With the tempatures outside dropping, this festive soup & chicken dish may just hit the spot & turn a few heads along the way.

 Roasted Butternut Squash Soup * Goat Cheese-Cranberry Dumplings

 Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Tomato Jam

Spinach Gala Apple Salad

 3 Tbl Olive Oil

1 Ea Butternut Squash

1 Tbl Butter

2 Tea Cinnamon

1 Tbl Brown Sugar

½ Tea Ground Ginger

1 Tea Lemon Pepper

½ Tea Allspice
2 small onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Ea Small Diced Carrot

1 Ea Small Dice Celery Rib
3 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups apple cider or juice
Kosher salt

Cracked White Pepper

2 Cups Heavy Cream

Wash and cut squash in ½, remove seeds. Season with small butter, salt, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, lemon pepper, allspice & roast in pre-heated 325 degree oven until tender and skin can be peeled off with ease. This may take 30-45 minutes

Once cool enough to handle, peel & rough chop.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the squash, Stock, and cider and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup until smooth, stir in heavy cream & adjust seasoning.

Soup can be make 2 days on advance & reheated. 

Goat Cheese-Cranberry Dumplings

4 oz Goat Cheese

1 Pkg Won Ton Skins or Egg Roll Wrappers

2 Tbl. Chifonade Basil

1 oz Chopped Reconstituted Dried Cranberries

1 oz Panko Bread Crumbs

Pastry Brush

Water for Pastry Brush

 In bowl combine cheese, basil, cranberries, bread crumbs, salt & pepper.  Lay won ton skins out on clean work surface.

Place small amount of filling in center of won.

Brush edges on won ton with water &

 Fold over corners & press to seal.

Fold corners over again, to resemble a look of a won -ton

Freeze dumplings until ready to serve.

 Once frozen- you can deep fry in small amount of oil at 350 degrees or poach your dumpling in slightly salted boiling water until soft. 2-3 Minutes.

 Ladel soup into pre-heated soup cups or soup plates

Place dumplings on top of hot soup, garnish with toasted squash seeds, and little minced chives

Applewood Bacon Wrapped Chicken * Tomato Jam

Warm Spinach Salad

4- 5-6 oz Chicken Breast- No Skin

Cracked Black Pepper

Salt

2 Tbl. Chopped Parsley

2 Tea. Chopped Rosemary

4 Strips Bacon

2 Ea. Oven Roasted Red Pepper, divided into 4 even pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrease

Trim chicken breast of any excess fat, season with salt pepper, parsley & rosemary.

Place 2 breast together with roasted red pepper in between. Wrap bacon around chicken breast; overlap the bacon when going around chicken.

Heat sauté pan, when pan starts to smoke place bacon wrapped chicken in hot pan, once bacon has a light brown color, flip & sear other side. And place in 325 degree oven

Place in oven & cook for about 20- 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. (Meat probe reads 160 degrease)

Tossed Spoon Spinach with Frisse & Gala Apples

Winter Cider Dressing

4 oz    Spinach- Washed & Dried

1 oz    Frisse Lettuce- Washed & Dried

1 Ea    Slice Gala Apple- ½ Moon

½ Cup Toasted Walnuts

Cider Dressing

2 Cup apple cider – Reduced to 4 oz
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
½ tablespoon minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cracked black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider, vinegar, shallots and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly until it emulsifies.  Add the, salt, and pepper, and adjust the seasoning, to taste.  Reserve dressing until ready to toss greens.

                             Tomato Red Pepper- Jam

 12 oz               Can Dice Tomatoes- Drained & Save Juice

1 Ea.                Medium Dice Red Pepper

2 Table.          Olive Oil

¼ of a Medium Spanish Onion- Small Dice

1 Table.        Peeled * minced chopped Ginger Root

1 Tbl.         Chopped Garlic

2 Table.       Sugar

2 Tbl.         Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbl.       Rough Chopped Cilantro

 In medium size pre-heated pan, add olive oil

Add ginger & garlic and sweat for 1-2 minutes

Add onions & continue to cook till soft

Add tomatoes- red peppers & stir to mix well

Cook over medium heat until most of juices have evaporated

Add, reserved tomato juice, vinegar, sugar and cook to incorporate.

Reduce until jam has taken on a marmalade / jelly look to it.

Adjust seasoning and stir in cilantro….Set aside

Jam can be made 2 or 3 days in advance, and brought to room temperature before service

 Time to Assemble

 Toss salad in dressing & arrange on plate

Slice bacon wrapped chicken & fan chicken over greens

Place 3 small spoons of tomato pepper jam on plate.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley

Have a safe holiday.

 Enjoy!!!!

 Chris P. Olson

Executive Chef, Indian Wells Golf Resort

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Visit http://au.sys-con.com/node/1141364 for complete article and list of hotels.

Indian Wells, California Resorts to make list:  Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas, and Spa, Miramonte Resort & Spa and Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa

LOS ANGELES, CA — (Marketwire) — 10/13/09 — Sixty-six Southern California hotels and 32 restaurants have earned the 2010 AAA Four Diamond Award, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today. Six locations appear for the first time on the 2010 list, including the SLS Hotel and the Montage in Beverly Hills; two in Rancho Mirage; one in Pismo Beach and one in San Diego County.

The coveted rating plaque featuring a design of four raised simulated diamonds and the AAA Four Diamond Award logo are presented to hotel and restaurant general managers and executive chefs to recognize the award-winning properties, which rank among the top 3.4 percent of more than 2,600 Southern California hotels, motels, and restaurants inspected by the Auto Club, the nation’s largest AAA affiliate.

“North America’s AAA Diamond Rating System is a long-time trusted method of rating lodgings and dining establishments, especially during what has been a difficult economic year for the hospitality industry and also for travelers,” said the Auto Club’s Approved Accommodations Supervisor Patricia Marenco. “Southern California’s hotels and restaurants that earn the AAA Four Diamond award maintain a very high standard of service in their hotels and restaurants in order to continue pleasing their guests.”

AAA’s Diamond rating program is the only hotel and restaurant review system in the nation that uses specially trained full-time field representatives. As part of AAA’s national network, the Auto Club’s own staff reviews establishments in Southern California without prior notification using objective and detailed rating procedures.

Lodging inspections include at least one unannounced inspection each year. Inspectors review and rate exterior, grounds and public areas, room décor, ambiance and amenities, guest room, bathrooms, housekeeping and maintenance, management and staff and guest services. Once the inspection process is complete, properties that meet all requirements receive a rating of one to five Diamonds.

AAA approves and rates more than 31,000 lodgings and 27,000 restaurants each year throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. A wide range of property listings are included in regional TourBook® guides, with a yearly distribution of nearly 20 million, and on AAA.com, where many travel planning and information services — including the well-known TripTik® Travel Planner, TourBook® listings and Diamond Ratings — are now available to non-members as well. The AAA Four Diamond rating is exclusive in that less than 4% of all AAA approved properties achieve this rating.

The 2010 AAA Five Diamond Award lodging and restaurant recipients will be announced in November.

“Season” as we affectionately call it here in the Coachella Valley has arrived.  Season brings beautiful weather to our area which in turn brings our winter residents back to their homes and fills our resorts with guests.  It is a great time to be living in the desert.

 At Indian Wells Golf Resort we are fortunate to offer 36-holes of golf for approximately ten months of the year.  During the months of October and November we continue to have 18-holes available during the overseeding process where 18-hole facilities will be required to close the course entirely.  This means that our facility becomes extremely busy with guests of all skill levels and backgrounds including country club members, resort guests, local residents, etc. 

Due to this busy time of year “Pace-of-Play” becomes an important challenge to ensure an exceptional experience for all or our guests.  Two ways to improve Pace are to choose the appropriate set of tees and to play “ready-golf.”  At our facility a target time for a round of golf is 4 ½ hours.  Finally, we ask our guests to be courteous and respectful to each other and if an issue occurs to contact a Course Ambassador for assistance.

 If you would like more information on how to improve your Pace-of-Play visit the link here at http://golf.about.com/od/golfetiquette/ht/paceofplay.htm.

Enjoy the weather and good golfing!

Rolland Vaughn

PGA Head Golf Professional

Indian Wells Golf Resort

For those of you who love the smell & taste of grilled & smoked meats, this dish is a must try. If you like your steaks big, fat & juicy, then grilled Portobello mushrooms will be very satisfying. Portobellos are flavorful and firm, it’s the mushroom that eats like a steak. They’re also perfect as a vegetarian entrée. So gather the following ingredients, and if you can’t find them, then by golly, just improvise. It’s a breeze to throw together. You know the saying “fresh is best”. All the herbs in this recipe are grown in the garden at “The IW Club”. You can find them at your local grocery.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad Herb Goat Cheese / Smoked Tomatoes / Roasted Peppers Herb Garden Salad.

STEP I Fairway Garden Vinaigrette & Seasonal Greens 5 oz Washed Mesclun Greens ½ Cup Fresh Herbs, no stems (Lemon Basil, Sweet Basil, Cilantro, Chives & Italian Parsley) Or Substitute 8 oz of Herbed Micro Greens Prepare greens & refrigerate

STEP II Herb Vinaigrette *5 oz Aged Sherry Vinegar 12 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Tbl Cool Water 1 ea Small Shallot, finely minced 1 Tea. Finely Chopped Garlic 1Tbl Rough cut Fresh Herbs. I like to use Basil, Oregano & parsley ½ Tbl. Dijon Mustard 1 ea. Juice of the lemon & the zest of half of it. Kosher Salt & Cracked Black Pepper Combine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Adjust seasoning to your own liking. Cover and set aside. This recipe will make a little extra dressing than you will actually use. But no worries, it won’t go bad in the refrigerator if covered properly. * Sherry Vinegar is available in a good wine & spirit store, or substitute your favorite brand of vinegar. Balsamic works great.

STEP III 4 ea. Portobello Mushrooms 2 ea. Heirloom Tomatoes or Large Hand Selected Tomatoes 1 Tbl Fresh chopped Rosemary, Basil & Thyme ½ cup Olive Oil ½ Tbl. Chopped Garlic Kosher Salt & Crack Black Pepper Remove stems from mushrooms, wash & drain mushrooms. Wash & slice or wedge tomatoes so you have pieces that will fit on the Portobello. Evenly coat the mushrooms & tomatoes with the remaining ingredients in shallow pan and allow marinating for at least 2 hours. Cover and set aside. Then move on to the peppers.

STEP IV For Roasted Peppers. Wash 2 red or yellow bell peppers. Toss in bowl with 1/2 Tbl of olive oil, a pinch or 2 of kosher salt & cracked black pepper. Roast over open flame until the skin is charred, black & has taken on a blistered look. This could take 5-8 minutes depending on your flame and size of pepper. Once pepper is roasted place in covered bowl or plastic bag & close end for about 5-10 minutes Peel, seed pepper, discarding the charred skin, stem & seeds. Season pepper with 2 Tbl of vinaigrette listed below. This can be done the day prior.

STEP V 1-4 oz. Package of Goat Cheese- At least open the package, I find it’s easier to handle when you’re outside grilling and building the salads. Now we are ready to grill. Go ahead and preheat your grill. Whether it’s a gas or charcoal grill, make sure it’s hot. I always like to soak some flavored wood chips and add those to my fire right before I’m going to grill my mushrooms. Now let’s grill the portobellos, about 3 minutes on each side over medium heat. At the same time you can grill the tomatoes if you choose. To get a nice char on the tomatoes place them on the hot side of the grill. They cook quickly, so watch them carefully. Now that your portobellos and tomatoes are grilled, place a nice piece of roasted marinated bell pepper and then one of the tomatoes on top of each portobello and then top that with your lump goat cheese. I like to go heavy on the Goat. Turn off the grill or move them to the side of the grill with the least amount of heat and put the lid down. Let them rest for 2 minutes or until the cheese softens. So let’s plate it up. This dish shows great on a large white dinner plate. Place one portobello in the center of each of the 4 plates. Toss your washed greens in enough dressing to lightly coat them & place them directly on top of the warm portobello. Sprinkle with your fresh picked herbs. If you like you can drizzle some extra vinaigrette around the edge of the mushroom or a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a few drops of Balsamic Syrup if you have it around. Dust it with some cracked black pepper. It’s time to eat. Hope you enjoy the mushroom that eats like a steak.

Good Eating!!!! Chris P. Olson Executive Chef IW Club

The next time you come by the Fairway Grill look over toward the clubhouse, right next to where you might park your golf cart. That’s where you’ll find our herb garden. It’s been quite exciting and satisfying to know that we have over twenty varieties of herbs that have been in the ground for about one year now.

GCMM and his crew were instrumental in the implementation of the garden. They placed the plants, turned the soil, laid the irrigation system. All this to bring you and your guests the freshest herbs possible.

It might seem impossible for anything to grow in our searing summer heat, but once the herbs are well established they will flourish.  Our oregano & thyme are doing extremely well in fact…

I’ve included a brief description of some of  the herbs & that we are currently growing at IWClub.

 Bay Leaf: Although quite small right now, in a few years our 2 Bay Leaf trees will offer a brittle, dark, shiny green leaf. With sharp, pungent, bitter flavors. As they dry, the flavor sweetens. 

Basil, Sweet: Offers a warm sweet, spicy and strong flavor that combines anise, clove & mint.

Basil, Lemon: Offers a very prominent lemon scent, it’s so lemony it masks the scent of the basil. Leaves are smaller & lighter in color.

Basil ,Opal:   This deep purple basil variety is not as pungent or as strong as the true basil. Opal basil offers a gingerish, spicy flavor.

Basil, Thai: Growing to 3 feet tall, the more sun the plant soaks up the redder its color becomes. It has a unique blend of exotic flavors of clove & mint.

Chives:  Bearing the taste of a delicate onion, offering a zesty burst of flavor.

Chive, Garlic: Has dull green, flatter leaves with a distinct garlic flavor, a favorite in Asian cuisine. 

Lavender: When used carefully it offers a balsamic scent with pungent, perfumed blossoms. Fine strong aromatic flavors.

Lemon Balm: Bears a mint-like lemon scent. With slightly tart overtones.

Lemon Grass: Has long thin pointed leaves, with stiff glasslike stalks. Bearing an aromatic lemon scent and delicate flavor, not having the tartness the lemon has. Often used in Asian Cooking.

Marjoram: Has a sweet subtle spiciness, quite comparable to oregano with intense pepperiness and distinct.

Mint:  I would like to  grow at least 3 varieties of mint, all with their own unique flavor, from chocolate, spearmint, peppermint. Carrying a strong tangy sweet, sour, mild pungent flavor.

Oregano: Bearing a robust, peppery, tangy and spicy flavor. Close to marjoram in flavor but even more of a distinct flavor. This herb is better dried than fresh.

Rosemary: A very aromatic and most beautiful herb, it releases an intense fragrance when touched. Having hints of nutmeg, lavender. 

Peppers, Habanero: The world’s hottest pepper. They offer a distinctive wonderful flavor with fruit overtones, in spite of the intense, fierce, blazing hot personality. Those poor javalina.

Peppers, Serrano: Smooth, sleek and small this chili packs a tremendous flavor. It has an intense burn with a wonderful taste and a lasting bite.

Sage, Golden: With yellowish- green leaves this variety of sage is similar to sweet sage, extremely fragrant, pungent, bold & powerful. Use in moderation.

Tarragon: Bears a rich fullness with a licorice-anise flavor. It gives a distinctive flavor, use gently because it will dominate.

Thyme:   A cheerful looking plant with big flavor. Releasing a minty lemony aroma, sharp and clean. Dry thyme retains a strong pungent flavor.

Summer Savory: Pleasant similarities to thyme & marjoram. Slightly hot peppery sharp taste and very assertive.

There is nothing like fresh herbs, especially when growing your own. If you don’t have the space or time there is usually a good selection at your local grocery store. Fresh herbs can be kept 5-10 days in the frigerator. Place them stem side down in a glass jar with the stem covered with approximately with 1 inch of water. Cover this jar with a plastic bag and a rubber band, or a screw tight jar with a lid may be used. You’ll need to change the water every 2 days whichever way you decide to store them. Also you may roll them in a damp paper towel, then sealed in a plastic bag. This will keep for about 5 days.

Now that you have your herbs grown or stored, here are a few recipes that you can enjoy with your favorite grilled seafood or chicken breast.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon Salad with Garden Pesto &

Vine-ripened Tomato & Tarragon Vinaigrette

4 ea.     6 oz  Boneless Salmon Filet

10 oz            Washed & dried Organic Field Greens

4 oz               Garden Pesto

12 oz           Tomato Tarragon Vinaigrette

1 ea.            BBQ Grill

Garden Basil Pesto

2 oz          Fresh Basil Leaves

1 oz         Toasted Pine Nuts

1 ea.        Cloves Fresh Garlic

1 oz          Grated Parmesan Cheese

4 oz          Olive Oil

               Salt & pepper

In food processor blend basil leaves, garlic, pinenuts, garlic & cheese till smooth.

Add Olive Oil and adjust seasoning as needed.

Cover & refrigerate

Tomato Tarragon Vinaigrette

3 ea.     Vine-ripened Tomatoes

1 Tbl.   Capers, Rough Chopped

6 oz       Red Wine Vinegar

12 oz       Olive Oil

1 Tbl.    Rough Chopped Tarragon

1 Tea.    Dijon Mustard

1 ea.       Sliced Shallots

1 Tea    Chopped Garlic

              Kosher Salt

             Cracked Black Pepper

Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil.

Core & score the tomatoes.

Have available a bowl of ice water to shock tomatoes.

Place tomatoes in boiling water for about 30-40 seconds, quickly remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into the ice water.

Now peel off the outside skin on tomatoes.

Cut tomatoes in half evenly, so you have 2 even round halves.

Return them to the ice bath, lightly squeeze tomatoes to remove seeds. Cut tomatoes into approximately ½ inch pieces.

Cover peeled, seeded tomatoes and refrigerate for later use.

For vinaigrette combine remaining ingredients and mix slowly.

Adjust seasoning as needed.

Combine tomatoes with vinaigrette, cover & refrigerate.

Okay now that all of our prep work is done, we can start cooking.

Lightly oil & season your salmon while your grill is preheating.

Once your grill is hot, brush the grates & lightly oil them.

If your grill is at the right temperature you should be able to wave your hand over the fire for about 5 seconds, before having to remove it.

Start your salmon skin side up; cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish & temperature of the grill. But approximately 3 minutes on each side if your grill hot.

Once you turn the salmon apply about ¾ tablespoon of Pesto to each piece of salmon. Now move the salmon to an area on the grill where it isn’t over a direct heat source & cover the grill.

Now go ahead and toss your greens in the tomato tarragon vinaigrette, making sure you stir the vinaigrette before you pour it on the greens. Divide the greens evenly on 4 plates, placing a piece of salmon on top of each of the greens.

If there is any vinaigrette left drizzle it over the salmon filets

Good & healthy eating.

 Chef O’

Rumors were floating around about President Obama playing a round of golf with Tiger Woods during his trip to Martha’s Vineyard.  Although the power 2-some never took place it did bring to mind a couple of questions.  Who have been the best Presidential golfers and what if Tiger were to enter into politics?

Golf Digest compiled a Top 10 list of Presidential golfers in its January issue.  John F. Kennedy is at the top of the list with Barack Obama placing a solid eight.   Probably one of the desert’s favorite Presidential golfers would be Gerald Ford who was on the list at number three.

Tiger has already commented that he may be retired prior to golf becoming an Olympic Event.  One couldn’t imagine a person with his presence simply slipping out of the public eye and into the shadows.  If he were heading down the political path his first step would have to be finishing his college education since he left after 2 years at Stanford to turn Pro.  However, he has gained a strong economics education since joining the PGA Tour in 1996.

I am sure there are some opinions about both of these topics and we would love to have them.

Rolland Vaughn

PGA Head Golf Professional

Indian Wells Golf Resort

The best way to improve is by changing a weakness into a strength.  By accurately keeping golf stats you are able to quickly identify areas of the game where you excel and areas that need improvement.  I see a lot of amateur golfers spending their practice session hitting shots with their favorite club instead of focusing on areas of improvement.  Practice time should be spent working on the shot that you continually struggle with.  After you have gained confidence at the practice tee take the positive attitude to the golf course and your game will improve.

For all of you iPhone owners there is a great app called TeeShot.  It can be used to track your strokes, putts, fairways, clubs, and distances.  Also, it has a GPS that can be used to measure shot distance.  For the rest of you like me a small notepad works great.

Good Luck!

Rolland Vaughn

PGA Head Golf Professional

Indian Wells Golf Resort

Source = e-Travel Blackboard: C.F  written: Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Eight million international travelers have successfully applied to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program using the Electronic System of Travel Authorization (ESTA).

These figures, released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, shows that  since ESTA launched on August 1 last year and become mandatory on January 12, 2009, the system has enabled VWP travelers to apply electronically for visa-free travel to the U.S.

ESTA approvals are required for VWP travelers only, and there is no cost involved in the application process.

Individuals wishing to apply online should visit the official government site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov *

“We are pleased that this technology is proving very helpful to our Visa Waiver Program visitors,” said Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations Thomas S. Winkowski.

“ESTA adds a necessary layer of security for visa-free travel as well as for the travel industry, and we want to continue to encourage individuals to visit the many wonderful destinations the United States has to offer.”

Citizens traveling under the Visa Waiver Program, or VWP, are required to apply online at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov prior to their visit to the United States.

* Individuals should avoid being misled by unauthorized companies claiming to be able to “facilitate” registration through other sites for a fee. (They have no affiliation with the U.S government)