chocolate
Are you tired of all the dyed eggs the kids won’t eat? How many Peeps do you have left? And all of that chocolate.. In today’s segment, we look into the uses of your eggs, candy, and any Peeps you have around. First, an adult beverage. a Blood Orange Beliini.
Here is the link to the show LINK
Today Hurricane Hilary touched down here in Southern California. Some areas had damage, some like mine.. a little rain. I decided to make these cookies. Come on! Rain means cookie-baking time! Plus it has been over 100F for days and today in the 70s.
Sometimes you have to use a hand beater. You can see the ripples in the cream!
I love a challenge! Could I put together a Valentine’s dinner for two, Wine, Main, Sides and dessert for under $25. Also, it has to be worthy of a date and anyone could make without too many cooking skills. Plus I have to do it on camera in 4-5 minutes. I few of the items are purchased but “Doctored” up. If someone made this meal for you I am sure you would be in love!
Desert: Raspberry Chocolate Brownies: Recipe
Citrus Dill Salmon in Heart Parchment Paper: Recipe
Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Olive Oil : Recipe
Here is the recipe for Herbed Rice: Recipe
Cost Breakdown
A strange recipe from the original formula of the VDK Kitchens. A bit of a process, but i you follow exactly, they work and you will have great success. If you recall the chocolate cookies and want the real deal, these are them. Use a scale and get the ingredients you need.
These cookies look big, but they are about 3 inches in diameter. Post a picture on the Van De Kamps Fan Page on Facebook!
My newest book is out. But First: I have had a love affair with See’s Candies my entire life. When I was little I recall my aunt being able to pick out the caramel for me. The candy was special, unlike the boxes of chocolates sold at CVS that had the “map” of each chocolate on the inside lid of the box so you knew what you were eating. But once a few chocolates were devoured, the candy code was broken! This year is the 100th anniversary of See’s. It started on Western Ave in Los Angeles. Recently, I was able to obtain the historical plaque the location deserve.
My new book Made in California is my first without any recipes. Food History of the places we all grew up eating, that started in the Golden State. Lots of fun facts, like who created the first Bacon CheeseBurger? Why did Swensen’s Ice Cream go for 600 locations to the 3 of today?
If you would like a personalized copy, you can PayPal ggeary@aol.com for $40 per book (same price as Amazon, but you don’t get those personalized). Tell me whom you would like it personalized to.
Now, back to See’s. I was just on ABC7-El Paso, TX promoting the book. I have been booking many shows that I decided to create a handful of recipes from some of the companies items they sell. Try these cookies out!
Also, Check out the story of the book in the upcoming August Issue of LA Magazine.
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Made in California Book Promotion from ABC7 - El Paso, TX (KVIA)
Chris Nichols of the LA Magazine reading my latest book here is his story: August LAMag
Today, With the Cultural Heritage Sign installed
1921: The first See’s Candy Kitchen and Shoppe. 135 N Western Ave, Los Angeles
We will focus today on where the cookie/cake item we call a “Brownie” came from. And then the first recorded recipes the 1909 Brownie from Boston.
The world is great when you have chocolate! Here are two of my favorite desserts.
Belgium Chocolate Truffle Torte with Fresh Raspberry Sauce:
The berries are ripe and full of flavor this time of year. Here is the recipe for my fantastic torte. Only 4 ingredients and bakes for only 15 minutes. Lots of techniques and the ins and out. Also, An old Hollywood Dessert.. Strawberries Romanoff and then we finish up with Strawberry Ambrosia Salad.
I think it was about 1993 when I created these little rounds of cake on a stick for one of my culinary tours. Then a few years later.. Bam! They hit like wild fire! So here is my method and way to make them.
When you get a knock on the door from the soon to be 6 year old next store neighbor requesting a birthday cake you cant help but deliver. Plus she asked for my favorite cake. A Rich Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Cream Cheese icing. I decided to make it a “surprise” cake. Which means, when she cuts into the center a treasure trove of M&M’s will be cascading out. Here is the recipe for the cake, icing and if you want to know how to make the center, watch the video. I also put together a sheet on Bakery Cakes vs. Scratch Cakes. Enjoy!
I just finished creating the recipes for this upcoming Monday’s Show on CBS8 San Diego. I will photograph the desserts and add to this post after the Monday Show. You all have seen “reveal” cakes where the center is packed with sprinkles that spill out on your cake plate.. These are cupcakes that do it in your mouth. I hope you enjoy all of the chocolate desserts! It is a time for love. Happy Valentines Day!
Behind the scenes on CBS8… Who knows what I am showing Heather.. But Jacob is catching everything!
Chocolate Strawberry Martini: Recipe
Fudge Heart Brownies.. Here is the recipe
Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes: Recipe
Chocolate Chambord Truffles : Recipe
Marbleized Strawberries: Recipe
Here are two of the recipes I mentioned on the show today. Remember to use a cheesecake pan instead of a springform.
Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
Enjoy and check out The Cheesecake Bible 2nd Edition.
To Purchase: Amazon
A very moist and flavorful cake.. I like to use very very ripe bananas that are very dark. The sugars come up and wow.. so much flavor. Use any kind of Bundt tube pan for this recipe.
A trick I tell all of my students when you are making a Bundt cake… No need to grease and flour the pans as it is too difficult to get into all of the cracks and crevasses.. Spray pan with a non-stick spray. After the cake has completely baked, set a timer for exactly 10 minutes. Then invert directly on a cooking rack. The pan will lift off perfectly.
It's National Peanut Day! On the morning show I love doing WTF Day.. (What The Food Day). Everyday is a day of some kind of food. Here are my favorite peanut butter cookies. I love to dip them in Belgium Chocolate and some sprinkling of roasted peanuts too.
I grew up in Torrance, CA. For years we were home to the world's largest mall. Del Amo Fashion Square. Then a mall in Canada and the Mall of America in Minnesota beat us out. Well, I loved this stand called Bob's Ice Cream Bars. The sales ladies wore old time dresses with aprons and funny hats. You could get an ice cream bar that was chocolate or vanilla and they would dip it in a chocolate coating, then you could choose the nuts or jimmies. I always took the roasted peanuts. While I was dipping my cookies, I thought of Bob's Ice Cream Bars.
Here is the recipe: Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Enjoy! And make sure you are getting my newsletter at www.georgegeary.com
The History of…. The Brownie.. (Maybe)
History intrigues me. I always have felt you cannot look to the future until you look at your past. My 5th grade teacher Mr. Fickart said “History Repeats Itself”…
This is a new idea I have regarding history of food. When I was researching my latest book L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants three of the recipes in the book were “firsts”. I thought it would be an interesting blog as to the “firsts” as we know them in food. Or the claims we have heard. With a recipe or two thrown in.
The Brownie.
Many have claimed they invented what today we know as “the Brownie” I enjoy the Potter and Bertha Horne Palmer story. It all starts at the Palmer (Today known as The Palmer Hotel ~ A Hilton Hotel). Today the Palmer sits 17 E. Monroe (at State) in Chicago. The current hotel is the third Palmer at this location. The first was built in 1871 (as a wedding gift to his wife) and 13 days later it burnt down in the Great Chicago Fire. Four years later, it reopened as “The World’s Only Fire Proof Hotel”. In the 1920’s the current hotel was built bigger on the same site to accommodate the business in downtown. Today the Palmer has 1,641 rooms that make it the second largest hotel in Chicago.
Bertha Palmer was the President of the Board of Ladies Managers of the World’s Columbian Commission in 1890. Duties of the President were important besides conducting and leading dozens of the lady managers of the board. Because of her influence and stature in the community and having the largest most opulent hotel didn’t hurt. Bertha called on her pastry chef at the hotel to design a dessert for the upcoming woman’s picnic for the board (It was held at Grant Park in the Ladies Pavilion). She knew the ladies could not have a piece of cake or pie in their picnic basket without it ruining their gloves. Cookies were too mundane. So he created a “bar cookie” of sorts. Today when you stay at the Palmer, you get a brownie during turn down service.
Technically, there is no written evidence on menus or such that the Palmer called them Brownies. The first recipe for “brownies” in a cookbook was Fanny Famer, in the 1896 edition of the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. But it didn’t have chocolate, so it was what we today all a “Blondie”. The first time in print with reference to Chocolate and Brownie was on April 1st, 1898 in the Kansas City Journal on sale for .15 cents a pound. The updated 1909 Boston Cooking School Cookbook had two recipes one for Brownies with and one without chocolate.
1909 Boston Cooking School Recipe
Here is a list of my October Classes and Signings
Get my book here on Amazon
Enjoy!
Chocolate Pecan Bars.. They are too hot to cut!
Here is the recipe.. Have a great weekend!
I posted pictures of my classes here in the south and so many requests for these cookies.. Here you go!
Update on France 2017.. 1/2 full! Email for details. ggeary@aol.com
Last weekend I went to the Temecula Farmers Market looking around for new fresh items of the season. Red Walnuts and Lavender Buds for cooking. The walnuts were a bright hue of red that do not loose their color when baking. If you are not close to this farmers market you can get them from Amazon.
Notice the pure color that does not look like they are just dyed.
I made Red Walnut Oatmeal cookies that turned out terrific! Here is the recipe:
Keys Creek Lavender Farm up the road from Temecula has a table filled with the only organic certified farm for lavender around. The farm used to be open to the public, but now only if you are attending a class or function. Their Linen spray is the best on the market and made at the farm. I purchased the food grade buds to make lavender sugar and to decorate the cookies.
Have you even purchased something from etsy.com? I was looking around at rolling pins and found these remarkable tools from Rolling Woods: They even make to order.. They are out of Poland, but no worries if you order with Paypal.. My pins arrived within 3 weeks from ordering! Rolling Woods
I made Lavender Butter Cookies using the Lavender buds and European butter:
Lastly, I am a sucker for a good Chocolate Chip Cookie. I love how these turned out with the soft inside and outside with a little crunch. They also look like ones my grandmother made..
Thursday is National Cheesecake Day.. Post coming soon.. I will be on LIVE CW6 San Diego Living.. Tune in.. 9am!
Monday on SDLiving I will be doing a special show for Dad's.. Mainly my dad!
Here is a rare picture of us.. Mom really didn't let Dad hold us.. In fact some didn't think we had legs that worked! Father's Day is a tough day for gifts.. You try to get something useful yet fun.. So I came up years ago with a blend of Cinnamon Sugar that dad likes on his buttered toast in the mornings.. I packaged it and put lables with this picture.. Wala! A perfect personal gift.. We will be making this and also a Steak/Rub rub. Also some of Dad's Favorite Chocolate Desserts!
Join me on SDLiving Tomorrow LIVE at 9am.. Here are the recipes...
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
See you on the HAL Flagship... The ms Amsterdam on Sunday out of Seattle.. Heading to Alaska for a week!
We are 1/2 full for France 2016.. Will you be coming with us? It maybe our last weeks in the villas for a while.. ggeary@aol.com
SDLiving.. Tomorrow (Wed) Live!
My segment will be LIVE at 9am San Diego time.. On the CW6. I have two recipes...
Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
Chocolate Peppermint Cake/Cupcakes
Are you receiving my 12 days of Christmas Recipes? over 36 recipes total from appetizers to drinks! email me to get on the list! We are half over!
George
