Work Your Sous Chefs

My alter ego, Bunny Cleaver, is always throwing her arms up in the air and extolling the virtues of working your own personal Sous Chefs. Sous Chefs being any family or friends you can enlist in the kitchen to help.

They do not always come willingly, plus sometimes I just want to be on my own, but undoubtedly they do rise to the occasion, take an interest and enjoy the time they spend creating or cleaning. I often have to lure them in with promises of something good to eat. Look at the size of these 2, eating is always on their minds.

The interesting thing is we learn from each other when working in the kitchen together and they develop their own personal specialties. I have among the specialties in the house a mashed potato specialist, a chili specialist, 2 waffle specialists and new specialties are developing every day.

 The most marvelous part, these are things I no longer have to do.

Hurah! Yells Bunny

Sweet Green Salad

Green is a fabulous color. Green grass, green leaves, green honeydew melon, green kiwi. I have been thinking of color a lot. The summer is sensational for color. Last week I made a fruit salad with 3 colors. It was beautiful and very appealing. Plus the more color the more varied the nutrients.

When I was 19 I traveled around Australia. I remember a young Australian making a Green Salad at the Youth Hostel one night. I was intrigued. One color, it was very opposite of the way I think. I liked that. I liked the look of the salad and the taste. I know he had kiwi and melon and green grapes. We were in grape growing local and the grapes he used were local. I did not have any green grapes tonight but I had a honeydew melon and kiwi. The kiwi are a bit tart but the honeydew is at its peak and sweet beyond description. Together they are perfect.

Put a green salad together with your Sous Chefs. If your thinking of a variety of nutrients, Just add other colors into your meal!

Best, Deb aka Bunny Cleaver

1 Savory & 2 Sweet Strawberry Recipes

 Hello all,

I promised you recipes for strawberries and here they are.

Best. Deb aka Bunny Cleaver

Healthy High Energy Ice Pops

Recipe from Cook—You Can Cook Fast, Healthy Meals For Your Family

Author Deborah Anzinger P.H.Ec.

Whitecap Books Inc. Publishing

Freezing Time: 4-6 hours

Equipment: Blender or Food Processor, Ice Pop Forms

Makes: 6 or more Ice Pops depending on size of form

Ingredients

1 cup yogurt (flavoured or plain)

2 handfuls of favorite fruit (bananas, berries, stone fruit, favorite)

1 cup fruit juice (orange, apple, favorite)

Order of Events

1.    Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until well blended.

2.    Pour into Ice Pop Forms

3.    Freeze until solid, and then remove ice pops by running forms under hot water.

4.    Enjoy!

Table Talk

Ice Pops are the perfect warm weather treat. Have your sous chefs put them together before you head out and a fun, healthy, cool snack will be waiting on your return. Ice Pops are different each time you make them depending on the mix of yogurt, fruit and juice.

Minted Fruit Salad

Deborah Anzinger P.H.Ec.

Equipment: medium saucepan, large bowl

Makes: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

I bunch mint, cleaned and chopped, reserve 4-6 whole leaves for garnish

½ cup water

2-4 Tbsp sugar or honey, depends on how sweet you like things &tartness of fruit

2 cups strawberries, cleaned, hulled, quartered

2 cups green grapes, cleaned, sliced

2 cups cantaloupe, cleaned, peeled, cut into bite size pieces

(Roughly 1 pound each of fruit)

Order of Events

1.    Combine water and sugar or honey in saucepan, bring to a simmer. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add chopped mint, simmer 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool completely; strain and discard mint.

2.    In a large bowl combine cooled syrup with strawberries, kiwis or grapes and cantaloupe. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

3.    Before serving garnish with reserved mint leaves.

Table Talk

The three colours in this Minted Fruit Salad make it beautiful; red, green and orange. If you want to switch out a fruit, no problem just try for the three colours. Strawberries could be switched up with other berries or watermelon. The green grapes could be switched up with kiwis or honeydew melon. The cantaloupe could be switched up with pineapple. Use your favorites.

Savory Strawberry Sauce – Perfect with Chops

Deborah Anzinger P.H.Ec.

Equipment: Medium Saucepan or Frypan

Makes: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

1 tsp butter

½ cup onion, chopped fine

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

3 Tbsp water

1 pound strawberries, sliced

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

Order of Events

1.    Heat pan on medium, reduce heat to low and add butter, onion, thyme and salt. Cook on medium 5-8 minutes, stirring often.

2.    Add vinegar and water. Cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in sliced strawberries and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

3.    Serve with grilled meat.

Table Talk

This savory strawberry sauce is fresh and chunky with whole slices of berry. Serve it with any grilled meal especially chops.

zinger essentials: Fill Me With Color

zinger essentials: Fill Me With Color: Spring is the season of home purchasing. When you approach a new house for the first time what attracts you? Is it the size of the house...

Fill Me With Color

Spring is the season of home purchasing. When you approach a new house for the first time what attracts you? Is it the size of the house, how the proportions such as front door, gardens and windows work together or is it the colors used to decorate the house. I believe all of these things work together. Plus there is the feel of the home. Does it have good Karma? Take another look at a house that attracts you.  A key component that attracts me is color. A minimum of three colors seems to be optimum on the outside of a home.

When I cook, I think about color too!

Different colors provide us with different nutrients. We all want to eat our colors for optimum health.

But color plays a bigger role. It gets people to the table and excites them about the food they are going to eat. Just as in decorating I try to mix a minimum of three colors in my meals. The meals are just more attractive this way. I may have a minimum three colors in a one pot meal, like this Beef Stir Fry from my book Cook--You Can Cook Fast, Healthy Meals For Your Family or I will put at least three different colored foods on a plate.

Color increases the nutrient value of your meals and ignites a bit of passion in your sous chefs. Passion in a sous chef is a good thing. As my alter ego Bunny Cleaver likes to say," Teach them how to cook, so you don't have to"

Deborah Anzinger
Professional Home Economist

Strawberries in Kelowna

Last week I was in Kelowna attending the 3rd annual Okanagan Food & Wine Writers Workshop. I broadened my knowledge and increased my passion on a multitude of topics including photography, look for more pictures in upcoming posts, to knife shopping and the beloved strawberry.

Strawberries blossomed in my mind as all the chefs seemed to be biting at the bit to use their local supply. The supply was limited as their season is 2-3 weeks behind due to cool temperatures and a lot of rain. My friends in Edmonton are familiar with the cool temps and rain too. Our local berries are still a couple of weeks out. Not so for my family in Ontario whose berries have had extra dry and hot temps.

Strawberries are passionate with their deep aroma, juicy texture and bright red colour. They are also unique being the only fruit with their seeds on the outside. I am passionate about sharing kitchen duties. I do not think I am unique in that I want help in the kitchen! Unite your own personal sous chefs, your spouse, children, and friends. Show them how to Cook so you are not going it alone. Entice them into the kitchen with juicy, red, delicious berries.

This Thursday morning look for me on the CTV Morning Show, in Edmonton. I will be on about 8:15a.m. and we will be working with strawberries. Let the ideas for Strawberry Ice Pops, Minted Strawberry Salad and Savory Strawberry Sauce tickle your enthusiasm for our upcoming strawberry season.The Season is short so take full advantage and use strawberries in everything!

Thursday I will post my CTV recipes on zingeressentials.blogspot.com