Holiday Cooking Classes

You can count on Chef Jenn to make your holidays fun, tasty and easier. Take a look at all the wonderful holiday classes she has coming up. Sure there is one to suite your needs and tastes!


Chef Jenn's Thanksgiving Party at Alchemy of the Hearth

Join Chef Jenn for an evening of her version of the perfect thanksgiving dinner. You'll make an oven roasted Herb Turkey Breast with a Maple Pecan Cranberry Sauce, Turkey Gravy, Cheese Crusted Baked Mashed Potatoes and Apple and Cherry Cake with Caramel Pecan Sauce. Bring an apron, closed toe shoes, chef's knife and containers to carry your creations home.

Chef Jenn’s Thanksgiving Party November 11 6pm $50.00 at Alchemy of the Hearth
Click here to register online


Holiday Cooking at Torrey Pines High School

Come join Chef Jenn, in a 2 week work shop as she guides you through the tough holiday season with simple and impressive holiday meals. This class will give you all the tips and tricks you need to make holiday cooking easy. Menus include Butternut Squash soup, Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb, Mashed Potato and Leek Casserole, Chocolate Almond Cake with Almond Whipped Cream and so much more.

Wednesday 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm; 2 sessions starting December 1, 2010, ending December 8, 2010
$108.00
Click here to register online
Or call (760) 753-7073 ext. 5103



Italian Holiday Cooking at La Costa Canyon High School

Looking for new ways to cook for the family this holiday season? Try these Italian inspired holiday cooking recipes (Sautéed Red Onion, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Herb Stuffed Pork Loin Roast, Balsamic Glazed Acorn Squash, Tiramisu, and much more). This 2 week series will give you all the tips and tricks you need to make this year's holidays not just fun but super tasty too!!

Thursday 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm; 2 sessions starting December 2, 2010, ending December 9, 2010
$105
Click here to register online
Or call (760) 753-7073 ext. 5103

Hands-on Holiday Cookies at Sea Rocket Bistro

December 12 at 5pm; with Almond Butter Cookies (topped with everything from Toasted Coconut to Candied Cherries), Flourless Nutella Drop Cookies, “All Mixed Up” Oatmeal Cookies, and so much more.

Information to come please stay tuned to www.searocketbistro.com for more details.

Mini New England Style Lobster and Shrimp Roll

These Mini Lobster Rolls with Shrimp where a big hit at the recent Collaboration Kitchen event (at Catalina Offshore Products) and I know they will be a huge it at your next party. Plus they are supper simple to make.

This recipes serves approximately 10 to 12 appetizers

¼ lb Cooked shrimp, cut into large chunks

To cook the shrimp,combine lemon and water in a stock pot; bring to a boil.

Add shrimp (peel on for best flavor), remove pot from heat and let stand in water until cooked through, about 4 minutes (or until pink and firm).
Strain out shrimp and KEEP THE COOKING LIQUID.

¾ lb Cooked lobster, cut into large chunks

To cook lobster, bring shrimp cooking liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and add lobster. Cook for 9 minutes.

½ cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup Celery, finely diced
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Dill, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 to 2 heads Butter lettuce

24 small Mini hot dog buns or soft dinner rolls

Traditional lobster rolls are served in "Split-top" hot dog buns. These are extremely hard to find ( in San Diego, CA). What I recomend is asking a local baker to make you a narrow dinner roll (needs to be a softer style of roll like potato bread).

Whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice; till smooth. Fold in lobster, shrimp, celery, dill and season with salt and pepper.

Chill, covered, until ready to serve.

Cut down into tops of rolls to split them, but do not cut all the way through, add butter lettuce to one side of the roll and fill each roll with 1 heaping tablespoon seafood.

CRAZY HALLOWEEN COCKTAIL RECIPE

This Halloween, don't limit yourself to a costume and some candy. Treat your friends and family to a hauntingly good cocktail party. With Halloween fast approaching, I thought that there would be no better time than the present to share one of my spooktacualr cocktail recipes with you…..Mwaaa Haha. As well as some fun ideas to amp up the fear factor of your party. Serve up some unearthly cocktails with your candy treats this year and you will have the most popular ghoul gathering in town.

The most important part of a good All Hallows Eve cocktail party is, of course, the drinks! That may just be my opinion but with the right cocktail you can set the mood for a gruesomely good time.

May I suggest the "Monster Mash", a ghoulishly green indulgence. Truly a horrifying concoction that can get any party started.

1 shot Midori

1 shot Vodka

1 shot Coconut rum

2 shots Coconut pineapple juice

3 shots 7 up

Ping Pong Ball Eyes

In a high ball glass, add Midori, make sure the Midori goes in first so it can settle at the bottom and give a great effect. Then add Vodka, Coconut rum and Coconut Pineapple juice. Top with a float of 7 Up, stir. Place several eye balls and serve.


When throwing a party, you want to be able to enjoy the party with your friends. So this dink can be made as individual cocktails or in a large punch bowl. And still being satisfying enough to calm any crazy mob (preferably pitch forks not included).

Get festive with your drinks and let your creativity shine. Add an extras bit of punch to your punch by putting it in a cauldron instead of a silly old punch bowl. Add little something spooky to your ghostly cocktails by topping them off with menacing garnishes. Horrifying your friends and family with surprises like gummy eyes, severed ears, thumbs or other extremities frozen in ice cubes, riming the class in fake blood (made of corn syrup …lick lick), or have a gummy worm crawl out of the glass. One of my new favorite is ping pong ball eye balls.

Nothing like floating eye balls to ensure a fearsome evening. These little extra touches will help to guarantee a frightfully good time for all you guests.

With all you're your new ticks and treats, go out forth and throw a party that will wake the dead!

Butternut Squash Soup from Suzie's Farm Butternut Squash

I spent this morning unlocking the mysteries of Suzie’s Farms CSA box to a group of wonderful students and I thought with this gloomy weather I would share the recipe with you; as this velvety smooth soup will help to warm you and your soul.


I visited the farm over the weekend pick pumpkins, Pumpkin Palooza (scroll down the link to find information about all the amazing pumpkins they have right now) and also picked up the amazing butternut squash I used in this recipe.

Then I shaved some of the white carrots (they taste kind of like a middle parsnip mixed with a carrots) that came in my CSA box.

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 6 half cup servings


1 ½ cup Roasted butternut squash*
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Star anise, whole
1/2 cup Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Small onion, small dice
2 Bay leaves
2 cups or as needed Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
To taste Salt and pepper

1 to 1 ½ cup Shaved carrots


In a saucepan heat oil over medium high heat till it is hot (or moves like water in the pan). Remove pan from the heat and add star anise. Let steep off the heat for one minute.
Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, add onions to the pot and cook till translucent.
Add carrots, half the chicken broth and bay leaves. Cover and let simmer till carrots are soft.
In a food processor (or in a blender) place carrots and broth along with roasted squash, making sure to remove the star anise and bay leaves.
Puree until smooth, add enough broth or water to allow the food processor to puree ingredients. If you prefer your soup thin add more broth accordingly.
Return soup to the stove and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.



*To roast the squash,
Preheat an oven to 350° F.
Microwave the squash for 8 to 10 minutes to soften; then cut squash in half, remove seeds and cut into wedges. Season squash with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place onto a foil lined cookie sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until tender and golden brown.

Unlocking The Mysteries of The CSA

What is a CSA?

In short CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and you do just that when your subscribe to one. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to local farmers or products directly from the producer; usually consisting of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme, and sometimes includes dairy products, coffee, bread and meats.


Local CSA Programs

There is a CSA right for you, check out these websites to find your perfect match (keys to look for- size of the box, drop off points, contents of the box, organic or non-organic, farm, etc.). i f I missed any please comment and I will add them to the list.

Be Wise Ranch

Suzie’s Farm

Garden of Eden Organics

Tierra Miguel Foundation Farm

Seabreeze Organics

Speaciality Produce (not really a CSA but more of a Farmers Market Basket and loads of fun)

More Information

Half the battle of using your CSA produce is know what everything is. I recommend

Fresh Produce Guide: The best-ever guide to 300 varieties of fruit and vegetables; published by Try-Food International in 2009.



Chambord Candy Apple Martini

I wish I could take credit for this, but I found this on the net today and had to share.
The leaves are beginning to change! That means it's time to relax with friends and sip a sweet Chambord Candy Apple Martini. How are you enjoying the lovely Fall?

Chambord Candy Apple Martini
1 oz. Chambord Liqueur
1 oz Finlandia Vodka
¾ oz apple schnapps
Splash of Tuaca Liqueur
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass. Rim the glass with caramel and garnish with an apple slice.