Create your own recipe: a 12-step plan

This past Wednesday I agreed (with a 24-hour notice) to do a radio interview with one of my dear friends, Julie Motz. She has two radio shows on KWMR, Marin and needed a fill in for a cancelation. She requested that we talk about my forte: creating a recipe. I’m honored she thinks so ……..thank you, Julie. Some how, and luckily, for me, working under pressure produces great products, and this time was no different.

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Enough info for a book

In the past, articulating my process of creating recipes has been daunting, an unreliable and an inert task requiring self observation, brainstorming, research, and more. …. i.e. too burdensome to stick to it. Thankfully, I did it, I was able to succinctly recite my process. And was pleasantly surprised to see that my one hour of free-flowing journaling revealed 11 steps, wow! Could I really make so many decisions so effortlessly? Apparently so, and the realization put a welcomed feather in my cap for this reliable talent.

I now had plenty of material, enough to fill a book, short chapters, yet nonetheless I acquired quite of bit of notes. The 30-minute radio interview will be the condensed version. And, I will produce said book soon, I’ll keep you all posted.

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11 just won’t do

Now, those of you who know me will understand that 11 just won’t do. It needs to be an even number… could I merge two items into one to make 10? … no. So, there must be one more to make 12 components. AND YES! the one I missed is pretty much the first and foremost component that I think of, that I keep in mind throughout the whole process:  the audience, the participants in the meal. So, it’s listed here as the first component to building a recipe.

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Revision

Since writing this post the day after the radio show, I realized I omitted a key component: RATIOS. So, I am revising my list –and yes– I put two items together (rather than having a total of 13 steps). Twelve, an even number, a dozen is much better than ’13,’ — don’t you think? I put flavors and aromas together, not-so-much of a stretch, for the greater population. Those with a discerning nose and tongue, and alchemy recipe makers, would beg to differ, yet my artillery to their steadfast ways is that tasting is 70-90% with the nose so I think that it’s fair enough to put the two together.

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A shortcut to being fluent in the kitchen

Julie gave an observation and posed a question to me in the radio interview:  that success in the kitchen is similar to learning a language, and wondered if there is a shortcut a person can do.

Three things came to mind, that brings the 12 components to just three. To create a really good-tasting recipe a person needs to:

1. get to know the vegetables, condiments, the ingredients (spend time at the Farmer’s Market and at the grocery store)
2. have a basic understanding of cooking methods, cooking techniques (read Harold McGee’s “On Food and Cooking”)
3. have a basic understanding of herbs and spices (read Jill Norman’s “Herbs and Spices”)

I suppose many of my recipes come to fruition from just these 3 main steps.

Click here to see, and to buy “My favorite culinary books to become fluent in the kitchen.”

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Radio interview: How to Create a Recipe

Click here to listen to the interview on “Art’s Desire” Julie’s radio show broadcasted on KWMR, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011.

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Here are  my….

12 components to making a recipe

Each of the following will, eventually, sooner than later, have its own detailed info. And, will be a foundation for a handbook.

This list is not in any particular order, except for the first component. The first step, below, will invariably always be the first thing we think of when creating a recipe, it’ll always be required to know who you are cooking for, how many, the time of year, etc. This is what I call the ‘magic touch’ … it isn’t tangible, yet is a major component of what goes into the making of a dish.

The rest of the steps will have varying degrees of importance. Depending upon the situation, each step may or may not have an important role. Meaning to say — that #4, flavors — would likely be the second-most important factor when you are making a specific ethnic dish. Or – it could be that #6 is highest priority because you want to make a creamy soup, for example. 

1.The magic touch
(i.e. taking into account, knowing and/or anticipating the audience – who will be participating in consuming the food, the ambiance, the weather, season, time of day, etc)

2. Food, the ingredients
(example: roots, tubers, stalks, stems, leaves, heads, bulbs, buds, berries, fruit, flowers, nuts, seeds, grains, and meat, fish, poultry, fowl)

3. Ratios
(i.e. how much to put of one ingredient vs others in the dish)

4. Flavors and aromas
(Flavors — ex: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, unami)
(Aromas — ex: citrus, bouquet, aromatics: garlic, ginger, onion… and so much more)

5. Colors
(ex: mono-color, multi-colors, dominate color with sprinkles of a contrasting color)

6. Textures
(ex: creamy, crunchy, chewy, gooey, crispy, juicy, runny, soggy, squishy, slimy, solid, soft, firm, fatty)

7. Shapes

(ex: rounds, rough cuts, cubes, triangles, half moons, slivers, match sticks, diamonds, squares)

8. Sizes
(ex: all– or some– bite-size pieces, chopped, minced)

9. Visual presentation
(ex: composed with bite-size pieces, versus mashed, or tossed with multi-colors)

10. Temperature
(ex: hot, steaming, chilled, cold, spicy, refreshing)

11. Cooking method
(ex: high heat versus no heat, wet vs dry, short term vs long term)

12. Energetic value of the food
(ex: expansive vs contractive, upward vs downward, stimulating vs calming)

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Cooking methods:

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookingmethods/a/dryheatmoist.htm

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Flavor wheels of the world:

http://www.eblong.com/zarf/flavorwheel.html 

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The 6 tastes:

http://www.eattasteheal.com/ETH_6tastes.htm

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Cooking with ratios:

http://ruhlman.com/

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Understanding textures:

http://www.ifst.org/learninghome/helpforteachers/lessonplantopics/foodtexture/

http://www.foodscience-avenue.com/2008/10/food-texture.html

Here is my PALEO version:

Ingredients

• 1 medium Butternut squash, roasted (or steamed)
• 3 medium potatoes (boiling potatoes), roasted (or steamed)  (NOTE: based on what I’ve read I believe that in-ground foods were dug up and used during the Paleo era. Click here to read more about potatoes in the Paleo diet.)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped (t’is a shorter, wider and sweeter variety)
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-inch ginger, thin slivers (no need to peel)
• 1 cup coconut flakes, blended with 2 cups water; and strained)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter or hazelnut butter
• 1 tsp tamarind paste (or more to taste)
• 1 small anaheim or poblano pepper, seeds and membranes removed (or for more heat use a jalapeno pepper, or for very spicy: serrano, habanero or thai pepper)
• 1 orange, juice and pulp
• 1 lime, juice and pulp
• 1 tsp kelp granules

This soup has a kick, most people said it is medium spiced with a good balance of sweet and sour.

*****

The HOT kick comes from red pepper flakes and red chilies. The SOUR punch comes from the pickled red chilies and from the tamarind. The smooth SWEETNESS comes from the roasted squash and caramelized onions and carrots. And, there’s a bit of sugar in the pickled red chilis and a bit of sugar in the tamarind sauce. Both condiments would normally not be my choice –because of the added sugar– however, I used what was at my fingertips. For alternatives, see the “substitutions” list, below.

*****

Ingredients

• 1 medium Butternut squash, roasted (or steamed)
• 3 medium Romanze or Desiree Potatoes (boiling potatoes), roasted (or steamed)
• 2 tbls oil (a neutral oil is best)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 medium Chantenay carrot, chopped (t’is a shorter, wider and sweeter variety)
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-inch ginger, thin slivers (no need to peel)
• 2 cups coconut milk (or 1 cup coconut flakes, 2 cups water; blend and strain)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbls tamarind sauce (has red pepper flakes, dates; will add photo and ingredients another time)
• 2 Tbls pickled red chili sauce (will add photo and ingredients another time)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Add red pepper flakes to taste

Substitutions

…for a ‘true’ PALEO version:

• Click here to see the recipe.

…for the tamarind sauce:

• 2 tsp tamarind paste (100% tamarind)
• 2 medjool dates
• 1 orange, juice and pulp
• 1 lime, juice (and pulp for extra sourness)
• pinch red pepper flakes

…for the pickled red chili sauce:

• 1 Tbls minced pickled red chilies

Creamy Coconut Cauliflower Soup (a dairy free and wheat free, cream-based soup)

Makes 8 cups

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped (core, too; remove leaves and tough skin)

1. Steam the chopped cauliflower until soft, set aside. Or, put in steamer basket and place over the saute pan while the other ingredients are cooking.

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2. Saute until well cooked, about 20 minutes:

• 3 Tbls coconut oil, unrefined  (lower fat version: use 1/2 the oil and keep the heat lower, cook for 30 minutes)
• 1 cup small diced celery ribs
• 1 cup sliced shallot
• 1 cup small diced fresh burdock root

Tip: be sure to add dry ingredients to the heated oil (i.e. dry the celery after rinsing); for several reasons:

1. the water will pop and splatter when in contact with the heated oil
2. the water will drop the temperature of the oil
3. the water will push the heated oil away from the celery, preventing the celery from softening

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3. Add and simmer for 10 minutes:

• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup water

Tips:

1. If you have time, simmer for 20 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce for a deeper flavor.
2. Do not allow the mixture to boil. A very low simmer is ideal.

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4. In high-speed blender, mix all ingredients -with milk and ume paste- until velvety smooth:

• 2 cups coconut milk, see recipe below (for a fat-free version use: 2 cups veggie stock, thickened with kuzu)
• 2 tsp umebushi paste (or 1 Tbls ume vinegar)

Tip: for a non-creamy hearty version, use vegetable stock instead of the coconut milk and lightly blend half the saute mixture and half the cauliflower, I use the food processor and push the pulse button just a couple of times. Stir all ingredients together with spoon until well mixed. This will give you a hearty broth-y version.

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5. Serve with a generous dusting of toasted, very fine ground coriander seeds.

Homemade Coconut Milk, from coconut flakes

• 2 cups coconut flakes
• 4 cups water

1. Blend well in Vitamix.

2. Strain, reserve liquid, set aside the meal for other uses (ex: power bars, dessert toppings, granola)

Steps for Success: 

New Year’s New Beginnings

You are invited to join Joni Sare and ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D. in a day designed to offer you new ideas, new perspectives, and a plan for your new beginnings.

Dr. Diamond is an internationally noted Professional Development and Management Consultant who has helped hundreds of people “get the best out of themselves and others.”  Her background is multifaceted and includes psychology, business, management, marketing, education and a smattering of law.

Joni Sare is a noted culinary expert and nutrition educator.  Her luncheon will feature tantalizing, tastes and textures, in addition to a timely conversation about the benefits of eating better.

This is your opportunity to take advantage of the New Year’s resolutions you have made, the changes in your life, the closing doors opening new opportunities.

Steps to Success in your health, in your personal life and in your professional life will be the theme of this highly interactive workshop.

A Gourmet Lunch, designed to provide you with optimal nutritional energy will be provided by Joni Sare and the workshop/seminar will be led by Dr. Diamond.

Cost for the day, including lunch is $75.00 per person.

Space is very limited so please reserve your space now by contacting

ArLyne@DiamondAssociates.net or JoniSare@gmail.com.

Payment can be made by check or paypal to ArLyne Diamond.

Address of event will be provided upon signup for the day.

Eat for Health vs Eating for Pleasure and Energy

Presentation by Therapeutic Chef Joni Sare

Friday February 24th at 6pm

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The Reference Point

43334 Bryant St. #10.

Fremont, CA. 94539

(510) 498- 8730

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Join us, for an exciting interactive lecture by the wonderful Joni Sare about the difference
between healthy eating and eating for pleasure. Most often, people put their attention to
upholding responsibilities to others. What would it be like to switch gears, to put that same fullthrottle attention to ourselves? Joni will share, teach, and guide you through the differences
between eating for health and how eating for pleasure, eating for energy, eating for recovery and
eating for health are learned behaviors. She will cover Raw Food, Vegetarian and
Paleolithic/Caveman diets.
Join us for our FREE lecture

Space is Limited!
Save your seat and RSVP at:

www.TheReferencePoint.com/events

Discussion will include:
• Eating for health is taking care of yourself
• Eating for health is anti-aging
• Eating for health is ethical practices put into motion
• Eating for health starts with you and ends with a world-wide ripple affect
From this talk you’ll have an understanding of how to eat for health, and how your diet and
lifestyle fits into the Eating for Health approach.

Joni Sare, NE, Chef – specializes in natural therapeutic cooking using
sustainable, clean, minimally processed foods to produce inspirational
meals (raw, vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, paleolithic foods). Joni is a
certified Nutrition Educator and Natural Chef, providing private and
group catering services, and cooking instruction, kitchen makeovers
and meal plans to enable people to make the best meal ever, everyday
based on their own health needs. Joni also hosts private Dinner
Parties at homes around the Bay Area with a featured guest at the head
of the table who facilitates the conversation. The featured guest is an
expert in a specific topic, such as: health, consciousness, exercise, environment,
entrepreneuring. Through conversations like this people share interests and shift happens.

Follow her food blogs:
www.jonisare.com/blog, www.twitter.com/jonisare & www.facebook.com/jonisare

Here are a few of my favorite culinary handbooks, that I have found very useful in my culinary journey.

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Please shop here, to honor me with Amazon credits, thank you.
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Cooking with Herbs and spices:

Nutritional value of foods:

The science of cooking:

A -very- in depth look at the science of modern cooking:

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On my wish list…….

More science in the kitchen:

A geek-y approach to cooking:

Cooking with flavors and aromas:

bi-MONTHLY PALEO POTLUCKS

We’ll meet on 2 evenings, at 2 locations:

1st Wednesdays, at Mouroux Chiropractic, San Jose

3rd Tuesdays, at my home, Cupertino

Nov 15: “ Adapting Paleo to you, your lifestyle,” by Steve Fowkes and Joni Sare, Nutrition Educator and Therapeutic Chef. Our Palo discussion will continue as we talk about the various degrees of being Paleo… where do you draw the line? Will Paleo be 100%? 80%? 60% of your diet? …wild game only? no milk products? little-to-no processed foods?

Click here to read about Steve.

Click here to read about Joni and for her food blog.

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To RSVP:

Contact Joni or Steve, or go to:  www.meetup.com/projectwellbeing

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Both potlucks are free (see note about donations at the end of this announcement)

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Every 3rd TUESDAY of the month

  (mark your calendars now!)

We’ll meet at my home in Cupertino, near 280 and Foothill Blvd. I have a large meeting area: a ‘great room’ with a 10-person kitchen and big dining room. Bring warm clothing and we can hang out in the backyard with a waterfall, creek and lots of space, complete with a small and loving cocker spaniel and his 2-dozen-some tennis balls.

408-320-5664

Every 1st WEDNESDAY of the month

  (mark your calendars now!)

We’ll meet at Brad Mouroux’s chiropractic office in San Jose, on Prospect Road, near De Anza Blvd (where Saratoga, Cupertino and San Jose meet) … at:

Smik-Mouroux Chiropractic

20445 Prospect Road, Suite 1

San Jose, CA 95129

Our host is Brad Mouroux, DC, who has a strong interest and understanding of the relationship between the food we eat and how it affects our bodies. He is board certified in chiropractic and is board certified in physiotherapy, is a certified professional Applied Kinesiologist, and has Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular Biology.

http://www.smik-mourouxchiro.com

WHO’S COMING AND WHY

These potlucks are open to anyone who is interested in:

• learning more about a PALEOLITHIC diet
• connecting with others who are interested in health and wellbeing
• learning and sharing ideas and experience in food and cooking
• health practitioners, professionals, athletes who want to support and connect with our community

Please share this announcement with others. Dr. Brad will invite his patients, friends, associates, too.

OUR AGENDA

6:15: arrival

6:30: introductions, eat, mingle

7:30: guest speaker

8:30: goodbye hugs

GUEST SPEAKERS

Sept 7: ” The importance of a slow-carb diet,” by Brad Mouroux, DC. His discussion will include the importance of a low/slow carb diet as it enhances your immune system, decreases the stress on your body, balances your hormones and, keeps you feeling energized instead of tired and lethargic all day. In short how a Paleo Diet could change you life! See bio and website, above.

Oct 18: ” Why Paleo – why try it, should you adopt it?” by Steve Fowkes, neurobiochemist. Steve will share his insights to help you decide if Paleo is right for you. What constitutes “Paleo.” He will also talk about the problems of nonpaleo foods: milk, phytotoxins, grain allergies, and so much more.  Read blog posts about Steve here, scroll down to the post called “About Steve Fowkes” to see the links to his website and YouTube channel.

Nov 15: ” Adapting Paleo to you, your lifestyle,” by Steve Fowkes and Joni Sare, Nutrition Educator and Therapeutic Chef. Our Palo discussion will continue as we talk about the various degrees of being Paleo… where do you draw the line? Will Paleo be 100%? 80%? 60% of your diet? …wild game only? no milk products? little to no processed foods? See link above for Steve’s bio. Click here to read about Joni and for her food blog.

Future speakers TBA. If you would like to be a speaker, please contact me.

WHAT TO BRING

Please bring a paleo dish to share for 4 to 6 people, see details, below.

Please bring your own plate, flatware and cup. We will have dishes on hand, however, you bringing your own would really help out, in many ways. Thank you. Napkins and water will be provided.

Please bring the right serving utensils for the dish you bring.

BRING A DISH TO SHARE, GUIDELINES

• Everyone brings a paleo dish that can serve 4 to 6 people, see guidelines, below.
• Everyone brings a list of the ingredients, you must indicate if the food is conventional or organic, see food guidelines, below. Best to write on a small paper (post-it is best).
• We encourage you to get creative, make your own, bring a favorite dish from your favorite cook book, or blogger, or other. It can be hot, cold or raw (meat/fish dishes should be cooked, except for – see note about fish, below).
• Need ideas? Feel free to write to me, the group.

Guidelines for food/ingredients: 

• Paleo food ideas – go online, here are a few of my favorite sites:
  • my food blog
  • Melissa McEwen’s food blog
  • Loren’s website   
• Produce – best (not mandatory) to use seasonal, local, organic, sustainable, biodynamic, fair trade (please avoid conventionally grown produce that are on the  Dirty Dozen  list, frozen foods on the Dirty Dozen list is okay).

• Meats/fish – best (not mandatory) to use clean meats, fish, poultry:
  • Free of anti-biotics, free of added hormones
  • 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef, buffalo, lamb, pig, goat, etc
  • Free-range chicken, duck, goose, etc
  • Wild-caught fish, please choose from this Seafood Watch list
  • Eco-friendly farm-raised fish (no conventional farm-raised fish, see below)
  • Sushi is okay, if you make it yourself be sure it is sushi-grade fish (colored wasabi and soy sauce is prohibited)
  • You’ll get laaaaahotttssss of points for bringing a dish with:
    • home-grown produce/meats
    • line-caught fish, and better yet – your own line-caught fish
    • wild game, and better yet – your own wild game
• Avoid – yes, these foods are prohibited:
  • highly processed foods (sugars, breads, breaded products, cheese, drinks, etc)
  • foods with artificial dyes, artificial flavors
  • anything from fast-food joints: KFC, the taco places, the burger places, etc
  • farm-raised grain-fed fish (note: there are some eco-friendly farm-raised fish )
  • grains (wheat, rye, oats, etc) … pasta, breads, cakes (i.e. no grain products)
  • genetically engineered food (GMOs) ( click here to see list of 10 foods )
  • most canned foods are prohibited (coconut milk is okay)
  • best to avoid conventionally grown produce, esp those on the  Dirty Dozen  list
  • most pre-made condiments (such as salad dressings, BBQ sauces, soy sauce, spreads)
• Okay – some processed foods are okay, yet keep them to a minimum – like:
  • milk (please choose organic, no added hormones, antibiotics)
  • ice cream (please choose products with natural ingredients)
  • yogurt (simple, natural is best, no flavored yogurts)

The list, above, might change over time and could be very extensive, so, I’ll stop here and if you have questions, just send me an email, or post it on the groups message board.

SIMPLE IDEAS:  If you want/need to keep it simple, if you are new to the paleo diet – you can bring:    (be sure to follow the guidelines, above)

• • trail mix (no chocolate pieces, chocolate nibs are okay)
  • a pre-made meat dish or veggie dish (i.e. from Whole Foods)
  • cut veggies w/dipping sauce (I encourage you to make your own Palo-friendly dip)
  • salad w/dressing (be sure the dressing has natural ingredients)
  • fruit (local, seasonal, organic is best)

KUDOS

We’ll celebrate  all the creations (both food and drink), and will give a special nod to:

• the dish/drink that exceeds in flavor, texture and/or looks
• the dish/drink that exceeds in creativity (feel free to bring props, b/c creativity includes flavor, the process and the presentation)
• the person who stretched the most (we’ll give a bow to the one(s) who went waaay outside their comfort zone)
• the most s i m p l e, yet tasty and creative dish/drink (this could be a single food item that came from your backyard)
• the dish/drink that falls under the ‘difficult’ category (qualifiers for this category are too toooo many to name)
• the dish/drink that falls under the ‘most outrageous’ category (qualifiers for this category are unknown to name)
• the dish/drink that _______. I’m sure – at the table – we’ll come up with more special nods.

REMEMBER to mark your calendars

Wednesdays, 6:15pm: Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, Dec 7

Tuesdays, 6:15pm: Oct 18, Nov 22, Dec 20

DONATIONS

I will put out a ‘donation jar’ to help pay for the monthly MeetUp fee, this donation is optional and the amount you put in is totally up to you.

Asian Refreshing Pressed Salad, with scallions and ginger

Makes 4-6 cups (depends on the size of each veggie)

• 1 napa cabbage, leaves only, chopped
• 1 savoy cabbage, chopped (and/or 3 baby Bok Choy, leaves only, chiffenade)
• 2 carrots, grated, or shaved and cut to 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1 bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt

• Garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds

1. Toss and massage all ingredients well (except pumpkin seeds).

2. Place in salad press for 3 – 12 hours.

TIP: if you do not have a “salad press,” then try my trick, see image, below.

3. Serve, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

A salad press can be found online and at Asian markets, click here to see product.

I use a wide-mouth bowl (any non-reactive bowl will do), with a salad plate placed on top of the salad. The dumb bells are putting weight onto the salad mixture. The pressure pushes water out of the veggies, the flavors mingle and then some of the liquid is re-absorbed when the weight is removed … making an incredible good tasting vinaigrette (with adding just a touch of vinegar and oil).

Since taking this image, I now use more weight, and stack in this order:

1. a wide-mouth bowl
2. the salad mixture
3. a salad plate, placed on top of the salad mixture
4. a bucket of water, placed on top of the salad plate
5. a dinner plate, placed on top of the bucket of water
6. a 20 lb dumb bell, placed on the dinner plate

Please join us — the South Bay Raw MeetUP group — for our monthly raw potluck.

Sunday, October 16th, 4:30pm  

This month, let’s focus on ….

“SWAP MEET!”

See details here:  www.meetup.com/southbayraw

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Our potlucks:

Our monthly gathering is a time to meet fellow South Bay raw foodies, to help and support each other get started or stay on the path to a raw vegan lifestyle. We always have interesting demos, conversations. We all learn from each other.

BRING A DISH TO SHARE:

• Please bring a raw vegan dish that can serve 4 to 6 people.
• Please bring a list of the ingredients to put along side your dish. This list can also include any info that describes the name of the dish & its ingredients. Fyi – I have name plates that hold a paper size of 5 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep. ….and have paper, too.
• We encourage you to get creative, make your own, a favorite dish from your favorite raw cook book, or blogger, or other. Feel free to write the group for ideas.
• Food guidelines/ingredients:
  • Vegan
  • Some processed foods are okay, yet keep them to a minimum – like canned coconut milk, maple syrup, brown sugars.
  • Agave-free is best.
  • No white sugar.
  • Seasonal, local, organic, sustainable, biodynamic, fair trade is best.
  • If you have questions, just send me an email, or post it on the groups message board.
• If you are new to raw food -and want/need to keep it simple- you can bring fruits, cut veggies or a simple salad w/a raw dressing.

DONATIONS:

I will put out a ‘donation jar’ to help pay for the monthly MeetUp fee, this donation is optional and the amount you put in is totally up to you.

AGENDA:

4:30pm: Arrival

4:45pm: Circle – Introductions (you/your dish, the ingredients)… welcome newcomers.

5:00pm: Eat, drink, be merry.

6:00pm: Circle – comments, sharing, kudos on the food and drinks.

6:30pm: Goodbye hugs

KUDOS:

We’ll celebrate all the creations (both food and drink), and will give a special nod to:

• the dish/drink that exceeds in flavor, texture and/or looks
• the dish/drink that exceeds in creativity (feel free to bring props, b/c creativity includes flavor, the process and the presentation)
• the person who stretched the most (we’ll give a bow to the one(s) who went waaay outside their comfort zone)
• the most s i m p l e, yet tasty and creative dish/drink (this could be a single food item that came from your backyard)
• the dish/drink that falls under the ‘difficult’ category (qualifiers for this category are too toooo many to name)
• the dish/drink that falls under the ‘most outrageous’ category (qualifiers for this category are unknown to name)
• the dish/drink that _______. I’m sure – at the table – we’ll come up with more special nods.

LOCATION:
Joni Sare, SBR’s organizer, will host this event.
At the Lumina House, Cupertino, 95014
Phone number is 408-320-joni [5664]

JoniSare at gmail dot com