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Energy Bites

June 16, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Summer is in full swing, and that means so is the snacking! These power bites are a great addition to your family’s snacking repertoire – whether you’ve got long days of entertaining the kids at home, teenagers logging in for summer distance learning or are hitting the road to safely shelter out of place this summer. 

Perfectly portable snack

Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute an article on snacking in the June issue of our sweet, local magazine, Hillsborough Living.  The magazine is written for and by Hillsborough residents, and it was an honor to submit articles in the May (fridge foraging- frittatas) and June issues. With so many of us spending so much time at home the past few months and likely more time at home this summer, this month’s article on snacking seemed like a timely submission.  I hope you find some helpful tips on the list of snack ideas! 

Cheers,

Christina

Hillsborough Living magazine, June 2020
Print

Energy Bites

These are a great snack to keep in the refrigerator any time of the year. They are quick to make, portable and a healthy alternative to packaged granola bars and power bars that are often high in sugar and additives. Making a double recipe is not a bad idea- they go fast!

Course Snack
Keyword energy bites
Servings 18 bites
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • ½ cup ground flaxseed meal
  • ½ cup nut butter such as peanut or almond
  • ¼ cup toasted coconut
  • 2 tbsp chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ kosher salt

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and combine thoroughly. Using a tablespoon, scoop into 18 balls- adding a drizzle more of maple syrup or spoon of nut butter if mixture is too dry to hold together. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Filed Under: Snack, Uncategorized Tagged With: energy bites

Mezcal Con Pepino

September 27, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

A few years ago my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary in Cabo San Lucas at the beautiful Resort at Pedregal.  Our vacation was at the end of October during Dia de los Muertos- what a beautifully celebrated holiday with heartfelt emotions and incredible food! We were treated to many days of holiday treats during our stay- including fresh oysters, local fruits and drinks by the pool. 

Fresh Oysters

One evening there was a special culinary event with impressive displays of food and drink.  Among the baskets of dried crispy snacks- nuts, corn and roasted grasshoppers!- there was a tasting station of mezcal.  This smoky alcoholic beverage is made by harvesting the core of the agave plant. It is then cooked inside earthenware and distilled in clay pots.  My husband and I were somewhat new to mezcal and enjoyed tasting the varieties with a squeeze of lime.  

Mezcal tasting
Dia de los muertos celebration

I have to say that ever since that trip, there has been steady experimentation of mezcal cocktails in our house.  The cocktail that has become a household favorite is the Mezcal con Pepino- it’s perfectly refreshing, smoky from the mezcal, tart from the fresh lime, a little spicy from the hot pepper and cooling from the muddled cucumber.  Also known as the perfect TGIF year round drink. Very recently, my husband kicked up this house favorite by making a rosemary simple syrup and replacing the recipe’s agave syrup with his new herbaceous syrup- what a smart move.  Not necessary, but if you’re feeling like kicking this drink up a notch, you’ll be glad you did.  

Mezcal con pepino
Mezcal con pepino- with muddled orange bell pepper

Oddly enough, if you’ve got all the ingredients to make this delicious cocktail and discover that your kids ate all the cucumbers- I can assure you that you can safely substitute an orange sweet bell pepper. The result is a drink the color of a Hawaiian sunset and just as refreshing as the cucumber! 

Cheers!

Christina

Print

Mezcal Con Pepino Cocktail

This refreshing cocktail hits all the notes- sweet, tart, smoky, spicy, crisp. What more could you ask for? The agave nectar can be substituted with plain simple syrup- although a house favorite is an herbaceous rosemary infused syrup.

Cook's note- In a pinch, orange bell pepper was substituted for the cucumber and it was surprisingly delicious with a beautiful orange color!

Course Beverages
Keyword cocktail, mezcal
Servings 2 drinks
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Mezcal
  • 2 ounces fresh lime juice
  • .75 ounces agave nectar or simple syrup
  • 2-3 slices cucumber
  • 2-3 slices serrano or jalapeno pepper
  • Tajin
  • Sugar

Instructions

  1. Put lime juice on rim of a glass and coat in tajin and sugar.

  2. Muddle the cucumber and serrano into a cocktail shaker.

  3. Add in mezcal, lime juice, agave/syrup.

  4. Fill with ice and shake.

  5. Pour over ice and garnish with lime and additional tajin.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cocktail, mezcal con pepino

5 Day Post-Vacay Reset- “The Meal Plan”

August 19, 2019 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

Here is the meal plan for a 5 day reset.  Any of the dishes with an * will be a recipe on the blog in the coming days. Any dishes with ** already has the recipe posted on the site and can be found in the categories pull down menu or on the recipes menu bar and scrolled to find the blog post with the recipe.  I am a few weeks in now and still following the original rules for the most part. I’ve added in organic chicken for more protein as well as matcha green tea in the afternoon. It’s all about moderation- the 80-20 rule works great for me! I hope you enjoy.

Day 1

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with mushroom magic seasoning, cinnamon raisin ezekiel toast with almond butter

Fresh juice- carrot, apple, ginger

Snack– Lara bar

Lunch

Green Salad with Avocado, Garbanzo Beans, Tomato, Slivered Almonds, Apple-Cider Shallot Vinaigrette 

Snack- Hummus with snap peas and red bell pepper, plum

Dinner

Grilled Wild Salmon with Lemon Pepper, Dill, Salt, Quinoa Brown Rice Medley, Roasted Broccoli with Olive Oil and Lemon, Glass of Red Wine

Day 2

Breakfast 

Smoothie- oat milk, coconut water, Greek yogurt, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, greens blend (chard, spinach, kale), banana, touch of honey

Hard boiled egg

Snack almonds, apple 

Lunch

Avocado toast- ezekiel bread, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, aleppo pepper, everything seasoning, lemon juice

Fresh juice- greens blend, apple, celery, cucumber, carrot, parsley, lemon, ginger

Snack– olives

Dinner

*Grilled Southwest Grain Bowl with Roasted Poblano Dressing

Strawberries

Day 3

Breakfast

*Oatmeal (oats, unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, chia seeds, toasted unsweetened coconut, slivered almonds, fresh berries)

Latte w/ almond milk, touch of honey

Snack– Rx Bar

Lunch– leftover Southwest Grain Bowl w/ Poblano Dressing

Dinner

*Veggie and Greens Frittata

**Melon Salad with Feta, Jalapeno, Mint

Day 4

Breakfast

Leftover frittata

Smoothie (oatmilk, Greek yogurt, mixed berries, banana, mint)

Cold Brew Coffee (unsweetened almond milk, touch of honey)

Snack– almonds

Lunch– Sweet Greens Curry Grain Bowl 

Dinner

*Shrimp Taco Salad

*Blistered Shishito Peppers

Day 5

Breakfast 

*Overnight Oat Bowls

Overnight Oat Bowls

Cold Brew with unsweetened almond milk, touch of honey

Snack: Smoothie (oatmilk, Greek yogurt, fresh peach, mixed berries, banana, mint, greens)

Lunch- Leftover frittata, apple slices

Dinner

*Roasted Veggie Medley with Jerk Seasoning, Dates and Goat Cheese, Hummus, Cucumber slices, Green salad 


Filed Under: Uncategorized

Post-vacay 5 day reset- the “rules”

August 18, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Lost Lake- Whistler, Canada

A few weeks ago my family and I enjoyed a fantastic family trip to Vancouver and Whistler.  Canada is one special place! Besides those friendly Canadians and spectacular nature with beautiful waterways all around, there was lots of delicious seafood and local produce to enjoy.  We indulged in all of that. But, we also indulged in all the bread, alcohol, and treats – that’s part of vacation fun! 

As much as I love being away with my favorite people, we all enjoy coming home to our space that we love so much, and getting back to routine- whatever that means during the final days of summer! 
Before we returned home, my husband and I decided we needed a little reset in our diet. And, as fate would have it, look what landed on my doorstep that I forgot I had pre-ordered months ago! 

Couldn’t love this title more

In our family, we are generally very healthy eaters, eating the majority of food cooked at home and with care to feed ourselves a balanced diet.  But, lately I’ve personally had lots of aches and pains, not to mention chronic tennis elbow for over a year (which I’ve now learned isn’t even inflammation and just a damaged tendon in my elbow that needs some repair.) But being 42 years old and waking up achy and not feeling my best despite a pretty balanced diet and lifestyle- anyone in the same boat?! I decided to tackle a few issues to improve my overall health.  Nothing extreme, but it was time to make a few tweaks to feel as healthy as possible (new mattress/pillow coming soon, removing a few toxins in our environment, etc.) Three kids who aren’t slowing down anytime soon means mama cannot slow down anytime soon! And for me, extra coffee to get through the day just isn’t an acceptable solution.  

Enter our 5 day Post-Vacay Reset… these “rules” are loosely based on an anti-inflammatory/Mediterranean diet with the intent to not only decrease/cut out inflammatory foods but to increase the amount of anti-inflammatory foods in our daily diet.  I wrote these rules on our last (rainy!) day of vacation and dragged my family to Costco straight from the airport (yes, I did this) followed by a solid trip the next morning to the local farmer’s market. In the time it took my family to put away the Costco haul, I had a delicious healthy dinner on the table (grilled wild salmon, brown rice + quinoa, and roasted broccoli).

The “Rules”


NO to…

White stuff (four, rice, potatoes)

Meat/poultry 

Refined oils and sugars

MINIMAL…

Dairy (only using Greek yogurt as a protein source for smoothies and overnight oats)

Alcohol (glass of red wine)

YES to…

Lots of whole fruits and veggies

Juicing

Eggs

Seafood (mainly wild salmon, wild canned tuna, shrimp)

Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil

Nuts and seeds

Whole grains (oats, farro, brown rice, quinoa)

Touch of…

Honey/Maple syrup

*used organic when possible and available

Don’t you love a plan that has more “yes” instead of “no”? I have to say that after 5 days of an eating reset, my husband and I both felt better.  We continue to enjoy this plan as a base for eating most meals, every day. The exception is that life sometimes includes a few treats and that is something we will continue to enjoy.  We’ve added back organic chicken a few times a week, allowing for an increase of healthy protein as we ramp up our workouts.  

Next post… the meal plan.

Cheers to healthy eating!

Christina

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: anti-inflammatory, food rules, healthy eating

It’s Raining in May- Keep Calm and Roast a Chicken!

May 19, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

 

Photo Mar 18, 2 02 45 PM

Perfect job for the cast iron pan

It’s supposed to be sunny and warm outside- it’s mid-May in California after all.  The sun is coming, we just have to wait several more days.  For now, keep calm and roast a chicken! There is something so satisfying about knowing how to roast a chicken.  It’s simple, comforting, and can produce meals for days and broth for weeks.  Zuni Cafe’s late Chef Judy Rodgers is credited for this easy technique for Roast Chicken and it’s so easy to replicate at home.  All you need to do is plan ahead and make sure to salt that chicken the day before.  The old saying goes- you get what you pay for. Buy the very best whole chicken you can afford. It will pay dividends with the meat and the quality of the broth.  Some chickens have a nice clean poultry flavor, and some just do not.

 

Photo Mar 18, 4 18 50 PM

Meal #1

This chicken gets a lot of use! Meal #1 includes cut up chicken, roasted veggies and a side salad. Meal #2 takes the chicken off the bone and gets stuffed into chicken tacos with black bean and corn salsa or gets used as the star of a cobb salad. Meal #3 turns into a risotto dish with herbs and mascarpone once you make that homemade broth!

Photo May 12, 7 41 54 PM

Risotto with Spring Peas, Herbs, and Mascarpone- this was a hit with my family!

Speaking of broth- this is one of the few reasons I own an Instant Pot.  I’m not a huge fan, but definitely use it for a few kitchen tasks that would otherwise take constant monitoring or more time than I want to spend. This chicken broth is a great base for many future recipes.  In cooking school, I learned the best chicken stock is a neutral stock- one without garlic, ginger or even salt.  This way it can be used for a variety of dishes and seasoned appropriately according to the intended dish. In true wannabe Barefoot Contessa style, these quart containers of chicken broth live in my freezer and it makes me happy knowing they are there.  

Cheers,

Christina

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Simple Make-Ahead Spring Menu

April 19, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Spring has definitely sprung in Northern California! The temperatures in the Bay area have my kids barefoot and jumping in the chilly pool after school.  In the non-food world, Spring to me means baseball season is in full swing, NBA playoffs are underway, it’s light outside until after dinner, and the windows and doors are open from morning till evening.  In the food world, it means- local strawberries (with fresh whipped cream), blueberries (eaten straight out of hand), rhubarb (makes a delicious fruit crumble or simple syrup for a mixed drink), and spring onions, green garlic, and asparagus (delicious in a frittata)- all popping up at the farmer’s market.  

Over the beautiful spring weekend, we celebrated our daughter’s Confirmation.  Because we needed to keep the meal short and sweet in order to get to the church on time, I decided on an easy, make-ahead meal that satisfied adults and kids alike.  It needed to be ready when guests arrived, not too messy as we were all in dresses and suits, and not too heavy as we were going to be sitting for the ceremony for nearly 2 hours.  The following menu was a hit!

Photo Apr 11, 1 32 27 PM

Menu planning and a prep list is key to a relaxed gathering!

Photo Apr 12, 12 45 04 PM

I feel instantly better when the table is set or the serving pieces are ready

The more I think about this menu, the more I think it would be a great Easter or Mother’s Day menu, too.  And, the bonus is that local salmon season is almost here and I read recently that it is on track for being a prolific season with lower prices than in the past.  I’m looking forward to sharing some of my favorite salmon recipes!

Gougeres

Photo Apr 12, 5 22 36 PM

Gougeres with Gruyere Cheese- light and airy and addictive 

These tasty little French cheese puffs are so easy and an impressive start to the meal with a glass of champagne. They are a bit more impressive looking and seem to have more “puff” when they are piped from a pastry bag, but I can assure you that just scooping them with a small-sized ice cream scoop will work just fine- they taste the same!

Macaroni and Cheese

Photo Apr 12, 5 22 41 PM

That delicious crunchy top

Any homemade recipe will do, but in cooking school, we made some pretty tasty versions- one of my favorites was with roasted poblano and scallion.  Whatever version or add-ins you include, be sure to: put the macaroni mixture in a buttered casserole dish and top with crunchy panko breadcrumbs that have been toasted in a pan with butter and garlic and then tossed with grated parmesan cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees till golden and bubbly.  *I made this for the kids but the adults didn’t mind a little pile next to their salad with salmon!

Slow Roasted Salmon

Photo Apr 12, 5 22 31 PM

Slow Roasted Citrus Salmon

Alison Roman’s Slow Roasted Citrus Salmon with Herb Salad is the recipe I pretty much went off of.  However, I used a sheet pan, half the amount of olive oil, turned up the heat to 400 degrees for the last 5-7 minutes and skipped the herb salad on top.  I served it on top of an arugula salad with sliced strawberries, toasted almonds, shaved manchego cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. A perfect light Spring main dish.

Carrot Sheet Cake

There are dozens and dozens of really tasty carrot cake recipes out there.  Layered, chock-full of nuts, pineapple, raisins, etc, 3 layers, 5 layers- I love them all!  Since we had more kids than adults at our dinner celebration, I thought it best to have a simple single layer carrot cake with nothing else in the batter but warm spices and carrots and a nice thick layer of cream cheese frosting.  It was a hit with kids and adults alike and the best part- it’s SUPER simple to make!

My favorite single layer carrot cake comes from America’s Test Kitchen Complete Series Cookbook (pretty much my kitchen bible) and if you have access to this- be sure to try this recipe! I cannot easily share the recipe because it’s in a cookbook and even the digital version requires a paid membership (which I personally think is well worth the money, along with a subscription to NYT food app, but this one from Fine Cooking (my favorite cooking magazine) is pretty close if you leave out the nuts and currents!

Whatever your family celebrates- religiously, culturally or traditionally, I hope you enjoy this beautiful weekend and great food with your friends and family.

Cheers!

Christina

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Meal Planning WHILE on vacation!

April 4, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

We’ve been home from a Hawaiian vacation for less than 24 hrs and the relaxation is already a distant memory! Sound familiar? So much fun, sun, sand, water, and wonderful family memories were made this spring break, but back to dreary, cloudy skies is enough to suck that pineapple brain and tanned skin right from you!

 

 

 

 

Photo Mar 29, 12 30 14 PM

Maui Shores

Photo Mar 27, 9 38 37 PM

Never get tired of Hawaiian Sunsets

Photo Apr 01, 12 07 09 PM

Pink Perfection

Photo Apr 01, 9 57 37 PM

Delicious Gin and Hibiscus Cocktail at The Hideaway, Kapalua Bay

The other part of returning home from vacation usually means piles of laundry and most annoyingly, an empty refrigerator.  Life of hours on the beach or in the pool can quickly be forgotten when you get bombarded with such immediate downers such as laundry and grocery shopping.  While I don’t have any great solutions to the laundry situation except for the fact that I’m happy to say my kids are old enough to tackle their own laundry now.  I do, however, have a great solution for never coming home to an empty refrigerator again.

For the past few years, I’ve gotten in the habit of spending 30 minutes on the last day or two of our trip to make a meal plan and grocery list for the first few days home.  The last thing you want to do is grocery shop to restock milk, eggs, and other essentials. Or worse yet, have to go out to eat at one more restaurant or get take out. Indulging on vacation is one thing, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t come home from a fun vacation to “reset” their food and alcohol intake.  No Mai Tai’s and onion rings with banana ketchup on my meal plan!

Photo Apr 03, 9 07 25 PM

Such a welcome sight on our front porch! And, our guard kitty- 16-year-old Jasper

Enter Good Eggs food delivery! Years ago I used other delivery services such as Instacart and Safeway, but I have to say I am most happy with Good Eggs.  They deliver all the staples that I need- milk, eggs, veggies, fruit, chicken and most are local brands that I’d buy at my local grocery store or farmer’s market and FOR THE SAME PRICE! I’ve done some cost comparison with a few items just to see what the markup is, and I cannot really find much difference.  My 32 oz container of Straus Organic Whole Greek Yogurt is $7.99- same as two local grocery stores. And, a half gallon of Clover 2% milk is actually a dollar cheaper than I can find locally. Anyhow, I would actually pay a small premium to have my groceries sitting on my front porch when I arrive home from a trip.  They have been packed perfectly with reusable, returnable, and recyclable materials and can sit outside for hours in case our arrival is a bit delayed. Happy camper to say the least!

And for the meal planning strategy- I take a few minutes and scroll through my saved collection of Instagram recipes (because my cherished cookbook collection is at home!) and select three to make a grocery list from.  This week I decided on one vegetarian Buddha bowl, one hearty salad, and one soup. This gets us three dinners that I don’t have to think about when we return home. The rest of the grocery list is filled in with fresh fruit, veggies, yogurt for smoothies, bread, cheese, milk for coffee, etc.  It definitely doesn’t fill in all the holes but buys us enough time for me to make my weekly or bi-weekly trip to Trader Joe’s or Costco.

Photo Apr 03, 9 20 42 PM

A good start on restocking the refrigerator! 

The following recipes are the ones I selected to make for dinner for the next three days.  I haven’t made any of them yet but all are super simple and healthy and I know my family will enjoy them.  I’ll report back on any that we deem keepers!

Sweet Potato Budha Bowl

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch

Chicken and Rice Soup with Garlicky Chile Oil

For now, rain rain go away!!

Cheers,

Christina

Filed Under: Uncategorized

SFCS: Externship and Beyond

March 15, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

The ultimate goal of Restaurant Week, beyond showcasing our new skills and amazing food, was to get us ready for our externships and working in a restaurant for 2 months.  

After meeting with the founder of our school, Jodi Liano, we were carefully and thoughtfully placed in a restaurant that would work with our food interests, style of kitchen, schedule and location preferences.  My classmates and I were placed at some of the best establishments in the Bay Area! Our school has such a good reputation and puts out such kitchen-ready cooks, that it’s no surprise we got such wonderful placements.  

I was thrilled with the restaurant where I was placed.  Flea Street Cafe in Menlo Park is where I just finished 2 months learning directly from the Executive and Sous Chefs.  It is a small kitchen where I did day prep in mostly organic, local, California cuisine; exactly what I wanted. I have been a fan of Flea Street for many years.  My in-laws gave my husband and me a gift certificate for our anniversary when we were first married over 18 years ago.  I knew my father-in-law was a big fan of this food and I quickly became one as well.  He also gave me a signed copy of the owner Jesse Ziff Cool’s first cookbook  which I have cherished for many years.  Years later when her most recent cookbook came out and was on display at the restaurant, my husband bought me a copy.  I’m a lucky girl.  These cookbooks, along with Michael Pollen’s Food Rules and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle shaped my view on food and time spent in the kitchen and I am forever grateful.  

Photo Jan 18, 4 29 21 PM

Love these books

Photo Jan 18, 11 21 19 AM

Some of my favorite dishes: Smoked Trout (Chef’s homemade chips are amazing), Rice and Beans (trust me on this!), Ricotta Gnocchi and Which Came First crispy chicken dish (signature Chef creation)

 

Photo Jan 22, 10 28 45 AM

16 quarts of butternut squash soup a few times a week at the restaurant- I think I can make it in my sleep now 🙂

Photo Feb 04, 7 03 27 PM

Of course, on my days off I missed making soup, so I made it at home! Butternut squash soup with creme fraiche, pumpkin seed oil, Aleppo pepper, and chive- vegan without the creme fraiche

Photo Mar 06, 7 01 34 PM

Inspired by making soup at work- a simple and tasty dinner at home. Broccoli Soup (vegan, minus the parm) with parmasean cheese, olive oil, Aleppo pepper and smoked flaked sea salt; Tartine Bakery’s country bread and seasonal cara cara oranges

Photo Jan 21, 8 21 59 PM

More inspiration from Flea Street- short ribs in red wine

Photo Jan 22, 5 02 46 PM

Learned this technique at school and used it at the restaurant as well and now at home. A parchment lid called a cartouche- used when you want to cook food covered but want some evaporation

 

Photo Jan 22, 7 25 59 PM

This was not a bad dinner at home- Zinfandel-Braised Beef Short Ribs, Sherry Trumpet Mushrooms, Arrowhead Braised Cabbage and Parsnip Puree

As I’ve told many people, I sure hit the jackpot with this placement.  The Chef and Sous Chef are just nice people. They allowed me to work in their small space, listen in on debrief of the service the night before, allowed me to make mistakes and correct me in a respectful manner, treated me kindly and trusted me to try new projects (testing some stuffed cabbage rolls, making a cioppino-style fish sauce, harissa sauce, crab cakes, parsnip puree, braised cabbage, cauliflower saute to accompany the gnocchi dish and many other components to their delicious dishes) as well as take the wheel on a recurring dish on their menu (butternut squash soup and then broccoli and cauliflower). 

They were a great balance of fun, entertaining and laid back during day prep and serious, focused and took great care in the food that was prepared for their guests each evening. They are so talented and make killer food. The optimistic person that I am, I assume all kitchen are this way. But, I know better. I know that some kitchen environments are hostile, rude, ego driven, and not female friendly.  Thankfully, I don’t know that kitchen first hand. As I said, I hit the jackpot.

While I am finished now and more than thrilled for a little break, I already miss the Chefs and staff at Flea Street.   I also miss seeing my classmates. We gathered two weeks ago for graduation, celebrated together, and will continue our fun group text chat to keep in touch.  Everyone will go on to do a variety of food industry jobs, and we will continue to support each other any way we can. If someone is throwing a dinner party or a pop up, we’ve got 13 other willing and talented professional cooks to jump in.  I’ll not call myself a Chef, but rather a professional cook or professional chef (with a lowercase c), because Chef is an earned title, one that I must earn over time, or relevant setting.

Photo Mar 01, 5 09 11 PM

San Francisco Cooking School Fall 2019- Culinary and Pastry Arts classes

Photo Mar 01, 5 05 36 PM

Feeling accomplished! Going back to school in your 40s with three kids and a busy household is a whole post in itself- tough but very do-able and rewarding

I’ll spend the next bit of time practicing all my new kitchen skills on friends and family.  I’ll dive in to a few new cookbooks that have been taunting me on the shelf, begging me to open them, but with little time to do so.  At some point, I’ll look for teaching opportunities in the area, as that is my true gift and passion and I’ll kick up my food blogging.  But for just a little time, I’ll give my poor elbows a much needed rest and a chance to recover- double tennis elbow is no joke nor is cooking for 6 hours a day for 6 months. (A nice shot of cortizone and some CBD balm have helped wonders!) I am so grateful for the opportunity I had and my supportive family cheering me on.  

Cheers,

Christina

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Cooking School: Weeks 14-16

March 15, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

With just days to go before we had to begin preparing for our big Restaurant Week finale, we enjoyed a few super fun days at school.  Early December in San Francisco calls for Crab (and Octopus!) Day. It is one of our founder’s favorite foods and the mascot of our school, afterall.  

Photo Nov 29, 11 24 24 AM

Our little mascot, before the pot of hot water

Photo Nov 29, 12 55 53 PM

Ice bath

Caught only hours before and delivered to our kitchen, we learned how to boil and roast dungeness crab before cracking it for its delicious meat.  Also, using Matthew Dolen’s method from 25 Lusk in SF, we blanched, poached and grilled the octopus. Kokkari’s famous lemon vinaigrette was served with this tender octopus dish.

Photo Nov 29, 2 05 28 PM

Crab Sautéed in Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Photo Nov 29, 2 05 03 PM

Crab Cakes

 

Photo Nov 29, 2 37 51 PM

Octopus, blanched then poached

Photo Nov 30, 11 45 01 AM

Then grilled and topped with Kokkari’s lemon vinaigrette

And for the final fun day before we went head’s down in menu development, we celebrated with Donut and Burger Day.  Yes, on the same day! This is only achieved by an early morning workout and a light breakfast. Donut Day began with our surprisingly easy yeasted dough being mixed, kneaded, cut out and proofing overnight in the refrigerator.  The next morning happen to be Burger Day with our pastry friends, so this is how the 2018 collision of Donut Day and Burger Day occurred.

Photo Nov 30, 9 31 17 AM

Yeasted Donuts

Photo Nov 30, 9 55 53 AM

Who needs Krispy Creme, these were delicious

Photo Nov 30, 9 57 45 AM

Fun with glaze- cinnamon sugar, maple, lemon-thyme, red current 

Photo Nov 30, 11 56 16 AM

The Zuni Cookbook way: salt chunks of brisket and chuck the day before, then grind at home

Photo Nov 30, 12 10 25 PM

An impressive burger bar with homemade potato rolls from the pastry class and several burger sauces to choose from

With our final exam behind us, which I’m happy to say was my best exam yet, we were able to focus on the culminating event of cooking school- Restaurant Week.  This is where members of the community, guests of students, visiting chefs, etc. come in for lunch. It is run like a restaurant- there are two seatings, servers, line cooks, head chef, etc.  We played all the parts (except head chef!) and it was definitely eye opening for me. At the time I had zero experience in the front of the house or back of the house of a restaurant, but nearly all of us felt more comfortable in the back of the house.  This may seem obvious, we are professionally trained cooks, but the front of the house details are what really make a restaurant run smoothly. Serving people good food is a lot easier (to me!) than understanding someone’s dietary restrictions, remembering to bring them their second glass of wine, bringing a fresh spoon for dessert, keeping their water glass full, delivering the right plate to the correct person (darn you person at table 2, seat 3 that moved to seat 5!), removing their dirty plate in a timely fashion, etc.  It’s no joke. I have a whole new appreciation for all people that work in restaurants with this experience.

Photo Dec 14, 10 36 41 AM

Delicious menu items

Photo Dec 14, 10 20 45 AM

Lime green (one of my favorite colors) and the school’s signature color of orange make a pretty lovely combo

Photo Dec 14, 11 25 36 AM

Ready for showtime!

To prepare for Restaurant week, our class took a few days to brainstorm any and all dishes that we’d like to consider putting on the final menu.  We narrowed down the list, and came up with an amazing menu: amuse bouche, 4 appetizers, 4 main dishes, 4 desserts and a little give away treat for guests to take home.  I learned so much with the process of menu development. I learned that while some dishes are tasty and so fun to make or eat, not all dishes make for an easy one to prepare ahead of time and finish on the line during service.

Photo Dec 14, 9 36 32 AM

My favorites from each category: Scallop Crudo (Mezze was a close second), Poblano Pork, and the Banana Panna Cotta

Photo Dec 14, 10 55 45 AM

Amuse: Winter Camponata

Photo Dec 14, 10 56 03 AM

Oxtail Agnolotti Dal Plin

Photo Dec 04, 11 56 09 AM

Scallop Crudo

Photo Dec 14, 10 55 53 AM

Grilled Gems

Photo Dec 14, 10 56 01 AM

Mezze

Photo Dec 14, 10 55 42 AM

Chicken Milanese

Photo Dec 14, 10 55 33 AM

Poblano Pork (my mouth is watering just looking at this)

Photo Dec 13, 12 11 21 PM

Miso Glazed Steelhead 

Photo Dec 14, 10 55 38 AM

Farro Verde

Photo Dec 06, 2 35 03 PM

Early Citrus

Photo Dec 13, 11 08 59 AM

Banana Panna Cotta

Photo Dec 14, 10 55 21 AM

Chocolate Cake

Photo Dec 13, 2 01 21 PM

Santa’s Cookie Plate (photo cred: SFCS)

I must say, the final menu that was developed was pretty impressive.  The plating was carefully planned, the balance of dishes thoughtfully considered, and there was a great deal of recipe testing to end up with our final dishes.  They were beautiful. They were tasty. And we were proud to make and serve them. What an experience!

Photo Dec 13, 11 26 16 AM

My team for Restaurant Week- these people are rockstars! 

Photo Dec 14, 11 09 58 AM

A cheesy balloon arch left over from an event the prior day, the crew, and our Chef instructor (missing Lauren and Oliver in this pic!) I miss them all!

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Cooking School: Weeks 11-14

February 11, 2019 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Weeks 11-14 of cooking school have come and gone, as they took place in November.  Any parent knows that once the first holiday of the season hits- October 31- it’s full steam ahead! To say that the time between Halloween and just before Christmas was crazy busy is an understatement.  It’s always a fun, but busy time of the year, but this year pushed my limits! Thankfully, the holidays are over and I’ve had a few weeks of R&R. I’ve had a chance to reflect on the last few weeks of cooking school, including my final exam and Restaurant Week, as well all the fun I had with my classmates.  I miss them all so much!

Looking back on November- it was FULL of awesome food.  Food that I knew I’d love, but especially since it was food that didn’t involve any butchering of large animals.  To begin the month, we had a fun Cheese Workshop with Juliana Uruburu from Market Hall in Oakland- and what an amazing cheesemonger she is. We worked through the different textures, styles and animal/milk profiles of 13 kinds of cheese.  I didn’t even know you could do a cheese tasting without wine or bubbly- apparently in school, to take it seriously, it is done with a water glass and a full water pitcher. I look forward to hosting a cheese tasting with family and friends, with wine or bubbly, and chat about the cheese with just a little more cheese knowledge than I had before.  Not a bad idea to eat something light and healthy beforehand and wear your cheese pants for such an event.  

Photo Nov 05, 10 50 40 AM

We tasted 13 kinds of cheese

In November we also made pasta, lots of it. It’s surprisingly easy to make at home and very satisfying to eat the result.  Who doesn’t love pasta?? Basically, we made two types- semolina and egg. Semolina is great for making all kind of fun shapes by hand- farfalle, orecchiette, cavatelli, etc. and includes only semolina flour, all purpose flour, water and salt.  Easy and fun to do with kids or a group of friends. Egg pasta is not much more than flour, egg yolks, olive oil and salt. It is made by hand on a board, kneaded and then rolled out in a pasta machine to make a noodle such as fettuccine, or a sheets to make stuffed pasta like agnolotti, tortellini or mezzelone.  All fun to make and delicious to eat!

Photo Nov 13, 10 44 45 AM

Beautiful spinach fettuccine

Photo Nov 12, 11 41 25 AM

Handsome squid ink farfalle

Photo Nov 12, 1 00 48 PM

Agnolotti dal plin

Photo Nov 05, 10 06 03 AM

Handmade orecchiette- so fun to make!

In between several days of pasta production, we took a detour and did Steak 101.  Admittedly, I don’t buy a lot of red meat and when I do I have to ask the butcher for all kinds of assistance.  Grass fed ground beef is what we buy the most for chili, but when it comes to steaks, I’m pretty lost. We did a taste test of unsalted, pan seared steaks to get the true flavor of each cut, both conventionally grain fed as well as grass fed.  Hands down, the grain fed was preferable in flavor to nearly everyone, except me. I actually prefer the brighter, grassy taste versus the meaty flavor that comes through on the grain fed. This could just be my inexperience of eating much meat.  Either way, there was no argument on how tasty the steak was in a baguette sandwich with horsey mayo- yum!

Photo Nov 06, 8 57 26 AM

Grass-fed and conventional steaks

Photo Nov 06, 8 57 35 AM

Charts help those of us that are visual learners

Photo Nov 06, 11 27 02 AM

Hard to beat a nice steak sandwich

One of my most favorite days in November was our Food Panel Day.  We had four guest speakers come in to tell us about jobs in the food industry that did not have to do with working in or running a restaurant.  They were food writers, recipe developers, cookbook writers, and food innovators. I listened, asked questions and was inspired; a perk to cooking school beyond making delicious food that was unexpected.  

November also brought us a very fun Bread Workshop with Michael Kalanty.  I’d taken a few of his classes on wild yeast breads and croissants at a local cooking school, so I knew we were in a for a treat.  He’s funny, frank, and so talented. His sourdough starter is 30+ years old and I have a bit of it in my refrigerator waiting to be fed.  

Photo Nov 14, 1 43 26 PM

Baguette

Photo Nov 14, 2 56 46 PM

Pain au Lait (Milk Rolls)

Photo Nov 14, 4 09 48 PM

Whole Wheat Boules (Rounds)

To keep things light (ha!) before Thanksgiving we did a Thai Workshop and Fried Chicken Day.  These were fun days because it was full of food I knew not much about but learned a ton. In Thai cooking, you season with fish sauce, not salt.  Despite how many times we were told by Chef, many of us reached for the salt when tasting our dishes and finding a lack of seasoning. It was cooking school- we had just learned the importance of salt when bringing out the flavor in a dish! But not in Thai food, you season with fish sauce.  

Photo Nov 19, 9 57 48 AM

Tom Kha Gai (Lemongrass Milk Soup w/ Chicken)

Photo Nov 19, 12 52 24 PM

Thai Beef Salad

Photo Nov 19, 12 52 33 PM

Pumpkin and Tofu Red Curry

Photo Nov 19, 12 52 58 PM

Green Papaya Salad

Fried Chicken Day was heavy, as expected.  I learned the difference between a deep fry and a shallow fry, and when to use each.  In the end, I realized that it’s the sides that go with this type of meal, not the fried chicken, that I really enjoy.  I’ll take an asian slaw, chive mashed potato, and miso-glazed delicata squash over a piece of fried chicken any day.

Photo Nov 20, 12 44 52 PM

A feast- just training for Thanksgiving

Photo Nov 20, 12 45 01 PM

Miso-Ginger Glazed Delicata Squash

Photo Nov 20, 12 45 04 PM

Korean Fried Chicken

Photo Nov 20, 12 45 12 PM

Garlic and Chive Mashed Potato

Photo Nov 20, 12 45 19 PM

Asian Pear Slaw

Photo Nov 20, 12 48 09 PM

Chicken Kara Age (Japanese Fried Chicken)

The end of November concluded with two great days- one of which was a great recipe development class with the school’s founder, Jodi Liano.  She has written several cookbooks of her own and for Williams Sonoma, so when she spoke about how to develop a recipe, I took good notes. We practiced with a fun exercise on how to make a grilled cheese.  It definitely reminded me of my teaching days and trying to get my 3rd grade students to write clearly using descriptive words. If you don’t specify putting the butter on the outside of the two slices of bread, where does it go??

The other fun day was a Creative Cooking Class with Chef Catherine Patsios.  Chef Catherine was the former head instructor at SF Cooking School until she retired just prior to me starting school.  She has owned her own restaurant and been with the school since it opened 6 yrs ago. Like something you’ve seen on tv, she made a list of ingredients that we were allowed to use, and the 14 of us brainstormed ideas on how to use these ingredients.  There was white pepper but not black pepper; cayenne but no chili flakes; and yellow potatoes, not russets. It was, however, a pretty extensive list of ingredients, so it was pretty fun to come up with an appetizer, a first course, a main course, and a dessert. This day, as I would come to understand about a week later, was to prepare us for Restaurant Week later in December.  The end result of our Creative Cooking Class was pretty impressive. I think even our head chef instructor was pretty impressed with what we came up with. I think she had a newfound respect for the 14 of us and had to have been impressed with how far we had come.

Photo Nov 26, 9 47 19 AM

Nice brainstorming!

Photo Nov 26, 11 00 10 AM

Impressive Final Menu

Photo Nov 26, 11 55 52 AM

Gougeres Stuffed with Mushroom, Blue cheese and Thyme

Photo Nov 26, 12 15 30 PM

Scallops w/ Potato Cake, Persillada, and Lemon Aioli

Photo Nov 26, 12 29 53 PM

Chicken, Egg and Lemon Soup w/ Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Photo Nov 26, 12 47 46 PM

Poached Apple w/ Candied Walnuts, Whipped Cream and Candied Lemon Zest

Well, that was a lot of info and food! Cannot wait to try these at home…

Cheers,

Christina

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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About Me

Hi there! I’m Christina- a wife, mom to three kids, former elementary school teacher, and proud graduate from San Francisco Cooking School’s professional culinary program.  I love meal planning and cooking for family and friends, especially gathering to celebrate life’s most special moments.  I hope this site brings you inspiration to gather your special people around the table!

Feel free to follow along on Instagram:

@cookingwithchristinashoup

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