Tag: cooking

Life after Lame

I’m sure many of us have been there. You’re riding and something feels wrong. Are you pulling on the reins too much? Is your seat not right? Are you out of balance? I naturally go to what I’m doing wrong (which is the usual suspect), but this time, it was Chance’s leg that gave out.

Chance is my steady Eddie…the Golden Retriever of horses; forever an ambassador for the equine species to kids and adult beginners and husbands alike. To see him out of action breaks my heart. His gait was never completely even, but this seems different, like we won’t ever do that training level dressage class we were working towards.

Chance has a bad stifle (the rescue where I adopted him said it was because of an injury as a colt…we’ll never know for sure). There seems to be quite a bit of arthritis in the joint, and it’s basically taken all summer to for him to feel up to trotting at a good clip for more than 20 minutes; we’ve yet to canter.

I’m left wondering if he’ll ever be back to normal, but then I think will I? My back and neck have arthritis and hurt every other day. I’ve been feeling carpal tunnel start in my wrists of late, and I have to struggle to keep off that last 5 pounds these last few years. As we age together, I’m happy to fight for every canter, trot and trail ride we have left. With enough Advil for me and bute for him, there is definitely life after lame!

xo

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Tack and Tweed Cooking Videos and Recipes!

I’m so happy to finally get around to joining my love of horses and my love of food! I was a chef for over 15 years before I started my Tack and Tweed business. I was a Personal Chef and in addition to cooking for distinguished guests all over New York, The Hamptons, Westchester and Fairfield counties, I taught cooking classes – which I absolutely loved! While I was making baby food for my own children, I created a series of cooking videos, which I will link to below.

I know it’s been a while since my last video, so I will be creating and posting more, focusing on Fast Family Meals, that anyone can learn to do and cook for their families and pets (even horse treats) – especially when we are all locked down or cannot eat out during COVID-19.

In addition to the video series, I will be setting up some ZOOM cooking class sessions, so if you are interested, please email me directly lisa.beels@gmail.com and we will get it going.

Please comment below and let me know if you have any special requests!

xo

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YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/PetitePalateBaby/videos

Selected Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5hF_WXRkSw

Oatmeal and Pear Baby Food https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7YbVek7YBI

Rice Cereal Baby Food https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHrZVugnFRw

Christmas Dinner – Christmas Goose! (in 3 parts) Christmas Goose

4 Fabulous Flowers for Fashionable Food

When I’m cooking for clients, I’m challenged to garnish my food in a tasteful yet easy way. I found that flowers are just the touch. Finding edible flowers can be a challenge, but certain smaller gourmet stores carry them on a regular basis. When I cannot find the edible varieties, I use pretty non-edible flowers, stressing to diners to NOT include the flora on their forks.

The following are my top 4 favorites:

1. Violets

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I not only use these pretty pedals as garnish, but also as a salad component. They are slightly sweet, and delicate and are tasty when using soft greens like butter lettuce and a mild and sweet honey vinaigrette.

2. Herb Flowers

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Chives, thyme, garlic, rosemary and other herbs have flowers. They are not always the most ornate, but they do impart extra flavor and color. You can use them in any dish that normally calls for their greens. Be sure to taste them first, as they can be slightly off.

3. Snapdragons

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Not your typical eating-flower, as they are bland and can be bitter, however, they are beautiful. Most people probably won’t try eating them, but they really can gussy-up a plate.

4. Squash Flowers

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These are delicious and many times cooked and eaten as a specialty all on their own. Many chefs deep fry them, but I prefer to leave them pretty much as they are (maybe a quick sauté with butter and herbs). Be sure to remove the prickly green stems before you cook them! I learned this the hard way when I competed on Food Network’s Chopped….

xo

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Asphalt Green NYC and Me

I love chit-chatting.  I just found out that I can chatter my brains out starting September 9th. I am proud and excited to be one of a few lucky cooking instructors participating in the launch of a new culinary program at NYC’s famous Asphalt Green. I’ll be teaching their Culinary Boot Camp Series in September. Too bad I won’t be demo-ing my favorite knives….

Asphalt Green opened their new gorgeous campus in Battery Park City with a new culinary center. They have an amazing 25 yard lap pool, warm water exercise pool, full workout equipment and weights, wood floor gym, 156 seat theater, culinary center (woo hoo!) and 6 multipurpose classrooms. Members enjoy babysitting (this is amazing), youth, teen and adult oriented programs and access to all fitness centers, programs and classes (some have an additional fee). There’s no excuse not to exercise, except I don’t believe they have a barn and jumping ring….

AsphaltGreenPool
Their gorgeous new lap pool.

My class, Culinary Boot Camp, starts September 9th at 7pm. We’ll be working on basic cooking techniques and making delicious dishes that participants will cook themselves (everything is hands on). There is still some space left, so sign up. Only 14 per class.

The Battery Park City Asphalt Green's brand-new culinary kitchen
The Battery Park City Asphalt Green’s brand-new culinary kitchen

I took these pictures, please forgive my amateurish photography 🙂

Asphalt Green’s Mission:  “Asphalt Green is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals of all ages and backgrounds achieve health through a lifetime of sports and fitness. One of New York City’s most valuable resources, Asphalt Green is acknowledged for its unparalleled programs and expertise.”

xo

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Hostess with the Mostest

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Hosting dinner parties (in my case cooking for them) requires hours in the kitchen. I typically wear my chef jacket and plain apron when I’m cooking for clients, but when I’m home, I have an assortment of cute, typically vintage inspired aprons to keep my dressy clothes clean all the while looking fashionable.

My next apron will surely be one of these darlings. Haute Hostess Aprons (www.HauteHostessAprons.com) are right up my alley – mixing fashion with cooking. When I save up some fun money I think I’ll go for the “Kate – Society Princess”. Only problem is, I think I’ll have to find an apron for my apron!

xo

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