Since I go grocery shopping almost every day, I come across a lot of interesting things (cooking discoveries, foodie finds, new ingredients) and I thought I’d share some that you all might find interesting. I have no “dog in the hunt” with these companies so these are just my thoughts and not advertising efforts. If you find this useful, you’re welcome. 🙂 If not, please feel free to ignore me. 😉
I’ll share some of these discoveries in the following posts. Enjoy!
Several of us worked a big party recently and the party photographer took a really great group shot! by James Edward Photography
Chefs Noelle, Drew, Teri and Dana
We had another successful event! This was a dinner party for 5th graders and their Basketball Team. So much fun! We offered a Build-Your-Own-Pizza buffet. We laid out the crusts and all the fixings. The boys came in, wrote their names on the parchment paper, and built their pizza as they wished. We put them into the oven and they enjoyed them in only minutes in a 500º oven. They had a great time, and were back to playing basketball really quick, which was so important!
Do you love the rich, woodsy, meaty favor of mushrooms, but are not so fond of the texture? I have a new solution I came up with recently. I took dried mushrooms and put them through my coffee grinder and made a powder. Now I can add their delicious flavor to anything, without the texture causing anyone a problem. 
Voila!
“Chef Noelle provided an absolutely extraordinary experience for a milestone birthday party at my house. She took care of every detail, from offering glorious menu options for us to mix and match to recommendations on wine. I would eat her short ribs every day if I could… although it’s a pretty close race with the beet salad! It is such a treat to have someone take care of everything for a party in your own home. She sweetly “shooed” me away from the kitchen to go enjoy cocktails with my guests while she and her assistant prepared the meal. They served each course with a lovely description and were always available for a refill on wine. I look forward to the next occasion when we can have her back as our Personal Chef again!”
– Sheri, Dallas
Well, I survived the holidays! With all the parties I cooked for, plus my regular customers, I didn’t have a moment to rest. It was wonderful! Thank you to all the people who invited me into their homes to cook for them and their guests. It was such a blessing.
Now that things have slowed back down to normal speed, I’m going to try to add entries here again, although it’s been awhile since my last entry. I did have a great experience that I wanted to share. A loving Daughter from out-of-state, engaged me to give a cooking lesson to her beloved Mother as a gift
Mother didn’t cook regularly, but wanted to eat healthier. So, Daughter thought that I might be of assistance. Through conversation, and my preferences form, I decided that teaching some techniques and basics, rather than specific dishes, would be helpful. I kept thinking of that old saying about giving someone a fish vs. teaching someone to fish. So, on the appointed day, Mother and I went to the store and discussed what I was buying and why; how I pick the best produce and how one should stay around the edge of a grocery store and avoid the middle, because that’s where all the !@#$%^&* is. The edges (of the store) have all the real food: produce, dairy, meat, etc.
Then, we went to Mother’s kitchen. We chatted and talked about food and nutrition and rice-cookers, pots and pans and anything else that popped into our heads. I tried to impart some of the wisdom I’ve gleaned over the years and give her a good solid foundation on which to build a healthy cooking tradition.
It was such a fun afternoon. I’m looking forward to meeting with Mother again, and I’d love to do that again, with someone else. It was a mutually rewarding experience. Win/Win.
Do you have a full-time career? Does your spouse have a full-time career? Do you have children? Do your children have soccer games and ballet recitals? Do you have charity event commitments? Errands to run? Friends who want to see you? Family who need your time? Books you want to read? Movies you want to see?
Do you want to eat healthy and fresh? Do want to feed your loved ones food that tastes good and is good for them? Are you tired of grab-and-go or eating out all the time?
If you answered yes to many of these, you need a personal chef. I take care of the menu planning, the shopping, the cooking and the clean-up. You only have to sit down with your family and eat dinner. You can even eat together, because it’s ready when you are.