food

carne asade tacos

Melissa 1 Comment

Last week while the kids were gone, we went out for Mexcian. I LOVE Mexican food. My favorite thing to order is carne asada tacos. LOVE them. So I’ve been trying to make them at home. I found this version on Food Network. I’m not sure how authentic they are, but they were quite yummy, a hit with the family and super easy!

Carne Asada Tacos

1 pound thinly sliced sirloin steak
1-2 tablespoons garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup white vinegar
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
corn tortillas

Lay out the beef rounds in a single layer. Season the meat on both sides with the garlic salt and black pepper. Put the meat in a medium mixing bowl and add the vinegar. Let the meat marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Warm tortillas in oven. Serve with lettuce, cheese, and any other toppings you love on your tacos!

try this: cooking with lawry’s *giveaway*

Melissa 75 Comments
I had so much fun being a part of Philly’s Lawry’s Cooking Team. We were challenged to come up with a meal around a “holiday” dinner, so we decided to throw a Labor Day couples party.
We are total overachievers, so we went beyond the requested appetizer, main dish and side.. and came up with a bunch of recipes that were SUPER yummy!!
Here’s what we made:
Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
pinch of salt
2 12-ounce can artichoke hearts packed in water, well drained,
chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 pitch Italian cheese blend, to sprinkle on top of finished dip
French-bread baguette slices, toasted or Gluten Free chips or crackers or celery for dipping

Whisk 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and Lawry’s seasoning in medium bowl to blend. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts. Transfer mixture to 3-cup ramekin.
Sprinkle dip with 2 tablespoons grated Mexican cheese and paprika.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake dip until heated through, about 25 minutes (about 35 minutes if chilled).
Preheat broiler. Broil until cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.

Pineapple Salsa

1 pineapple, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1-2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoned pepper
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Cook onion over low heat until translucent. Add pineapple, pepper, ginger, sugar and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle on cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Lawry’s Rubbed Cedar Plank Salmon
¼ c brown sugar
2 tbsp Lawry’s seasoned pepper
1 Cedar Plank
3 pound salmon

Prepare Cedar Plank according to instructions. Mix brown sugar and seasoned pepper and rub over Salmon. Let sit for 20 minutes. Grill according to Cedar Plank instructions.

Corn on the Cob
Remove outer layers of corn husks
Soak corn in cold water for 20 minutes
peel back husks
dribble olive oil and shake on Lawry’s seasoned salt
push corn husks back around cob and grill for 20-40 minutes, turning every now and again
remove corn and serve

Grilled Balsamic Marinated Vegetables
Fresh local vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces
Lawry’s Balsamic Herb Marinade
Foil

line a dish with foil
mix vegetables in dish
cover with about half a bottle of marinade, cover with another layer of foil
refrigerate for a half hour to an hour
carefully flip over dish and close foil so that it incases the vegetables
Add another layer of foil
Place over a hot grill for 20-40 minutes, turning once. (The longer you cook the vegetables, the softer they will be.)

Dessert
Sweet and Spicy Strawberries and Peaches
1 lb strawberries
3 fresh local peaches
1 tbsp sugar
½ cup water
1 tbsp Lawry’s Balsamic Vinegar Marinade

cut tops of strawberries
slice peaches into slices
marinade in water, marinade, and sugar
place in foil
grill for 5-6 minutes
serve with vanilla ice cream or greek yogurt

Lawry’s Sweet & Seasoned Surprise
2 oz tequila
2 ½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen peaches
Juice of ½ Lemon
Lawry’s seasoned pepper

Mix above in a blender.
Pour some Seasoned Pepper on a plate
Wet Margarita glass with a lemon and dip in Lawry’s seasoning
Enjoy this salty and sweet drink!

WIN IT!!

Lawry’s is offering one reader a giveaway package with: 16 oz Seasoned Salt, Balsamic Herb Marinade and a Seasoned Salt Marinade. YUMMY!!!

To enter: Leave me a comment! Tell me which recipe we made that you would try.
For an extra entry: Retweet this post on twitter using the #lawrys hashtag.
Rules: Entry is open to US residents, one entry per person mandatory, entry via tweeting once per day. Giveaway closes August 17th, 2011. Random winner will be selected via random.org Winner has 24 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.

 

Disclaimer: this campaign was sponsored by lawry’s and the motherhood. i was compensated for this post.
Check out our team’s posts:

a day on the farm with horizon

Melissa 2 Comments

Last Thursday, we went to visit a family farm as a guest of Horizon. I was thrilled: we are very committed to organic dairy in our family and we’ve been eating more whole foods and buying from farmers markets and such , so I was so excited to give the kids a chance to see how food (or milk, in this case) gets from the farm to our table.

We drove about an hour north of where we live outside Philly to the farm of Barry and Barb Byler in New Tripoli, PA. There we were joined by Jo-Lynne, Trina, Stephanie and Brandi and we all learned about what makes his farm organic, how organic dairy farms differ from conventional farms, how he cares for his 100+ cows using natural, holistic methods to maintain health and how he balances farm and family.

My girls were thrilled to see the animals. Barry, who studied genetics at university, has a variety of breeds of cows – they were so interesting. Not the typical black and white cows you often see. With the rolling green hills, the barns, the flowers… all under a blue sky… it was simply gorgeous.
The kids listening to Mr. Byler explain how he rotates the cows throughout his various pastures.

Colin amused himself by drinking his weight in Horizon Milk Boxes.
I liked hearing about how Barry balanced his farm and his family. This was truly a family farm: his son was driving tractors and his daughter was helping out as well.  He was talking about how when his kids were little he started getting up at 3:30am so that he would be done with the evening milking in time to spend time with his kids before bed. It was interesting about the day-to-day working of a family farm.

My kids loved the calves. There was a tiny premature calf who was so tiny. The kids thought it was so cool that he ate with a bottle.
Ellie was thrilled because Mr. Byler told them that the calf was still scared of people, but he let Ellie pet him. It made her day.
All the kids loved the trip – seeing all those animals up close is so exciting for our city kids!

After seeing this farm up close, I am more committed than ever to the importance of giving my family organic dairy. I truly believe it is one of the best things you can do for the health of your kids (read why here). I was impressed by Horizon’s commitment to converting acreage to organic (whether owned by Horizon or not), how they lowered the sugar in their chocolate milk so it can be in school lunch programs, their emphesis on pasture grazing cows and high standards of animal care, and their continued commitment to supporting family farms. This is a company that is a prime example of how it is possible to help the environment, produce healthier food, support farmers… and be profitable at the same time. Did you know they even have a HOPE program to help farmers transition to organic? We need more companies like Horizon!

Thank you so much, Horizon and the Byler family, for hosting us. We had a wonderful time!

disclosure: i was provided with a gift card to cover gas and tolls, as well as lunch on the farm for me and my family. as always, all opinions are my own.

 

frozen mango daiquiri

Melissa 4 Comments

This is amazing. Sweet and fruity and so refreshing!!

You’re welcome.

Frozen Mango Daiquiri

4 oz light rum
1 lime, peeled and halved
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
2 cups ice cubes

Blend. Enjoy. Repeat.

Linked up with

Gluten Free Meal Plan via Musings of a Housewife

 

try this: healthier microwave popcorn

Melissa 2 Comments

So in our little journey to eating healthier, we have made several changes like switching to organic dairy, avoiding food dyes and HFCS, giving up soda (sob!)… and now here is the newest change:

Good-bye, Microwave Popcorn.

I won’t even address what is probably in that “butter” flavor or the trans fats or the sodium. Blah Blah. This is hardly news.

 But a study released on November 8 by the University of Toronto found the chemicals used to line microwave popcorn bags are contaminating the food inside. The linings of microwave-popcorn bags may contain a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, which is used to prevent the food from sticking to the paper. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFOA is a likely carcinogen.

We love popcorn in our house, my kids eat it several times a week as a snack, so we started to make our popcorn in a pan on the stove top with coconut oil. Very yummy, but I so missed the convience of mocrowave popcorn. But then I discovered this:

We got this Catamount glass microwave popcorn popper and are LOVING it! You put the popcorn kernels in the bowl, add a bit butter (if desired) to the little BPA-free top, and it pops the popcorn in the microwave (ours takes around 2:30) and it melts the butter right over your popcorn.  Add a bit of salt and YUMM!! Its easy, quick and a healthier alternative! Score!

try this: camping potatoes

Melissa

We call these camping potatoes. Because we make them camping. But they’re really just breakfast potatoes. But everything tastes better when you’re camping, right?

Camping Potatoes

diced potatoes (as many as you need – i think we used 8)
one onion diced
diced pepper (we used about half yellow, orange and green each)
seasoned salt
olive oil

Toss potatoes and onion with olive oil in a preheated skillet. TOss frequently. After  a bit add peppers. When potatoes are getting soft, add seasoned salt to taste. (We like quite a bit.) Eat with fried eggs and bacon in front of the fire while sipping coffee.

Camping breakfasts are the best!

 

how to caramelize onions

Melissa 1 Comment

I was putting away groceries and realized I bought a bunch of onions when I already had a bunch of onions. Whoops. So I needed to get rid of come onions. So I decided to caramelize an onion to throw on top of our carnitas tacos. (Which was amazing, by the way.) We love caramelized onions – we throw them on top of burgers and steaks, top pizza with them, make dip… even make French Onion Soup!

They’re super easy!

How to Caramelize Onions

1 large onion, sliced per your preference
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter or some of each
Heavy pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heavy pinch of sugar

Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the oil/butter.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Sauté on medium heat, stirring occasionally. VERY occasionally. The best thing is to just walk away for a bit at a time. I’m usually cooking the rest of dinner, so they don’t get too much attention. You need to let them sit in order for them to brown.

getting closer

When they’re starting to brown, add a pinch of sugar.
Keep tossing occasionally until they are a deep, golden brown.

almost there

perfection

try this: slow cooker pork carnitas

Melissa 2 Comments

I love carnitas. LOVE. I have an amazing recipe, but its a little complicated. These days I need easy, easy easy. So when I saw this recipe for carnitas in the slow cooker on A Year of Slow Cooking, I was immediately ready to try.

So not only was this yummy and super easy, but pork shoulder (also called pork butt for some strange reason) is really cheap and they’re generally gigantic. I picked up the smallest one and it was over 7 pounds. So this is a great recipe to make for a huge crowd or when you want to put half in your freezer for a quick meal later!

**Warning: Your husband may start singing Baby Got Back when you tell him that giant piece of meat is pork butt. Mine immediately broke out with “I like big butts and I can not lie….” and its been stuck in my head all day.**

Slow Cooker Carnitas

5 pounds pork shoulder
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 large limes)
14 cloves garlic (whole, peeled. But minced is okay if you got it)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cumin
1 cup beef broth
corn tortillas
sour cream, salsa, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce (whatever you like!)

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the salt and cumin. Rub mixture all over the pork, then plop into the slow cooker. Add whole garlic cloves. Squeeze on the citrus, and pour the beef broth evenly over the top.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork shreds quite easily with a fork. If your meat is still fully intact after 8 hours, remove and cut into chunks, then return to the crock and flip to high for about an hour or two. It should pretty much fall apart when you poke it with a fork.

Shred meat fully and serve on warmed corn tortillas with desired toppings.

I linked this recipe up at Jo-Lynne’s Gluten Free Recipe Roundup!

brunch menu

Melissa

So ever since I posted a picture of my brunch last week, I’ve been getting questions about what I served. So here’s our menu:

fruit plate (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and mango) from the farmers market

Caramelized Pear Parfaits (caramelized pears, organic vanilla yogurt from Trader Joe’s and Jo-Lynne’s homemade granola)

Cookies (for the kids, from Wegmans) and Scones with Currants

Pistachios (from Trader Joe’s)

Hummus with Beanfield Chips


Beanfield Chips were sent to me as a sample and I was so excited. Two people at the brunch were gluten-free and I was looking for some snacks that they could eat. The Beanfield Chips were a huge hit (even with the non-gluten free guests) and were so yummy. As you know, we’ve been making some changes in our eating lately, looking for healthier foods with less additives and artificial ingredients. Beanfields Snacks are farmed and made in the USA. They are gluten-free, cholesterol-free, trans fat-free, preservative-free and free of every one of the FDA’s eight most common ingredients that trigger food allergies. Plus, Beanfield Snacks is committed to helping update food and business practices – a cause I share.

And these will definitely be making another appearance in our house. My family and I loved the Pico de Gallo!! (Although the Sea Salt & Pepper went better with the hummus – those are probably better if you’re a fan of dipping.) The biggest compliment? My husband said, “Wow! These are awesome! What are they?” Not “What health food snack did you get now?” or “These are good for health food.” or something. And that is the highest praise you can get!

disclosure: i was sent beanfield chips to facilitate a review. i was not compensated for this post and, as always, all opinions are my own.

try this: caramelized pear parfaits

Melissa 4 Comments

A friend of mine from Bible Study made these a few weeks ago and they were heavenly. We all begged her for the recipe and I couldn’t wait to serve it up at my Stella & Dot party last Friday morning!



Caramelized Pear Parfaits

DSC_0040-1 4 firm-ripe pears, cored, and quartered (Bartlett)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground allspice
4 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar (not packed)
1 cup granola
1 1/3 cups vanilla-flavored yogurt

Combine pears and lemon juice in a bowl, and brush pears well with lemon juice. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the butter. Add the pears and cook, stirring
occasionally, until golden brown around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cinnamon and
allspice and toss gently to combine. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally,
until pears are soft and the juices have blended with the sugar to form a sugary syrup, 2 to 3
minutes. Remove from the heat.

Parfaits may be assembled while pears are still warm or after they have cooled.

(As per my friend’s notes, I went light on the brown sugar and left most of the syrup in the pan.)