For seven years I have shared my passion with Rice Lake families by cooking dinner for the successful bidder of “Dinner with the Principal” from our silent auction. Over the years I have cooked Italian, Thai and American cuisine. This year I cooked the winning family a Mexican themed dinner with my secret guacamole & blue corn chips; avocado, corn & black bean salad; chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce; and strawberry tres leches cake.

I enjoy these dinners because I get to learn about families and students on a new and deeper level and they get to see their principal in a different light. I am invited into their homes and I come with ingredients, prepared dishes (sometimes), cooking utensils and other things I need. I work to make it easy and enjoyable for the family.

This year I cooked for the Miller family. Currently, they have two children at my school, Ahna in 4th grade and Josh in 5th grade, and their four oldest boys, Thomas, Ryan, Jared and Chris, are Rice Lake alumni.

I had a great night hearing how everyone was doing, shared some stories from school and learned Josh and I share the same love of cooking. He was very interested in all the dishes and ingredients and watched carefully as I made my special guacamole in front of them.

If you love guacamole and haven’t seen this plastic tool, you’re missing out! After injuring myself twice with knives trying to cut and remove avocado pits, I discovered this wonderful tool that opens avocados, removes pits and scoops out the flesh safely! Too bad I didn’t know about it before visiting the emergency room, twice!

I have such a great job in that I can share my passion and develop relationships at a deeper level with students and families. Now Josh and I can continue to share our love of cooking even after he leaves my school. I’m hoping Ahna and Josh will remember their principal came to their home and cooked dinner for them for many years. We all have the power to change lives and create memories, for students and ourselves.

I am creating my annual summer to-do list (two years counts as annual, right?). But, my list doesn’t contain any home projects, yard work or school related tasks. My list contains things to do in the Twin Cities, Minnesota and the Midwest that I have never done. Last year I checked watching a Minnesota United soccer game, listening to a concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell and visiting Westwood Nature Center (only two miles from my home) off the list. Here are some of the items on this year’s list, which continues to grow. And, imagine that a lot of them have to do with food! You can follow my adventures on Facebook where I’ll post some of my photos or follow me on Twitter (@PrincipalFrench) where I will be including these activities, along with 84 others posts, as I chronicle my 100 Days of Summer @ #RLRSummer posting my summer reflections, learnings and rejuvenations from June 1 (first day of the last week of school) to September 8 (first day of the new school year). Come along on my summer adventure of trying new things!

Kayaking the Mississippi River above the falls in Minneapolis.

Going around the lakes in Minneapolis on the Nice Ride rental bikes.

Visiting the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. (Maybe some Spam eating!)

Riding the light rail Green Line to St. Paul to see the St. Paul Saints in their new ballpark. (Definitely eating the new ballpark food!)

Having dinner at one of the area’s pizza farms. (Eating pizza with friends at a farm on a beautiful summer night.)

Spending the night in a yurt at one of the state parks. (Booked July 12 and 13; hauling in all the food we’ll be eating.)

Going to the Henderson, MN Sauerkraut Days June 26, 27 and 28. (Maybe enter the sauerkraut eating contest!)

Visit some of the caves in southeastern Minnesota.

Eat at one of the many food truck gatherings around the Twin Cities. (Awesome food truck eating!)

Visit the Jeffers Petroglyphs in southwestern Minnesota.

Explore the Mill City Museum.

Visit the Amana Colonies in Iowa. (And I hear they cook amazing food and bake delicious pies!)

Eat at the Harbor View Cafe on Lake Pepin in Pepin, Wisconsin. (Destination eating!)

Go to the top of the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis.

Check out the Minnesota Zoo.

Eat at one of the restaurants at one of the local lakes. (I’m aiming for Sandcastle at Lake Nokomis.)

In honor of Mother’s Day, I am channeling my mother, Carol, and cooking a different version of one of the favorite dishes she served when we were young. Growing up in Michigan, I’d never heard of hot dish (which is a staple in Minnesota) but we Michiganders enjoyed our casseroles and goulashes.

I’ve seen and eaten a variety of goulashes in my life from elbow macaroni with tomato sauce to more ethnic meat based, paprika flavored and pasta-less dishes. Carol’s goulash recipe is included below and it was a whole different variety altogether. It consisted of ground beef, onion, green pepper, spices and canned Franco-American spaghetti. You can’t find Franco-American spaghetti anymore, it’s made under the Campbell’s brand these days. It might sound otherwise, but it’s a tasty dish.

Carol’s Goulash (Kip says, “This stuff is delicious!”)

Two cans Campbell’s spaghetti (formerly Franco-American), 1 lb ground beef, onion and green pepper chopped; brown ground beef, onion and green pepper; drain; add spaghetti; season with oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1/2 tsp sugar; add dash of hot sauce; heat thoroughly on stove or in crock pot 4-6 hours on low. It’s interesting that not all ingredients have a listed amount. I guess that shows she cooked by taste and eyeballed amounts rather than be exact.

For my cooking challenge this week I went with the goulash theme (in honor of Mom) but wanted to create something more familiar to the goulash I ate when traveling in the Czech Republic a few years ago.

I used two cookbooks from my collection, “The Best Czech Recipes” book I purchased in Prague, Czech Republic, and “The New York Times Cook Book.” Both contained similar goulash recipes (Bohemian Pork Goulash and Prague Three-Meat Goulash). One recipe had three varieties of meat (beef, pork and veal) and the other used more vegetables (onion, tomatoes and green pepper) so I combined the ingredients from both.

The resulting goulash turned out well and Kip said, “it was delicious!” As I mentioned in previous posts, he likes spicier food and more heat than I do so he sprinkled more paprika onto his servings. I have discovered and use Sweet Hungarian Paprika which has a smoother taste than other varieties.

This type of goulash can be served by itself or with an accompanying starch. It would work well with mashed potatoes or noodles. I used spaetzle, German originated tiny noodles or dumplings. It’s a great fit with the goulash.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and a special shout out to my mother, Carol, who is watching me from above as I share my cooking passion she inspired. Don’t worry Mom, I’ll keep making your version of goulash because it is delicious and reminds me of you whenever I make it.

I enjoy cooking for Kip and myself but cooking for two can sometimes be challenging. Good thing we like leftovers! I can eat the same thing for more days than Kip so I am happy bringing leftovers for lunch for a week at a time.

Another challenge is cooking for one. When Kip is away, I generally don’t think about cooking for myself. I’ll stop for fast food or takeout. But, my cooking adventure had me rethinking that this weekend while Kip was away visiting his family in South Dakota.

I have type 2 diabetes which adds an additional dimension to my cooking challenge. This weekend I used one of my Diabetic Living cookbooks to prepare dinner for one while at the same time cooking something that is good for me. Now, cooking healthy for a type 2 diabetic isn’t rocket science. It’s good, common sense eating for anyone. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and light on sugars, salt and unhealthy fats. To manage my diabetes I need to count the carbohydrates in each meal. It’s smart eating for anyone; watch your carbs and manage your portions.

I may be taking the easy way out by making this Southern Beefy Skillet but I am cooking for myself while avoiding the quick, easy, nearby places that serve burgers, fries, pizza and burritos. This dish has vegetables, beans, lean protein, all things good for me and my diabetes.

I’m making a few substitutions to the recipe by replacing ground beef with ground turkey and butter beans with cannellini beans. I’m more sensitive to heat and spicy foods so I’ll be eliminating the chopped jalapeño but keeping the hot sauce.

Well, the dish turned out pretty well. My version is on the left while the photo on the right is from the cookbook. One complaint I have is because diabetics need to watch their sodium intake, the recipe called for no-salt diced tomatoes and no-salt tomato sauce. It made the finished product a bit bland so I added some salt and pepper to my plate. I know, I need to be careful about the sodium but I’ll have to work on my healthy eating one step at a time.

Now, if I can just resist the urge to walk to Dairy Queen for dessert!

My cookbook challenge was interrupted again because of two weekends performing in the 48th annual Wastebasket Revue and spring break during which Kip and I took a trip to Las Vegas. We had never been to Vegas together. I was there twenty-one years ago in 1994 and Kip hadn’t been there since 1987, twenty-eight years ago!

Las Vegas has become quite a foodie town with tons of amazing restaurants of all prices and cuisines. Celebrity chefs have discovered the allure of Vegas with Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Giada DeLaurentis, and Guy Fieri, among others, setting up shop there.

We often are challenged when traveling to find a great place to eat, whether it’s in a city like Las Vegas or on a road trip. We don’t like to eat at chain restaurants we have at home, we want some local flavor and something unique. We have found some helpful tools to use when searching out places to eat when traveling. Google, Yelp, and Trip Advisor are tools that help us find reviews, ratings, hours, prices and directions.

The picture above is from one of our Las Vegas discoveries. It is my serving of Crab Cake Benedict from Hash House A Go Go with locations around the country, but not yet in Minnesota. Starting on the bottom is a mound of delicious mashed potatoes topped with two flaky, yummy biscuits with spinach, crab cakes, eggs and Hollandaise sauce on top of that! It was amazing and we found this place thanks to online tools.

Also, here is evidence of my first visit to In-N-Out Burger, a west coast chain that people rave about. I now count myself among its admirers with their limited, tasty menu. I now know why they have a loyal following.

So, don’t be limited to boring fast food joints when you travel, use your phone to help you. After a trip to visit Hoover Dam, Google shared a great place to eat in Boulder City, Nevada that gets great reviews. Google was right, we had an awesome meal at The Dillinger located in the heart of the historic district. We would have missed out on this great place if we hadn’t been a bit adventurous.

I love the concept of this cookbook, One-Pot Meals. Sometimes when I cook I dirty multiple pots, pans and dishes. And cleaning up is usually Kip’s job so he appreciates having fewer pots and pans to clean up!

For this one-pot meal I made Lemongrass Coconut Chicken Soup. It’s Thai name is tom yung gai, a common menu item in Thai restaurants. I enhanced the recipe by adding mushrooms and peas and increasing the amount of chicken.

  

Some of the less familiar ingredients were lemongrass (a tropical plant with a lemony scent used in cooking), fish sauce, coconut milk and Thai chiles, all of which can be found in your local grocery store. Thai chiles are very small but very hot! I bought five chiles and at 0.01 lbs they cost 4 cents but they pack a lot of flavor and heat. If hot, spicy food is not your thing, only use one chili or none at all.

This is definitely not your grandmother’s chicken soup! It’s spicy, aromatic, delicious and uses ingredients grandma may have never heard of. Lemongrass is used to add flavor and aroma but it is not to be eaten. You need to remember to remove it before serving. If you want a different take on chicken soup, take a risk, try some new ingredients and spice it up!

I’ve missed a couple posts recently because I was preparing for the St. Patrick’s Day cooking adventure and I missed a second weekend because I was celebrating my birthday with friends. Now, I’m back with a new post and am planning my next cooking adventure for the coming weekend.

I love corned beef and knew I wanted to prepare it for St. Patrick’s Day. I found a classic, dog-eared, 29 year-old cookbook that had a recipe for corned beef and vegetables using the crock pot. I can’t tell you how easy and enjoyable it was to prepare the vegetables and corned beef in the morning before work and have it ready when I got home. Everything doesn’t need to be complicated. I actually find it comforting to create a great meal with simple ingredients and techniques. This recipe called for carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbage (I substituted Brussels sprouts), corned beef, bay leaves and beer. No other spices or flavorings were needed.

We’re fortunate to have an awesome butcher at Hackenmueller’s Meat Market. They’ve been in business for 120 years and make their own corned beef by brining beef brisket in a very salty solution. The term comes from the size of the salt originally used in the brining process which used large grained rock salt, also called “corns.”

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So, besides creating a great meal, I got to learn some new things from our local butcher. I love it when I can increase my skill set and knowledge while enjoying delicious food!

I love the Food Network and all cooking shows. I’ve seen every episode of Top Chef and have eaten at the restaurants of some of the contestants and judges. I enjoy cooking competitions like Iron Chef America, Chopped, and The Taste. I like a good episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and gain inspiration from watching others experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Watching so much food related television has its drawbacks. Kip and I were watching an episode of Restaurant Impossible in which Robert Irvine attempts to turn around a failing restaurant in two days. This particular episode featured a family diner that was run-down, dirty, full of spoiled food, and overall nasty. Kip and I looked at each other at the same time and realized we had eaten at that place a few months earlier! Yikes!

I have cookbooks by Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, Giada DeLauritis, Rachel Ray, The Pioneer Woman, Rocco Dispirito, Gordon Ramsay, Martha Stewart, and others. For this weeks challenge I grabbed Gordon Ramsay’s “Cooking For Friends” cookbook. On television, Chef Ramsay is cruel, harsh, profane, mean, and degrading, except on his show, “MasterChef Junior.” I could never cook under those conditions and we want our classrooms and schools to be uplifting, positive, encouraging, inviting, engaging, and fun. Gordon Ramsay’s style makes for good TV, not for a good work environment. For dinner, I made a version of Chef Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie. Instead of ground lamb I used a mixture of ground beef, pork and veal and, in addition to onions and carrots, I added peas and mushrooms. I think some might think making a Shepherd’s Pie would be difficult but anyone can do it. If you’ve made a stew and mashed potatoes before, then you can combine those into a Shepherd’s Pie.

Here are before, during and after photos! I added more ingredients but forgot to increase the amount of mashed potatoes but it still turned out well. Lesson learned so next time will be better. Just like education, reflect, monitor and adjust for the next time!

Being British, Chef Ramsey included an ingredient made in the UK called Branston Pickle, whose purpose was to add some acidic sweetness . Well, I certainly didn’t have that ingredient but I did some thinking and added some of Kip & Mark’s homemade chili sauce. What a great decision and choice. It added just the right flavor. If you are making Shepherd’s Pie and want some delicious chili sauce, just let me know and I’ll send you a jar!

I’m interrupting the weekly blog of my cooking adventures to write about last night’s eating adventure. I had the best meal experience of my life last night at Travail Kitchen & Amusements in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, just 10 minutes from home. As I reflected and dreamed about last night, I noted that what I experienced is how we want students, families and colleagues to experience our schools.

Passion – It’s difficult getting into Travail, they sell out the three seatings and there is generally a long line. I bundled up and went an hour early to stand in line in 15 degree weather. I was excited to discover I was first in line and was able to wait in the vestibule for my dinner companions to join me. I experienced a wonderful 60 minutes of energy, music and enjoyment as the staff conducted the final preparations for the night. Anticipation grew as my husband, friends and more diners arrived. The passion from the chefs inside was palatable to those of us waiting on the other side of the door.

Atmosphere – All of my senses were engaged. High energy music, amazing smells, unobstructed views of the kitchen, courses using my fingers and hands and the tastes! So much creativity went into preparing the 22 courses, so many different presentation styles were revealed, there was great explanation of the ingredients, staff delivered tricks and illusions and they were extremely attentive. We want and need our students to experience creativity, clear instructions, risk taking, excitement and positive attention when they’re with us.

Experimentation – I tasted things I had never tried before, or if I did, didn’t like and never tried again. Squid ink tortellini, marrow butter, steak tartare bites, and oysters were among the ingredients. What was different for me this time was the creativity and preparation. We can and should be creative in school and in the classroom. Dave Burgess and Teach Like a Pirate have me constantly thinking about how to engage and lead in creative, engaging ways. Nothing was boring during this meal and there were so many unexpected surprises from celery root baked in sea salt to beef cooked among lava rocks.

Collaboration – All of the chefs and servers shared responsibilities. They served, prepared, explained, cajoled, engaged and cleared all 22 courses. They were a well orchestrated team that enhanced the experience. In our schools we need to work together to do what’s best for students and families.

I take inspiration from my experiences to apply to my leadership practices. I walked away from Travail last night with the best meal experience of my life. I’m already thinking of ways to bring my cooking, and leadership, to new levels!

I had never eaten sushi before I met Kip eleven years ago. Growing up in the Midwest sushi wasn’t common or popular. One of the first things Kip made me was sushi. I wasn’t so adventurous then so he started me off with cooked proteins such as shrimp and crab with a mixture of other ingredients like cucumber, avocado, and carrots. Since then, I have tried sashimi (raw fish) tuna, mackerel, octopus, roe (fish eggs) and have even tried cooked eel rolls (not a favorite). Kip learned to make sushi from a Japanese coworker when he lived in Seattle. We’ve shared sushi making with friends and enjoy sushi restaurants in the Twin Cities and when we travel. I think some are hesitant to try sushi because they’re not sure what to order or make. You can start simply by trying rolls that include things you like. Some of my favorites are California rolls (crab, avocado and cucumber) and tempura (breaded and fried) shrimp rolls. Sushi doesn’t mean raw fish, although there are varieties of sushi that include that.

I decided to work on my sushi making skills and selected the above cookbook for this week’s challenge. Though I have helped Kip prepare sushi before, I am using recipes from this book to make traditional futomaki thick rolls and I’m the head chef with Kip serving as my sous chef. I made basic sushi rice and Japanese omelet strips for the first time. It’s fun to work together in the kitchen and cook with Kip’s help.

You’ll need some tools to help with your sushi making: a good rice cooker and bamboo rolling mats. Since we’ve made sushi before, we had most of the ingredients on hand: sushi rice (short grain white rice), rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, wasabi, sesame seeds, nori (roasted seaweed sheets), honey and mayo. This morning we shopped for avocado, eggs, packaged flaked crab, cucumber and shiitake mushrooms.

The sushi making was a success, the rolls were delicious and I had a great mentor. I prepared the crab mixture, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, Japanese egg omelet and sushi rice. Kip is better at rolling the ingredients in the nori than I am but he’s had much more practice. You can probably tell which rolls are Kip’s and which are mine.

I’ll be working on perfecting my filling and rolling skills. Like Kip has mentored me, if you need a mentor in person to help you create sushi, accompany you to a sushi restaurant, or be part of your sushi PLN through social media or video conferencing, I’m up for that. Just don’t make me eat eel!