Resourceful Cooking for the Family Home
At Carpe Diem, we believe in making the most of every ingredient, every moment, and every meal. Our "86 CHEF-Tips" honor the life and example of our founder, Chef Nate Rockwood, CEC. His resourcefulness, creativity, and love for family continue to inspire our kitchen — and now, yours too.
This Month’s 86 CHEF-Tips:
Stretch High-Quality Ingredients Further
Learn to turn premium ingredients into multiple meals. One Wagyu Frank can become pigs in a blanket, top a homemade flatbread, or elevate your favorite chili. Resourceful cooking stretches both flavor and your family’s budget.
The Art of Small Batch Testing
Before making a large batch of a new recipe or ferment, always test small! Professional chefs tweak seasoning, ratios, and techniques at small scales before going big. At Carpe Diem, we are experimenting with Nature’s Flavors in every ferment and Mountain Churri batch before offering it to you.
Choosing the Right Oil for Frying
Sunflower oil is a chef's secret weapon. With a high smoke point and a clean, neutral flavor, it makes frying healthier and more consistent. We proudly fry with Colorado-grown, Colorado-pressed sunflower oil from our partners at Colorado Mills!
Kid-Friendly Cooking Starts with Involvement
Cooking isn't just about eating — it's about connecting. Invite your kids into the kitchen. Let them wrap pigs in a blanket, stir a pot, or taste-test ferments. Involving young hands creates capable, confident cooks for the future.
Gather. Feast. Thrive.
Cooking smarter means living fuller — thank you for sharing your family table with ours.
“86 CHEF-Tips”…
It all begins with an idea.
Professional Chefs are some of the most innovative, resourceful, and creative people on the planet….
We were lucky enough to have one of the best Certified Executive Chef's in the WORLD as one of our Founders, Father, and Husband. After losing Nate, our family had to learn the skills of nutritious, cost-effective, resourceful, and kid-friendly meal prep.
Our 86 CHEF-Tips is a series of practical tips from the heart and minds or our family to yours…Our Chef may be 86’d from our physical kitchen, but his love and example continues to inspire and guide us every day.
86 CHEF-Tips: Bell Peppers For Life…
This is how we never run out of veggies…
I don’t like going to the grocery store…I don’t like spending money, I don’t like shopping without my handsome Chef Hubs, I would much rather go to the local Farmer’s Market. But, it’s February and it’s just not the season.
So, I make it worth it….I buy 3 packs of tri colored bell peppers and 3 green bell peppers. I spent probably $15.
I start by washing the peppers with my Four Thieves fermented vinegar (I’ll make a post with a recipe next time I make some, it lasts FOREVER).
Then I simply portion out julienne cut servings for tonights dinner (fajitas) and a future frozen meal, cubed cut for a future frozen meal (probably a chilli). I use my vacuum sealer that I got off of Amazon for $35 religiously. I put 3 fresh bells to keep in the AMAZING Debbie-Meyer-GreenBags. These bags are a SUPER TOOL and help keep our veggies and fruits fresh in the fridge for WEEKS.
Then I make tonights dinner with our Fajita Spice blend, steak, chicken, and shrimp…and have 3 more meals worth of bells for the next culinary adventure at our Family Home Kitchen at Iron Lady Farms…
