Well, I guess since I have never really had an official update than this will be the inaugural annual update (huh?) You can probably tell that I have changed the look. It was more for security reasons and wanted to give it a little face-lift. Can you believe it’s been 2 1/2 years since I started this thing? Wow! Where has all the time gone? Once in awhile I will go back and look at a random post- good times indeed; thanks for hanging out with me. I am hoping Erica will eventually bring her cool design to this new theme, but in the meantime, I’m a simple guy, and I don’t mind the simple look. Don’t bother entering your info. on the box on the right for the 2009 restaurant report since it isn’t working yet. I paid one of our dietitians to research the best meals at some of the most popular restaurants and she wrote a report on it. You will be happy you downloaded it once it is available (I will let you know). There are so many hidden calories at these places. The eye-opener for me was when I was living in New York and they made the restaurants post the nutritional info. and looking at the info. on the low-fat muffin at Starbucks and thinking WTF?? She gives you the three best options at the most popular chains to help you when your eating out. Ok so what else? We leave Newport early next week. We are just waiting for a weather window (currently 14 ft. seas- no thank you). I think the boat might have wi-fi on the trip down, will be fun capture what a delivery trip is like if so. Recently got our winter cruising schedule and we are going to be surprisingly busy. I joined this boat because of it’s slower itinerary compared to the crazy charter schedule I was used to, but I am excited because we are going to some new places in the Caribbean I have never been before (of course I will document all the fun here). Since we are going to be so busy I have decided to only focus on the weight loss area of the website. Members of the other plans have already been notified. Unfortunately I only have so much time. I have been working with my weight loss dietitian Tamra (I need to check in I think she’s about to have a baby any day now) to add new recipes to that area and I want to spend my spare energies helping people with that for now since I am passionate about it ( gained some weight on my vacation), and it brings me joy. One more thing before the official inaugural annual update comes to a close. I have had a twitter account for almost a year, but decided recently to try it out. It really suites me since I rarely have the time or energy to write a long blog post anymore, and I can just quickly say that I am listening to this lame song, or had a funny idea- what do you think? Much better platform for my little brain. Ok, well I guess that brings to a close the official inaugural annual update- Post adjourned (ok that was lame).
I was going through my flip camera and forgot that I shot this. I spent WAY too much time at this place when I was in New York, a true foodies dream for sure. It is a total amateur video and might even make you dizzy, but oh well.
Well I am back from the first part of my vacation and had a blast! We went to an all-inclusive resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico and loved every minute of it. I guess I’m getting older and losing my edge a bit since I never would have dreamed of doing an all-inclusive in the past, only the true authentic experience for me. Things change though, because we had so much fun, and it was so nice to have everything taken care of so the only thing you had to worry about was what bar or restaurant you were going to get your next drink or meal from. We ventured off to Chichen Itza for the day. It was a long day (12hours) and the heat was scorching (96 degrees) with little shade, but Celeste was a real trooper as she knew how much I love the ruins, and Mexican history in general. I have the week off in Charlotte and will be a lot less glamorous since I am doing chores all week and the weather is supposed to suck. Anyway, don’t be surprised if I post more this week since I will have more time between my chores. Ok gotta go fix the attic pull-down ladder- bye!
We are having a great time down here. The nightly shows are a blast! We went for a good laugh originally, but now are looking forward to them. Last night was a Michael Jackson Tribute and Mama Mia tomorrow (am I really looking forward to a resort production of mama mia?) Off to see Chichen Itza tomorrow!
Hey, we are now back in Newport, and man is it cold. I need to break out what little cold-weather clothing I have on this boat. New York was an absolute blast. Very lucky that we stayed in the heart of the city and had enough time off to really enjoy it. Katz’s deli sandwich was a highlight as was dinner at Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay’s Restaurant). We did a few parties for fashion week where my foofy side was unleashed and another guest trip. I had too many appetizers to cook for a big party so I outsourced the sushi to Morimoto’s (Chef Morimoto the Iron Chef) and it was awesome! I was only a few blocks from the Chelsea Market and spent a ton of time over there just shopping, drinking coffee, eating, reading, etc. I saw my first Broadway Musical (Chicago), and had a blast, tons of fun. Catherine Zeta-Jones was a charter guest for a week on a boat I worked on several years ago so I knew every song (should I be admitting that?). I’m pretty lucky, I was getting paid to run to the farmers markets, whole foods, chinatown, etc. and bring back to the boat and cook great food with it (life’s a bitch). My vacation start in few days- can’t wait (watch out Mexico here I come). Then when I get back to the boat we are pretty much done up here and it’s down South for the winter. I think we are going way down south (think near Venezuela), I will let you know as it happens. Anyway, it was a blast and I got to do so much of the things I didn’t get a chance to do when I was living here last year.
I had a blast here in N.Y. We leave in the morning back to Newport. I will write a recap post in the next day or two and catch you up. I am still trying to figure this twitter thing out (I love how I can just say something real quick and be done with it) I am finding some great stuff I would not have known about otherwise, and you can ask questions like “what should I read on my Mexico vacation?” and get good responses. I found this site posted on twitter and just love it. Here is the site, and here are my favorite pictures so far. I don’t shop there much, but in Newport it is the only local source for a lot of basics, so I go there sometimes, and I always love the people watching. Full disclosure: I have been wearing a $4.99 Sweatshirt from wall-mart the last few days (it’s getting cold).
I wrote a post here last year about these pork belly buns that I loved. I decided that since I was back in New York I would recreate it as an appetizer for a dinner party I was doing. It turned out great, so easy to do, and will impress for sure. The only tough part will be to find the buns and Pork Belly (depending on where you live). The great thing about the internet is that you can find this stuff easily enough; though it’s much more fun to find an Asian market and buy it there. Here is a picture of what the buns look like:
I found them in the frozen section in a grocery store in Chinatown. Don’t ask me to translate the writing though. From there I just followed this recipe pretty much. I don’t think you really have to brine it, I did and it was too salty; since your braising the pork belly it’s going to be tender anyway. You can cook the pork a day or two in advance and reheat according to the recipe. Just steam the buns for a few minutes until soft and your set.
Turns out our hometown hero did indeed get his award from the boy scouts, and even an article in the newspaper. Congrats Dylan, well deserved!! Click here for the article.
Remember when my house in Charlotte flooded last year? I was working in New York at the time and remember Celeste freaking out cause she just woke up and water was everywhere and about to enter the house. Her elderly mother was staying with her at the time and some of the neighbors banned together to rescue her via a canoe. Turns out one of the kids (our Neighbor Dylan Mask from across the street) is up for a boy scout award for his efforts and was featured on a local radio program as a “hometown hero”. Good job Dylan- thanks a lot! Here is the link to the radio story (it’s only a minute or two long)- 3-37-09-dylan-mask.mp3
This is the one year anniversary of my being laid-off. Though I liked traveling and cooking for the family, I sure didn’t like my job in New York. Was a tough time being right in the middle of the financial crisis, and trying to figure things out, but the older I get the more I understand patience. So strange that I’m back in New York, but totally different this time, I have been flagging taxi after taxi to take me to this farmers market, chinatown, whole foods, chelsea market, zabar’s, … I even got offered a private chef job back in Charlotte for a sports celebrity today. I guess the point is that one year ago I was at the bottom, and today things are great. Life is a roller coaster, and I am learning to enjoy the ride (Side note to all that are struggling- I feel your pain- KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!)
Let just start by getting the picture of the best sandwich i’ve ever had out of the way:
It’s a Rueben sandwich from Katz’s Deli, you know the restaurant from Harry Met Sally where she fakes the orgasm. It melted in my mouth like butter. When the cook gave me a sample of the pastrami while he was making it, we all looked at each other and knew we were in for a treat. This stuff is so good they sell it for $24.90/lb. and my sandwich with some pickles was $14.90 (worth every penny though). We walked over to the Magnolia bakery after that and had to try their famous cupcakes. Very disappointing, I was looking forward to a moist red velvet cupcake that made me smile, but they were very dry, not sure what all the hype is about. I had a peanut butter and jelly cupcake last year from blue smoke bbq that I still can’t stop thinking about (in a good way).
I can’t remember where I have had this before, but it is gooooooood! (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger).
First thing is to get some fresh pizza dough (it seems to be in all of the markets now in the refrigerated section). Spray a baking sheet and push the dough out on the cookie sheet. Rub with olive oil and bake in a 450 degree oven until golden brown. Top with some mozzarella (I like fresh), some sliced apples (I like granny smith’s and mix them with a little sugar to contrast the blue cheese), and a good quallity blue cheese, you don’t need a bunch since it has a strong flavor. I like to crack fresh pepper on top of that.
Put back in the oven and bake until nice and browned all over:
And then just cut in to pieces and enjoy! A nice arugula salad and a glass of wine (oh, somebody stop me). Would be great cut in small pieces for your next cocktail party (let’s be honest, are you really doing cocktail parties?)
I’m going to be doing more twitter posts (or tweeting I think it’s called) when I see something funny or just want to say good morning, but don’t want to do a full post on it here. You can follow me at cheftraveler (just do a search on twitter) or just scroll down on this site and on the right side you will see my latest tweets. This way between those tweets, the healthy tip of the day, and my posts, there will always something from the world of Chef Jeff (I know, just what you’ve always wanted). Also I am going freshen up the look of this blog soon, nothing major, just need to add the new version of wordpress to keep the site secure and decided to give a minor face lift too.
This one’s good. I have posted several of them in past posts (just search for cat video), but there are some new one’s too. I like the cat playing a piano, can’t go wrong with that!
Celeste and I are going to Mexico in October. Originally I wanted to go to San Miguel de Allende but we decided on an all-inclusive resort on the Mayan Riviera. I love all that Mayan Ruins and history stuff, and we can chill on great beaches and have fun in Cancun. We got a screamin’ deal (thanks swine flu) and won’t have to deal with loud kids (not that there’s anything wrong with loud kids) since it’s an adult only resort. After I booked it Celeste kinda freaked out that we had actually just booked a vacation at a swingers resort (is there such a thing?). Anyways, I e-mailed her that picture at the top of this post and told her that is what I assumed the resort would be like. She was not amused.
I know you like my funny videos and witty banter, but what you really want is a recipe. Can’t say this a Chef Jeff original, but a rather a clever one that was emailed to me. Following the instructions is important here:
Here is a chicken recipe that also includes the use of popcorn as a stuffing. Amazing that it hasn’t been thought of before.
When I found this recipe I thought it was perfect for people, like me, who are just never sure how to tell when poultry is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out.
ROASTED STUFFED CHICKEN
1.5 kg whole chicken
½ cup melted butter
1 cup stuffing
1 cup uncooked popcorn
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush chicken well inside and out with melted butter, season with salt and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing and uncooked popcorn mixed together.
Place in baking pan with the neck end of the chicken towards the back of the oven. Listen for the popping sounds.
When the chicken’s arse blows the oven door open and the chicken flies across the room, it is done.
We had Hurricane Bill last weekend, and now tropical storm Danny. They are both a bit hyped up (which is a good thing). Here is a quick video of scary tropical storm Danny (somebody hold me). Kinda reminds me of seattle, anyway, I thought you should see where my home is (for the next week). We are spending the month of September in Manhattan, if you’re in the area let’s get together!
Well I am back from the first part of my vacation and had a blast! We went to an all-inclusive resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico and loved every minute of it. I guess I’m getting older and losing my edge a bit since I never would have dreamed of doing an all-inclusive in the past, only the true authentic experience for me. Things change though, because we had so much fun, and it was so nice to have everything taken care of so the only thing you had to worry about was what bar or restaurant you were going to get your next drink or meal from. We ventured off to Chichen Itza for the day. It was a long day (12hours) and the heat was scorching (96 degrees) with little shade, but Celeste was a real trooper as she knew how much I love the ruins, and Mexican history in general. I have the week off in Charlotte and will be a lot less glamorous since I am doing chores all week and the weather is supposed to suck. Anyway, don’t be surprised if I post more this week since I will have more time between my chores. Ok gotta go fix the attic pull-down ladder- bye!
