We’re Going Stir (Fry) Crazy!

The January winter is making me stir crazy! Today I hosted a stir fry wok cooking event for What’s Cookin Chicago. Everyone made their own stir fry creation with their choice fresh vegetables & stir fry sauces, served with either fried rice or lo mein noodles. As a thank you gift, each person also went home with a julienne vegetable peeler to continue making stir fries at home! Here are pics of the event:

Prep Work of Some Vegetables:

Vegetable Buffet which included:
baby organic spinach, sliced button mushrooms,
bean sprouts, edamame, pea pods, tamago (Japanese egg),
carrots, cucumber, water chestnuts, scallions,
bok choy, firm tofu, baby corn, bamboo shoots,
tri-colored bell peppers and fried garlicStir Fry Sauces:
Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour, Stir Fry Sauce, Hoisin Sauce

ShrimpChicken BreastPorkSalmon & Unagi (eel)Orange slices & drinks:
Matcha Green Tea Latte & Sencha Green Tea

Fried Rice Lo Mein NoodlesGetting Stir Crazy!

We’re Going Stir (Fry) Crazy!

The January winter is making me stir crazy! Today I hosted a stir fry wok cooking event for What’s Cookin Chicago. Everyone made their own stir fry creation with their choice fresh vegetables & stir fry sauces, served with either fried rice or lo mein noodles. As a thank you gift, each person also went home with a julienne vegetable peeler to continue making stir fries at home! Here are pics of the event:

Prep Work of Some Vegetables:

Vegetable Buffet which included:
baby organic spinach, sliced button mushrooms,
bean sprouts, edamame, pea pods, tamago (Japanese egg),
carrots, cucumber, water chestnuts, scallions,
bok choy, firm tofu, baby corn, bamboo shoots,
tri-colored bell peppers and fried garlicStir Fry Sauces:
Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour, Stir Fry Sauce, Hoisin Sauce

ShrimpChicken BreastPorkSalmon & Unagi (eel)Orange slices & drinks:
Matcha Green Tea Latte & Sencha Green Tea

Fried Rice Lo Mein NoodlesGetting Stir Crazy!

Sweet As Honey…

Tonight’s dinner was an easy one – honey mustard pork with roasted potatoes & garlic spinach. I marinated the pork for a few hours, chopped up & seasoned my potatoes then baked both in the oven. As that baked, I sauteed some spinach on the stovetop with some minced garlic & olive oil. Voila! Dinner is ready….Here is my recipe for the honey mustard marinade:

1 part honey
1 part yellow prepared mustard
1 part praline mustard glaze

Combine equal parts of the above ingredients and whisk together well. If you cannot find praline mustard glaze, you can substitute it with pure maple syrup. I added it in for an extra depth of sweetness. This is great on pork and chicken!

Sweet As Honey…

Tonight’s dinner was an easy one – honey mustard pork with roasted potatoes & garlic spinach. I marinated the pork for a few hours, chopped up & seasoned my potatoes then baked both in the oven. As that baked, I sauteed some spinach on the stovetop with some minced garlic & olive oil. Voila! Dinner is ready….Here is my recipe for the honey mustard marinade:

1 part honey
1 part yellow prepared mustard
1 part praline mustard glaze

Combine equal parts of the above ingredients and whisk together well. If you cannot find praline mustard glaze, you can substitute it with pure maple syrup. I added it in for an extra depth of sweetness. This is great on pork and chicken!

Wine & Cheese Tour!

In the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago, my cooking group was invited to get a special tour of the new Sam’s Wine & Spirits store. At this event we toured the new store, gourmet market, champagne bar and wine bar. We also met with Lydia, Sam’s resident cheese expert, to learn more about the various cheese available and wine pairings. Here are pictures from the event:

Wine & Cheese Tour!

In the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago, my cooking group was invited to get a special tour of the new Sam’s Wine & Spirits store. At this event we toured the new store, gourmet market, champagne bar and wine bar. We also met with Lydia, Sam’s resident cheese expert, to learn more about the various cheese available and wine pairings. Here are pictures from the event:

Adieu, Vegas!

It’s our last day in Vegas so here are some parting pics of us and our gorgeous view from our hotel…

Adieu, Vegas!

It’s our last day in Vegas so here are some parting pics of us and our gorgeous view from our hotel…

The Sizzling Southwest

Food Network has certainly given chefs and home cooks the celebrity limelight. Bobby Flay is no exception and his personal culinary journey is one to be respected. As an ode to Bobby, we dined at his restaurant, Mesa Grill, located inside Ceasar’s Palace.

From Ceasar’s Palace website:
Award-winning chef, best-selling cookbook author, and popular television personality Bobby Flay brings the vibrant Southwestern cuisine of his acclaimed Mesa Grill to Las Vegas when he opens his first restaurant outside of New York City at Caesars Palace in 2004.

Above is a picture of our bread basket. It included 3 types of bread and all were very good! For dinner I had the Sixteen Spice Chicken, a wonderful blend of spices and seasonings crusted on tender pieces of chicken. I’m looking forward to trying out the recipe at home, along with recreating the cilantro pesto mashed potatoes the chicken was accompanied with. The dinner portions were a lot bigger than I expected and I would definitely dine there again when in Vegas. I have much more respect for Bobby Flay… he knows what he’s doing and he dones it well!

After dinner, Stephanie and I went to see the show, Stomp! It was an great show with some amazing sights and sounds. We ended the evening with a beautiful view of the Bellagio fountain show from our hotel room…

The Sizzling Southwest

Food Network has certainly given chefs and home cooks the celebrity limelight. Bobby Flay is no exception and his personal culinary journey is one to be respected. As an ode to Bobby, we dined at his restaurant, Mesa Grill, located inside Ceasar’s Palace.

From Ceasar’s Palace website:
Award-winning chef, best-selling cookbook author, and popular television personality Bobby Flay brings the vibrant Southwestern cuisine of his acclaimed Mesa Grill to Las Vegas when he opens his first restaurant outside of New York City at Caesars Palace in 2004.

Above is a picture of our bread basket. It included 3 types of bread and all were very good! For dinner I had the Sixteen Spice Chicken, a wonderful blend of spices and seasonings crusted on tender pieces of chicken. I’m looking forward to trying out the recipe at home, along with recreating the cilantro pesto mashed potatoes the chicken was accompanied with. The dinner portions were a lot bigger than I expected and I would definitely dine there again when in Vegas. I have much more respect for Bobby Flay… he knows what he’s doing and he dones it well!

After dinner, Stephanie and I went to see the show, Stomp! It was an great show with some amazing sights and sounds. We ended the evening with a beautiful view of the Bellagio fountain show from our hotel room…