![IMG_20120119_191506](https://urbanstove.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/img_20120119_191506.jpg?w=225&h=300)
Category Archives: Dinner Party
Chicken Tortilla Soup
My coworkers love when I make this for lunch, they keep asking for the recipe but when I make it at work it’s more of an estimate then an actual measurement. Here it is broken down to feed a family and not an army.
2# tomatoes
1/2 onion sliced
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeno
Oil as needed
4 chicken thighs skin removed
3 (14oz) cans low sodium chicken stock
1T tomato paste (use if your tomatoes aren’t the best they can be)
1/2 -3/4 t chipotle powder
1/2 t chili powder
A big handful of tortilla chips
1 1/2 c white corn
S&P
Lightly oil and salt the tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeno. place under the broiler until the tomatoes are burnt on top, flip and burn the other side.
While these cook, heat a stock pot add about a tablespoon of oil, remove the skin from the chicken thighs, season and brown on both sides.
When the tomatoes are done pour them over the chicken (be careful of splattering), add the stock, spices and cook at a simmer for about 40 minutes.
It is ready when the chicken starts to fall off the bone. Remove the chicken. Pull the meat off the bones, discard the bones.
Add the Chips ( like the ones Chipotle has but you can use any brand, just be aware that most come salted and can effect the outcome), let them get soggy for a few minutes then blend until smooth. I use a hand blender at home, but the standard blender will work slightly better, making a smoother soup.
Return the soup to the stove, add the chicken, corn and adjust the seasoning. Serve with sour cream and broken tortilla chips.
![IMG_20120119_191506](https://urbanstove.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/img_20120119_191506.jpg?w=225&h=300)
Italian Sausage Gravy
Super simple and can be made with any of your favorite sausages. This one makes a great topping for the Tomato Rolls.
2 Italian Sausage links
1/3c Small Diced Onions
1t Fresh Thyme Chopped
1T Butter
1T Flour
6 oz Beef stock
2 oz Heavy cream to finish (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Remove sausages from their casing, break up into pieces. Heat the oil in a pan, sweat the onions. Add the sausage brown. Add the flour stirring to coat the sausage, and to cook the flour some. Pour in the stock, stir constantly so the flour doesn’t clump. Bring to a Boil then turn down to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, so that the gravy has thickened and the sausage is cooked through. Finish with cream and season to taste. Serve over biscuits, Tomato Rolls or over veggies.
![IMG_20120104_205942](https://urbanstove.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/img_20120104_205942.jpg?w=645&h=860)
What do I do
The Plan
Urban Stove is here to provide expert cooking instruction to you, in your home. It is our objective to help you master difficult dishes, learn new techniques, and become comfortable in your kitchen. If you are a person of limited cooking experience, want to impress your friends, or have a dinner party where everyone cooks, Urban Stove is your answer. We customize a menu based on skills you wish to hone or acquire, and handle the grocery shopping for you. Invite some friends, grab a bottle of wine and prepare a meal from scratch that everyone gets to participate in. Our success is your success; we work to exceed the desires of our clients, make memorable evenings, and provide a personalized experience with every event. Fostering Kitchen skill building and an open environment, we will accommodate all skill sets and turn you into a kitchen whiz in no time.
Private cooking lessons Broaden your cooking horizons with in home instruction Dinner parties get a few friends a bottle of wine and have a chef help you make a fabulous multicourse dinner Private Chef Grocery shopping Meal Planning, cooking Catering for small parties Custom menus, meals prepared per client requirements Kitchen tutoring Involve the whole family, your friends, or both in educating on healthy eating having fun in the kitchen Butchery Knife skills Knife sharpening Cooking Techniques Healthy year round indoor herb gardens Canning Curing Charcuterie Sushi Breads Cookies Pastries Cook healthier learn how to use whole foods, eat and shop smart
Urban Stove is here to provide expert cooking instruction to you, in your home. It is our objective to help you master difficult dishes, learn new techniques, and become comfortable in your kitchen. If you are a person of limited cooking experience, want to impress your friends, or have a dinner party where everyone cooks, Urban Stove is your answer. We customize a menu based on skills you wish to hone or acquire, and handle the grocery shopping for you. Invite some friends, grab a bottle of wine and prepare a meal from scratch that everyone gets to participate in. Our success is your success; we work to exceed the desires of our clients, make memorable evenings, and provide a personalized experience with every event. Fostering Kitchen skill building and an open environment, we will accommodate all skill sets and turn you into a kitchen whiz in no time.
Private cooking lessons Broaden your cooking horizons with in home instruction Dinner parties get a few friends a bottle of wine and have a chef help you make a fabulous multicourse dinner Private Chef Grocery shopping Meal Planning, cooking Catering for small parties Custom menus, meals prepared per client requirements Kitchen tutoring Involve the whole family, your friends, or both in educating on healthy eating having fun in the kitchen Butchery Knife skills Knife sharpening Cooking Techniques Healthy year round indoor herb gardens Canning Curing Charcuterie Sushi Breads Cookies Pastries Cook healthier learn how to use whole foods, eat and shop smart
Adult Eggnog Cupcakes
Fluffy, soft, and super tasty, these will make a great holiday treat. I am no pastry chef, but I do like to dabble; cupcakes are some of my favorites since the preparation is fairly basic and the results can be spectacular. Using fresh spices especially the nutmeg makes a huge difference in these cupcakes.
Cupcakes
½ c Butter
4 Eggs Separated
2T Brandy
¼ c Agave nectar
½ t Vanilla Extract
2/3 c Flour
1/8 t Ground Clove
1/8 t Ground Cinnamon
¾ t Ground Nutmeg
¾ t Baking powder
1T Sugar
Preheat the oven to 375
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Measure out the liquid ingredients, set aside; sift together dry ingredients leaving the sugar out, set aside. Place softened butter in the mixer, whip until it is lightened in color and fluffy. Add the egg yolks to the whipped butter one at a time, cream together, making sure everything is fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, add in the liquids with the mixer on medium speed. Mix in the Dry ingredients and set aside. Whip the egg whites with sugar until they have stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the rest of the mix, scoop into lined cupcake mold about ¼ c a piece will yield 10-12 cakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.
![IMG_20111208_145018](https://urbanstove.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/img_20111208_1450181.jpg?w=225&h=300)
Separate the egg whites and yolks. Measure out the liquid ingredients, set aside; sift together dry ingredients leaving the sugar out, set aside. Place softened butter in the mixer, whip until it is lightened in color and fluffy. Add the egg yolks to the whipped butter one at a time, cream together, making sure everything is fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, add in the liquids with the mixer on medium speed. Mix in the Dry ingredients and set aside. Whip the egg whites with sugar until they have stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the rest of the mix, scoop into lined cupcake mold about ¼ c a piece will yield 10-12 cakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.
While the cakes are cooking start the brandy syrup and whipped cream topper.
Syrup 3T Water 3T Sugar 2T BrandyHeat the sugar and water in a small sauté pan, add the brandy,cook for a minute or so, remove from the heat let cool slightly before putting it on the cakes. Whipped cream 2/3 c Heavy Cream 1T Sugar ½ t Ground nutmeg Whip in the mixer to stiff peaks, do not over whip, you will make butter. When the cakes come out allow them to cool, then spoon a small amount of the syrup on to each of the cakes, about a teaspoon a piece it will sink into the cake making them extra moist and add a little kick. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a light dusting of nutmeg for garnish.
![IMG_20111208_170044](https://urbanstove.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/img_20111208_170044.jpg?w=645&h=860)
The basics
At Urban Stove we are dedicated to creating a comfortable in the kitchen environment, we are in business to help home cooks astonish their friends with their home made skills.
Think that making scrambled eggs is the best you can do… Let me just tell you, I was almost that bad when I started, I couldn’t have told you the difference between a large dice and a brunoise. Now though, I’d consider myself quite the expert in many kitchen facets.
I have been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the stove, and professionally for about 8 years. With two working parents who loved to cook, some of my best memories are around the kitchen table, getting my hands dirty. I remember one of the first times I was allowed to cook, my mom was making Chinese food, and I got to wring out the excess moisture in the cabbage, I remember wanting so badly to participate, it all looked so fun. To this day the smell of barbecuing chicken takes me right back to Mom’s backyard on a summer day. I’ll never make pancakes without thinking of the squiggles my Dad used to make for us, or the big fluffy, not from a box, Mickey Mouse cakes while we were camping. Food is a joyous adventure for many of us, but if you have no kitchen experience it can be a little scary.
Follow me around for a while; I’ll demystify cooking for you.
I am an aspiring entrepreneur; my plan is to bring Americans back to their kitchens. Intimate gatherings, a dinner party where you and your friends, in your kitchen, each with a dish to prepare, and with my professional instruction, will learn how to cook something new. Whether you want to get the family together or have a night in with your besties I can tailor a menu for the group’s specific wants and guide you to better home eating.