BBQ Quesadillas

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the extended hiatus. Travel and watching my weight plays a huge part in deciding which celebrity recipes to test. My boyfriend and I are going to try to watch what we eat, so I've decided to try to pick some recipes that don't go crazy with butter, fats, creams, etc. You get the drift. Also, I'm trying a recipe tonight from a chef I've never watched but who appears to be quite popular, and whose beautiful bamboo reversible cutting board I got for Christmas from my son. Curtis Stone. Take Home Chef! Now, I sifted through his recipes and I found a couple that, well, I don't feel deserve to take up space in a cookbook.

The recipe book is called "Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone; recipes to put you in my favorite mood". Beautiful hardcover, lots 'o recipes from breakfasts and brunches to entrees, sides and desserts. As I'm flipping through the pages, I come across "Watermelon with fresh mint and lime" - 4 ingredients: can you guess??? Watermelon, lime, mint and 1/3 cup sugar. So, why does this deserve two full pages? Beautiful picture of an oval shaped watermelon with mint and lime zest but I thought to myself, geesh, I hope this chef has more to offer than that!

So, tonight I've chosen:

Barbeque Chicken Quesadillas

To be frank, I chose this because I have some tortillas at home that need to be used or else they are garbage, so that's my primary reason. Second, it's bbq chicken smothered in cheese. Ok, so I should be really smothering my food in cheese if I'm watching my weight but the good news is that the recipe calls for 1 tortilla and you fold it over, so no need to make a 10" quesadilla with a top and bottom tortilla! Plus, I'm using low-fat marble cheese. Rest assured, I'm not going to go crazy with this. It appears to be a simple recipe with chicken, cheese, cilantro, jalepeno and bbq sauce. I have everything on hand so I'm good to go!

Let's give Curtis a test and see how yummy this recipe is, shall we?

This is a super simple recipe. I laid out the tortillas, put the chicken on, the cheese, cilantro, jalepeno and bbq sauce, grilled them until the cheese melted.... Voila!

So, now we're sitting down to eat and I await the verdict from my boyfriend nd my son....

Boyfriend: It's good. Ahhh, yum. That's really good!

Son: It's really good, I like it. Good thing there's another one for me!

I totally agree! This is very yummy! I would put a bit more bbq sauce in there and maybe melt some cheese on top. Delicious! And simple!!! I made some salsa the other night and it's complimenting this recipe very nicely.

The boys are off for their seconds! That's always a good sign.

No picture again because it was eaten too fast to get a shot.

I give this a 4 1/2 out of 5. I think it could use a bit more of the ingredients I mentioned above but it's very good. I don't know if I'm in the mood that Curtis Stone loves to be in, I feel full, is that his favorite mood?

Cheers everyone... Until next time...

Colleen

Celebrity Free Week!

Hi everyone,

The past week has been celebrity recipe free, due to my travel schedule. However, I have been cooking but I've been trying to use up what I have in my fridge and my pantry without having to buy extra unique ingredients. So, I've been cooking from my "New Chatelaine Cookbook" that I've had since it's publication in 1992. It's an 18 year old cookbook but it's always served me well. Let me tell you what I've made from it this past week:

1. Superb Beef Bourguignonne. My oh my, this was the most delicious beef bourguignonne that I have EVER made. 2 cups of red wine (my own home made California dry) was, in my opinion, the key ingredient to this outstanding dish. It simmered for 2 1/2 hours and the beef was so tender and juicy at the end. It made enough for 6 servings and it was even better the next day. I had all the ingredients on hand which made me quite happy. The smell of simmering beef in red wine was to die for. I highly recommend this recipe and if anyone wants it, let me know and I'll post it.

2. Giant Oatmeal Cookies. Winner!! I didn't actually make them into 13 giant cookies but I made 32 medium sized ones and holy moly, they are scrumptious! I couldn't stop eating the batter it was so buttery creamy! I suppose I could have made another 5 cookies but, alas, the batter was being depleted quickly into my stomach. Another great recipe from this cookbook.

3. Outstanding Greek Salad. Pretty tasty. I had to buy feta cheese, pita bread, and anchovy paste but that was it. I had everything else on had. It was quite good. The pita chips were deliciously baked with melted butter and parsley to a beautiful golden crispness. Tossed with the marinated tomatoes and salad dressing, I feel those really made the salad. Taking a bite of everything and making sure there is a bit of pita and feta in your mouth, it was very, very good.

I'm traveling again soon so I'm not sure exactly when I'll be tackling another celebrity recipe, but rest assured, I've got plenty of ammunition to work with and I'll hunt one down that is a challenge and weigh in on the results.

If anyone is interested in trying out the recipes, let me know and I'll send along the details. If you do make it, let me know how it turns out. I'd love to hear if people feel the same way about them that I do and if their experiences are similar.

Cheers!

Colleen

Breakfast Casserole - Results

Good morning! I have to admit, the kitchen did smell quite yummy with Paula Deen's "Breakfast Casserole" baking in the oven. I could smell the cheese melting and cooking. It took an hour at 350 degrees. Perfect for those mornings when you're not quite sure when everyone will be up. So it turned out that as everyone got up, breakfast was going to be ready in only 15 minutes.

The results: Mom-in-law and Dad-in-law really enjoyed it and asked for the recipe. My boyfriend really liked it too.

It was indeed juicy - bread soaked with milk and eggs, puffed up with saugage hidden in and cheese beautifully melted on top. I will admit that it was good. Personally, there was something lacking. Perhaps the sausage could have been spicy rather than mild. Yes, I think that's it. But for those with a less spicy palate, I suppose it was delicious.

All in all, it's a great recipe for company, especially preparing it the night before. And the whole prep took less than 30 minutes.

I forgot to take a picture of it. Too preoccupied with company perhaps. My apologies everyone. But, trust me, it looked fab. I will honor this recipe with a 4 out of 5 stars.

Check in again to see what recipe I'll be challenging in my ever busy kitchen!

Cheers!

Colleen

Breakfast Prep

Folks, tonight is the night. To prepare breakfast for tomorrow! A few years ago, my sister made the most delicious breakfast casserole one night and the next morning we indulged. Bread soaked in spices and juices and sausage linked in. Mmmmm. I never got the recipe from her but I happened upon something quite similar from the Queen of Southern Cuisine.. Paula Deen. This particular recipe is from "Christmas with Paula Deen" and it's literally filled with goodies. This will be the first time I try anything from the southern belle, but I'm excited. Everything she does is with so much love you just can't help but feel that whatever it is, it's gonna be good. As I mentioned yesterday, the in-laws and my son are here for the weekend. So I've decided to try out this particular recipe from Paula Deen...

Breakfast Casserole

I've got to prepare everything tonight and let it soak up all the goodness. Then, in the morning, it bakes for an hour and the house is supposed to smell quite yummy, according to Paula. So, for this blog, I won't be able to show a picture today. I'll get the finished goods tomorrow morning.

Mom-in-law is currently cooking the sausage which is one of the things I had to buy for this recipe. I also had to get some cheddar cheese. But that's it! So, pretty simple ingredients for a proposed scrumptious breakfast.

I'll be back in a while when things are underway...

Right off the bat, I need 4 eggs and 2 cups of milk and 1 pound of sausage. Can you spell "high cholesterol" with me??

Guess what? We're finished! It took less than 30 minutes to get from beginning to end. It's in the fridge now, soaking up deliciousness, waiting to be devoured tomorrow morning.

Have a great night everyone and I'll be back to let you know how it turns out and what everyone thought of Paula Deen's "Breakfast Casserole".

Cheers!

Colleen

Skewered Chicken

Folks, it's Friday night and I'm in the mood for some easy cookin'. I'll confess, I've never tried anything from this celebrity chef because her recipes always seem so rich and high in cholesterol, fat and everything else that's detrimental to your health. But they also seem so delicious. So, Ina Garten, the "Barefoot Comtessa", I'm giving you a whirl tonight. She's got great screen presence and you know she just loves to cook. She so delightful. I've chosen a recipe from her book, "Family Style". It got 98 reviews on food.tv. I didn't bother to read them all but there was definitely some good and bad reviews. But, as you all know, I'll be the judge of this recipe - thoroughly! Here it is:

Parmesan Chicken Sticks

The first great thing about this recipe is that I didn't have to buy anything at all. Everything was either in my pantry, fridge, or freezer. Yay! So, I'm getting my chicken prepared. I need to bread it. This recipe, at first sight, appears to be fairly simple. Let's just hope the simplicity doesn't mean that the flavour lacks!

The news of the night is that my son is hanging out with us for the weekend. So, it's not really any surprise to me that I've chosen something similar to chicken fingers. His favorite. He just cut the chicken into thick strips. I've got the rice steaming and the peas warming.

Here we go. Time to drench the chicken strips in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the parmesan mixture. I've got to fry them up in a mixture of butter and olive oil.

Cooking Tip: Do NOT be afraid to cook with olive oil and butter. It truly brings out flavor in the food and provides a beautiful crispness as well.

Ok, it smells delish! I just flipped the first couple of chicken pieces and they are gorgeously bronzed. Perfect. This is a very quick dish. Much quicker than the "30 minute meal" from last week. Remember that shrimp disaster??

Everything is on the plates. We're now waiting for the final word from my son and my boyfriend.....

Boyfriend: Pretty bland. Really boring. It doesn't even activate my saliva glands, that's how boring it is. (Ouch.)

Son: Juicy. I wish it was deep fried. It doesn't have much to it. Taste like chicken and breadcrumbs.

Me: I concur with the boys. I put a bit of plum sauce on my plate and that seems to help.


Well folks, another recipe that just doesn't hit the mark. Have a look. It might look full of flavour, but it's deceiving.

I give this a 2 out of 5 stars. I wouldn't make it again.

People, I'm 1 for 4 now. Let's review the past 4 recipes:

Giada Recipe # 1: Excellent. This is something that I would make at least once a month.
Giada Recipe # 2: Not bad. I wouldn't make those cookies again. I've had better.
Rachel Recipe # 1: Yuck, yuck, yuck. Please do NOT make this. Definitely not deserving of being in a cook book.
Ina Recipe # 1: Bland. Even though it was a quick meal and I didn't have to buy any extra ingredients, it turned out boring. Pass the plum sauce!!

Now, I just got 2 new Gordon Ramsay cookbooks, "Healthy Appetite" and "Cooking for Friends". I breezed through "Cooking for Friends" and I can tell you, right off the bat, I'm disappointed in the sheer absurdity of the ingredients.

Let me elaborate: rabbit legs, goat shoulder, duck eggs. Do you think if I ask the butcher, he just might have some rabbit legs in the back to wrap up for me? How about a goat shoulder? I highly doubt it. I'm going to choose something from Gordon for my next meal. I have to really review these because many of the ingredients are either unavailable or absolutely, without a doubt, something I wouldn't be interested in making.

The in-laws are visiting this weekend and I'll be making a little something from Paula Deen. It's a breakfast dish that can be prepared the night before so the bread can soak up the goodies and puff up. I'll let you know how that goes. So, Paula Deen and Gordon Ramsay, you're next on my list of recipe testing!

Cheers everyone!

Colleen

Shrimp night!

Tonight is shrimp night. I'm a bit hesitant because... I don't eat seafood. Well, to be clear, I only eat traditional fish and chips and that is typically haddock. But it's drenched in batter and deep fried and my brain tells me that I'm not tasting any fish, but simply the delicious combination of batter mix and hot oil. For the purpose of this challenge that I have taken upon myself, I am determined to have a more open mind and am willing to try pretty much everything - within reason. I'm sure you understand what I mean. No exotic pets, nothing that is also considered a human organ, and other things I can't think of at the moment because the thought is too frightening.

I've chosen a recipe from the cute and bubbly Rachael Ray's "Express Lane Meals". I'm going to be brutally honest, I've made recipes from Rachael Ray before, without much success. I have found that the cooking is, well, too quick. Food, in my opinion, needs tender loving care when being put together and frankly, I enjoy my time in kitchen and I'm never in a rush. I don't like to feel rushed when I'm cooking. I did make a blackened chicken pizza of hers once that was very good, but that's about it. So, I'm giving her a shot tonight with:

Spicy Black bean Soup with Limed-Up Shrimp

I have mostly everything required: EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), onion, garlic cloves, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, limes, black beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, and hot sauce. I had to buy the jumbo shrimp, heavy cream, and parsley. So, I spent only about $5.00 for this meal. It's a 4 serving meal and takes about 30 minutes to cook. I don't think that counts the prep.

My boyfriend will be helping in the kitchen tonight. Oh, that reminds me, we saw Leap Year last night and it was adorable! The theatre was packed! Mostly women and young girls, but I saw a couple of older men, some really young guys (I'm sure just because the girls were going) and another man or two, same age as my boyfriend. It's a totally typical romantic comedy and Amy Adams is cute and Matthew Goode is hot. Tall, dark, handsome, and hot. I recommend everyone see it for a lighthearted romance and a night on the town.

Back to work. I'm going to get into the kitchen and get my things in order. One thing I disagree with (unless your a true chef) is a description of measurements that she uses - palmfuls. People's palms are different sizes. I mean, if I asked my boyfriend to put 2 palmfuls of chili powder in the pot, I'd probably end up with 3-4 because his palms are bigger. So, I don't think those comments should be made. I understand she's probably wanting you to feel like your a chef, but I think you can only make those types of measurements after many, many years of practice and truly, knowing your hand and what capacity it can hold!

Ok, I'll be back.... People, I just peeled 16 jumbo shrimp! You don't understand. I've NEVER done that before! Funny the things that run through your mind when you've done something for the first time. All I could think about was evolution. How come these things never made it past what they are? Food for thought. Literally.

This is definately going to take longer than 30 minutes. I've just finished preparing the shrimp and the marinade and that took 15 minutes. Now I'm starting on the soup.

The recipe calls for a 14-oz can of "fire-roasted tomatoes". I couldn't find them so I have to substitute regular tomatoes.

The marinading shrimp smells yummy, I have to admit. Garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and lime zest are probably what I'm smelling... right?

Ahh, the smell of onions and garlic cooking in the pot really brings the kitchen alive. It's like it's telling everyone that something tasty is on the way!

So, on another note, my boyfriend has just finished fixing the dishwasher. Yes, he had all the parts laid out on the kitchen floor as I was working on supper. It's now humming along nicely. He's so talented!

It's now 1 hour into the process and my soup hasn't even started bubbling yet. So how am I supposed to (theoretically) get this on the table for my family in 30 minutes? That, I can officially state, is not the case with this recipe. Plus, there is enough soup in that pot to feed no less than 6 people! There's a ton in there. Another note, the recipe states that the soup will thicken when I mash 1/2 of the black beans. This will help with the presentation of the dish which is to put the shrimp in a "standing" position in the centre of the soup. We'll soon see about that.

My boyfriend says it smells delicious! He tasted the shrimp by itself and feels that it's too limey. He doesn't taste the shrimp at all. Now, everything smells divine, but does it taste that way?

As you can see in the picture, the soup didn't thicken at all,thus, the shrimp didn't stand up. The shrimp is for sure spicy, nice. I'm eating it. The soup has a nice creamy tomato taste. It's spicy as well because of the chili powder and cumin.

People, this is definitely NOT worth the over 1 hour effort it took to cook. The shrimp didn't cook to the point where, being butterflied, it would actually "stand up" in the soup. I would not make this recipe again, nor would I recommend it to anyone. Perhaps the shrimp alone with less lime zest, but then, that would just make it regular shrimp, now wouldn't it? So, as I mentioned in the beginning, I've never really had much success with Rachael Ray's recipes. That doesn't mean that I won't challenger her again, but this one shouldn't have been published.

So, sorry to say, this recipe is only worthy of 2 out of 5 stars.

Have a great weekend everyone and we'll be touch with the next Celebrity Chef Recipe Test!

Cheers!

Colleen

Solo Indulgence

Tonight, I'm alone. Not truly alone, I have Mac and Tucker, our 3 1/2 year old yellow and black labs to keep me company. Not to mention my 14 year old Maine Coone cat, Jasmine. Oops, she's only 13 years and 9 months. No sense in making her older than she is, she'll give me an attitude. My boyfriend is off for wings with a friend so I thought I would take this "me-time" to indulge. Thus, I've chosen to continue with Giada De Laurentiis' "Family Dinners" cookbook and make some cookies. mmmmmmmmm The cookies she made for her own wedding no less.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Hazelnuts

I have pretty much most of the ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, chocolate chips (really, who doesn't have a steady supply of chocolate chips on hand??). So I had to purchase old-fashioned oats, hazelnuts and skor bits. These three items, in the quantities I need for the recipe, only cost about $5.50. The recipe states it makes 48 cookies. I think it is pretty cheap. So, I'm going to get my stuff together and start baking. Join me! For some extra inspiration, I've got Daughtry's "Leave this Town" CD playing. He's awesome!

So, the first thing I have to do is toast and husk the hazelnuts. That's going to take 5-10 minutes @ 400'. So, while that's preheating, I'm going to get my other ingredients in place. (Mac and Tucker are both laying in the kitchen and I have to walk over them all the time! But they're too cute to move.)

Baking Tip: Always measure and level your baking ingredients. Baking is a precise science. There's a reason why specific measurements are called for. Level your flour, baking powder, whatever you have to. Very important.

Last year, I treated myself to a KitchenAid Mixer. I can't believe how I did without it for so many years! It's a truly amazing machine. Let it whip!!!

The dry and wet ingredients have been mixed separately. I'm still waiting for the hazelnuts to toast and I still have to husk them. But, did you know... somewhere in the world, if you crack and egg and a piece of the shell breaks off into your baked goods, that means good luck?

To husk the hazelnuts, I followed the directions. Simply roll a few of them in your hands and let the skin fall off! Works perfectly. It's still ok to have a bit of the skin on them.

People, if you've ever had a Ferroro Rocher chocolate ball... well... I'm making the cookie version of it. The cookie dough is to DIE FOR!! OMG. I'll be lucky if I actully bake the cookies before I eat the entire bowl of dough! The chopped hazelnuts and the chocolate chips.... mmmmmmm.

Ok, the first 30 cookies are in the oven. 15 minutes to wait..... Ok, you didn't just see my hand dip into the dough again. Close your eyes.

Dishes are done. And just to keep you all posted, Tucker (black lab) has moved out of the kitchen. Apparently, I was bothering him with my baking. Plus, he was probably tired of waiting for something (aka: treats) to fall on the floor.

The house smells like a cookie factory. The cookies look like little treasures that you place in your mouth for safekeeping. mmmmmm.

No, I didn't just take another bite of cookie dough. Have some faith!

I have been able to make over 60 cookies with this recipe. It states 4 dozen but there's so much dough.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has come. After the first bite, making sure that I have a bit of everything in my mouth.... they are delightful. However, I wonder if the dough doesn't have more flavour than the cookie?? It seems that if you don't have a piece of chocolate, hazelnut, and skor in your mouth, there's a bit of flavour lacking. I guess the solution is to make sure when you're putting the tablespoonfuls of dough on the baking sheet, there is a bit of everything in it. Otherwise, they are really nice cookies. I can't say that I'm as over excited about them as I was about the salad last night, but they are still worthwhile. And since the batter makes 60+ cookies, it's a good recipe for larger parties or giving as gifts.

I'll give these a 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Okay, tomorrow, I'm taking the day off from cooking and going to see my favorite actress, Amy Adams in her new movie "Leap Year". Yes, that's right, I'm forcing my boyfriend to take me to dinner and a chick flick. Haven't seen one in a while and the time has come.

Take care everyone. Stay tuned for the next adventure in my kitchen when I challenge a celebrity recipe.

Cheers!

Colleen

Salad night!

So the process has begun. Join me as I work through this recipe and detail the progress. The first thing I have to say is that the recipe states at the top that it's "6 servings" and then further down, it says to mound the salad on "4 plates". Error! That means that the per serving cost is different. Turns out it's $3.62 per serving. That's still ok. But that typo should have been caught. If someone simply looked at the top to determine the servings of the recipe, knowing that they would have 6 people for dinner, they wouldn't have enough salad.

The second thing is, please, please wear gloves when peeling and cutting the beets. Bloody messy! I took the hint after my first beet. The redness wears off slowly so it's not terrible, but you wouldn't want to get any on your clothes.

The beets are currently in the oven roasting for 30 minutes as per the first portion of the recipe. I need to cut the avocado. Be back in a bit..... The recipe calls for 1/2 an avocado. I wonder what I should do with the other 1/2? I mean, I realize I can put the whole thing in there but, this is a pet peeve of mine. Why ask for 1/2 of anything like an avocado if you don't have anything else to do with it? It'll just go bad.

The smell of the beets roasting is delicious! I've just taken the foil off to allow them to caramelize and the smell is drifting everywhere. Yummy.

I love toasted nuts. I just toasted the walnuts on the stove for 5 minutes and the kitchen is smelling divine now.

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW

This was a fabulous dish! My boyfriend and I absolutely loved it. Creamy and crunchy, sweet and bitter, salty and sweet. Everything for a perfect marriage of flavour. Having a bite of goat cheese with everything is awesome. Putting a mixture of everything in your mouth is the best. It can easily be made into 2 servings and therefore turned into an entree. Very filling with just enough room for dessert! It didn't even feel like it took long time to make either because the smell of the roasting beets led to the anticipation of putting it in your mouth. It was all good!

I give this recipe 5 stars (out of 5). Highly recommended.

Stay tuned while I contemplate the next recipe!

Cheers!

Colleen

Ingredients bought

Got the ingredients I need. Beets - $5.98; dried cranberries - $2.99; Arugula - $3.49; avocado - $1.49; and shallots - $0.56. Grand total = $14.51 for a salad that is supposed to serve 6 people. That's $2.42 per person. Let's not forget that I have at least half of the other ingredients in my pantry and that cost is not factored.

Whatever you do, do NOT leave the beets in a vehicle with the windows rolled up for ANY period of time. I did that today and when I got back to my SUV, it smelled like a garbage dump! I'm contemplating leaving a window slightly open tonight to get the stench out!

I'm very excited to make this recipe mainly because I haven't cooked with beets before and I've had similar salads at restaurants and they are scrumptious. I also think the great thing about this recipe is that I didn't have to buy anything in bulk quantities and have the rest spoil if I don't use the whole amount. I hate that. Especially if it's a recipe that calls for something really unique that costs alot of money and you only end up using a portion of it. That's not fair.

Well, I shall take photos of the finished product and post as well. Hopefully, everything will be great and I can make a glowing commendation of this salad.

Toodles!

Colleen

Chef Recipe - Selected

After much deliberation, I have chosen my first recipe to test. Albeit an easy one. The main reason for my choice is, as mentioned previously, availability of ingredients and time. Of course, I'm willing to try anything with a little something different as well. So.... from the myriad television chefs I have to choose from, I have made the decision:

Based upon the vast collection of celebrity cook books out there, I've chosen Giada De Laurentiis. I think she's fabulous in many ways. First of all, she's got spunk. She's vibrant, happy, excited, talented, intelligent and easy to watch while she's cooking. She's informative while on her show and I love the way she gives a short description of her recipes in her cookbooks. So, the first recipe I chose is from "Giada's Family Dinners". There are ALOT of recipes in this cookbook. Sometimes it's amazing to me that one chef can come up with so many creations - and this is only ONE of her cookbooks. How many times are these recipes tested and who is testing them? Is it family only and are they providing honest opinions? Probably, but, suffice it to say that I feel there are millions of us out there that may either agree or disagree with the family opinion and we're the ones buying the books, right? So.... here it is...

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Avocado

Yum!! So, I chose this because I love beets and goat cheese and as I looked at the recipe, it's topped with walnuts. It just HAS to be delicious, right? So, here are the ingredients listed that I have in my pantry: balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, black pepper, walnuts, goat cheese. Here are the ingredients I have to buy: shallots, beets, arugula, dried cranberries, and an avocado. Not too bad. Doesn't feel like I have to spend a whole lot of money on this recipe. The dried cranberries can be bought in bulk for any future recipe so that's always good. My only concern is the avocado. I need it peeled and cubed and if I bought it today, I would have to let it sit for at least 2 days to ripen because it's no good to have a hard avocado in your sald. But, let's start with that. (I also had gum grafting today so it's not a good idea to eat anything too hard. The walnuts are small enough to be able to chew on the good side of my mouth.)

It's not a quick salad. The beets have to be roasted for 30 minutes and then carmelized for another 25 minutes. So, it appears to be more of an entree than a regular salad due to the time involved in making it. Once I make it, I'll be back with full details from start to finish from the moment I start chopping to the time I put it in my mouth. I'll also get full detailed opinion from my boyfriend. He's very open and will pretty much eat anything, within reason. So, I will prepare this salad on Wednesday, January 6th and post the results shortly thereafter if not that night.

Cheers!

Colleen

Celebrity Chef Recipe Test - The Challenge

January 2, 2010

Has anyone really tested and tried recipes from celebrity cookbooks? I mean, I know that the celebrity chefs are extremely popular and many of their books are sold but do people really make ALL of the recipes or just the one or two that they saw on tv? These cookbooks could simply be the same as CD's... one or two good songs and the rest are fillers. So, what should be done about this? I think these recipes need testing. And I should be the one to do it. Why, you ask? Who am I? I am someone with a very finicky palate and a love of good food. Note that I am not touting my culinary expertise. I'm someone who adores making deliciously, delectable food for my family. After all, what brings family together more than food? So, my name is Colleen and I'm up to challenge celebrity TV chefs and the many recipes that they present in their vast collections of cookbooks.

I will begin Monday, January 4th after a day of deliberating on which celebrity chef will be the first to be tested. It will be a difficult task to choose, but I will base my choice upon the availability of local ingredients. I don't believe it's fair for chefs to have recipes that call for unusual produce or meats or cheeses, items that may not be readily available to the home chef. I am also not promising to cook a celebrity chef meal every day. This would be impossible (however much I would love to do so, it just cannot be done at this time). I do have a full time job elsewhere and I travel on occasion that would prevent me from being in my comfortable kitchen, mulling over what to cook next.

The recipes will be followed to the letter. I believe in the mise-en-place strategy. Get everything in place before you start. Read over the recipe more than once to ensure that you have the ingredients prepped, the utensils ready and most importantly, the timing. Not reading through the time it takes to cook a meal has been a disappointment for me in the past as I would discover when, after preparing the ingredients, it turns out that the meal wouldn't be ready until much later than expected. That's not good.

I don't have the most expensive pots, pans, ladles, etc., but I have a very nice, reliable collection that has served me well over the years. I may need to purchase a few things here or there, but, in the name of testing the quality and tastefulness of these celebrity chef recipes, I'm ok with that.

Today was the day I decided to do this challenge. The start of a new decade, the start of something fresh in my life. I love cooking and I love writing. What better way to express these but to get everything out on paper (or computer, whatever) on this blog.

So, welcome to my thoughts and my experiences. I hope you enjoy the ramblings of this enthusiastic woman with a passion of all things culinary and literary. I welcome suggestions of recipes if you're afraid to cook it first, I'm your guinea pig to try it and let you know how it goes; of celebrity chefs that you wish me to test; or different international cuisines (provided I can access the ingredients).

Therefore, I shall be back here with my decision on Monday, January 4th, 2010 for those that await with baited breath.

Colleen
Celebrity Chef Recipe Tester