How you doin’? 2020 was a very strange year. I’ll bet you’re as happy to see it come to an end as I am. In celebration, how about a cocktail?... maybe a little poison?... Sweet Poison Cocktail, that is, popularized by the mixologists at New York's Jekyll and Hyde Club.
 
The Jekyll & Hyde Club is a theme restaurant owned by Eerie World Entertainment in New York City. The name and theme were derived from author Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 Victorian gothic novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
 
The Jekyll & Hyde restaurants' theme is spooky horror show with an emphasis on English Gothic themes, and including detailed decorations, set pieces, and actors who roam the restaurant and entertain patrons. Characters include Mr. Aloysius Goole, the wacky chief mortician, Jervis, the hyperactive and high-pitched French butler, and the charmingly manic Gertrude K. Boom, club demolitions expert. These characters are the guest's link to all the details of the club's history and perform membership inductions table side.
 
In addition to the live characters, there are several animatronic props, sounds, and special effects which contribute to the overall atmosphere of the club. The animatronic creatures (either pre-recorded or voiced live by the same actors that walk about the restaurant) animate periodically to entertain the guests. Just because you can’t experience Jekyll & Hyde in person these days, doesn’t mean you can’t experience one of their famous cocktails.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 or 2 cocktails depending on your pain
 
Ingredients
1 ounce light rum
2 ounces coconut rum
1 ounce Blue Curaçao
4 to 6 ice cubes
4 ounces pineapple juice
1 pineapple wedge (for garnish)
 
Directions

1. Combine both rums and Blue Curaçao in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, then pour into a large brandy snifter.
2. Fill the rest of the glass with chilled pineapple juice.
3. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

ChefSecret:  In 1979, I opened a restaurant on the site of an old funeral parlor in Palo Alto, California. It was going to be a seafood restaurant, but after residents kept asking if it was on the site of the “old morgue,” I decided to use a little imagination and create a spooky Halloween-themed restaurant. It opened on Halloween and closed a year later. I guess I was just ahead of my time.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “You know what they’re saying about 2020. It went viral faster than anyone thought it would.”
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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 #SweetPoisonCocktail #Jekyll&Hyde #Delish #BlueCuracao #Rum #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

How you doin’? Wow! Today is a milestone event… this is the 200th edition of our Covid-19 Survival Guide Cooking Lessons. We hope you have enjoyed the recipes along with a little history about the foods you eat to be helpful. We know it has certainly helped us get through some long, difficult days when we had very little to do. We really do miss meeting up with our clients in person and helping them get through these times. We have been able to support many of them via phone and email. Still… it’s not the same.
 
We also really miss going out to restaurants. If you live in the Los Angeles area you already know that there is no inside or outside dining permitted due to Covid-19 restrictions. It’s kind of ironic since restaurants are some of the cleanest/sanitized and most policed institutions in all of commerce. The restaurant industry also employs more co-workers than any other single industry and yet very few politicians have come to their rescue.
 
Pre-pandemic, Joan and I would go to California Pizza Kitchen several times a month and usually order the same thing—Joan, Dakota Smashed Pea + Barley Soup and a small Mediterranean Salad and I would order the Sedona Tortilla Soup and the Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing.
 
Last week I started working on a recipe that closely matched the CPK Thai Crunch Chicken Salad. It’s a very healthy meal with a great crunch and a good amount of protein all dressed in a pungent Thai Peanut Dressing. It has lots of yummy, shredded nutrient-rich veggies like green and red cabbage, as well as carrots, red peppers, and edamame.
 
This Thai Chicken Crunch Salad is quick to toss together and makes a healthy, satisfying meal! I’ll let you be the judge as to whether you want to have it a couple times per month, too!
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Total Time:  25 minutes
Yield:  2 to 4 salads
 
Ingredients
For the Thai peanut dressing
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (I prefer Skippy)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
 
For the salad
3 cups Napa cabbage thinly sliced
1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cooked boneless, skinless shredded chicken breasts, (I save time by using leftover roasted chicken)
1/2 cup red, yellow or orange mild bell peppers, julienne cut
3 green onion stalks (the green part) finely sliced
3/4 cup shelled and chilled edamame
1/2 cup peanuts lightly crushed (support our country’s farmers—Grown in USA Peanuts)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed
1/2 cup fried wonton shreds
1/4 cup fried (puffed) white rice noodle
3 sprigs of parsley for garnish
 
Directions
To make the Thai peanut dressing

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Set aside.

To make the salad

1. In a large salad bowl, toss together all ingredients except wontons, rice noodles and parsley.
2. Drizzle half of the Thai peanut dressing over the salad fixin’s and lightly toss again.
3. Top with the wontons and rice noodles.
4. Drizzle the remaining Thai peanut dressing over the greens, wonton strips and rice noodles.
5. Garnish with or parsley.

ChefSecret: I usually double the dressing recipe as I like a well-dressed salad with lots of extra peanut dressing on the side. It keeps well refrigerated.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Things have gotten so bad… my cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t pay for it—they re-possessed her!”
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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.

#Salad #ThaiChickenCrunchSalad #Chicken #Peanuts #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #CPK #CaliforniaPizzaKitchen #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                                ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

I see some of our fellow citizens are finally going back to work. I think many of the changes we made in our lives over the last several months will stick around including preparing our own meals.

Many of our readers have finally figured out what to do with the Instant Pot they got for Christmas a couple of years ago. If you don’t have the time or inclination to cook for the family for a week over a weekend you can conjure things up in minutes with your Instant Pot. I am using mine more than ever.
 
No matter what the weather, I love soup. Even on the hottest summer day, a bowl of soup seems to make me cooler. My recipe for Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick and cheesy with and loaded with broccoli. This recipe is easy to double to insure you have enough for later in the week. 
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients
To make the soup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2-pounds chopped broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
 
To thicken the soup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
 
To finish the soup
6 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
2 cups half and half
 
To garnish the soup
4 to 6 whole broccoli florets, microwaved
6 teaspoons shredded Cheddar cheese
 
Directions

1. Before starting, measure all your ingredients and have at your side.
2. Prepare all the vegetables and shred the cheeses.
3. Turn on the Instant Pot SAUTÉ setting. When hot, add the butter and olive oil.
4. Add the onion and cook for a 4-minutes.
5. Add the carrots and the potatoes and cook for 3-minutes to soften.
6. Add the black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, nutmeg and garlic. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring continuously.
7. Add the broth and stir.
8. Add the broccoli, but don't stir. Put the lid on and lock it in place. Make sure the steam release is sealed.
9. CANCEL the SAUTÉ function. Then press the PRESSURE COOK button. Then the + or - to select 5 MINUTES on HIGH PRESSURE.
10. When the cooking cycle is finished, allow for a 5-MINUTE NATURAL RELEASE.
11. Turn OFF the Instant Pot.
12. Use a stick blender (immersion blender) to breakdown all the veggies.
13. Mix the flour and butter together in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 15 seconds. Then mix very well until it is smooth.
14. Turn the SAUTÉ setting ON and mix in the flour/butter mixture and stir until it starts to thicken.
15. Stir in the cheeses.
16. CANCEL the SAUTÉ function and add in the half and half. Stir well.
17. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
18. Portion out the soup and garnish each bowl with some shredded cheese and a broccoli floret or two.

ChefSecret:  If you don’t have a stick blender you can use a blender, but don’t fill it any more than half full to prevent splash over and burns. If you prefer a thinner soup, reduce the amount of "thickener" you add.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “And, it’s starting all over again… Due to the recent worsening of an outbreak of Stupidity and Panic-Purchasing by complete idiots, the nation is again experiencing a shortage of toilet paper and common sense. Expect supplies to be replenished once these sheep-minded morons have all starved to death in their homes surrounded by toilet paper, but without anything to eat.”
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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.

#Soup #InstantPot #BroccoliCheddarSoup #CreamOfBroccoliSoup #Broccoli #Cheddar #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020

How you doin’? Have you been using the drive-thru or take-out options at your favorite burger places? Perspectives has worked for all of them—McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and others. I have my favorite menu items from each of them.
 
I first met Dave Thomas in the late 1970’s at Wendy's new headquarters in Columbus Ohio. Dave started the company in 1969 and he was very proud of the fact that he would never need a product development department.
 
“Our menu is cast in stone,” he told me. “Burgers, Frosties, French Fries and Chili (made from leftover burger patties).
 
In a short period of time Dave was providing his customers with fast, hearty food, in a simple family setting. However, that wasn’t the end of the story… within a few short years Wendy’s had added salads and salad bars, baked potatoes, fish and chicken sandwiches and breakfast, too.
 
In the long run, Dave got it right and added to the menu items that made them a powerhouse (and some that didn’t). In my humble opinion the burgers are good, the French fries are “okay” and the chili is/was excellent. But overall, the best part of the Wendy’s experience for me was the Frosty.
 
Prep time:  2 minutes
Freezing time:  30 minutes
Yield: 2-4 servings
 
This hack of the famous Wendy’s Frosty recipe is so easy to whip up. It tastes like a lighter chocolate milkshake, but it’s still super creamy and delicious.
 
Ingredients
12 ounces (1 standard tub) whipped topping, keep frozen (Cool Whip)
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate milk
Whipped topping & chocolate sauce for garnish
 
Instructions

1. In a canister jar of a blender, add the whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk, and cocoa powder; pour the milk over the top, and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour mixture into 2 glasses and freeze for about 30 to 60 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached. Stir well before serving.
3. Extra portions will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 1 month (cover glasses with plastic wrap or place inside a Ziplock to prevent freezer smells). Allow to come up to room temp for about 30 minutes before serving if frozen solid.

 
ChefSecret:  You can use fat-free, lite, regular or vegan versions of Cool Whip. I used 1% chocolate milk. You can also use soy, almond or oat milk instead of real dairy milk.
 
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I washed my hands so much because of COVID-19 that my exam notes from 1995 resurfaced.”
 
On a side note, it’s still amazing that the white, red and yellow In-N-Out Burger still knocks ‘em out of the park with just burgers, French fries, drinks and shakes. It was founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and Esther Snyder and is still independent and family run.
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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, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. 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.

#Snack #Treat #Dessert #Wendys #Frosty #ChocolateShake #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                © PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc.  2020

How you doin’? Growing up in Southern California I remember the blue-windmill designed buildings that were known as Van de Kamp's Holland Dutch Bakeries. Van de Kamp’s was founded in 1915 as a Los Angeles potato chip stand by Theodore J. Van de Kamp and Lawrence L. Frank, all recent transplants from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first stand was operated from a mere eight foot frontage at 236 ½ South Spring Street next to the Saddle Rock Café—the very heart of Los Angeles at the time.
 
They expanded the business to baked goods and by the mid-1950s had evolved into a regional bakery/restaurant chain. At the company’s height, 320 Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakeries dotted the West Coast from California to Washington selling some of the most innovative and delicious baked goods. There were several “signature” foods that I still long for today—Van de Kamp’s Chocolate Cake and Sugar Crisps.
 
In 1930 the company built a large bakery and administrative offices to support its  growth in Glassell Park, Los Angeles. The Van de Kamp Bakery Building was designed by New York architect J. Edwin Hopkins. The company's trademark blue windmills featured on their bakery store signs and atop their chain of famous restaurants that were known throughout the region. Its slogan was to capitalize on the association with Dutch cleanliness and freshness: "Made Clean, Kept Clean, Sold Clean."
 
One of my Van de Kamp favorites was their Dutch Apple Slab… the easiest Dutch Apple pie-like dessert ever made. This is THE traditional “Dutch Treat” for birthdays or holidays. Preparation is very quick and you really can't go wrong! Add a cup of rum-soaked raisins to apples if desired.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Bake time:  45 to 50 minutes
Yield: 12 to 16 servings (1-9-inch springform pan)
 
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
8 large tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰F.
2. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan.
3. In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, egg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla and flour. Stir with spoon for a few moments until mixture hangs together. Then use hands to form dough.
4. Pinch and pat a little more than 1/2 of the dough on the bottom and sides of the prepared springform pan.
5. Place the apples on the dough and dust them with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
6. Crumble the rest of the dough over top of apples until they are covered evenly.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.

ChefSecret:  If desired, sprinkle a 1/4 cup of granulated sugar over the top of the dough to create a crunchy, sugary top crust.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “While many of us are staying around the house to be safe, every time you talk to your wife your mind should remember that this conversation will be recorded for training and quality purposes.”

Long ago in a faraway place… I worked with the Frank and Van de Kamp families as the Design and Marketing Director at Lawry’s Foods just up the street from the Fletcher Street Van de Kamp’s Bakery. I got access to some of the best baking recipes and this is one of them.
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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, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. 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.

#Baking #Dessert #ApplePie #DutchApplePie #VandeKamps #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2020