Macadamias & White Chocolate

This has to be a marriage made in heaven! I'm pretty good at staying away from these buttery, crunchy, creamy, crumbly cookies because I know they will beg me to eat the whole batch, but last evening I baked some to have over the holiday weekend and I am lost!.

Now, you KNOW that you simply MUST taste what you bake (just so you know it's ok to offer to neighbors and friends) so I gave myself permission to have just ONE. Oh my goodness....I'm not sure there is any cookie as good as a macadamia nut & white chocolate chunk cookie fresh and warm from the oven!

Of course, it was necessary for me to try just ONE this morning to make sure that it is ok to serve them at room temperature. I might have to try just ONE more in a couple of hours just to make sure they haven't gotten stale. (OK, I confess that I dunked both of those cookies in the photo into that rich coffee and maybe THAT is the only way to improve upon these cookies straight from the oven!)

Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter, salted, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 (12-oz.) pkg. white chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) chopped toasted macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350˚. Cream butter and sugars till fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia pieces. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool on racks and store in air tight container or zippy bags. Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Religion, Politics, and Appetite

I don't know about you, but I've attended many different churches during my life and the messages that were delivered by the pastors were always positive: help your neighbor, live unselfishly, love and respect others, remember the lessons in the gospel, etc., etc., etc. I am sure that if I wanted to receive a message of hate I could have found a church that preached that if I were to search long enough. I don't think most churches embrace that kind of rhetoric.

It makes many people nervous that Barack Obama's father was a Muslim because we have radical Muslims preaching and teaching hate toward our wonderful country and the fear is that Barack may harbor some of these feelings. That is speculation.

It makes me more nervous that Barack Obama has stayed in a church for 20 years that preaches and teaches hate toward our country and remains loyal to its leader. That is fact. His silver tongue attempts to convince us that he has excellent judgment in all things, but if he is raising his own children with this type of religious training, what can we expect that he will promote to America's children if he were to become president?

It is enough to make me lose my appetite.

Yamaguchi Girl

Billy Yamaguchi. In the world of ego-driven-banty rooster male stylists, Billy Yamaguchi is a breath of fresh air. In my view he has no peer, as he stands (humble and kind) head and shoulders above the rest. Of course, he would say that the nail that sticks out above the rest gets hammered, and so he is humble, warm, genuine, and (have I mentioned?) incredibly talented.

What a wonderfully delightful experience it was to meet Mr. Yamaguchi (everyone calls him Billy) and spend two hours with him, learning about his feng shui approach to styling hair, and then having him work his magic on mine.

Billy Yamaguchi

This Personal Chef in Palm Springs

There is nothing I enjoy more about travel than the opportunity to explore the cuisine of the area. You can only imagine the multitude of truly exceptional professional restaurant chefs in a town like Palm Springs! My only regret is that I'm only going to be here for 6 days, and the next two days will be spent eating banquet food. Even that can be inspiring to a personal chef who also does small catered events, because the plating is often creative and beautiful. More on that AFTER the banquet experience!

Last evening we enjoyed the patio at a little establishment called Copley's Palm Springs. The owners set tall heaters among the tables, and so we didn't even notice the chill in the desert air. A broad fountain gurgled in the center of the patio and that was the perfect music to accompany our experience there!

The wonderful creation in this photo is their Warm Beet & Warm Goat Cheese Salad. Every dish we ordered was equally as beautiful and delicious, and we highly recommend this tiny, intimate restaurant to anyone lucky enough to find themselves in Palm Springs.

Know your wine, though, as the well-mannered and attentive server did attempt to pair what he called a "sweet pinot noir" with my Ahi Fish Taco with soy and ginger appetizer. Late wine service with the entree (it was half-finished) was forgiven as it was delivered personally by one of the owners with warmth and charm, and we were having such a wonderful time with our guest and delighting in the food that the evening flowed without flaw. It was the best kind of evening, filled with friends and the joy of experiencing delicious and beautiful creations on our dinner plates.

Copley's Palm Springs

I'm a Radio Personality Now! Ha!

Hey everybody! I got up way before the sun this morning to make my famous chicken enchiladas, and as soon as they were golden and bubbling I packed them in the cooler and my husband and I fought the Charlotte traffic on I-485 and I-77 for more than an hour. We made it just in time for my big radio debut on WBT Talk Radio 1110!

Charles welcomed me and right away asked me to dish out samples of my enchiladas and salsa for the crew. They all dug in and just kept right on going with their show till it was time for me to do my 20 seconds.
That's me in the blue jacket with the cast from the morning show. They were so friendly and professional that I felt right at ease! Charles Jenkin is on the left, and I'll be back on his Saturday afternoon "This Show is Cookin'" program on Saturday, March 29th. Stacey Simms is next to Charles, and Al Gardner is second from the right. Last but not least is Jim Szoke, first on the right. They are as friendly in person as they sound on the radio and I am so grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to chat about Wines for Humanity and The Hungry Fox Personal Chef Service. I can't wait to go back!

My 20 seconds of fame!

I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow morning! I'm nervous, but what damage can I do in 20 seconds? LOTS....I'm someone who has been known to have to extricate foot from mouth on more than one occasion...and it hasn't taken a whole 20 seconds for me to get into that situation!

The good news is that Charles Jenkin of WBT Radio in Charlotte has asked me to bring something yummy for the staff to eat and NOW I'm in my realm and know that they will love having El Zorro's Chicken Enchiladas....even at 8:00 in the morning. (El Zorro, by the way, is Spanish for "Fox," ...and since I'm "The Hungry Fox" that seems like a fitting name for my enchiladas.) I might just whip up an extra batch for Bob & Sheri next door on The Link. I've been listening to them for years and they are always hungry in the morning.

Throw this dish together in a jiffy for a family dinner (kids just LOVE this), but it is so delicious you may want to serve it to special dinner guests! What about March Madness and those hungry basketball fans? Make this ahead of time and pop it in the oven when the guys come over to watch the game and you'll have a great snack by the time the first quarter is over!

Here you go, and don't forget to email me if you have any questions. Let me know if you try it!

El Zorro’s Chicken Enchiladas

Makes 10 enchiladas

½ c. chopped onion
4 T. butter, salted
¼ c. flour
2 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. granulated instant chicken bouillon
1 (8-oz.) carton reduced fat sour cream, room temperature
3 c. chicken breast meat, cooked and shredded (you can use plain rotisserie chicken, too!)
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (may use reduced fat cheese)
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 tsp. chili powder, (the American kind with seasonings in)
10 flour tortillas (use colored for variety if you like; i.e. spinach, sun-dried tomato, etc.)

In a saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, chicken broth and bouillon. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

In a large bowl combine 1 cup cooked sauce, all the chicken, 1 cup cheese, chiles and chili powder. Mix well.

Fill each tortilla with equal portions of chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange in 9x13 inch pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Spoon remaining sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is hot (it will take longer if you've made this ahead and stored it in the fridge). Serve with homemade pico de gallo or your favorite jarred salsa .

Chef Event at HH Gregg

If you are in the market for high-end kitchen appliances or if you are planning for your dream kitchen of the future, you MUST visit the HH Gregg Fine/Lines showroom near you!

This past Tuesday I was invited to participate in the HH Gregg "Chef Event" with seven other professional chefs and we just had a great experience. I arrived two hours before the opening and began cooking. I suspect the aroma of my "El Zorro" crab cakes wafting through the showroom had something to do with all the salespeople coming into my kitchen display to introduce themselves, but throughout the course of the evening I discovered that the sales team is comprised of incredibly friendly and knowledgeable people.

Not only did I enjoy the company of the sales staff at HH Gregg, but I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the many builders and other shoppers who came by to check out the Kitchenaid Appliances showroom, taste my food and chat with me about the work I do.

I promised to share my recipes for the El Zorro Crab Cakes and also for the Sherried Chicken and Wild Mushrooms that I demonstrated from the Wolf Appliances kitchen. Both are great recipes for special family meals and also for elegant entertaining. Click HERE to go to my website and the recipes, and please call me or email if you have any questions. Of course, if you live in the Charlotte, NC metro area I'll be happy to come to your home and prepare these dishes for you and your guests, and I'll do a free wine tasting to benefit Crisis Assistance Ministries ....and THAT will make your event even more special! Call me at 803-804-3541 and we'll schedule your event!