Thursday, December 27, 2007
An Ode to Holiday Leftovers
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”
Winston Churchill
By now everyone has unwrapped all of their presents and put them all away signaling the end of the Christmas season. Most people have received their final Christmas card and photo sent by the few stragglers that were behind this year. Folks have turned there attention to the New Years holiday and Christmas 2007 is just a memory. Wait! What about the leftovers still in your refrigerator! It would be a travesty to forget about the pitiful remnants of your holiday feast.
Normally I have a strict policy on leftovers: There shouldn’t be any! I try to plan and prepare every meal and never have to pull out the Tupperware. If there happen to be leftovers they should only be consumed for lunch the next day- never for supper and never ever for breakfast. That is my rule and I rarely waiver. Holidays are an unfortunate exception to this strategy and I have come up with a solution. Rather than pulling out the containers and microwaving your ham, mash potatoes and green beans a third time— re vamp them!
This year use your holiday ham to make these wonderful White Cheddar and Ham Muffins! Your family will thank you and the recipe makes 24 muffins- so share them with friends!
The result… these muffins are best served warm with a bit of butter.
White Cheddar and Ham Muffins
Yield: 24 muffins
6 cups Self Rising Flour
½ cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ cup Ham, chopped
2 cups Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, grated
Pinch of Salt
2 cups Milk
¼ cup Butter, melted
4 Eggs
½ cup Sour Cream
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
Blend flour, green onions, ham, cheese and salt.
Mix together eggs, milk, and melted butter. Pour wet mixture over flour and stir until incorporated- don’t over mix or the muffins will be tough.
Portion equally in greased muffin tins then sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 425 until muffins are golden (about 20 minutes)
I recommend refrigerating the muffins between serving. After overloading on iced Christmas cookies and pie I think that these savory treats will be nice for a change!
~ SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/27 at 11:08 AM
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Friday, December 21, 2007
Good Ole Apple Pie
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today as I was sorting through my daily mail that usually consists of junk, bills and the occasional Christmas card I came upon something out of the ordinary. There, addressed to me, was a letter from my alma mater. This envelope was especially interesting because it looked like the poor person who addressed it had the same terrible hand writing as I have been cursed with! Upon further inspection I realized that I had, in fact, addressed the envelope… was this some kind of joke? No, this was a letter that I had written to myself five years ago, in my junior year of high school! I had completely forgotten about this assignment, but was impressed to see that a younger me had written quite a long letter!
As I read the letter memories flooded back to me… I could picture myself curled up in my overstuffed pink arm chair, surrounded by childhood collectables writing vigorously every thought that came to mind. Of course, I wrote about the straight A’s I received on my report card (for the first time ever) and how I should learn to love cleaning my kitchen, but I went a little deeper than that. I wrote about how important my family was to me and how grateful I was for all of the opportunities I had. To quote a younger me I said,
“I realize that I am so lucky, my family is one of the few that I know that actually eat supper together every night… I can only imagine what it will be like in five years!”
Five years have past and so much has happened to me since. I achieved every goal I had set for myself way back then: get scholarships, go to a good culinary school, and become an Executive Chef. I have maintained certain things that I have always been most important to me, it is still my top priority to feed my family, to cook for others and to be hospitable. I don’t know where I will be five years from now, but I know that those things will never change. Thank you Mrs. E. Miller for sending those letters… it was a true joy looking back.
After taking a trip down memory lane I thought I would make something very special. When I was a junior in high school I made it my quest to create the best apple pie. I was practicing and planning for a $25,000 scholarship to a very prestigious culinary school- an apple pie baking contest. For two years I devoted myself to researching apples, crust and pie baking techniques. I baked over 100 pies and recorded my finding in an “apple pie journal”. I did not win the competition (which is something I am still bitter about and is another long story) but I did perfect my apple pie recipe!
Pie Crust
Yield: 4, 8 ounce portions
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
¾ cup Shortening
¾ cup Butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
½ cup Water, ice cold
1 Egg
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Start by combining the flour, butter, shortening, salt and sugar. Work together with your hands like this...
Most recipes say to work the dry mixture until it looks like cornmeal… what? No one ever knows what that looks like! It takes practice (a lot) to know what good pie dough feels like. Until then work the mixture until it looks like crumbs, as shown below.
In order to create a flaky crust you must make sure that your liquid is ICE cold. Before I mix the crumbs I whip my liquids together and add one ice cube. Add the liquid slowly… it is hard to turn back once you have poured in too much!
Gently work the dough until it holds together. Be sure not to over mix- that will make your end result tough and not flaky-- bad news.
Form dough into 8 ounce (roughly) disks and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for one half hour before rolling. If you don’t need all of the dough right away keep it in the cooler for up to four days- or freeze it.
Now it is time to multi-task! While the dough is chilling prep your apple filling. I have peeled more apples than I care to count and have mastered the art! Rather than trying to see how long you can make a monkey’s tail by peeling the whole apple- cut it in quarters then de-seed and peel each piece in two quick swipes!
Apple Pie
10-12 Honey Crisp Apples
¼ cup Butter, melted
¾ cup White Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Tapioca, fine
Combine peeled apples with sugars,butter, lemon juice, cinnamon and 1/2 of the tapioca.
On a well floured surface roll the dough to desired thickness.
If the edges of the dough begin to split press in the sides. It is important to maintain a smooth circle while you are rolling the dough- the end result will be prettier that way! Be sure to keep the counter well floured and rotate the dough as you roll it out- or you will have a frustrating mess.
To insure that your dough is rolled out big enough measure with your baking dish.
Place the dough in the bottom of the pan. Gently press the dough so the it forms to the pan- sprinkle with the remaining tapioca.
Pour apples into pan and pack them down. For good measure put a few tabs of butter on top (why not?). Top with crust by rolling the dough onto your rolling pin, as shown below.
Trim the edges of the dough until it hangs over the edge by about one inch. Fold the edges under and crimp like this...
Roll out the dough scraps and have fun decorating the top of your pie. Brush the final product with milk and sprinkle with sugar (all but the outside edges- they will get way too brown!). Cut small air holes in the top of the crust then bake at 400 degrees until top crust is browned and apples are tender (30-35 minutes)
Here is the final result… I had to snap a quick picture because the entire pie vanished within just a few minutes!
Happiness = A piece of apple pie, fresh out of the oven, vanilla ice cream with my all time favorite granola sprinkled on top (for crunch ... Mmmm)! My family has taste tested so many apples pies, good and bad… and this recipe is by far the best I have come up with. If you have a family gathering (or a craving for pie!) make this tried and true recipe—You will be the most popular person at the potluck this year!
~SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/21 at 09:06 AM
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Roast Beef 101
“The lower the heat… the better the meat!”
Being a chef I am often asked what my favorite food is. I know that when people ask that question they are expecting my answer to be some fancy food with an unpronounceable French name—it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, I love pate and foie gras as much as the next person, but the food I crave the most is much simpler. The food that I missed when I left for Culinary School in North Carolina, the one thing I could never tire of and one of the few dishes that I will EVER eat left over the next day is (this almost deserves a drum roll)… Roast Beef!
This past weekend my mom took a trip to our favorite “club store”—which could mean only one thing—lots and lots of beef! Oh yes, when my mom makes the 50 minute drive north she comes home with not one, but four HUGE beef roasts. This may seem over the top for some folks, but not us! We make all four roasts and freeze whatever we don’t covet the first day. This beef is so versatile- it can be served over pasta, with brown rice and gravy, in a soup, on a sandwich, for a midnight snack- Oh the possibilities are endless!
The way that my mom prepares our roast beef is the simplest, yet most flavorful way I have ever tried- and like the saying goes “The lower the heat, the better the meat”. After pan searing the meat is slow cooked until it is melt in your mouth tender. My mom and I took the time to take step-by-step photos of this process, so I hope when you get a chance to make this recipe you will agree—this is the best food ever!
Start with a fresh English Roast and simply salt and pepper the outside.
Coat the beef with flour on each side.
Sear meat in skillet over medium heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the
bottom of the pan.
Cut 2 sweet onions to line the bottom of a large roasting pan. It is important to work with a sharp knife and for the best leverage, hold your knife as shown below.
Cut the the top and bottom off of the onion and peel away the outside layer. Slice in half from top to bottom.
When I cut onions I look for the “cheat lines” that appear naturally on the bulb. Simply follow the vertical lines as you cut slices to your desired thickness.
Place onions in the bottom of a large roasting pan with a lid.
Put browned beef in the pan and pour 2 cups of water into the base of the pan.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for at least 3 hours. If you have more time it is best to roast at a lower heat (less than 300 degrees) until beef is tender.
Just looking at these pictures makes me want some more roast beef! Special thanks to my hand model!
~ SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/19 at 05:43 PM
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Holiday Baking
“In order to be blessed, one must first be a blessing…”
The holiday season is upon us… Everyone I know is busy planning, wrapping, baking, eating, and gift giving. We have enjoyed a few wonderful snow falls (and melt-downs) here in Amish Country and most are falling into a pattern of curling up by the fire, sipping cocoa and avoiding the weather. It is in this winter-weather-mode that I find my cooking style morphing into something completely unfamiliar. Normally I have a complete aversion to baking. I prefer to cook things that either don’t need to be measured, can be caught on fire or involve bacon in some part of the preparation. So, imagine my surprise when I started having visions of spice cake and cranberries dance in my head!
I have never made spice cake, I don’t even like cake- but I took the challenge and it actually turned out pretty good. I measured (for the most part) and I have come up with two great winter time dessert recipes. The first is an Orange Cranberry Spice Cake and the second a Cranberry Almond Tart. So whether you are in the mood to cut into a heavy cake or would like to make a lovely cheesecake tart… these recipes will satisfy your sweet tooth!
Cranberry Almond Tarts
Yield: 6 tarts
The Finished Product...
Crust:
¼ cup Butter, melted
¾ cup Almonds, crushed
2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
Blend all ingredients. Press into shallow tart pans (6) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden.
Cranberry Coulis:
½ cup Cranberries, fresh
1 ½ + 1/3 cup Water
1 Tbsp Corn Starch
In small sauce pan simmer cranberries with 1 ½ cup water for five minutes. Strain mixture and return liquid to sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir in corn starch slurry (1/3 cup cold water and corn starch). Allow to boil until thickened, set aside.
Topping:
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
½ cup Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
1 Tbsp Honey
Blend softened cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth- while still mixing pour in heavy cream and whip for 2 minutes. On low mixing speed add remaining ingredients (no need to sift the powdered sugar- this is a step I ALWAYS skip anyway- if the mixture is lumpy just mix it longer). To assemble tarts place about 2 tbsp Cranberry Coulis on each tart, then top with cream cheese mixture. Garnish with toasted almonds and dried cranberries. Chill then serve.
Orange Cranberry Spice Cake
Yield: 2, 9 inch cake pans
The Beautiful End Result… and notice I used the left over product from making the Cranberry Almond Tart shells to trim the bottom… so thrifty!
4 Eggs
1 ½ cup Sugar
½ cup Honey
1 cup Milk
1 cup Apple Sauce
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Cloves
½ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Allspice
¾ cup Dried Cranberries
¾ cup
Granola
3 cups Flour
Whip eggs, sugar and honey until fluffy (2 minutes on high speed).
Add milk, applesauce, baking soda, spices, cranberries and granola. Blend.
Rather than just adding nuts to this spice cake I chose to stir in some granola… much better!
Slowly mix in flour until incorporated. Bake in 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans at 350 degrees for 30- 35 minutes- or until toothpick comes out clean (ah, the oldest trick in the book!). Remove cakes from pans and cool on wire rack before icing.
Don’t ice the cakes until they are completely cool… it takes patience, but the end result is worth the wait.
Frosting:
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
¾ cup Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
1 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
When I finished my cakes, rather than making a stacked masterpiece, I split each layer in half and made two individual cakes. Simply use a long bread knife to slice each cake in half. This way you have one cake to enjoy… and one to give away! Ah… the spirit of giving!
~SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/18 at 09:17 AM
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Thursday, December 06, 2007
The Ultimate Pizza Party
“You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.” Zig Ziglar
I can remember many instances from when I was younger that I was treated to a “pizza party”. It seems like everything you did earned you the right to gorge: reading a book in English class, selling the most magazines or being friends with the cool girls who invited you to all of their birthday parties. I have no idea why there is such a fascination surrounding “pizza parties”, but I do know that I loved them!
Of course, being raised in a family that takes eating very seriously, we always took pizza parties to the next level. Very rarely did we just call in an order and wait anxiously for the delivery man to find our house. No, we went all out. The first person that introduced me the “DeHass Style Pizza Party” was my Grandma, Nannie. Oh I remember the day like it was yesterday, a big bowl of dough, toppings galore and we were free to dress up our very own pizza however we wanted. Being a budding chef this was a true highlight of my childhood.
Since then we have made pizza making even more special. Our oven is lined with bricks from an old wood burning pizza oven. Rather than the simple pepperoni, mushroom and extra cheese pies we now go all out with caramelized onions and peppers, fresh herbs, tomatoes and any other seasonal fare we have available.
This weekend my family had the pleasure of entertaining my cousin, Joey, for his 8th birthday. Since I have recently fallen out of favor as “the favorite cousin of all time-ever” (I am a girl and girls are not cool to an 8 year old) I decided to really make this day special—to win back my rightful title. Joey and I spent the day burning giant brush piles, making cupcakes, playing games and best of all having the “Ultimate Pizza Party”!
Here is the recipe for my favorite never fails pizza dough. This recipe can make anywhere from 3-6 pizzas, depending on how big you want yours. If you are not prepping for a big party, go ahead and make the full recipe, the dough can stay in the refrigerator, covered, for about 3 days.
Pizza Dough
2 Tbsp Yeast
2 tsp Sugar
2 cups Very Warm Water
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pour water into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, yeast and oil and stir until dissolved. Let mixture stand for 30 minutes for best results.
2 tsp salt
6 cups Flour (I love to use White Spelt flour, makes me feel less guilty)
Cornmeal
Slowly mix flour and salt into liquid and stir with wooden spoon until flour is absorbed. Knead dough for 5-10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a clean bowl, place dough in bowl, cover with a clean towel and let rise until double (30-40 minutes)
When dough is proofed cut off a small piece and roll out onto floured surface until desired thickness is reached. Place on greased pan, lightly coated in cornmeal and pierce with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming. Bake in a very hot oven (500 degrees) for 4-6 minutes. Remove and add toppings- return to oven and bake until cheese is browned and bubbly.
Here is my student/model Joey masterfully demonstrating the techniques involved in making dough. We doubled the recipe, so yes, this is a huge ball of dough!
While your dough is rising busy yourself by cleaning the kitchen, or in Joey’s case ice your tongue like a cupcake! Talk about sugar overload!
How do you explain kneading dough to an 8 year old? Just like this- fold it over, pretend you are giving the dough CPR, rotate and repeat! Joe caught on very quickly!
Check out the concentration here!
It is acceptable to roll out your dough with a rolling pin- but if you are feeling daring try to toss it! Joe did this like a pro, it’s easy just try not to poke a hole!
Throw yourself a pizza party and have fun with it! You can top your pizzas with almost anything (except mustard, Dad!). We love bacon, green tomatoes, roasted garlic, sauteed mushrooms, and many different cheeses. The possibilities are endless!
~ SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/06 at 07:49 PM
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Tuesday, December 04, 2007
The Perfect Roasted Chicken
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many chefs frown upon the use and/or consumption of chicken. Perhaps this is an un-known truth, but to many culinary professionals chicken is thought to be flavorless, bland and worst of all boring. I, however, disagree. In doing so I might subject myself to a fair amount of hazing from any self-proclaimed foodie! I like chicken because it is moderately priced, accessible and can be quiet tasty when prepared correctly. The following is my recipe (if you can even call it that) for what I consider to be The Perfect Roasted Chicken. Rather than complicating a simple process I prefer to bring out the natural flavors of the meat. All you need to prepare this feast for five is one whole 3-4 pound chicken, olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper.
Rinse chicken then prop it on a pan lined with foil (I like to also use a wire rack). Coat chicken with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil – your hands are the best tool for this. Next, sprinkle the bird with a liberal amount of Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Preheat oven to 375 (my oven has a setting called Convention Roast- that is perfect for this). Cook chicken for 45-50 minutes (be sure that a thermometer reaches 150-155 degrees when placed in the thickest part of the meat). Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Hello Beautiful...
You will need a sharp, flexible boning knife and a pair of tongs to break down the cooked chicken. Begin by removing the leg/thigh pieces as shown below.
Next, if you want to cut your chicken the old-fashioned southern way, remove the “wishbone piece” by cutting the end of the breast at the top of the chicken. This piece, I believe was created so that the youngest kid in a large family would not feel left out—Ah, the coveted 9th piece.
Next remove the wings at the base of the “shoulder”. I like to de-bone the breast meat before serving (this is the piece I eat… and this step makes table manners so much easier!). Remove the breast by following the rib bones and peeling back the meat.
Serve immediately, and reserve any juices in the bottom of the pan to add to gravies and sauces before serving.
~SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/04 at 11:51 AM
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Embracing Winter
Benevolence: Giving to others’ basic needs without having personal reward as a motive
Picture yourself in a place where the sun doesn’t shine, clouds cover the sky in a way that makes the word dreary seem like a compliment and snow spits around in fifty mile per hour wind. This is the place that I call home each winter! For the first few weeks of winter I fought- kicking and screaming- refusing to wear a coat and imagining what the weather might be like in Florida. Yesterday, however, was the day that I realized—Winter is here… and I needed to embrace it.
I am fortunate because many of the things that I busy myself with are indoors. I cannot say the same for most of my family, however. Even in the bitter chill of winter work on the farm must go on. Horses need fed, waterers repaired, and, in yesterday’s case, 11 young horses need to be introduced to their new training program. It is on days like yesterday that I consider my job as “farm cook” to be important. Rather than having everyone come into a dark, empty kitchen I take pleasure in greeting them with the smells of a warm supper, hot drinks and a smile. Each time I sit around the dinner table my heart swells with pleasure as I watch my family dig into a meal that I know they appreciate, and that I prepared with love. I was given the highest compliment that I could ever imagine during dinner prep yesterday. My dad stood at the edge of our kitchen and exclaimed that I – in my apron, with cast iron skillets blazing and supper cooking- reminded him of my Great Grandma Starner. Being compared to such an admired caretaker is, to me, a great honor. She would wake up in the morning, put on her apron and not take it off until bedtime that night. On the days that I am fortunate enough to be in the kitchen all day, I find myself doing the very same thing.
I hope that everyone has a chance to experience the pure joy that I feel when cooking for others in some part of their life. Here is my recipe for Penne Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, perhaps you can cook this for your family tonight.
The Finished Product...
The flavors in this recipe are so unexpectedly amazing and are the reason that this is one of my favorite recipes that I have ever created. I officially love brussel sprouts (they are under- used and under-appreciated) and who knew that cranberries would be the perfect compliment to this dish (thank you Andrea!)
Penne with Brussel Sprouts and Cranberries
Yield: 5, 6oz servings
12 oz Amish Naturals Penne
4 qt Water
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 cup Cubed Bacon
½ cup Shallots, Chopped
1 tsp Garlic, minced
2 cups Brussel Sprouts, quartered
1 ½ cups Mushrooms, quartered
½ cup Apple Cider
¼ cup Dried Cranberries
2 cups Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Butter
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
½ cup Almonds, toasted and chopped
My Mise En Place- Official definition- Everything in it’s place. It is important to assemble your prep before starting a recipe- things will run smoother that way
Boil water with tablespoon of kosher salt in large covered stock pot. Remove lid, add pasta and boil according to package directions or until al dente (soft but not overcooked). Set aside.
In medium sauté pan over medium heat cook bacon pieces until they are browned- but not crisp.
Stir in shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn heat to high and add brussel sprouts and mushrooms, sauté for 2 minutes then deglaze with apple cider.
Allow cider to reduce then add chicken stock, vinegar and cranberries. Simmer until stock has reduced by 2/3. Finish with butter and fresh cracked pepper.
Serve over cooked penne and garnish with chopped almonds. This recipe is wonderful served with The Perfect Roasted Chicken...
Find a printable version of this recipe on the side panel of this site
~SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 12/04 at 09:52 AM
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Friday, November 30, 2007
The Perfect Sunday
“All you take with you is what you do for others…”
During the holiday season we are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of people preparing for family get togethers, feasts and fellowship. In the midst of all of this I have to stop and wonder why, for some families, is it a rare occurrence to sit around the dinner table together? The holidays are an excuse for them to slow down and re-connect.
In my family it is entirely different, however. There are very few weeks that go by that we don’t all gather to cook together, chat for hours and enjoy each others company. This past Sunday was a perfect example of what I would call our “weekly holiday”. Without the pressures of the work week, ringing cell phones and busy schedules we were all able to relax, visit and best of all cook!
It is well known in my family that nothing starts the day off better than a hearty breakfast-- that includes lots of bacon! To start our perfect Sunday breakfast my dad cut thick slices of bacon off of the large slab of smoked pork belly that I keep handy and fried them in a cast iron skillet. As usual this served as an appetizer since everyone always snitches the warm pieces while we cook! Following our Hors De Oeuvres we had fluffy biscuits with jam, sausage gravy (my signature dish since I was 10 years old!) and crisp fried potatoes that we jazzed up with caramelized onions and sweet peppers. After we ate it was decided that this was a menu fit for a working man… and since we had no intention of over-exerting ourselves on this relaxing Sunday we were stuffed! After a quick clean-up we spent the rest of the day lounging and spending time together… we also had an amazing dinner of my Dad’s beans and rice (which is something that deserves its very own entry!).
Here are some photos of our Perfect Sunday Breakfast and a few simple recipes for my signature Biscuits and Gravy….
Biscuits:
2 cups Self Rising Flour (my favorite is Southern Biscuit Brand)
¼ cup Shortening
1- 1 ½ cups Buttermilk
In medium mixing bowl blend shortening with flour with hands until incorporated. Gently mix in buttermilk until moist, do not over mix or biscuits will turn out tough. Knead dough on floured surface for about 30 seconds- roll into inch thick disc and cut with open ended circled cutter. Bake on un-greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Sausage Gravy:
1 lb Un-Seasoned Fresh Sausage
½ cup All- Purpose Flour
1 quart Milk
Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
In medium skillet (cast iron is the very best) cook sausage over medium heat. When meat is fully cooked turn heat to low and stir in flour- cook for about 45 seconds stirring constantly. Pour in milk and allow to simmer until thick- stir to prevent sticking. Season to taste and serve over biscuits… and potatoes… and eggs… or toast… or anything else you might find on your breakfast plate.
Here is the final product… as demonstrated on my very full plate! (yes I ate it all!)
~ SD
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 11/30 at 02:14 PM
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Welcome…
“Before one knows how to cook…
one must first know how to eat!”
Ted W. DeHass
Thank you for stopping by to read my first official entry into what I hope will be a long journey exploring flavors and techniques and celebrating life! It is my goal to share my passion for food and inspire others to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. For generations wholesome, traditional cooking has been a way of life for my family. Some of my fondest memories have been made gathering around the dinner table with loved ones, frying bacon and eggs for farm breakfasts and working alongside the cooks I look up to. The importance of quality ingredients, patience and a love for hospitality were instilled in me early on.
I am excited to share with everyone recipes and techniques that I have been taught as well as some that I have discovered along the way. My approach to cooking is simple- innovation inspired by traditional methods. With an open mind I explore flavors, processes and unique concepts. I am intrigued by the art of bringing out foods natural qualities through caramelizing, roasting and slowly reducing.
Simply stated… you don’t have to be a chef or gourmet cook to enjoy the benefits of healthy, flavorful eating. Let’s explore ideas together…
Me and my brother enjoying the bounty of a good harvest… many many years ago!
My first time baking bread with my sister, there is nothing like a piece of fresh out of the oven bread with country butter!
Me cooking on a family camping trip this summer- Oh yes- I have even prepared Amish Naturals Pasta over open fire! Fiber Rich Fettuccine with Cabbage and Brats was a hit with everyone!
Posted by
Stacey DeHass on 11/27 at 01:20 PM
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