Laura in Tuscon would like some suggestions on preparing chicken and beef kabobs for forty people, and then transporting the kabobs to an event location nearby. Here are a few tips:

Soak the sticks in hot water for a couple of hours, then drain them, then freeze them in a ziplock bag or wrap them in plastic wrap. While the sticks are soaking and freezing, let the meat marinate. Then put the marinated meat on the frozen sticks, and if you are going to barbecue them on site, lay them all out on sheetpans, cover them with a layer of plastic wrap, and then lay out another layer of kabobs. Cover with plastic wrap again, and refrigerate them, don’t freeze them. If you are going to cook them before you transport them, then repeat the above procedure with the cooked kabobs, using aluminum foil rather than plastic wrap. Either way, make sure to get a good seal to protect the food en route. As a general rule, keep the prepared food hot, at 140 F or above, and uncooked food cold, at 40 F or lower, for safety.

Mary in Plymouth, like so many of us these days, wants to make a classic hearty dinner recipe healthier. She’s off to a great start, with her “goat cheese” made from yogurt, and almond milk. Go ahead - use those items in your creamed spinach recipe. Try using extra virgin olive oil, fresh crushed garlic, and a dash of fresh ground nutmeg. You might try fat-free cream cheese, unless you are trying to eliminate dairy items all-together, in which case, several of the egg-substitute products out today are very good.

As for a substitute for the sour cream, try food processing some cottage cheese and adding a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, or skim milk with a dash of vinegar.

Use a whole grain pasta, with no less than 4 g of fiber per serving. Barilla Plus or Ronzoni Healthy Harvest are good brands.

Gloria writes: “I have a whole salmon. I have never prepared salmon. I don’t know how to prepare it. Please help me.”

You’re in for a treat! I would grill it. Salmon is one of the best grilling fish around because it’s sturdy enough to stand up to the grill, is enhanced by wood flavors, and is oily enough to not dry out.

Here’s my favorite preparation.

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Linda’s son is throwing a surprise 30th birthday party for his wife and planning to serve smoked brisket and roasted pork loin. Linda says he’s looking for side-dish suggestions and tricks to prevent the brisket from turning into shoe leather.

Taking on the toughest problem first, how do you keep the brisket from drying out? The key is low and slow. The brisket should be cooked at about 225 degrees for at least 8 and as long as 10 hours. Hotter and faster will make the meat draw up as the proteins denature and that will squeeze out the juices. A couple of other tricks help. First, I would smoke the briskets for about four hours, then wrap them in a couple of layers heavy aluminum foil to keep them from drying out. The final 4 to 6 hours (depending on the size of the roast) of cooking can take place in an oven set to 225. Second, cook the briskets with the fat side up and don’t trim any fat off prior to cooking. Third, add a source of moisture to cooking area, the barrel-style smokers come with pans for liquid, if you’re using a different kind of smoker add a cheap aluminum pan filled with water.

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At least two generations of the Kerns family have been baking basically one thing….chocolate but pie. Needless to say, they have it down. They make a wonderful pie that has a perfect ratio of crust to filling and no bourbon. At the small pie factory two workers spend some of their week sitting at a small table sorting through the walnuts for bits of shell – they always find some. You can order their pies from www.derbypie.com. Nevertheless, scores of chocolate chip pie recipes circulate around Louisville with various names, including Horse Race Pie, Triple Crown Pie – you get the picture. Chef Sara’s version has bourbon and maple syrup and sells them to Brown Forman Corporation’s (maker’s of Jack Daniels, etc.) corporate dining room.

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 Dinner Party Tips [2:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sally in Torrance needs some help preparing a prime rib dinner for 14 people including dish ideas. For this large dinner party, you’ll want a prime rib roast with 5 ribs, weighing approximately 11-13 pounds. Your roasting time will be approximately 2 1/2 hours.

Following is a suggested Spring Prime Rib Dinner Menu and a podcast with step-by-step instructions on preparing prime rib roast. Please know that our chef team is standing by ready to assist you with a final menu, recipes, cooking tips, wine selection, and advice on how to prepare dishes in advance so you can really enjoy the experience of being hostess!

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Who invented this sandwich? Well, Chef Sara knows at least two unrelated Louisville cooks who claim familial lineage to the original chef. Fact is, the Hot Brown is one of those dishes that has benefited from the creative touches of many folks. According to John Mariani, Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, the Hot Brown is a sandwich of chicken, bacon, or ham with a cheese sauce, created at Louisville’s Brown Hotel in the late 1920. Louisville food writer, Sara Fritschner believes the first Hot Brown was coined well before this time. The Brown, normally sliced turkey on toast, is covered with a cream sauce that has been augmented with a “healthy” dose of sharp cheddar cheese then all is topped with bacon and sometimes tomatoes. Chef Sara Gibbs’s version of the Hot Brown is a quesadilla, which puts this rich dish into its proper proportion and makes preparing this satisfying appetizer easy for the party hostess.

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Lisa in Oley wants to roast a small beef bottom round roast medium rare. Please go here for help from chefs Kevin and Erika on this very common cooking concern.

Have you watched it yet? Five minutes of pure joy for the ChefsLine team and an exhilarating presentation of a typical last-minute meal cooked live with a ChefsLine chef. If you haven’t yet called ChefsLine from your kitchen and when you’re hungry - let Tracy Smith and Chef Jackie Lee inspire you. As you’ll see in the video on our home page, Chef Jackie Lee walked CBS national correspondant, Tracy Smith, step-by step through the process of preparing a dinner on the fly. Tracy’s results? Lots of laughs, some new cooking tricks, and a one-of-a-kind meal prepared in less than 40 minutes. Thanks CBS, kudos to Tracy for cooking while learning under the spotlight, and we hope you enjoy the show. We look forward to cooking with you soon. ~ Jenn

Kentucky Derby Cooking Class

Schedule an appointment with Louisville chef Sara Gibbs and learn to prepare her favorite Derby dishes while getting an insider’s perspective on the exciting traditions of the Derby season.
To sign-up, please visit our cooking class page

Grilling with Rodney
During your half-hour cooking class, learn professional cooking tips including wet versus dry marinades, proper grilling temperatures for different types of foods, how to test for doneness, and when to glaze. Review two of Chef Rodney’s most exciting grilled dishes: Grilled Asparagus with Sherry Hazelnut Marinade, Charmoula Grilled Chicken Breast, Grilled Salmon with Ajili Mojili, Lemon-Cumin Lamb Kabobs, and Marinated Goat Cheese with Herb Grilled Flatbread. Your class includes live consultation, recipes and a shopping list, and the opportunity to master your grill with the support of a great chef and culinary instructor.
To sign-up for this class, please visit our cooking class page