Busy with a Capital "B"!

Just realized it's been over two weeks since my last blog posting.  Pitiful!  I guess I have a good enough excuse, though.....I have been super insanely BUSY!  Hmm, let's see.  Going back to the last blog posting would be the Easy Fall Entertaining Cooking Class at The Wine Cellar on Monday, October 18th. We completely sold out, with a crowd of 20 people.  There was some great food, great wine, lots of laughs, and an overall REALLY good time.  Once the Holidays settle down, we aim to be doing a Cooking Class once a week.  Stay tuned! 

My view of them...

 Their view of me...

A couple of the ladies wanted a photo with the Chef!

Next came the Cindy Hand/David Moon Wedding Reception on Saturday, October 23rd.  Yes, this was my FIRST Wedding Reception on my own!  I was blessed with a fantastic catering kitchen to work out of and everything was super organized and made my job even easier.  They had a fun, afternoon reception for about 150 people.  We served Assorted Pinwheels and Finger Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit Kabobs, a Cheese and Gourmet Cracker Display, Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard- Sweet n Sour- and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, a bountiful Vegetable Display with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, and the Groom's favorite Cheddar Sausage Balls!  They had a gorgeous 4-tiered Cake and served some yummy Lime Slushy Punch.  It was beautiful and a very sweet reception.  I couldn't have hand-picked a better reception to get my feet wet with!

The lighting in the fellowship hall was very low, so all of my photos look terrible with the flash.  

Hopefully the photographer will send me some of her professional shots!  Here are a few cruddy pictures of the food tables.

Moving on....I was honored to be the featured caterer for Jacobs Technology, Inc. 's week-long Leadership Development Conference at their Conference Center here in Huntsville.  On Tuesday, the 26th, I served 45 Gourmet Executive Boxed Lunches complete with Grilled Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Wraps with Provolone- Lettuce- and Tomato, Roasted Vegetable Wraps with Goat Cheese- Pesto- and Balsamic, Sunchips, Granola Bars, fresh Fruit cups, condiments, Bottled Waters and Tea. 

After that, we came back a few hours later to set up for the Cocktail Social for 70 attendees.  We served Tuscan Pinwheels (Rotisserie Chicken, Italian Herbs, Sun dried Tomatoes, Parmesan Cheese, and a Pesto Cream Cheese rolled in a Tomato Basil Wrap and sliced into bite-size pinwheels), Asiago-stuffed Twice-Baked New Potatoes (stuffed with Sour Cream, Chives, and Asiago Cheese), Pork Tenderloin Sliders served with a Rosemary-Maple-Dijon Mustard Sauce, Caprese Salad Skewers (fresh Mozzarella balls, Cherry Tomatoes, slivered Basil, and Balsamic Reduction), a fresh Vegetable Tray with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Fresh Fruit Kabobs, and Strawberry Brownie Bites with Chantilly Cream.  The employees were thrilled to have some goodies and cold beverages after a hellish day being shoved in and out of the basement due to the several tornado warnings.  It was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed the food!

We were back the next morning, Wednesday October 27th, to serve a Taco Salad Bar for 50 of the participants.  Phew, lots of cooking!  I had my sweet Mommy come up and stay with us to help with all the grocery shopping, prep work, cooking, cleaning, and setting up the different functions.  She is a Catering Assistant EXTRAORDINAIRE!  We made Authentic Taco Meat with homemade Sofrito, Adobo, and Sazon Seasoning served with Tortilla Chips, Flour Tortillas, Black Beans, Olives, Jalapenos, Salsa, diced Tomatoes, shredded Lettuce, Sour Cream, and Mexican Cheese. 

Bringing up the rear, we served the final lunch for 50 people on Thursday, October 28th.  I served a new creation- Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad with Mozzarella Pearls, halved Cherry Tomatoes, chopped Basil, and sprinkled with Balsamic Vinegar.  Yum!  I also served Grilled Pesto Chicken Breasts with a Sweet Tomato Relish, my SUPERSTAR Lemony Shrimp Scampi with Butter- Garlic- White Wine- Lemon Juice- and fresh Parsley and Cilantro, and of course, the delicious Garlic Butter Toast Points.  By the end of the lunch, people were hovered around the Garlic Bread dunking it in the leftover Scampi Butter.  It was hilarious and really makes a caterer's heart sing!  :)  I loved my time at Jacobs this week and hope to do many more functions for them in the future.

And I almost forgot, last night, Friday the 29th, I did an "Express" Catering Drop-Off for Shotsie Platt's Cocktail Party for 20 people.  She ordered my *award winning* Southwestern Pinwheels with Rotisserie Chicken- Mexican Cheese- Spices- Cilantro- and Salsa Cream Cheese,  the Asiago-stuffed Twice-Baked New Potatoes, Warm Bacon Swiss Dip in Phyllo Cups, Caprese Salad Skewers, and Strawberry Brownie Bites.  She is an absolute DELIGHT and I am looking forward to the dinner party I'll be doing for her some time in November!    All in all, I think we all earned our keep at The Chef Next Door this week, and I am sitting back enjoying this gorgeous Halloween weekend around the house.  You all need to keep me in check next time I try to take a 2+ week break from blogging!!   Until next time......

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

NEW! Cooking Classes at The Wine Cellar

For those sporadic callers who inquire about my cooking classes, only to be disappointed when I say that they take place IN YOUR HOME, I am now doing weekly cooking classes at local venue, The Wine Cellar on Whitesburg Drive!  I have enough people who call me saying they just want something fun to do to get out of the house or get away from the kids that I figured I need to find a way to host some cooking classes somewhere around town.  Well lucky me, Will and Rhonda of The Wine Cellar actually asked ME if I would be interested in hosting cooking classes at their shop.  ARE YOU KIDDING???  I don't think I've ever said a more enthusiastic, "Yes!"  So, after a few weeks of planning and discussing, the first official The Chef Next Door- The Wine Cellar Cooking Class is this coming Monday night, October 18th, from 7:00-8:00pm.

Here is the informational flyer for the first class:

(click to enlarge for the fine print)

I hope some of you can come out and enjoy the fun!!  Seats are very limited- we are only allowing 15 people- so we can maintain a very intimate and comfortable atmosphere.  Look for more classes to come from The Chef Next Door!

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door

"No Pain, No Gain"

became the motto of last night's "Knife Skills" Cooking Class with Trent Clinton.  Not 5 minutes had gone by into fabricating the carrots before we were rushing for the BandAids, quickly wrapping his thumb, and shoving his left hand into a latex glove. Like a true champion, Trent went right back to the chopping while Chef Margaret had to step away and take a few deep breaths to keep the unconsciousness from taking over.  You see, although I have chosen a profession where 3rd-degree burns, raised scars, and a plethora of BandAids on arms and hands are the norm, I get absolutely squeamish at the mere sight of blood.  Ok, "squeamish" was a stretch........try this.........if I cut myself to the point where the blood doesn't stop with a dab from a paper towel.....I will most likely *FAINT* to the floor.  It's been done more than a few times, and at the very least, my ears will start to ring- my eyes will get blurry-  and I will need to sit down with my head between my knees and have a swig of cold water.  I know, I know....it's like a pilot being afraid of heights or a cowboy being afraid of horses.   It just doesn't make sense.  But it is what it is- and it forces me to be extra, super-duper careful when I'm doing some intense knife-work.  I'm lucky that I no longer have to work in a fast-paced restaurant kitchen where quick chopping is a necessity- because I tend to stick to the "slow and steady wins the race" slogan nowadays.  I blame my bum wrist or claim that precision is more important than speed........but the truth is, I'm just scared to death to cut myself.

Once we mopped up the puddle of blood and re-attached the tip of Trent's thumb (exaggerating, of course), we managed to have a very fun and successful evening.  It is amazing to watch somebody improve right before your eyes.  We started at 6:00pm and by 8:00pm, Trent was Fine Brunoise-ing like it was a walk in the park.  We went through all the basic cuts (Large Dice, Medium Dice, Small Dice, Brunoise, Fine Brunoise, Paysanne, Battonet, Julienne, and Fine Julienne) and even had time leftover to make a delicious Mango Salsa (featured in previous posting titled: Copycat!) and a Sweet Tomato Bruschetta topping for Crostini, Fish, or Chicken.  Trent raised his eyebrow over the addition of Splenda to the Tomato Bruschetta, but was quickly made a believer by the utter simplicity and deliciousness.    All in all, it was a great class and Trent seemed to get a lot out of it- which is the most important part, naturally!  I only wish he didn't have to lose any blood in the process, but as he said, "No Pain, No Gain!" right?

Here are some photos from our class:

Working on the *hardest cut (the Fine Brunoise) 

on the *hardest vegetable (the carrot)

The perfect Fine Brunoise.  

(Yellow is the model, Orange is the carrot)

The perfect Brunoise.

The perfect Small Dice.

All the completed cuts.  Nice job, Trent!!

Near-perfect Knife Cuts.

Doing a quick review with a much easier veggie- the Zucchini!

Chef Margaret's demo cuts.

The uber-delicious Sweet Tomato Bruschetta.

Be on the look out for upcoming The Chef Next Door Cooking Classes at The Wine Cellar on Whitesburg!!  Rolling out the first class on Monday, October 18th @ 7:00pm.  More on that later.  TFIG!

Cheers,

The Chef Next door

Sorry to depress everybody...

....but it really is getting to be about the time to start thinking about CHRISTMAS!!  Where did this year go?!?

For my viewers in and around Huntsville: Have you thought about what you might want to get your neice who is getting married next year? Your son who foams at the mouth while watching Top Chef? Your mother who has loved to cook and entertain her entire life? Your husband who tends to overcook his steaks? Your wife whose recipe repertoire consists of nothing but casseroles?  Your best friend who loves to bake?  Your daughter who you can't tear away from her Playschool Kitchen? Your friend and coworker who lives off Lean Cuisine? Your dedicated employees who walk around like zombies with their brown-bag lunches? Your sister who always spear-heads the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners?

Here's an idea, in case you are clueless as to what to give those special individuals in your life:

The Chef Next Door 

Gift Certificates!!!

 You can purchase a gift certificate for just about anything you want:  Cooking Classes, Kid's Cooking Classes, Boxed Lunches, Pre-Made Meals, a 50-person Cocktail Party, you name it- we can do it.  And the best part is?  You can pick a price, send away the gift certificate, and let the recipient pick out what they want!  You could purchase a 6-week Series of Cooking Classes for your wife and let her custom-design her classes one-on-one with me.  You could purchase 10 Pre-Made Meals as a gift for your super-busy Sister-in-Law, and let her design the meals specifically for her family.  You can purchase a gift certificate for a Bridal Shower that your neighbor is hosting in the Spring, and let her pick the menu.  Seriously, the sky is the limit, and you won't find this kind of flexibility ANYWHERE else. 

Check out my website at here  (NOT www.thechefnextdoor.com- somebody beat me to it. )  to view the various services that I offer and see if any of them strike your fancy! If there's something that you're interested in and you don't see it listed- just ask me about it. :)   If it's food-related, I'll probably be able to do it!   Have a great week, everybody.  Hope I didn't get you down too badly with the newsflash that Christmas is right around the corner.  

Cheers,

The Chef Next Door