Add a dip of French vanilla ice cream!

APPLE FRENCH TOAST COBBLER

This is a great and easy recipe for a different brunch offering. Serve with a dip of French vanilla ice cream and make this a real treat!
Serves 8



French bread, heels removed and sliced into 1 inch slices

4 eggs, beaten
1Cup Milk
¼tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Vanilla extract
½ Cup Lightly packed brown sugar
2 Large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1tsp Cinnamon
4Tbl Melted butter

2-glass 9X13 inch baking dishes.

Cut the bread into 1 inch slices and arrange in the baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla and baking powder. Pour the egg mixture over the bread slices. Turn once to assure coating of both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to allow bread to absorb the mixture. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease another 9X13 baking dish. Place the sliced apples on in the baking dish covering the bottom. Sprinkle layered apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. Arrange the egg soaked bread slices on top of the apples. Brush with melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with maple syrup or top with ice cream.

© Chef Johnny 2001

Iron Chef Symon leaving Kitchen Stadium!

Cook Like an Iron Chef with Michael Symon Starts With Dissing The Food Network
Copyright: Phoenix New Times, LLC.
By Laura Hahnefeld

Iron Chef Michael Symon breaks out of Kitchen Stadium this Thursday with his new show on The Cooking Channel, Cook Like an Iron Chef. Symon, who owns Lola, Lolita, Bar Symon, and the B Spot restaurants in Northeast Ohio, as well as Roast in Detroit, says the show is for people who've watched the Food Network forever and are ready to learn something more advanced or more creative.Ha! Take that Food Network, bastard child of The Cooking Channel, and regular salary-payer of Symon when he's hosted or appeared-on FN shows like The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Dinner Impossible, Melting Pot, and Next Iron Chef, which Symon won in 2007. Maybe Symon's first lesson should be how to best-prepare biting the hand that feeds you, but for now, serious foodies should settle for the show's promise of advanced techniques done quickly.

So what to expect? For starters, scrambled eggs. How to perfect? Not as easy as it seems. What's the deal with duck fat? It's awesome and makes roasted potatoes taste amazing. Plus, what's so divine about eggplant dip?

While some special guests like fellow Iron Chef contenders may join him, Symon is the sole host of the show and most likely the only one to sport jeans, a funky T, and several tats.

Good luck, Chef Symon!

Thousands of Independents Close

Thousands of Independents Close
Copyright: Portfolio.com

The U.S. lost more than 5,000 restaurants in the past year, nearly all of them independent operators, according to market research group NPD Group. A total of 5,204 restaurants disappeared from the national landscape from Spring 2009 to Spring 2010. The loss was split fairly evenly between quick-service restaurants, with 2,521 closing, and full-service restaurants; 2,683 closed. The research firm tracked closures from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010.
Still, the number of restaurants closed represents only about 1 percent of all the restaurants in the U.S. The loss of independent restaurants is a stark example of how tough a year it has been for small businesses, hampered by a tough credit market, weak consumer spending, and high unemployment.

Sweet Onions...Did you Know?

What makes the onion sweet? Most people think that the sweeter the onion the more the natural sugar it contains. Actually this is the quite the opposite. The sweeter the onion the less sugar it has compared to a regular onion. The sweet onion has less sulfur content. Sulfur gives the onion their pungency. There are several varieties of sweet onion, including the Maui, the Walla Walla, and the famous Vidalia. The Vidalia is grown in Georgia. Can you brown onions in the microwave...you bet! Sweet onions brown better in the microwave than other variety of onions. Try combining two cups of sliced sweet onions with 4 tablespoons of butter in an uncovered dish and microwave on high setting for about 30 minutes.

Salmonella in poultry and eggs: USDA issued revised draft standards for the presence of Salmonella to reduce consumers' exposure to this pathogen in raw poultry products. HHS issued a rule to control Salmonella contamination of eggs during production, storage, and transportation, and by July 9, 2010, approximately 82 percent of shell eggs will be covered under the new requirements.

McDonald's Smoothies: More Calories Than A Cheeseburger?

More Calories Than a Cheeseburger?
© 2010 AOL Inc.

As fast food chains become the scapegoat of the obesity crisis, McDonald's has been doing its fair share to change its reputation as an artery-clogging, obesity-inducing hamburger chain. So the recent introduction of smoothies to their menu shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

McDonald's smoothies, marketed as being made with "real fruit," have already hit many of the McCafe locations of the chain, and are reportedly selling better than expected, particularly among their target audience: women. As such, the golden arches now have big plans to launch the beverages in all of their 14,000 US locations.

And why not? Isn't a fruity drink better for you than a soda?

Here's the reality: McDonald's smoothies are full of sugar, and sugar equals calories. In fact, a small strawberry banana smoothie has 210 calories -- about the same as a small order of French fries or a medium Coca-Cola. The large smoothie has more calories than a cheeseburger -- 330 calories to be exact. And there's 70 grams of sugar in that one. Wondering where all that sugar is coming from? According to McDonalds' ingredients list, these smoothies contain sugar from pureed fruits and fruit juice, as well as added sugar. That's a lot of sweetness for one beverage.

"These smoothies are very high in sugar and there are way too many calories to have as your beverage choice with a meal," said Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Enjoying a smoothie with your quarter-pounder meal is a no-no, but what about a smoothie as a meal on its own? Gans balked at this idea, too. "They have very little protein, which is important to keep a person satiated until their next meal."

Still, they're far from the worst thing on the menu. "If you're on the run and you really have no other choice than one of these smoothies, choose a small one," Gans added. And they're a much better choice than the strawberry shake, which has 570 calories and 17 grams of fat in a small, but that's not saying much.

The moral of the story? Smoothies are one food you need to be careful with -- In fact, they can have up to 1,500 calories.

Summer Cole Slaw

COLE SLAW

1 Medium head of Cabbage, shredded
2 Medium white onions, thinly sliced
1Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup White vinegar
3/4 Cup Vegetable oil
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Celery seed
1 ½ to 3tsp Salt

In a large glass bowl, alternate layers of cabbage and onions. Sprinkle with sugar.

Combine vinegar, salad oil, dry mustard, celery seed, 1 tsp sugar and the salt to a non-reactive saucepan. Place on stove over medium heat and bring to a boiling point and remove from heat. Pour over the prepared bowl of slaw. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. This great tasting slaw can keep for several days in the refrigerator.

This is a favorite of ours to take to any summer outing.


© Chef Johnny’s

BROCCOLI RAISIN SALAD

BROCCOLI RAISIN SALAD

Yields 3-4pints

1 C Mayonnaise
½ C Sugar
1T Apple Cider vinegar
2 Bunches fresh Broccoli, cut into florets
½ lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small Red Onion, finely diced
6oz Golden raisins
¼ C Slivered Almonds
½ C Red Bell Pepper, finely diced

The make the dressing, blend mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar in a small mixing bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli florets, crumbled bacon, diced onion and raisins. Gently fold in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve salad chilled.

© Chef Johnny 2000

Happy Meal Feud!

Happy Meal Feud Heats Up
Copyright: Los Angeles Times

It's enough to make a burger executive, and maybe some children, very unhappy.
Health advocates are involved in another season of rallying against the marketing of certain foods to kids. One California county this spring banned toys in most fast-food meals, while demonstrators in May called on Ronald McDonald to retire. In June, the Center for Science in the Public Interest threatened to sue McDonald's if it didn't stop using toys "to lure small children" to Happy Meals.On Wednesday, McDonald's responded, not with measured words but with a defiant defense of its kids meals, signaling another ramping up of the debate about whether it is appropriate to use advertising and the promise of a toy to entice children into wanting burgers, fries and the like.Chief Executive Jim Skinner called the Happy Meal a "fun treat" and vowed to "vigorously defend our brand, our reputation, our food and our people."

His statement was contained in a letter sent to the center, responding to what he called its "misinformation" and a "twisted characterization" of McDonald's as the "stranger in the playground handing out candy to children." He even asked for an apology.

The letter, however, also said that the company is open to "constructive feedback."

The debate over marketing fast food, breakfast cereals and other kids' favorites has boiled and simmered for years, tied most closely to concerns about the rising rate of obesity among children.

Did You Know?

Did you know that you can add flavor to pie crust by adding a little ground spice or minced herbs to the flour. Try adding some flavored oils like a lemon infused olive oil. Use cinnamon or ginger with an apple pie, and try finely chopped parsley with a meat pie.

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What Do Consumers Think About Lunch?
Copyright: QSR Magazine

July 1, 2010


In order to learn more about what its customers desire for lunch, Quiznos recently completed a Lunch Report that surveyed consumer opinion on a variety of trends and issues. Some of the results, says Quiznos chief communications officer Ellen Kramer, took the brand by surprise. "It was amazing to me to find out that 54 percent of people eat [lunch] in 20 minutes or less," Kramer says. "Quiznos believes that people look forward to lunch, and we wanted to make sure that we give them something to look forward to, even though it's only going to take 20 minutes to do that."
Read More!

Have a great Fourth of July week-end!

PECAN PIE

1 9” unbaked pie shell
4 eggs
11/3-cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1Tbl butter, melted and cooled
¼ tsp salt
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Use a store bought pie shell (its ok, I do sometimes) and line a 9” pie pan. Chill in the refrigerator while you are making the filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Beat the eggs with an electric beater until light and foamy. Add the honey, vanilla, butter and slat and continue beating until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the pecans. Take the pie shell out of the refrigerator and sprinkle the chocolate chips in the bottom of the shell. Pour in the filling mixture and bake in the 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 300 degrees and bake for 20 additional minutes. Now turn down the oven to 250 degrees and continue baking for 7 more minutes. Test to see if inserting a butter knife into the center of the filling does the pie. If it does not come out clean, it is not done. Cook an additional 5 minutes. If not done, cook additional 5 minutes and recheck for doneness.
Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Serve when cool.

© Chef Johnny’s Products LLC 2001