Love My Kitchen Devils! No Kitchen Is Complete Without Them!
Fresco Trattoria
I love this place. I repeat I love this place. I discovered Fresco Trattoria about a month ago and I am really glad that I did. Making my Friday night trek from the city, my husband and I had gone to a French restaurant, in Wilton, earlier in the evening only to be rudely turned away. I had remembered that someone told me about a new restaurant in Georgetown that was really good and worth checking out. We were tired and it was late, but we decided to give it a go. What a surprise to find such a local treasure. Fresco Trattoria is an unpretentious Fairfield County treasure.
When we walked in we were promptly greeted and seated. Our server came over immediately and was extremely attentive. We reviewed the menu and were pleasantly surprised to see a wide array of authentic Italian food along with some nice creative salads. We were very hungry and I had heard that the restaurant had installed a wood –fired pizza oven. Always enjoying leftover pizza for the next day we ordered a pizza, salads and great pasta entrees. Everything was so delicious that we ate everything including the entire pizza.
During our meal the chef, Michael Pellizzari came to our table to inquire how our meal was. We certainly couldn’t complain and enthusiastically nodded our heads with mouths full. Next one of the owners, Frank Lombardi, came over to see how we were doing and chatted for a bit. Talk about a complete 180º from the previous Wilton restaurant that didn’t seem to want our business.
I am so happy that we found Fresco Trattoria. What a great local place to go to. Everything is homemade including the sauces. You can taste it too. The prices are very reasonable; the portions are generous and best of all you can tell that the owners and chef love what they do. They have a full bar with a decent wine list as well. I live in New York City during the week and am spoiled by all of the great high end restaurants. I typically don’t rave about many restaurants, but Fresco Trattoria is truly a special place.
Fresco Trattoria is open, Monday through Thursday, 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm, and Sunday 5 to 10pm. The address is 22 Main Street, Redding, Connecticut 06896. Their telephone number is 203-544-9447. You can visit Fresco Trattoria on the web at http://www.frescotrattoriaredding.com/ or
https://www.facebook.com/FrescoTrattoriaRedding.
Does Culinary School Help Someone Become A Chef?
Does culinary school help someone become a chef? This question seems to be the hot topic du jour. I have mixed views on this issue as I think that an educated population is very important, but from what I can tell going to culinary school often times doesn’t seem to make much of a difference on getting hired. I can’t tell you how many culinary school graduates that I meet who are working at the gym front desk, but left to pay off steep school loans.
Many working chefs agree that culinary schools churn out uncreative and lazy cooks. When hiring, even in the most prestigious restaurants, it has been said that having a culinary degree makes no difference at all. Working chefs just don’t seem to care about academic training when deciding to hire someone or an employee’s ultimate success. Someone who wants to become a chef can get a job washing dishes and work their way up into prep all the while gathering basic skills to work on the line, master each station and eventually become a head chef. That said, today’s students learning the basics and how to clean a fish which is nothing to sneeze at.
Most culinary schools charge tuitions that are between $20,000 to $30,000 per year. Le Cordon Bleu and The Art Institutes are for profit schools that are owned by Fortune 1000 companies. Le Cordon Bleu U.S. franchise is licensed by Career Education Corporation. The Art Institutes are owned by Education Management Corporation which 41 percent of is owned by Goldman Sachs. CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and Johnson & Wales are both not-for profit institutions. Graduation rates tend to be higher at not-for-profit culinary schools. CIA has a requirement of working in the restaurant business for 6 months as an admission requirement. This requirement is designed to weed out non-serious students. There seems to be a big complaint, however that these schools don’t really foster creativity, radical culinary ideas or experimentation.
I would never tell someone not to go to culinary school, but I think it is worth considering if one wants to end up with a mountain of debt while working for low wages. The average salaries for food workers are: Head Chef $44,780; First-Line Supervisors $31,770; Cooks $23,260; Dishwashers $18,680; Fast Food Workers $18,540. Total tuition to graduation: Le Cordon Bleu $39,900; International Culinary Center (ICC) $41,625; Kendall College $43,092; Art Institute (AI) $44,561; Johnson & Wales $47,910; Culinary Art Institute (CIA) $49,980; New England Culinary Institute (NECI) $51,140.
Past Inaugural Luncheon Menus
Today President Obama will serve his second inaugural luncheon. Last year he served Lincoln inspired foods such as pheasant, whipped sweet potatoes and cinnamon apple sponge cake.
At President Clinton’s second inaugural luncheon he served shrimp, oyster & scallop pie before serving beggar’s pudding and quince ice cream for dessert.
President Kennedy’s guests dined on American specialties such as Texas ribs and New England boiled lobster.
President Buchanan had 6,000 guests at his inaugural luncheon. His staff made 400 gallons of oysters, 60 saddles of mutton and 125 beef tongues.
President Madison’s first lady, Dolley, loved ice cream so much that he served it for dessert at his second inaugural meal.
Pre-Baked Pie Crust: Five Steps For A Perfect Pie Crust
A pre-baked pie crust (sometimes called a blind baked pastry case) is one that has been partially baked without a filling so it can still cook and crisp thoroughly if the filling needs a shorter time to bake than the pastry. Pre-baking a pie crust also stops the pastry from getting soggy by a moist filling.
- Prick the base of the pie crust all over with a fork to stop the pastry from bubbling up and getting out of shape.
- Chill the pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before baking. This will stop it from shrinking during baking. Preheat your oven to 350º F.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper inside the pie crust, then fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Ceramic beans or pie weights are available from most cooking stores or Amazon. Make sure that the paper is touching the pastry, eve at the edges.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes for a large pie crust or 8 to 10 minutes for a small one until the pastry is cooked and opaque.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper and the beans/rice/weights and then return the empty pie crust back in the oven for 10 minutes for a large pie crust or 4 to 5 minutes for a small one. When it is ready the base will be a sandy color, dry and crisp. The top edges of the pie crust should be golden. Leave in the pie tin or pie plate and continue with your chosen recipe.
Things To Do With Granola
Granola isn’t just for breakfast. There are so many things you can do with granola.
Mix granola into chocolate chip cookie dough.
Use granola as an ice cream or yogurt topping.
Make your own granola bars by mixing granola with melted peanut butter, honey, syrup or chocolate chips.
Add granola to banana bread mix.
Make a granola pie crust by mixing granola with melted butter and pressing down into a pie pan.
Mix granola into waffle or pancake batter.
Use granola as a fruit salad topper
Sprinkle granola on top of a baked apple.
Healthy & Whole Foods
Many Americans have been struggling with weight issues for years. People may lose a few pounds by trying various diets, but only to gain a few extra pounds when resuming old eating patterns. As we get older we find that losing weight becomes much more difficult with our metabolisms slowing substantially. Being overweight brings on serious health risks such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. It is important for us to make a real connection between what we eat and our overall health. Here are some eating tips that typically make a difference in weight loss and, of course, incorporating exercise into your daily routine helps significantly.
Breakfast
Eat a healthy breakfast every day. A healthy breakfast is one that consists of
Protein, fruit and whole grains. Avoid processed foods. Eating breakfast helps
prevent overeating later in the day. Try eating an egg sandwich with a piece of fruit or whole grain cereal with low fat or skim milk and a banana.
Water
Drink more water. Most of us don’t drink enough water. Substitute water for sodas, juices, alcoholic drinks and even diet sodas. Substitute water for those high calorie drinks and you will begin to see the pounds melt away. I like to drink sparkling water when I crave a soda.
Fish
Fish is great for giving you those good omega-3 fatty acids that we all need and
is lower in calories. Stay away from eating processed meats like hot dogs and sausages. Eat fish two to three times per week and eat red meat once a week at most.
Whole Grains
Whole grains are chock full of vitamins, minerals and high in fiber. Eat whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice. Stay away from refined grains such as white bread and white pasta.
Fruits & Vegetables
We need our fruits and vegetables. They are antioxidant rich foods that help in weight loss. Fresh produce contains water so we feel full and satisfied longer. Berries are great antioxidants.
Dairy
Including low-fat dairy food into our diets is important. These foods are rich in calcium and vitamin D. Many of us are deficient in obtaining these bone building vitamins.
“Diet” Foods
Just because the label says “diet” or “low-fat” or “fat-free” doesn’t mean that they are healthy for us or will promote weight loss. These foods are typically loaded with sugar and are highly processed which means empty calories. It would be better to eat a hand-full of nuts than to turn to these impostors.
Home Cooking
As you know I am big on cooking at home. I rarely use processed foods and would rather cook my own meals. It takes time, money and energy, but in the end it’s worth it. When we eat out in restaurants we truly don’t know how our food is cooked. Chefs tend to put butter on “everything” and that’s why the meals taste good. Also, we tend to eat much larger portions when we go out for dinner. For certain stay away from fast food restaurants.
Portion Sizes
I am a visual person. It sounds ridiculous but the serving size for fruits and vegetables should be fist size. Look at your fist and get a visual of what a fruit/veggie serving size should be. A serving size of meat should be the size of a deck of cards and a serving size of fish should be the size of a checkbook. Eat smaller meals!
Slow Down
Eat slower. We should spend 30 minutes eating a meal. Eat at the table sitting down.
Food Labels
Read those food labels for calories and other nutrients. Scan the food labels for how many grams of sugar an item has. Just because a food item my say it is low in fat it just may have a high amount of sugar.
Snacking
Snacking twice a day on healthy snacks helps from overeating later in the day. Healthy snacks are items such as fruit, carrots or a handful of nuts (not sugar coated candy type nuts). Don’t forget that water!
Gum
Believe it or not chewing gum can help keep that weight off. I like to nibble so when I get the urge to nibble I will pop a couple pieces of gum in my mouth.
Sleep
Sleep at least 7 hours per night.
Exercise
Join a gym and go at least 3 times a week. If you can’t make it to a gym then walk. Go for a walk after lunch or after dinner for 45 minutes to an hour. Incorporate lifting some free weights into your routine.
Foods To Avoid
Butter
Ice Cream
Chips
Crackers
Instant Oatmeal
Fish Sticks
Sugary Cereal
White Pasta
Cereal Bars
Candy Bars
Fried Chicken
Regular Pretzels
Potato Chips
White Bread
White Potatoes
Prepared Salad Dressings
White Rice
Cookies
Foods To Eat
Olive Oil
Greek Yogurt
Nuts
Seeds
Steel Cut Oats
Broiled Salmon
High Fiber Cereal
Whole Wheat Pasta
Blueberries
Piece of Dark Chocolate
Grilled/Roasted Chicken
Whole Wheat Pretzels
Unbuttered Popcorn
Whole Wheat Bread
Sweet Potatoes
Oil & Vinegar Salad Dressing
Brown Rice
Figs
