I’m sure restuarants are feeling the economic pinch as much as the rest of us - gas prices alone can cause spider webs in a piggy bank.  Add to that the price of food, toiletries, cleaning supplies…and Heaven forbid you want to buy new clothes!

Okay, rant over.

Restaurants are getting kind of sneaky when it comes to dealing with the economy.  I’ve noticed several restaurants are giving less food but, of course, still charging the same price.  Cracker Barrell, for example, is one of my favorite restaurants - but they’re getting as tight as bark on a tree or jeans on a 14 year old emo boy.  The portions are a lot smaller than they once were (heck, even the okra seems smaller!) and they aren’t nearly as generous with their bread, butter, and jams as they once were.

A lot of people have noticed that McDonald’s Fillet of Fish sandwich is smaller than it used to be, too.

(Speaking of McDonalds, don’t forget that they’re launching a huge publicity giveaway today. They’re wanting everyone to try their new chicken sandwiches.  For today only, when you buy a medium or large drink, you can get one sandwich free.  Pretty cool.  If I can get into the parking lot, I’ll probably try one.)

Anyway, back to the sneaks.  Click the following link to see how restaurants are coping with the times by sneaking up on our money.   Sneaky Restaurant Tricks.

Food Network.com has put up a delicious section on Barbecuing and Smoking.  There are videos, tips, and recipes that’ll flip your grill’s lid.  My husband actually needs to buy a new grill.  Last summer, the weather here in Kentucky was fierce - tornadoes, thunderstorms with bite, hail, etc.  Even though we had a nice cover over our large grill, Mother Nature just knocked it off when she knocked the grill off the patio.  Oh the brutality!

Below are just a few of the ridiculously yummy recipes in the section:

Slow Cooked Apple Smoked Barbecue Pork

Barbecued Texas-Style Beef Brisket

Sixteen Spice Smoked Chicken

Hold it just a southern minute.  Sixteen Spice Smoked Chicken?!?!    It appears that the husband needs to get four more things in addition to the grill:

1. A smoker
2. A chicken
3. 16 Spices
4. Busy!

Click HERE to see the entire BBQ Section - you don’t want to miss this.

Ohhh man! Have I got a website to tell you about? Well, actually it’s not so much the website that has me purring Ohhhh man as much as it is what the website can hook you up with.

How do Pecan Caramel Chocolate Clusters sound to you? How about Roasted Cashews? Or Toffee Pecan Cinnamon Buns. I hate to brag, but I have a Pecan Caramel Chocolate Cluster in my mouth right now and I’m not even lying. Mmmmm, if this candy were any better I’d….. Never mind, it couldn’t be any better.

You’d think that the rich, delicious caramel or the always perfect pecans would steal the show with this candy, wouldn’t you.  That’s what I thought, too, until I took the first (of many!) bite.  The chocolate is some of the most amazing chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life.  I have no unearthly idea why it’s so spectacular, but I’ve never tasted any better.  It is just unbelievably delicious - it tastes exactly like chocolate was meant to taste. 

I just went back to scour the website for more chocolate goodness and it didn’t take me long to find EXACTLY what I’m ordering next: Chocolate Covered Pretzels!  Click the link to see all of the glorious varieties.  I also was amazed to see that my newfound heroes have Gourmet Coffee Beans as well.  Into the shopping cart, caffeine!

If I can get my mind off of Chocolate for one minute (notice I said mind and not mouth), I want to also tell you about their roasted cashews.  They’re amazingly delicious fat little bits of Heaven.  They’re perfect right out of the bag, but if you need a chocolate fix…stat!…. they’re danged amazing dunked in melted milk chocolate.  Just melt the choclate in a crock pot on low, then carefully dip each fat little cashew in the chocolate bath (I’m so jealous..).  Place them on waxed paper and allow them to “set.”

So good you won’t believe it.

Last but not least, I’ve also tried the Toffee Pecan Cinnamon Buns candy.  These little devils are unlike anything you’ve ever had, this I promise you.  Personally, I love mine alongside a great cup of coffee - the flavors just go together in such a way that my head gets all swimmy.  The cinnamon flavor on the candy compliments the coffee and the coffee returns the favor…or should I say, flavor.  Halfway into the experience, you’d swear you were enjoying a Toffee Pecan Candy with a cup of gourmet cinnamon-flavored coffee.

You HAVE to check this website all the way out and jump in with both hands and mouth open.  Do like I’m doing, trying a few things out at a time.  I WILL make my way through everything connected to chocolate, nuts, and coffee.  Sure, it’ll take me a while because they have so many varieties, but I don’t mind - really, I don’t.

Did I tell you how unbelievably amazing this chocolate is?  I did?  Oh, okay, then I’ll just take my candy and head to the deck….

*** If you want the best chocolate imaginable, or roasted cashews that’ll take your breath away, and/or candy that that’ll make you happy to be alive, check out Oh! Nuts.com - talk about delicious Mother’s Day gifts!  You might want to go ahead and get “Dad’s” too while you’re there, Father’s Day isn’t that far off. 

Also, be sure to keep this website in mind when other holidays and special days roll around:  Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Anniversaries, Birthdays, Graduation, Weddings, Showers, Fourth of July picnics, my birthday… I’m just sayin’…first day of school, last day of school, big games, small games - oh! nuts, you get the idea.

Brilliant.  Make that so brilliant it’s sick.

For those of us who do a lot of cooking (or even, I suppose, for those who do a little cooking), keeping what we’ve created fresh and fabulous is just as important as making it in the first place.  After all, if we’ve just made the greatest iced sugar cookies in the world or deviled eggs that put all other deviled eggs to shame, no one will be able to truly appreciate our brillaince if they get all smushed together.

I remember once, years ago, I made some ridiculously wonderful iced sugar cookies for a church picnic.  I concocted a recipe to mirror an Amish Sugar Cookie I’d tasted in an Indiana restaurant.  Dead on delicious!  As always when transporting cookies, I ran into a concrete wall (I could’t afford bricks back then).  I did the whole careful placement on a platter and the gentle-oh-so-gentle laying on of plastic wrap - but by the time we got to the park, smoosh city.  The creative side of my brain kicked in and I quickly stacked them together and presented them as Amish Sugar Cookie-wiches.  I was a heroine for the moment, but deep down I knew how much prettier they were with their little sprinkles aligned on top of their carefully “peaked” icing.

If I’d had a Baker’s Sto ‘N Go back then, the cookies would have made it just as they were intended to and I would’ve been a super heroine instead of just a heroine!  As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking about countless instances when the Sto ‘N Go would’ve come to my rescue:  Christmas dinners when I had to transport deviled eggs and nearly showed up with egg salad instead, ballgames where the hot dogs could’ve ridden first class, sandwiches for picnics, etc etc.

I’ve been using my Sto ’N Go around the house just as much as on the road.  Brownies, fudge, cookies, appetizers, pastries…. they all stay fresh and beautiful thanks to this brilliant, brilliant invention.  I absolutely love mine and urge you to grab a few of your own.

Like me, you won’t have any idea how you ever got by without it. 

So long clunky, homely cereal boxes!  Where in the world has my mind been and why haven’t I gotten several of these babies by now?!?! 

My crew eats a lot of cereal, and everyone has different favorites, so there are always about 5 or 6 boxes at all times in our pantry.  The handsome Zevro GAT200 Indispensable Dispenser - Double (Black) would look SO MUCH better - and it’d eliminate the worry of the boxes and bags being closed up tightly enough.

From the website:

Zevro specializes in the development and production of unique and innovative kitchenware products designed to make your life easier. We pride ourselves in providing our customers with the most creative solutions for their unique needs. *Full control over the amount you desire *The portion control system allows you to dispense cereal or snacks with ease *Designed to preserve freshness *Economical - avoids waste and spills *Suitable for all dry foods, including cereal, candy, granola, trail mix, nuts, etc. *Made from high quality plastic material and finish. *Each canister holds 17 oz.

I found these brilliant kitchen helpers several places online - but the ones I’ve linked to are the best deal.  These are from SHOP.COM and are the best deals I’ve seen anywhere.

My much beloved Cooking.com also has dispensers, but they’re a wee bit more.   Then again, as we all know, buying something from Cooking.com is a privilege and an honor, so a little extra money is not a biggie.  It’s like getting coffee at Starbucks vs. someplace else.  So what if you pay for the label - if you love it, it’s worth it!  A philosophy that keeps my husband up at nights, but makes my sleep all the sweeter.

Instawares has the gorgeous Zevro Silver Indispensable Dispenser GAT202 pictured below.  Is it sleek or what?

Like anything in life, a kitchen is only as functional as the tools that are utilized for its operation.  So anything that will help to organize and beautify the most important room in the house is what I call a very, very smart buy! 

These units are available in black, white, red, and in some instances, silver.  I haven’t made my mind up yet which color’s my favorite but I might be leaning toward St. Louis Cardinal’s red.  Hmmm, they also have black on their uniforms.  And white….  And the silver’s pretty hot…

Okay, so Paula’s Home Cooking is a Can’t Miss everyday - I know, I know. But today, it’s especially so. The recipes she’ll be making are “Country Food Side Dishes” and the lineup sounds way beyond delicious. One of the things she’ll make is a sweetening syrup she uses for Iced Tea. If you aren’t from the South, you may not be that familiar with sweet tea. Being a Kentuckian, I was never familiar with any other. When I got married, my husband was in the Air Force, so we moved around quite a bit. We lived in the beautiful city of Wichita, Kansas for a while and I was convinced they made the worst tea on earth until I realized they just didn’t sweeten it.

My response, of course, was “Why on earth not?!?!” (They also didn’t fry green tomatoes, make red eye gravy, or have a clear understanding of okra. But I loved them anyway.)

Here’s Paula Deen’s Recipe for Simple Syrup for Sweetening Tea:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, bringing to a boil. When the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add to your pitcher of tea and soon you’ll be wondering “Why on earth..” everyone doesn’t drink sweet tea too.

Here are the other recipes Paula Deen will be cooking up today:

Corn Casserole

Turnip Mashed Potatoes

Indian Succotash

Hoppin’ John

If you’re a big fan of casseroles, don’t miss Emeril tonight. The show’s centered around casseroles and they sound amazing. Afterwards, we’ll be ready for dessert and those of us who are Alton Brown fanatics will be in Food Network Heaven, there’ll be back to back Good Eats. The first one focuses on cakes and the second one will “top things off” with icings. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

For the recipes that will be featured on Emeril, Alton, and the rest of the shows on today’s Food Network, see the scrolling lineup to the left. I like what’s up Giada’s Italian sleeves today, too.

2 pkg (8 oz each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 TBS milk

2 TBS MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee

1 ready-to-use chocolate crumb crust

Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and well blended.  Add the 2 eggs and mix well.

Microwave milk on high for 15 seconds.  If you don’t have a microwave, of course, you can simply heat it on the stovetop in the tiniest pan imaginable!  Stir instant coffee into milk until dissolved.  Stir into batter and pour into crust.

Bake at 350 degrees fro 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool.  Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.  (You’ll barely make the 3 hours before diving in, so you’d better go with that one.)

This delicious, yet simple, recipe is from a little recipe booklet that I got YEARS ago in a Dollar General Store for, like, $3.  It’s a “PHILADELPHIA” Cream Cheese Cookbook called, “A Little Taste of Heaven:  Appetizers, Cheesecakes, and More.”  It was put out in 2003, so it might be a little tricky to find (think e-bay!), but if you can get your hands on it, it’s pure gold.  Cream cheese is one of my favorite things to bake with; like buttermilk, it just makes everything better.

You’ll love this recipe!  Coffee combined with chocolate AND cream cheese?!?!  I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.

As if we NEED another reason, using our Starbucks Card today makes a lot of “cents.”   In celebration of Earth Day, Starbucks will donate 5 cents to  Conservation International each time a card holder makes a purchase. 

If you don’t have a Starbucks card or if, like me, yours stays maxed out - you can make a woderfully appreciated donation by clicking the link below.  The Conservation International website points out that for each $10 raised, 10 trees are planted in Chiapas, Mexico. 

The earth loves that!

http://www.conservation.org/campaigns/starbucks/Pages/default.aspx

From a CI Press Release:

“Since 1998, Starbucks and CI have collaborated to demonstrate that coffee can be grown in ways that support communities and preserve the environment,” said Ben Packard, Starbucks vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility. “Through this next phase of our relationship, we hope to extend our leadership in coffee sustainability and to invite our customers to join us in promoting the protection of forests as a solution to climate change.”

CI and Starbucks recently announced a five-year global commitment to support farming communities, encourage the protection of their land, water and forests, including a three year multi-million dollar financial commitment. By taking conservation beyond coffee farms and into surrounding landscapes, CI and Starbucks are addressing the most pressing environmental issue of our day—climate change. Beginning in Mexico and Indonesia, Starbucks and CI will pilot projects that create climate solutions through the protection of standing forests and restoration of degraded landscapes.

“The issue of climate change is everyone’s issue, and by engaging Starbucks customers in one of the solutions to climate change is very encouraging,” said Glenn Prickett, Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, Conservation International. “Buying a cup of coffee may seem like too small an action to make a difference, but simple changes can be multiplied to reach a scale never before realized – and we are saving thousands of acres of tropical forests in the process.”

Almost 20 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions result from the burning and clearing of forests, nearly double the emissions from all of the world’s cars, trucks, and trains combined. Starbucks investment in and support for local coffee growers and the communities that help keep forests intact will help ensure that every cup of coffee brewed produces tangible benefits for both local and global communities.

Coffee, Tea, or a pastry?  I’ll have all three. (I’ll need to get another Starbucks card first, though.) 

Click HERE to learn how easy it is to live green!

When I read “As Chocolate as Humanly Possible” on Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate’s website, I KNEW it would be the sweetest of relationships. If there’s one thing I can truly, truly appreciate it’s getting the most out of Chocolate!

You know the episode of Andy Griffith where the cute little boy, Leon, part of a peanut butter sandwich in his hand and the rest on his face? He holds up the sandwich to Barney, offering him a sample of the good stuff?

That’s so me right now. And you? Well, your Barney for the moment. The only difference is, it’s not peanut butter sandwich on my face, in my hand, or on my mind - it’s some of the creamiest, most delicious chocolate I’ve ever tasted! Oh, and, hopefully you don’t have a bullet in your pocket.

ABOUT GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC CHOCOLATE

In 1991, Green & Black’s co-founder Craig Sams (founder of the UK’s pioneering organic food company, Whole Earth) was sent a sample of dark 70 percent chocolate made from organic cocoa beans. His wife and co-founder Jo Fairley (an environmental columnist for The London Times), a self-proclaimed chocoholic ….a kindred spirit…. found it on his desk. Like any self-respecting chocoholic, she tasted it.

She realized that it was unlike anything she’d ever tasted and was overwhelmed by the intense flavor. She convinced Sams that they owed it to the world to create the world’s first organic chocolate.

The world was, and is, grateful!

Sams and Fairley name their new company Green & Black’s to symbolize their new product - green for organic and black for the rich, intense, dark brown (almost black) color of the chocolate.

A few Did You Knows?

* Green & Black’s Fair Trade Policy: In 1994, Green & Black’s launched Maya Gold, the first UK product to be awarded the Fairtrade Mark by the UK Fairtrade Foundation. The first batch of Maya Gold chocolate, and every batch since, has been made with cocoa sourced directly from Mayan farmers, giving them a fair price for their crop. Green & Black has a long-term contract with these farmers, guaranteeing to buy all the cocoa they can produce.

This has, of course, helped the farmers improve the quality of their lives as well as those in their community.

* Green & Black’s cocoa powder also proudly carries the fair trade mark.

* Chocolate is a source of antioxidants. So, our addiction is actually good for us. Of course, I would have eaten it anyway, but that’s good to know.

My Rants and Raves and More Raves:

I’m not one to half-do anything, especially if that “anything” involves chocolate or coffee, so I took it upon myself to try each and every bar Green & Black’s makes. I know, I know - it was a gnarly job, but someone had to do it.

The White Chocolate: I have a weakness for white chocolate, so this was the first bar I opened. That brings me to something about the packaging - as soon as you have one of these big fat bars in your hand, you know you’re in for something special. The packaging is very classy and elegant-looking. I love the gold foil that the bars are wrapped in - printed with Green & Black’s logo. I don’t know why, but I’m ALL ABOUT little details like this. They show that someone cares greatly about what they’re doing and want every step of the way to be something special.

It is.

You’re struck, first of all, by the gorgeous packaging. Then, when you open the gold foil, the aroma sends you to chocolate heaven! It’s as though your eyes, nose and brain are running naked through a beautiful field of flowers calling for your taste buds to join them…

….and then they do just that. Oh. My. Goodness. These bars are amazing! The white chocolate was so creamy and rich - the flavor was absolutely flawless.

Some people will pass up a gourmet candy bar because they typically run between 2 and 4 dollars. They’ll grab one by the cashier’s register instead, for anywhere between 50 cents and a dollar. The error of their decision is this: For one thing, grabbing one of those bars instead of a gourmet one is like having instant coffee instead of a full-bodied, bold cup that has just gone from beans to grinds to cup. There’s just no comparison.

PLUS, a fast and nearly free candy bar is gone inside of 10 minutes - usually 5! Whereas a gourmet candy bar (weighing around 3.5 oz) can be enjoyed for hours. The intensity and goodness of the flavor begs to be savored - so you’ll find yourself tearing off a little square here….then a little square there…. piece by glorious piece.

The Mint Chocolate: Another of my favorites is the Mint Chocolate. I absolutely love the combination of mint and chocolate - the mint chocolate cookies that the Girl Scouts sell are one of my favorite things on earth. So, I was overjoyed to discover that Green & Black’s Mint Chocolate Candy Bar tasted dead on like the Girl Scout cookies I adore so much but can only get once a year. I can get Green & Black’s heavenly Mint Chocolate anytime I want. And, I will surely do just that! I love the Mint Chocolate as much as the White Chocolate bar.

The Almond Chocolate, Caramel Chocolate, and Cherry Chocolate: I honestly can’t remember which order I tasted these in. One of my daughters opened the Caramel Chocolate one and offered me a bite before she and said bar disappeared to the living room. (It was amazing!!!) Another daughter opened the Almond Chocolate bar - to be honest, she didn’t offer a bite, I had to chase her down. But I’m good at what I do, so I caught her, grabbed a nibble and floated on air. Delicious!

I was anxious to taste the Cherry Chocolate one becuase I was intrigued by it. The very second I opened it, the aroma took me to one of my favorite places: Christmas! The smell is reminiscent of high quality chocolate covered cherries that you make (and/or buy) at Christmas. The taste, however, is even more agreeable to a chocoholic, though, because the emphasis is much more geared toward the chocolate than it is the cherry flavor. You can taste the cherry flavor, of course, and it’s amazing - but it doesn’t overwhelm the star of the show!

Like all of the “flavors” used with these chocolate bars, they know they are a co-star and they fill their role beautifully. They compliment the chocolate but never, ever make the cardinal sin of upstaging it. Unforgivable, that.

The Espresso Chocolate: Are you kidding me? A combination of coffee flavor and chocolate - I’m SO THERE! This bar is very intense - deliciously so. I actually ate half of the bar (over the course of two days!) and then waxed brilliant with the rest. I filled up a few waffle cone bowls with Vanilla Breyer’s Ice Cream, shaved the Espresso Chocolate on top, dolloped a little homemade whipped topping on top…shaved some more Espresso Chocolate on that - and we had a happy, happy little party gathered around the kitchen bar!

The Hazlenut & Currant was amazingly good, too. I love hazlenuts, and this bar didn’t disappoint me one bit! The intense chocolate flavor of these bars just keeps blowing me away.

They’re available online at Greeens & Black’s Organic Chocolate, at health food stores, and at most Target and Kroger stores (two of my homes away from home). On their website, they have a search function where you can enter your zip code or state and they’ll tell you where you can find their products nearby.

Look in your local Target, Whole Foods, or Kroger (or whatever store you shop in!) - if they have this line of candies, grab a couple of bars and try them for yourself.

Something I just saw on the website which has my mouth watering is the image above. They make Ice Cream! On today’s trip to Kroger and Target, I’m checking the frozen foods aisle for these babies. The mind shakes in anticipating wonder at what will happen when Green and Black’s get their chocolate hands on ice cream!

That’s it, I’m going to the store right now. After I grab another chunk of Mint Chocolate.

Barefoot Contessa Set of 2 Brownie Mix Set

Product Description: Nobody remembers what they had for dinner, but everyone remembers what they had for dessert. Here are some favorite Barefoot Contessa desserts - made really easy! This Barefoot Contessa brownie mix is rich, dark and chewy…these brownies are incredible! And this box mix makes them easy to bake. Great to have on hand to make a fabulous dessert for guests or when you are craving a sweet treat. Set Includes: Outrageous Brownie Mix: “I tested this recipe so many times I am positive it is the best brownie recipe you will find.” - Ina Garten (20.8-oz.) Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Mix: Chocolatey brownies with peanut butter swirled into them…nothing can beat that! Easy to make, these brownies will rival any baker’s recipe! (27.2-oz.)

Barefoot Contessa Set of 2 Lemon Pound Cake Mix

Product Description: This intensely flavored, rich pound cake is wonderful served with Lemon Curd or Raspberry Sauce. Served with a cup of freshly brewed tea it makes the perfect afternoon snack. Set includes two 22.4-oz. Lemon Pound Cake boxes. (Look how deliciously beautiful they look!)

Barefoot Contessa Set of 2 Jam Thumbprint Cookie Mixes

Product Description: A traditional crisp cookie dabbed with our finest preserve. Serve with a piping hot cup of tea or a glass of milk. Kids love helping to make these delicious cookies. Included in the box is an 8.9-oz. jar of Barefoot Contessa Raspberry Preserves.

Barefoot Contessa Set of 2 Peanut Butter & Jelly Bar Mix

Product Description: The best of two classics, peanut butter and jelly in a dessert bar that is easy to make and simply delicious. Rich peanut butter and sweet jam are swirled together to create the perfect after school snack. Along with top-selling cookbook author and Food Network star Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, Stonewall Kitchen has developed this line of specialty foods. With this collection of Ina’s favorites, you can make her delicious recipes in minutes. How easy is that?

Barefoot Contessa Set of 2 Homemade Marshmallow Mix

Product Description: Forget everything about those rubbery marshmallows from the grocery store. These are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, light and fluffy. Easy to make, you’ll love them in cocoa or as a quick vanilla flavored snack. Along with top-selling cookbook author and Food Network star Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, Stonewall Kitchen has developed this line of specialty foods. With this collection of Ina’s favorites, you can make her delicious recipes in minutes. How easy is that?

Barefoot Contessa 3-pc. Barbeque Collection With Gift Box

Product Description: With these products on hand, great meals are minutes away. One of Ina’s most requested recipes is her Favorite BBQ Sauce. The Mango Chutney is perfect served with grilled fish or chicken. Try the Balsamic Onions on a fresh green salad or use them to top a grilled sirloin for incredible taste. The festive band around the gift is laser die-cut poinsettas with a coordinating gift card. Gift Set Includes: Mango Chutney Ina’s Favorite BBQ Sauce Balsamic Onions. (!!!!!!!!!)

When you click through for any of the above products, you’ll be able to find even MORE. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got shopping on my mind….

…..shopping and those Lemon Pound Cakes.