• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Get Cooking!

Recipes, Kitchen Gadgets, Cookbook Reviews, Gluten Free Recipes...

  • Home
    • Contact
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Sitemap
    • Store
  • Reviews
    • Cookware Reviews
    • Food Reviews
      • Gluten Free Food Reviews
      • Health Food Reviews
    • Bakeware
    • Candy Reviews
    • Coffee Reviews
      • Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
      • Coffee Makers & Grinders
    • Cookbook Reviews
      • Cooking Magazines
    • Kitchen Gadgets
    • Small Kitchen Appliances
  • Gifts & Collectibles
    • Candy Bowls
    • Christmas Shopping
    • Coffee Mugs
    • Canister Sets
    • Cookie Cutters
    • Gifts for Coffee Lovers
    • Gifts for Tea Lovers
    • Owls in the Kitchen
    • Pig Collectors
  • Recipe Index
  • How to Be a Better Cook
    • Baked Sweet Potatoes in the Oven
    • Cooking Videos
    • Perfect Baked Potatoes in Your Oven
You are here: Home / Archives for Recipes (P-W) / Winter Favorites

Winter Favorites

Vegetable Beef Secrets PLUS Explore Cuisine Organic Chickpea Spaghetti

March 14, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Best Vegetable Beef Soup with Explore Cuisine Organic Chickpea Spaghetti
Best Vegetable Beef Soup with Explore Cuisine Chickpea Spaghetti – Delicious!
I love soup like very few people love soup. I love to make soup… I love to eat soup. Over the years, I’ve experimented with my favorite soups and have hit upon what may well be the most delicious vegetable beef soup of all time.

Soups like this are kind of tough to give accurate recipes for for a few reasons:

  • Everyone’s favorite veggies differ. Where I add a crazy amount of asparagus, you may choose carrots. I won’t judge.
  • I don’t write anything down when making soup. I just go with makes sense to me whatever seems right at the time. Hmmm, sounds a lot like the way I live my life, but that’s another story.

Vegetable Beef Soup with Pesto
However, I’ll give you the basics, along with a few secrets for making the best Vegetable Beef Soup you ever dove into.

  1. I always start with a large can (or two if I’m making an obscene amount) of tomato juice. I’ve used V8 juice before and it was delicious, I just personally prefer tomato juice. What can I say? I’m simple.
  2. Ground chuck is the most flavorful way to go, in my opinion, but Grass-Fed Ground Beef is also great. When you brown the beef, just be sure to season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  3. While I love onions, when it comes to soup that I know will be warmed-up and enjoyed the next day, I either use shallots, scallions instead of yellow or white onions. They have less of an attitude and don’t try to take center stage. Put another way, they play well with others. Essential in soups…. and salads, for that matter.
  4.  I use either a frozen vegetable mix or cans for the bulk of my veggies. It isn’t about cost and it certainly isn’t about laziness (I live in the kitchen, so a little extra effort doesn’t phase me). It’s all about flavor. When you eat soup that’s composed of huge chunks of vegetables, you get just that in each spoon – a huge chunk of a vegetable and some of the liquid. Maybe some meat if it fits. However, if you use the small pre-cut veggies, many fit onto the spoon at once -giving you layers of flavor in each bite. I dig layers of flavor like Scooby Doo digs Scooby Snacks.
  5. Toward the end of cooking time, tossing in a little torn kale is a boost of both flavor and nutrients. However, be warned that if you toss it in too soon (and for sure if you’ll be eating leftovers), the lovely green kale will not stay lovely or even green.
  6. Also, toward the end of cooking, I love to toss in asparagus. First of all, prepare the asparagus by snapping off the end (opposite the pretty little tip, of course) – take the asparagus in your hands and “feel” where the asparagus wants to naturally bend. It’s at this spot you want to snap… yes, even if it seems like a generous amount is coming off. Better that than bite into tough asparagus. Then, cut each asparagus spear into thirds and pop them all into the soup and stir.
  7. Okay, this is where you’re going to just have to trust me… At the end of the cooking process, stir in a jar of Basil Pesto. O.M.GEE. It takes a delicious soup and makes it otherworldly delicious.  When I first tried it, I did so because I wanted to have a little element of Italian flavor. Since then, I do it simply because the flavor is of the addictive variety.
  8. As for seasonings and flavors, I add salt/pepper/garlic powder/red pepper flakes/parsley to just about everything I make, and soup is no exception. If you add the jar of basil pesto at the end (and you should, you really really really should), you really won’t need much more seasoning than the ones mentioned. Also, although I took a picture before I did the deed this time, shredded Parmesan on top of the production is delicious.
  9. Okra is a necessity if your making the best vegetable beef soup possible. I buy frozen, but I’d imagine fresh would be great, too.
  10. This one isn’t a necessity, it’s just how I (personally) roll: I love to have something in my bowl that I serve my soup over. Why? No idea. It’s just one of my many, many quirks that I have (at this point in life) learned to embrace. Quirks are spouses… you can’t always explain them, but you can surely embrace them. My favorite “beds” for soup are pasta, mashed potatoes (use instant if you darn well feel like it), or rice. More about pasta in a minute, but each of these make the soup even more filling and give you that extra “bite” you might be looking for.

Explore Cuisine Chickpea Spaghetti

Delicious New Gluten-Free Spaghetti I’m Excited About

I was recently sent a couple of boxes of Explore Cuisine Gluten-Free pasta in exchange for telling my food blog readers about them. The first one I tried was the one you see here, Explore Cuisine Chickpea Spaghetti. It was the PERFECT accompaniment to the Vegetable Beef Soup…. especially with the Pesto stirred in.

The first thing I noticed about the Chickpea Spaghetti, after cooking it, was that it is beautifully fat – like my favorite spaghetti noodles of old. Forget that skinny pasta, especially when it comes to serving with chili or soup, it has got to be FAT and this Chickpea Spaghetti is beautifully fat.  I also loved that it didn’t clump together the way a lot of spaghetti noodles do. In fact, there was zero clumping and that floated my boat but good.

The moment of truth, of course, was after tasting the pasta…. it was phenomenal. No strong flavor of chickpea at all, which is what I was initially concerned about. Sure, I love chickpeas but I don’t want them disguising themselves as pasta and trying to trick me. The pasta is just outstanding and I plan to buy it regularly.  It was spot on perfect with this soup and I’m just as anxious to try it with a great marinara sauce, in a cold spaghetti pasta salad, and (before the season gets away) with chili.

Explore Cuisine products are all vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO and made from organic ingredients. Loaded with protein, iron, and fiber, these pastas are the perfect alternative to other glutinous pastas. If you’re gluten-free, vegan, or simply health-conscious, I hope you’ll check out their lines of pasta. I’ll be reviewing another one of their pastas in a few days. I simply cannot say enough great things about Explore Cuisine. I’m beyond excited to try EACH and every one of their products asap.

You can find the Explore Cuisine Chickpea Spaghetti on Amazon. You will be blown away by this gluten-free pasta.

Explore Cuisine Chickpea Spaghetti

Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Food Reviews, Health Food Reviews, Soup, Stew and Chili, Winter Favorites Tagged With: best vegetable beef soup, gluten free pasta, gluten-free pasta review

Happy National Oatmeal Day with a Great Oatmeal 101 Infographic

October 29, 2015 By Joi Sigers

Oatmeal 101 Infographic
Like any good foodie knows, comfort food is a very real thing.  Our favorite comfort foods just seem to make everything okay, don’t they?  Whether it’s a pile of mashed potatoes on your plate or a bowlful of homemade vegetable soup, comfort food does more for the body, mind, and soul than any medication could ever hope to.

When it comes to favorite comfort foods, oatmeal is at the top of my list and I know the same is true for most people. I mean think about it… sitting down to a a nice warm bowl of oatmeal topped with butter and a little brown sugar? Talk about deliciously comforting. Whether you start your day with a wholesome oatmeal breakfast or bring your day to a close with a warm bowl before bedtime, oatmeal is honestly as good as it gets.

As an oatmeal lover, I’m thrilled to celebrate National Oatmeal Day today (October 29th) with this great Oatmeal 101 Infographic from Modern Oats.

I see that Iowa is the largest producer of oats… I always knew I loved that state.

Oatmeal topped with Sugar in the Raw!
Oatmeal topped with a little Sugar in the Raw is Amazing!

Filed Under: Foodie Infographics, Winter Favorites Tagged With: food infographics. oatmeal facts, foodie infographics, oatmeal

Delicious Roasted Winter Vegetables (Any Season’s Veggies will Do!)

June 25, 2013 By Joi Sigers

Roasted Potatoes, garlic, and Carrots

I’ve always been a huge fan of Special K Products, so when I saw The Special K Challenge and Beyond: Your Complete Guide to Weight Management, Healthy Living & Delicious Cooking in my grocery store about a month ago, I snatched it up as fast as I grab my drinks at Starbucks as soon as my name’s called.

I have a system in place when it comes to buying cookbooks. I have to keep myself in check because, frankly, I’d spend all my money on adding to my cookbook collection if I were to be left unsupervised. What I’ve started doing is thumbing through the book and seeing if I can find 4 different recipes I really just cannot live without.

The first 4 recipes I saw were:

  • Asian-Style Braised Baby Bok Choy
  • Roasted Winter Vegetables
  • Greek Style Spaghetti Squash
  • Crispy Baked Crab Cakes with Spicy Re’moulade

They had me at Asian-Style Braised Baby Bok Choy, actually, but I went through the motions of being a tough sell. I sat the book directly into the cart (ironically right on top of a box of Special K Cereal – the kind with bits of chocolate… so, so, so, so very good!).

My grocery store didn’t have any Bok Choy that day – baby or otherwise – so I rounded up some favorite vegetables for the Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe (the recipe is at the bottom of this post).

If you see this book in a store, snatch it up – it’s fantastic.  You can also order it from Amazon by clicking one of the links in the post or the picture of the book below.

Other recipes include:

  • Artichokes with Carrot-Cornbread Stuffing (I’m definitely making these for Thanksgiving)
  • Black Bean and Corn Dip with Oven-Baked Chips
  • Banana-Stuffed Multigrain French Toast
  • Spinach-Feta Frittata
  • Lemon-Chive Ricotta Dip
  • Enlightened Guacamole
  • Lemon-Pepper Salmon
  • Spanish-Style Cod with White Beans
  • Sauteed Shrimp Tacos
  • Chicken and Red Chile Enchiladas
  • Thai-Style Chicken in Lettuce Wraps
  • Oven-Fried Chicken Cutlets
  • Easy Chicken Potpies
  • Turkey Meatloaf with Barbecue Sauce
  • Braised Turkey Thighs with Winter Root Vegetables
  • Italian-Style Chicken Parmesan
  • Polenta Gratin
  • Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit
  • Dark Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Sauce (you should see the picture!)
  • Frozen Yogurt with Berries Sundaes
  • Red Velvet Cupcakes
  • And A LOT MORE!

 Roasted Corn and Cauliflower

In addition to tons of healthy recipes (with suggestions, information, and nutritional facts), The Special K Challenge and Beyond: Your Complete Guide to Weight Management, Healthy Living & Delicious Cooking serves as a handbook for weight-management and weight-loss goals. You’ll learn about the Special K Challenge and how you can use it EASILY in your day to day life and make it fit your own personal needs.  Allow me to point out, though, that whether you read one word about the Special K Challenge or not, this book is more than worth it for the recipes and nutritional information alone!

I’ve made the Roasted Winter Vegetables recipe below quite a few times, and have used different vegetables each time. I’ve used sweet potatoes, corn on the cob (with the ears halved… looks better), red potatoes, carrots,  garlic. and cauliflower.  I’ve also used the same method on roasted tomatoes, but with a shorter baking time. The balsamic vinegar and rosemary are a perfect match for every vegetable you can imagine!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Cooking Spray
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges
2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
2 large shallots, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mellow balsamic vinegar blends beautifully with fresh rosemary to flavor this colorful combination of roasted sweet potatoes, fennel, red potatoes, and shallots.

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Meanwhile, on 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray, toss together sweet potato, fennel, red potatoes, shallots, oil, vinegar, salt, rosemary, and garlic.
  3. Bake in preheated oven about 40 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

Make it your own:  Comb farmer’s markets in the cooler months of the year for a variety of root vegetables to try. Here are suggestions for other varieties to roast using the method above:

  • Carrots – Peel and trim whole baby carrots, or cut larger peeled and trimmed carrots into 1-inch chunks.
  • Garlic – Separate a garlic head into cloves and leave peels on. Squeeze garlic from peels after roasting.
  • Onions – Cut peeled and trimmed medium yellow onions into 1-inch pieces.
  • Parsnips – Peel and trim parsnips and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Turnips – Peel and trim whole baby turnips, or cut larger peeled and trimmed turnips into 1-inch wedges.

Filed Under: Best Cookbook Recipes, Cookbook Reviews, Fall Favorites, Food Blog, Heart Healthy Foods and Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Dishes, Winter Favorites Tagged With: cookbook recipes, cookbook review, healthy recipes, heart healthy recipes, roasted vegetables recipe

Hearty White Bean Chili

January 18, 2012 By Joi Sigers

White Bean Chili Recipe

I’m always in the mood for great chicken recipe and I’m always on the hunt for chili recipes. So, when chicken meets chili, I’m not only on board, I’m on board with spoon in hand.  The following recipe for white chili calls for some of the ingredients that make white chili (or chicken chili as some call it) so spectacular – but it also calls for one of the most unexpected… yet tempting… ingredients you’ll ever find in a chili recipe. Nielsen-Massey Pure Chocolate Extract!  I’m entirely intrigued because one of the things I”m even more in love with than chicken or chili is chocolate.

Enjoy!

 

Hearty White Bean Chili Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, medium dice
1 cup finely diced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup organic chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (7-ounce) can diced green chiles
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried organic parsley
1 tablespoon dried organic oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Pure Chocolate Extract
1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until brown. Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion to the sauté pan and cook until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wood spoon to deglaze.

Pour the stock mixture into a large saucepot and add the cooked chicken, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles, cumin, parsley, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chocolate extract and white kidney beans. Cook for 10 minutes.

Ladle the chili into soup bowls and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6.

Note: Caramelization cooks the naturally occurring sugars in food and improves their flavor and appearance.

Deglaze means to stir a liquid, usually wine, in a sauté pan to loosen the cooked food particles from the pan.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas on Amazon:

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar and Certified Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas also has a line of Pure Flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are Allergen-Free and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.

Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Fall Favorites, Soup, Stew and Chili, Winter Favorites Tagged With: Chicken Recipe, chicken recipes, chili recipe, white chili recipe

Gifts from the Kitchen

November 10, 2011 By Joi Sigers

When it comes to cookbooks, I’m on a roll I can’t even believe. I’ve been sent some of the most amazing cookbooks and cooking magazines to review lately.  As a cookbook collector, I’m in hog Heaven. Chefs, publishers, authors, and food lovers are turning out some of the most amazing cookbooks I’ve ever seen lately.  The competition is fierce in this hugely popular subject, and believe me, everyone’s stepping up their game.

The most recent beauty I was sent to review is no exception. Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion is filled with stunningly beautiful photos and highly unique, absolutely amazing recipes. There’s a recipe for Fortune Cookies (page 126), for example, and you can even add your own message inside. They’re gorgeous.

If, for some reason, you aren’t sure you want to buy a book just for baked Christmas gift ideas, let me assure you that this is a book you’ll use year round. Check out some of the great recipes, and you’ll see what I mean:

  • Granola (make a batch for yourself to use on yogurt or cereal or make for a gift – fills about 4 jam jars)
  • Chocolate Valentine’s Cakes
  • Baby Shower Cakes (they’d be gorgeous for wedding showers too)
  • Easter Nest Cupcakes (adorable!)
  • Doughnuts
  • Stained Glass Snowflake Cookies
  • Stollen
  • Wedding Cake
  • Pickled Cucumbers
  • Pink and White Vanilla Marshmallows (perfect for Mother’s Day or birthdays)
  • Lollipops
  • Raspberry and Rose Chocolate Wafers (too beautiful to even talk about)
  • Greek Honey Cookies
  • Candied Citrus Peel
  • Apple Jelly
  • Mint Jelly
  • Hot Chili Pepper Jelly
  • Strawberry and Vanilla Preserves
  • Cherry Jam
  • Raspberry and Passion Fruit Pastilles
  • Love Heart Sugar Cubes (PERFECT for Valentine’s Day – they look like candied sugar hearts – the kind with words printed on them)
  • Pesto
  • Chocolate and Hazlenut Spread (Homemade Nutella? I’m all int!)
  • English Muffins
  • Sea-Salted Caramels
  • Peanut or Macadamia Brittle
  • Tortellini with Roasted Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Ricotta
  • Pickled Beets
  • Chocolate Truffles
  • Spiced Cranberry Jelly
  • Biscotti
  • Spiced Nuts
  • Herbal Teas
  • Pecan Snowball Cookies
  • Shortbreads
  • And even more!

In the back of the book, the author has listed different occasions – along with the recipes that would be ideal for each. The occasions include:

  • Mother’s Day
  • Father’s Day
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Easter
  • Housewarming
  • Baby Shower
  • Birthday
  • Bachelorette Party
  • New Year’s Day
  • House Guest
  • Christmas

You could easily add:

  • Grandparent’s Day
  • Secretary’s Day
  • Boss’s Day
  • Game day
  • Tailgating
  • Anniversary
  • Graduation

Then again, since when do we even need an occasion to bake beautiful treats for our loved ones? I baked two beautiful pies last night and the occasion was “On Account” – On account of wanting to see everyone’s faces light up when they came through the door and smelled (and saw) Apple and Cherry Pies greeting them.  This gorgeous cookbook and gift guide is FILLED with “On Account” recipes!

See Gifts from the Kitchen: 100 Irresistible Homemade Presents for Every Occasion for more information. Fellow foodies, this is one you’ll want to order today.  It’s beautiful.

Filed Under: Christmas Baking, Christmas Shopping, Cookbook Reviews, Easter Recipes, Valentine's Day Tagged With: baked gifts, Christmas Baking, cookbook review, homemade gift ideas, Valentine's Day baking

White Chili with Chicken and Beans

April 20, 2011 By Joi Sigers

White Chili Recipe with Chicken, Beans, and McCormick Spice

The weather kind of cooled off here in Western Kentucky last night and it put me in the mindset for chili.  As a chili fanatic, admittedly it doesn’t take much.

However, I wanted to mix things up a little bit, so I went the white chili route. Besides, I knew we’d be watching The Biggest Loser later in the evening and it’s easier to face Bob and Jillian with chicken on my breath rather than red meat.  She’s a screamer, you know.

I totally short-cutted my way with the chicken this time (something I’ve been known to do when my to do list is unreasonable).  I bought 3 bags of Tyson’s delicious fully cooked diced chicken breast. Tender, flavorful, fast. Tell me that’s not a wicked 1-2-3 combo. The chicken’s carved from real whole breast fillets and has no preservatives – just like you’d make it in your own kitchen but without having to scrub everything a thousand times.

The recipe below can be halved or doubled for that matter. This one serves 8.

Flavorful White Chili

3 bags Tyson 6 oz Fully Cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast
2 packages McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
2 cans Great Northern Beans, undrained
1 can Red Beans, drained and rinsed
2 small cans green chilies
1-1/2 cups water to 2 cups water, your call
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion. Stir for a minute over medium heat, allowing the onion to season the oil. Add the bags of chicken and stir the onions into the meat. Pour the beans, water, seasoning packets, and chilies into your favorite chili pan (I used my beloved Simply Calphalon Nonstick 12″ Fryer. For one thing, It cooks everything perfectly and for another, it has a clear lid, allowing me to behold the loveliness.).

Add the chicken and onion to the bean mixture. Bring to a soft boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

We cooks love to season everything to the hilt, right? Well, with the McCormick seasoning packets, you’ll want to curb the instincts. Trust me, everything you could hope to add to the flavor is already in the packets.

Serving Options: I served the chili with a variety of topping options. I went with sour cream and cilantro, one of my daughters chose mixed Authentic Mexican shredded cheese and another daughter threw caution to the wind and chose all three.

You could also serve White Chili with slices of avocado, salsa, red pepper flakes or hot sauce. However, as with everything, you’d want to taste the chili first, before adding anything.

I always serve white chili with folded warmed tortillas but bread sticks or corn muffins are also great options.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Fall Favorites, Quick and Easy Recipes, Soup, Stew and Chili, Winter Favorites Tagged With: chicken recipes, chili recipe, white chili

Divine Chocolates: Heavenly Chocolate with a Heart

February 10, 2011 By Joi Sigers

Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries

Let it be written, let it be posted, let it be tweeted:  Divine Chocolates are extraordinary!

A few weeks back, I was sent some Divine chocolate candy to review on my food blog. When it comes to something like chocolate, I always pinch myself… “Is this person really asking me if they can send me chocolate?” L-U-C-K-Y! The best I can figure, fate must smile upon those who live right. Fortunately, sometimes it hands you chocolate as its smiling.

LOVE when it does that.

Divine Chocolate mailed me a Dark Chocolate with Raspberries bar, some adorable little heart-shaped candies (dark and milk chocolate), and what will forever go down as one of the most sensational candy bars I’ve ever eaten – their White Chocolate with Strawberries. Not surprisingly, I thought we’d start the review with this one!

The Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries bar (shown in all its glory at the top of the post) is smooth, creamy white chocolate with crunchy pieces of real strawberry crisp. The explosion of wonderful, full strawberry flavor works like a dream with the creamy, delicious white chocolate. It’s a combination that I can’t get out of my mind. It’s just sensational.

Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries

Another dream combination is Raspberries and chocolate – in fact, it’s one of the most magical combinations I can think of. Divine’s Dark Chocolate with Raspberries is out of this world, as well. Even people who aren’t wild about dark chocolate (seriously, people?) will love this bar. The raspberry flavor works like a charm.

The adorable and delicious heart candies were also a huge hit in our house. Perfect for throwing in your mouth any time you feel the need for chocolate. You don’t even want to know how often I get in touch with that need.

Each of these remarkable candy bars (including the hearts) are suitable for vegetarians. What’s more, they are free from artificial flavorings, colorings and preservatives. And did I mention they were remarkably delicious?

About Divine Chocolates or What Makes them Truly Divine

Choosing Divine as your chocolate treat is a delicious way of playing your part in a more equitable trading partnership. Divine is the only Fairtrade chocolate company which is 45% owned by the farmers. While Fairtrade ensures farmers receive a better deal for their cocoa and additional income to invest in their community, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits and a stronger voice in the cocoa industry. That’s good business! – From Divine Chocolates

You can order Divine Chocolates online, or use their Store Finder to find the store closest to you. If you want to give your Valentine candy they’ll never forget, here’s your chance.  A word of caution, though: You’ll want to buy yourself a few bars as well, they may love you but they aren’t going to want to share!

Divine Dark and Milk Chocolate Hearts

Filed Under: Candy, Candy Reviews, Chocolate!, Happy Holidays!, Valentine's Day Tagged With: candy review, chocolate candy, chocolate review, Valentine's Day Candy

Unexpected Superbowl Recipes!

February 1, 2011 By Joi Sigers

2010 Green Bay Packers Team Composite
2010 Green Bay Packers Team Composite
Buy This Allposters.com

Unfortunately, my beloved Denver Broncos won’t be anywhere near the Superbowl this year.  Sigh.  Truth be told, after this past year, I’m just glad the Bronco’s year is over.  Can you say stop the bleeding!?  My oldest Daughter, Emily, is decked out in her normal NFL season colors of green and gold and is smiling ear to ear.  She’s been a HUGE Green Bay Packer’s fan since she was about 10 and started watching football with her daddy.  It’s crazy, everyone in our family has a different favorite team. My husband (and Emily’s father, of course) has been a Jets fan since I met him.

Even he had a great NFL year.  Controversial, but great. At least better than the one they had in Denver.  Again, sigh.

We treat Superbowl Sunday like a holiday in our house – lots of food, lots of laughter, and this year, lots of bragging rights for Emily.  Each year, I mostly hope for a good game, entertaining commercials, and OF COURSE outstanding food.

Below are a couple of recipes that can certainly help with the last prerequisite. They’re from Kitchen Daily – a rock star when it comes to recipe sites.  They’re kind enough to share these Superbowl Recipes with Get Cooking’s readers – which makes them not just rock stars but super cool rock stars.

Superbowl Recipe: Chicken Sausages with Apple Slaw

FOR APPLE SLAW:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt2 Granny Smith apples
6 cups finely shredded cabbage

FOR SAUSAGES:
16 precooked chicken sausages, about 3 ounces each, preferably with apple
16 hot dog buns

Make slaw: Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, caraway seeds (if using), and salt in a large bowl.

Cut apples with skin into 1/8-inch matchsticks and add to dressing along with the cabbage and toss to combine well. Let stand at least 30 minutes to wilt slightly.

Cook chicken sausages and heat buns:
Broiler method: Preheat the broiler with oven rack 5 to 6 inches below heat. Pierce sausages in a few places with a knife or fork and put on a shallow baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until heated through and browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Spread buns open and arrange, cut sides up, on two baking sheets. Broil, once sheet at a time, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Grill method: Prepare a grill for grilling and lightly oil rack. Pierce sausages in a few places with a knife or fork and grill, turning once, until heated through and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Spread buns open and grill, cut sides down, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve sausages in buns topped with apple slaw.

Make ahead: Slaw can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Chill until 1 hour

About This Recipe:
Chicken sausages come in many flavors, so look for a precooked variety made with apple – they’ll go best with this refreshing crunchy slaw.

Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet Logo
Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet Logo
Buy This Allposters.com

Superbowl Recipe: Crispy Sweet Potato Ribbons

8 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
6 medium sweet potatoes (3 pounds), peeled

Directions:
Put enough oil in a deep 5- to 6-quart pot to measure 2 inches and heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360F. Using a vegetable peeler (preferably U-shaped) shave each sweet potato into long ribbons.

Fry a handful of ribbons at a time, turning with a mesh or slotted spoon, until lightly browned and crisp, about 50 seconds. Transfer ribbons to paper towels to drain and return the temperature of the oil to 360F before frying the next batch.

If not frying the ribbons right away, put them in a large bowl of ice and water and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Chilling the ribbons will make them firmer and they will crisp easily as long as they are dried by the handful in a kitchen towel before frying.

Make ahead: The ribbons will keep in large sealed plastic bags for 2 days.

About This Recipe:
As crisp as chips but more elegant, these sweet potato ribbons are easily made with a vegetable peeler. Although they are very tasty by themselves, for a variation you can sprinkle them with salt and lime zest or chili powder.

Credit (and many thanks) go to Kitchen Daily.

Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
Buy This Allposters.com

Sigh.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Chicken Recipes, Fall Favorites, Game Day, Tailgating, Winter Favorites Tagged With: game day recipes, Superbowl recipes

Vanilla Apple Pudding Recipe with Vanilla Whipped Cream

September 21, 2010 By Joi Sigers

Vanilla Apple Pudding Recipe from Nielsen-Massey Vanilla

I’m about 10 minutes away from putting on my yard-working clothes and “getting after it” in the yard. There are weeds to pull, Autumn decorations to put out, and pears and apples to pick. Around this time every year, I look for new ways to enjoy fresh apples and Nielsen-Massey Vanillas is providing me with endless ideas this autumn. Nielsen-Massey is my “go to” brand for vanilla extract and, yes sir/ma’am, it does make a HUGE difference when you use quality vanilla in your recipes.

I love to cook with (and just flat-out eat) apples primarily because they’re delicious – but they’re also uncommonly healthy. The saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” has more legs to stand on than a centipede. For a great article about the MANY health benefits of apples, click the link.

Apple pie, apple cider and applesauce are traditional uses of course, and you can never go wrong with any of them. Below, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, the vanilla specialists, suggest additional ways to enjoy freshly picked apples in autumn baked creations.

  • Combine Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, brown sugar and cream cheese for a simple, tasty apple spread.
  • Add a splash of Tahitian Pure Vanilla Extract to applesauce to enhance its fruity taste.
  • Stir Pure Almond Extract into whipped cream or whipped topping to garnish apple cake.
  • Use Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste to glaze pie crusts for apple pies.
  • Vanilla Apple Pudding (recipe below) is an easy at-home recipe that combines crisp apples with quality Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract.

“Using seasonal ingredients adds an undeniably clean element to any dish,” says Beth Nielsen, ­­chief culinary officer of Nielsen-Massey. “Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanillas ensure that your produce won’t be tainted by artificial ingredients and the fresh flavors will shine through.”

Nielsen-Massey uses a proprietary cold extraction process which gently coaxes the maximum flavor possible from the beans. The result is a sweet, creamy, mellow Pure Vanilla that is an excellent ingredient for general cooking and baking.

{To make the recipe gluten-free, substitute gluten-free all purpose flour for the regular flour.}

Vanilla Apple Pudding

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 eggs
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups coarsely chopped cored peeled apples
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cream the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until the batter is fluffy. Add the flour, baking soda and cinnamon and mix well; the dough will be crumbly.

Add the apples and walnuts and mix just until incorporated. Press over the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and press into the dough mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm. Garnish with a dollop of Nielsen-Massey’s Signature Whipped Cream.

Serves 15

Gourmet Vanilla Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
2 tablespoons sifted confectioners’ sugar

Whip the cream in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla bean paste and confectioner’s sugar.

Add a dollop of whipped cream to each serving of the vanilla apple pudding.

Nielsen-Massey Vanilla is an aromatic ingredient that enhances the flavor of the hand-picked apples and uncovers rich fall flavors.

If only I had walnuts on hand, I’d make Vanilla Apple Pudding for our Biggest Loser snacks tonight – I have all the other ingredients.  I’m tempted to try them without the walnuts this time… after all, I’ll be too busy in the yard to run to the store.  Sigh.

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas:
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar and Certified Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas recently introduced a line of Pure Flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are Allergen-Free and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.


Filed Under: Christmas Baking, Desserts, Fall Favorites, Fruit Recipes, Oh, Nuts!, Winter Favorites Tagged With: apple recipes, apples, Desserts, Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, pudding

Yum! Bow Tie Sausage Soup

September 20, 2010 By Joi Sigers

I’m a complete and utter fool for sausage and sausage recipes – ground sausage, sausage links, brats… You name it, I’m there with fork in hand.   The Original Brat Hans brand by Coleman Natural Foods is a favorite.  They’re as outstanding grilled outdoors as they are prepared indoors.

You’ll also love them to distraction in recipes.  The delicious recipe below calls for Hans All Natural Pork Sausage and will produce a soup you’ll never forget. And the people you share it with will never stop talking about it.

Serve this wonderful soup with breadsticks or fried cornbread for bonus points and extra smiles.

Bow Tie Sausage Soup Recipe

1 package Hans All Natural Pork Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups organic chicken broth
2 1/2 to 3 cups bow tie pasta
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Cut natural or organic sausage into slices and put in large covered pot with onion and garlic; cook until sausage is brown. Drain off any fat.

Stir in organic chicken broth, uncooked pasta, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, basil and thyme. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Credit: Coleman Natural and The National Pork Board

Filed Under: Fall Favorites, Pork Recipes, Soup, Stew and Chili, Winter Favorites Tagged With: sausage recipes, soup, soup recipes

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Get Cooking’s 2019 Christmas Gift Guide for Cooks & Foodies!

The 2019 Christmas Gift Guide for Cooks and Foodies is kicking off this week! Click the link or image to find a growing list of gift idea. Be sure to check back often – I’ll be adding to the pages hot and heavy in the coming weeks. I guess you could say I’m already in the Christmas spirit – but the truth is I’m never out of it.

Welcome to my Food Blog!

My name is Joi ("Joy") and Get Cooking is where I celebrate some of my greatest passions - recipes, kitchen gadgets, gluten free food reviews, gluten free recipes, pig collectibles, chocolate, cookbooks, and coffee. Lots of coffee...
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search for Recipes and Reviews

What’s New on the Food Blog?

  • Colorful Table and Chairs for Toddlers (In Love with This!)
  • Chaffles 101: A New Obsession for MANY Reasons
  • Multi Hard Boiled Egg Peeler: One A-Peeling Kitchen Gadget!
  • 15 Best Free Apps for Eating Healthy on a Budget
  • ChocZero: Sugar Free Chocolate Squares (Perfect for the Keto Diet)
  • Bee-U-Tiful Glass Honey Dispenser (Sorry, I Had To….)
  • Celebrate National Coffee Day with Two “Sparkling” Coffee Recipes
  • “Candy Cookies” – No Bake Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies (With Gluten-Free Option)

Gluten-Free Recipes

A Wonderful Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Cookbook: Whole Bowls by Allison Day

Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles

Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil (No Boil!) Noodles

Tostadas with Refried Beans and Tomatoes

Fast & Easy Summer Meal: Meatless Tostadas

Gluten-Free White Chocolate and Pecan Cookies

Gluten Free Cranberry Pecan Cookies

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies

Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe


Footer

Get Ready for Football Season!

Football Serving Tray (above)
Pfaltzgraff Football Platter (above)

Subscribe to Get Cooking

Fill in the form below to receive updates through e-mail whenever something new has been added to the food blog.



Powered by FeedBlitz

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Whether you need to contact me for advertising, reviews, recipes, or simply to say, “Hi!,” I look forward to hearing from you.

Contact me through e-mail at joisigers@aim.com and connect with me through social media (see above).

I do not claim to have taken all of the photographs on this website. I did not take any of the “product” or “affiliate” merchandise photos, nor do I claim to own them. If you are a photographer that sees something you want removed, simply e-mail me!

Copyright © 2019 Get Cooking Food Blog   xml sitemap   Privacy Policy   Color Me Gluten Free!