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Tag: Holidays

  • December…..What a month!

    December…..What a month!

    December has been one helluva month. It went so fast. I got to play set designer for Santa Dee.  I was able to decorate his set where families would come to take their Christmas pictures. Me, the lady who has a board specifically labelled “If I could D.I.Y.” on Pinterest. I did everything from create a fireplace, a snowman and tons of gifts all from empty cardboard boxes. I guess I can D.I.Y.

    I eventually ended up being his hostess/cookie maker for his event Cookies and Cocoa with Santa where I made what has come to be known as my Signature Gingerbread Cookies. These cookies landed me selling them to the public and they were well received. You could have ordered them dipped in chocolate, plain or dipped with chopped crystallized ginger. They won’t be back until next holiday season.

     

    In keeping with the whole cookie theme I participated in a cookie swap, The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap. It was a fundraiser designed to bring awareness to childhood cancer and raise money for research. I was more than happy to do my part. It gave me a chance to meet other bloggers and work on cookies. I made chocolate chip rugelachs because they reminded me of home, NYC. You can read all about it here.

    I still had to do Christmas in my own home. My oldest came to visit with his wife and we had a lot of family fun. I made Pulled BBQ, two ways turkey and King Oyster Mushrooms) served on top of a cornbread waffle with a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions. Everyone agreed it was yummy. I was able to get my Christmas tree up.  I did a Cranberry Wild Rice stuffed Turkey Reloude with a  Brown Sugar Orange Glaze another thumbs up. I finally got to meet my grand-niece in person. I was super excited because she’s even cuter in person. I made a wonderful Christmas dinner but forgot to take pictures. I did however get pics of the cinnamon-sugar buns I made during the day. I say better than nothing.

    Anyway I am currently preparing for the rolling in of the New Year. As usual I will spend it with my kids. We will be dining on  shrimp and grits with some bubbly( theirs non-alcoholic mine very alcoholic). Anyway, I hope you ring in the New Year safe and in the best frame of mind. Until next year go forward and make new memories.

    ~The Chef In Pearls

     

     

     

  • When You Got Friends in Snow Places

    When You Got Friends in Snow Places

    There is nothing cooler than being able to say you know Santa and actually knowing him. Yep. Your girl the Chef In Pearls not only knows Santa but recently did a photo shoot with him and Mrs. Claus. I mean I can’t get any cooler than that or can I? I probably could be cooler but that’s a whole other post.

    Actually let’s not save it for another post. Let’s deal with it in this post. You know what makes me cooler even than just knowing Santa? The fact of being able to call him my brother. Yep Santa Dee of The Real Black Santa is my brother and the young lady who plays Mrs. Claus with him is actually my mother. So yeah I think I am way cooler that I previously thought I was. The only other person I think is cooler than me would be his 10 year old daughter who gets to tell everyone, ” Santa is my Dad”.

    My brother gained a lot of popularity in a world where his skin color makes him different or not the norm. But he is the real deal. His beard is not fake but actually grows from his face. It is naturally white not bleached or died to get the color but actually white because it grew that way. It’s a family trait, the gray hair thing we got going on. He earnestly looks forward to the season because he likes the smile he puts on the children’s faces. I still remember how in awe I felt when I first saw him in a Santa suit. Instantly I just wanted to tell him what I wanted for Christmas in hopes that it would be waiting for me under the tree.

    I know a lot of people don’t believe or even like the concept of Santa Claus. If for nothing else, when presented correctly, it’s the ideal of showing love to others. That’s what this season is all about. All anyone is really looking for is to be loved. Even the smallest token is appreciated when truly given out of love. That’s all Santa Dee wants to show the world. It may be a concept for children but believe me when I say it touches even the adults. They look forward to the chance to be able to bring their children in to take pictures. To be able to share a few words with him. At times they are more excited than the kids. They want to be the cool parents. I guess them, like me, want to be able to say they know Santa.  That gives them some kind of kid cred amongst their children and other children they may know.

    Keep up with me and Santa Dee because we’ve somethings in the making. Hopefully we can help you with your memory making this season through cooking, some pictures or even some kind words. Now get off the computer and go makes some memories.

    (All Photos by Nicole Denise)

  • Quickie… Get Ready. Get Set. Holidays

    Quickie… Get Ready. Get Set. Holidays

    Holiday-dinner-table

    It’s that time of the year again. You know where family gather and people eat like there’s no tomorrow. It’s also the time of year when everyone wants to show off their culinary skills (or the lack there of) with tables full of traditional and not so traditional meals. Well with the weeks leading up to the big turkey day and Christmas fast approaching after that The Chef In pearls will be sharing video tips to get you through the holidays with ease. You’ll be able to participate in the videos by catching them live on Periscope. You can download the app for free in your app store, Apple and Android users alike. Once downloaded look for me as, you guessed it, The Chef In Pearls. Then listen out for that sexy whistle because I will be coming to you live . You can always let me know some of the things that are your biggest challenges and I will try to address them in the scopes. Looking forward to helping you make new memories this holiday season

    (image from realstylenetwork.com)
  • December Food in Review

    December Food in Review

    I’ve come to realize that most of my food posts have been to my social media sites. Which if you aren’t following you should. I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as you guessed it TheChefInPearls.( go follow me now if you aren’t already) . I seem to always have something food related on those sites.  So this month I’m going to do a review of some of the things I have created or eaten that were posted and not blogged about. Keep reading it should be fun.

    First I’d like to share with you an amazing time I had at a food tasting with Chef Ed Harris. He was a Food Network “Chopped “winner. I got a chance to see why first hand. He created a night of Dim Sum. Anyone that knows me well will tell you Asian cuisine always wins in my book and Chef Harris did a great job of presenting on this night.

     

     

    Another event I attended in December was Bella N Black. I had the opportunity to vend as Gems and Baubles while taking in the networking, music and food. The event took place at the Glenn Hotel. They did their take on a passed hors d’oeuvre of Chicken & Waffle. It came off a bit large for a passed hors d’ oeuvre and a little messy since it had been drizzled with syrup and served on a napkin. Other than that it was quite tasty.

    In honor of winter, the holidays and childhood memories I spent some time creating hot chocolate which I did blog about. If you missed it you can always check it out here. Had to include it because it happened in December.

    Hot Chocolate with fresh whipped cream with grated chocolate on top
    Hot Chocolate with fresh whipped cream with grated chocolate on top

    Whenever I get a chance to visit the DeKalb Farmers Market it always brings me joy ( I smiled just writing that sentence). The fresh ingredients always inspire me. The fresh broccolini inspired an Asian dish along with fresh ginger and Shiitake mushrooms. Those ingredients became Gingered Beef with Broccolini & Shiitake Mushrooms served over steamed rice.

    I always try to get some clams when I visit the farmers market because well, I like them and also they make an easy lunch. I start off by dicing onions, celery and sweet bell peppers and sauteing them in olive oil with chopped garlic and a few red pepper flakes . I add the cleaned clams and then approximately 1/2 cup of either wine or chicken broth to steam them open. Once open I removed them from the pan turn the heat up to reduce to a sauce adding butter and fresh chopped parsley to finish it off. I top the clams with sauce and then serve with french bread slices.

    Steamed Clams for lunch
    Steamed Clams for lunch

     

    For the Christmas Holiday I was able to travel to North Carolina where my Dad and his wife relocated to from New Jersey. I love a good road trip and this turned out to be pretty good. We got to stop at one of my favorite spots off I-85 for lunch, JPeter’s Grill & Bar. They make a juicy burger and their steaks are like buttah. Check them out the next time you are in South Carolina. They keep expanding so I’m sure you’ll be able to find one close to where you may be visiting.

    We made it just in time for Christmas Eve dinner with my Dad and older brother’s family.  Since both men are married to Filipino women we were lucky to have some Asian cuisine on the dinner table. I always enjoy good Asian food and this was no exception. Christmas morning we were blessed to have a traditional Jamaican breakfast of cabbage & saltfish, fried dumplings, plantains and bammy courtesy of the Dred aka my husband. I think it’s great to have such an international flair within my family.

    I hope you enjoyed my December food recap. I look forward to bringing you more interesting things in the coming new year. Now go forward and make memories.

    Ooh yeah I forgot I made this wonderful frittata with broccoli, sweet potatoes, cheese and topped with a black bean corn salsa…hey I made it in December so it should be included. Now go get fab for NYE!

    Frittata
    Frittata

     

  • Thanksgiving OOTD

     

    Thanksgiving OOTD Shirt dress Lane Bryant Sweater Ashley Stewart Knee socks Target Shoes Lane Bryant
    Thanksgiving OOTD
    Shirt dress Lane Bryant
    Sweater Ashley Stewart
    Knee socks Target
    Shoes Lane Bryant

    If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram you know that the above pic was a #FashionObsession of mine from the Nordstrom’s Fall catalogue . I wanted so badly to have this look. My goal with this was to re-create it without having to spend any large funds. I think I nailed it.  I only spent $4 for the knee socks everything else was hanging in my closet.  What do you think?

     

  • Turkey, AGAIN? (Holiday Series Finale)

    Most people haven’t thought beyond turkey sandwiches on the day after let alone what’s gonna happen to the leftover leftovers. And by day 3 believe you me your family doesn’t want anything more to do with turkey either. Here’s a way to move beyond that bump in the road.

    My one suggestion is to get rid of the turkey. No I don’t mean throw it away.  I mean get it out of your family’s eye sight. Then you can re-introduce it at a later time…in a different form. First things first you have to…

    Freeze your leftover turkey. Remove you turkey meat from the carcass. Portion them out into plastic freezer bags and date. Try to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.The USDA says that turkey can last in the freezer for up to 4-6 months. If you want to keep it moist when you thaw, freeze with gravy or some stock.

    Now that you know how to freeze turkey you need to know what to do with it once you decide to thaw it. Actually this is one for the day after the big meal or the day before the big freeze. This one may get rid of quite a bit of your leftovers and still keep the family interested. Got turkey? Mashed potatoes? Gravy? Vegetables? Then you’ve got the makings of Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.

    2 cups cubed leftover turkey meat

    1 1/2 cups gravy

    2 cups of leftover vegetables (broccoli, peas, carrots string beans whatever you like or rather whatever you have on hand)

    3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

    1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

    Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 9″x 9″ pan. Heat gravy and turkey together in a sauce pan. Transfer heated mixture to 9″x 9″pan. Top meat with vegetables and then top vegetables with mashed potatoes (Have potatoes at room temperature or warm some. It makes the next step easier to do). Spreading potatoes out to within a 1/2″ of edge of pan. Sprinkle shredded cheese across top of potatoes.  Place pan on top of sheet pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

    Ok so suppose you still have turkey to freeze after this dish. Consider yourself lucky and proceed to freezing it. What do you do with the turkey when it comes time to thaw. It’s really up to you. Take your favorite recipe and substitute the meat it calls for with your thawed turkey meat.   Like Chili or maybe a Brunswick Stew. Or try adding it to a dish that doesn’t traditionally have meat in it like maybe your favorite Mac & Cheese recipe. Use your imagination. .you never know you create a favorite for your family.

    I hope this series has helped with the madness of holiday meals. Let me know how this series may or may not have helped you. Leave a comment.

    Happy Holidays from Cassandra as The Chef In Pearls and owner of Gems and Baubles. Now go make some memories!

  • Cranberries Uncanned (Holiday Series Pt 3)

    Cranberries Uncanned (Holiday Series Pt 3)

    Are you still eating cranberry sauce from a can? I know I say I won’t judge you but I will give you the side-eye for not going fresh. I mean, once you learn how easy it is to make cranberry sauce from scratch you’ll never go canned again.

    I want you to walk away from this post with not only the know-how on how to make cranberry sauce but that cranberry sauce ain’t just for turkey. That’s right i said it. You can do so much more with cranberry sauce like appetizers, drinks, entrees and desserts. The sky’s the limit or at least your imagination.

    Basic Cranberry Sauce

    1 12oz. bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen)

    1 cup of water

    1-2 cups of granulated sugar

    Wash and sort cranberries. Place cranberries in a sauce pan with water and 1 cup of sugar. Allow to simmer. You can add more sugar depending on how sweet you like your sauce. After about 10 minutes of cooking and you can no longer hear the berries popping you can turn off stove. Pour sauce into a bowl and allow to cool. Sauce thickens as it cools.

    Cranberry Sauce
    Cranberry Sauce

    Here are some other dishes I used cranberry sauce in.

    November 23 2014 021
    Baked Brie topped with warm Cranberry Sauce
    Pork Tenderloin Medallions and Whipped Sweet Potatoes with a Cranberry- Pomegranate Sauce
    Pork Tenderloin Medallions and Whipped Sweet Potatoes with a Cranberry- Pomegranate Sauce
    Wine Spritzer made with Cranberry, your favorite white wine and topped with seltzer.
    Wine Spritzer made with Cranberry Sauce, your favorite white wine and topped with seltzer.
    Cranberry Shortcake made with a cranberry, apple & pear compote
    Cranberry Shortcake made with a cranberry, apple & pear compote

    I hope the post has you ditching the can and being inspired by fresh cranberries.  CIPapproved

     

     

  • Bring on the Holidays (Holiday Series)

    tholiday meal pic

    So Halloween is over and now it’s time to prepare for the big guns….Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a time of family and friends and lots of food.  So many make it a very nerve racking time of year and it doesn’t have to be. It’s all about planning and being prepared for anything.  For the next couple of posts I will help get you ready for the holiday meals before you. I’ll take you from shopping lists, how to make the perfect gravy, un-canned cranberry sauce and even dessert. Hope it helps to ease your mind for this holiday season.