Too long again, I know...

 First of all, MANY THANKS to all my friends who voted for Legends PAA in the Chase Community Giving campaign! We ended up with 1610 votes...and should be receiving a grant for $25,000!!!

 Thanksgiving is this Thursday...what are YOU cooking this year? The debate in my house has been " Bacon or no bacon on the turkey?"
 My daughter & I both love the meat candy on ANYTHING, but my mom is a purist....crispy, golden, well-seasoned skin...sans pig. So, seeing how the hierarchy works, guess who wins? Yup, you guessed it, the one who pays for the bird gets the trump card...no bacon this year.

 How will you be preparing your bird?

 Be with your families, love each other, eat great food, but most of all, DON'T SHOP ON BLACK FRIDAY!! (more on that subject later!)

 Be BLESSED, ALL!!

What's for dinner?

Thought I'd share a quick & easy dinner with you....just so happens, this is what I'll be serving to the BMB (Bronco Marching Band) on Thursday for their lunch...along with fresh- from- the- tree peaches, rice krispy treats, & bottled water. They have 290 people to feed, but can also very easily be done for a family of four.

Chicken & Pasta Salad for 300

40 lbs. of frozen, cooked chicken ( cubed or strips is best- chicken nuggets don't work so well)
8 - 3 lb. bags of frozen veggies (any kind you prefer)
30 lbs. of macaroni of pasta (dry)
1 gal. salad dressing (miracle whip kind)
1 1/2 gal. italian dressing
Salt & pepper to taste

All ingredients that are frozen should not be thawed ahead of time...that's what makes this fast.
Boil noodles in #5 increments. Place 1/3 of chicken in large pot or pan, and 2 bags of frozen veggies, breaking all apart. Drain noodles, but do not shock. Instead, pour hot noodles over frozen veggies & chicken & mix with large spoon. The hot noodles will thaw the frozen chicken & noodles, and cool down the noodles at the same time. Repeat with rest of veggies, chicken, & noodles & place in 4" hotel of foil pans.

Dressing:
Mix (with a whisk) italian dressing & salad dressing until smooth. split into as many batches as you have pans & pour over each. Mix well, chill, & enjoy. May also add shredded cheese or top with parmesan if desired (for extra protein).

The End of Summer...

I'm finally home! It's been a long summer, with lots of events. Some things I learned...

1. Check the propane, and all propane accessories. (I'll recount that one later...)
2. Don't be afraid to trust your instincts.
3. When things can go wrong, they generally do...but move on. "It is what it is".
4. It's ok to let others do what they do best....encourage that. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
5.Take time for yourself, but not so much as to the detriment of future projects.
6. Realize what you've accomplished, and don't be frustrated if it's not as much as what you originally set out to do.

I could go on....and on....and on....but I'll leave it at this. (For now)
Each of these points has it's own story, and I'll get into each in future blogging endeavors, but for now, the MOST important thing I learned was to appreciate those you love, and NEVER CEASE to tell them how much they mean to you ON A DAILY BASIS!! You never know what tomorrow might bring....

Eat well. Love more. Live to the fullest.

It's Been A While...

Hey all....been a while since I've been on. Last month I auditioned to be on a "reality" tv food show, and because of "confidentiality clauses", I didn't get on to post....long story short, I made it through 2 rounds...but alas, that was the end.....maybe.

I've also been getting quite a few catering gigs...YAY!!! Lots of cakes, some parties, weddings coming up, and a HUGE arts festival in Grand Rapids!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150217177340156.451093.885445155

We got the food trailer up & running for camp last month...in APRIL!!! That's a first! There's still some things to be done to it to be fully road worthy....but soon!
(I know...lots of exclamation marks!!)

So much to tell.....but I'll limit to a shared hint this time.....Gordon Food Service!
The best place to find bulk foods of all kinds at a reasonable price. I've been in there at least once a week for since December (the managers at the store I go to all know me when I walk in...), anyone can shop there (you don't need a membership) and the product quality is great!

Until next time...

Oops...continuing on...

As I was saying, we'll be having a "winter preview", and I hope you can come watch these amazing ensembles, as they perform their shows at a home setting for the only time this season. We'll also have many yummy baked offerings, proceeds going to benefit the Legends Performing Arts Association.

Speaking of bake sales, a friend of mine had a dessert calamity the other day....and I thought I'd share some tips for that perfectly iced cake.
First, make sure you don't overmix your batter...it can create air pockets which will deflate your cake when removed from the oven. I mix ALL my cakes by hand (no joke!), even wedding cakes. It makes for a more dense cake, and makes them easier to stack, not to mention much more moist!
In the baking process, don't rush your cake! If you take it out of the oven too soon, that will also cause the center to collapse.
When icing a cake, put it in the refrigerator or freezer for a couple of hours first...that will firm the cake up for icing. Next, put a thin layer of icing on your cake straight out of the fridge, then put back in the fridge to set it. This is also called a "crumb coat" and keeps crumbs from getting into the final icing. Then ice (or frost) your cake as you normally would...no crumbs!

Hope to see you this Saturday, 5 p.m., at Parchment Middle School!

It's BAKE SALE time!!

Hi All!
I know it's been a while, but I'm still here, and gearing up for the latest...time for a bake sale!!!
This Saturday, Legends Performing Arts Association will be having a "winter preview" for some of our ensembles! 

Legends Winter Guard Friends and Family Performance.

 www.legendspaa.org

More "Tummy Blankets"...

On the heels of the recipe I shared yesterday, I thought I'd share my recipe for bread pudding...it's yummy, warm, and a way to get rid of those extra doughnuts & pastries that might just be hanging around.
(Yeah, RIGHT! Like THAT'S gonna happen...)

Bread pudding

Leftover doughnuts, pound cake, raisin bread, etc.
1 dz. eggs
1/2 gal. milk
2 C. heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2 (whichever you have)
2 C. chocolate chips
any dried fruit you may have around
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
1/2 C. dark rum (optional)

Mix eggs, cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and rum (if you like). Rip pastries into small pieces & put in a greased 9 x  13 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 min. or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

March...spring?

Well, it will soon be spring again...time for this flippin snow to melt!! Forget about anything else...get rid of all this icy "goodness" that makes for a truly depressing mood!
However, winter is good for comfort food....the kind of food that makes you want to curl up into a blanket & hibernate for 2 weeks after eating it. I LOVE comfort food...and I love making it!
Here is a dish for a breakfast or brunch that can be made the night before and then just throw in the oven & enjoy a lazy weekend morning...enjoy!

Egg Bake-

Any day- old bread you may have sitting around, but Italian or French breads work best.
1 dz. eggs, beaten with 1 C. milk
3 T. butter
1/2 C. diced onions
1/2 C. green peppers
1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled
2 C. shredded cheese
salt & pepper to taste (@ 1 t. each)

Break up bread & put into greased 9x13 pan. Saute' onions & peppers in butter until onions are translucent.
Sprinkle onions, peppers, bacon, & 1 C. cheese over bread. Salt & pepper eggs, then pour over bread mixture. top with remaining cheese. Cover w/ foil & refrigerate overnight, or put in 350 degree oven for @ 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

My mind is blank...

Sometimes, when one gets busy, one's mind just goes.....blank. My mom & I were talking about remembering recipes, and I remember that some of the recipes I used to do all the time....I DON'T REMEMBER! Then, it occurred to me, that when I think back to when & where I was doing them, I pictured myself putting the recipes together...and it's through sheer muscle memory that I can do them! I can see myself going for the flour...yup, 2C, and the butter, yup, 1LB, and so on. Is it a sign of age,  sheer business, or stubbornness that we don't write things down but commit them to memory (or muscle memory), and just hope that our memories don't fail us.....now, what was I saying?


Sriracha Tartar Sauce

1 good scoop of miracle whip
a quarter-sized squirt of sriracha
2 t. sweet pickle relish
about a teaspoon or so of lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

Mix above ingredients & serve with any type of fish fillets...especially good with beer- battered fish!

Shoot for the stars...

 Soooo....what's new this week, you might ask? Well, winterguard has their first competitions in Wisconsin, which I'm going & cooking for, PIA has a rehearsal, which I'm also cooking for (gotta love satellite locations), which someone else will serve, some sadness (which I won't get into), AAAAANNNNDDDD......I gave my information to be in the running for "Top Chef : Just Desserts"!! I've had about 247 sets of hands shoving me to do this, or something like it, for the past few years, so I just manned up & did it! We'll see if they like me (...they REALLY like me)...

Today I'm sharing what has become one of my favorite dessert recipes...flourless chocolate cake. Got this from my former (and favorite) boss, Chef Sam Luna, who used to just crack me up when he told me about his "chef's desserts", of which this is one. He would tell me that any chef worth their salt would know how to put these together...so far, I haven't found any that would attempt it, save myself, but this recipie is AMAZING (and so easy your trained chimp could do it!).

Flourless Chocolate Cake (makes 2- 9" cakes)

Preheat oven to 350, and grease & dust with COCOA POWDER 2- 9" round cake pans

1# butter
1# good dk. chocolate (such as Ghirardelli)
1# sugar (2 C.)
8 eggs
flavoring of choice- you can also add 1/2 C. of really strong coffee, if  you like

Melt butter & chocolate in saucepan over LOW heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar, and stir until sugar is incorporated.  Add any extra flavorings. Take off heat, and add eggs all at once, whisking until smooth & velvety. It will look like the mixture has separated or curdled, don't worry, it hasn't...just keep whisking until smooth. Pour into cake pans & bake for @ 30- 35 min., or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let set for @ 5 min., then flip out and cool completely before cutting, can be chilled, also.

It's cold & flu season...

...And I have it. A nasty cold...ugh. Brings me to write a short bit about when we should be in the kitchen, and when not to be. Obviously, if you're coughing, sneezing, or any facial orifice is running uncontrollably, it's probably NOT a good idea to be handling food. Other times not to be touching noms....if you have a fever, diarrhea, or a stomach bug. Most chefs I know have a hard time with this, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, STAY OUT of the kitchen 24 to 36 hrs. AFTER symptoms are gone. You can still be contagious, and pass that little extra sump'n-sump'n on to your diners.Wash your hands constantly, wear gloves, use hand sanitizer. Basic kitchen sanitation 101.
 Time to take some more Zicam, and heat something up in the microwave...

CHOCOLATE!!!

  Valentine's Day is coming up fast...and I'm taking a moment to do a shameless plug for my alter ego, Legends Catering. This weekend is busy (again!) with drum corps camp, winterguard, and drumline....BUT it'll also be a teaching weekend! My volunteers & I will be knocking out chocolate samples for the parent meeting on Sunday at Parchment Middle School. A bunch of women (and maybe a guy or two), lots of chocolate, good conversation, & laughs...what could be more fun?!
  I'll be teaching them basic chocolate making skills, but the end result will be an array of yummy chocolates, fit for human consumption! With flavors such as maple bacon truffle (I know...I went "eew" at first too, but the savory sweet is REALLY good!), white chocolate goldschlager cream, nutella truffle, peppermint snowflakes, sriracha dark chocolate, mojito truffle.....you get the idea. If anyone is interested, just shoot me a message on facebook, twitter, or at stellathedd@yahoo.com (long story, but my email stands for "Stella the Dining Diva), and I'll hook you up! Time for a chocolate manicure.....

More snow...ah, Michigan.

So, we have another corps/winterguard/drumline weekend coming up, and, sure as taxes, we're expecting.....you guessed it...SNOW! Suprise! As my friend Chris likes to say," what is it about Legends' weekends that always brings the snow?" She's right. We deal...and hope we don't have too many leftovers.
  As the drumline came through for lunch this past weekend, I got the best compliment...possibly to be nominated for quote of the year..." Chinese food?! I've died & gone to Legends!" Made me a happy girl!
  Today I'll share my recipe for mac- &- cheese...use it to stay warm & toasty as you're shoveling a new snow subway tunnel...if it should snow that much...it is , after all, Michigan.

Mac & Cheese for 100

7 lbs. elbow macaroni
2 #10 cans GFS sharp cheddar cheese sauce (other kinds may be used, but won't give the same depth of flavor)
2 lbs. shredded cheddar cheese
1 loaf garlic bread, toasted, dried, & crumbled for breadcrumbs
1 lb. butter or margarine
3 C. sour cream
3 T. black pepper

Boil macaroni to al dente (@ 7 min) & drain, but do not rinse. Split macaroni into 3- 4 in. deep foil pans. Split   butter into 3 pieces & mix into each pan of  hot macaroni. Mix 1 C. sour cream into each pan of macaroni, as well as pepper. Then split the cans of cheddar cheese sauce between the 3 pans, mixing in as well. Top with shredded cheddar cheese (split between 3 pans) and the garlic bread breadcrumbs. Bake in ovens at 350 for @ 35- 45 min., or until browned & bubbly. You may have to do in batches if you only have access to one oven.

Shopping in a snowstorm...

It's a looks-pretty-out-the-window kind of day, just made a pot of ham & potato soup, and am wondering if this weekend will actually happen or not. We have winterguard & drumline, and people are supposed to be coming into town for the weekend, but we're supposed to get a foot or more of snow here.....So I've adjusted my plans of shopping for the Saturday morning, with the hopes of still feeding @ 50 for lunch, and @ 13-15 for dinner. I've made my lists, know what I'm serving, yet I hope I don't forget anything that would make me have to go back out in this winter loveliness. Sometimes, even when the best laid plans are followed, nothing frustrates me more than when I realize I've forgotten the bread, or am a gallon short of milk. That's the joke between me & my partner in crime, the CEO of the Legends Performing Arts Association. I can't count how many times (in the past, of course, because you'd think I've learned this lesson by now, right?? Or not....) we've gotten to a housing site/ school, and  I turn to him, with doe-like innocence in my eyes, and say "Ibe? Ummm, we need more milk for breakfast". I won't give you his response, but you can imagine. You see, we've already stopped at 2 truck stops during the course of  the evening, where, if I'd remembered, I could've gotten milk, but NOOOOOOO! I had to wait until 4 dark a.m. to let him know I'd "forgotten". We still laugh about it...and when I can't figure out what to do, or what I've forgotten, he just looks at me and says, " put a gallon of milk out. They'll figure it out.".

Hint for the day: Make a list, check it twice, or three times, or four, and don't beat yourself up if you still have to go back to the store.

Pay it Forward...On my soapbox for a bit.

  On the vein of my last entry about things I've learned, this addresses all those people who say, "that's not MY job". We are a spoiled generation, raising a spoiled generation...and the only way to change that is to start teaching our young people (and ourselves) to "invest" ourselves into their lives; even the smallest bit of help, I've found, is greatly appreciated. When we're on our summer tour with the corps, we have to stay at schools. This is not an easy situation, especially because there are those that would leave things a mess before us, making it especially difficult to convince the "higher ups" of the school system that we should be allowed to stay there. A big part of my philosophy, and that of my corps, is to leave a place cleaner than when we found it. No one is allowed to say, "that's not my job", or "the janitors will clean it". We all have jobs that we're assigned, and expected to be carried out. You'd be amazed at how a "small" gesture such as cleaning up after onesself goes miles to building a lasting, positive  business relationship. Also, when you get to a facility where you'll be holding an event or what have you, the people to make friends with are the custodians/secretary/school representative. I always invite them to share a meal with us, or ask what we can do to help them...great results will follow, I guarantee it! Always leave the places where you are, & the people you meet with a good impression of yourself & the organization you're representing...you never know when that impression will lead to greater things (and it'll make you feel good, too)!

  *steps off huge soapbox*

  Helpful hint of the day:
For the vegetarians in your group, I have found that almost ANY recipe that has beef or chicken can be substituted with Boca burger- before you add meat to a dish, set aside a portion of the dish, then add Boca meat to that portion. Then, to the rest of the dish, add the meat & cook a little longer to get that "meat flavor" infused into the dish. That way, everyone is happy, and the vegetarian dish hasn't been touched by meat.

1-1-11

Happy New Year!
 As a new year is upon us like white on rice, I'm wondering what it will bring. Just got through with Paula Deen's book about her life, and I can't help but notice how similar our paths through the culinary world are, and I wonder if this is the year that my business will take off like a rocket. I sure hope so...
 Been thinking about how just a little bit of encouragement & the right learning tools help people take off on their own, with all the self- confidence of a seasoned pro. I'm talking about taking on pretty big cooking projects. For example, I had a mom who volunteered for me for the first time in December, she learned a recipe for the first time, and with a little coaching, she made that same recipe for 50 in her son's drumline! She hadn't done anything that big before....is it REALLY that easy? Just a little teaching, and some encouragement? Cooking schools, restaurants, & reality t.v. would have you believe that you have to yell & scream at people to get even the slightest results...I don't believe that. You can coach people to get the same results without berating them, and making them feel like they never should have entered the kitchen in the first place. I hope, in this new year, to help people in volunteer organizations (i.e. drum corps, children's organizations, festivals, etc.) to find their potential in this area, and make a difference to those around them, specifically in the area of food....just like two volunteers long ago did for me...thanks Jim & Judy.

Tip for the day...use your leftovers...even in a large setting! When you have individual components left over from a meal, re-purpose them. Tortillas left over from a taco bar? Make quesadillas. Leftover turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy? Use them for a casserole. Just remember for all things leftover, once they're reheated the second time, it's best to throw out the remnants...you don't want bacteria attacking your precious partakers' tummies!

A new decade...let's do this thing!