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PIE! Make it and Take it 2012

I’m officially declaring this year’s “Make it and Take it” the best ever.

We were super organized, and even managed to cater three jobs before the party! Yay team!
There was the usual amount of chaos, but the reservations made it a well oiled flash pie mob. I loved that you all brought friends, made over 100 pies, all while enjoying 4 varieties of delicious brew. And lunch. And cookies. (Next year bring your growlers for the leftover beer.)

The old time stringing from my friends and neighbors of Triple Chicken Foot made everyone very happy.
My mom came and made pies with my nieces.

As usual, sissy manned the ovens, this year with Chef Fred in super hero fashion.
I love that so many of you come into the kitchen making a pie for the first time.

I love that you leave as a baker piemaker!

We went through 2 cases of Ha’s Organic Apples and over 130 crusts.
I love this picture of my friend Amber. She’s an amazing Event Coordinator about town.

Yes, we will do it again next year. The Sunday before Thanksgiving. Welcome to the club.

Here’s a note I got from Sweet Janet after the party:

“My family and mom’s nurse had such a great time yesterday! Before the class, my mom [who has a touch of Alzheimers asked if going to Marie Callenders wouldn’t be easier.} But after we were seated outside, and it was such a beautiful day { that was lucky also} she was really enjoying herself. My family and the nurse, who never have baked a pie before, had so much fun doing this..they keep saying.. next time I’m going to try the pumpkin or the chocolate pecan. And they also loved the food a lot! They never had vegetarian lasagna before, and my niece said she usually doesn’t like veggies, loved the roasted veggies and the lasagna as well. My aunt said the soup was delicious. .my mom loved everything and while we were inside baking the pies, asked if she could go back outside and keep eating. Yikes, how can a 100 pound Asian lady stuff herself so much? ..Our pies were beautiful, and we were showing them off to everyone after the class.. My 14 year old niece was so proud of her pie, and my brother and his wife were pretty impressed that it looked so beautiful. We all went to Chinatown last night to have a family style dinner, and afterwards we cut the pies at the restaurant and served them with Vanilla Ice cream..so yummy..my mom was telling everyone what a fun day she had.. and she’s usually kind of grouchy. I told her.. see! Better than Marie Callenders!.. thanks, again! Janet”

Oh and one more shout out to my Johnny, who Maitre’deed the hell out of the day. Love you baby.

The Cutest Bar Mitzvah

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Before working at Jennie Cooks, I had never attended any sort of Jewish celebration. So when I did my first bar/bat mitzvah, I was seriously shocked at how elaborate and lavish the celebration is. I secretly envied those kids for having such awesome parties so young. Most people have to wait until they turn some obscene age like 30 or 50, to have a celebration so decadent. With that said, I know this is the sort of party I want to have when I hit a milestone age.

First off, his uncle had his face put on to an M&M! I was so excited about this, so it had to go first. Not just his face, but there were surf boards (the party was surf themed), scriptures, and dudes riding waves, and his face. On M&Ms.

One day I will have my face on an M&M

They also had this pretty incredible cupcake tower. The cupcakes were so intricate with waves and surfboards and wetsuits on them.

From these folks at Cake Art in WEHO

Sidenote- I forgot to mention that when they introduced Adam, they had him carried in on a surfboard, which was adorable.

In addition to having our lovely omelet brunch with 2 chefs, all sorts of yummy salads, homemade apple sauce and my favorite smoked salmon plate, there was a waffle truck on site.

We were of course happy to oblige with the CA surf theme. Jennie made the cutest food labels ever, she is so crafty! And she found some skate decks and shells to help us decorate our buffet tables. The kids loved them.

They also had a DJ, a photo booth station, games and visa gift cards as prizes (score!). And to top it all off, the celebration took place at the world’s first Gay & Lesbian Synagogue on Pico, which I thought was pretty fantastic.

-miranda

Chaplin and Shins and Muppets, oh my!

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This last week was one of those crazy production weeks for Jennie Cooks. We had a million jobs all over the city all in the same three days. (I’ll never understand how that happens, but I love it all the same). Anyway, the most exciting of these jobs was for the fabulous production company DillyGent & Son. They were filming episodes for the Euro podcast turned TV Show, From the Basement, at the Jim Henson Studios!!

Outside of the Studio from La Brea

This is by far the coolest studio we have worked at. Not only is the lot beautiful and the staff really nice, they have a Creature Shop! and the historic Charlie Chaplin recording studio, all on the same lot. The studio was built by Chaplin in 1917 and still retains some of its original structure. It also has cooky life size paintings of Charlie Chaplin and some seriously retro recording equipment.

Oh Charlie

Since I never really read the call sheets past Jennie Cooks Ready-To-Serve-Time, I failed to realize that we were doing omelet breakfasts and lunch for the Shins!, Aimee Mann! and Feist!, until they showed up and ordered their veggie egg scrambles from yours truly. I was seriously tickled and wished I had some lipstick on or something. My own private Shins show from the Muppet courtyard, right before they played Coachella, is a double score in my book. Screw you, $400 festival tickets. Sadly, there were no pictures allowed on set. But I did sneek a few of the lot. I had to get Kermie.

The Creature Shop

-miranda

Location, Location, Location

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As the wedding season is coming to a close and the holiday parties are about to commence, I just wanted to share some insider tips with you about a few of the places we’ve worked at. There are about a million places to host events in Los Angeles County, and every bride or event planner, wants to pick the perfect one. Jennie Cooks has been to too many places to count. Since I’ve only been doing this for a year, I’m still very impressed (or not) with event spaces.

The most recent place we went to was The Ambassador Campus, which used to be some sort of Christian college founded by a famous radio evangelist. The place is gorgeous. It is located in the old millionaire’s row in Pasadena right off of Orange Grove. They have Italian terraces, gardens, swimming pools and mansions with some beautiful architecture.

Garden Wedding

Mansion Reception

Mansion Walls

The only cons to having your wedding at an old abandoned mansion is that there is only one guest bathroom on the bottom floor with sketchy plumbing. The kitchen (made for the servants) is small and terrible. And this place makes the caterers sweep, mop and vacuum all of the floors upstairs and down (wtf? i know). Shouldn’t that be included in the very expensive event fee?

Moving on to one of my favorite spots is of course the Smog Shoppe. It’s one of the “greenest” event spaces, LEED Certified and all that jazz. It used to be an old automotive shop, hence the name.

The Vertical Garden (at our Halloween wedding)

Outdoor Courtyard and Dining Space

Great Indoor Lighting

They used over 90% recycled materials to build it. There’s a stormwater recycling system (super i know), solar panels, vertical gardens, an outdoor courtyard, and the biggest most awesome open kitchen . Sounds perfect, right? If it only didn’t cost $10,000 to rent out for 12 hours it would be. I hope the valet is included.

And in LA, beaches, friend’s homes and of course, sets, are very popular for any occasion. And why not? Comfortable, beautiful (with the right decor of course), sort of free & with no real restrictions.

My fair Wedding Set, SouthBay Studios

House Celebration in Pasadena

Wedding at Beach Home, in Hermosa maybe?

Santa Monica Beach

One note about the beach: it’s pretty & the sunset vows are quite romantic, but it’s hard to walk in, there’s a lot of wind and sand gets everywhere!

There are pros and cons to every place, but don’t get too stressed out! No matter what, your wedding is gonna be just lovely.

-Miranda

Squash Blossom Beauties

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We received such great feedback about our Stuffed Squashed Blossoms that I thought I’d share our top secret recipe with everyone. With Fourth of July weekend coming up, you don’t want to miss an opportunity to impress your friends and family.

This recipe is compliments of our very own Chef Oscar’s Head. It has 3 parts: stuff the blossoms, make the tempura batter, fry those suckers.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Ingredients:

-16- 20 squash blossoms – 2 cups of beer (nothing too fancy)

-1/2 lb of chevre and queso fresco – 1/2 c corn starch

-3-4 chopped button mushrooms – 2 cups of flower

-1 clove of minced garlic – 1-2 cups of canola or veggie oil

-1 TBSP chopped basil -salt & pepper

1. Wash the blossoms, make sure you are both gentle and thorough, there are bound to be little critters in there.

2. In a bowl, mix the cheese, mushrooms, garlic, basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Gently open the blossoms and stuff with the mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4. While the mix is in the fridge, make the tempura batter by combining the beer, corn starch, flour, salt and pepper. Then add one or two ice cubes. The batter shouldn’t spread, it shouldn’t be too runny or too thick.

5. Heat the oil to 350 in a frying pan, if it’s any hotter than this, the blossoms will burn too quickly and not cook all the way through.

6. Take the blossoms out the fridge and dip into the tempura batter so that it is completely coated.

7. Fry them up for 3-4 minutes, but no more than 5 minutes. Let them dry on a plate lined with a paper towel to help soak up some of the oil.

8. You’re done! Now eat, drink and enjoy the wonderful company of your family and friends.

Nothing screams I-love-America like fried cheesy goodness, and beer of course. Luckily, our recipe includes both.

Now that you have the recipe you are probably wondering, where do I get these beautiful delectable treats? Well, Squash Blossoms are in full bloom at farmers markets everywhere. We especially enjoy the colors and tastes of those that come out of the South Central Farmers Cooperative. If you happen upon their booth, pick up some of these un-edible (I had to ask) artichoke flowers for table decor.

They are stunning and last for up to 10 days!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone! Whether you love or just luke-warmly like the good ol’ US of A, we all can at least be thankful for the abundance of fresh and delicious food we enjoy!

- Miranda

I ♥ the Hollywood Farmer’s Market

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Forget Friday night clubbin’, Sunday mornings are where it’s at on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Ivar. With almost 100 farmers, live music and dozens of food vendors, there is no better way to end the weekend. I take great pleasure in lugging hundreds of pounds of fresh fruits and veggies from the market stalls to the stacked parking lot, even at 8 in the morning.

The stone fruit is by far the hottest items at the market this time of year.

We love Arnett’s Farm from Fresno. They feature the most delicious plums, cherries and apricot varieties.

McGrath Farms is also a Jennie Cooks favorite. The veggies are beautiful and taste great in our grilled market plates and personalized cuisine entrees.

Both Farms have been in the area for over 100 years, so we know they must be doing something right. Of course you must also stroll by Soledad Farms to try some of their delicious cheese and to pet their cute little baby goats!

- Miranda

From your Front Porch to the Plate – Stuff it!

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What to do with that sweetie pie? Here are two recipes to recycle your decorative pumpkins into your dinner plans. The best pumpkins for stuffing are either the sugar pumpkin or the sweetie pie pumpkin. Any pumpkin will do, but these two varieties were bred for sweet meats and a future in pie.

These stuffings can be filled into any hard squash. My particular favorites being the delicata and the kabocha. Here’s a picture of a stuffed fairy tale pumpkin.

Be forewarned they are LARGE and make enough for a small army, or at least 14 folks, where as the petite sugar or sweetie pie pumpkin is good for 4-6 guests

This is an excellent recipe for improvisation, and can easily be vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous (add some bacon or pancetta)

Savory Stuffed Sweetie Pie Pumpkin

Prepare your pumpkin like you’re making a Jack o’ Lantern. Cut the top wide, making more of a bowl than a lantern with the squash.

Preheat the oven to 400*.

Make the stuffing.

Stuffing Ingredients

A rough-cut mirepoix of onions, celery, carrots shallots and garlic – cooked.

Enough breadcrumbs, plain or flavored

(I love cornbread – olive bread is fun too – but not gluten free – turns to rubber inside the squash)

Sage, thyme, California bay, rosemary from your garden, your neighbors garden, or your neighborhood. Forage! Any combination is delicious

Butter or olive oil

Salt and pepper

Grated gruyere cheese, local Chevre or your family favorite

2 to 4 cups of cream, milk, vegetable stock, chicken stock – any combination will do

Optional: an egg or two, nuts and berries ( or bacon)

Method: Oil or butter the cavity of the squash and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix together the mirepoix, breadcrumbs, cheeses, herbs nuts and berries. I like to add whole cranberries and walnuts. I also like sliced almonds and dates. Toss together, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Chop your herbs and add no less than a teaspoon, no more than a tablespoon. Start sparingly; the flavors will bloom while cooking.

Tuck the stuffing into the prepared cavity. Don’t pack it in. Pile it in nicely with little to no pressing depending on the density of your dressing.

Pour the liquid of choice ( stock or cream) over the dressing till it pools at the top.

Place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet. Place the top of the pumpkin next to the pumpkin.

Bake the pumpkin at 400* till the filling bubbles (anywhere from ½ hour to 45 minutes depending on the size). Check the lid, when it’s soft remove it from the oven.

Reduce heat to 325 and continue cooking till pumpkin is soft. You should be able to stick a pick right through the flesh and into the center of the pumpkin. I use a skewer.

When the pumpkin is soft through and through, it’s ready!

Allow it to repose for a ½ hour before serving. The best presentation is when it’s sliced like a cake, and served in wedges. Alternatively, it can be scooped out.

Pumpkin Pudding

These little darlings make good eats and beautiful place settings. (That’s what we call stacking in Permaculture) You can find this delicious dessert in high end Thai restaurants through out Los Angeles during our autumnal season ( still 70 and sunny!)

Recipe for Coconut Custard Pumpkins

Prepare a steamer.

Slice the top off and remove the seeds scraping a nice size cavity into 4 little pumpkins. Set aside.

Mix: 5 eggs, 1/3 cup of white sugar, pinch of salt and 1 cup of canned coconut cream. Pour into the pumpkins and steam for 20 to 30 minutes or until pudding is set, and the flesh is soft.

Slice or serve whole as dessert. For added bling, bake pomegranate seeds into the custard. Add after the top has set if you want them to bake into the top.