Blog Posts - Welcome To Cee's

Welcome To Cee's

What is artisan bread?

9/27/2012

Many people ask what is the difference between artisan breads and other breads. Artisan bread is hand formed, there are no loaf pans. Each loaf is sculpted with care and craft.
As I was making bread for market this week, I was thinking how different it was from making other baked goods. The dough was mixing, everything was measured perfectly, but it still needed a touch more liquid. Each time it mixes, it needs to be attended and adjusted depending on weather, heat in the kitchen and age of the flour. I get into a zen-like state when making bread dough. I love it! Bread is mesmerizing.

Brie Popovers

9/8/2012

Here is a quick and easy appetizer. It tastes like a gourmet bite. It was one of the winning recipes from the Coffee Mate Publish Your Bliss competition. http://facebook.nestleusa.com/fbcrobinson/Tab/RecipeBook

It will be in a cookbook published later this year.

Just between us: you can tell your friends you got the recipe from an award winning chef you know. :)

Celebrate Vermont!

8/25/2012

Well, the day finally arrived. The Celebrate Vermont Festival! It was a lovely open air market that featured all the best things Vermont has to offer. Lots of Green farming advice and demonstrations, live music, local chefs demonstrating their foods, cider, local wines, gourmet foods, alpaca farms and of course Cabot Creamery! My recipe from their Backyard Recipe Contest benefiting Hunger Free Vermont was demonstrated by chef Jimmy Kennedy. Chef Kennedy is the official "spokeschef" for Cabot Creamery and Baas Pro Shops. I was able to assist him in my recipe. it was a wonderful day. Here is the Link: http://www.cabotcheese.coop/pages/recipes/recipe.php?id=779
Enjoy.

Cabot Creamery

8/24/2012

Went to the Cabot Creamery. Amazing. Cabot is a farmer owned creamery. It has been a co-op since 1919. The most impressive thing about Cabot is that NOTHING goes to waste. They use everything. the whey by product from cooking to milk to curds becomes whey powder for other companies to purchase. The water used to wash the cooking vats after a batch has been cooked, is sprayed over the dairy pastures to put nutrients back into the soil for the cows to eat. They recycle, use bio-degradable packaging and solar energy! Super green!
AND the cheese was off the chain! They have a limited run, cloth-wrapped, cave-aged cheese that was nutty, with a slight natural rind. It was dry and crumbly. It matched so well with Granny Smith Apple.
There are so many varieties of Cabot cheeses, I wish we could got so much more of their wonderful product. Cabot also makes sour cream, butter, whey butter, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and Greek style yogurt. They partner with another creamery to make milk. I <3 Cabot!

Vermont Day 2

8/24/2012

Our Morning View!
Had a light continental breakfast on the veranda of the Inn. Then off to explore the Vermont Country side.

Ben & Jerry's

8/24/2012

After a lovely stop in Montpelier, we finally made our way to the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury! They have a guided tour of the facility where you can see how the ice cream is made. Unfortunately they were not making ice cream when we visited. But the tour was still interesting. Ben & Jerry's is a very green company too. They use gray water to water the plant grounds. They are also part of a Dairy Co-op, like Cabot. Vermont is very green! Love their Philosophy: we are custodians of the land.

Vermont Fresh Network

8/24/2012

After leaving Cabot, the plan was to drive to Waterbury to see the Ben & Jerry's plant. On the way, we decide to take a little detour. Actually we were starving and needed some lunch! So we stopped in Montpelier, the capitol of Vermont. It was a lovely little town with lots of colonial style architecture. We had lunch in a cafe that is part of the Vermont Fresh Network, a partnership between farmers and chefs to bring the freshest food to the people of Vermont. http://www.vermontfresh.net/about-us/
check it out!

Vermont Day 1

8/23/2012

We checked into the Stowe Inn. Very sweet, family run hotel. Had dinner at the Yacht Club at the Commodore's Inn. It featured a New England country buffet. The food was locally sourced and featured flavors of the area. Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette, Maple BBQ pork loin, Fried New England clams(super yum), fresh summer squash with Tarragon and the best Seafood Chowder I have ever eaten. The dining room held maybe 40 diners and there was a sudden cloud burst during our dinner. We sat and lingered over our meal, taking in the

Off to Vermont

8/23/2012

Well, I am off to the Green State of Vermont! Today we flew out of LAX and into Burlington Vermont via Detroit. Then drove 45 min to the mountain resort town of Stowe. Stowe nestled into the Verdant green mountains. More from Vermont soon!

Green 4th

7/2/2012

Here is a good tip for keeping your fourth party green Look for plates made from bamboo leaves. They are biodegradeable! I just saw they were used at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival!
Use the big solo cups, but bring a sharpie! Have your guests write on their cups so they can be reused and recycled at the end of the party.
MORE tips to come!