Sunday December 20th.

Scott and I visited the NW for an early Christmas and got into a conversation about Texas Food! It is interesting to learn what people think of when they think of our new state! Frankly I don't think I've eaten more meat since arriving in TX.....but it got me thinking about BBQ. So the Sunday after I got back I decided to make big juicy burgers for the Sunday staff meal.

The menu ended up being pretty fun! I made coffee-rubbed cheeseburgers with Texas BBQ sauce, coleslaw, and maple baked beans!



Coffee rub:
1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Burgers:
8 slices applewood-smoked bacon
8 all-beef patties
8 slices smoked provolone, smoked caciocavallo, or smoked Gouda cheese (about 8 ounces)
8 potato-bread hamburger
8 slices red onion
8 slices tomato

Texas BBQ Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 chipotle chile from canned chipotle chiles in adobo,* minced with seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup and all remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until reduced to 1 1/3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. do ahead Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.

Sunday November 29th.

Chicken and Fennel Salad Sandwiches with a raspberry & rhubarb sauce, grapes, and brownies



I cheated a bit on this one....I cooked the chicken in the crock pot, shredded it and added the rest of the ingredients!

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and cooled, then lightly crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil
3 cups finely chopped fennel bulb

I made the raspberry rhubarb sauce by combining raspberry preserves and food processed rhubarb! Any jam would go great with this sandwich! It is just nice to have a little bit of sweetness to balance the fennel! YUM!

November 15th Staff Lunch

mmmmm. Houston weather is to say the least, "foreign" to me. I am use to (well let me check the weather today in Seattle) a high of 49 degrees this time of year. Although, the staff doesn't seem to mind when I continue to serve soup and chili on Sundays, even though it is still in the 70s here!! They all love it! I guess it's still Autumn....and they deserve the taste of FALL the same way Seattleites do!!! Staff lunch on November 15th, I served a Chicken Tortilla Soup, spicy black beans with chorizo and chipotle cream, homemade tortilla chips and Mexican cinnamon and chocolate shortbread with pepitas (pumpkin seeds!)

Water Deep dinner.

Back on October 21st, the band Water Deep came to play at TAFT. I was asked to cater their meal for them, and was handed my first rider. It was in writing that then would like a non-red meat option, two veggies, a green salad, dinner roll and dessert!



I decided that I would make Indian food for them!! So on this plate, we have Chicken Tikka Masala, roasted cauliflower, indian spiced carrot soup (2nd veggie), cucumber salad, homemade Naan and chai cupcakes! It ended up feeding around 20 people! One gal even said she was really in the mood for Indian food and was so excited that I had "ordered" some.....then she was informed that I made it! It was a great compliment and she didn't even know it! If you haven't already heard of Water Deep, you should check them out. It was the most beautiful music to listen to after a days work done.....oh wait there is still clean up.

so far, so far

78 days ago we got in the car, and started heading South. WE HAVE COME SO FAR. We traveled over 2,400 miles to get from our home in Seattle......all the way to our destination, Houston TX. We knew what Scott would be doing when we arrived, but we had no clue what my day to day life would look like. Our only plan for me, was to take a much needed break (from life) and with time on my side, explore the worlds of fashion and food! I must say that we have a winner. I've always been drawn to many different art forms, but one has definitely started to truly blossom. I have just been hoping a praying that my talents would be used to bring joy to people.....from the response I've been getting lately, I think my prayers have been answered.

A few Sundays after we moved in to our beautiful new home, I volunteered myself to cater the staff lunch on Sundays Ecclesia! I knew I could do it for less money than a restaurant, and I knew it would be great experience for me....sort of like Cote's wedding! Only I am feeding maybe 30 people on any given Sunday, compared to the 110 at Tim and Cote's wedding.....oh yeah and I have an oven and refrigerator!!

I thought I would just use this first blog entry to catalog what I have done SO FAR....

September 20th

Gyros (homemade meat and taziki sauce), falafel, hummus, and feta-jalapeno dressing for the Greek salad!

Needless to say, I won them over....they would let me do it again!

October 4th

Bourbon-Mango pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob with cilantro-lime butter, sweet potato and poblano salad with honey and rosemary, and snickerdoodles!

BOURBON-MANGO PULLED PORK

1 bag frozen mango
4 lb. Pork shoulder
2 T. ground black pepper
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. chipotle chili powder
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 cups water
1 t. chipotle chili powder
2 t. honey
1.5 oz bourbon whiskey
1 (12 oz) bottle BBQ sauce

Put pork in slow cooker with black pepper, salt and 1 t. chili powder. Pour in balsamic and water. Low 5-8 hours. Puree mango until almost smooth. Pour into a saucepan with honey, 1 t. chili powder and whiskey. Bring to a simmer until darkened. Stir in BBQ sauce remove from heat. Drain pork, shred. Add all together. Cook on high 1-2 hours.


SWEET POTATO & POBLANO SALAD WITH HONEY & ROSEMARY

2 T. Honey
1 1/2 T. White wine Vinegar
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
1 T. minced shallots
2 t. Dijon mustard
dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 lbs. Red skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise.
Canola oil for brushing
2 fresh poblano chiles, seeded & diced
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced diagonally 1/4 cup Italian parsley

Wisk first 6 ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook potatoes in pot until just tender. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Brush with oil, salt and pepper and grill them on the bbq. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Grill chile. Place chile, potatoes, onions and parsley in bowl drizzle with dressing. Toss. Serve at room temp!




October 18th

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough, three bean and pesto salad, and award winning chocolate chip cookies!



November 8th


Pumpkin and turkey chili, buttermilk cornbread with jalapeno butter, rosemary and brown butter applesauce and big soft ginger cookies.

PUMPKIN TURKEY CHILI

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash salt
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.


ROSEMARY & BROWN BUTTER APPLESAUCE

3 cups unsweetened apple juice
3 4-inch fresh rosemary sprigs
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks
3 1/2 pounds Braeburn apples or other tart-sweet apples, peeled, quartered, cored, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 12 cups)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine first 3 ingredients and large pinch of salt in large pot. Boil until juice is reduced by half. Mix in apples. Cover; cook over medium heat until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Uncover and, if necessary, cook until liquid evaporates. Discard rosemary and cinnamon.
Melt butter in small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until butter browns, stirring occasionally. Mix brown butter into applesauce. The apples may need to be mashed up a bit!! Enjoy!



There are a few more "feeding the masses" events that I will share with y'all tomorrow!