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Introduction

Fall Decorating Ideas You Can Use in Your Kitchen and Dining Room

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With a thousand and one apologies to “summer lovers,” this is MY TIME OF YEAR! Autumn and Winter have always been extra special to me (even when it meant back-to-school… I forgave these magical seasons for that injustice). Naturally, I love to make our home come alive with each season, but when it comes to Autumn and Winter… well, let’s just say the seasons are embraced in every single room.

The colors, the smells, and the comfy vibes of Autumn? You just can’t beat it, can you?

The infographic, below, includes some wonderful ideas for embracing the season in every room of your house. Since we’re a food blog, we’ll pay special attention to decorating the kitchen and dining room for Fall.

(Continued Below the gorgeous infographic…)

Fall Decorating Ideas Infographic

 

Infographic Credit: Fall Decorating Ideas

A couple of personal tips and ideas:

  • When decorating tabletops or wreaths, please use fake acorns as opposed to taking those you find on the ground. Animals are counting on this type of food source to make it through the winter. If everyone were to start rounding these up, that’s going to take a lot of food out of innocent animals mouths.
  • If you need more space for seasonal decorations, securely and safely box up the decorations that are currently in their way! I have pigs and other farm animals all over my kitchen (decorations, not real ones – my cats wouldn’t approve). These guys always “sleep” through fall and winter in a comfy box in a closet as they make way for ghosts, bears dressed for trick or treating, pumpkins, snowmen, reindeer, Santas, etc. Just be sure to remember where the regulars are napping!
  • Autumn tablecloths, runners,and napkins are especially gorgeous – especially in the dining room, where your table can remain “set” throughout the season.
  • Strings of lights make the top of hutches, flower centerpieces, or cabinets uncommonly festive and beautiful. There is an ingenious strand of lights on Amazon that is dimmable and can be controlled by a remote control. Click here to check it out. There are many colors available – each season is represented. Be still, my heart.
  • While candles are gloriously associated with fall and winter, many people can’t use them (either they or a beloved pet may have a lung disease or there may be young children or pets around – candles are very dangerous with little ones around, whether they have fur or skin!). If this is the case for you, the above-mentioned strands of lights may be just the thing to add festive light. There are also lots of flameless candles, too, of course.
  • I add a few autumn dishes to my collection each year. Using autumn plates, bowls, mugs, etc during the months of fall just makes the season even sweeter. Of course, we do the same with other seasons, as well.
  • Here’s a tip for any time of year: If there is a season you aren’t that crazy about, for whatever reason(s), try embracing it. Decorate your home, inside and outside, and you’ll soon see the beauty of that particular season. Go all out! Bring the colors, scents, and energies of each season into your world – it’s all part of living out loud… which is, of course, the only way to live!


Review: Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks

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Snyder's of Hanover Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks
Some people are “snackers” and some aren’t. Some love to pass through the kitchen and grab a handful of something crunchy and salty (or soft and sweet) before heading to the den for some quality time with the TV.

Personally, I can’t imagine not being a snacker. Seriously… don’t the non-snackers know what they’re missing?!

I’m not just a snacker, I’m a snacker’s snacker. Top in the business.  Funny thing is, I don’t eat a lot at one sitting or swipe a lot in one passing…. but I enjoy the heck out of what I do nibble on.

I came across something exciting in Target last week – come to think of it, I always come across something exciting in Target…. like in evry aisle, to be precise. This time, I happened to be in the potato chip and popcorn aisle (of course I was). A bag of Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks caught my eye. If you have to eat gluten-free, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say the magic words, gluten-free, jump out from a mile away.

It’s like the verbal equivalent of Popeye’s spinach.

Naturally, a bag went straight into my cart – right between a gorgeous new set of bright kitchen towels (personal obsession) and cat food (another obsession… cats, not the food).

I may or may not have sampled them before I even got out of the parking lot. The first thing I noticed was how similar they look and feel (and smell… Heavenly!) to regular pretzel sticks. Anyone who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free may not realize this, but finding legitimate substitutions for the “real deal” is tough, tough, tough. Like most gluten-free bread.

Snyder's of Hanover Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks
I’ve had other gluten-free pretzels and pretzel sticks that, while tasty, looked more like cookies and tasted more like hard bread.  Snyder’s of Hanover has hit the nail on the head with these gluten-free pretzels. They’re excellent.

While I’m excited to have these beauties for snacking, I’m even more excited to have them for other reasons. Each holiday (and often on birthdays), I make chocolate-covered pretzels and pretzel sticks. The gluten-free varieties have never played quite as well as the regular pretzels I remember from my salty past. Since these look, feel, and taste like the real McCoy, I can’t wait to take them for a dip in chocolate and white chocolate.

I also look forward to using them in Chex Mix for the holdiasy,I’m also over the moon excited about an old favorite, Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Again, other gluten-free pretzels on the market just don’t lend themselves to this type of dish. Snyder’s of Hanover’s Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks will be perfect and I CANNOT wait to make this favorite from the past a favorite of the present again.

Check your favorite store for a bag – you’re going to love them as much as I do. They’re also available on Amazon (in various sizes AND flavors) – easiest way to shop known to man or womankind!


Surpahs 10-Inch Stackable Cake Stands Made of Bamboo Fiber are Gorgeous

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Surpahs Stackable Cake Stand
The links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I earn a small amount when you click through and make a purchase. This (of course) costs you nothing extra – it simply allows me to support my cat in the lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to!

One of my favorite things about having a food blog (or any of my blogs, for that matter) is the opportunity I have to review great cookbooks, food, kitchen gadgets, pots, pans, or brilliant beauties like the colorful Surpahs 10-Inch Stackable Cake Stand pictured here.

When I was contacted about receiving one of these stands in exchange for telling you about it, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.  I mean, it was obviously beautiful in the pictures sent to me. I’m full-on wild about colorful, out of the ordinary, and whimsical things,and I could tell (from the pictures alone) that this colorful cake stand was something I’d love.

However, I had no idea that it would be as gorgeous as it is in person. There’s an exceptionally, unmistakably “high quality” to these pieces that pictures, alone can’t possibly pick up.

Surpahs Stackable Cake Stand
Speaking of pictures – this cake stand was a particular challenge for me! I LOVE taking pictures of things I’m sent to review and take great pains to “set up” the right atmosphere, lighting, etc – everything I think will showcase it to its fullest.

With this cake stand, I found myself kind of flustered because there’s just no way to show you how beautiful it is!  Trust me, I tried every angle, but it’s “in person” beauty far surpasses its “in photograph” beauty. The quality you see in person simply can’t be completely appreciated in pictures.

Kind of like a sunset, a sailboat on a lake, or a deer eating leaves from a tree. The camera can only do so much.

Surpahs Stackable Cake Stand
This six piece set can be stacked together to create a beautiful display for cupcakes, cookies, slices of cake, dipped strawberries… just about anything you can think of.  You could also use it as three separate colorful serving platters.  They’re perfect for hamburger or taco bars or for “extras” when serving salads… you know, those components that some members of the family like, while others look at you like, “You can’t possibly think I’m going to eat that…” In our family, these foods include olives, cilantro, bacon bits, and onions.

The thing that makes this set so uncommonly beautiful is the new material, Bamboo Fiber.  In addition to looking fantastic, the bamboo fiber is also biodegradable, eco-friendly, and dishwasher safe.

Two words that are always music to my ears – dishwasher safe.

Edamame on a Surpahs Stackable Layer
Most stands pre-determine which plate goes on top because they’re various sizes (and the smallest gets top billing), but, since these are all the same size, you decide which color you want on top – orange, green, or pink. Naturally, this can change each time you use them.

Ahhh, the freedom of expression!

Surpahs Stackable Cake Stand
I am crazy about these stands (I say stands because I tend to think of this set as five different stands – three individuals, a 3-tier and a 2-tier, when one takes the night off). Not only are they gorgeous on your table when in use, they’re gorgeous sitting on a shelf or hutch when not in use.

See Surpahs 10-Inch Stackable Cake Stand for more information. Their price on Amazon is unbelievably low – meaning you can scarf one for yourself AND one or two for gift-giving. These are phenomenal.

 

Surpahs Stackable Bamboo Cake Stand

A Beginner’s Guide to Knife Techniques (Infographic)

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A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO KITCHEN KNIFE TECHNIQUES

The infographic above (Courtesy of Kitchen Knives) has some great tips for easily, professionally, and – most importantly! – safely using knives. How can using knives more professionally make the entire process safer? Because learning to use a knife as it was intended will give you the skills to keep your fingers out of the way!

Great tips, beautiful infographic.


It’s That Time Again: Time to Start Thinking About Healthy School Lunches and After School Snacks

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Crispy Green Dried Bananas

Is it just me, or did this summer fly by faster than any summer has ever flown? Don’t get me wrong, this Autumn fanatic isn’t complaining or anything – it just seems like the weeks zipped past. I’m sure 9 out of 10 kids are more upset about it than I am because the end of summer marks the beginning of school.  Come to think about it, I’m sure there are lots of teachers, aides, secretaries, principals, etc who aren’t much happier than the kids!

With apologies to all who are bumming about summer coming to a close, I have to state the obvious – it IS time to start planning healthy school lunches and after school snacks. Thankfully, there are endless options when it comes to wraps, sandwiches, salads, soups, and so on.  There are also a lot of outstanding healthy snacks on the market as well.  Crispy Green is one that comes to mind.

Crispy Green is 100% freeze-dried fruit and nothing else. That’s it. Good, wholesome, healthy, and naturally sweet fruit.  No additives, no preservatives, no unnecessary calories…

The “Goods” on Crispy Fruit

  • Light, crispy texture with fresh fruit taste
  • No additives or preservatives
  • No fat, no cholesterol
  • No skin or cores
  • Natural fruit fiber and nutrients
  • Only 55 or less calories per serving

Crispy Green is having a special right now. If you spend $25 in the next few days (by August 16), you can receive two FREE bags of Crispy Fruit Pineapples. I honestly think the pineapple slices would probably be one of the most delicious, too, which makes the deal even sweeter.  I haven’t tried these fruit snacks yet, but when I do I’ll let you know how good they are.  No doubt the bananas, apples, pears, and pineapples are all ridiculously good.

Crispy Green Apple Dried Fruit

Bob’s Red Mill Muesli + Vanilla Almond Milk = Delicious Cold Whole Grain Cereal

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Bob's Red Mill Muesli and Vanilla Almond Milk

Before I get to the heart of this post… aka a delicious, healthy, and – again – delicious cold whole grain cereal recipe starring Vanilla Almond Milk and Bob’s Red Mill Muesli… I just want to give a little sermon about eating healthy.

I promise to make it short.

There are a lot of health problems we can prevent simply by putting healthier foods into our bodies.  Diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer are monsters none of us wants to ever find on our doorstep.  The odds of them showing up (talk about unwelcomed guests!) can be greatly reduced simply by eating healthier foods.

I’ve always tried to eat as healthy as I possibly can, and strive to feed my family the healthiest meals possible. Fortunately, there are a lot (and I mean A LOT) of deliciously healthy and healthily delicious foods available these days.  Truth be told, healthy tastes better than unhealthy these days.

My most recent find is one of my favorites: A delicious cold whole grain cereal made with Bob’s Feed Mill Old Country Style Muesli.  On the back of the bag, there are recipes and instructions for hot cereal and for cold cereal.  The hot is freaking amazing, but I’ve become somewhat addicted to the cold cereal.  I’ve made it with milk, 2 percent milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and apple juice – and it’s wonderful with each and every one.  However, when it pairs with Vanilla Almond Milk, it’s simply out of this world fantastic.

It’s also STUPID GOOD with vanilla yogurt.

I love a bowl at breakfast and have fallen in love with having a bowl before bedtime. If you’re going to have late night snacks (and if you’re like me, you pretty much insist upon it) – they might as well be healthy ones, right?

Look in your grocery’s health food section or cereal aisle for this as well as other varieties of Bob’s Red Mill products. I think we’ve tried them all in our house – and have never been anything but blown away.

Cold Cereal: Soak 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Muesli in 1/2 cup yogurt, milk, or fruit juice for 5 – 10 minutes (or overnight like the Swiss do) and enjoy. Makes 1 serving.

Breakfasts are especially tricky when trying to eat healthier. There are so many unhealthy ways to go wrong. Bob’s Red Mill cereals can help keep you on the right road – the road that leads to better health and a longer life.

That’s a road I want to stay on!

Cold Whole Grain Cereal

You can actually buy Bob’s Red Mill Cereal Muesli Old Country Style — 18 oz on Amazon cheaper than in stores. Load up, you’re going to love it.

Wild Planet Foods Launches a Contest

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Wild Planet

Much to most kid’s chagrin, it’s back to school time.  Has this unusually hot summer flown by or what?! I guess the extra heat increased its speed somehow.

In honor of back to school, and in an effort to help parents come up with smart, healthy lunch ideas for their kids, Wild Planet Foods is having a Bring Your Own Lunch Photo Contest.

It’s all about starting the year on the right “fin” with brain powering tuna, rich in Omega 3s. To enter, post a picture and description of your brown bag lunch made with any Wild Planet product on Facebook.  Whether it’s a sandwich, salad or any other way you enjoy the great taste and health benefits of Wild Planet at lunchtime, Wild Planet will choose four favorites and each will win one of their signature insulated lunch bags and an assortment of Wild Planet products.

Submit your entry on the Wild Planet Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/wildplanetfoods. The contest runs from August 22, 2011 to August 26, 2011.

Omega 3’s:  Between this website and my self help blog and my mental fitness blog, I do a GREAT deal of reading and research (seriously, I can put any college student under the table with the time I spend researching!). When it comes to heart health, brain health, respiratory health, nutrition, and fitness, I’m always amazed by the number of recurrent recommendations and advice.  Certain activities, foods, and drinks cover the entire spectrum – they’re proven to be excellent for the all parts of the body as well as the mind.  The following are consistently turning up in my research:

  • Omega 3’s
  • Exercising 30 minutes a day
  • Eat more vegetables
  • Eat more fruit
  • Eat less red meat
  • Drink more water
  • Drink more tea
  • Eat less fried foods
  • Eat less processed foods

It doesn’t matter if I’m researching for an article on weight loss/management, aging well, brain health, or heart health – these healthy recommendations are consistent.  So much so that it’d be almost foolish not to keep the recommendations in the front of your mind all day… every day: At the grocery store, when planning your family’s meals, when packing your kid’s lunches, when planning your day, when snacking, etc.

One of my favorite lunches happens to be tomato soup and tuna fish on wheat bread. In fact, I’m dying for a tuna fish sandwich right now – writing this post has me CRAVING tuna fish like a house cat!  I’m not sure I make my tuna fish the same way twice in a row.  Sometimes I go “old school” with salad dressing or may and pickles and onions.  Other times, I use olive oil in place of the mayo or salad dressing – and add varying combinations of pickles, onions, cucumbers, red bell pepper, almonds, lemon juice, green onions… you can’t go wrong when you’re working with tuna fish.

I even like to simply eat it right out of the pouch or can with crackers and tomatoes.  A few weeks ago, I coarsely chopped  some cherry tomatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, and added a little sea salt.  I opened a pouch of tuna and grabbed my box of wheat thins.  I then enjoyed a lunch that was as healthy as it was delicious.

I can’t tell you how I’m dying for tuna fish right now – and it’s just 8 in the morning!

Be sure to visit Wild Planet’s Facebook Page and enter the contest.

Extra Gorgeous Dessert Tray and Candy Dishes

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Dessert Tray

The beautiful Grasslands Road Just Desserts 10-3/4-Inch Cupcake 2 Tiered Pedestal Cake Plate, above, is available on Amazon. While it’d make a stunning Mother’s Day present, how gorgeous would it be on your own table?!

I can just see it filled with colorful spring and summer cupcakes and iced cookies.

Product Features

  • Gift box
  • Ceramic with high gloss finish, Hand wash recommended
  • Cupcake top embellishment holds one standard size birthday candle! (candle not included)
  • Fill this fun server with mini or regular size cupcakes for an eye catching centerpiece
  • Perfect centerpiece for any celebration

To take a closer look, click HERE.   Seriously, look at it, this is just gorgeous.

Also from Amazon, just for those of us who bake a great deal and happen to have several rows of sweet teeth: Grasslands Road Just Desserts Cupcake Pedestal Candy Jars Three Styles, Set of 3 (pictured below).

Candy Jars, Dessert Dishes

Product Features

  • Corrugated box, Ceramic/glass
  • One each color sealed canister; robin’s egg blue, light pink, light green
  • Handwash only
  • Messages read: blue jar 9-1/2 by 4-1/2 by 3-3/4-Inch – “Candy’, pink jar 14 by 5 by 5-1/2-Inch – “Goodies” green jar 12-1/2 by 5 /12 by 6-Inch- “Sweets”
  • Wonderful nostalgic addition to any kitchen or bake shop

Again, GORGEOUS.  Again, great Mother’s Day gift.  Again, click HERE for more information!

Why to Choose Champagne for Your Party

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Champagne De La Jarretiere
Champagne De La…

The following article is a guest post that the author wanted to share with our readers. Since the strongest thing I happen to drink is coffee, an expert on the matter is greatly appreciated!

Since the Romans ruled Europe in the fifth century, wine has been made in the Champagne region of France and enjoyed around the world. Originally used widely in religious ceremonies, wine from Champagne is now synonymous with celebrations, parties and grand occasions, with everyone from celebrities and rock stars to newly-weds and brand new parents choosing it as their tipple of choice.

If you are planning a dinner party to mark the occasion of a birthday, a new arrival in the family, a new job or a new house, no drink will set the mood of celebration quite like Champagne.

The early champagne makers didn’t find quite as much reason to celebrate their produce, envious as they were of the lofty reputation of wines made in Burgundy. The climate in northern France presented some unique challenges to early grape growers in the region, with the fruit struggling to ripen fully, producing high acidity and low sugar levels require for a great red wine.

Once the Champagne growers came to terms with their lighter-bodied, thinner wines, the evolution of the bubbly, sparkling Champagne we know today accelerated. Records show that in 1531, the first sparkling wine was invented by Benedictine Monks in the Abbey of Saint Hilaire near Carcassonne. The English scientist Christopher Merret was credited with creating the first Champagne when he documented the addition of a second fermentation.

Another monk named Dom Perignon made himself famous when, amongst his numerous contributions to advancements in Champagne making, he put a wire collar around the cork in sparkling wine from the Champagne region. To this day, bottles of ‘Dom Perignon’ Champagne are enjoyed by millions around the world.

The explosive nature of pressurised Champagne bottles is a factor in the drink’s popular association with celebrations. The twisting off of the wire cage, followed by the squinting of eyes as the cork is coaxed free from the bottle and the ensuing explosion of foamy bubbles, is a ritual revelled in by sportsmen on podiums, businessmen in boardrooms and newly-wedded couples. The very presence of champagne at your dinner party will add a sense of occasion and an atmosphere of celebration that is hard to achieve without the famous drink.

Champagne is not just symbolic or ornamental, of course. The drink is adored also for its unique flavour and Champagne is an ideal accompaniment to certain foods.

In Britain we tend to think of wine as an aperitif but if we take a look over the Channel in France, Champagne graces dinner tables regularly to splendid effect.

White fish and seafood in buttery white sauces, or crisp lemony dressings, are accompanied ably by a glass of bubbly. Champagne can also sit very nicely alongside salads and other light, summery dishes.

So as long as you’re not serving roast lamb, chilli con carne or an equally heavy dish, perhaps you could consider serving the Champagne at the table at your dinner party.