GiangisKitchen.com Now Offering Live Hands-On Online Cooking Classes

June 29, 2020 by evebushman

PHOENIX (PRWEB) – Anyone who aspires to become a kitchen gourmet and prepare delicious, fresh and healthy meals, snacks, appetizers and desserts for their family — and all while staying comfortably within their budget — can get the step-by-step guidance they need by enrolling in new live hands-on online classes offered by award-winning recipe blog GiangisKitchen.com.

Each class — which ranges in duration from 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours — is led by Giangi Townsend, the worldwide popular cooking blogger behind GiangisKitchen.com and author of the new eBook “Back to Basics: Cooking 101 – A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking”.

Currently, the roster includes classes on French Bistro cuisine, preparing Coq Au Vin Blanc using a pressure cooker, and more. There is also a fun and educational 5-day Children’s Summer Cooking Camp, and groups of parents can get together and schedule 3 or 5-day virtual children’s cooking classes at a convenient time during the summer.

“The online classes are very practical, because I’m a big believer in learning by doing,” commented Giangi, who was named Best Food and Lifestyle Blogger — Southwest USA by CV Magazine. “And while we cover a lot of information in each class, the experience is fun, friendly and interactive. It’s a great learning opportunity for everyone, from those who are already comfortable in the kitchen, to those who are brand new.”

A list of all available online classes and registration information is available at https://www.giangiskitchen.com/cooking-classes.

Access GiangisKitchen.com is free, and no sign-up is required. The website also features money-saving offers and coupons, and is optimized for all screens including tablets and smartphones. Visitors can also subscribe to get a weekly recipe round-up delivered to their inbox.

Facebook users are invited to follow Giangi’s Kitchen at: https://www.facebook.com/giangiskitchen.

For all other information on GiangisKitchen.com, including advertising, marketing and media inquiries, email giangi(at)giangiskitchen(dot)com or visit http://www.giangiskitchen.com.

About GiangisKitchen.com

GiangisKitchen.com is a popular and award-winning blog that features simple, delicious, elegant and nutritious recipes, geared to everyone: working moms, dads, grandparents, empty nesters, teenagers, and anyone else with a desire to prepare a great evening meal for their family in just 30-45 minutes.

Tuscan Women Cook Brings Italy to Your Kitchen with a Light, Summer Italian Recipe

June 22, 2020 by evebushman

Who wouldn’t love to sit in the sun at an outdoor café in Italy sipping a chilled glass of wine and eating a favorite Italian meal? Unfortunately, we can’t travel to Italy yet and many of us are still staying close to home. But that doesn’t mean we can’t create a bit of Italy in ourselves. Coleen Kirnan and Rhonda Vilardo, the owners, and hosts of Tuscan Women Cook, the unique and popular culinary vacation located in the heart of Tuscany, want to bring a bit of Italy to home kitchens during this pandemic. Tuscan Women Cook is about celebrating the food and culture of the Tuscan region of Italy ensconced in the charming village of Montefollonico.

Photo from Tuscan Women Cook’s Facebook page.

A favorite summer meal is Pasta Fredda. Pasta Fredda, “cold pasta” or “pasta salad”, is the perfect pasta dish for spring or summer, although it can be served year-round. It is generally served chilled or at room temperature and is a popular dish throughout Italy for warm weather picnics and buffets. Tuscan Women Cook has prepared the recipe using just five ingredients plus the pasta. Feel free to add your own ingredients—vegetables, beans, nuts, seafood, poultry, and cheeses such as Parmesan and feta.

Pasta Fredda
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) short pasta, such as farfalle or tubetti *
20 cherry tomatoes cut in half
7 ounces bocconcini (small balls of mozzarella cheese), or any size fresh mozzarella cut into 1.5-inch pieces
¾ cup black olives, pitted and cut in half
6 or more fresh basil leaves, torn into two or three pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta following the box instructions for the time, or until al dente. Drain and cool to room temperature. Combine chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in a large serving bowl. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture, combine, and drizzle with olive oil to taste.

* If you have small amounts of different shaped pasta in your pantry, combine them for a unique presentation.

Arianna Moldovan, from Tuscan Women Cook, shows you how to prepare Pasta Fredda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGOv-079biI&feature=youtu.be

Recipe reprinted with permission of www.TuscanWomenCook.com.

During each day of Tuscan Women Cook’s week-long program, their group of 18 participants learn to cook authentic Italian recipes from some of the best cooks in all of Italy…the local grandmothers, or “nonnas.” These extraordinary women teach their cooking classes sharing family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.

And after a day of cooking, eating, and wine tasting, participants are taken on shopping and sightseeing trips in the many beautiful villages and towns of Tuscany, with maybe a little more wine tasting and afternoon gelato sampling, ending each day with a memorable gourmet dinner in the region’s top locales.

Los Angeles-based Coleen Kirnan and Rhonda Vilardo are two inventive business dynamos who decided to take a career risk that changed their lives. In 2016 they purchased Tuscan Women Cook, a career move that changed both of their lives personally and professionally.

For more information on Tuscan Women Cook, visit their website, www.TuscanWomenCook.com.

GiangisKitchen.com Launches New eBook “Back to Basics: Cooking 101 – A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking”

May 6, 2020 by evebushman

PHOENIX (PRWEB) – Anyone who wants cooking to be a creative and energizing experience — instead of a hard or stressful ordeal — can now get the guidance, answers and advice they need in a new eBook from award-winning recipe blog GiangisKitchen.com called “Back to Basics: Cooking 101 – A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking.”

The new eBook was written by Giangi Townsend, the worldwide popular cooking blogger behind GiangisKitchen.com’s, and includes chapters that cover:

Basic Kitchen Cleanliness and Cross-Contamination
Knives – Sharpening, Handling and So Much More
Cooking Tools and How to Use Them
Cooking Pans
Appliances Needed and Why
Recipes from Beginning to End
Burner Basics
Plating Your Recipe
Pantry: What You Should Always Have on Hand
Unless it is Otherwise Specified and Replacing Ingredients

There is also a special bonus chapter, in which Giangi shares some of her favorite all-time recipes.

“My new eBook has everything that new and less experienced kitchen gourmets need to get started on achieving their cooking dreams!” commented Giangi. “From setting up the kitchen with the right tools and appliances, to handling knives and plating, every corner is covered.”

For a limited time to celebrate the launch, Back to Basics: Cooking 101 – A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking is available at a discounted price of $9.99 (regular price $14.99). Secure purchases can be made from: https://www.giangiskitchen.com/product/cooking-101. The eBook is available instantly in PDF format, and features multiple high-resolution photos and clear, easy-to-read formatting.

Access GiangisKitchen.com is free, and no sign-up is required. The website also features money-saving offers and coupons and is optimized for all screens including tablets and smartphones. Visitors can also subscribe to get a weekly recipe round-up delivered to their inbox.

Facebook users are invited to follow Giangi’s Kitchen at: https://www.facebook.com/giangiskitchen.

For all other information on GiangisKitchen.com, including advertising, marketing and media inquiries, email giangi(at)giangiskitchen(dot)com or visit http://www.giangiskitchen.com.

About GiangisKitchen.com

E’Ian West Signs Content Deal With Food Network Star Nancy Fuller

March 4, 2020 by evebushman

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) – “Nancy is a great personality and has proven that for years at the Food Network. After many discussions, I have a clear understanding of her passion on and off the farm. I’ve created original concepts for her that are sure to increase her visibility. It’s amazing to realize Nancy started her television career later in life but is a veteran in every sense of the word.” – E’Ian West, Montage Media Production Company.

“My thanks to E’Ian West of Montage Media Production for his gracious manner and professional knowledge in this myriad of media industry. E’Ian has embraced the qualities afforded to age, wisdom, and affability that 70 years provide. In an era of technology and a whirlwind lifestyle; we have lost the domestic quality of a previous time. Discipline. Manners. Cooking. Meals eaten together with family. An easy recipe using a seasonal ingredient. Wholesomeness. E’Ian has recognized these qualities and hopes to bring a new flourish to tradition. I look forward to the adventure!” – Nancy Fuller

Nancy Fuller is the host of Farmhouse Rules, and a judge on Holiday Baking Championship and Spring Baking Championship. Her philosophy is to feed others with delicious, simple meals from the heart.

Montage Media Production Company is a Los Angeles-based production company founded by E’Ian West, that partners with a dynamic mix of entertainment professionals. It is the collective belief among the Montage Media Production Company that top-shelf talent and innovative ideas deserve the highest-quality production. We join our finely tuned forces to deliver digital and broadcast content across premium multi-media platforms.

8th Annual SCV Charity Chili Cook-Off is Getting Spicy (Check out who the judges are…)

January 20, 2020 by evebushman

The 8th Annual Santa Clarita Valley Charity Chili Cook-off is set to feature 40 amateur chefs

to compete for the most prestigious awards of the event.

The 8^th annual SCV Charity Chili Cook-off, and organizers are looking for sponsors and chili cooker contestants. The event will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17^th, 2020 (St. Patrick’s Day) at The Hyatt Regency in Valencia. Chefs will go head-to-head in an effort to take the People’s Choice and Judges Choice awards for the top three chilies’ in each category.

The earnings raised this year will be donated to two local charities, FeedSCV and the Wish Foundation wellness centers.

FeedSCV will use the donation for their weekend backpack program from FeedSCV, “Ready To Learn.” The program currently serves The Newhall School District. It provides meals for kids identified as “in need” by the district’s social services, some, classified as homeless. That can include kids staying with relatives (couch-surfing) or living with parents in cars or RVs, or similar circumstances. Each Friday, the kids get to take home a backpack filled with “shelf-stable” single-serving meals for the weekend: Three meals per day and a few snacks as well. Volunteers acquire the food, stuff the backpacks, and deliver them to the schools each week. Currently, the program is nearing capacity and the additional funds will allow increased capacity both in terms of food, and access to a larger assembly site.

The WiSH Education Foundation’s mission is to bridge the gap in state funding; we fund programs that are not paid for by tax dollars alone. Our goal is to provide the tools for success in the classroom and to benefit as many students as possible with our dollars. Our funding focus is STEAM with an emphasis on the Arts – we strongly feel that all students, regardless of interest and passion, deserve support to reach their potential. At this time and given the recent tragedy at Saugus High School, WiSH is focusing attention and detail on wellness across the district. That directed funding would provide whatever is needed for the mental wellness of our student body across the district which would include wellness centers, a tech-free safe space that offers classes, seminars, self-help and triage for those needing a break any time during their school day. WiSH is also raising funding to renovate the Saugus High quad as a comfortable and social gathering space for the campus.

“We hope to raise more money than ever for these two charities this year.” said event co-founder Nicole Stinson. “It has been humbling to watch this event gain popularity each year, and I am excited with our new celebrity judges so far this year Eve Bushman with Eve Bushman Consulting and Eves Wine 101, Austin Dave an award-winning multimedia journalist and two additional judges to be announced in the coming weeks.

Since 2012, the chili cook-off organizers have donated the proceeds to different local nonprofit organizations.

Those who attend the upcoming chili cook-off will have the opportunity to enjoy live entertainment, silent and live auctions, casino tables and a 50/50 opportunity drawing.

“Opportunities are still available for sponsors, to register to be a chili cooker contestant, and a vendor” said event organizers. “So, grab your secret family recipe, get your chili pot out of storage, and get cooking.”

Contestant fees are $125 per person, while general admission tickets are scheduled to be sold online for $25 before Feb. 14 and $30 after Feb.14. In addition, a limited number of advance-purchase VIP tickets are also available for $65, which includes early entry at 5:30, one drink ticket, VIP area access, VIP parking, swag bag and VIP hors-d’oeuvres.

Sponsors to date include 24/7 Events, Scorpion , Christy Smith, Loan Depot, A1 Party, The Santa Clarita Signal, Santa Clarita Magazine, KHTS Radio, Valley Publications, J & M Entertainment, Ring of Smiles Photo booth, Logix Federal Credit Union, Schlick Art, Event Staffing , Skycrest Signs, Nealies Skillet, SCVTV, Valley Wide Escrow, Back to Health Chiropractic, Hyatt Regency Valencia, Remax of SCV, Finance of America, My Print Express, NextHome Real Estate Rockstars, The Douglas Roberts Insurance Agency, Newhall Escrow, Southland Regional Association of Realtors, Bank of the Sierra, Casino Kings.

For more information please visit www.scvcharitychilicookoff.com or call Nicole Stinson Estate Realty Group 661-816-4234 or Steve Portaro 310-800-3064.

The World of Fine Wine in association with Gaggenau, announces the 2019 World’s Best Wine Lists Awards winners

October 20, 2019 by evebushman

London – the World’s Best Wine Lists in association with Gaggenau have been announced, with Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, receiving the honor of Wine List of the Year, Best Hotel Wine List in the World, and Champions’ League World’s Best By-the-Glass Wine List 2019.

Stock photo, not associated with event.

The World’s Best Wine Lists celebrated its sixth anniversary with a prestigious judging panel. Chaired by Neil Beckett, World of Fine Wine Editor, and featuring writer and broadcaster, Andrew Jefford; award-winning sommelier, Andreas Larsson; publisher and writer Ch’ng Poh Tiong; wine writers Elin McCoy, Francis Percival and Alder Yarrow; sommelier Luciana Girotto; and wine writer and lecturer Anne Krebiehl MW. They assessed over 1,000 of the world’s best wine lists to determine the shortlist. The nominees and winners are based on a range of criteria including breadth, depth, interest, quality, value, clarity and accuracy.

Hidden in the Crocodile River Valley in the lush Francolin Conservancy, Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient is one of South Africa’s finest luxury hotels – featuring one of the country’s best loved and most respected restaurants, worthy of its supreme praise and three top recognitions at the World’s Best Wine Lists Awards 2019. The creative cookery of Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient is well matched by a superb modern wine list containing over 5,000 selections. Described by our judges as “a phenomenal list that is a joy to explore”.

The awards are renowned as the Michelin Stars of the wine list world and include a number of best-in-class category winners including HIDE for Best Spirits List in the World; The World Residences at Sea for Best Cruise Ship Wine List in the World; Nº5 Wine Bar for Best Wine Bar List in the World; Air France for Best Airline Wine List in the World and for the sixth year in a row, Pix Pâtisserie for Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List in the World. The night was also a celebration of new restaurants, with Chicago’s The Purple Pig being awarded Best By-the-Glass Wine List Without Coravin® in the World; and Lake Buena Vista, Florida’s Wine Bar George taking Best Micro Wine List in the World.

Best Long Wine List in the World 2019 – Geranium, Copenhagen

Best Medium-Size Wine List in the World 2019 – Sager + Wilde Hackney Road, London

Best Short Wine List in the World 2019 – Blue Hill, New York

Best Micro Wine List in the World 2019 – Wine Bar George, Lake Buena Vista

Best Regional Wine List in the World 2019 – The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia

Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List in the World 2019 – Pix Pâtisserie, Portland

Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List in the World 2019 – Antica Bottega del Vino, Verona

Best Spirits List in the World 2019 – Hide, London

Best By-the-Glass Wine List Without Coravin® in the World 2019 – The Purple Pig, Chicago

Best By-the-Glass Wine List With Coravin® in the World 2019 – Nº5 Wine Bar, Toulouse

Best Wine Bar List in the World 2019 – Nº5 Wine Bar, Toulouse

Best Hotel Wine List in the World 2019 – Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria

Most Original Wine List in the World 2019 – Terroir, New York

Best Designed Wine List in the World 2019 – The Restaurant at Meadowood, Napa

Best Airline Wine List in the World 2019 – Air France

Best Cruise Ship Wine List in the World 2019 – The World Residences at Sea

Wine List of the Year 2019 – Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria

Best Sake List in the World 2019 – Saké, The Rocks, Sydney

Champions’ League World’s Best Wine List 2019 – Eleven Madison Park, New York

Champions’ League Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine List 2019 – Eleven Madison Park, New York

Champions’ League Best By-the-Glass Wine List 2019 – Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria

Champions’ League Best Dessert & Fortified Wine List 2019 – Robuchon au Dôme at Grand Hotel Lisboa, Macau

Champions’ League Best Spirits List 2019 – The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Tennessee

The full list of winners will be announced soon.

Vintage Eve 2/2016: Moms Best…and Worst Cooking, A Roundup Part 2

March 12, 2019 by evebushman

Last week my column ran a wee bit long sharing all of your stories from your childhood dining hits and misses – at the hands of our mothers. This week we pick right back up with a few more tales:

Renee P. – She over cooked everything until it was dried out and tasteless! Except for her red sauce/pasta, which I still cook today with some upgrades.

Valentino’s wine room – photo from website, but it (used to be) set for dinner just like this!

Jodi F. – She made the best stuffed artichokes. My birthday favorite.

Kathy P. – My mom was saddled with a husband who could criticize every single meal she ever made, which played havoc with her confidence as a cook, as well as not having much in the way of money for groceries and only one day a week to go to the grocery store, since we only had one car. Despite that, she always made something good for dinner, EXCEPT her liver and onions, which was really, really overcooked! She loved it, but we ate a lot of sides that night and our requisite 2 bites that we had to eat of everything at every meal!

Tamara L. – Best.. Her fried chicken. Worst… Shit on a shingle.

Celeste D. – I grew up with a southern grandma. Everything was cooked in bacon grease. When I made green beans for the first time, after moving out, they didn’t taste right. I called up my grandma and asked what I did wrong, and she asked what brand I used and how much bacon fat I cooked them with. I said they were fresh and I just steamed them, and she said “that’s the problem”.
When I think of my grandma cooking, it’s biscuits and gravy, salt ham, and grape jelly. Oh and some crazy fruit salad with marshmallows, cool whip and maraschino cherries. I loved it as a kid.

I dated an Italian guy for awhile who had a mom who was a great cook. I think I stayed with him a little longer than I should just for those Sunday dinners.

Carmel F. – I was blessed (or cursed) to be raised by a mom who was an excellent cook. A Mexican-American, and the first-born of twelve, even as a child, her days revolved around food prep. Tortillas and refried beans from scratch were a constant with that many mouths to feed. Although as an adult she branched out in cuisine, she never learned how to not to cook for a crowd. Which came in handy with five kids. Mexican food wasn’t a staple, but we love her (now special occasion) chicken tacos and her cheese enchiladas with cottage cheese and green onions. She found a recipe in Playboy decades ago for “Green Sauce” for spaghetti: cream cheese, oil, margarine and tons of parsley. YUM! She made a different breakfast for us every morning; Thursday was always SOS, tuna or ground beef – still my favorite breakfast in the world. My dad, however, was the experimenter, using cream of asparagus instead of cream of mushroom for the SOS. I still have nightmares about that.

And one more from Scott E. – My Mom seemed to get zero genes from her Italian Mother, or was just a casualty of the times (frozen dinners and casseroles).

Fridays we had fish. It was then that I learned that fish were awful and disgusting and OMG she could not cook fish. Slimy and fishy tasting without fail. I was years into adulthood before I could manage to turn that aversion into what is now one of my favorite meals.

Julia Child to the rescue, however as, somehow, my Mom managed to learn how to cook Boeuf Bourguignon. It always filled the house with a wonderful aroma and I loved it.

The sad epilogue to that, however was that years later, after I had forgotten about the dish (she seemed to stop making it at one point, I don’t remember when), I saw the movie, “Julie & Julia” and rush out to make that movie’s signature dish. Sad because years later, the familiar flavor was actually a little disappointing when I realized it was “just” that dish from my childhood. Even though, at the time, I used to love it.

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Vintage Eve 2/2016: Moms Best…and Worst Cooking, A Roundup Part 1

March 5, 2019 by evebushman

After reading and reviewing Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl, a memoir that spelled out how Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine, food critic and author of many food-related books, got hooked on the food industry after surviving some…well…failures that her mom made in the kitchen.

From my kitchen: Rhubarb pie, Mankato cookbook, Grandma Ellen recipe

A comment I received, about another mother’s daring attempts in the kitchen, made me want to do this roundup from readers. I asked that they comment what was their most memorable dining experience in a meal cooked by their mom. And to share both the best and the worst:

I’ll start: my mom was somewhat of an off and on vegetarian so her flavorless attempts – Barley Casserole and Carrot Casserole – nearly killed me. However, she made up for it with her homemade Bracioles (pronounced Bar-joe-lees)!

Scott E. – One Mother’s Day I got her a set of storage containers that had clock face like dials to mark the day and month they were saved. Only the very brave ventured into her freezer. Lol.

Mike B. – Best: Chicken Fried Steak. (We’re from Texas.) Runner Up: Pasta La Gusta (she never told us what was in it) Worst: Nothing. She was an amazing cook. I’m gaining weight just thinking about all of her awesome meals. I regret never learning how to cook from her, but she definitely taught me how to eat.

Michael G. – I’ll start with best, my Nana used to cook the most amazing Italian dinners. During the week she would bake bread and make a small loaf just for me. She’d pull it from the oven and pour out some good olive oil and black pepper and we’d have an after school feast of bread. Such fond memories. Worse food, as good as my family was with Italian food, meat was always served beyond well done. It wasn’t until my first job as a server that I discovered lamb chops were not supposed to be little pieces of burnt meat on burnt bones. A guest ordered them medium rare and I thought they were insane. LOL.

Kevin K. – I found out my mom used mustard as a spice in her spaghetti. I hate mustard. On the positive side I still make her homemade macaroni and cheese recipe.

Susan W. – Everything was straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook: meatloaf, tuna noodle casserole, liver and onions (us kids really didn’t like that one!) I remember once in a while it got exotic and we would have cheese enchiladas!

Danika S. – My mom was not a great cook, although I didn’t learn that until I had Lule kebobs at the Farmers Market in L.A. You mean they’re NOT supposed to be dry and tasteless?

Vicki H. – My mom was a great cook. But now that is a lost art to her. I disliked Curry for many years because she over did it once. But I am eating a lot of it now in our South Beach Diet. Her Sho Pao was to die for. Along with her Pan Sit. Miss her cooking.

Lori R. – My mom was on a health kick, and substituted carob for all candies on Easter, convincing us that carob tastes the same.

Yeah. I kept eating that carob, thinking it would magically taste like chocolate.

Another time, we had a huge box of cantaloupes and dozens of eggs (all left over from an encampment — we lived at a Girl Scout camp).

Living on a mountain, far from a market, and on a very tight budget, my parents announced that we would eat 2 eggs and half a cantaloupe every morning. My mom even convinced my brother and I that lemon pepper would taste good on the cantaloupe.

I couldn’t eat eggs or cantaloupe again until I was in my 30’s.

Good food: my grandma has always made the best marinara sauce. As a new bride, she lived next door to an Italian grandma immigrant, who taught my grandma that Old World style. So delicious.

Food Blogger Shares 10 Best Practices for Following a Recipe

January 17, 2019 by evebushman

PHOENIX (PRWEB) – In theory, recipes are supposed to be simple and straightforward ways to turn raw ingredients into delicious dishes. Unfortunately, many cooks — especially folks who are new to the culinary arts — discover that there is much more to recipes that meets the eye, because instead of something delectable they wind up with something disappointing; or in some cases, disastrous.

The good news is that award-winning food blog GiangisKitchen.com has just published an easy-to-read article with 10 best practices for following a recipe. Just some of the practical wisdom courtesy of Giangi Townsend, food maven and founder of the globally-popular blog, includes:

Before starting any recipe, read it twice from beginning to end.
Understand that cooking times are soft suggestions, not hard rules.
Head to YouTube to learn how to dice, chop and julienne like a pro.
Understand the different ways to measure liquids vs. solids.

In addition to these and several other best practices, the article also provides advice on replacing ingredients without ruining recipes, such as swapping breadcrumbs with panko, white pepper with black pepper, and more.

There is also a bonus tip on presentation that can make all the difference between a meal that is worthy of remembering fondly, and one that is destined to be quickly forgotten. Writes Giangi: “Remember to serve your dishes in beautiful plates! Personally, I really like white plates as makes the food stand out more…Portion and shape are also important. After all, we don’t just eat with our mouth and stomach — we also eat with our eyes. A fantastic presentation is much more inviting.”

The full article is available on the GiangisKitchen.com blog at: https://www.giangiskitchen.com/10-best-practices-for-following-a-recipe. Access is free, and no sign-up is required. The recently re-designed website also features original recipes, money-saving offers and coupons, and is optimized for all screens including tablets and smartphones.

For additional information on GiangisKitchen.com, including advertising, marketing and media inquiries, email giangi(at)giangiskitchen(dot)com or visit http://www.giangiskitchen.com.

Facebook users can also follow Giangi’s Kitchen by visiting https://www.facebook.com/giangiskitchen.

About GiangisKitchen.com

GiangisKitchen.com is a popular blog that features simple, delicious, elegant and nutritious recipes, which are primarily geared towards working moms, dads, grandparents, and everyone else with a desire to prepare a great evening meal for their family in just 30-45 minutes.

The One with the Beer Can Chicken – Cooking Class w/ Dave Lawrence Sat. Aug, 18th 2018

July 30, 2018 by evebushman

It’s been called many things: Beer Butt Chicken, Drunken Chicken, Chicken on a Throne, even Dancing Chicken. No matter what you call it, BBQ Beer Can Chicken is delicious and succulent and requires very little effort. Granted, it looks a little funny sitting upright on your grill, but a little whimsy with dinner never hurts. This chicken starts with a beautiful dry rub that achieves the optimum balance of spice with just a hint of sweet. And in the last few minutes of cooking, it gets slathered with tangy bbq sauce. Beer Can Chicken is perfect for warm summer evenings, and I’m going to teach you how to do it on the grill and in the oven.

Our cocktail toast will be made with a refreshing and seasonal Triple Berry Infused Lemonade. I’ll show you how to infuse your own vodka with any flavor you fancy. So much better than the artificially flavored stuff!

Speaking of seasonal, tomatoes are at their peak this time of year and what could be better than using them in a Tomato Salad with Watermelon, Ricotta & Raspberries drizzled with a tarragon and basil spiked vinaigrette? The answer: nothing.

Oh, and did I mention that we’re going to make our own Homemade Ricotta? You’ll be amazed at how quick and simple it is and how much better it tastes than store-bought.

And last, but not least – a retro dessert that carries fond summer memories for me: an old-fashioned glazed Strawberry Pie. Big, juicy strawberries piled high in a golden, flaky crust and shellacked with a sweet, glossy glaze and topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Frankly, I think we got summer covered.

Join Dave, Allen & Kate for cooking class on August 18th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in their brand-new kitchen in the Aliento community off of Golden Valley and Via Princessa.

The price is just $50.00 per person. Payment and class registration can be made via PayPal.

Reservations are mandatory, and address, map, and directions will be emailed upon receipt of payment. Reservations must be received no later than Thursday, August 16th by 1:00 PM.

If the RSVP date has passed, please email us for space availability before registering for the class.
CLASS MENU:
Triple Berry Vodka Lemonade
Tomato Salad with Watermelon, Homemade Ricotta & Raspberries
BBQ Beer Can Chicken
Fresh Strawberry Pie

*B.Y.O.B. Feel free to bring a bottle of your favorite wine to enjoy during class.

*Cancellation Policy: We are happy to refund your purchase 48 hours in advance of any class or transfer credit to a future class. Unfortunately, refunds and/or transfer of credit cannot be given for no-shows or cancellations made less than 48 hours prior to the class – policy dictates that no exceptions can be made. Although we make every effort to avoid changes in our schedule, we reserve the right to cancel any class due to low attendance (in which case a full refund will be made) and alter recipes due to product availability, quality and seasonality.

*Classes are for adults over the age of 18 only. Minors must be accompanied by an adult with prior consent from Forking Delicious Events.