Charlie Trotter’s Guest Chef – Me!!!

Today is my birthday. The reason I am telling this tidbit of information to the world is to share my excitement over the coolest birthday gift from my brother, Don, and sister-in-law, Kristy. I will be the Guest Chef For The Day at Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant in Chicago, spending the complete day in the kitchen including food preparation training and working on the line! Then after cooking from 2 PM to 9 PM, I change out of my chef’s whites and sit down to dinner in the dining room with my family. Whoo! Hoo!

“Charlie Trotter’s is regarded as one of the finest restaurants in the world. For 20 years, the restaurant has dedicated itself to excellence in the culinary arts. Never willing to rest on its laurels, Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant is innovative and progressive in the world of food and wine and has been instrumental in establishing new standards for fine dining.”

If any of my friends, including my blogger friends, are in Chicago on this particular summer evening (date to be determined), come to Charlie Trotter’s (reservations required) and let me cook for you!

Thanks Don and Kristy. I love you. Whoo! Hoo!


A video profile of Charlie Trotter’s eponymous restaurant.

Roasted Walnut Oil – Huile de Noix

Organic Baby Greens, Toasted Walnuts, Kalamata Olives, Feta
Dressed with Roasted Walnut Oil and a Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
La Tourangelle handcrafts this Roasted Walnut Oil in California strictly following the 150-year-old traditional methods of its French sister oil mill. It is slowly roasted, expeller-pressed and lightly filtered.
I have to admit I was in an oil rut. Olive oil will still remain number one in my kitchen, but this flavorful roasted oil is exceptional in salads and I also look forward to using it in pasta dishes as well. I plan to try their Roasted Pistachio and Toasted Pumpkin Seed oils, too.
How do you like my fabulous new platter?
A gift from FA. Thanks FA!
It is Mikasa China, Venice Pattern, Made in Japan.
I especially like the way the food reflects off the black rim.

Cevapcici

I live in the town of San Pedro, which is part of the city of Los Angeles, and is home to thousands of Croatians, including my butcher. For years, I have seen these little cigar-like Balkan Sausages at the butcher shop but unfortunately never bothered to ask about them. The other day, the lady in front of me bought loads of them. She said her family is wild about cevapcici and she usually grills or broils them and serves with onions and peppers in olive oil. So…I added some to my order. It was time to give these little guys a try.
After some research on the Internet, I found they are almost always served with onions then ingredients like sour cream, peppers, paprika, and flat bread are not far behind.
I sautéed onions and peppers then added salt, garlic and spicy paprika, meanwhile cooking the cevapcici under the broiler.
I even found a video on how to make them, although I couldn’t understand a word except “cevapcici,” I did see how they are formed, by a unique kitchen gadget, into what I would call a particularly unfortunate shape as they are not too pretty for the camera if you know what I mean. But, boy, are they ever delicious!

My butcher instructs me to pronounce all the c’s like a ch, so I sound like a Croat.
Che-Vap’-Chi-Chi.
He makes his with lamb and beef and spices although some also add pork to the mix.
You may recognize these famous Croats in food and wine respectively:
Lydia Bastianich and Mike Grgich.

I plan to serve a lot of cevapcici this summer (now that I can pronounce it), hot off the barbecue grill, maybe with a yogurt cucumber dip? If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and give them a try.
UPDATE:
TRY THIS CEVAPCICI FLATBREAD PIZZA TOO! Recipe here.
Cevapcici Flatbread

let’s share our meatloaf secrets


Moist is a key word when it comes to delicious meatloaf.


Isn’t this a cute little meatloaf? Baked in my Le Creuset Chestnut Oval Baker.


Really good meatloaf recipes are a dime a dozen… No, actually, they are cheaper than that, they’re free! You can ask your mom, my mom, your cousin, your best friend, your co-worker, Molly, my butcher, Google, Foodbuzz (click here)…or me.

But this post is about my secrets to a scrumptious meatloaf:  Cook at 325 until the meat registers 155 degrees as opposed to a specific cooking time. Use a remote thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest before serving. This results in a moist juicy meatloaf.

And have a gooey zippy sauce. This one is 4 parts barbecue sauce to one part each honey and Worcestershire plus several hearty dashes of hot sauce. Whisk together and pour over the meat prior to cooking.

Peas are optional.

Do you have a meatloaf secret to share?