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John Deere and ShareThis Get Creative with Parties That Cook’s Amazing Kitchen Race and Cupcake Wars

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , August 29th, 2011 @ 3:38 pm

At Parties That Cook we hate making anyone feel forgotten. That being said, I think it’s time we featured a couple of our newer Corporate Team Building Events…

On Thursday, August 18th, John Deere hosted their first cooking event with Parties That Cook – and boy was it exciting! Not only did they get to experience a heated cooking competition, but the company took their team building a step further by selecting our Amazing Kitchen Race! According to the John Deere host, Sarah N., “It seemed like something different and something that would really get everyone working as a team.”

Teams took to the streets of Chicago to compete in a GPS scavenger hunt, earning points (called cache) to redeem for advantages in the kitchen. They then returned to the Charlie Baggs kitchen to finish the evening with the usual Kitchen Challenge portion of the event.

We were so glad to hear that our FIRST Amazing Kitchen Race in Chicago went off without a hitch! Communication with our partners at Geoteaming definitely contributed to a smooth competition. PTC’s Chef Molly reported, “The client was raving about the entire event and loved everything – both cooking and geoteaming.” John Deere’s host, Sarah N., added that the best part was seeing “everyone get so into the cooking and really working as a team.” Success!

The very next day, ShareThis hosted a Cupcake Wars event at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. PTC Chef Linda shared that the guests all had a great time! Being a judge must have been tough, as she loved how great each of the final products tasted.

ShareThis host, Olivia T., loved seeing everyone work together as a team, and she was impressed by all the brainstorming ideas. This must have been a particularly creative group, as Chef Linda also noted how creative the cupcakes were! Chef Linda explained, “Interestingly, guests made their decorations from fresh produce – berries, citrus, etc. No one touched the coloring, jimmies or confetti!” Great to see everyone stepping out of the box!

If you would like to see your event featured in one of our Event Blogs, just let us know!
Hope to see you in the kitchen soon!

Parties That Cook’s Back-to-School Recipe: Mini Gyros Pita Pockets

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , August 25th, 2011 @ 3:27 pm

You’ve seen the commercials. It’s about that time again. The kids are going back to school. Things are only going to get busier as sports seasons, dance classes and music lessons begin. Spice up dinner and simplify your evening with an effortless yet deliciously satisfying meal that saves the day! This recipe for Mini Gyros Pita Pockets with Tatziki Sauce is a great way to get the kids involved (they can mix the sauce AND assemble the pockets). Go ahead. Be a hero.

You can find these pita pockets featured at our next Date Night Couples Cooking Classes in San Francisco and Chicago, and at Sizzle & Swirl in Seattle. Trust me, you need a night off…

Mini Gyros Pita Pockets with Tatziki Sauce
This recipe can also be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library

Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated and drained (squeeze all of the water out)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon white-wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Lamb:
3 pounds leg of lamb, boneless
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
15 mini pitas (about 3 inches in diameter)
2 lemons, cut into wedges for garnish

Aluminum foil
Canola oil for grilling

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Grate Cucumber: Peel and seed the cucumber. Grate the cucumber then place into a colander with a pinch of salt. Let sit 15 minutes then squeeze out all of the excess water.

Prepare Aromatics: Mince the garlic and place into a medium bowl with the grated cucumber. Zest the lemon and chop the dill. Add to the bowl.

Finish Sauce: Add the yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl of cucumber and aromatics. Mix everything well. Let the sauce sit for 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Transfer to a small serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of dill.

Prep Lamb: Trim lamb of excess fat and silver skin. Slice meat into 1-inch slices. Transfer lamb to a bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Grill Lamb: Heat a ridged grill pan over medium heat. Once grill is hot, brush with canola oil. Grill lamb slices on both sides until cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. Let lamb rest for a few minutes.

Prepare Pitas: While lamb is grilling, cut the pitas in half. Wrap pitas in foil and warm in the oven for 10 minutes.

Slice Lamb: Cut the slices of grilled lamb into thin strips and place into warm pita.

Serve: Arrange warm gyros on a platter with the bowl of tzatziki. Garnish with dill and lemon wedges.

Serves/Makes
Makes 30

Recipe created by Parties That Cook®  www.PartiesThatCook.com.

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