Chef Penny Moline shows you how anyone can cook with passion! Keep it simple, Keep it fresh, Keep it safe. And share it with someone you love!

Flour 4 cups
sugar 2 cups
baking powder 2 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp
butter 1 pound
apples, sliced 12 cups
cinnamon 1 T
lemon juice, fresh 3 T
sugar 1 1/2 cup

In mixing bowl sift; flour, sugar;salt,and baking powder
Rub in butter until fine mixture, this is a crumb mixture for topping
Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice
Put into a 12 x 18 pan
cover apples with crumb mixture
bake at 350 for about 60 minutes
serve warm with cream

onion 8 ounces
carrot 4 ounces
celery 4 ounces
garlic 1 t
butter 2 ounces
shells 1 pound
tomato paste 2 ounces
Brandy 2 ounces
shrimp veloute 4 quarts
sachet 1 each
shrimp cooked and diced 1 pound
heavy cream 1 pint

Carmelize mirepoix in braising pan
Add shells and sear
add tomato paste and saute
add brandy and flame
add fish veloute and sachet
simmer 20 minutes
strain
remove solids
( some Chef's will blend up the shells and solids and return to the soup if you do this, please put the soup through a chinois or china cap after)
Add Shrimp
adjust seasonings
add heavy cream
garnish

VARIATION:  Seafood bisque:  use a combination of crab and shrimp shell.  Use a fish veloute, and garnish with cooked crab meat, shrimp and scallops.

If this is too "FISHY" for you use a chicken veloute.

Sachet:
herbs and spices are placed in a cheesecloth bag called a sachet d' epices french for spice bag...

used for a Sachet:
Thyme
Parsley Stems ( not the leaves)
bay leaves
peppercorn
cloves, whole
garlic, optional
I

Combine all the ingredients for the brine, and cook for 20 minutes

Water 2 quarts
cider 1 quart
pickling spice 1 cup
brown sugar 3/4 pound
black pepper 2 T
Salt 3 T

Shallots minced 4 ounces
wine vinegar 4 ounces
white wine 4 ounces
veloute 1 quart
caper 2 ounces
sour pickles
chopped parsley
taragon

saute shallots, deglaze with white wine and vinegar
add to hot veloute
Add capers, chopped pickles, parsley and chopped taragon

oil 3 cups
garlic 1 1/2 T
onion 2 cups
chili powder 3 cups
cocoa 1/3 cup
sugar 1/3 cup
flour 1 1/2 cup
mesa 1 1/2 cup
water 2 1/2 gallon
beef base 4 ounces
cumin ground 2 T
oregano ground 2 T
salt to taste
sugar to taste

saute onion and garlic to translucent
add chili powder, cocoa, and sugar
cook 3 to 5 minute
add flours and cook as roux
add remaining ingredients
bring to a simmer and simmer for one hour
adjust seasonings
strain

butter 10 ounces
flour 10 ounce
onion 2 Tablespoons

Milk 1 1/2 gallons
bay leaf 1 each

Cheddar cheese 1 pound
Cheese other your choice or an additonal amount of cheddar cheese 1 pound

Paprika 1 T
Dry mustard 1 T
Worcestershire 2 T
Tabasco 2 to 3 drops
Sherry, Optional 1/4 cup

Prepare roux with onion

add milk and bay leaf and allow to simmer 30 mintues

Stir in cheese until melted and smooth
do not allow to curdle

adjust seasonings and liquid
strain before service

butter 2 pounds
almonds 12 ounces

brown butter in saute pan
stir over medium heat

toast almonds in oven

combine almonds with butter and heat a few minutes
do not allow to color

Green pepper 4 each
onions medium 4 each
celery 4 ribs
olive oil 4 ounces
chili powder 1/4 cup
garlic cloves 4 each
diced tomatoes( canned) one number 10 can
tomato sauce 1/2 of a number 10 can
basil leaves 1/2 cup
bay leaf 1 each
thyme leaves 1 tablespoon
sugar 1/4 cup
coarse black pepper 1 tablespoon
water 1 quart

cut green pepper and onions in diamond cut
cut celery diagonally cut
heat olive oil in brazier
add vegetables and cookal dente
add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes
add tomatoe products and water
bring to a simmer
add herbs
continure to simmer 20 minutes
adjust seasonings

Brown Sauce 1 gallon
Brown stock 1 gallon

Combine stock and sauce in a stock pot reduce by half
skim during cooking
strain thru cheesecloth

24 cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 small ripe avocado
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T olive oil
8 drops Tabasco
4 oz crab meat
1 small garlic clove minced to a paste
1 green onion chopped fine
cilantro chopped save some whole for a leaf garnish on the tomato

cut cap off each tomato, reserve caps.  Scoop out seeds and pulp with a melon ball scoop.  Season each with salt and pepper. 
Smash avocado with a fork add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and cilantro to taste.  Mix until smooth.  Add crab meat and mix together.
Fill each cherry tomato 1/4 inch above the rim add a cilantro leaf for garnish top with the reserved cap off the cherry tomato

Such as a potato or an eggplant, a tomato is a member of the nightsshade family.  It is a fruit from a vine native to South America.
There are many varities of tomatoes available today.  We have beefsteak, globe, plum or romas, green tomato, cherry tomato, yellow pear tomato, purple tomato, current tomato, heirloom tomato...and the list goes on and continues to grow... and so many things to be made from this popular fruit. 
For the finest flavor keep tomatoes at room temperature. 

Here is another great recipe for tomatoes  Greek Salad


5 ripe tomatoes cut into a medium dice
1 red bell pepper cut into a medium dice
1 green bell pepper cut into a medium dice
1 yellow bell pepper cut into a medium dice
3 english cucumbers, cut into a medium dice
1 cup kalamata black olives (be sure to pit them)
1/2 pound greek feta crumbled
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

enjoy with fresh pita bread

Combine all vegetables and oilves in a large bowl.  Combine oil and vinegar whisk together in a small bowl this is your dressing...  Add feta cheese to vegetables, and pour dressing over the top of salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix together.  Serve with warmed pita. 

The most important thing I can teach you is wash your hands....and wash your food...Even though Rachael Ray wipes off celery with a damp cloth, and just wipes down her mushrooms with a cloth too..please take the time to wash your produce off...PLEASE....  Please wash them under running water...and give a good once over with your hands...

I want you to have in your head how food is harvested. What I tell my student is this:

Out in a field .... there is not a Hilton close by... there is not a hand washing sink...no restrooms whatsoever....  so what do you think the hard working people in the field do when mother nature calls?  run into town 20 miles?  or just do their duty out in the field.... yes that would be right...then go right back to working hard.....
 Please picture this in your head when you are tempted to not wash a watermelon, or an apple, or any vegetable or produce item for that matter.  We wonder how we are getting ecol i and salmonella in our foods... this is how.  It is so easy to prevent.  Wash everything before you cut into it.  Even an onion....you think you will peel it so what is the point.  You usually put the unwashed onion on your cutting board...then you have contaminated your cutting board even before you started. 
Wash your hands...often... and especially before and during cooking...if you are cooking any raw protein such as chicken please wash your hands before and after handling... make sure you are washing your cutting board too..we don't want any cross contamination....
Lets be safe in our cooking.  Practice washing hands and all produce items that go into our families meals.  After all...when we cook at home for our families...we are cooking with love for them...  We want to keep them healthy and safe from a food borne illness.
When you are washing your hands.... it only takes about  30 seconds of soap with friction from your hands to do the trick...and keep you  and the people you are cooking for safe.. 

1 cup olive oil more if needed
4 cups cubed French bread or Italian bread
Heat oil and fry the cubes of bread until golden..or.(what  I like to do is put the bread cubes in a zip lock bag and pour in the olive oil then toss into a hot saute pan.)
Salt and pepper after removing from the oil

Add 1/4 cup basil chopped
3 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
5 ripe tomatoes cut into a large dice ( use Roma's or any fresh tomato from your garden)
3 T chopped red onion
Fresh mozzarella cheese cut into cubes.

you can also give it a good drizzle with balsamic vinegar if desired.  Season to taste with salt and pepper...and enjoy!

A great way to use the day old bread you might have...

Enjoy!

Bruschetta Recipe


4 large tomatoes           medium chopped
1 medium size onion     small dice
1/4 cup fresh basil        finely shredded
a drizzle of balsmic vinegar
a drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together

Serve on crusty bread .... it can be italian loaf, french bread or sourdough... lightly toasted and top it with the brushetta