Entries categorized as ‘food’
I always have great intentions – I’ll take chicken, fish, or some other main course out of the freezer to thaw for the following night’s dinner … and then I’ll forget it was thawing and find it the next morning. Some things just don’t thaw fast enough in the fridge, you know. Sigh … by the next morning, it’s been out for too long and is no longer any good.
If this sounds like something you’ve been known to do, I’ll share with you my secret. Maybe it will work for you, and maybe it won’t.
I put my thawing whatever in the bathroom sink! I always wash my face and brush my teeth before going to bed, so I HAVE to look in the bathroom sink. Fortunately, it’s usually late enough that it’s been the perfect length of time for thawing!
There you have it - your tip of the day. Have something creative you’d like to share? Please do! And if this works out for you, let me know that, too!
Categories: food · home · life · recipes · smarts · yum
Tagged: chicken, food tip, thawing, tip
If I had to choose my last meal, it would be kielbasa with peppers and onions, for sure. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s so true. I LOVE that stuff!
Through experimenting, I’ve discovered more than half a dozen ways to prepare it, and that’s only a glimpse of what I’m sure I could come up with. I only have half a dozen prep methods because I love them so much and usually want to make it a tried and true way as opposed to trying something new!
Here’s my second favorite way of preparing kielbasa – a perfect summer meal!
. : | Grilled Kielbasa w/ Peppers & Onions | : .
What you’ll need …
2 packages Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa (I use turkey b/c it’s the healthiest they make.)
2 medium onions, sliced
4 peppers – various colors, sliced
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
olive oil
(Note: You could easily halve this recipe; I make a lot b/c we LOVE the leftovers for lunch the next day.)
What you’ll do …
Remove kielbasa from package and slice into 1/2″ coins. Combine with sliced peppers and onions. In separate bowl, combine chopped garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Over pre-heated grill, combine all ingredients except olive oil in coated grill basket; drizzle with olive oil and mix. Grill to desired doneness, usually 20-30 minutes (I like grill marks on my kielbasa and vegetables, but it’s up to you.).
Great served over brown rice!
Categories: food · recipes · yum
Tagged: dinner, food, grill, kielbasa, outdoors, recipe
Free chocolate, anyone?
From “Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act:”
Times are tough and we at Mars want to help. How, you ask? Every Friday through October, Mars will give away free* real chocolate to 250,000 people. That means you can enjoy your favorite Mars’ candy brands—M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, MILKY WAY® and DOVE®— for free*!
Now, I ask … what are you waiting for!? Go here and feed your chocolate fix!
Categories: blogging · food · freebies · nablopomo
Tagged: 3 musketeers, chocolate, dove, free, giveaway, m&m's, milky way, snickers, twix
A long, long time ago, I had the pleasure of being introduced to this rockin’ company, Vitalicious and their VitaTops muffins via my daily HungryGirl e-mail. I’ll admit that I was a little hesitant to place my first order. Seriously, how good can 100 calorie, high fiber, vitamin-laced muffins be? My friends, these things ROCK! They are so good, and I’m addicted!
I think I’ve tried just about every variety that Vitalicious makes … yes, every variety minus the Banana Nut and Golden Corn, as I don’t enjoy banana nut bread or corn bread. The VitaBrownies are great, too! And everything is so good for you … 100 calories, low fat, high fiber and protein, and packed with vitamins. The only downfall you might be able to call these out on is the sugar content.
I store them in the freezer, and my favorite time to eat them is after they’ve thawed for just about an hour – they’re still cold, but no longer frozen. I usually eat them for breakfast, but they also make a great, healthy dessert.
It’s been a while since I’ve ordered any, and when I got the latest offer for 10% off an order of the new Chocolate Mint VitaTops, I jumped. Not only am I crazy over VitaTops, but I adore the combination of chocolate and mint. I can’t wait to get them! When I do, I’ll let you know what I think – I just have a feeling I’ll love them!
So, if you haven’t tried VitaTops, VitaMuffins or VitaBrownies, do it now! And if you aren’t signed up for the HungryGirl e-mail, you’re missing out on some GREAT weight loss, health and fitness ideas.
(And no, I’m not receiving any sort of incentive for promoting these two companies – I just honestly love them and want to share them with you!)
Categories: blogging · food · health · yum
Tagged: 100 calorie, fitness, hungry girl, hungrygirl, nutrition, vitabrownie, vitalicious, vitamuffin, vitatops, weight loss
I did it! I managed to make black bean dip as promised! Unfortunately, when I made my grocery list, I failed to remember that black bean dip was on my list for this week, so I had to make it with ingredients I had on hand. Turns out, it turned out! Here’s what we did …
Pita Chips
1 package pita pockets (I used whole wheat)
olive oil
coarse sea salt
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil (Optional, but makes clean-up a breeze!) Cut each pita pocket into 8 wedges and place on foil lined baking sheet. Brush each side with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with coarse sea salt. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer chips from baking sheet to cooling rack.
Black Bean Dip
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. orange juice
Saute onion & garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Add oregano, cumin, salt & cayenne pepper; saute 1 minute. Remove from heat. Set aside 1 cup black beans. In food processor, combine remaining black beans, orange juice and onion mixture. Blend until desired consistency. Stir in whole black beans and serve with pita chips. Can be served warm or cold.
If you try it, let me know what you think! And if you want more pictures, there are more of the entire process at my flickr site.
Note: While I’d make this again and will add it to my list of great “on hand” dishes, I’d like to try it again with some different and more exciting ingredients. When that happens, I’ll let you know and post the recipe here!
Categories: blogging · food · recipes · yum
Tagged: appetizer, black bean, black bean dip, cooking, dip, fiber, healthy, onion, pita, pita chips, recipe, whole wheat
Sorry for the tease – there’s no recipe … YET!
Justin and I are black bean fanatics – we eat them once a week or so, at least. Last night, as we were enjoying our black bean & cheese hot dogs, he asked about black bean dip. So … guess what? I’m on a mission to create the perfect black bean dip! Give me a few days (Okay, so in “Lily-time” it might be a month, so be patient!), and I’ll see what I can create. I’m thinking some cilantro, garlic (There’s always garlic!), onion, balsamic vinegar (I can use it in ANYTHING!) and perhaps lime. I’m also going to have to figure on something to “turn up the heat,” and I might get creative here. We’ll see what happens when I get going, though! I promise to share if you promise to try. :0)
Categories: blogging · food · recipes · yum
Tagged: black bean, dip, recipe
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