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Spice Up Your Holiday Beverages!
Mulled beverages bring to mind a gathering of friends by a roaring fire celebrating festive times together. To mull actually means to add warmth and spice. Used since ancient times, when herbs, spices and honey helped to conceal flavors that may have lost their original appeal, mulling blends today add both exotic aromas and extra zest to any hot drink.
Experiment with a your own favorite beverages and concoctions. Apple cider and fruity red wines are the first to spring to mind for mulling, but there's plenty of room for creativity! You could come up with a new libation trend!
For starters, use the recipe below and begin your own exploration of the warmth and spice of mulled brews!
Mulling Spices
6 whole cardamom
1 tbsp. whole cloves
1 tbsp. whole allspice
2 star anise
12 whole cinnamon sticks, broken in pieces
2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
Dried lemon and/or orange peel
Combine all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Add to the beverage of your choice, simmer until flavors are infused, about 30 minutes.
CHEERS! |
| Upcoming Events |
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Nutmeg Kitchens' Inaugural Cooking Class!
A new president isn't the only one being inaugurated in January 2009! NK Cooking Classes will be, too!
Mark your calendars for January 15, 2009. Chef Margaret will show you how to bring spice to your home cooking and entertaining with both demonstrations and hands-on participation.
Be on the look out for more cooking class information in the December newsletter!
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| Discover A New Holiday Beverage
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Compliments of fellow Personal Chef
Mary Beth Brinkerhoff of Rochester NY |
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Hot Apple Ginger Toddy
Spicy ginger mixed with honey make the Hot Apple Ginger Toddy to die for.
By Stephen Phillips
Enjoy this gingery twist on a classic hot toddy.
Ingredients:
6 oz. ginger-infused apple cider
Thin slice of fresh ginger or one piece of crystallized, candied ginger
1 tsp. honey
2 oz. bourbon (Maker's Mark or Jim Beam are preferred)
Slice of lemon
Preparation:
First: Ginger-infuse the cider.
Peel and chop the ginger.
Bring apple cider to a boil in a nonaluminum pot.
Add several slices of cut and peeled ginger when cider boils.
Turn heat off and steep for 30 minutes.
Purée this mixture in a blender and strain through cheesecloth.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Second: Make your ginger toddy.
Heat your ginger-infused cider, but do not boil.
Add bourbon.
Stir in honey.
Pour into a coffee mug.
Garnish with lemon and ginger slice (or use crystallized ginger).
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Interesting Links
Find out more about the places and people mentioned in this newsletter
South Carolina Sweetgrass Festival
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Seasoned Greetings from Nutmeg Kitchens
November 2008 |
| Greetings!
As Nutmeg Kitchens approaches its 2nd anniversary in January, I'd like to thank you for your support, friendship, suggestions and most of all, your business. Whether you have enjoyed NK services yourself or have been so gracious as to have referred a friend, you have had a role in allowing me to do what I love to do - share my cooking and entertaining skills with others!
A recent highlight for me was attending the Personal Chefs Network's annual Symposium in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. The inspiring, informative and completely food-centric agenda really re-invigorated me, and spending time with chefs from across the country was both a professional and personal treat. Three incredible culinary professionals, Anne Willan, Denise Vivaldo and Michael Ruhlman, were among the Symposium's speakers. They shared a vast array of experiences and knowledge, encourging their fellow foodies to continue our own culinary journeys and explorations.
Anne Willan of La Varenne Cooking School in France and author of many notable cookbooks, demonstrated recipes from her latest, the James Beard award winning The Country Cooking of France.
A knowledgeable and charming presenter originally from England, Anne brought her 50 years of living and culinary teaching in France to life during her cooking demonstration. It was a privilege to meet Anne and hear her speak so fondly of food in her impeccable English accent. And the way she said Piggly Wiggly, the Southern grocery store chain, was hysterical!
Denise Vivaldo, pictured with me above, is a dynamo chef, cooking instructor, food stylist and cookbook author! While in Charleston, I had the opportunity to attend a special class that Denise conducted on food presentation. You have her to thank for the new and creative touches I've applied to the presentation of my creations. Living and working in LA, Denise has some great stories to tell about the Hollywood set, too! She kept us in stitches with tales of the rich and famous, and their low-ball budgets and finicky menu choices!
The Symposium's keynote speaker was Michael Ruhlman, cookbook author, notably of The French Laundry Cookbook, Thomas Keller's famed Yountville restaurant, and a judge on the Food Network's Next Iron Chef. Michael spoke with passion of his love of cooking and why he's compelled to share his enthusiasm and talents with others. He has also managed to keep up with dare-devil chef and TV host Tony Boudain on the Travel Network's No Reservations and has the stories to prove it!
Dining in Charleston is amazing, and Low Country cuisine is delicious! Grits and okra are staple menu items, and each restaurant seemed to have unique and sophisticated preparations of these Carolina classics. Pralines, local oysters and shrimp, hushpuppies, smoked meats, fresh fish - all savored and enjoyed by yours truly! I will be slowly and happily working my way through the three cookbooks I came home with, along with a 2 pound bag of stone ground Carolina Plantation grits!
The Low Country is also famous for its hand made Sweetwater baskets and weavers fill dozens of stalls at the wonderfully eclectic Charleston Market. My friend Karla is picture below with the basket she purchased and its weaver. Weaving is a family affair, with patterns and styles passed from one generation to the next. Beautiful as well as durable and water tight, these baskets are a tangible and significant part of Low Country history. Each weaver signs her work, making a Sweetwater basket a truly personalized souvenir from this fascinating city. Mine is currently holding autumn gourds on my coffee table!
As the holidays and the New Year approach, I hope I have the opportunity to share more of my Charleston experience with you! It's always a pleasure bringing spice to your kitchen! |
 You may pride yourself on being a dedicated home cook, but you don't have the time to prepare that great looking recipe in your favorite food publication. You may not even like to cook but a platter of hastily purchased cheese and crackers isn't what you want to contribute to dinner with the in-laws. Appetizers for the office potluck, baked goods for the neighborhood cookie exchange, a unique side dish for the book group luncheon - all good intentions, but there's just NO TIME!
Though Nutmeg Kitchens is not offering full-scale catering this holiday season, your in home entertaining can still be stress free with appetizers, soups and stews, side dishes, salads and desserts prepared by Chef Margaret. The world is your oyster! To whet your appetite, visit the Nutmeg Kitchens website to discover what could be in store for you, your friends and family NK's menu selections . Your menu items may be arranged and presented on your own favorite serving ware or you can chose from NK's extensive selection of platters, bowls and baskets.
Your entertaining can be festive, enjoyable and delicious this year. Nutmeg Kitchens is your secret weapon in holiday stress management!
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Personal Chef Services - Convenience & Healthy Eating Are Within Your Budget!
Busy, hectic, overloaded...fast food, take out, frozen entrees...too much sodium/fat/sugar...repetitive, bland, boring.
Do any of these words describe your life and/or your family's dinners? If so replace them with...
Relaxed, revived, refreshed...delicious, home-cooked, personalized...nutritious, healthy, fresh...flavorful, innovative, exciting! Ahhh...
Nutmeg Kitchens Personal Cheffing is your secret weapon in feeding-the-family stress management! Eating well is no longer a challenge for either your time or cooking abilities when Nutmeg Kitchens prepares your custom-designed meals.
The services of a Personal Chef are not an indulgence only the wealthy can afford. For busy families and individuals, hiring a Personal Chef can make all the difference in eating well and saving time and money. Many of today's food magazines showcase lots of easy, tasty, time-saving recipes: just use this simple shopping list and you're on your way to a {insert your favorite adjective} meal! How often have you purchased all the required ingredients for that meal only to find it's not nearly as easy or time-saving as advertised? You either never got around to preparing it, letting all those purchases go to waste, or if you did, dinner wasn't on the table until 9:00 pm! No time or money saving there, and the kids still need to eat!
Nutmeg Kitchens can solve that dilemma with Personal Chef service packages that fit your needs and budget. Choose from cheffing packages that offer two, three and four entrees with accompanying side dishes, a Quick Chef package offering entrée-only service, or salad and side dish service only. Prepared in your home kitchen, you are assured that the meals you and your family enjoy have been prepared with the utmost care, food safety and professionalism. On your designated cheffing day - weekly, bi-weekly or monthly - your kitchen will carry the aroma of freshly prepared food and your refrigerator will be filled with the delicious results of Nutmeg Kitchens' cooking, ready for you to heat and enjoy at your convenience!
An important component that Nutmeg Kitchens offers is personalized, custom-designed service. Nothing is written in stone! Together, you and I will discuss in detail your specific culinary needs. Whether it's a menu plan that adheres to specific dietary or health needs- in concert with your nutritional professional, of course - or you just want to be sure that your kids like what they eat, we can work together creatively to ensure that you and your family eat well!
Nutmeg Kitchens - bringing spice to your kitchen and extra time to your home! |
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I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving! My husband, sons and I will celebrating this tasteful holiday in Southern California with my brother, sister and their families. My bro' just remodeled his kitchen and I get to break it in!
Come December 1st, Nutmeg Kitchens will be ready to help take the stress out of your holiday cooking. Call, 650-740-5637, or email, Margie@NutmegKitchens.com, to schedule your complimentary consultation.
Here's to good eating, and as my favorite TV chef Jacques Pepin says, HAPPY COOKING!
Cheers to a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Margie
Nutmeg Kitchens Personal Cheffing
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