Chef Debbie Goes to a Party

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 20. Only 11 more days to go.

Last night there was a birthday party for my dear friend, De Stewart of Herbs & Spice, thrown by his lovely and adorable wife, Susan.

Last year I was invited to cater the event and this year I was lucky enough to be invited as a guest. I had no idea how much fun a party is when I don't have to work so hard!

The food was amazing and the company sparkling. And the wine wasn't bad either...

Many of you know I have a background in marketing and graphic design so when De asked me to design a blog for him, I jumped at the chance. Be sure to check out his blog when it's fully up and running. They'll be coupons, announcements about tastings and special events, recipes and tons of other good information.

So to De and Susan ~ thank you so much for inviting sweet husband Tim and me to your party. We are privileged to be a part of your lives and we are fortunate to call you our friends.

Happy Birthday De!

Personal Chef Would Rather Eat at Home

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 19. Only 12 more days to go.

Sweet husband Tim and I went out last night. Now most people probably go out for dinner once in a while. Not us. Sweet husband offers to take me out to dinner almost every night.

But I almost always say no for a myriad of reasons ~ it's too expensive, the wine is marked up at least three times retail, it's not as good as I can normally make, on and on and on.

So I agreed to out "for happy hour" with our friends Tom and Vicki. I should mention though, that happy hour can sometimes turn into happy hours when the four of us are together. We went to In Cahoots in downtown Blue Ash. They have a great happy hour with a nice sized glass of wine at only $3.95/glass and they pour a very decent drink.

Dinner, however, was hit and miss. We've never had a problem before. Every item we've ordered ~ from angus burgers to beef stroganoff to curry chicken salad to smothered chicken ~ has been cooked and seasoned properly and plated beautifully. It always happens. You take somebody to a restaurant they haven't been to before, tell them it's good, and they end up having a less than stellar meal.

Sweet husband had a smoked top sirloin steak which was very good. Vicki had salmon. Again very good. Tom and I, on the other hand, ordered the "house favorite trout." Ugh! It was just plain broiled trout. No seasonings. No sauce. Overcooked, dry and flavorless.

Now I'm not shy but apparently Tom is. Two bites into the fish and I called our server, Stephanie, over. Absolutely no problem to switch the trout for the smoked steak. Tom muddled through his trout while I happily gnawed on smoked red meat.

And the best part? For the inconvenience, they bought me another glass of wine. Cant' beat that!

Personal Chef is The Tomato Queen

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 18. Only 13 more days to go.

Have I ever talked about my tomatoes?

Every year, I swear I'm not going to grow tomatoes again. It's too much work. I don't have time to water. I can get great tomatoes from the farmer's market. Yada, yada, yada.

And, yet, every year I eagerly await May 1 so I can scour the nursery for the exact plants I want. I'm very particular (I bet you didn't know that about me!!) about my tomato plants.

They must be Beefsteak plants. The plants must be a least 8" tall. They must be organic. On and on and on. For the first few years, the folks at the nursery would run and hide every time I came in. It must have been my sparkling personality....

For the last few years, whenever I walk into the nursery they go into the back and pull out a full flat of Beefsteak tomato plants for me to look through, pick over and ask about. Guess they remembered me from year to year.

Last year I planted the tomatoes in my front yard. Yeah, I know that sounds strange. And it is. But with the number of trees around us it was the best place for them. And my tomato plants were the talk of the neighborhood. They were over 7' tall! Taller than sweet husband Tim. They looked like trees. Needless to say it was a great Beefsteak tomato year. And it was a mild fall and I had fresh tomatoes well into the middle of November.

So, again this year I got the tomato bug in April. We had a really cold spring and my plants didn't go in until Memorial Day weekend. And this year I moved the plants into the back yard. I'd had a lot of trees cut down in the back so there is full sun from noon until the sun sets.

And I'm pleased to brag that my tomato plants have gone absolutely nuts this year. Even in new soil that hasn't been composted and mulched for several years ~ and with a very cold, wet spring ~ and with my not taking very good care of them. Right now, the plants are as tall as me and they are LOADED with tomatoes with some already larger than my fist.

I'll ask now. Send tomato recipes. Lots and lots of recipes.

Every year I freeze tomatoes, I make gallons of spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and ketchup. But you can never have too many tomato recipes.

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!

Personal Chef, Debbie Spangler, In The News Again!

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 16. Only 15 more days to go.

Half way through my month of blogs. Wow this has been difficult!

Did you read the Enquirer this morning? Life & Food Section? Did you see me smiling out at you above the fold?

A couple of months ago, Polly Campbell called and asked if I had some tips for saving $$$ at the grocery store. You betcha! I never say no to Polly.

The concept of the article was to give the average Jane Shopper tips to stretch her food budget money.

So the article Savvy Shoppers Do Save finally appeared with a 4~color smiling moi top right corner of the article. My photo isn't in the online link, but you all know what I look like. It's not like I'm subtle or shy about promoting myself.

The line "Debbie Spangler, a personal chef who shops every day, sometimes bargains for her food ~ at flea markets" is in the first paragraph and implies that I purchase a lot of my client food at flea markets.

Let me clarify this a little. While I do occasionally shop at flea markets for bulk produce, I don't make a habit of it like the article makes it sound. I do, however, shop at flea markets when strawberries, tomatoes or corn are in full season and I can bargain and buy tons of bulk produce.

For sweet husband Tim and me. Never for clients.

Some of the other tips that were overshadowed by the flea market idea:

Avoid prepackaged fresh foods. For instance, fresh lettuce is less than a dollar a head. Washed and torn lettuce in the bag is $2.99 (or more) for 10 oz.

Do look at frozen veggies in place of fresh. Broccoli this week is $1.99/pound for crowns. A bag of frozen broccoli is $1.19/pound. If you're using broccoli in something like a stir~fry or any cooked casserole, frozen will work just fine and you won't lose any nutritional value or taste.

Look for alternative vendors. I shop at Findlay Market for lots of items that I could get at the grocery store. For instance, a pound of sharp cheddar cheese at Gibb's Cheese is $5.99 so I'll buy what I need and shred it myself. Depending upon the type of cheese, you can save $2.00 or more a pound by shredding cheese yourself.

Rethink your cuts of meat. Instead of buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $5.99/pound buy a whole young fryer and cut it up yourself. Watch the sales and you can save $3.69/pound.

Don't buy bulk unless you need a large quantity. Why buy an entire bottle of whole nutmeg for $7.99 when you can purchase just one piece of whole nutmeg for .59/each at Herbs & Spice at Findlay Market. It could take the average cook years to use an entire jar of whole nutmeg.

You can save grocery money. Shop smart. Look for sales. Don't purchase more than you have to.

Other Things To Do With Food Besides Eat It

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 15. Only 16 more days to go.

I've gotten several e~mails in the last few weeks with tips and tricks of things you can do with food other than eat it. Some of these I've tried, some I haven't and some sound so weird I wonder who in the world came up with them!

Tips I've tried and they've worked:

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the hair off of it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store and they won't ripen as fast as if they stay in a bunch.

To keep squirrels and rabbits from eating your plants, sprinkle the plants and the ground around them with cayenne pepper. It won't hurt the plant or the animal.

Before you pour a sticky substance in a measuring cup, fill the measuring cup with hot water. Dump out the water but don't dry the measuring cup. The sticky ingredient comes right out.

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it but can't digest it so it kills them. Repeat if it rains before all of the ants are gone.

And my favorite tip: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass and fill it with 1/2c apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid. Mix well. The fruit flies will be drawn to the cup and not your fruit.

Tips I haven't tried but sound like they'll work well:

Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain. (Swallow vodka. Depending upon your pain, repeat as necessary.)

Heat leftover pizza in a non~stick skillet on top of the stove and heat on medium~low until warmed through. This keeps the crust crispy.

To make mess~free deviled eggs, place egg yolks in zip~lock bag, seal and mash well. Add remaining ingredients, reseal and keep mashing until thoroughly mixed. Cut the bottom corner off the bag and squeeze into egg whites.

And, how do they come up with this stuff?

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. Huh?

Leftover Snickers bars... OK stop right here. Who has leftover Snickers bars?

To make scrambled eggs or omelets really rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream and heavy cream before beating. Then call 911 for the heart attack that's sure to happen.

And my favorite "Are You Freaking Nuts" Tip: To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

A Recipe for Steak au Poivre on Bastille Day

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

Today is Bastille Day ~ a national holiday in France commemorating the storming of the Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Yawn.

I had to take a French lit class at Miami and most of it centered around the French Revolution, the writings of Balzac and a bunch of stuff I can't remember. Now the "yawn" is due to the fact that this was an early morning class. As in 8:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That in and of itself wouldn't be too bad, but add in the drive from Blue Ash to Oxford every day and I yawned my way through a lot of those classes that semester.

One thing you won't yawn about is one of sweet husband Tim's favorite meals ~ Steak au Poivre (Filets with Port Peppercorn Sauce).

Steak au Poivre
Modified from Epicurious.com
Serves 2

1 1/2T mixed peppercorns ~ black, red, pink, white, green
2t green peppercorns, in brine, drined
2 ~ 6oz beef tenderloin filets
2t vegetable oil
2c ruby Port wine
1/2c shallots, minced
3T ginger, finely minced
3T butter

Finely chop all peppercorns in food processor. Rub peppercorn mixture over both sides of each steak.

Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over high heat. Season steaks with salt. Add to skillet and cook to desired doneness ~ about 2 minutes per side for medium~rare. Transfer steaks to plate and tent with foil.

Add Port, shallots and ginger to skillet and boil until liquid is reduced to a thin syrup, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Strain into bowl. Return sauce to skillet and boil until thick syrup forms, about 2 minutes. Whisk in butter and season with salt. Spoon sauce around steaks and enjoy with a glass of your favorite red wine.

Sake Bombs for Dessert

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 13. Only 18 more days to go.

Last night we went out with two of my favorite people ~ Kristy and Ryan. Now it's a good thing we planned this several weeks ago, because after the week I had I would have cancelled and spent the night in my comfy chair watching the flat screen.

So we went out for sushi at Soho. We had two large platters of sushi, salads, veggie tempura and soup. Oh. And drinks. Lots and lots of green tea martinis, red wine and, of course, the obligatory sake bombs at the bar after dinner. I think the guys call them "dessert."

Kristy and I didn't sake bomb, however, our server Tina always joins the guys for one. I'll stick with green tea martinis.

So, thank you to Kristy and Ryan. I'm glad we planned a night out. I'm glad I didn't cancel and sit in front of the flat screen. And I'm really glad we're friends.

National Ice Cream Month

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 12. Only 19 more days to go.

I'm a little behind in reading my food magazines.

OK, I admit it. I have 4 full shelves full of magazines full of glorious recipes waiting for me to try. But when I received the August 2008 Bon Appetit Magazine, I was practically salivating before I could rip off the plastic cover.

July is National Ice Cream Month and I can't tell you the last time I had a scoop. Ice cream is one of those foods that as long as I don't start, I won't over~indulge. But if I start, Katie bar the door because it's like an obsession.

When I do give in to the ice cream urge, I go all the way and nothing will satisfy except for a big scoop of Graeter's black cherry. Or caramel. Or cherry vanilla. Or peppermint. Or cinnamon. Or peach. Or mango sorbet. Wait. That's not truly an ice cream, is it? Who cares! It's cold, creamy and oh so good!

OK. Now it's official. I have the ice cream urge and nothing is going to satisfy it until I have a scoop.

Unless it's a glass of a deep, full bodied, spicy, peppery zinfandel.

Oh by the way. Did you know that you can get a FREE SCOOP of Graeter's ice cream on your birthday? True! Take your driver's license and get any scoop you want.

On Air with Keith and JD at WGRR

A Blog A Day For A Month: Day 11. Only 20 more days to go.

I'm a third of the way through the "blog a day for a month" month.

Whew!

Survived the week from hell but had to get up extra early this morning to get downtown to WGRR and be on~air with my buddies, Keith and JD, at 7:30. Yes, that's 7:30 IN THE MORNING! Keith and JD have guilted me (JD's words ~ not mine) so that when I actually go into the radio station, I make a tray of food for them.

Today it was red wine marinated pork tenderloin and dilled potato salad. Not a gourmet feast by any stretch of the imagination, but when you've been up since 3:30 a.m., just about anything will taste good!

These two are great guys! Really funny, extremely quick witted and just as nice as can be. If they could cook, they'd be just about perfect. Oh, wait. Keith DOES cook. So I guess he's just about perfect. I wonder if his wife knows this?

Look closely in the left corner of the photo ~ they've stuck Angie Irick in the back corner far away from the food.

Thanks Keith and JD. It was a blast this morning and I can't wait to see you again in August. I'll bring food again and I promise some good desserts for JD this time!