This past week I hosted several cooking sessions with a variety of groups. The menus varied and the most common question by members in each was, “What is your favorite recipe or food to prepare”? I must say cooking for a few years now and on the journey it has provided me…I can’t say as of now I have the answer! There are so many great Holiday foods to consider, seasonal favorites that get me going (fresh figs and cherries are available now), the summer farmers markets offer an abundant supply of treats to play with…the list goes on and on. Chefs at particular restaurants feature special’s, which is not necessarily a signature dish, but typically they favor the ingredient and know how to cook it properly. Although today I focus on more of the “health and wellness” cuisine I still prefer to eat most anything or at least give it a try! Although our website www.chefbernards.com offers a variety of recipes and ‘how to’ videos you can see the tags of other host who offer fine recipes. Also, Magazines provide us with interesting outlooks to everyday recipes and then inspire us to use our creativity to build on and try something new…any favorite publications you have? I like Cuisine at Home its easy and simple to follow. The details and pictures make you want to make what’s on every page…so what’s your favorite dish to make or who inspires you?

Thanks + ciao Bernard Kinsella

Today I had the chance to interview  Jodie (click here to listen to it) to promote her new book “unSweetined”.  I will admit, I didn’t get a chance to read the book over until about 30 minutes before the interview but when I did read some pages, I was pretting interested in it.  Not so much for the fact I was a big Full House fan growing up, but because I could not believe all the crap Stephanie Tanner…I mean, Jodie had gone through!

Growing up as a child star. drugs, finding out she was adopted, drinking, more drugs and a nasty divorce…this lil gal has dealt with it all!  It is odd to know that when I now watch Full House, I am looking at a cast that for the most part, is nothing like the characters they play on the show!  The Olson Twins have had their share of issues, Bob Saget is a dirty comedian, John Stamos just dealt with an extortion case where he was accused of rape and cocaine use, Candace Cameron is a die hard Christian (not that there is anything wrong with that…just it is so not “D.J. Tanner”) and Dave Coulier is about as famous as my left shoe.  Add in the crazy life Jodie has had and this show’s cast turned into a Full House of problems! (insert rim shot here).

Jodie All Grown Up!

Take a listen to the interview and if you want to check out some of the book, click here to read some of it.  While it is sad to hear about these child stars and the life that became of them after the show is over and they get older, it is good to hear of someone getting help and turning things around before it is too late.

Click Here to listen to a remix someone made of Stephanie Tanner saying “rude” in “Rude Boy” by Rihanna!

Here is a video mix of her saying “How Rude”

Click Here to listen to the interview with Jodie

If you’ve always dreamed of owning something that once touched Elvis Presley’s body, now’s your chance.  Autopsy tools that were used to prepare Elvis’ body for the hereafter are being auctioned off in Chicago on August 12th and are expected to sell for up to $8,000.The items include rubber gloves, forceps, needle injectors, an arterial tube and aneurysm hooks. 

Also included are lip brushes, a comb, eyeliner and a “John Doe” toe tag which they actually had to use temporarily because someone at the hospital had stolen Elvis’ original toe tag.  The auction house says these things were only used once, on Elvis, and then saved by a senior embalmer at the Memphis funeral home where the work was done.

To get in on the bidding, click here to check out the auction site.

Soups On!

Throughout the summer I believe we don’t realize how it’s a wonderful time to prepare soup. Produce is in abundance, the variety of cold and hot soups we can create for today or to make and freeze is the perfect opportunity. Particularly if you have a back up freezer! Properly made, cooled and stored you can break them out in September or October at the height of the busy sport season.

Think about the abundance of fresh corn available today and make Corn Chowder then add some fresh seafood when your ready to serve; how about a Tomato Bisque with fresh tomatoes from your garden or that recent trip to the farmers market! Remember the key ingredients for a great soup is a good fresh stock. Add fresh herbs, minimal seasoning and reduce your cooking time just a bit, so when you reheat you can bring it to a gentle boil and then simmer and season properly without over cooking. Here’s a recipe for you to try today for friends or family during these hot summer days…

Gazpacho

  Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  cups diced medium seeded peeled cucumber
• 1  cup diced medium  Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1  cup diced medium chopped yellow bell pepper
• 6  tablespoons  white wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  pounds diced medium seeded peeled yellow tomatoes (about 6 large) or heirloom tomatoes( red vine      tomatoes are perfect as well)
• 2  garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup cilantro leaves chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  Garnish:
• 2  (1-ounce) slices French bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  teaspoon  extra virgin olive oil
• 1  cup  quartered grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2  cup  diced peeled seeded cucumber

Preparation

1. To prepare gazpacho, combine first 9 ingredients.
2. Place half of vegetable mixture in a food processor; process until smooth.
3. Pour puréed vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining vegetable mixture. Cover and chill.  

 To prepare garnish, place bread in a small bowl; drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil, tossing gently to coat. Spread bread mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool to room temperature. Place 3/4 cup gazpacho in each of 8 soup bowls. Top each serving with a few croutons, 2 tablespoons quartered tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon cucumber and a tablespoon of plain yogurt…refreshing!

Thanks…chef Bernard Kinsella…check out www.chefbernards.com for more recipes and videos! Ciao….

According to Forbes.com, here they are in order:

#1.)  U2, $130 million
#2.)  AC/DC, $114 million
#3.)  BEYONCÉ, $87 million
#4.)  BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, $70 million
#5.)  BRITNEY SPEARS, $64 million
#6.)  JAY-Z, $63 million
#7.)  LADY GAGA, $62 million
#8.)  MADONNA, $58 million
#9.)  KENNY CHESNEY, $50 million
#10.)  TIE:  BLACK EYED PEAS, TOBY KEITH and COLDPLAY, $48 million

Consumer Reports recently surveyed over 1,000 people around the country to find out what annoyed them the most on a daily basis:  They gave people a list of 21 annoying things, and then had people rate them on a scale from 1 to 10.

Here are the top ten most annoying things and how they scored:
 

#10)  SPAM.  Email spam rated 7.5 on the annoyance scale. 

#9.)  WAITING FOR REPAIR PEOPLE.  It also got a 7.5.

#8.)  DISCOURTEOUS CELL-PHONE USE:  7.6.

#7.)  UNRELIABLE INTERNET SERVICE:  7.6.

#6.)  DOG POOP:  7.6.

#5.)  BILLS THAT ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND:  7.8.

#4.)  PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING:  8.0.

#3.)  TAILGATING:  8.3.

#2.)  GETTING A RECORDING WHEN YOU CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE:  8.6.

And the most-annoying thing we experience on a daily basis is . . .

#1.)  DEALING WITH HIDDEN FEES.  According to the study, the average annoyance rate for hidden fees on a scale from 1 to 10 was . . . 8.9. 

And here’s some other stuff the study revealed:
#1.)  MEN AND WOMEN WERE ANNOYED BY DIFFERENT THINGS.  Women were significantly more irritated by 11 of the 21 things, including SPEEDING and having to remember their PIN NUMBERS.
#2.)  PEOPLE OVER 50 WERE ANNOYED BY:  Discourteous cell-phone use, email spam, and people who talk on the phone while they’re driving.
#3.)  DEMOCRATS DON’T LIKE PEOPLE WHO YELL:  And Democrats were more annoyed than Republicans by TV and radio shows where people SHOUT their opinions.

(For the full list and how they rated, click HERE.)

This is certainly the time of year the Farmers Markets are bursting at the seam with a great variety of fresh ingredients. It’s also a fantastic place to discover new companies that are starting out and products that are growing forward but haven’t reached the big time yet. Most importantly markets vary from time, days and offer specials throughout the season. Check out www.massfarmersmarkets.org and use as a guide to discover the great benefits our state offers us. The opportunity to plan a day trip to see some new sites and catch an outdoor market or two is always fun! The neat thing about most markets you can anticipate is that an appetizer, dinner or dessert is sure to be available for you to bring home and prepare.  Early is always best to arrive, so enjoy them while you can and discover something new!     

Ciao… Bernard Kinsella

Ringo Starr performed a gig at Radio City Music Hall to celebrate his 70th birthday and at the end of the concert, Ringo did an All-Star rendition of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends” and was joined onstage by a bunch of artists including Yoko Ono.

Ringo followed that up with The Beatles hit “Birthday” and that’s when Paul McCartney came out onstage to sing lead vocals.

Here are clips of both performances:

I was killing a few minutes today at work when I came across this little nugget on Youtube.  Some guy was blabbing away on his cell phone and a ball bounced up into the stands and NAILS him right off his face!  Since we live in Boston and dislike the Yankee’s (as well as their supporters), I thought this would be a good video to share to make a few people laugh! I love at the end how the news guys calls him an idiot!