Make your own breakfast bars

This is a recipe I found at a Bed and Breakfast web site. I have made these in both bars and individual “cookies”. The recipe comes from Andon-Reid Inn

Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars

4 cups sweetened oat cereal flakes with raisins

3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup chopped dried fruit

2 eggs

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup melted butter or canola oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x9x2 inch baking pan with foil. Coat pan with non stick spray, set aside. In a bowl combine cereal, oats, floue and dried fruits. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together eggs, honey, peanut butter and melted butter or oil. Pour over cereal mixture. Mix well. Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Using the back of a large spoon, press mixture firmly into pan.

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars using a serrated knife. Makes 16 servings. Can freeze individual bars for up to 3 months.

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Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate cream pie was a favorite of my dad’s. We made chocolate pudding, poured it into a prebaked pie crust and topped it with cream. I have changed it to chocolate mousse in this recipe. A Chef of Your Own has done this as a mousse served in wine glasses with strawberries and whip cream, but I think it’s great this way too. The Mousse recipe is adapted from a symply recipes, recipe.

Choclate Cream Pie

1 9″ graham crust

2 oz buttersweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

2 Tbls butter, diced

2 Tbls, Raspberry Chocovine (Chocolate wine)

2 cups cold heavy cream

3 large pasteurized eggs, separated

1 Tbls sugar

Whip the cream to soft peaks, remove half to the refrigerator. Whip remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.

Combine the chocolate and butter on the top of a double boiler over hot, but not simmering, water. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool until the chocolate is just slightly warmer than body temperature. To test, dab some chocloate on your bottom lip, It should feel warm. If it is too cool, the mixture will seize when other ingredients are added. Add the Chocovine.

While cooling, whip the egg whites in a medium bowl, until they are foamy and beginning to hold a shape. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

When the chocolate has reached the proper temperature, stir in the yolks. Gently stir in about 1/3 of the soft whipped cream.Fold in half of the whites just until incorporated, 1/3 of the soft whipped cream, then fold in the remaining whites, and the remaining soft whipped cream.

Pour into pie shell and refrigerate for 2 hours. Top with remaining whipped cream and smooth out. Serves 8

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Happy A Chef of Your Own clients

I love cooing in the vacation homes, here are a couple of thank you notes I wanted to share.

Back home in the frigid north!

A quick note to thank you once again for the FABULOUS dinner you provided.

When we come to Orlando again and require this type of service, you will be our first call.

We are definitely going to be recommending your services to anyone who asks!!

 Thank you once again.

John & Barbara

I just wanted to send you a short note to say Thank You for taking the time at Christmas to be our Chef for the day. 
 
Everyone loved the meal you prepared for us.  They enjoyed the whole meal especially the Green Bean Casserole, the Hot Artichoke Cheese Dip and the Pecan Pie and Apple Pie.  The Boys really enjoyed the Pecan Pie and the kids your cookies.  Your meal made our Christmas day as a family complete and we ended up with a couple of meals from what you prepared for us. We look forward to other visits to Florida at Christmas and making you apart of our experience.

Kennith 
 

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Tomato Bisque

I know there is cold weather everywhere, here is a Tomato Bisque recipe to chase away the chills. This recipe is from the Food Network Kitchens and was served to A Chef of Your Own clients on New Year’s Eve.

Tomato Bisque

4 Tbls butter

1 Tbls minced bacon (about 1/2 oz)

1 Spanish onion, chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

5 Tbls all-purpose flour

5 cups chicken stock

1 (28 oz) can  whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped

3 parsley sprigs

3 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 cup heavy cream

1 3/4 tsp kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Het the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat (I did not strain the soup and left it with a coarser texture)

Whisk the heavy cream and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste.

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Smoky Shrimp and Sweet Potato Chowder

Demos start again at The Fresh Market this weekend. A Chef of Your Own will be at the Fresh Market in Dr Phillips this Saturday the 8th from 1-4 with a warm weather soup to chase away the chills. Stop by and say hello if you get the chance.

Smoky Shrimp and Sweet Potato Chowder

Ingredients:

2 tbsp T FM Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½” pieces

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 c Alamos Chardonnay

2 c T FM Chicken Stock

1 lb 21 – 25 ct EZ peel shrimp,

peeled and deveined

1 c heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pkg Flat Out Flatbread Crisps

Directions:

Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat for 1-2

minutes; add oil and swirl to coat. Add onions, garlic, sweet

potatoes, paprika and chili powder; sauté for 5 minutes. Remove

pot from heat and add wine, scraping up any brown bits from

the pan. Return pot to heat and reduce heat to medium-low. Add

chicken stock, cover and simmer for another 5-8 minutes, until

sweet potatoes are tender. Add shrimp and cream; combine

well and simmer until shrimp are just done, approximately 5

minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Flat Out

Flatbread Crisps.

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Key Lime Pie

A Chef of Your Own New Year’s Day clients requested the Key Lime Pie recipe.

Key Lime Pie from Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice

1 9″ graham cracker pie shell

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks(whites not used)

1/2 cup lime juice

Combine milk, egg yolks, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Top with fresh whipped cream if desired

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Finished Baking, What to do now?

Stuck in the house? I would like to share the release of a favorite author of mine.  My Soul to Steal came out Jan 1, I got my copy at http://ebookstore.sony.com/

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with
Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just
pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their
relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to
take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara,
the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft
them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she
survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to
death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

My Soul To Steal Trailer.wmv

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