Merry Christmas - Virtual Gifts from Our Kitchen to Yours!

food projectscookingkids
Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Here is a rosemary plant that is shaped like a holiday tree - to add wonderful smells to your kitchen - and flavor to many dishes including potatoes and poultry. We used fresh chopped rosemary on a delicious casserole of low-fat scalloped potatoes for a video series for healthy potato dishes. This "tree" makes a lovely decoration and every cook loves fresh herbs. Rosemary tastes wonderful when it is minced finely and added to dishes near the end of the cooking process.  It adds a flavor that is reminiscent of pine.And a gingerbread house - for families on the go - decorating our pre-fabricated house became a fun family project that allowed us to bond without stress  - everyone could help and there was not much mess. (Not to mention that we have something to admire instead of too many calories to tempt us.)I bought the gingerbread house from Whole Foods as a sort of last minute purchase because it was peanut safe (my son has a peanut allergy) and I thought it would be a great way to have something fun for us to make together without the work and calories of cookies this year.Here is how I made the royal icing (which does dry pretty hard and it makes a great non-fat icing to hold the candies on the house):1 pound powdered sugar1 tablespoon egg white powder (I like this because it is pasteurized and it is a great staple for baking for when you run out of eggs - look for it in the baking section of the store)1 tablespoon water (more or less)Mix and add the water slowly until the consistency is thick like paste. The amount of water is always a variable based on the sugar and the temperature of the ingredients.We used peanut-safe candies and had a great time decorating - we did it side by side until we had all four sides complete.An extra house was a hit as a gift to my sister and her family - she and her kids were decorating it today and they will probably take it to an elderly relative to enjoy. As for ours - we have begun to eat it - but just a few pieces of the roof. I guess that is the other thing about a house - you just don't gorge on it like you do a platter of cookies!And here is a batch of calorie-free Holiday Tea that went together in minutes and made a lovely table centerpiece:3 quarts water6 red tea bags (we chose red fruit tea and red rooibos tea - there are many choices in the grocery store you just have to pick your favorite), caffeine free1 orange, cut in quarters1 lemon, cut in quarters1/2 cup cranberriesWe mixed everything and let it stand at room temperature until our guests arrived. Serve with ice and enjoy! It was great for kids or adults.For our party goods - we served a wonderful array of healthy tapas - these small plates held various combinations of raw veggies with healthy dips, chips with home made salsa, and fruits that were a mix of dried and fresh.Our guests were delighted that they were sampling our "super bowl snack fare" - and much to our delight all of the veggies disappeared! We will be showing that soon - we have more video recipes to come to get you ready for Super Bowl Dipper Parties.Thanks to a wonderful reader and member who called to request Super Bowl recipes - we are happy to oblige and will have something to post soon!Merry Christmas to all!

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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