At Mendocino Farms, our house-made iced teas are a big seller. We love ‘em and our customers do too.  For a minute, we thought they couldn’t get any better, but thanks to our new vendor, they did!

We are happy to announce that this spring we have introduced new tea blends from our wonderful friends at Sugarbird Sweets and Teas, the Los Angeles based producer of artisan teas and sweets.   Kei Okumura, the owner and head creator of Sugarbird, is truly a tea artist, and all of her teas are organic and made from the highest quality ingredients, which are qualities we value so much at Mendo. Each variety is so thoughtfully crafted and unique; they really can’t be beat.

Working with Sugarbird has also made us feel extra special – aww – because Kei has been busy custom blending our very own Mendo-fied varieties, just for us.  We now have three types of organic ice teas for us to make iced brews from, and they are all becoming huge hits..  So far in our rotation, we have offered Verbena Green, a unique blend of green tea, citrus peels, lemongrass, and matcha; Black Tropical, a classic black tropical tea with passionfruit and cherry notes; and Rooibos Red, an organic caffeine free rooibos tea with hibiscus, rosehip, and calendula flower  Stop by, try a sample and see for yourself. We guarantee you’ll want the whole glass.

Outside of our locations, Sugarbird Sweets teas can be found online at SugarbirdSweets.com and at the Farmers Markets (Larchmont on Sundays, South Pasadena on Thursdays). The exclusive line include the likes of Zoe (did we mention that they all have such cute names too!?), a green tea with peppermint, cacao nibs and vanilla; Fiona, a red rooibos with hibiscus, rosehips and raspberry; and Karina, an earl gray with vanilla, plus many more.  And, like the name Sugarbird Sweets suggests, our friends also make extraordinary pastries and fancy marshmallows.  We highly recommended ALL of them.  Kei knows her confections!!

What you’ll need

During your weekend shopping purchase a pre-made pizza dough – varieties at Trader Joe’s make for a good crust.

1 Lb. Monterey Jack Cheese or Mozzarella  - I prefer to shred the cheese myself as it tastes fresher and is more gooey when you melt it

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce of spaghetti sauce

4 oz. of thinly sliced prosciutto

Fresh arugula

How To

Bring the dough to room temperature – take out or fridge at let sit on floured surface for about 10 minutes

Set your oven rack to the bottom most setting and preheat oven to 450°

Take out a sheet pan and dust with polenta or corn meal (don’t worry – you can substitute flour)

Dust the dough with flour – stretch, don’t knead the dough, to fit your sheet pan

Gently brush the dough with olive oil

Spread out about 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce on the dough

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once about halfway through, until dough is golden and crispy, and cheese is bubbly

Remove from oven and quickly layer thin prosciutto over pizza

Finish with a sprinkling of fresh arugula

Cut and serve with your favorite salad

Enjoy!

People often ask me how I manage feeding my family every night while juggling a very demanding chef’s job.  Although at times it can be quite hectic, with a little planning, it is possible to have dinner on the table in no time.  The key is to go to do all the grocery shopping and major prep duties during the weekend so that you are set up to make dinner quickly during the week.

This week, for example, we are having chicken.  I bought some already cooked rotisserie chicken and fabricated them out into pieces.  I then took the carcass, covered it in cold water and simmered it for 3-4 hours to create a simple chicken stock.

The first night we had rotisserie chicken for dinner, served with some roasted potatoes and a simple pasta.

The second night I chopped some vegetables I had in my refrigerator, like carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, and cabbage and threw it into the pot with the chicken stock I made the night before.  I enhanced the flavor of the chicken stock by adding some chimicchurri, which is a simple blend of garlic, parsley, cilantro and lemon zest, immediately before serving.

On the third night, I shredded some of the left over dark meat of the chicken and mixed it with some barbecue sauce.  I made a quick coleslaw with shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, some picked herbs like cilantro or parsley, and a Dijon vinaigrette.  I served it open faced on a piece of naan that I warmed up in the toaster with some cheese.

On my final night I shredded the remaining chicken meat and tossed it in some citrus vinaigrette.  I then added some arugula, greens, julienned apples, and kohlrabi and made a simple but healthy salad for dinner.

It’s all really basic cooking, but even for a busy chef, it’s more a matter of getting healthy, nutritious, and delicious food on the table as quickly as possible to feed a hungry family.