tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42891894111804536642012-01-24T09:08:11.713-08:00Foodie Blogging from The New Deli, Pinole, California: Chef Secrets to Cooking Healthy, Fast, and Well. Latest Finds, Greatest Recipes...Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.comBlogger3031100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-27980369807548013342011-12-20T08:11:00.000-08:002011-12-20T08:11:51.910-08:00

It's that time of the year: Time to feed the crowd, bring a dish to a party or potluck, offer an easy side dish... Plus we need to pull out the traditional favorites that might typically be found at holiday gatherings--it brings back those warm, fuzzy memories... The Broccoli Salad recipe is a favorite; a quick and easy recipe you can throw together fast. I've made it with regular raisins

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-91165614005528092992011-12-16T19:37:00.001-08:002011-12-16T19:42:26.195-08:00

I'm thinking of a nice, butterflied pork loin roast for Christmas Eve dinner, stuffed with a yummy corn bread filling. But I was a bit over-confident in my original search for pork loin roast recipes. I thought it would be easy for a nice hunk of meat to turn out perfectly. I was so disappointed when that original roast turned out dry and tough! The already-marinated pork loin roasts will

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-29229427204282739792011-12-15T15:29:00.001-08:002011-12-15T15:29:14.513-08:00

(Head scratching)... Am I supposed to stick this "claim code" into this post, for it to show up on Technorati? Well, here it is: A43FQT44FS9N

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-18760534912715968642011-12-02T08:31:00.001-08:002011-12-02T10:31:36.857-08:00

What do folks really need, anyway? If they need something badly, they'll probably buy it for themselves. So, if we're on a budget and can only spend so much, but want to show someone we've been thinking of them, what gifts might qualify? My father-in-law always said, "If I can't eat it and make it disappear, don't get it for me." Well, that made it easy! Every year around Christmas time, I

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-87329956929326377882011-11-23T10:06:00.001-08:002011-11-23T10:10:19.405-08:00

In trying to look up what's out there, I couldn't be sure whether to call it a Seven Layer Salad Recipe... Some great versions are actually an Eight Layer Salad. And then some folks call it "Seventh Heaven Salad", or "Heavenly Seven-Layer Salad". There are a lot of different versions. Some get very elaborate with many seasonings going into the mayonnaise, etc. But when the salad's kept simple,

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-49601913751964602392011-11-23T08:56:00.001-08:002011-11-23T08:57:07.854-08:00

I'm busy reformatting my recipe website; just did most of the Thanksgiving recipes in the newer design. I love the colors! But I can't fit all the info onto the recipe page, so I thought I'd post a few pointers here, concerning pumpkin pies. About Using Fresh Pumpkin: Buy "pie pumpkins" (sometimes called other various names, like "sugar pumpkin"). Pop into the oven earlier in the day, or

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-55104759286956981012011-11-07T18:29:00.000-08:002011-11-07T18:29:48.398-08:00

One Fuji Apple Tree + Kitchen = Dessert! It's so easy to take apples for granted when you have a prolific tree producing buckets of them. We're eating at least an apple a day, but I finally realized I needed to pull out my favorite apple cake recipe from my friend Mary Jane. For anyone else with plenty of apples on hand, here's the super-easy recipe. I suggest tripling this recipe, ha!

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-73736966618411244082011-09-29T21:09:00.000-07:002011-09-29T21:18:15.734-07:00

I couldn't find much when I googled, "best of the bay, cost, becoming a member, pay". I guess not that many people have questioned the impressive "Best of the Bay" title. I've noticed it before; I've seen a few local businesses boasting the title, putting up plaques, mentioning it on their website... For those of you not living in the Bay Area, who are unfamiliar with the term "Best of the Bay

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-57487522888258034852011-09-29T09:09:00.000-07:002011-09-29T09:11:39.636-07:00

The Granny Smith apples are ripening on our tree, and someone called the deli yesterday asking if we knew someone who did homemade caramel apples, AND, autumn arrived last Friday, so... I guess it's time to talk Caramel Apples! I posted my favorite recipe here, on my recipe website. It can be a little tricky to work with, but so incredibly tasty! And the caramel recipe's pretty easy,

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-35634317679716554862011-09-28T09:29:00.000-07:002011-09-28T09:29:28.806-07:00

Someone on reddit has posted, "I just started working at Chili's and I am shocked." This person thought ALL Chili's food was pre-cooked, then microwaved once ordered. Granted, being a server, one doesn't get to see all the behind-the-scenes processes, and might even jump to some conclusions. Many folks, including other Chili's employees (past and present), responded with explanations.

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-24433293770119641032011-09-24T10:56:00.000-07:002011-09-24T10:56:31.958-07:00

Steph from The New Deli mentioned that we could probably make an awesome Chipotle Chicken Sandwich; her husband noticed that Subway had one, and he figured we could probably make a better one. So we did! I noticed a recipe on grouprecipes.com that is supposedly close to Subway's "Chipotle Southwest Sauce", and it sounded fairly good to me. But having worked in the food business since the

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-55365565357815615892011-08-31T08:05:00.000-07:002011-08-31T08:05:12.370-07:00

In a previous post, I mentioned my unfortunate experiences with gotbody.com (see here). The saga continues, over a year later. I received an email message today saying,   "Dear Jennifer Cote, We are writing to inform you of an incident that may have involved your personal information. Sometime during the last two weeks in July, a data intrusion occurred on GotBody. com’s servers. The

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-19872563594686840582011-08-01T10:32:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:32:00.715-07:00

The Ginger Chicken recipe works well for a group, or for a family meal, with some leftovers for later. If using a cut-up fryer, bone what's left and use that (plus the sauce from baking the chicken) in a simple stir-fry over rice—an instant quick meal later in the week. For the Kabobs, keep the veggies separate from the meat when marinating, and use the leftover vegetable marinade as a

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-47593940928701644082011-07-03T17:08:00.000-07:002011-07-03T17:15:07.732-07:00

With Fourth of July picnics and such, a short tutorial on potatoes should be in order. Even if the potato has been taken for granted, one might yet learn a new thing or two about this common vegetable. Potato salad has assumed a fairly unglamorous role as the potentially boring standard at picnics; I blame the mass-produced, over-processed, preservative-laden stuff found in most large grocery

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-67143362796735849102011-06-01T14:43:00.000-07:002011-06-01T17:00:59.755-07:00

I just added our New Deli Pesto Chicken recipe to my recipe website, but a friend spotted the veggies in the picture and wanted to know how we cooked those up. So here's the low-down about those veggies: I know that many times, people "par-boil" veggies first, and that could work. But I don't like the idea of wasting any flavor by pouring off the cooking liquid, so I use the microwave to

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-5411494289165795052011-05-15T20:25:00.000-07:002011-05-16T10:02:51.478-07:00

"Seeing red" can be a good thing! And that's just what we wanted to see, when we sliced up our daughter-in-law's birthday cake this weekend: A beautiful, red velvet cake, with a light but still rich and creamy frosting. But this time, I had made a few changes to the recipe I usually use (located at my recipe website). Having discovered that a bottle of grocery-store-quality red food coloring can

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-87644096814743663982011-02-17T21:23:00.000-08:002011-02-17T21:23:08.105-08:00

Buyer beware: Not all tomato paste is created equal! I was pretty bummed to read the small print on a few cans of tomato paste I'd picked up at the dollar store. Upon closer look, I noticed it wasn't in fact tomato paste at all (although by glancing at the label, that's what you'd think). No, this was "Tomato Paste Product", containing: Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste, Water), High Fructose Corn

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-74603645060172228232011-01-21T09:11:00.000-08:002011-01-21T09:11:54.513-08:00

Whoa- 3 weeks into the New Year... guess I better mention what I've been up to. In the kitchen, I pulled out an old recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup, and updated it a bit. It began as a fancy French recipe for "Duxelles" (mushrooms); Jacques Pepin featured the recipe on one of his cooking shows back in the eighties. (Long before Food Network...) After a few experiments, I dialed in a new recipe

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-80590720388677543902010-12-27T10:14:00.000-08:002010-12-27T10:14:46.630-08:00

So many of the recipes from my cookbook are now listed online as well. This is good news for anyone who can't find their cookbook, or who hasn't purchased one yet! (You can find From the Land of Milk and Honey online here...) So I posted the original Jell-O Mold Recipe today, on my pccuisine website. Check it out, if you think you'd like to make a 60's style classic jell-o mold for your New

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-23407915215867412182010-12-23T09:45:00.000-08:002010-12-23T09:45:52.759-08:00

Making this Tomato Basil Soup, on Christmas Eve eve. The colors are perfect! At The New Deli, we have found it easier to swirl a dash of pesto on top of the soup for garnish, instead of chopped basil. Yes, fresh basil is great, but it's not that easy to use up a bunch of basil for such garnishes, without it going bad on us... So, ahead of time, we whip up a big batch of pesto (recipe here) and

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-87453287331431170972010-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:002010-12-20T10:41:35.333-08:00

Made this for last night's New Deli Christmas Dinner Party for 20. Elegant, economical, and not too tricky! It was a wonderful evening, with three young, upcoming kitchen protegees (sisters of New Deli employees) helping me prepare it all. And serving it. And cleaning up. Awesome! We melted chocolate chips and painted them on lemon leaves. After chilling, we peeled off the leaf, and served

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-73224358126892437662010-12-17T08:34:00.001-08:002010-12-17T08:34:43.844-08:00

Our family never fully appreciated the traditional fruitcake, with its citron and artificially colored cherries. My husband encouraged me to make my own version; it became a hit amongst family members. Apparently, a few friends remember it fondly too... I got a request for the recipe from an old friend who had received one of those fruitcakes over 20 years ago. Wow! It must have been good,

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-82401019559488614092010-12-16T10:18:00.000-08:002010-12-16T10:21:27.380-08:00

Yes, it's true: There are junk ingredients in that cake mix! This page, at the bottom, shows the ingredients in basic Betty Crocker cake mix... Not impressive. Yes, there's hydrogenated fats, yes there are artificial flavorings, yes there are other chemicals as well. AND, high-fructose corn syrup. Which is why I decided to make my own "yellow cake mix" to use for my favorite pumpkin dessert (

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-46488674279646025702010-12-08T09:49:00.000-08:002010-12-08T09:57:29.472-08:00

I got talked into heading up the Women's Food Committee, which means I had the privilege (and responsibility) of seeing a massive quantity of food prep get transformed into a beautiful Christmas dinner for our church's annual Women's Christmas Dinner. The event seems to be catching on; the "dining hall" (our gym, transformed by candlelight and beautiful place settings on every table) was at

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-31308417145442329542010-12-07T11:03:00.000-08:002010-12-07T11:03:23.220-08:00

Hot off the press: Just posted our soup-recipe-of-the-month, here. It's been our favorite soup of the whole season, ever since I picked up some exceptional Chipotle Peppers on Amazon. I looked through the reviews of various products and settled on one from Woodland Foods. Good value, excellent product. I also found some at our local International Market. (And they can also be found in some

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-80798986475219985512010-11-23T08:53:00.001-08:002010-11-23T09:05:47.029-08:00

As I worked with a client last year on a special menu for the staff's Thanksgiving dinner party, we settled on some pretty gourmet dishes (see some of those posted on my Thanksgiving Recipe Page). One dish was "Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Oil and Roasted Garlic". Yes, it sounds beautifully gourmet, but in retrospect, it seems that the truffle flavor was fairly lost in that dish.  I concluded

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-77158785405934955802010-11-17T09:07:00.000-08:002010-11-17T09:07:43.121-08:00

The natives are already checking to be sure I make cranberry bread Thanksgiving morning. It's a tradition, to munch on a few slices of that, fresh out of the oven, in lieu of breakfast. Hey, it's got cheddar cheese and walnuts in it- there's your protein, right? And cranberries are nutritious too. Perfect meal substitute! (I just figure, you can't eat all that good Thanksgiving food in one meal

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-18215975506809860542010-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:002010-11-11T10:28:04.919-08:00

The excitement's building, the food forums are buzzing... Questions are flying, about preparations for what's probably this nation's biggest food day of the year. So I'll put in my two cents' worth. Some folks are suggesting that we get our orders in for that organic bird, but for those cooking on a budget, a cheaper, frozen turkey will cook up just fine if you follow a few tips. # 1: Cook the

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-21934634555725205122010-11-09T10:04:00.000-08:002010-11-09T10:07:06.410-08:00

I've tried many sweet potato casseroles; once I found my favorite, I posted it here (on my recipe website). My favorite tip in this recipe: Baking the sweet potatoes. No flavor is lost to the cooking water that way! And yes, you can bake and peel them the day before, making for less chaos on serving day. When baked whole until tender, all the flavor stays inside. Then you can let them cool in a

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-59163740523072105292010-11-01T10:16:00.000-07:002010-11-16T09:04:41.801-08:00

It's not too soon to pull out the Thanksgiving recipes. A friend asked me for our Cranberry Chutney Recipe, so I posted it here. I had to size it down some, as the original recipe made four gallons (which I posted here). We served the homemade Cranberry Chutney to 250 women at our church's annual Christmas Dinner one year; I realized a few folks out there might be in the same position at some

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-6014539711914969742010-10-30T09:22:00.000-07:002010-10-30T09:22:28.095-07:00

Apparently, a lot of folks go looking for a good Italian dressing recipe online. There's plenty of New Deli fans out there too, who love their New Deli salads and figure they might make up a batch of dressing too, since I've got The New Deli Italian Dressing Recipe posted online. It's great to make homemade salad dressings. But how do we make it Convenient?! As busy as the New Deli kitchen gets

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-37838341801850842602010-10-25T08:51:00.000-07:002010-10-25T08:53:21.723-07:00

I checked out the Pumpkin Soup Recipe posted here too- it sounded good, what with the addition of parsnips and all. (OK, skip the turnips for me...) But I would suggest leaving the pumpkin whole to cook. The pan gets less messed up that way! And the whole thing steams better. A big pumpkin (or butternut squash, my favorite, or acorn, etc.) takes awhile to bake, but just do it a day early (or

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-5166613984623314042010-10-24T14:49:00.000-07:002010-10-24T14:49:01.682-07:00

<A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fpccu-20%2F8005%2F63c060aa-2dc3-435e-8209-e7a19e11b647&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com<

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-40810664189978888032010-10-20T09:26:00.000-07:002010-10-20T09:26:07.068-07:00

I love Pumpkin Chiffon Pie! Delish has posted their version of it here; I posted a recipe similar to that one here. I tweaked the traditional recipe because I wanted to save money when making the gingersnap crust. Gingersnaps can be so expensive! I got the same effect by using cracker crumbs and a bit of molasses and ginger for the crust instead. It was awesome, AND cheaper.

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-54875862832171697392010-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:002010-10-18T09:59:47.968-07:00

I've always been a Fro-Yo fan. Some 30 years ago, we were frequenting Yogurt Park in Berkeley, digging in on their awesome, towering cones full of super-deluxe yogurt. (They're celebrating 33 years this month, in fact.) In 1985, when we opened The New Deli, some marketer must have caught wind of my fondness for frozen yogurt; in a moment of weakness, we ended up with a SaniServ Frozen Yogurt

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-71224160598082264552010-10-10T14:26:00.000-07:002010-10-10T14:36:44.652-07:00

Nothing like shucking chestnuts to remind me that autumn is here. I couldn't resist getting a bag of 'em on my last grocery stop; I have a Cream of Chestnut Soup that the whole family loves, and it's a wonderful fall recipe. It's a good time of year to wind down a little, take a moment, rest a bit... And I can do that quite well hanging out with the family, watching one of our favorite fall t.v

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-17399356576617248742010-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:002010-10-06T09:52:28.079-07:00

We're excited at The New Deli today. Tom just got us a case of butternut squash from the produce market. Now is the season, but our supplier didn't have cases on hand until today. Of course we'll be making a batch of Butternut Squash Soup. And it's going to be pretty easy too, now that we've become such experts, ha... A few years back, we were cooking the squashes the old-fashioned way (you

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-944416407673973562010-09-24T17:16:00.000-07:002010-09-24T17:18:52.755-07:00

Today's thought: We mass-produce food in factories, then create establishments to turn the mass-produced foods into even more processed foods. We save ourselves time and can feed our face for a buck. But life's been made so easy that the only thing left to be done is to invest in ways to encourage the population to eat even more of the processed, manufactured foods, so we can turn a profit on

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-59558047090922985852010-09-21T09:27:00.000-07:002010-09-21T09:27:41.960-07:00

Just had to mention cupcakes today, since I discovered a great new decorating idea on iVillage: Mum Cupcakes. They look just like mums, using a simple technique that doesn't even require a piping gun. Yay! Just pastel marshmallows and colored sugar. You cut the marshmallows in half, put in a bag with some colored sugar, and end up with beautiful "petals". I don't have a picture of them, since I

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-22161191370187119632010-09-18T10:54:00.000-07:002010-09-18T10:54:58.341-07:00

"My back aches, my skirt's too tight, my booty shakes from left to right." REAlly? This is an appropriate cheer for a 6 year old?! You might find more on that story here; basically, the parents of six-year-old Kennedy did not think the cheer was appropriate for their little daughter to be cheering. It's a controversial subject. Some bloggers and commenters side with the cheerleading team,

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-84795581501609812282010-09-16T10:04:00.000-07:002010-09-16T10:04:00.350-07:00

I Smell a Rat. "EPA Fines 99 Cents Only Stores for Selling Unregistered or Mislabeled Pesticides"?!? But I've bought bags of organic spinach and greens, and potatoes and other veggies from this place... My first thought was, Augh! What have I been eating?! Upon researching this latest newsflash, I realize that they haven't uncovered gross negligence in proper food labeling. So what's going

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-41882830857284089442010-09-12T08:42:00.000-07:002010-09-12T08:42:23.641-07:00

What if you were so possessed by ambition, so determined to get ahead regardless of the integrity of your actions? What if you set up a silly website like a fisherman might set up a giant net? What if you loaded a post with all kinds of keywords and links (bait), but then made the text containing that info the same color as your webpage's background?! No one else would be able to see that text.

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-54959244427693215122010-09-08T11:00:00.000-07:002010-09-08T11:10:54.171-07:00

As Rosh Hashanah begins (at sundown today, September 8, 2010, to be exact), I thought I'd pull up a few recipes that might fit the menu in celebration. A Jewish New Year of sorts (at least new for people, animals, and legal contracts), the custom is to celebrate with the sound of the shofar blowing (made from sheep or goat's horns). Folks greet each other with some form of "Blessings in the new

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-54961392456284310542010-09-04T12:25:00.000-07:002010-09-04T12:31:14.663-07:00

It's not Labor Day yet, so I am laboring! Out in the garden, doing some home projects... Oh, and getting ready for a big Open House we're having to celebrate The New Deli's 25th Anniversary. Some one hundred people are coming over on Monday; I'm glad the weather's been so nice, so we can hang out in the yard! But what do the professionals serve when they're having a party? If you're like me, you

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-20725013504806274402010-08-27T09:06:00.000-07:002010-08-27T09:14:04.493-07:00

Now here's some of the ingredients I love: Basic, unadulterated whole foods, spices, and herbs. But Bon Appetit has posted an article today about "16 Secret Supermarket Ingredients Chefs Love". After running through the list of crazy ideas, a whole lot of chefs have popped up in the comment section to say, "Wait a minute..." I suspect the article writer was given a nice bonus for mentioning all

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-82264656562346986982010-08-25T09:33:00.000-07:002010-08-25T09:33:51.653-07:00

The garden's going full blast right now, so we're definitely "eating local". Some veggies grow more easily than others; onions are real troopers, popping up with minimal care. So when I saw a cool recipe this morning using onions, I zeroed in. It's always nice to find interesting ways to serve the standard veggies. And not only are onions economical, they can be found in the "super food"

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-76909758437843360412010-08-21T10:04:00.000-07:002010-08-21T10:04:03.048-07:00

I must say, if you're not bent on making a natural, healthy style jello dessert, a recipe for Sea Glass Jello might be just the ticket! I had worked out a recipe for "Natural Style Jello Salad", posting it here... It uses fruit juices and unflavored gelatin, so you can avoid the artificial flavorings and artificial colors. When I was wanting a special treat to serve along with dinner (one that

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-88435097999307900542010-08-17T08:48:00.000-07:002010-08-17T08:49:54.805-07:00

I just made a batch of German Potato Salad for our Women's Group. It was a hit! I didn't have frozen apple juice concentrate, so I used 1/3 c. honey and 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar instead. Worked perfectly. I actually ate more than usual, since I knew it was made with some healthy olive oil and honey instead of that mayo-based stuff. This is looking to be a perfect Labor Day Potato Salad recipe.

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-48245010242149562522010-08-16T09:19:00.000-07:002010-08-16T09:19:27.050-07:00

A friend just had a beautiful wedding reception at San Pablo's Holiday Inn Express. I suspect she did it at a bargain, as it's only $220 to rent the reception room there for the entire day. Another friend was able to go over early and properly decorate the room for their fifty guests. (Which is the maximum capacity.) The hotel provided tables and chairs, and the friend brought in her own

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-17046010972964161392010-08-10T20:37:00.000-07:002010-08-10T20:37:21.755-07:00

I was curious as to whether my "Shaker-Style Lemon Bars" were on the internet radar, so I googled it. How fun- my web page was there, right under Martha Stewart's "Shaker Lemon Bars". I actually thought I'd created this recipe, as I'd adapted it from a Shaker Lemon Pie recipe. Apparently, Martha Stewart had had the same idea, But judging from the comments on her website, I suspect my recipe's

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-91412765739681159602010-08-06T10:07:00.000-07:002010-08-06T10:07:02.138-07:00

Thought I'd review today's article on "How to Cook 20 Vegetables" by Carolyn Malcoun; I checked it out figuring maybe I'd find a new tip or two. And I did like her idea that you can steam a veggie, then add a half cup or so of white wine. Remove the veggies when they're tender, then reduce the wine/veggie juices down until they get thick, then glaze the veggies with mega-flavor. I wasn't too

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-48742311755018553802010-08-05T09:27:00.001-07:002010-10-24T14:56:41.855-07:00

I'm not completely website-savvy, but I discovered that I could sign up for "Google Analytics". It's supposed to help me improve my site. It says, "Provide a URL where people can learn about advertising on your site". Oh boy. How do I do that?! Well, perhaps I'm just supposed to have a page on my website that explains that I'm using Google Analytics. I guess Google Analytics tracks what people

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-48331174131786169512010-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:002010-08-03T10:07:51.076-07:00

I wouldn't have even imagined that Lays would try to imply that if we eat their potato chips, whose primary calories come from an oil that's been distilled at (most likely) a NON local processing plant, then sent to a Lays processing plant to have (possibly) somewhat local potatoes dipped into it, before being shipped to the warehouse, to the grocery store, to our home kitchen, and finally, into

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-68834266352694786682010-08-03T09:23:00.000-07:002010-08-03T09:25:19.766-07:00

The American Family Association keeps up with what's going on in our country; their newsletters keep me informed. (For updates, subscribe here.) When Home Depot is marching in parades promoting a certain sexual lifestyle, I find out about it. I mean, really... I hear a lot about separation of church and state, but what about a separation of business and political agenda?! This morning, the AFA

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-15876540817052872782010-08-02T09:53:00.000-07:002010-08-02T09:54:10.794-07:00

I had some chicken breasts on hand, and company coming... What to serve?! And where does the time go?! I usually have to get innovative in order to serve classy food without it taking too much of my time. And this time, innovation served me well. So here's a tip for others looking to save a few steps. Make some Spaghetti and Meatballs. Yes, the homemade meatballs are awesome; seasoned with an

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-43825157854260113472010-07-31T10:05:00.000-07:002010-07-31T10:06:47.217-07:00

One of DC Talk's songs asks, "What if I stumble, what if I fall?" The line takes on a new meaning for those of us trying to figure out just what "StumbleUpon" is. I'd heard about StumbleUpon; I think I actually joined a year or two ago. Not that I knew what "joining" meant. Didn't really have time to figure that out. I thought: Cliff notes on what's so cool about this website would be nice. So,

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-16699399691953324442010-07-30T18:16:00.000-07:002010-07-30T18:16:14.076-07:00

Yes, God's talking to me in the garden again. I ponder how He's set things up in the natural world, as it seems to speak to me about other worldly realms as well. Today the talk was about being a control freak. Yes, I'm guilty of that! I need to watch myself, or I can easily try to control everything. Let's not let things get messy; let's just control everything and make it "manageable"!

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-26342993218795008452010-07-29T18:56:00.000-07:002010-07-29T18:57:33.291-07:00

Hebrews 13:5 says, "God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" But sometimes as I work through the gardening, I have to remind myself of that. Even while I'm gardening, He's with me. And He will speak to me. Recently in my gardening mode, I pondered how a particular relative hangs on to some long term resentment about my having "deserted" them. (I had moved from the area

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-46140425944653883622010-07-28T09:05:00.000-07:002010-07-28T09:08:05.706-07:00

My online buddy Vivian (From the "Visa Outreach People" helping to put the event on) reminded me that the San Francisco Chefs 2010 is coming right up. It will be at Union Square in San Francisco, August 13th-15th, 2010; Gary Danko, Tyler Florence, Thomas Keller and other renowned chefs will be there. All kinds of programs/events are planned;  local chefs Craig Stoll and Anthony Strong (of

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-27273797673461941792010-07-26T09:50:00.000-07:002010-07-28T08:14:48.703-07:00

I needed to make Great Grandma Marie a nice birthday cake this weekend. And it had to be good- she's 88 years old and deserves that! She's always liked carrot cake. This is good news considering she's not at all fond of other veggies. Yes, carrot cake is as close as we can get! She's of that generation that focused on canned goods and spam; actual fresh foods and veggies were so old-school back

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-42805121966367152432010-07-23T10:58:00.000-07:002010-07-23T10:58:51.216-07:00

Let's take a quick side tour out of the deli kitchen and into the computer room. I do spend quality time here on my computer; for those of us who always did like creative writing and other creative pursuits, internet stuff can be pretty fascinating. I've gone from having scribbled recipes on index cards to having all kinds of notes filed away in various folders on my computer (plus a few digital

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-43247737709997780002010-07-20T08:36:00.000-07:002010-07-20T08:36:06.565-07:00

An online friend of mine is excited about the prospects of publishing her cookbook. She's worked hard at it and is now in the process of finding a publisher. As a published author, let me offer my perspective! Especially about cookbook publishing. Since establishing The New Deli (in 1985), we had hundreds of customers ask us about recipes. Back then, all my recipes were for very large quantities

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-58190473237596393762010-07-19T09:47:00.000-07:002010-07-19T09:47:03.464-07:00

I chanced upon a real fun blog the other day; just looking for cool "social media buttons". You know, something that might fit my style a bit more. I had tried putting a facebook button on my pccuisine website, but awk. The blue. So not going with my other colors! I'd seen a real cool set of buttons at scarymommy.com. Discovering the site to be full of the interesting musings of a creative

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-58747304577966487642010-07-17T09:52:00.000-07:002010-07-17T09:52:12.336-07:00

Recipes abound, like for Italian Dressing, but how do you make "homemade" practical? Everyone has a favorite recipe, but how do we find the time to make up a fresh batch of this or that when our schedule gets tight? At The New Deli, we get plenty busy all right... And I'm not married to my work, so I don't want the business to take over my life. So, how do I maintain our reputation of offering

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-59255355483917306212010-07-15T20:58:00.000-07:002011-02-08T09:31:17.754-08:00

Aw man, I was so excited to have a value-priced resource for my Vitamineral Green. I went to GotBody.com and ordered 5 large jars at a time (saves on shipping). Well, I won't be doing that anymore. I just got an email from some folks I've never heard of before: "Wellness-Hub.com". If you check out their website, it's a complete scam. None of the links are even active! But they will take your

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-53662876234450416392010-07-14T09:17:00.000-07:002010-07-14T09:17:33.015-07:00

A few of my friends are getting their CSA deliveries. I'm jealous. One of these days I might start getting my own boxes. Meanwhile, I don't feel too guilty, since the garden's producing an abundance of seasonal fruits and veggies. So that's cool. But for those who can't really garden (or whose fruit trees, grape vines, etc., haven't matured yet), a number of "Community Supported Agriculture"

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-64710194858534728142010-07-12T10:51:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:51:06.700-07:00

ALL YOU (Motto: "Enjoy life for less") posted some info today about the 10 best natural foods with plenty of value for the price. Hum, wondered who "All You" is; apparently it's a magazine owned by Time Inc (who also publish Time, People, Southern Living, Real Simple, and Sunset, to name a few). I guess you can find them at Walmart stores, or you can subscribe. I like to know where the source of

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-54164019867694222902010-07-09T10:48:00.000-07:002010-07-09T10:48:13.580-07:00

I remember Rachel Ray showing us how to make a simple syrup; getting her saucepan out, adding sugar and water, simmering it until the sugar dissolved. I said to my husband, "That should be called 'not-so-simple syrup'!" After all, if you want a really simple syrup, like to make a cool and refreshing spearmint tea, strawberry lemonade, etc, you can much more easily just put some sugar in a ceramic

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-64511153020712783412010-07-09T08:57:00.000-07:002010-07-09T09:01:03.626-07:00

I've heard that parsley can be hard to grow. I know it's been a challenge to me! I could scatter the seeds in the open soil, but apparently, the birds would eat all the seeds. I'd also heard that parsley seeds take some time to germinate. So I would try again, soaking them overnight, eventually sprouting them indoors on damp paper towels, to plant in the garden after they'd sprouted. Again,

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-73203706021362552932010-07-08T09:25:00.000-07:002010-07-08T09:28:50.719-07:00

I'm so excited to try this idea for regrowing celery, from Providence Acres. My newly found friend Sheryl posted this at her blog. Apparently, you can "regrow" celery by cutting the bottom off and planting it in your garden. Sheryl recommends letting the celery bottom sit on a saucer of water overnight, which probably helps. I personally found that, if left long enough in the refrigerator drawer

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-7271822035331606742010-07-07T09:07:00.000-07:002010-07-07T09:09:09.693-07:00

A good buddy of ours at The New Deli is always looking for salt-free food. He and I both are big fans of our Black Bean Chili, which has zero salt in it. Not that it's easy to make food with no salt; so many ingredients are already full of it. Even canned tomatoes. But check out a can of tomato paste, and you might be happy to discover: No salt! So I add tomato paste to our Black Bean Chili; it

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-59077941692859107172010-07-06T09:05:00.000-07:002010-07-06T09:20:37.598-07:00

With all the fresh fruits and veggies available during the summer, I find myself trying to memorize the "safe list" for produce. Since finding out that spinach and strawberries generally contain more pesticides that certain other picks, I try to steer clear from making them an everyday staple in my diet. I don't get compulsive about it, but if I'm going to have a salad every day, I'll try to find

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-71784410330882353062010-07-03T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-03T09:00:33.554-07:00

Cooked up some red potatoes today for Potato Salad tomorrow. For connoiseurs: A great way to cook them is in a pressure cooker with just an inch of water. Bring up to pressure and cook gently until tender (20 minutes for average size). This method retains the most flavor and nutrition. (You don't pour off all those vitamins and flavors like you can do when cooking the potatoes in boiling water to

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-15828879850963367352010-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:002010-06-22T08:52:36.432-07:00

A friend was asking for a good potato recipe to serve along side her steak dinner. I thought of Hasselback Potatoes; they look so good! I haven't actually made them yet (although I really really plan to). I also thought of a recipe for "Garlic Spice Potato Fries" that I have tried; the recipe turned out pretty good. (I've posted it below.) But meanwhile, another friend mentioned "Crash Hot

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-73612995492237810542010-06-14T10:42:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:43:44.498-07:00

Just had to post this awesome new creation: Shaker-Style Lemon Bars, using whole lemons, sliced real thin. Maximum flavor, but still real easy. (Recipe Here.) Forget zesting the lemon and grating the knuckles. Forget juicing the lemons. Just this simple: The night before, slice two whole lemons real thin, add the 1 1/2 c. sugar... By the next day, when you go to make the lemon bars, the lemon

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-30948181022049550082010-06-10T09:15:00.000-07:002010-06-10T09:16:28.608-07:00

I had been wondering why some of the traffic coming to my website ("pccuisine.com") was coming from word searches for "Seattle Cooking Class". Apparently, there are a lot of people out there googling seattle cooking class, and getting pccuisine instead. But why?! My husband and I have been living in the Bay Area for over 25 years, running The New Deli of Pinole, California. What could we possibly

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-42288734989387311932010-06-04T08:18:00.000-07:002010-06-04T08:18:52.356-07:00

Just read an article about how good spices are for you. Medicinally, various herbs and spices lend their qualities to aid certain conditions. It's awesome that they taste good too! And check out the ORAC Values here. (ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, and tells you which foods are the most antioxidant.) Cumin is one of the top twenty highest valued foods! It goes perfect in

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-68367087876023168462010-05-28T09:01:00.000-07:002010-05-28T09:01:06.165-07:00

I've posted an easy recipe for a simple marinade here: London Broil Recipe. What's so great about it? It uses simple ingredients: Soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and a touch of sugar, which helps the meat to brown perfectly. There's a recipe on that same page, for marinated mushrooms. Let them marinate in a zip-lock bag, then throw them on the grill too. They are succulent. So delicious. But

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-66635663222960603452010-05-27T07:59:00.000-07:002010-05-27T07:59:32.841-07:00

Good news/ bad news... So grilling meats can create a few dangerous, potentially carcinogenic byproducts, as mentioned in this article. Apparently, it's the high temperature that does it (so broiling and frying can also be a problem). Then what's the good news? Eating Well Magazine lists 5 tips; on the top of that list for me is the fact that marinating the meat beforehand reduces the formation

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-84972150576661993402010-05-24T10:12:00.000-07:002010-05-24T10:12:31.383-07:00

One of my buddies from Foodbuzz posted a great recipe for "Blue Cheese Shortbread", in a tasty-sounding appetizer biscuit. Check it out at her site! It calls for some corn flour too, so it's even got a bit of whole grain to it. Great combination!

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-56074341618690300722010-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:002010-05-22T14:52:23.869-07:00

My friend gave me this wonderful recipe for a healthy dessert that's perfect for gluten-free diets: Coconut Rice Balls  Makes about 15 one-inch balls 1/2 c sushi rice/ brown rice 1 c water pinch of salt 1/4 c coconut milk 1 TB. + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/8 tsp. pure almond extract 1/2 c shredded coconut Optional: Dried, sweetened mango for garnish Optional: Chocolate Chips (for melting, dipping

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-24490262525101656742010-05-21T09:22:00.000-07:002010-05-21T09:22:15.939-07:00

I guess "Gluten-Free Diet" is hotly trending today, which makes me think of my favorite rice dish: Hawaiian Rice, with coconut, macadamias, and frozen pineapple juice concentrate. Oh my gosh- it's gluten free AND delicious! Check out the recipe! Great for potlucks, and no one gets hurt (gluten-wise, that is).

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-26086594787220392062010-05-20T08:41:00.000-07:002010-05-20T08:41:29.254-07:00

Spaghetti and Meatballs is a great dish to make ahead that reheats easily. A friend just wondered what food she could bring to a neighbor. I suggested this popular pasta dish; it makes a great dinner. It's easy to reheat, and not too complicated to make. The recipe on my website is of course my personal favorite. The meatballs are healthier than average 'cause there's no fatty pork sausage in

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-29076330538554473612010-05-19T09:25:00.000-07:002010-05-19T09:25:34.808-07:00

"Lycopene Soup"- Yumm! OK, so that doesn't sound particularly appetizing. But a recent article mentioned how studies are linking the consumption of tomato with healthy prostates for men; some studies suggest that it helps prevent prostate cancer. A nice fact about canned tomato paste: The lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes! How convenient, since my

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-72767018462288033582010-05-18T09:29:00.000-07:002010-05-18T09:29:14.584-07:00

I noticed a few headlines at MSN Delish today: "Eat Great Without Cooking for Weeks". I do cook, but then I freeze some things. Certain foods freeze perfectly, which means you can pull them out for a great "no-cooking" day. Favorite foods for us to freeze at The New Deli: Black Bean Chili, and hummus (we freeze portions, so we can make just a sandwich or two of it at a time, as needed). Don't

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-42306472406165600372010-05-14T10:27:00.000-07:002010-05-14T10:27:17.581-07:00

There seems to be no way around it: The traditional German Chocolate Cake Frosting is no easy spread! I've made this cake several times now, and find myself every time, patting the frosting onto the sides with a spoon. This last time, I did a pre-frost, putting the cake in the freezer for an hour or so to set up more. It helped! I call this a traditional frosting, although for my recipe, I make

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-43038372775478623792010-05-11T09:05:00.000-07:002010-05-11T09:08:19.187-07:00

I guess the competition is on, to claim the Guinness record for "world's largest dish of hummus" (as seen in this article). The Lebanese made an impressive quantity (4,532 lbs.) in 2009, but that just riled the Israeli chefs, who whipped up a batch almost double that. Not to be outdone, the Lebanese mixed up a massive quantity in a satellite dish. About twelve tons worth! I really hope there's

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-48258881569434412512010-05-10T08:58:00.000-07:002010-05-10T09:08:11.791-07:00

I do have a healthy smoothie recipe posted on my website. (Find the Coconut Date Shake recipe here.) But after looking at over a dozen breakfast smoothie recipes online this morning at MSN's Delish site, I suspect that some folks might be misled as to how healthy their morning smoothie actually is. Several of the recipes called for ice cream. Some called for sugar. Most called for dairy products

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-36748277381937384142010-05-06T09:40:00.000-07:002010-05-06T09:44:40.330-07:00

It must be that time of the year (swimsuit weather around the corner, right?!). Suddenly, my recipe for a Coconut-date Shake is getting a lot of hits. Yes, it's smoothie time! It makes sense to eat lighter in the warmer weather. I think it's time to grab some bananas and lay out thick slices in zip-lock bags in the freezer- very handy for the morning smoothie. And don't forget to order coconut

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-20144680551181591082010-05-05T08:34:00.000-07:002010-05-05T08:36:31.802-07:00

I thought of this scone recipe as I looked through my notes for easy Mother's Day recipes. I wanted to do the prep ahead of time and be able to throw something together fairly effortlessly on Sunday. After preparing for 30 ladies to eat at The New Deli yesterday, for a special "Teacher's Appreciation Tea", I discovered one idea that worked: Processing the butter and flour (plus salt, baking

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-66145454489653627512010-05-04T09:02:00.000-07:002010-05-04T09:02:19.121-07:00

Perfect for Cinco de Mayo: Chili Rellenos w/Awesome Red Sauce  OR  Vegetarian Enchiladas (with a great black bean filling, loaded with flavor). Ever since husband Tom and I frequented those authentic Mexican restaurants down in southern California, I craved that style of red sauce. One of the restaurants posted their recipe, and I've been making it ever since. Sometimes I leave out the chicken

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-74036037298680561892010-05-03T06:55:00.000-07:002010-05-03T06:59:09.237-07:00

I'm impressed: A study showed that those who ate a serving of tomato paste daily were 33% more protected against sunburn. Amazing! I immediately thought of The New Deli's Tomato Basil Soup. We use a can of tomato paste, added to a puree of onion and carrot (steamed with bay leaf, lemon zest, and orange). The full recipe's here.

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-9064141310010248122010-04-30T09:43:00.000-07:002010-04-30T09:44:50.346-07:00

So, what's wrong with this picture? Well, it's just the humble, naked, unadulterated almond, and it doesn't meet with nearly the enthusiasm as its cousins. Much more popular, no doubt, are seasoned, roasted, salted nuts (like Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Lime ‘n Chili, and various other flavors under Trader Joe's brand). Almonds are great. Eventually, I could appreciate plain, raw almonds, even

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-10477167670055908282010-04-29T09:22:00.000-07:002010-08-19T09:43:33.719-07:00

America loves panaceas, right? We get hold of some info and then go overboard, overeating the latest cure-all, with too great an expectation. Sardines have popped up on a current list of foods to ease our dietary woes. But are they really a solution? Maybe a few sardines might add a nutritional kick to our diets. As far as having to eat sardines (for those omega oils), many articles mention how

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-3741548698731794192010-04-28T09:22:00.000-07:002010-05-20T20:39:51.817-07:00

I have been wondering what we might serve on Mother's Day, so that we moms CAN stay out of the kitchen. I have a few ideas. Of course, you can check the pccuisine website for plenty of recipes. Many of those recipes can be thrown together at the last minute (making them especially tasty), but most of the work is done the day before. The 7-layer salad is a classic choice (the whole recipe's made

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-77451983869219584182010-04-23T09:20:00.000-07:002010-04-23T09:20:17.474-07:00

Need a perfect salad to bring to a potluck? Something healthy, easy, and economical? I love this Tortellini Salad Recipe. With simple ingredients, I can whip this up in a jiff. A bit of grated orange, lemon, and lime zest add citrus flavor, and the veggies lighten up the recipe too. (If you don't have the lime on hand, you can leave it out.) A fellow blogger at The Boquete Gourmet had an idea

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-74851509735911767692010-04-22T08:59:00.000-07:002010-04-22T08:59:52.463-07:00

OK, Subway, we're about ready for you. You can serve those breakfasts (how do you make those egg whites, anyway?!). But for lunch, we'll bring on our New Deli-Style Waldorf Salad, and a few new sandwiches and hot pastas... I'm almost done working up the new menu for the printers! Just got an outdoor umbrella at Food Max yesterday... we're good to go!

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-52785825841404147792010-04-21T09:12:00.000-07:002010-04-21T09:12:44.330-07:00

No, not the mass-transit style subway! But after 25 years at The Del Monte Plaza, The New Deli will contend with another "new deli": A Subway sandwich shop is in the works for one of the spaces here at the plaza. I've been busy working up some new menu additions to keep it exciting at The New Deli. Yes, some folks will find the Subway more to their style; I know they have some appeal, as seen by

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-27680225304603659712010-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:002010-04-06T10:30:30.211-07:00

Fastest Decadent Chocolate Dessert in the West: Chocolate Truffle Cake! OK, at least it's the fastest dessert in our house. I can't make it all the time, because I don't want us to get tired of it. But when I have little time to spare, and an occasion's coming up, I can always resort to this. I figured it was high time to get this recipe posted, for my own sake, as well as yours. I had almost

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4289189411180453664.post-60225563598231156662010-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:002010-04-02T09:12:15.992-07:00

The search is on for "Great Easter Side Dishes". MSN Delish just mentioned a few great ones (asparagus wrapped into bundles with prosciutto, etc.). But don't forget the classic 7-layer salad, also known as an eight-layer salad, or "Seventh Heaven Salad". (Recipe's here, posted on my pccuisine website.) My favorite rendition is actually an eight layer salad, and it is my very favorite. I noticed

Jennifer Cotehttps://profiles.google.com/102734743242147193835noreply@blogger.com0