Happy New Year

The picture is not always clear, what is to come, what was left behind, but a good start is always a blessing.

Due to my busy schedule running a new business and still into my old chef tricks part-time, I will not be posting as much food articles. I still have things on my plate as a chef, but the publishing business is getting to be quite the full time job!

You can find me here Red Dashboard LLC Publishing.

Got an idea for a book?

Do you write poetry, prose, or flash fiction (short stories under 1500 words, max), have artwork or photography you would like to submit, well we have it going on! Submission guidelines are on these sites, as well as the main listed above- Z-composition, Annapurna, and Cowboy Poetry Press.

Hope your New Year is what you want!

Peace,

Chef E
Elizabeth Akin Stelling

Crock-Pot Meals & Happy Holidays

I haven't posted food lately, due to the fact my oven died and my landlord is a cheap... We deal with it.

So for three weeks I used a crock-pot for meals, and when Thanksgiving arrived, it was the same. The turkey came out fine, turkey legs and thighs (I'm not a fan), stuffing, gravy, and yams in the microwave (mashed). Lamb chops on the grill. We did a lot of grilling to supplement no oven or stove. I did try desserts and to be honest we did not like them- pecan pie, cranberry, and sweet potato. Actually the sweet potato was more like a cake, and okay. And hope we do not have to do it again. Good news, got my oven back working.

Life has been busy since I began my publishing company Red Dashboard.com. And I still run cookAppeal for private events and holidays, so posting here has become more difficult. Its been great blogging since 08, but before that I had a cafe and ran a full time wine and food pairing company. I wish everyone luck on their ventures in writing, and I will try and do something once a month.

We are not eating all the fancy foods at home lately, I had gained some weight and now am scheduled for gastric bypass next year. My daughters death over ten years ago and being over 50 hasn't helped my current weight. Once you slow down as I did when my cafe closed down and a slower metabolism, it got out of control. My family and I are planning to attack it this go round so I can have a healthy lifestyle for a long future. Thanks for following me and have a great holiday with your own family and friends!

Peace to all!

Simple Breakfast- Corn Beef Hash & Eggs

Deli cooked corn beef chopped with potato, carrots, and onion. Throw second part(s) in a hot skillet, cook until potatoes and carrots are soft, and onions are browned (remember mirepoix lesson in culinary class?- all even sizes for even cooking). Then add beef, just to heat through.

Do not salt, the corn beef is salty! It's a hell of a lot better than the canned stuff (or is it?), less salt, at least I hope.

 Oh and I've been told the Jewish deli corn beef works better than Italian, so we gave it a try.

 Ahhh the things my son does in our pretend test kitchen to make his mom happy on a busy weekend morning publishing books- yes, we (hubs and I) started a new business this summer. Red Dashboard LLC

RIP Charlie Trotter

I am deeply saddened by the death of one of my culinarian gods, Charlie Trotter.

 Death hits me extra hard since my daughter and parents passed away, years ago.

 The last time Robert and I saw Charlie, he was happier than I had ever seen him (while working- Trotters). He introduced me to his mother that day. He was bouncy, smiling, and kissed me on the cheek with a good over the shoulder hug. Normally, he never did this; he was driven, a yeller (which I never liked in the kitchen), but people respected him. He never let you drink hard alcohol before a taste and a good meal to boot, because it would desensitize your taste buds to flavor.

 It was a privilege to have known and worked with him. In the early 2000's, before moving to NJ, in Dallas while working for the culinary school I often helped other chef friends do charity events, The La Toque (Epilepsy Foundation), Cook-offs (BBQ and Chili), and anything we could get the students involved in for experience. It was just after my oldest child passed away from heart disease, and I needed distractions. 

Charlie was at a distance from me while we all were setting up in the afternoon in downtown, and I was put in charge of the wait staff for a 700 seated dinner. He came over next to me to get something, I was slicing paté and he suggested I go in closer with my finger to get a more precise cut (lots to feed that night). He stood there (making me nervous) watching as I worked, but patted me on the back once everyone was done that night. All the top chefs that night opened champagne and insisted we all toast to pulling off a great night. It was fun, because I was around many big names that night and expedited a lot of food off to the wait staff. Volunteering is a great way to learn the trade.

 Each time I saw him afterwards he said hello (which I know is silly, but it meant something to me as a fellow chef), but still always so serious. He saw me and recognized me in Austin, and offered to sign books during a busy night, two my husband and I carried with us just in case we got a moment with him. I even had the privilege of him getting upset with me, which he was known for. I shook it off, because the next time I saw him in Chicago he more than made up for it.

 I did feel, do feel, that often people are so driven they forget to enjoy life, then it is too late.

 I only wanted Charlie, I want you all to be happy while doing what you are passionate about.

 Someone, I forget whom was quoted, said "Heaven will eat better now that he is up there."

Ajiaco (Colombian Soup)

After returning from Colombia, South America my son announced he couldn't get enough of this dish. He described it as being different in varied cities around Colombia (mainly indigenous to Bogota), but he wasn't sure what the ingredients were.

"Possibly potato soup of some kind with chicken" he described.

I found various recipes, even one site I was familiar My Colombian Recipes.

We had to order the seasoning- guascas  an aromatic herb that looks like basil in its natural form.

A chef friend joined us in making this dish, as she herself has been to south America and loves the culture, food and language. It consists of three types of potatoes, chicken, guascas, and alternative garnishes- sour cream or creme fraiche, capers, avocado, corn on the cob, and other.

The flavor was distinctive and good.

We did not have all of the ingredients but will be making other variations of this recipe!

Here is the recipe I followed- Serious Eats, minus the aji (cilantro based sauce) because it can dominate the taste buds, and the chef in me wanted to let the guascas come through. We held off on the capers as well, same reason, to get a handle on the flavor of a dried herb, reconstituted through boiling.

Dashboard Desert Steak

Yes, this is really a dish. Why? Because my husband goes away on business and one night he told me the most amazing story on the phone. A co-worker was cooking food for them on the dashboard of his car. I would not have believed him, but they were in the desert and temps can get really high during the day.

His co-worker took a skillet, placed prime rib and on one occasion filet mignon with potatoes and onions; then places it inside his car on the dashboard facing the sun (it is already hot in the desert location, so we know cars can reach even higher temps). I ask him other details (I would not recommend this at home or any other location) about temps and so on. I was told the meat was fine, but the potatoes on the first try were undercooked, but the the meat and onions tasted better than something they had for a meal the night before.

Hubs said there was a thermometer involved and he is still living to tell the tale.

As I warned any food has to reach a certain temp in order to be safe to eat according to FDA recommendations. Cook on dashboard at your own risk; it's not something I would try. Below is a chart with proper temps:

Category	Food	Temperature (°F)	Rest Time
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures	Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb	160	None
	Turkey, Chicken	165	None
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb	Steaks, roasts, chops	145	3 minutes
Poultry	Chicken & Turkey, whole	165	None
	Poultry breasts, roasts	165	None
	Poultry thighs, legs, wings	165	None
	Duck & Goose	165	None
	Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)	165	None
Pork and Ham	Fresh pork	145	3 minutes
	Fresh ham (raw)	145	3 minutes
	Precooked ham (to reheat)	140	None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Eggs	Cook until yolk and white are firm	None
	Egg dishes	160	None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Leftovers	165	None
	Casseroles	165	None
Seafood	Fin Fish	145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.	None
	Shrimp, lobster, and crabs	Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.	None
	Clams, oysters, and mussels	Cook until shells open during cooking.	None
	Scallops	Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.	None

The Last of the Summer Skillet Peaches

You can also can grill them! The peak season for peaches are July and August, so in September they are really ripe and sweet. Of course peaches are around the whole summer, but if they are not local and even from various states- California and Georgia, they can be uneventful in flavor, so why bother. My opinion, to eat local and in season.

If you are not a fan of warm fruit dishes, as I am, you still must try this. It will not totally change your mind, but adding spicy with sweet does give it a zing. In my cafe I would make quesadilla with them, adding in chicken or pork if they wanted more meat. Add a touch of spice with either seasonings of chili powder, pepper, salt, and other herbs. Also homemade salsa on the side works.

Prepare them in a hot skillet, not to ripe, not to hard- slice them in 1 inch or half more pieces and leaving the skin is not problem, just clean them well before hand. If they are organic there is no need to worry, they do not wax or spray them with chemicals. Let them cool before storing them in a container or they will continue to cook, making them soggy.

Use them in quesadillas with chicken, with pork tenderloin and rice, in salads, and in a recipe I will be making soon- Curry Chicken and Peaches.