An Inspirational Day in America’s Most Trusted Kitchen

to Celebrate Betty Crocker's 90th Birthday

My mom was given a Betty Crocker Cookbook for a wedding present and for every Christmas I can remember we would make Betty Crocker’s sugar cookie cut-outs for the holidays. It’s not Christmas until we have those sugar cookies with almond cream frosting and all kinds of colored sprinkles and decorations.

This year Betty Crocker held a contest asking members of Betty's website to plan a birthday bash for Betty's 90th birthday and submit the plan in 1500 characters or less along with a selection of five recipes from the Betty Crocker website. The prize - ten people would be selected to take a trip to Betty Crocker's home in Golden Valley Minnesota.

When I was notified I was a finalist and invited to visit the Betty Crocker Kitchen’s I was thrilled at the opportunity but did not anticipate how inspirational the trip would be. And icing on the cake - my dear friend Merry was also selected.

When you think of a large company like General Mills (# 155 in the fortune 500) it’s easy to think about a corporate entity instead of all the people who make such a machine operate. In the case of General Mills - a behind the scenes look did not reveal a cold operation but a wonderful group of people who clearly love their jobs and truly care about their consumers and providing quality resources to us.

The environment was so welcoming and warm (despite the cold Minnesota climate) it made me want to pack up and move to Minnesota to work with these people in a field dedicated to helping people improve their quality of life through one of life’s necessities – food.

In our day-long visit to the General Mills Headquarters we were given a behind the scenes look at many different aspects of the Betty Crocker operations.

The Photo Lab & Prop Room

We saw food shoots first hands in the GM photo labs. There were numerous sets and a wonderful variety of kitchens.

This area was particularly fascinating to me since I really want to get better at taking pictures of my own creations. I was happy to hear that the photos are not touched up with anything inedible - only natural ingredients are used such as water and oil. One set of stylists was working on the perfect cake ball and another groups was photographing the perfect fajita. it was so interesting to see them hard at work.

The prop room for the photo shoots was one of the highlights of the day - I wanted access to that room to plan my next themed party - there was every color and shape of plate that you could imagine.

The Betty Crocker Kitchens

And yes I do mean kitchens. There were numerous kitchens (I think 19 is the count) all fully functioning and used to test the recipes for various aspects of Betty Crocker and other areas of General Mills. After seeing the operation in action they deserve the honor of America's Most Trusted Kitchen.

Not only did we get to see the Test Kitchens – which were magnificent – but we actually got to cook in the kitchens and prepare items for the closing cocktail party. Our group was assigned the chocolate coal lumps. A simple recipe with cocoa puffs mixed with melted marshmellows and formed into squares and coated with chocolate. A great recipe to make with the kids during the holidays.

Here I am with my guest Felicia and one of the other finalists Beverly with her husband Gerard.

We also got to see the archive room, the food pantries, and the library. GM really opened their doors to us and made the trip incredibly memorable.

The Grand Prize Winner

The grand prize winner was Catherine from Arizona and she was the winner I would have chosen. Her party included a recipe exchange, make your own aprons, a picture with Betty Crocker and a room adorned with red roses but most importantly a reminder that there is a little Betty in all of us. Here she is signing Betty's birthday card.

The Party's Over

But thanks to betty will never end as the inspiration she provides continues. Our night ended with a wonderful cocktail party and presents for the ten finalists and our guests including the newest version of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and a wonderful gift basket of Betty Crocker items.

Happy Birthday Betty and thank you for your continued hard-work and dedication to make our lives easier. I am truly thankful to the wonderful team that planned this amazing day for us including Heather, Jodie, Kristen, Amy, Karen and the countless other members of the GM team that shared so much with us including the staff in the archive room, the photo lab, and all thew wonderful cooks in the kitchens who cooked our food and cleaned up after we cooked in the kitchens. You all made this day so special.

Thank you also for giving me new found inspiration in my culinary education. That inspiration has lead to me create my next blog series:

12 Days of Culinary Education

My holiday gift to me is to teach myself 12 cooking techniques or recipes I have wanted to learn but just haven't gotten around to. From the simple poaching of an egg to the more complicated and ever illusive souflee. Stay tuned and join me in my culinary education.

Happy Cooking and Remember

Take Time to Enjoy a

Little Gourmet Everyday!!

Chicken and Quinoa with Figs,

Spinach, and Mint

I've often wondered if I took the wrong path in life - I get more joy and feel more passion for cooking and entertaining then for anything else I have ever done. While a legal education has brought amazing experiences I dream about attending culinary school. And thanks to a recipe contest sponsored by Foster Farms I'll be cooking at the Culinary Institute of American in Napa Valley - what an amazing experience.

Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest

The call of this recipe contest was to use fresh Foster Farms Chicken and pair it with fresh, local and natural ingredients inspired by your state or region - in my case California.

The base of my recipe was definitely going to be chicken thighs - I love dark meat - and I knew I wanted to pair it with quinoa. I cooked quinoa for the first time about a year ago and it is delicious, easy to cook, and incredibly healthy. With the main components of the recipe determined - I turned to the fresh ingredients.

I have a lemon tree in my back yard and love the freshness it adds to chicken so that was the next item added. When I think of California ingredients figs is one of the first things that comes to mind, but I couldn't get fresh figs in April so I decided on all natural dried California Black Mission Figs. Of course California and Gilroy Garlic go hand in hand and I have always loved the fresh California Spinach I get at the farmers market. I always use thyme with chicken thighs so that was the next addition. Finally, I had been using mint in some savory dishes and just enjoy the clean fresh taste it provides and thought it would really work well with the figs and lemon marinated chicken.

I love this dish - it is healthy and delicious and simple to make. A one pot dish that can be on the table fast. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chicken and Quinoa with Figs, Spinach, and Mint
Serves 4
Active Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 6 Foster Farms boneless skinless thighs fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
• 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
• 6 Cloves California Garlic, divided
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves minced, divided
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 3 teaspoon Kosher Salt, divided
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups filtered water, divided
• 2 large shallots, minced
• ½ cup dried California Mission Figs, quartered
• 3 cups California Grown Spinach roughly chopped

Directions

Place chicken in large plastic bag with zipper lock top, Remove leaves from three sprigs of thyme and mince. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Chop mint and separate 1 tablespoon. Zest lemon then halve and juice. Whisk together 5 tablespoons of the olive oil, juice and zest from lemon, garlic, minced thyme, 1 tablespoon minced mint, ground pepper, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and incorporate fully. Set aside and allow to marinate for thirty minutes or up to one hour.

Rinse quinoa well and drain thoroughly. In a medium saucepan toast the quinoa over medium heat for about two minutes. Combine 1 teaspoon salt with 1 ¾ water and add to toasted quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed. This will take about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, warm remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat in large skillet. Place figs in ¼ cup water to soak. Add shallot to heated pan with 1 teaspoon salt and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for about a minute. Add figs in water and remaining thyme sprigs and cook until liquid is absorbed. Remove chicken from marinade and add to shallot fig mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs.

Remove lid from quinoa, fluff with fork and transfer quinoa to skillet. Mix in spinach and mint and stir gently to incorporate all ingredients.

About the Contest

Foster Farms received over 2000 recipe submissions from California, Oregon, and Washington and the submissions were narrowed down to five in each state. The top five attended regional cook-offs and at each cook-off two were selected to advance to the finals in Napa Valley. I am thrilled to have been selected as one of the California finalists. As you can see the competition was tough.

California Semifinalists

Jennifer Daskevich, Los Angeles - Chicken and Quinoa with Figs, Spinach and Mint

Jackie Dodd, Glendale - Pulled Chicken Sliders with Hoisin BBQ Sauce & Pickled Slaw

Jamie Brown-Miller, Napa - Olive & Lemon Poached Tuscan Chicken on Grilled Pitas with Spinach Spread

Roxanne Chan, Albany - Asian Braised Chicken Thighs with Soybean Salad

Pascal Vignau, Encinitas - Pretzel Chicken Tenders with Green Tomato Sauce

The California Regionals were held at The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California - San Diego. We stayed at the delightful Hotel Salomar in the gas lamp district of San Diego. I had the best plus one ever - my wonderful mom. How we didn't get a picture together I don't know but it was a very special mother daughter trip. Thanks mom for all your support!

After a wonderful welcome dinner Thursday night we reported to the kitchen at 8:30 a.m. to review our ingredient list and equipment list to make sure we had everything we needed.

Once the five competitors had all ingredients and equipment, the timer began. We had 90 minutes to complete our dish. That was more than enough time for me to complete the dish but I didn't want to cut myself in haste so I took my time and methodically prepared my dish. I very slowly minced the shallots, picked off every stem from the spinach leaves, made sure there were no lemon seeds in the marinade and made sure all stems were removed from the figs. I wanted the dish to be perfect for the judges.

At the same time I was preparing my dish, students from the culinary school were preparing my dish for the crowd to taste. I got very lucky as the chefs preparing my dish were in the same kitchen where I was preparing my dish.

The staff at the school was awesome. Ryan (wish I had a picture of Ryan - he was so wonderful) was our kitchen assistant and whenever I finished using a dish he would immediately wash it and put it away. I wish I had that kind of help when I cook at home. He also finished my dish for the crowd and thanks to him it was a crowd pleaser.

As competitors finished their dishes one was presented to the judges to taste and one was plated by a head instructor at the school - they called this the "hero plate". It looked beautiful.

At the same time the crowd got to taste the various dishes and place their vote for the People's Choice Award.

The dishes were judged by Elaine Johnson of Sunset Magazine, Cathy Thomas - Columnist & Author, Sam Zien of Just Cook This and Chris Ross of the San Diego Union Tribune.

I was thrilled to receive the votes from the crowd for the People's Choice and to be selected as one of the California finalists along with Roxanne Chan. Roxanne is a complete sweetheart and I look forward to seeing her again at the CIA. She is tough competition having won awards for over 800 of her recipes.

The Finals

The finals are set for September 30, 2011 at the Culinary Institute of America. Did I mention I get to cook in the kitchen at the Culinary Institute of America. I am sooo excited for this wonderful opportunity. It will be a tough competition, look at this delicious list of recipes.

California Finalists

• Jennifer Daskevich, Los Angeles - Chicken and Quinoa with Figs, Spinach and Mint
• Roxanne Chan, Albany - Asian Braised Chicken Thighs with Soybean Salad

Washington Finalists

• Tina Hoban, Bellingham - Chicken with Cherry Tapenade over Creamy Pancetta Polenta
• Rebecca Spence, Vancouver - Crispy Orange Chicken with Fennel, Avocado and Orange Salad

Oregon Finalists

• Timmy Baker, Eugene - Pan Fried Chicken with Blueberry Pinot Noir Reduction & Goat Cheese Polenta
• Russell Kool, Hillsboro - Crispy Basil Skinned Chicken Breast with Peach Pink Peppercorn Compote

Wish me luck!!

Happy Cooking and Remember
Take Time to Enjoy
A Little Gourmet Everyday!!

Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes and Burrata

An Inspired Easy Delicious Appetizer

I remember a lesson learned in a business class may years ago:

• Fast
• Cheap
• High Quality

Pick 2 - you can never have all three. I found it was pretty true in business and I have found that same principle often applies to food.

• You can have cheap and delicious but it will take some time - like my favorite cooking method - braising.
• You can have fast and cheap - like instant ramen - but it's not the best thing you've eaten (although I must admit I do like the extra salty noodles and I have also been known to enjoy boxed macaroni and cheese and cheep frozen pizza but they are not the BEST bites I've had).
• Today's recipe falls into the third category - It is incredibly delicious and incredibly fast but the ingredients won't win you any cheap recipe contests.

Browsing for Inspiration

I was wandering the produce aisle of one of my local gourmet grocery stores - a thing I love to do - and they had heirloom tomatoes in all their beautiful glory.

The tomatoes reminded me of a delicious appetizer I had with my dear friend Annie last summer for her birthday at Chateau Marmont.

Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata

I quickly left the produce aisle and went to the specialty cheese section, but to my dismay I didn't see any burrata. The cheese lady must have seen my disappontment and asked me what I was looking for -"I don't suppose you have any burrata?" I asked tentatively and she took me to a different section and there it was - seeing it actually made me feel giddy - I even think I giggled with glee.

Burrata - what is burrata you ask - only one of the best bites you may ever have!!

Burrata is a specialty of the Apulia region of Italy - the southeast coast of Italy or the “heel of the boot.”

Burrata, which means “buttery” in Italian, is a hollow ball of mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella) filled with panna (cream) and mozzarella bits. Cut into the ball and the cream oozes out. The cheese bits make the panna both buttery and creamy, although not overly rich, since this is still a fresh cheese.

It was first made in the 1920's, became more readily available in the 1950's and now there are a limited number of U.S. burrata makers.

For more information on Burrata visit The Nibble.

I have found Burrata at two places, a specialty cheese store near my home and Whole Foods. But be warned you can never plan on it being there. If I know I need it I order it. On this lucky day there it was - oh the lovely beautiful delicious burrata.

The rest was easy - bread, olive oil, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and basil.

Bruschetta with Heirloom Tomatoes and Burrata

Ingredients

• 1 crusty baguette loaf
• 2-3 heirloom tomatoes - pick different colors for a beautiful look
• 1/3 cup fresh basil
• kosher or sea salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh olive oil
• 1 ball fresh burrata

Directions

Preheat broiler. Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal into 1 inch pieces. Broil until golden brown.

Meanwhile - shred basil gently. Core tomatoes and cut into 1/4 inch pieces. In medium bowl combine tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

When bread is toasted, cut garlic clove in half and rub with a bit of pressure on toasted bread. Brush generously with a very good quality olive oil - don't skimp on the oil. Spread each bread toast with a bit of burrata and top with tomato basil mixture.

Open up a cold crisp white summer wine like an italian pino grigio and enjoy. This will be one of the best bites you've ever had made very quickly but not particulary cheap - but hey - life is short Mangia Mangia!!

A Bit of History on Bruschetta

(I couldn't resist)

The word bruschetta pronounced "brusketta" comes from the verb bruscare meaning to "roast over coals." Some food historians believe it originated with the Roman practice of using bread to taste newly pressed olive oil, some say it was developed in Tuscany to show off the new season's olive oil and yet other's say it was a way to use bread that was no longer fresh.

No matter the source, bruschetta is simply grilled bread rubbed with a clove of garlic and topped with extra virgin olive oil.

In more modern times toppings have been added to make it a more substantial snack and Americans typically use the word to refer to the topping - the most popular being tomatoes and basil - but bruschetta is actually the toasted bread used as a vehicle for olive oil.

"The most important ingredient in bruschetta is not garlic but olive oil." The garlic on bruschetta is rubbed on, so that you inhale the fresh garlic perfume as a backdrop to the olive oil, rather than eating great lumps of it. The origin of bruschetta was probably the ancient Roman practice of tasting newly pressed olive oil on a piece of bread, with or without garlic -- a practice that has continued in the oil-producing areas of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. The name derives from bruscare, meaning "to roast over coals".
---"Toast of the Tiber ," Bee Wilson and Frances Stonor Saunders, New Statesman, 04/24/2000 (p. 50).

So when you buy "bruschetta" in a tub in the grocery store you are buying bruschetta topping. I wish the history of a dish wasn't lost through mass marketing.

Heirloom Tomatoes

photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

Normal or hybrid tomatoes as they are called are often preferred by farmers and grocers for their yield, resistence to disease, and shelf life which allows them to be shipped long distances. The can be delicious and I am a big fan.

However, heirloom tomatoes are magnificant. Heirloom tomatoes are known for their diversity of color, shape, and flavor and come from plant seeds that are at least 50 years old and are often affiliated with a particular family. They are all open cultivated and not bread for yield or transport and often - in my experience - are more beautiful and sweet then their uniform looking hybrid cousins.

You could easily make this recipe with less expensive hybrid tomatoes and it would be delicious - especially if you are using tomatoes ripe from the garden - but I prefer the heirloom tomatoes for their sweetness and bright color variety.

Happy Cooking

And Remember Take Time to

Enjoy a Little Gourmet Everyday!!