Dallas has a lot to offer in the culinary arena, but one thing we aren't lucky enough to have is a Portfolio Kitchen and Home. This beautiful design studio is a delightful place to shop and dream about your new kitchen, and the staff are magicians that can make your dreams come true.

On Thursday, April 26th Portfolio will be hosting a launch party at their Flagship Kansas City location for The Gardner & The Grill, and the menu sounds absolutely amazing. Not only will you learn how to make French and Italian container gardens, you'll get to feast on Grilled Bruschetta, Sirloin Steaks with Grilled Parmesan Vegetables and Warm Honeyed Blackberries with Grilled Pound Cake.

Reservations are very limited, so visit their site ASAP to make your reservations.

This Lifestylist® is all about food, and one of the things I really enjoy is bring great ideas to the table.

Dallas has an amazing food community, and we are fortunate to have so many talented women in this industry. Yesterday many of these talented professionals got together to present Raiser Grazer - Dames In The City which was held at Union Station.

This is the annual event for the Dallas Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier - a group of professional women with outstanding careers in the fields of food, beverage, and hospitality. Their mission is to provide professional support to women beginning their careers in these fields through educational programs, mentoring and scholarships.

We loved how they had a cake raffle to celebrate the fact that Julia Childs was the first recipient of their Grande Dame award and this year she would have celebrated her 100th birthday.

To see more of the images that Lisa Stewart Photography took of this event, visit our Pinterest page at: www.pinterest.com/lifestylist.

As a Lifestylist®, I am always on the go. I have opportunities coat to coast, and often get to spend evenings with friends and family experiencing their homes and their lifestyles. There is nothing I enjoy more than an evening at home – either mine, or my friends. For these special evenings I like to have recipes that are my “go-to’s” that I can prepare and share.

I’m honored to be on the Design Council for Thermador Appliances, and on a recent visit to their amazing Thermador showroom in Scottsdale, AZ -they put us to work. We got to experience these appliances first hand, and prepared a fabulous dinner that we all enjoyed. My favorite item of all things that we prepared was the Creamed Spinach – who knew? Thermador shared the recipe with me, and since then it has become one of my favorite recipes to share. When I just got to spend some time with my grandkids we prepared this together and they loved it! Thank you Thermador for sharing this great, simple recipe that everyone enjoys. I’m going to return the favor and share it with you here.

 Creamed Spinach

5 lbs. of fresh spinach, cleaned of stems and rinsed
1/4 cup butter
1 shallot, fine dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 C. heavy cream
shredded Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large stockpot full of water to a boil. Blanche the spinach for only 10 seconds.
Put blanched spinach in a colander and press out as much liquid as possible, then chop.
Melt the butter in a large rimmed skillet over medium heat and add the shallot and garlic. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes.
To that, add the drained spinach, nutmeg and heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer.
Transfer to a bowl and using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients to a uniform consistency.
Place in a heat proof serving bowl and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Place under broiler until cheese is golden brown – enjoy!

Anyone who reads this blog knows this Lifestylist^®is not keen on mixes, but I'm going to make an exception with this recipe.

Breakfast is a hard meal for me, and I know that my daughter has a tough time getting something healthy into my grandkids before they all head out to school. This is the LifestylistFood^® version of a recipe I found on Pinterest, and I'm crazy about it! It's easy enough that the kids can make them themselves. By adding the ham and cheese you get some nutrients that can hold you over until lunch, and these are so moist you don't need butter or anything else on them. Be sure not to substitute something else for the buttermilk - it gives these the moistness and kick that makes these so special.

Breakfast Biscuits

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lean ham, sliced and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Bisquick®

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put all ingredients into a bowl and stir just until combined. Scoop into buttered muffin tins, and bake 15-18 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

Are you looking for something easy and memorable to do for the special person in your life on Valentine's Day?
These White Chocolate Citrus Truffles will be a gift to remember. I entered these in the State Fair of Texas this year and they were a huge hit.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
Zest of 1 Orange
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 lbs. White Chocolate
1 Tablespoon Shortening
Combine zests and heavy cream in a small saucepan - simmer until bubbles appear.
Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, warm up again until bubbles appear.
Melt 1 lb. white chocolate, strain cream mixture and add to chocolate. Stir gently and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Roll ganache into 1 inch round balls, then put in freezer to set at least 2 hours.
Melt remaining white chocolate, and stir in shortening. Dip centers into chocolate, then garnish with orange zest.

Right now it’s corn season in Texas! The Dallas Farmers Market has a great selection, and even many of the grocery stores are featuring locally grown sweet corn.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy this seasonal favorite is Chef Joanne Bondy’s Habanero Cream Corn. Joanne is the Executive Chef at the Old Hickory restaurant at the Gaylord Texan. Part of the summer series at the Gaylord is Jr. Chef Camp, and this dish is always one of the favorites that that kids prepare.

If you can’t get to the Gaylord Texan to enjoy this dish, Chef Bondy has shared the recipe here so you can try it at home.

“Staycations” seem to be a trend that continues to be popular, and when we went to the Gaylord Texan this week to observe their Jr. Chef Camp it looked like the place to be! Of course “it is always 72 degrees at The Gaylord Texan” so with it being so hot outside, it’s a great place to spend a summer weekend.

Chef Joanne Bondy and her team do an amazing job teaching kids what it’s like to work in a restaurant kitchen, and one of the teams this week learned how to make guacamole. I loved the fact their wasn’t a video game in site, and these kids were having a blast!

To learn more about Chef Bondy and the different activities that she does at the Gaylord, “like” her on Facebook or follow her tweets @joannebondy.

It’s watermelon season! We try and go to our local farmers market at least once a week, and this week the watermelon slices we sampled were too good to pass up.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a Lazy Cook, and what could be easier than watermelon as a dessert? We just added some mint, sliced up our watermelon and that was it! Fantastic food doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. Fresh, local and healthy is always the best choice.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and lucky for me the Dallas Farmers Market is full of locally grown produce that offers me endless opportunities for fast, fresh meals. I’ve started making at least one trip there a week to stock up on what’s in season.

This pasta salad is one of my favorite “go to” recipes, and can be changed by adding your favorite vegetables or what is in season. We made it a little more healthy today by using whole wheat pasta.

If you are in a lazy cook mood, try buying a cucumber tomato salad already prepared at your local deli and just add the pasta.

 

Perfect Pasta Salad

(1) fresh tomato, diced
(1) Avocado, sliced
(1) Cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped (dill is a great substitution if you prefer)
8 oz. pasta of your choice cooked, drained and chilled – I like rotini
3 T. Red wine vinegar
1 t. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c. Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in boiling water, drain and cool to at least room temperature. While pasta is cooling, chop and slice avocado then toss in lemon juice. Peel and slice other vegetables, then place in serving bowl. Add cooled pasta, oil and vinegar and toss, then add salt and pepper to taste.