Chez Us has been invited to play along with the fine folks at Kitchen PLAY and Knuckle Salad during Munch Madness.  This fun event is being sponsored by United States Potato Board.  To familiarize you with Munch Madness, it is a bracketed playoff where eight food bloggers share their recipes to compete for the title of 2013 Munch Madness Champion (you can vote for Chez Us, too).  Their recipes will use potatoes to create healthy, light and fresh recipes that would be perfect for spring.  Not sure about you, but, we are so excited to see what everyone creates using one of our favorite ingredients!

Baking the potatoes in salt

Being a lover of food, I am often asked what I would want as a last meal.  I always say the same thing, creamy mashed potatoes.  I am a sucker for a big bowl of homemade mashed potatoes with a hunk of butter on top.  In fact, I am a sucker for any dish involving potatoes.  I am not biased, I love them roasted, baked, mashed, sautéed, raw, etc…. you get the picture.

Letting the potatoes cool

Unfortunately with all the fad diets out there, the potato has been given an unfavorable rap.  I admit I have fallen into some of these diet traps, but I never gave up the potato.  Honest.  After all, it is a vegetable, and vegetables are good for us.  Did you realize that one 5.3 ounce potato (considered medium in size) with the skin left on contains 45 percent of the daily value of vitamin C.  My grandmother always said to eat the skin of the potato, do not leave it!  That same medium potato has more potassium than spinach, broccoli or bananas.  And the best part for you calorie counters, there are 110 calories, no fat, cholesterol or sodium.

Potatoes that have been processed in a food milll

Yes, potatoes are starchy, and they are carbs, but they are not unhealthy for you.  The USDA MyPlate.gov recommends that women aged 31 – 50, who get less then 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity should have 5 cups of starchy vegetables per week.  You can enjoy 1 cup of mashed, 1 medium baked or 20 french fried potatoes.    As well, potatoes are a carbohydrate, but they are a complex carbohydrate which is an excellent source of energy.  Your body needs this to push through the day or to help you ride that bike up the hill!  Much better for you than a sugary drink!  What makes  your dish or recipe “not healthy” is not the potato but what ingredients are used when cooking that potato.  If you pile on mounds of butter and sour cream, that is another issue.  For instance, when I make mashed potatoes, I use chicken stock or heart healthy olive oil to create a creamy texture, and they are just as good as mashing with cream or butter.

On of my new favorite ways to work with potatoes is by making gnocchi.  I had always been a bit timid to attempt this recipe, but, after buying many disappointing brands of pre-made gnocchi, I jumped in.  If Noona could do it, so could I.

Making gnocchi dough

The key to perfectly light gnocchi is the potato and how it is prepared.  I have tried using white potatoes as well as russets.  I find the russets work much better as they are starchier then others.  They also have a grainy and light texture, that is a bit drier than the creamy whites.  I tried a few different approaches from boiling and steaming of the potatoes, which I felt left the dough too moist,  and resulted in puddles of boiled gnocchi.  I tried adding more flour, but then the gnocchi came out heavy and gummy.  Then I read a tip that baking potatoes would produce a drier dough, which would make for a lighter gnocchi.  It worked brilliantly!

Finished gnocchi dough

I bake my potatoes in kosher salt, as the salt helps draw out unwanted moisture.  As soon as the baked potatoes come out of the oven, I immediately cut them in half, then let them sit at room temperature until I can handle them.  Cutting them in half helps the drying process.

Cutting the gnocchi

Once the potatoes are cool enough to hold, I run the cooked flesh through a food mill.  This is key.  I have tried mashing with a fork, but the texture does not come out as light as fluffy.  The next step is crucial;  adding the flour.  I use Italian 00 flour as the texture is lighter and I find it more flavorful.  If you cannot find this type of flour, regular all-purpose is fine.  You will need to run it through a sifter 3 times, and you will need a little less of it.  I add a little flour at a time to the potato/egg mixture;  you do not want the dough to be gummy.  After the dough is finished you will want to work quickly, by rolling the dough out and cutting into gnocchi.  The longer you let the dough sit, the harder it is to work with.  Be quick!

Gnocchi

Making the gnocchi just takes patience.  It may take you a couple times before getting it just right.  Don’t give up, keep trying, it will be worth it.

With the essence of Spring in the air, I have been serving these pillowy gnocchi with a fresh pea and mint sauce. The sauce is lightly seasoned with a little lemon zest, chili flakes and parmesan cheese.  It really pairs perfectly with these little potato pillows to create a light and refreshing meal.

Did you like this recipe?  We’d be thrilled if you voted for Chez Us during Munch Madness.  Just click this link to be taken to the voting place.  Yep, it is that easy.  Thank you.

2013 Munch Madness: Potato Goodness voting ends at 11:00 PM on March 26, 2013. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 or older to enter. US residents only. One prize of $50 will be awarded randomly to all eligible voters. Winner must respond within 24 hours of being notified, at which time a new winner will be chosen. Additional rules and guidelines available at Kitchen PLAY. 

**  Be sure to check out these other fun sites for potato inspiration – Facebook and Potato Goodness.

Recipe:  Potato Gnocchi with Pea Mint Sauce 

• 5 medium russet potatoes
• 1 box kosher salt
• 1 cup 00 flour (all-purpose may be substituted; see post for instructions)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• semolina flour
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 10 mint leaves or more if you like a stronger mint essence
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 zest of one small lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F.  While the oven is heating, using a fork, prick the potatoes all over.  Pour the box of kosher salt into a baking dish.  Bury the potatoes into the salt; it will be okay if their tops pop out.  Bake for 60 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven.  Immediately cut the potatoes in half, then let sit until cool enough to handle.  Scoop the flesh into a food mill, and process into a large mixing bowl.

Spread the potatoes over a clean working surface, using a pastry scraper.  Sprinkle the pepper over the top, and drizzle with the beaten egg.  Lightly sprinkle 1/2 of the flour over the potato egg mixture.  Using the pastry scrapper, begin incorporating the ingredients, and continue doing so until almost combined.  Keep adding the flour until you reach a thick consistency.  It may become necessary to use your hands towards the end to continue combining the ingredients.  This last mixing step will only take a few moments.  Once the dough has come together, divide into 4 equal pieces.

Clean your work surface and dry well.  Lightly sprinkle a little 00 flour over the surface.  Working quickly, roll the dough into a large 1/2” rope, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces of gnocchi.  After cutting the dough you can opt to use the tines of a fork or a gnocchi board to make grooves into each piece.  I prefer not too.  Completely up to you.

Set the gnocchi pieces onto a baking sheet that has been lightly covered with semolina flour.

Begin preparing the sauce.  Fill a saucepan full of cold water and bring to a boil.  Add the peas and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.  Immediately drain into a colander and stop the cooking process with an ice bath.  Drain again.  Add the peas, mint leaves and garlic to a food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Add the lemon zest, chili flakes and cheese.  Pulse.  With the food processor running add the olive oil.  Season with salt.

Fill a large heavy pot with cold water.  Season generously with kosher salt; this helps season the gnocchi.  Bring to a boil.  Add pieces of gnocchi, one at a time, cook only until they float up to the top (about 2 – 4 minutes).  Scoop out and lay on top of paper towels.

Lightly toss with the pea sauce.  Serve and pass more grated parmesan cheese.

**** Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Kitchen PLAY, Knuckle Salad and US Potatoes.  We have been compensated for this post;  but, all opinions are solely our own.

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There will be any talk of food today;  instead, I am going to share a product, I found for the man (men) in our lives.  Particularly, for the man in your life who has everything.  I am always stumped as to what to give Lenny.  We are at the point in our lives if there is something we need, we just get it, so when gift giving comes around it is challenging.  As well I am not the type of person to merely give a “gift” for the sake of giving.  I search and search for the perfect gift that fits my person’s personality.  I am big on unique as well as packaging.  I like the gift to be a little more then exceptional.

I have always found there to be a romantic element to men shaving, especially at the old time barber shops.  I love watching them lather up the soap into a rich bubbly mixture, then slowly slathering it over an unshaven face.  Each smooth swipe of the blade revealing the person you cannot wait to snuggle.  The scent of soap filling the room.  I actually find it rather intoxicating.    Wouldn’t it be lovely to recreate that feeling at home?

I have been looking for facial products for Lenny for some time now.  The problem with most of them that I have found is that they are not that masculine.  Then I was introduced to the Art of Shaving.  The masculine packaging first drew me in.  Then I started digging deeper and became interested in the scents.  I am thinking that I would enjoy him wearing either the sandalwood or lemon aftershave;  one a bit mysterious and the other bright and fresh.  Maybe both – morning and evening ones.

I am leaning towards one of their starter kits so he can try out all of their saving products.  I love that there is the pre-shave oil, in addition to the shaving cream, and after balm.  His beard tends to be a bit rough, and the pre-shave oil will help soften his beard for a closer shave.  I like that the product is made with botanical ingredients as well as essential oils.  As well there is a starter brush to help create that big bubbly lather.  Now I just need to decide on the scent!

If you are stumped for that last minute gift or even a stocking stuffer, for the man or teen boy in your life, The Art of Shaving Starter Kit is reasonably priced at $25 and has a bonus certificate worth $25 off your next purchase included in the kit.  In addition, there are many other specials such as 20% off and free shipping.  Tis the season for giving something memorable to someone special in your life.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from P&G through BlogHer.  I have not purchased nor was given the product, opinions are solely my own.  

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It is officially summer, which means it is time to start some serious entertaining.  Hot, balmy nights are meant to be sitting around, enjoying ones company, and eating great food.

Lucky for all of us, Kitchen PLAY invited us to join them and Aunt Nellie’s for a Progressive Dinner Party.    If, you are not familiar with Kitchen PLAY you should be.  They co-sponsor fun Progressive Dinner Parties, monthly, featuring six food bloggers.  Each blogger is assigned one of the following courses:  cocktails, amuse bouche, salad, appetizer/soup, entree and dessert.  The fun part;  all bloggers have to incorporate the same food product into their course.  This month’s party is all about beets.

Aunt Nellie’s Baby Pickled Beets are harvested at their peak, and then packed in glass jars for optimal freshness.  We loved how crisp the beets were with each bite.  Beets are one of our favorite veggies to use, as they are rich in antioxidants.  Antioxidants are needed in all of our daily diets as they may help in the prevention of heart disease, memory loss and cancer.

All great Progressive Dinner Parties should start with a great cocktail.  We decided to shake things up with a dirty martini, made with a twist, by using Aunt Nellie’s Baby Pickled Beets.

A martini is very personal.  Some people are gin lovers others are vodka.  There is no right or wrong.  Whichever, you prefer, is the right choice.  Then there is the question of shaking or stirring.  If you are using gin, you must stir your martini;  otherwise the gin will become bruised and cloudy.  Vodka is great shaken with icy cold cubes.  A well chilled glass and these adorable Aunt Nellie’s Baby Pickled Beets are a must.

We tried both gin and vodka for this recipe, and preferred vodka.  It was a bit cleaner in taste, and did not mask the tangy flavor of the beets as the gin tended to do.  The citrus undertones of the orange bitters was the perfect match with the slightly sweet beets, and a splash of the pickling brine made our martini a bit dirty.  We are always joking how  the garnish is a snack with our martinis, and the pickled baby beets were the perfect snack with a chilled vodka martini.

To have even more fun with Aunt Nellie’s full line of glass-packed vegetables, sign up here to receive a coupon good toward the purchase price of any Aunt Nellie’s product. Then, create your own fun dish using that product for a chance to win $250 from Aunt Nellie’s and Kitchen PLAY. See specific rules at Kitchen PLAY. Limited quantities available. Sweepstakes ends 8/31/12.

Print

Kitchen PLAY | Dirty Martini

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Vodka
• 1/2 ounce Vermouth
• dash of Orange Bitters
• splash of Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Baby Beet juice
• Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Baby Beets for garnish
• orange peel for garnish
• ice

Directions

• Fill your martini glass full of ice.
• In a shaker add ice, vermouth and vodka.
• Shake.
• Empty the ice from the martini glass.
• Put a splash of the beet juice, swirl around the glass, then pour out.
• Stain the shaken vodka into the glass.
• Add a dash of bitters.
• Garnish with the beet and orange peel.
• Serve.
• Sip.

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** Disclaimer:  This post is sponsored by Kitchen PLAY and Aunt Nellie’s; opinions, recipe, and photos used are my own.

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Before I share this amazing recipe with you, I wanted to tell you about a fun event we are participating in this month;  Kitchen PLAY.  don’t know about you, but I love playing in the kitchen and get really excited when offered the opportunity to try new gadgets and ingredients.  Don’t we all love to play in the kitchen;  after all, isn’t that why you are here?

Kitchen PLAY represents a new sponsored Progressive Party every month with six food bloggers.  Each food blogger is assigned one of the following courses:  cocktails, amuse bouche, salad, appetizer/soup, entree and dessert.  All bloggers have to incorporate the same kitchen tool or food product into their course.  Sounds fun doesn’t it!

I was thrilled when I was asked to play along this month.  The sponsor for this month’s Progressive Party is Lindsay Olives. Lindsay Olives are located in the central valley of California, where the sun shines, and it gets hot.  Perfect weather to grow delicious olives.  I love that they do not use any preservatives when processing their olives.  Just ripe, natural, goodness with every bite!  Lindsay Olives is currently celebrating the theme “Life Should Taste Good”, and I cannot agree more.  Life should taste good.

I was assigned to bring an appetizer to the party using at least one Lindsay Olives product.  Once I read up on the different olives, I decided to use two different types:  green ripe olives and black medium olives.  Normally when I make this recipe I only use black olives, but after I read about how “buttery” the green olives were, I had to throw them in.  This recipe is the perfect starter for your next dinner party.  Buttery puff pastry wraps around tangy goat cheese that is full of ripe olives, lemon zest, and fresh oregano.

Print

Olive and Goat Cheese Turnovers

Ingredients

• Puff Pastry, 2 boxes
• 10 oz goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 can Lindsay Green Ripe Olives, drained
• 1 can Lindsay Black Medium Olives, drained
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 medium shallot
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• fresh oregano, handful, minced finely
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 egg

Directions

• Let puff pastry thaw at room temperature, according to directions on the packaging.
• Heat the oven to 350.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, using a fork, break up the goat cheese, until smooth.
• In a food processor, mince the shallot into small pieces. Remove from the food processor. Then do the same process with the olives. You will need to use the pulse mode so that you do not over process the olives into mush.
• Gently heat the olive oil, over low heat, in a frying pan.
• Add the shallots and cook until soft; about 3 minutes.
• Add the olives, stir, and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, and the oregano.
• Remove from the heat, and season with pepper. Let cool.
• Once cooled, add to the goat cheese, and using a fork, stir until mixed.
• On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a large square. Cut into equal sized squares: about 14 squares per rolled out sheet of puff pastry. You can go a little smaller or larger, depending on the look you want.
• Put a teaspoon of the goat cheese mixture on one corner.
• Using a pastry brush, dab a little water, around the sides of the cut square, and then fold over to make a triangle.
• Put onto the baking sheet.
• Make an egg wash with the egg, and a tablespoon of water. Mix very well. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the triangles.
• Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, until puffed, and golden.
• Serve.
• Eat.

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WOW!  Time flies when you are cooking, and stuffing your face.  It is hard to believe that it has been 4 years, yes 4 years, and 697 posts since Chez Us was born.  It is fun to look back, and see the baby steps we took, to get where we are now.  We laugh, and smile over some of these silly posts, when we were shy, and not sure how much we should say. It has been a delicious journey.

We get asked all the time, why we do it, and why we keep doing it?  Well, we have to eat, right?  Honestly?  We love it;  it is a sweet labor of love, delicious love.  Two passions rolled into one … food and photography.  An outlet to be creative, to unwind, to think outside the box.  And the relationships.  Food just happens to bring people together.  We have been so fortunate to have met some amazing people through the site;  truly raw talent.  Very lucky, the relationships that have been “baking” mean so much, we cannot ever imagine not meeting each of you.

What did we do to celebrate?  Well, we ate, the same meal we have eaten every year on the blogiversary;  vegetarian enchiladas, washed down with margaritas.  This year we mixed it up a bit, by adding cake.  A sultry, and creamy three milk cake.  I have been dying to make one, ever since I read a recipe many years ago.  I just have never gotten around to it.  I was inspired by a recipe over at Lemon Pi recently, and used it as a guideline.  Instead of regular milk, I used coconut milk, and added a heavy dose of fresh lime zest.  It was amazing.  Really amazing.  Dense, moist, luscious, and flavorful.  Melts on your tongue with every bite;  I am serious here.  This is going to be a new favorite, and I cannot wait to play with flavor combinations.  Dreamy!

We want to say “thank you”.  Not just a little thank you, but a heart-felt thank you to everyone who has ever read our site, glanced at it, recommends it to their dog, or keeps coming back for more.  Without your loving, and sometimes not so loving comments, we would not be here.  As long as you want us to feed you, we will keep doing so.

A celebration would not be a celebration without a couple gifts right?  Instead of giving Chez Us a gift, as we have the gift of your readership, we want to pass along a gift to you;  a couple of our favorite things.  One lucky reader will get each of these sweet little tokens of Chez Us love.

1)  Bill’s Open Kitchen by Bill Granger – LOVE this guy.  He is a favorite Aussie chef of ours.  Not only are his recipes fresh, and easy to make, but they all call for fresh ingredients, and are diet friendly.  Love the simple but exotic flavors of chilies, lime, cilantro … mouth watering.  This particular book has every meal covered from breakfast to afternoon tea.  Wait until you try the passion fruit pancakes;  oh yes!  Or the citrus risotto;  swoon!

2)  Five Spoons Organizing Stickers – are your cookbooks dog-eared to mark recipes you must try?  Or do you take a pen and make a little mark, indicating you like it?   Not any more ….  I discovered Anna’s lovely company Five Spoons, through my friend Tracy.   Anna’s sells these cute little stickers that you can use to mark the recipes that you are dying to try, or you can use the little spoon stickers to rate each recipe in your books. I have so much fun, sitting down with a cup of jo, opening a book, and stickering away.  And my books look so much more organized and “cute”.  You are going to love these stickers!  Anna was nice enough to contribute a set of each for one lucky reader.

What do you have to do?  Easy.  Peasy.  Leave a comment below, telling us what you love most about Chez Us, or what you love least?  What you would like to see us do, in the next year?  More video?  Bring back podcasts?  More easy dinners?  More sweets?  Meal planning to help you save time?  Please let us know …..

For additional entries, do one or all of the following.  You will have to come back here after completing each task, and leave a separate comment indicating you have done so.

• Subscribe to our Newsletter Culinary Capers
• Fan Us on Facebook
• Follow Us on Twitter
• Or, you have already done all three of these things in the past but still want an extra chance?  Well, who doesn’t love a good stumble?  Stumble this post, then leave a comment here telling us you stumbled.

You have until midnight, May 22, 2010;  we will use random.org to pick a winner, and will announce it May 23.

Now, let’s get baking;  here is the recipe for this dreamy three milk cake.

Recipe:  Three Milk Cake

* inspired by Lemon Pi

What you need:

Cake:

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 2 limes zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• juice from half a lime
• 3 tablespoons whole milk

Milk Glaze:

Whipping Topping:

• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons coconut cream, thick part of a can of coconut milk

What you need to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Line round cake pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides of the pan.  Using a mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla until thick and pale.  Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then fold into the mixture.   Add the milk, and thoroughly mix.  Pour the batter into the baking tin, and level the top.  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  A little extra browning adds depth to the flavor.
2. While the cake is baking, make the milk glaze by combining the condensed milk, with the sour cream, mix thoroughly.  Add the evaporated and coconut milk, mix;  set aside.
3. Turn the baked cake out onto a cooling rack and immediately cover the bottom and sides with tinfoil. Re-invert into the baking tin so that the tinfoil lines the tin, and the edges overlap the sides of the pan.  Prick several holes in the cake with a skewer, be generous with your poking.  Slowly pour the milk glaze mixture over the warm cake, from the centre outwards. Do this in batches, allowing the previous additions to be absorbed. It will look like too much liquid, don’t be alarmed, the cake will soak it all up. Leave to cool.
4. Whip the whipping cream, until soft peaks form.  Add the coconut cream – the thick creamy part of a can of coconut milk;  skim from the top before using the milk in the glaze.  Before serving gently cover the top of the cake with the whipped cream mixture.  Serve.  Eat.

How do we pick a winner, by using Random.Org.  We could from the bottom up (first comment for the post).  For this post there were 17 comments, we did not count our ping which is the first comment.  DRUM ROLL!!!!  The WINNER is:  # 15 – Danielle.   Danielle, ping us, and we will get you your lovely prize!

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A week later a box arrives with not only salty little bags of goodness but also their regular and circle crackers.  I did not do my homework very well as I did not realize they made other crackers besides oyster crackers.  Lenny basically ripped into the box of square crackers and devoured them before I even had a taste;  must have been good!  I, on the other hand, opened the box of circles, grabbed some cheese, and sat down to try out the Westminster Cracker.  The first thing I noticed was that not one cracker was broken.  They survived a trip from the East Coast and not one cracker broke.  When I broke a cracker in half, it made a nice “snap” sound.  The cracker was crispy.  The flavor was not overly salty or over yeasty.  The crackers went really well with cheese.  As far as crackers go, I was impressed so far.

The next test was to try the oyster crackers.  I did not want to just tear into a bag and nibble them.  Nor did I want to serve them with the token bowl of clam chowder.  I made a “cream” free corn chowder.  The base of my chowder is simple, sweet white corn, potatoes, some carrot and celery.   Cooked until the flavors blend, when pureed, until slightly smooth and still chunky.  No cream is added as the pureeing makes the soup creamy.  I like texture, so I sauteed some white corn with pancetta, and stirred it into the pureed soup.  The final touch was a chipotle whipped cream, a sprinkle of cilantro, and Westminster Oyster Crackers.  I was impressed.  The crackers stayed crisp, never got soggy (even during a 15 minute photo shoot),  and added the right amount of crunch and salty flavor to the chowder.

Besides the crispy bite, the snappy sound of the cracker breaking between my teeth, I like that the ingredients are all natural.  As well the crackers are trans fat free, low in sodium, low in fat, no cholesterol, no sugar and no preservatives;  all selling points for me and exactly what I look for when label reading at the grocery store.

photo credit:  Westminster Crackers

We think you would love these crackers, whether in a bowl of steamy chowder or even as a snack on their own.  We have teamed up with the fine folks of Westminster Crackers and are hosting a give-away.  They are giving us a soup package (VAR $50) to give away to one lucky reader.  The soup package not only will have samples of their crackers but also these fun soup-inspired items from Sur la Table:

• 1 Variety Sample Box of Westminster Crackers (including rounds and squares)
• 1 50-count sample Box Westminster Oyster Crackers
• Set of 4 soup crocks from Sur La Table
• Soup Socks from Sur La Table
• Ladle from Sur La Table

photo credit:  Westminster Crackers/Sur La Table

You have three ways to enter, and each way will get you one entry for this give-away.  You can do one of them, two or all three;  it is up to you.  This give-away run until mid-night on the 20th of March 2011;  winner will be announced on the 21st of March 2011.

• Leave a comment telling us about your favorite chowder recipe.
• Tweet this give-away;  be sure to come back here and paste your tweet into the comment section.
• Become fans of Chez Us and Westminster Crackers over at Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment telling us you did it.

Recipe:  Corn Chowder with Chipotle Whipped Cream
*disclaimer we like to serve this recipe with a crisp green salad, warmy crusty bread and a glass of wine

1/2 yellow onion, cut into pieces
2 carrots, washed, cut into pieces
2 celery ribs, washed, cut into pieces
2 small russets, peeled, cut into pieces
24oz sweet white corn, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups water, or stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

6 slices pancetta, cut into small pieces
8 oz of above mentioned corn
drizzle of olive oil

1 pint whipping cream
2 teaspoons canned chipotle pepper, cut into very small dice

cilantro, for garnish

crackers

In a large dutch oven, over medium heat, pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil; gently heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, over medium heat, cook until soft; about 7 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the corn and the water or stock. Over medium heat, bring to a slight boil; lower heat to a low simmer and let cook for 30 minutes. While the soup is cooking prepare the toppings. Using a mixer, whip the cream with the chipotle pepper until stiff peaks form; do over over whip or you will have butter. Set the cream aside. In a frying pan, over medium heat, add the drizzle of olive oil and the pancetta. Cook until lightly golden and slightly crispy; about 6 minutes. Add the white corn, stir, and heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until time to serve. By now the soup is finished. Remove the soup from the heat and let set for 10 minutes. Puree in batches in a food processor. Return to the dutch oven, gently reheat over low heat, until hot; about 5 minutes. To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, top with a dollop of whipped chipotle cream, a sprinkle of cilantro and a bag of salty Westminster Oyster Crackers. Serve. Eat.

If you liked this post, check these out:

Corn Chowder

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Smoky Corn Chowder

DRUM ROLL ………………

DAVID DADEKIN

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Tis the season to be jolly fa la la la la la la.  This is the season for sharing and we want to share with you a few of our favorite things from 2009.  Last year we gave a subscription to our favorite cooking magazine, Gourmet;  cannot possibly do that again!  This year we are going to give one lucky reader a few of our favorite things.  Keep reading …

My mother is making these fantastic market bags and she made a special one just for Chez Us to give away.  They are great as they are really roomy and they have outside pockets, which are great for stashing your keys, the newspaper, a cooking magazine, etc..  I love them & not only because my mother is making them.  Not only are they perfect for going to the Farmer’s Market but they are great for the beach, running errands, your knitting, etc…

Now we cannot give you an empty bag so we are going to fill it with some of our favorite things.  Here are just a few of them …

There is only one baking book you really need, I consider it to be the baking bible.  That is Dorie Greenspan‘s book Baking from My Home to Yours.  I swear by this book and not only do I use it for TWD but I always open it first when I need a little something something sweet to bake.  Dorie was nice enough to donate this book for us to give to you with our “Chez Us 2009 Favorites”.  You will go back to this book time and time again, I promise!

We met Celine during the Pebble Beach Food and Wine show and instantly hit it off.  Before we knew it our conversation turned away from New York and Paris, two of our favorite places to go, to another favorite of ours, truffles.  It ends up her company supplies truffles to some of the top restaurants in the country.  A couple weeks after we got home she sent us a package as she wanted us to sample her truffles and to write about them.  Once of our favorite products is her black truffle oil.  We love drizzling it over pasta, grilled pizzas, or adding to truffle butter, the possibilities are endless. I was mentioning to Celine a few weeks ago that we were giving one lucky reader a package with a few of our favorite things and she was kind enough to send us a bottle of the truffle oil to share with you.

Almost a year ago I got an email from David from Earthy Delights.  David mentioned to me that he liked what we were doing and thought he had some products that he felt would be perfect for us.  A couple weeks later we got a package in the mail full of wonderful items and we loved all of them.    One product that I reach for very often is the Fennel Pollen.  I love mixing it with roasted veggies, sprinkling over a salad or rubbing into a piece of meat before grilling.  David was delighted to send some fennel pollen our way to include with our give away.  You are going to be thanking him over and over again, once you try this!

We were delighted to be picked as one of the featured blogs for the release of the Julie and Julia movie so this next added goodie to our holiday give away is very appropriate.  We are adding the Baking with Julia DVD, which features eight classic episodes from the Emmy Award winning Julia Child television series.  Thanks to A La Carte Communications for this wonderful DVD to be included in the Chez Us 2009 Favorites.    Highlights can be viewed on A La Carte’s YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezfZTlDGDvU

To enter:

• Leave a comment on this post – gives you 1 entry;  want to have a better chance to winning, then ….
• Subscribe to the Chez Us Daily Dish – gives you 2 entries;  if you already subscribe, leave a comment saying so (we will check *wink*) & we will give you two extra entries. We are gearing up for 2010 and have been working on a newsletter concept for the past year and we finally feel we have the kinks worked out.  We hope to provide you not only with our posts but other fun things like featured recipes, cooking videos, give aways, etc…

Winner announced on December 27.  Good luck and happy holidays.

In addition to the above give away, please do not forget about the Menu for Hope 6, there are fantastic items to bid on and the cause is very worthy!

The post Our gift to you | Chez Us 2009 Favorites appeared first on Chez Us.

I cannot say “we” even though someone likes it when I say “we” all the time!  I think personal holidays (i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, etc… ) are the best one!  I love it even more when birthdays, anniversaries and blogiversaries keep on celebrating!  We want to keep our 2nd Blogiversary going and to Thank You you for your continued readership we are giving one lucky reader their own Flip Ultra HD Video Camera.  You can read all about it here – FLIP OUT!

Check out how we celebrated our Blogiversary – complete with the Perfect Blood Orange Margarita recipe!

What do you need to do?

• Just sign up for the new & improved Chez Us Daily Dish, which will be released sometime the week of June 1, 2009.
• Tell People about Chez US.  The more people you tell the more chances you get.  Referral Code ~ Your site name or name if you don’t have a site.
• Twitter, the more you Tweet, the more chances you get!  Be sure to sign up for the Daily Dish, first and  include a link to this post
• Already Signed up for our Daily Dish, leave a comment on this post!  We will be double checking our handy dandy spreadsheet, if you aren’t signed up for the Daily Dish, then you won’t be included – sorry!

* family is excluded, sorry guys, you have to read about US!

What are you waiting for?  Sign up now until midnight, May 31, 2009.  Winner will be announced sometime on June 2, 2009.

READY to FLIP!

(click above)

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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!

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