Month: April 2019

We’re coming into the season of bountiful vegetables, fruits, and herbs. This is the season to produce heart healthy light and tasty dishes that will provide the kind of sustenance that will energize our spirit and satisfy our hunger.

Some cliches are true, “You are what you eat” is one that hits the proverbial nail on the head. Today I will provide you with a three course meal that can be executed with little effort and little skill in the kitchen.

First Course: Caprese Salad PAZAZ™ Style

Wine Pairing – Erioca Riesling (Chateau Ste Michelle/Dr. Loosen)

Heirloom Tomatoes (preferably Beefsteak variety) slice into quarter inch diameter portions.

Then salt (sea salt) and pepper the Tomatoes to taste.

Place these in the center of the plate in a flower configuration.

On top of the Tomato flower place a single Buffalo Mozzarella ball preferably from Campania Italy.

Again salt and pepper to taste.

Surround the tomato flower with (again preferably) a 4 Leaves Balsamic Vinegar from Modena.

Garnish with a sprig of Basil to complete the picture.

2nd Course: Organic Chicken Breast over Asparagus PAZAZ™ Style

Wine Pairing – Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

Begin with Organic Chicken Breast salt (sea salt) and pepper.

Pan Sear with olive oil light brown on both sides in saute pan.

Turn oven to 350 degrees.

Place Organic Chicken Breast on PAZAZ™ Silicone Baking Mat inside of the PAZAZ™ Heavy Duty Aluminum Baking Sheet Pan.

Cook Chicken for 10 minutes and then check internal temperature with temperature gauge (145 degrees) is the target. Then rest Chicken for 9 minutes on the PAZAZ™ Steel Mesh Cooling Rack.

On the side mix fresh Basil, Thyme, Mint, with Cranberry/Pear Balsamic Vinegar (Olive Press) to taste.

Boil Asparagus in sea salt water until slightly soft.

Take Asparagus and place in mixing bowl with olive oil, and Nakano brand Rice Vinegar Roasted Garlic and mix gently.

Place Asparagus in center of plate in a thatched configuration. Then place the Chicken on top of the Asparagus drizzling the contents from the mixing bowl over the Chicken. Garnish with edible nasturtium flowers.

3rd Course: Sabayon over Strawberries

Wine Pairing – Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine (Niagara on the Lake, Canada)

Ingredients:

• • 8 Large Egg Yolks at room temperature
  • 3/4 Cup Dry Marsala Wine
  • 1/2 Cup of Sugar
  • 1 Pint of Strawberries

Put the Egg Yolks, Marsala Wine and then Sugar into a large Copper or Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl.

Set the Bowl over a Large Saucepan filled with 1 Inch of barely simmering Water. Using a hand held Electric Mixer on Low Speed beat the Egg Yolk mixture until it is Hot and the Mixture forms a Ribbon when the Beaters are lifted, 5-8 minutes. Don’t cook Sabayon for too long or it will curdle.

Put the Strawberries in stemmed glasses or in bowls and either server immediately or refrigerate for up to one hour. This dish is much better served warm.

Perhaps course three isn’t the healthiest but it is a wonderful way to end the meal with a light and frothy dessert you will fall in love with.

Enjoy the meal and remember to take time and reflect on the many blessings we have and the special people in our lives.

This blog is sponsored by PAZAZ™ “The Magic of Cooking” Kitchen tools for the discerning chef. Please go to my web site at pazazshop.com to purchase my Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Heavy Duty Aluminum Baking Sheet Pan, and the Steel Mesh Cooking Rack.

Recently I took a trip with Nancy to a very special place. This is a place that I can safely say holds memories that are some of my fondest over the course of a lifetime… and I know I’m not alone in that assessment.

Chico California for many that have lived there, gone to school there, fashioned a career there, is the kind of town that grows for many into a spiritual mecca. If there was ever a town that could breath life into our souls it would be Chico.

The kind of breath one can only dream of when thinking of someone or something that brings an internal smile that expands into laughter from the heart as you arrive within the city limits. This town actually has no limits as it possesses the hearts, minds, and souls from all those that have graduated from Chico State University.

Many that have moved on to other places in search of the happiness they once took for granted spend the rest of their lives trying to figure out how to come back and raise their families in Chico. It’s really hard to put your finger on why this place is so special. It really can’t succinctly be defined but rather lives in a universe unto itself.

For me, Sigma Nu fraternity brought me to understand what it was like to be apart of something great. Sigma Nu imparted the wisdom of love, truth, and honor. I never knew what a brotherhood was until those brothers that mentored me, believed in me, helped me understand the power of a fraternal organization that has resulted in the cultivation of friendships that have lasted a life time.

I can’t tell you how valuable that ability to connect with others and accomplish goals promoting the group over one individual can be in an overview of business mirroring life. Beyond the fraternity, Chico State University is also a connection between like minds that share a synergy that always results in conversations revolving around the best times of our lives.

Chico State University has become for many a springboard for accomplishments that go well beyond the expectations of others and result in talent driven execution of tasks thought to be out of the realm of possibility.

Finally I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Bidwell Park (one of the most beautiful places on earth). Besides the brotherhood and the education, Bidwell Park stands by itself as a natural ecosystem for hundreds of different species of trees, plants, and fauna.

Big Chico Creek originates near Colby Mountain and meanders through the town of Chico carrying with it the lifeblood of many that have followed its trajectory towards the path far less traveled.

This blog is sponsored by PAZAZ™ “The Magic of Cooking” kitchen tools for the discerning chef. Please go to my web site pazazshop.com to purchase the amazing Non-Stick Baking Mat, Heavy Duty Cooking Sheet Pan, and the Steel Mesh Cooling Rack.

Vacation is more than a recipe for tuning out… its a recipe for tuning in.

Traveling down the one in California is a therapeutic journey past the scenery that reminds us why life is such a gift. The vast expanse of the ocean with its cacophony of sound producing a symphony that lays a beat pounding against the rugged shore fills the senses with the salty recipe of negative ions.

This symphony expands to include the shore, inland, mountainous ravines, and oh yes… the greatest super bloom in years, the wildflowers. Carpeting the wild grass are Dandy-lion, Lupin, Mustard, Godetia, Elegant clarkia, Blue thimble flower, Daisy’s, Menzies with their baby blue eyes, and of course hundreds of thousands of the state flower, the Golden Poppy.

Our senses are alive with the sound, smell, and color scheme from God’s artistic palette. Each brushstroke is more beautiful than the last. Each corner reveals a new spectacle with the juxtaposition of rugged, smooth, soft, and the wind that blows the wildflowers into a frenzy ushering up a siren song that beckons another curtain call from the seagulls that circle above.

Before you reach Carmel and Monterey you will pass through Big Sur, or as I call it “Middle Earth”. If you are lucky enough to stay there you will see the Ents (from the Hobbit). I thought Treebeard was a mythical character from the J.R. Tolkien fantasy of middle earth. However, after walking the grounds near the Glen Oaks Lodge we discovered the very tall and majestic Ents (redwoods) that speak to their grandeur.

Forming a boundary around fern groves, cascading wild flowers down to raging streams the Ents stand as tall Centurions guarding the forest from the hand of man. Each step down the path takes us back in time as we witness the spectacle that is nature. This refreshing breath of life is a vibrant reminder of the things that are important… reading between the lines of a poem with the soft expression of song that lifts our spirits and rejuvenates our zest for the love that makes it all worth while.

If you are lucky enough to dance through life to a song that you’ve orchestrated then you are the conductor of a movement that becomes a legacy sung by those you love and care about. Enjoy every step as though its your last and every smile as though its your first.

This blog is sponsored by PAZAZ™ “The Magic of Cooking” kitchen tools for the discerning chef. Please go to pazazshop.com to purchase these AMAZING kitchen tools which include the Steel Mesh Cooling Rack, the Heavy Duty Baking Sheet Pan, and the Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat.

Sometimes I’ll look down at my feet and wonder how far they’ve traveled. I wonder if they could record all the amazing things and places I’ve seen, participated in, and just watched… what our feet would say if they could talk?

My feet have traveled around the country from New York, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and beyond. Once my feet took me to Uruguay where I explored Punta del Este, Montevideo, and Colonia del Sacramento. My feet walked all over that country with one pair of shoes and only the eyes in my head to direct me to the next adventure.

My feet have been in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean… not at the same time. They’ve climbed a mountain, traversed rivers and streams, swam a mile with the help of my arms for a boy scout merit badge, and even carried me to the top of Angels Landing at Zion National Park.

My feet have taken me on stage to perform plays, sat beneath me when I played in different symphony orchestra’s and even guided me to victory when I played baseball and football. Through all of this my feet rarely were hurt. They withstood mighty tests of endurance and even courage when they jumped onto rock ledges allowing me to balance and adjust without plummeting hundreds of feet.

My feet have carried me down the isle of marriage, to the room where my baby was born, and they’ve even traveled towards that long corridor of life watching those I loved and cared about depart towards the heavens.

I can honestly say that of all my body parts it is my feet that I hold dear to my heart. They take me where I want to go, when I want to go, with whom I want to travel with. They are great friends, always supportive, rarely complaining, and never late. I love my feet!

This blog was sponsored by PAZAZ™”The Magic of Cooking” kitchen tools for the discerning chef. Please go to pazazshop.com to purchase my silicone baking mat, heavy duty cookie sheet, and steel mesh cooling rack. Bring PAZAZ™ into your life!