Kid's cooking birthday party

 

"The girls had a blast! You were so organized and under control my husband and I were amazed. I had 1 parent call and said her daughter had such a great time and couldn't wait to make the meal for her family. We had never done a party like this and it was a great experience. The personal touches using Haley's favorite colors and personalizing the recipes with her hobbies gave it that little extra and Haley really felt special."

Inez G., North Andover, MA

Christmas Cookie Party

A group of 7 to 9 year olds had fun making and decorating a variety of Christmas cookies.

Spiced Nuts

© 1999 "So Easy, So Delicious"
 
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
3 C (12 oz) hazelnuts, almonds or pecans
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Combine sugar and spices. Toss nuts around in egg white until well coated. Then roll in sugar and spice mixture. Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, shaking pan a few times. When nuts are removed from oven, use a fork to separate them. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: spiced nuts to fill (4) 8-ounce jars

Hint: You can use a combination of nuts if you like. These are delicious to serve along with hors d’oeuvres or they can be served with dessert. If placed in decorative jars or tins, they make wonderful gifts.

Private cooking lesson

Group lesson / party

Group of corporate executives enjoyed cooking their own dinner.

Private cooking lesson

"Thank you so much for the lesson. We had a great time meeting you and learning new recipes. Everything was delicious! We tried a little bit of everything so needless to say, we were stuffed!"

Karen F., Auburndale, Massachusetts

Red Cabbage with Cranberries

½ medium red cabbage (6 C), thinly shredded
1 apple, peeled and grated
1½ C cranberries
⅓ C brown sugar
1 to 1½ T butter or margarine
¾ C apple cider
Salt and pepper, to taste

Grease or spray a large casserole. Combine all ingredients and place in casserole. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until cabbage is tender.

Hint: This high fiber recipe is especially delicious with poultry or pork.To save time, buy a 1 pounc package of shredded red cabbage.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Pistachios

This recipe was given to me by Daniela, our fantastic tour guide in Sicily and Southern Italy. This was videoed on Mt Etna, in a region where pistachios grow. I’ve tried it and it is delicious!
Gracie, Daniela!

Pumpkin Apple Soup

© 1999 "So Easy, So Delicious"
 
3 lbs fresh or (2) 16 oz cans pumpkin
6 C chicken or vegetable broth
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
½ tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
½ C milk or half and half
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ C sour cream or yogurt, for garnish
Croutons, for garnish

Peel and cube pumpkin and cut into 2-inch pieces. Heat broth in a large pot. Add pumpkin, apples, onion and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until apples and vegetables are tender. Purée in a food processor or blender. Return soup to the pan and add milk or half and half and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and croutons, if desired.

Hint: If using fresh pumpkin, to avoid the drudgery of peeling and cutting it, wash it and poke it all over with the tines of a roasting fork. Place on a plate, uncovered, in the microwave and cook on high for 10 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from microwave and cool briefly. Cut open, remove and discard the seeds (or roast, if desired). Using a spoon, scrape flesh of pumpkin from the skin and place in the soup pot and proceed with recipe.

Bachelorette Party

"Thank you so much. We had a great time and will definitely be recommending "Let's Get Cooking" to our other friends! We had a blast."

Michelle W., Millis, Massachusetts

Bachelorette Party

Tanya and her friends had fun cooking dinner at her Bachelorette Party.

"Thank you the food was delicious. I enjoyed the night."

Mary F., Westford, Massachusetts

Culinary Team Building

"Unbelievable, awesome. Highly recommend. We had a blast."

Fred E., Perceptive Informatics

Kid's cooking birthday party

Private cooking lesson

This private cooking lesson was the perfect surprise birthday gift for a gal who loves to cook!

Grilled Halibut, Salmon, Shark, Swordfish or Tuna Steak

 © 1991 "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"

1 to 2 lbs fish steaks, 1" thick

Marinade:

1½ to 2 T olive or canola oil
¼ C dry white wine
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp paprika
1 shallot or 2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tsp soy sauce
Combine marinade ingredients. Place fish in marinade for at least 2 hours before grilling. Pre-oil or spray the grids of the grill with nonstick cooking spray to minimize sticking. Grill fish for approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until done.

Hint: Fish should be cooked for a total of 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

Bridal shower

Kimberly and her friends had fun cooking dinner at her bridal shower.

"Thank you so much for your energy, your organization and your talent last night at my daughter's bridal shower dinner. We had such fun!

From the moment you brought out the chef's hats & aprons for us, to the "participatory" part where we chopped, coated, cooked and seasoned, to the final presentation of the dinner - we all learned and had such fun - not to mention the fact that we ate a tremenoudly good meal!

Thank you so very much! You are a wonderful teacher and chef and I will recommend you to many moms of brides-to-be!

Fondly, Marbo " 

Marbo H., Wayland, Massachusetts

Kid's cooking birthday party

"Hi and thank you so much for coming to our home on Saturday! The girls did enjoy the cooking and eating!" 

Pat D., Holden, Massachusetts

Library Cooking Program

"We were very pleased with the program last week! The feedback has been all positive. Thanks so much for putting it together" 

Andrew J., Taft Public Library, Mendon, Massachusetts

Private cooking lessons (3)

15 year old twins cooked up a storm!!

"The boys really enjoyed their lessons. They are both inspired to try new dishes to cook where they would not take chances before. They learned an important lesson, that cooking, like anything else in the world, sometimes things go really well and other times not so well. But they looked forward to the lesson more than any other activity they were involved in this summer. We so appreciate that you taught them that cooking is fun and also a life skill. They are talking about the cookies they are making for Christmas already! " 

Lynne M., Medfield, Massachusetts

Grilled Chicken Breast with Greek-Style Salad

Chicken:

1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 T olive oil
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of half lemon

Place chicken in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Rub into breasts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 1 day. Sauté chicken or grill for approximately 15 minutes, turning half way, until chicken reaches 165°. Transfer to a cutting board and drizzle with lemon juice. Let rest for 10 minutes and then slice thinly on the diagonal.

Salad:

1/2 pt cherry tomatoes, halved
4 large tomatoes, quartered
2 pickling cucumbers, thinly sliced
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 C black olives
1/2 C Feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
2 T fresh oregano leaves, chopped

Dressing:

3 T red wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, olives, Feta, parsley and oregano and toss. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together. Add half of the dressing to the salad and toss gently. Place chicken on salad and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Hint: For best results, fresh oregano and parsley should be used.

Poached Salmon with Cucumber Sauce

 © 1991 "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"

3 salmon steaks (1 to 1½ lbs)
1½ tsp salt
2 T fresh lemon juice

Boil 1 quart water with the salt and lemon juice in a large skillet (a frying pan is perfect). Add salmon, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove salmon and allow to cool just enough to handle. Remove skin and outer layer of brownish-gray under skin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.

Sauce:
½ cucumber, peeled
¼ C sour cream or plain yogurt
2 tsp parsley or chives, finely chopped
2 T mayonnaise
1 to 2 tsp onion, grated
1 tsp white vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Shred cucumber. Do not drain. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill until serving time.

Microwave: To cook salmon, place in a microwave dish or pie plate. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and cover with plastic wrap. Cook on high for 5 to 6 minutes, rotating once, or until fish becomes opaque and flakes. Drain and serve with cucumber sauce.

Hint: This is a very easy but elegant way to serve salmon, especially on a hot day. Poach the salmon early in the day and chill. The sauce, which tastes delicious even made with nonfat yogurt, is very low in fat and calories. It can also be made early in the day or even a day ahead. To serve, place salmon on a lettuce-lined platter and garnish with lemon wedges and a few cherry tomatoes. Sauce may be drizzled over salmon or served on the side.

Culinary Team Building

Private cooking lesson

"The cooking lesson was very informative and enjoyable…Thanks for everything." 

Charlie M., Hingham, Massachusetts

Hot Fudge Sauce

© "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"

5 oz unsweetened chocolate
¼ lb butter
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 lb confectioners' sugar
½ to 1 tsp salt
1½ tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Add all remaining ingredients except vanilla. Cook for 8 minutes. Add vanilla and mix well. Serve over ice cream or ice cream pie.

Hint: This may be the recipe of a famous Boston ice cream company. The sauce will keep in a jar in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Reheat as needed..

Girl's Night Out

"Thank you for coming to my house to cook with my friends and me. We had a fun “Girl’s Night Out”!! We especially liked the Filo Spinach Pie and the Chocolate Soufflé. The group didn’t have a lot of experience working with filo dough or making soufflé’s so that was most beneficial. I served some of the leftovers to company that came the following night and they enjoyed the Spinach Pie, Crab Rangoons, Nutella Rangoons and the Shortcut Cannolis very much. This proves that everything can be made in advance if you are entertaining and don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen"

Jennifer T, Bellingham, Massachusetts

Bachelorette party

Meghan and her friends had fun had cooking dinner at her bachelorette party.