Shuttle Endeavor at the CA Science Center

Here's a little photo essay of my day at the California Science Center, checking out the shuttle Endeavor.  If you haven't seen it yet, make an effort to go--it's well worth it.  I can't describe the experience of seeing it in person, but it made an indelible impression on me, to say the least.  Parking at the museum is ten bucks for the day, but entrance to the exhibit is only two dollars!  There are lots of new restaurants surrounding USC as well, so you can make a fun day of it--or bring a picnic and eat in the rose garden next door.

One of my favorite spots in the museum is right outside the front doors. 

 

the bunny on the fountain out in front of the museum--for my friend Cathy.

The shop just inside the front door had cool plush astronaut and ship sculptures.

Walking in....The crowds heading upstairs to the Endeavor exhibit were immense, especially with the school groups.

Viking Lander

The operations/control center here in CA

On our way into the building that housed the actual Endeavor

The emergency escape portal

Difficult to get the entire ship into the frame!

Restaurant Express Taping

I had a great time last night as an audience member for a new Food Network show, Restaurant Express.  It features a contest between chefs for the chance to open a real-life restaurant.  

The contestants had been whittled down to four by the episode in which I participated.  Each contestant had a small "restaurant" in which theoretically one would be spending a hundred dollars for a meal.  This consisted of recipe and menu creation, table settings, and of course food prep and service.  My friends and I were able to choose one of the four restaurants at which to enjoy a meal and then provide a critique.  

We showed up to the lovely Hummingbird Nest Ranch at sunset, and were able to take in the full landscape of vacant horse stables and green paddocks.  We quickly lost the light though, and filming commenced at night.  The huge helium balloon lights that were used for the shoot made for impressive party decor on its own.  Tech trucks were about a mile away, but there was one working truck decorated with the show's logo that was used as set dressing for the show, providing a trendy backdrop for the crane shots as the diners entered the knoll.

Host and Chef Robert Irvine greets the audience/diners.

Chef Robert Irvine greeted us warmly as the host of the show, then once the cameras rolled explained the premise and the procedures for the evening.  On his cue we were allowed to wander into the set, choosing one restaurant from the four based on menu and atmosphere. 

The restaurant I chose, Jade, looked like it had the most vegetarian-friendly menu:  the main dish was pasta with chicken, so I simply asked if the chicken could be omitted for my plate.  That was the biggest influence on my choice--overall there seemed to be a heavy seafood influence in the other menus, with lobster and salmon dishes in addition to the expected meats.  As it turns out, I made a good choice.  My friends went to the restaurant next door to my choice, and said none of their dishes had any flavor, including a lobster risotto and overdone steak. 

Jade's Table Centerpiece

Peach Mandarin Chilled Soup

Since my friends had chosen another restauranteur, I was on my own.  I stepped out of my comfort zone and sat with a party of two, who turned out to be an outrageously funny mother and daughter pair.

The first course was a lovely chilled soup of peach, mandarin, vanilla, and mint.   Though I would have never thought it, the flavors sang together.  The sweetness was just right, and the soup was cooling as the heat of the day had just begun to ebb.  The diner across from me mentioned that she had never had a chilled soup.  I thought back to a cucumber soup I made frequently in college and resolved to add it to the blog in the next few weeks.  

Our next course was a salad with roasted beets and green apples.  The dressing contained fish sauce, which was omitted from my dish.  I'm not sure if that affected the flavor, or if it is simply that I don't care for beets, but the salad, while fine, was not impressive, and I forgot to even take a picture.

Rice Noodles & Summer Vegetables

The rice noodles hit the spot for me, even without the chicken.  However, my dining companion pointed out that the menu didn't state that the main dish was to be served cold, and she hadn't been expecting it to be served as such.  When later we were interviewed and asked if we would pay a hundred dollars for the meal that we'd been served, the cold entree came into play for all of us.   The smart choice was the noodles themselves, being gluten free.

Green Tea Napoleon Topped with Seven Nuts

The dessert was the crown of the evening!  The Napoleon made of green tea mascarpone was a treat.  The crispy wontons were a little hard to handle, leaving me yearning for the same filling in a crepe.  But the elegant presentation made up for any misgivings about how I looked as I chewed.

I'll be watching to see if our lovely chef moves on in the competition!  And I may try to make a green tea mascarpone filling the next time I make french toast....

Baby Ainsworth's Shower and a Spinach-Mushroom Casserole

I was lucky to attend a baby shower for a dear friend of mine, and have a few fun ideas to share!  I gifted a vintage knit afghan that I'd had dry cleaned to be ready for baby Elijah.  I'm hoping it will bring peace and comfort to mom and baby during many a long night.  Even though I didn't make it myself, I could see all the love that went into it and felt it should be passed on and loved again.  A little cleaning and basic spot treatment was all it needed!

This darling fruit bowl was trimmed for the event.  The "baby" orange had a pacifier in its mouth, with grapes for the eyes, nose, and ears.  The fruit was delicious!

We had a lovely brunch of scones dotted with golden raisins and topped with marmelade, fresh fruit, and a couple different casseroles.  Of course I begged for the recipe for the vegetarian casserole, which featured spinach and mushrooms.  I couldn't get enough of the casserole or the mimosas!  And this was the perfect main dish for the event, as it can be made ahead, leaving the hostess free to enjoy the guests.

Make Ahead Spinach-Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
3 cups seasoned croutons.  [our hostess used two 5 oz bags of Cheese & Garlic croutons]
6 eggs
2 cups milk

1 (10.75oz) can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry (or can sauté fresh spinach)

1 can (4.5oz) of mushrooms drained and chopped
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
[You can also add a pound of meat - e.g., turkey sausage or bacon - our hostess didn't]

Directions:
1.  Spread croutons on bottom of greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  

[If you want to add meat, then cook it first and spread over croutons]
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well blended.  Stir in soup, spinach, mushrooms and cheeses.  Pour egg mixture over croutons.  Refrigerate overnight.
3.  The next morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Bake in preheated oven for an hour to hour and 10 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.

Summer Fruit with FBLA

We had everything from salads, to cheesecake, to savory crepes at the FBLA's July meeting, with the theme of "summer fruits."  The Sangria was a wonderful compliment to the lightness of our meal.  I had the opportunity to share a treasured family recipe at this meeting:  my grandma's Banana Salad.

The sauce for our Banana Salad is a simple one of sugar and mayo.  It has a sweet tanginess close to caramel.  Added to bananas and nuts, and you have my favorite dish!  We serve this at every family reunion (goes without saying) and on every holiday table.  Amongst my most common requests (along with cheese souffle) whenever my mom cooks for me, in my immediate family this will forever be known as "Bana Salad," the title my sister wrote when she transcribed the recipe from my grandma at about nine years old.  While the sauce can easily be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator, this salad is best made fresh before eating.  The bananas do not keep well, especially once sauced.  Of course, I've never known there to be leftovers anyway.  

What's your favorite fruit salad?  Please share in the comments to this post.

Jessie Walker's Banana Salad

4 lg. Bananas

Crushed Peanuts

Dressing:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 pinch Salt
1 tbsp. Butter

Directions:

1)  Slice bananas.

2)  Combine dressing ingredients in small saucepan.  Stir over low heat until smooth.

3)  In serving bowl, layer bananas, nuts and dressing.  Serve.

Pallet Succulent Garden

Check out this awesome pallet-and-chicken wire succulent garden I came across in Paso Robles!  I'm taking inspiration from their use of moss and natural building materials.  I also love how all the different shades of green give texture and depth to this garden.

What are the most interesting garden settings you've built or seen?  Please leave a comment below.

Fabric Flower Craft

I tried a fun new craft, making flowers for pins or embellishments from silky fabrics.  This activity is not quite suited to my 4-H kids, since it involves an open flame, but it's quick and beginner-level easy. 

Use tulle, satin, and other high nylon fabrics. Cut rough flower shapes, using care to make them large enough as the flame causes them to shrink.  Ours were about 4-6 inches across before we finished them.  Use a candle flame to carefully finish off and shrivel the edges.  The burning will prevent them from raveling.  Stack multiple layers to make a flower; ours took about 7-10 layers each.  Textures and colors will create great effect.  Sew a quick whip stitch to hold all the layers together, and consider using a bead or button in the center of the flower. 

We attached a pin back to these, but I thought it would be great with a clip-on earring backing as a shoe clip, or sewn to a purse.  They're also great for gift bags.  Where would you use these?  Have you ever made these before?  Please leave a comment on the blog.

Rum Hard Sauce for Bread Pudding

Okay, I cheated and made the bread pudding from a mix....but the Rum Sauce was not included.  I liked the sauce recipe enough to keep it, so wanted to add it to my blog's index. Fast, easy, simple, butter and brown sugar.  Oh and rum.  You won't be sorry.

Rum Sauce

1 Tbsp Butter
2 tsp. Cornstarch
1/3 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. Milk
1 Tbsp. White or Dark Rum

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

2.  Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the butter.

3.  Pour in milk.  Cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil.

4.  Continue cooking until thick, stirring constantly.

5.  Remove from heat, and stir in rum.  Serve warm.

Little Free Library for Glendale Community's Culinary Department

I just finished my first college course in fifteen years!  I took Culinary 111, Fundamentals of Professional Cooking I, at the local Glendale Community College.  I was surprisingly impressed with the Glendale Campus.  The culinary department has its own building, but it is more of a temporary structure and a new building is being constructed next year.  

The small space they're in now does have an entryway with a couple of side tables, and I thought it was a perfect place for something they surprisingly didn't have--a place for students to trade cookbooks and fiction devoted to what we're studying.  So I took it upon myself to create a "Little Free Library" of sorts.  The basic idea is a sort of box, usually about 2x3 feet, where one can take a book and leave a book.  My original idea was to get some sort of children's play stove and convert it to hold books, but my student budget limited me.  Since this library is to be indoors, a stack of books on a table is not unreasonable, so the minimum necessary was a sign.  What I came up with is simple and clean, meant to be stood on a plate stand next to the books.  I used bright eye-catching colors and painted a bit of a border to make it less plain, and accented the intention that this collection is to be for the department. The frontal photo I took didn't really show the border, and the angled shot distorted the text, so I've posted both.

It's the end of the semester, so this library won't be set up till the start of the new term.  I can't wait to see what else is contributed, and who might learn or try something new from something they picked up off our pile!  I'll be looking for its home when the culinary department moves to the new building too.  I'm hoping the next time I visit I'll find cookbooks, memoirs of restaurant occupations, biographies of famous chefs, kitchen gardening books, and stuff I haven't even thought of....and that the bookplates have lists of students that have read and returned.

Baked Acorn Squash with Cranberry-Orange Compote

My culinary class finally made it to vegetables.  I can't believe only one class is devoted to veggies, but we made the most of it.  My group did a lovely acorn squash dish that was so sweet and yummy.  I've blogged about baked squash before, but I've never made a cranberry sauce for squash or any other dish.  I know I will make this again at home, for special occasions and for every day meals.  We were give two versions of a cranberry sauce in our recipe packet, and the one we made was the second.  We probably could have let it simmer and reduce further to make it thicker, but were constrained by time in the class.  It still looked as good as it tasted!

Baked Acorn Squash

Yield:  8 servings

8 oz. Butter, melted
5 oz. Brown Sugar
4 Acorn Squash, halved, seeded
3/4 tsp. Salt or to taste
1/4 tsp. Pepper or to taste

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Heat the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan to make a glaze.  Brush it on the squash.  Reserve the remainder of the glaze.

3.  Bake the squash halves, cut side down, until they are almost tender.  Baste them periodically with the reserve glaze.  Finish cooking with cut side up.

4.  To serve, cut the squash into wedges.  Spoon hot cranberry compote or cranberry sauce (recipes below) over the squash.

Cranberry-Orange Compote

1 1/2 lbs. Cranberries
9 oz. Orange Juice
6 oz. Water  (as needed)
2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar (as needed)
2 1/2 oz. Orange zest, blanched

Directions:

Combine the cranberries, orange juice, and water to barely cover the berries.  Add sugar to taste.  Simmer the berries over medium heat until they are softened and thickened, approximately 10 minutes.  Add the orange zest. 

Cranberry Sauce

Yield:  1 Qt.

12 oz. Cranberries, fresh or frozen
12 oz. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice Concentrate
2 Tbsp. Orange Zest
1 Tbsp. Ginger, fresh, minced

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer for ten minutes, skim and cool.

Celiac Foundation's Gluten Free Expo

I spent a Sunday afternoon roaming around the Celiac Foundation's Gluten-Free Expo and learning about products available for specialized diets.  There's a roundup of the day on their website here including a list of all the vendors present and lots more photos.

In addition to a whole list of books (mostly cookbooks) that I want to add to my wish list, there were wonderful samples from companies I wasn't familiar with.  My favorites were grain-free crackers, falafel chips, parmesan crisps, and gluten-free bread.  There were some tasty desserts, as well as lots of baking mixes and even gluten-free mac and cheese.  

I met several nutritionists that I hope to keep in contact with and learn from.  If I practice as a health coach or nutritionist, I know that I will encounter many people who are looking to eliminate gluten from their diet, so I'm really glad to learn more about this circumstance.  I'm already preparing for a future career.

Tea Tasting at Chado Tea Room

A groupon-type deal allowed me to learn a bit about tea types and history from Chado Tea Room in Pasadena.  We were able to try about eight different teas, capped off with a lovely dessert of scone and clotted cream.  Our guide walked us through each type, explaining the difference in manufacturing, from leaf type to oxidation.

The tea wall at Chado Tea Room

My friend Jenny and I enjoying a ladies' day out

Our tea sampling progressed from light to dark, starting with a White tea, then Yellow, Green, Oolong, Black, and Pu-erh.  We also got to sample a few of the staffs' favorites, a blossoming tea and an herbal Jasmine.  The colors themselves were striking as each cup lined up next to one another.  

Our waiter explained we began with white tea because it is un-oxidized and sun dried only, the least-processed type of tea.  Yellow tea is similar, but the buds are unfurled before sun drying.  Leaves are then piled, covered or wrapped, and kept damp at temperatures between 77-95 degrees F until it turns yellow.  Green tea is dried and rolled, but not oxidized.  We were shown the dried buds, which are twisted into tight marbles.  The history of the term "Monkey Picked" was explained, implying the most difficult to harvest from the steep mountainsides; it's now used to mean the best product made of a variety or particular company.  The partly oxidized Oolong tea was a favorite of mine.  I learned that Black tea is made from leaves that have been fully oxidized, the oxygen coming into contact with the enzymes in the tea leaf, creating the deep, dark color.  Lastly, we sampled a Pu-erh tea, which is a type exposed to bacterium and allowed to undergo a sort of secondary fermentation.  Pu-erh tea had some of the best stories as we were told it is the only tea that improves with age, much like wine, and has been used as currency, with parents buying a bar of Pu-erh upon the birth of a child, and selling it at an inflated rate when the child reaches adulthood.  

Monkey-Picked Oolong Tea (looseleaf)

We passed around a bar of compressed Pu-erh and appreciated its design.  Each tea leaf was brought out in its post-steeped stage, so we could see how it unfurled.  The discussion was wide-ranging and in-depth, covering manufacturing, tea types, history, blends, decaffeination, how to buy and store tea, and ideal length of steepage. 

Warm Scones and Clotted Cream with Jam and Chocolate Mousse Cups

The dessert was heaven!  My next trip to Chado will not be for the tasting, but for high tea, which comes with many more tea sandwiches and pastries. And to top it all off, our server demonstrated a blossoming tea, a tied ball of tea that unfurled when steeped to great effect in a clear glass teapot.  I brought home a small bag of the blossoming "Peach Fairies" and a bit of strawberry-flavored Alice's Wonder Tea.  My strawberry tea lattes have been sending me happily to night-time dreamland since.

Peach Fairies