Senior Star Opens Kitchen to the Public

When Chef Don Reid is not in the kitchen preparing dishes for residents, he receives special requests, often from residents who long to taste and see their family recipes.

Reid and fellow Chef Tom Mendenhall of Naperville, the the assisted and independent living community’s dining room manager, saw an idea in the making with those recipes.

“It really stopped us both and we said (to ourselves) ‘There’s so much really great food to share that we have to figure out a way to bring everybody into it, including the community,’” said Reid, an Aurora resident.

They came up with the idea to present free monthly cooking demonstrations to residents and the public one Wednesday each month at Senior Star, 605 S. Edward Drive. The first one was held in April, and more are scheduled throughout the year.

“Because we both have a love of food, we’re surrounded by inspiring elderly people who not only have a love of food but who also want to teach others about food.” Reid said.

The focus is to prepare family recipes with a nod to healthy methods. For example, Reid said that a popular menu item such as chicken-fried steak contains 33 grams of fat. Using some fat-cutting tricks, the chefs instead chose to do this recipe with a breaded skinless and boneless chicken breast with a sauce made from skim milk and nonfat cheese.

“It makes it a little more heart-healthy but still has that great, old flavor,” he said. “We’re here to teach people on how to take their good old family favorites, put a little more of a healthy spin on them and, perhaps, learn something new about them.”

The demonstrations concentrate on a particular recipe. Recently, the culinary duo showed several students how to make homemade pasta. By mixing flour, eggs and oil, they created simple balls of dough that were ready to be shaped and cut into pasta.

“It’s amazing to see somebody with a life experience much greater than ours understand something right then in that moment,” Reid said.

At the end, participants taste the food, receive recipes to try in their own kitchens and ask questions. He said people ask them everything from why does someone salt water when it boils or how do you use a meat thermometer.

“Quite frankly, we have a lot of fun (from these demonstrations) and that’s the best part,” he said. “We’re not teaching brain surgery. We’re teaching the fun and love of the kitchen and how to incorporate the fun and the love into the recipes.”

The next scheduled demonstration is at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 20. Future demonstrations will feature cookies, meatloaf and holiday dishes. For more information or reservations, call 815-439-9955.

The chefs shared an orange and cottage cheese crepe recipe with Patch. Mendenhall explained that cottage cheese is “low in fat, high in protein and a good source of calcium and vitamin D.”

Orange and cottage cheese crepe

Crepe:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
•  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese 
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• zest of 1 orange
• mint leaves for garnish
• fresh orange wedges

To make the crepe, combine all ingredients except the butter and vanilla extract then whisk until combined. When all ingredients are incorporated, add in melted butter and vanilla extract. Heat a small nonstick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour one ounce of batter into the center of the pan and spread evenly in the pan. Cook on medium heat and flip after about 30 to 45 seconds. Cook on the other side for the same time.

For the filling, stir in all ingredients not including the mint leaves. Add 1/3 cup of mixture into the center of the crepe and roll. Top with a fresh orange wedge and mint leaf and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.