12/29 What's Cookin' Today
Author Lee Clayton Roper Writer Of "Well-Seasoned Kitchen: A Mother-Daughter Culinary Journey" Talks To Us About Her Book That Is More Than Just Recipes
The Clayton family, especially Sally, has long been known for effortless style and smart sensibility when it comes to home cooking and entertaining. So, when Sally began to suffer from the effects of early-stage memory loss, her daughter Lee Clayton Roper decided to engage her mother in the kitchen, evoking family memories and collecting cherished recipes. The time they spent together lead them to begin writing the cookbook that would become A Well-Seasoned Kitchen (MLC Publishing, 2009) Sadly, Sally passed away as the cookbook was entering its final phase and Lee completed it in her honor. More than just recipes, A Well Seasoned Kitchen is a memoir and an attempt to capture her mother’s recipes before they would be gone forever. Until now this cookbook, featuring 186 tested recipes, with menus and full-color photos by renowned food photographer Laure Smith, has been available only in Colorado, where Lee Roper resides, but due to the overwhelming success of the elegant recipes and heartwarming stories, A Well Seasoned Kitchen is going national.
The book that was so popular in Denver is now sold nationally and in select retailers in Kansas City, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Knoxville, Memphis, and Little Rock. A portion of all proceeds are donated to the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter The delicious, easy, and beautiful dishes like Rack of Lamb with Nut Crust, Green Beans with Lemon-Butter Sauce, Apple Cake (recipe below), and Blueberry Tart helped A Well Seasoned Kitchen win the 2010 Gold Medal for Cookbooks from the Living Now Book Awards. The book features menu suggestions that are perfect for holiday entertaining, from a traditional Thanksgiving meal featuring Oven Roasted Turkey and Apple-Sausage Stuffing to a Snowy Day Dinner featuring Veal Stroganoff and Bourbon Apple Pie. Lee Clayton Roper is currently producing a mother-daughter cooking show that will build on the acclaim of A Well Seasoned Kitchen and air on Rocky Mountain PBS in 2012. The show will feature Lee cooking alongside mother-daughter pairs and sharing cooking stories and kitchen traditions. At the end of each episode, the mother-daughter pair is encouraged to continue cooking together and documenting the process. At the end of the season, the six mother-daughter pairs will reconvene with their home videos and discuss their experiences spending time together in the kitchen.
Sally and Lee are everyday home gourmet cooks who've always been ahead of their time. Sally earned cooking credibility as one of the first to add a food processor and microwave to her gadget repertoire long before most had even heard of them. Originally from Kentucky, Sally was raised in a home with parents who frequently entertained and a mother who loved to cook. Interestingly, Sally didn't start cooking until after she was married. Despite that, she made an effortless leap from meat loaf to Boeuf Bourguignon and quickly earned a reputation as a talented cook and gracious hostess among friends and family. Sally’s culinary courage inspired Lee to hold her first dinner party at the tender age of 16.
Today, Lee regularly finds opportunities to host family and friends for casual dinner parties with beautiful tablescapes, creative menus and scrumptious meals taking center stage. With any cooking-related questions, friends and family often turn to Lee for her unending kitchen inspiration and encouragement.
PETER KASTALAN Owner of "Il Tiramisu Ristorante & Bar" Gives Us The Scoop On Their Additions To The Menu For NEW YEARS EVE
New Year’s Eve Menu 3 Courses $45 Saturday, December 31, 2011 5:00 PM to Midnight
Primi Piatti ~ First Course ~ Choose One
~ Gamberi con Linguini di Limone e Basilico ~
Grilled shrimp, lemon basil linguini, white wine, artichokes, carrots, onions
~ Insalata Victoria ~
Organic baby greens, beets, butternut squash, pine nuts, sherry vinaigrette
~ Zuppa di Funghi ~
Mushroom soup, shiitake, porcini, and cremini mushrooms,
Vegetable and herb broth, fresh arugula garnish
~ Involtini di Melanzane ~
Eggplant rolls filled with fontina & mozzarella cheese, light marinara sauce
Piatti Principale ~ Main Course ~ Choose One
~ Barramundi con Balsamico ~
Australian sea bass, grilled, lemon, rosemary, sage, aged balsamic reduction
~ Salmone Fantasia ~
Atlantic salmon, orange ginger cognac sauce, fresh mango and orange
~ Filetto di Manzo ~
8 ounce filet mignon, marinated in pinot noir with herbs, sliced, served medium rare
~ Osso Buco di Vitello ~
Veal osso buco, braised in Chianti and vegetables
~ Pappardelle Aragosta ~
Homemade wide ribbon pasta, Marsala wine and light cream sauce, lobster
~ Cappallaci ~
Pasta crepes filled with ricotta cheese and spinach, pink sauce
Dolce ~ Dessert ~ Choose One
~ Tiramisu Katerina ~
White and dark chocolate cup, filled with tiramisu cake, strawberries
~ Creme Brulee ~
Vanilla custard, raspberries, caramelized sugar
~ Torta di Cioccolata ~
Chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, chocolate sauce
Candace Cameron From ABC's "MAKE IT OR BREAK IT" Talks About Great Holiday Deals To Make Up For Your Bad Christmas Presents
Candace is best known for her role as DJ Tanner on the hit show “Full House.” After 8 successful seasons on the show, Cameron took a break from Hollywood to start a family. She currently lives in LA with her husband, Russian NHL Hockey Player, Valerie Bure and her three children. In January 2011, she released her first book “Reshaping It All,” a New York Times best seller. She currently stars on the ABC Family series “Make it or Break It.” Fans of “Full House,” all remember what a Tanner Family Christmas was like. Remember when Uncle Jesse surprises Aunt Becky with fake snow? Or when Steve dresses up as Santa to return home from college and surprise DJ? Chances are your Christmas didn’t turn out like a TV sitcom. And it’s more than likely you ended up with a gift you DIDN’T like. With the holidays behind us, now is the time to spoil yourself. Who better than to talk about making the most of holiday misgivings than DJ Tanner herself!
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