I'm Chef Susan Odell, founder of foodell.com - your online cooking school - and a professional cooking instructor. I've been teaching home cooks how to make great food for over 13 years, ever since I left the hallowed kitchens of Le Cordon Bleu with my grand diploma. Follow my blog and get great cooking tips, seasonal notes, fabulous recipes and fun food facts, and go to foodell.com to learn to be a better cook. Bon appetit!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Enjoy the Holiday Weekend!
Any special meal you're going to cook for Labor Day weekend? Let us know on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/foodellcom
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Food Adventures!
Bottom right: Serving samples of reindeer and moose in Helsinki to the Foodell travelers. Yum!
Top right: Cloudberries - arctic berries in Finland that pack a real nutrient punch and taste just a bit like mangoes.
Left: Beautiful Stockholm!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks for all of your support and interest in foodell.com. Have a great weekend! - Chef Susan
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Enroll Today!
Enroll in foodell.com today and get access to all of our online cooking videos! http://www.foodell.com/membership
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Monday, August 19, 2013
(Video) Picnic in the Garden
We had such a fun time at Slow Food Park City's picnic in the garden yesterday! Foodell.com is a huge supporter of Slow Food, and we hope you take some time to find out more about them and their delicious events. - Chef Susan
Friday, August 16, 2013
(cooking video): Prepare Delicious Pork Tenderloin
Prepare delicious pork tenderloin for dinner with these tips and tricks from Teaching Chef Susan Odell of foodell.com:
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online cooking school,
pork,
prepare pork tenderloin,
tenderloin,
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Thursday, August 15, 2013
Favorite Food Quotes: Julia Child
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
― Julia Child
― Julia Child
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food quotes,
julia child,
online cooking school
Monday, August 12, 2013
Foodell Recipe: Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Fruit salad is a delicious and simple way to celebrate summer. Dress it up with this poppy seed dressing and it will be an even bigger hit: foodell.com
Fruit
salad is a delicious and simple way to celebrate summer. Dress it up
with this poppy seed dressing and it will be an even bigger hit. - See
more at:
http://www.foodell.com/recipes/fruit-salad-with-poppy-seed-dressing#sthash.bkwRDI9a.dpuf
Fruit
salad is a delicious and simple way to celebrate summer. Dress it up
with this poppy seed dressing and it will be an even bigger hit. - See
more at:
http://www.foodell.com/recipes/fruit-salad-with-poppy-seed-dressing#sthash.bkwRDI9a.dpuf
Labels:
foodell recipe,
fruit salad recipe,
summer recipe,
yum
Friday, August 9, 2013
Picnic by the Garden
Join me at Slow Food Park City's Picnic by the Garden on August 18th! Featuring homemade food (made by you!), great company, and a beautiful setting. - Chef Susan
What: A Slow Food potluck picnic to benefit Summit Community Gardens
When: Sunday, August 18th, 2013, 6 to 9 pm
Where: Matt Knoop Memorial Park, Park City (just off Old Ranch Road next to Summit Community Gardens)
Cost: $10 donation per person
"Join us for our 2nd annual potluck picnic, featuring homemade food (made by you!). We'll also take a tour of Summit Community Gardens and learn more about their mission to create a sustainable network of locally grown food in our community.
Bring a dish to share that includes at least one local ingredient, and bring your own beverages, place setting, lawn chairs and/or blanket.
We will have a contest for the best appetizer, side and dessert, so be prepared to compete with your best dish! We can also guarantee an evening of excellent food and great company, AND it's for a really worthwhile cause. Your $10 donation will help Summit Community Gardens expand their educational programs, inspiring more people to grow food and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Sign up and reserve your spot by clicking on this link: http://sfpcpicnicbythegarden.eventbrite.com/
Hope to see you there - watch for the red balloons when you get to the park!"
What: A Slow Food potluck picnic to benefit Summit Community Gardens
When: Sunday, August 18th, 2013, 6 to 9 pm
Where: Matt Knoop Memorial Park, Park City (just off Old Ranch Road next to Summit Community Gardens)
Cost: $10 donation per person
"Join us for our 2nd annual potluck picnic, featuring homemade food (made by you!). We'll also take a tour of Summit Community Gardens and learn more about their mission to create a sustainable network of locally grown food in our community.
Bring a dish to share that includes at least one local ingredient, and bring your own beverages, place setting, lawn chairs and/or blanket.
We will have a contest for the best appetizer, side and dessert, so be prepared to compete with your best dish! We can also guarantee an evening of excellent food and great company, AND it's for a really worthwhile cause. Your $10 donation will help Summit Community Gardens expand their educational programs, inspiring more people to grow food and contribute to a more sustainable future.
Sign up and reserve your spot by clicking on this link: http://
Hope to see you there - watch for the red balloons when you get to the park!"
Labels:
picnic by the garden,
slow food park city,
utah
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Park City EATS Team
From the Park City EATS Team: "It's time to start getting ramped up again for EATS! Join us tonight, August 5th, at 6 pm for a joint meeting of the Menu and Education committees. We're going to talk about new menu items for the coming year - come prepared with recipe ideas! See you at the Park City Library (1255 Park Ave.), room 109. Everyone is welcome!"
About the EATS Team: "The "Eat Awesome Things at School" Team is dedicated to enhancing the Park City, Utah school lunch program to provide healthful, tasty and affordable food for our kids."
Join their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ParkCityEatsTeam
Labels:
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Friday, August 2, 2013
Tips for Freezing Fresh Food
by Chef Susan Odell
On occasion we all buy too much food. We buy because something looks particularly tasty or because we think we'll be eating at home and then plans change. Many foods can be frozen with very little degradation in quality. Rather than waiting until those uneaten foods become a science experiment, here are some tips about freezing foods so you can enjoy them at a later date.
On occasion we all buy too much food. We buy because something looks particularly tasty or because we think we'll be eating at home and then plans change. Many foods can be frozen with very little degradation in quality. Rather than waiting until those uneaten foods become a science experiment, here are some tips about freezing foods so you can enjoy them at a later date.
1. Label EVERYTHING.
It may seem obvious today that a bag contains 2 cooked chicken breasts, but 3 months from now or even next week it will be unidentifiable. Include a description of the food, the date and if possible, the quantity (either weight or number of servings.)
2. When possible, freeze foods flat.
Put the food in a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and then lay the bag on its side on a baking sheet. This works for liquids as well as solids. Once the contents are frozen, you can stack the bags in tidy rows to minimize space requirements.
3. Air is the enemy of frozen foods.
Your best bet is to either buy a vacuum sealer which sucks out all the air or use sturdy plastic zippered bags that allow you to squeeze out most of the air before freezing.
4. Save and freeze even small portions of food.
Even if your leftovers consist of a single slice of bacon, save it! Put these remnants in freezer bags and just keep adding to the bags when you get more of the same. The next time you pull a steaming baked potato from the oven you'll be thrilled when you open the freezer and discover that one little strip of bacon to crumble over the top.
5. When you're cooking, make extra and plan on freezing some for later.
Time is short, so if you make the effort to cook make sure you can enjoy the results at least twice. Knowing that you're going to be saving things for later also takes away the incentive to help yourself to seconds. Which would you rather do - stuff yourself now or have a complete pre-cooked meal waiting for you another day?
Now that we've established the rules, here are suggestions for freezing 10 of the most common and most perishable foods in your fridge.
1. Meat
Fresh, raw meat should be wrapped really well with plastic wrap, using two or three layers if necessary to keep the meat protected from the air. Freeze the meat on or before its 'best by' date so you'll have a day or two to eat it once it's thawed.
2. Seafood
First off, buy seafood that is either fresh or frozen; avoid buying seafood that is labeled 'previously frozen'. Freezing fresh seafood is okay and keeping frozen seafood frozen a little bit longer is fine, but re-freezing thawed seafood will adversely affect the quality. Like meat, wrap fish well with plastic wrap. For shrimp and scallops and the like, use plastic baggies and squeeze out as much air as possible.
3. Cheese
Well-wrapped soft and hard cheeses freeze pretty well, but in-between cheeses like Monterey Jack and cheddar should first be grated before being frozen in plastic zippered bags.
4. Extra stock or wine
Whether you make your own stock or buy the boxed variety, don't waste any of it. Fill up ice cube trays or other small containers (leave a little room at the top for expansion) with your precious liquids like stock and wine and they'll come in handy for sauce making.
5. Fresh herbs
Fill an ice cube tray with chopped herbs and top each compartment with a little water. Once frozen, you can store the herb cubes in plastic bags. Another idea is to make pesto sauce with extra basil, cilantro or parsley (click here for the basic recipe). Place the pesto in small zippered bags and freeze them flat. You can also mix fresh herbs with softened butter (see video, "Compound Butter") and freeze it for later use as a quick sauce (once melted) or a spread for bread.
6. Leafy greens
Greens such as spinach, kale, arugula, chard, and collards should be blanched before freezing. Just plunge them in a large pot of boiling water for a few seconds and then drain and blot dry. Freeze in plastic zippered bags and use them in cooked dishes such as omelets, stir-fries and gratins.
7. Vegetables
Vegetables should be prepped for use before freezing. Onions and carrots should be peeled and chopped, beans should be trimmed, celery should be sliced and broccoli and cauliflower should be cut into florets. Many vegetables also benefit from blanching before freezing. Green beans, carrots, asparagus, snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower should be plunged in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, drained and blotted dry and then frozen. Vegetables that contain a lot of water such as celery, mushrooms and zucchini should be sliced and frozen raw, preferably in airtight bags.
8. Citrus fruits
Squeeze the juice from oranges, lemons, limes and such and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the citrus cubes can be stored in a zippered plastic bag.
9. Other Fruits
Just before bananas turn completely dark, peel them, wrap them well in plastic wrap, and freeze them. Frozen bananas are perfect for smoothies and banana bread. For berries, place them on a baking tray and freeze them. Once frozen, put them in a freezer bag and remove them as needed (smoothies, cobblers, ice cream, etc.) Tropical fruits and melons should be peeled and cut into chunks before freezing; treat them as you would berries. Apples and pears should be cooked before freezing. Make a compote and keep it on hand for a quick dessert.
10. Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes can simply be quartered, placed on a baking tray and frozen. Once frozen, the skin will peel off and you can store the quarters in a zippered plastic bag. Use them for making any dish that calls for canned tomatoes.
Freezing foods before they go bad will save you time (one less trip to the grocery store!) and money (no more wasted food!). When planning your meals, plan to eat out of the freezer at least one day per week. You'll be amazed at the dishes you can concoct when you have a variety of ingredients already on hand. Bon appetit!
Want to learn more? Consider joining our online cooking school! http://www.foodell.com/membership
It may seem obvious today that a bag contains 2 cooked chicken breasts, but 3 months from now or even next week it will be unidentifiable. Include a description of the food, the date and if possible, the quantity (either weight or number of servings.)
2. When possible, freeze foods flat.
Put the food in a freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and then lay the bag on its side on a baking sheet. This works for liquids as well as solids. Once the contents are frozen, you can stack the bags in tidy rows to minimize space requirements.
3. Air is the enemy of frozen foods.
Your best bet is to either buy a vacuum sealer which sucks out all the air or use sturdy plastic zippered bags that allow you to squeeze out most of the air before freezing.
4. Save and freeze even small portions of food.
Even if your leftovers consist of a single slice of bacon, save it! Put these remnants in freezer bags and just keep adding to the bags when you get more of the same. The next time you pull a steaming baked potato from the oven you'll be thrilled when you open the freezer and discover that one little strip of bacon to crumble over the top.
5. When you're cooking, make extra and plan on freezing some for later.
Time is short, so if you make the effort to cook make sure you can enjoy the results at least twice. Knowing that you're going to be saving things for later also takes away the incentive to help yourself to seconds. Which would you rather do - stuff yourself now or have a complete pre-cooked meal waiting for you another day?
Now that we've established the rules, here are suggestions for freezing 10 of the most common and most perishable foods in your fridge.
1. Meat
Fresh, raw meat should be wrapped really well with plastic wrap, using two or three layers if necessary to keep the meat protected from the air. Freeze the meat on or before its 'best by' date so you'll have a day or two to eat it once it's thawed.
2. Seafood
First off, buy seafood that is either fresh or frozen; avoid buying seafood that is labeled 'previously frozen'. Freezing fresh seafood is okay and keeping frozen seafood frozen a little bit longer is fine, but re-freezing thawed seafood will adversely affect the quality. Like meat, wrap fish well with plastic wrap. For shrimp and scallops and the like, use plastic baggies and squeeze out as much air as possible.
3. Cheese
Well-wrapped soft and hard cheeses freeze pretty well, but in-between cheeses like Monterey Jack and cheddar should first be grated before being frozen in plastic zippered bags.
4. Extra stock or wine
Whether you make your own stock or buy the boxed variety, don't waste any of it. Fill up ice cube trays or other small containers (leave a little room at the top for expansion) with your precious liquids like stock and wine and they'll come in handy for sauce making.
5. Fresh herbs
Fill an ice cube tray with chopped herbs and top each compartment with a little water. Once frozen, you can store the herb cubes in plastic bags. Another idea is to make pesto sauce with extra basil, cilantro or parsley (click here for the basic recipe). Place the pesto in small zippered bags and freeze them flat. You can also mix fresh herbs with softened butter (see video, "Compound Butter") and freeze it for later use as a quick sauce (once melted) or a spread for bread.
6. Leafy greens
Greens such as spinach, kale, arugula, chard, and collards should be blanched before freezing. Just plunge them in a large pot of boiling water for a few seconds and then drain and blot dry. Freeze in plastic zippered bags and use them in cooked dishes such as omelets, stir-fries and gratins.
7. Vegetables
Vegetables should be prepped for use before freezing. Onions and carrots should be peeled and chopped, beans should be trimmed, celery should be sliced and broccoli and cauliflower should be cut into florets. Many vegetables also benefit from blanching before freezing. Green beans, carrots, asparagus, snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower should be plunged in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, drained and blotted dry and then frozen. Vegetables that contain a lot of water such as celery, mushrooms and zucchini should be sliced and frozen raw, preferably in airtight bags.
8. Citrus fruits
Squeeze the juice from oranges, lemons, limes and such and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the citrus cubes can be stored in a zippered plastic bag.
9. Other Fruits
Just before bananas turn completely dark, peel them, wrap them well in plastic wrap, and freeze them. Frozen bananas are perfect for smoothies and banana bread. For berries, place them on a baking tray and freeze them. Once frozen, put them in a freezer bag and remove them as needed (smoothies, cobblers, ice cream, etc.) Tropical fruits and melons should be peeled and cut into chunks before freezing; treat them as you would berries. Apples and pears should be cooked before freezing. Make a compote and keep it on hand for a quick dessert.
10. Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes can simply be quartered, placed on a baking tray and frozen. Once frozen, the skin will peel off and you can store the quarters in a zippered plastic bag. Use them for making any dish that calls for canned tomatoes.
Freezing foods before they go bad will save you time (one less trip to the grocery store!) and money (no more wasted food!). When planning your meals, plan to eat out of the freezer at least one day per week. You'll be amazed at the dishes you can concoct when you have a variety of ingredients already on hand. Bon appetit!
Want to learn more? Consider joining our online cooking school! http://www.foodell.com/membership
Labels:
chef susan,
foodell,
tips for freezing fresh food
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Scrambled Eggs: Quick and Easy
Good morning! If you're looking for something
yummy to make this morning, scrambled eggs are quick and easy. See our
list of suggested additions to make basic scrambled eggs magnificent: http://www.foodell.com/recipes/scrambled-eggs
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