famfriendsfood

Chewy Brownie Cookies

2012-01-30T22:16:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking about making a change around here... not a big one, but one you may notice if you check the header up above. It's official, my little blog is now a ".com" address! I decided to change the name a bit for many reasons, but I kinda like that it's a shorter name to remember and it's a bit different. Please take a moment to update your bookmarks - I think the subscriptions should still work fine, but please let me know if they aren't - RSS or email - as I will have to figure out what else I need to update.

Now, for something sweet to start off the week! Last weekend, My Boys had friends over for play dates and I got the urge to make cookies. Nothing new there, right? I pulled out an old mini cookbook - Crisco Cookies for a Year of Celebrations. I've had this one forever, and pull it out every once in awhile.

I decided that I liked the sound of Chewy Brownie Cookies... and luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand.

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Review: The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook (Recipe: Oatmeal-Cranberry Muffins)

2012-01-27T20:41:00.000-05:00

I have read tons of books on various types of diets and how to lose weight. When I initially received an email asking if I'd like more information on the Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook, I did hesitate because I just didn't know if I need to add to my already huge collection of cookbooks and diets. Once I did a little checking, I could see that it wasn't going to be a free-for-all-eat-all-the-carbs-you-want-diet. I was also intrigued because I saw that this wasn't one of those diets that suggests you completely eliminate an entire food group. I just can't get my head around those diets because they work for awhile and then you go back to the "old ways" because you crave the foods you gave up.

I am not going to review the merits of the diet or the meal plans that are provided in this book, since I have not followed them myself. If you are interested in following the plan, the book does provide a Kick-Start meal plan (1200 calories per day) that lasts for 1 week, which is then followed by a 21 day meal plan (1600 calories per day) to help you continue losing.

My review is really about the recipes and this cookbook has 150 healthy, balanced recipes to choose from as you work towards improving your diet. I'm very interested in any book that promotes whole grains, fresh produce and lean proteins. From everything I have seen over the years, these are the elements necessary to embarking on healthy eating. Portion control is also key, and necessary even with these recipes.

The Carb Lovers Diet Cookbook is filled with fabulous photos that will make your mouth water. The theory behind this cookbook is not that you can go crazy filling up on carbohydrates, but rather that if you choose your carbs wisely you can still enjoy them as part of a healthy lifestyle.

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Eat. Live. Be. (Routines are Good)

2012-01-25T21:27:00.001-05:00

I never would have thought I'd be a morning person. And, I am still not a jump-out-of-bed-with-a-smile-on-my-face morning person.

But, I have noticed in the few weeks I've been getting up super early to hit the treadmill with a vengence, that I am now waking up before my alarm goes off. Something to be said about training yourself to wake up.

That's not to say that I don't have a moment or two where I actually have to think about why I am awake and whether the nice warm bed is the place I should stay. My motivation has been much higher this time around... and when I saw this statement, it totally fits with my current approach to starting off the day on a healthy/fit note:

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Hearty Vegetable Soup

2012-01-22T15:31:00.001-05:00

I'm a pretty lucky woman because My Husband not only enjoys looking for new recipes for us to try, but also enjoys cooking up some really good food for us, too!

Last week, he found a few recipes for soup that sounded good. Since I had to take the boys out to do a few things, he went to the grocery store and picked up everything needed to make the soup. The soup started out as a recipe for pasta fagioli, but ended up morphing into more of a really thick and hearty vegetable soup.

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Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. (Feeling Good & Recipe for Roasted Carrots & Parsips)

2012-01-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. day is here again. This week though is already a much different story than last week was... you know the one where I was so stuffy and miserable I couldn't get a single workout in last week.

This week, I am going to be celebrating each little success because I found this cute little reminder over on Pinterest!

Whether that success is getting up at 5:15 in the morning to do 40 minutes on the treadmill... or that I made it to the gym for a 2nd workout (for weights and strength) on my lunch break, or that I walked away from the candy machine... even though chocolate was REALLY calling my name, I am going to celebrate it and keep my positive momentum going! And so, far this week I can say the workouts are happening (and I am really happy about that) and I'm working on resisting those sweet cravings.

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Total Comfort Food: Red-Wine Braised Short Ribs

2012-01-15T17:48:00.000-05:00

There are times when I get something in my head that I want to make and I keep thinking about it until I actually make it. This was one of those times.

When we went to Las Vegas in 2010 with our friends and ate dinner at Fleur de Lys, my friend ordered the most amazing wine braised short ribs ever. I had a taste and it simply melted in my mouth. I have been thinking about them ever since. She has since made them a few times and each time she has mentioned it, my mouth waters at the thought.

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Eat. Live. Be. - Sidelined...

2012-01-12T20:35:00.000-05:00

After my last Eat. Live. Be. post, I was feeling pretty good about how things were going. Then, Saturday arrived and I had a ridiculously early hair appointment which caused me to skip the AM workout. I went along my merry way, doing a few errands and finding some time to do some reading. But, by that afternoon, I began to notice a slight sore throat.

Fast forward to Monday, my throat was continuing to give me grief but I went to the gym and did a light workout. I didn't want to start my week off without getting it in after the previous week. Needless to say, by that night I wasn't sleeping well and woke up with a stuffy nose and all the fun that comes with that.

Now, it's Thursday and I can only say I've worked out once this week. My body has been so worn out that I just can't stay awake past 9:30 each night... so, I'm listening and obeying. This afternoon, I started to feel the energy coming back. My fingers are crossed that I can manage my gym workout tomorrow and perhaps get my longer treadmill workouts back on the weekend. Please let this cold leave me as I'm really tired of it at this point!

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Chinese New Year and Sun-Bird Seasonings Giveaway (now closed &winner announced)

2012-01-08T18:00:00.001-05:00

The giveaway has closed. The winner is....

Moonsword who writes the blog Moonswords Chamber! Please contact me as soon as you can with your mailing information so that we can get your Sun-Bird Seasonings and gift card prize pack sent out to you! pkfamilyfriendsandfood (at) gmail (dot) com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Were you really ready for the New Year to arrive? If not, you've got another chance at it... Chinese New Year is January 23rd and you can celebrate it with a Sun-Bird Seasonings Giveaway!

My family enjoys Chinese food all year long, and with the Chinese New Year just a short time away we can enjoy another holiday and wonderful food. It's really simple and fun to create your own celebration at home. You could go all out and invite some friends over to enjoy the party as well!

Don't forget that Sun-Bird Seasonings are a great way to make Chinese food with ease at home. I have a perfect example of a meal that I made just last week.

After what seemed like the longest day of work ever... I got home and still needed to make dinner. Luckily, I had picked up some pre-cut stir-fry beef strips when I did the shopping last weekend, and some pre-cut broccoli. All I needed was the Beef and Broccoli seasoning packet from Sun-Bird.

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Brown Banana Love (Recipe: Blueberry Banana Bread)

2012-01-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

It's been pretty chilly outside the last week or so, and I guess I should just accept it because it IS January and we do live in New Jersey where winter does come every year. Of course, the forecasters say it's going to hit 50 tomorrow, so I'll take it and won't complain too loudly when the next cold front comes through and I have to add an extra few blankets to the bed at night.

One of the nice things about the weather being cold is that I get the itch to bake. My Oldest is thrilled when this happens because he loves banana bread in all its various forms. I've made so many different versions, but I still keep playing around with recipes because... well, I have to see if there is another one out there that is better than the last one.

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Eat. Live. Be. Reboot: Extra Veggies, Please!

2012-01-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

This has been a very good week. Yes, it has... I filled up our fridge with tons of produce when I went food shopping and I've managed to make a ton of healthy choices when hunger would strike.

I found this on Pinterest when I was searching for some motivating healthy quotes to keep on my healthy living board. This simple statement is how I am approaching Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. A friend on Facebook updated her status recently to say that she was going on a diet, but it was more of a change in focus. What she can have to be healthy in all ways, not what she can't have... forget thinking about depriving yourself!

This week, Cate, Sarah, Joanne and I are sharing something that inspired or motivated us from a magazine (and I added some on-line tidbits as well!) to stick to our goals. I had plenty of material to work with since just several of my favorite magazines arrived just before the start of the New Year.

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Happy 2012! (Baked Spaghetti Squash)

2012-01-03T21:22:00.000-05:00

Well, we are 2 days into 2012 and hopefully, everyone is off to a great New Year! We had a really nice weekend with family and friends... and of course, food!

I hope to share many more recipes in the coming year, and will likely add some different kinds of reviews as well. Now that I have rediscovered my love of reading, I will be adding some book reviews as I plow my way through some best sellers and some older books that I missed during the years when I didn't have time to read.

I also hope to get back to challenging myself with new cooking techniques, but the twist will be to make sure we are eating a healthy balance of foods that include wonderful produce and lean meats. This speaks to the Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. challenge I've been participating in, which I will continue to share each week on Wednesdays (as long as Blogger doesn't give me grief with getting my post done!).

So, let's start the year off with a simple way to prepare spaghetti squash!

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What's For Breakfast? Mini Ham and Cheese Stratas!

2011-12-29T16:51:00.000-05:00

Once all the celebrating is done on New Year's Eve, everyone will head off to bed to get some sleep. The next morning, breakfast can sometimes be a situation of scrounge for whatever you can find and go for it. That's all going to change once you see what I made today!

These sweet little ramekins are filled with the perfect way to start your day! Eggs, cheese, ham... even some diced up bread cubes... kind of hard to say that this won't taste good with these ingredients.

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Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. (Recipe: Wheatberry Salad with Cranberries)

2011-12-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to enter the fabulous giveaway that Grumpy's Honeybunch is hosting! Check out my Brie Bites post for more information on how you could win!

Nothing like getting past one holiday feast only to look forward to another weekend of indulging, right? New Year's is coming and it's likely to be brought in with lots of food to nibble on... and we'll, be enjoying some football food come Sunday night.

This week, we are sharing something from television, and I imagine we'll all interpret that in different ways... that's what I like about how we are doing it this time. I may look at the topics as they rotate and find something different each time that speaks to me. Cate, Sarah and Joanne may interpret each topic in a completely different way... which, will often make me look at something in a whole new light.

I don't watch a ton of television these days. I was lucky enough to receive a new Kindle Touch, so I am much more into reading right now. But this morning, I was able to sleep in a bit since I have some time off from work to be with My Boys while they are on break from school... so, I watched a bit of television. I enjoy watching the Today Show and today was a segment about People Magazine's feature sharing weight-loss stories.

I find these stories to be so inspiring because they had so much more to lose than I do, and they didn't let that stop them. Once they hit their "moment of truth", they had the motivation and focus to make the weight-loss a reality.

Inspired by what I saw in each of the people featured today, I decided to make a wheatberry salad. Wheatberries are a grain (not actually a fruit!) and full of good stuff for you... and what's more, they are pretty tasty and filling.

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Happy Blogiversary to Grumpy's Honeybunch! (And, a Giveaway!)

2011-12-27T13:00:00.032-05:00

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a dear blogging friend who was gearing up for her 4 year blogging anniversary. She asked a number of her on-line blogging friends to join her in this celebration because over the years we have gotten to know each other on-line and become friends. Shelby, who is also known as Grumpy's Honeybunch, shares fabulous recipes and bits of her life in each post. She is one of those people I would love to meet in real life sometime because I know we'd have so much fun cooking together!

Shelby and I have participated in a few fun on-line things over the last few years - the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club and a giveaway or two together.

She began her blog as a way to keep a journal of her life for her kids and to keep family recipes in a safe place. It has certainly grown for her over the years! You can read more about her inspiration for starting her blog at her current post, which is for some really tasty little bites - Brie Popover Bites. When I saw her post I had to laugh a bit... because my recipe contribution is also a little bite of brie inside puff pastry!

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Homemade Gifts: Peanut Butter Truffles

2011-12-22T20:28:00.000-05:00

Have you entered my current Shabby Apple Apron Giveaway yet? No? What are you waiting for, take a moment and see how to enter on THIS post then, come on back here to see what I have to share today.

I only have one more treat package to deliver! That is a good thing because there have been years when I've delivered the last one a day after Christmas or after Hanukkah... always hate when that happens. But, I try to look at it as just allowing the holiday spirit to last a bit longer. That's me... looking on the bright side!

Before I share my final treat of the week, I thought it would be fun to share some photos from the last couple of days. For anyone who was looking for my Eat. Live. Be. post, I'm going to double up next week... I had a really good week, but with Hanukkah in full force I didn't have the time to put toward a thoughtful post for this week's topic.

What is Hanukkah without Latkes?

Then, I had to fry up some panko breaded chicken strips... mine went on a salad, so I could keep the fried foods somewhat limited...

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Happy Hanukkah! (Homemade Gifts: Rainbow Cookies)

2011-12-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Hanukkah to everyone celebrating the 1st night tonight! We had a wonderful evening of gifts and latkes!

As promised on the Family, Friends and Food Facebook page, tonight I am sharing my new favorite cookie! Rainbow Cookies!!!

There is something special about these cookies that I simply cannot resist. I've never attempted making them before because I thought they would be much too complicated.

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It's a Shabby Apple Apron Giveaway! (now closed!)

2011-12-19T21:13:00.001-05:00

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! And, the winner is...

Comment #11 made by PMJ!

I am sending you an email. Please forward your mailing information to me as soon as possible so that your new apron from Shabby Apple can be sent to you!

Thanks, to everyone who entered!

I can hardly believe that tomorrow night is the 1st night of Hanukkah and Christmas is less than a week away! The holidays have snuck up on me... even though as of tonight, I am 100% done with my baking for my cookie trays (some great treats to share coming this week!) and all gifts are wrapped and ready to go... the menorah is ready and candles are patiently waiting for the moment when we can light them. My Boys are actually being quite patient waiting for the 1st night... and, I am pretty certain that they will be very happy with their gifts tomorrow night.

To share the holiday spirit with one of my readers, I've got a giveaway to share tonight! The lovely folks from Shabby Apple, the cool website with dresses, accessories and aprons, have offered to sponsor a giveaway! Have you checked out their website? It's filled with fabulous dresses, gorgeous accessories (I've got my eye on a number of those necklaces... my weakness!), and super cute aprons!

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Homemade Gifts: Cookie Truffles

2011-12-16T06:26:00.000-05:00

I've got a big weekend of baking planned so I can get my homemade food gifts put together! Since I had a couple of new recipes I wanted to add to my list for this year, I decided to make one earlier and see if it won the taste test.

I picked up the Better Homes & Gardens: Food Gifts magazine as soon as it hit the newstands - probably back in early October! I couldn't resist it, with so many photos and new ideas on things I could make and share with friends!

The first thing I flagged to make was the Cookie Truffles.

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Eat. Live. Be. - Let's talk On-Line Motivation

2011-12-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

This week's motivational quote:

You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.
-- David Viscott

Hard to believe it's already been one week since the Eat. Live. Be. Reboot began. Time to check in... really?

Do I want to admit that I didn't get in as many workouts as I had planned? Nope. Do I want to admit that I had a few more tastes of goodies than I should have since last week? Nope. But, here it is time to check in and share how things are going. So, that quote at the beginning of this post... well, that's getting printed out and taped to my computer monitor at work. A regular reminder to stick to my goals so I can get to where I want to be by staying focused.
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Secret Recipe Club: Rolo Cookies

2011-12-12T08:00:00.018-05:00

Guess what time it is? It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day! If you haven't seen the weekly reveals from Secret Recipe Club, it's a great way to find new blogs and wonderful new recipes to try! Every month, those participating get assigned a blog to peruse and select a recipe from for the big reveal day. At the end of this post will be all of the recipes that were made for today's reveal.

This month, I was assigned the lovely blog A Little Nosh. Amy is a full-time working mom with a cutie-pie little boy. She has a tiny kitchen, but works hard at making sure she serves her family homemade meals every night. She's also a Weight Watcher, so she knows all about balancing the healthy stuff with the occasional treat. That's where my recipe selection came in this month.

As soon as I saw that one of her most popular posts was for Rolo Cookies, it was barely a moment before I clicked over to see what it was all about.

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Eat. Live. Be. The Reboot... Renewed Motivation

2011-12-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

When I joined Cate, Joanne and Sarah for our Food Blogger Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago, we decided that we needed to bring back Eat. Live. Be. If you were reading here back in the early months of 2011, you'll remember that once a week I was sharing different things that motivated me to work toward reaching my goals to a healthier me.

Here we are in the last month of 2011, and where am I now? Well, the bit of weight I lost earlier in the year is still gone, but I stabilized and didn't lose anymore. The up-side is that I didn't gain it back, which has always been my "usual" routine. So, I am choosing to look at that as my win for the year - so far.

Now that December has arrived and I'm going to be baking, what better time to restart my resolve? Some would think this is crazy and why not just wait until the traditional January 1st deadline for making resolutions? Some would also say, why get serious on a Wednesday rather than a Monday? I think making a commitment to healthy changes is perfect no matter what day of the week it is or what month it is.

So, what is it I am going to do? I am going to start by making my goals a priority. I found this bit of inspiration on Pinterest:

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Homemade Holiday Gift Basket: Caramel Crumb Bars (Recipe)

2011-12-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

It seems the holiday season as sprung up overnight and it's time to get baking and shopping done. Of course, I choose to ignore the "early" signs of the holiday season until we are nearly at Thanksgiving. I'm never ready to fully embrace this festive season until I can start my baking.

I bookmarked a recipe over at Joanne Eats Well With Others awhile back and made it as one of our desserts for Thanksgiving. I'm so glad I did, too! These Caramel Crumb Bars are so easy to make because the caramel just really happens on it's own while the bars are baking, so there's no messing it up!

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Land O' Lakes: Scrambled Egg, Spinach & Fontina Wrap

2011-12-01T07:24:00.000-05:00

Holiday baking season has arrived! Have you started planning all of the wonderful goodies you are going to bake/make and share with your friends and family this year? I've got a long list of goodies written and now need to put my plan in place to get started.

With this in mind, it was a nice surprise to receive an email from the folks at Land O' Lakes asking me if I would like to try their eggs and share how I used them. I happily said yes, knowing I had several uses for that dozen eggs.

One of the things that I like about the Land O' Lakes products is that they have the Box Tops for Education labels on them. Our school collects them and I've even found them on their boxes of butter. Big score at this time of year!

I picked up a dozen of the brown organic eggs.

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A Very Veggie Thanksgiving Food Blogger Style

2011-11-29T14:28:00.000-05:00

Everyone looks forward to Thanksgiving for many reasons. For most of us its the time spent with family and of course, a table over-flowing with all of our favorite turkey day favorites. This year, I had another Thanksgiving feast to look forward to after the family festivities... A food blogger gathering at Cate's house last Saturday night.

Cate was nice enough to host me along with Joanne and Sarah. What a wonderful group of food loving people to break bread with on such an occasion! Since we all figured we would have our fill of turkey by the time Saturday arrived, it was decided that we'd focus on the best part of the big meal... the veggie sides and dessert!

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All About Roasting (Basic Roast Chicken)

2011-11-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

When it comes to the cooler months, I look forward to a slower schedule and more time on the weekends to be with My Family. This weekend was a nice long one since it was Thanksgiving and we had more time than usual to spend together.

Today, we went for a hike and spent 2 hours wandering through the trails. It was a really nice way to enjoy such beautiful weather in November! It also made me feel a little less guilty about having 2 Thanksgiving celebrations- one with family and one with some blogger friends, Cate, Joanne and Sarah. I'll share a bit more about that later this week.

Extra time with family is something I look forward to because life seems to get so busy, even when you don't think you have that much going on. When I received a copy of All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art, I was thrilled. Putting dinner into the oven after a little time prepping it, means more time to snuggle with my boys!

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Secret Recipe Club: S'Mores Cookie Bars

2011-11-14T08:00:00.008-05:00

It's that time again! Another reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club! I'm enjoying participating each month because I'm discovering some new fabulous blogs AND actually committing to make a recipe from someone else's blog each month. Go check it out if you haven't heard if it already.

This month, I was pleasantly surprised that I was assigned Joelyn's blog, What's Cookin, Chicago? because I've been reading her blog forever! She has some seriously gorgeous food photos over there, and if I lived in Chicago I'd be begging to be invited to one of her amazing gatherings! She's always planning a food or wine get-together and the menu and items shared always have me wishing I could have been there.

Once again, I went for a sweet treat when it came to choosing a recipe.... but, then when I saw the recipe for S'Mores Cookie Bars I didn't dare look any further. I just knew they would be a hit with My Boys and their friends, too.

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Nutella Gelato: A recipe I couldn't resist making!

2011-11-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am really enjoying my ice cream maker! Something I really wanted to try making was gelato... but, I just wasn't sure where to begin.

Then, during last month's Secret Recipe Club reveal, I stumbled upon a recipe for Nutella Gelato that was shared by Join Us Pull Up a Chair. This recipe was initially posted by Baking & Biking who originally made it as a Nutella Gelato Shake. Now, it sounds like one of those stories told by your best friend's sister's brother's ex-girlfriend's cousin... or something like that.

Anyway, it's worth it for this recipe! Nutella and gelato... they had me at Nutella! Rich, chocolatey, creamy goodness that I have a hard time resisting... I have found it's extremely delicious when a spoon is inserted into the jar and a nice big mound of Nutella can then be licked off of said spoon. Just sayin'... if it's in the house, it better be hidden 'cuz it's not gonna last long!

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Slow Cooked Sweet Sausage and Tomato Sauce

2011-10-26T05:00:00.024-04:00

Cool Sunday afternoons are simply made for slow cooked meals, don't you agree? The weather is getting a bit cooler here lately and our schedule is starting to get a little bit lighter, so now I'm hoping to have some time each weekend to spend at home making some comfort food.

In my last post, where I shared the Roasted Pancetta and Herbed Butter Crostini, I mentioned a cooking class I took recently. This class focused on different braising techniques, which are perfect for the upcoming cold weather months.

Both my friend and I have already made the Sweet Sausage and Tomato Sauce since taking the class - with excellent results! I love when I take a cooking class and can come home and recreate a delicious meal that I learned about in class.

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Roasted Pancetta & Herb Butter Crostini - A perfect appetizer

2011-10-24T05:00:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I took an Italian Boot Camp cooking class with a friend. A seriously fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon! We were taken through the steps of roasting in different ways to prepare a full blown Italian meal. What a meal it was! I came away from the class with recipes to make at home and tidbits of information that I will keep in mind when cooking at home.

The first thing I made for my family was a crostini that was spread with a compound butter. I hadn't made one before and now that I know how easy it is, my mind is reeling with ideas of new flavor combinations!

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Giveaway Winner Announced!

2011-10-23T20:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay! The winner of the Sun-Bird Seasonings $50 Gift Card Giveaway is....

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Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Pudding Bars

2011-10-17T08:00:00.057-04:00

It's time for the next group to reveal what they made for the Secret Recipe Club! If you haven't heard about it before now... well, everyone who participates gets assigned another blog to go searching for a recipe to make and write a post about on reveal day. You can't tell that blogger that you have their blog, so on reveal day it's always fun to see who got your blog!

This month, I got Let's Try These which is written by Vivian. She has a varied selection of recipes on her blog which made it a little difficult to choose which one I wanted to make! I really wanted to prepare the homemade soft preztels, but time was not on my side on any given day. She has a vast array of desserts and sweets, and well... when I saw the Chocolate Pudding Bars, I couldn't resist! Anyone who has been reading my blog for very long should know that I have a major weakness for chocolate!

Now after seeing that photo... tell me that you could resist this recipe!

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Sun-Bird Seasoning - Mongolian Beef Rub (and a Giveaway-closed!!!)

2011-10-14T05:00:00.036-04:00

The giveaway is now closed. The winner was announced on THIS post. Thanks!

Has getting back into the back-to-school routine thrown off your dinner plans? Perhaps you are running from one activity to the next? I know my weeks have been flying by between soccer and Fall baseball and a few other things thrown in... and, let's not forget homework and practicing trumpet or flutophone (recorder for those of us who had to learn it a long time ago). Just thinking of all that makes me feel like throwing my hands up in the air sometimes and crying "uncle"!

Luckily, I have a few simple dinners that I can go to for those busy nights... and often the busiest nights are leftover nights.

As part of the Sun-Bird Seasonings blogger advocate program, I received a few packets of their Asian inspired seasonings. Rather than do the obvious and make stir-fry, I decided to add a bit of oil to the seasoning and rub it on a London broil.

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Halloween Treats - Mini Wizard Hats

2011-10-12T05:00:00.022-04:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! The spooky and silly decorations are so much fun! The last two years, we threw a big party for our boys and their friends. Unfortunately, due to some work we needed to do in the basement we couldn't commit to the party this year. From what I understand, not just our boys are disappointed... so, next year will have to be "beyond fabulously spooky"! With that in mind, I'm testing out some treats and foods that I can put in my party file for next year.

The other night, it was just me and My Youngest at home and I pulled out the supermarket mini-recipe booklet that I picked up from Pillsbury - Halloween. Seriously, with how I love the holiday I could not avoid buying this one!

There are a ton of fun recipes in this booklet that will please the kids and even the adults who dare to join the fun.

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NYC Wine & Food Festival - Grand Tasting

2011-10-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we had the pleasure of spending a Sunday afternoon sampling some fabulous food and wine at the NYC Wine and Food Festival. This was courtesy of ShopRite and the Potluck blog.

Here are some photos that highlight some of the tasty offerings we enjoyed:

This line of vodka from Pinnacle is something I had not tasted before... and wow, the flavors were like nothing I would have expected. The Gummy flavor made you want to be chewing on gummy bears. Whipped was a bit sweet, but I have heard that it makes a fabulous dessert drink. Cake was less sweet and was very smooth.

Salt of the Earth Bakery had a number of desserts to sample, but as soon as they mentioned a caramel brownie with salted chocolate, I was sold! Nice and dense, with a fudgey texture. My kind of brownie!

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NYC - The Highline

2011-10-05T05:00:00.001-04:00

This merry-go-round called life has been going a bit faster lately. I am not going to apologize for not blogging more often and not cooking anything terribly interesting... because, well... we all have things that happen and make it hard to do the things we most want to do to unwind.

Thankfully, this past Sunday My Husband and I had the pleasure of attending 2 events at the NYC Wine and Food Festival. I'll be sharing more on that in another post. What I want to share with you today is the fabulous Highline in NYC. We haven't had the pleasure of walking along this elevated park since it opened.

Every couple needs some time to take a walk together and see something new. Often it can be something you've seen before, but may see it with new eyes because you can take the time to really let go of the everyday responsibilities - if only for a little while.

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Restaurant Review: Mike and Ronda's The Place in Phoenix, Arizona

2011-09-30T05:00:00.001-04:00

Wow, life has certainly been busy since we got back from our fabulous vacation in August! I can't believe I haven't had time to share some of the fabulous food we enjoyed while we were away... but, now I'm going to begin getting caught up!

The first leg of our trip was to Phoenix, where we were visiting family AND I finally got the chance to meet Janet who writes LaDue and Crew in person! We've been chatting via Facebook, Twitter and text messages for so long it was inevitable that we would meet when we made our plans to travel to Phoenix.

Of course, what do food bloggers who are going to meet for the first time do? Well, in this case we went out for breakfast with our families! Soon as Janet and I were in the same room, it was like being with a friend we had known forever. We didn't stop talking long enough to get a photo of us together! Next time, we'll change that for sure! Janet is one of the most genuinely sweet people I've met and it's no wonder we hit it off so well before eve meeting in person. I can't wait until the next time we are in Phoenix so we can spend time together again... this time maybe she can show me some cake decorating tricks (hint! hint!)!

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Bacon Chedder Cheese Bread (Secret Recipe Club: Eat Laugh Love)

2011-09-19T08:00:00.032-04:00

It's time for my 2nd month of participating with the Secret Recipe Club! If you haven't seen the posts before, it's a group where everyone is assigned a blog to secretly search through the archives and find a recipe to prepare and share on a designated date. I'm finding so many fabulous blogs every month!

This month, I was assigned Eat Laugh Love. Denise is also a working mom who loves to cook, and her recipes would appeal to anyone looking for ideas to feed their family. Denise and her family just finished a hunger challenge where they could only spend $4 a day per person in the family on food. I found her posts on this challenge interesting and definitely something to think about when we are feeding our own family.

As I was perusing her blog, I hit upon a few different recipes that sounded delicious, but I kept going back to her post on Bacon Chedder Cheese Bread.

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Sun-Bird Seasonings Sweepstakes $500 Spa Getaway

2011-09-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

School finally started here last week. I've barely had a moment to catch my breath since soccer and fall baseball has also started! We've got practices, games, homework and a million other things going on these days.

I don't know about you, but I'm already looking back to our recent summer vacation (more posts coming soon about that!) and wishing I could take a break again!

I'm going to be working with Sun-Bird Seasonings to share some quick and easy meal ideas over the coming months. I'll be sharing some new meal ideas and a few other surprises along the way. So stay tuned!

In the meantime, you will want to head over to the Sun-Bird Seaonings Facebook page and "like" it for a chance to win a $500 Spa Getaway! We could all use a little pampering after the hectic start to the school year, right?

The Sun-Bird Seasonings Sweepstakes runs through October 11, 2011 - and there will be 2 winners! Head on over there and "like" their page for a chance at your very own break from the routine!

Disclaimer: I have been invited to be a blogger advocate for Sun-Bird Seasonings. While this is a compensated post, all opinions are my own.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first
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Wordless Wednesday: Sights from My Hometown, Kansas City (Missouri)

2011-09-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

Today, I'm joining in on Wordless Wednesday to share some of the sights I captured with my camera while we were visiting in Kansas City. There is plenty more to say, but I'm just going to let you enjoy the sights of the city where I grew up and go back to visit family and friends.

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Chunky Salsa (My New Favorite!)

2011-09-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

We got back last week from what I've been calling our "around the country" vacation. We flew from New Jersey to Phoenix for several days to visit family. From there we flew to Kansas City (Missiouri) to see some friends before driving to Branson and Eureka Springs to spend more time with family. This is what happens when you live too far from family to visit for a few hours every few weeks... you spend 11 days fitting in long-overdue visits!

Phoenix was a visit to My Husband's sister and her family. We were waaaaaaay overdue for this visit and we had a fabulous time! Of course, any visit is always filled with food that is hard to resist... we got our fill of amazing Mexican food, but also cooked in at home a few nights.

One of the days we stayed in, My Sis-in-Law made what I think is the best homemade salsa I've tasted.

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Easiest Double Chocolate Brownies (and oh-so-good!)

2011-08-31T05:00:00.032-04:00

Every summer friends of ours have a barbeque down in South Jersey. Usually, they don't ask me to bring anything, but this time I wanted to contribute something and they said ok. Dessert was requested, which is one of my favorite things to share when invited somewhere.

Since I didn't have time the night before to make something and didn't actually decide what I was making until that morning, I had to come up with something based on things I already had on hand. So, where to go searching for a recipe? Camilla Saulsury's The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book.

I'm not ashamed to say that I keep a few boxes of cake mix on hand, just so I can throw together a quick and easy cookie or brownie dessert in a pinch. One really nice thing about this cookbook is that there is an index based on the type of ingredient you want to use: chocolate cake mix, brownie mix, cookie dough and so forth. Makes the searching all that much easier.

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Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

2011-08-29T05:00:00.000-04:00

I adore homemade ice cream! I am loving my New Air ice cream maker and so is my family!

This time, My Youngest chose the flavor and vanilla was the winner. When I suggested adding chocolate chips to it, he was all over that idea.

I decided it was finally time to pull out my copy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. I only slightly adapted her recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream to make this batch.

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Review: Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe (Denville, NJ)

2011-08-26T05:00:00.001-04:00

On a recent rainy Sunday, we did something different. We went out to eat at a restaurant.... not a fast food place where we could grab something and go, but rather a place to sit and enjoy a casual meal.

My Husband had been to Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe recently with friends from work for lunch. As we were driving along, on this Sunday trying to decide what to do about lunch we decided to give it a try as a family.

It is worth noting that on Sundays they do not have their usual weekday lunch menu, which means the dinner menu is what you will be ordering from.

On this particular Sunday, they were not busy at 12:30, but I'd attribute that to the lazy, rainy day. If I didn't have to be out running errands that day, I don't think I would have been out for lunch either. This meant a quiet restaurant with another couple of families in there at the time we were there.

The kid's menu has a nice selection with their own appetizers available. Would you believe that the nachos in the photo above are the kid's appetizer? They were huge! And, the cheese was not just melted on top... it was melted in between the layers of chips. These were some pretty darn good nachos for the kids to dig into.

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Crispy Onion Rings at Home

2011-08-24T05:00:00.047-04:00

One of our favorite things to order when we go out to eat is onion rings... we love the when they come in a tower at Red Robin.... or in a pile with BBQ sauce at Applebee's. My Husband and I usually get one or two and the boys devour the rest.

We really love the crunchy coating, it's so hard to resist.

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Soaking Up Every Last Moment of Summer (Strawberry Lemonade)

2011-08-22T05:00:00.041-04:00

The countdown to the start of school is nearly upon us... I know much of the rest of the country has already returned to school. I can't believe that we are almost to the end of August... where did June and July go?

So many things I wanted to do, perhaps I should have made up a bucket list like Cate did. I'll have to make one for next summer. I do hope that even with soccer and fall baseball starting up soon that we'll be able to steal a few fall days to do some fun things... perhaps a fall picnic in Central Park, visit the Harry Potter exhibit at the Discovery Museum... apple picking with friends... an end of the summer bbq and ice cream party... I need to get these things on the calendar before the warm days come to an end. I do enjoy fall, but it's the cold winter that I dread. So, for now, I am going to pretend that we are still in the middle of the warm days of summer with weeks and weeks left before it'll be over... and make another pitcher of Strawberry Lemonade.

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Cupcakes from a Food Truck? (Cupcake Stop Truck)

2011-08-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

It's not often that I am in NYC on my own, but a couple weeks ago I went into the city for a full day training class for work. I was thrilled that they didn't bring in lunch because it meant that I could go outside and take a walk in the beautiful weather and get some fresh air.

Of course, it also meant that I could find my own lunch, which I was very happy to do. Lunch is not what I was excited enough to take photos of though...

When I exited the building, I was greeted by this cute food truck. Imagine that... a food truck that sells freshly baked cupcakes! Each cupcake is handmade, so they may not look exactly identical. I'm fine with that, as long as the cupcake is not dry and tasteless.

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Quick & Easy Balsamic Marinade for Steak

2011-08-17T05:00:00.000-04:00

Summer is zooming by at lightening speed and I'm really not quite ready for it to come to an end. This is my time of year, I love the longer days... the lack of weekday schedules... the relaxed way we can spend time together at the beach or the pool, or wherever... oh, and the sunshine and warmth! In spite of the heatwave we have had this summer, I'm still ok with summer.

Even My Boys have been commenting that summer is going by much too fast. This is the last week of summer camp for them and it's been so much fun for them. They've gone on some fabulous field trips and learned some great things in their classes. My Oldest even took in the recipe for Matzah Buttercrunch that I make to share with the Kids in the Kitchen class. He even helped demonstrate how to make it. Yep, one proud mom here.

I can't say that the days of summer are truly lazy days for us since we still have to get up at the same time every day and I am still packing lunches for both boys. But, there is just a different feeling in the summer... life is just easier if you know what I mean. We all look forward to our time together at the end of the day and the fun things that we manage to squeeze in on the weekends. It's all good stuff and memories are being made every moment we are together.

One of the things we really enjoy this time of year, is grilling and eating dinner outside. The meal is laid back and tends to take a little longer. We get to have conversations we might not get to if we didn't sit down to a meal together.

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Secret Recipe Club: The Vanderbilt Wife (Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake)

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to be posting as part of the Secret Recipe Club today! In case you have somehow have missed what the Secret Recipe Club is all about, here's a quick review... a whole list of bloggers sign up to secretly scour each other blogs for a recipe to make and share on an assigned date. It's a great way to get to know blogs you may not have come across before and find some new recipes.

This month, I was assigned The Vanderbilt Wife. This blog is not just about food, but all kinds of fun things! There are crafts and she shares links to other sites she thinks others would enjoy. It took me a bit of time to decide what to make. She cooks a lot like I do - simple, yet delicious food. I found a lot of similarities in flavors between the two of us as I read through her blog. Go check her out, I'm sure you'll find something you'll enjoy!

I had a few different recipes marked to try, and then we ended up having family up to visit recently. We treated them to smoked baby back ribs, fried pasta and fresh corn on the cob. To top off a meal like that, I decided to make Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake after reading about it over at The Vanderbilt Wife.

This recipe originated at Cooking Light and I knew it would be something we would enjoy. The cream cheese ensures a moist, yet light tasting coffee cake.

The recipe really couldn't be easier. The cake went together within a matter of 10 minutes and was baking away while we watched Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1.

My Oldest has a nose for fresh baked goodies, so he was having a hard time waiting for dessert. Once I felt it was cool enough to finally slice into it, we dug in and enjoyed the moistness of this simple cake. The best part, was the cinnamon and turbinado sugar topping - there was a definite "crunch" when you bit into that part and it added a wonderful additional texture to the cake.

The only thing I would change the next time I make this cake is to perhaps double the recipe. The cake was a bit thinner than I would have liked... I know that will change the calorie count and all that, but I would prefer a slimmer slice that is taller. That's just me and my family though.

Now, go check out the rest of the fabulous Secret Recipe Club posts today! The links are set-up to appear at the bottom of this post... share some love and go visit and leave some comments on the delicious blogs that are participating!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

A New Kind of Normal (Peanut Butter Pie for Jennie)

2011-08-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I noticed some unusual posts on Twitter and Facebook by a blogging friend, Jennifer Perillo (In Jennie's Kitchen). The posts seemed out of place with what she typically shares and after the reality of what she was sharing came to me, my heart broke for her.

You see, Jennie's husband died suddenly earlier this week. I can't even pretend to know what she must be feeling or going through right now. To have your whole world turned upside-down in a single instant like that means that what was normal before that moment won't be the same again.

She wrote a wonderful post For Mikey this week where she talks about their last "date". As married people with children, many of us can relate to the "dates" we go on when we get a rare moment just the two of you. So many times we put off a "date" to do something else we "have" to do.

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Simple Pizza with the Kids (Gorgonzola, Carmelized Onion & Mushroom Pizza)

2011-08-11T05:00:00.027-04:00

I get these ideas on my head every once in awhile about what I want to make for dinner. Like last week, I had picked up some pizza dough from the grocery store and thought it would be fun to make grilled pizza. It was something fun to do on a summer evening and it would be a simple dinner.

I even had this idea in my head as to what I wanted to top my pizza with.... sauteed mushrooms, carmelized onions and gorgonzola cheese.

The weather was not on my side since I don't grill in the rain. I had to relocate the pizza to the oven instead. That's ok, we still made the best of it.

One of the best things about making pizza is that the kids can get in on the action. I let them choose their toppings and make their own personal pizzas.

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Review: New Air Ice Cream Maker (Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream)

2011-08-08T22:06:00.001-04:00

When you take a road trip, you have a lot of time to talk. When I was talking to Cate during our recent trip to Boston I mentioned that I was oh-so-very-close to buying an ice cream maker. She mentioned that she had one that was sent to her for review and hadn't had the time to give it a try yet... and would I like to take it and do the review? Hmmmm.... didn't take long for me to say yes!

I've always loved homemade ice cream... one of the best things about having a summer birthday was that I was usually able to get My Mom to drag out her ice cream maker so I could have some homemade chocolate ice cream to go with my birthday cake. I remember how loud that machine was and I think she had to use rock salt or something like that, but she never had to pre-freeze the bowl or anything (that I remember).

When Cate and I met for lunch a little over a week ago, she presented me with a large box that weighed about 30 pounds. My first thought was "what in the world is inside this box?" Seriously, what could make the New Air Ice Cream Maker weigh so much? Other machines I had been shopping out were not nearly this big or heavy.

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Review: Bum Rogers Tavern, Totally Worth the Trip!

2011-08-01T22:33:00.000-04:00

When we head down to the shore, we go a little farther than many of our Northern NJ friends. Our favorite beach is Island Beach State Park. For just $10 per carload, you have beautiful beaches and it's typically filled with lots of other families. None of those Jersey Shore crazies there! It's a little bit farther South and right next to Seaside Park. If you don't make it there early enough on a perfect beach day to enjoy Island Beach State Park (because the state park will close once all the parking spots are filled), take a drive over to Seaside Park's beach and you will be able to enjoy a similar atmosphere.

Since our nephew was visiting from Arizona AND it was his birthday, he chose to go to Bum Rogers Tavern for dinner Friday night. Gotta love a kid who knows how to truly enjoy seafood! Of course, after seeing how all 3 boys dug into the calamari and the drunken clams, it seems we have some definite seafood lovers in this family!

My Husband's family has been going to Bum's since he was a kid. The big draw here are the Garlic Crabs!

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Improvising and Fried Potatoes

2011-07-28T22:20:00.010-04:00

Some days I have ideas that I want to try when it comes to making dinner. Sometimes they work out as planned, other times I have to improvise a bit to make it work.

Tonight was one of those nights. I had this vision of slicing up potatoes and grilling them with some olive oil and a bit of salt to season them. It all started according to plan.

As I am going in and out to check the grill at regular intervals, I hear a voice from upstairs.

"Mom! I need your help."

"What do you need?"

"I've got an issue."

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Road Trip to Boston for Techmunch & Flour Bakery

2011-07-26T22:11:00.002-04:00

Last weekend, I went on a quick trip to Boston with a couple of other fabulous food bloggers - Cate (Sweetnicks) and Joanne (Eats Well With Others). This mini-adventure created many new memories with my new friends and LOTS of laughs along the way. If you haven't checked out their blogs before, please go check them out! I've been reading Cate's blog since before I started Family, Friends and Food and between the recipes and photos, I know you'll enjoy what she has to share. Joanne's writing is fantastic and couple that with her photos and you won't want to miss a single post that she shares throughout the week.

We went to Boston for the TechMunch Food Blogger Conference and thought taking a road trip together would make it more fun. The information shared at the conerence was well worth the trip. We not only came away with more knowledge, but some interesting experiences along the way. I'll share those a bit at a time... wouldn't want to overwhelm you all in one post! I'll just say that we encountered a number of characters that are worth talking about in a future post.

One of the highlights of our trip to Boston, was the stop we made for breakfast on Sunday morning. Flour Bakery is this fun bakery with a huge assortment of freshly baked breads, muffins, scones and pastries.. and that's just breakfast!

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More Summer Simplicity (recipe: Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta Toss

2011-07-20T21:39:00.000-04:00

I am really enjoying the fresh vegetables that are so readily available right now. I want to eek out every bit of goodness from the summer produce that I can before the season ends... as it will, much too soon! Even with the heatwave we are having, I'm still partial to summer and everything that comes with it.

I've always loved summer... but, I do remember torturing My Mom by asking her what I could do or what I could eat... so, after hearing the "what can I do" question a few time today I am now apologizing to My Mom! I'm sure she made suggestions as I did today and none of them sounded very good to me either.

Luckily, as I was gathering ingredients for a new dish I wanted to make, My Oldest (the one who had NOTHING to do) wanted to help. So, for the first time, I allowed him to use a paring knife to cut the fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces. With supervision, he did just fine.

He could hardly wait for the pasta to be ready so we could put the rest of the dish together. He was asking if he could have some when it was all finished. I told him, of course he could... I just figured I'd put it on the table and I'd probably be the only one who would enjoy it.

This is one of those dishes that typically appeals to me, but not so much to the rest of my family. So, I was counting on having leftovers for my lunch the next couple of days. I still ended up with leftovers, but My Oldest really dug into it! Who knew that if I threw in some fresh mozzarella, cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes and tossed with a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil that My Oldest would actually voluntarily eat whole wheat pasta! Now, it was a whole wheat blend, but still healthier than what I usually make for them.

Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta Toss
Source: Patsyk
Ingredients
1/2 pound whole wheat blend pasta, cooked per package instructions
about 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (next time I would cut them in half, but leaving them whole is ok, too)
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (if you have a REALLY good quality balsamic vinegar, now is the time to bring it out!)
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

Once pasta is finished cooking, rinse in cold water and place in a large bowl.

Add remaining ingredients except for the fresh mozzarella. Toss gently to combine and make sure that the oil and vinegar lightly coat the pasta.

Finally, add the fresh mozzarella and then toss gently to incorporate with the other ingredients.

Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.

About 6 servings.
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Simplicity in the Summer (Grilled Zucchini & Yellow Squash)

2011-07-14T17:37:00.003-04:00

When summer comes, I always look forward to life slowing down a bit. The kids don't have homework (other than some workbooks I have them do to keep their brains from going "mushy"), no sports practices or games ... just day camp and spending time doing things we enjoy.

For some reason, I don't feel like we've had that laid back summer I was hoping for... at least not yet. We still have quite a bit of summer left before school begins (we start later than most of the country - after Labor Day). So, there's still time to enjoy the freedom of less scheduled time in the evenings and weekends.

One of the best parts of this time of year is that fresh produce is so abundant that I often try to serve more than one vegetable at dinner. Not that everyone will dig into both of them, but there are so many more options to work with to entice them into eating something new.

Zucchini and yellow sqaush are something I love to bring home in the summer months. So easy to prepare with just a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Kosher salt and the favorite seasoning of the day. This time it was an Italian seasoning blend.

I chose to grill them up and they became tender and just a bit sweet while cooking. You could even toss the leftovers with some cold pasta, cherry tomatoes and anything else you can find for a slightly different pasta salad to nibble on for lunch. Maybe even some bits of fresh mozzarella as well. I'm thinking that may become a reality this weekend so that I can have some myself!

I did find out that My Oldest LOVES, LOVES, LOVES a simple caprese salad! I served it twice in the last week, and he was my biggest customer on that one! Who knew that sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and olive oil would be such a big hit with my 9 year old? He still won't touch the zucchini, but this he devoured... go figure!

What is your favorite way to enjoy the plentiful produce bounty this time of year?
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Mini Blueberry Crumbcakes

2011-07-12T21:54:00.001-04:00

It's no secret that I have a sweet tooth. Just look at all of the cookies, cakes, muffins and desserts I've made over the last few years. With the warmer weather and just being busy doing other things I haven't been baking as much as I'd like (or as much as My Boys would like).

Recently, I bought a container of fresh blueberries and had been nibbling on them or adding to the fruit cups I put together for the boys camp lunches. Since I hadn't gotten through them quick enough, they were begging to be made into something yummy.

When I did a search I found a post by one of my favorite blogging friends, Grumpy's HoneyB, for Blueberry Crumbcake. As soon as I saw her photos, I knew I'd be making this recipe. I did decide to make it in muffin tins rather than as a 9-inch cake pan, because I like the portion control.

The recipe originated with Cooking Light, and I've always had good luck with their recipes I knew this one would be a perfect treat. By changing the recipe to mini-cakes, I did adjust the temperature to 375 degrees and cooking time to about 22-25 minutes and they baked up beautifully.

I also didn't have any buttermilk on hand - that's what happens when you haven't been baking, you don't have the usual staples hanging around in the kitchen. But no worries, there is a way to make a perfect substitute! Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup. Then add 1 cup of milk and let sit for 5 minutes. After it sits, you have your simple substitute for buttermilk and can use as much as you need to for your recipe.

They are perfect little cakes (or muffins if you prefer so tht you can indulge at breakfast!). My Oldest loved them, but I will recommend sharing them right away or lightly covering them for only a day or so. If you cover them too tightly, they get a bit soft (still delicious) but they are so moist you don't need them to be kept air-tight. Enjoy!

Blueberry Crumb CakeAdapted from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes, 1999,Via Grumpy's HoneyBunch

12 paper muffin cups
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the 12 muffin cups into a muffin tin and set aside.

Beat 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed of a mixer until blended (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon 1-1/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in blueberries.

Pour into prepared muffin tin. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and remaining ingredients in a bowl; stir until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle sugar mixture over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Fennel and Apple Salad

2011-07-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's the simplest things that can give you enjoyment. Spending a day on the beach, going crabbing, watching fireworks. All of these things are part of summer and are simple pleasures.

Our 4th of July weekend was filled with all of these simple pleasures. We also enjoyed several meals that were what I'd call "vacation indulgences. So, after a weekend of indulging, I was craving something a bit different with dinner on Monday night.

I wanted a side dish that was a salad with some crunch. When I was perusing the produce at a local market, I saw fennel bulbs and decided I would make a salad from them. I remember a friend of mine making a shaved fennel salad to accompay a meal a few years back and I really loved the flavor.

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Flautas (aka: Taquitos) at Home

2011-06-21T22:00:00.003-04:00

Like many other busy families we keep a supply of frozen foods in the freezer for those nights when getting dinner on the table needs to be no fuss. One of those frozen "desperation" meals has been a box of taquitos that we bought at Cotsco.

They are ok, but never really crisp up the way they should and tend to have more spice in them than the boys enjoy. I love a crisp taquito (or flauta depending on where you are ordering them) topped with sour cream and guacamole.

About a week ago, I was asking my husband if there was anything he wanted me to get from the grocery store he mentioned the ingredients for flautas. He had been checking out various food sites and figured it couldn't be too hard to make these for lunch.

This was one of those Sunday lunches that we made that required both of us to be involved. After My Husband started working with the corn tortillas and rolling them up, we found that they needed to be heated a bit longer before working with them. Once we had them heated properly, they were quick and easy to roll up. While My Husband got started with frying them up, I finished up with rolling the rest up -- some just had chicken and some were a combination of chicken and shredded cheese.

We really enjoyed these flautas and both of Our Boys said they were so much better than the one's from the box! They took a little longer to prepare, but were so much tastier! Nice and crispy, and a satisfying lunch on a weekend. The store-bought taquitos take about 20 minutes to bake, and from start to finish these took us about 20-25 minutes. Not too bad and they were so much better!

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Mott's New Garden Blend Juice and an All You Giveaway (CLOSED)

2011-06-20T22:01:00.003-04:00

GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED! WINNERS WILL BE CONTACTED VIA EMAIL.

If you are on a healthy eating/living kick, you might be trying to get in more servings of vegetables. While I tend to shy away from drinking my calories, there is a new product that is not heavy on the calories and will get in 2 servings in one glass! Check out the new Mott's Garden Blend juice.

With only 45 calories, it's not going to throw you off your healthy eating game. The taste is full of flavor and has a kick to it as well. While the kick was a bit much for My Oldest to drink it, I think it would be a great addition to my cooking.

The Shrimp Jambalaya that I make uses tomato juice, but I think adding this vegetable juice instead will add a nice kick to the dish without having to completely rely on Tobasco sauce.

With tomatoes coming into their prime soon, our favorite Gazpacho could benefit from using this juice as well. Enough kick to keep things tasty without becoming the focus of the soup.

Next time you are in the grocery store, look for this new option when it comes to vegetable juice. There are so many ways you can incorporate it into a healthy diet.

Now, for the giveaway! The PR folks for All You magazine have offerred up 25 copies of the July issue to my readers! I received a sample of this magazine and was surprised I hadn't picked it up before as it is full of money saving tips, recipes and coupons. The tag-line on the magazine says that it will pay for itself - and with the coupons inside, that is a great deal!

Giveaway details:

Leave a comment on this post sharing you favorite money saving tip or inexpensive meal to make at home.
Tweet the giveaway and leave an additional comment (include @famfriendsfood in the tweet). There will be 25 winners, so be sure to share the giveaway with everyone you know!
Only open to U.S. residents.
Comments will be accepted through Midnight, Saturday, June 25th.
The 25 giveaway winners will be announced on Sunday, June 26th.

Disclaimer: I received samples of the Mott's Garden Blend Juice and All You magazine. I was not compensated for this post or told what to say. All opinions are my own.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Family Recipe: Baked Clams

2011-06-16T21:41:00.002-04:00

Do you have a food memory that keeps haunting you? You know something that you had as a kid that was so good that you kept talking about it for ... I don't know... something like 20 years or so? Well, My Husband has been talking about these Baked Clams his mom made him when he was much younger for what seems like a lifetime.

Unfortunately, I had never had them and every time we would go to a restaurant and their menu had something like Clams Oreganata on it... My Husband would look at it and think maybe this would be the one's he remembered. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Luckily, My Mom-in-Law had these fabulous clam shells still hanging around and split them up between me and My Sis-in-Law. I also got a copy of the recipe... it just took me awhile to finally make them.

Why-oh-why did I wait? Seriously? The recipe is relatively simple and yet so hard to stop eating once you taste it.

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On a Stick! - Fun Recipes for Everyone (cookbook review)

2011-06-14T21:41:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I love cookbooks. It's also no secret that I ADORE cookbooks with lots and lots of full-color photos that make me want to get in the kitchen and cook. So, when I received a review copy of Matt Armendariz's (of Matt Bites) "On a Stick!" - I got so excited!

If you have read Matt's blog - or rather drooled over the mouth-watering photos he shares there - you will not be disappointed in this cookbook. Each and every recipe is accompanied by a photo that will have you grabbing your notepad to make a shopping list to pick up the ingredients and get started cooking for friends and family.

Each recipe is served on some type of stick - I loved the various skewers and picks that were shown in the book. I will be searching for a great place to find them so that I can serve up these recipes in the style they deserve.

As I read through the book - yes, it is possible to read a cookbook like a book when the author shares tidbits with each recipe - I found that there was a light-hearted, youthful feel to these recipes. No matter your age, these recipes will have you thinking back to summertime fun at the fair or around the campfire.

I've got a few recipes marked to try such as the Deep Fried Mac 'n' Cheese on a Stick, Chinese Five Spice Skewers, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp... and let's not forget something sweet to end the meal such as Chocolate Covered Cheesecake, Cinnamon Rolls or Fruit Salad Skewers. So many fun party foods, so little time!

So, what did I make first? The Pizza Skewers!

Of course, My Oldest said they should be called Lolli-Pizzas, so we've renamed them in our house! They were a huge hit, but I will probably go a bit lighter on the pizza sauce/cheese mixture that gets added to the top after they have baked. My Oldest even suggested just adding the extra cheese to the top as another great way to bake these up.

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and would make a perfect after school snack when the kids get home and bring along a couple of friends. Or serve it up for lunch on a weekend rather than hit the drive-thru!

Now, I'm not going to share the recipe with you here, but suggest that you head over to Amazon and pick up a copy for yourself! It is such a fun cookbook for anyone who likes to entertain or just serve up fun food on a stick for the heck of it.

Note: I was not compensated for this review or told what to say. The opinions here are mine and I received a copy of the cookbook so that I could formulate my own opinion. If you choose to click on the link to Amazon and purchase the cookbook, I will receive a small referral fee.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Quick and Easy Sausage Pasta

2011-06-13T21:29:00.000-04:00

Do you make a meal plan for the week and then shop for it? Or maybe you make a list of possible meal ideas? If I haven't had time to really sit down and select recipes for the upcoming week, My Husband and I will think of what ingredients we need to be able to pull a few good meals together.

This time, we wanted sausage... but, wanted to cook with something that had more flavor than the usual turkey sausage that I buy. I couldn't find anything in the refrigerated meats section that fit the bill so, I went over to see what was in the butcher case. I often forget to check out what they have in the butcher case, and probably miss out on some really nice cuts of meat as a result. This time, I found a sweet sausage that was exactly what we wanted.

I also picked up some green and red bell peppers and some lovely red onions. I happen to enjoy spending a few minutes slicing or dicing up veggies after a long day at work. If you don't get pleasure from wielding a knife against some poor, unsuspecting veggies then hit the salad bar and pick up some already cut up for you and dinner will get on the table even faster!

For this meal, I wanted to get the sausages going on the grill first to get them cooked most of the way through. I like to slice them up and let them get a bit brown in the pan - the seasonings add so much flavor to the veggies that are already sauteed in the pan.

Overall, this quick meal was a huge hit with My Family. My Oldest had gotten tired of the turkey sausage, but was willing to give this a try and ended up really loving it! There weren't many leftovers, but what we did have reheated nicely.

Quick & Easy Sausage & Pasta
Source: Patsyk Original

Ingredients
1 pound sweet pork sausage
3/4 pound farfalle pasta - cooked according to package instructions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 small red onion, vertically sliced
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (my favorite is Penzey's Tuscan Sunset)
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions
Heat a grill to medium-high heat and grill sausages for about 10-12 minutes. Turning occasionally. Remove from grill and slice.

While sausages are grilling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and saute until softened. Add sliced sausages and allow to brown on each side.

Add cooked pasta and chicken broth and allow to cook until the liquid is almost completely cooked off. The pasta may get a bit browned, and that is fine - it will take on the flavor of the sausage.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce

2011-06-08T21:55:00.000-04:00

I love trying new recipes. Of course, that is one of the things people who write food blogs do.... so, when My Family asks me to make something more than once in a 2 week period, it's definitely worthy of a new post!

I had to laugh the first time I made this because My Oldest has developed a taste for blue cheese. Since it's such a strong flavored cheese, I thought he was going to opt-out of the sauce like His Brother. He even stirred in some of the blue cheese crumbles into this mashed potatoes. Gotta love a kid who will do that!

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Fishing and Food in Gananoque - the 2011 version

2011-06-06T21:54:00.000-04:00

I was going to share a recipe I made recently that was a flank steak and blue cheese sauce, but then decided I needed more photos to go with the post so that will have to wait until later this week when I make it again. It will be worth the wait!

So, what to share this time? We recently went back to Gananoque, Ontario to do some fishing - just like last year (see HERE and HERE).

This year, our trip began with a rainy day of fishing and eating our shore dinner in the rain. Not the best way to fish (in my opinion, and I didn't complain out loud), but Our Boys were not phased by the rain. They were impressed that our guide, Terry, was able to get a fire going with the rain.

The rest of our weekend the weather was much improved and there was plenty of fish biting at different times. The boys caught some rock bass, perch and pike. Even though I am always saying that I'm not a "fishing person", I think the reason I enjoy these trips is because it is such a pleasure ot watch My Boys catch fish, enjoy being on the boat and waiting for the fish to bite and discovering whatever they can while we are on shore for dinner.

Here are some of the highlights from this trip:

We always look forward to the best bacon ever when we are waiting for the fish to be fried up!

Always worth the wait, fresh fish - fried to perfection.

Homemade pie for dessert each day!

I'm not the outdoors-y type, but I do enjoy this trip and look forward to doing it again next year. Of course, for me, it helps that we stay in a cabin so I have some creature comforts.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Review: Tortilla Land Tortillas (Quesadillas for Breakfast or Dinner)

2011-05-31T22:28:00.001-04:00

One of my go-to quick and easy meals is quesadillas. Just add cheese and cook it up - dinner is done on a crazy night. We also like to use them for taco nights or to wrap up eggs for a quick breakfast.

So, when the nice folks over at Tortilla Land asked if I'd like a sample of their homemade, fresh tortillas I was quick to say "yes!". They were kind enough to send me a lot more than a sample, so My Family can keep enjoying them while I beg my local grocery store to start carrying them!

Since they are uncooked, you do need to heat them on each side for about 30 seconds. Then, pile in the fillings you are craving. This morning after a getting in an early run, I opted for scrambled eggs, Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning and a sprinkle of cheese to start my day with a breakfast quesadilla.

This is a great way to start the day and full of protein to keep you satisfied until lunch time!
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Tangy Tuscan Lime Muffins

2011-05-24T05:00:00.007-04:00

When the May issue of Cooking Light showed up in my mailbox, I was thrilled to find a few recipes I wanted to try. I pulled out the section on making muffins right away... because, well... I love to bake muffins and the variety in this issue spoke to me right away. Everything from sweet to tangy to chocolatey to savory.

I had some limes hanging around so, I made an adjustment to the Tuscan Lemon Muffins by using the limes. This was one of those times when I had all the ingredients on hand at the moment I got the urge to bake. I just love when that happens!

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Flavorful Cucumber Avocado Salsa

2011-05-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

This week we have seen so much rain that I think we might just float away! On my way home on Wednesday, the rain was coming down so hard that the water had no where to go... but, across the roads. I was wary of driving through certain stretches of one of our busier roads because it does tend to flood a bit. Fortunately, I left work before it had time to really get too high.

After I picked up My Boys from school we were on our way home and I pointed out to them that the little bridge that is over a shallow stream was likely to be overtaken by the water tonight. The water was very close to reaching the road - up probably 5-6 feet and no where to go.

I really am wondering what is happening with the weather the past year or so... our Winter seemed brutal between snowstorms that actually caused my office to shut down and our schools to use all 3 snow days plus 2 extra days... and, now Spring doesn't seem to be anything but rain with a few warm, sunny days thrown in to tease us.

Maybe I'm just a bit grumpy and down due to the grey skies this week and crave some warm sunshine to brighten my mood. Tonight's dinner was a taste of summer for me. I chose another recipe from Ellie Krieger and was, once again, very pleased with the results.

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Ellie Krieger's Sloppy Joe's

2011-05-17T21:39:00.002-04:00

I know, I know.. I've been a very bad blogger lately... I haven't even been cooking that many interesting things lately, so you haven't been missing too much. Hopefully, you are still here with me and will be patient as I work to get back to a regular posting routine. If you are new here as a result of my new writing gig at Patch, then WELCOME! and, I promise to have something new to share here a couple times a week, and when I'm really inspired a bonus post or two! Ok, let's not get too crazy here considering my irratic posting the last couple of months.... but, I do have some yummy recipes planned for the next week or so, and will post them as quickly as I can!

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ShopRite Potluck Blog: Spinach Pie

2011-04-28T20:56:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite dishes to serve at nearly every holiday is Spinach Pie. So, when this month's assignment for the Potluck Bloggers arrived, I knew exactly what I was going to share! It's so simple to prepare and ingredients are very accessible. Check out my latest post at the ShopRite Potluck Blog today!

Note: ShopRite provided a gift card to help with the cost of preparing a couple of my favorite holiday dishes.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Eat.Live.Be. - Catching Up!

2011-04-25T21:37:00.000-04:00

My posting has been a bit sporadic lately... between the start of baseball season and Passover, I've been a bit busier and the time keeps slipping away before I realize it. So, it's Monday again and it means it's time to share with the Eat.Live.Be. bloggers how things are going. I'm also going to touch on the previous topics that I missed.

Two weeks ago, our healthy living group discussed supplements and why we take them. I only take a couple of vitamins - a multi-vitamin, calcium and B-12. The reason? Well, in spite of working on getting all my "colors" in each day, I imagine I might be missing some nutrients somewhere along the way so, a multi-vitamin should cover most of what is missing. I take calcium because I have a small frame and am not a huge fan of drinking milk, and imagine that my yogurt and cheese intake is not quite enough to ensure my bones are strong. Finally, B-12 because I discovered last year that I was slightly deficient in that vitamin through routine bloodwork. After getting injections for a few months, I am now just taking supplements.
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Happy Passover! Decadence in a Flourless Chocolate Cake

2011-04-19T21:51:00.000-04:00

Happy Passover, to everyone celebrating! We had Seder at our house last night and it was a night filled with tradition and delicious food. We tend to stick to the same menu each year, and you can take a peek at what that has been like in last year's post HERE.

One of the things I enjoy about the holidays is having all of our N.J. family together. It would be even better to have some of our family that lives farther away with us as well. What warms my heart even more is that My Boys look forward to our family gatherings as much as I do. My Youngest was very happy about having everyone over last night and said "I love all the holidays because that means we get to spend more time with our family." Makes me want to give him a bigger hug just thinking about that sweet thought. My Oldest was very excited to read the 4 questions in Hebrew. Overall, it was a fantastic evening spent with family.
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Cooking Challenge: Shrimp and Crab Souffles

2011-04-12T21:46:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since my last Cooking Challenge post and I'm so glad that My Husbad encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone again. I had gotten into a cooking rut... yes, even food bloggers get into cooking ruts. You know what happens, life gets busy so you keep going back to your quickest and simplest dinner plans. We were all getting bored and I wasn't inspired to cook much anymore.

One of the things I love about My Husband is that he really "gets" that I enjoy cooking and need to challenge myself with new recipes and techniques. I've had a stressful few weeks at work and when you throw the kids Spring baseball schedule into the mix and it was clear I needed something to help me wind down. Those of you who enjoy cooking know what I am talking about. Time in the kitchen, reading a recipe and pulling it all together to make a delicious meal.
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Sausage Gravy - Comfort Food

2011-04-10T22:03:00.000-04:00

Last week, I was really not inspired to cook. Which is why you didn't see many posts here. One night last week when My Husband got home, I was still trying to figure out dinner... I had some sausage in the fridge that I needed to use and was going to do something simple like toss it after cooking it with some pasta. Since that wasn't a terribly interesting idea, he suggested we try to figure something else out.
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A Taste of ... Some Fabulous Food!

2011-04-09T11:11:00.000-04:00

Last week, My Husband and I had the pleasure of attending a local "taste" event. We were invited by the lovely owners of our local ShopRite store, the Gladstein family. It was an opportunity to meet them and sample some of the fabulous food that ShopRite Sunrise Kitchens prepares through their catering service. My post all about ShopRite's offerings that night can be found HERE.

Once we enjoyed the creations by ShopRite's chefs, we were encouraged to go see what other restaurants were there. Of course, we were thrilled to find that there was a varied selection of food and wine to sample.

One of our favorite dishes was a Lobster Mac and Cheese that was from Vitanzo Caterers. I didn't manage to get a photo of the dish, however I have to tell you that the creamy combination of 3 cheeses with the added decadence of lobster... let's just say that there wasn't a single bite left!

Another absolutely irresistable dish that sampled was an Oyster Po'Boy from Costanera Cocina Peruana. After one bite, I was asking them if it was on the menu. Sometimes the items served at events like this are not necessarily on the menu, and I didn't want to be disappointed when we make it to the restaurant. Fortunately, they serve it both at lunch and at dinner. Yes, this one is on our list for a date night very soon!

Next, I waited patiently while the chef from Toscania Trattoria seared diver scallops. When I fond out the polenta had gorgonzola cheese in it, there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to taste this dish. It was well worth the wait and I think I may have finally convinced My Husband that he likes polenta.

There were so many fabulous restaurants, caterers and wine/beer vendors there! If you have never been to a "taste" event, I highly recommend that you go check one out! Some are based on a specific local town - like many in Morris County, NJ... while, others are more national such as the Taste of the Nation which is hosted in many different cities to benefit the Share our Strength charity. While enjoying some incredible food and finding new favorite restaurants you can also help raise money for some amazing charities.

Note: I was not compensated in anyway for this post. The wonderful owners of my local ShopRite provided complimentary entrance to the event.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Potluck Blog: Nuts for Crunchy Chicken

2011-04-06T21:32:00.001-04:00

Have you gotten home and wondered what you will make for dinner? Then, you will want to check out my post at the ShopRite Potluck Blog!

With some simple ingredients I had in my pantry plus the addition of ShopRite nuts, I made one of our favorite weeknight meals! So, head on over and check out my post and leave a comment to let me know what you would do with a container of nuts - besides nibble them as a snack.
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches: Croque-Monsieur

2011-03-31T05:00:00.002-04:00

Susan Russo of Foodblogga has been a very busy woman lately! Last year she co-wrote Recipes Every Man Should Know and now she has another cookbook for those of us who love adding to our collections! If you enjoy a good sandwich, her latest offering may be just the cookbook you need.

Each recipe in The Enclyclopedia of Sandwiches (scheduled for release on April 5th) is introduced from a historical perspective - where appropriate - as well as a mouth-watering description. Not only are the descriptions hard to resist, but the photos by Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites will have you drooling within moments.
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Another Banana Bread Recipe

2011-03-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

I think I've got a problem... I can't stop trying new Banana Bread recipes! I've posted so many here before, and yet... I keep searching for new recipes. It's really not that hard to find yet, another banana bread to make, everyone has a favorite recipe. Each one has a slight variation from every other recipe you will find.

My Oldest has loved banana bread for as long as I can remember. So, when he asked if I had any in the freezer so he could have some... I had to tell him something he didn't want to hear - I was out! I went through a bit of a baking burnout and he still kept eating the banana bread and eventually it was all gone.
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Eat.Live.Be. - Lunch & Finishing another 5k

2011-03-28T05:00:00.002-04:00

I'm so happy to be able to share that I completed my 2nd 5k race this weekend! I beat my time from the first one by 4 minutes, which makes me beyond thrilled! Even better was that the reason for this 5k was to benefit a local family who lost their little 3 year old daughter just a few months ago. For such a young little girl, she fought hard to battle against an inoperable brain tumor on her brain stem. It is such a heartbreaking story and no parents should have to go through what they did over the past year.
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Finger Food for Dinner: Spinach & Sausage Puffs

2011-03-24T22:07:00.000-04:00

This week has been filled with studying and homework each night. Don't tell anyone, but I'm kind of happy that we have't gotten back into sports just yet... it will happen soon enough. I am fully enjoying coming home at the end of the day and having time to help My Boys study for their upcoming tests. When the activities are in full swing, it never feels like we have time to get everything done. This week has not felt rushed at home- for a change.
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Eat.Live.Be. - A Day in the Life

2011-03-21T21:39:00.000-04:00

Toward the end of last week we had a real taste of spring with a 70 degree day, only to drop to the 50's over the weekend... and when we were leaving today Mother Nature offerred up another bit of snow to keep us from getting too excited. Boo! I'm over Winter and so very ready for warmer weather and ditching the bulky coats and sweaters.

So, we have made it to another Monday and that means it's time for my Eat.Live.Be. post. This week we are all sharing a peek into a day in our lives - to show how we are incorporating those healthy changes we began working on 12 weeks ago.
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Get Your Green On! Happy St. Patty's Day!

2011-03-17T08:19:00.002-04:00

It's been a crazy week! I made a fantastic meal on Monday night... no recipe, no photos. Boo! But, everyone enjoyed it and I will make it again so, once I get some photos I'll tell you what I did! I also tried Zumba at a PTA fundraiser and had a fabulous time! I'm looking forward to next week's class, but need to find time to get some outdoor running in since my 5k is coming very soon.

So, with all that going on I thought it would be fun to share some fantastic posts on St. Pat's Day food and treats today! I don't make a lot of green or Irish food but I found some blogging friends who have some fabulous posts written that might inspire you to try something new on this day that we all claim to be Irish!

Janet, who writes LaDue & Crew is a great foodie friend (and lives much TOO far away from me!) made this amazing Thin Mint and Irish Cream Tiramisu! Can't go wrong with any of those words in the name, right?

A new foodie friend is Laphemmephoodie! Don't you just love that name? She's a sweetheart and has shared a Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread. I love how there is always a way to make something to suit anyone's diet these days. Doesn't it look wonderful?

Now we have Megan's Cookin'! I've "known" Megan since I my earliest days of blogging. She's such a fabulous foodie who is always looking to try something new! For this special day (and to celebrate Pi Day earlier this week), she made Irish Beef Hand Pies!

One final post to share from Aggie's Kitchen. I'm so envious of her fabulous weather in Florida! She makes amazing healthy meals for her family but, I must say her Guinness Braised Beef Sandwiches seem a bit more indulgent! Definitely one to add to your "to try" list to enjoy while watching the March Madness.

Enjoy today and may the Luck of the Irish be yours! I'll be back soon with something I've cooked up- I promise!

All photos in this post are from the original bloggers post by their permission. Please go visit them today and leave a comment to show them some St. Patty's Day love!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Eat.Live.Be. - Still Motivated?

2011-03-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Wow, another week is gone and we are a bit closer to the start of Spring! We've already suffered through our first Monday morning of waking up an hour earlier than we'd like... but, those extra hours of daylight will be so wonderful - once we get used to it!

This week, the Eat.Live.Be. bloggers are discussing keeping the motivation going. As we all know, getting started in any healthy change starts with a bang and then often fizzles out within a few weeks (less for some). I find starting this kind of challenge in the Winter particularly difficult, I want to snuggle up in a blanket and read or veg out catching up on some of my favorite shows. So, yes, the last few weeks have been tough to stick to my workout schedule. The healthy eating has been easier because I'm eating smaller portions. If I can keep my workouts in line, then I know the losses at the scale (and inches) will start to go a bit faster and be more noticeable.
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Quick Pizza Puffs (Kid-Friendly!)

2011-03-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

Last night, it was just me and My Boys since My Husband was invited to go watch a basketball game with a couple of friends. Dinner on nights like that is usually something simple as I take it as a chance to do something a bit less involved.

I had picked up a few things at the grocery last weekend with an idea in mind as to how I would use them. Some shredded mozzarella, pizza sauce, mini pepperoni and crescent rolls. Nothing too crazy, but I was thinking I could do some kind of "stuffed" pizza puff for dinner. And a bonus was that the crescent rolls had double Box Tops on them!

Fortunately, my idea paid off really well! In the time it took to preheat the oven to 375 degrees, I had the crescents seperated and filled with the pizza ingredients. Once I had them rolled up, I baked them until they were golden brown.

Can you see the cheese oozing out of them? I got major compliments from My Oldest - the one who used to eat anything and has suddenly decided to become picky! He told me these were a "definite make again" meal. I only made one tube of the crescent rolls this time, but imagine doubling it up next time would be a good idea... they would also make a fantastic appetizer to share when watching March Madness (if you are into that kind of thing... I'm not, but I won't judge you!) or any time you are gathering with friends.

Quick Pizza Puffs
Source: Patsyk Original

Ingredients
1 tube (8 crescent rolls) Pillsbury crescent rolls
about 1 cup shredded mozzerella
about 1/4 cup pizza sauce
handful of mini pepperoni (or you could cut the larger ones into pieces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While the oven preheats, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Then, open the can of crescent rolls and separate into the perforated triangles. Add a small amount of pizza sauce to each triangle - about 1-2 teaspoons (much more will make them soggy). Then, add the pepperoni pieces to each triangle - about 5-6 pieces. Sprinkle generously with shredded mozzarella.

Starting at the widest end of the triangle, roll up (carefully!). Bake for 12-15 minutes - until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, serve warm!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Wordless Wednesday: Geometry? Seriously?

2011-03-09T21:50:00.001-05:00

I don't remember learning geometry in 3rd grade math... and, I am the first to admit that I was far from a star student when I did have to take a class in it in high school. So, you can imagine when I am helping my 3rd grader with homework lately how long it must take! He seems to get it, which helps, but I am always amazed at the advanced levels of math they are introduced to in elementary school! He has a test tomorrow and it was his idea to write up flash cards to study tonight.

I guess I finally found a reason to have paid more attention when I took the class all those years ago... who knew that the "real world" application I'd have would be helping my kids with their homework!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Martha's Chocolate Devil's Food Cupcakes

2011-03-08T21:33:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I was in the mood to bake. I didn't want to bake more cookies though... I've had this cookbook staring at me for much too long and it was time to crack it open and dive in and try something. The perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of a double playdate at our house, which means I am home for more time than normal on a weeked. This translates to time to bake something fun!
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Eat.Live.Be. - Required Reading & Check-in Time

2011-03-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

This week, it's time for a check-in to see where all of the Eat.Live.Be. bloggers are in their quest for a healthier year. February was a tough month when it came to exercise... meaning, I think I missed more workouts than I should have. I could make a million and one excuses, but it all comes down to not being as committed as I was in January.
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ShopRite Potluck Blog $25 Challenge!

2011-03-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

Recently, ShopRite issued all of the Potluck Bloggers to feed their family with $25. Want to see how I did with the challenge?
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(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Winter Getaway to Cancun

2011-03-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

The reason for the recent quiet here? A Winter getaway to warm, sunny Cancun! Here are a few photos from our trip:

This first one was taken by My Oldest... I loved that he thought that looking up into the palapa was kinda cool.

We ate dinner at this wonderful restaurant on the bay side at the outdoor mall, La Isla, several times... mainly because the sunset was so gorgeous!

Loved the way this fountain looked with the sun setting behind it.

A day at the Interactive Aquarium... I love that My Youngest insisted on reading the details posted near the different animals. He's very into science and said he already knew most of the facts already.

We saw these little guys just about everywhere we went! I think this shot was taken during our visit to Tulum.

This is the view from the cliff where the Tulum ruins are located... so stunning! Many people went down to the beach to take a dip in the water.

With such a brutally cold and snowy Winter here in NJ, we needed to escape to somewhere warm! I am a warm weather person, so I needed a "taste" of it and it seems so did the rest of my family. It was a perfect week away together, and it makes me look forward to more family vacations like it!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

A Touch of Sunshine in a Dessert (Fresh Fruit Tart)

2011-03-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

The other day, I got the baking bug. I haven't baked anything terribly interesting in awhile, and it is something I enjoy. I want to be able to prepare beautiful desserts to share with family and friends. I posted a question on the Family, Friends and Food Facebook page and on Twitter asking what everyone's favorite thing to bake is and was inspired by my friend Janet (LaDue & Crew) to make a tart.

I have always loved the look of tarts... whether they are fresh fruit or full of creamy chocolate filling and sprinkled with fresh raspberries. Then, Janet sent me a link to a tart she made last year that was stunning and had me jotting down the ingredients so that I can make my own version of it.
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Eat.Live.Be. - Portion Control

2011-02-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a bit of time since my last post... sorry for the "silence", but we had to get away from the brutal Winter and experience some sunshine and WARMTH for a few days. More on that later, I promise!

It's Monday and time to talk about this week's theme: Portion Control. Ughhhhh! That is something that I struggle with because I do love food... no, that's not totally true. I love GOOD food, which makes it hard to eat what is considered an appropriate portion. It's so easy to go beyond what will leave you feeling satisfied versus feeling stuffed and wishing you wore pants with an elastic waistband.

Many of us who have been on a whole range of diets have probably experimented with different ways to control portion sizes. Everything from weighing food, to eyeballing the sizes based on your fist or a deck of cards or something else. But, do you know what one tip I actually do follow pretty regularly? I eat my meals on my salad size plates! I bought some pretty salad size plates for taking food photos and once I'm finished with the "photo shoot", that's generally my dinner. The plates are very visually appealing and look so much fuller than my dinner plates that I don't feel like I'm depriving myself. The key to this method is to not go back for seconds.

It's definitely not foolproof, but if the plate size is smaller it is more likely that it will seem more satisfying because it appears you are eating a plate full of food. It's a mind game, but often that smaller plate size is all I need for my meal, then I can enjoy a small sweet of some kind after dinner.

Be sure to check in with the other Eat.Live.Be. bloggers to see how the use portion control to stick to their healthy living goals.

Sarah - Sarah's Cucina Bella
Cate - Sweetnicks
Maris - In Good Taste
Chris - Mele Cotte
Faith - Blog Appetit
Kristen - Dine & Dish
Emily - Three Boys and a Little Lady
Jenna - FireMom
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Casey - The Starnes Family
Tri-Fit Mom -Trying to be Fit Mom
Claire - Cooking is Medicine
Allison - Sweet Flours
Jen - NJ Epicurean
Leslie - The Hungry Housewife
Rivki - Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Jennifer - Lick-a-Plate
Sarah - A Spoonful of Sugar
Denise & Lenny - Chez Us

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Life as I Know It: Reading for Fun

2011-02-16T05:00:00.003-05:00

While at the library recently, I couldn't help but snap this picture with my phone. Of course, My Oldest was annoyed at me, but he's forgotten it by now.

If you have more than one child, you will understand why finally seeing both of my boys enjoying reading as much as I did as a child was such a pleasure. My Oldest took to reading fairly quickly and has no problem when I tell him to go read a book for an hour. He "falls into the story" - I just love that saying that we found on a bookmark from the library.

My Youngest had to work a bit harder to find books that he liked enough to enjoy reading. Thank goodness for the Magic Tree House book series! These stories are not only entertaining, but are also based on actual historical events. You don't even have to read them in order to enjoy them.
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Eat.Live.Be. - Expert Advice

2011-02-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

After a week of missing most of my workouts... yes, I know... scheduling them would have helped, but life and time got away from me. So, this week's topic of sharing information from experts was a good one. These tips are things I know, but going and looking for them puts them at the forefront of my thinking. Which, is a good thing and will help keep my motivation rolling the right direction.

Since I'm back to Weight Watchers, I went to the WW website for the tips I'm going to share here. The entire article can be viewed HERE. I really feel that WW is a wonderful source for up-to-date tips on losing weight and the success stories help show that anyone can do it with the right motivation.
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Guylian Belgian Chocolate Winner!

2011-02-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

And the winner of the Gulian Belgian Chocolate gift basket is....

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Guylian Belgian Chocolates Giveaway!!! NOW CLOSED!

2011-02-11T08:08:00.002-05:00

This giveaway is now closed. The winner has been posted on this link. Thanks, so much, for visiting and I hope you come back often!

Do you like chocolate... or do you LOVE chocolate? I'm in the LOVE chocolate category so, when I was contacted by Guylian Artisnal Belgian Chocolates I was thrilled! They were kind enough to send me some samples and...

They are the creamiest, most decadent chocolates I've tasted in a long time! They are even in these super cute seashell and seahorse shapes. I expected them to be solid all the way through, but they were creamy inside so that they really melt in your mouth.
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ShopRite Gift Card Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

And the winner is....
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Eat.Live.Be. - Keeping Things Fresh

2011-02-07T19:59:00.001-05:00

This week, we are all checking in to share our progress since starting the Eat.Live.Be. challenge. I got of to a fabulous start, but the last week or so has been kind of hard to stick to my exercise routine. Not sure if the cold and snow has just gotten to me at this point or what. I also didn't lose as much as I would have liked during the past 4 weeks. I am at a net loss of 3 pounds. Not awful because the scale is going in the right direction, but I would have preferred to see a bigger downward trend.
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Super Bowl Eats: Carmelized Onion Dip

2011-02-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

I read a lot of different blogs and bookmark tons of recipes that I want to go back and try. It's often hard to remember where I saw a recipe and how far back it was for me to find the bookmark in my Google Reader. But, every once in awhile... a recipe that I came across sticks out and keeps popping up in my memory. The dip I took to Bunco last week is one of those recipes.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jennie of In Jennie's Kitchen almost 2 years ago when she invited me to attend the Scharffenberger Chocolate Tasting at the French Culinary Institute... which featured Jacques Pepin. Still one of my most favorite food blogger events to this day! Since that time, I've kept in touch with her via Twitter and Facebook, and of course, through her blog. About a year ago, she posted a Carmelized Onion Dip that I've been thinking about ever since.

I've always loved the way carmelized onions become so sweet and really quite addictive. So, when I needed to bring something to Bunco this week, I looked in the fridge and decided this would be my contribution to the nibbles!

This was so simple to make! After I had My Husband taste it, I informed him that we won't be going back to the onion soup mix dip again! This dip has so much more flavor and honestly, I liked making it from scratch. It doesn't require a ton of ingredients or time.

I did have to make a couple of changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand... didn't realize that I didn't have enough sour cream so, I swapped that for 8 ounces of reduced fat cream cheese. I actually started with only 4 ounces, but found that the Greek yogurt was a bit strong for my tastes so I added the additional 4 ounces of cream cheese. I liked the additional creaminess that it added to it.

Overall, this dip got rave reviews by everyone who tried it! I'm even making it again for Super Bowl Sunday! You can serve it with chips or entertaining crackers... or if you want to be really virtuous, serve it with carrot sticks, cucumbers and celery. Depends on your mood and the crowd you are serving.

The link to the original recipe at In Jennie's Kitchen is above where the recipe name appears. Be sure to check out her blog, it's full of wonderful recipes that she thoroughly tests before sharing.

Have you entered my latest giveaway? If not, head on over HERE and leave a comment to for a chance to win a $25 ShopRite (grocery store) gift card.

Here are some other fantastic ideas for food to serve at your Super Bowl Party:

Recipegirl compiled her own list of the best recipes from around the internet HERE.
Picky Palate has a fabulous list of her favorite recipes that range from savory nibbles to the sweets everyone craves by half time!
Head over to Aggie's Kitchen to find some Spicy Pistachios to serve along with the cold beer tomorrow.
Dine & Dish suggests Fish & Chips for a change from the average Super Bowl Food... and it looks incredible!
Janet at LaDue & Crew has my mouth watering with her Crispy Chorizo Bites... I'm loving that she used Puff Pastry to make them! Yum!

Enjoy the game, no matter who you are rooting for... my team, sadly, couldn't get through the playoffs this year... so, I'm all about the commercials, half time AND THE FOOD!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

ShopRite Program: Shop Once. Give Twice. (and a Giveaway!) CLOSED!

2011-02-02T05:00:00.005-05:00

Giveaway has now closed! To see who won, go see this post!

Do you have kids in school? Do you save Box Tops for Education and turn them in so your school will receive additional money? If so, then you will want to keep reading!

ShopRite has introduced a program that will run through September 30, 2011 that you will want to sign-up for! The program is simple, register your Price Plus Card at ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice. What will this do for you? Well, when you purchase any 5 participating products on or before the end of the month using your ShopRite Price Plus Card, the giving will begin! With a qualifying purchase of 5 participating products you earn 5 Bonus Box Tops to be electronically added to your school, and $0.55 will be donated to the ShopRite Partners in Caring Fund (please visit ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice to see restrictions associated with the Partners in Caring Fund donations).

In the month of February, a few of the featured products are: Cheerios, Wheaties, Nature´s Valley Granola Bars, Fiber One Bars, and Fruit by the Foot. Just check back every month to see what products are featured so that you can add them to your shopping list! It's that easy!

You can also enter to win the ShopRite "Shop Once. Give Twice." Sweepstakes by filling out the form on ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com for your chance to win one of 10 Grand Prizes of 5,000 Bonus Box Tops for the school of your choice! (Note: No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes!!)

Now, for the giveaway! My Blog Spark and General Mills have generously given me one $25 ShopRite Gift Card to give to one of my readers! Please read on to see how to enter to win!

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only!
Leave a comment on this post sharing what your favorite Box Tops for Education product.
Tweet this giveaway (include @famfriendsfood in the tweet) and leave a comment that you tweeted the giveaway.
Leave a way for me to contact you - either your blog address or an email address. If the winner cannot be reached within 48 hours of being announced, a new winner will be chosen.
The giveaway will end at 10 p.m. EST on February, 9th.

Disclaimer: I received a gift card to ShopRite from MyBlogSpark and General Mills. They are also providing the Gift Card for the giveaway.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Eat.Live.Be. - Healthy Changes are a Good Thing

2011-01-31T05:00:00.013-05:00

I can't believe we are already at the end of January! As much as I am not fond of wishing time to go faster, this Winter weather has me looking forward to the snow melting and seeing the leaves appear on trees and the grass turning green. With all of that to look forward to, sticking to my Eat.Live.Be. goals should be simple, right?

As with anything, some days are better than others... and those are the one's I am going to focus on today. This week we are all sharing what our favorite healthy change has been during the challenge.

For me, I think making exercise a priority has resulted in feeling physically better and sleeping more soundly. This is even the case when I get my exercise done in the evening, which I was afraid would end up keeping me up later at night. In spite of a bad week with planning my workouts, I actually missed them. So, I'm putting them on my calendar so as not to miss a single one... if it's scheduled, I have the time set aside no matter what!

Another healthy change that is making me feel good is really thinking about how I am eating. Rather than just grabbing whatever is nearby, I'm taking a moment to think about it and whether that is what I really want. For example, we had a school event on Saturday and they were selling hot dogs... which I'm not a huge fan of to begin with, and while I was hungry I didn't have one. Why? Because I didn't want to take in calories on something I knew I wouldn't enjoy in the end. Yes, it would have filled the need to eat something, but I would have still be craving something that tasted good later. I waited and came home and had one of my new favorites - Chobani Greek Yogurt. Surprisingly, that totally satisfied me and I didn't waste calories (or points) on something that wouldn't have satisfied me.

If you are making healthy changes, what are your favorite changes so far?

Check in with the other bloggers in the Eat.Live.Be. challenge and see what they have found to be their favorite changes so far:

● Sarah - Sarah's Cucina Bella
● Cate - Sweetnicks
● Maris - In Good Taste
● Chris - Mele Cotte
● Faith - Blog Appetit
● Kristen - Dine & Dish
● Emily - Three Boys and a Little Lady
● Jenna - FireMom
● Joanne - Eats Well With Others
● Casey - The Starnes Family
● Tri-Fit Mom -Trying to be Fit Mom
● Claire - Cooking is Medicine
● Allison - Sweet Flours
● Jen - NJ Epicurean

Next week, we'll be blogging about "Rut Rescue 101"... how we each find ways to bust out of a exercise or healthy eating rut.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.