A trip down Memory Lane...

It's hard to believe that it's been almost three years since we opened the doors to Urban Kitchen.
So...I had to grab a little excerpt from one of my posts from 2010 before it all happened...makes me a little nostalgic and just a bit incredulous that we actually did it.
Here's a little blast from the past:

Next...the kitchen is coming together in spite of all of the crazy things that have happened from the vent hood installers cannibalizing my hood fans to figuring out the new heat sensor requirements to...well, I'm sure there's something else but I can't think of what it is.  Here is a picture of the kitchen...not the same one as on Facebook so a little variety coming atcha...
On the food front...I just read that legendary Chef Alain Ducasse has expressed himself on the subject of complicated food and he says...it's too damn complicated!  YAY!! Thank you so much!!  In fact, he is completely reworking his menu and is going so far as to limit all items to three ingredients.  That just speaks to my heart after all this silly, self-absorbed, overly complex cooking that's going on out there!  So...as I have always said, delicious, honest food, completely identifiable that you can be passionate about.
We will start being passionate about the food we cook very shortly at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street...can't wait to share with everyone...I will be scheduling cooking classes in November!

So, actually, we didn't schedule cooking classes in November of 2010 because the Health Department insisted on a particular kind of floor drain under my three compartment sink that required additional plumbing and tearing up of the tile.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that while I was at it, I needed to put in a grease trap?  Lord help me, I don't know how any of us survive the food business with all of the "help" we get from the city.  We also didn't get a break from the weather gods either with one of the worst winters on record (exception being the ice storm of 2009) so I think we started classes in the Spring of 2011.

But now, three years later and lots of experiences under my belt here is little Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street where we're cooking fearlessly...one recipe and a time!
And, oh yeah, again...Chef Alain Ducasse is still my hero!

And as always...
If you like this post, SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter or with someone you think needs to see it! 
Come join the fun and take a class with us!  
Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

And, if personalizing your cooking and making it fun is interesting to you, you might enjoy my Complete Resource Guide to Stress-Free Entertaining.   Check it out by clicking on the link....it's free!

Tools: The big, the small, the essential

Let's talk about what you've got in your kitchen.  Not what food you have, what kinds of tools and equipment you have.  Do you have a favorite whisk or wooden spoon or spatula?  I do!
And, because I do, I'm going to share a few of my go-to's.  I could come up with an entire list of things and maybe I'll do that, in the future but for now, let's just stick to some great basics.  I love basics because they're a really good way to get started.

Of course, there are the knives but I could spend an entire email (or more) just on knives so let's save that, too and get into some super cool tools that will make your time in the kitchen easier and, dare I say, fun!  This will also be fun because I'm going to show you pictures of my personal favs!

I limited myself to five but I have many, many more.
So here are the top five small kitchen tools on my Hit Parade and in my kitchen, right now!

Number 5 - Fine mesh strainer
Pour sauces or stocks through this to get perfectly clear liquids, nothing is left behind.  Also good for draining and rinsing canned goods.


Number 4 - Microplane
Always sharp and makes grating cheese or veggies a breeze.


Number 3 - Poultry shears
These are indispensable for cutting up chicken or other birds.  These are cool because they come apart for easy cleaning...no chicken "goo" left on these!


Number 2 - Utility tongs
Man, I love these things!  If you don't have anything else for picking things up out of a hot pan, this is the tool.  They are really an extension of your hand.
Finally, and this was a hard one because I really love those tongs but...


Number 1 - Japanese mandoline
You must be careful with this guy but if you are...slicing is so fast and fun!!  Plus, it's super inexpensive.  So if it breaks (and it could although none of mine ever have), you don't feel bad throwing it away and getting a new one.

So these are a few of my favorite things, I think I feel a song coming on.
But instead, how about a recipe?  Experiment with it and have some fun!

Penne Mac ‘n Cheese
 Serves 4 – 6

¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded aged cheddar
½ lb penne, cooked al dente, cooled and drained
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°.

Butter a 2 qt baking dish.  In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth.  Simmer until the sauce is thickened.  Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of mozzarella and ½ cup aged cheddar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta and cheese sauce.  Stir in ½ cup of mozzarella and transfer to prepared dish.  Top with the remaining mozzarella and aged cheddar then bread crumbs.
Bake for at least 30 minutes or until the pasta is browned and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Be sure to try different types of pasta and cheeses with it!

I continue to get great feedback about my Complete Resource Guide to Stress-Free Entertaining.  If personalizing your cooking and making it fun is interesting to you, you might enjoy this free guide.  Check it out by clicking on the link.

Stop buying salad dressing!

*Note from Candace*
I have been reviewing old posts and sharing them as it seems appropriate.  I ran across this one from May, 2009.  It is funny how consistent my message (mission) has been even from four years ago.  
This is where the Urban Kitchen house vinaigrette started.  It's fun to see how it has evolved.  To my favorite container option, I would add a squeeze bottle.  With the bottle, you not only have the salad dressing mixer but an easy way to deliver the dressing on to your greens.  As for vinegar choices, consider white and red balsamics as well as the others.

The point is:  don't be afraid to experiment, use fresh ingredients and once you make dressing for the first time, you'll never buy the bottled, preservative-laden stuff again! 
Warmest,
Candace
And as always...
If you like this post, SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter or with someone you think needs to see it! 
Come join the fun and take a class with us!  
Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

We all have our favorite bottled salad dressing...come on, admit it! Mine was (note the word, WAS) Seven Seas Creamy Italian. I ate enough of that dressing to float a boat - no pun intended. When I was in college, I would eat it on anything...well, not on chocolate, but that was about it. Nowadays, so many bottled dressings are filled with preservatives...so much so that you can hardly identify what it really is supposed to be. Then I started making my own dressings a number of years ago. It is not only fast but, once more, you can use your imagination and create so many different flavors. I am going to share my salad dressing "base" with you. Then sally forth (did I really say that?) and add different spices, herbs, ingredients to it...whatever you like or whatever seems to go best with what you're serving. Add fruit, fresh or dried. Add vegetables. I don't think meat would work but who knows...! Try it and let me know!!

Now, you will see a lot of chefs whisk the oil into the salad dressing ingredients. The reason for this is to create an "emulsion"...an emulsion is a mixture of one liquid with another that it ordinarily will not combine with...such as oil and water or, in this instance, vinegar. You add the oil very slowly and whisk the vinegar quickly so that it binds. This is, of course, the classic way of doing things but sometimes you have to throw classic out the window and get real. My favorite method for "emulsifying" my oil and vinegar is with a small screwtop jar and a little Dijon mustard. The flavor of Dijon has a way of blending into whatever type of dressing you're making or it can express itself, for instance, in a honey Dijon salad dressing. In any event, the mustard acts as an emulsifier and helps the process along...call it cheating if you like but it works like a champ. And, I think most people don't make dressing because of the idea of whisking things. So now no more excuses...get a half-pint Mason jar and go to it!

Candace's Salad Dressing Base (this is purely a jumping off point)

In a small jar with a tightly fitting lid (preferably screw top)
Add:
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
1 - 2 tsp dark brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it - you can also leave it out completely)
1 tbsp minced shallot and/or 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 parts vinegar to 1 part oil (I like light and not oily dressings)
Place the top securely on the jar and shake it like crazy.

Now you've got salad dressing that is fresh, light, full of flavor and will last in your fridge for at least a week or more...actually, probably not that long because you'll use it so fast! A half-pint of dressing is enough for many, many salad greens but please, do not commit the Cardinal sin of over-dressing your greens. Let your greens shine through...they deserve their place in the spotlight...but that's another tip for another day.
Now just to get you started thinking...
For sweeteners: try honey, maple syrup, light brown sugar, light or dark corn syrup
For vinegars: try red wine, white wine, rice (unseasoned), raspberry, sherry, or champagne
The oil you use will depend on whether you want to taste it...flavorless canola, vegetable, or flavorful olive oils...I wouldn't recommend sesame except as a flavor enhancer in an Asian dressing.
You can use this same theory with mayonnaise-based dressings.
Don't be afraid to experiment...it's just food...it doesn't care!
The rest is up to you!

Are you keeping it personal?

I know, I'm asking crazy questions again!

But are you keeping your cooking personal?  And, by that, I mean, is your kitchen space personal to you, is your cooking the kind or the way you like to do it?  If it's not, then I bet you don't enjoy cooking (or at least, not as much as you could!).

Now, you're going to either say, huh? or, Candace, what are you talking about?  I don't know HOW to keep it personal!  Well...here are a couple of tips for keeping it easy and fun that will help simplify your life.  Remember, this isn't rocket science so don't make it that way!

But first, a little background...I'm all about making things easier for my students in my cooking classes.  My goal or maybe I should say, my mission is to show you how to make great food that will impress your family and friends and be as easy as possible to cook.  So, I try to show you sensible ways to have it going on in the cooking arena and not dazzle you with my fancy footwork.  That means that you take what we learned in class and do it at home.  So...keeping it personal is just an extension of what I teach in my cooking classes.

I don't emphasize recipes that need exact measurements (for me, that's most recipes, really).  I use ingredients that are not difficult to find but are not your run of the mill, ordinary meat and potatoes.  And, I show you techniques that will make your life easier.

Case in point, I get tons of questions about knives.  What knife should I get?  Frankly, I don't know.  You are the only one who knows what kind of knife you need.  So in class, I provide everyone with an inexpensive but very sharp knife to begin finding out what kind of knife they like.  The weight, the shape of the handle and the blade are all important but above all else, it must be sharp.  So you can have great success with a very inexpensive knife IF it is super sharp.  You can also have a disaster with a dull, expensive knife.  There's one way you keep it personal...get a knife you like.  And, don't buy a big set like that salesperson wants you to buy at the gourmet kitchen store.  Buy your knives one at a time so that it makes sense when you add a new one to your personal kitchen.  And, then keep them sharp.  Learn to use a knife steel that straightens the blade (that's another story) and then have them sharpened professionally when needed.  "When needed" is also personal because everyone uses knives differently.

Bottom line is choose knives, tools, equipment and food to suit your personal style.  You like Asian food...get a wok, go to the Asian market, familiarize yourself with ingredients and flavor profiles for Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese foods, search the Internet for ideas, that's what I do when I want to personalize my cooking or cooking classes.

Wouldn't it be cool, though, if there was a resource out there that provided you with a step-by-step method for personalizing your kitchen and cooking and making it super enjoyable.  Well, stay tuned my friends...help is on the way!

To that end, you know that I have to include a little somethin', somethin'.  Here's a great recipe for Grilled Romaine Hearts and the house vinaigrette from Urban Kitchen.  With Labor Day coming, this will change up your grilling routine.
Be sure to play around with it...make it you're own!

Grilled Romaine Hearts

Serves 8
4 romaine hearts
1 red onion, thickly sliced
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese                                                             
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Rinse romaine hearts and remove any blemished outer leaves.  Cut hearts in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  Drizzle red onion slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Heat grill to medium high.  Place sliced onions (oiled side down) on the grill and drizzle the other side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill for 2 – 3 minutes until they have grill marks.  Flip onions and allow to cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about five minutes.  Remove from the grill.  Allow to cool and then chop the onions.  Set aside.

Place romaine hearts cut side down on the grill for about a minute until the edges start to wilt.  Remove from the grill.  Dress with your favorite vinaigrette (mine is below).  Followed by chopped grilled onions and crumbled goat cheese.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette
 Makes about one cup of dressing

1 garlic clove, smashed
1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
¼ - ½ cup canola/olive oil blend

In a pint jar or squeeze bottle, combine all ingredients and shake well.
Enjoy!
And as always...
If you like this post, SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter or with someone you think needs to see it! 
Come join the fun and take a class with us!  
Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

I continue to get great feedback about my Complete Resource Guide to Stress-Free Entertaining.  If personalizing your cooking and making it fun is interesting to you, you might enjoy this free guide.  Check it out by clicking on the link.

The Curiosity of Cooking Classes Redux

There is so much going on!  I am catching myself coming and going!  But I can't let my blog go without a weekly post so I went through the archives and found this little jewel...honestly, this is one of my favorite all-time posts (with the exception of one about a particular "Throw Down with Bobby Flay" which I have promised not to re-post, for now anyway).  We do have a lot of great, fun classes at Urban Kitchen.  And, I am happy to say the Asian classes are much more popular than they were when I first posted this lament.
Warmest,
Candace
And as always...
If you like this post, SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter or with someone you think needs to see it! 
Come join the fun and take a class with us!  
Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.
 
I am constantly amazed by the number of people who want to learn how to make pasta...often to the exclusion of anything else.
Take this week's classes as an example:  Wednesday was Vietnamese Street Food which I cleverly titled "What the Pho?" and Thursday was Ravioli.  To me, the opportunity to make a dish as thoroughly fascinating as pho and the banh mi sandwich would win hands down over ravioli.  Boy!  Was I wrong!
My poor little East meets West fusion class would have been canceled had it not been for two stalwarts and, frankly, I should have canceled it anyway (didn't have the four required) but I couldn't bring myself to deny these gals the wonders and utter simplicity yet flavor explosion of these two dishes.  Plus, I really wanted to prove that I could make an acceptable pho (I already knew I owned banh mi land).  So we had a great class and explored the ingredients and methods of Vietnamese cooking with all of its French influences.  We even snapped a quick pic of the pho yummy-ness.  Not up to Melanie Dunea quality but passable.

Now on to my quandary...what is this fascination with pasta?  The ravioli class on Thursday was packed...I even had a woman in there who just found out she had to cut out gluten...yet she was still in class!
Don't get me wrong (I know I say that a lot but I don't want to be misunderstood, of course), I love pasta!  But please, please, please...I don't want to be reduced to becoming the Pasta Teacher of Tulsa...sounds very grand, doesn't it?
I agree...it IS fun to make pasta and it IS easy but come on, people, let's branch out!  I have soup, puff pastry, pie, roasted chicken, appetizers, and grilling, grilling, grilling classes but nothing fills up like pasta.  We've made simple pasta, all kinds of ravioli and gnocchi.  We've made sauces and fillings until they're coming out of our ears but it's never enough!
Yes...I will continue to teach you how to make pasta but couldn't you throw in a little excitement here and there? 
I'm just sayin'...

It IS entertaining...

So what if I told you, anybody can be successful at entertaining?  Already scoffing at me, eh?
OK...what if I told you that you can not only be successful at entertaining but can also enjoy it?  How about that one?  I hope, at this point, that you're intrigued enough to keep reading or...you have decided that I have completely gone 'round the bend on this one.  But hear me out!
Personally, I have always enjoyed entertaining.  My mom was a great hostess on the order of Perle Mesta.  How's that for a very old, obscure reference?  How many of you even know who Perle Mesta was?  And, yes, I know I'm dating myself!

Suffice it to say, my mom was a superb entertainer.  She and my dad would have holiday open houses where hundreds of people would come and go over several hours in an entire evening,  It was a true open house, in every sense of the word, back in the good old (bad old?) days of the 1960's.  Copious amounts of food and adult beverages as well as the occasional romantic tryst in the coat closet with people not married to one another.  Yes, definitely the good old days!  HAH!  Anywho, my mother managed to prepare most all of the food but then hired people to help serve and bartend so that she could be "the hostess with the mostest" at my father's side.  Those parties and her aplomb associated with them were my introduction to Entertaining...I was going to say 101 but there was nothing simple or introductory about the way my mother captained that ship.  So, I internalized my maternal rendering of Martha Stewart and thought that was what I needed to do.  And, I did!  I loved throwing great parties that totally stressed me out but they were perfect and beautiful.  I loved them but I couldn't say they were "fun" for me.  Everyone else had a wonderful time, though.  I guess the question is...how did I get from there to here?  Here being the place where I not only enjoy but have put together a lovely stress-free evening.

The "aha" moment came over twenty years ago when I was running behind getting things together for a small dinner party and was, of course, completely panicked.  One of the couples arrived a bit early (that about put me over the edge but she was a very good friend) and she said, as she watched me race around, "well, it's so nice to see that you're human."  That was my tipping point!  Indeed, I am human and why not stop trying to be Martha Stewart (who at the time had a staff of 700+) and actually enjoy the evening and my guests?  And, from that moment forward, that's exactly what I did and continue to do.

At Urban Kitchen, I teach cooking classes but I am also creating a warm and inviting environment that provides entertainment and something a little different for people to do together.  So I am entertaining guests in my kitchen anywhere from 3 to 5 nights a week.  We turn on the music, pour everyone a glass of wine and start cooking up some fun.  The atmosphere is light and easy.  No intimidation from complicated food, just delicious, straightforward dishes that are as comfortable to make as that old pair of slippers is to wear.

Now...do you believe that anyone can entertain AND enjoy doing it?  I hope so!
Keep an eye out because a complete guide of how-to do this whole entertaining thing is coming your way very soon!

And as always...
 If you liked this post, SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter or with someone you think needs to see it!
Come join the fun and take a class with us!  Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

Tomatoes today, tomorrow and the next day...

Roasting tomatoes is a great way to use all those fresh tomatoes that may be starting to go bad on you.  Smells great when they're roasting and it is super easy.  Use them on pizza, bruschetta, in pasta, just use your imagination.  Keep this in mind when you've got all of those beautiful, local, vine-ripened tomatoes later this summer...

Preheat oven to 425.  Place whole tomatoes and unpeeled and smashed garlic cloves on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast about 25 minutes until the skins pop.  Baste with the remaining oil and you're ready to go!
They will keep in the fridge for a week or so.  Put them in storage containers with enough olive oil just to cover.

~This was a post from June, 2010.  It seemed appropriate for almost late summer with an update here and there.  I also love that picture!~

And as always...
 If you liked this post, SHARE it on Facebook, Twitter or with someone you think needs to see it!

Come join the fun and take a class with us!  Visit my website at Urban Kitchen on Cherry Street and check out the Class Calendar.

And, if you haven't already...don't forget to read my July 4th post and answer The Girl's Super Simple Survey!