Cheesy vegtable casserole

hi readers, i went to the board members dinner party and everyone brought a dish, i made for them is paula deen's cheesy vegetable casserole. this is something we should make only on holidays, because this has a ton of calories, but its worth it during the holidays spluges. so i enjoy eating it in small amounts, so i hope you enjoy this, bon appiete

Cheesy vegetable casserole

6 large yellow squash. thinly sliced
4 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion chopped
2 cups sliced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz package of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 8 oz can water chestnuts
1 box chicken flavored stuffing mix (6oz)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup crushed ritz butter crackers

preheat oven to 350 spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
in a large pot combine, squash, zucchini, onion, carrot and celery. add water to cover. bring to a boil over medium high heat. reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. drain well. add soups cheeses water chestnuts stuffing mix sour cream and butter. spoon onto prepared casserole dish top with crushed crackers
bake for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly, serve immediately.

Cooking class with top pastry chef Marisa churchill

hello bloggers, 2 wedensdays ago myself and my best friend becky went to this fun cooking class with top cheftestant aka top pastry chef from season 2 Los Angeles Marisa churchill, she is know for her baking, she came out with a cookbook called Sweet and skinny, she tells you how much calories are her recipes are in, so they are low fat and they taste sweet too! so go grab a copy at barnes and nobles i already got one, becky has one, and shes giving it to her friend jessica, so i hope you enjoy this fabuous cookbook! yum-o!

cinnamon sugar Sweet potato oven fries

hi readers, myself and my parents home smells like cinnamony so im making sweet potato fries for me and mom and its going to be serve over maple mayo. so i dont dip my fries in ketchup i like to dip mine with mayo which an idea i got from the brits, but love ketchup on sandwiches though, so i hope you enjoy this recipe and get cooking

Cinnamon sugar sweet potato oven fries

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into french fry shapes
2 tbl oil
2 tbl cinnamon sugar mixture

preheat oven to 400 degrees
in a bowl mix cut up sweet potatoe, oil and cinnamon sugar mixture and toss with your hands until well combined. then transfer in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
bake for 35 minutes until golden browned.
in a meanwhile mix 1/4 cup mayonniase and 2 tbl maple syrup and serve with the fries.

tip: if your fries dont get crispy just turn oven on to broiler and it will get crispy~

NEW Winter-spring Cooking classes Events AT Draegers and Kaiser

hi all, some of my chef instructors at draegers who are also mentors are offering new classes this january season! im also going to announce that Kaiser South san francisco medical hospital is also going to have a series of cooking classes for not people cooking healthy, but for foodies as well, so i invite you to go to some of the classes, thats where most of the culinary ideas come from, so it also builds a community and you of course can make new friends that lasts a lifetime, so heres what im taking this year ok, so i'll give you the preview~ so i hope to can see in some of the couses, the kaiser ssf classes will be out after december 4th just so you know thank you for being patience!

Parisian Macaron Workshop
Mark Hodgson
San Mateo
Saturday, January 21, 2012 , 11 am
(Hands On) $70.00

Total Spaces Available: 18
Class Code: SM0121

Basic Techniques
Fillings
Flavorings
Tips and Troubleshooting
*this class is great for bakers who want to prepare more than just cookies and cupcakes, so i will be there for that class with the city college chef instructor

Pop Stars' Favorite Foods (Ages 7-12)
Scott Davis
San Mateo
Sunday, February 12, 2012 , 10 am–noon
(Hands On) $65.00

Total Spaces Available: 16
Class Code: SM0212

Selena Gomez—Fried Dill Pickles
Eminem—Mexican Bean Salad
Justin Timberlake—Cheese and Pork Ravioli with Herbed Butter
Taylor Swift—Cheesecake Cupcakes
Ages 7–12. Attendance is for children only. not a parent child class
*i am going to chat with my brother casey Green about signing my Nephew Tyler up for this POP Musicians Favorite foods, i will be there, but not allowed to take it with him.

Yoga Workshop & Lunch
Sitarani Brian , Giselle Mari
San Mateo
Saturday, March 3, 2012 , 11 am–1:45 pm
(demo) $50.00

Total Spaces Available: 21
Class Code: SM0303

Bring your sticky mat and towel for a 75-minute Jivamukti yoga class (all levels), followed by an 80-minute cooking demonstration. Yoga session is optional.

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Sage
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Walnuts
Orange-Scented Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
*this class is a both cooking and exerise program and i think i'll use this for my healthy living skills

Spring Into Freshness
Sam Lippman
San Mateo
Saturday, March 10, 2012 , 11 am
(demo) $50.00

Total Spaces Available: 40
Class Code: SM0310

Shaved Asparagus Salad with “Pine Nut Parmesan”
Whirled Pea Dip with Buckwheat Flatbread
Creamy Parsnip Soup
Sunflower Croquette with Cashew Aioli
Cauliflower and Oyster Mushroom Couscous
Raw Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Raw preparation techniques will be used
*for vegan lovers, this class maybe for you, im just a semi vegetarin that gets to have dairy and cheese, so i will study about this class for some of my vegan loving friends.

Cheese Souffle
Staff Instructor
San Mateo
Saturday, April 14, 2012 , 11 am–12:30 pm
(Hands On) $40.00

Total Spaces Available: 21
Class Code: SM0441

Get down to business in our EXPRESS BASICS classes. Take a quick one-item lesson that includes the tips, tricks and techniques for success. As always, you will enjoy the recipe that has been prepared.
*so if you dont know how to make cheese souffle and are foodies but need that recipe? this is for you, im going to be in that class if i see you so please join for this affordable one step class.

Ode to Nigella
Patience Thien
San Mateo
Friday, April 27, 2012 , 11 am-12:30 pm
(demo) $40.00

Total Spaces Available: 40
Class Code: SM0427

Receive $5 off for each student registering for two Lunch 101 classes. Discount applied only to classes in the same catalog period.

Griddled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Red Chili
Slow-Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken with Couscous Pilaf
Raspberry and Lemongrass Trifle
*this lovely chef patience, who took over terri dien's posistion just over a year ago is a sweet chef and her class is lunchtime course you'll learn from her so i will be in that course too!



Mozzarella Workshop
Maria Capdevielle
San Mateo
Saturday, April 28, 2012 , 11 am
(Hands On) $70.00

Total Spaces Available: 20
Class Code: SM0428

Fresh Handmade Mozzarella
Mozzarella and Artichoke Strata—savory bread pudding
Pane in Carrozza—classic Italian deep-fried cheese bread
Sweet Celery Chutney with Mozzarella
*whats way better than store brand mozzarella right? its homemade and you can do this in your own home, pastry chef who knows a little savory miss Maria teresa will guide you through this project, so feel free to make the mozz and im going to take this course with newer variations

so i will keep you updated with more classes to come ,but this is what i have for now, so take care and happy holidays, chef Ava

Cranberry lime relish

people also asked me for that recipe and on your christmas holiday or the next thanksgiving 2012 how about serving this to your friends and its has that Jalapeno kick, so please enjoy it turkey or ham, so my trick is to add 1/2 cup water to make it a paste if using a blender, if using a food processor i wouldnt add the water, so my advice is not to mess up the recipe, thank you!


cranberry lime relish

Ingredients
1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tsp. chopped, seeded jalapeño chile
1 lime, juiced and zested

Directions:1.In a food processor, pulse the cranberries, brown sugar, onion, jalapeño, lime juice and lime zest until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled

Green bean casserole adapted from a food network magazine

over thanksgivning holiday i made my family this delectable green bean casserole the minute i served it, my family gobbled it up and it was gone in just 30 seconds! whew~! so i had to share the recipe to my fans, it was orignally from a chef on the food network, but tweaked it a bit, so i hope you enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Shallots (or not)

Recipe courtesy Ellie Krieger for Food Network Magazine
but Adapted by Chef Ava Marie.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
6 medium shallots, sliced into rings (about 1 cup (or
just use 1 tin of french fried onions, and skip the first step)
1 1/2 pounds thin fresh string beans or haricots verts, trimmed
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
3 cups low-fat (1 percent) milk or for a richer sauce 2 % milk is my go to
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley or 3 tbl dried parsely flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1/4 cup shallots and cook, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining shallots, cooking 1/4 cup at a time. Reserve the oil in the skillet.


Place the green beans in a steamer basket fitted over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until bright green and still crisp, about 3 minutes.


Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom liquid is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl.


Whisk together the milk and flour until the flour is dissolved. Add the mixture to the skillet and, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, the parsley, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.


Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the green bean mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the top with the crispy shallots and the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until golden on top and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

baked beets

hi bloggers, i am posting this kind of beet recipe, you would enjoy as baked potato, its red, not white, so its good with sour cream and chive and i hope you enjoy.

Baked beets
Recipe adapted from Texas chef Tim love

3-4 beets
1/3 cup canola oil
sea salt and pepper
sour cream, for serving
chopped chives, for serving

preheat the oven to 375 degrees
wash beets and then rub the beets in oil with salt and pepper, then place in a roasting pan and bake for 1 1/2 until tender and roasted, then take out of oven and open and pinch like a baked potato and place a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle some chives, if desired

Gobblewich recipe (perfect leftover rollover)

hi readers, i made my mom and i a gobblewich using whole wheat bread which is lower in carbs, i like it better because its healthy for you, so heres the recipe you can also use leftover turkey and cranberry sauce for this recipe, so here you gou

The Gobbler, adapted from cook this not that cookbook

2 small loaves whole wheat french bread,split open
2-4 slices of turkey
1 avocado, pitted and sliced*
5-6 slices of american or cheddar if you perfer, 3 slices per sandwich
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1/2 cup cranberry sauce

preheat the broiler
arrange spilt rolls onto baking sheet. in a bowl combine cream cheese and cranberry sauce and spread it onto rolls, arrange it with 2 slices of turkey for each roll and 3 slices of cheese for each hoagie, place it under the broiler until melted for 7-8 minutes. (*tip: add a squeeze of lemon juce over sliced avocados to prevent browning and it will be delish) after 8 minutes take it out and place on a cutting board, arrange 4 avocado slices onto each hoagie, and then close the bun on top and cut in half and serve
makes 4 servings

to get this started: Blue chairs Concord grape Jam

Blue Chair's Concord Grape Jam
4 pounds Concord grapes, stemmed
2 1/2 pounds sugar
3 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
Zest of 1/2 orange, finely grated
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice, strained


1.Working over saucepan, squeeze grapes, catching the flesh and juice in pan. Set the skins aside.
2.Over medium heat, bring grapes to a simmer, cover and cook until soft, to 5 minutes. Push through fine strainer; discard seeds.
3.Combine cooked grapes, sugar, lemon juice, orange zest and juice, and grape skins in 11-quart kettle. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until done, stirring frequently, 20 to 30 minutes. Begin testing for doneness after 20 minutes.
4.To test, transfer jam onto a frozen spoon. Freeze for 3 minutes, then remove and tilt the spoon. Jam is done when it doesn't run.
5.Using a stainless steel spoon, skim foam from the surface. Pour into sterilized jars and process according to manufacturer's instructions.

recipe courtesy Rachel saunders, i give all chefs credit!

my homemade gifts that im giving this year!

hi readers, this year im not buying everyone gifts instead im whipping up handmade gifts for friends, neighbors, co-workers and family okay except for mom and dad and my nieces and nephew of course, you should be doing this too to save a lot of money, but recipes will be posted after thanksgiving, so heres my picks for this year

red velvet cake pops
homemade concord grape jam, will post Jam lady rachel's recipe soon
cookies n cream truffles
BBQ Rub
meditereean sea salt and herb rub
peppermint cupcakes
southwestren spice mix
parmesan herb dip mixes
cookies
sage olive baguettes and a lot more!!!

so check back and i will have the recipes after thanksgiving, but l'll give you the jam recipe okay, so take care! Ava

Happy halloween with great last minute ideas!!!

hello readers, i hope youre having a great halloweenie day, its a celebration of the dead, so im going to a party within several hours from now, i have to help my lovely neighborhood children pass out candy and glow in the dark neckleces at the park before the party and i have to go with my dad to judge some pumpkins, and then the party, so if you need last minute ideas, i got them for you, two are mine and 1 is from the chew's co-host clinton kelly, so these 3 appitezers are going to a hit at my friends party, it can be yours too, so feel free to make it at your party, so let's go to the monster bash! enjoy the recipes! hahahahahaha!!!!!

Garlic gucamole
1 avocado, pitted and scooped out
2-3 cloves garlic, minced and can be made as a paste using a cheese grater.
juice of 1 lemon
1 chopped green onion
1 chopped jalapeno
salt and pepper

mash up avocado with the remaining ingredients, mix until smooth and a bit chunky. refridgerate until partys on and serve with tortilla chips

taco bean dip
1 can refried beans
1 pkt 40 % less sodium taco seasoning mix
1 8 oz sour cream
mix together in a bowl and add:
1 avocado
1 chopped green onion
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 can sliced olives
1 chopped tomato.
make sure its all combined well. refridgerate until partys on and serve with tortilla chips.

Mozzarella Eyeballs
Recipe coutesy Clinton kelly from the chew show on
ABC Channel 7
1 pound Bocconcini (Cherry-sized Mozzarella balls)
1 Jar Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives (cut in half)
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Marinara Sauce

In a small saucepan, warm marinara sauce.
Slice top and bottom off of bocconcini of ball to create flat base and flat top. Slice green olive so that pimiento resembles a pupil. Place it on top of mozzarella, flat side facing down, to create "eyeballs."
Pour marinara into an even layer on a platter. Arrange eyeballs in the sauce.
Optional Step: Whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Drizzle over the eyeballs and serve

Halloween Recipes I'm making this year!

hello readers, im making some delicious halloween food for two homes the first one is at my Sister molly Bolich houses and im going to bring them sweet pea, mint and Garlic dip with pita chips and the first half batch of emeril lagasse's pumpkin shaped cheddar cheese crackers. the next day on the spooktackular day for the Algers home down the street from my home im going to make them Butternut pesto casserole and 2nd half of the crackers, so im going to share 2 recipes today and will share the other one on saturday, so feel free to make the recipes at your party and you will dazzle your spooky friends how good you did like chef ava, so please enjoy the first 2 recipes

Pumpkin-shaped Cheddar Crackers
By Emeril lagasse

Ingredients
•1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•1/4 teaspoon table salt
•1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
•1/2 cup unsalted butter
•6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
•2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
•1/4 teaspoon orange food coloring or annatto powder
•Toppings: any combination of whole-seed spices like cumin, fennel, or caraway; fresh herbs like dill, thyme, or rosemary; coarse salt; cracked black pepper; smoked paprika

Instructions
Makes about 30 crackers

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cayenne. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine butter, cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard, and food coloring and mix until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat on low until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and flatten each piece into a disc. Wrap discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. (Dough can also be frozen, up to 1 month.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out dough to 1/4- inch thickness. Using a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, cut out crackers and place on baking sheet. Reroll scraps; if dough becomes too warm to handle, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.

Decorate crackers with spices or herbs, as desired, and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Using a spatula, transfer crackers to a platter and serve.

Cook's Note: The crackers will keep in a sealed container, up to 1 week.

Sweet Pea and Mint Dip
recipe by Amy fothergill
this is origally her recipe, but i like to add at least 2 cloves of
garlic for a halloween treat!

1 lb fresh peas or 1 cup frozen
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Remove peas from their shell. Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until bright green and tender. If using frozen peas, boil for 1 minute. Drain and cool before proceeding to next step. In a processor, or blender, combine peas with olive oil, mint leaves, sea salt and lemon juice. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides and check for seasonings. If it tastes flat, add more lemon or salt to brighten. If it looks stiff, add more oil. Process for 10-20 more seconds. Serve with crackers, homemade crostini or veggies.

Chef’s Tip: If you can’t get fresh peas, using frozen is fine. Don’t use canned. The peas need to be bright green for the best flavor. If you like things a little spicier, add 1-2 cloves of garlic.

Gluten-Free Tip: This dish is naturally gluten-free. Try serving it with brown rice crackers or gluten-free crostini (Mariposa Bakery makes a great version). If serving to someone whose gluten-free diet is strict, talk to them about how to avoid any cross-contamination from other gluten ingredients in your kitchen.

Vegetarin Lasgna roll ups

today i made some vegetarin lasgna roll ups, and its adapted from sandra lee semi homemade money saving meals cookbook and omitted the chicken so vegans would love it, so here it is

Vegetarin lasgna roll ups

12 lasgna noodles
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1 egg beaten
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 tbl minced garlic
1 tsp dried parsely
1 jar marinara sauce
2 cups mozzarella
2 tbl parmesan cheese

prehear oven to 350 in a large pot a water, bring water to a boil and cook lasgana noodles according to box. if youre in a hurry to get dinner on the table heres a quick souliton: lay a pan with uncookd lasgna noodles, then add hot boiling water from your kettle and let it sit for 30 minutes until soft and pliable., then drain and rinse and set aside
in a medium bowl mix ricotta with garlic, dried herbs and beaten egg.
apread about 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan spread each noodle with ricotta mixture then with 3 tbl of mozzarella cheese, roll up like a pinwheel and place it seem side down on a baking sheet. repeat the process until all is used up and then pour the remaining sauce over the roll up noodles
cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle with the parm and bake 10 minutes more! serve hot!

The Autism Chef Inc is Open to South san Francisco Resident!!!

HELLO! WELCOME TO MY COMPANY THE AUTISM CHEFS INC- A PROGRAM THAT TEACHES RESIDENTS SERVING SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, COLMA AND DALY CITY HOW TO COOK IN NO TIME BY A SOUTH CITY'S SPECIAL CHEF WHO WAS BORN WITH AUTISM AT A YOUNG AGE. BUT IS A MIRCLE AND IM NORMAL LIKE ANYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET. SO MY PHILSOPHY IS EASY, GOURMET, HEALTHY AND SUTIABLE FOR ALL INCLUDING THE NOVICE. SO AS OF NOVEMBER MY NEIGHBORS ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT I TEACH. SO HERE ARE SOME BASIC INFORMATION IM ABOUT TO REVEAL.

PRIVATE COOKING EVENT PRICES

FOR 5-10 PEOPLE THE COST IS $15.00
FOR 10-15 PEOPLE, THE COST IS $25.00 PER HOUR
FOR 20-30 PEOPLE THE COST IS $35.00 PER HOUR
FOR 40 OR MORE THE COST IS $50.00 PER HOUR OF SERVICE I TEACH

SO ALSO A WEEK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS I WOULD BEGIN BY PUTTING A %50.00 DEPOSIT SO I CAN BUY THE PURCHESES FOR THE CLASS IN YOUR OWN HOME.

AND NOW HERES MY HOURS OF SERVIES

I AM USALLY AROUND ON MOST WEEKENDS, BUT WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I HAVE PLANS.
I CAN ALSO ACCONADATE SOME FAMILY SUPPERS DURING THE WEEK FOR FAMILIES OF 4-6 PEOPLE, I WILL CHARE $10.00 AN HOUR FOR FAMILY SUPPER SERVICES. AND A $30.00 DEPOSIT FOR THE INSTRUCTOR TO BUY THE INGRDIENTS.

SO IF YOU INTRESTED FOR SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, DALY CITY AND COLMA RESIDENTS ONLY!! PLEASE EMAIL CHEF AVA A CHEFAVAMARIE@HOTMAIL.COM OR go to chef ava marie page on facebook or call her at 650-219-1327 thank you!

Paula Deen's Iced Mocha Frappee

today for breakfast, i was craving for some starbucks, its sounds unhealthy, but coffee has anitoxidents in it, so i was craving for Starbucks frappuchino,so i made my own frappee from scracth so it was from a paula deen cookbook, so dont buy the starbucks frapees anymore! they are too expensive it cost 3.00 a drink, so you will save at least 1.50 per drink so thats half of the savings right there, so i hope you enjoy my recipe and im going to bring my high school bestie stephanie alger some frappee mix i made yesterday, so please make it at home!!!

iced mocha frappee

four 1 oz packets hot cooca mix
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups hot brewed coffee
1 cup half and half or milk (i used milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
reddi whip for serving

stir the hot cocoa and sugar into the coffee until dissloved. pour the mixture into ice cube trays freeze covered for 3 hours or up to 1 week

place the frozen cubes in a blender add cream or milk and vanilla and puree until smooth. divide among tall glasses and serve with whip cream like they do at starbucks

tip: if you want you can drizzle whipped cream with chocolate syrup. so please make this at home!

Annabelle Watts's Vegetable Curry soup

dear fans of chef Ava marie! my best friend Annabelle wanted to share this recipe with me, so im going to share it with all of you, this is also a great dish for vegetarin lovers out there, when we first met working at a special needs camp, heres a bit of history about friendship right here "she never cooked until she met me, i gave her a few tip and here it is, she knows how to make good food now, so if you ask her about me?? she will tell you about it, im also going to see you a pic she send me from boston how she made it and here you go" so i hope you enjoy this recipe and im for sure going to try this our, probley not my parents, but on neighbors down the street, so cheers to you and all!

Annabelle Watts's Vegetable Curry Soup (soooo yummy!!!)
2 tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 large carrot, cut into thin sticks
1 zucchini, cut into thin sticks
4 oz broccoli (1 large bushel), cut into florets
4 cups vegetable stock (we substituted this with chicken broth)
1 3/4 cups coconut milk (we used lite coconut milk)
3-4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. red curry paste (we substituted this with curry powder)
2 oz/55 g. rice noodles
4 oz or 3/4 cup of bean sprouts
4 tbsp. cilantro

side note: I cooked the rice noodles first then drained them in cold water and set them aside to be put in the soup later.

- Heat the oil in a wok or large skilled and stir-fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the carrot, zucchini, and broccoli and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
- Pour in the stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
- Add soy sauce, curry paste, and noodles, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the bean sprouts and cilantro and serve immediately.
- ENJOY!

Paula Deens chicken nuggets

today my nephew's 5th birthday, i made him some chicken nuggets made with sour cream and onion potato chip coating, im going to let him eat it very soon,so take care!

chicken nuggets

2 cups crushed sour cream and onion potato chips
1 egg
2 tbl milk
1 package chicken tenders, cut into cubes
1/3 cup butter

preheat oven to 350. spread crushed potato chips in a shallow dish. beat together egg/milk in a shallow bowl. dip chicken cubes in egg then dredge them into the chip mixture. place chicken nuggets on a baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter. bake for 15-18 minuttes or until cooked through and golden brown. the chicken nuggets can be frozen after baking. serve with ranch dressing, bbq sauce or honey mustard!

enjoy!

Rachael Ray's Tango sloppy Joes

hi friends, this recipe is from rachael ray, a talk show host and chef, so i whipped up one of her recipes and it turned out excellent, so i hope you enjoy this recipe and im also going to post spike Mendelsohn's Red velvet brownies, so make this any day of the week, using ground sirloin, turkey or chicken, in this case i used 80/20 ground beef,it gave it a ton a flavor, so enjoy!

Tango Joes
Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
2 pounds lean, ground sirloin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs oregano, leaves removed and roughly chopped
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
1 cup (a couple handfuls) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons (3 splashes) red wine vinegar (eyeball it)
1 small, 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons (about 3/4 palmful) smoked paprika
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 Portuguese rolls, toasted
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation

Preheat a large sauté pan over high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Cook the ground sirloin until browned, 7-8 minutes. Once the meat is brown, season it with salt and pepper.

While the meat is browning, add the oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic and onion to a food processor and pulse the machine to finely chop everything. With the machine running, stream in the vinegar and remaining 1/2 cup of EVOO. Season the herb sauce (in Argentina this is called a chimichurri) with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add half of the chimichurri to the skillet with the meat, mix to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Add the sauce to the pan, then bring everything up to a bubble and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
To serve, spread the remaining chimichurri on the toast bun tops and spoon the Tango Joes onto the bottoms. Replace the tops and enjoy!

cooking class highlights: cake pop class at michael's craft store

last thursday night, walked to my first close to home cooking class at michael's Crafts in Colma, nearby colma target and the mexican place, the instructor name was Lisa hernandez and she is a trained pastry chef from California culinary Academy, she gave me some a recipe for chocolate rice crispy dipped lolipop recipe and great tips, she gave me my homework assignment which i have to do is make red velevt brownies or cake if you wish, so im going to make red velvet brownies, and cut them into shape with cookie cutters and she will demo how to make browniescles,it may be in chcolate again, but i hope shes going to demo fondant, i'll see what she does. so i am a baker, cook and canning girl, but dont do much cake decorating, which you have to be a bit calm and patience with skill and creatity, so taking the cakescles class makes me want to decorate more on my desserts so they also offer cake decorating, fondant and gumpaste classes, so please if you would like to take some classes, they are also going to have classes At sugar n' spice in Daly City and its also close to my home. so take care and think about decorating a cake!

Chopped Judgfe Alex Guarnaschelli's Green onion pizza

hi friends and fans, i made this recipe yesterday at home for lunch, i serve it for my sister in law to be liz casco and she loved it, and my brother casey said "i think vegetarins would love this more than meat eaters and im both vegetarin and a meat eater, so when im around friends like julinana, Allie Mckay, Vanessa armstrong and/or Mackenzie. i have to make sure not to eat meat around them and they will respect me, with my meat loving friends/family like casey green, my dad marty, Julie Comart and Annabelle watts they do the same too, so you vegetarins must try this recipe and tell me how it turns out. i use 1 packet betty crocker's pizza crust mix i got at target and you simply follow the package by slowly adding hot water (nor boiling)and mix around, i have a few tricks, one is make sure to flour your cutting board, and knead it, the other is please divide the dough into four pieces. roll it out with rolling pin, it has to stay small okay, and then you got 4 mini crusts. and bake according to package. so she said to use spring onions, but i love scallions or green onions because it packs with flavor, so this is a great day to make this pizza in your next party and it sure is meat free so cheers to you and enjoy!


Spring Pizzas
Recipe courtesy Alex Guarnaschelli for Food Network Magazine

.Prep Time:35 minInactive Prep Time:-- Cook Time:15 minLevel:
EasyServes:
four 6-inch pizzas.Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
6 ounces ramps or scallions, trimmed
Kosher salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Coarse sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Grated parmesan cheese, for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Divide the dough into 4 pieces on a floured surface. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Stretch the dough into four 6-inch rounds; place on the baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12 minutes.


Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Toss the ramps or scallions with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with kosher salt. Saute until just wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into pieces.


Mix the ricotta, lemon zest, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and some sea salt and pepper in a bowl. Brush the crusts with olive oil (this will protect them from getting soggy), then spread with the ricotta mixture and season with sea salt. Top with the ramps or scallions. Return to the oven until warmed through, about 2 minutes.


Top the pizzas with basil, parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

.

canning session for the holidays has begun....

hi there, as you may know im cookin up a storm all september and october with delectable jams, marmalades,preserves and conserves, so this is what youre going to get for christmas this year friends, family co-workers except for the children like ariel age 5, colt age 2 1/2, tyler age 10, gavin age 5, lilly 2 mos, ollie 1 1/2, isisah 11 mos and zoelie 4mos which these children will get a toy. so for you grown ups out there ages 15 and up you will each be getting one of my delectable jams so heres a list,so they are

-plum vanilla preserves (3 gifts)
-blueberry maple spoonfruit (4 gifts)
-concord grape jelly (way better than welchs) (6 gifts)
-home canned tomatoes (5 gifts)
-fig and strawberry preserves (5 gifts)
-maple onion conserve (3 gifts)

so the total im preparing so far is 26 gifts

so i will also give gift cards for draegers cooking school for my ramdom people who are intrested in taking a cooking class in january, so thats the holiday down the lane! ava

Jessica simpson's chicken and dumplings

im giving miss singer jessica simpson a full credit for this recipe, im making this tonight for my parents, so heres the recipe that you can make it too so enjoy it!

Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
3 rolls of reduced-fat croissant rolls, divided (recommended brand Pillsbury)
1 small rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat removed from bones
1 can of low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 can of low-sodium, reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and ground black pepper
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Roll out the cans of croissant sheets and separate into diamond shaped sections. Place a small handful of rotisserie chicken on each diamond, fold dough over and press ends together to create dumplings. Cut up any excess dough into strips.

Line a 9x13" baking dish with one layer of dumplings. Pour the can of cream of chicken soup over the layer of dumplings, followed by the can of cream of mushroom soup, and chicken broth.

Place strips in a crisscross pattern on the top of the dumplings and soup mixture, season dish with salt and ground black pepper and bake until the dumplings are tender and cooked through and the top is bubbly and brown, about 30 minutes.

Caprese Qunioa

hello friends, if you love that caprese salad, you will love this, its made with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls plus the qunioa, so i hope you enjoy!

Caprese qunioa

1 cup quinoa* and 2 cups water, in a large pot combine rinsed quinoa and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10- 15 minutes or until tender, then transfer to a bowl to let it cool down a bit.
1 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1 tub bocconchini(mozzarella balls)
basil dressing
2 tbl fresh basil
3 tbl agave nectar
2 tbl lemon or lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. when the quinoa is cooled down add cut up cherry tomatoes and mozzarella and stir until combined
2. to make dressing in a small bowl combine basil,agave, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper and mix to combine, toss it with the caprese quinoa mixture and cover with pleastic wrap and refridgerate until ready to serve enjoy, bon appitete and cheers to you!

Culinary Nutrition camp at via west campus highlight

sorry it took me so long to report, i've been away for 3 weeks at camp working hard like nonstop, but im bringing you some highlights about the culinary nutrition camp at via west. day one we gave particiapants the knife skills, they learned how to chop, mince, slice or dice. we taught them some kitchen safety and how not to get burned in the kitchen and i help out by demoing some knife skills and one camper taught i was joking around about kitchen and i told her, NO! i do take it very seriously and i've have 7 plus years prefecting recipes and i been doing it since i was 13 years old. on day 2 each group made 1 healthy entree and my team made sweet and soup chicken, the other four teams made Beef casserole. japanese noodle soup, lettuce wraps and i think they made something else, just cant think! we all sat down with a five course lunch and they seemed to love it! on day 3 and four we made some healthy snacks to serve at the dance, we prepared turkey pinwheels, brushetta, grapesicles, fruit skewers, smoothies etc. the regluar camp and our culinary crew seemed to enjoy it, we also prepare 5 types of desserts we prepared a fruity angel food cake trifle, chocolate cream pie, angel food cake with berries, berry sorbet squares and mircowaved baked apples, in addition to cooking we took particiapants out to lunch to fresh choice in cupertino and the very next day to the farmers market in santa clara, and they seemed to know about food just abour now. we pratice whats good for us which is go-slow and whats bad for us which is Whoa. we put diet coke into the go/slow section and regluar soda into a whoa, so i just gave up regluar im cutting back to 2- sometimes 3 a day. but most importantly drink water in between days, especially on workouts! thats my motto! so i planned on working to the 3 day cooking/nutrtion follow-up retreat from august 17-19th, so i just submitted some 150 calorie snack recipes to nurse sandy and she forward them to nurse sheryl so i hope to get an answer soon! so i will keep you updated with more about my job at a culinary nutrtion lifespan camp, so stick around!

cooking class highlights: Watermelon feast at Draegers cooking school

today june 24th 2011, my mom,my friend becky's mom debbie and myself went to a cooking class with Chef Bill hutton called watermelon feast, he talked about how to use watermelon as an ingrdient, i had a question about ceviche because my friends Jack tidwell from the neighbor and My co-worker Jennifer Castillo from Via west camp gave me these 2 wonderful recipe combinations, one is made with cucumber and the other is made with scallions, but when it comes to fish, chef bill told me you can use halibut, but only cooking it in lime juice in the fridge for 2-3 hours, because my mom is allegric to crab, calamari, shrimp and octopus, she can only eat salmon, tuna or halibut, so for someone who is alleric can have halibut ceviche, i like the the slicing idea, but cutting it in cubes is better, so let's get back to cooking class higlights so what chef Bill made is watermelon and jicama salad, then onto the main course beef and watermelon skewers,but i will make it next time with chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs for my dad's prefrence. then i had the best Watermelon panna cotta i ever tasted, its a custard made with cream, its rich, but its delish, so i would share the recipe for his watermelon panna cotta in my next blo, i have to get permission first from chef bill's facebook page, so i will post it as i get an ok. so this class was fun and i hope you enjoy my cooking stories too, best dishes from my food world to yours, thank you!

cherry pineapple Dump cake

on fathers day weekend,i made my dad and mom the best dessert dad would love and i did! so its a cake batter topped with cherries and pineapple, very easy to put together, so that recipe came from barbara and gary rubino, a good friend in the neighborhood, gary is friends with my dad and me and mom are friends with barbara, so i hope you enjoy and see you soon! Ava

1 box yellow cake mix
1 large can cherry pie fllling
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 sticks melted butter

add drained pineapple and pie filling in a 9 x 13 inch pan, then in a bowl mix cake mix and melted butter and stir until llke cobbler dough, then place cake dough on top of the cherry pineapple mixture bake at 425 degrees for aproxmantely 1 hour. serve with reddi whip

white hot cocoa

White hot chocolate (from scratch)

Ingredients:
3 ounces white baking chocolate with cocoa butter,chopped
2 cups milk, half and half, or light creams1/3 cup hot strong coffee1/2 teaspoon vanilla1/2 teaspoon vanilla ice cream (optional)1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg or chocolate-flavored sprinkles (optional)

Directions:in a saucepan combine choclate and 1/3 cup of the milk. cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. add remaining milk. stir until heated through. add coffee and vanilla

cooking class highlights: North carolina BBQ Class At Williams-sonoma Stonestown Mall

hi, i just wanted to share my experince about today's cooking demo, today i attended a cooking class that is free of charge, this june they're celebrating america bbq, this week was The Carolinas, next week is the memphis bbq class at williams-sonoma in stonestown. so be on a look out for the next cooking demos. we learned how to make some fantasic recipes such as banana bread pudding, sweet tea, pulled pork and spice rub, it was a delicious feast prepared by Chef Will. so he is also hosting a Menphis BBQ class, so anyone intrested let me know, i know some of my friends Vanessa, Ander, Charlotte and Ashley from Via west formerally camp costanoan are really busy sundays-thursdays caring for special needs campers and the work they have to do, so anyone from winston manor neighborhood buddies and general ed high school former students are welcomed. the special ed classmates, we'll its up to the parents and/or caregivers! so it was a fun cooking class, and i hope you get to go to any of them, so take care!

so heres details for this class, but remember, its in stonestown mall in san francisco mission district, so just a friendly reminder

CELEBRATE AMERICAN BBQ–MEMPHIS
Sunday, June 12 at 11 am

Our travels continue to Memphis, Tennessee, a region renowned for its barbecued ribs. In the second class of our series, we'll discuss dry rubs and show you how to turn out tender ribs and infuse foods with enticing smoky flavor. Then we'll round out the menu with some delicious regional sides.

so dont forget you can take 10 % off for any purchese after the demo, so take it easy!

Upcoming cooking classes by bay area chefs

hi everyone, here are some events that are coming up my alley, not only i cook at home, but i love to take classes to learn brand new recipes from bay area chef's we all dont want boring recipes, so here are the events i plan on going too!

Everyday Gourmet: Gluten-Free Summer Sides and Salads

Tuesday, June 21, 6:oopm, New Leaf Community Market, Half Moon Bay

Cooking gluten-free does not mean your food shouldn't have flavor! It's a great reason to use other grains and lots of fresh vegetables. Come and learn some tricks from Amy Fothergill, The Family Chef!

•Chard and quinoa risotto
•Thai peanut noodle salad
•GF Bruschetta with fresh veggies

Watermelon Feast
Bill Hutton
San Mateo
Friday, June 24, 2011 , 11:30 am–1 pm
(demo) $35.00

Watermelon and Jicama Salad
Tangy Watermelon Beef Skewers
Watermelon Panna Cotta

Summer Detox with Raw Foods
Sam Lippman
San Mateo
Saturday, July 16, 2011 , 11 am
(demo) $50.00

Dry-Farmed Early Girl Tomato Gazpacho
Green Energy Juice
Velvet Beet Dip with Multi-Seed Crackers
Rainbow Slaw with Cider Vinaigrette
Collard Green Rolls with Macadamia Herb “Cheese”
Sunflower Falafel with Walnut Hummus
Quinoa Herb Pilaf

Summer Vegetarian Delights
Patience Thien
San Mateo
Friday, August 12, 2011 , 11:30 am–1 pm
(demo) $35.00

Grilled Summer Vegetable Muffaletta
Potato, Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad with Herb Dressing
Peach Melba Napoleons with Raspberry Sauce

Sunday, June 19th

Father’s Day BBQ with Napa Smith Brewery and Chefs Kelly Fong and Marcie Dompier- at whole foods napa vallet
2-4:30PM $25

Demonstration Cooking class; must be 21 to attend.

Come and enjoy a delicious afternoon of BBQ and Beer as we celebrate Father’s day.

Napa Smith will be here to pour beer as Chefs Kelly and Marcie tear it up on the grill. Bring your dad and let us do the cooking while you spend some quality time together.

On the Menu: Grilled Fruit Salad with Mixed Greens, Gorgonzola and Pomegrante vinniagrette, Chicken Chorizo Stuffed Butterflied Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Tri Tip With Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Marinade, Spiced Dry Rubbed Smoked Chicken, And Grilled Apple Shortcake with Caramel Sauce.

Friday, June 24th- at whole foods cupetino

Dinner in London
6:30 -8:30 pm $35

Prepare your own 3 course London inspired dinner!

MENU: Middle Eastern vegetable salad

Quail salad with poached egg and rosemary vinaigrette

Sticky toffee pudding

so these are classes for adults only, so i will post childrens camps as well, for parents, so take care! Ava

Gluten free culinary event Highlights

hi everyone, i just got home from a long day at the gluten free culinary festival, i went to 3 diffrent lectures, and missed only 2, so i'll give you run down how the culinary festival went, there were 2 chefs, 1 doctor, 2 nutritonist and a Chef's Wife. at the Nutritionist marlese carroll's demo, she demonstate how to control your digestive system, she said you have to have vitamins, good fats like avocados for example and anmino acids. she even gave us recipes for a meaty bone broth, which is a chicken broth replacement, and its better than swanson's. at the Chef Amy fothergill demo, she demoed 2 recipes gluten free cupcakes and gluten free pizza crust and i've known that chef for quite a while, and finally at the chef preston dishman demo, he sure does look like paul pruddome, but he mentioned about his Wife Nichole who been on a Gluten free diet for the last 2 years same as amy fothergill. he demonstrated how to make 3 small bites recipes such as watermelon feta cubes, Cheesy fingeling potato canapes and asparagus proscuito bites. he gaves us tips and trick of the trade, so i will not give you recipes, you have to try what i've make first and then ask, thats my motto, so here are some resources im giving out from these speakers

links
www.Amythefamilychef.com amy fothergills webpage
www.tangablenutrtion.com marlese carroll webpage
http://viognierrestaurant.com/

so please feel free to go to their sites, so take care! Bon Appitete

Beefy Aparagus risotto

today after school from canada college, i whipped up a delicious Risotto, i adapted it from rachael ray show and it was suzanne somers recipe, a very good friend and fellow actress to John Ritter who reminded me of my godfather randy who currently lives in idaho, but the actor John died several years and still think of him everytime i see suzanne somers on tv, so this recipe uses not chicken stock, beef broth, i also added 1 cup of water to cut the salt off, but no jalapeno. so here it is and i hope you enjoy!!

Beefy Asparagus risotto

2 tbl extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 Red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup arborio Rice( i get it at Trader Joe's and it comes in color ruby red)
4 cups beef broth plus 1 cup water
1 bunch asparagus, ends off and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

place a large skillet over medium-high heat. add EVOO and Red onion and saute until the onion is translucent about 3-5 minutes. add garlic and cook for 2 minutes then add the Rice and toss with oil onion and garlic mixture unti coated and the rice begins to be toasted
add 1 cup of broth stir until absorbed. add the next cup of broth and continue until aborsbed. add the third cup of broth and the chopped asparagus. the asparagus will cook as the broth is aborsbed. add the fourth cup of broth cup making sure to test rice for doneness, if it is al dente "not cooked:, i would add 1 cup of water. serve with parmesan cheese

Restaurant review: Taquria polanco in colma Cali

hi everyone, i found this brand new hottest spot near my house, myself and my friend stephanie's mom cindy alger went out to lunch and talk to an owner about selling free food for our neighborhood raffle bbq event, so we decided to try the food, i had a chimigchanga and she had an taco and we both said "the food is excellent!!!" and i gave it a 5 star pointer, so the next time i went i tried a Sopes and they were delicious, so the place is clean, friendly staff and owners and great food, so i reccomended Taquria planco so if youre nearby Daly city, san fran or colma cali area serra please go there try the sopes or the chimigchangas, so heres the address if you want the location of this place

Taqueria Polanco
4931 Junipero Serra Blvd
Colma, CA 94014
(650) 756-6846


so please its a great place to eat! so bon appitete

Camp Nurse Sandy's Cranberry pumpkin Bread

hi everyone, just wanted to share a delicious recipe for nurse sandy's quick bread. its made with pumpkin and cranberries, beware staff of via west- formerally camp costanoan this recipe is to die for, if you see nurse sandy around, tell her its on my blog on chefavamarie culinary blog, so enjoy folks!

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

3 eggs

3 cups sugar

¾ cup applesauce

1 ½ cups canned pumpkin

3 ½ cups flour

1 ½ Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cup frozen cranberries or Craisins


Optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts


Mix eggs, sugar, applesauce, and canned pumpkin. Then add flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Mix well, then stir in cranberries and walnuts if desired. Make in 2 greased loaf pans at 350 degrees for one hour.

highlights from the springtime picnic class

dear foodie, we'll yesterday i took a cooking class about summer picmics, so on the menu chef kelly fong cooked up and gave us delicious recipes for tropical fruit salsa with roasted jalapenos, Roasted grape salad with feta and candied pinenuts, ahi tuna sliders with japanese pickles and for dessert mixed berry cobbler, so we were divided into groups, we choose a recipe and me, my best friend becky and her mom debbie cleveland decided to prepare the cobbler while others do the other part of the menu, the results, the cobbler turned out outstanding, everyone and Chef Marcie Dompier and chef kelly foing were loved it, so i walked away not only full but with memories, becasue as of may 1st the whole foods culinary center will be going out of business but no worries, i'll go to draegers normally every month to learn from chefs bill Hutton, Patience thien, guest chefs from draegers and go to whole foods napa/cupertino with kelly fong or his brother eddie foing once or twice a year so take care, Ava

Momma Watts seasoned salt

Momma Watts seasoned salt

2-3 cups kosher sea salt
2 sprigs rosemary
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tablesppon fennel seed or anise

in a coffee grinder, grind up the last 3 ingreidents until coarse ground. then combine in a bowl with 2-3 cups of salt and mix until blended. put in container or give them as gifts

suggestions- its good on roasted potatoes drizzled with evoo and bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until roasted

you can use it on chicken breast or over easy eggs, so please enjoy!

My mom's Birthday cake and upcoming cooking class and concert line ups

dear foodie, today was my mom's birtday, i made a yummy gingerbread cake that i got from a semi homemade cookbook by sandra lee, everyone loved it, i wanted to make cupcakes, but ran out of liners, so i used 2 8 inch cakes to make 2 layers and frost it with cream cheese icing and it was delicious. in 2 days me, my best friend becky who also has autism, but is loving, but cannot fuction as much as i can and her mom are going to the springtime picnic class, its a perfect time to make these delicious delights for movies or concerts in the park, i plan on going to at least 2 movies at the park, one is bye bye birdie and another is dirty dancing, and 5 concerts in the park such as Michael Jackson, Billy Joel and Journey Trubite bands, also the club 90 and california cowboys concert. so i plan on bringing friends from camp and my siblings. so thats what picnics are for bringing. chef kelly fong is going to give tips on recipes such as salsa 2 ways, a fruit and a pepper salsa, roasted grape salad with feta and pinenuts, ahi tuna sliders with japanese pickles and berry cobbler, so i hope you enjoy ok! so i'll got to take my mom out to her birthday dinnner, so i will be back with more culinary tricks of the trade, so bon appiete!

my sister molly's Brussel sprouts Recipe

1lb brussel sprouts (trimed and washed)
5 slices of bacon
1 half small red onion sliced
balsamic vinagar

boil brussel sprouts in salted water for 10 minutes, drain.
in a saute pan, cooked chopped bacon and onions until bacon is done, add cooked brussel sprouts and splash some balsamic vinagar on them....salt and pepper to taste

ao i hope you enjoy my sister's recipe, i love this recipe so much and i plan on makiing it someday, so take care!

welcome to Chef Ava marie Blog network

hi friends, welcome to my blog, its Me Chef Ava marie Romero and my blog is about sharing recipes, tips, about classes at draegers culinary school, hottest new restaurants, foodie meeting and much much more!
as you may know i was born with Autism, ADHD And PDD and i didnt talk until i was six years old. i am not culinary trained chef, but am a chef at home who is actually a foodie, started cooking at age 13 in 2003 watching emeril and made me wanted to be a sucessful chef teacher someday my dream is to be a chef instructor at draeger's cooking school and a Paraeducator (aide) for special needs learners in the daytime, being autism has taught me everything, from learning how to write and to overcome feelings and tanturms. i learned a lot about cooking from mom, old texas guy jack, terri minor, my aunt laura, chef instructors chef bill hutton, Amy fothergill, Terri dien, kelly fong and much more chef instructors gave me not just recipes, but their inspriation to be a instructor someday. as of september 2011 i am going to work for 1 year from october 2011-2012 at community Gatepath, a vocational job training program for people like me who have autism or other learning disabilites like mental retardation etc. i might be working at a soup kitchen at saint vince de paul and/or working at draegers as a prep cook maybe before becoming a instructor, i am also a camp counselor who works directly with special needs, i used to be a camper as a kid, but didnt like it, so being a counselor is the best job i ever had and it taught me some responsabilies and care for people, i am also working with nurse sandy keefe doing a nutrition-culinary camp which will teach campers how to cook, which is my job to do, phyiscal actitivy lead by julie paulson who is a volunteer counselor and has down syndrome but very smary lady like me and someone new as an instructor and me and sandy will take campers to a couple of field trips such as Fresh choice and We talked about mcdonalds, but i dont think its a good idea, so im going to see if whole foods stevens creek will be a better choice for our campers, so take care and i will share my happiest about food so welcome to the Chef Ava marie Blog