Thyme Well Spent - Personal Chef Service, LLC

02/07/2025

Know What You’re Buying! Support local farms. Choose fresh, high-quality beef. Know what you’re eating!

This image compares store-bought beef (right) vs. farm-raised beef (left)—and the differences go beyond just appearance.

1. Color & Additives
Notice the color contrast? Store-bought beef is often treated with additives and preservatives, like propyl gallate, to slow spoilage and maintain its red appearance after prolonged air exposure.

2. Origin & Composition
With store-bought beef, you don’t always know where it came from—or how many cows are in it.
Even with a USDA label, as long as the meat was packaged in the U.S., it can legally be called “Product of the USA”, even if it originated in Argentina, Canada, or Brazil.
Plus, the meat on the right isn’t from a single cow—it’s often a mix of scraps from multiple animals.

3. Freshness & Quality
On the left, farm-raised beef is fresher, darker, and more nutrient-rich. It has better flavor and quality because it’s from one cow, not a blend of low-quality scraps.

Source: The Chef Circle

02/02/2025

6 more weeks of winter! I couldn’t resist. 😉

Got a woodchuck in your garden? Trap him and make Chef Alan Bergo's woodchuck stew. They have a delicious sweet meat similar to rabbit.

02/01/2025

I was craving French fries earlier so I made this “oven fried” version.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cut 1-2 Russet potatoes lengthwise and into thick strips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment parchment paper and drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on parchment paper.
Place cut potatoes on baking sheet and sprinkle seasoning salt over potatoes.
Bake for 45 minutes, turning potatoes once after 20 minutes.

01/31/2025

Some have said this is the best Chocolate Chess Pie they’ve ever had. It’s easy to make, decadent, and makes the perfect Valentines gift for yourself, a friend, or significant other. ♥️

A few on-hand ingredients pack a flavorful punch. Amid newer, flashier desserts, this classic “pantry pie” holds its own.

01/24/2025

When’s the last time you had pancakes for supper? 🫐 🥞 🫐

The addition of nutty buckwheat gives these blueberry buckwheat pancakes a sophisticated spin, making them perfect for a grown-up brunch.

01/21/2025

A friend recently shared a photo of her Matzo Ball Soup from Katz Deli in NYC. I’ve been craving it ever since! If you’ve made this soup, any tips or pointers?

This matzo ball soup is chicken and vegetables simmered with matzo balls in a savory broth with fresh herbs. A classic holiday recipe!

01/19/2025

If you have chicken stock, raw vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, turnips, sweet potato, etc.), canned beans, and some seasonings you can make a great pot of No Recipe Bean Soup!

I added link sausage from Smith's Red & White (worth the drive to Dortches, NC), Italian herbs, S/P, and tomato concentrate (in a tube).
Just add cornbread. 😉

01/17/2025

Thanks to Fred Pfohl, owner of Fred’s General Mercantile at Beech Mountain for sharing his wife’s chili recipe with me. This would be a great recipe to make over the weekend! 🌬️❄️

Loaded with beef and beans, this hearty chili from Fred’s General Mercantile in Beech Mountain has been warming bellies for decades.

01/14/2025

September 2023. This was the last time I saw Nathalie Dupree (first photo). We were at a Les Dames NC chapter meeting in Pittsboro, NC.

I grew up watching her on PBS with my mom where she planted Southern culinary seeds of wisdom and curiosity in me. I never dreamed those seeds would be rooted in me professionally years later.

In 2018, I finally met Nathalie in, of all places, NYC. We had checked out of our hotel following an IACP conference. Always gracious and generous with her time, she sent a group text to attendees to say she had a late flight and would be spending time in the lobby if anyone wanted to visit. I couldn’t get to the lobby fast enough. As I rode the elevator down with a dear friend and travel buddy, I broke down in tears saying, “I wish my mom was here.”

I was very transparent about being star struck and in minutes, I felt like I was meeting an old friend. Even at 79, Nathalie’s smile was as bright as I’d remembered from her younger television days. We talked about Southern recipes, living in Charleston, and the politics of the “Me Too” movement. She chuckled when I told her my mom was jealous of her “good hair”. I’ll always cherish that conversation.

“The one who plants trees knowing that he or she will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” - Unknown

Her obituary is in comments.

01/09/2025

Move over chili and a pot of soup! Here’s a recipe that will stick to your ribs for the upcoming winter weather!

These beef short ribs practically fall off the bone.

01/03/2025

This is one of many stories from friends post Helene. Join me in continuing to help our WNC communities!

Week 1: Reopening into the New Year - https://mailchi.mp/7ed4155e5361/week-one-17004788-18160871

01/02/2025

Happy New Year! By now you’ve had your New Year meal. Share a photo of what you cooked today! I’m not a fan of black-eyed peas so I substituted field peas with snap beans. The organic collard greens from Sunset Market Gardens and the cornbread were tied for 1st place!

12/30/2024

Rumor has it, winter is coming. 🥶
Today I roasted fresh blue oyster mushrooms and made the BEST Cream of Mushroom soup (with sherry). 🍄‍🟫 6 quarts - in the freezer!

12/30/2024

We ended 2024 with a 3-day Irish catering family celebration - all went smashing well! 🍀

2025 is going to be AMAZING, both personally and professionally! Here’s a preview:

* New Year’s Day catering
* Put away Christmas decor, or not.
* Bi-weekly client meals
* Indian cooking class with Preeti Waas
* Billy Strings concert in Asheville
* Monthly cooking demos at Wesley Long Cancer Center
* Monthly cooking demos at Alamance Cancer Center
* Lynn’s Taste of Italy tour June 8-16, 2025; Bologna, Florence, Sienna, Cortona, Tuscany and more!
If interested, go to dolcevitaadventures.com
* Monthly recipe development, writing, and NEW video production with Our State Magazine, my 10th year!
* Cooking for and assisting the folks in Western North Carolina, ongoing.
* The March release of Vietri’s 2nd cookbook, “Italy in a Glass - Cocktails & Appetizers”; I worked as on-site chef for the recipes May 2024 and Mark Weddle was beverage consultant. Stacey Van Berkel worked her magic behind the camera and Susan Johnson Smith styled each shot to perfection!
* More nature walks and time in the woods, swing on a swing set at the park, take up Paint by Number, more time by the fire pit, and more late night dances in the living room.
* Celebrate Henry’s 18th birthday and spend more time with family and friends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 🎆

12/15/2024

My mom used to make these when I was growing up. The cream cheese makes for a softer crust and who can resist pecans?

It’s hard to eat just one — these bite-size pecan pies practically melt in your mouth.

12/14/2024

You’re welcome! 🎁

12/14/2024

Growing up, we’d often have hot dogs for lunch on Saturdays. Ball Park hot dogs with yellow mustard, chili, mom’s homemade slaw, and chopped onions on a steamed bun. It was a given for each of us to have two hot dogs with Lays potato chips. I didn’t know anyone who just ate one hot dog.

As an adult, a good hot dog is still one of my favorite meals. Kosher with a snap on a toasted bun with good mustard and sauerkraut. My other favorite hot dog toppings are yellow mustard, Greek style hot dog chili, and good homemade slaw, steam bun optional.