Baking and Breaking Bread with friends and family really.....

*The BE THE LOAF campaign began after Triumph the Church applied for a grant asking Panera Bread for day old bread to feed the children in their after school care program. They responded by offering one loaf a bread a month to feed the 50 or so children.......O K A Y.....


*"All children need some sort of after-school care," said Pastor Criswell, who has become known in his neighborhood for taking on thugs and street-sold drugs. "We have to break the cycle of poverty and crime through education. But growing children need an after-school snack."


*I'm wearing the green apron playing celeb chef making pretzels with the kids. So much excitement playing with dough.....mind you we worked with the pre-made Publix pizza dough to get the 'ball rolling'. First Coast News camera guy and all......


Once again, Publix pizza dough saved the day.....perfect for cinnamon rolls, pretzels (really!), flat bread pizza & I made pepperoni rolls.....give me a break ~ I am by no means a pastry chef....too much math involved. This got the job done deliciously.......


the girls admiring the flat bread pizza ~ just cooling down before snack time


*Moi~TasteMemory Girl gladly takes on the role of celebrity chef of the day with Triumph's awesome kids. Mucho Thanks Suzanne for inviting me to launch the baking campaign....!


*How fun is it to make your own chocolate chip cookies?


*Sheri Weitzner (left) came with her husband Jeffrey to share their all-time cookie recipe with the kids......


This was fantastic fun.

Rolling.....stretching......dusting.....mending.....lending and baking bread with these little ones was way too much fun.

The best part of it was they had a blast! They also gave me pointers about not too much salt or too much sugar. Very good nutritional advice from these savvy kids!

This was all part of the recently launched BE THE LOAF campaign in an effort to provide a safe haven and after-school care program for children in Jacksonville's troubled northside.

The brain child behind this campaign is Suzanne Yack.

btw: If you don't know her.....you definitely should.

Suzanne has a tried and true history that will outshine the brilliance of any newly buffed diamond as far as heaven sent integrity goes. Out of pure dust (a bit of flour and words of wisdom too) she has voluntarily pioneered a campaign that is reflective of the loaves and fishes miracle. BE THE LOAF has arisen with hope for the children at Triumph the Church's after-school care program lead by Pastor Moses Criswell and Suzanne's Yack's insight.

Last week, the program was not only amped with special coverage on First Coast News and the Florida Times Union, but the campaign received the honorary Points of Light Award from Florida Governor Charlie Crist. On February 27, Pastor Moses traveled to Tallahassee to the governor's mansion to receive the award from the governor.

Now that is a launch.....done well.........

An excerpt from their press release started simply by asking for a miracle:

"Triumph the Church offers a safe sanctuary and tutoring for children on Jacksonville's low-income northeast side is asking for the community of good usable bread-making machines, peanut butter, jelly and juice."

Well, you know what happened at the Sermon of the Mount don't you? To make the invitation wider to all our friends - perhaps the concept of stone soup mixes well too.....

Well.......It's been quite and outpouring of bread machines. After they maxed out on bread machines; donations are slowly trickling in to feed these children healthy after school snacks, a little money to pay the gas bill and maintain stability for this program.

The 'celebrity chef' baking program has morphed from baking pretzels, cinnamon rolls, pizza and now chocolate chip cookies to showing the children how to make nutritious meals using 5 ingredients is scheduled as well.

BE THE LOAF is still in it's infancy and asking for donations and community support to help build a strong and lasting foundation for these children. All contributions go directly to the BE THE LOAF campaign.

More will be posted on this program.....

For more details and/or would like to make a donation you may contact SuzanneYack@operamail.com

For details visit http://betheloaf.wordpress.com/

Triumph Community Development Corporation is a 501c3 at Triumph the Church. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

*photo credit © 2008 Suzanne Yack

supermarket pizza dough?: Publix pizza dough to go

16 oz. of fun.....


a glorious sight for pizza fans


the kids favorite with boar's head pepperoni


pepperoni, black olive tapenade & scallions


my bite is bigger than my bark


sort of self-portrait: i just couldn't resist......



Who would have known my local supermarket here in Jacksonville carries pizza dough?

I always here about it on the t.v. food shows when the host exclaims 'just go to your local supermarket or pizzeria and pick up some fresh pizza dough....'

Well, I just never thought here?

I ACCIDENTALLY came across it when I was shopping at my neighborhood Publix supermarket and saw a man walking around with what appeared to be two bags of pizza dough as he was leaving the bakery section.

I was WATCHING the TWO bags of pizza DOUGH; mind you.

Anyways, then I came across it again at another Publix on the other side o' town as I was frantically trying to pick up dinner.

As I rushed through the bakery section I glanced from the corners of my eyes a series of tantalizing globes resting in the refrigerator section near some cream puffs I believe.

So I mentally arranged a pizza night at home with the kids.

It was easy so I picked up some pepperoni, shredded cheese, a jar of sauce and I figured I would throw on there what was in the fridge & pantry for myself.

One 16 oz. bag was a whopping one dollar and some change.

It's always fun making pizza at home and now I have an easy excuse to do this more often. Well aside from the carb factor; which I always say Sunday night and then when Monday rolls around its just another story. So I minus the beer. Even though the combined rhetorical sound of 'pizza & beer' sounds soooo good; it's better in my case to go one less carb and go solo with 'pizza'.

Another good reason to make homemade pizza: I cannot find edible PIZZA here. Some say I'm high maintenance. Any suggestions out there?(for pizza that is).

My gluttony with pizza began during my college years and I have forever been doomed since I ate at Zachary's Pizza when I was in art school in Oakland.

It was in between classes and we ran down College Avenue near the border of Oakland & Berkeley and ordered a basil, spinach & garlic pizza.

It was the FIRST TIME I had Chicago deep dish pizza and it blew me away. I don't know what frame of mind I was in as a twenty year old to order basil, spinach and garlic on my pizza but it was good. I remember a bottle of spunky fragrant beer too. After being seduced by garlic, yeast & German beer; I recall running through the fog and traffic to make it back to class in some sort of coherent fashion.

I was also spoiled further in my later years when we lived in northeast Ohio. Major pizza underbelly over there.

We came to Jacksonville and all I've come across is gloppy, cheesy, gooey and tasteless cardboard forum they call pizza. And have you noticed the sign that always reads "voted BEST pizza in Jacksonville" or "authentic New York style pizza". What the heck and who told them that???

Send me a sign someone.......

If you can't find the pizza dough in the fridge section in the Publix bakery; ask the kind people behind the bakery cases and they'll gracefully prep you a wad to go.

eat & buy local:

Publix
www.publix.com

Food Network Guest: Mory Thomas visits Jacksonville

*

I read the other day that the California based 'fast food' chain EL POLLO LOCO is contemplating a move to the 'South'. If that happens and they end up in Jacksonville; much to my embarrassment I would welcome them here.

There are some decent/acceptable fast food chains in Calif/esp. L.A. - are you now laughing at my hypocrisy? EL POLLO LOCO is one of them with their citrusy and slightly spicy grilled chicken with a Mexican twist. At least it's not adding to the deep fried renditions of pollo at the local fast food elements about town.

When I was an L.A. girl - el pollo was mainstay on nights right after work if I wasn't off to an event or out & about (yes - I had a life then....or the beach, the gym, a date or after work hike in the Malibu mountains *sigh*) and heading straight back to my loft apartment and two cats).

Always a take home order with a side of fat pickled jalapeno pepper and if I was lucky some carrots in the mix.

Then there's In-n-Out. Don't get me started on In-n-Out Burger.

I hope we get an In-n-Out - if so; I might want to be one of their general managers. They don't franchise - it's still a family operation. With the best *#$#&@! burgers in the world!

Moving towards a finer palate - we just had a highly coveted guest here last Friday from the Food Network. Mory Thomas, Food Network's Recipe Developer arrived and had a much anticipated visit at the kitchens of Publix Aprons Cooking School.

I had too much on my plate that night (hah!); and you will be delighted to know that my friend *M* (you may recall her from the Botan Japanese Restaurant journey I posted about) went on special assignment for tastememory.com.

So here's *M* girl's insight about Mory's visit which I heard was quite captivating by our guest blogger....I wish I could have clicked my heels and been there:

**Mory Thomas, Recipe Developer for Food Network

written by *M*:
I must confess I was pretty excited at the prospect of being on “special assignment” to cover the Apron’s Cooking class with Mory Thomas of Food Network — and was duly rewarded.

Going in, I felt a little like Gail to Inga’s Oprah; standing in for my oh-so creative and provocative friend who was otherwise committed and could not attend (though I am, after all, already known on this site as the elusive “M”).

Here is my first observation: if you are a bit of a novice in the kitchen, just getting interested/learning, etc. this is a great forum....and I feel I can say this as a veteran of about 2 years of cooking classes myself.

By the time the class got underway; there was a good mix of couples and what appeared to be family and girlfriend “groups”. Chef Patrick Walley, Resident Chef of the Jacksonville Publix Apron's Cooking School began by educating the audience about upcoming classes (including legendary Paul Prudhomme - reservations for fall classes start 9-17-07 so call early or be disappointed!) and shared that all the cookware being used in the class would be available for 20% off – nice touch!


***Pulled pork seasoned plentiful with jicama & mango to the punch atop hand made corn tortilla

He then introduced the *star* of the show: Mory Thomas of Food Network.

Mory is a recipe developer in the Food Network test kitchen (he is one of only two!) where over 3,000 recipes have evolved from. He has culinary and restaurant management degrees and has worked for Martha Stewart Living (including a brief stint as her personal chef) and Food & Wine magazine - pretty impressive. He hails from Texas and loves all things Southwestern and had just returned from a trip to Mexico; thus the featured menu. He brought photos from his trip to share with the audience which was not only fun to see but really quite good (definitely better than the ones I took to accompany this piece!) Throughout the evening he entertained us with anecdotes about ingredients, techniques and experiences from work and travel - not the least of which was a lesson is cactus trimming for our first dish: Cactus & Shrimp Quesadillas.

Unbeknownst to most of us, a “classic” quesadilla is much smaller than what is served in our local eateries and made with a corn, not flour, tortilla. I was so anxious to taste this when it was delivered to me I completely forgot to photograph it (looks like you’d expect, tasted INCOMPARABLY better than anything you’ll be served at Chili’s) The cactus did not add any “weird” flavors, it was actually texture that made the difference…other ingredients you’d expect: shrimp, cheese, chilies, seasoning, etc.

****Esquite me ......

Mory quickly moved through a lesson on making tortillas from scratch (very cool and very easy) and eased into the second course: Esquites. Have no idea what it means but it is a classic corn dish in Mexico and big time delicioso. Chorizo, fresh corn, chilies, cilantro all tossed with lime juice, cheese and a dollop of mayonnaise (I know, but trust me, it works). He then prepared a Turkey Breast in Mole Verde....and have I mentioned all of the recipes were developed by Mory specifically for this class? Mole, as he explained it, is a “category” of sauce in Mexican cooking and there are many variations beyond the chocolate/cinnamon variety you might anticipate. The “verde” in this mole came from tomatillos and romaine lettuce...and the beauty of this dish is its simplicity of preparation. Blend @16 ingredients, strain and pour over a browned turkey breast to bake in a Dutch oven---but such flavors (cumin, cloves, cilantro, and brown sugar!!) Bueno!

The last course was a highlight: Mexican Pulled Pork for Puffy Taco topped with Mory gave us the lesson on tortillas from scratch but he did point out that this variation on a tortilla/taco shell is actually TexMex, originating in San Antonio. Imagine pork steeped (not correct culinary terminology but I’m going for imagery here) in 3 kinds of chilies, garlic and beer…among other ingredients…served atop a puffed taco and finished with fresh jicama (Mory likened it to a cross between a potato and pear), mango, cilantro and red cabbage tossed with lime juice and garnished with Queso Fresco.....I asked for seconds.

*****Mory (center) with Jacksonville's Cooking School Staff

As I mentioned at the beginning, all of this was woven into cooking and technique tips, i.e. proper way to season, how to use a microplane, explanations of unusual ingredients and so on…it was wonderfully educational while at the same time exceptionally entertaining and massively satisfying. Oh, and we enjoyed a few wines in the process as well! I should also mention we were the beneficiaries of a great NYC restaurant recommendation from Mory---but to be privy to it, you’ll have to return to tastememory.com regularly and find it whenever revealed! And one more note on Mory’s behalf: Food Network is launching a line of cooking products and cookware which he reminded us of several times—watch for that as well as possibly discovering Mory on air!

Publix Apron’s Cooking School just published its fall class schedule and if you are even slightly curious: GO!

You will be satiated, educated and delighted....See you there! ~”M”

Publix Apron's Cooking School
10500 San Jose Blvd.
Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Cooking School: 904-262-4187

www.publix.com

* photo courtesy PD Photo.org
** photo courtesy Publix Apron's Cooking School
***, ****, ***** photo courtesy *M*

Clos du Bois: civilized passion reserved in a bottle

Publix Aprons Chef preparing Spanish Lamb Ragout


Erik Olsen/Clos du Bois (center) and the Southern Wine & Spirits team


I've experienced a diverse drama of wine tastings and I've found the wine tasting in itself is just as pliable as the diversity of the region the wine hails from.

More of the enlightened tastings have been our day trips in the Napa and Sonoma County regions. We recently had a surprising visit to the wineries in the Finger Lakes region in New York a summer ago. There were precisely two cabs in that region that beckoned the beginnings to a foreboding competitive edge against the notable California Cabernet Sauvignon (perhaps minus the marketing budget).

Last night's wine tasting presented by Clos du Bois and Publix Aprons was rateably a civilized, passionate yet a precisely intelligent wine tasting that I've experienced since living in Jacksonville.

At this time, I'm not going to discuss other experiences in town in fear it might taint this post.

Erik Olsen the Winemaker for Clos du Bois presented his case just as approachable as the vintages itself developed at the winery. His presentation was a delicate balance that highlighted the basic horticulture of the vines, definition of soil types, ways of discerning the pairing wines with food, as well as the phases of seasonality of vintages and the final tasting itself.

There were four tastings presented:

2004 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc

2006 Clos du Bois Riesling

2003 Clos du Bois Briar Crest Cabernet Sauvignon

Cockburns 10 year old Tawny Port

I asked the winemaker what the standout vintages were in the past ten years at the winery; thus mentioned:

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Briar Crest as noted above) - VERY GOOD: produced from a cool growing season and warmer towards the tail end

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot are great - the season was warmer than usual

2005 Cabernet Suavignon

2006 Merlot had a great year - the best season ever seen

Also in attendance: Southern Wine & Spirits. A quite exuberant representation of SWS and I only hope they continue to bring the same caliber of wine tastings to the area to match Jacksonville's growth of those in wine adoration demographics.

(c) 2007 photo credit Melt Into Arts Inc.

California Winemaker Visits Jacksonville: Erik Olsen/Clos du Bois

Entering Vineland.....


Eric Olsen, Vice President & Winemaker at Clos du Bois


Winemaking Elements


When: Thursday, May 17, 2007

Where: Publix Apron's Cooking School
10500 San Jose Blvd.
Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Cooking School: 904-262-4187
Reservations Recommended

It was right when the option of throwing my hands up in the air began to haunt me again that I heard news of California Winemaker Erik Olsen's scheduled visit to Jacksonville.

What have we done to deserve this gift? - I don't know, but I'd like to thank Publix for arranging this visit to the northeast Florida region that is known for lest I say the simpler of palates.

Clos du Bois located in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County, California. The winery is notably one of America's world-class vineyards and as mentioned in Mr. Olsen's bio provided by the winery, his visit here should definitely spark some excitement:

"Erik's resolute focus on wine and winemaking is evident in his multi-discipline dive into educating himself on the topic. With a BS in Fermentation Science from UC Davis, an MS in Food Science from Cornell and an MBA from the University of Washington, it is clearly Olsen's aim to understand and master both the technical and business aspects of wine......he made wine at some of the most prominent wineries in California and Washington, including Robert Mondavi, Simi and Chateau Ste. Michelle."

From a observant and well-fed p.o.v.(since I originally hail from the San Francisco Bay Area), options in dining and food are endless there. It still piques my thoughts why Jacksonville is still struggling in its culinary identity with so many transplants from outside of this region as well as itself being a beacon of intense historical character.

Anyhow, consider attending this Thursday evening's presentation & demonstration. Jacksonville has forever been at this cusp of cultural revitalization. Winemaking is both a historic and cultural art form that provokes us to step outside our comfort boundaries.

Another draw is that Mr. Olsen is an accomplished chef. Scheduled to be prepared and tasted among the attendees as mentioned on the The Aprons website:

"Pasta With Greens, Chickpeas, Toasted Breadcrumbs, and Pecorino Romano Cheese; Tandoori-Style Shrimp; Spanish Lamb Ragout with Roasted Sweet Peppers, Roasted Potatoes, and Sautéed Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes; Hazelnut Torte with Coffee Buttercream."

If you haven't already visited the Aprons Cooking School at Publix this is your opportunity to do so.

The gourmet kitchen is tucked away on the side of the supermarket away from the frenzy of the grocery itself. An impeccable professional kitchen has been installed with two cooking stations, video screens to watch the visiting celeb chefs at work and an upscale casual dining area with all the fancy accompaniments needed.

*Salut!*

(c) 2007 Photos courtesy Clos du Bois

Iron Chef at Publix: Heated battle Jax vs. Sarasota

Chef Patrick Walley, Resident Chef of Publix Aprons in Jacksonville preps fresh pineapple slices with cardamon pods, cinnamon sticks, rum and the secret ingredient.....maple syrup


Pre-Dining pep rally.....


One of the final dishes by the challengers from Publix Aprons Sarasota: Roasted duck salad with oranges


Slight of hand flambe


The Publix Aprons program for the Iron Chef battle was completely sold out...


Publix Aprons Sarasota Resident Chef Marc Positano(left) presents his courses and Jacksonville Resident Chef Patrick Walley (right) with his team


By the Sarasota team: Precursor complete with oysters, truffle oil, asiago cheese and rinsed caviar


Final Scrutiny: Food fans from all over Jacksonville step up for the final plating


From the Sarasota team: Banana fritters with chocolate ganache - what could go wrong?


The winning combination: pineapples flambe with maple cream and cream of cauliflower soup laced with maple syrup

Last Thursday night was the first Iron Chef competition at the recently opened Publix Aprons Cooking School located in Mandarin. Competition was pretty stiff against the challenger arriving from Sarasota's Aprons Cooking School(red team) which included Resident Chef Marc Positano and Tom Longo.

The Jacksonville home team(blue team) lead by Resident Chef Patrick Walley won the evening after a heated competition. It must have been his delicately seasoned yet kicked up soup made of pureed fresh cauliflower, spices reflective to Thai seasonings and an ample shot of the secret ingredient: pure grade maple syrup. Another knock out was his spinach salad tossed in maple inspired dressing and topped with pinenuts toasted in maple syrup.

Needless to say the sensibilities of the visiting team should not be overlooked. Chef Marc overwhelmed Chef Patrick's patronage with grandeur compositions: Oysters in truffle oil blended with asiago cheese and topped with ruby red caviar, beef tenderloin stuffed with lobster and the Maple Banana Compote finished with dark chocolate ganache.

The rivalry was pretty intense yet friendly during the cook off. Jacksonville fans rallied with intense fervor to what resembled pre-game festivities prompting an edgier fight amongst the amicable chefs.

The Publix Aprons Cooking School is a hidden gem located inside the Mandarin supermarket. Gilded complete with the makings of any coveted gourmet kitchen: two ample size cook stations, dining area and TV screens to highlight celebrity chef nights.

Scheduled to arrive to Aprons in Mandarin this May:

Bistro Aix: Executive Chef Tom Gray

Paula Deen - SOLD OUT

Clos du Bois Vineyards - Winemaker Erik Olsen

Step inside the out of ordinary and visit.....

Aprons Cooking School
Publix at San Jose Boulevard
10500 San Jose Blvd.
Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Cooking School: 904-262-4187

Comfort in sweet & savory

Southern staple: sweet, savory, habit forming & irresistible sweet potato fries
at The Happy Tomato Cafe

Watch this week for coverage on the battle of IRON CHEF competition at the local Publix Apron's Cooking School.

That Latin Thing: and more than Irish stew (for later)

Paella Creek Refuge

The thing about ethnic ingredients - especially traditional finds and the diverse variety of selections is its increasing accessibility to American consumers. Years back, when I lived in LA there were ethnic grocery stores all over. I don't mean the mom and pop mini walk-ins. I'm referring to the mega supermarkets similar to Publix, Albertson's and so forth.

From the New York Times, a mention about the growing Hispanic market and the growing supermarket chain Rancho Liborio.

Read more: The store’s slogan pretty much says it all: “Si es de allá lo tenemos aquí.” Translated, "If it’s from there, we have it here.”

This upscale store is a new concept for the Cuban family that started the small Liborio chain in Los Angeles in 1966. The idea is to sell food to an increasingly affluent pool of Hispanic grocery shoppers as well as the growing segment of people who want their supermarkets filled with fresher, local and more authentic food.

With its bright, wide aisles, agua fresca bar and an expansive selection of hot food like carnitas and even pizza, Rancho Liborio wants to be the go-to store for second- and third-generation shoppers who are attracted to markets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, but want to cook and shop in a store that feels like home.

Don't get too settled now....I'll be leaping across the globe with my pen/keyboard to new Irish cuisine. Yes new/contemporary Irish cuisine is on my list of conquests. For now, read more in the San Francisco Chronicle article entitled, Irish cuisine comes of age: Emphasis on fresh, local ingredients is right at home in the Bay Area Take an eye load of the Coleslaw with Blue Cheese Dressing. The Steak and Oyster Pie is inviting too.

I'll be back next week. This girl is literally about town and I'll have more Savory Spain jaunts when I return.