Chefs you may know :)

So this guy right here is Jamie Oliver. He's not that popular unless you are from the UK but he is actually really awesome. He started out cooking Italian cuisine and then while the restaurant he was working at was taping a documentary, BAMM he got noticed. He's actually very well known in the UK for being politically involved in people eating healthy food. He's started campaigns and has even forced the government over there to take notice of the eating issues people have nowadays.

Chef's you may know :)

So the next up is Julia Child and some of you might not have heard of her until the movie...and I'm in that boat with you too. I admit not knowing her might seem unrealistic but I'm more of a person who looks at the food made not the person behind it. But this Julia Childs she was actually really cool, she introduced French cuisine to Americans. She had her own tv show and apparently she wasn't that bad of a person to talk to either :P. On her cooking show she seemed down to earth and just like an average Joe ..but one with culinary skills... it's like a neighbor or your grandmother showing you how to cook. She took the world by storm with her various cookbooks as well.

Chefs you may know :)

I chose Chef Gordon Ramsey as one of my top 4 chefs because even though he is known for having a temper he seems to care about the business' he helps and sure he might care about the money but who isn't. Because of him some restaurants have gotten rid of some serious problems which have probably saved some lives. Being him he radiates authority and people tend to listen to those kinds of people... even if they are a bit blunt.

Holiday Meal

Hot Apple Cider

3 parts apple juice* 1 part water
cinnamon stick
ginger, thin slice (optional)
lemon zest, several thin slices (optional)
several whole cloves – too many makes it bitter (optional)

1.  Pour juice and water into a tall pot with a lid and turn on heat to high.  You can see that a lot of the ingredients are entirely optional.  We like it that way because then we’re not limited to making cider only when we have everything at home.
2.  Prepare spices and add to pot.  We put everything but the cinnamon stick in a tea infuser.  Otherwise, you have to strain the cider or pick out small chunks one by one.
3.  When pot reaches a boil, turn to the lowest setting.  Let simmer about 15 minutes.  Add thin slices of lemon for decoration if desired.
4.  Remove infuser.  Ladle into mugs and enjoy.
*When picking out apple juice, read the label and try to get juice without added sugar – often called “apple cider” instead of “apple juice” by some companies.  Unfiltered juice (which looks a little foggy) is our favorite when we can find it.
**Do not combine with black licorice of any sort

http://www.makingthishome.com/2009/10/02/simple-hot-apple-cider-recipe/

Holiday Meal

Brown Sugar Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup cold milk ( cream can be a substitute)
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. In a medium-size bowl, stirflour with sugar. Then whisk into melted butter until mixture is moistened. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla(and brandy). Remove from heat.

2.Serve right away over Apple Coffee Cake with brown sugar sauce. Or cover and refrigerate for a week or more. Reheat just before serving.

Holiday Meal

Gingerbread Cake

By: Nicole @ Gluten-Free on a Shoestring.com

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Serves: 8

Gluten-free soft and moist gingerbread cake. Make it!

Ingredients

• 2½ cups (350 g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses (I use blackstrap, but you don’t have to)
• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 extra-large egg at room temperature, beaten
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) vegetable oil
• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well.
3. Add the brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, honey, butter and egg. Mix to combine as best you can. It will be lumpy. But not for long. Add the water, and mix well. It will be smooth (see the photo). Add the oil, and blend.
4. Pour into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes, give or take. The liquid sugars tend to blacken the cake on the bottom, but it still tastes good. Pinky promise.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with optional powdered sugar.

Notes

This is your basic bridge-the-gap between Thanksgiving and the Christmas season cake. It works for both! It makes people happy!

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0037.jpg&imgrefurl=http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gingerbread-cake/&usg=__GwSeQUZ2eVXr_M8rYbBLIUYiex8=&h=3072&w=4608&sz=3670&hl=en&start=12&sig2=q-WD9dwGqIChYO1O55Wk7g&zoom=1&tbnid=jHg9taoHCzUR_M:&tbnh=100&tbnw=150&ei=xYrlUITNOYmFrAH014CoAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgingerbread%2Brecipe%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26sout%3D1%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1

Holiday Meal

Alright this is kinda a little late getting posted but what can you do with crazy holiday chocolaty madness. a.k.a. going to sobeys buying cake and pigging out. Anyways so this is the rest of the holiday meal that  i was suppose to post before but your welcome i remembered to post it.
Now coleslaw ...either its great or it sucks...like that stuff restaurants give you in a little plastic dish as if they know that the plastic is the only thing keeping it somewhat together and now a sloppy mess but i found this recipe that i will post below to be actual okay and thats saying something for someone who pokes food for a least a minute before i actually eat it.


Angie's Dad's Best Cabbage Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 large red onion, diced
1 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp dry mustard
black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, onion, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar, and mix well. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture.
Best to prepare the coleslaw 2 weeks ahead of time then drain the juices before serving.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/angies-dads-best-cabbage-coleslaw/detail.aspx