Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Soppressata with Mango Hot Sauce

This is one of those combinations that sounds weird, but is a crowd-pleaser. This recipe for Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Soppressata with Mango Hot Mustard Sauce was published in my John Ash Cooking One on One cookbook. Depending on the color of the soppressata you get, you can show your San Francisco 49er spirit with the red meat and the beautiful gold colored sauce.

You can serve it as an appetizer or as a main course, with steamed jasmine or basmati rice. If you serve it as an appetizer, I suggest you skewer each shrimp individually, which will result in less mess for the guest, and for you!

Soppressata is a cured Italian sausage similar to salami. It has a wonderful, peppery flavor and is generally available at good delicatessens. Ask for it very thinly sliced so it will stay wrapped around the shrimp better during grilling.

This recipe serves 4 as a main course, 8 as an appetizer. You can multiply it to fit your crowd.

Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Soppressata with
Mango Hot Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
16 small fresh basil leaves
16 large (16-20 size) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and brined if you like
16 thin slices of soppressata
Mango Hot Mustard Sauce (see recipe below)

Method:
Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas or stovetop grill. Place a basil leaf on the side of each shrimp and wrap the shrimp with a slice of the soppressata. Grill the shrimp until just cooked through. The center should be very slightly translucent- you can check with the point of a small knife. Serve immediately with the sauce spooned over or arranged for dipping.

Mango Hot Mustard Sauce
½ cup pureed ripe mango (from 1 medium mango) or canned
¼ cup fresh tangerine or orange juice
¾ teaspoon Chinese hot mustard powder, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral flavored oil
Salt to taste

Method
Combine the mango, tangerine juice, mustard powder, lime juice, vinegar, and wine in a blender and pulse 3 or 4 times to pureé and combine. Add the canola oil and pulse 3 or 4 times more to make a smooth sauce. Season with salt. Set the sauce aside for at least 2 hours while the flavors marry and build. The sauce can be warmed gently, but do not simmer or boil. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes about 1 cup.

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It is the ingredients that give dough elasticity. It is sometimes added to foods for thickening or a flavoring ingredient. People who have been diagnosed with celiac disease have a high sensitivity to gluten. Eating a gluten-free diet has been linked to a decrease in cholesterol levels, and some feel it increases their energy and efficiency levels. Gluten is also used in a variety of processed foods, so by avoiding those, you avoid eating gluten as well as many other bad ingredients.

This month I’ll be teaching cooking classes at Rancho La Puerta , a health resort and spa in Baja,Mexico. We’ll be making some gluten-free recipes in one of these sessions, and I would like to share some of those recipes with you below. These will be great dishes to make for holidays and throughout the year. They will satisfy guests who are following a gluten-free diet, and those who are just looking for great food to eat!

WILD MUSHROOM PATE

Makes enough to fill a 3-cup mold or dish

The simplicity of this recipe belies its great taste. Serve with crisp non-gluten croutes, toasts or crackers of your choice and, as the French do, with some little cornichons and grainy mustard on the side.

Ingredients
1 ounce dried wild mushrooms such as porcini
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots or green onions (white part only)
1-1/4 pounds thickly sliced fresh wild or exotic cultivated mushrooms*
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder or to your taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup toasted, preferably unsalted cashews
2 tablespoons toasted nut oil such as walnut or olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, chives and/or basil
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method
Rinse the dried mushrooms quickly and let soak in warm water to cover for 15 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry and chop.

Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the shallots, all mushrooms, garlic, curry and cumin and sauté and stir until mixture is just beginning to brown and all liquid has evaporated.

While mushrooms are cooking add the cashews to a food processor and process till finely chopped. Add oil and continue to process to make a paste or butter. Add the mushroom mixture and process till almost smooth. Stir in the herbs and zest and season with salt and pepper to your taste and place in a 3-cup pate mold or other ceramic dish. Can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Allow to return to room temperature to serve.

*A caution here – - only use wild mushrooms that you are certain are edible. If you are not a hunter you can certainly substitute wild or cultivated mushrooms found in the market such as chanterelle, shiitake, cremini, portabella, oyster, etc.

GRILLED BRINED SHRIMP WITH SALSA VERDE
Serves 4 – 6

Brining is a terrific way to add flavor and succulence to not only shrimp by poultry, pork, and finned fishes. Note that kosher salt is called for in this recipe. If using sea ordinary table salt reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 cup. Also note that I’m asking you to save the shrimp shells. They can be used to make a delicious shelf fish stock for use in other recipes. Store them frozen until you are ready to make stock.

For the Brine
1/3 cup each kosher salt and brown sugar
1 quart cold water

For the Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 pound large shrimp (16 – 20 per pound) peeled and deveined (save the shells!)
Salsa Verde (recipe follows)

Garnish: Sprigs of cilantro

Method
Prepare brine by stirring salt, sugar and water together until dissolved. Add shrimp and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove shrimp from the brine and rinse thoroughly. Toss with the marinade to coat the shrimp and marinate for up to 1 hour, refrigerated.

Grill shrimp on both sides over medium hot coals (or alternately under a hot broiler) until they are just cooked through, about 3 minutes total, turning halfway through. Place shrimp on plates and top with the salsa and cilantro sprigs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SALSA VERDE
Makes about 1 cup

This is a quick little sauce of Spanish origin that is delicious on all kinds of grilled, pan seared or roasted meats, fish and vegetables. Note that I’ve used blanched or roasted garlic rather than the fresh raw type. I think this is especially important if you are going to make the sauce ahead. Over time, raw garlic can become harsh and hot. Blanched or roasted garlic maintains its more subtle and sweet flavor and doesn’t overpower the sauce as it sits.

Ingredients
2 cups coarsely chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or mint
4 (or more) anchovy fillets in oil
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons blanched or roasted garlic (see note below)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup or so fruity extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add the parsley, anchovies, capers, garlic, basil and zest to a food processor or blender. With machine running, slowly add the oil until just blended. Sauce should still have a little texture. Season with salt and pepper. Can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.

To blanch garlic, separate cloves but don’t peel. Place in a small sauce pan and cover with at least ½ inch of cold water. Place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as water boils, drain and repeat process one more time. Rinse to cool off cloves. Remove husk from poached garlic and store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To roast garlic, cut off top quarter of a whole head to expose each of the cloves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap loosely in foil and roast in a preheated 375-degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until garlic is soft when gently squeezed. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Squeeze out as needed.

Photo from GoodNCrazy

For more than 26 years I have been co-hosting a Saturday morning show called “The Good Food Hour” on KSRO, a local Sonoma County radio station. Each year, my co-host, Steve Garner and I, host a cooking contest and this year we’ve decided to feature an ingredient that’s near and dear to most of our hearts: Bacon!

The minute you hear it sizzle in the hot pan, or take in its intoxicating smell while it’s cooking, bacon invokes passion in many of us. It is truly nature’s perfect food, and you will find it in a four-star restaurant, to a Sunday morning breakfast at a local diner or even at home. In addition, the versatility of bacon is unmatched. From appetizers (remember rumaki?), soups, salads, breads and spreads, breakfast and main dishes, vegetables, even desserts, something with bacon always gets my attention.

Four finalists will assemble at G&G Supermarket in Santa Rosa on Saturday November 3rd at 11 a.m. where their dishes will be tasted live during The Good Food Hour broadcast. The panel of judges will include me, Steve Garner, and a panel of celebrity judges. Winners will be selected during The Good Food Hour, from 11am to 12 noon. Prizes include gift certificates, cookbooks, wine, and cooking classes!

Your original and creative bacon must be received by Wednesday October 31, 2012 at 5 p.m. You may email, mail, or fax your recipe entries to:
KSRO Recipe Contest
P.O. Box 2158, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
Fax: 707- 571-1097
Email: steve@ksro.com

I recently had the honor of judging the Third Annual Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest . Six finalists were chosen to prepare their dishes for myself and four fellow food savvy judges including Liam Mayclem from CBS 5’s Eye on the Bay ; Lynne Char Bennett, food writer and test kitchen director, San Francisco Chronicle; Ken Frank, chef and owner of Napa’s La Toque restaurant ; Carolyn Jung, author of the Food Gal blog ). Our assignment was to make decisions based on taste, use of fresh, local ingredients, appearance and appeal, simplicity, and ease of making, and originality.

Liam Mayclem and myself in front of The Culinary Institute of America after judging the Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest

In the end, it was Merry Graham of Newhall, CA who won with her Lemon Hoisin Glazed chicken on Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Sesame Rice. Mary’s recipe beat out nearly 1,200 West Coast recipes to win the $10,000 grand prize and a one-year supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken. Her recipe featured

Merry Graham was the winner of the Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest, and received $10,000 and a year’s supply of Foster Farms chicken

locally grown ingredients including lemons, asparagus and of course, Foster Farms fresh chicken.

“This recipe started out as something my family loved and I kept working on it until I felt it best represented the flavor and integrity of the fresh ingredients,” said Mary.

Mary’s recipe is below if you’d like to make it for your family. Also, stay tuned for more chicken and other poultry reipes. My new book, Culinary Birds, will be out early fall of 2013.

Lemon-Hoisin Glazed Chicken on Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Sesame Rice

Serves 4 – 6

6 Foster Farms chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 1” chunks
2 ¼ tsp salt, divided
1 tbsp minced ginger root
4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
3 tbsp peanut oil, divided
6 green onions, chopped, with whites and greens divided
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, rinse well and drained
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice, divided
2/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tbsp honey, divided
1 large lemon or two small, finely grate zest
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, divided
2 tsp black sesame seeds
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/3 cup roasted salted almonds, roughly chopped

Mix chicken, one teaspoon salt, ginger, and half of the garlic. Set aside.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, warm one tablespoon peanut oil. Stir in onion whites, remaining garlic, and jasmine rice. Cook, stirring frequently, for 8 minutes or until beginning to toast. Add broth, half of the lemon juice and one teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 15 minutes. Uncover, fluff with fork, stir in dried cherries, sesame oil, and remaining green onions. Set aside.

In large frying pan over medium high heat, warm one tablespoon peanut oil. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for 6 minutes or until no longer pink on the outside.

In small bowl, stir together vinegar, Hoisin, one tablespoon honey, remaining lemon juice, half of the lemon zest and 1/4-teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add sauce to chicken in pan and continue cooking for 10 additional minutes on medium. Raise heat to high and cook for 2-4 minutes until sauce on chicken is dark and has thickened. Sprinkle chicken with black sesame seeds. Remove pan from heat, set aside and keep warm.

In second large frying pan, warm remaining peanut oil over high heat. Add asparagus, remaining honey, red pepper and remaining salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2-4 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

To serve, plate rice on serving platter. Top with half of the cilantro, almonds, and roasted asparagus, Top with chicken pieces. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and lemon zest.

This year Kendall Jackson Winery has added a new Friday night event to its 16th Annual Heirloom Tomato Festival. It’s called Chef Tables in the Vineyard and it’s scheduled for the Friday September 14, 2012. It is a benefit for the Cooking with Kids Foundation, and it will be a fun evening with Guy Fieri, Mario Batali, and more than a dozen other Bay Area chefs including yours truly. Each chef is preparing a special menu for the guests at their table made with local ingredients, and served in Kendall Jackson’s Estate Vineyard.

The Heirloom Tomato Festival the next day is always a sell-out event that highlights the gorgeous heirloom tomatoes we grow here in Sonoma County. There are a few tickets left for both events, but they will go fast! Here is one of the dishes I’ll be creating for the Chefs Tables in the Vineyard event. Hope you’ll come and let me make it for you!

SALAD OF HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, FRESH MOZZARELLA
AND CHICK PEA PUREE

Serves 4

Picture by Jihad Hamad

Chickpea puree (recipe follows)
1-1/2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and sliced
Fresh basil oil (recipe follows)
1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, drained and sliced
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted blanched almonds
Slivered meaty black olives such as Cerignola
Corn, Daikon or sunflower sprouts

Spoon the chickpea puree onto plates. Lay the tomatoes decoratively on top and drizzle the basil oil attractively around. Lay the mozzarella slices on top of this and sprinkle on a little sea salt and black pepper. Garnish with almonds, olives and sprouts.

Chickpea Puree:
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until very smooth.

Fresh leafy herb oils (basil, mint, chives, cilantro, parsley, shiso, etc.)
3 cups lightly packed herbs, large stems discarded
2 cups or so cups olive or canola oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Blanch herbs in salted boiling water until they turn a bright green (about 5 seconds). Drain and plunge immediately into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. This blanching step inactivates the enzymes which causes the herb to turn brown and develop an oxidized flavor.

Squeeze herbs as dry as you can and add to a blender along with enough oil to cover by at least 2 inches. Puree to make a smooth paste. Strain thru a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth or alternately let sit for a few hours and then decant the oil off the solids. Oil should be a very bright green and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper if desired and store covered in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

I host a Saturday morning radio show in Sonoma County called “The Good Food Hour” on KSRO  in Santa Rosa, CA.  We are hosting our 25th Annual Good Food Hour Cooking Contest this month for listeners, and we’ve decided chicken is the perfect ingredient for a fall cooking competition.  I’m inviting anyone who can be in Santa Rosa for the finals on Saturday, November 12th to participate!

We will choose four finalists to come to G&G Supermarket in Santa Rosa on that date to cook their dishes, and a panel of celebrity judges will determine the winner.  The event will be broadcast live with me and my co-host, Steve Garner.  For those outside of the area who would like to listen to the show- there are podcasts available.

First prize is $250 cash for the first place winner, courtesy of Petaluma Poultry.  Other prizes include gift certificates, cookbooks, wine, and cooking classes.  Also, one of the winning recipes will be included in my upcoming Culinary Birds cookbook.

If you’d like to enter, and you can be in Santa Rosa on November 12th for the finals, you may email  your original recipe to my Good Food Hour co-host, Steve Garner.

Deadline for entry is Wednesday, November 9th,  2011 at 5pm.

Good luck!

A gorgeous night for learning to cook with Chef John Ash at the Dry Creek Peach & Produce Company

One of my favorite events each year is a class and dinner that I do with Dry Creek Peach Company in the middle of their orchard in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, California.  I do this in partnership with Relish Culinary Adventures in Healdsburg, a very fun cooking school that offers a wide range of classes throughout the year.

One of the recipes we made at this event: Grilled Coconut Chicken, Peach Chutney and Sesame Spinach

Historically, the Dry Creek Valley was a place in which all manner of fruits and vegetables were grown.  Dry Creek Valley, an official AVA, is now planted almost entirely with wine grapes and Dry Creek Peach is the last outpost for some of the most delicious peaches, nectarines and plums that I’ve ever had in my life.

Photo courtesy Donna Del Rey, Relish Culinary Adventures

I try to work peaches into every course and it’s always fun to see what the favorites are.  This year the “winner” was a very simple salad course, the recipe for which I’ve included below.  If you make it, let me know what you think of it!

ARUGULA SALAD WITH GRILLED PEACHES, MORTADELLA AND ROBIOLA
Serves 6

Robiola is considered by many to be Italy’s best cheese.  It comes from the Piedmont in the north and is a blend of cow, goat and sheep’s milk.  True Mortadella is sublime.  It hails from Bologna.  Seek out the real versions of both the meat and the cheese for this recipe.  It will make all the difference in the world!

12 thin slices of mortadella
12 ounces fresh robiola
12 basil leaves
3 ripe peaches; halved, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons or so fruity extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups packed baby arugula leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

On a work surface, lay out the slices of the mortadella. Divide the robiola in the center of each one and top it with a basil leaf. Fold the mortadella over the cheese and then fold in the sides to form a neat packet.  Secure with toothpicks.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Lightly coat the peaches with olive oil and grill until nicely marked.  Slice each half attractively and set aside.

Grill the packets over high heat for about 1 minute per side, until they are lightly marked and the cheese has softened. Discard the toothpicks.

In a bowl, toss the arugula with olive oil and vinegar and season to your taste with salt and pepper. Arrange peaches and dressed arugula attractively on 6 plates.  Top with warm packets and serve right away.

Most people are aware of wine and food pairing, but beer and food hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves since craft brews can be much more complex than most wines.  We did a pretty good job with all the dishes and

Brother Thelonious Belgian Abbey Ale, made by North Coast Brewing Co.

brews, but the following match and recipe seemed to get the most attention.  We served the Roast Duck Breasts with Grapefruit with North Coast’s Brother Theolonius.  It’s made in honor of great jazz piano player, Theolonius Monk, and a portion of its sales supports the Monk Institute of Jazz.

Try this pairing and let me know what you think!  I’d also love hear about some of your favorite beer and food pairings.

ROAST DUCK BREASTS WITH GRAPEFRUIT
Serves 4

This recipe could also be done with chicken breasts and pork loin or tenderloin.  You could also prepare the meat on the grill rather than roasting.  My favorite grapefruit are the Texas pinks or reds that come to the market in the October thru June.

1 tablespoon honey
4 grapefruits, 2 squeezed for juice to make marinade and sauce below and 2 sectioned
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or juniper berry
4 duck breast halves (6 – 7 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large bunch watercress, preferably Upland Cress with big stems discarded
Grapefruit sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk the honey 3 tablespoons of grapefruit juice and the allspice together in a small bowl.  Trim the breasts of excess far and score the skin in a crosshatch pattern cutting almost but not quite thru to the meat.  Brush the breasts with the honey mixture, season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 15 minutes.

Heat an ovenproof sauté pan over moderately high heat.  Add the duck breasts skin side down and sear until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Turn the breast over and place in the oven for 3 or 4 minutes more or until meat is medium rare.  Be careful not to overcook.  Remove pan from oven, then remove breast from pan to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

To serve:  Arrange grapefruit sections and watercress on plates.  Thinly slice the duck breasts and arrange on top, spoon warm sauce around and serve immediately.

Note:  For texture I’ll often add some crisp fried parsnips or julienned leeks for garnish.

Grapefruit Sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup

This tart-sweet sauce is delicious with all kind of grilled and roasted meat.  Note the addition of the bit of fresh grapefruit juice at the end.  This “brightens” the rich sauce and adds aromatics of the fruit to the finished sauce.

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups rich chicken or duck stock
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar to a saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 2 minutes.  Add the stock and 1 cup of the grape fruit juice and reduce over high heat to 3/4 cup or so, about 10 minutes.  Whisk in the cream and continue to reduce until sauce is nicely thickened, about 5 minutes.  Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice, season to your taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.  Can be made ahead and gently reheated.

Chef John Ash shares culinary tips and tricks during a Food & Wine Adventure at Cooking for Solutions © Monterey Bay Aquarium

I will be joining the Monterey Bay Aquarium for its tenth Cooking for Solutions celebration, May 20-22, 2011. In a weekend of celebrations, live cooking demonstrations, intimate salons and culinary adventures you’ll discover how I   and some of the nation’s top chefs find delicious ways to protect the health of our soil, water and ocean wildlife.

Cooking for Solutions 2011 will feature live events with special guests and celebrity chefs including:

Alton Brown – Be Square Productions, Atlanta, Georgia

Robert Irvine – host of Food Network’s Dinner Impossible

Lynne Rossetto Kasper – Author/host, The Splendid Table, St. Paul, Minnesota

Nathan Lyon - Chef/host, Growing A Greener World, Los Angeles, California

Rick Moonen – Rick Moonen’s rm seafood, Las Vegas, Nevada

Cindy Pawlcyn – Mustard’s Grill, Go Fish and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Napa Valley, California

P. Allen Smith – P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, Little Rock, Arkansas

Joining this all-star weekend roster will be 40 other celebrity and regional chefs, as well as leaders in the sustainable and organic food movements.

The signature Cooking for Solutions Gala on Friday night is the feel-good

Photo from ©Monterey Bay Aquarium

celebration of the year with more than 70 restaurants and 60 wineries serving sustainable cuisine amid the aquarium’s award-winning exhibits and galleries.

Cooking for Solutions supports the Monterey Bay Aquarium respected Seafood Watch program. Seafood Watch is recognized as the leader in creating science-based recommendations that help consumers, chefs and businesses choose seafood that is caught or farmed in ways that contribute to healthy oceans.

Buy tickets for all Cooking for Solutions events at www.cookingforsolutions.org or call 831-647-6886 (toll-free 866-963-9645).

Friend the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Facebook

Follow the Monterey Bay Aqurium on Twitter – Use hashtag #CFS11 when you tweet about Cooking for Solutions!

Aquarium members enjoy exclusive Cooking for Solutions events and discounted tickets! To learn more, or to become a member, call (831) 647-6886 or toll-free (866) 963-9645.

Photo from ©Monterey Bay Aquarium

Every year I look forward to the annual “Cooking for Solutions” get together in May at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It’s always a sell out and folks tell me that they wish they would have signed up for some or all of the awesome events.  Well here’s a little insider tip: Tickets go on sale right after January 1, 2011.  Go to www.cookingforsolutions.org and you’ll have the first pick.  This year’s event takes place May 20-22.  Look forward to seeing you there!