Cooking Corner from Creators Syndicate

Simply Sam for 06/10/2011

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Peter Rowe

Here's the thing about Sam Zien: He fails.

As business manager for a San Diego biotech firm, he failed to adopt a corporate image: "I was always the guy who wanted to be more funny than serious."

In the summer of 2001, he quit that job to launch his own TV travel series. Another recipe for failure: "I had neither travel nor TV experience.&quo ...

Updated: Fri Jun 10, 2011

Redemption in the Kitchen for 06/03/2011

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Keli Dailey

Trembling and near tears are the last things you'd expect from such a tough-looking guy.

"It brings me such joy to see a little kid tasting something and describing the basic flavors: sweet, bitter, salty," Ricardo Heredia says, sitting in the dining room at Alchemy in San Diego, where he is the executive chef. "It reminds me of me as a kid." ...

Updated: Fri Jun 03, 2011

Shortcake Is a Showcase for Ripe Strawberries for 05/27/2011

Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

This time of year, I get the urge to make an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. It's a dessert that showcases our luscious local berries.

Here's a no-frills version, courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission. For other ideas on how to use fresh berries, go to the commission's website, california-strawberries.com.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Updated: Fri May 27, 2011

A Healthy Frozen Treat for 05/20/2011

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

Camp Pocono Trails in Reeders, Pa., is a 350-acre summer camp for children where losing weight is the emphasis and camp activities range from tennis, drama and boating to fitness training and cooking instruction.

Nicole Selinsky, nutrition director for the camp, has developed healthy recipes that appeal to youngsters. She shared her recipe for frozen Berry Pops.

...

Updated: Fri May 20, 2011

Slices of Life for 05/13/2011

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

Susan Russo searched the globe for entries in her new "Encyclopedia of Sandwiches" (Quirk Books, 320 pages; $18.95), but her own favorite remains a childhood standby — her mom's meatball sandwich.

"A lot of the time, your favorite sandwich is the one that made you happiest," says Russo.

The San Diego food blogger and cookbook autho ...

Updated: Fri May 13, 2011

Chef's Cheesecake Celebrates New Avocado Season for 05/06/2011

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

California avocados are in season spring through fall, and to celebrate the new crop, the California Avocado Commission asked several chefs to create recipes using avocados. One of those chefs is Trey Foshee, of George's at the Cove in La Jolla, Calif.

Chef Foshee's creation is a rich avocado cheesecake with a hint of lemon.

CALIFORNIA AVOCADO CHEESECA ...

Updated: Fri May 06, 2011

Spicy Version of a Comfort Classic for 04/29/2011

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

A good mac and cheese recipe is always a crowd pleaser, and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar has a rich version with a hint of chipotle pepper.

Christopher Gardner and Matt Renstrom, chef partners of the steakhouses downtown and in La Jolla, Calif., offered to share their recipe for this classic comfort food with us.

FLEMING'S CHIPOTLE CHEDDAR M ...

Updated: Fri Apr 29, 2011

Eggs Not Just to Dye For for 04/22/2011

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Caroline Dipping

Dying them vivid hues and hiding them outdoors — hopefully somewhere the dog can't find them — is not the only way to treat eggs on Easter.

Baked with cheese, hard-cooked and dotted with capers, or whipped into voluminous sweet clouds, eggs can easily morph from brunch to dessert. With their ability to be all things to all diners — and with ...

Updated: Fri Apr 22, 2011

A Winning Potato Dish for 04/15/2011

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

This rich potato dish won first prize in the Idaho Potato Side Dish challenge, one of the events at the 2011 South Beach Wine & Food Festival earlier this year in Miami.

Baked Idaho Potato Salad

4 large potatoes, washed

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream

5 scallions, sliced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup ( ...

Updated: Fri Apr 15, 2011

An After-School Berry-Banana Smoothie for 04/08/2011

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

Children ages 6 to 12 years old were treated to a free cooking class sponsored by Got Milk earlier this month at the Copley Family YMCA in San Diego. The purpose of the event, scheduled as part of Nutrition Month, was to teach the youngsters how to make healthy and tasty after-school snacks.

Here's a recipe from the event, for a fruit-filled smoothie:

...

Updated: Fri Apr 08, 2011

A Fresh Take on Minestrone From Olivewood Gardens for 04/01/2011

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

A couple of weeks ago, I toured the 1-year-old Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City, Calif., where local elementary school children get the opportunity to do hands-on science and nutrition classes, gardening and cooking.

While I was there, chef Sara Polczynski, formerly pastry chef for the Cohn Restaurant Group and currently with the San Diego Commu ...

Updated: Fri Apr 01, 2011

Potatoes Do Double Duty in Irish Stew for 03/25/2011

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Chris Ross

One of my fondest childhood food memories is my mom's meal of corned beef and cabbage, served with new potatoes drenched in butter and parsley. With Irish ancestors on both sides of the family tree, St. Patrick's Day was a time for good food and good stories at our house. But it turns out that corned beef and cabbage is really an Irish-American tradition, not one that would ...

Updated: Fri Mar 25, 2011

The Cutting Edge for 03/18/2011

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

By Robert York

The knife. Yes, it's mankind's oldest tool. Yes, they're everywhere, at every price, and every home chef has a dozen or more in various drawers and countertop holders. But when the recipe calls for turning the onion from a purple ball to fine dice for homemade mango and habenero salsa, that's when it gets personal.

That's when you might wish you had Katherine Emmene ...

Updated: Fri Mar 18, 2011

A Sweet, Savory Rice Dish for 03/11/2011

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Chris Ross

The California Raisin Marketing Board website, calraisins.org, is a good resource for recipes, including a whole section on healthy cooking. This sweet and savory recipe is suggested as an accompaniment to roast pork, but it would work just as well with chicken or turkey.

PINEAPPLE-RAISIN FRIED RICE

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons m ...

Updated: Fri Mar 11, 2011

A Moist Red Velvet Cake for 03/04/2011

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Chris Ross

Jackie Davidson of Mobile, Ala., e-mailed us offering to share her shortcut version of traditional red velvet cake.

"I could never get my 'from scratch' recipes to be moist," wrote Davidson. "This is also one of my most-requested recipes when my friends try a slice."

JACKIE LONGINO DAVIDSON'S RED VELVET CAKE

For the c ...

Updated: Fri Mar 04, 2011

A Favorite Tomato Basil Soup for 02/25/2011

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Chris Ross

Sandra Palmer e-mailed us to say that she and her husband love the Fresh Tomato Basil Soup from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. "It simply is the best tomato soup I have ever eaten," she wrote.

Palmer asked if we could get the restaurant chain to give us the recipe. Sammy's executive chef, Jeff Moogk, scaled down his popular creation for us, to make a family-sized ...

Updated: Fri Feb 25, 2011

A Merger of Enchilada and Lasagna for 02/18/2011

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Chris Ross

This recipe, from the Pillsbury website, pillsbury.com, is a happy combination of two food cultures, Mexican and Italian.

GREEN CHILI CHICKEN LASAGNA

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cans (10 ounces each) green enchilada sauce

2 c ...

Updated: Fri Feb 18, 2011

A Memorable Ginger Broth for 02/11/2011

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Chris Ross

Denise Johnson e-mailed us saying that she's "obsessed" with Souplantation's Asian Ginger Broth. She has tried similar recipes found on the Internet but says they don't compare.

The folks at Souplantation gave us the lowdown.

SOUPLANTATION'S ASIAN GINGER BROTH

4 tablespoons finely minced ginger

3 tablespoons finely ...

Updated: Fri Feb 11, 2011

Cueva Bar's Albondigas Recipe for 02/04/2011

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Keli Dailey

Plunging into a soothing bowl of Mexican meatball soup called albondigas is possible whenever Cueva Bar is open. But what if the tiny tapas restaurant in San Diego is closed?

I've written before how one order of Cueva's albondigas — just four fluffy and teasing meatballs in a slightly prickly, rust-colored broth — left me wanting more. Here, Cueva co-own ...

Updated: Fri Feb 04, 2011

The exuberantly plated Brussels sprouts at Bo-beau. for 01/28/2011

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Keli Dailey

On her breaks, a teenage hostess would slip into a kitchen devoted to contemporary California cuisine — oven-roasted sea bass, pistachio-crusted Colorado rack of lamb and the like — until finally she had enough insight into the Prado restaurant in San Diego to decide that cooking was more fun than greeting and seating.

This was back when Katherine Hump ...

Updated: Fri Jan 28, 2011