February 3rd, 2011
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One aspect of this big wide food-blogging world I find myself in is the ability to share all aspects of cooking with people all over the globe, whether it’s swapping recipes with my friends here in Minnesota, or sharing cooking tips with someone in another state, the ability to make our world smaller with just a click, to share the wealth of food knowledge and understanding with each other is a wonderful gift.
So when The Motherhood approached me about being a part of their new virtual cooking school, I was happy to accept.
I’m co-hosting an upcoming class in the Web’s first-ever virtual cooking school, Cooking Connections,
and I would love for all of you to join me! Here’s what you need to know to participate:
When: Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m CST
Where: TheMotherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held: http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62132
And here is the registration page for all seven Cooking Connections classes: http://www.themotherhood.com/cookingconnections
What: The class I am co-hosting is called “Cooking with Loved Ones Across the Country,” and it is hosted by Vera Sweeney, who blogs at Lady and the Blog, http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/. During the class, we all will talk about how technology has changed the way people can cook together, and how we can connect with loved ones near and far to continue that ritual of cooking together!
The class is sponsored by ConAgra and hosted by TheMotherhood.
Feel free to come and just follow along with the Chat, or you can participate by creating a free profile with The Motherhood.
I hope to see you there!
My other fabulous co-hosts are:
Audrey McClelland, Mom Generations, http://momgenerations.com
Whitney Wingerd, Mommies with Style, http://www.mommieswithstyle.com
Colleen Padilla, Classy Mommy, http://classymommy.com
Melissa Chapman, Married My Sugar Daddy, http://marriedmysugardaddy.com
Victoria Pericon, 24/7 Victoria, http://247victoria.com/
Nancy Horn, The Product Mama, http://theproductmama.tumblr.com
Jennifer Leal, Savoring the Thyme, http://www.savoringthethyme.com/
Zareen Fidlon, Cooking with Z, http://cookingwithz.com/
Sarah Caron, Sarah’s Cucina Bella, http://www.sarahscucinabella.com
January 31st, 2011
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Winter is, surprisingly, almost over. I know that doesn’t help those out there who despise winter, snow and all things cold and dreary, but with the flip of the tomorrow’s calendar page to February, Spring is a mere six weeks out. And although it’s fair to say that March around these parts is rarely the stuff of soft Springtime, once March canters out, leaving it’s roar to fade in our eardrums, then comes April, which for us winter weary Minnesotans, is a mind-boggling thing of beauty. I believe that God made Spring so utterly enchanting to us as a means of making up for the cold darkness of winter. It’s our just and most well-deserved reward.
And of course, on the morning I come to post this lovely ode to the coming of Spring, we wake up in Minnesota to yet ANOTHER snowfall, a few more inches of fluff to cover the dreary gray masses that were appearing outside.
Soon enough everyone…….
“If you’ve never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom,
maybe your soul has never been in bloom.” ~Terri Guillemets
     
“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.” ~Virgil A. Kraft
January 28th, 2011
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Sometimes all it takes for me to leap into a new recipe idea is something completely random that I either read or hear. It makes my culinary brain start spinning, usually because it’s a food item I’ve never heard of and have no clue as to what it is. I am nothing without my near obsessive need to understand all aspects of food, and when faced with this empty space in my food dictionary, I am unable to resist the urge to learn, to know more and to understand.
Take Horchata, for example. I’d never heard of it before seeing one brief mention of it from someone on Twitter, along with the question of how it could possibly create a stunning French Toast, and I basically leapt into researching it like I’d been shot from a rocket. Strange, I know, but my brain likes to evolve; I’m not content to rest on any kind of laurels with my quest to find out as much as I can about the cuisines of the world. Horchata, for those uninitiated, is a cool and refreshing drink, usually a type of aqua fresca, served traditionally with Mexican style meals. It’s light, creamy and easily pairs with most any foods, especially dishes with a lot of spice and heat. It’s not, however, made with milk so it’s a lovely dairy free beverage.
The standard Horchata recipe combines ground rice and almonds with water, lime juice and zest and cinnamon. This mixture is saturated with water and allowed to stand overnight, then it’s drained, resulting in a delicious liquid that you sweeten with either white or brown sugar. I wasn’t at all certain how it would taste, but my first sip dashed away any doubt; this was stellar, and here I was enjoying it zealously during some of the coldest days of our Minnesota winter. For a hot summer day, I would imagine this is a perfect accompaniment to a sultry afternoon, and I look forward to the day that I can test that theory. For now, I’ll settle with it being the base to the best tasting french toast that’s crossed my kitchen counters in a long, long time.
French toast is really not that interesting of a dish. There’s a creamy custard that you dip slices of bread into, which are then cooked on a hot skillet, doused with syrup, spread with jam or maybe sprinkled with powdered sugar. It’s simple and basic, and really, the bread you use can make or break the final result. But overall, there’s little you can do to make the dish leap from it’s ubiquitous nature to something altogether stunning. Unless you start with Horchata as your base.
The Horchata, when made from scratch, only requires forethought to prepare. Most of the work is done as it sits on your counter, marrying the amazing flavors of almond, lime and cinnamon together. Strain it, sweeten it and chill it and you’ve got a pitcher of perfection whenever you need cool refreshment. I looked to the most trusted source for South of the border delights, the never fail Lisa of Homesick Texan, and sure enough, she had a recipe for Horchata that came straight from Rick Bayless. Between those two, there was no way this would disappoint.
And it didn’t. Nutty from the almonds, zesty with lime and lush with light, refreshing flavor, the French Toast was a delight from first bite to last. It needed only a minimal drizzle of maple syrup to make it perfect. Make up a big batch if you can; the flavor sustains itself in your refrigerator, making it perfect to have on hand for a delicious and quick breakfast.
Horchata
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of uncooked rice
1 1/4 cups of blanched almonds
1 teaspoon of lime juice
Zest from one lime
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of sugar or brown sugar, depending on how dark you want the drink
Method:
In a blender or spice grinder, grind the rice until it’s powdery. Place ground rice, almonds, lime juice, lime zest and the cinnamon stick in a pot and cover with two cups of warm water. Let stand overnight or for eight hours.
After the mixture has soaked, take out the cinnamon stick and pour contents into a blender with two cups of water and blend until smooth. Take a mesh colander that has been double lined with cheesecloth, and over a bowl or pitcher slowly pour the mixture, wringing the cheesecloth to get every last drop out. You should have a milky, smooth liquid at this point. If there are still rice and almond bits floating around, strain it again.
In a pot, heat up one cup of sugar and one cup of water on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Stir this sugar water into the horchata, along with the vanilla. Add one more cup of water and serve over ice or chilled. Mixture may separate under refrigeration. Just stir to combine.
(From Homesick Texan, and adapted from Rick Bayless)
Horchata French Toast
2 c. prepared Horchata
3 eggs
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. natural cane sugar or brown sugar
Whisk custard ingredients in large wide bowl. Heat skillet until a drop of water sizzles and vaporizes on impact. Dip bread into custard and cook until browned on one side; flip over and repeat.
January 24th, 2011
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It’s January, and there are a million resolves to make healthier changes; to exercise more, to eat better, to get more sleep, to connect deeper, to make the 180° change that’s going to revolutionize our lives.
And by now, heading towards the end of the month, how’s everyone doing? Still holding on? Going strong? Let’s put our collective fingers on this a moment. We all think about it each year, come January. We’re determined, striving ahead. And somewhere along the way, there comes a realization that change is hard. As a species, we don’t handle change all that well. If you don’t agree, look at the amount of griping that occurs any time Facebook makes changes, or what happened when Twitter recently went through it’s re-design. (for the record, I like BOTH new sites much better) and you realize that it doesn’t take much to make us feel like the earth is being yanked out from underneath us. And inevitably, a lot of those changes we want end up falling by the wayside because if we’re truly honest with ourselves, we will admit that change is very, very hard.
I’ve been there. Done that. It is really hard to make positive and lasting changes, and these will take time, regardless of what they are. In August of 2007, I realized that I needed to lose some weight. What I saw in a photograph made me cringe. It was NOT pretty. Still, I didn’t actively embark on making those changes, much less following through until November of 2008, well over a year later. But by the time I did implement what I needed, I stuck with it, and in the Spring of 2009 I was 25# lighter and down two pants sizes. So the bottom line for me was to get both my head and my heart around what needed to get done. Once that happened, there was little to stop me.
Changes take time. Habits don’t form overnight. If you really want the success of integrating new habits into your life, give it time and give yourself a break. Berating failure only pushes us backwards, and we all have off days. There’s no goal you can reach for that has to have a set time limit, nor any that isn’t amendable along the way. If it’s weight loss you seek, take baby steps and celebrate the first 5 pounds, then the next. Pay attention to how your clothes fit because sometimes that’s a better indication of what your body is achieving than the number on the scale.
And please, please, please…… don’t use the word “DIET”.
For every person alive, “diet” rings with deprivation. A wonderful friend of mine admits she needs to make some big changes in her eating habits, but laments “I don’t want to be eating oatmeal and plain chicken breasts for the rest of my life.” So instead of considering it as a “diet” I suggested she think of it more as a permanent lifestyle change, because that’s what it boils down to in the long run. And it won’t happen overnight. Do the baby steps and celebrate each one instead of dumping the contents of your refrigerator and pantry in the trash and then thinking “What now?” The habits we’re ingrained with didn’t occur in a few days, they took months, and sometimes years to build up. And to reverse them, they could feasibly take months, or maybe even years to become something new, something better for you and wiser, overall.
And food habits are hard to change. Long ago I used to be addicted to Burger King french fries, and Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets. I would see their signs as I drove and get an undeniable craving, so bad that I almost broke out in a sweat. I know! It was awful! And on one occasion as I stuffed those first hot golden french fries in my mouth, I was hit with the realization that they tasted simply awful. But guess what I did? Yep. I ate the entire order anyway. My mouth felt like it had been assaulted; it was coated with this horrible aftertaste, heavy and greasy. And my stomach hurt. I was appalled at myself because even when I clearly realized that I didn’t even like the product, I kept eating it anyway. It was the same with Wendy’s; I could consume two orders of their Chicken Nuggets without a single hesitation despite knowing I didn’t even like them, yet the one day that my brain equated those nuggets with warm rubbery sponges was the last time I ever put one in my mouth. Still, I couldn’t tell you how long it took me to get there. It was an embarrassment to me, and I really struggled to kick those habits, as well as many other unhealthy ones I used to have.
I’ve made drastic changes to my eating in the last 5 years, and have noticed immeasurable improvement to my health in the process. It’s no cliche that when you eat better, you feel better. I know through personal experience. Just recently I drank Diet Coke- with fresh squeezed lime wedges in it!- for the first time in ages, and man what a stomachache! It tasted all right, in fact, it tasted really good but I seriously wanted to cry because my stomach was so twisted up in knots. As uncomfortable as I was, I rejoiced also, as it instilled in me the same resolve that the french fries and chicken nugget revelation did; this isn’t good for me, and I shouldn’t be consuming it. But still, it took time for me to get there. And it will take time for you too. Take the baby steps, celebrate the small victories and be kind to yourself in the process.
If there’s one meal you want to change this week, you could try out this nutritional powerhouse of a salad. It requires no special ingredients, and is really inexpensive to make.
This garlicky White Bean Salad with Tuna and Avocado is a super-bomb of good food to put in your body. It’s full of fiber to keep you satiated and operating at open throttle all afternoon, with the very important Omega-3, and monounsaturated fats that our bodies need. It’s also quick, and works equally well as a warm main dish with a few good sides, or a quick cold salad for your lunch. And the garlic is cooked, so your family and co-workers are safe. I had a small bowl of this for lunch, along with some fruit and by dinnertime I wasn’t even hungry. I love meals like that.
Garlicky White Bean Salad with Tuna and Avocado
2 15-oz cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed well
1 3-oz can tuna in olive oil, drained
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 T. fresh thyme (use 1 t. of dried)
1 medium avocado, diced
Drain tuna well and place in a large bowl. Flake with fork until shredded.
Heat a skillet on the stove and add about a tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is translucent and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic!! Stir in herbs and great northern beans. Heat through, stirring, for about 5 minutes more, drizzling in a bit more olive oil to coat. Remove from heat and add to bowl with tuna, mixing well. Stir in avocado, season with salt and pepper and serve warm. Can be chilled as well.
KATE’S NOTES:
Canned salmon can be subbed for the tuna, or chopped sardines if it’s your thing. You can add finely chopped veggies as well, like celery or red pepper or cucumber. Rosemary is really flavorful in this too. If you want to get creative with it, the entire dish can be put through a food processor and used as a spread for a wrap, on top of toasted baguette slices or thinned a little with milk or water and used as a dip for fresh vegetables.
January 21st, 2011
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A predictable life isn’t all that bad. You know what to expect, you’re comfortable in the routine and it works to rarely step outside of something that you know is always going to be there. You have Tacos on Tuesday, you do laundry every Wednesday whether you want to or not and the floors get cleaned on Sunday. Predictability makes for less stress, without a doubt.
Yet, life isn’t always in alignment with keeping it predictable. Our day to day existence can be thrown all over the map without a lot of effort, and having the ease of the expected sometimes can make those erratic days feel less of a burden. The same can be said about our meals too. I love variety in my kitchen, and will highlight the best of those recipes here for you to enjoy as well, but in addition to our stretching in the foods that we eat, we do a lot of repeats too; we make a batch of burgers, bake some chicken, cook up a pan of enchiladas, or jambalaya or stir up a large pot of different soups. I made a gorgeous pork tenderloin the other day, slathered in the roasted garlic mustard I made as Christmas gifts. It was lovely, but it was predictable, especially with the roasted potatoes on the side.
And in going out for a meal, I love to experiment, to try out restaurants especially that serve ethnic cuisine I don’t to make at home. I love Indian food, and often leave it to the experts to create. Thai food, Chinese and Mexican are other cuisines I love to sample from restaurants. Sometimes they’re predictable, but I try to choose menu items that are unfamiliar so that I can experiment with other flavors and the different aspects of the culture.
But then, there are those times when I just want something simple, something I know will deliver satisfaction and consistency, and stopping in Panera will give me just that.
It’s not fancy, or lavish. It’s comforting and simple. Anyone can go there, from a 2-year old to the elders in your family. The selections are easy and familiar. You can count on the soups being warm and soothing, with a nice chunk of bread to dunk in, with a wide variety of good sandwiches and salads to satisfy everyone’s tastes. Their line of artisan breads are crackly on the outside, soft on the inside, and if baked goods and coffee are your thing, Panera offers lots of rich decadent options along with plenty of chewy bagels, and a bottomless cup of java to help you through the morning. WiFi is also available, and the stores are comfortable, and usually quiet enough for a few hours of work.
Just recently on a chilly morning following church, Mike and I stopped in for some soup, and soon a bowl of their Creamy Tomato Soup was sitting in front of me, with a delicious Asiago cheese bagel on the side, to pull through the steaming bowl. The taste reminded me of being a kid, sitting at my Mom’s kitchen table with tomato soup and a grilled cheese, and I loved how it gave me that sense of comfort. There’s really nothing more to it than that; it’s predictable and widely available and always there, something you can count on.
DISCLAIMER:
I was compensated for this post and my meal was complementary.
All thoughts, opinions and feedback in this post are my own and were not
influenced by Panera or their affiliates in any way.
January 17th, 2011
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And I don’t just say that to reel you in. If you enjoy a good creamy and altogether crazy delicious flavorful spread for that corn chip addiction in your life, then look no further than this recipe. Because once you lifted that first chip to your mouth, dripping with this vegetable laden, kicky dip, my friends, you will never again look at bean dip the same way.
And what better option to have on hand for the any upcoming major sporting events, you know, like Football or something? As I was making this, and then after that first heady bite, where I swooned and ‘Oooh’d and ‘Aaaah’d myself into a tizzy, I had this thought that it was too bad we weren’t football folks, because this dip would be a welcomed addition to any snack table, kept warm in a crock-pot, ready for copious scooping. So if you like throwing a big gathering to cheer on your favorite team, you can’t really go wrong with this.
The key for the extreme delicious flavor is two things: one, you use Chili flavored beans to make it, and two, you stir creamy mexican style cheese dip into the final product, creating a 1-2 punch of taste, worthy of swooning and lots of compliments. Not to mention corn chips. Although any gooey cheese dip will work, I can’t recommend enough making a cheese dip from scratch, and not only from scratch, but from the authority of all things Texan in style, please do yourself the Rio Grande favor of making Lisa’s Chile Con Queso as it too will knock your socks off. With that recipe bubbling on the stove, you make this fantastic bean dip, whisk some of the Queso into it and you’ll have not one, but TWO awesome options for the next party that graces your house. Or just a delicious snack to chase away a chilly winter evening.
Chili Bean & Queso Dip
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans chili flavored beans (DO NOT drain)
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1 can Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes (or equivalent)
1 T. chiopotle en adobo sauce (optional)
2 t. ground cumin
Approximately 2 cups Chile Con Queso cheese sauce, either scratch made or commercial.
In a deep skillet, saute chopped onion and peppers until very soft and beginning to turn brown in spots, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans with their liquid, scraping the cans with a rubber spatula, and stir them into the vegetables. Heat for about 5 minutes. Using a heavy spoon or potato masher, mash the mixture until most of the beans are broken up and smooth. Leave some pieces whole for good texture. Stir in the corn, tomato, chipotle and cumin. Heat until bubbling.
When bean mixture is hot all the way through, add in about 1 cup of the cheese sauce. Stir quickly to incorporate the cheese into the bean dip, making sure no lumps are left behind. Add the remaining cup and stir to mix this in as well. Heat through and taste to adjust seasonings. Make it spicier if you like it that way.
The dip can be kept warm in a crock pot, or on the stove. Stir occasionally to keep blended. This reheats beautifully.
January 9th, 2011
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I know, I know…. there you all are, patiently waiting for me to get my caboose in gear and start posting the food posts again. Enough of the extraneous stuff! Bring on the food! Get cooking again, would you? I can hear you all, I promise. And it’s good too, because it’s tossing me head-long back into the kitchen to start these next 12 months off in style.
With Amazing Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers
Honestly, I have no clue what happened to me between Christmas and New Years but I had ZERO desire to cook a thing. Nothing. Who was that girl? I get an extreme amount of pleasure in the kitchen; I love the act and the art of cooking, pulling something from the stovetop or oven that fills the room with incredible smells, moving tastes about on my tongue and delighting in the flavors within. This is who I am, it’s what I love. But there was that week, that flux week between holidays that always just feels odd, like the end of something when we’re not quite ready for the new thing to begin and everything in me just went swirling down the proverbial toilet. Good thing for a loving spouse who made a few meals and for copious amounts of leftovers.
But then, I came roaring back with an idea, a brainstorm that drove me to a creative new height. I wanted something light, healthy and easy to put together. I wanted to add a new line to my ever burgeoning arsenal of recipes, the list I go to time and again, options that fall into place in our dining repertoire with ease. What jumped out from under my hands was this Wild Rice Stuffed Pepper, that despite being completely meat-free, the Teen did eat part of his without one iota of complaint. There was no suspicious poking at it, no scowling or contempt.
Yeah, who was that kid, you say? Mine. The young man who seems to be changing every day that I look at him, the one approaching his 17th birthday. He’s become a bit more acceptable to new things, less rigid about what he won’t eat. I’m liking the results.
Really, the adjectives necessary to describe this dish are extravagant. Mind-boggling. Flavorful and light, but hearty and comforting as well. Mike and I loved these too, but then, I knew we would. We’d be meat-free more often if it weren’t for the Carnivore. This dish, once the lovely colored peppers were home from the market, came together entirely from my pantry and freezer. I love those types of meals. Opt in the fresh produce, fill the edges with staples and sit down to a lovely meal. This is the cooking I like.
Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers
3 colored peppers of choice, sliced in half and cored
1 cup wild rice, washed and picked over
1 small shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz can great northern beans, rinsed
1 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 c. canned tomatoes, or 2 chopped fresh Roma tomatoes
1 c. panko breadcrumbs
1 c. shredded cheese of choice, plus more for topping (I used cheddar and pepper jack together)
1/3 c. shredded parmesan, with more for topping
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the wild rice, return to a simmer and cook, covered until the rice is tender 30-40 minutes. I used long grain, or regular wild rice so it took longer than if you use the cracked version. Adjust simmering time accordingly. Once rice is tender, drain excess water in a wire strainer and set aside.
Meanwhile, set your oven to Broil. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place prepared peppers on sheet, cut side up and broil for about 5-7 minutes, until edges are slightly browned and peppers are softened just a little. Remove from oven, set aside and set oven temperature to 400°.
In a deep skillet, saute shallot in oil for about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook about a minute longer. Add the beans and corn, and heat through. Stir in the tomato and wild rice until just combined and remove from heat. Add the cheese and panko. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
When mixture is cool enough to handle, pick up a generous handful and press it together slightly, then mound it into a pepper half. Repeat with remaining peppers and filling, mounding the peppers full. You may not use all the filling but be generous. In a small bowl, place about a half cup of the shredded cheese and several tablespoons of shredded parmesan. Add two tablespoon of panko bread crumbs and toss to coat. Top the peppers with this and place in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the cheese on top has melted. Serve immediately.
KATE’S NOTES:
Look for good sturdy peppers that are heavy and full for this dish. They’ll hold the filling better. I like to find ones that have four ‘knobs’ on the bottom if I can. It makes for a more even cut. If you like to make stuffed peppers the regular way, by coring the entire pepper instead of cutting it in half, by all means do so. I like this method for the ease of eating them.
There is endless versatility in this recipe: use brown rice and black beans, or regular rice and red beans. Add frozen peas or even cooked cubes of squash. Add in a host of fresh herbs. Skip the panko to make them gluten-free. It helps to bind the ingredients but I will say that it’s not necessary at all. Change up your cheese, or add chopped leftover meat if you have it.
January 7th, 2011
| 6 Comments »
I’m remiss in giving some blog love to several wonderful products that have come my way recently. I truly love this aspect of food blogging.
This past December, I participated in Season’s Eatings, a food exchange set up by my long time blogging friend, and former Minnesotan Katie, of Thyme for Cooking. Katie gathers bloggers from all over the world who send out food items native to their area or state. I’ve participated in previous years and the anticipation of what might show up in your mailbox is a great deal of fun. I nearly tackled the mailman almost every day once the deadline for shipping was past, in case he had a package for me. Good thing he’s got a sense of humor.
Finally, it arrived and I found two lovely bottles of specialty oil and vinegar from Nancy of A Wine Lover’s Wanderings. The Spicy Pecan vinegar, and Toasted Walnut oil combined beautifully with apples, walnuts and blue cheese crumbles to make a delicious salad for our Christmas dinner that unfortunately got gobbled up before a photograph occurred. My most humblest apologies to Katie because I seriously missed the deadline to get this up for her roundup at the end of December.
And talk about being remiss…. I probably received this Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions sometime back in the Fall. It might have even been before that, so I am really apologetic about the delay in mentioning it.
I’m always taken aback when ‘Samples’ get shipped to me because I’m thinking small, like the endless Sample bins at the drugstore where you can get tiny bottles of shampoo, mini toothpaste tubes and lotions that fit in the palm of your hand. Then this big honking jar of coconut oil shows up and wipes my mind clean of anything sample sized. A quart of coconut oil, and really, the only thing I’ve done with it, besides open the jar and inhale it’s tropical scent when the days are too cold and dreary, is to use it in my stove top popcorn popper. This product makes The. Best. popcorn I’ve ever tasted, and I have my fellow food blogger Crystal to thank for this discovery. Popcorn made with coconut oil pops up so crispy and light, with just the slightest hint of coconut flavor. Although I did taste some rich chocolate cookies made with coconut oil, my only love for this product at home has been through my popcorn cravings.
Lastly, I was thrilled to receive an enormous shipment of Gold’N Plump’s new ground chicken products. Once again, I was awed at the generosity of the samples, all full sized.
I received 8 pounds total; four packages of 95% fat free (95/5 on the label), and four of 90% fat free (90/10), in both standard packaging and in ‘chubs’, which makes me think of chubby baby thighs and cheeks. The meat is suited for use in any recipe where you would use ground beef, or even ground turkey. We’ve made burgers, which we loved, and a Meatloaf, which turned out beautifully. I’ll post the recipe very soon, I promise! They’ve tasted wonderful, and I love the lower fat content of the product. Ground beef never gets used in my kitchen, and it’s nice now to have some options instead of using ground turkey.
DISCLAIMER:
I received all of the above mentioned products free of charge. I was not compensated in any other way
and all reviews and thoughts are my own and do not reflect any company or product affiliation.
January 4th, 2011
| 2 Comments »
Seems that funk I fell into at the end of December included a complete mind wipe of some important occurrences, a few pretty cool happenings that I simply ignored on the blog. That is, until I downloaded the photos off my camera, and at 110 of them, I missed sharing some stuff, people.
Like the mother of all blizzards that socked us in with 20″ of snow.
 
And left all of us a little bit awed.
A week later, we dragged an enormous freshly cut Balsam pine through that snow for our Christmas tree.
 
My decades old Jade plant gave us a spectacular display of Christmas foliage.
  
In the dark of December, the natives got a little restless.
 
And I drove from the extreme Northern part of the Cities to the extreme Southern end, to spend a Friday night in a bar with some awesome friends, drink beer and sing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ out loud with Tim Mahoney. I barely recognized myself.
Then Mother Nature played a cruel trick, sent us a rainstorm to welcome in the New Year and turned the most glorious snow I’ve seen in years into rock hard and useless piles of ice that we’re stuck with until April. Yeah, happy freaking 2011. No wonder I slipped into a funk.
But….. it’s over. The funk, that is. Time to move on…….
January 3rd, 2011
| 2 Comments »
Resolutions aren’t my thing. If there is positive change to be made in life, and let’s face it, there always is, then it should be ongoing and daily, with a intended eye toward a paradigm shift that is realistic, and works best for you. And if that happens in January, or March or even September, than it’s better than not happening at all. So be kind to yourself, and gradually allow for the time needed to make whatever positive shift you wish to make in your life. What it boils down to is that you’re creating new habits, and these take time to stick, to become something that you just do and don’t think about. It won’t happen in a day, and likely not in a month. So please… if there is an agenda in your life for your new year ahead, tread slowly, be present with it and allow for your life to sometimes get in the way.
Because you’re the only one who can.
I’m looking ahead for 2011, dreaming of new foods to explore and share with you all, trying to negotiate my way through some ideas to start out the year with and finding myself a touch unmotivated. There is a lot going on in my head, and I’m trying to draw it all out and make sense of it. This happens to me, this information overload. I’m faced with fresh promise and 12 months stretching on endlessly ahead of me and it’s like a new notebook or a unread book. I’ve got a few ideas to start, and a thought about how to get it out and organized, so please stick with me. I’ll have something for you in time, and as always, it should be delicious. And if there’s anything you wish to see on this blog, feel free to let me know as I’m always open to other suggestions. Who knows? It might help push me over this creative slump that I find myself in.
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