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Healthy Super Bowl Snacks: Brown Sugar Roasted Pecans and Crab Tacos

January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I Can Practially Taste Them Now!

Brown Butter Roasted Nuts

This post is a perfect follow-up to the last post about the number of calories in popular Super Bowl Snacks.  We’ve seen what we definitely DON’T want to do, so now let’s see something we DO want to do. If you’re as crazy about pecans as I am, you’re already drooling.

Instead of celebrating the Super Bowl with the usual fried wings, dips and chips that may have unhealthy saturated or trans fats, try a few fan-friendly snacks made with heart healthy pecans.

Super Bowl snacks don’t need to be unhealthy to be good.

“Whether you’re tailgating, going to a big party or watching the Super Bowl at home this year, try working pecans into your menu,” says Vickie Mabry, National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA) executive director. “Pecans have a hearty, meaty texture that works great in recipes or eaten alone. They will stay with you longer than other high carb snacks and make an ideal snack choice for everyone, including kids.”

Pecans can be a heart healthy benefit to any dish when enjoyed as part of a healthy eating pattern. They play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease because they have an abundance of “good” heart healthy fats. These unsaturated fats can have a protective effect by lowering total blood cholesterol when eaten in moderation. Pecans contain no cholesterol and no trans-fat. Save time and money by purchasing pecans that are already chopped. They have the same nutritional value plus convenience.

So swap your usual football fare for heart healthy recipes made with pecans to overtly (or covertly) present healthier options during the game. Here are a few suggestions from the NPSA*

Brown Butter Roasted Nuts

Makes six to eight small portions
2 oz. butter
2 c. pecans (or other nuts)
1/8 c. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground sumac or paprika (optional)
1 lg. sprig rosemary, destemmed

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a large saute pan over moderate heat, melt butter and begin to brown.

3. Once the butter is browned and smells strong and nutty, add the rest of the ingredients; stir to coat everything evenly.

4. Transfer mixture to oven-proof pan; bake for about 10 minutes or until completely toasted.

5. Drain onto a paper towel and serve once cool.

Crab Tacos with Corn, Pecan and Avocado

Crab Tacos with Corn, Pecan and Avocado

Serves 6

8 oz. crabmeat
10 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ cup drained canned corn
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
½ green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 to 3 Tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno
2 Tablespoon pickling liquid from jalapenos
1 Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup pecan halves, toasted
6 corn taco shells

Several hours or day before serving, combine crabmeat, tomatoes, corn, red onion, bell pepper, lime juice, pickled jalapenos and their liquid, and the cilantro in a medium bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before serving, stir pecans into crab mixture. Peel and pit avocado; mash with salt to form a paste. Spread a thin layer of avocado paste inside each taco shell. Fill shells with crab mixture and serve.

More Healthy Super Bowl Snacks Starring Pecans!

Turkey Pecan Enchiladas

Emeril Lagasse’s Pecan Crusted Chicken Fingers

Pecan Orange Slaw

Pecan Banana Bread

Regardless of who wins the game, you’ll score points among your fellow fans with these healthy Super Bowl snacks. For more recipes using pecans, visit www.ilovepecans.org or visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter!

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PECANS SHELLERS ASSOCIATION
The National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA), a non-profit trade association, is committed to educating culinary and health professionals, food technologists and the general public about the nutritional benefits, variety of uses and all around great taste of pecans. For more information on the health benefits of pecans and where to find them, visit www.ilovepecans.org.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Food Blog, Game Day, Health and Fitness, Heart Healthy Foods and Recipes, Oh, Nuts!, Tailgating Tagged With: , , ,

Calories in Your Favorite Super Bowl Snacks

January 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Are You Up to Doing the Wave 6,480 Times????

The Super Bowl is, of course, just days away. As a Denver Broncos fan, I’m not looking forward to it all that much. I SO thought this was our year! I’ll still watch, of course, and I’ll still have plenty of snacks… but I’ll still feel a little sore deep down inside.

I was recently sent the following eye-opening (and unsettling!) information about popular Super Bowl snacks.

The “Super Bowl” has become much more than a football game: It’s the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving!

Below, Charles Platkin, PhD, MPH, a professor at the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College in New York City and editor of DietDetective.com demonstrates how much you would need to do to burn off typical “Big Game” snacks. For instance, you would have to run 49 football fields to burn off just two handfuls of potato chips or do “the wave” 6480 times to burn off 6 Buffalo Wild Wings Dipped In Ranch!

That’s a lot of waves.

To help you choose the most splurgeworthy foods, here are the exercise equivalents for some of your favorite football snacks. The idea is to use exercise equivalents to provide a reference for calories.

I’ve included a few of Charles Platkin’s books in the post, click through each for more information.

HANDFUL OF PITA CHIPS, EACH WITH ARTICHOKE DIP = RUNNING 141 FOOTBALL FIELDS
Each chip is 13 calories, plus just 1 tablespoon, probably just about a chips worth, of dip is 80 calories.

Diet Pro: Make your own 100 percent whole-wheat pita chips, and use salsa instead of the artichoke dip. There are many different kinds of salsa. They’re good, and they’re only 15 calories per tablespoon.

FOUR (4) DOMINOS STUFFED CHEESY BACON & JALAPENO BREADSTICKS = 193 TOUCHDOWN DANCES IN THE END ZONE
While the stuffed cheese bread is probably very tasty, with all that fat it’s also a calorie killer at 160 calories per piece, or 640 calories for four.

Diet Pro: You can toast 100 percent whole-wheat pita bread with butter spray and Parmesan cheese.

TWO (2) SLICES OF DOMINOS BACON CHEESEBURGER FEAST HAND-TOSSED SPECIALTY PIZZA (16 inches) = 209 MINUTES PERFORMING IN A MARCHING BAND
Pizza AND a cheeseburger what will they think of next? Each slice is 490 calories, but it is hand tossed.

Diet Pro: Try thin-crust pizza, and if you really want to be super healthy, how about getting pizza without the cheese just add your own Parmesan.

HALF (1/2) OF A WHITE CASTLE CRAVE CASE WITH CHEESE = FACE PAINTING 111 WILD FANS
These are sliders with cheese. Each slider is 170 calories. That’s 2,550 calories for 15, but they’re not very large, and there are 30 in a case.

Diet Pro: How about having just one or two? Make your own burgers white meat turkey burgers if you really want to be super healthy, or at the very least very lean ground meat.

THREE (3) SIERRA NEVADA BIGFOOT BEERS = 211 MINUTES OF COACHING FOOTBALL
There are some high-calorie beers out there, and this is one of the highest.

Diet Pro: Unless you love Sierra Nevada and realize the calories, your best bet is a regular beer OR, even better, one of those micro-light beers. The best would be Beck’s Premier Light at only 64 calories per 12-ounce bottle or MGD Light, also 64 calories. Michelob Ultra and Natural Light have 95, or you can go very low with Budweiser Select for 55. Sample a few light beers before the game to see which ones you prefer.

ONE (1) SLOPPY JOE = 59 MINUTES OF CLIMBING THE STADIUM STAIRS
This is a Tex-Mex creation that includes fatty ground beef, sugar, ketchup and even flour. Sloppy Joes have more than 500 calories with the bun (about 150 calories).

Diet Pro: Use lean ground beef and try a low-calorie sauce (without sugar). It will still taste great. Also, add veggies (onions, peppers, broccoli all chopped up) to the meat to lower overall calories and increase health benefits.

SIX (6) TRADITIONAL HAND-SPUN BUFFALO WILD WINGS DIPPED IN RANCH DRESSING = DOING “THE WAVE” 6,480 TIMES
Stand up, wave your hand and be counted 6,480 times. Six wings from Buffalo Wild Wings have 990 calories. Then add about two servings of ranch dressing at 170 calories each for a total of 340 calories. That’s 1,330 calories if you have only a small dip of dressing per wing.

Diet Pro: You can certainly make your own chicken wings. Go skinless and bake instead of deep frying them.

TWO (2) HANDFULS OF CHEETOS JUMBO PUFFS = 30 MINUTES OF PLAYING PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
The only problem is that, according to The Wall Street Journal, there are only about 11 minutes of actual ball playing in a football game. That means you need to play almost three games of professional football to burn off two handfuls of Cheetos. Keep in mind, that’s 320 calories for about 2 ounces yes, only 2 ounces.

Diet Pro: How about making your own popcorn? Sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese and spray it with butter spray.

ONE (1) HANDFUL OF TRAIL MIX = 49 TOUCHDOWN DANCES IN THE END ZONE
Keep in mind, nuts and chocolate have about 160 calories per ounce, which is not bad if you don’t take five handfuls before you’ve even noticed.

Diet Pro: Try having ONLY nuts. Nuts are healthy, but they’re very high in calories, so don’t keep a huge bowl in front of you. And try to eat them one at a time meaning don’t shove an entire handful into your mouth all at once.

BUBBA GUMP JAMBALAYA = 375 MINUTES OF PREPARING, COOKING, SERVING AND CLEANING UP AFTER THE SUPER BOWL PARTY
That’s more than six hours of cooking, preparing and cleaning. Yes, Bubba Gump is a chain, and the Jambalaya has 1,100 calories. Jambalaya is typically made with chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage sauté with peppers, onions, rice and spicy sauce.

Diet Pro: Make a healthy jambalaya with boneless chicken breast and brown rice. Thats the way to go.

OUTBACK BABY BACK RIBS, FULL ORDER = 123 MINUTES OF TEAM PRACTICE AND CONDITIONING
Ribs are fatty, and the sauce is sugary. For the record, Outback Baby Back ribs are 1,156 calories.

Diet Pro: Try making them yourself, and trim all visible fat before and after cooking. Also, instead of coating your ribs with an excessive amount of sauce beforehand, partially cook them loaded with seasonings, brush them lightly with the sauce, and then finish cooking.

FOUR (4) BACON-WRAPPED SMOKIES = 156 MINUTES BEING THE TEAM MASCOT
Little sausages wrapped in bacon popping just four of those in your mouth will cost you 156 minutes of jumping around and acting a bit foolish (the good news is you’ll be wearing a costume). The bacon alone, (without the sausage and brown sugar) is more than 80 calories, for a total of more than 160 calories per appetizer. Four of them go down easy for 640 calories.

Diet Pro: If you need to eat some type of bacon-wrapped hors doeuvres, go with Applegate Farms Organic Hickory Smoked Uncured Turkey Bacon. Its only 35 calories per slice. Hebrew National Beef Franks in a Blanket are 60 calories each.

THREE (3) PEPSIS = 57 MINUTES OF DANCING TO BEYONCE DURING THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME PERFORMANCE
Each 12-ounce can is 100 calories. So to burn off just three Pepsis you need to dance for more than an hour to a Beyoncé song. Have you heard her music? Have you danced for an hour straight?

Diet Pro: Water, flavored seltzer, unsweetened ice tea there are so many low- or no-calorie drinks.

***** Be sure to visit DietDetective.com for valuable diet and health information. You can even find free, downloadable pocket guides I know you’ll love.

 

Filed Under: Calorie Counters, Food Blog, Game Day, Health and Fitness, Tailgating Tagged With: , ,

Healthy Side Dish: Mashed Sweet Potatoes

December 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Full of Healthy Flavor... and Beautiful, to Boot!

If you love sweet potatoes even half as much as I do, prepare to drool! These mashed sweet potatoes don’t just look beautiful on your table, they’re so delicious even your biggest skeptic will clean their plate.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes RecipeMashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe

4 Sweet Potatoes
1/4 cup Diced Pineapple
1/4 cup Fat Free Sour Cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon

  1. Roast potato in a hot oven until soft, cool and peel.
  2. Mash with a wire whip.
  3. Mix all ingredients until well combined.

Serves: Four 1/2 Cup Servings

Filed Under: Canister Sets, Christmas Baking, Christmas Recipes, Coffee Mugs, Dishes, Food Blog, Heart Healthy Foods and Recipes, Homemade Bread, Smoothie Recipes, South Of the Border, Thanksgiving Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Dishes, Winter Favorites Tagged With: , , , , ,

Perfect Amish Pumpkin Pie Recipe

November 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Without Pumpkin Pie? Nonsense!

The following pumpkin pie recipe is from one of my favorite (and most used) cookbooks – Cooking With the Horse & Buggy People. Is that a great title or what?  Honestly, I adore this spiral bound collection of Amish recipes. It’s available on Amazon for next to nothing and, believe me, you’ll use it throughout the year MANY, MANY times!
Amish Cookbook

Pumpkin Pie


4 eggs, sparated
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 Tbs flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla
5 Cups milk (pet milk), heated
2 Pie Shells

Beat egg whites and set aside. Beat egg yolks and brown sugar together until light in color. Add the white sugar, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Fold in egg whites last.

Bake at 425 degrees until brown, then at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or done.

Yield: 2 pies

Click through the link above or the image for more information about the Amish cookbook – over 600 Amish recipes!

Filed Under: Amish Cooking, Best Cookbook Recipes, Pies and Pastries, Thanksgiving Recipes

Holiday Bread Recipe: Cheddar Chive Biscuits

November 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Anyday...

Cheddar Chive Biscuits Apparently Marc Forgione (Season Three Iron Chef Winner) got his cooking skills from his dad.  His father, Larry, was a culinary legend who revolutionized American-style cooking in the ‘70s
and ‘80s.  Marc recently shared with T-fal (a brand I’m addicted to, by the way) one of his favorite Thanksgiving traditions:  his father’s classic Chedder-Chive Biscuits.

Marc recommends serving these golden delicious biscuits during the holidays and using them to mop up all of the gravy on your plate.  I can’t help thinking the chef’s onto something here!
Serve warm or drizzle with a pinch of honey as the perfect sidekick to your Turkey.

Cookie and Biscuit Tip Extraordinaire: Use the wonderful burn-proof T-fal AirBake Cookie Sheet as the best way to achieve guaranteed no-burn biscuits and cookies.

Larry’s Cheddar-Chive Biscuits

Makes 24 biscuits

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2-1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 bunch chopped chives
2-1/2 cup heavy cream
Warm honey, for serving, optional

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; position the rack in the middle. In a large bowl, whisk together all the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until thoroughly combined. Stir in the cheese and the chives. Add the heavy cream and mix or knead until loose dough forms. Do not over-knead.
  2.  Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 3/4-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to a greased cookie sheet and bake about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with a drizzle of honey.

Here I go with my soup fetish again, but I can’t help thinking how AMAZING these biscuits would be with potato soup.

Amazing T-fal AirBake Cookie Sheets and Pizza Pans:

Filed Under: Biscuits, Bread, Christmas Baking, Easter Recipes, Food Network, Herbs in Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Banana Bread Pudding Never Had it So Good

November 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, This is a Beautiful Holiday Dessert Recipe

Banana Bread Pudding Topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Banana Bread Pudding Topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

1 loaf day old Italian bread, cut into 1/2–inch cubes (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons banana rum
1/4 cup Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
2 ripe bananas, small dice
2 tablespoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, whisk together half-and-half, chocolate, banana rum and Pure Vanilla Sugar. Cook mixture over medium-low heat until chocolate melts and sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add bread cubes to saucepan and toss to coat; set aside until bread absorbs liquid. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cinnamon and Pure Vanilla Bean Paste. Transfer soaked bread cubes into bowl with egg mixture, add diced bananas, and stir to combine. Place mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Before baking, sprinkle top of pudding with Pure Vanilla Sugar. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream topped with warm caramel or chocolate sauce.

Serves 6-8

Madagascar Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2 Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Whole Vanilla Beans
1 teaspoon natural fruit pectin
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons milk powder (0% milk fat)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (35% fat)
2 egg yolks

Split the 2 vanilla beans in half and scrape the seeds from each half into a large saucepan. Add the beans. Combine the pectin and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and mix to combine.

Add the milk and milk powder to the saucepan. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the honey, cream and egg yolks. Add the pectin mixture. Cook over medium heat to a maximum of 185 degrees, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and cool in an ice bath until the mixture reaches 39 degrees.

Chill, covered for 12 hours. Strain the mixture and pour into an ice cream freezer container. Freeze using manufacturer’s directions. Makes 1 quart.

Filed Under: Christmas Baking, Desserts, Fruit Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Soup’s On! At Least it Will Be with These Recipes

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

300 Sensational Soups Cookbook Review

300 Sensational Soups CookbookOne of my favorite foods to eat is soups and soup recipes are some of my favorite recipes to collect and make.  I also love to come up with my own soup recipes.

I would say that I love soup especially during the fall and winter, but the funny thing is I love it year round.  Sure I may make even more of it during the cold months, but that’s because my family looks at me oddly when I have homemade vegetable soup on the table in August.

A recent cookbook I was sent to review was, obviously, right up my alley: 300 Sensational Soups is packed with hearty, delicious soup recipes that’ll keep me deliriously entertained for years.  As you might expect, I’ve already made several of the recipes and have been blown away each time.

Recipes in 300 Sensational Soups include:

  • Meatball Soup
  • Cold Avocado Soup
  • Aztec Chili Soup
  • Firehouse Chili Soup
  • Three Mushroom Soup with Risotto Cakes
  • Navy Bean and Ham Soup
  • Asparagus, Ham and Gruyere Soup
  • Nacho Cheese and Chicken Soup
  • South of the Border Beef Soup
  • Amish Beef and Noodle Soup
  • Taco Soup
  • Chicken and Cabbage Soup with Dumplings
  • Farmhouse-Fresh Chicken Soup
  • French Onion Soup
  • Wedding Soup
  • Minestrone
  • Egg Drop Soup
  • Miso Soup
  • Hot and Sour Soup
  • And a lot more!

There are vegetarian soups, meal lovers’ soups, Asian soups, Italian soups, traditional favorites, chowders, cold soups, hot soups, and even dessert soups!

This paperback cookbook is only $16.47 on Amazon which is a ridiculously low price for so many great recipes.  One of the recipes is below. It’s Texas Cowboy Soup and you’re going to freaking love it.

Print
Texas Cowboy Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 8 – 10
 

If you can’t find canned tomatoes with green chiles, just use canned diced tomatoes and add a small can of chopped green chilies. Instead of canned corn, you can use 3 cups frozen corn kernels. Thaw and drain before adding to soup.
Ingredients
  • 6 Slices Bacon, Chopped
  • 1-1/2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
  • 4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
  • 1 Onion, Chopped
  • 2 tbsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 Baking Potatoes, Peeled and Diced
  • 2 Cans (each 14 – 19 oz) Pinto Beans, Drained and Rinsed
  • 1 Can (14 oz) Diced Tomatoes with Green Chile Peppers, with Juice
  • 4 Cups Beef Stock
  • 1 Can (14 oz) Corn Kernels, Drained
  • Cornbread Croutons (optional – recipe below)

Instructions
  1. In a large post, saute’ bacon over medium heat until starting to brown. Add ground beef and saute’, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; saute’ until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add potatoes, beans, both cans of tomatoes. and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Add corn and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with croutons.

 

 Cornbread Croutons

  • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  • 9-inch square baking pan, greased and lined with parchment paper
  • Baking Sheet

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

  1. In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and oil.  Add to the cornmeal mixture and stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.
  3. Bake in preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Turn cooled cornbread out of pan and cut into 1-inch squares. Transfer to baking sheet and bake until dried and crispy, about 20 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack and use within 3 hours.

From the Back Cover:

The definitive collection of recipes for soup lovers everywhere.

A good soup nourishes the heart as well the stomach, spreading a feeling of satisfaction and contentment. Hot soup is warming on a winter day, while cold soup is just as welcome in the heat of summer.

From comforting creamy chicken and rice soup to refreshing gazpacho, 300 Sensational Soups offers something for every season, mood and occasion. There are 50 international soups, including Vietnamese pho, Italian wedding soup, and Middle Eastern harira. Soups from the sea include such favorites as snapper in Asian broth with habañero and shrimp, and shrimp and pea soup with lemongrass. Each recipe also includes tips and techniques along with garnishing ideas. As well, there are many creative variations and serving suggestions.

There is also the Just (Soup) Desserts chapter, which features 20 dessert soups, including coconut soup with mango fritters, chocolate soup with brownie croutons, and chilled cherry soup with crème anglaise swirl.

With 300 recipes to choose from, ranging from everyday fare to elegant dishes for entertaining, 300 Sensational Soups offers home chefs a perfect bowl of soup every time.

See 300 Sensational Soups for more information and to order your own copy!

Filed Under: Best Cookbook Recipes, Christmas Shopping, Cookbook Reviews, Fall Favorites, Gift Ideas, Soup, Stew and Chili Tagged With: , ,

It’s That Time of Year Again…

October 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Time to Start Thinking About Gift Ideas!

NFL M&M Dispenser

NFL My Team M&Ms with Dispenser & 3 Bags

Each year, around this time, I start posting a lot of Christmas gift ideas. I might as well, my thoughts are geared toward my own Christmas shopping nearly 24/7.

Maybe it’s because I’m a girl, myself, but I find it easier to shop for the females in my family than I do the guys. Who could even begin to think the way their minds work?! I was actually looking for something for our wedding blog this morning when I came across the cool gift ideas for sports fans in this post.

Granted, they aren’t just for guys. I’d LOVE the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Cardinals dispensers muchly. And if they had one for College teams, I’d have to buy about five of the University of Kentucky ones.

Choose your own (or your gift recipient’s) favorite team and get customized M&M’s featuring that NFL, NBA, or MLB team’s colors and logos. Each comes with a team logo dispenser and three 7oz bags. All pro teams available.

Any sports fan would love these dispensers and personalized M&Ms. After all, we sports fanatics want our team(s) colors and logos everywhere around us and everyone (absolutely everyone) loves M&M’s.

Click through any of the pictures or links to see the teams available.

NBA My Team M&Ms with Dispenser & 3 Bags MLB My Team M&Ms with Dispenser & 3 Bags

Individual team candies are also available – without the dispenser.  Obviously, these would be ideal for stocking stuffers or Christmas bag “fillers” – maybe along with a sweatshirt or scarf with their team’s logo. The ideas and possibilities are endless.   Below are just a few of the teams.  Remember, every pro team you can think of is available (NBA, NFL, and MLB).

Not only do these gorgeous M&M’s make perfect gift ideas, they’re also GREAT for decorating cakes, cupcakes, and cookies with.  You can even throw them in a big bowl of (cooled) popcorn for a fun surprise for the sports fans in your house.

New York Jets M&Ms; Candies Green Bay Packers M&Ms; Candies

Dallas Cowboy M&Ms; Candies Chicago Bears M&Ms; Candies

New England Patriots M&Ms; Candies Washington Redskins M&Ms; Candies

Boston Red Sox M&Ms; Candies New York Yankees M&Ms; Candies

Filed Under: Candy Reviews, Christmas Shopping, Game Day, Gift Ideas, Shop, Tailgating Tagged With: , , ,

Mandarin Orange Salad Recipe

October 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Perfect Side Dish for Holidays as Well as Everydays!

Orange Salad

The Mandarin Orange Salad shown above is everything you could ask for in a side dish:

  • Easy to make
  • Inexpensive ingredients
  • Delicious
  • Perfect for holidays AND everyday

I love to embrace whatever season we happen to be in the middle of with colors and flavors. I always have seasonally-appropriate napkins, decorations, candles, etc.  Sort of a “don’t just live in the moment, embrace the moment” type thing. I also like for my food and drinks to reflect the colors and scheme of things.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do think too much, how could you tell?

The Mandarin Orange Salad recipe here is a favorite for several times of year.  I love it in Autumn because of the gorgeous orange color (you could even add a few drops of orange food coloring to make it even more orange for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Syracuse football games…). It’s also great in Summer because it’s obviously quick and easy to make and cool and refreshing to eat.

Around Christmas, you can replace the mandarin oranges with a drained jar of cherries and replace the orange jello with cherry.  Gorgeous.

Print
Mandarin Orange Salad
Recipe type: Salad, Dessert
 

This beautiful salad is as delicious as it looks!
Ingredients
  • 16 oz small curd Cottage Cheese
  • 1 small box orange jello
  • 9 oz. Whipped Topping, thawed
  • 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 can Mandarin oranges, drained

Instructions
  1. Simply mix the ingredients together and chill.

 

Filed Under: Fall Favorites, Food Blog, Fruit Recipes, Quick and Easy Recipes, Salad Recipes, Summertime Favorites Tagged With: , , , ,

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

September 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Beautiful Cheesecake for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This Saturday is the first day of Fall and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. I love each of the four seasons, but this past Summer was quite a pill. She wasn’t at all reasonable.  As Andy Griffith would say, she wasn’t reasonable a’tall!

Besides, Autumn and winter are my personal favorites, so bring ‘em on!

The following recipe is a great Autumn recipe, Pumpkin Cheesecake.  I have to admit, around this time of year, I put Pumpkin Pie Spice in and on everything:  Doughnut holes (in the dough AND in the powdered sugar glaze), cookies, pancakes, sugar cookies, coffee (sprinkled on top of the whipped topping), oatmeal, smoothies.. the list goes on and on and on.

The recipe below is a Spice Islands recipe.  It calls for Spice Islands Pumpkin Pie Spice and Spice Islands Vanilla Extract.

Print
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
 

Ingredients
  • 1 – ½ cups finely ground gingersnap cookies
  • ¼ cup finely ground walnuts
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 – ¾ cups sugar
  • 3 teaspoon Spice Islands Vanilla Extract
  • 1 – ½teaspoons Spice Islands Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 500º F.
  2. Combine gingersnaps, walnuts, sugar and butter in a medium bowl.
  3. Press into the bottom and 1-inch up the side of a 10-inch non-stick spring form pan.
  4. Set aside.
  5. Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour with an electric mixer until smooth.
  6. Add 5 eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed.
  7. Transfer 2-1/2 cups to a separate bowl; set aside.
  8. Beat 1 egg, pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin into remaining filling until smooth. Pour half of pumpkin filling into crust, then half of the plain; repeat.
  9. Swirl gently with a spoon.
  10. Bake at 500ºF for 10 minutes; reduce temperature to 200ºF and bake 30 minutes.
  11. Tent with aluminum foil and continue baking for 1 hour or until center appears nearly set.
  12. Run a knife around top of cake to loosen from pan.
  13. Turn off oven and open door to allow cake to cool gradually for 20 to 30 minutes.
  14. Remove from oven and finish cooling on a rack for 15 minutes, then chill in refrigerator at least 6 hours.

Notes
TIP: Place a pan of water in the oven with the cheesecake while baking. This will help prevent the cake from cracking.

 

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