Here is a fun video that Ella made on how to properly carve a pumpkin – mess free!

* produced by Ella

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Carve, Halloween, How to Video, Jack O Lantern, Pumpkin

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There really is nothing like freshly made Charcuterie and a glass of Floc to make one really appreciate the small things in life.  We first met Dominique Chapolard during a workshop that he teaches at with Kate Hill, French Pig – The Butcher & The Cook.  We instantly hit it off with both Dominique and Kate and knew it was only the beginning of a long friendship.

Please read on and watch the video we made  - we need your vote!

Ferme Baradieu is run by the Chapolard family and it is a true example of sustainability as they grow the feed for their pigs, they butcher the pigs and they sell the meat and house-made Charcuterie, at the weekly markets in their immediate areas — truly “Seed to Sausage”.

What makes the Chapolards different from the average butcher;  their story.  Kate sums it up best – “One farm. Ten pigs a week. 520 Large White/Yorkshire pigs a year. Raised for 12 months minimum on all home-grown grain.  Thousands of kilos of fresh meat, perfectly cure dventreche, boudin and pure meat saucisse – all sold twice a week just a few miles away.  The hard work of one family: the Chapolards, in Gascony.”

We were honored to be invited into their world this past summer.  One early summer morning we were able to work along side the Chapolard family, this is where we were able to capture this amazing video.  Not only does it show the hard work that goes into their amazing Charcuterie but also the love and passion that the family has not only for each other but also for what they do.

When we submitted this video, on behalf of the Chapolard family and Kate, to Protein University for their “Who’s Your Butcher” contest, we never imagined the response we would receive.  It has been truly inspiring.  We want everyone to see it and to spread the word of this truly amazing spot in Gascony France.  We never ask for anything from our readers.  Now we are.  We need your support.  Please vote for Seed to Sausage, Ferme Baradieu.  Dominique Chapolard has a vision and message and we want him to be able to share it with everyone.  Protein University will announce the winner on August 22, 2010, and that butcher (hopefully, Dominique) will be included in a exclusive 4-day butcher intensive at Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC on August 29, 30 and 31.

“Who is your butcher?” Seed to Sausage, Ferme Baradieu!!

If you would like to learn how to work/learn along side the Chapolard family please contact Kate Hill about her AB&C (Artisan Butchery & Charcuterie ) Workshops - the workshop is hands-on in beautiful Gascony, a truly unique experience for anyone interested in the lost art of French Butchery and Charcuterie.

Please vote!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Butchery, Chapolard, Contest, Ferme Baradieu, France, Gascony, Pig, Pork, Primal, Protein University, Video

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© laudalino for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: France, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, Traveling, Video

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We  are doing two fitness, eating and being healthy challenges.  Instead of writing about each one separately I am going to incorporate them for the month of February.

RSBC:  Run Swim Bike Cook Challenge

If you remember last weekend I announced the RSBC Challenge, an event that we are co-hosting with Christy over at Balance.  This was our first week and we did pretty well.  While we are not runners we did get a fair amount of fitness in.   Lenny and I both hit spin class twice this week.  As well he got two days of climbing in and I got a yoga and 2 pilate sessions in.

Black beans – we love black beans but never think of adding them to breakfast.  We did eat a lot of beans with our breakfasts when we were in Mexico and loved it.  This challenge reminded us of how As well we were able to get the cooking challenge in by adding the Superfood black beans into a breakfast.  Over the weekend we made a great black bean dish with Yuzu, eggs and Basque chorizo.  While we are trying to limit our meat in take for the next four weeks we could not resist adding some chorizo to our breakfast….. think of it as more protein!

Your challenge for this week is to Swim 2.4 miles.  The Superfood to incorporate into your weekly menu is butternut squash in the form of a dessert.  Be sure to email me (denise@chezus.com) your entries by midnight on the 13th of February – we cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Butternut squash – did you know it is technically a fruit, because it has seeds and is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants.   It is low in fat, and delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, which makes it a heart friendly choice to add to your diet.  It also provides potassium which is very important for your bones as well as B6 which is essential for your nervous and immune systems.

Ten in 10 Healthy Challenge

As mentioned we did a pretty good job at keeping within our personal goals for this challenge.  I wanted to share this week a couple things that we are doing to help keep us in check.

• Snacks – you know how it is, late in the afternoon, you are jonsing to put something into your mouth.  I have been keeping a ziploc full of cut up celery and carrots near out desks for when we get the urge to nibble.  We just need a couple pieces and that craving is usually satisfied.
• Drinks – we are not soda drinkers but we do love coffee.  I do have a couple cups in the morning and Lenny has been limiting coffee only to the weekends.  During the day, we both keep water bottles on our desk and we reach for them often.  As well I drink a lot of green tea throughout the day.
• Meals – we are trying to complete a month of mostly veggie related meals.  January went so well that we are going to try to make it through February as well.  We are big into not “dieting” so instead we practice portion control.  I normally do not make enough to last more than one dinner and maybe lunch the next day and when serving up a portion, think the size of your fist.

Following is a recap of our week – it shows our weight at week 1 and what we are at now, as well as what activities we did for the week

Beg. Weight          End of Week Weight

Denise                    152                                 144                                       Spin Pilates Spin Yoga

Lenny                      175                                 161                                       Biking Spin Climb Spin Climb Climb

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Black Beans, Butternut Squash, Eating Healthy, RSBC Challenge, Ten in 10 Healthy Challenge, Working Out

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Drum Roll Please ………………..  the winner of this fantastic give away is:  Kati Jackson!

Kati, please email (denise@chezus.com) us your mailing address, so we can help you get baking, even quicker!

One of the first people I began a virtual relationship within the twitter land of foodies, was Zoe Francois, of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day & Zoe Bakes.  Zoe and I instantly connected – I loved her witty comments, the warmth of her personalty that came through the screen and the passion she writes with about baking, her family and what she does – that was a couple years ago.  After the foundation was built, I came to know and love Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  I loved that I could make fresh bread easily and not once a week but everyday!  When I heard of her new book that she was co-writing with Jeff Herzberg, I was equally as excited.  I immediately thought of Celia over at Omnivore Books and knew I had to virtually introduce them, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, had to make an appearance!!

Zoe and Jeff made their appearance at Omnivore Books back in November and we had the honor of capturing the event live so that we could (they could) share it will you.  They filled the room with people who all loved the same things we  love about them – insightful knowledge about baking, witty humor, warm personalities and a passion about baking that was very evident!  When I had Zoe off camera I had a chance to talk to her about the dilemma we have at our house.  The one about how a baguette never makes it past a day, yes, the same one where I have to hide them or it will be gone before dinner and if I want even a bit of bread with dinner, I have to tear off a chunk or it will be gone before I barely sit down!  I continued to tell her that I had to stop feeding this expensive habit of a certain someone as we were spending between $40 – $50 a month, just on baguettes!   When I asked her if she had figured out the cost per baguette by using their method and she told approximately .40 per baguette, I was sold!

Now I have yet to make the master recipe and start cranking out fresh baked baguettes for our meals;  but, I have tried one of their roll recipes, 100% Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Dinner Rolls with a Salt Crust.  I did have to improvise a bit as we were traveling in the middle of nowhere, when I attempted to find the ingredients;  I could not find rye or soy flour so I used half white and wheat.   Other changes I made was adding the rosemary into the dough and I omitted the salt crust.  I am happy to say, the recipe came our perfectly and was incredibly easy and very delicious!

I have to say I am loving the recipes I have read so far and am very eager to start baking not just one but many of them.  Zoe and Jeff have everything some savory to sweet and from everyday breads to enriched breads and pastries.  As well all of the recipes look easy enough for the novice baker to get their hands dirty with, we highly recommend this for your kitchen bookshelve!

Now for some exciting news … Zoe has been so kind to offer one of our readers a signed copy of their newest book!    Just leave a comment, by midnight, January 15th 2010, telling us how baking fresh healthy bread in 5 minutes a day would change your life!  If you would like an extra chance, then twitter this post and leave a comment with your tweet.  We are even sweetening the deal, you can tweet this once a day, just besure to come back and post your comment w/the tweet in it!

You want the recipe?  Then you need to go here …. or wait and see if you win the book!

If you like this post, wait until you see who we will have next month!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 54 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, Baking, Bread, Healty Bread in Five Minutes a Day, Jeff Hertzberg, Omnivore Books, Rosemary, Rosemary Scented Dinner Rolls, Zoe Francois

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Grilled vegetables are grilled and then rolled in corn tortillas before being lightly fried.  Two salsas, one made of pumpkin seeds and the other made from tomatoes, compliment the smoky vegetables.

If you are  a regular reader you know that I am a magazine whore.   I cannot pass by a magazine rack without scouring the shelves for the newest glossy to capture my taste-buds.  I am loving Gourmet and especially their Gourmet Every Day section, they always, I mean always have some fantastic ideas for quick, easy and flavorful recipes.  I have decided that I would pick one recipe from this section, each month, cook it, eat it and review it for your pleasure.

We are trying to eat more vegetarian inspired meals at least once if not twice a week.  We are doing this for a couple reasons 1) to cut back on meat consumption 2) new variety in our diets and 3) to just eat more veggies!    We picked the Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchiladas with Two Salsas, from the August 2009 Gourmet as our kick off recipe.  Last Friday, we made a pitcher of passion fruit margaritas, warmed up a big bowl of padrons and we cooked together – yes, we cooked together.  It was silly and very fun – be sure to check out the video we made while cooking dinner, it is in our “latest video section down below”.

This enchilada recipe was not the typical enchilada recipe that I make.  This particular one calls lightly frying the rolled tortillas.  As well it calls for adding grilled vegetables.  We did not want to heat up the BBQ grill so we went with the option of pan grilling the  zucchini, white onions and red peppers.  While the veggies were cooking and turning golden brown, we made the two salsas.   Lenny made the traditional style tomato and onion one and I made the slightly more complicated one, pumpkin seed and cilantro salsa.  After the veggies were done, we lightly rolled them in corn tortillas that had a small amount of pumpkin seed salsa smothered on them and then we gently fried them.  Even though the salsas were very flavorful, by this point, we were very worried that this dish was going to be very bland as the veggies were …. just veggies.  To serve this dish we laid a couple of the enchiladas on a plate and topped with more of the pumpkin seed salsa, a little of the tomato salsa, some queso fresco and additional pumpkin seeds.

*we had extra pumpkin seed salsa which I have put in the freezer for another dish.

Review:  We both loved this dish.  The salsas really complimented the grilled vegetables.  The pumpkin salsa was slightly nutty and refreshing and the tomato salsa was spicy, both went very well together and equally as well with the vegetables and corn tortillas.  This is a fairly easy recipe but it does take a little time to make.  Next time, I would roll some of the cheese with the veggies and I would spoon the pumpkin seed salsa over the top of the enchiladas and let them bake for a bit before serving.  Otherwise, we give it two forks!

Recipe:    Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchiladas with Two Salsas

1 large white onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 red bell peppers, quartered
3/4 pound medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 (6-to 7-inch) soft corn tortillas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 ounces crumbled queso fresco or ricotta salata

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/3 cups raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups water

2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat.

Preheat oven to 350°F .

Secure each onion round with a wooden pick for grilling. Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables, covered, turning occasionally, until tender (6 to 8 minutes for bell peppers and zucchini; 10 to 12 minutes for onion), transferring to a bowl.

Wrap tortillas in stacks of 6 in foil and heat in oven, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make pumpkin-seed salsa:
Cook chile, garlic, cumin, and pumpkin seeds in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until seeds pop, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer 3 tablespoons seeds with a slotted spoon to a bowl and reserve. Purée remaining seeds and oil with cilantro, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth.

Make tomato salsa:
Stir together tomatoes, onion, chile, lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Assemble and fry enchiladas:
Cut vegetables into strips. Spread 2 teaspoons pumpkin-seed salsa on each warm tortilla and top with some of grilled vegetables, then roll up. Heat oil (1/2 cup) in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry enchiladas, seam side down first, in 2 batches, turning once, until lightly browned and heated through, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer enchiladas to plates, then drizzle with remaining pumpkin-seed salsa and sprinkle with reserved seeds and cheese. Serve with tomato salsa.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dinner, Gourmet Magazine, Pepper, Pumpkin Seeds, Recipe, Vegetables, Zucchini

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Announcing the winner of our first give away to celebrate our two year anniversary. Maestro, tell us who won…

© laudalino for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Flip Ultra HD Camera, Video

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We got to meet Peter Reinhart last weekend.  He was giving a talk over at our new favorite little Noe Valley *foodie* hangout, Omnivore Books.  Peter is a fantastic speaker, he is witty, brilliant and has a wealth of information to share with the novice baker as well as the most experienced. His journey is very interesting …..so much so that we felt you should be able to join in all the fun!

© laudalino for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Food Blog Video, Peter Reinhart

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We attended our first  Fancy Food Show back in January.  We really did not have any idea as to what expect other then the obvious; there would be food.  The show is huge and you do need a couple days to really suck it all in.  One can find everything from French imported Pates to BBQ Sauce, and beautiful glass bottles to sassy aprons, there is something for everyone!  This show is not open to the general public, it is geared towards food and media  professionals who are in the industry.  Being food bloggers for the past couple of years was definitely our *in* for this niche.  We wanted to attend for two reasons 1) we love food and wanted to see what new and exciting products are out there 2) we have been trying to expose our professional lives to the food industry as we feel there is a huge opportunity out there, particularly for food trade shows, food related conferences and capturing chefs doing what they do best!   So we geared ourselves with a video camera and a microphone, went in there and introduced ourselves, told them the story of  Chez Us and FullView Media and asked to shoot a short product demo of what they were selling for our own use.   Not only did we have so much fun eating, gorging, eating and shooting video;  but, our speakers were having a blast talking about their products!

Besides the video we also had the chance to meet Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa - very fun!

This is merely a tasting of  what we experienced.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fancy Food Show, Food Blog Video, Food Vlog

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Click photo to watch video!

We had to really think about pantries when Lydia over at the Perfect Pantry was going to take a peek into ours. Have we ever had a big pantry? I do remember having one in one of the homes I grew up in & I liked looking in it, I remember opening the door often and just staring into it.  My dad and stepmom have one, now;  but, they really don’t have much in it, probably almost the same sort of things that we do.  Lenny’s mother has one, which, I personally have never looked in and I highly double Lenny has!  But, personally, NO!  Of all the places I/we have lived on our own, the past twenty some years, neither of us have EVER had a big pantry. It is not a bad thing to have a big pantry; but, it is kind of like having a big house, you just end  up collecting stuff! In all honesty, the idea of food “stuff” lingering around in our pantry, kind of  grosses us out.  We are the type of people who don’t really care for leftovers for insistence, let alone a pile of “pantry stuff”.  As well, we pretty much eat exactly what we buy on a weekly basis and we have a tendency to only have perishable items on hand. We definitely try our hardest to eat locally, organic and sustainablly as much as possible. As well you will not find junk food, processed food, snack food, or quick fix frozen food. The staples we keep on our one shelve pantry are …. well, click on the above photo and find out!  

© Denise for Chez Us, 2008. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Food Blog Event, Food Video, Local Food, Organic Food, Perfect Pantry, The Perfect Pantry

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Life has definitely taken over Chez US recently. I feel terrible that it has taken me almost a month to test out this product and write a review of it! Leslie Haywood, founder of Grill Charms, sent us a nice package with these cute little charmed life grill charms. I normally do not do this sort of thing; but, Leslie was so sweet and I liked the concept of her product, as well we are big supporters of startups and especially women started companies, we could not say no to try out her product. Unfortunately, we have been so busy with our own company that this package has been sitting on the counter for a few weeks now. I keep waiting for the weather to get warm enough to actually fire up the grill. Well, that night has not arrived yet, so we braved the cold and fired up the grill last week. We were making grilled pork chops, Lenny likes his extra spicy and I like mine just a little spicy!

Leslie’s grill charms are similar to the wine charm concept – everyone picks their favorite charm and attaches it to their cut of meat. The stainless steel charms are serrated to hold securely while grilling and flipping. I was a little suspect when I tossed them onto the grill; but, NO, they did not budge! They are great for the grill master who entertains a group who may have certain requirements, health or allergy concerns, no spicy, no salt, they like theirs well done, etc.. when dinner comes off the grill everyone knows which one is theirs! So, we picked our charms and got grilling.

The end result perfectly cooked pork for each of us, no slicing of little pieces here and there to see which one was spicier. Not only are they very practical for this reason; but, they are also adorable and a fun way to dress up your meat at your next bbq.

I can only imagine how these would be a BIG hit with your kids as well, especially little girls, since they are all into jewels.  Also, Christmas is around the corner, these would make a perfect stocking stuffer or the addition to a set of grill tools! You have that hard to buy person to shop for here is the grill accessory for them! Shop for Grill Charms!

Check out Leslie’s demo video as well!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BBQ

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Want to learn how to make yogurt at home …. so so easy! Just click (anywhere) on the photo above, to watch our how to video!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2008. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Breakfast and Brunch, Food Video, Homemade Yogurt, Local Food, Making Yogurt, Recipe, Snacks, Vlog

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