…from the California Kitchen![]() How you doin’? It started last year and accelerated in February and March--INFLATION! I’ve been getting sticker shock every time I check out at the supermarket cash register (or the gas station pump). I’m not sure if I’m buying this week’s groceries or making a rent payment. Quite frankly, I don’t know how large families are making ends meet. This Budget Spaghetti dish is meat-free. However, you can feel free to add roast chicken if your food budget allows. For those following a vegetarian diet then this is the perfect recipe for you, too. Growing up I was never a big fan of Brussels sprouts. I’m reminded of that Leave It To Beaver Brussels sprouts episode. When Beaver refuses to eat his Brussels sprouts, Ward and June try to find a compromise in their differing opinions on discipline, only to find that Beaver discovers they’re not so bad after all. It took me until I was past my teens before I could accept them. With this recipe I think you’ll find that even the Beaver Cleavers of the world will be very accepting of this recipe with roasted Brussel sprouts. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1-1/2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs (roughly about 4 ounces of torn crusty bread) 1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons grated zest of 2 medium lemons, divided 16 ounces dry spaghetti 3 cups roasted Brussels sprouts, quartered or shaved 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving Directions
ChefSecret: The breadcrumbs can be toasted, cooled completely and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Quip of the Day: When I was a child, I didn't like eating Brussels sprouts. I told my mom I wasn't hungry. She said, “the children in Africa would be happy with sprouts!” I replied, “the moms in Africa would be happy with a child that's not hungry!” That was the first day I started to walk with a limp. Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #Lunch #Dinner #BrusselsSprouts #Spaghetti #Parmesan #LeaveItToBeaver #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022
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… from the California Kitchen![]() How you doin’? Rubio’s Mexican Grill (now Coastal Grill) is the home of the Original Fish Taco. According to founder Ralph Rubio, he and some friends from San Diego State University were on spring break in San Felipe, Baja California when he first encountered fish tacos for the first time at a local stand; he inspired to open a restaurant serving them in his hometown of San Diego to work his way through college. Thanks to Ralph and his original vision, the popularity of fish tacos has spread throughout California. Rubio's standard fish tacos are made from Alaskan pollock, and are battered, fried, and served in a soft, warm corn tortilla. Ralph retained Perspectives to update and reimage the restaurants to bring them back to their original visual roots. Our work was then duplicated in most of the existing restaurants and all the new ones. Here is my tribute to the original recipe. Ralph’s original 1:1 ratio of flour to beer (and just a hint of salt and pepper) creates a fluffy batter that you'll want to use on chicken, veggies and fish, of course—just about anything you fry. Prep time: 20 minutes Inactive time: 15 minutes Fry time: 15 minutes Total time: 50 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients For the beer batter 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup dark very cold Mexican beer (see ChefSecret) For the cream sauce 1/3 cup mayonnaise 2/3 cup Mexican crema (see ChefSecret) or sour cream 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons water Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste For the fish tacos Oil, for frying (about 1-inch deep) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning 2 pounds skinned halibut (see Chef Secret) cut into 5-inch x 1/2-inch strips Freshly ground black pepper Soft corn street tortillas 2 cups shredded cabbage 2 cups tomatillo salsa (store-bought or homemade) for garnish Pickled jalapenos, for garnish, optional Directions To make the beer batter
Quip of the Day: A Fish Taco always tastes great with an icy cold Mexican Cerveza. Please drink responsibly and don’t spill it. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Entrees #Lunch #Dinner #FishTacos #Rubios #Pollack #Halibut #Cod #MexicanCrema #OriginalFishTaco #Baja #Cerveza #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 …from the California Happy Hour Bar![]() How you doin’? There’s less than a week until the end of Peanut Month, so we’ve got to squeeze in this libation before April comes roaring in. I thought that I had made or at least knew everything there was to do with peanuts—oh, so wrong! I was thinking about peanut or peanut butter cocktails and recently discovered peanut butter whiskey! If you’ve been thinking of making cocktails with peanut butter and/or whiskey, here’s your chance. Actually, there are lists of peanut butter whiskey cocktails out there using Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey. STOP THE PRESSES—Peanut butter and whiskey? No, Peanut Butter Whiskey. Why the heck not? This harmonious blend of disparate ingredients might seem a bit surprising, but it’s really a whole lot of delicious. A little salty, a little sweet, a little savory and always smooth, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. It’s a perfect celebration of the unexpected… fun, wild and wonderful. These recipes run the gamut from classic flavors like the Peanut Butter & Jelly Cocktail to tantalizing takes on a favorite boozy beverage, the Peanut Butter Whiskey Sour. When you combine the smooth, caramel-y undertones of peanut butter whiskey with the taste of butterscotch, you end up with a luscious libation that is far more than the sum of its parts. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 shooter cocktail Ingredients 3/4 ounce Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 3/4 ounce DeKuyper Buttershots (Butterscotch) Schnapps Directions
ChefSecret: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey is the perfect way to celebrate the weird and wonderful that’s in all of us. Quip of the Day: “Who answers the door at the nut house? The peanut buttler, of course.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Cocktail #HappyHour #SkrewballPeanutButterWhisky #DeKuypersButtershotSchnapps #NPB #NationalPeanutBoard #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 …from the California Kitchen![]() How you doin’? Peanuts just might be the magical ingredient for a happy life. The peanut's origins have been traced to Peru. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish and then spread to Africa and Asia. It arrived in North America in the mid-18th century with African slaves. Before the salted caramel craze, there was the peanut pie. Some say it's simply a poor man's version of pecan pie—I don’t, I think it stands on its own and I love it. Others say its salty-sweet punch was inspired by the flavor thrills of a now-vanishing gas station treat created by pouring a five-cent packet of salted peanuts into a bottle of ice-cold Coke. Either way, we say it's a crackerjack pie. It's at its finest when made with roasted, Virginia peanuts, the super-sized Cadillac of peanuts grown in the sandy soils of Tidewater Virginia and North Carolina. The near century-old Virginia Diner, located a stone's throw from the country's first commercial peanut farm in Wakefield, serves up a swoon-worthy peanut pie topped with a tender peanut-brittle-like veneer. It's totally addictive. One of the first variations on the original recipe peanut pie that I tasted was Peanut Butter Cream Pie served at Williamsburg's Shields Tavern. There's something about this pie that gives it a nostalgic quality, whether through childhood memories jogged by the peanut butter flavor, or via the old-time creamy filling I remember as a kid. This pie recipe makes, what I would call, an upscale ice cream pie with a delightful crispy rice crust. This is one of those heritage recipes that you can easily add to your family’s must have list. Total Prep time: 15 minutes Chill time: 10 minutes (for the crust) Freeze time: 5 hours or overnight Yield: 8 servings (1 9-inch pie) Ingredients For the pie crust Food release spray (I prefer Pam) 1/3 cup unsalted butter 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 2-1/2 cups crispy rice cereal For the pie filling 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 10 ounces sweetened condensed milk 3/4 cup peanut butter 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup warm chocolate fudge sauce (more if you desire) 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts Directions To make the pie crust
ChefSecrets: I use creamy peanut butter, but it is okay to use crunchy. You can substitute a store-bought chocolate wafer crust for the crispy rice crust if you prefer. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the pie filling without added salt. Quip of the Day: “Why did Charles Schultz call his comic strip Peanuts? The name Peanuts was chosen because it was a well-known term for children at the time, popularized by the television program “The Howdy Doody Show,” which debuted in 1947 and featured an audience section for children called the “Peanut Gallery.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Desserts #FrozenPeanutButterPie #PeanutButter #Chocolate #CrispyCereal #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB # #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 Also A Good Recipe For Fried Caramelized Shrimp and Chicken Dishes![]() How you doin’? If you love chicken wings of any kind this is a recipe you’re going to want to try. These Vietnamese style savory caramel sauce wings weaves a perfect blend of salty, sweet, sour and spicy by making a caramel and instead of adding cream or water it uses salty fish sauce and sour lime juice and zest. If you want it spicier add some chilies or chili sauce along with some garlic for additional flavor. My Vietnam Caramel Chicken Wings are made on the stovetop so don’t expect the wings to have crispy skin like Buffalo Wings or other wing recipes. But the caramel in the glaze adds a smoky depth and cuts the sweetness in a complex way. Don’t be scared of making these, as the lime juice that you add in the beginning of the glaze helps keep the caramel from crystallizing. As the wings are dunked into a thick caramel sauce, you’ll find that they are a little sticky and messy but hey, they wouldn’t be chicken wings without a little mess! These Vietnamese style spicy caramel chicken wings will make an excellent addition to my lineup of snacks any occasion. The cooking of Vietnam is done with minimal use of oil and dairy and relies more on the light, fresh flavors of herbs and vegetables. As a result, Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. Prep time: 25 minutes Fry time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 Servings Ingredients 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce 1-1/2 cups sugar (coconut sugar is more authentic, if you can find it) 1/4 cup Thai crab or shrimp paste with bean oil 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon lime zest 1 tablespoon water Peanut or vegetable oil (for frying; about 10 cups) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1-1/2 cups cornstarch, divided 1/2 cup vodka 1-3/4 cups water 2 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, flats and drumettes separated Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped salted, roasted peanuts Garnish: Fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems and lime wedges (for serving) Directions
ChefSecret: Caramel sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Keep airtight at room temperature. Reheat sauce before using. Quip of the Day: “The Italians and Spanish, the Chinese and Vietnamese see food as part of a larger, more essential and pleasurable part of daily life. Not as an experience to be collected or bragged about or as a ritual like filling up a car, but as something else that gives pleasure, like sex or music, or a good nap in the afternoon.” …Anthony Bourdain ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. #Appetizers #Entrees #Dinner #Chicken #ChickenWings #VietnameseStyle #Peanuts #FishSauce #Vodka #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #NationalPeanutMonth #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022 |
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