Chef Tess and the Culinary Channel

I can't even express how awesome it is to work with this remarkable man. Bill Rogers is the owner of Culinary-TV (48 million viewers nationwide on Warner Cable) and my producer over the last 18 months.  If you've missed me, it's because I have been completely distracted with this new direction in my life. 

As life would have it, things have been 100% busy with my job as Panhandle Milling's Corporate Chef...already. Add to that filming and you have one nutty life. I currently spend a good 2-3 weeks a month on the road either working with bakeries or filming with Culinary-TV. I have been guest hosting several segments every other month on my visits to Denver, Colorado as well as working on a huge upcoming project with them that will soon be announced on the Culinary Channel's Roku platform. So...I apologize if I haven't been as good at posting here as I have in the past, but I will definitely be doing more as this project comes to fruition. 

All I know is I have truly found a place where I feel appreciated, adored, respected and treated like an integral part of a team. Those of you who have been along for the journey, know all the work and heartbreak that have brought us to this point. I appreciate all the love and support that y'all continue to show me. Yes. I will probably be hiring an assistant to help with everything going on, but in the meantime, I will keep moving onward and upward! 

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Good Morning Arizona! 3 Brilliant Ways to Use Thanksgiving Leftovers for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Tomorrow morning I will be on Good Morning Arizona sharing 3 Brilliant ways to use Thanksgiving Leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I'll be incorporating a lot of whole grain goodness from Organicgrains.com in this one because I not only have the honor of using their grains often in my baking as part of my regular job but also because I love them!
Breakfast: 

Puff Pastry (or Biscuit) Turkey Quiche Cups

1 package froze puff pastry*

8-10 oz cooked turkey, well seasoned

8 slices of bacon, sliced in 3 pieces (total 24 small pieces)

3 eggs, beat well

1/4 bell pepper, chopped fine

12 1 inch squares of Havarti or Swiss Cheese

Pepper to taste

Allow the puff pastry to come to room temperature and cut into 12 squares. Line the bottom of a muffin cup with the pastry up the edges.  Put pieces of bacon and bell pepper in each cup and top with a few chunks of turkey.  Fill cup with 1 Tablespoon scrambled egg. Put a nice little cheese top on the whole deal-eee-oh (no I really don't have a real technical jargon for the muffin thing-a-ma-gig...sorry.) Bake 425 degrees 13-15 minutes. Serve warm. Any leftovers need to go in the fridge. 

*Variations:

Low carb: Omit the puff pastry and spray the muffin tins well with a non-stick coating (or line with a cupcake liner).  Proceed with the recipe filling the cups as described. 

Biscuit: Use biscuit dough in place of the puff pastry dough.
Flavors: Change the seasoning using your favorite variety of fajita seasoning for a Southwest quiche, French herbs de Provance for a more classic flavor, Spinach to replace the bell pepper if desired. Play with these! 

Lunch:

Start with the Sweet Potato Bread...

The Sweet Potato Bread is my original recipe made in full in the Fall Sweet Potato Bread Tutorial with the embellishments and leaves.  Here, I'm just giving you the recipe for the plain loaves. 

Chef Tess' Sweet Potato 5 Day Bread Dough

yield: 4 loaves 

2T active dry yeast (over 3000 feet use 1 T only)
4 cups milk, cold is best 
3/4 cup honey Or Organic Maple SYRUP
1T salt
4 eggs (or 1 cup egg replacement)
3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes. cooled to body temp again. The consistency of thick oatmeal.
1T baking powder
 2T cinnamon, 
2tsp ground ginger and 
1T vanilla
2 cups Organic Grains Freshly Milled hard white wheat flour
12-14 cups  organic grains bread flour  (I have used fine ground white wheat and been fine doing all whole grain, use only 12-14 cups total if whole wheat is used )

Directions: Dissolve yeast in milk. Stir in honey. Allow yeast to get all foamy and look like it is having a hay day. Add egg, oil, mashed sweet potato, baking powder, 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour spices, vanilla, and salt, in that order. Do not let yeast come in contact with salt on its own or it will kill the yeast. Beat until smooth. Allow dough to rest 10-15 minutes

Add enough of the flour remaining to make a soft dough that is easy to handle but not dry. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 full minutes. about 600 turns. Yea. 600 by hand. 5-6 minutes by machine on medium speed. Form into a ball and place in an ungreased 2 gallon bowl, covered tightly. If you don't have a large enough bowl...use two smaller bowls. Or...just half the recipe if you are worried. Put in the fridge. Punch down after 2 hours (this may be faster if you use warm ingredients or flour. If the dough is over 85 degrees when you put it in the fridge, be sure to punch down sooner. Also...if you have kids who open the fridge a lot, be sure to lower the temperature a bit so that your fridge is really as cold as it should be) Form into a ball again. Cover tightly and chill at least 8 hours.

Be sure to punch down daily (this not only expels gas, but also ensures even temperature in the dough). This dough can be made up to 5 days before Thanksgiving! So, it's nice to have around. It's also amazing to make into rolls instead of bread, should you choose to do something else. This makes four loaves. Four. I will only make one here, but you'll get the idea. Take one-quarter of the dough and roll it into a tight ball. I like to expel as much air as possible so it raises rather uniformly. Gather the dough at the bottom and make a tight ball out of the dough.

Place on a parchment lined baking stone or baking sheet, at least 12 inches by 10 inches. Allow to rise until doubled, uncovered, lightly misted with water. When almost raised, turn on the oven to 425 degrees.  Bake 425 degrees 15 minutes and lower the temperature to 350 for the final 15-20 minutes of baking.  Allow cooling. Slice and wrap tightly. 

To make into the Turkey Grilled Cheese simply place a slice of the well-seasoned turkey and 2-3 slices of sharp cheddar on a thick slice of the sweet potato bread. Grill on the stove in a medium skillet over medium heat with melted butter until golden and toasted.  Add a Tablespoon or two of cranberry relish and a drizzle of good balsamic. Garnish with minced fresh rosemary if desired.

Dinner: 
Marinara Turkey Sliders with Roasted Garlic 

Get your rolls.
In this recipe, I used the 4 Ingredient Make-Ahead-Rolls from Organicgrains.com. Or the Make-Ahead No Knead Cracked Wheat Dinner Rolls (pictured below).  If you're still looking for great roll recipes, these will save your brain power. 

You will need:
1 dozen baked rolls 
1 lb cooked turkey
1 cup roasted garlic
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
12 slices mozzarella
1/2 cup Garlic infused Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil
1 cup parmesan cheese
Parsley, chopped (for garnish if desired)

Direction:
Cut a 1 1/2 inch circle out of the top crust of each roll and set aside. With each roll, remove a little of the soft interior or push it down with your thumb. 

In each roll, add 1 1/2 oz turkey, 2-3 pieces of roasted garlic, 2 Tbsp Marinara, and1 slice of mozzarella. Top with the circle of crust that was removed previously. Brush with garlic infused olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

There you go! Make some awesome meals with all those Turkey leftovers!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Cheeseburger Salad from AZ Midday

I was so blessed to be part of Arizona Midday on Channel 12.   Hopefully this gives you a great idea for summer salad. I know it is one of my family's favorites!


Cheeseburger Salad

Ingredients:

6 sesame seed hamburger bun tops
1 pound 95% lean ground beef
Grilling seasoning (heavy on the garlic)
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup sliced dill or sweet pickles
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
6 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce or shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 plum tomatoes

Additional toppings: thousand island dressing, bacon bits or blue cheese crumbles if desired.

Directions:
Slice bun tops into 1/4-inch strips. If bun tops are very thick, slice bottoms off horizontally before slicing into strips). Arrange in a single layer on large bake pan; bake 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees or until lightly toasted. Place on a cooling rack; cool completely. Cook ground beef over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles. Season well with grilling seasoning of your choice. Add sliced onion and cook a minute or two more. Finely dice pickles and add along with ketchup and mustard to the cooked beef. Remove from the heat.

To serve:  Arrange lettuce on large serving platter. Spoon beef mixture over lettuce. Top with cheese, tomatoes and sliced onion. Arrange hamburger bun croutons around edge of platter. Drizzle with Thousand Island dressing and sprinkle with bacon bits and blue cheese if desired Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Profiling of a Killer...Salad. Herb Alchemy 101 (4 Salads from One basic Recipe)

I was blessed to be a guest on the The Morning Scramble AZTV7 with the legendary PAT McMAHON and LISA SCHNEIDER-CIPRIANO.  It was one of the most pleasant experiences ever!  They were just simply adorable down there at the studio and warmly welcoming.  I always appreciate that!  It was such a treat! Oh mercy. I just said, "treat"...like my granny. It was such an awesome dude-fest rockin'-down party event. There. Phew. I can't use granny words yet. Oopsie Daisy.  {Crap. Just did it again. Granny word.} Ya know what? Who cares if I use a granny word? I don't.  

Okay. Photo opp:
Aaaaaa-freakin'-dorable. See?!

 On the show we talked about a few recipes and flavor profiles and I wanted to share them here on the blog.  Oh I also wanted to just kiss Pat...but I think he would have taken it wrong. Such a cool guy!  Lisa shared some really great stories about her culinary genius kiddos. She. Has. Triplets. I have no excuse for having a fat butt.  

Okay. Now...as for the recipes.  These are the ones I share in my herb and spice class, but in the class you will get a freakish ton more of information...and you'll get to taste the salads I make. So you should still come to classes darlings.  I do however realize that there are some of you who live waaaaay out of town and I have not forgotten any of you. 


Herb Alchemy 101 Cooking Without a Recipe

How many just read the words "herbs and spices without a recipe" and panic set in? I can hear you saying, "I don't cook like that! I need a recipe.” If that is you, then this post is for you. I want you to try to let go of your cooking inhibitions and think with your heart. If my 11 year old can do this, you most definitely can do it! I believe in you!

So to begin with a basic explanation, herbs are the aromatic leaves, flowers, and stems of plants and spices are seeds and the bark of aromatic edible plants. Fresh or dry herbs and spices will work in cooking applications, but make sure you smell inside the jar. If it smells like the spice or herb, then the stuff inside is still full of flavor. Most spices will need to be in ground or grated form for cooking or baking. If you don't have a spice mill (not many people do), then just buy them pre-ground. 

Below is the basic outline of some flavors that work together well. Follow the steps and you will find success.   

Step 1: Begin with the pasta salad base.

Chef Tess’ Pasta Salad 101

Basic Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked al dente and seasoned well with salt and pepper

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup carrots, shredded or chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced thin

½ medium red onion, sliced thin or chopped fine

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. 

Step 2: Make one batch of basic vinaigrette.

Basic Vinaigrette for Pennies a Jar! (FAT free available)

Ingredients:

¾ cup olive or vegetable oil (flavored oils are great)

¼ cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 tsp. fresh pressed garlic

Herbs and spices (see below for variations)

Salt and pepper

Directions: Whisk oil and vinegar with other ingredients in a bowl. Start with a half teaspoon at a time of the herb or spice you want to add and then sample. Adjust flavors according to your taste. For one batch of salad, you will need one batch of salad dressing. Want a fat free salad dressing? You can make this dressing almost completely free of fat if you have ultra gel and juice or broth! Use ¾ cup vegetable broth or juice in place of the oil. In a cold sauce pan, combine the broth or juice with 2 tablespoons of ultra gel. Add the liquid slowly and whisk well. Next add the vinegar and remaining herbs and spices, adjusting the same as above when tasting. Use the dressing immediately and keep refrigerated. If the dressing gets too thick, simply add a little more liquid to thin it out.

Step 3: Add flavor profile to dressing & mix salad. 

Dressing Variations These herb and spice suggestions are to be used in the basic vinaigrette recipe to customize the recipe to fit your need. Add the flavor combinations directly to the basic pasta salad recipe. Come up with your own and try mixing and matching fresh veggies as they are in season. You can even add seasonal fruit you like. For hearty dinners, add some roasted chicken or beef. Try marinating your meat in the vinaigrette to save a lot of money instead of buying those fancy bottles of pre-made stuff. You can do this! It can be very liberating, but for you folks who just want a grab and go dressing fix, just use the pre-made spice blends.


These are lists of flavors that work together for the cuisine you want to create they are not a complete list. They are intended to get you started. 

Italian

Herbs: Basil, rosemary, thyme, flat leaf parsley, marjoram

Spices: Fennel, caraway, crushed red pepper, celery seed

Flavoring: Hard cheeses like parmesan, asiago, olives, roasted peppers, citrus zest, capers

Greek

Herbs: Dill, oregano, rosemary, mint, parsley,

Spices: Fennel, anise, black pepper, dill seed

Flavoring: Feta cheese, olives, pickled peppers

Mexican

Herbs: Cilantro, oregano, thyme

Spice: Cumin, coriander, chile pods, black pepper, allspice

Flavoring: Lime zest, roasted corn, green onions, radish, black olives

Asian

Herbs: Cilantro, mint, lemon grass, sesame oil (use 2 tsp. in place of some of the oil)

Spices: Cumin, chile paste, curry paste, fennel, ginger

Flavoring: Lime zest, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, citrus zest, peanuts or cashews

©Chef Stephanie Petersen. 2011. All rights reserved. Copies NOT permitted without written consent from the author even for personal or church use! Chef Stephanie Petersen can be contacted at Stephanie@cheftessbakeresse.com and is Chef Tess on Facebook and Twitter. www.cheftessbakeresse.com 

There you go darlings. Begin learning some flavor profiles. I'll be posting more in the future! I promise.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Here are the blends that started it all!

 
The highest quality. The best flavors. A blessing to our family when you buy them here. Thank you so much.

Basic Bread Tutorial Video with Becky Lynn from KTAR 92.3

I got to meet the sweet and amazing Becky Lynn known nationally for her radio and voice-over skills! Here in Phoenix she's been on Country music radio (KNIX and KMLE) and now  Talk radio KTAR for years! Becky Lynn is a multi-faceted voiceover actor with an unmistakable sound, heard across the U.S. on major television and radio stations, and on international commercials and business presentations. In fact, the other day when I was driving with my kids and the radio was on, I said, "THAT voice...…It'’s Becky Lynn."

 At any rate, Becky came by to see me at work in the bakery asking me some tips and ideas for what makes perfect bread. We talked about my new Bread Art book and had some serious fun! I love that we got some really great footage of how to form perfect loaves and it is basically my  beginner bread class condensed to 5 minutes. 

If you loved this video, please be sure to visit the KTAR video on their website and give it a tweet or share on facebook. The more they hear from my darlings, the more videos you'll get to see. Xoxo! 

There you go!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Whistling Huevos! The simplest way to peel a boiled egg!

 This is more than likely some of the most fun I've ever had doing a segment! You have to see how funny it was to try and teach these adorable anchors how to peel an egg in 5 seconds! You're going to love it! 

Creative ideas for Easter leftovers, especially eggs! - @cheftess - http://t.co/Nqnad8ullK pic.twitter.com/F9EaEt9TPx
— AZ Family (@azfamily) April 21, 2014

 If you want today's recipes see the post:

Great Recipes for Left-over Easter Eggs

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Easy Bread Machine Caramelized Onion Slider Buns with Video Segment

Monday on The Sonoran Living Segments I did these crazy delicious bread-machine slider buns and I had a lot of requests for a separate posting on my blog with this video. Ace actually fell out of his chair laughing at his adorable wife. Hey. If it keeps the man happy, I'm good with sharing.  So here you go darlings! This is the recipe and video for the slider bun segment. Enjoy!

Chef Tess' Bread-Machine Caramelized Onion Slider Buns
1 c lukewarm milk

3T butter, softened 

1 1/2 tsp salt

3T white sugar 

1 tsp onion powder
 
3T dried minced onion

1/4 c potato flakes

3 c all-purpose flour

1T active dry yeast

1 egg white

1T water 

1/4 c dried minced onions

Directions: Place milk, butter, salt, sugar, onion powder, dried onion, potato flakes, flour and yeast into the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select the dough cycle, and press Start. When the cycle has completed, remove the dough from the machine, and knead on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces, and form into balls. For slider buns I usually do 16 pieces instead of 8. Gently flatten the balls until they are 4 inches in diameter. Place in a draft free place to rise until double in size, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg white and water in a cup. Brush over the tops of the risen rolls, and sprinkle with remaining minced onion. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Chef Tess Sanoran Living on ABC 15 {3 Full Fabulous Segments}

Today I had the amazing opportunity to visit the set of Sonoran Living! What an absolute honor...and an absolute blast!

It still never ceases to amaze me all the work that goes into putting together a show.

The show can be seen on the Sonoran Living Website along with the recipes. If you like the show, please let them know over at ABC 15. It means a lot to my family to have these wonderful opportunities. Thanks my darlings! 

News for my bear buns...

Scandal has come to Chef Tess! If you can "bear" to look!

This evening my bear buns will be all over this website:

http://blog.keyingredient.com/

for Tutorial Tuesday. How cool is that? Hope you check it out, and a few others who have some great ideas. Key ingredients is a site for scanning all your family recipes so it looks like a great way to preserve a great tradition.