New Additions

The Chef Next Door has added a few new items to the repertoire. I tend to steer clear of baby animals (namely Veal) for really no better reason than it makes me sad to cook and/or eat them....but my eyes have been opened to the wonderful world of LAMB as of late. A lovely cooking class student requested to learn how to prepare lamb, so I had no choice but to really teach myself so that I could teach someone else. Thanks to Sam's Club, which offers a pre-frenched Rack of Lamb in a vacuum-sealed package for roughly $12-$14, this was an easy task. So I'm now all aboard the Lamb Train and loving it. What a tasty little creature! :)

Grilled Rack of Lamb Lollipops with White Cheddar Smashed New Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli, and Spicy Orange Reduction

(Nom nom nom......)

Another menu item was born out of pure frugal-ness and creativity. Also a great find at Sam's Club is Stacy's Simply Naked Sea Salt Pita Chips. Love 'em. However, a certain somebody.........hmmm.......MIGHT have dropped the bag of chips on the floor before even being opened..........and they MIGHT have all broken into a million pieces. I honestly don't know who could have done such a thing. What a bummer. I refused to throw away the entire bag of tiny fragments of the delicious pita chips and instead, turned them into "breadcrumbs" in my food processor. Mixed them with a handful of Parmesan Cheese, a heavy dose of seasonings such as Garlic Salt and Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning, and the vibrant zest of a lemon- and voila! I was left with an incredibly flavorful and incredibly crunchy breading for Chicken or Fish.

Pita Chip, Parmesan, and Lemon Encrusted Tilapia with Smashed New Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli (Yep, those are the two "quick and easy" go-to side dishes)

I've also been exploring the world of Brownie Bites. I know I'm a little late on this trend, but what I lack in modern-ality, I make up for with creativity. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And last but not least, I've decided that Mini Homemade Chocolate Eclairs aren't as big of a pain in the you-know-what as I thought they were, so now they are available for catering functions; NOT just special family occasions. Tee hee.

Mini Homemade Chocolate Eclairs alongside Strawberry Heart Brownie Bites

Peanut Butter Fudge-Walnut Brownie Bites alongside White Chocolate-Mint Brownie Bites

For recipes and/or to request any of these items for your own catering function, you know what to do.

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door