Monday, October 12, 2009
Halloween Culinary Team Building
Staff training day at Cottage Children’s Center, Marlboro
"Thank you for coming to our center on Monday; I like the concept of cooking as a team building activity. It was a pleasure to meet you and your husband and to be able to participate in this activity." ...........................Denise F.
"Thanks for your team building workshop on Monday. I intend to try a few of the recipes at home. The apple crisp dessert was delicious. The video was nice to see. Thanks for sharing it".............................................Linda M.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Private cooking lesson
Glenn loves to cook and said he was thrilled when Sarah surprised him with a cooking lesson for their anniversary.
"It was great fun cooking with you! We not only ended-up with lots of delicious food but the experience itself was fantastic. Glenn is pumped to know his new cooking tricks, a truly happy customer. So thank-you for everything but most importantly for graciously staying through the completion of the dishes, that was much appreciated.
Again, it was a great pleasure!"
.................................Sarah M., Berlin, Massachusetts
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Halloween Culinary Team Building
"On behalf of the Regulatory team here at Cubist, I would like to thank you for providing us with such a fun and delicious teambuilding event. We could not stop talking about it at work yesterday. You and your team were so gracious and planned such a great time for us, which was topped off with delicious food. How could we go wrong? The event met all of our expectations and more. I will make sure I get the word out there to anyone who is looking into options for teambuilding to check out your website. Thank you also for the wonderful pictures and video link. I will plan on sending your emails to the rest of the team so that they can enjoy them as much as I did. Again, we appreciate all that you and your team did and will certainly consider a return engagement in the future.
Best Regards to you and your team for a Happy and Spooky Halloween Season!!!!"
...........Jeff B., Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Lexington, MA
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Home cooking lesson
Experienced cooks, Robyn and Paul, celebrated their anniversary by having a cooking lesson and then enjoying their special dinner together.
"Well, even though we had a rough start with our oven/stove, we had a fun afternoon with you and dinner came out GREAT! The filets were juicy and delicious, the asparagus was the best I've had, the rice pilaf was moist and yummy, and last but not least, the souffle rose and topped off our special dinner just perfectly! Paul even made some more crab rangoons for our daughter when she came home...she loved them. When I told her we could make them with nutella, too, she got very excited about helping make some of THOSE!
Thanks again, we had a great time!"
"Well, even though we had a rough start with our oven/stove, we had a fun afternoon with you and dinner came out GREAT! The filets were juicy and delicious, the asparagus was the best I've had, the rice pilaf was moist and yummy, and last but not least, the souffle rose and topped off our special dinner just perfectly! Paul even made some more crab rangoons for our daughter when she came home...she loved them. When I told her we could make them with nutella, too, she got very excited about helping make some of THOSE!
Thanks again, we had a great time!"
................................Robyn R., Marlboro, Massachusetts
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Cidered Baked French Toast
© 1999 “So Easy, So Delicious”
4 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 eggs
½ C apple cider or apple juice
2 T sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling on top
Place bread in a 9-inch square baking pan. Whisk together eggs, cider, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Pour this mixture over the bread. Let stand, turning once, until egg mixture is absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet that has been greased or sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes and turn slices. Continue baking until puffed and golden, approximately 12 additional minutes. Serve with applesauce or with confectioners’ sugar sprinkled on top.
Hint: If you don’t have raisin bread, use plain bread and add 2 tablespoons raisins to the egg mixture. This recipe is lower in fat than traditional French toast because it is baked rather than fried. Also, egg substitutes can be used. People who are lactose intolerant will appreciate the fact that this is made with cider instead of milk.
4 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 eggs
½ C apple cider or apple juice
2 T sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling on top
Place bread in a 9-inch square baking pan. Whisk together eggs, cider, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Pour this mixture over the bread. Let stand, turning once, until egg mixture is absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet that has been greased or sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes and turn slices. Continue baking until puffed and golden, approximately 12 additional minutes. Serve with applesauce or with confectioners’ sugar sprinkled on top.
Hint: If you don’t have raisin bread, use plain bread and add 2 tablespoons raisins to the egg mixture. This recipe is lower in fat than traditional French toast because it is baked rather than fried. Also, egg substitutes can be used. People who are lactose intolerant will appreciate the fact that this is made with cider instead of milk.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Corporate Lunchtime Seminar
If you are looking for some tips to prepare Quick & Healthy Fall Suppers, then click on the video below. This presentation was given at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in Boston. 
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Review of "Julie & Julia"
Lately, wherever I go people ask me if I’ve seen the new movie, Julie & Julia. My answer is “of course, I saw it within the first few days that it appeared in local theatres”. The next questions are always whether I liked it, and if I think it did a good job portraying Julia Child’s life. The answer to both questions, in my opinion, is “yes”. For those of you who haven’t yet seen the movie, it is basically a biography of Julia Child, how and why she became interested in cooking, how she wrote her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and how that book revolutionized home cooking in the US. Instead of focusing just on Julia’s life, however, the movie also focuses on Julie Powell, a young woman from New York, who, in a quest to find herself, cooked her way through all 524 recipes in Julia’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking within one year, and documented it by writing a daily blog.
Perhaps one of the reasons why I enjoyed the film so much is because I identified with both Julia and Julie. I have admired Julia Child for many years, and, like her, I didn’t begin my career thinking that I wanted to become a cooking teacher and cookbook author. Another reason why I enjoyed the movie so much was because I could also identify with Julie Powell, the young bride who cooked all of the recipes in Julia’s first cookbook. As a young bride, who loved to eat, wasn’t as thrilled being a speech therapist as I thought I’d be, and, like Julie, didn’t know what to do with my life; I too cooked my way through a good portion of Julia’s first book. In fact, I still remember the day I made Julia’s puff pastry, which had to go back and forth, for several hours, between the board on which the dough was being rolled out, to the refrigerator to chill, which I remember doing in between changing my son’s diapers! Also, at that time, I couldn’t attend as many cooking lessons as I wanted, so, like Julie, I cooked my way through Julia’s book. However, I have to confess that I didn’t even come close to trying all of the 524 recipes, and, I never made the famous duck!
The movie made me realize how much following Julia’s recipes and watching her enthusiastic and lively style on TV greatly influenced me and my love for experimenting in the kitchen. I had met Julia a couple of times, attended a few of her cooking demonstrations, and watched many of her TV shows, so the movie pointed out to me how watching Julia eventually encouraged me to start teaching cooking in my own kitchen, produce and host a cable TV show, and write 2 cookbooks. However, please realize that I don’t pretend to place myself in the same category as Julia in terms of all her knowledge, cooking techniques and marvelous personality. As many of you know, my style of cooking is geared more for today’s cooks, who often like to ‘cook from scratch’, but don’t have the time to use many of Julia’s classical techniques. And, my recipes don’t contain nearly as much butter and wine as Julia’s! One other major similarity to my life in comparison to that of Julia’s is that like Julia’s devoted, helpful and supportive husband Paul, I have Dennis, my extremely supportive husband, who encourages me to be myself and keep aiming for exciting new opportunities. I could never do what I have done without his help and encouragement.
In terms of the acting and accuracy of the movie in portraying Julia’s life, I think that Meryl Streep did a fantastic job! She really made Julia come alive! The movie closely followed Julia’s biography/autobiography, entitled My Life in France, which she wrote with Alex Prud’homme, her husband’s grand nephew. It afforded people an in depth view of Julia’s personality as well as her life, as she began her career in cooking and writing. So, if you like to cook, have enjoyed watching Julia Child cook on TV, or have enjoyed her many wonderful cookbooks, I highly recommend that you see the movie Julie & Julia.
Perhaps one of the reasons why I enjoyed the film so much is because I identified with both Julia and Julie. I have admired Julia Child for many years, and, like her, I didn’t begin my career thinking that I wanted to become a cooking teacher and cookbook author. Another reason why I enjoyed the movie so much was because I could also identify with Julie Powell, the young bride who cooked all of the recipes in Julia’s first cookbook. As a young bride, who loved to eat, wasn’t as thrilled being a speech therapist as I thought I’d be, and, like Julie, didn’t know what to do with my life; I too cooked my way through a good portion of Julia’s first book. In fact, I still remember the day I made Julia’s puff pastry, which had to go back and forth, for several hours, between the board on which the dough was being rolled out, to the refrigerator to chill, which I remember doing in between changing my son’s diapers! Also, at that time, I couldn’t attend as many cooking lessons as I wanted, so, like Julie, I cooked my way through Julia’s book. However, I have to confess that I didn’t even come close to trying all of the 524 recipes, and, I never made the famous duck!
The movie made me realize how much following Julia’s recipes and watching her enthusiastic and lively style on TV greatly influenced me and my love for experimenting in the kitchen. I had met Julia a couple of times, attended a few of her cooking demonstrations, and watched many of her TV shows, so the movie pointed out to me how watching Julia eventually encouraged me to start teaching cooking in my own kitchen, produce and host a cable TV show, and write 2 cookbooks. However, please realize that I don’t pretend to place myself in the same category as Julia in terms of all her knowledge, cooking techniques and marvelous personality. As many of you know, my style of cooking is geared more for today’s cooks, who often like to ‘cook from scratch’, but don’t have the time to use many of Julia’s classical techniques. And, my recipes don’t contain nearly as much butter and wine as Julia’s! One other major similarity to my life in comparison to that of Julia’s is that like Julia’s devoted, helpful and supportive husband Paul, I have Dennis, my extremely supportive husband, who encourages me to be myself and keep aiming for exciting new opportunities. I could never do what I have done without his help and encouragement.
In terms of the acting and accuracy of the movie in portraying Julia’s life, I think that Meryl Streep did a fantastic job! She really made Julia come alive! The movie closely followed Julia’s biography/autobiography, entitled My Life in France, which she wrote with Alex Prud’homme, her husband’s grand nephew. It afforded people an in depth view of Julia’s personality as well as her life, as she began her career in cooking and writing. So, if you like to cook, have enjoyed watching Julia Child cook on TV, or have enjoyed her many wonderful cookbooks, I highly recommend that you see the movie Julie & Julia.
Apple or Peach Torte
© 1991 "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"
Crust:
1 C butter or margarine
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Topping:
4 C apples or peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Lemon juice
Glaze:
Apricot jam (approximately 1/2 C)
Cream butter or margarine with sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and flour and mix until well blended. Press into bottom and a little way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Cream filling ingredients together and pour into crust. Drizzle lemon juice over fruit and then mix fruit with sugar and cinnamon. Arrange apples or peaches attractively on top of filling. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour, or until golden. Glaze with apricot jam that has been melted and strained. Chill for a few hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.
Hint: This is a very fancy looking dessert that is easy to prepare. It is delicious with either apples or peaches or a combination. I like to make it in late summer or early fall when these fruits are at their peak. You can peel peaches by dropping them into boiling water for about 40 to 60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in cold water for the same length of time. Then remove skin with a sharp paring knife. This technique can also be used to peel tomatoes.
Crust:
1 C butter or margarine
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Topping:
4 C apples or peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Lemon juice
Glaze:
Apricot jam (approximately 1/2 C)
Cream butter or margarine with sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and flour and mix until well blended. Press into bottom and a little way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Cream filling ingredients together and pour into crust. Drizzle lemon juice over fruit and then mix fruit with sugar and cinnamon. Arrange apples or peaches attractively on top of filling. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour, or until golden. Glaze with apricot jam that has been melted and strained. Chill for a few hours. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.
Hint: This is a very fancy looking dessert that is easy to prepare. It is delicious with either apples or peaches or a combination. I like to make it in late summer or early fall when these fruits are at their peak. You can peel peaches by dropping them into boiling water for about 40 to 60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in cold water for the same length of time. Then remove skin with a sharp paring knife. This technique can also be used to peel tomatoes.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Private cooking lesson
Newlyweds Sarah and Corey wanted to work on a menu to prepare for their first dinner party. Here are the results.“We had an absolute blast on Friday and are still enjoying the delicious dishes that we made. It's clear that Ellie is a fantastic chef, but she's also an amazing and patient teacher. We were so impressed by how
easily we were able to prepare no less than FOUR dishes within just a couple of hours! Even the daunting-sounding entree that we had requested to learn--Beef Wellington--turned out to be a snap thanks to Ellie. In addition to picking up some excellent cooking techniques and recipes, we had a great deal of fun. We would recommend Ellie to anyone who's looking for an easy--yet sophisticated--approach to cooking!”...........................Sarah & Corey J., Lynn, Massachusetts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Private cooking lesson
This sister and brother team had fun together preparing some of their favorite dishes. In fact when they finished cooking he was so anxious to try everything that he said "I don't think I ever wanted to eat food this bad"!"It certainly was fun, informative, and delicious. They really did enjoy it and are looking foward to their chee
se mac tonight. Hope to see you soon!"...Helen P., Northbridge, MA
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Grilled Fish in Foil
© 1991 "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"
1 to 1½ lbs bluefish, scrod, haddock, sole or salmon fillets
1 green, yellow or red pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, grated or chopped
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped
1 to 2 carrots, grated or chopped
1 to 2 T olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp chopped parsley, dill or oregano
Cut a piece of heavy duty foil to approximately 12"x18". Grease lightly or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine vegetables and place on foil. Top with fish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, oil or melted butter, chopped parsley, dill, basil or oregano, etc. Fold up foil to make a package. Place package on hot grill. Cook about 15 minutes, or until fish flakes.
Hint: While the fish is grilling, you can grill some sliced potatoes in another packet of foil. Just add sliced onions, salt, pepper and a little olive oil to the potatoes. Turn packet over every 5 minutes, cooking for a total of about 25 minutes. This way your entire dinner will be cooked on the grill. There will be no pans to wash and no kitchen to clean!
1 to 1½ lbs bluefish, scrod, haddock, sole or salmon fillets
1 green, yellow or red pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, grated or chopped
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped
1 to 2 carrots, grated or chopped
1 to 2 T olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp chopped parsley, dill or oregano
Cut a piece of heavy duty foil to approximately 12"x18". Grease lightly or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine vegetables and place on foil. Top with fish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, oil or melted butter, chopped parsley, dill, basil or oregano, etc. Fold up foil to make a package. Place package on hot grill. Cook about 15 minutes, or until fish flakes.
Hint: While the fish is grilling, you can grill some sliced potatoes in another packet of foil. Just add sliced onions, salt, pepper and a little olive oil to the potatoes. Turn packet over every 5 minutes, cooking for a total of about 25 minutes. This way your entire dinner will be cooked on the grill. There will be no pans to wash and no kitchen to clean!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Private cooking lesson
This bride and groom had fun cooking togetherwhile preparing some wonderful recipes!
"It was great cooking with you as well! Each d
ish wasdelicious and, of course, we ate every last bite! BTW, The halibut packet came out fantastic on Friday night.The lesson far exceeded our expectations and we can't wait to cook some more great meals from your cookbook. Not only d
id you teach us several exciting dishes, but we learned many new techniques that I can apply everyday. I look forward to cooking with you again in the future!"....Melanie & Adam M.,
.....Boston, Massachusetts
Friday, July 10, 2009
Private cooking lesson
Lisa loves to watch the Cooking Channel so she and her friends really enjoyed their cooking lesson!"Just a quick note to let you know what a great night of cooking it was on Friday . Linda, Ann and I really enjoyed the cooking class. You were wonderful Ellie. I hope to have another class soon."
.........................................Lisa C., Wilmington, Mass.
"Just wanted to thank you for great class, last night. It was just what Lisa, Ann and I were looking for. We all
enjoyed learning about Asian cooking and all the helpful hints, that I'm sure we'll be practicing in the future.".............................................. Linda N., Salem, NH
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Triple Red Couscous Salad
1¼ C couscous
½ C boiling water
3 to 4 T olive oil
3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
½ red pepper, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
¼ C mint, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Place boiling water in a bowl and add couscous. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Then add olive oil, tomatoes, red pepper, onion and mint. Toss and add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or make ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Hint: This salad is tasty as a side dish or it can be made into a meal by placing it on a bed of greens and surrounding it with strips of turkey or chicken breast
½ C boiling water
3 to 4 T olive oil
3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
½ red pepper, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
¼ C mint, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Place boiling water in a bowl and add couscous. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Then add olive oil, tomatoes, red pepper, onion and mint. Toss and add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or make ahead and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Hint: This salad is tasty as a side dish or it can be made into a meal by placing it on a bed of greens and surrounding it with strips of turkey or chicken breast
Homemade ice cream sandwiches
If you like ice cream sandwiches, and would like to create your own, simply cut the peanut butter marble bars or other bar cookies into the size you'd like and spread softened ice cream between the 2 "bottoms" and freeze until firm. To make them really special roll the edges in frosting, melted chocolate or in red, white and blue, or whatever color sprinkles you like, and freeze until firm. When frozen, place each sandwich in a plastic baggie until serving time. Of course you may also make round sandwiches by using large round cookies instead of bars.
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