Has this face been nice?

Dear Santa,

“You see us when we are sleeping, and know when we’re awake. /We know we better be good, but some shortcuts we just had to take.”

The Food Adventures Crew admits it. We made the naughty list. Today we come clean about our secret shortcuts we use from time to time while in our kitchens.

THE BIG RAGU HAS BEEN NAUGHTY:
The Big Ragu has a secret. It is a blemish on his Food Adventure career… Yes it is true, sometimes he fakes it. Sometimes, when in a pinch and he needs some marinara sauce, he turns to a locally jarred sauce. It is one of the only ones

The Big Ragu gets help on occasion

he trusts. Mamma DiSalvo’s Marinara Sauce has saved him in many a tight spots. From parties, to last minute luncheons, it has saved him from Manicotti to Mostaccioli. When faced with hours and hours of cooking down a home made spaghetti sauce, sometimes he gets a little help from Mamma! The sauce is the closest thing to The Big Ragu’s family recipe that he has tasted in a jar. Ahh and the stress it saves. Seriously, Foodies out there, this is the best jarred sauce in the WORLD. Honorable mention to 2 other sauces: Schiavione’s and Zappia’s, both made locally! I’m sorry Santa, shhhhhh no one knows!

HUNGRY JAX HAS BEEN NAUGHTY:
Jax has a secret. Yes, this impeccable home cook has a naughty short cut. Not even her Elf on a Shelf knows about this one. Her bad Food Adventure act? Sometimes she uses American cheese in my mac and cheese. To top it off, she uses

Jax Mac n Cheese

the Boar’s Head Sharp American Cheese instead of Kraft. (This is actually a great tip for you cooks out there who love a rich Mac n Cheese. Hint #2 add maple sausage crumbles into your mac n cheese.) Ahem .. Dear Santa, I am sorry I have been bad, and if you think I deserve coal in my stocking, I will use it for summer cookouts.

Adopt puppies like me through Miami Valley Pit Crew

CHEF HOUSE HAS BEEN NICE:
Dear Santa, I have been nice. I would never do anything like those culinary shortcuts, as you know. If you need a wooden spoon to spank the other two, you can borrow one of mine. Now to reiterate my Christmas list, let’s go over it again shall we Santa? To start with, I want a HUGE de-stemming machine, something that can really breakdown the peppers for my sauces. Also, an endless supply of empty glass bottles would be nice. And a cleaver, remember? A BIG cleaver. One last thing… how about one more little sweet puppy from the Miami Valley Pit Crew, who rescues local dogs? (Miami Valley Pit Crew is a great organization that has helped place dozens of dogs into loving homes. Locally owned, it is a great Dayton area charity to support this holiday season). That’s all, Santa. (Here is a tip though… the frozen gnocchi at Trader Joe’s is a great product if you don’t have time to make your gnocchi from scratch).

Have you been naughty or nice this year? Do you have any shortcut culinary confessions you want to share below?

Please comment and tell us about your naughty Food Adventures!

From all of us at Food Adventures, we with you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very prosperous New Year.