7/28/2010

Orange Cup Cinnamon Rolls

I love food that does "double duty" like my Wiggly Watermelon. This time, we used orange halves to make these adorable & quick cinnamon rolls! Aren't they fun?
They'd be a perfect "back to school" breakfast!
Orange Cup Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
Oranges
Refrigerator Biscuits (the small kind)
Cinnamon
Sugar
Butter, melted
Cream Cheese Icing
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice oranges half.
Scoop out orange flesh, place in bowl to eat (or eat while you're cooking!:)). Pat orange halves with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Open a can of biscuits and roll out on counter to about 5" diameter. Brush with melted butter.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, according to your taste.
Roll out a second biscuit, place on top and repeat the butter/sugar/cinnamon.
Starting at one end, roll up biscuits. Pinch sides to seal.
Look really adorable with your front tooth missing (optional)...
Place roll in a hollowed out orange cup. Repeat until you've made the desired amount of rolls.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-25 minutes, until rolls are golden brown (baking time will vary depending on the moisture in your oranges). Do not underbake! Make sure to take a fork and peek at the bottom of your rolls before removing from the oven. Frost with your favorite cream cheese icing (we even added a little orange juice, yummy!) and sprinkle with orange zest (optional). Enjoy!

7/23/2010

Ultimate Bacon Cheese Dogs

Hey everyone! What are you doing with the rest of your summer? We're spending a few days camping and I thought I'd share my ultimate Bacon Cheese Hot Dog recipe! You can broil these or cook them over a campfire. Both ways are delish! And, I might add that if you need a man, this one is a winner. If you already have a man, he'll be veeeeery happy! Enjoy!

Ultimate Bacon Cheese Dogs
Ingredients:
Hot Dogs
String Cheese
Bacon
Toothpicks
Brown Sugar
Buns & hot dog condiments

Directions:
Slice string cheese in four long pieces (lengthwise). Cut a slit in each hot dog, taking care not to go all the way through, and insert a piece of cheese. Wrap hot dog entirely in bacon (2-3 slices) and secure with toothpicks. Place on broiling rack (or hot dog roasting stick if you are cooking over a fire). Sprinkle a little brown sugar on each hot dog. (Or, if roasting over a fire, roll them in a little brown sugar to coat and press lightly). Cook until bacon is crispy. Remove toothpicks and serve on hot dog buns. Enjoy!

7/20/2010

Farmers Market Tour

Wow, what a day we had at Pike Market with I Can't Believe it's Not Butter!
A big thanks to Deanna, Lindsey, Jamie, and Emme for coming and for their culinary creations! You can see a super fun video from our day below. Watch to find out if Lindsey made the catch at the Flying Fish stand!

Of course, the day wouldn't have been possible with I Can't Believe it's Not Butter!
We had so much fun exploring the very best ingredients at Pike Market and then taking them back home and using I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! to make some delicious dishes. I really love the fact that it has no hydrogenated oils or trans fats. It's such a great way to add flavor to your dishes without adding GUILT!
Here are a few hightlights from Pike Market. Check out those crabs!
Emme had some help picking out the best produce...
Our new friend Ryan was so amazing and helpful! He let Lindsey join the team at the famous "flying fish" stand.
Here she is getting ready to make the catch! Did she do it? You'll have to watch the video to find out. :)
We went back home and the kids dug right into the fresh produce! Raspberries...what raspberries? They finished two pints before we could get our hands on them!
A few of our great finds!
Putting a little extra flavor on our parmesan bread toasts...I love the I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! spray, we use it all the time. The kids especially love it on their veggies!!
Deanna made some amazing potatoes!
The garlic spears and baby artichokes were delicious!
There were SO MANY more dishes...you can see most of them in the video and they were amazing! I tried to take photos but we were so busy having fun and EATING that I didn't get as many as I wanted.
However, my favorite dish of the day was the fish! You can create it at home with this great recipe. We used halibut and a little fresh dill instead of salmon and it was delicious!
Grilled Lemon-Herb Salmon from I Can't Believe it's Not Butter!
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. I Can't Belive it's Not Butter! Light Spread
3/4 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, marjoram or tarragon leaves
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 salmon steaks or fillets (about 1 lb)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except salmon in a small bowl. Grill or broil salmon, turning once, until opaque. Top with lemon-herb spread and serve, if desired with lemon wedges.

Disclosure: I was given a gift card for groceries and a media kit provided by I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! I was not compensated monetarily for this post. All opinions expressed, as always, are my own.

7/18/2010

Panini Beach Party & Giveaway

Last week, we had an amazing Panini Beach Party at our house! You can see more of the action and guests here.
The highlight of the evening was definitely the Panini-Making Cookoff with Kraft's new Deli Deluxe slices...the winner got their own panini grill to take home!
I tried all three flavors (it was a hard job:)) and LOVED them all! I wasn't sure how keen I would be on the Jalapeno American, but it was fantastic! I grilled it with a little roasted turkey and onion jam and it was to die for.
This party was so easy to put together! I am totally doing this again! The guests each made their own panini sandwiches, so the main course was done!
For sides & desserts, we served:
"Fruit Kebabs in Sand" from Little Nummies
Beach Cupcakes (the girls made them all--SO EASY!)
Potato and Pasta Salad in Sand Pails...
and an Italian Soda Bar (a huge fav w/ everyone!) The party was so easy that I got to focus on having fun with our guests. I loved every minute! A huge thanks to Kraft and Deli Deluxe for making this possible!

We had so much fun, we want to share it with you!
So, we are giving FOUR Gourmet Mom-on-the-Go readers a Deli Deluxe Ultimate Panini Party Pack which includes:
-Your own Panini Grill so you can paaaarty!
-Deli Deluxe Aprons
-Four sandwich holders
-3 coupons for Kraft Deli Deluxe Slices
(Approx. retail value: $125)

To Enter:
Go to Kraft's
Sandwich Center, check out all the deliciousness, and come back here to leave comment telling me what sandwich recipe you'd like to try. Easy cheesey!

Time's up!
Our winners, chosen by random.org are:
jcbridge, eddiem11, troopersgirl64, and sweetandsavory
Congrats! I've sent y'all emails and your prize packs are on the way!

Disclosure: I was one of five bloggers selected by Deli Deluxe to host a “Ultimate Summer Sandwich” party and giveaway. I have been compensated for the materials needed for my “Ultimate Summer Sandwich” party. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Kraft Foods is providing the prizes for this giveaway at no cost to me. This giveaway is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by Gourmet Mom-on-the-Go.

7/08/2010

Farmers Market Tour Giveaway!

Time's up! Thank you for all your emails and comments! Our winner is...Jamie Boyd! Jamie, I'll be sending you an email with the day's info. Please let me know asap if you can some for sure. Congrats!
I am so sad to be leaving Seattle in a few weeks so I jumped at the chance when I Can't Believe it's Not Butter offered to have me host a Farmers Market Tour at one of my favorite Seattle hot spots....Pike Market! And, you can come! Want to go? If you can be in Seattle on July 20th, we're inviting one Gourmet Mom-on-the-Go reader to join me and a few of my favorite Seattle foodie friends for a morning at Pike Market and cooking in my kitchen!
We will cover all your shopping costs at the Market as well as parking (if needed) and would love to have you cooking up some fun with us in my kitchen!

If you'd like to come, please leave a comment here or email me with a way to contact you. We'll notify one lucky reader on July 16th and can't wait for a day of fun in Seattle!
A huge thanks to I Can't Believe it's Not Butter for sponsoring this fun day! We will be following up with a video from our adventure, recipes, and lots of other fun! If you have a food blog and attend the event, you are welcome to use any content on your site and we will also be featuring you in post-event postings.
Note: If you have kids and win the giveaway, you are welcome to bring them on this adventure! Kids are always welcome in our kitchen.

7/05/2010

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

I'd love to give a huge shout-out to the people who inspired my kitchen creativity from a very young age: Gourmet Grandpa & Grandma!
I have a special treat for you! Gourmet Grandma & Grandpa are guest posting this week with their favorite spin on dishes from their favorite Disney restaurant! You can see where I got my love of creating in the kitchen and having fun. I love you, mom and dad!

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta from Gourmet Grandpa!

One of the joys of traveling is to try new foods, then see if you can recreate your favorites at home. On our recent trip to the Boma restaurant at Disney World, Gourmet Grandpa was quite taken with the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta - in fact before the evening was over he was taken several extra trips back to the dessert bar for more.

It turns out this has to be one of the simplest dessert recipes anyone could imagine. Here's how we recreated them:

Ingredients:
1 packet unflavored gelatin
3 Tbs. water
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 can frozen passion fruit juice (or your favorite tropical juice)
Wafer or sandwich cookies

Instructions:
In a small bowl, dissolve one packet of gelatin in 3 tablespoons of water. In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cups of cream with one can of frozen passion fruit juice and add the dissolved gelatin.
Heat and stir the mixture until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture is creamy (no need to boil). That's it!
This is a really rich dessert, so you might want to try small servings. You could pour the mixture into a tartlet pan (like a small cupcake pan) or into small bowls or glasses. Chill for several hours before serving (or if you're in a hurry you can use the Colorado quick chill method shown:)).
Another serving idea is to take Oreo or other sandwich cookies, scrape the frosting out of the middle, and use the cookies to make an hors d'oeuvres style dessert. Enjoy!

7/02/2010

Winning Video

My wonderful friend Brittney caught this video of me at the Real Women of Philadelphia Live Event where they announced the winners!
I love when they announce my name, she starts screaming and going crazy....then realizes that she was filming. What a friend! Love ya, B, and thank you!! You can see more photos, etc., from the week here.

What happened?!

I have so much more to share about the Savannah trip, next week I'll do some posts in our Family Fun section.
Want to know what happened at Paula Deen's Real Women of Philadelphia Cookoff?...
Well, we got to visit our house and of course took a zillion photos in her kitchen...

Here's a video still shot of me and Paula at the cookoff...

Telling Paula about my pastry...

Showing my dish at the live event...Paula told the whole audience and everyone watching online that she was going to make my dish for her niece's wedding this summer. Wow!!! The judges talk about the cookoff...Laurie from Recipe Girl, Robin Ross from Kraft, and Aunt Peggy, the matriarch of the Deen family... Waiting for the results... I won!!! $25,000 for a 6 month talent contract! YOWZA! I'm still reeling! Had a great night celebrating with family and friends! But don't worry, I'm back home and we're already cookin' up more fun things to share with you. Huge thanks to all of you for your support and good wishes!


Yesterday I was cookin' with Paula and won $25,000...
Today I set off the smoke alarm twice while making bacon for breakfast. I guess that's just how busy mamas roll...:)

Holiday Playlist

My grandmother hasn't been doing well...to cheer her up, I rounded up a few of my musical friends and made an album of Holiday songs fo...