Firstly my apologies for having left it so long to post in this column. The reason being that in the past nine months, I have moved home no less than twice! Once into a rented property while I looked for a suitable home to buy, and eventually the move into same once the deal was done. But now I am very happy to say that it is complete, and once again I can spend some time focussing on my passion…..food and hospitality!
My move has taken me from the south coast of England back to my original home town and preferred base - to the quintessential Regency town of Royal Leamington Spa located in the delightful rural county of Warwickshire, middle England.
And so I have been fortunate enough to enjoy a splendid, typically English summer which alas as the nights begin to draw in, is on the wane. These last few months I have enjoyed many a relaxed barbecue with friends and family in the garden and the occasional picnic in many an idyllic location. The weather may not have been balmy, but it has been a fairly typical English summer – beautiful warm sunny days interspersed with periods of rain and drizzle.
But one doesn’t choose to live in England for the weather! We choose to live here for so many other reasons. Like the undeniably beautiful countryside. Here in Warwickshire for example we are fortunate to enjoy elegant spa towns, chocolate-box Cotswold villages and exciting vibrant cities – all surrounded by farmland supplying the most wondrous fresh produce!
Yes, the produce – so natural, bountiful, local and fresh. In fact only this last weekend we had a farmer’s market in town. There I purchased the most divine, sweet and tender leg of lamb, freshly plucked vegetables and fruits, freshly laid eggs and hand-made condiments. Boy does that beat your average supermarket!
So yes, I am beginning to realise that I am indeed one of those folk who deftly falls into the camp of “living to eat”. Unlike another little friend who has recently come into my life……..I am now the proud owner of a Jack Russell Terrier! The last time I owned a dog I was in my teens, so it’s been quite a learning curve and I am enjoying every moment!
But just as I am a hardened “live to eat” individual, he is most certainly (like all pets)“an eat to live” character. He shows little concern for what I feed him, only that it is regular, and sufficiently plentiful! And like most pets, his attitude to dining etiquette is to say the least, VERY relaxed! Mmmmm……..I feel a new page coming on for my website – “Doggy Etiquette”!! One day perhaps!
And so for now, all that remains is for me to wish you many happy days of entertaining this coming fall. I for one intend to make the very most of them…….after all, it will soon be Christmas!!
Oh by the way, this is my little terrier….Jack:

Need a little boost for your coffee? What about a unique dessert topping? Or a treat between waffers? A Plush Puff will do the job. Plush Puffs are gourmet marsmallows made the old fashioned way - handmade over 2 days of whipping into heavenly lightness then flavored with high quality all-natural ingredients. They come in Caramel Swirl, Chocolate Chipetta, Vanilla Bean, Lucious Lemony Meringue & Simply S'mores. Delicious. We sampled Caramel, Chocolate & Lemon and the only negative is that we wish we could have tried S'mores!

When do you think about eating nuts? Chocolate covered cashews at Christmas perhaps? Or roasted peanuts in the summer? My favorite nut, hands down, is the pistachio. I have to work hard to get to that little morsel, but it’s worth it. So let’s explore the pistachio.

Pistachios are cultivated from trees pruned to make harvest easier. As with a good wine, the trees, planted in orchards, usually take 7 to 10 years to produce a significant harvest. The top producing countries are Iran, US, Turkey, Syria and China. That’s logical since pistachios come from what is referred to as a desert plant highly tolerant of saline soil.

The uses for pistachios are endless. Top on a salad, add to ice cream, mix with cottage cheese or just enjoy by themselves. Pistachios are also good for your heart. They’re full of nutrients that help prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol.  

I found a great sources for pistachios from Superior Nut Store. Right now their featured product is Colossal Pistachios in a glass jar for $44.99. Better hurry – it’s a great deal!

Ok …this is a combo blog with interesting recipes for the last gasps of late winter/and the ongoing chilly springtime we seem to be having in many parts of the country.

After seven months of a business travel freeze, courtesy of the economic downturn of 2008-2009, I had a sudden trip to New York City come up. Well this gave me the ability to follow up on a “reunion” with coworkers from Intergold, the marketing arm of the chamber of Mines of South Africa, where we had all worked back in the early 80s. My former Associate Laura had actually tracked me down via Google, after 20 some years and found me of all places through the GourmetStation blog listing and after getting hold of Kathy “Hubie,” another coworker we were finally able to make the reunion happen for this planned trip.

The weather was chilly…the sky kind of grey…but our hostess for the event “Hubie” had planned on Dirty Martinis as a warm up drink with appetizers. I was put in charge as bartender for the night and after being introduced to the shaker...the Grey Goose vodka and a bottle of Dirty Martini olive juice, the stage was set.

Many people prefer Gin for their more traditional Martinis…but when using Vodka…one is correctly to refer to the drink as a Vodka martini. Dirty Martinis for me are a perfect choice as I often buy jars of olives, pour out the juice and replace with vodka to let the olives marinate in the vodka, which can also provide tasty appetizers.

Dirty Martini Recipe

Ingredients

2 oz. Vodka or Gin
3/4 oz. Dirty Martini Olive Juice
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth

Chill a Swank martini glass in the freezer or add ice and water to get it "very" cold or use a silver shaker with ice and make the best darn Dirty Martini you have ever had. For an added flourish, check out the following website for some really cool contemporary Martini glasses

( http://swankmartini.com/home.htm )

Needless to say our happy little reunion trio knocked back a number of these Dirty Martinis…which led to some “Dirty Dancing” ...a popular Patrick Swayze movie that came out in the 80s and we were on our way. It can be said that some among us were feeling no pain and the memories from our former working environment 29 years ago came flooding back.

Kathy, who I had always affectionately referred to as “Hubie” from a former name- Huber, prepared a wonderful comfort food menu to go along with the Vodka Martinis. Since I don’t have her special meat loaf recipe….I thought I would substitute a regional “delicacy” for the purposes of this blog from my own hometown region.

Cincinnati is noted for its Skyline Chili and local hometown derivations. This following recipe was given to me in 2006 by my Aunt and she has used this recipe for over 50 years!

Cincinnati Chili recipe from Audrey Ankenbauer 

2 lbs ground beef

1- 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 quart of water

3 ½ tablespoons of white vinegar

3 medium diced onions

4 tablespoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon of red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the above ingredients till the beef is smooth.

Put in a cheesecloth bag 2 garlic “toes”, pickle spices from a small box or tin, red pepper and bay leaves and tie it all up tight and add to the mixture.

Cook the mixture for 3 hours along with the cheesecloth ingredients and if you like a more traditional chili, you can add red kidney beans. When you are finished cooking you can also serve with oyster crackers as a garnishment on the side.

The preferred serving style  for Cincinnati chili is often served over spaghetti and topped with cheese, onion and hot sauce and variations are referred to as “two-way”, “three-way” or “four-way chili.” You can Google Cincinnati chili at Wikipedia and learn its greater history and origins, ethnic derivations designed to expand the culinary base in Cincinnati history.

According to the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, the local populace consumes over two million pounds of chili each year! Combine that with Dirty Martinis, a DVD of Dirty Dancing …drink Martinis and commence your own Dirty Dancing and you then have a fun filled evening for any rainy chilly night!

When my social media expert friend Toby Bloomberg suggested I join Twitter, I thought she might be making a joke. But I listened to the Diva, reviewed her Twitter network, and began to see the twitter-light. GourmetStation is now tweeting. It’s been great fun making daily micro posts, but what I have enjoyed most is the network…the people & the connections. My network is predominately food oriented so there are lots of yummy hot topics. More importantly, I’m being introduced to new products that I can share with you.  So here goes…my first new discovery – Eggology!

Brad Halpern is the passion behind Eggology – it’s fairly simple…recognition of egg whites as a pure protein food then use egg whites to create delicious food products. The products were initially recognized by body builders and those with a passion for fitness (Brad is a triathlon racer). Then here come the boomers seeking a healthier lifestyle and a larger market was created.

Egg products at the retail level contain chemicals, coloring, and gums and Brad wanted a pure product. So he developed packaging in easy-to-handle clear plastic jars that can be sterilized without additives. Brad is also an innovator in shipping the egg products with a proprietary system that allows for safe, convenient home delivery. As if that was not enough, Brad went on to develop organic egg whites and now his products are sold in 4,000 specialty food stores nationwide.

Below are a few products from the Eggology website that appealed to me. Pardon the rush, but I’m heading down to my local market to see if I can purchase some Cool Cravings today!

Eggology 100% Egg Whites
All-Natural Hardboiled Eggs
Cool Cravings (Ice Cream)
Eggology On-the-Go (Scrambled in the Microwave)

So what’s new about a 5-Day Meal Plan? Nothing really if you’re looking for diet food. Whether your dietary needs are for health or vanity dieting, there are several excellent companies that will take the guess work out of your need to purchase a Meal On Line. But that’s not what GourmetStation set out to do. We wanted to develop a Gourmet Meal On Line plan that consisted of fine dining at home for 5 days out of the week. No small servings, no lack of richness, no lack of gourmet…..just high quality dining with the convenience of Meals By Mail.

Thanks to our existing patrons for the many orders that came through when we launched the new line last week. Our initial launch consisted of a Create Your Gourmet Meal configuration along with a Most Popular.   Like our popular Meal Gift program, the “Create” configuration allows patrons to select 5 Meals Online from a line up of poultry, seafood, pork, beef and pasta. There are 38 entrees to select from – something for everyone. The Most Popular configuration has pre-selected entrees including Lamb Shank, Beef Marsala, Chicken Saltimboca, Macadamia Mahi Mahi and Three Cheese Tortellini in Alfredo Sauce with sundried tomatoes. Yum.

Again, like our Gourmet Meal Gifts program, these Gourmet Meals Delivered have a 3 days shelf life under refrigeration and may be frozen once without quality loss. So who is purchasing our Meal Plans? A patron in the Northeast who’s Mom lives across the country. This loving daughter wanted her Mom to have good food throughout the week. Another order went to a new Mom who just brought new baby home – now she’ll appreciate the program. And yet another patron sent 5 days of Gourmet Meals to herself – for a treat. Feeling like an indulgence?

I met Steve Maarten when he submitted a comment on our blog. Then I was led to Inspirational Spark. The Internet is a wonderful source for finding quotes and the like, but what I like about Inspirational Spark is the organization of the material.  For example, if you were toasting at a dinner party and you wanted to thank someone, you might just visit this page on thank you quotes. My favorite was simple & sweet:
"I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom." Author Unknown

Then there are those romantic quotes that we wish we could remember, but when the time comes…well sometimes we choke up. Just go to this page, pick your favorite quote, jot it down & you’re bound to make the impression you want. Here’s one of my favorites.

We like someone because. We love someone although. Henri De Montherlant

I gave up sugar in my coffee years ago. The substitute? Honey! Then I discovered honey for many other uses – glazing grilled fish, luscious on granola cereal with soy-milk and a tablespoon if I needed to calm down after a stressful day. I love honey so much that I wanted to share with you this honey site…or I should say this website on honey. http://honey.n-ergetics.com  You can read articles about honey, discover new uses for honey, learn about varieties of honey you never would have dreamed of…but most importantly you can buy honey for yourself or as a gift for others. Have at it!

I’ve been thinking about a July 4^th post and grilling out tips just does not get me there. Patriotic, summer, food and the good ole’ USA. What does all that add up to? Well, for me I found it through my favorite Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul. Ron Paul was a Republican Presidential candidate. No he did not beat McCain but he gave the status quo an eye opening run for their money. Of all things…you can buy a Ron Paul family & friends cookbook right on his website. The price is right at $10. I’m ordering mine today. Our 4^th of July food extravaganza will have to be a little late, but when I have the results, we’ll make a special post along with a toast to yes, you heard me say it…..an honest politician, Dr. Ron Paul! Happy 4th.

Dining out is always a treat…more so when it’s your birthday and someone recognizes you and offers the opportunity to eat someplace new and special.

Well last April 2007, I was in New York City… at the end of month and a good friend graciously offered to take me out for my birthday dinner. And New York is filled with so many special options for wonderful dining …at all levels, so I was intrigued as to what the possibilities could be.

If you are a reader of this blog, then I am sure you appreciate great food, but I also appreciate it when someone knows how to uncover great food at a great price.

Well the selected restaurant for my birthday was in the Village…called L’Ecole…a working/teaching restaurant where students who are close to graduating, hone their culinary skill with actual working experience.

I had often wondered about this type of dining experience, as Le Cordon Bleu has a cooking school in Summerlin /Las Vegas near to where I live and has a similar restaurant concept.

To add to the excitement though, we biked through the streets of lower Manhattan to the restaurant location, no mean feet as a year prior to this I had a small biking accident in Manhattan, where to avoid impact with a moving car, the choice was to impact a rather solid barrier next to the road.  I survived, but the thought of that incident was never far from the back of my mind as I rode on that mild spring evening through the streets to dinner.

After arriving in the heart of the Village and padlocking the bikes outside the restaurant and removing the seats, a ritual if you want to guarantee a whole bike when you head home, we entered.

The décor was moderne, simple and straight forward…with one seating area in each of the windows on the one side that sort of put the diners “on display.” And of course that is exactly where we ended up.

“The seasonal menu changes every six weeks, as classes advance to the next level, and are designed to ensure that students use the core techniques they've learned at The French Culinary Institute. The cuisine is contemporary French, rooted in the basics and spiced with other ethnic influences,” as described by promotional material from the restaurant of the French Culinary Institute.

The food was a prix fixe, four course event...wonderfully prepared and presented. The wine was a tasty match…..a French Bordeaux, and very reasonable priced. The intent of the cooking school is to provide experience for the chefs in training…and the prices are kept lower than one would normally expect for the quality of the food and service.

In addition to the wonderful dining experience, one of the highlights was outside, a flow of open air tour busses turned the corner at the restaurant location and people were peering in as part of their tour, so after my second glass of wine, I decided to play along.

Raising my left arm rather stiffly I ever so gently commenced a wave to the tourists. This brought an immediate response with video and digital cameras flashing from outside atop the red tour bus. It added to the night’s amusement and obviously provided me with a fun memory.

Note to audience though…when dining with someone on your birthday…and no mention is made of candles…Do Not Be Shy….ask the waiter.  I did the year prior and received a lecture about how I over managed the event. Well the second year I sat back and it wasn’t until after dessert the host realized that he had forgotten to ask for the candles! As the French are fond of “c’est la vie!”

So if you have the opportunity try L’Ecole ! (462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013 phone: (212) 219-3300 )

Or if you are one of the many legions who visit Las Vegas, consider Café Bleu, the onsite restaurant of the famed Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts branch in Las Vegas.

I moved to Las Vegas in 2003 and it was only a year later the school opened. Students here spend six weeks working in Café’ Bleu at various positions and while catering to the local community, offers an opportunity for visitors from out of town too.

Being away from the strip area, situated in Summerlin area of Las Vegas, tourists in the know can snag a reservation and enjoy a unique venue at an affordable price.

Café Bleu

1451 Center Crossing Rd.

Las Vegas NV 89144

888-551-8222

Be creative for your birthday sometime and check out a culinary school restaurant in your area. I doubt you’ll be disappointed and you’ll be helping new chefs launch their career and be creating memories of your own.

Mark Stine

At the end of the 15-month curriculum, students are required to spend six weeks working in the restaurant, putting their newly acquired culinary skills training to the test while having an opportunity to gain hands-on experience.

Students can take turns preparing the food, waiting tables, and running the restaurant and spend time at all five stations: hot line, pantry, pastry, prep, and dining room. They can also learn the finer points of tableside service as well as carving, saucing, and plating.

At 10,000 square feet, with seating for 125 people and two demonstration kitchens, Cafe Bleu caters to the local community, offering a variety of dishes with an emphasis on Ame dining room. They can also learn the finer points of tableside service as well as carving, saucing, and plating.

At 10,000 square feet, with seating for 125 people and two demonstration kitchens, Cafe Bleu caters to the local community, offering a variety of dishes with an emphasis on American, French, and Italian cuisines.

Patrons are even encouraged to get kitchen-side s fine-dining restaurant, run and staffed by students.

At the end of the 15-month curriculum, students are required to spend six weeks working in the restaurant, putting their newly acquired culinary skills training to the test while having an opportunity to gain hands-on experience.

Students can take turns preparing the food, waiting tables, and running the restaurant and spend time at all five stations: hot line, pantry, pastry, prep, and dining room. They can also learn the finer points of tableside service as well as carving, saucing, and plating.

At 10,000 square feet, with seating for 125 people and two demonstration kitchens, Cafe Bleu caters to the local community, offering a variety of dishes with an emphasis on American, French, and Italian cuisines.