I don’t know if you remember me telling you about Bethenny Frankel before, but I first met her at ChefDance in Park City in January. Her new book, Naturally Thin, is fresh off the press and I wanted to tell you more about it.

First, let me start by saying that I hate diets. Who doesn’t? But as a food writer and founder of a company that is all about food you could say I’m a bit obsessed with eating, and as such, would like to shed a few pounds before summer. Naturally Thin is a book about how to free ourselves from dieting, so Naturally Thin isn’t a diet, it’s a way of life. Better yet, Bethenny tells us that we don’t have to give up the foods we love. We simply need to moderate our intake.

As a natural foods chef (among many other things) her goal is to “democratize” health. That is, she wants health to be accessible to everyone, not just stars on the red carpet who can afford personal chefs and trainers to keep their bellies flat. Everyone deserves to eat well, be healthy and feel good. Amen.

She bases her no-diet tricks on 10 easy, no brainer rules. I’ll share some of my favorites with you:

1. Your diet is your bank account

Just like a bank account you need to manage how much you spend and save. It’s simply being aware of what you’re putting in your body; balancing not only the amount you eat, but also food “categories” (carbs, proteins, dairy, veggies, etc..) If you eat a hamburger for lunch, then it’s salad for dinner. Easy. No counting calories or points or any of that; just being cognizant of what you eat.

2. Get Real

This is one of my favorites because I grew up eating what I like to call “hippie food.” My mom always piled our plates high with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and her own soups. We all get busy, but I will fall off the wagon if a diet tells me I can’t have something. Bethenny doesn’t say no to processed foods, but says to limit them and choose foods as close to their natural state as possible. And, as most of us know, raw foods are high in fiber so they fill us up more.

3. Taste everything, eat nothing

I know that sounds strange, but how many times have you been to a cocktail party with a lovely spread of food and you chow down a bit too much on the pâté and brie? Both Bethenny and I have spent a significant amount of time in Italy where we learned the expression mangia poco ma bene. Meaning “Eat little, but well.”  Bethenny says we don’t have to avoid the food table, in fact have it all, but only a taste of each. I like that, because again, if I know I can’t have it I’ll eat the whole darn thing. One of her other rules, which helps to moderate us in the “taste everything, eat nothing” rule, is to spoil our appetite with something healthy before we go to a party, that way we aren’t pigging out.

What happens when we overdo it? Bethenny says, “Don’t focus on your guilt – focus on healing.”  She has recovery recipes – light and easily digestible foods – to naturally flush our system and get us back on track. We just returned from Mexico (lots of chips and guacamole, beans, pork – you get the picture) and my jeans were a bit tighter than they were when I left. I’ve been eating her Pureed Zucchini Soup and I already feel better (and can zip up my jeans!). It’s darn good too, even if you don’t need the recovery!

Pureed Zucchini Soup

1 medium red onion, evenly chopped
6 cups chicken stock or broth
6 medium sized zucchini, evenly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz. frozen butternut squash, defrosted
1 cup plain soy milk
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Sauté the onions in a large pot using nonstick pray, until lightly soft. Add the chicken stock, zucchini, salt, and pepper. Cook until zucchini are soft.

Using a hand immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Add the defrosted butternut squash. Turn off the heat and add the soy milk and lemon juice. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.

At the end of the day I like to relax with a little glass of wine or a cocktail – who doesn’t! Bethenny has a line of cocktails coming soon called SkinnyGirl. Her SkinnyGirl Margarita, in stores in May, is a low-sugar, low-cal version that she says is “the one to trust” since it’s free of all that heavy syrup you get in restaurant margaritas. She even asks bartenders to make it for her, which I now do too!

SkinnyGirl Margarita

2 ounces clear tequila (100% pure agave)
Large splash of lime juice, or 4 lime wedges
Tiny splash of orange or citrus liqueur
Optional: a splash of club soda to lighten it up.

If you’re tired of dieting, but want to look and feel good by summer, then I recommend this as a read (and no, I wasn’t paid to tell you that). Bethenny also has a cookbook coming out next year, but check out her website for more about her and other delicious recipes.

Possibly Related Posts:

• What Celebrity Chefs Are Making for Thanksgiving
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist

Categories:	Author • Chefs • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • Interview	3 Comments
Tags:	bethenny frankel • books • diet • healthy eating • Interview • naturally thin

Put down what you were doing, grab a glass of wine or cup of tea, take a cleansing deep breath, and have a seat. Are you with me? Good. We all need to slow it down a bit more now and then, don’t we? Now let me tell you about a wonderful book I just finished, then I want you to read it too. You’ll thank me for telling you about it.  It’s one of those books that you just don’t want to end. The kind that makes you want to slowly relish in the flavor of a perfectly ripe and beautiful tomato or stand at the stove and lovingly stir a pot of polenta.

That book is The School of Essential Ingredients, written by Seattle author Erica Bauermeister. The story is about Lillian, a 30ish chef and restaurateur who teaches a series of evening cooking classes. Her desire is to inspire in her students a love and respect for both food and life. We follow the lives of eight students who, for various reasons, come to take Lillian’s class. Soon you’ll find yourself  hoping the smells of her kitchen will waft through your book or wishing you could hold the hand of a heartbroken husband.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to sit with Erica and talk about her wonderful book, food and cooking, the joy of preparing and sharing a good meal with those we love, and life in Italy – a place where both of us have lived. What I learned from her is this: time is the essential ingredient, something we should savor, love and respect.

As Lillian says, “…every meal you eat, you eat time – the weeks it takes to ripen a tomato, the years it takes to grow a fig tree. And every meal you cook is time out of your day…” I’ll certainly be relishing in my food from now on!

Erica shares with us a recipe from one of Lillian’s students, Tom, who learned from her how the simple making of a pasta sauce from scratch can heal the heart.

Tom’s Pasta Sauce

2 T olive oil
1/2 chicken bouillon cube (Knorr – the large, soft kind))
1 cup onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup red wine
28 oz can whole tomatoes (drained)
1 cup tomato sauce (more if you want)
salt
pepper
grated parmesan cheese (optional)
penne pasta (for eight servings)

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil on low heat until bubbles form.  Crush the half bouillon cube into the oil and mix thoroughly, then saute onion for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until translucent.  Add ground sausage and cook under medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Add milk and simmer until absorbed.  (Don’t worry if it looks strange at first; it will mellow the wine and make for a wonderful, lush sauce.)  Add wine, simmer under low heat until absorbed.   Drain can of whole tomatoes, then crush in a Cuisinart or chop finely by hand.  Add tomatoes and tomato sauce to meat.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook on low heat for 1-3 hours, covered if you want a rich, but slightly thinner sauce,  uncovered if you want a thicker sauce and the smell to roam through your house.

Place penne pasta in large pot of boiling water.  Cook until al dente.  Drain and place in large serving bowl.   Ladle sauce over pasta; top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

NOTE: if you’re lucky enough to be in the Seattle area you can find Erica at the following book signing event. I highly recommend it!

WIDE WORLD BOOKS
Tuesday, February 3 7:00 PM
4411 Wallingford Avenue North #A
Seattle, WA 98103
Talk, Q&A and Signing

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• What Celebrity Chefs Are Making for Thanksgiving
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist

Categories:	Chefs • Cooking tips • Interview	2 Comments
Tags:	author interview • book • erica bauermeister • Interview • seattle • Seattle author • World Wide Books

While at the Sundance Film Festival I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bethenny Frankel, celebrity chef and co-host of Chefdance, the culinary “Alt Dance” of the Festival. But she doesn’t stop there. In addition to being a natural food chef she’s also taken the time to pen her new book Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself From a Lifetime of Dieting (on shelves in March 10) and launch both her low-cal cocktail line SkinnyGirl Margarita (coming soon) as well as her low fat, wheat, dairy, and egg-free line of baked goods BethennyBakes. She also happens to star in Bravo’s reality T.V. show The Real Housewives of New York City and was a contestant on Martha Stewart’s The Apprentice.

Phew! Did you catch all that? This woman is not only charismatic and smart, but obviously possesses the energy and metabolism of a hummingbird; she’s so petite I could fit her in my pocket.

Bethenny started to co-host Chefdance (along with Kenny Griswold, Founder and President) five years ago, selecting the chefs, lending a hand in planning the four-course menus and attracting the celebs. The normally 10-night event (this year is was five nights due to her hectic book tour schedule) features 10 celebrity chefs and a cast of celebrity dinners. This year the likes of Mike Tyson, Hugh Dancy, Amy Irving and Brittany Snow were amongst the guest list.

Before the event began that evening we sipped our Chardonnays and talked about her new book. The premise of Naturally Thin is so simple it will make you question why you never ate like this before. As she puts it, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself” or “Taste everything but eat nothing.” To me that makes perfect sense: don’t overload at the hors d’oeuvres table, but enjoy a bit of each offering. She says that food isn’t our enemy and that we should view our daily intake as a bank account. If we only have, say, 1500 calories for that day and we snarf down a cheeseburger at lunch, then we need to deduct those calories from our “account” and eat something healthy for dinner, like a salad. It’s not new science, by any means, but I like the way she encourages us to not beat ourselves up for what I previously referred to as “falling off the wagon.” I also appreciate the fact that I can eat whatever I’d like as long as I keep track of it and keep it in check. No one likes to diet, and weight loss is achieved more easily if we just learn to balance.

Her goal is to democratize health, meaning she believes everyone deserves to live a healthy and balanced life. We all can’t afford private chefs or even organic foods, and some of us simply lack the education, but she wants to inform people on how they can stock their fridge, live a green life and maximize their health in quick and easy ways.

I tell you, it’s great motivation to get dietary advice from a tiny celebrity in a cute little knit dress. I enjoyed my Chefdance meal immensely and followed her rules to the letter. And you know what? It felt darn good.

Stay tuned as I’ll be writing more on Bethenny’s new book on March 1o – there’s a lot more you’ll want to know and learn!

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• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Waiting by the River at Dawn
• A Chance to go to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
• Oktoberfest

Categories:	Events • Interview	3 Comments
Tags:	bethenny frankel • celebrity chef • chefdance • Interview • naturally thin • Sundance Film Festival

Welcome to the first Foodista interview! In the future we plan to interview all kinds of people in the food world and share their experiences, ideas, and insights.

Today we are starting with Elizabeth Warner of Elizabethan Fare in Putney, Vermont. Elizabeth and I have been good friends since high school. After traveling the world, Elizabeth returned to Vermont, where she founded and runs her own catering company with her husband David.

Here’s a bit of our recent conversation…

What are the Elizabethan Fare signature dishes? Can you share a recipe with our readers?

Grilled lemon and rosemary Chicken, Citrus Glazed Salmon with a mango fruit salsa and Maple infused pulled pork..great for rehearsal BBQs!

Citrus Glazed Salmon
Makes 8 servings
4 pounds salmon fillets (pin bones removed) Skin on or off
Citrus Glaze
1.5 cups orange juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup Grand Marnier / or orange liquor
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Combine ingredients in heavy duty saucepan and reduce until the thickness is that of honey. Let cool. Prepare salmon fillets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Salt and pepper the fillets. Generously brush glaze onto fish. Bake until medium rare approximately 7-10 minutes depending on your oven. This can also be grilled. Brush on the glaze as you grill.

What are your culinary inspirations? Where do you get recipes?

Our backyard, so to speak. Southern Vermont is like a little Provence we have world class boutique cheeses, Grass fed organic beef, incredible varieties of local, organic fruit and vegetables as well as small batch ice creams made with hormone, antibiotic free milk. We cook using the freshest, most local organic products available. We bring in fish from the Boston Market and work directly with the fish market. Many of my recipes are mine from start to finish. I have an understanding of what works together and what doesn’t, as I have been cooking for 20+ years. Some of my recipes are a combination of many recipes I have found on the Web and then adjusted to be my own.

What advice do you have for the home party-planner to make their events successful?

Plan ahead, prepare as many things as possible ahead. Don’t be afraid to hire someone to help with the dishes, refreshing the platters etc. It is truly worth the expense, and you may actually enjoy your own party!

What’s unique about catering in Vermont?

75% of our clients are from out of State, some of our clients have been from as far away as Holland and Denmark. I have had clients whom I have spoken to a hundred times and finally met on the day of their wedding.
Also you can have a destination wedding for a good price even today. We also have the weather.

What’s the wildest party/event you’ve catered?

My own wedding. I had 234 guests at my wedding. We were married New Years Weekend at The Putney School. There was a candlelit ceremony just after sunset with a three piece classical trio playing Pachabel Canon as I walked down the aisle. I got married in burgundy and gold (no one had seen my dress, or knew before hand what I was wearing). The entire crowd of standing room only guests let out a gasp when I walked in, flanked by my divorced parents and preceded by my Labradors. We were quite a site. We had three acts to our wedding play, as I termed it. The classical, elegant ceremony followed by the sumptuous cocktail hour with over twelve appetizers and a jazz pianist playing. We brought in a 9 piece Merengue band from Boston for the dinner dancing and a DJ for late night dancing. I worked endlessly planning, preparing and organizing our wedding, I never ate. As a result, I slept for most of our honeymoon.

Can you share a story of catering disaster?

I am a detail person, I always plan for rain, cold heat etc. Two years ago we were catering a wedding in Walpole, NH when the rains kept coming . We made it through the wedding, moved furniture inside and set up a makeshift ceremony site (The ceremony was scheduled to be outside in an apple orchard overlooking a gorgeous array of fall colors). The next morning however was a disaster! My staff and I arrived to set up brunch when my phone started ringing. The sister of the bride called to tell me that the guests were trapped at their hotel in Keene, NH. The roads were flooded, their cars were underwater and grandparents were being airlifted by helicopter off of the roof of the hotel! Next the mother of the bride called and demanded a refund for the brunch, which was staffed and set up. I told her I couldn’t give her a refund as my staff and the food were present; we also have an “act of God” clause in our contract. We ended up donating the food to the rescue workers in Vermont and NH in the name of the wedding. I spent the rest of the day with the Governor delivering food to firemen, policemen and rescue squads.

Who’s hardest to deal with? Brides, Grooms, parents of the Bride, parents of the Groom?

It really depends on the family’s dynamic. Many times I find I am also the therapist. I have had mothers of the bride who have been lovely to work for and then I have had mother’s who…well…I don’t like to talk about them. There are a few brides who need to be reminded that weddings aren’t just about them, they are also family reunions.

Is there a single cooking technique/trick/tip you think everyone should know?

Marinate the day before if it is chicken, pork, lamb or beef. Never fish! You will end up with more flavor and a moister dish all around, especially if you are grilling.

What’s your comfort food?

Roasted chicken cooked with wine and herbs, Basmati rice and steamed broccoli with lemon and butter. My 5 year old helps to make that favorite family dinner.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

Categories:	Caterer • Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Interview • Travel	2 Comments
Tags:	Caterer • Catering • Chef • cooking • Food • foodista • Interview • Putney • vermont • Wedding