Elegant Summer Grilling

In the August issue of Fort Worth Texas Magazine my column moves us toward the end of summer with a lovely outdoor meal that brings a touch of elegance to your outdoor table, Grilled Cornish Game Hens, marinated and cooked on a cedar plank, with Crispy Smashed Potatoes cooked in the oven at high heat until golden and crispy, and good 'ole corn-on-the-cob, cooked in the husks on the grill and then slathered with my brother Gregg's famous lime butter. 

This is a meal you're going to love. I served it all family style on one big lovely platter with a bottle of sparkling Rose. The perfect elegant summer meal.

Watch how simple and easy it is to make my Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Here's the full version of the August column. These Cornish hens are amazing, and so easy. If you don't want to cook them on a cedar plank on the grill, just cook them in the oven. 

And as always, many thanks to Central Market Fort Worth for providing the groceries for my column and videos. 

Chef Impersonator Is Now in Print

This is the happiest blog post of my life. So far.

My dream of actually doing something with my passion for food and cooking has finally come true. In June of this year I became the new Food Columnist for Fort Worth Texas Magazine, the city's glossy monthly magazine. 

It's an absolute dream come true for me. And here's a bit about how it happened. I'm sharing this to encourage all of you to do what you love, and love what you do. And take steps every single day to move toward that dream. It works! Really~

If you're interested in the whole story, just scroll down to the bottom of this post. I hope it provides some inspiration to others who've been thinking and praying and dreaming of doing something special in the world of food.

Here's my very first food column - Mediterranean Flavors.

So here's the story:

I started Chef Impersonator way back in 2009 with the humble intention of trying something new. I loved to cook. I took photos of food everywhere I went (much to the dismay of my significant others). I wanted to share home recipes. So I started to blog. I posted pretty irregularly most of the time, but somehow I knew I wanted to try and do something with my deep and abiding love of food. 

Then back in 2012, together with my sister Sandy, I sent an entry to a Bobby Flay show about Home Cooks, and low and behold, I never heard a word. You can see my entry here in this old post - Dear Mr. Bobby Flay. 

Time passed and all the while I was posting food pics and recipes and restaurants and travel musings to Facebook and Twitter and my blog. In 2013, I decided to attend my first food blogger conference, BlogHerFood, in Austin, TX. I had a BLAST. And I found myself attending all the workshops on food photography and I thought - This Is It! I've found my passion. I'm going to become a great food photographer. I'd always loved to take photos, and I always had a pretty good eye. So I came home, bought a professional Nikon D5300 camera and a macro lens, took some classes and starting shooting food (all the while posting my pics and recipes and rants about food). 

Then in late 2013, I heard about a casting call being held for yet another Food Network home cook competition show. So I dropped everything and created my entry, Moroccan Lamb Tagine. My food was fabulous, but again, no call-back. 

And here's where the miracle occurred. 

A Facebook friend of mine who runs the local culinary school had posted a shot of a dish she made and I decided to call her to talk about taking some pictures for her. I told her all about my background and love of food, and she told me she was retiring as food columnist for the magazine and that they were filling the spot that week! So I dropped everything and called and emailed the editor and associate publisher, who I actually have known for some time. They scheduled me to come in and talk. I poured my soul into my preparation for that meeting, and guess what? I got it. 

So the moral of the story is GO FOR IT. Take steps, no matter how small, to move toward your dream every day. Shed all that FEAR that keeps us from trying new things, and just do it!.  Nancy

Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

I got this recipe from Pinterest, where I spend a good bit of time searching for great recipes. First off, anyone who knows me knows I'm not a baker. Something about all that precise measuring makes my baked goods less than perfect. But I decided to give it a try, and with the right equipment, the right ingredients and MUCH attention to detail, I did it!

The recipe says these rolls are just like the King's Hawaiian Rolls you buy at the grocery store. And guess what? They were right!

So this is my first foray into baking homemade rolls. I borrowed my BFF Angela's professional mixer and they turned out amazing.

I loved it so much that I asked my hubby for a mixer for my birthday, and his response was, "No way. I don't want you making great bread. That would be very bad for us." (not really a direct quote, but you get he idea. He doesn't want to eat all those carbs.)

The pineapple juice and yeast will bubble.

You'll know it's mixed when the dough removes itself from the sides of the bowl.

The dough rises twice. Once now in the bowl until it's doubled in size, and again after you form the rolls.

Rolls will smooth out in the oven.

I was so proud! My very first homemade rolls.

Then of course, I had to put them on a pretty plate and eat 2 or 10 of them with a half pound of butter. haha

Don't skimp on the butter. If you're gonna eat hot rolls, EAT HOT ROLLS.

Buttery, sweet deliciousness.

Here's the recipe!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Ingredients

1 ½ c. pineapple juice

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing rolls

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

5-6 c. bread flour

1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat pineapple juice over medium-low temperature until juice reaches about 105 F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
3. Once the pineapple juice is at temperature, add to the bowl. Stir, and let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
4. Once the yeast is foamy, add the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs; stir to combine.
5. Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook, and add 3 cups of flour and salt. Stir on low.
6. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough will feel slightly sticky. It takes 5 1/2 cups of flour for my rolls.
7. Once the dough comes together and clears the sides, continue to knead for about 1 minute.
8. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Shape dough into rolls. If you would like smaller, dinner-sized rolls, shape into 24 rolls. If you would like larger, bun-sized rolls, shape into 12-18 rolls depending on desired size.
10. Cover rolls with plastic wrap, and let rolls rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
11. Toward the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 350 F.
12. Bake rolls for about 20 minutes (for dinner-sized rolls), or until rolls are golden brown.
13. Immediately brush rolls with butter.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature.