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!