After Hours Chef

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I apologize for yet another long absence. I meant to post so much over the holidays since there's so much cooking and baking to do, but the hustle and bustle of the holidays swallowed me whole!
Throughout the month of December I had many opportunities to make yummy things, share my homemade goodies, and open my home to friends and family which means I learned a few new tricks. Ironically my favorite new recipe is also the absolute easiest, and I love it because it's so versatile. I guess Pesto Spread is as good a name as any for it since that's all it is.
Wegman's has an awesome olive bar which I find harder and harder to pass by when I am grocery shopping since there's always something else to try. Among the many varieties of olives, hummus, fresh mozzarella, and bruchetta is pesto which is still something new to me. What do you do with pesto? It's so strong that you don't need a whole lot of it, and I'm sure there are possibilities I have yet to explore, but my crazy idea? Add cream cheese! Everything tastes better with cheese!

I spoon out about 1/8 of a cup of pesto into the container and grab a block of cream cheese. When the cheese is softened I toss it into the container and mash the two together with a fork. I don't even have to dirty a bowl!
It's great spread on crackers, and it doesn't even need to be refrigerated after being mixed. I always forget the sour cream dips need to chill before serving and usually make them way too late so this is a great alternative. But I have to say the best thing to do with this little creation is when you have a little left over, saute veggies in it!
So far I've only used zucchini because it's just so good, but I would imagine you could use anything! Just chop your veggie of choice, add it to a dry pan and scoop some of the pesto spread into the pan and cook till the veggies are soft. So good!!

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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Salad Rip Off

November 19th 2008 20:27

I love working in center city Philadelphia. I enjoy walking around on my lunch break and having the option to run certain errands. There are also a multitude of food options when I don't pack my lunch, but rent in Philly is expensive which means so is the food. Not that there aren't cheap lunch options to be found, but they're usually not the healthiest or the kind you want your diet to subsist of. One of my personal favorite places to go is Cosi which is less then a block away from my office and one of the more unreasonable places to pay for lunch. They have great salads and the flat bread for a side or as bread for sandwiches is baked on the premises and really tasty, but it's just not in my budget to pay $12 for lunch every day. But there's this one salad I have discovered which is so good I actually have cravings for it, and even when I know I shouldn't be spending that much on lunch I tend to go there anyway.

Last week I had a craving for Cosi's signature salad and I held myself off till Friday which I decided was special occasion enough to justify spending a ridiculous amount of money on lettuce. I ran a quick errand then stopped by Cosi on my way back, opened the door, saw the line, and walked right back out and across the street for a sandwich instead. Apparently I'm not the only one who was craving a salad on Friday and the craving wasn't as uncomfortable as the thought of standing in line for half my lunch hour just to get the salad.

I was halfway through my rather bland alternate lunch when it occurred to me that I shouldn't have to pay that much for their salad when I could make it at home. I know, it was a startling revelation, but it made me excited, plus we were having friends over for dinner over the weekend so I could even share! Without further ado, this is my version of Cosi's signature salad.

Add the following to one head of romaine lettuce torn and toss in a bowl:
Handful of dried cranberries
2 med size pairs cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg feta cheese
Handful of shelled pistacioes
Grapes, halved
Balsamic Vinagrette

Trust me, it's really good!

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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Crock Pots

November 14th 2008 17:51

Almost exactly five years ago I was preparing to be married which included the fun task of registering for gifts. I had never lived alone before and in college when I lived somewhere with a kitchen, I always had roommates; which as everyone who's shared living space knows, means you have hand-me-down and cheap everything. There wasn't a single decent kitchen utensil I owned that hadn't been someone else's before me and I couldn't wait to pick out all the fun and useful things I'd get to use in my new kitchen that was all my own. For the most part we made good decisions, picked quality products and haven't had any problems with the gadgets and appliances we picked. With one exception, the crock pot.

The crock pot was one of the things I was most looking forward to having and using since I have a full time job but also enjoy cooking dinner for us most nights. What an awesome invention, I throw a bunch of food in it in the morning before I leave for work and when I come home, voila! instant dinner. When selecting one to go on my registry I gave little thought to how it would preform figuring they were all more or less alike and just added one to our registry.

What I got, however, was complete junk. I couldn't cook anything for a whole day without coming home to find beef jerky dried to the bottom of the pot. Every drop of water evaporated between the lid and pot while I was at work completely defeating the purpose of the appliance. I tried weighing the lid down, wrapping it in foil and hand towels to try to create a seal, nothing worked. I became so frustrated I insisted I needed a new one with a delay timer so I could turn it on before I left work but it wouldn't actually start cooking until 3 or 4 hours later when I set it to start so the food would be edible when we got home from work. I don't think such a crock pot exists because I've searched for it.

Then a few weekends ago when I was yet again complaining about it my mom said I could have her old one. I was thrilled! I remember as a kid her using it to make goulash or soup and coming home from school smelling dinner and anticipating when my dad would get home so we could eat it. It's probably only 2 1/2 quarts with a brown and orange ceramic base which makes me sure it's been around since the 70's, and a heavy glass lid which keeps the moisture inside the pot and not off into the air.

I've had it for about a week and have already used it once last week and it was heaven, I tossed cubed chicken, still frozen, in with beer, crushed tomatoes, garlic salt and onions. All I had to do was make rice when I got home from work and dinner was done! Every once in a while there is something that reminds me how true it is that "they just don't make 'em like they used to"...

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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Absentee

October 9th 2008 12:57

It has been a while since I've posted here because I've been extremely busy studying for an exam for the past two months. I sat for the three part test last Friday and Saturday and now that it's over I have quite a bit of free time back. It feels a little like I've actually skipped over the month of September, I know there were things I did other then study and work but none of them were things that would be considered worth sharing here. So now I get to take a big sigh of relief, and wait three months for my exam results.

I am excited to get back to work posting here though because it's fall which, now that I am an adult, has stolen the place in my heart previously held by summer as my favorite season. Not only is it beautiful as the leaves change from vibrant green to all hues of red and orange. Not only does it mean I get to wear some of my favorite articles of clothing, scarves and sweaters and anything made out of fleece. Fall has the best food! As fall brings a refreshing chill to the air we stop craving the berries and frozen treats of summer and look forward to turning on the oven again and making pies, soups, going apple picking and using them in crisps and other baking adventures. Thanksgiving is in fall which bring to mind so many delightful foods it makes my mouth water!
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Leftovers!

September 9th 2008 13:05

We had an end of summer BBQ this past weekend, and unfortunately, we picked the day that Hanna decided to make her way through south jersey. We went back and forth on rescheduling all week, and finally decided that we should just go through with it. We both had studying to do and if we had the party on Sunday (which was a gorgeous day, btw), we wouldn't have gotten any of it done.
We woke up Saturday morning to a gray sky but no rain yet and I checked my e-mail every 20 minutes looking for a cancellation to my soccer game. Well, the game wasn't canceled, and the rain held out for the two games before ours. Than started just in time for the first whistle to blow and remained light but steady for ours. It got fairly heavy on the way home, then proceeded to drizzle for the remainder of the day. Not wholly unpleasant, however, not exactly BBQ weather.
So we moved the grill into the garage, set up ladder golf and south philly horseshoes in there as well, and counted ourselves lucky that we had, in fact, gotten the basement painted and put back together. It was a good time, we had plenty of room in the house and we played the lawn games in the garage as well as wii and DDR. There were still a good amount of people who did show up, and we had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we were expecting around 50 and only half that showed, we had planned to feed that many, and only had to feed 25 or so...
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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My Thoughts on Tipping

August 28th 2008 16:50

Listening on the radio this morning I learned that the 2008 Zagat guide named my own city, Philadelphia, as having the best tippers in the country. We tend to tip .6% over the national average of 19% which was enough to put us at the top. The City of Brotherly love actually did something to earn the title! So naturally, this discussion got me thinking of the way I tip when I'm out at a restaurant.
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Mini Meatloaf

August 27th 2008 14:05

This is a recipe I've had for so long I forget where I originally found it but it's a great, quick dinner that works really well for just making dinner for the two of us. Next time you want a new twist on a tired dinner, bake your favorite meatloaf recipe in muffin pans. It gives you a faster cook time and personal sized portions. I also like to add interesting flavors and top with cheese for a different twist.
There are a slew of meatloaf recipes at Allrecipes so pick one that sounds good and give it a go!
Other variations of meatloaf I've tried have been:
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Rice

August 14th 2008 14:11

What could be more simple then making rice? All my life I've followed the directions on the side of the package and have never thought twice about the sticky rice I've always made. Rice is rice, right? Not necessarily.

My mother-in-law is from Puerto Rico and has completely foreign way of making rice which my husband, of course, inherited. When we first got married I was informed, not unkindly, that I didn't make rice the right way. Spanish rice is not sticky, and apparently isn't done right unless it's burnt to the pan. Fortunately, a couple of years ago I got sucked into a food show who's host was Spanish and she taught me how to make fluffy, non-sticky rice, and it doesn't even get burnt to the bottom!
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Non-Diet Diet Foods

August 14th 2008 13:05

Here's an article from MSN I just came across which calls out the top 5 "diet" foods that people think are healthier choices but really aren't. Whether it's because the label is emblazoned with "DIET" and makes you think it's a better choice and so you drink two diet sodas instead of one, or it's marketed as a smart alternative snack and then is chocked full of empty calories, I think it's always good to read about these sneaky foods.
I have to admit, I did always think it was funny watching someone order a quarter pounder with cheese, fries and a diet coke, it just seemed silly. Of course now that I'm older I understand it's also what you're used to and some people drink it because they prefer the taste. Still, I'm sure some people think it's balancing out the calories they're getting from other foods.
As for baked goods, which I know I've been hearing for years how deceptive muffins are since they are not a pastry breakfast food. Why not try to make your own? I love this recipe for Grandma Johnson's Scones that I found on my favorite recipe site, allrecipes.com years ago. One of the nice things about having a recipe for your favorite baked good means you can control the kind of flour, sugar or sugar substitute, oil, and other ingredients to suit your diet needs. For my own personal spin on these scones, I add dried cranberries and fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of raisins.
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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Food for Your Skin

August 7th 2008 15:09

I was reading my Food & Wine magazine this week and in it there was a very interesting series of articles on all natural skin care products. The statement that most stuck out to me was from Florence Sender, founder of the Be Fine skin care line, which stated: "A huge percentage of what you put on your skin is absorbed into the body." I don't know why but I had never thought of this before. As a woman I of course have my share of creams and lotions, concealers and lip glosses at my disposal as well as my favorite brands of each, but for some reason it had never really occurred to me that maybe they should be better for more then just my skin. Animal testing has always been a big issue for cosmetics but what about using products that have all natural and even sustainable ingredients. What if skin care was looked at as less of just a hygiene routine and more like a favorite food recipe?
These days sustainability and environmentally friendly products are the hot topic items, and as a designer, they are more then just lifestyle issues for me since I deal with green design at work as well. But I'm still not sure where I personally stand on them. I don't want to just jump off that bridge without making sure I'm truly making the right decision. I am not naive enough to think everything a manufacturer tells me is entirely truthful because no matter how eco-responsible they're being, their bottom line is still to sell me stuff.
So, back to the article. What to do with this information? Honestly, I'm not sure. I really like the idea of my skin care products using food-derived active ingredients rather then chemicals. Plus, if they actually work, and I don't just mean on a basic level of remove dirt = clean, but if a shampoo has all natural ingredients and leaves my hair feeling soft and clean and manageable, I think it's worth a shot.
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Posted By: Kim DeStratis - Category: No Category

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