The Chef Next Door: EXPRESS!

So unbeknownst to me, when you start a business, lots of people are out to get you.  More specifically, they are out to get your MONEY.  After almost being suckered into 2 different "support your local fire department/baseball team and get tons of advertising in return" scams, I am VERY skeptical to answer my phone anymore.  If a number comes across that does not have a (205) or (256) area code, it is automatically rejected.  (I may answer a Tennessee area code once in a while.)   Well, last week, I received a call from Canada.  Yep, you guessed it: IGNORED.  No way was I going to listen to some clown from Canada try to sell me some advertising space on a Baseball poster.  Not interested.   Surprise surprise, they left a voicemail.   It started off like all the rest.

"Hi, Margaret.  My name is ____ _____ and I'm with the company ________."

I started to pull the phone away from my ear to delete the message before having to hear any more nonsense, but then I heard one tiny bit.....

"I'm calling about your pre-made meals for a friend of mine..."

Wow, could it be? A real person with a real interest in my services?  Yes it was!  A man from Canada had googled "pre-made dinners in Huntsville" and came across my website.  Turns out, a friend of his who lives down here in Alabama just had a baby, and as good friends often do, he wanted to send a bunch of meals to his friend and his new family.   So, The Chef Next Door's EXPRESS catering is officially off the ground.  I created an email gift certificate which he sent to his friend, his friend called me to redeem the gift certificate and custom-create his meals...and the rest is history.  If you or anyone you know in the Tennessee Valley is in need of some gourmet pre-made meals, give me a shout!  If you've got a weird area code........well, just be sure to leave a message. :)  Here are the meals I made for the friend and his new lovely family.

Chilled Sesame Shrimp and Noodle Salad

with Green Onions, Cherry Tomatoes, and Salted Cashews

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Shrimp and Spicy Andouille Jambalaya

served with Creole Remoulade and Green Onions on the side

Classic Homemade Lasagna

served with Parmesan Garlic Bread

Deep Dish Mexican Pizza with a Cheesy Cornbread "Crust"

served with Cilantro Sour Cream, Salsa, and Black Olives on the side

Grilled NY Strip Steak with Crumbled Blue Cheese on the side

served with Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli

Mom's Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad

with slivered Almonds and Purple Grapes

Artichoke and Grilled Chicken Casserole

with a Sherry cream sauce over Mushroom Consumme Rice

Barbecue Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honey BBQ and BBQ Ranch Sauce on the side

served with Ranch Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

The End of the Beginning

Oh boy oh boy oh boy....the YOUNGER brothers have graduated high school!!  If you are on a personal level with any members of my immediate family, you are well aware at what an incredible accomplishment this is...and what an enormous relief it is! To my mother, especially. :)  Well, younger brothers graduating high school requires a better-than-average gift from big sister, so I decided to create little booklets with advice and tips that I learned from my collegiate career.  I called them "The Ten Commandments", and split the booklet up into different categories- each with 10 "rules" or guidelines to follow.  The book ended with space for hand-written notes from their family members and several pages of family photos.

While I spent a lot of time (and money!) writing them, formatting them, printing them out, laminating them, cutting them, and binding them...I regrettably decided that my brothers probably wouldn't appreciate them very much.  Maybe later on in life, but not now, as they are being showered with hundreds of "cool" gifts! So....the universe smiled on me and sent my long-lost friend (who moved to Florida for her job) back to Huntsville for the week.  This particular friend happens to make spectacular sculpted cakes.  Voila! I knew for a fact they would appreciate an "Ace of Cakes" style cake that they could devour.  So, we rolled up our sleeves, channeled our inner "Duff"s, and cranked out this Graduation Cake masterpiece!  It took a lot of time and even more patience...but it turned out pretty magnificent and the family absolutely loved it.  Maybe I'll be a pro by the time they graduate college. Ha.

 

A very special thanks to Stacey Munoz, for all the time and patience you put into helping make this cake and another special thanks to Heather Petersen, owner of Slice at a Time, for lending me some of your cake-making equipment!!

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

Guess!

Hi, everyone! Sorry for the lag in blogging....I've been pretty busy lately and also wanted to give Liz and Nicole Jackson a long run at the top spot. :)  To make up for my absence, I decided to come up with a fun "game" for my readers to play.   People often want to see pictures of my food, and I'm always surprised at how often they ask "What is that???" in regards to a picture that, to me, looks very obvious what it is.  So, I decided to post a handful of some of my wackiest food photos and see how clever my readers are!  Post your answers in the "share your thoughts" section, and the person who gets the most right will get a special shout out!  Include your name, email address, and your list of answers, 1-10.  Ready......set........guess!

1. Sea Urchins?? Nope, try again....

ANSWER:  Oriental Pork and Rice Balls

2. What is in the spoons??

ANSWER:  Petite Crabcakes with Remoulade and Chives

3.  Name 2 of the 4 items on this tray.

ANSWER:  Pancetta and Beef Skewers, Cucumber Cups with Ceviche, Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche, and Toast Rounds topped with Deviled Quail Eggs

4.   Pretty, huh?  "Soup" is not a good enough answer....

ANSWER:  Chilled Saffron Soup with Melons and Sliced Scallops

5.  What is this Penguin made of?  (4 part answer- Body, nose, eyes and "buttons, and feet)

ANSWER:  Body- Eggplant; Nose- Carrot; Eyes and Buttons- Peppercorns; Feet- Parsnips

6.  What is this?

ANSWER:  Beef Carpaccio with Mixed Greens, Croutons, and Lemon Aioli

7.  Give it a go....

ANSWER:  Mango Sorbet in Tuile Spoons resting on Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Puree

8.  When this is sliced up, what will it be??

ANSWER:  Biscotti!  (Orange/Almond Flavor)

9.  What is this lovely pinkish orange stuff?

ANSWER:  Sushi-grade Salmon

10.  Last one....what is it?  It's delicious, I'll tell you that!

ANSWER:  Roasted Eggplant with Panko Breadcrumbs and Mint

Ok, foodies...give it your best shot!  Be as descriptive as you can.  Happy guessing!!


Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

Liz and Nicole Jackson's Mother/Daughter Dinner

About a week ago, a sweet girl named Nicole Jackson contacted me and was interested in my personal chef services.  She informed me that her mother, Liz, hasn't been feeling well lately, so Nicole and her out-of-state sister wanted to give her an extra-special Mother's Day gift by hiring me to cater a private 4-course dinner, just for the two of them!  What nice daughters.  :)   Nicole wanted to incorporate some of her mother's most favorite foods, some of which included fried shrimp, romaine lettuce, green apples, ranch, barbecue chicken, and cinnamon rolls.  What a fun task I had at hand!!  Together, Nicole and I created a menu based on her mom's favorite foods with a "fine-dining" spin on them.  The ladies treated themselves to a morning at the Spa, got their hair and nails done, and arrived back at Liz's house for a gourmet meal dedicated solely to her from her daughter.  All mothers should be so blessed to have such thoughtful children.  I had a blast cooking for them in their beautiful home and had just as good a time getting to know Nicole and Liz.   Here is the menu and pictures from the charming event.  Enjoy!

 

Two beautiful ladies and very happy (and full!) customers!  I truly enjoyed working with you. :)

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door