hara, Director of Fusion Gallery an upscale art gallery in the up and coming hot city of Bellevue,KY. Arun also introduced me to Nat Comisar, former owner of the Masionette, Cincinnati's only 5~star dining establishment. Now as owner of Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service in Cincinnati, any time that anyone named Comisar asks for my business card I can't get into my purse quickly enough!

As a connoisseur of alcoholic beverages ~ especially when they are mango based ~ this party was worth attending as I found a new adult beverage that I need to share:

The Woody Mango
2/3 Woodford Reserve
1/3 mango puree
Shake well with crushed ice, strain into martini glass and garnish with fresh mint leaf.
Trust me on this one ~ I had several and I will have all the ingredients to make this at home!

After the party, Kristy and Ryan (see the Yummy Blog of 09~10~07: Timmy~issimo Party Planning) and sweet husband Tim and I went to the Cincinnatian Hotel for more cocktails. I found another mango martini that I have to share with you:

The Cincinnatian Mango Martini
2 parts Finlandia Mango Vodka
1 part Licor43 ~ Spanish Vanilla Liqueur
Splash of Orange, Pineapple and Cranberry Juices
Mix all in shaker with crushed ice. Shake well. Strain into martini glass.
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!
OK ~ had several more of these and will make these at home as soon as I buy the Licor43.

Thank Bacchus I could sleep in this morning!

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!

Whew!

Last evening was The Key Event, a huge fundraiser for The Community Foundation of West Chester~Liberty (Butler County, Ohio). The foodie premise is that 30 chefs from around the community are asked to all use the same supplied ingredients and create a masterpiece dinner for guests who pay $200 per person. Normally they ask mostly high~profile restaurant chefs but this year they did include a couple of Personal Chefs. As owner of Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service it was my extreme privilege to cook for 14 guests in a lovely home in West Chester.

Sweet Husband Tim
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

Sweet husband, Tim, was my bartender. I brought a sous chef and they supplied a server who also cleaned up everything. Gotta love when you can cook, make a mess and then leave it to somebody else! I had been stressing about the menu for this for several weeks. I knew the supplied food was 8oz of unclean (their words) beef tenderloin per person, 4oz chicken breast, salad greens and chocolate. It was really unclean and by the time hottie Adam cleaned it, I had about 5oz per person. Not to worry, there was the chicken. Except said chicken must have been on a severe diet ~ each breast was about 3oz and pounded very thin. So no stuffing that breast! The final menu? A masterpiece if I do tend to twirl my own whisk.

A selection of rolls with a selection of flavored butters ~ Honey Cinnamon Butter and Garlic Chili Butter (molded in shapes of leaves and hearts).

Floral Pomegranate Salad
Originally uploaded by yummyissimo

Mixed Greens House Salad ~ Mixed baby spring greens with grape tomatoes, slivered red onion, roasted pecans, sweet yellow bell peppers, Danish Blue cheese, edible pansies and edible orchids. Served with Pomegranate Champagne dressing (recipe below).

Beef Tenderloin ~ Beef tenderloin studded with garlic slivers and roasted with a crust of fresh herbs, sea salt and olive oil. Served with caramelized chipolini onions and a Marsala~Black Currant reduction.

Stuffed Chicken Breast ~ Chicken breasts (rolled, not stuffed) with fresh asparagus and Parmesan cheese, served on Parmesan and Sun~Dried tomato risotto.

Baby Carrots ~ Baby carrots roasted in an ancho~honey glaze.

Dessert Crepes ~ Lemon souffle dessert crepes topped with shaved chocolate and lemon foam and served with a blackberry~stuffed edible orchid.

Whew ~ Bacchus and I got re~acquainted when I got home!

Pomegranate Champagne Dressing
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1 large shallot, finely minced
2 pinches sea salt
1/2c Pomegranate Champagne vinegar
1c olive oil
2T honey, or more to taste
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Make a paste of the sea salt, garlic and shallots. Add to food processor fitted with steel blade. Add all ingredients into food processor except olive oil. Process well until garlic and shallots are very finely minced.
With food processor running, pour olive oil in thin steady stream until dressing emulsifies and is thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate until needed. Shake well before serving.

The Timmy~issimo! Party

M y 50th birthday party was held Saturday night, 9/8/07 and it was a blast! Lots of good friends (yes, hottie Adam was there), good food and good libations. One of my biggest concerns was what to wear! I have work clothes ~ which are food stained, baggy and certainly not appropriate, and I have suits ~ entirely too corporate. So I went shopping. I don't know about you, but I have to be in the mood to shop. I hate to shop! But I was in the right mood and I found two outfits that I really liked. So I bought both! And then I needed new heels. And then I needed new jewelry. It's a vicious cycle! Yes, I'm shallow and a spoiled brat but you should know that by now!

It's amazing how many of my good friends have birthdays in September (Werner, Ryan, Nancy, Janeen) and there wasn't room on the cake for all of the names. Sweet husband, Tim, had a brilliant cake idea.

Sandee really surprised me! She helped Vicki make all of the appetizers ~ well, she cut, chopped, peeled and otherwise did the busy work. The food was amazing and there was so much! Marinated shrimp; a tasty crab dip; a yummy feta, spinach and sun~dried tomato dip; a wonderful cheese tray; roasted beef tenderloin with garlic, rosemary and olive oil served with a creamy horseradish dip; jumbo shrimp guiardiniera ~ jumbo shrimp with marinated olives, jalapenos, red and green peppers, cauliflower, onions, garlic and olive oil (trust me it's amazing and I'll get the recipe from Luigi somehow); Asian pork tenderloin sliced paper thin and served with a Dijon dipping sauce; tomato, mozzarella and basil caprese salad; double chocolate walnut brownies; and more and more and more. There were 3 large tables full of food in addition to the buffet that Luigi set up. So Sandee, be warned. Now that I know that you know how to use a knife I'm going to put you to work during my holiday party crazytime!

My very good friend, Beth Brown of Beth Brown Photography came up from Maggie Valley and took photos of everyone. My gift to all my friends (as a thank you for being such a big part of my life) is she took amazing photos and I'll send a 5x7 to everyone. Vicki told me that she was going "to do a couple of appetizers" to help sweet husband, Tim, but I had no idea she was going to make so much amazing food. I don't have a photo of her, yet, but as soon as I get one from Beth I'll post.

Sweet husband, Tim (left) shown with Ryan (middle) and Brad (right) was instructed to tell everyone not to bring presents, cards or anything else. This was to be a party to celebrate everyone and everything good in my life. But, my friends listen about as much as I do, and they all know that I worship at the feet of Bacchus. So, I came home with an extra case of really amazing wine.

Some of my girlfriends ~ Robyn, Kristy, me, Beth. Unfortunatley, Vicki and Sandee were in the kitchen!

So to sweet husband, Tim, and each and every one of my friends, I love you. Thank you so much for being a part of my life and allowing me the privilege of knowing you and being a part of your life. You are all very important to me and I could not be who or what I am without each and every one of you!

The Saga of Timmy~issimo! Party Planning

Things are crazy around the Yummy~issimo! household these days! Sweet husband, Tim, is attempting to plan a birthday party. Not just any party mind you, but a 50th birthday party for yours truly. And, I keep trying to butt in. Now to be fair, sweet husband has never planned a party ~ and I've planned, oh hundreds of parties in the past couple of years. So why not benefit from my extensive knowledge? Except that he wants to do it. Although, a Timmy~issimo! party is not exactly what I had in mind. Yes, I know what you're thinking and you're right ~ I am a spoiled brat!

Picture this ~ lots of my friends are coming to the big shindig this weekend. And for food, sweet husband wanted to have a local BBQ joint cater. Gasp! I had visions of elegant finger foods that are beautiful to behold, Yummy!, would pair perfectly with champagne ~ you get the idea. Well we certainly had different ideas about what encompasses food for a party.

Thank Bacchus for good friends. Vicki, Sandee and Kristy to the rescue! They've strongly suggested we order food from Luigi's Olde World Market (side note: remember hottie Adam? He's Luigi's son), lots of red wine, white wine, Heinekin, top shelf libations and, my favorite, champagne. Food is rare sliced beef tenderloin with creamy horseradish sauce, Thai flavored pork tenderloin sliced paper thin and served with spicy mustard sauce, bacon~wrapped stuffed jumbo shrimp, marinated tomato caprese salad, a lovely cheese tray of Danish blue, Cotswold, DaVinci, etc. and other tasty appies that my great friends, who are all great cooks (except Sandee) will be bringing. Now don't get me wrong ~ I love Sandee and I've known her for about 15 years, but she can't cook to save her life!

Look for lots of party pictures next week. And, there'll be several of hottie Adam for you single gals!

Remember the DVD I attempted to send to Bravo TV? The one where they were looking for a personal chef for a reality series? Well, the DVD I sent still isn't anywhere to be found, a full two weeks after I sent it overnight by snail mail. So, I go down to the local post office in an attempt to get my money back. After all, it says right on my receipt that refunds can be obtained for overnight items not received on time. Sounds like me, right?

Wrong! Long story short, nasty postal worker with the bad breath, bad comb over and bad mood suggested that the good people at Bravo TV are lying to me. He actually said that! According to him, they've really received the DVD but they've lost it.

I really know what "Going Postal" means!

Still on the Roller Coaster

Well, we're at 103+ hours past the time that the mail carrier guaranteed to deliver my DVD to Bravo TV for the proposed Personal Chef program. In case you're wondering, yes, I did have to pull out the calculator. And, yes, when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight you know who NOT to use. And, no, they haven't even tried to deliver a second time!

So today I was checking the FedEx website every few minutes (OK maybe it was a touch obsessive). When I wasn't close to a computer I had the 800 number on speed dial ~ yeah, now I know it's obsessive but I had to know where that DVD was every second of the day.

WhooHooo they finally received the DVD today at 12:30!

Tonight after a long, hot cook day I was sitting at the computer, furiously creating and typing recipes. Sweet husband, Tim, offered to take me out to dinner. Being the grumpy so~n~so that I was, I (of course) said no. The phone rings interrupting the dessert creation in my mind.

Hi, this is Debbie.

Hi, this is Lisa from Bravo TV. We received your DVD today, we've looked at it and I have just a couple of questions.

Jumping up and down motions! Deep breath.

Hi Lisa. What can I do for you?

Lisa proceeds to ask about Mr. and Mrs. Client, their offspring, stresses of working for them, yada yada yada. She then asks about sweet husband, Tim. Well, that one's easy ~ if you are lucky enough to know him, you'll realize that he has more personality than 99.9% of the people you'll ever know.

Well, we'll be submitting your tape to the Bravo TV producers. We will be working fairly quickly on this one, so you should hear something from us within 3 weeks.

Three weeks! Am I riding downhill or uphill on this one?

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!