New friendships, delicious food at Eagle's Trace: Culinary pros mentor students from Cordon Cool

Since 2005, residents and employees of Eagle's Trace have carried forth a proud tradition of giving back to the greater Houston area.

In 2017 alone, they volunteered more than 35,000 hours on campus and in the surrounding community, serving local schools as mentors and creating partnerships with nonprofits such as the Houston Cannery.

That spirit of service is continuing in 2018 as the culinary professionals of Eagle's Trace enjoyed a unique opportunity to share their talents and expertise with a group of students from the Cordon Cool Cooking School.

The Cordon Cool Cooking School is one of the newest programs offered by The Next Step Academy, a day treatment program specially designed to meet the educational needs of individuals with developmental delays, specifically individuals with autism spectrum disorders. There are two Houston-area locations, one just north of the Heights and another in Sugar Land.

On Feb. 22, executive chef Donald Mutin Sr., along with sous chef Keesha Oldham and lead cook Adam Perkey, hosted six students from Cordon Cool for an exclusive, hands-on cooking demonstration in the kitchen of the Garden Room Restaurant located at the Erickson Living retirement community.

Together, they prepared a popular signature dining dish enjoyed by residents of Eagle's Trace: marinated lamb chops with rosemary potatoes and a lamb mint demi-glace, served with a chocolate black bean budino cake.

"The students were incredible. We worked with them on fundamentals of the culinary profession, such as proper measuring and mixing of ingredients, portioning, baking and garnishing of the finished dish," said Mutin, who has more than 25 years of experience in the dining industry in the United States and Asia.

"To be involved with the students of the Cordon Cool Cooking School is one of the highlights of my culinary career," Mutin said. "As a teenager, I benefitted from the mentorship of many skilled chefs, even the great Emeril Lagasse when I was the sous chef at the Commander's Palace. So I understand the value of these rewarding partnerships and consider it a true privilege to spend time with these amazing young adults."

Those who attended the session from the Next Step Academy agreed, including Lauren Harrington Abel, the school's founder. She said that "it was so encouraging to see the staff of Eagle's Trace willing to meet our students where they are, without judgment or preconceived expectations. They seemed to have as much fun with us as we did with them. We need more partnerships like this in order to help children with autism become productive members of our communities."

Barbara Haney's son Bobby participated in the session. Haney is the creator of the Cordon Cool program.

"Our visit to Eagle's Trace marked the first time our students enjoyed the wonderful opportunity to visit a commercial kitchen and experience the real-life, day-to-day activities of a professional culinary team," she said. "These experiences are invaluable to creating relationships with professionals in the industry throughout Houston. Our ultimate mission is to create future employment opportunities for our students."

Taste Buds: Pennsylvania Dutch Market — eat delicious food with old people

When I entered the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Hagerstown, I was interested in how the place compares to the Amish Market in Germantown, which is practically an institution. On Saturdays, the Germantown Amish Market looks like the United Nations — if the United Nations involved constantly bumping into people and waiting forever for fried chicken.

I went to the market during a non-peak time of Thursday afternoon, but it seemed the building had a wider walking path that prevented the bumper-to-bumper traffic of Germantown. Also, the Dutch Market in Hagerstown accepts credit cards for all of the stations, including the pretzel stand, where in Germantown, I would be required to count the coins in my hand like a pauper.

But traffic patterns and credit cards are nothing compared with the actual taste of the food. Thanks to my coworkers, I had a list of items I absolutely had to try. Slippery chicken pot pie, sticky buns, apple dumplings and hog maws were highly recommended. Hog maws, which are made from a pig's stomach, was something I knew I would never try — but I didn't tell them that.

Fortunately, I did find slippery chicken pot pie from the Farmer's Cookhouse. For the $6.99 combo, I chose baked corn as a side, but I was confused about my second choice. I asked the server, and he suggested Triple Beans, which includes lima beans. Now, I hate lima beans with a passion. They taste like nasty paste full of everything that is wrong with the world.

I was offered a sample, however, and I immediately fell in love with the sauce in which the side was drenched. I asked another server, who was so young I tried to ignore my understanding of child labor laws, who told me what was in the sauce. This is just a paraphrase, but she pretty much told me the Triple Beans sauce is basically a lot of sugar and ketchup. So there you have it folks: Sometimes, it's better not to know.

I took my soupy tray of food along with a bag full of desserts like a whoopie pie, sticky bun, shoofly pie and apple dumpling. I planned to share a dessert feast later, but I did get a cinnamon sugar pretzel and ice coffee to eat with my meal.

From the first bite, the slippery chicken pot pie tasted like someone giving me a warm hug from the inside. There's no crust, but the doughy pieces provided all the carbs I needed. The baked corn reminded me of mac n' cheese, with corn. The cheesy top layer and the creaminess below was delicious. I could honestly eat baked corn as a main dish. The Triple Beans were enjoyable to eat as well, but I'm pretty sure I could have tossed the beans out and just eaten the sauce.

Hours later, I realized that Triple Beans might as well be called Triple Farts. And so I beg of you: Make sure you place distance between yourself and the people you love after eating this food.

I may not order Triple Beans again, but I didn't regret getting a cinnamon sugar pretzel. If someone told me I could only buy one item from the Amish Market, I would choose a Dutch Twist Pretzel because you can get everything you need in one pretzel. If you want something that is savory that you could substitute as a meal, get a pretzel roll that's filled with delicious meat. If you want a dessert, get a cinnamon raisin pretzel and stuff your face with icing.

Pretzels are the one thing in Germantown that I feel is better than the facility in Hagerstown. Because Germantown is so crowded on Saturday, pretzel batches are constantly made, meaning a hot pretzel straight from the oven is almost always available. I thought I would be disappointed with my room temperature cinnamon sugar pretzel in Hagerstown, but I was pleasantly surprised that the flavorful interplay of butter, soft, chewy pretzel, and cinnamon sugar was still there. I recommend if you have the discipline, wait until you get home to heat up the pretzel.

Here's a quick rundown on Dutch desserts: Whoopie pies taste like huge swiss cake rolls made of love. The apple dumplings are delicious, but I wish there were more apples and a little less dumplings. I have no idea what Shoofly pie is (is it caramel filling? Why do the pie crumbs taste like powder?), but despite my confusion, Google cleared everything up when it told me that Shoofly is made with molasses, and that didn't stop me from finishing my dessert.

Overall, when you go to the Pennsylvania Dutch Market, be adventurous and don't worry about making a little mess.

Imade Borha can't cook rice and once burnt Top Ramen, but she is the adventurous foodie her friends rely on. She's ordered fried chicken through bullet proof glass and ate at a bowling alley that hosts Questlove every month. She believes food doesn't have to be pretentious or pricey for it to be good.

These Are The 5 Food Trends Expected To Dominate In 2018

 Following the cycle of trend has always been a fickle business. One minute, your jeans are tight and slung low around your hips, and your phone is smaller than an amoeba's pinky. Next minute, you're traipsing around town in sock-less loafers, attempting to trap imaginary creatures with a phone the size of a tablet.

Your food choices are no different. What you eat is also dictated by the ebb and flow of trend that has a unique ability to influence our choices, and fill our plates with unique tastes and textures, at a blink-and-you'll-miss-it pace.

This year saw us tucking into tacos stuffed with fermented vegetables, salads made from seaweed, and non-alcoholic beverages. Next year, according to Clint Jaeger, Executive Chef of Seventeen in Sydney, will see a deepening of our understanding of food, and a larger focus on plating aesthetic.

Here are five food trends you're sure to be sampling in 2018, that will make for a very appetizing and appealing year ahead.

1. Regionality
Most of the venues on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list boast a strong loyalty to showcasing regional food in a very distinctive way. As such, in 2018, consumers will be prone to seeking gourmet experiences which speak of a region's heritage, and highlight local produce.

"Diners have become more and more willing to travel the world to taste a region on a plate," Jaeger says. "As such, we'll be seeing more and more chefs reverting back to local cuisine and cooking techniques to illustrate a region's uniqueness."

2. Flowers

Micro greens have long been a chef's go-to for adding a little panache to a plate. Next year, however, plates will be abloom with the added colour of edible flowers.

"They don't really add any flavor to the plate but they certainly add a dose of color, which is very appealing to the eye, making for a more holistic dining experience," Jaeger says.

3. Sustainability

Moving on from marbling and gavage (or the final fattening phase of live stock for dishes such as foie gras), savvy diners will be seeking humane food experiences that promote sustainability. Think pasture-fed meats, farm-raised eggs, and supporting smaller producers who adhere to the ethical treatment of livestock.

"Diners no longer want to see cruelty on a plate," Jaeger says. "This year will definitely see a surge in consumers wanting to know that the proteins they consume have had a good life."

4. Unique seasonings

In his kitchen, Jaeger bakes and grinds kumamoto oyster shells to season his Pillows Angasi dish.

Others take to stripping the bark off of native trees, or foraging the earth for insects that harbor interesting tastes. The use of unique seasoning will boom in 2018 and their consumption will no longer be an experience solely for the courageous.

"We look at food differently nowadays," Jaeger says. "And the use of, say, ants that taste like lemongrass, or bark with a bitter coffee scent, will only further the authenticity of a dish."

5. Gold

Forget rainbow bagels, and multicolored cream cheese. Next year, the road to culinary indulgence this year will be paved in gold, with desserts and fixings boasting gold leaf inclusions, glittery condiments, and a dusting of 24-karat indulgence.

"Next year will be all about eating healthy and wealthy," Jaeger says. "Being able to consume gold is not a new technique but it will certainly pique the interests of those who like to sample the finer things in life."

The Dish: Cameron's Seafood serves up hot, delicious food to go

Seafood where I come from is usually either a luxury or a gamble. In the middle of Texas, you have the white tablecloths of high-end establishments and the questionable quality of a fast food drive-through. Quality mid-range options are few and far between.

Finding an affordable, casual seafood option in the Frederick location of Cameron's Seafood was a treat for my wife and me. That it's a carryout place is even better.

As a physical space, Cameron's offers a clean counter and waiting area with a large glass display case full of fresh fish and shellfish. But the food is all made for takeout to enjoy at home, or at least somewhere else. There's no noisy dining room, no wait to be seated, no tables at all.

Cameron's menu is straightforward but expansive without being intimidating. They've got fish and shellfish, with options for broiled or fried. The latter can be ordered on a sandwich. Platters and sandwiches come with classic sides like french fries, hush puppies and mac and cheese.

That's where the choices stop being easy. Cameron's fish and shellfish selections rival most seafood markets. On the broiled side of the menu, customers can pick between rainbow trout, swordfish, mahi mahi, flounder, stuffed flounder and Chilean Sea Bass, in addition to standards like tuna, shrimp and salmon. For fried options, Cameron's also has croaker, whiting, ocean perch, black bass, softshell crab, haddock and others.

Platters range in price from $9.99 to $19.99, depending on which fish you choose, and include rice and steamed vegetables. I opted for the high-end of the range and took home the Broiled Ultimate Platter, which includes three pieces of tilapia, and a crab cake along with broiled shrimp and scallops, all atop a large serving of rice and vegetables. In an enjoyable albeit excessive addition, I ordered a cup of crab gumbo as well.

The fish preparation is pretty straightforward: broiled with garlic and Old Bay seasoning.

Cameron's was appreciably able to accommodate my wife's celiac disease and hyper-sensitivity to gluten, dairy and many spices. She ordered the broiled Chilean Sea Bass and was pleased with the large piece of fish flakey and buttery enough to taste good without any seasoning.

Visit Mulkey's for delicious old-fashioned meals

It's all in the family. That's what great about Mulkey's Restaurant in Rock Island.

Change is only good when something needs to be changed, and nothing needs to be changed here. Mulkey's has been owned by the same family for over 60 years.

When you enter the dining room, there is no doubt that this place is family-owned and has family pride. Photos of four generations of Mulkey men — Bob, Chuck, Ryan and Charlie — are hanging on the wall. Each photo looks the same — white shirt, black bow tie, mustache and goatee — with the exception of the youngest Mulkey, who broke tradition by not sporting a mustache and goatee in his photo, which was taken several years ago when he was 3.

Bob Mulkey and his wife, Alice, opened Mulkey's in 1957. Bob had a cousin who worked for Tri City Equipment and sold Henny Penny Chicken Fryers, which were first introduced commercially in 1957. He convinced Bob to buy one, and a franchise was born.

Henny Penny Chicken Fryers employ a form of pressure cooking — the meat and cooking oil are brought to a high temperature, allowing the food to cook more quickly. Very few Henny Penny franchises are left in the United States, and only the franchises can use the original Henny Penny breading mix that gives this chicken an old-school taste. You know a restaurant is a Henny Penny Chicken franchise when you see the Henny Penny Chicken wearing glasses on the marquee.

Chuck came back from college in 1971 to work in the family business alongside his mother after Bob died unexpectedly. Chuck got his start in the business breading chicken when he was 11 years old.

Chuck's youngest son, Ryan, began pouring gelatin and peeling potatoes at the restaurant when he was 10. Ryan returned home from college to work at Mulkey's when Alice passed away. Ryan is now in his 18th year at the restaurant, and Chuck continues to work a couple of days a week.

Part of the charm of Mulkey's is the staff. The night manager, Joe, has been there 38 years, and the morning cook, Tammy, has been there 42 years. Between 80 percent to 90 percent of the employees are from four families, some on their third generation. Many of the customers are greeted by name when they enter, and it is easy to feel at home here.

Mulkey's is known for its breakfast and lunch selections, in addition to dinner choices. The breakfast menu has all of our favorites: eggs, omelettes, Denver scramble, country-fried steak, buttermilk pancakes, and biscuits and gravy. We wish we lived around the corner so we could walk over for breakfast on a whim.

Tammy's skillet, consisting of scrambled eggs with ham and sausage over fried potatoes topped with cheese, is first on our list.

The salad menu has great-sounding choices, including a raspberry chicken salad. You can order a variety of sandwiches, including some unique ones like a grilled turkey Reuben, Texas burger, and a blue cheese burger. A low-cal plate and vegetarian sandwich are available for those watching their waistlines.

We were hungry for old-fashioned home cooking, so we decided the area of the menu for us was Mulkey's Features. It was hard to choose, so we ordered all three: Henny Penny Chicken, a whole catfish and a hot roast beef sandwich. All entrees come with a choice of salad or homemade soup, choice of potato, and a roll with butter.

We had to have the Henny Penny Chicken first. Do not confuse this chicken with fried chicken, it isn't fried; it is broasted. Broasted chicken is pressure-fried, a process that yields a more tender and better-tasting product. This chicken is crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside.

The four pieces of white and dark meat chicken were a bargain for $8.25. We had ours with a baked potato and coleslaw. The coleslaw is a classic — perfectly creamy and tangy.

The catfish is cooked the same way as the chicken is. It, too, turns out crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside with the catfish taste we love. It was more than enough for one person at $10.49.

The hot roast beef sandwich featured tender slabs of roast beef layered on top of white bread, topped with a generous scoop of whipped potatoes and covered in brown gravy. Priced at $8.89, it is the perfect comfort food for cold fall days.

We opted for the lettuce salad with Alice's creamy garlic dressing, another Quad-Cities staple. The red-tinged dressing was thick and well studded with garlic.

Specials offered daily include chicken a la king on Mondays, liver and onions on Tuesdays, hamloaf on Wednesdays, beef tips on Thursdays, Swiss steak on Fridays, and roast beef on Saturdays. Everything on the menu is available for carry-out. You can order tubs of Henny Penny Chicken ranging in size from 6 pieces to over 200 pieces. Mulkey's also offers catering services.

Located at the top of the hill above Augustana College, on the corner of 38th Street and 14th Avenue, Mulkey's is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sundays. On Sundays, it is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for limited carry-out (anything broasted), in order to allow their employees a day off.

Some places need to stay the same, and Mulkey's is one of them. We look forward to eating here for years to come.

He said: Mulkey's chicken is some of the best I have had in the Quad-Cities. It was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The hot roast beef sandwich took me back to Bakers Cafe.

She said: The hot roast beef sandwich reminds me of my dad. It was his favorite meal. You get near perfection when you combine the food staples of white bread and gravy with beef and potatoes.

Introducing Missy Dress – Bridalwear For The Modern Romantic

Well hello again my lovelies and I hope that you're having an absolutely fantastic day today. Now, as you might expect from the very name of this beautiful blog, everyone at Love My Dress is, quite simply, head over heels with wedding gowns.

So, when we've got the opportunity to share gorgeous new collections with you, we really couldn't be happier. Today, it's such a joy to say hello to Missy Dress and her collection of gowns that are just perfect for the modern romantic bride. Like so many brilliant wedding designers, Missy Dress was drawn to wedding dress design, excited by the creative opportunities that it gives.

Missy Dress has developed her own signature style over the years – soft and drapey silhouettes with intricate, hand-embellished details are the hallmark of her work. These are silhouettes that wouldn't be out of place in your everyday wardrobe but the beautiful silks, decorated with the most exquisite beadwork and lace detailing, make a Missy Dress wedding dress something very special indeed.

The new 2018 collection is full of clean lines and simple, flattering shapes but what makes it so so special is that up until now, Sienna has only created bespoke gowns for clients so this is her first bridalwear collection and it's simply perfect.

I believe that a bride should feel completely comfortable and herself on her wedding day. So often, a bride will dress out of her comfort zone and is then so focused on this and dealing with the dress itself, that it's find it hard to relax and you then miss out on all those special moments.

I love the fact that Sienna has created a collection that's effortlessly flattering without being overly structured or in any way restricting. The linings of the dresses are made in the same quality silk as that on the outside of the gown so they not only look beautiful; they feel beautiful against your skin. It's a secret luxury that only you can enjoy!

All Missy Dress bridal gowns are made in New Zealand by experts and because each gown is made individually, there's a brilliant amount of control and flexibility. The 2018 collection is available through appointments at Missy Dress studio in New Zealand and you'll try on a base size gown, which is then made to your own measurements.

How to Make Healthy Food Taste Delicious, According to a Celebrity Chef

I'm a firm believer that first and foremost, food needs to be delicious. There is simply nothing very inspiring about a bland bowl of flavorless quinoa. Yeah, perhaps it might be “healthy,” but who really wants to eat it? Where is the joy? Where is the pleasure? As a professional chef, I've watched from a distance as the Internet has exploded with endless recipes for healthy food. And while there are a lot of great ideas and great dishes circulating, I find that the little tricks of the trade that we chefs learn growing up in kitchens are often overlooked. Armed with a little bit of savvy and a well-tuned palate, you can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

1. Season, season, season

One of the most common mistakes home cooks make is not being assertive enough when it comes to seasoning. Often, a little extra salt and pepper or even some lightly chopped herbs will go a long way to bringing out the natural flavors of a dish. Just imagine a roast chicken without salt and pepper. Blech! Now add some coarse sea salt, cracked pepper, crushed thyme and rosemary, lemon zest, maybe even some coriander seeds and sesame seeds. Suddenly, that pedestrian bird has become a flavorful masterpiece.

2. But season as you go, too

You want to add salt in stages to build flavor. Taste your salt to see how salty it is and adjust the amounts you add to your dish accordingly. Keep in mind that teaspoon for teaspoon, finer salts tend to add more saltiness.

3. Start with good salt

I prefer sea salt for its complex and concentrated saltiness and its abundance of minerals. My friends at Jacobsen Salt Co., in Portland, Oregon, harvest all their salt from the pristine waters of the northwestern coastline. I often finish dishes with Jacobsen's flake finishing sea salt and really like Jacobsen's specialty salts, particularly the one infused with ghost chile.

4. Think of the four points of the compass of our palate: salty, sweet, sour, spicy.

Playing spicy off sweet (think: mango and chiles) or sour off salty (think: salt and vinegar chips) can make a dish really feel balanced and craveable. I don't always have these elements in equal parts. Sometimes you want one flavor profile to dominate the others, but having a balance makes for a successful and exciting dish.