…from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? Did you know the nut we know as the almond is technically the hard-shelled fruit of the almond tree, itself a member of the prunus family? This category of stone fruit encompasses trees and shrubs that produce edible fruit like cherries, plums, peaches and nectarines. So it is little wonder that this incestuous relationship of my Cherry-Almond Cake is so darn good. Oops, I’m not sure that came out the way I wanted it, but oh well. Almonds are a waistline-friendly snack known to boost heart health and loaded with enough other health benefits to land them a coveted spot on our list of the 50 healthiest foods of all time. Per one-ounce serving, almonds are tied with cashews and pistachios at 160 calories. They also have more calcium than any other nut, plus nearly 9 grams of monounsaturated, heart-healthy fats, 6 grams of protein (peanuts have more protein) and 3.5 grams of fiber per serving. When you see packaged nuts with the word "roasted" on the front, they may have been heated in trans or other unhealthy fats. Look for the words "raw" or "dry-roasted" instead. "Raw" almonds aren't exactly "Raw.” Since 2007, the USDA has required almonds to be pasteurized before being sold to the public. The FDA has approved several methods of pasteurization "that demonstrate effectiveness in achieving a reduction of possible contamination in almonds while not impacting their quality," according to the Almond Board of California. According to 2006 research, one ounce of almonds contains about the same amounts of polyphenols—antioxidants thought to help fight off heart disease and cancer—as a cup of broccoli or green tea. You can consider this recipe a guiltfree pleasure. Ingredients 1-1/3 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for the pan 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup sliced unblanched almonds, for topping 4 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup almond flour 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 cup dried or candied cherries, rough chopped (you can use a mix of glacéed fruit) Directions
ChefSecret: If you want a crunchier topping—add to or replace the slivered almonds with 3/4 cup of ground almonds. Quip of the Day: A country that forgets its culinary history past has no future. ------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- 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. #Baking #Dessert #CherryAlmondCake #Cherries #Almonds #Snack #Brunch #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022
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…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? You don’t need a wedding or some other festive celebration to have an excuse to pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly (French Champagne or California Sparkling). This is a summer celebration punch that everyone will love. I like the fruity freshness that’s a little sweet, but not too sweet. There’s the added touch of more club soda than usual to make it a bit lighter. With all fruit punches the ingredients can be adjusted to suit your own personal taste. Remember to keep the punch cool with large, oversize ice cubes or a frozen ice ring. Prep time: 10 minutes Yield: 35 (4 ounce) servings Ingredients 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen cranberry juice concentrate 1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate 1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate 1 (750 milliliter) bottle white wine, chilled 1 liter club soda, chilled 2 (750 milliliter) inexpensive bottles champagne of sparkling wine, chilled 1 thin sliced lemon, for garnish 1 thin-sliced lime, for garnish 1/2 cup fresh mint, garnish Directions
ChefSecret: There’s a wide range of price points for wines. For this recipe you don’t have to use expensive sparkling or white wine—the least expensive will work just fine. Quip of the Day: “Coco Chanel from the fashion house of Chanel in Paris once said, “I only drink Champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.” How very French, n’est-ce pas? ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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. ------------------------------------------- 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 #Champagne #SparklingPunch #CranberryJuice #PinkLemonade #Limeade #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? Lawry’s California Center was an oasis just a couple of miles outside of central downtown Los Angeles. When designed it was meant to represent everything great about the California lifestyle. We used to tell visitors, California was not only a state, but a state-of-mind. It was the corporate the headquarters of Lawry’s Foods, Inc. and where at least half of all production took place. There were several restaurants on the property, as well as a curated gift store with a large array of California wines for sampling or purchase. My office overlooked the gardens and I loved coming to work every morning. For lunch I had a choice of 3 restaurants, but more importantly for the sake of this blog I usually would order a wonderful fresh salad—my favorite was the La Cocina Corn Salad. It can be served as a delicious side dish made with grilled corn, with black beans and a tasty creamy dressing or splurge it up and top it with grilled meats or seafood for an exciting entrée salad. Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients For the “greens” 1 tablespoon EVOO (olive oil) 5 ears fresh corn-on-the-cob, shucked and kernels removed 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Private Blend Pepper 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 cup diced red bell pepper 1/2 cup (packed) chopped cilantro leaves (no stems) 1/4 cup diced red onion 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, seamed and diced 1 (15 oz) can) black beans, drained and rinsed 4 cups torn romaine hearts For the dressing 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Private Blend Pepper 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese For the garnish 3 chopped green onion tops 6 sprigs cilantro 1 avocado cut in quarters 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese Suggested extra toppings Grilled shrimp Grilled steak Grilled chicken Instructions
ChefSecret: Serve this salad either warm or chilled. Quip of the Day: I went to see the doctor about my next colonoscopy. He asked me if I wanted the deluxe service with tiny fiber optics or the economy procedure using a hamster and a helmet Go-Pro. Which one do you think the insurance company approved? ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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. ------------------------------------------- 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. #SideDish #Salad #Corn #Lawrys #EVOO #LaCocina #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022 Cooking Lesson #477: “The-Devil-Made-Me-Do-It” Chocolate Cake With Fluffy White Marshmallow Frosting7/11/2022 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchen How you doin’? This is a fantastic chocolate layer cake doin’? Different generations will have their own associations to the phrase, “The Devil Made Me Do It.” For some, it might go back to the ‘60s with comedian Flip Wilson’s character “Geraldine.” For others, a more current reference would be the film “The Conjuring… The Devil Made Me Do It.” For me, well it’s all about this cake and why I just can’t stop eating it. Moist and light, the crumb isn’t particularly dense which makes for messy slicing unless you freeze the layers before frosting. It’s much softer and more luscious than a classic chocolate layer cake, but I predict you’ll be saying those words yourself once you whip (and eat up) up one of these beauties. Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 30 minutes Cool time: 10 minutes Frosting time: 30 minutes Yield: Three (3) 8-inch layers (or two (2) 9-inch layers) Ingredients 1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature (Crisco works well) 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar 1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder 3 tablespoons extra dark cocoa powder (I prefer Guittard Dark) (or unalkalized unsweetened cocoa powder) 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1-1/3 cups whole milk, divided 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs 6 ounces chopped dark chocolate (64% to 72%), melted and cooled Directions
ChefSecret: For dusting chocolate cake baking pans, use cocoa powder instead of flour to prevent white streaks. Fluffy White Marshmallow Frosting This fluffy, sugary frosting capped off every birthday cake I had growing up. My mother frosted most of her layer cakes with this frosting for years. With just egg whites and sugar, it's far less decadent and less heavy than a traditional buttercream but has an ethereal quality that makes it much more worthy of a celebration cake. Yield: Makes enough frosting to frost three 8-inch layer cakes. Ingredients 4 large egg whites 3 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup cold water 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 3 tablespoons light corn syrup Directions
Covid-19 quip of the Day: “With all this time on my hands lately, I’ve been thinking… Who do you call when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?” ------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------- 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. #Baking #Dessert #TheDevilMadeMeDoIt #FlipWilson #Geraldine #ChocolateLayerCake #MarshmallowFrosting #Guittard #2022 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? Here is another of our great summertime Happy Hour cocktails. The Paloma is the perfect, refreshing patio drink made fresher by real ingredients, high quality grapefruit liqueur and bitters. Pamplemousse is a slightly sweet, delicately fruity liqueur made from grapefruits is produced in France. It is a wonderfully versatile liqueur that can easily be enjoyed in a chilled Moscato, margarita, vodka soda, or just over ice. LaCroix’s most popular flavor was grapefruit, or as the company calls it “pamplemousse,” the French word for the citrus. Prep time: 5 minutes Yields: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces Blanco tequila 1/2 ounce Pamplemousse Liqueur (Grapefruit) 1/4 ounce simple syrup 2 ounces grapefruit juice 1 ounce Squirt soda Grapefruit bitters 2 lime wheels Directions
ChefSecret:
Quip of the Day: I put my damn scale in the bathroom corner and that's where the little stinking liar will stay until it apologizes. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? 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 . ------------------------------------------- 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 #Tequila #Pamplemousse #Squirt #Grapefruit #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022 |
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