Thursday, August 2, 2012

Catering 101

The office I work at has monthly unit lunch meetings.  Sometimes it is a "pay $5 - get pizza", sometimes a theme, like this month's "Pre-Season Kick Off featuring chicken wangs."  The wings are being provided, but there is a sign up sheet for sides, beverages and desserts.  I decided to make Antipasto Kebabs as a side and Lemon Blueberry cookies for dessert.


The kebabs idea came from a Pinterest post that I saw.  Great idea and the combinations are limitless if you use your imagination.  I used black and green olives, quartered artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, pepperoni/provolone on some, salami/fresh mozzarella on others, pepperoncini, and tri-colored cheese tortellini.  I made a vinaigrette with basil and parmesan cheese and sprinkled that over.  Looks fabulous!


The cookie idea came to me in the store.  I saw a box of lemon cake mix and thought "how refreshing - lemon cake mix" then a light went on: what if I made my famous cake mix cookies (usually made with yellow cake mix and chocolate chips) but I used lemon cake mix and dried blueberries?


I do say, that was a brilliant idea on my part.  They are soft, moist, just the right tart/sweet taste.  Great summertime cookie and super easy to make. All it takes is 1 box of cake mix, 2 eggs, 2 tsp water, 1/4 cup oil and then your add in...could be chips, raisins (mmm, spice cake mix with raisins), dried cranberries, dried blueberries, sprinkles....roll into balls the size of walnuts, bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.


What is your favorite food to take to pot lucks or parties?

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Chicken Tenders SMACKDOWN!


This weekend we had the fun of having one of my son's friends over for a sleepover.  After a great day on the beach, then home to tend to a little sunburn - we had to make dinner for 2 hungry boys and a growing teen daughter. What to make?  Personally, I was craving chicken tenders - so I decided to satisfy my taste buds and hit the local Food Lion to pick some up.The kids were excited to be part of a food SMACKDOWN so that convinced them to want chicken tenders!






The 2 brands vying for my attention were Perdue and Tyson.  There were  other brands available as well, but they weren't "real" chicken tenders, they were more pressed/processed chicken parts -- I wanted the real deal.
Tyson, with their bright red packaging and a lovely photo of the tasty chicken tenders - $7.49 for a 25 oz. bag.  Perdue and their trademark blue packaging - newly adding green to the mix for the whole grain aspect of their food product.  Perdue is $7.99 for a 25 oz. package.  The two brands are so similar in their preparation and nutritional analysis we are truly comparing apples to apples. Both are real chicken coated with whole grain wheat flour according to the packaging. 


For this SMACKDOWN we were judging purely on taste - the moistness of the chicken, the flavor of the breading, the crunch factor.


I used a serving platter and labeled one side A and placed the Tyson brand on side A.  Side B of the serving platter held the Perdue brand. 


Side by side, the Tyson breading looked puffier and crunchier, while the Perdue was kind of flat on the surface - making the visual winner Tyson.  We do eat with our eyes - and all 3 children commented that the "tenders on side A of the plate looked crunchier than those on side B of the plate."  


Next judging was size.  Both Tyson and Perdue tenders were proportionately similar.  A tie!


Then initial crunch was judged:  The tenders on side A looked crunchier - and they were crunchier.  I even got "shushed" to listen to the crunch of the side A tenders versus the side B tenders.  Tyson wins.


Finally, taste was judged.  All 3 kids agreed that the tenders on side A tasted better.  They all liked the flavor of the crunchy breading and the moist and tender chicken inside.  They also agreed that the tenders on side B of the plate had a kind of "spicy" taste - which I think they are referring to a paprika or peppery taste.  The chicken was also dry.  Tyson wins on taste.


I agree with the test panel on all accounts - the Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips wins the first SMACKDOWN.


Do you have a favorite brand of something that you would like me to do a SMACKDOWN?  Let me know and I will feature your favorite product on a future SMACKDOWN!!!!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Where I'm at...

I figured out how to make something and pin it ....so I wasn't that bored....

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

First Concert


Cello Section

Saturday night was the kids first concert.  We never took them to see Barney, the Doodlebops or Dora on Ice....I guess we "deprived" them (ha ha)

We went to Salisbury University to see the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra "A Bach & Mozart Celebration".  It was fantastic.

I managed to snap a few pics...

  • Mozart Clarinet Concerto Les Nicholas, clarinet  - Mr. Nicholas gave a PHENOMENAL performance!
  • Sachi and Francis
  • J.S. Bach Double Concerto for 2 violins
    Francis’c Restesan, violin
    Sachiho Murasugi, violin
The duet played was tremendous.  Very moving.
  • J.S. Bach Orchestral Suite No. 1
  • Mozart Symphony No. 2


If you want to visit their website, go here: http://www.salisbury.edu/sso/

The kids loved the show and we had a great time.  We went out for dinner prior to the show and had dessert after the show.  Some nice "blue-haired" lady told daughter that she looked "exquisite" and that made the girl feel super-special!


Daddy & his exquisite girl
The kids were on their BEST behavior...
Me & MSB
a good time was had by all.













(okay, it wasn't RUSH, Porcupine Tree or Transatlantic...but we will get there!)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Something Important

Some people have a gift of enlightenment.  Some people have something important to say.
Jeff Bethke is one of those individuals who has been blessed with insight.

I share what I feel makes a big impact -- and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

Monday, March 5, 2012

Falafel Friday!



Friday was Falafel Friday!  My husband really wanted me to make falafels (again) and I wanted to experiment a little by making them from scratch.  In the past I have made them from a box, but that limits us to just hubby and I eating them, since most mixes are processed in a plant that may have cross-contamination with nuts -- and then our daughter cannot eat them.

So, I found out how incredibly easy it is to make falafels from scratch.  Husband now says that I made a big mistake, because now he wants me to make them all the time!

First you rinse and drain a can of chick peas.  Then you mix them with parsley, onions, salt/pepper, cumin, garlic and a little lemon juice, about 2 tablespoons of flour (whole wheat flour in our house - of course!)  Mash all that goodness together.

Roll into balls. 

then fry them for 5 to 7 minutes (you can also bake them, but I have a good deep fryer, so I used that.)




I also made homemade hummus (which in my head I call it "yhummus!" because it is so good), and tzatziki sauce (cucumbers diced up with my homemade yogurt, lemon juice, dill weed and garlic) -- served it all on whole wheat flatbread with lettuce, tomato and hot sauce. 

I'm glad I have pictures to prove that I made this -- it was all gone in about 30 minutes!



Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Menu of the Week board

Before we had kids, my husband and I discussed parenting styles and what was important to us as a family unit.  We decided (among other things) that eating together was an important activity to do as a family, for bonding, talking, sharing.  We also like to plan our meals in advance, so my husband can help with dinner  -- whether he preheats the oven or takes care of the side dishes.  We are definitely a family team. 

In order to make our weekly dinners a smooth event despite the frequent trips to school, Tae Kwan Do or the stables during the week -- we plan the weekly menu.

We had this little glass plate on a stand with a dry erase marker that I got several years ago at one of those kitchen stores.  It was a clearance item and I think I paid $2.00  for it!  We have used that for the past few years, but I don't like it getting pushed around on my already cluttered countertops.  So - enter an idea I saw on Pinterest (yup - I actually took action on a Pinterest idea!) -- a collage frame and scrapbook paper underneath - a different frame for each day of the week.  Well, I found an 8-frame collage at my local big box store and decided that it was time for a change.  I love the look and my husband was impressed of how cool it actually turned out.

Isn't that cool?  I love the way it came out and I can change the paper backgrounds to reflect the seasons or changes in decor.  The entire project cost about $12.00!

How do you make weekday mealtime easiser?

Monday, February 27, 2012

Outside of the Box

I don't like shower curtains.  I don't think they are functional, most of them are ugly and the ones that aren't ugly are trendy or too matchy-matchy for my decor.  I do use shower liners, but the curtain part -- that one large piece of fabric that covers the liner for decorating purposes -- I don't do them.  Instead, no one ever said that I could not use curtains -- yes, regular curtains -- tab-top or pocket, whatev -- that is what I use.  The bonus with thinking outside of the box is that your choices are diverse and usually you can find pretty decent sales on curtains -- ever clearance prices -- I'm talking DIRT CHEAP to do a bathroom re-do when you think outside of the box.

Which brings me to mention that my husband and I felt that the dull cream colored walls of the master bath made the bathroom look, well -- dingy.  I suggested painting the walls white -- to make the rooms (our master bath is 2 rooms) look brighter and to flow the cabinetry.  He was skeptical that it would work.  It is just white - said he.  No says I! White is clean, flowing, Mediterranean feeling.  The new look of the bathroom is brighter and makes me happy.  I didn't take any before pictures, but I can assure you - the new look is fabu!
 The detail on the new "shower" curtain is lovely - and simple.  My husband doesn't like anything too "girly" or flower-y. 
And I think the white complements to muted rose color trim...and my one accent piece of a faux amaryllis on a cool twig/bamboo shelf unit.

I love to re-arrange rooms and change accents.  We recently did that with our great room/den and it makes the room look huge!

I think the next re-do is going to be the master bedroom, so I will try to remember to take before/after shots.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Friday Pizza Night


Whole wheat in grain form


adding grain to mill


freshly milled whole wheat flour


the sponge


dough before rise


the risen dough


pizza crusts ready


the kid's pizzas


one side pepperoni, one side margherita



just looking at the finished product makes my mouth water
 
Who doesn't love a good pizza on a Friday night after an exhausting week of work and running around?  Too bad where I live there isn't a good "pie" to be had.  See, I'm from New Jersey.  The pizza from "Joisey" is just too tasty and it gets in my mouth.  The pizza here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland - not so good.  I don't know if it is the water or what.  And you can't get a slice around here -- only whole pies.

Being that I like to play with food, I decided to make pizza.  Not just any kind of pizza mind you -- but real whole wheat pizza, with flour from my kitchen, milled from grain from the mid-west.  So, let's see how pizza is made on the Eastern Shore by the Jersey girl.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  That will warm up your kitchen enough to get some good breadmaking rise going on.  Get your whole grain on  out, and mill about 10 cups in the WonderMill.  Once you have your flour, measure out 2 tblspns of good yeast, 5 cups of water no warmer than 100 degrees, 1/3 cup of oil (I use Gold Label Coconut Oil for good belly reasons), 1/3 cup honey and mix together.  Let it sponge for about 15 minutes.  Once that is done, turn on your mixer with your dough hook (I use a Kitchen Aid, but am pining for a Bosch Universal Mixer) and add the remaining milled flour - about a cup at a time.  That should knead for about 10 to 15 minutes.   Once that is done, take it out and whack it a few times on your counter.  Place in bowl, cover with a little olive oil, drape it with a tea-towel and come back in 20 minutes.

It - is - Ah-LIVE!  Your dough should have doubled in size.  now you can use it.  You can bake bread or you can make pizzahhhhhhh!  Since I am making pizza, I'm going to roll, roll, roll the dough....I can make 4 pizza pies out of the dough - 2 - 14" pizza crusts, 2 - 12" crusts and a loaf of bread.  1 for son who likes more cheese and less sauce; 1 for daughter who likes a balance of sauce and a whisper of cheese - sometimes pepperoni; 1 for husband -  meaty and cheesey; and 1 for me - usually I drag mine through the garden, sometimes I like a hawaiian with pineapple, ham, peppers and onion, sometimes a margherita with lotsa garlic and fresh tomatoes and basil.

...and you can't have good pizza without a nice glass of red wine (or 2!)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Product Review: WEN

My kit of Wen by Chaz Dean
I've mentioned earlier that I have a very strange addiction to Health & Beauty Aids.  I love to try new products from toothpaste to toe creams (get it? head to toe stuff) as well as make-up, hair care peripherals, vitamins, etc. etc.  It is very bad for my budget and I have had to curtail my spending in this area, mostly due to my husband's comic book - I mean graphic novel subscription service. HOWEVER, I recently decided that I could not stand the shampoo I was using and decided to make a purchase of WEN by Chaz Dean.  Now I don't work for the company and I paid for this stuff outright, but I thought I would do a real review by a real person - ME.

Okay, so the kit I ordered had the Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner, Sweet Almond Mint ReMoist Intensive Hair Treatment, Sweet Almond Mint Styling Cream, a cool detangling comb and a free gift of Sweet Almond Mint Texture Balm. Once I ordered it (online) it took about a week for me to receive it.  I read all the instructions and found that the shampoo doesn't lather, but it works like a deep cleaning conditioner. I was game, so I gave it a go.  Now, my hair is medium blonde, not thin, but not full of body either, shoulder length and I do color it to hide my immature, I mean premature gray - so it is slightly damaged on the ends.  I can attest that after ONE use, my hair styled and looked better than it has in months.  I haven't had a haircut/trim since the autumn - so it was an incredible transformation. It was strange doing the shampoo part, because you have to section your hair into 4 areas, then take a few pumps of the shampoo, work it through, then onto the next section.  Once you completely massage the 4 sections, the instructions say to add a little water to make a foam, which it never really foams with my well water.  The instructions also say to use 10 to 15 pumps of the stuff -- it doesn't specify per section or for the entire head.  With my length and thickness, I use 2 pumps per section and it is plenty.  It goes without saying that the more you use, the more they will sell, so you can use your judgement.

I can say that I didn't need any of the other products in the kit because my hair is so fabulous without adding anything.  I have tried to Styling cream and it is "okay".  I didn't see a big difference in the effect of my hair before or after using it.  I also tried the Texture Balm, which I assume is best suited for shorter or layered styles.  I have not (as of this writing) used the ReMoist Intensive Hair Treatment.

All in all, I say if you need a change of shampoo and/or would like to add some bounce and rejuvenation to some lack-luster locks -- the time is now to try Wen!
(Wen is a registered trademark of Chaz Dean.)

IMPORTANT FOLLOW UP:  If you decide to order this stuff, beware of a 'membership' that you get rooked into -- make sure after you get your product and try it, decide to keep it, then call and cancel the automatic membership thingy that they sign you up for. (unless, of course, you want to keep shipments coming every 90 days!)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Follow up for Wednesday's Dinner






One of my favorite comfort foods is Stuffed Peppers. I use a modified version of the one my mom made years ago that she got from this old Campbell's Soup Cookbook. I can just see the cookbook -- hard cover, sort-of spiral bound, tattered and stained. My mom, for the record -- is a horrible cook. She admits that she didn't know how to cook until my dad taught her, since he was a cook in the Army during the Korean War. Anyway -- the real recipe calls for ground beef and cooked rice with Campbell's Tomato Soup. I have modified it to use either ground beef, turkey or chicken (I've done it all) with QUINOA. You can cook them on the stovetop or use a slow cooker (which is how this batch was prepared.)
Without further ado, here goes....
I use a cup of quinoa (I found my health food store runs great sales on stuff and scored about 1 1/2 pounds of quinoa for just $4.43 -- that is a bargain!) and cooked it in 2 cups of beef broth for 15 minutes.
I then mixed the quinoa - once it was cooled to 1 pound of lean ground beef, adding minced onion, parsley and ground pepper to taste. I also take about 1/2 can of Campbell's Tomato Soup and add to the mixture.
(My photos are all askew and I have to figure out how to fix them!)
Moving on...rinse and dry the peppers, then cut off the top, saving the "ring" to use as a base in the crock pot. Make sure to remove the seeds and rind on the inside.
Stuff each pepper with the meat/quinoa mixture. Stuff 'em fat! Place in the crock pot on top of the pepper rings, then add 1 1/2 cans of tomato soup.
Slow cook those righteous things for 8 hours on low.
Serve with a salad and you have a yummy meal.

Dinner Follow Up

Hey! So, I wanted to take a pic of my fabulous meatloaf, but the family hit it before I got home (I had to stop at the store for some beef for Wednesday's dinner - Peppers stuffed with quinoa and beef).

So, the 'loaf was tasty and moist -- sweet husband cooked up some buckwheat (kasha) with chicken broth and made some delish broccoli. Daughter and I love to put pickle relish on our meatloaf -- try it sometime. I had a salad along with my meal.

I really really wanted the cukes in sour cream -- but I did not put that on the "honey do" list for dinner prep.

So -- I will post the photo journey of Peppers stuffed with quinoa and beef -- I stuffed the stuff in the crock pot....

I also have to share a beauty post because of my strange addiction to health and beauty aids....I'll get to it soon.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentines Dinner

Tonight's romantic dinner includes a Turkey Meatloaf Surprise - the surprise being that I chopped mushrooms and spinach and put that in along with some bran, liquid whey (drained from making greek-style yogurt), liquid aminos, 1 egg, yellow mustard, sea salt/pepper, minced onion, parsley...
We will also have cucumbers in sour cream with sea salt/pepper, broccoli, and perhaps some kasha (buckwheat).
Since it is a Tuesday night and we have horseback riding and tae kwan do, we have to make things a little simple....
We will probably try to go out to lunch this weekend if we don't end up painting the bathroom....

I'll post a picture of our "loverly" dinner tonight!