Gourmet Mom on-the-Go

ROCK Star Snacks

2012-01-27T06:50:00.001-08:00

To wrap up Little C's Rock unit in school we're having some
ROCK Stars!We had fun making these together and they are super simple! We started with a batch of no bake energy balls (recipe here) and formed them into various rock shapes, about 1" wide each. (you could also use cake balls or any of your favorite no-bake treat recipes!)Then we melted some white candy melts along with a FEW black ones. (you could also use brown).

We dipped the treats in the candy melts then added two edible eyes and a Cheerio mouth.We finished them off by putting some green royal icing in a bag w/ a leaf tip and making crazy hair! I originally planned doing all mohawks but they started to get a life or their own... :)This one was feeling a little philosophical..."et tu, Brute?"This one wanted to rock a Lada Gaga-ish bow...

But no matter how you decorate them, they'll get gobbled up in a flash! Here's the wild crew ready for school!

Sedimentary Rock Bars

2012-01-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

We're rockin' out in school this month! Little C has been having so much fun telling me everything she has been learning about rocks recently. So, we decided to celebrate with some
Sedimentary Rock Bars...Not only are these super easy (you could really make any kind of layered bar cookie that you like), they teach a great lesson about how Sedimentary Rocks are formed. I made up a little printable for the kiddos that you can download here (or click on the image below).

For our bars, I used a package of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix and pressed it into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 1 Cup chocolate chips on top. Let melt and carefully spread to evenly distribute over the cookie. Then, I baked up some oatmeal cookies and crumbled them on top. For the top layer, I sprinkled on a mixture of butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and toffee bits (can you tell I was cleaning out the pantry??!).
As I said before, you can make any type of layered cookie bar then have some fun talking about how sedimentary rocks are formed. Have fun and rock on!

Love in Hand Cookies for MLK Day

2012-01-13T08:49:00.001-08:00

Monday we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I wanted to send a snack to my daughter's class to celebrate his legacy and finally came up with these cookies...I used the cookie cutter that I found here, I made up four pages of quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that you can download here.
We will be spending Monday finding some ways to do service in our community and spread Dr. King's message of love, tolerance, and the ripple effect of doing good.To make cookies, I used two packages of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix and combined with butter and egg as directed on the package. I divided the dough into fourths and tinted it with various colors. (Wouldn't it be great if you had time to do rainbow?!)

Cut out cookies, then carefully remove the heart center and swap it with another color. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Cool completely.Do you have any ideas for ways to honor Dr. King and spread his message throughout your community? I'd love to hear them!

Salmon from Norway & Traditional Gravlax

2011-12-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Norwegian Salmon for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Today we're taking a little culinary trip to beautiful Norway! No Norwegian lunch would be complete without one of Norway’s most distinctive dishes, gravlax. The name literally means “Grave-Salmon” and refers to the medieval practice of curing the raw fish by burying it in the sand above the high tide level.

Not only is this a fantastic dish, Norwegian Salmon provides the most amazing ocean-farmed salmon that you have ever tasted!! I absolutely love this salmon, not only because it's delicious but because it is produced in a safe environment with complete traceability.

Even though I'm a busy parent, I'm also a foodie and foodies know that when it comes to finding authentic, superior tasting foods, origin matters. As you know, Norwegians have a passion and love for the sea that began thousands of years ago. I think that because their culture is so tied to our oceans, they know how to responsibly provide the finest, freshest seafood. (In fact, Norway’s seafood industry pioneered the development of responsible ocean salmon-farming in the early 1970’s!).

“The analogy I would give is that farmers in Norway are treating their salmon the way our organic farmers in the U.S. treat their farms,” said Ashley Koff, R.D., M.S., on a Good Morning America Health Segment, May 5, 2011, after also participating in an educational trip to Norway in April of 2011.

The salmon are grown slowly, as nature intended. They spend the first year of their life in hatchery tanks on land until they are strong enough for life in the sea. Then after one year, the salmon are carefully transferred to spacious, protected pens in the ocean. These pens are very large and allow the salmon maximum freedom to grow. Norwegian law even dictates that these pens must be 97.5 percent water to allow maximum comfort for the salmon.

At every point of the salmon’s development, they are being monitored closely. Technologically advanced systems help farmers and vegetarians monitor every aspect of their life, including when they are hungry and full. The salmon are fed an all-natural diet, which consists of ½ marine raw materials like fish oil and fishmeal from wild fish and ½ vegetable raw, material, plus vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Did you know that the recent dietary guidelines from the USDA’s new “My Plate” recommend at least 2 servings of fish a week? The World Health Organization has also recommended increasing seafood intake as a way to improve the general health of the world’s population. These guidelines make incorporating protein-rich fish like salmon in our diets even more important than ever.

However, because of depleting fish populations in oceans worldwide, meeting this requirement could be difficult without farming. But with the help of responsible aquaculture, this goal is attainable. “Norway is one of the biggest exporters of Atlantic salmon. Our seafood is enjoyed in more than 150 countries worldwide,” says Grønbech. “The reason for this success is Norway’s long traditions of harvesting seafood in a sustainable manner to ensure safe, delicious seafood supplies are available for generations of fish lovers to come.”

Today gravlax is cured with sugar, salt and fresh dill to produce a fresh, delicate flavor that is traditionally eaten on open-faced sandwiches or with stewed potatoes. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does! I served up the thin slices on a platter and let people choose to eat it with crusty bread, crackers, or even just straight up with mustard-dill sauce. Norwegian Gravlax

Salmon:
1 approx 2-lb salmon fillet, skin on
3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp coarsely ground pepper
1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped

Gravlax sauce:

4 egg yolks
½ tsp salt
½ cup vegetable oil or mild olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp mustard
2-3 tbsp finely chopped dill

1. Trim salmon fillets. Scrape the skin well and remove all bones (if any).
2. Blend salt, sugar and pepper. Sprinkle half of the salt mixture in the bottom of a roasting pan, then sprinkle half of the dill over and place the fillet in the pan skin side down.

3. Press the remaining salt mixture and dill on the flesh side of the fillet, using light pressure.

4. Put fish in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Turn it every day. Scrape seasoning and dill from the fillets before serving.

5. Add salt to the egg yolks and stir until it reaches a thick consistency. Slowly pour in the oil while whisking quickly until the sauce is a consistency similar to mayonnaise.

6. Stir sugar, vinegar, pepper and mustard into the sauce. Just before use add the dill. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
7. Cut the salmon into thin slices and serve with gravy, stewed potatoes or bread and salad.

Are you as fascinated as I am with the love and care that goes into Norwegian salmon farming? Meet one of the intriguing people that puts all her effort and heart into providing the best salmon possible: Aino Olaisen...

Growing up in Lovund, an island on Norway’s ragged coast dotted with steep mountains rising from the Norwegian sea, Aino Olaisen’s childhood memories are deeply connected to the seafaring traditions that continue to sustain this small fishing village of just 423 residents.

Now the owner of Nova Sea AS, a 35-year-old salmon farming company started by her father Steinar in 1972, Aino takes great pride in carrying on her family’s business and devotion to providing the freshest salmon available through the basic principles of integrity, honesty and unsurpassed quality. In fact, the farmers in Lovund provide more than 425 million meals every year for the global salmon market directly from their cold, clear coastal waters.

Describing her company as a high-technology global business that’s highly regulated for traceability and safety, Aino says the business provides a simple way of living and harvesting from the ocean that makes food production a pleasure shared by everyone in this vital Norwegian industry.

“It’s amazing to be able to every day play an important part in people’s lives,” explains Aino. “Food is such a basic, simple part of people’s survival but at the same time, it’s indispensable. That’s why we take so much pride in providing the highest quality salmon to add taste and enjoyment to the lives of the people who eat it.”

Since the first batch of 1,200 juvenile salmon, or smolt, were shipped in plastic bags to Lovund to start farming in the early 1970’s, Aino watched her father struggle to establish salmon farming as a means to reverse the trend of depopulation and depression in Lovund’s local trade and industry at that time.

After years of research, experiments and round-the-clock work to ensure the salmon’s survival, the first salmon farms began growing. Since then, Lovund has flourished as a natural source of fresh salmon and cod, slowly grown as nature intended in the cold, clear Norwegian waters.

Born just a few years after the company was started, food production has been a natural and important part of Aino’s life ever since. She started contributing to the family business at an early age, spending her summer vacations working on the farm. At age 16, Aino left Lovund to continue her education and later attended the Norwegian College of Fishery Science in Tromso. After 15 years of study and travel in Denmark, Ecuador and France, Aino returned home to start a family and continue with the business in the hopes of passing down these traditions to her own family.

When asked why Americans should choose Norwegian salmon, Aino says simply, “Norway has a long history of harvesting from the ocean and the Norwegian culture is strongly connected to the sea. Our salmon is healthy, delicious and produced in safe environments with complete traceability. Plus, Norwegian salmon contains important marine proteins and omega-3 fatty acids that are so important for the human body. That’s why Norwegians are so healthy.”

In fact, salmon is a regular part of her family’s diet, according to Aino. “We eat salmon for dinner at least once a week, and we often enjoy smoked salmon for breakfast and lunch,” she says. “My favorite way to serve it is to oven bake a salmon fillet in aluminum foil after sprinkling it with soy sauce, herbs, fresh chili, fresh ginger and a few drops of freshly squeezed lime. My family loves it served with fresh vegetables.”

Today, Norway is one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafood, including wild and farmed fish, with more than 27 million meals including Norwegian Seafood consumed worldwide every day. Ocean-farmed Norwegian salmon is available fresh year-round, is easy to prepare and is a good investment in your family’s health. For more information about ocean-farmed salmon from Norway, visit salmon from Norway. It's a possibility that I might get to go to Norway this spring and I would like nothing better than seeing firsthand their love and dedication to responsible fishing. I will definitely bring you on the adventure (virtually:)) if it happens!
This sponsored post is written by myself on behalf of Norwegian Salmonfor SocialSpark. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Figgy Pudding

2011-12-14T19:00:00.001-08:00

You can find tons of great Holiday Treat ideas here and on my Christmas Pinterest board...
Soooo, I thought for the last few weeks of this month I'd feature some traditional Holiday Foods from around the world!
Last week, Little C's teacher mentioned to me that she's like the class to try Figgy Pudding. My first thought was "Rum? Figs? Suet? Spices? Hours of baking?! This NOT a kid-friendly recipe!" However, we put together our own from many of the recipes out there and I sent it off to school...Little C came home happily reporting that the class LOVED it and she wondered if there was any more at home....!
So, here's our "kid-friendly" Figgy Pudding recipe. If your kids haven't tried Figgy Pudding yet, make a batch together, download Bing Crosby's version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and enjoy!

Figgy Pudding
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dried figs
1/2 cup dried currants (can substitute dates)

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F. Whip butter until creamy then add molasses and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add buttermilk and mix well. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest. Mix well. Add flour and mix well. Remove any stems from figs and chop figs and currants into fine pieces (I used the food processor!). Add figs and currants to batter mixture.
Bake in ramekins (25 minutes at 325 degrees), mini muffin tins (15 minutes at 325 degrees), or a large tube pan (1 hour at 325 degrees). You will know the cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Serve with Ginger-Rum Whipped Cream (optional).

NOTE: We found that this actually tasted better the second day! The flavors had some time to combine/mellow and the cake had a nice texture.

Ginger-Rum Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rum extract
4 Tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped

Directions:
Beat cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in rum extract and ginger. Serve on top of Figgy Puddings.
A few fun facts: Figgy Pudding dates back to the 15th century but was most popular during the 1800s. It's traditionally made with suet (an animal fat found near their kidneys) but butter works for us. :) Steaming was the traditional way of cooking and would take 3-4 hours!

Cookie Swap Ideas!

2011-12-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

It’s the Holiday season and time for COOKIES!
Hosting a Cookie Exchange can be stressful but no need to worry...I'm sharing my top ten tips and tricks to make sure your event is fabulous and fun for everyone. Plus, these ideas will help you “multi-task” by earning Box Tops for Education for your school!
1) Grab Ziploc® Brand Snap ‘n Seal Containers so you have plenty on hand to pack up cookies. They make it so easy with all the cute Holiday prints available! You can even stack them in a basket for a fun centerpiece and easy packaging.

2) If you have a lot of people participating, have Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bags on hand so guests can freeze their cookies for later use during the Holidays.

3) Print out recipe cards and place them on the table with festive pens so people can swap their favorite recipes.

4) Grab a package of Avery® Adhesive Name Badges. You can use them as name tags if your guests don’t know each other AND on your packages as easy cookie labels.

5) For easy Winter Scene cookies, dip Bugles® snacks in green candy melts and set aside to harden. Frost sugar cookies with Betty Crocker® White Frosting (snow) and add a few Bugles (trees) along with your favorite festive sprinkles.

6) Start with Betty Crocker® Sugar Cookie Mix. Make the dough as directed then use food coloring to tint one half red and one half green (you can also leave some of the dough white if desired). Roll out each into a rectangle, place on top of each other and roll into a log. Slice and bake for beautiful Christmas Pinwheel cookies!
7) Skip the expensive and hard-to-find sprinkles! Bake Christmas Tree-shaped cookies and decorate with Betty Crocker® Frosting and Trix® Cereal “ornaments”. (The leftover cereal can be used to feed your family breakfast the day of your cookie swap for a stress-free day!)

8) If you want to serve savory snacks along with cookies to your guests, make up a veggie tray and grab some packages of Chex Mix® Snack Mix. Everyone can munch and chat while exchanging cookies and recipes.

9) Don’t forget the music! Download some of your favorite Holiday songs and have them playing in the background for a festive touch to your party.

10) To help earn Box Tops for your kids’ schools and for some extra fun, bake a few dozen extra cookies. Let everyone take an extra cookie for each Box Top they bring to the party!

Do you have a cookie swap tip or a great cookie recipe to share?
If so, leave it in the comments!

Cornucopia Snacks

2011-11-15T13:31:00.001-08:00

What are you serving on your Kids' Table this Thanksgiving?
How about these cute Cornucopia Snacks we whipped up for Tablespoon?
Click here or on the image below to get the recipe.

The easiest way I found to coat your ice cream cones is to hold them by the tip and roll them in chocolate... Dip in sprinkles, lay them on wax paper and smooth out the end with your finger. Easy! When dry, fill with your snack mix and serve!
If you have a great idea for the Kids Table at Thanksgiving, please put a link in the comments!

Turkey Toes

2011-11-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, I saw these adorable jars of "Turkey Toes" on Pinterest from No Fuss Fabulous.
What a great idea to use your leftover Candy Corn!
So, we decided to make our own version...something easy to send to school as a class treat or as a cute snack on your Thanksgiving table!

We used snack size sandwich baggies and I made some labels that you can download here.These are so easy to assemble! Simply put about 1/4 cup of candy corn in each baggie, cut out labels and attach with double-sided tape. If you're looking for candy corn, it's on sale this week at Kroger/King Soopers for $1 (in the candy aisle, green bag). One bag of candy corn will make about 8 bags of Turkey Toes. Little C is excited to take them to class today!

Twix or Treat!

2011-10-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

In case you already didn't know, we're a little crazy about Halloween...and, I'm even more crazy about my costume this year!... Since we want you to be the coolest house on the block this Halloween, we're giving one Gourmet Mom on the Go reader:
Your own TWIX Halloween costume
AND
70 FULL SIZE Twix bars to hand out for Trick-or-Treat! TO ENTER:
Time's up! We have a winner!

The Hulls who said...
"I like twix on facebook! :)"
I dropped you an email, Please send me your contact info by this afternoon so we can get your package to you by Halloween!

Just for fun, Twix did an online Treat Survey and here were my favorite facts...
• Fruit-flavored non-chocolate Halloween treats get no respect: Only 3 percent of all adults surveyed listed fruit-flavored non-chocolate treats as their Halloween favorite. The winning treat combination? Chocolate with peanuts or peanut butter topped the list at 39 percent, followed by a chocolate and caramel combination as a close second (30 percent). Phew, good thing TWIX bars come in classic TWIX® Caramel and TWIX® Peanut Butter.

• Men seek the crunch; the ladies prefer something they can chew on: When it comes to treats, women prefer chewy treats more than men do (42 percent to 33 percent), while more men than women seek out treats with a crunch (33 percent to 23 percent).

• Taking candy from a baby: One quarter of all adults surveyed (26 percent) admit to taking candy from their child’s Halloween stash or a friend’s or co-worker’s candy dish and denying it.

I hope you're all having fun gearing up for Halloween!
Disclosure: Twix provided the information and products for this giveaway. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Fun with Biscoff Spread!

2011-10-13T21:34:00.001-07:00

This summer, my friend Bridget over at Bake at 350 got me hooked on the new Biscoff Spread! I've always loved Biscoff Cookies (I even served them at my wedding!) so you can imagine how excited I was when Biscoff put all that luscious taste into a creamy spread!!
Since then, we've had a great time making all kinds of fun recipes, here are my kids' two current favorite creations...Little H loves these sweet treats because they taste like a decadent dessert (but are packed with all kinds of "good for you" stuff!)

Biscoff Energy Balls
makes 24
Ingredients:
½ c light corn syrup
½ c light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ c sliced almonds
½ c dried cherries (optional)
½ c ground flax seed
1 ½ granola cereal
¾ c Biscoff Spread
½ c white chocolate chips

Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine corn syrup and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly then cook an additional 30 seconds, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in all other ingredients except chocolate chips. Let sit for 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Roll into 1” balls and place on wax paper. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over balls and let set completely, about 10 minutes. Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

This is Little C's current favorite lunch staple! She loves to whip them up herself and always feels special when she gets out her fancy chopsticks and "Bushi" (Biscoff and Sushi;)) at lunchtime. :)

Biscoff "Bushi" Rolls
Ingredients:
2 slices bread, any flavor
2 Tablespoons Biscoff spread
4 teaspoons cherry jelly

Directions:
Roll one slice bread flat with a rolling pin and cut off crusts (optional). Spread 1 tablespoon Biscoff spread on bread, covering 2/3 of the bread. Spread 2 teaspoons jelly on top of the Biscoff spread. Roll up bread, starting at the end covered with Biscoff spread. Cut into slices with a sharp knife and place in container. Repeat steps with second slice of bread. (optional: garnish with fake “sushi grass” and serve with chopsticks).

We entered these two recipes in Biscoff's Lunch Envy Challenge! Go here to check it out and join in on the fun!

Frogs on a Log

2011-10-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Big C was so proud of herself when she and her sister made these Frogs on a Log treats for her birthday party...

I realized that these would also be super cute for a "not-too-spooky" Halloween treat or a Letter F snack!

Frogs on a Log
Ingredients:
Hostess Ho Ho's
Gummy Frogs
Brown Candy Melts (or chocolate chips)
Wax Paper

Directions:
Unwrap Ho Hos and place on wax paper. Melt chocolate and drizzle lengthwise over Ho Ho's to give them a "wood texture". Place two gummy frogs on the top of each and let set completely, about 10 minutes.

Tips: after the girls drizzed the chocolate, I moved each Ho Ho a little bit on the wax paper so they didn't have big chocolate strings on the end. Or, you can just break them off after drying.

For the dessert stand, we simply bought a cross cut of wood at the craft store and Gourmet Dad cut a log for me. We used epoxy to glue them together and you have an instant rustic cake/dessert stand!

Columbus Day Snack

2011-10-07T07:03:00.001-07:00

First, I want to thank you so much for your sweet emails, comments, etc., asking if we are ok. YES, I am alive! We had a lot of action this summer and I enjoyed some time off playing with the girls and trying to fix up a little ranch we bought....

I will post soon the rest of the dowloads/ideas for the Camping Party, I apologize to those of you who have been waiting for it! In the meantime, I saw this adorable idea over on Pinterest (original version from Supermom Moments) and knew it would be the perfect little Columbus Day snack for Little C's school class. Here is our version as well as a dowload for the flags I made. These are so easy! All you need is clear cups, blue Jell-o, orange slices, toothpicks, and flags (I cut them out and glued them to the toothpicks).
Click here or on the image below to download the flags.
Enjoy! We'll be back soon with more fun!

Camping Cookies

2011-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for Big C's Camping Birthday Party tomorrow! (No, we're not camping, just doing all the fun things that go with it). We'll be featuring a lot of the goodies and games but first I wanted to give you a sneek peek of the cookies that Kay from Rollin in Dough made for the party...Wow! Is she talented or what?! The good news for all you party animals is that she DOES ship her cookies & you can check out her Etsy shop here.
We'll be back soon with more party details and lots of fun "camping" goodies and games!

Panda Bread

2011-05-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not posting for over a week, we have lots of wonderful projects going on! As the school year is ending I'll probably be blogging less and enjoying having those kids home but don't worry, we'll still keep posting our fun and fabulous recipes!....just not as often. :)

I recently came across an adorable recipe for Panda Bread on Tablespoon and had to try it!
On the outside, just looks like normal bread.
But slice it open and...
How cute is that?! Many of you know that I'm terrible at making bread, so if I can do this, you can, too!

Click here to get the recipe and step by step instructions/photos.

Little H loved it! She snuggled her slice for quite awhile before finally eating it...

Chick Pancakes

2011-04-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

How about some "newly hatched" Chick Pancakes for Easter Breakfast?

They are so simple to make, the two secrets are to make sure that your pancake batter is nice and smooth (I like to make it in the blender), and you'll need three of these squeeze bottles...
Chicky Pancakes

Ingredients:
Your favorite pancake batter
3 plastic squeeze bottles
orange and yellow food coloring
chocolate chips (for eyes)

Directions:
Pour batter into squeeze bottles, about 3/4 full. Add a few drops orange food coloring to one bottle and a few drops yellow food coloring to another bottle. Shake both well.

Over medium heat (make sure that you only use medium or medium/low heat...it will keep the "egg" part of your chick white and still cook it), draw a cracked egg outline with white batter then add a half circle of yellow for the "head". Draw a triangle beak and feet. Let cook until just starting to bubble. When your outline starts to bubble, fill in with white and yellow batter...

When entire pancake starts to bubble, flip and cook on the reverse side (about 60-90 seconds).

Remove from pan and add two chocolate chips for eyes (my kids each wanted a little pile of chocolate chips on their plates to add their own eyes). Serve immediately.

We had fun playing with the extra batter and even made a few "easter eggs" to go along with the chicks. I hope you're having some fun family time this weekend! Happy Easter!

Frittata Primavera

2011-04-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's Entree Week on the Real Women of Philadelphia! Do you have a great main dish recipe that uses new Philadelphia Cooking Creme? It could be worth $25,000! Come on over and join the Real Women of Philadelphia and you could be one of Paula Deen's next "cookin' stars"! Even if you don't have a recipe to submit, it's an amazing community full of great recipes and fun people.

I had so much fun whipping up this easy Frittata Primavera, if you're looking for a quick and fabulous brunch dish, this is it! Enjoy!

Frittata Primavera from Kraft

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/3 cup chopped red peppers
8 eggs
2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Philadelphia® Cream Cheese, cut into small cubes
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Cook and stir vegetables in 10-inch ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. or until crisp-tender.
Beat eggs, water and salt in medium bowl with whisk until well blended. Sprinkle cream cheese over vegetables in skillet; cover with egg mixture and vegetables.
Bake 30 min. or until frittata is puffed and golden brown. Yield: 8 servings.

Variation: If you don't have an ovenproof skillet, cook vegetables in regular skillet as directed. Beat eggs, water and salt in medium bowl with whisk until well blended. Add vegetables and cream cheese; mix well. Pour into 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Bake as directed.

Creative Leftovers: A frittata is a great way to use up leftover vegetables and cheeses in your refrigerator. Cut soft cheese into small cubes or shred hard cheeses before mixing with other filling ingredients before pouring into prepared pie plate. Be creative and unafraid to try something new!

Push Pop Cakes

2011-04-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

Ever since the Meringue Bake Shop created "Push Cakes", they've been taking the cupcake world by storm! I love this marriage of cupcakes and old-school push pops so we had to make our own... The hard part is finding the supplies, but I finally tracked some down! You can buy the little push pop containers wholesale here. Or, if you are just looking for a few, you can buy them here (more expensive but you can order fewer). I may or may not have just bought 200...which is a little excessive since I've been washing and re-using them. Update: a reader found them wholesale at Culinary Direct, it looks to be the cheapest if you want to buy 100. Thanks, Abby!These are SO EASY to make! Simply bake your favorite cupcake batter in mini muffin pans. Place one mini cupcake in each push pop tube... Top each with a swirl of your favorite icing. I used a Wilton 1M large star tip. Add some sprinkles... Top with another cupcake, another dallop of icing and more sprinkles. (note: the containers do come with lids but I left them off for the photo:)). The flavors we created in this batch were chocolate/chocolate fudge, mint chocolate chip and strawberry vanilla. My favorite was hands down the mint chocolate chip...yummy!

A huge thanks to Gourmet Dad for my fun new Push Pop Cake holder! We bought a 3-inch block of wood at the hardware store, drilled holes about 1/2" deep in it and spray painted it white. It looks so cute on the table, I'll be using it for all our parties and get-togethers this summer! Talk about a sweet centerpiece!

Prairie Dog Jerky

2011-03-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

We've had a problem on our property...prairie dogs! Although they seem cute, they eat everything, make holes that can hurt horses, etc., and are a nusiance.

We've been trying really hard lately (like most of you!) to be frugal. The economy has been hard on everyone in one way or another. So, I decided to solve two problems at once and create... Prairie Dog Jerky!

I didn't have the heart to kill them but Gourmet Dad was happy to get out his pellet gun and do the skinning for me. And, I was happy to prepare the meat...what a team! If you do not own a dehydrator, you can use your oven on the lowest setting and leave the oven door slightly ajar for air circulation. Easy! Feel free to adjust the spices, you can get as creative as you want. Also, in many areas Prairie Dogs carry diseases, so please make sure you cook the meat thoroughly. Prairie Dog Jerky Ingredients: • 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste • 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce • 1-1/2 teaspoons mesquite flavoring liquid • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar, packed • 1 Tablespoon onion powder • 2 teaspoons garlic powder • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 pound prairie dog meat, sliced thin

Directions: Combine liquid smoke, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mesquite flavoring, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt in a large zip-top bag. Add prairie dog strips to the marinade, seal, and squish to coat all the meat. Re-open the bag, squeeze out all the air, re-seal, and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours. Remove prairie dog strips from marinade and gently pat off excess moisture with a paper towel. Place strips in a single layer, with space in between, on dehydrator racks. Dehydrate until prairie dog jerky is leathery and chewy but not crisp enough to snap when bent. Store jerky in sealed bags in the refrigerator. NOTES: Please try to find single prairie dogs. They mate for life and it would be terrible to leave one of them without a spouse...One more note...Happy April Fool’s Day!! Please do not eat Prairie Dogs! If you're looking for some fun April Fool's Day dinner ideas, go here!:)

Fluffy Bunny Cakes

2011-03-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air and Bunny Cakes are everywhere! You will LOVE this white chocolate cake mix fix with fluffy marshmallow icing! The best part? One cake mix will make three bunnies! That means this year there will be enough ears for everyone. :) Everyone has felt the pinch of the economy in one way or another. This year, instead of spending a lot of money on expensive table decorations, how about whipping up a family of these bunnies to serve as centerpieces AND dessert?

Fluffy Bunny Cakes
Cake
1 box Betty Crocker white cake mix
1 box (3 oz) instant white chocolate pudding
2 cups sour cream
5 eggs
1 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips

Icing
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
6 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Food coloring, optional

Garnish
3 large red gumballs
3 large marshmallows
6 round malt chocolate candies

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray or grease bottom of three 9 inch round cake pans.

Combine all cake ingredients except chocolate chips in large bowl. Mix until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide batter among three greased cake pans (make sure to use three pans or your cakes will overflow!).

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn over on wire racks to cool completely.

In a medium pan, combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt. Cook over medium heat until just boiling, stirring occasionally.

Place egg whites in large mixing bowl. Turn mixer on high and continue to beat while slowly pouring in hot sugar mixture. Beat until fluffy and glossy, about 7 minutes. Add vanilla.

Separate icing into bowls and color as desired.

When your cakes are cooled, cut in half. Use one half for the bunny face. Cut ears out of the other half, as shown below. One of the ears is longer, so don’t worry! Cut off the top and flip over to form a “folded ear”.

Divide icing into bowls and color as desired. I like to reserve 1 cup white for ears then tint three bowls pastel pink, yellow, and blue. Or, you can make your bunnies whatever colors you want to match your party!
Frost generously, using your knife to make peaks in the icing. Note: once the icing sets, don’t mess with it! You’ll ruin the smooth gloss. Use candies to create a bunny face, as below.

Gender Reveal Cookies

2011-03-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

I don't normally post other people's recipes but really I want you to meet my newest favorite sweet treat blogger, Sugar Derby! I was instantly in love when I saw these
Gender Reveal Cookies...

How cute would these be to announce the gender of an upcoming baby or for a baby shower?
(and NO, I do not have an announcement to make of any kind!!:))

Cake Balls and Cake Pops are all the rage right now, but putting them inside cookies? Genius! Head on over here for the full recipe and be sure to check out all of Sugar Derby's great ideas.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2011-03-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Last week Little C and I went to Nebraska where I was a guest cook at a Taste of Home Cooking School Show. The chef, Guy Klinzing, was extremely gracious and we had a marvelous time! Here we are whipping up some Easy Chicken Enchiladas. We even did a little singin' for St. Patty's Day...

Also, openened my mail today and got a great surprise! I'm featured in Taste of Home's April/May issue (page 27). What an honor, I've been thumbing through my mom's Taste of Home magazines since I was a little girl. Thank you!
(click image to enlarge)

Edible Bling Rings

2011-03-09T05:41:00.001-08:00

Everyone says that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. However, for little girls I’m convinced that it’s fruit snacks…

We whipped these up as a special project for Tablespoon one afternoon and had such a great time. The girls danced and pranced all over the house with rings on every finger!
These Bling Rings are extremely simple snacks to make, all you need are Gushers Fruit Snacks, yogurt covered circle pretzels and white chocolate. Since they’re so simple to put together, it would be a great edible craft project for a party or playdate!
Tip: If you have trouble finding the pretzels, check the snack aisle. They sell them in 100 calorie packs in both white and dark chocolate.
To assemble, melt chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. Lay out a piece of wax paper. Dip one Gushers Fruit Snack in the chocolate and press onto a pretzel.
Let set completely, about 5 minutes.
When set, you’re ready to serve! You can also keep them in a sealed container for up to a week. Little Miss H couldn’t get enough of these and made them all afternoon! Here she is showing off some of her favorites…

Click here to get the full recipe. Have fun!

Also, if you're into aprons, head on over here to win the most adorable Mommy, Me & Dolly Apron Set! My friend Mindie made them and I can't believe she's giving them away!!

Spaghetti & Meatball Pie

2011-03-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

Looks like pie, tastes like lasagna, comes together in a snap! My kids LOVE this meatball pie and the mascarpone gives it a grown-up taste that I love. If you can't find mascarpone, you can use Kraft's new Cooking Creme (Original Flavor, you'll find it by the cream cheese).

This is also a GREAT make ahead dish. It firms up nicely in the fridge overnight for slicing the next day. For the meatballs, you can use storebought but I love to make up batches of my Oven Baked Meatballs and freeze them for quick dinners like this one.

Spaghetti & Meatball Pie
Ingredients:
6 oz. uncooked spaghetti
2 T. Butter
1/3 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
16 meatballs, thawed and cut in half
1 ½ C. Marinara Sauce
½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cook the spaghetti and drain. Return to pot and add eggs, parmesan cheese, butter and salt & pepper (to taste). Mix well. Place pasta mixture in greased pie pan, pressing down slightly to form a “crust”. Spread mascarpone over pasta and top with meatball halves. Pour marinara sauce over meatballs and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil (spray foil with cooking spray to avoid sticking) and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven, let sit for 5- 10 minutes, and then cut into slices and serve.

Q is for Queen Cupcakes

2011-03-01T13:25:00.001-08:00

Little C's class needed a treat for Q day recently. I figured Kindergarteners wouldn't be too excited about my favorite Quinoa Salad, so we made up some Queen Cupcakes...

I think they came out pretty close to their Letter Friend of the week: Queenie Queen!

These look fancy but are pretty easyto assemble. You can improvise with ingredients you have on hand, but here's what we used :

-Your favorite cupcakes, baked and cooled
-White Icing
-Orange Food Coloring
-Small amount Chocolate Icing
-M & M's Candies
-Large red heart sprinkles
-Kix Cereal
-Wax Paper
-2 Quart Ziploc freezer bags
-White Candy Melts
-Yellow Candy Melts
-Edible pearls or various sprinkles (for crown)

Directions:
Lay out a sheet of wax paper. Melt white candy melts in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Pour into ziploc freezer bag and snip off the end of one corner. Draw the outline of white "hairdos" on the wax paper, one for each cupcake. Using a spoon, fill in your outline with additional melted white candy melts and smooth with back of spoon. When set, use melted yellow candy melts to draw on "crowns". Decorate with sprinkles, etc..
Tint white icing with a small amount of orange food coloring (to make a "peach" color). Frost cupcakes and place "hair and a crown" on top of each. Draw on eyes using chocolate icing. Add two M & M's candies for earrings. Add a large heart sprinkle for lips.
Microwave a small amount of peach icing in a bowl for 15 seconds until very soft. Coat a piece of Kix Cereal in melted icing and place on face for the "nose". Here they are, just waiting for those little kids to Quickly gobble them up!

Movie Night!

2011-02-22T18:15:00.001-08:00

We love having movie nights at our house on weekends, the kids feel "cool" for staying up and I enjoy snuggling together on the couch with yummy snacks.
This weekend we're making Mini Root Beer Float Cupcakes to go along with our big bowls of popcorn.

Speaking of popcorn, have you heard about Orville Redenbacher’s Pop & Win Sweepstakes? Right now, each bag has a heat-activated code on it and people have the chance to win cool prizes when they pop the popcorn! Cool, huh? It's on the shelves for a limited time so make sure to grab some on your next trip to the grocery store.

Guess what?! You don't have to wait until movie night to win an amazing prize pack (Flip Cam, anyone?!).

We're giving one Gourmet Mom reader an
Ultimate Movie Night Gift Pack that includes:
· A Flip Camera
· $10 Snapfish gift certificate
· Movie theatre candy
· Free Redbox rental
· Board games
· Orville Redenbacher’s Pop & Win popcorn

TO ENTER:

Time's up! We have a winner!
Pinks My Ink who said...
My family has 2 teenage girls so our favorite family movie is "The Notebook".

We'll chose one winner via random.org on 3/3. Open to US Residents. The prizes and information was provided through Orville Redenbacher's. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions, as always are my own.

Mysterious Mustaches

2011-02-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in Winter we get a little crazy...

I remember seeing an adorable Tootsie Roll Mustache video tutorial last Fall from Kellie over at Little Nummies. It's a great activity to beat those winter blues!

Little H was giggling so hard she could barely keep her mustache straight...

You can download the template I used here or the one Kellie used here...
Basically, all you do is melt Tootsie Rolls in the microwave, mash together, roll them out like dough, cut out mustaches and attach a sucker stick!
Check out Kellie's video for the whole process. I also wrapped our sucker sticks in black floral tape just for fun, it's definitely not necessary.
You can also let the kids go freestyle and make their own...check out this hairy beast! Yowza!

Doing this again, I might make them out of chocolate candy melts. It would also be super easy and they'd set up harder. But, either way you have a fun treat!

Raspberry Chocolate Magic Shell

2011-02-10T12:23:00.001-08:00

How about some homemade Raspberry Chocolate Magic Shell topping for you and your sweetie this Valentines Day?...

If you don't know what Magic Shell ice cream topping is, it's a liquid topping that becomes a hard shell when you pour it on ice cream. Yum! So we decided to make our own homemade version. It's incredibly easy and soooooo tasty! It only takes a few ingredients and a microwave...

You could even put it in a cute jar and give as a gift! We devoured ours before I could do anything that cute, though.;)

Raspberry Chocolate Magic Shell
Ingredients:
16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 oz. coconut oil
1/4 c. raspberry syrup
3-4 drops raspberry oil

Notes: I found the coconut oil at our local health food store. You can get coconut oil refined or unrefined. Either one works--unrefined will give you a slightly coconutty flavor. You can find raspberry syrup by the regular pancake syrups in your grocery store.

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except flavoring oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds on high power, remove and stir. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until ingredients are melted and combined. Stir in 3-4 drops raspberry oil or 5-6 drops raspberry flavoring. Store in a sealed container at room temperature (do not refrigerate!). If it hardens, simply microwave for 20 seconds before serving.

To serve, pour over your favorite ice cream...

You know, I think I'd like a little more...

Mmm....getting better...
That's more like it!...

Warning: this liquid lusciousness has been known to cause serious romance. Use at your own discretion!

Valentine Baking Kit Giveaway

2011-02-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Me...!
However, YOU are getting the birthday present!
I love Valentines Day treats and though it would be fun to send one of you this Gift Box chock full of Valentines Day baking goodies from McCormick!

It's chock full of everything you'll need and lots of ideas to make your Valentines Day super sweet!

To enter, let's make it easy...
Simply leave a comment on this post, any comment.

Time's up! We have a winner!
runningchick who said...
"Thanks for a chance to win!!"

Disclosure: I was provided this gift box and information from McCormick. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions, as always are my own.

Valentine Mystery Dinner

2011-02-04T07:43:00.001-08:00

How about turning this ordinary spaghetti night in to a crazy fun family Valentines dinner? "How?!", you say...

By using these menus to make a Valentine Mystery Dinner!
(Click on either image to download and print)

If you've never had a Mystery Dinner before, the names of all the menu items (utensils, too!) have been changed to silly Valentine-inspired names. Everyone gets a menu, writes what they want for each course, then they get served a mixed-up dinner. The kids loved it because one of my daughters got an Ice Cream sundae for her first course....however she didn't have a spoon to eat it with.:)
Here's what you need:
Puppy Love (Crush soda)
Cupid’s Arrow (toothpick or wooden skewer)
Love Trouble (jam)
Rising Love (roll or biscuit)
Melted Hearts (pasta sauce)
Angel’s Coiffure (cooked angel hair pasta)
Kissing and Hugging (spoon)
Girls Best Friend (Carrots...get it? "karats"...)
Persuader (fork)
Cold Shoulder (Ice Cream Sundae)
Heart Breaker (knife)
Snuggles (napkin)
Lots o’ Pick-up Lines (shredded cheese)
Mystery Dinner Menu

Directions:
Gather all your dinner ingredients and keep on the counter, away from everyone's eyesight. (Note: If you want to get fun with your rolls or biscuits, you can make them into simple heart shapes. I just took a can of Grands biscuits, cut a triangle out of the top of each one, then pinched the bottom to make a heart shape. Bake as directed.)

Place a menu, pencil, and plate for each person on the table. Have everyone fill out the menus, gather them up and serve the first course with everyone's requests written on them. After everyone has eaten for a few minutes, serve the next course and continue until everything has been served. Enjoy laughs together while everyone eats their mixed-up dinner!

(Note: once a person ordered a utensil or napkin, we let them keep if for the rest of the dinner.:))
More Valentine ideas to come! Hope you can all enjoy a fun family dinner this VDay!

Quick Entertaining Tips!

2011-02-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

A few months ago during a visit to the General Mills headquarters, I got to share a few of my "quick entertaining tips"...I have no idea how they fit that afternoon into 90 seconds but they did an amazing editing job. Everyone in the Betty Crocker test kitchen is so much fun! We had a great time on set and I cracked up to see that they added some of the clowning around that we did.

Come back tomorrow for an amazingly easy VDay dinner! You'll be your family's hero and it's super fun!

Groundhog Extravaganza!

2011-01-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

Groundhog Day is next week! We love that quirky, silly holiday. Click here to see all our Groundhog Day recipes. He's popping up everywhere!

To celebrate the holiday, want to see pictures of Punxsutawney Phil at YOUR house!
Plus, to make it fun we'll give one Gourmet Mom reader $50 just for submitting a photo!
Time's up! We have a winner!
"DJCanon Emailed photo #8"
DJ Canon emailed me so many cute pictures, congrats & it looks like your family had a super fun Groundhog Day!

To create your little groundhog picks, click here or on the image below to open and print.

Fold each groundhog in half (along dotted line picture above). And cut out. Make sure to leave the head attached together, it's easier to line up that way. Glue or tape a toothpick inside your groundhog cutout. You're ready to go! Put Phil in sandwiches, rolls, yogurt, anywhere you can dream up! Snap a picture of these groundhog pics in your food and upload it to your blog, twitter, facebook, flickr, wherever works for you. Then, come back here and leave a comment with a link to your photo. Or, you can email them to me. You can enter as many photos as you want (go crazy!) and we'll choose one random photo entry on 2/5 to win a $50 AMEX gift card from yours truly. Everyone can have one freebie entry by leaving a comment here telling me something you like about groundhogs or Groundhog Day. Open to US Residents.

Harry Potter's Butterbeer

2011-01-25T07:26:00.001-08:00

I've been dying to go see Universal Studio's new Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Friends have told me it's packed and the buzz on the street is that you MUST go have some Butterbeer at Hogsmeade. So, to escape the winter blahs we came up with our own version of Butterbeer and turned the kitchen into Hogsmeade for the day. Fun! I think the kids liked it...I could only drink a little because it's very rich!

Harry Potter's Butterbeer
Serves 8
Ingredients:
16 ounces butterscotch ice cream topping.
8 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon rum extract, optional
8 cans Cream Soda (12 ounces each, room temperature)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (for topping)

Directions:
In a large pot, combine butterscotch ice cream topping, butter, salt and vinegar. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture just starts to bubble.
Remove from heat and add heavy whipping cream and rum extract (optional).
Scoop out ¼ cup of butterscotch mixture and place in a medium bowl. Place in fridge for 5-10 mintues to cool. When cool, pour in 1 cup heavy whipping cream and beat until thickened (you do not have to beat it to stiff peaks, leave it foamy!:)). Set aside.
Pour soda into pot of butterscotch mixture. If mixture is too cold, heat for a few minutes on the stove over medium heat. To serve, pour into mugs and top with whipped cream.

According to J.K. Rowling, Butterbeer is served cold in bottles and hot in foaming tankards. We definitely liked it better warm but you're welcome to chill before serving if desired.

What a great Wizard-in-training!...
We had lots of fun and escaped those winter "blahs" for an evening!

Want to share? Here's a one click tweet!

Easy Cheesey Dinners!

2011-01-16T20:56:00.001-08:00

A little while ago I filmed some How-to Videos for Kraft and had such a great time. The crew was amazing and I could definitely live with my own hairstylist and makeup artist...actually let's get real. I'm happy when I get a shower. :)

I've been dying to share these recipe videos with you because they are so simple but SO DELICIOUS! I can't wait for you to try them and I know they'll be favorites with your family, too!

First is a super easy Chicken Primavera using new Philadelphia Cooking Creme. Yum!

Second is the yummiest lasagna you'll ever have & one of my favorite recipes, a Sausage & Peppers Lasagna.

What have you been cookin' up for dinner? I'm always on the lookout for new things to try!

Skinny Chicken Pot Pie

2011-01-14T07:33:00.001-08:00

You're going to love this new Skinny Chicken Pot Pie! It's cold outside and we're all still craving comfort foods but I really wanted to cut the fat and calories on this dish. The results were delicious and my family loved it! Plus, it puts a smile on my face (for some reason the words "skinny chicken" just make me giggle). Click here for full recipe

This couldn't be easier to put together. Make your filling in a large saucepan then pour into a deep dish pie pan (or 11 x 17 baking pan) Now grab your secret weapon, a can of Grands Golden Layers Biscuits (around 100 calories per biscuit!).

Now lay them across the top of your pie. That's right, there's no bottom crust. Did you know that "pot pie" originally did not have a bottom crust? It was simply a flavorful stew cooked in a pot. They often layered dough or old bread in the bottom of the pot so the flavor of the stew wouldn't be ruined by the kettles. There's your random fact for the day!
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until biscuits are done (make sure they are a nice golden brown or else the bottoms won't be cooked thoroughly).

Fruit & Grain Parfaits

2011-01-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

Mornings are often our busiest time of day. I’ll have a child working on unfinished homework, someone looking for a shoe…you get the idea. And, to be honest, I’m not really a morning person so I need delicious no-fuss breakfasts that I can make in a snap. So, I whipped up these Fruit & Grain Parfaits and they were an instant favorite at our house!

My kids thought they were getting some kind of “treat” for breakfast, which won me serious Mom-is-Awesome Points! So, they ran off to school with big smiles and I felt good about the balanced breakfast they just ate. You can change up the flavors of the parfaits but we really loved the peach/pear combo with Yoplait Thick & Creamy Light Cinnamon Roll yogurt. YUM! And, the Crunchy Almond Oatmeal Crisp provides the perfect crunch along with a healthy serving of whole grains and other nutrients.

Click here for the full recipe

Spread half of your yogurt cup into a bowl or large parfait dish… Add ¼ cup each chopped pears and peaches. Tip: Since peaches are sometimes hard to find in winter, grab a bag of frozen peach slices, thaw, and chop. They’re a great substitute. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Top with 1/4 cup Crunchy Almond Oatmeal Crisp cereal. Repeat layers with remaining yogurt and more fruit & Oatmeal Crisp. Serve immediately.

High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-01-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

We lived at sea level for years and I had the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe. We even had a friendly "chocolate chip cookie bake-off" with some girlfriends (with our spouses as taste-testers) and ours came out the winner!
However, to my dismay, when we moved to 5,000 feet, my cookies were ruined! Ack! As you know, high altitude baking isn't just about adding more flour. That just doesn't cut it for me. I wanted my cookies to be perfect again! So, over the Holidays I played with the recipe quite a bit and Gourmet Dad finally declared them as good as the original. Success! We even made up a batch of these Ultimate High Altitude Cookies (well-reviewed!) to compare and we liked ours better.

So, if you're at high altitude, these are for you! Now I need to go loosen my belt from all those cookie batches we taste-tested...yep, someone had to do it. You can thank me later.

Gourmet Mom’s High Altitude
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 sticks Butter (1 cup)
¾ C. Granulated Sugar
¾ C. Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
2 ¾ C. Flour
1 ½ C. Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whip butter until creamy, then add sugar and beat. Add salt, vanilla & egg. Sift flour and soda then add to mixture. Add chocolate chips and stir well. Bake 8-11 minutes (10 min 30 seconds in my oven) until edges are barely brown.

Want to share? Here's a one click tweet!

Fancy Soup Shots

2010-12-27T08:21:00.001-08:00

Christmas is over, are you wiped out? Don't forget that New Year's Eve is coming!

One of my favorite things to do when entertaining is to "dress up" comfort foods. Everyone loves them and they're easy to make. Plus, they're all the rage right now.

Above are my "Tomato Soup Shots". Aren't they fun? I simply put warmed Progresso Tomato & Basil soup in shot glasses, cut up grilled cheese sandwiches into triangles and balanced them on the top! So easy, inexpensive and they always disappear as fast as I can make them! I used bamboo skewers but you can use toothpicks as well. You could change up the soups, use a parmesean crisp or a simple piece of toast, the possibilities are endless!
Tip: if you don't have shot glasses, use clean votive candle holders! You can usually find them for 50 cents or less.

Cheers to easy entertaining for the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!
I hope it's full of family, fun, love, laughter and of course fabulous food. Thank you so much for joining us on our kitchen adventures and here's to a New Year full of delicious possibilities!

This Christmas, we're going for one last crazy food fling beore we buckle down and give up the treats. It's a killer (definitely a once-a-year food!) but my friend Lenore sent this recipe and I just can't resist!! She is an amazing caterer & foodie, you can check out her website here.

KRISPIE KREME FRENCH TOAST BAKE
from Lenore Nolan-Ryan

12-16 Krispie Kreme Glazed Donuts
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows

Tear Krispie Kreme Donuts into one inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half- and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended. Pour mixture over the donuts making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Next day preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

Praline Topping
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies

2010-12-21T06:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
I love gorgeous cookies but honestly, I'm a terrible artist. So, for those of us that are “icing challenged”, edible images are a lifesaver!

Even though I can't draw, I do have some fabulously talented friends! My amazing friend Annie drew these 12 Days of Christmas designs for me and we are so happy that they’re available to you for free to download and print!

Not many people own edible image printers but if you take this graphic to your local bakery or supermarket, they should be able to do it for you for a few dollars per sheet.
These couldn’t be more simple to make! I started with a pouch of Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix. Prepare as directed on package and roll it out and cut into circles. No need for a fancy cookie cutter—use a drinking glass!
Bake as directed then frost the middle with a thin layer of your favorite icing. Cut out images, peel off backing, and place on top of the icing, pressing gently. Tip: if your images are sticky or aren’t coming off the backing, pop them in the freezer for a few minutes and they will peel right off. Pipe out a border of icing around edges. Done!
Click here to download your free 12 Days of Christmas template.
Tip: No access to an edible image printer? You can print these fun images on your regular printer as gift tags to top your cookie plates.

Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie? I've got a cookie exchange this week and need some inspiration!
Please link up your favorite cookie posts so we can all try them out!

Confetti Egg Cups

2010-12-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

Well, we've taken care of your school party snacks with these two extremely quick ideas, so now let's tackle those Holiday guests!

We made these Confetti Eggs Cups for Tablespoon today and they are a huge hit around here. They're gorgeous but are so easy that my 6 year old made this batch...My entertaining woes solved AND my kids put to work? I'm in love...
Click here for the full recipe.

To assemble, grab a muffin/cupcake pan and place a thin slice of ham in each space. Crack an egg into each ham “cup”. Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle finely chopped red and green peppers on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes (depending on how done you like your eggs). Remove from oven and serve! So easy! You could also assemble these cups ahead of time and bake them right before you have guests arrive. Do you have any easy Holiday "go-to" recipes for entertaining? I'm looking for new ideas to try this week!

Elf Tinker Toy Snacks

2010-12-15T19:47:00.001-08:00

Right now my kids are getting treats at school, treats from neighbors, treats from the post office, you name it. So, for their upcoming Holiday class parties, I wanted to bring along something semi-healthy along with the goodies. Now, if you told me last week that I'd be taking pretzels and cheese cubes to my kid's class party, I would have thought you were nuts. Unless...

We use a little imagination and turn them into
Elf Tinker Toys!

This just goes to show that simple things can be crazy fun with a little imagination. Not only is it a great snack, the kids can have some fun playing with their food. The baggie toppers I made are yours free to download! Click here or on the image below to open and print.

Elf Tinker Toy Snacks
(do we really need a recipe...?!)

Ingredients:
Cheese Cubes
Pretzel Sticks

Directions: Place desired amount of each in a baggie and attach label. Take a bubble bath or do something productive with all the time you just saved. Hooray!

We're sharing this over on Works for Me Wednesday. Come on over and share your favorite quick tips!

Want to share? Here's a one click Tweet! Tweet

Holiday Swirl Cookies

2010-12-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Even though I've been making quick school snacks lately (another one coming Thursday!), it's not Christmas without COOKIES! Here are some Holiday Swirl Cookies that we whipped up for Tablespoon this week.

These were actually inspired by those giant Christmas suckers they have at Wal-Mart right now (and yes, I bought a bunch...)
They're super cute wrapped as little "candies'. Simply wrap in a piece of cellophane and tie the ends with ribbon. One or two of these would be adorable on top of a cookie plate!
What makes these super easy is that I went to my stand-by favorite, Betty Crocker Cookie Mix, to whip up the dough.
Divide dough in 3 pieces, tint one red and one green.
Roll out one section of dough into a 9” x 11” rectangle. Roll out the second section of dough into the same size. Repeat with third section of dough and stack all rectangles on top of each other. Roll all together into a log.

Cut 1/2" slices with a very sharp knife.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes, until barely brown.

Click Here for the full recipe. Enjoy!

Want to share? Here's a one-click Tweet!

iPad Giveaway!

2010-12-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Gourmet Mom!
3 years ago I started writing this blog as a creative outlet to encourage more family fun in the kitchen. I definitely had some not-too fantastic posts when I first began, but at least I started off with chocolate...

I have loved hearing your kitchen adventures and sharing our own with you. So much, in fact, that I wanted to give one of you something really special....

Yep, we're giving one lucky Gourmet Mom reader a brand new iPad loaded with Kraft Food's fabulous app, Big Fork Little Fork!!
(Note: I don't have and iPad so I'm insanely jealous. Hopefully GourmetDad will take the hint and get me one for Christmas.:))

TO ENTER:
Time is up!
Our lucky winner is:
The Karlinsey Family who said...
"the number one thing on my christmas list is new knives"

Now, Karlinsey Family, you didn't have an email address on your blog profile, so I left you messages on both your blogs. You need to contact me within 3 days to claim your prize or we'll have to pick another winner (sorry, we've got to get it out in time for Christmas!). So, please shoot me an email w/ your address and it's yours!

Open to US Residents. We'll chose one winner via random.org to receive a 16 gig WiFi iPad on December 16th.

If you haven't checked out Big Fork Little Fork, it is a fantastic resource for you and your kids in the kitchen! It's designed to bring both parents and children in the kitchen to make cooking a family affair (and a fun one at that!). Anything that brings your family together in the kitchen gets two thumbs up from me.

This holiday season, Kraft Foods teamed up with celeb Chef Marcus Samuelsson to bring in an exclusive recipe collection for Big Fork Little Fork. The new content contains globally-inspired recipes, how-to videos and a ton of tips and tricks from Marcus himself to show just how easy it is to get everyone involved in creating meals together.

As a teaser, here's the recipe from the app for Red Grits (pictured above). This side dish is a great alternative to rice and pasta, and particularly good served with shrimp, as they do in the Low Country of South Carolina and other regions of the American South.

RED GRITS
Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 20 min. Makes: 4 servings, about 2/3 cup each.
What You Need
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika
½ cup old-fashioned grits
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup KRAFT Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Make It
COOK first 3 ingredients in medium saucepan on medium-low heat 1 min. Add grits; cook and
stir 2 min. Add tomatoes; cook and stir 2 min.
STIR in juice and stock; simmer 10 min.
TOP with cheese and basil.

How to Wash Fresh Herbs: Always wash fresh herbs before use. Rinse small bunches under cold running water and blot dry. When you need to clean a large amount of herbs, fill a large bowl or clean sink with cold water and swish the herbs around to remove any dirt. Remove the herbs from the water and dry in a salad spinner or gently blot dry.

Nutrition Bonus:
The combination of tomatoes and tomato juice not only adds color and flavor to the grits, but it also provides a good source of both vitamins A and C. Carb Choices: 1 Nutrition Information Per Serving: 160 calories, 6g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 5mg cholesterol, 360mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 3g sugars, 6g protein, 20%DV vitamin A, 15%DV vitamin C, 6%DV calcium, 6%DV iron.

Disclosure: Thanks to Kraft Foods for providing the iPad and app for this giveaway. Thanks to GourmetDad for providing me an iPad for Christmas (hint, hint!). I was not compensated in any way for this post and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Mixed Up Snowman Snacks

2010-12-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

I've been crazy busy lately and it has made me discover something...
Holiday Treats don't need to be fancy or complicated to be special!
We whipped up these Mixed-Up Snowman Snacks for Little C's school class and they were a huge hit. There was absolutely no cooking involved, just a few fun ingredients and some imagination.

And, we've made it super easy for you to re-create! Simply gather your ingredients, put into baggies, and print and attach the label I made. Enjoy!

Mixed-Up Snowman Snacks
Ingredients:

Pretzel Sticks
Junior Mints Candies

Orange Sprinkles (the long variety)
Fruit Roll-ups, cut into strips
Small Marshmallows
Mini Chocolate Chips

Sandwich Baggies
Snowman Bag Labels

Directions:
Put desired amount of ingredients into baggies (you can do however much of each that you want). Download and print the Mixed-Up Snowman Snack Label. (click image to download)

In case you can't read the poem, it says:
Serve to your favorite little (or big!) people and do something fun with all the extra time you saved. I just may get out Christmas cards this year, ha!

And, FYI, if you're looking for a fun, relaxing, romantic read, grab copies of Incognito and Mr. Malcom's List by Suzanne Allain. I bought them to read during my recent travels and both were absolutely delicious! They have great characters, plenty of romance (and it's clean!), and several laugh-out-loud places. I don't usually talk about books but these are seriously MUST READS!! I'm going to be buying copies for my girlfriends this Christmas and I am double crossing my fingers that she writes more books!

Be sure to come back later this week--we are having an AMAZING giveaway (hint: it's the #1 item on my Christmas Wish List!) to celebrate Gourmet Mom's 3rd Birthday!

Zhu Zhu Pet Makeover Party

2010-12-06T08:39:00.001-08:00

As you may/may not know, my kids are Zhu Zhu Pet crazy. So, my girls were super excited when they heard that we were going to have a Pampered Hamster Zhu Zhu Pet Playdate! Of course there had to be food involved...

(click for recipe)

When the guests arrived, they were each greeted this poem I wrote up and they all ran downstairs to find their hidden Rock Star Zhu Zhu Pets. You can click here to download/print. In case you can't read the text, it says:

"The Rockstar Zhu Zhu Pets have come to play,
They are SO excited to meet you today!
They each need a Mommy who will take good care
to make sure they dress well and brush their fabulous hair.
They're all a little shy and are hiding around,
But they're excited to meet you and to be found!
So, find the Zhu Zhu with your name on the top,
Then we'll get out accessories and pull out all the stops
for a fabulous makeover party. Are you ready to play?
It's time for a rockin' Pampered Hamster Party today!" The five girls got right to work pampering their Rock Star Zhu Zhu Pets...

The new Fall Outfits and the Beauty Salon were fantastic! Everyone lined up for turns to put them in the "beauty chair"! Check out a video of the fun!

Finally, of course we had to show off their new looks! So I whipped up an inexpensive (but fabulous!) runway and they spent over an hour letting their Zhu Zhu Pets strut their stuff.
I made a quick video tutorial to show you how easy it is to put together your OWN runway...

What a great party! A huge thanks to our friends at MomSelect and Zhu Zhu Pets for our fabulous playdate party!

Disclosure: Zhu Zhu Pets through BSM Media profided the Zhu Zhu Pets™ Rockstars, Deluxe Fashion Carriers, Assortment of Zhu Zhu pets Fall Outfits, and Zhu Zhu Pets Beauty Salon. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Big News in NYC!

2010-12-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

I'm en route to NYC (don't you love in-flight WiFi) and am so excited that I can FINALLY spill the beans about some amazing news!
Kraft is launching a new product called Philadelphia Cooking Creme on January 1st! Just imagine a spoonable creme that you can use for everything from pizzas to pastas to casseroles. It comes in several delicious chef-inspired flavors. I've been playing with the product for awhile and all I can say is that it's amazing! It will totally change the way you cook. Whipping up a quick dinner for my family has never been easier.

To start the launch of Cooking Creme, my Real Women of Philadelphia Hosts and I will be doing a cooking demo tomorrow evening (12/3) at Real Simple's Pop-Up Shop in Rockefeller Plaza (10 West 49th Street). The demo will be at 6 PM and you can be one of the first to try out Cooking Creme! Plus, I've heard rumors that Real Simple has some amazing Holiday ideas in their Pop-Up Shop...I'll be there tonight checking it out!
So, if you're near NYC, come on over to say Hi and for some Holiday fun!

Tex Mex Turkey Chili

2010-11-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

Looking for leftover turkey ideas? Look no further, we shipped up this sweet & spicy Tex Mex Turkey Chili for Tablespoon and it's absolutely delicious! Plus, it has only 5 minutes of prep time (which is important after you’ve been cooking like crazy for Turkey Day!). When the cold weather sets in, I become a slow cooker junkie! Most of the year it sits in my kitchen cupboard but as soon as the evenings turn dark and cold, it becomes my favorite way to cook.
This sweet & spicy chili has only 9 ingredients and is such a fantastic and easy meal for a chilly evening. My kids, who don’t normally like spicy food, loved this chili because of the sweetness from the Pork & Beans. My husband and I added our own hot sauce for a sassy kick and it was a winner all around. Could the directions be any easier? Throw everything into your slow cooker and let simmer on low for 6-8 hours (honestly you can get away with 3-4 hours if you're in a pinch). Enjoy!

Tex Mex Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds cooked turkey breast, chopped or shredded
44 ounce can pork and beans
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers, any variety
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
hot sauce, to taste
shredded cheese, optional, for garnish
sour cream, optional, for garnish

Directions:
Place all ingredients except hot sauce and garnishes into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add hot sauce to taste. Serve with optional garnishes.

Thanks Giving Away!

2010-11-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you have time today, could you vote for my Sunflower Sandwich Snackers on facebook? We're trying to win $5,000 to donate for families in need & you can vote every day until Nov. 29th!
Check out some of our favorite fun Thanksgiving ideas here. These doughnut turkeys are my favorite, I'll be whipping up a batch for my little gobblers.

In the meantime, I'd like to say that I'm thankful for YOU! So, as a little thanks, I'm having a Thanks Giving-Away Week Bonanza! Here are a bunch of fun giveaways of my favorite things that I'm hosting just for you, all in one place!
Now, I'm not Oprah so there will be no huge trips to Australia, but these things are still some of my favs and I'm excited to share them with you.

Just click on the images or links below be directed to each giveaway page. So, while you're waiting for that turkey and those pies to bake, click around and have some fun--hopefully you'll win something for the Holidays!

Click here to win a Mozaik prize pack with service for 8, serving utensils, platter, & bowl
(my very favorite way to entertain for the Holidays!)

Click here to win a $25 Kroger Gift Card & Chex Party Pack!
(You can buy a lot of Chex Mix Supplies!)
Click Here to win this hot Holiday gift, Cranium Scribblish!
(my fam's favorite new game!)
Click here to win a $25 Safeway Gift Card and a Fiber One Gift Pack
(LOVE Safeway & LOVE Fiber One!)

Click Here to win an autographed copy of Michael Chiarello's new book
and new Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko
(one of my latest fav chefs!)

Finally, Click Here to win a set of amazing Seventh Generation Products
(my favorite laundry detergent, I have a child w/ sensitive skin!)

Rachael Ray Feature

2010-11-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Keep your eyes peeled later today...I'm having a Thanks Giving-Away Week with a ton of great prizes for you all!

Today I sat down for my "blogging time" (aka it's naptime) to see that my Asparagus and Parmesan Cream Pastry is featured on the Rachael Ray Show website! Wow! Pinch me!

Yes, this is the recipe that won $25,000 and my hosting gig for Real Women of Philadelphia. If you're looking for an easy and elegant Thanksgiving Side Dish, this one is fantastic. Click here for full recipe. You also can catch a glimpse of myself and the other RWOP hosts on the Rachael Ray Show tomorrow, November 23! Plus, the fabulous Paula Deen will be preparing a delicious Pot Pie using Thanksgiving Leftovers. And, of course, she's up to her usual crazy and wonderful antics. Be sure to watch!

White Chicken Chili and NYC

2010-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

I just got back from an amazing trip to NYC with my fellow Real Women of Philadelphia Hosts, Caryn, Sheila, and KC. We got to spend some time with Paula and even got to sit in on a taping of the Rachael Ray Show. It airs on November 23, so be sure to watch and you might catch a glimpse of us!

We sure got spoiled, I don't know if I can go to NYC again without having a car waiting for me wherever we go.;) You can see all the pictures from our trip here.
Waiting in the lobby of the Rachael Ray Show...
Now, I know you don't want to hear about my trip, you're here for FOOD!
Here's our latest "comfort food" favorite that I whipped up for Tablespoon. Click here for the full recipe!
This time of year, my slow cooker has a permanent place on my countertop. There is nothing more wonderful than to come home on a cold day and smell a pot of something delicious simmering away, ready for my family to dive in and warm up! One family favorite is this White Chicken Chili.
Traditional chili is always a Wintertime favorite but my kids’ very favorite is this creamy and not-too-spicy version. It smells AMAZING while cooking and everyone loves serving up a bowlful with their favorite fixin’s on top.
The best part about this recipe is there is very little prep! You simply cut up your chicken, drain your beans, then throw all the other ingredients in your slow cooker! That gets bonus points from this busy mom!!
For bonus points with the kids, serve your chili up with fun garnishes and ingredients so everyone can “customize” their bowl.
My hubby likes extra cheese and sour cream, Little Miss Fancy Pants loves it straight up…
and as for me….well, I love it with EVERYTHING!

But honestly, what I love most about this dish is that it literally takes me 5 minutes to prep and throw in the slow cooker. And, I always get rave reviews from the fam! I always make sure to cook a big batch to freeze in gallon ziploc bags for other quick weeknight meals. Do you have any favorite & easy slow cooker recipes that your family loves?

Go here or click the image above for full recipe.

Elegant Salad Cups

2010-11-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

I'm in NYC for a few days, I can't wait to share the details with you when I get back!
The Holiday Season is upon us, can you believe it? I want to share with you one of my favorite "tricks" for elegant entertaining...Salad Cups! They are SO EASY and gorgeous on the table!

The truth is, you could fill these cups with anything! Also, you could use large cookie cutters for a more shaped look (check out our pomegranate mousse in snowflake cups from last year)

Elegant Salad Cups
Makes 6
Shell Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust
Nonstick cooking spray
Extra large cupcake or muffin tin
fresh herbs or parmesan, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Open pizza crust and unroll on cutting board. Cut into 6 rectangles. Pick up one rectangle, flatten slightly in hand, and press into muffin tin, letting edges come up over the sides. Remember, this is a rustic cup, so don't worry about making it look perfect! The charm is in it's funky shape.:) Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until browned. Let cool completely and fill with favorite salad.
Notes: You could sprinkle fresh herbs or parmesan on the dough before baking for extra flavor or color. Also, you can use ANY size muffin tin to fit your needs. For example, if you want to put a chicken salad in the cups, I'd use a regular size muffin tin. For a leafy green salad, use the extra large muffin tins. For mousse or small savory bites, use a mini muffin tin.

Our Favorite Salad Ingredients:
1 apple, diced
2 green scallions, chopped fine
½ c. slivered almonds (or candied pecans, yum!)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 Head romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1 pear, diced
1 c. fresh raspberries

Directions: Mix all salad ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving.

Dressing:
1 c. canola oil

½ c. sugar or Splenda
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 T. poppy seeds
2 T. red onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard

Directions: Mix all except oil and poppy seeds in blender. Blend on medium speed while slowly adding oil. Add poppy seeds and pulse a few times. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Help us play Secret Santa!

2010-11-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

Our fun Sunflower Sandwich Snackers Recipe is in the finals for the California Raisins "Let's Re-do Lunch" Contest! I hate asking you all for votes, but we decided that if my recipe wins, we're going to donate the entire $5,000 prize to local families in need this Holiday season...I am double crossing my fingers that we can win and have some serious fun playing Santa to families in need!!!

So, PLEASE click below and vote for Sunflower Sandwich Snackers in the California Raisins Facebook contest! Voting Ends 11/29 and you can vote every day!!:)

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

On Monday I've got a GORGEOUS (and quick!) entertaining idea coming your way! I'll be in NYC for most of the week with the fabulous Paula Deen doing some press and hopefully an appearance on Rachael Ray! I'll keep you posted!

Double Rainbow Cupcakes

2010-11-09T08:12:00.001-08:00

Tablespoon is having Double Rainbow Week and we contributed some Double Rainbow Cupcakes! I was so surprised to open my Tablespoon Newsletter to see them front and center, what an honor! Thank you!

Click here for recipe or click on the photo below.

My kids loved these cupcakes so much that we made 72 of them to take to school and share. They were a huge hit and definitely something we’ll be making often. My favorite part is that the kids get to help mix, mash and drizzle the colored batter. There’s something for everyone to do and a great way to make some fun kitchen memories. First, gather up your ingredients, prepare the cake mix according to package directions and divide into 6 quart-sized freezer bags.

Add food coloring to each bag (one for each color of the rainbow), seal tightly and let your little helpers mix and mash until combined. After all your colors are mixed, you’re ready to pipe out your cupcake batter!
Cut a small piece of the corner of each bag and squeeze about 2 tsp into each cupcake wrapper. Don’t worry about covering the entire surface with each color, just make sure they get added in “rainbow order”. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until done. While your cupcakes are baking, melt each color of chocolate and spoon each into quart freezer bags. Tape down some wax paper and draw rainbows! If you’re like me and need some guidelines, you can download this rainbow template and place underneath your wax paper. Let set completely, about 15 minutes. Don’t worry if they look messy on the back, when you peel them off, the smooth side will be gorgeous!
Frost the cooled cupcakes with white icing and place a chocolate rainbow on top. Now if there were only a pot of gold included! ;)

A Touch of Giving

2010-11-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

I feel so lucky to be a part of the Real Women of Philadelphia, being one of their hosts was a dream come true for me and today I feel PROUD as well as lucky.
This weekend, Kraft Foods just announced a new program called
"Touch of Giving"

They've teamed up with Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. And, WE (yes, all of us!) can all get involved to help provide meals for hungry Americans this Holiday season! Here's Adam Butler to tell you all about it:

What a great project to do with your kids! We already have several meals in the works! Sometimes it's hard to find ways that small children can help in the community, this is a great way to spend some quality time in the kitchen as well as helping those in need.

What you need to do is grab some of the new Kraft Natural Shredded Cheese with a touch of Philly (you can download a $1 off coupon here), and simply snap a photo of you making a dish, giving the dish away, etc.. If you upload it onto the Real Women of Philadelphia (you need to create a profile, it's free and guys are welcome to join, too!:)) Kraft will donate 20 meals to Feeding America for each photo. If you make a video, Kraft will donate 40 meals!

So, grab your kids, grab some cheese, and make something to share! Let's kick of the Holiday Season by sharing with others!

Candy Corn Coolers

2010-11-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

We're having a big family Thanksgiving this year and I've been thinking about a fun and easy drink to serve. So, I created these "Candy Corn Coolers" and they were a hit with everyone I tried them on! They're definitely going on our Thanksgiving menu!I'm still working on other dishes to make--do you have some family favorites? Let me know, I'd love to try them! The recipe below is obviously estimates--you'll want to adjust depending on the size of your glasses. Basically, fill your glass half full with orange juice then add syrup and whipped cream. :)

Candy Corn Coolers
Ingredients
24 ounces orange juice or lemonade
18 ounces Torani orange syrup
refrigerated aerosol whipped cream

Directions
1. Fill six 8 oz. glasses half full with orange juice or lemonade.

2. Carefully pour 3 oz. orange syrup into each glass.
3. Top with whipped cream and serve!

Havin' Fun & Giveaways!

2010-10-31T22:13:00.001-07:00

I'm in Minnesota for a few days at the General Mills headquarters to meet some of the fantastic team at Tablespoon, work on some recipes, and to learn (hopefully!) how to actually use my camera.:) I'll have plenty to share when I get back but in the meantime, I have TWO fun giveaways for you!

Go here & leave a comment to win our Egg-celent Prize Pack! Ends 11/9

Go here & leave a comment to win a Lawry's Complete Meal Ideas Prize Pack! Ends 11/8
I'll be back later in the week with some yummy Orange Creme Cupcakes! Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Rat Infested Cupcakes

2010-10-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Need a Halloween treat in a snap?
How about some Rat-Infested Cupcakes?
Ewwww....and kind of cool...

I was making cupcakes last week and a couple of them got crumbly. Since I've had spooky ideas on the brain, I thought, "they look like they've been nibbled on by rats!"...Then I realized that it's actually a pretty good idea for Halloween!:)
This one is really enjoying his special treat!! :)
You can buy packages of small rats for $1 or so at Wal-Mart or Target in the Halloween section. The larger rats I got at our local party store.

Rat Infested Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Your favorite cupcakes
Icing
Sprinkles (optional)
Cupcake picks (optional, download here from Pumpkin Petunia)
Toy rats

Directions:
Quicky frost cupcakes and add sprinkles if desired. Using a fork, pick out a piece from the top and add a toy rat to look like it's nibbling the cupcake.

Print and cute out these cute cupcake picks from Pumpkin Petunia. BTW, she has GREAT party ideas if you're ever looking for inspiration. Tape or glue the circles to toothpicks. Thanks for sharing, Jo-Ann!

Add a pick to each of your cupcakes and you're done! So easy and super gross!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Glow in the Dark Spooky Drinks

2010-10-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share the spookiest Halloween Drink EVER...
now don't these drinks look so cool?

How about kicking them up a notch and making them GLOW?!I learned this summer that Tonic Water contains quinine, which glows under UV light. Now, quinine is what gives Tonic water its bitter taste, so you have to add something really sweet to make it taste good! Well, I knew that it would be PERFECT for Halloween!!

You can add anything you like, I decided to use grenadine syrup (to look like blood). Plus, it sinks to the bottom and makes the drink glow more. Then, your guests can mix their drinks before consuming. I found the spooky skeleton glasses here.

Glow-in-the-Dark Spooky Drinks
Ingredients:
Tonic Water
Grenadine Syrup (or any flavoring syrup)
Black Light (I found inexpensive ones at Wal-Mart)

Directions:
Fill glass with tonic water. Add about 1/3 as much grenadine syrup (to taste). Turn off the lights & place by UV or Black Light. Serve! You can change up the ingredients to your taste, the sky is the limit!

Notes: I just heard that glowing drinks were published on Our Best Bites last month. Dang it, I thought I was being creative! If I use a recipe idea, I always credit the source and even though I did it unknowingly! They have some great pics and also made some glow-in-the-dark jell-o stars--too cute!

Letter K Snack

2010-10-19T18:44:00.001-07:00

We have some really cool giveaways going on this week! Go here to check them out and enter!
We were in the middle of a busy week but needed to bring a "Letter K" snack to Little C's class. These were fun & easy (and GREAT writing practice for her!).

These little boxes are filled with Kix cereal and Kisses (in her school colors, of course!;)
I got inspired when we found these favor boxes at our local Dollar Tree (in the wedding stuff). You could do all kinds of Alphabet Snacks in these! Before we folded them up, Little C wrote upper and lowercase "K"'s on them. They looked great and she was so proud of herself!
Here they are, ready to go off to school! Do you have any fun ideas for "Alphabet Snacks" that you could put in these boxes?

Spread a Little Joy Giveaway

2010-10-18T08:06:00.001-07:00

Have you seen the new Philly displays in your grocery store? With the amount of cream cheese I purchase, I was so excited to hear that about the free cookbook!

In case you haven't heard the news, to kick-off the launch of their new cookbook, Philly is conducting an in-store promotion through November where shoppers can receive 1 free PHILADELPHIA “Spread a Little Joy” cookbook with the purchase of any four Philly products.

Cookbooks will be available on an in-store display case and consumers simply present the cookbook to the cashier when they purchase the Philly products. It’s as easy as that!

To celebrate the fun, we're giving THREE Gourmet Mom readers a "Spread the Joy" prize pack that includes:

-A “Spread a Little Joy” PHILADEPLPHIA Cookbook
-One PHILADELPHIA apron
-Two PHILADELPHIA product coupons
-A PHILADELPHIA spatula set

TO ENTER:
Time's up, we have a winner!
shaina who said...
"your mini rootbeer floats and pomogranite dessert bring me joy! Thanks for such amazing recipes!"

Note: no, we weren't giving extra entries for loving my recipes, but I really appreciate the compliment, shaina.:)
Disclosure: I was one of ten bloggers selected by PHILADELPHIA to host a Cookbook promotion giveaway. 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. This giveaway is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by GourmetMom.

Cravocado Kickers!

2010-10-10T06:01:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We're on vacation in sunny Florida this week but don't worry, we've got some great recipes coming up and a couple great giveaways!

You can check out all my current giveaways here (there are several!)

Also, if you have a second, could you go vote for my Cravocado Kickers recipe to help get Gourmet Dad to the Rose Bowl? You can vote daily and there is no registration required, just go here and click "Vote". Easy, cheesey! Thank you so much!!

See you all in a few days!

Creamy Minestrone & Meatballs

2010-10-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's starting to get COLD here at night! Yikes!
I think autumn is officially here!
I love to make up batches of soup during the fall and winter, don't you? My friend Camie got me hooked a few years ago on freezing them in gallon Ziploc Bags to pull out for quick meals. It works great and doesn't take up too much freezer room since they lay flat. She's also the person that got me hooked on Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli Soup, which inspired this dish!

Here's our latest favorite, Creamy Minestrone & Meatballs. I just wrote this up on Tablespoon & hope you enjoy!

Do you have a favorite soup that you make this time of year? If so, I'd LOVE to hear what it is or have the recipe to try out! I'm always lookin' for new soup ideas!

Jennie Garth & Pillsbury Pies!

2010-10-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

I had a really fun surprise this morning--I was asked if I'd like to interview Jennie Garth via Skype about cooking, baking, family and how we moms can keep it all together.

I must admit that I didn't know what to expect from her since she is incredibly busy and has three girls at home. Well, let me tell you that even though this woman is a celebrity, she makes sure she is home and mentally present for her kids every day after school. They also spend lots of time together in the kitchen. Jennie, I'm so glad you made the choice to make your family your top priority and I love that you don't let business interfere with your family time.

Jennie, you said that creamy pies are your favorite,
so I thought I'd repost our very favorite, cute-as-a-button
Apple Surprise Mini Pies
(using Pillsbury Pie Crusts!)
The surprise is that there's a cheesecake layer beneath the apples! But, since they're mini-sized & baked in little jars, the calories don't count.:)

Click here for the full recipe. Jennie had some great tips for baking with your family. She said premade crusts, like Pillsbury Rerigerated Pie Crusts are a favorite because they're easy--she likes to K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Stupid!). They have blackberry bushes in their yard and she also freezes seasonal produce so you can make a fabulous filling.

In fact, her oldest daughter likes to go in the kitchen herself and whip up Blackberry Pies! Then, apparently, she hides them so no one else gets any (smart girl!).

Another fun tip that she's done for years with her girls is to let them make "mini cinnamon rolls" with the leftover pie crust pieces. I've let the kids sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them but never thought of actually letting the kids roll them up and cutting them in slices to make adorable little rolls. LOVE IT! We'll be doing that next time we whip up a pie!

Finally, when you're entertaining or anytime, don't try to overachieve. Have fun cooking and being with your family and try not to get too complicated. Wise words, indeed! Thanks for the great chat today, Jennie, we'll enjoy using your tips as we head into the Baking Season! We're giving one GourmetMom reader a "Love the Pie!" Prize pack!
Go here to leave a comment and enter.
Happy Baking!

Disclosure: I was given the chance to interview Jennie through Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated in any for this post. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Taco Night!

2010-10-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our family loooves having Taco Night!
How do you like to serve up your tacos, guac, or salsa? I really want to know! So much, in fact, that we're giving one of you $100 just for sharing your ideas!
Here's the details:
To enter, simply write a post on your blog, facebook page, or other website telling your favorite recipe or way to serve tacos, guac, or salsa.
Each recipe must contain Avocados from Mexico as an ingredient.
Then, come back here and leave a comment with a link to your idea.
That's it! How easy is that?

I'm sure all your ideas are awesome, so we will pick one random entry on October 31 to win a $100 iCard. I can't wait to hear all your ideas so we can try them out!

While you're getting on your thinking caps, how about trying out these Lobster Tacos? YUM!
If you'd like to tweet about Taco Night, the official hashtag is #taconight
You can also get Taco Night Giveaway updates from Avocados from Mexico’s Facebook page or from @Guacgrl on Twitter!

Click here to view complete rules.
a. All entries must be original recipes for salsa, guacamole or tacos and feature Avocados from Mexico as an ingredient
b. The entries must be submitted between 12:00 AM October 4, 2010 and 11:59:59 October 29, 2010. Late submissions will not be considered.
c. Participation is free and recipes will not be judged. Limit one (1) entry per person, per blog site. Recipe submission is not a requirement for entry.
d. All entries must be entered in the comments section of this post with a link to the recipe on the entrant’s blog, Facebook page or web site or a posting in the body of the comment posted to blog.
e. A winner will be randomly selected using www.random.org.
f. The randomly selected winner will receive a prize of a $100.00 iCard

Disclosure: I am running this Taco Night Giveaway at the request of Avocados from Mexico, for which I will receive a $100 iCard in appreciation.

Perfectly Piggy Dinner

2010-10-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Do you ever think your family eats like pigs?...
Well, why not make a theme night out of it?!

When my friends at Johnsonville Sausage sent me their recipe for Pig Tails and some sausage to try it out, I was inspired!
This dinner is around $1 per serving, so it's a new favorite for both the kids AND my grocery budget!

We whipped up the Pig Tails & Fries and served them in aluminum mini-bread pan "troughs"

and gobbled Pig Cupcakes for dessert! Such an easy dinner and it was a huge hit!
( yes, I did serve vegetables...not pictured...:))

Pig Tails & Fries from Johnsonville Sausage
Servings: 6, Prep: 10 min., Cook: 20-25 min.
Ingredients:
1 package (28 ounces) frozen curly French fries
1 package (13.5-16 ounces) Johnsonville® smoked sausage (Polish, New Orleans, Smoked Turkey, BOLD Beef Hot Links or Beef Franks).
Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut sausage links in half lengthwise. Cut each half into three long strips. Spread fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450°F for 17-20 minutes, turning once. Arrange sausage strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450°F for 12-14 minutes or until they curl. Serve with fries.
I love how those sausages curl up like little pig tails! Too cute! You can serve them up in disposable aluminum bread pans or any other "troughs" you have on hand. :)Pig Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Your favorite cupcakes
Pink Icing (we used Pillsbury Strawberry icing)
Large pink marshmallows (1 for each cupcake)
Mini chocolate chips
Edible Eyeballs
Pink sugar sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
Frost cupcakes and dip in pink sugar (optional). Cut marshmallows in half, then in half again, as shown. This makes your "snout" and "ears".
Place two mini chocolate chips on the sticky side of the "snout" and place on cupcake. Add ears and two edible eyeballs. Oink!

Note: These Pig Cupcakes would also be a fun and easy Letter P snack!

Disclosure: I was given product and coupons from Johnsonville to try out this recipe. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Cravocado Kickers

2010-09-29T14:30:00.001-07:00

Happy 10th Anniversary to Gourmet Dad and me!
I don't normally ask for cooking contest votes, but Gourmet Dad finally got excited about a cooking contest! He saw that you can win a trip to the Rose Bowl with your favorite football food and begged me to submit something. How can I resist, he's the best husband/dad ever!
So, I entered our family favorite football snack BUT I need your votes! So, please click below to vote or share via facebook/twitter. The most "viral" (shared/voted) entries will be in the finals for judging. So, please click the green "vote" or the blue "share" button below to help me get some serious brownie points with Gourmet Dad!

What’s the Official Avocado Recipe of Your Kick Off?

Sponsored by Hass Avocado Board

THANK YOU & we'll be back later this week with an AMAZING giveaway, our OWN cooking contest, and more fun Halloween treats!

Cheesey Italian Chicken

2010-09-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

School is in full swing--does anyone else feel like you don't have enough time in the day to make a great dinner? I have a quick & delicious (& Kid-Friendly!) meal that you can whip up in a snap or even freeze for a night when you need a quick dinner.

The best part? Everything gets mixed right in a Gallon Ziploc Brand Freezer Bag. Easy cleanup and the kids LOVE helping!

Cheesey Italian Chicken
serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Gallon Ziploc Brand Freezer Bag
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins (you can substitute any chicken meat)
1 cup Italian salad dressing
8 ounces cream cheese
1 can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked pasta or rice (whatever you'd like to serve the chicken with)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (optional, for garnish)
Fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Directions:
Gather all your ingredients and place in a Gallon-sized Ziploc Brand Freezer Bag.

Now for the fun! Let the kids mix, mash, and get everything combined. Fortunately, Ziploc bags are tough enough to take the torture from my kids.:)

That's it! You can follow the instructions below to bake or you can attach one of the labels I made (download here, six to a sheet) and pop it in the freezer for another day.
I think this would be SO FUN to do as a play date activity! While the moms make up a few batches of these for freezer meals, the kids can play! Plus, you'll have a dinner ready to bake when you go home!
To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45-55 minutes until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
Serve over rice or pasta. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and parsley, if desired.

For more great meal ideas and tips, check out the Ziploc Facebook page!
*This post is sponsored by Ziploc. I received monetary compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

Ghoulish Goblin Toes

2010-09-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

You can never have too many Halloween treats--we'll be featuring plenty in the coming weeks! These are are prefect project for the kids because the messier, the better! Goblin toes are supposed to be ugly!:) Also, "painting" the goblin toeneails was major fun for my girls!

Ghoulish Goblin Toes
Ingredients:
Golden Grahams Cereal
Cocoa Puffs Cereal
Peanut Butter cookies (we used Nutter Butter)
Green Candy Melts
Red Candy Melts
Wax Paper
Clean paintbrushes

Directions:
Gather your ingredients. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat green candy melts in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until melted.
Dip cookies in green candy melts and set on wax paper. Place one Golden Grahams "toenail" on the end of each dipped cookie. Let set while you microwave the red candy melts (same technique as above).

Let the kids "paint" the goblin toenails with the red candy melts. My kids pretended it was a "Goblin Day Spa". :)

Press a Cocoa Puff into each cookie for a "wart". Paint over each wart with remaining green candy melts, if desired. Let set completely and serve. Will keep for up to 2 weeks in airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Disclosure: I was invited to contribute to Betty Crocker’s Cereal Spooktacular recipe collection. General Mills provided a $50 grocery card to cover ingredients and testing. I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Sam's Club Headquarters Trip

2010-09-27T19:25:00.001-07:00

Hi, it’s Gourmet Sister (Michelle) back from a food-filled trip to the Sam’s Club headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. As part of the tour of a Sam’s Club and the headquarters we got to try over 50 new products Sam’s will be offering in the next couple months. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it. I can’t share info about all the new foods quite yet (AMAZING Holiday things coming!). But, here’s some highlights to get your mouth watering.

I was amazed how much time and taste-testing goes into each product Sam’s carries. For example, they only sell one variety of raspberries and it’s from a certain grower. This ensures that every time you buy raspberries they will have the same sweet taste. I do envy the person that travels all over the world choosing the perfect raspberry—what a yummy job. We did get to do a little taste-testing of our own at the Sensory Lab which included rating possible future products on taste, texture, appearance, etc. It is quite the process.

Coming to all Club bakeries in the next week or so are Artisan Breads. Baked throughout the day, these are sure to be a hit at my house; of course, they might not make it past the parking lot with my crew. Roasted Garlic was my favorite flavor with the pull apart Focaccia coming in at a close second. Don’t miss a chance to try these; they were wonderful and budget friendly.
Gourmet Grandpa got to be in on the taste testing for their new international cheese products. I loved all the cheeses, but the Rembrandt Gouda and the Kerrygold Salted Butter were favorites. But, after tasting the 20+ cheese products, you really couldn’t go wrong with any of them as a fun appetizer for a dinner or party. Ask you local Sam’s Club if the Tones “Spice Up America” Roadshow is coming to your town. Along with samples of foods cooked with their spices, you can get your pictures taken and “certified spice expert” labels made for your spice shakers at home. Now every time I open my spice cupboard I get to see myself smiling back. I actually do most of my cooking with Tones since they have little salt added and no MSG in their spices. More fun holiday food coming…including some truly fabulous desserts!!
Disclosure: Sam's Club covered all expenses for this trip, accommodations, and transportation. I was not compensated in any way for this post and all opinions, as always, are my own.

Sunflower Sandwich Snackers

2010-09-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

These whimsical sunflowers are always a huge hit! What my kids don’t know is that each flower contains Vegetables, Dairy, Whole Grain AND a complete serving of Fruit. They’re SO easy and I get bonus points w/ the kids for serving “fun food”. :)

Sunflower Sandwich Snackers
makes 1
Ingredients:
1/4 c. California raisins
2 T. reduced fat cream cheese
1 slice Orowheat sandwich thin (or other brand)
1 ounce sliced cheese
1/3 of a medium green pepper

Directions:
Slice cheese into triangles. The best way is to slice it in half one way, then in half the other. Then, slice each square into triangles (see below)
Place sandwich thin on plate and spread with cream cheese. Sprinkle raisins on top and set on plate. Slice green pepper into strips. Spread on plate too look like a flower "stem" and "grass". Arrange cheese trianges around sandwich thin and serve.

Disclosure: We created this fun sandwich snack for the California Raisins "Let's Re-Do Lunch" contest. You can go here to join in on the fun! I was not compensated in any way for this post. You can learn more about the fabulous Meal Makeover Moms here.

Doughnut Seeds

2010-09-18T20:18:00.001-07:00

I saw The Moody Fashionista's "Donut Seeds" a few weeks ago and thought they were just adorable! Plus, isn't her daughter the cutest?!

So, when the time came to make a snack for Little C's class, we knew what it should be! They're inexpensive and easy to put together for a large group. Perfect!

We added some Fruit Loops for color and made our own Doughnut Seed (or Donut...tomato, tomahto...:)) labels that you can download here. You can choose larger labels (4 per page) or smaller labels (8 per page--this is a large file because the graphics are high res, so be patient!)

Doughnut Seeds
Ingredients:
Cheerios
Fruit Loops
Ziploc Baggies
Large or Small Doughnut Seed Labels

Directions:
Put desired amount of Cheerios & Fruit loops in each bag. Print and cut out labels. Tape a label on each bag. Gobble. Here's Little H in "ready to gobble" position...
Here's our sea of donut seed bags ready to go to school! This is also a great Letter D snack!

Sparkling Side Dishes

2010-09-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

As I have been hosting the "Make to Impress" Side Dish Challenge at The Real Women of Philadelphia this week, I've been blown away by everyone's creativity!
If you're looking for great entertaining and Holiday recipes, look no further! You can see the whole gallery here. Get ready to blow your guests away!

Here are a few favorites that I just had to share!
(click text or image for recipe)
Elegant Layered Eggplant by Josee Lanzi

Creamy Corn Filled Tomatoes by Maria Holguin

Sushi in a Pan by Raquel Martes
Sweet Potato Turkey Bacon Baskets by Mindie Hilton
(Thanksgiving leftovers, anyone? YUM!)

Coconut Lemongrass Rice by Hoopfinity
Avocado that Sounds like Meatloaf by Jeffrey Goldade
Flambeed Mushrooms Au Poivre by Melissa Scott

Puffy Eyeball Truffles

2010-09-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it's getting close to Halloween time? I love this time of year! We have some spooktacular treats and tricks for you so let's kick it off with
Peanut Butter Truffle Eyeballs

I had so much fun doing the Cereal Spooktacular last year that wer'e going to do it again! I justify making all the treats since cereal is vitamin fortified....;)

Peanut Butter Truffle Eyeballs
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C. crushed Reese's Puffs Cereal
1 1/2 C. Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Butter, softened
4-6 C. Powdered Sugar
White Candy Melts
Red Candy Melts
Chocolate Chips (about 1/2 C.)
Wax paper
toothpick
Sucker Sticks, optional

Directions:
In large bowl, combine crused Reese's Puffs Cereal, Peanut Butter and butter. Mix well. Add powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a firm dough. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on wax paper.

Now, you can make these eyeballs stand-alone or put them on sucker sticks. We like making them into suckers, it's easier for the kids to dip them and they're fun to eat!
If making suckers, dip each stick in a little bit of melted white candy melts and push one into each peanut butter ball. Place in fridge for about 5 minutes to harden. (Tip: put your wax paper on a cookie sheet, then it's easy to transfer your treats to/from the fridge!)Dip each ball into melted White candy melts and set on wax paper to harden (about 5 minutes). When set, dip one side into melted red candy melts. Using a toothpick, drizzle some extra red around the edges to look like the eyes are "bloodshot". Press one chocolate chip, pointed side down, into the center and let set completely.
Here's an example of the "bloodshot" eyes! Thanks, Big C!:)
Little H wasn't sure which way her eyeball was lookin'...
Enjoy! We'll be featuring all kinds of Spooktacular fun throughout September and October!

Disclosure: I was given a $50 gift card from General Mills for ingredients to make creative cereal treats for Big G Halloween. I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Basket Weave Stuffing Pockets

2010-09-13T23:46:00.001-07:00

I am having such a great time being the Side Dish host for The Real Women of Philadelphia! For Make to Impress Week, I created a recipe that's a new family favorite and I know you'll love it, too! Can't you see these at your Fall dinner parties?It looks fancy but is honestly oh-so-simple to put together. Plus, the kids love weaving those veggie strips! Here's my video tutorial:
(as a side note, cooking videos are waaaaay harder than I thought! I have new respect for those Food Network folks!)

Basket Weave Stuffing Pockets
Serves: 6, Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix, Pork flavor
4 oz. butter or margarine
8 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
12 oz. package uncooked sausage
3 large carrots
3 medium zucchini
Parchment Paper
Thyme springs (optional, for garnish)
Lemon slices (optional, for garnish)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare Stove Top Mix with butter or margarine as directed on package.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage and drain.
4. Return sausage to pan over low heat.
5. Microwave Philadelphia Cream Cheese for 30 seconds and add to sausage, stir until incorporated.
6. Add Stove Top to sausage mixture and stir gently to combine.
7. Using a potato peeler, slice carrots and zucchini into thin, long slices (see picture)
8. Drop zucchini and carrot slices into boiling water, cook for one minute.
9. Remove slices from water, drain and rinse with cold water.
10. On a 10” x 10” piece of parchment paper, line up 5 zucchini pieces next to each other.
11. Weave 5 carrot slices, one at a time, with the zucchini, forming a woven square.
12. Place ½ C. sausage stuffing mixture on top of woven carrots and zucchini. Spread to form a rectangle.
13. Wrap ends of zucchini & carrots around stuffing mixture, forming a rectangle (vegetables will not completely cover the stuffing mixture)
14. Tightly fold parchment around stuffing pocket and place on baking sheet.
15. Repeat with remaining zucchini/carrot slices and stuffing mixture.
16. Bake pockets at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, until warm throughout.
17. Remove parchment paper and place pockets on serving tray. Garnish with thyme and lemon slices, if desired.

YOUR recipe could win you $500! Go to Real Women of Philadelphia to learn more! They still have over $20,000 to give away!

Cute as a Button Sandwiches

2010-09-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to have made some new friends at Ziploc and will be featuring a few fun projects for you over the next few weeks!

How about an easy sandwich idea that is perfect for school lunches or baby showers?
My kids loved these "Cute as a Button" Sandwiches!

They are great simply put in a Ziploc Sandwich Bag or you can click the image below to download and add on the bag toppers that I made. I love the space on the back to write your own personal note! What a fun thing to send in your child's lunch! Cute as a Button Sandwiches
Ingredients:
Ziploc Sandwich Bags
Bread
Your favorite sandwich fixins'
Large drinking glass
Chopstick
Sandwich bag label (optional)

Directions:
Spread two slices bread with your favorite sandwich fixings. Our kids love PB&J!
Using a large drinking glass, cut your sandwich into a circle. Let the kids snack on the scraps, or place them in a separate Ziploc Bag for eating later.
With a chopstick, poke four "buttonholes" in the top layer of your sandwich. Place in Ziploc Sandwich Bag and serve! You can also use the optional "Cute as a Button" sandwich baggie labels, download them for free here. Enjoy!

For more fun and great ideas, visit the Ziploc Facebook Page!
Disclosure:This post is sponsored by Ziploc. I received monetary compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions, as always, are my own.

Greek Guac

2010-09-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

Last week a lovely basket of Avocados from Mexico arrived and I've been thinking and thinking of what to make...should I whip up some
Southwest Quiche?

Avocado Penne Pesto? Avocado & Peach Coladas? Or, should I just whip up some plain ol' guac? That's always a favorite! I was stumped until I tried my friend Rich's "Greek Guac" recipe. It was amazing and he graciously said I could share it with you all!If you're wondering what "Greek Guac" is, think hummus but on a whole new level! You'll love it and I can't wait for you to try it out!!

I've heard some of you say that your kids aren't just avocado fans. You'll be surprised just how adaptable avodacos are! My friend Lindsay just tried baking it in Mac & Cheese with amazing results! Also, did you know that Avocados from Mexico contain 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including potassium, vitamins B6, C and E, folate and fiber? They also contain the "good" mono and poly-unsaturated fats. PLUS, they're only 50 calories per ounce! So, give them a try in your family's diet--you'll feel great about serving them to your fam.

Greek Guac by Rich Swanson
Ingredients:
•3 large ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
•3 ounce(s) of Philly Cream Cheese, softened
•3/4 cup(s) of crumbled feta cheese
•2 tbsp. of onion, chopped fine
•2 tbsp. of sun dried tomato (oil packed), chopped fine
•1 tbsp. of white balsamic vinegar
•1/4 tsp. of ground red pepper
•1/4 tsp. of sea salt (plus a pinch extra for garnish)
•1/2 tsp. of dried Greek oregano
•1/4 cup(s) of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1.With a hand blender, mix one of the avocados with the Philly Cream Cheese in a small mixing bowl until creamy.
2.Dice the remaining avocados and fold them into the mixture along with the feta, onion, sun dried tomato, balsamic vinegar, pepper and salt.
3.Spoon the guac into a serving bowl and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the oregano over the top.
4.Pour the olive oil over the top and swirl it around till it coats the top surface (this will stop any browning if you make it a few hours ahead of time). Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the olive oil. Let the flavors mingle for at least a half hour before serving. Serve with tortilla or pita chips.

Disclosure: I was given a basket of Avocados from Avocados from Mexico. I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Krispy Apple Treats

2010-09-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's time for some fun School Snacks! How about these adorable little Rice Krispy Apple Treats?

Little C and I made these after school one day to share with her school class, they were a hit! She did a great job!

Speaking of those kiddos in the kitchen, I just added the "Featured Little Foodie" of the week to my sidebar! If you have a cooking pic of your kids/neices/nephews/grandkids/neighbors and want to be featured, email me your photos and we'll let those Little Foodies have the spotlight! (If you have a blog, we'll also link to you). I also have a secret for making your Rice Krispy Treats hold together a little better and also giving them a yummy color/flavor! Jell-o!! Add a small package to your batch after you melt the marshmallows. You will LOVE IT! I can't wait to make orang-ey pumpkins for Halloween!
I guess it's not a secret anymore...

Krispy Apple Treats
Makes 25
Ingredients:
6 C. Krispy Rice Cereal
1 pkg. large marshmallows
3 T. butter
1 small pkg. Jell-o powder, cherry or strawberry flavor
25 small Tootsie Roll Candies
Royal Icing, tinted green
Baking spray
Wax Paper
Red Food Coloring, optional
optional: you could use fruit roll-ups or those green mint leaf candies instead of the royal icing.

Directions:
Place marshmallows and butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave for an additional minute. Remove from microwave and stir in jell-o powder. If desired, you can add a few drops of red food coloring (depending on how "red" your jell-o is). Add Krispy Rice cereal and stir well. Spray hands with baking spray and roll mixture into balls (a little larger than a golf ball) and drop on wax paper. After balls have set for a few minutes, use your thumb to press into the top to make an "apple" shape.
Add a small tootsie roll "stem" and using royal icing (or any green candy), pipe on a "leaf". I actually would have rather used some kind of green candy but didn't have any on hand. I just used royal icing and a leaf-shaped icing tip.
Serve to your favorite kiddos! These would also be a really fun "Teacher Appreciation Day" snack!

Beyond Everyday Cookies

2010-08-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

Before we get to my favorite new recipe from Baking With Betty, I have to tell you about Lake Minnetonka! The evening boat ride was a definite highlight of the trip.

Sailing around lake and seeing all the gorgeous mansions and beautiful landscapes, made me feel a little homesick for the Midwest. After being in Phoenix for many years, I had forgotten how lush and green summers are for everyone else. If you ever visit Minneapolis do not miss a chance at seeing Lake Minnetonka!

So on to my favorite from “Beyond Everyday Cookies”…
Cranberry-Macadamia Bars!
And yes, they are as good as they look in the picture! Cranberry Macadamia Bars from Betty Crocker
1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips
1 teaspoon oil

1. Blend cookie mix, 1/3 cup butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350°F 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1/3 cup butter, brown sugar and cranberries over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Spoon and spread cranberry mixture evenly over partially baked cookie base. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely.
3. In resealable freezer plastic bag, mix baking chips and oil; seal bag. Microwave on High 30 to 45 seconds, squeezing mixture in bag every 15 seconds until smooth. Cut 1/4-inch top from corner of bag; drizzle over bars.
Makes 40 bars

A close second is the Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars. Both use a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix for the crust. This, of course, was much easier and quicker than making a crust from scratch. I often over bake my crusts when I’m making bar cookies, but I am sold on using the cookie mix now. The crusts were firm, but still chewy and moist. I was really impressed. There are tons of recipes for all kinds of cookies on the Betty Crocker site.
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars from Betty Crocker
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 box (4-serving size) French vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely crushed

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan.
2. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1 1/2 teapoons vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread over crust in pan.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set in center. Immediately sprinkle top with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Makes 36 bars

My favorites appear to be the favorites of others, too! They were disappearing fast!
Sherri, from Betty Crocker, shared lots of fun tips and recipe ideas for cookies.
Other tempting & tasty favorite were:
Red Velvet Rich & Creamy Cookies
Citrus-Kissed Fig Thumpbrints
(perfect for the Holidays coming up!!)
Mandy is busy making some cute "school snacks" so stay tuned for more fun this week!

All You Need is Bisquick!

2010-08-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hello! It’s Gourmet Sister here to tell all about the Baking with Betty Event at the General Mills Headquarters. Mandy was unable to go to Minneapolis, so I happily went in her stead. The whole trip from the Dinner Cruise to the Baking Party was amazing, and I had a wonderful time. Everyone there was gracious and happy to share tips, and of course, recipes!

My first session was "It's All about Breakfast", featuring easy and quick recipes using Bisquick.

I was feeling a little daunted since I never use Bisquick. My family is on a budget and we have allergies so we don’t usually buy many packaged foods. But, the Fresh Lemon Cream Crepes recipe has changed my mind about Bisquick. Tonight I tried it out on my “meat and potatoes” family. It was a huge success. My in-laws are coming over tomorrow, so I’m making ahead, a platter of crepes for dessert. I was impressed with how quick and delicious this dish was! There are tons of Bisquick recipes on the Betty Crocker website that have moved way past pancakes.
Here's Julie from Joy's Hope proudly displaying the crepes...yummy!Fresh Lemon Cream Crepes
Makes 10
Crepes Ingredients:
½ C. Bisquick mix
1 TB sugar
½ C. milk
1 TB melted butter
2 eggs

Filling Ingredients:
2 C. sour cream
½ C. milk
1 TB grated lemon peel
¼ C. fresh lemon juice
1 box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
2 C. fresh raspberries

1. In small bowl, beat Bisquick mix, sugar, ½ cup milk, the melted butter and eggs with whisk or fork until blended. Grease 6- or 7-inch nonstick skillet with shortening; heat over medium heat until bubbly. For each crepe, pour 2 tablespoons batter into skillet; immediately rotate skillet until batter covers bottom. Cook until golden brown on bottom side. Run wide spatula around edge to loosen; turn and cook other side until golden brown. Stack crepes as you remove them from skillet, placing waxed paper between each; keep covered.

2. In small bowl, beat sour cream, ½ cup milk, the lemon peel, lemon juice and pudding mix with whisk or fork until blended.

3. To assemble each crepe, spoon about ¼ cup of the filling on one end of crepe; top with 5 raspberries. Roll up; sprinkle each crepe with powdered sugar. Serve with additional raspberries.

We also got to make so many other delicious recipes using Bisquick, many aren't on the website yet, so you can be the first to try them out!

Apple Oven Pancake

(click image to enlarge)

Caprese Pizza with Crispy Pancetta
(click image below to enlarge)
There were so many other fun bloggers in attendance, if you haven't visited them, you may find a favorite read!
24/7 Moms, Hoosier Homemade, Jamie CooksitUp, Baking Bites, Taste and Tell, Joys Hope, Fake Ginger, Real Mom Kitchen, Kitchen Girl Jo, MomSpark, Megan's Munchies, A Few Shortcuts, The Snyder5, MyBlessed Life, Save at Home Mommy, Utah Deal Diva, Mora Piggy, MisaacMom, Musings by Jacquelyn, Frugal Living, Family Fresh Cooking, I Am Baker, Your Fun Family, Mami of Multiples, Latina on a Mission, Modern Mami, My Big Fat Cuban Family, Mama Latina Tips, Nika's Culinaria, 4Tunate.

If any of you would like to link up your Baking With Betty posts, we'd love to read what your favorite recipes from the day were! You can link up below:

Apple Teacher Baskets

2010-08-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

This year we made easy and cute baskets for the girls' teachers with my contact info and just a little blurb about our child (this is an especially great idea if you have a child with allergies, etc.!)

I was inspired by these adorable caramel apple boxes that I found on vacation! You can check your local cake/candy supply store, I also found some online here.
In the baskets, we placed a Bath & Body Works Apple Hand Sanitizer, a little pack of these SUPER CUTE (& free!) printable cards from Posh Pixels Studio, and a Caramel Apple.

I'm sure you've all made caramel apples before, so I won't insult your intelligence! I will say that I love Peters Caramel Loaf--it is SO GOOD for any candy and especially apples. After the apples are dipped in caramel and have set up on wax paper, we like to add...
CHOCOLATE AND SPRINKLES!
(in our school colors, of course!)

You can entirely dip the apple in chocolate...
or just add some fancy drizzles...
All ready to be boxed up and sent off to school!
The girls loved this easy project (and so did I!).
I'd love to hear any back-to-school traditions you have! Are you ready/excited for school?

Masterbuilt Smoker Giveaway

2010-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Since we're new in town, I'm planning on throwing a Labor Day Bash and getting to know some of our neighbors. Do you think they'll be enticed by the smell of smoking meat? I hope so! This new toy arrived today!What?! You want to smoke some food for Labor Day, too? Well guess what? I'm excited to tell you that we're giving one away! (If you have a man, this could get you some major brownie points! If you don't have a man, smoke up a turkey or ham and they'll come runnin'! ;))
Check out this demo video and try not to drool on your keyboard...

The folks at Masterbuilt were nice enough to provide an Electric Digital Smoker for a Gourmet Mom-on-the-Go reader!
Details:
Masterbuilt Electric Digital Smoker
• 30" and priced at $299
• Viewing window and internal light
• Push-button digital time temperature & time control panel
• Thermostat controlled temperature
• Chrome-coated smoking racks
• Convenient side wood-chip loader
• Removable drip pan and rear-mounted grease pan

Not only does Masterbuilt have great products, they have a fantastic recipes for you to use! What a great cooking resource!

To Enter:
Go to the Masterbuilt Recipe Page and leave a comment here telling me what you'd like to try! So easy!

Time's up! We have a winner!
Amy, please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize. Otherwise we'll pick a new winner to have some Labor Day smokin' fun. :)
I've had several people ask where they can buy one (Christmas is coming:)), you can get a list of your local retailers here.

Disclosure: I was given the product to review and one to give away. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions, as always are my own.

Celebration Sandwich

2010-08-18T10:10:00.001-07:00

What reasons have you had to celebrate recently? A new job? Birthday? Anniversary? Just a great day?

At our house, we have a new Kindergartener!
So, I made her a special lunch to celebrate the first day of school...

This easy sandwich would also be so cute sent to school for a birthday lunch!

Celebration Sandwich "Cake"
Ingredients:

6 slices bread
your favorite sandwich fillings
1 pretzel rod
1 yellow starburst candy
1/2 orange starburst candy
shredded carrots (or whatever you want to use for garnish)

Cups or circle cutters of various sizes

Directions:
Make sandwiches. Find cups, lids, or cutters of 3 different circle sizes & cut out sandwiches.

Microwave one yellow and 1/2 orange starburst candies for about 7 seconds to soften. Place orange candy on top of yellow, smash together and form a "candle flame" shape. Push onto the top of a pretzel rod.
Stack sandwiches with the largest one on the bottom and press pretzel rod "candle" through the sandwiches (you can cut the pretzel if it's too long). Serve with shredded carrots or any other fresh fruits & veggies. CELEBRATE!!:) We don't like to be wasteful, so I served the extra sandwich "scraps" on a little plate on the side.

Congratulations, Big Girl! We are proud of you!

Food Adventure Passport

2010-08-16T19:24:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! We're back from vacation and we have lots of fun coming your way this Fall!
The start of the school year is a time for new things so why not incorporate that into your family's mealtime?
How about a little Food Adventure?
I have something fun for your family to try! I made up some Food Adventure Passports that you can download and print here. Simply print the cover, add some plain paper, fold in half and staple.

As you try new foods, your kids can write about them, draw them, put in photos, write about the country it's from, whatever you want! It's also a great conversation-starter for dinnertime.

Looking for an idea for dinner tonight? Here's a video of me showing you how to make an Easy Cheesey Swiss Potato Pancake.
Be warned: there's yodeling involved....

This week on Real Women of Philadelphia, I'm hosting an International Side Dish Challenge. You can go here to join in on the fun and your recipe could win $500!

Sam's Gift Card Giveaway!

2010-08-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! For the next two months, we'll be featuring lots of fun things for school lunches as well as classroom snacks. I've got some fun ideas coming!
While I'm on vacation, I have a little something fun for you to help get ready for school!

As your family starts to think about the new school year, you may be wondering how you can collect the most Box Tops to help support participating schools in your area.
We love Box Tops! When Big C was in Kindergarten, they'd have fun class contests to collect them and the whole school got involved. It's such a great and easy way to earn money for your school! I keep a quart ziploc bag in my silverware drawer so I can throw in Box Tops as I come across them.
Guess what?! At the Sam's Club Back-to-School event from Aug. 11-Aug. 31, you can get a head start on your collection and find 6 Box Tops on participating General Mills products!!

In addition, Sam´s Club is giving you the opportunity to earn even more Box Tops when you upgrade to a "Plus Membership." From Aug. 6 - Aug. 13, or while supplies last, visit the Member Services Desk of your local Sam´s Club and upon payment for your Plus Membership, you will receive a certificate for 150 Bonus Box Tops! For more information on how you can take advantage of the Back-to-School event at Sam´s Club, visit http://www.samsclub.com/ today!

To celebrate, Sam's Club is giving one Gourmet Mom-on-the-Go reader a $25 Sams Club Gift Card so you can go buy some of your favorite Box Tops products!

Time's up!
We have a winner!
Hansen Family who said...
"Our family loves the fiber one bars. Also honeynut cheerios!!! "
Please contact me within 3 days to claim your prize! Congrats!

Disclosure: I was given the information, gift card, and Sams Plus Membership from Sam's Club and General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions, as always are my own. I was not compensated monetarily for this post.

My Cooking Video Debut!

2010-08-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Gourmet Dad and I escaped to Kauai without the kids so the only thing I'm cookin' this week is fresh fruit and romance. :)
Don't worry, we'll be back next week with fun culinary adventures!
In the meantime, have you seen my Real Women of Philadelphia cooking video debut? I loved every second of making these videos and was so honored to have spent some time with Paula Deen.

I hosted the Time Crunch Side Dish Challenge and it was so fun! I'll be hosting three other side dish challenges and I would LOVE IT if you'd come over and submit your recipes! They're choosing a winner each day for 16 weeks! You will get $500 and a spot in the new Real Women of Philadelphia cookbook! Pretty awesome! Also, this time guys can enter, too!

So, come on over and join the fun! This week it's an Entree challenge and next week it's Desserts, so there is a lot of fun to be had on the RWOP site! Make sure you find me (username: Mandy H) and add me as a friend so we can chat about our kitchen adventures & recipes!