In The Spotlight

Check Your Mailbox: Our Newest Catalog is in the Mail

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:00:00 GMT

If you haven't checked your mailbox lately, you have not seen our new catalog. Go ahead and go check! We will wait for you.....While the rest of us wait let's look at something yummy:

Lamb Curry: So very yummy!! I will share the recipe later. (Yeah, I know, I'm a tease that way).

Okay, you have the new CHEFS catalog! What do you think? Isn't the mixer on the cover amazing? Oh, and it is our first catalog for summer, and our product experts have included many great products for grilling, ice cream and all those summer favorites.

This is also the first new product I wanted to show you. We worked with Seattle artist Nicole Dinardo again for the design of the mixer. If you think back, she is the very talented artist that painted the designs for the Holiday Giveaway Mixers, too!

The mixer itself is a KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart Stand Mixer. While it is available in 26 different colors, we decided we wanted to do something special to celebrate Mom. The Mom's Kitchen stand mixer is a very limited edition: are only 16 of them made. And they are only available at CHEFS Catalog. We think it is the Ultimate Mother's Day Gift!

As an added bonus, we are giving away a Limited Edition Mom's Kitchen KitchenAid Stand Mixer. There is still plenty of time to enter the drawing if you haven't done so, and to invite your friends. When you fill out the entry form, there is a place to notify your friends of the giveaway. For each friend that enters, you will get an additional entry into the drawings. So, tell everyone you know!

We worked with Seattle artist Nicole Dinardo again for the design of the mixer. She did the designs for the mixers we did during the holiday giveaway, too!

Let's look at some of the other new products that you will find on CHEFScatalog.com

New for Summer at CHEFS Catalog

For the rest of this week, we will be looking at some of the new products that we are introducing in our Summer Catalog. Today, however, I wanted to share a few new, fun items that I really liked. By the way, if you use Google Catalog on you tablet or phone, you can find CHEFS catalogs there, too.

Chef's Planet Clip & Drain Strainer

I can't remember how many times I have scalded myself trying to juggle straining pasta or a stock, while trying to reserve the liquid without the contents inside the pot coming tumbling out. I was immediately smitten when I saw Chef's Planet Clip & Drain Strainer.

Made of heat-safe silicone, the strainer features a clip and silicone gripper on the back to attach the strainer snugly to most any saucepan. For those recipes where you are reserving the stock or want to keep the contents inside the pan, this strainer is ideal!

I also tried it on a mixing bowl in which I had strawberries macerating. When it came time to drain the juice away, I pulled out my Clip & Drain and strained the strawberry juice in to my saucepan.

I still love my several sizes of colanders, and my scoop colander too, but this nifty gadget is going to be very handy around the kitchen.

Libbey Fountain Shoppe Ice Cream Dishes

Who doesn't love homemade ice cream in the summer? I always spent childhood summers with my grandparents, in the heart of South Texas where ice cream was always a welcome way to beat the heat. And when rock salt was on the grocery list, ice cream wouldn't be far behind. And one afternoon after the rock salt was purchased, there would be my granddad sitting on the front porch cranking the old-fashioned ice cream maker. Oh, lovely, lovely ice cream!

In true grandparent style, Grandma didn't just give us a bowl of ice cream, but banana splits or sundaes. Bananas, chocolate syrup, strawberries, caramel, whipped cream; all the ingredients to make the ultimate ice cream treat were all there to enjoy. And we always used special ice cream bowls or boat-shaped banana split bowls—Grandma knew how to do ice cream right!

When our product experts brought in these new Libbbey ice cream dishes, they sent me right back to my childhood. These clear glass dessert dishes each have the classic ice cream parlor shapes. The Libby Fountain Shoppe Banana Split Set is the classic, boat-shaped, banana split bowls. The Supreme Sundae Dish is a large, 17-ouce, footed dessert dish. What brownie sundae wouldn't look more appetizing arriving at the table in that bowl? And the Classic Soda Set contains tall, 12-ounce soda fountain glasses, perfect for milkshakes, ice cream floats, parfaits and smoothies.

If your family members are ice cream lovers, you will want these classic ice cream bowls and glasses. They will make every dish of ice cream just a little special.

Libbey Selene Chip & Dip Bowl

Here's another new Libbey item that you will want for the summer, the Selena Chip & Dip Bowl. It is awesome at the obvious function--serving chips and dip. But I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes then put in fruit and dip for a party. I also used it as a Jell-O mold (don't hate me, Libbey), for a layered jell-o dessert. The clear glass bowl showed off the layers perfectly. I put whipped cream in the center dish when I used it as a mold, which allowed guests to spoon the amount that they wanted on their portion.

Unlike many chip and dip sets which are in an obvious themed design or very shallow, the design of the Libbey Selene Chip & Dip bowl lends itself to being useful in other ways. The clear, glass design may seem plain and utilitarian at first glance, but it will blend into any table decor or theme. It is a great and stylish serving piece at a very affordable price.

Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker

I know you have seen this item on one of those weekend morning infomercials. And no, we haven't lost out minds: the Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker is awesome! We sent the machine home with a couple of our employees, as we do with most of our products under consideration, and had them test it for an extended period.

Here are the basics: the Yonanas uses frozen bananas, plus any combination of frozen fruit, to make a smooth, creamy soft-serve type dessert. Recipes are included with the machine, but it is easy to come up with your own fruity combinations.

The Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker comes with a set of reusable ice pop molds. No more freezing overripe bananas and only getting to use them in banana bread. Now you can serve up a delicious, healthier dessert in just a few minutes using that overripe fruit. Perfect for those hot summer nights when you want a quick, flavorful dessert that is guilt-free.

Waring Pro Professional Popcorn Maker

Summer is the time for movies. From the blockbusters to the classics, all movies are better with popcorn.

The Waring Pro Professional Popcorn Maker is a workhorse of a popcorn maker. Utilizing halogen heating, this home popcorn machine will pop up to 20-cups of theater-style popcorn.

What does halogen heating really mean? The halogen heating system heats up very quickly. Additionally, the unit heats up evenly helping to prevent hot and cold spots on the cooking surface of the popper, unlike many electric popcorn makers. To release the steam that occurs during popping and help keep the popcorn crisp, the lid has build in steam vents.

To help keep the popcorn on the healthy side of snacks, the Waring popcorn maker only requires 2 tablespoons of oil to make the 20-cups of popcorn. The Waring popcorn popper has a built in stirring arm that circulated the kernels and distributes the cooking oil for light airy popcorn every time. Once the popcorn is finished popping, invert the machine and use the lid as a serving bowl. It just doesn't get much easier than that!

Cast Iron Tortilla Press

Taco recipes are still very popular this year. Especially fish tacos, I have noticed. And every taco needs to start with a good tortilla.

In most large grocery stores, you will find prepackaged flour and corn tortillas. But homemade is better—especially with a corn tortilla. To me, store bought corn tortillas loose all of the nutty flavor of the corn, and they are usually too thick and dried out. Trust me, homemade are much, much better. And they aren't any harder to make than pie dough.

The basic corn tortilla recipe is 2 cups of masa harina (aka, masa flour, corn masa mix, or Nixtamal) and 1-1/2 to 2 cups of warm water. Mix the water and masa together and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes or so. Knead the dough until smooth, adding a little more water if the dough is crumbly or a little more masa harina if it leaves paste on your hands. Divide the dough into 16-18 balls. Then press the dough between the plates of a tortilla press lines with wax paper or plastic.

Why a tortilla press and not a rolling pin? Flour tortillas are elastic, thanks to a good amount of gluten. And while you could use a rolling pin on the corn tortilla, the dough is very soft and it is hard to get it even with a rolling pin. With a tortilla press: place a round ball of dough between layers of wax paper, close the plates, squeeze shut with the handle—round tortilla ready for the griddle.

If you like fresh corn tortillas, you need a good tortilla press in your kitchen.

Kalorik 2-Slice Glass Panel Long Slot Toaster

Every once in a while you do run across a better mousetrap. Well, this toaster has nothing to do with rodents, but it is definitely a creative spin on the traditional toaster.

Featuring tempered glass panels, you can watch your toast turn golden brown in the toaster. Or if you are like me where level 4 isn't enough but level 5 is too much toasting, you can watch and then stop the toaster at just the point you desire. With 7-levels of adjustment, a defrost setting and reheat function, getting toast just the way you want it is no longer a morning struggle.

The long slot of the toaster is perfect for artisan breads, but will also toast English muffins, bagels, toaster pastries and more, to perfection.

And as promised, the lamb curry. I made it the other night, and it was extremely delicious and pretty. I used Jamie Oliver's recipe from the Food Network. You can find the recipe here. The only change I made was to add some potato and carrots. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Your Turn: What's your favorite new product in our catalog? Share your thoughts with us!

No Foolin': New Custom KitchenAid Stand Mixer Just for Mom!

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:00:00 GMT

It began as a thank you, a way to give back to those who gave so much to us last year. I am talking about the first customized stand mixer that we had created. Little did we know that it would lead to so much more!

Last summer Colorado Springs experienced an intense wildfire season. Intense enough that we closed-up shop for a couple days and had to relocate as the wildfire raged around our offices. There were lost and damaged houses close by, but thanks to the dedication of our local firehouse crew and many others, we survived the summer.

As a thank you, we adopted our local firehouse and refitted their kitchen. Among the many tools, pieces of cookware, and cutlery was this gem:

Hand-painted by talented Seattle artist Nicole Dinardo, the artwork on the mixer is amazing. And I think the firefighters were a little smitten, too.

We were in awe of Nicole's work on the firehouse stand mixer, and approached her about doing a pair of stand mixers for a special Holiday giveaway. If you did not get to see them, they were just as unique as the firehouse design.

Those 3 pieces of art inspired us once again, to come up with something new and equally beautiful. We announced our new stand mixer design this weekend through e-mail (one more reason to sign-up to receive CHEFS emails—hint, hint) But, if you did not get a chance to see it, this time we are celebrating Mom! Allow me to present the new and exclusive CHEFS Limited Edition Mom's Kitchen Stand Mixer:

It’s a beauty, isn't it? Nicole has been kind enough to share some fun progress shots as she has been painting and creating these mixers. I thought you might enjoying seeing them as well.

So you want one now, don't you? I know I do. I have had the finished prototype living at my desk for a couple of weeks now. Every day I fall just a little more in love with it, and I am not a lover of the color pink.

Are you ready for the best part? We are GIVING one away! That's right! It's the CHEFS Mother's Day Giveaway. Enter today to win one of these incredible mixers that pay tribute to Moms and all they do in the kitchen! Giveaway ends May 3rd, just in time to get it delivered straight to Mom's door!

Your Turn: What do you think of the Mom's Kitchen Stand Mixer?

Sneak Peek at CHEFS Annual Spring Sale

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:00:00 GMT

It's time for the CHEFS Annual Spring Sale!

Hundreds of select items are on sale, for a very limited time!

Offically, the sale doesn't begin until April 1st (nope, that's not a joke!), but you are invited to shop early and save on your favorite items!

You will find cookware, cutlery, kitchen tools, table top and more! You will also find sale items from All-Clad, CHEFS, Cuisinart, KitchenAid, NordicWare, Scanpan, WellnessMats, Henckels & more.

Don't miss these great savings! And a special bonus, get FREE Standard Shipping on Any Size Order—no minimum to buy!

Your Turn: What items in your kitchen most need an update?

Bawk, Bawk Mr. Easter Bunny!

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

I am not a big crafter. I don't even own a glue gun. But I do love beautiful decorations. And every once in a while, when the spirit moves me, I will get just slightly crafty. This time the urge caught me with the beginning of spring. Between the Cadbury bunny commercials (Bawk! Bawk, Mr. Easter Bunny!) and all the Peeps I have seen at the grocery store, I have just been in the mood for Easter decorations. One of my favorites are decorated eggs: from the simple to the miniature works of art, I think they are beautiful symbols of Spring and Easter.

When I was a child, each year our Easter Basket held a sugar egg. Have you ever seen one? They have a little diorama inside the egg, sometimes very elaborate scenes. I treasured those eggs, and a few have survived through the years. Then a few days ago, I ran across this blog on how to make sugar eggs. I was inspired to find out other unique ways that people are decorating Easter Eggs this year, and found a few unique egg kitchen-crafts resources to share with you. (Sugar egg image source: designdazzle.com)

Make your own dye

The packaged stuff kind of scares me. But with these simple recipes, you can make all natural dyes this year. Blue can be made out of red cabbage, and orange out of yellow onion skin—who knew?!

Better Homes and Garden—All Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes

Spoonful—Natural Egg Dye

Combine your dyed eggs with a little painter's tape and a decorative hole punch, and you have a whole new way to decorate your eggs!

LollyChops—Crafting with Lolly: Eggscelent Dyed Eggs

Or, use your dyes with shaving cream for marbled eggs.

Totschool—Marbled Eggs

Tattooed Eggs

Use temporary tattoos to make beautifully decorated eggs. Use a blown out egg or hard boiled, either way will make amazing eggs without the mess. (Tatooed egg image source: idreamofchairs.com)

I Dream of Chairs—Temporary Tattoo Easter Eggs

Crystal Eggs

If you are looking for something different, these crystal eggs are just the thing. They are a bit of a science project too, as it takes a bit of time for the crystals to grow in the eggshell. The only drawback is they take a couple of days to make. If you want these in time for you Easter baskets, you will need to start them soon! (Crustal egg image source:marthastewart.com)

Martha Stewart—How-To: Crystal Egg Geodes

Surprise Eggs

Make eggs filled with treats or confetti for an extra special treat. Confetti eggs, or cascarones, are to fun to crack on someone's head to shower them with confetti.

Not Martha—Easter Surprise Eggs

Spoonful—Cascarones

Your Turn: What's your favorite way to decorate eggs?

Cold February Day = Chicken Pot Pie

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:00:00 GMT

Like most of the middle of the country, Colorado has had some unexpected cold and snowy weather for the past several days. But it is Colorado, and it is supposed to be cold and snowy.

These are the foot hills behind the CHEFS offices. Typically we can see Pikes Peak and the effect of wild fire from this past summer. Today, where Pikes peak should be, all I see is grey nothing. See the arrow, you should see a large mountain there:

The foot hills in the area have a beautiful blanket of snow. It makes me long for Christmas:

Honestly, in the 6 years I have been here, I think this is the coldest and wettest February I can remember. It seems this whole winter season has been out of whack and weird. But I am really not complaining. The snow is bringing some much needed moisture to this area. And it mean I can get away with cooking a lot of comfort food!

Today's comfort meal of choice: Chicken Pot Pie. Delicious tender chicken, surrounded by creamy gravy and hearty veggies. It is a great way to round out this cold day!

Chicken Pot Pie

Printer Friendly Version

A delicious chicken, vegetable and pastry composition.

Ingredients

1/2 Recipe for Flaky Pie Pastry
1 small roasted chicken, skinned and boned, dice into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 medium carrots (about 1 cup) cut in 1-inch chunks
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 cup frozen peas
3 large mushrooms, caps and stems, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbs butter, melted 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups reserved vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 Tbs. dry sherry
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Flaky Pie Pastry
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup firm, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
7 to 8 Tbs. ice water, or more as needed

Directions:

For Flaky Pie Pastry : Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Chill for 15 minutes. Process for 5 seconds to blend. Add half of the butter and shortening. Pulse 4 to 5 times, then process for 4 to 5 seconds. Add the remaining butter and shortening and pulse again 4 to 5 times, then process for 4 to 5 seconds. The mixture should have the texture of coarse meal and still contain some larger pieces of fat. Empty the mixture into a large bowl. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, drizzling it around the side of the bowl. Use a kitchen fork to push the mixture toward the center with each addition. With floured hands, press the dough against the side of the bowl forming two balls. All of the crumbs should adhere to the balls and clean the bowl. If not, add some additional water, a few drops at a time. Flatten the balls into two, 4 to 5-inch disks. Dust the disks with flour, then score with side of your hand. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill 1/2 hour or longer before using. Will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. This recipe makes one double crust 10-inch pie.

For Chicken Pot Pie: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in 2-quart saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the carrots and onions. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Off the heat add the frozen peas and mushrooms. Cover and let stand for 1 minute. Place a colander over a large bowl. Drain vegetables in the colander shaking it briefly. Reserve liquid for sauce. In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk quickly to form a roux. Cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture turns a light gold color. Add vegetable and chicken broths all at once and whisk on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Add the sherry, thyme, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Distribute the chicken and vegetables into a 10-inch Pie Plate. Pour sauce over mixture. It should come to 3/4 of the level of the filling. If you do not have enough sauce, add a bit more vegetable broth. Roll pastry into a 13-inch circle. Lay the dough loosely on the top of the pan. Trim edges, leaving 1-inch around. Turn edges under and press against side of the pie pan. Flute or crimp with a fork. Pierce the top 10-12 times with the tines of a fork. Brush the top with ice water and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Bake in 400 F oven for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Your Turn: What do you like to cook on cold, overcast, wintery days?

January Is...

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Did you know that today, Jan. 2, is National Cream Puff Day?

I love a good cream puff. Fresh out of the oven, with the pastry cream still warm—that’s my favorite way to enjoy them.

Cream Puffs aren’t hard to make, they just take a little time and patience. Also, you can make the puffs a couple of days before you need them, and combine them with any filling you like. Traditionally, cream puffs are filled with pastry cream. But choose fresh fruit, whipped cream, or even savory fillings, for variations on the theme. Below you will find both a pastry cream and a chocolate cream filling, as well as the pastry recipe.

Food Holidays

A few years ago, I started researching food holidays. It began as simple curiosity after reading an article about some food day celebration. What I found was out of 365 days, only 2 days don’t have a food, dish, or ingredient to celebrate. Who knew?

For 2013, at the beginning of each month, CHEFS Mix will bring gather all the days that celebrate and recognize food. There will be a pdf for each month that you can print and share.

Download January's pdf

January Is

Your Turn: What is your favorite food celebration in January?

Cream Puffs
Yield: 12 large puffs

Printer-friendly Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

4 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter and salt. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Add flour and, using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until combined and smooth. Return the mixture to low heat, and stir continually until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a ball, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove the mixture from heat. Beat in eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously until smooth after each addition. Drop batter by scant 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes until puffed and golden Puffs should sound hollow when lightly tapped.

Let cool completely on wire rack.

To assemble, with a sharp knife, cut off tops crosswise. Remove any soft dough from inside the pastry. Fill with choice of filling. Replace top. Glaze with melted chocolate or dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Pastry Cream Filling

Printer-friendly Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cup of whole milk

¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

3 large egg yolks

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a large, heat safe, mixing bowl, combine cornstarch and ½ cup milk and stir to dissolve. Beat whole egg and yolks into mixture. Set aside.

Combine remaining milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove sauce pan from heat. Set aside and cool milk mixture for 5 minutes. Slowly add egg mixture, in a thin stream, into hot milk.

Return mixture to stove top and stir vigorously until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to stir until pastry cream becomes thick, about 5-7 minutes. Once pastry cream reaches this stage, remove sauce pan from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. To prevent over cooking from residual heat, transfer the saucepan to the ice bath. Stir occasionally until pastry cream is cool about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Cream Filling

Printer-friendly Recipe

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1-1/2 cups milk

2 to 3 teaspoons powdered instant coffee

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in medium saucepan; gradually add milk and instant coffee. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Gradually stir small amount of hot mixture into egg yolk, blending well; return mixture to pan. Heat just to boiling, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl; press plastic wrap onto surface. Refrigerate until cold.

Happy New Year from CHEFS Mix

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 07:00:00 GMT

New Year’s resolutions are tricky things. For years I never made any—I refused to feel guilty over goals that were made under duress and potentially under the influence of an adult beverage at a New Year’s Eve party. This year, I broke with my own tradition and made a few resolutions:

1) Waste Less: Whether it is the leftovers that waste away in the refrigerator, friendships that have grown distant, or opportunities to make a difference for someone else, in 2013 I resolve to waste less and make the most of all the blessings I have in my life.

2) Celebrate More: I find myself saving things for that “special day”—a recipe, a serving dish, a card that made me think of someone special. In 2013, I resolve to celebrate more. I will celebrate the small things in life every day.

We have also made a resolution for the CHEFS Mix Blog: to provide useful information about products and delicious recipes to our readers. With that resolution in mind, we would love more of your feedback. What would you like to see us write about in 2013? What products would you like us to demonstrate or answer questions about?

Your Turn: What resolutions are you making for 2013?

Share your resolutions and thoughts for how we can make CHEFS Mix Blog better and more useful to you below in the comments or email me directly at CHEFSmix@CHEFScatalog.com!

P.S. By the way, today is National Bloody Mary Day. I am not a fan of this brunch "restorative." The recipes I have tried have never made me want a second glass. If you like the Bloody Mary and have a great recipe, I would love to know your recipe! Will you share it with me?

Holiday Traditions

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 13:00:00 GMT

The team here at CHEFS is off shopping for our last minute guests. Our test kitchen is closed for a few days, so we thought we would share some of our family traditions with you. I hope you enjoy the stories from all our homes.

We wish you and your family a very special Christmas Eve. We hope the gifts under the tree are exactly what you wanted!

Your Turn:
What are your Christmas and Holiday Traditions?

CHEFS Family Traditions

Ever since my Step Dad passed away on Christmas Eve morning in 2004 we have had lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner in honor of him, since he loved it so much. It’s not really a Christmas Day tradition but it is one that I make sure to do every year, even if I don’t have time for anything else. We also buy all of the children in the family a new ornament each year and my Mom a new nativity scene from a different nationality –Elizabeth, Customer Care

Our family tradition for over 20 years has been taking family, friends and pets (around 20 people) up to the mountains to cut Christmas trees. We always go on the first Saturday of December. Every year, we get up early and head up the hill. Everyone brings coffee, coffee cake, donuts, hot chocolate and an “adult beverage,” upon occasion. We spend hours looking for that perfect tree, but ultimately we always end up with the same old Charlie Brown tree, but you know what, in the end it’s not the product but the adventure and the fellowship. We stand around taking pictures of our wonderful findings; all awhile admiring what we think will look great in our house. After pictures and chit chat we head down the mountain to our favorite restaurant for breakfast. Tired and exhausted we all get home, put up the tree, decorate and take a nap. So it is and has been for more than 20 years.—Mike, Customer Care

I love to wake up early morning with the family and have homemade cookies, and turn on a good Christmas movie, especially Frosty The Snow Man! Then we open our gifts, play with our new toys, take a nap and start cooking -- southern ham with collard greens and sweet potato pie… oh, and what is a Christmas dinner without more cookies!!! –Steven, Customer Care

When I was younger, my mom and I would go to my aunt and uncle’s house on Christmas Eve and do a pot luck dinner, open gifts and watch the movie Christmas Vacation. My Mom would make stir fry, rice, and fried won tongs, and my aunt would make BBQ chicken and a veggie tray. Then on Christmas Day we all would have dinner at my house – turkey and ham. Now we don’t do that anymore; everyone has moved on in life. The past 3 years I have taken my Mom to the Summit at the Broadmoor for Christmas Eve dinner. And when I have time I will watch old Christmas movies with her like White Christmas.—Jon-Michael, Merchandising

One of my favorite holiday traditions is when my Mom and I would make our Christmas cookies using my great-grandma’s recipe. They are formally called German Pfeffernusse cookies, but my family just calls them anise oil cookies. We always make them in late November because they have to age for about a month. It takes a whole day: we have to wake up early and make the dough, roll it into small snakes, and then refrigerate the snakes for the whole morning so it is easy to cut into small pieces. The cookies taste just like licorice and honey, and we cut them into small, quarter size pieces and then bake them until they are golden brown. Once cool, we place the POUNDS of cookies in a large flour sack and put the sack in a cool dry room. The cookies then age for a whole month in the flour sack, as the licorice smell slowly invades each room of the house. By the time the cookies are ready, the entire house smells like anise oil! I remember when I was little we always kept the hanging flour sack in the closet attached to my room because it was the darkest and coolest room in the house. And I would sneak into the closet every night to steal the cookies! I would only take a couple at a time to try to be really sneaky, and to this day I don’t know if my mom knows that I snuck some. After the cookies age, we would them allocate them out in pretty bags and send them to the entire family. My mom would always note that she thought that we had made more cookies--Clara, Customer Care

My mother’s side of the family has eclectic traditions to say the least, and they host an annual holiday party where the guests include Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists/Agnostics, Buddhists and sundry other –isms. As such, my aunt invented a new all-inclusive holiday for the party called “Rhinoceros Day.” Decorations include an African savannah motif, guests exchange rhinoceros-related gifts, and cream horns are served for dessert. In recent years it has merged with “Festivus” to include the unadorned aluminum pole, feats of strength and the airing of grievances. –Tristan, Customer Care

We keep Santa believable for as long as possible. None of the children saw any of the ”Santa” gifts, not even their siblings. I would use special Santa wrapping paper, very distinct from the other presents, print out To/From tags – so they wouldn’t recognize my handwriting. Presents from Santa didn’t come out from hiding until Christmas Eve, after everyone was asleep. They had their doubts one year and decided to test Santa by asking him to fix a special stuffed animal that our new puppy ripped apart. They left all the pieces and stuffing of “Bulldoggy” on the fireplace with a letter to Santa asking to put him back together. When they saw Bulldoggy Christmas morning, back to his former self, they were believers! My youngest found out Santa wasn’t real Christmas morning when she was 14, when her brother opened a present from Santa that she recognized as something I bought at the mall. She says it is one of her saddest memories. –Bobbi, E-Commerce

One of my favorite traditions is tracking Santa with my little siblings, pretending I still believe in Santa, too. Then we wake up at 4am to open the gifts in our pajamas. –Kaleigh, Customer Care

Each year my children receive a new Christmas ornament to add to the tree. They are always excited to have a new addition to their personal ornament collection.—Michelle, Customer Care

My favorite tradition is on Christmas Eve when we all fill to-go cups with hot chocolate (plus peppermint schnapps for some of us) and load-up in our cars to drive around town looking at the Christmas lights and decorations. It is a nice time to visit with family, take a break from the cooking/wrapping/cleaning duties and, most of all, just enjoy the season and the fact that we have each other to share it with.—Rosie, Merchandising

My favorite tradition is decorating the tree. I get to see the ornaments from all stages of my life and remember those who gave them to me. There’s Snoopy and Woodstock and my Little Kiddle Santa Claus from childhood. Our “First Christmas Together” ornaments—now 35 years old. Ornaments from our parents, our friends and family, from vacations and others’ travels, too. There are the tacky mass-produced and the lovingly hand-crafted, but each one has its own story and memories.—Betsy, Administration

One Christmas tradition of mine is starting out the day with a slice of my mom’s banana bread. Growing up, I had a slice while I sat on the floor anxiously waiting to open Christmas presents. In college, I loved when I came home at the end of the semester and my mom had filled the house with the smell of the baking bread. Now if I’m not home for the holidays, I make my own banana bread for my husband and I because it just wouldn’t be Christmas morning without it.—Beth, Merchandising

When my brothers and I were kids, in the 70s-80s, my parents would hide a cassette player in the tree before Christmas morning and tape record us opening our gifts, naturally without us knowing we were being documented. I can still pull out pictures from Christmas when I was 2 years old, and at the same time, hear myself going crazy-excited over a Fisher Price kitchen! It makes an interesting collage of memories for our family.—Amber, Quality Control

I contribute code to a different free, open-source project every day, like an advent calendar with code. –Drew, IT

I first met my in-laws over Christmas, and my mother in-law prepared this fabulous stew Christmas Eve. When I asked what it was, I was told Reindeer Stew. I got the whole story, Rudolph fell off the roof last night and, well, you know how it goes. Turns out those reindeers really had trouble with my in-laws roof and I’ve had reindeer stew every Christmas since – going on 22 years. Now I make it for my children and they enjoy the delicious Reindeer stew (really beef stroganoff) as much as I do.—Mona, E-Commerce

My family goes through the neighborhoods looking at Holiday lights, and we make “Christmas Light Awards” that we put in mailboxes of our favorite displays. My boys are now 19, 17 and 15 and they still love to make the awards (glitter all over the kitchen table) and deliver them. We started this over 15 years ago! –Dana, Customer Care

My family back in Florida they all get together (around 20 people) and cook 3 whole pigs. The men get up at 4:30am and start to cook those whole pigs on 7ft poles. Then around 8am the women start to cook a big feast dinner. My family is Puerto Rican, so anything Spanish they cook. After dinner, my family starts to play Hispanic instruments and sing Spanish Christmas songs, while the kids and teenagers make the dessert—usually cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. That way ever one in the family gets to do some of the cooking. And throughout the whole day we blast music and dance and sing and just have a good time. –Maria, Customer Care

We have two holiday traditions at our house that I love. One is our Christmas countdown. We have a long string of decorated boxes (think small Chinese take-out style) with the numbers 1-25 on them. Each day of the month, beginning on December 1, my kids get to open a box. They just have simple treats in them or small gifts occasionally. On day 25, there is a poem in the box which is actually a treasure hunt where they eventually discover a larger gift that is one that they share. Last year it was a Wii game that they played all day long. It makes the whole month of December fun and exciting for them, and a small fun moment we share each day. Our second tradition is we get together on Christmas Eve and open gag gifts that we give to each other. It makes for a hilarious evening and gives the kids something they can open before Christmas. I love these two family traditions because they are so fun and create such great memories every year.—Kimberly, Marketing

For the past five years, my daughter and son have prepared a ham for the dinner meal. I showed them the first year and now I just assist.—Ramiro, Merchandising

We have a Cadburys Chocolate Advent Calendar from Great Britain for our children. Each window/ day of December has a different chocolate and quote / saying. We let the boys open their window after dinner each night, as their treat. They each have a calendar. Hard to explain why there are no more after Christmas though.—Daniel, Product Development

The eldest son in the family gets up real early. His job is to arrange the Christmas presents for the younger siblings. The 2nd oldest gets up and gets the stockings ready for opening. The youngest gets to watch and learn. Then our parents wake up AND WE BEING THE SHREDDING FEST!—Carilyn, Customer Care

A Gift for you from Cook’s Country and CHEFS

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:10:00 GMT

If you watch the popular Cook’s Country television show on PBS, you know that CHEFS Catalog has been an underwriter since the 2011 season. Like Cook’s Country, we’re passionate about cooking and helping you use the best cooking tools and recipes to make great meals for family and friends.

To celebrate this partnership, we’re delighted to give you a set of Cook’s Country recipes handpicked for readers of CHEFS Mix.

The set has Cook’s Country recipes for five classic American dishes:

Best Potluck Macaroni and Cheese
Cider-Baked Ham
Cornmeal Biscuits
Green Beans Amandine
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you crave down home cooking or want to add a country twist to a meal, give these and other Cook’s Country recipes a try.

Down-Home Holiday Entertaining

Your Turn: Are you a fan of Cook’s Country? What is your favorite episode or recipe?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT

We hope that you are having a wonderful day surrounded by your friends and family, and that good food is part of your day.

It has been a busy year and we have many things to be thankful for here at CHEFS Catalog. We thought we would share what some of our team members are most thankful for:

I am so thankful for family, friends, our customers and my job. Dianne R., Customer Care
I am thankful that the Waldo Canyon Fire was not as bad as it could have been. Diane T., Finance
Since my brothers and their families are scattered in multiple states and Canada, I am thankful that this year I will be spending Thanksgiving with 4 of my 5 brothers and multiple nieces, nephews, their soon to be spouses and some great nieces and nephews. Becky R., Purchasing
I am thankful that my family is happy and healthy. Elizabeth G., Customer Care
I am thankful for this wonderful job, the people I have met, and my family! Dana G., Customer Care
With the loss of my mom last year, I am reminded every day of how thankful I am for the people in my life and the memories we continue to make year after year. Trevor M., E-Commerce
I am grateful for my employment, and the clients and customer that we have calling in! with out them, I would be jobless!!!! Carilyn L., Customer Care
I am thankful that my family loves my cooking! I love that they are my willing guinea pigs and that I have many opportunities to make them happy. Kimberly W., Marketing
I am so thankful to be living in the same city as my son and his wife and my daughter. And the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. Dan J., CMO
I’m thankful for getting to take time off to be with my whole family on Thanksgiving weekend. Jenna J., Merchandising
I am thankful for my loving girl-friend, and her Mom. Without them there would be no thanks in this Thanksgiving. They are the best, ever! Michael N., Customer Care
I am thankful for friends and family and people who give your life meaning and purpose. Suzi P., Customer Care
I’m thankful for gratitude, the parent of all the other virtues. Heather S., Customer Care

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! And, as Tim, our CEO added: We are very thankful for you--CHEFS loyal customers who love to cook as much as we do!

Your turn: What are you most thankful for this year?

P.S., If you are beginning your holiday shopping today, checkout CHEFS Black Friday Deals.

CHEFS Mix Commonly Asked Questions—So far…

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Thanks for a great first week on CHEFS Mix! We hope you have been enjoying the posts. We have been getting some great feedback on what is working and what is not working. Thanks to everyone who has emailed us and commented on the posts. We do read every one, and we appreciate that you are taking the time to let us know what you think and how we can improve.

We have been seeing a few commonly asked questions, and I wanted to address those and let everyone know what is happening behind the scenes:

I am on CHEFScatalog.com. How do I get to the blog?

From the CHEFScatalog.com homepage, there are two ways to get to the blog. This first way is from the links at the top of the page. If you click on “Community” you will see a drop down, and the first option there is CHEFS Mix Blog:

The second way to find CHEFS Mix Blog is in the footer of the page. In the Community links, you will find the link to the blog (If you had already looked in the footer but didn’t see it, you are right—it wasn’t there the other day. But we did get it added.)
I tried to sign-up to get the blog posts emailed to me, and I am not receiving the e-mails or the link didn’t work. What’s wrong?

Despite pre-launch testing, we have found a couple of bugs. The email link is one of those bugs. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused. The email link has been removed from the left-hand side of the page, and our IT group is working to fix the issue. We are hoping to have the link back up soon.

In the meantime, we do publish links to the new posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest. If you are a member of one of those platforms, please join us there to see announcements about and links to CHEFS Mix posts. You can also sign-up for the RSS feed to be added to your Google home page or Google Reader. For those of you who have emailed us wanting to join the email list, I am keeping your names and email addresses, and, as soon as we have a solution in place, I will add your email address into the system. I will also notify you when I have done so.
Where can I get a printer friendly version of the recipes on CHEFS Mix?

When we started posting the recipes, we overlooked the link for a printer friendly version. Oops! We are working on getting that functionality in place, and hope to have it live soon. In the meantime, we will be placing links within the posts that will take you to CHEFS Recipe section, where you will be able to print the recipe easily.

Also, all of the CHEFS Mix recipes can be found in the recipe section. Visit the CHEFS Recipe section and click on the “Chefs Profiles” on the lower, left-hand side of the page, under “Learn About Recipes By”. You will find CHEFS Mix listed there, and under our profile all of the blog’s featured recipes can be found.

When you select a recipe, at the bottom of the page are choices for printing that recipe.
I am a blogger, and would like to be added to your Blogs We Like list. Will you do that?

We will consider any blog. The “Blogs We Like” are blogs that we like and follow. If you have a blog, please send us the link. The whole CHEFS team is always interested in finding new blogs and resources. Please be patient with us as we sort through all of the request that we are sent. We will try to respond to every request, but it may take us a bit to get to each one.
I am a blogger, can I do a product review for CHEFS? A guest blog post? Work together in some manner?

CHEFS does partner with some select bloggers. In order to be considered, your blog needs to be closely related to cooking, the kitchen, and home. And we will also need some information about your audience. If you think you would be a great fit, email us and we will be happy to consider it. Please be patient with us as we sort through all of the request that we are sent. We will try to respond to every request, but it may take us a bit to get to each one.

Again, thanks to everyone for visiting CHEFS Mix, and for sharing your thoughts, comments, and questions. I hope that you will continue to share with us, and let us know how we are doing.

As we said in our first post, our goal is simple: to inspire and enhance your cooking experience by sharing our passion for cooking and products though these posts. You are the most important part of the mix, and we look forward to making CHEFS Mix a blog you read regularly; can learn from; and, most importantly, enjoy!

Welcome to CHEFS Mix

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Today, we are thrilled to launch our new blog, CHEFS Mix.

CHEFS Mix is the place where food and cooking enthusiasts connect with the CHEFS Catalog community. Our goal is simple: to inspire and enhance your cooking experience by sharing our passion for cooking through recipes, tips and techniques, product trends, gift ideas and more.

The most important part of CHEFS Mix is you. Our hope is that after reading a post or trying a recipe, you’ll let everyone know what you think. Share your thoughts in the “comments” section found at the end of each post. This is also the place to chat with us and other readers, exchange recipes, ask and answer questions, share tips and stories and give feedback about your CHEFS Mix experience. Come join the conversation – we can’t wait to hear from you.

For over 30 years, you’ve invited CHEFS Catalog into your kitchen. Today, through CHEFS Mix, we invite you into ours. So, pull up a chair and let’s talk food and cooking.