Sizzling Summer Salads

Now that summer is officially here and school is out more families will be barbecuing and looking for something quick and easy to accompany their backyard gatherings. I would suggest that you call and order any of our 50 deli salads that I still make for all of my favorite customers! We are still preparing the same salads I have made for the last twenty-eight years that you have all grown to love. Our cool and refreshing salads are homemade here by Real People in Elyse's Catering kitchen. Our prep cooks use the freshest ingredients to prepare all of our salads from scratch for you, our customers. We are still boiling and peeling the potatoes, chopping the fresh vegetables and making our own salad dressings to give you the best product we can for the best value.

You can usually count on us daily to have our famous Chinese Noodle Salad, Fresh Fruit Salad, Dijon Potato, Tarragon Chicken Salad, Albacore Tuna Salads along with our BLT Pasta Salad for you to pick up. If you would like to order any of our other homemade salads, please check out our salad list (with prices) on my web page at http://www.elysescatering.com/ We are just a phone call away at 943-5555 to help you out so you have more time to spend at your kids soccer and baseball games, or in your garden, mowing the grass, reading a good book on your deck or just plain kicking back as we know you are too busy to cook. We are here to save your day! You can also email us at elyseh@elysescatering.com I ask that you order any of the other salads with a minimum of a 5 pound order, which could easily feed 10 guests with big appetites or 15 guests with small appetites.

If you have a sweet tooth, Elyse's still has your favorite Chocolate-Chocolate Brownies on hand in many flavors, as well as cookie platters that will make you a STAR at any summer party whether it be in your own back yard, neighbors or your company picnic. We will be open on July 4th to assist you with your catering needs!

The Salt of Life

In May of 2007 my husband Stephen and I went to Europe for a six week vacation. One of the most interesting sites we visited were the salt mines outside of Salzburg, Austria, at Berchtesgaden, that opened in 1517. One might find it hard to believe that the Salt mines are an actual tourist attraction where friends, families and tourists vacation and can easily spend an entire day touring such a vast facility.

Touring the salt mines was an amazing experience, as we actually were given the same black and white overalls to wear that the miners wore when they were mining salt for our tour.

The tour started on a train ride that lead us through tunnels into the depths of the earth below, where we actually slid down to the bottom of the mine on polished wooden slides. We laughed as we tumbled further underground only to find a body of water where the mining took place.

At one time, salt was known as 'white gold" and many wars were fought and won over the value of salt. Today we all take salt for granted. A large container of Morton's Iodized Salt can be purchased for under a dollar and can probably last most families a year or more.

Lately I have noticed more and more concern as consumer awareness is heightened over the salt content in our food. More consumers read packaging labels on products purchased in our grocery stores, whether it is a pre-packaged frozen item, shelf stable, refrigerated or canned item. I commend all consumers for reading the labels; it is about time we look to see what we are eating before we actually consume it. According to a recent article that appeared in the May 2009 edition of the Washington Restaurant Association's Front Burner Magazine, health officials claim that "sodium levels in food items have risen exponentially since the 1970's." How can we combat this? I believe this can be done quite simply - by learning to cook your own food at home. The easiest way to control the amount of salt that is in your diet is by controlling it yourself. Did you know that there are many different salts that are available for us to use?

Table Salt: Is white in color and is mined from the earth. Crystals are highly refined to remove trace minerals. Iodine is added along with other anti caking chemicals. Salt, like vanilla is bitter and looks better than it actually tastes.

Kosher Salt: Is a coarse grained salt that has been certified by a rabbi and is unrefined. Kosher salt is ideal for curing meats as its crystals or larger grains help to extract the blood from the meat as the blood can not be consumed in a Jewish diet. Kosher salt is great to use when grilling or roasting meats, seafood it is perfect for dusting the rim of a margartiais glass. Kosher salt is not recommended for baking. If a recipe calls for one teaspoon of salt, that equals 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

Natural Sea Salt: Natural sea salt is off white in color, free of iodine, irregular in shape, clumps easily and does not contain any additives. Natural sea salt retains natural trace minerals. Many people believe that sea salt is more flavorful than table salt and improves the taste of ones food better than table salt.

Himalayan Crystal Salt: Was once reserved for royalty! Who would have known... Himalayan salt is mined by hand from the Himalayan Mountains and contains no impurities. It is alive with nutrients and promotes a healthy balance of electrolytes maintaining your bodies' natural fluids.

Celtic Sea Salt: Is unprocessed whole salt that is harvested by farmers in southern France that comes from the clay found in the salt beds. Salt crystals are gray in color and add a sweet, mellow aspect that will complement any food. Celtic Sea salt adds additional flavor to your food and many people believe that Celtic Sea salt has an added digested benefit to it that can improve ones health.

Redmond Salt: Also know as Real salt, Redmond salt is harvested a few hundred miles from Salt Lake City, Utah and is brought to us in a pure natural state. Redmond salt is free of additives and is never heated. It is pink in color and contains 50 trace minerals including natural iodine. It is well known for its use in detoxifying one's body.

Organic Sea Salt Is a plant and cannot be organically grown. Certified Organic sea salt must have the Nature and Proges Certification and is only harvested and processed salt following Organic methods and standards of France. Organic salt is unrefined and natural and is gathered from ponds in a nature reserve that are free of chemicals, pesticides, air pollutants industry fumes. The only accepted method of drying salt is by the wind and the air. Organic salt is packaged in big bags of poly propylene. Organic sea salt may be ground but the grinding methods can not alter the salt's quality.

Who would have imagined that there are so many variations of salt to choose from? Or that centuries ago salt was once traded for food and grain. Today we know that adding salt to fresh vegetables, fruits, soups, sauces, meats, fish and poultry will enhance it's flavor. But are we all aware of the benefits that salt has to offer us?
At home I have recently switched to using Celtic Sea Salt over table salt to cook with as I am concerned over my husband's high blood pressure and found that when I prepare meats, sauces, stews, and soups with the sea salt we use less of it then the traditional table salt. The flavor is definitely superior. Let me know what you find out once you have tried sea salt, natural salt or Kosher salt over everyday table salt.

Today, we are working on launching our new Party Packages for your Employees, Clients, Friends and Families. Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13, 2009, we will officially launch our party packages at Thurston County Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Forum at St. Martin's Pavilion in Lacey, Washington. Kim will be welcoming chamber members with a variety of homemade cookies and cupcakes to kick off our party packages. Our packages are designed to take a no-hassle approach to celebrating life's special occasions. Our packages are easy to order, economical and fun! My staff has packaged everything you will need for your celebration and it can be delivered directly to your residence, hotel room, office or party venue. Party Packages range in price from $5.75 - $6.50 per person plus gratuity and delivery. All party packages include decorated cakes with candles, vanilla ice cream cups, themed balloon bouquet, and disposable serviceware. All you need to do is pick up the phone and call us at 360.943.5555 to place your order. Live Life, Love Food!

Welcome to my blog

My friend Katrin who designed our web site, talked me into starting and creating a blog. So here I go! Kim our operations manager says that people are interested in food and will want to read about what we do at Elyse's Catering on a regular basis. I believe that cooking is a lost art and it can bring friends, families and communities together. As a young girl I learned to cook out of survival when my mother went to care for my grandmother. I was the only girl in the family of six children and my father would prepare Lipton Chicken Noodle soup with spinach and beaten eggs to serve with our fried Bologna sandwiches. We all grew tired of this very quickly. So I learned to start cooking at the early age of nine. The first meal I ever created for us all was a roasted turkey dinner. My brothers and my father thought it was spectacular and so I was encouraged to go on. I later remember making my first apple pie with my father again when my mom was in Florida caring for my grandmother. I had fun searching for recipes and was inspired to try them out on my brothers. Today I still enjoy looking for new recipes and now I try them out on the my customers. I hope to share and explore my passion for food with you as I cater my way into your homes and offices. Check back soon for my next post.