How you doin’? A couple of years ago we were asked to develop a line of shrubs for one of the A-lister actors in Hollywood (we are not allowed to mention his name, but he is a biggie). A shrub is a sweet and sour syrup made by infusing fruit, sugar and vinegar, kind of a soft kombucha. The shrub is made with fruits, like berries, sweet vinegars and red wine that are left to ferment, which is then used as a mixer.
 
As we were developing these beverages for our client, we made a few cocktails with kombucha with touches of different liquors. We found Aperol to be a great foil for the kombucha. The bitter-sweet citrus notes from the Aperol plays very nicely with tangy kombucha
 
What is Aperol? Aperol is an Italian bitter-sweet liqueur made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue. Its name comes from the French slang word for aperitif, which is apero.
 
Aperol was originally produced by the Barbieri company, based in Padua, but is now produced by the Campari Group. While Aperol was originally created in 1919, by Luigi and Silvio Barbieri, it did not become successful until after World War II. Although it tastes and smells much like Campari, Aperol has an alcohol content of 11%—less than half that of Campari. Aperol and Campari have the same sugar content and Aperol is less bitter in taste.
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 ounces red wine (I prefer Chianti, but any dry red wine is okay)
3/4 ounce Aperol
2 ounces cherry (or other) kombucha
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Garnish: lemon slice
 
Directions

1. Add all ingredients and ice into a Collins glass and stir to combine.
2. Garnish with a lemon slice.

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ChefSecret:  Another great drink using Aperol, is an Aperol Spritz which, during these difficult times, gives the illusion that you are in Italy during summer looking at a golden orange sunset with a view of the Italian Riviera instead of overlooking your overgrown and sometimes snowy front yard. The generally accepted ratio is equal parts Aperol and Prosecco plus a splash of club soda. Or play around with the ratio until your Aperol Spritz tastes exactly the way you want it. Garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “Do you find yourself craving a little more chocolate during the pandemic. It has nothing to do with symptoms of Covid-19. It’s just God’s way of telling you he likes us a bit on the chubby side.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #Kombucha #Aperol #AperolSpritz #Cheers #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’?  Cooking seafood in an Instant Pot is a quick, healthy and delicious meal that is so easy to make! This flavorful dinner cooks in no time and comes out flaky and tender every time. You can even add some veggies in the same pan or get a stackable pan set from the internet and do a stackable meal.
 
If you have been searching for a convenient way to cook keto, here’s a great meal to meet your dietary needs. After your Instant Pot fish is done stuff some inside of an avocado and this makes a really yummy keto meal, I’m beginning to think there isn’t anything that can’t be done with an Instant Pot cooker. It may be time to retire your stove top.
 
Here’s a couple of universal tips for cooking fish in stack pans (Amazon Prime $26.95):

• Put parchment paper on the bottom larger pan of your stacked pans and pour all the vegetables inside.
• Pour 2 tablespoons of oil on top and sprinkle half of your seasoned salt, pepper and basil on top.
• Place smaller stacked pan on top and put a second piece of parchment paper inside of that pan.
• Lay the pieces of fish inside, pour remainder of olive oil on top of fish with remainder of the spices.
• Put the lid on and close fastener so pans are securely closed together.
• Now, you are ready to go.

 
Prep time:  12 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes
Yield:  2 servings
 
Ingredients
1 cup water (for a 6-quart Instant Pot—2 cups for 8-quart Instant Pot)
2 (5-6 oz) skin-on seafood filets (salmon, sole, or any thicker fish filet)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chiffonade cut (or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried)
4-6 fresh lemon slices (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (sliced into 4 pats)
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
 
Directions

1. Pour 1 cup of water into the inner liner of the Instant Pot. Then set the trivet/rack inside.
2. Place the fish filets into a separate pan, skin side down.
3. Sprinkle the filets with the salt, pepper and the garlic.
4. Place the basil on the fish filets, followed by the lemon slices, then the butter pats on top.
5. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan.
6. Place the pan into the Instant Pot, onto the trivet.
7. Close the lid and close the steam release knob.
8. Press the pressure cook for 5 MINUTES on HIGH pressure.
9. When the cook cycle has finished, immediately open the release valve and QUICK RELEASE the pressure.
10. When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid and carefully remove the pan.
11. Serve immediately with some of the lemon butter sauce over the filets.

ChefSecrets:  You can cook some zucchini or yellow squash in the same pan. Larger, thicker or frozen filets will need additional cook time. Also, if you choose a filet without skin, you can set the filet on top of a piece of parchment.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I caught my kids making a new mat for the front porch yesterday… instead of “welcome” it said “back away from the door.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #InstantPot #Seafood #Fish #LemonButter #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                 ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? Homemade butterscotch custard or pudding is one of the most underrated desserts. It doesn’t have the telltale flavor of chocolate or the fun little beads in tapioca, yet it does have that comeback flavor of rich creamery butter and brown sugar that makes it so very desirable.
 
In my recipe, we’re combining the outstanding flavors of caramelized brown sugar and butter with vanilla and a little American bourbon. This butterscotch pudding recipe is luxuriously creamy, velvety-rich, and totally unforgettable topped with a spoonful of toffee and fresh whipped cream.
 
Butterscotch was originally a confection whose primary ingredients were brown sugar and butter, but other ingredients such as corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt were also included. The earliest known recipes, in mid-19th century Yorkshire, used molasses in place of or in addition to sugar.
 
Butterscotch was made famous in 1851 when Queen Victoria was presented ice cream covered with a butterscotch sauce, made of melted butterscotch candies and cream. However, the term “butterscotch” is also often used more specifically to refer to the flavor of brown sugar and butter together even if the actual confection “butterscotch” is not involved, such as in butterscotch custard pudding.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  7 to 10 minutes
Chill time:  1 to 2 hours
Yield:  2 servings
 
Ingredients
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Dash salt
1 cup 2% milk (see ChefSecret below)
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon American bourbon
2 tablespoons homemade whipped cream
2 teaspoon toffee or brittle bits (optional but recommended)
 
Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt.
2. Add the milk and egg yolk and stir until smooth.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to stir for another 1 to 2 minutes until the pudding has thickened.
4. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter, vanilla and bourbon if using.
5. Cool to room temperature, stirring several times.
6. Pour into 2 individual ramekins. Cover with the food film touching the surface and refrigerate until chilled, 1-2 hours.
7. Top with whipped cream and toffee bits.

ChefSecret:  To make a richer pudding substitute a portion (or all) of the milk with a little half and half or whipping cream.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “With the threat of another outbreak of Covid-19 I went to the store the other day and noticed the shelves were a bit empty, but I wasn’t frightened enough to eat tofu yet.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Dessert #Snack #Pudding #Butterscotch #ButterscotchPudding #Bourbon #QueenVictoria #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? I was watching Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix the other night when Samin Nosrat was discussing the benefit of different fats used in Italian cooking. At one point one of her guests brought in a roasted piglet that took around 6 hours to slow cook. It was beautiful—I could taste it through the TV screen.
 
Here's a more manageable version of the traditional Italian recipe for whole roast pig seasoned with garlic, rosemary and fennel. This one comes together so quickly you can make it on a whim. The only thing missing is the crispy, crackling skin. Delicious, tender pork chops simmered in a fennel seed, garlic and white wine sauce in less than about a half hour.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 
Directions

1. Heat a skillet and then pour a little olive oil or other cooking oil in; let the oil heat up for a minute.
2. Sprinkle the garlic salt on both sides of the pork chops. The garlic salt should cover the chops. Don't be skimpy, it can take the garlic salt.
3. Put the pork chops in the frying pan and sprinkle fennel seeds (10 to 15 fennel seeds per pork chop), rosemary and pepper flakes on top of the pork chops.
4. Let the pork chops brown over medium heat for 7 minutes.
5. Flip them over and let them brown for another 7 minutes.
6. Once both sides are browned, flip again.
7. Pour the wine into frying pan; cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes and flip the pork chops over. Cover them again and let them simmer for another 5 minutes.
8.  Add the butter to the pan and stir the sauce well.
9. When ready to serve, plate the pork chops and spoon over a little of the reserved sauce.

Note: Make sure the wine doesn't completely evaporate or the pork chops will overcook and become dry. You may have to add a little more wine, water or butter to the pan.

ChefSecret:  I use a fatty, well-marbleized pork chop (see picture) to keep the moisture level high and the meat tender.  You can change the whole flavor of the dish by using 1 cup of Marsala instead of white wine.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “I’ve been watching so much television… I finished Netflix last night!”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #Pork #Fennel #SaltFatAcidHeat #Netflix #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica  #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin? We are all trying to stay healthier these days as we worry about the pandemic and exposure to the annual strains of influenza. Did you know that foods and spices can have a big impact on the state of your health?
 
I read this article written by Stacey Ballis last month on the Allrecipes website and wanted to share it with you.  
 
Find the nutrients you need in foods that taste their very best right now. Fall and winter are always a hard time for immune systems. We start spending less time outside, so access to vitamin D is reduced. Typically, general activity levels decrease, too. As the days shorten and the time changes, sleep can be affected, which impacts the body's ability to stay resilient and fight off illness. And we start spending much more time indoors, which means we are in closer proximity to others — and whatever they have been exposed to, like cold and flu.
 
This year, for obvious reasons, keeping your immune system as strong as possible is more important than ever before. There are a lot of foods designated as "superfoods" for their healthful properties, but sometimes they can be hard to source, especially in certain seasons, and quite pricey. Luckily, some of the superfoods that have the greatest positive impact on immune systems are some everyday foods that are in season during the fall and winter.
 
Now is the time to start incorporating them into your diet — not just because they are delicious, but also because they can be a good part of helping keep your immune system strong. Here are our top five immunity-boosting foods to be eating now:

Sweet Potatoes
Packed with vitamin A, sweet potatoes are probably one of the best foods you can eat for your health. They're also a hero of the fall and winter holiday season because they last for weeks and can be prepared in a variety of ways so you're never bored with them.
 
Lucky for us, the health benefits stick no matter how you cook them, so bake, roast, steam, and braise away. But the easiest way to incorporate these amazing tubers into your routine is to slow roast them whole and keep in the fridge. Eat them for breakfast topped with Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of granola or toasted nuts. Use them as a container for chicken salad at lunch; cut into wedges and dunk into hummus for a snack; or reheat with miso maple butter at dinnertime.
Related: 15 Ways to Cook Sweet Potatoes


Spinach
 The iron, zinc, and chlorophyll in this everyday leafy green is a great thing to bring into your diet in fall and winter. As the summer delicate lettuces fall away, spinach is the leaf to reach for to help boost your immunity. Thankfully, it is readily available all season long.
 
For the strongest impact on your system, cook spinach to intensify its wellness properties. Steam and scale and scramble into eggs or omelets in the morning; serve cold with a Japanese-inspired sesame dressing at lunch; make some little frittata muffins for snacking; or sauté with lemon and garlic at dinner.


Citrus
While it is always sad when the lovely berries and melons and stone fruits of summer begin to disappear, citrus season hits just when we need that hit of vitamin C most. The whole fruit is healthier than just the juice, so think about halved bruléed grapefruit at breakfast; clementines, tangelos, and sumos for snacking or as a part of your lunch; supreme lemon or lime segments in your salad for pops of brightness.
 
Citrus slices with beets or fennel are a great dinner starter, and you can simmer whole oranges gently in sugar syrup until the peel is candied around the still-raw fruit and serve chilled for an elegant dessert.
Related: Browse our collection of Citrus Recipes.
 
Mushrooms
Mushrooms pack a wallop of immunity benefits, including B vitamins, potassium, and Vitamin D. These umami bombs are super fall and winter friendly and easy to source and incorporate into your everyday diet.
 
Bake eggs in portobello tops for a hearty breakfast. Snack on mushroom caps stuffed with chive cream cheese. Slice them into your lunch salads or roast them for layering into sandwiches. And mushroom soup is one of the warmest ways to start any fall or winter dinner. 
Related: Should You Wash Mushrooms You're Going to Cook?
 
Apples
Yes, that old "apple a day" adage exists for a reason. From fiber to antioxidants to phytochemicals, apples are a healthful addition to your diet in the cool months. Look for organic options to avoid consuming pesticides.
 
While you can get apples year-round, fall and winter are the prime season, so look for the heirloom varietals that aren't always available, like Mutsu, Liberty, Gingergold, or others. Eat with the skin for the most benefits. Baked apples are a wonderful morning meal; slice them into salads or on sandwiches at lunch; and snack on wedges dunked in almond butter. At dinner, think about sautéing apples on their own or with other vegetables like onion and cabbage, or have them for dessert.
Related: 20 Ways to Have Apples for Breakfast
 
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ChefSecret:  Natural foods are loaded with beneficial chemical compounds which keep our bodies well-fed and naturally healthy. Dark chocolate alone has over 300 positive compounds to keep your body well-stocked with healing and good-for-your elements in every bite. If you think about it, the foods we eat have been keeping us alive and healthy for thousands of years. Of course, if the other adage--garbage in, garbage out—is true, then it also stands to reason that good food supports good health.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “There's a new COVID-19 vaccine delivered via an audio interface from Apple
as music. It is hoped that this will lead to heard immunity.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Immunity #FallFoods #WinterFoods #Apples #SweetPotatoes #Spinach #Citrus #Mushrooms #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021