(Pictured above: John and Debbie from Middleton, Massachusetts celebrate their 33rd anniversary weekend at Inn at Long Lake this past weekend. Congratulations to a lovely couple!)
Greetings, Blog Friends.
Throughout the busy Summer and Fall I have been unable to catch a new reality TV series, MasterChef USA, produced by legendary chef/educator Gordon Ramsey. While many people do not care for his over-the-top tongue lashings seen on his Hell's Kitchen series, this innkeeper believes that his Kitchen Nightmares (US and British seasons) are nothing short of master classes in the proper execution of restaurants.
MasterChef USA pits non-professional, but creative, home cooks against each other in a reality show format. Chef Ramsey is less acidic in the clips I have seen and is (in his own way) encouraging. In a telephone interview I read, Ramsey gave all of us avid home cooks a nod, stating that the talent of the competitors (all of different backgrounds) was much greater than he thought it would be at the show's inception! Check out the various clips on YouTube. They are delicious and inspiring!!
All of us home cooks, Moms & Dads, innkeepers, and party animals know the importance of bettering our abilities to cook. Look at the abundance of TV shows (demonstration and reality-based programming), cookbooks, cooking classes, and information being traded friend-to-friend that has transpired in the just the past few years! We are learning how to read product labels for nutritional values. We are learning to economize (so important in this economic time) & save money by eating and celebrating in our own homes. We are learning more techniques and actually naming our own culinary niche of interest. The list goes on....(!)
While culinary schools were formerly considered the centers of learning about food, the information available at our fingertips (minus the tuition and time commitment) is allowing us to "close the gap", so to speak. Celebrity chefs and other foodies are teaching us the tools to move our food know-how forward. And...during this holiday time of year, our families and friends are excellent sources of passing down some treasured recipes and entertaining ideas, too!!
Thought I'd pass this on to us all. PS: I tried the one-pot Garlic Mashed Potato idea from Cook's Country (see previous blog post). It was excellent and tasty. Please try it if you can!
Best,
Keith A. Neubert
Innkeeper-Chef
Inn at Long Lake--Naples, Maine
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