The thing about buttered noodles…

Here’s the thing. What is so bad about trying something new? I know that the new is scary. When you walk into a dark room you never know what awaits you. It’s the momentary terror your minds spins into reality. You’ve seen way too many episodes of CSI and NCIS to believe that nothing is lurking in the shadows. But wait… what if instead of a horrifying beast or the suspicious murderous foe, waited a surprise party? All your friends joyously welcoming you to a festivity of laughter and merriment. This my friends, is why the new cannot be missed.

Everyday at work I make the obligatory pan of buttered noodles. Not really a big deal but it did get me thinking. Everyday I have kids that choose buttered noodles over anything else. Some of them I truly believe only like buttered noodles, but others take them simply because they don’t know if they will like the other offerings. It makes me wonder what is so wrong with trying something new. I know that when I was a kid we ate what was put in front of us and we were happy. (Well, unless it was my brother and beef barley soup, that combination was more drama then Jersey Shore) Anyway, the point is this: why don’t kids like to try new foods. They try new games, and TV shows. They make new friends and read new books, but when it comes to lunch it seems to be the old standby, buttered noodles.

Do you ever remember looking a food that you had never seen before and then looking at your mom or your dad and asking if you liked it. Usually they would lean down and say yes. In my family when this happened and we did not actually like what we had just tasted, we would say that our taste-buds had changed. And, rightly so as your taste-buds do change over time. What I can’t seem to wrap my head around though, is the complete lack of curiosity. How do you know you don’t like something if you’ve never tried it before. My philosophy is try something twice. Just like when tasting wine, the first taste clears your palette. The second taste is when you really get to know the food. It’s the second date if you will. If the first bite left you unsure, the second will most definitely help you decide.

I can’t knock buttered noodles completely. There was a time during my college career that buttered noodles made up at least 70% of my diet. And, now and then, I love a little butter and parmesan on my pasta. But, if I was presented with the choice of buttered noodles or something much more glamorous, the noodles would fall to second place in a heartbeat. I know what you’re thinking as you read this. If it bothers me this much, why not stop making them. The real answer is that there are kids that will not eat anything else. Literally these kids would rather starve without lunch then eat what else is for lunch. So, I must continue with the buttered noodles. Just in case you’ve never had them and are wondering what’s the big deal…

Buttered Noodles alla Katie

1 pound pasta, cooked
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

in the microwave melt the butter with the salt and garlic. Pour the butter over the cooked noodles and stir to combine serve hot, garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired. (the last step classes it up a bit)

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Mussel-rama

In the past I’ve written about my serious love of mussels. I know I have at least one post on it, but I’m sure it’s been mentioned several times. Last night, we had a party that was the ultimate indulgence of mussels. A lot of our friends share in my love of this creature and we had been comparing recipes for sometime. I figured, enough talk, let’s throwdown.

It took a little finessing, but the final plan sounded like this. We would provide the mussels and everyone had to come with a sauce or ingredients to make their version of mussels with. There were no limits and no qualifications. It just had to taste good with mussels. I know there are thousands of ways to prepare these little buggers so I was pumped to see what everyone was bringing.

I made my version of moule frite. I did a quick steam in bacon fat, shallots, and prosecco and then garnished with crispy bacon, bleu cheese, and watercress. I did make french fries, complete with truffle oil but they were gone before the mussels were cooked (and that’s saying something.) Our friend Desiree went with a white wine butter sauce with red onion and parsley…

Our friends Lindsay and David went a non-traditional route and made grilled mussels with a sriracha and wine sauce. It was crazy amazing. I wanted to stop eating them, but I couldn’t.

I will apologize to our other friends who’s mussels are not pictured, but I was so busy eating my first round, I forgot to take pictures of the second round. Our friends, Vicki and Steve made the mussels from Bonefish. Not only were they fantastically full of garlic, the sauce was perfect for dipping. Greg and Margot made a Tuscan tomato based sauce that was also out of this world. I know that I’m gushing, and raving about everything, but it’s the truth. There was not a bad mussel to be had!

The best part about this party was that everyone got involved. There was some friendly competition and everyone wanted to impress. We had simple appetizers and free flowing wine and beer. There were lots of laughs and lots of eating. It’s been decided that it was so fun, that we are now going to do a monthly dinner where everyone prepares something. It never ceases to amaze me that food brings people together, and when it’s made with care and passion.

Always thinking about the next meal

Katie

Guacamole, Tatziki and Salsa… oh my!

Living in Florida has definitely made me love happy hour. I love a good discount and happy hour usually has them to spare. The problem, I also love good food. Most of the places that have the dynamite specials, usually fall flat on the food. My resolution? Happy hour at home.

I know it might not be as social, but the alcohol is cheaper than any bar special and I can have whatever appetizer I want to whip up. A few nights ago that was a trio of dips. I poured a glass of wine and checked out the fridge for what I could make.

Granted I have more ingredients in my fridge than most people, but you can be creative with just about anything. (I once made a dip from cream cheese, old bay and celery) I had just opened a jar of salsa so that was an easy decision. Don’t judge me, some jarred salsas are pretty good. I also had the makings of a pretty wicked avocado salsa or guacamole. Let me just say that salsa is Spanish for sauce. Guacamole doesn’t really fit into this category since its thickness is much denser than a sauce. Traditional guacamole (at least for me) is simple. Avocado, salt, and lime juice. But, seeing as thought I was feeling creative… I channeled my inner Mexican (also my friend Shaddai Barron’s recipe) and started cooking:

Avocado Salsa

1 large Florida avocado, small dice
1 large jalepeño, minced
a solid hand-full of fresh cilantro, rough chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup sour cream
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Serve with chips or veggies.

While I was feeling good about my dip/sauce, I wanted more. Ever excited by variety and never limited by cuisine I found the makings of tatziki sauce. Again this sauce is very simple to make. I wouldn’t have thought to have the 3 sauces together, but çe la vie. For the tatziki I mixed 1 5.5 once container of greek yogurt with 1/2 cup cucumbers cut into a small dice. I like the skins on for texture, but feel free to peel if you prefer. Add 2 tablespoons freshly minced dill, season with salt and pepper and viola! You can also add lemon juice to bring some acidity to the party, but you don’t have to.

So my happy hour turned out wonderful and the best part was that I didn’t have to drive home… I was already there

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Long over-due update

I know this update is long over due. It’s been over 2 months since I’ve delighted you all with the trails and tribulations of cooking for the kiddies. Mostly the excuses are poor, but know that I’m back on track and the stories will be new and tasty.

The past few months have been a roller coaster. I’ve seen days that were nothing more than sheer delight. Most recently, the menu was burger sliders, tater tots, veggie dippers and popsicles. You would have thought I was serving gold. I know it’s not much of a stretch to think that kids would like burgers, but these are surprising kids. They are used to frozen bubba burgers. Not only are frozen burgers shoemaker style, but they are expensive and tasteless. Let’s face it, if you are going to eat a burger, it might as well be an indulgence. There is absolutely no room in this world for burgers made from 97/3 ground beef.

I really had no idea how I was going to make the sliders. As with most of my menu planning, I start by coming up with items I know the kids will buy and then figure out the execution from there. Yes, this method has shot me in the food a few times, but it seems like the more logical approach of defining recipes and execution and then putting in on the menu, yields much lower lunch count. When the day came I had 320 orders. That means I needed to have (at minimum) 640 sliders prepped for lunch. I usually get some last minute additions and so I like to have some extras. The goal was to make 660 sliders. I wound up with 700. How did I manage? Well, instead of making 700 individual patties, I pressed my raw meat into a foil lined sheet pan and baked the whole thing at 350 for 15 minutes. Because the meat was so thin, it cook remarkably fast. I pulled the sheet pans from the oven and let the cool. Once I could handle the meat, I used a pizza wheel to cut the sheet of seasoned meat into small squares. I was able to get 70 slider squares out of each sheet pan. It was awesome. The kids loved them, there were plenty to go around, and each one went out hot and steamy. It was a red letter day!

But not every day can be a gold star kind of day. In fact most days are about a 6 or 7 out of 10. Even with the best intentions, sometimes you just can’t quite get to the goal. On Thursday of last week, I make pancakes, bacon and fruit salad. Sounds like a decent, balanced meal to me. I decided to make whole wheat pancakes to up the healthy factor and they tasted great. I was cracking these babies out. Every kid was to get 3 pancakes, 2 slices of bacon and a 1/2 cup of fruit salad. They could help themselves to the butter and syrup.

This was destined to be one of those days that wasn’t going to be good. I started making the pancakes at 8am and was still flipping well past 1pm. I had made 930+ pancakes and ran out half way through the 3rd lunch. It wasn’t that I didn’t have enough batter, or that my math was off, it was just that I couldn’t cook the pancakes fast enough. I have a 20″ x 20″ griddle that could fit 12-15 pancakes on it at one time. I added 2 sauté pans that each held 3 pancakes each. This helped, but not much. In the end I had to boil up ravioli for the last lunch. The kids were fine with it, but it was embarrassing. I know now that I have to cook some of them ahead of time and be prepared with back-up. Granted we had high numbers and the cost was really low, but my stress levels were really high.

This roller coaster job is crazy. It’s crazy fun, and crazy overwhelming. It’s extremely rewarding and extremely defeating. There are days I want to throw my apron up in the air in disgust, and days I want to hug every last kid that walks through the line. It is pretty amazing to me that I get to have this opportunity and I can’t wait to see what Monday brings.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Week 3… a nice change of pace

Week three in this culinary adventure turned out to be much better than expected. Surprisingly, there was a lot of support from the parents and there were more volunteers than ever before. I’m not sure if it was because it was the week of Halloween and the parents were already at the school for parties and such, or if they were generally interested in helping me. Either way I was grateful for they were there. I also met a woman named Jennifer who was happy to help cooking and serving… turns out she’s going to stay on to help me out so I can do more from scratch. I’m very excited!

The lunch menu for the week was uncomplicated. Classic cafeteria fare… or so I thought….

Monday- Meatballs: I did a simple turkey meatball with a bunch of fun dippers. I made hummus and a sweet and sour sauce to dip the meatballs and the veggies in. The kids went crazy for it. Any time you can play with your food it’s a good time. The kids loved the hummus. It’s a huge step in the right direction. Out with the ranch dressing and in with the homemade hummus!

Tuesday- Breakfast Burritos: I know that kids love breakfast for lunch, so why not Latin it up! I put all the spicy stuff on the side and the kids went wild. It was a little tricky for the little ones to eat, but they managed. It was a little tricky making scrambled eggs for 260 but I figured it out to successful results

Wednesday- Chicken Salad: So these kids LOVE chicken salad. Who knew? I was definitely in the weeds this day. I should have poached my chicken the day before, but I didn’t. With all the chicken cooking and cooling, time was getting away from me. The office sent down a few helpers and together we knocked it out of the park. The kids loved it and it was a much healthier alternative to chicken nuggets.

Thurday- Sloppy Joes: I had been warned by several staff members that sloppy joe day was a low number day. I was prepared. I didn’t over order and I knew that it would be a quick, clean service. Well, that’s what I thought. My numbers weren’t huge, but they were certainly not low. 225 was the final count. Not a bad day at all. The kids loved it. They even came back for seconds on the peas! It’s a breakthrough! They like the healthy options and want more. Hooray for staying the path and not reverting to corn as a vegetable.

It was a great week. Everyone liked the food and kept commenting. The volunteers were nicer and more appreciative. It was one of those weeks where you really feel like all the effort is worth. I’m not counting on another week as smooth as this for awhile, but I can hope that the rest of them will be this good.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Week 2… Let the criticism begin

So this week was all about the trials and tribulations of learning on the job. As previously mentioned, this job came with no manual or instructions. As long as the kids received a hot meal things would be good. My menu was creative and filling. I had some classic dishes as well as some new things. The kids seemed excited. Quite frankly, I was too. It was my first week on my own and I was full of adrenaline. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but my parents were helping me shop, so at least that part was going faster. I had know idea what was to come…

Monday- Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I figured this was a no brainer. All kids like mac and cheese. I inherited 3 cases of goldfish crackers and needed to use it up. (No amount of tomato soup could use up these goldfish) I saw on TV that there is a restaurant out there that makes a crust for their mac and cheese using goldfish crackers. I thought, Brilliant! I’ll borrow the idea, and the kids will love it. As soon as I started serving, the kids revolted. “Why are there goldfish in the mac and cheese?” “Can I have mine plain?” “Why would you do that?” The list goes on. I knew going into this job that my creativity would be limited, but I never thought something as small as goldfish crackers on baked mac and cheese would have such a negative result. I served peas and oranges a long side as well as shortbread cookies. Even with all this, it was apparently not enough to please.

Tuesday- French Bread pizza. Who didn’t like French Bread Pizza Day when they were in school. I remember thinking it was one of the best days. We didn’t have homemade FBP though, we had frozen, re-heated Ellio’s. It was good, but nothing beats homemade… or so I thought. I was really excited for this day. I made the turkey sausage from scratch and was working the sauce. I took a little shortcut and used canned tomatoes to save time. I flavored the sauce with onion, garlic, spinach and mushrooms. I pureed everything together so the kiddies didn’t see the vegetables. I thought it was great. Everything tasted wonderful and looked perfect. I served fruit on the side. I really thought this was going to be a homerun. Each pizza was about 7 inches in length and piled with toppings and cheese. The comments were shocking. Not enough food. The kids are still hungry. Well, that is the worst. I never want anyone to be hungry. But, seriously these pizzas were huge. And they were heavy. They probably weighed a 1/2 pound each. But… the kids were still hungry.

Wednesday- Meatloaf. It’s strange… I grew up with meatloaf. My mom made it a lot. Apparently it’s no longer the dinner time staple it was. The kids actually liked this one. My problem… I had no idea how much to make and I was really close to running out. The kids were used to having corn and mashed potatoes on the side. Personally, I’m not sure how you can count either of these as a vegetable, but the woman before me did. I added peas to the mix and oranges for dessert. Again the biggest comment, not enough food. At this point I was going crazy. Yes, I’ll admit the meatloaf portions were a little small, but I was really tight on servings and I had to make it work. I figured with all the starches on the side that it would be OK. After all, this was only my second week and I’m still adjusting to my portioning. Little did I know that the portion sizes of the sides were getting so big that I was running low on those as well. My volunteers seem to think that more is better, but in reality, it’s not. First of all, kids don’t need to each a cup of corn, a cup and a half of mashed potatoes and 4 oz of protein. Plus, they had the option of peas and oranges. The trays are getting so heavy that the kids are dropping them. I just don’t understand. Size wise, this should be plenty but parents are saying no.

Thursday- Tacozagna. This was a gamble. I was trying a recipe that I had never made before. It’s a Rachel Ray recipe that I adapted to fit my needs. I over made. I wanted to make sure there was more than enough for everyone. I served chips on the side and fruit, and the PTO was providing ice cream. As I was portioning out the trays, some moms were watching what I was doing. I laughed a little and said, “Wow, these are huge portions.” Each serving was at least 8oz. The dish was made with ground turkey, beans, cheese and flour tortillas. It was a hearty meal to say the least. Then they were given the option to top it with lettuce, tomato or salsa. The moms’ reaction? “Actually, it’s just enough.” Are you kidding me? Maybe it’s just enough for an 8th grade boy… but that it a lot of food for a kindergartner. The kids really liked it. A few of them can up to me and said thank you and said it tasted really good.

I’m finding it really hard to keep my food costs down and give the kids enough to eat and give them enough variety that if they don’t want fruits or vegetables, that they aren’t going hungry. The frustrating thing is that I have no control over what they choose to eat besides putting it on their plate. If they get to the table and don’t eat something or don’t like it, I can’t help it. I can’t force feed these kids. I seem to have a mixed support. People believe in my fresh foods philosophy, but are stalling process by telling me to offer chips and cookies at every meal. Portion size is a huge issue in this country. Everything is super-sized. This week’s menu is challenging. Not only, because it’s just me doing it, but because some of my choices don’t have a lot of side with them. I’m going to have to pull out some miracles and hope that what I offer is enough and that the kids like it.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Week One…Do and Do Not try this again!

“Woke up in the morning. Put on my new plastic glove. Served some re-heated salsbury steak
With a little slice of love. Got no clue what the chicken pot pie Is made of.
Just know everything’s doing fine Down here in Lunch Lady Land.”

So week one. I have to say that I had no idea how hard this job was going to be. This past week I was helped by the guy who was filling in for me over the past 5 weeks before I was able to move down. The weekly menu was: Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese, Chick-fil-a, Chicken Teriyaki with fried rice, and Baked Ziti. I was feeling pretty confident in my menu choice. I knew that I had made all of these dishes before and that they were all successful. There was no need for doubt, I had blind ambition and engine full of steam.

Monday- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. I thought this would be a piece of cake. Toast the sandwiches in the oven and make soup. I even took the sandwiches to a fun new place by using 1 slice of whole wheat bread and 1 slice of white bread. The soup was made from canned tomatoes, condensed tomato soup (only because I inherited some and needed to use it up), Italian herbs and spices, salt, pepper, onion, garlic and water. Since the soup was cooking for 4 hours I figured the water would simply stretch the canned tomatoes and not lessen the flavor too much. After I received my lunch count for the day I panicked. I wasn’t going to have enough soup for all the orders. My counterpart suggested I add more water to the soup to stretch it and then correct the seasonings as necessary. What choice did I have, I didn’t have anymore tomato product and there was no time to run out for more. I added water and corrected the seasoning. The flavor was actually very good. It was the texture that was off. The extra water made the soup too thin. It was more of a tomato broth than a tomato soup. At the time, I didn’t have a food processor, blender, or immersion blender so there was no incorporating air for added volume. I had no cornstarch, butter or flour to thicken it with. So it was served as is, along side of perfectly toasted cheese sandwiches. The kids said the soup was perfect for dipping and the grilled cheese was the best they ever had. Day One… 7 out of 10

Tuesday- Chick-fil-a Day. This day happens on the second Tuesday of every month. I provide chips, fruit and a dessert, and the fast food joint provides the chicken. It makes for an easy prep day for me. Although no one told me that I needed to provide the extras until the day before, it all turned out fine. Day 2… 9 out of 10

Wednesday- Chicken Teriyaki with Veggie Fried Rice. Ok so I was really excited about this day. It was a brand new menu item that the kids had never had before. The thought process was to bake the chicken in the oven and then serve with the fried rice. As a side I had orange slices and for dessert, fortune cookies. I was like a little kid at Christmas. Who wouldn’t be excited about this for lunch. Little did I know the horror that awaited me. I had marinated the chicken over night and it smelled awesome. I started cooking the rice and prepping the fruit. The chicken went in the oven and we were rocking and rolling. 35 minutes into the cooking process, the chicken still wasn’t cooked. I started to panic… This was only the first batch of 3 and the clock was ticking. I had finished the rice and it tasted delicious. I was stuck on the chicken. Everything else was on it’s way, but the chicken was no where near done! There is a flat top in the kitchen that had never been used by the school before. It’s always been used be the Knight’s of Columbus for their pancake breakfasts, so I figured it was my only option. I started throwing the chicken on the flattop and bada bing it was beautiful. The searing made the whole kitchen smell like ginger and sweet soy sauce. I was feeling better. What I didn’t realize was that the kids have the choice of what they want to eat at lunch. So, each kid gets the main dish from me but then can choose from the offered sides that are offered by the volunteers. The lesson here is that these kids don’t like rice. Not many of them took it, and some of them didn’t have oranges either. This left them with a lunch of chicken and cookies. I was heartbroken. I thought for sure this would be a huge hit, but alas, not so much. Day 3… 3 out of 10

Day 4- Baked Ziti. I knew the baked ziti would be a hit. My counterpart had made it the week before and the kids went gaga for it. My version was a little different and I was not offering garlic bread. I did offer instead the school’s first salad bar. I’ve applied for a grant through Whole Foods that would provide the school with a salad bar. I wanted to test out the theory of the bar before we had one and then the kids weren’t interested. Well, they LOVED it. Despite seeing 1 kid eat ranch dressing and bacon bits as his salad or the kid who only had plain pasta and and croutons on his plate, everyone seems to be eating veggies. This is a huge step in the right direction. Day 4… 9 out of 10

I’m not what to expect out of this next week. There are lots of new recipes and I’m not sure how the kids will react. I have vendor meetings and inventories to do. When I first got married I thought it was had cooking or 2 people. Little did I know 5 years later I’d be cooking for 300.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Day one… Kitchen assessment

So today I started in my new position as executive chef at an elementary school. I was just in for paperwork and getting the lay of the land.

Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say that things were in worse shape than I thought. The kitchen is in desperate need of a deep clean. It is shared with at least 5 other social groups. None of which seem to know how to clean. There was a light coating of stick grease over every surface. There were things that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned with actual cleaner or soap in years. Half of the kitchen had been claimed by the other various groups, leaving me with 3 or 4 drawers and cabinets to keep things in. There are 4 coolers and 2 freezers which is good. The dry storage area was sad at best. I took some time today to clean and organize the dry storage but it still needs work.

No one had ever created an inventory. I’ve inventoried the dry storage and I’m working on a standard inventory list. Everyone who is currently working in the kitchen seems to be content with the status quo. It’s definitely going to be an uphill battle.

The cooking areas are working, but are inconsistent. I was told by the current cook that sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Everyday is different and even though the ovens and stovetops are calibrated monthly, it doesn’t seem to matter.

There are so many things that need to happen that I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m in the midst of a “to-do” list and a very long wish list of things that will make my life a lot easier.

I knew going into this that it wasn’t going to be easy. I guess I just wasn’t expecting what I found.

I’ll keep you all up to date on what’s going on. I’m still hopeful and feeling positive about what’s to come. Hopefully I can get things together without too much craziness.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Cooking… it’s elementary my dear

I think that kids are the hardest to cook for. They are mostly picky, finicky, and worst of all honest. If they don’t like what they are eating they make it very clear, with drama and sometimes tears. As a kid I was not picky. In fact, I loved everything. Yes, even brussels sprouts and lime beans. Tomorrow I starting my new position as executive chef at a elementary school. I’ll be cooking for 600 kids (K-8th grade), 75 teachers and faculty. This is no small feat. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Although I’m sure that the kids would love hot dogs and potato chips everyday, the menu will be far from the stereotype. As I am not the typical lunch lady (at least I don’t consider myself as such) the menu will be varied and colorful. I’m taking a cue from Jamie Oliver’s food revolution. The former kitchen lady chose to make frozen chimichangas and chicken strips. The old menu’s idea of vegetables was instant mashed potatoes and canned corn. (Just so we are clear, neither of them are vegetables.) My new menu will have fresh veggies everyday. Things like yogurt and fruit will be a staple. And lean meats will take over the nasty mystery meat burgers and frozen meatballs.

I do have hurdles. There is a lot of back stock. Before leaving, the woman before me made a huge order of canned soups, American cheese, frozen burgers and meatballs. I’ve also been told that the kitchen may not be up to health department standards. As far as I know there are wooden shelves in the food storage area and that the refrigerator is shared with any social group who needs to use the space. There are no locking storage areas to keep wandering hands out of the school’s kitchen’s tools. There are not enough tools for proper service. And, despite the school’s goal of going green, the holding pans are disposed of everyday.

My game plan is aggressive but professional. Tomorrow I’ll be seeing the kitchen for the first time. I’ll have a week to assess the immediate needs for change and to clean. (I’m sure that a hands and knees scrub will be necessary.) I’m not planning on changing everything, but it is pretty darn important that I at least get things up to code.

The menu changes will be rapid and exciting. I have to use up any food that was pre-ordered before I can order more. This is going to be challenging but important. The kids only pay $2.50 per lunch. Any profit that is made goes back into the school and trickled back into the kitchen. Eventually I’d love to have a salad bar for the kids, and I’ve applied for a grant through Whole Foods, but I have to keep my priorities in order.

The future menu includes mini tuna melts, BBQ chicken salad, Tomato Basil soup with grilled cheese and ultimate french bread pizza. I’m incorporating things like International day, where the recipes will be from all over the world and Celebrity chef day, where the recipe will be from Rachel Ray, Paula Deen or another “famous” person.

All in all I’m very excited. My posts will most likely reflect the experiences that come and I know the kiddies will let me know if they really like it or not.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie

Fresh Creamy Goat Cheese

There are certain ingredients that are so versatile that they are often overlooked. Goat cheese is just one of those ingredients. Since I’ve been working in the cheese shop, I’ve tried a lot of cheeses that I had never tried previously. But, this creamy fresh goat cheese is tops. You can use it anywhere that you would use cream cheese or ricotta cheese.

Goat cheese tends to get type casted as a salad topper, but it is so much more than that. This creamy version is great because it helps to break the stigma. Since it’s creamy, it spreads easily. It makes an easy appetizer out of toasted baguette and caramelized onions. You can use it as a filling base in ravioli or add it to roasted red peppers and puree.

Goat cheese can also serve as a base on pizza of my favorite, whipped. You read correctly, whipped. This works great with the creamy version of the goat cheese, but it can be done with the regular as well. Simply put 4 oz of your chosen goat cheese into your stand mixer and whip away. Let the cheese go in the mixer for 5-6 minutes or until the cheese is light and fluffy. I like to put my whipped cheese in a bowl and drizzle it with really high quality extra virgin olive oil and freshly crack black pepper. Serve along side cherry tomatoes and wheat crackers.

Still need more ideas. Well, try using your goaty goodness in an omlette.

Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Omelets
Serves 1

Hardware:
Rubber Spatula
8-inch non-stick sauté pan
Small mixing bowl
Balloon wisk

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1 oz roasted red peppers
1/4 oz fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, separated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl add the eggs and salt and pepper and wisk until the yolks and whites are thoroughly combined
2. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat and add in 1 tablespoon of the butter and swirl around the pan
3. Add in the scrambled eggs
4. Using a rubber spatula, push the eggs around the pan and swirl the pan until the eggs start to set
5. Add in the goat cheese and the peppers in the center of the eggs
6. Fold 1/3 of the eggs over the center
7. Using your rubber spatula guide the folded edge onto a dinner plate
8. Using the edge of the pan fold the remaining edge over the top

Rub the top of the omelet with the remaining teaspoon of butter and sprinkle the top with the chives

Next time you’re in your local cheese shop, ask for some Vermont Butter and Cheese. If you don’t think you’re a fan of goat cheese, give it another try. You’ll be surprised how added something else, mellows out the tangy and gamey flavor of the goat’s milk. If you really want to ease your way in, add some honey and cinnamon. The sweetness is a great compliment.

Always thinking of the next meal

-Katie