Are you Eggsperienced?

Last month I hosted the first Chef Egg/ Cooking with Egg Live Experience at Pyramid Atlantic Art Studios in Silver Spring MD.

I invited local guest, artists and bloggers to this event so they could get a good feel for who I am and what I am all about.

We had some beverages and my friend DJ Dan aka Capt. Stubing, spun some really groovy tunes. It was like I had my own cooking soundtrack.

The art gallery had a great creative energy that was perfect for my stage show.

The group learned how to make one of my signature dishes, Ginger Chicken w/ Pineapple Salsa and we served that with Coconut Rice and Beans.

We learned some great techniques about steaming and flavoring rice, how to brown and sear meats the right way and most importantly, how to use our knives safely to cut fruits and vegetables.

The group asked really good questions during the show and they really got into it. They had a blast when I busted out the bear claw, ROAR!

Towards the end of the show we learned about my history, and what lead me to create my show, Cooking with Egg TV and website www.cookingwithegg.com.

The night ended with everyone sampling the food and asking questions. The group was very supportive and I got a lot of great feedback, tweets and re-tweets.

I want to thank Jose Dominguez at Pyramid Atlantic, DJ Dan, Ryan for bartending, Joe Foley Photography, Ben Gross and finally all of the people who showed to support me.

I plan on doing more evens like this in my hometown of Baltimore. My goal is to get the younger generation excited about incorporating a healthier lifestyle through cooking.

Now Get Crackin'! Chef Egg

Ginger Chicken Serves 4

1lb Chicken Thighs, Boneless, Skinless Salt and Pepper

2T Garlic Cloves, Chopped

1T Jalapeno, Chopped

1T Ginger, Chopped

1T Vegetable Oil

4 oz Ginger Beer

Marinate the chicken in the first 5 ingredients for 2 hours. Pre heat a skillet over medium heat, when the pan is hot, place the chicken in the pan in a single layer. Let the chicken brown on one side, about 5 minutes. When the meat is halfway cooked, flip the chicken and brown on the other side. Deglaze the pan with the ginger beer to create a glaze for the chicken. Serve hot with coconut rice and fresh fruit salsa.

Coconut Rice and Beans

1.5 C Rice

3 C Water

12 oz Black Beans, Rinsed

4T Dried Coconut, Toasted

¼ C Sliced Almonds

Pre heat a medium pot over high heat. Boil the water, add the rice and beans, stir, drop the heat and cover. Cook for 20 minutes and check for doneness. When the rice has cooked through, turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and garnish with coconut and almonds.

Fresh Fruit Salsa

½ Pineapple, Diced

½ Red Onion, Diced

1 Bell Pepper, Diced

1 Cilantro Bunch, Chopped

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until service