Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday All!

It’s beautiful outside! Get out there and enjoy the sunshine Did you know that a healthy diet and being out in the sun can help promote a good mood? Sunshine gives you Vitamin D!

Pack a picnic lunch, head out to the beach or the park and enjoy a few!

Tips for a healthy picnic lunch:

1) Pack sandwiches or wraps!
(PB&J is an easy treat for the kids, and possibly a nice salmon or bbq chicken wrap for yourself?)

Yummy Salmon Wrap

Ingredients:

Smoked Salmon flaked (found some awesome fully cooked Honey Smoked Salmon @ Costco the other day – DEE-LISH!)
Alouette Spreadable Cheese – Cucumber & Dill
Spinach Leaves or Spring Mix
Wrap – Whole grain is my preference

Directions:
Lay the wrap out flat, layer the ingredients starting with the spreadable cheese. Add flakes of smoked salmon, top with spinach leaves or spring mix. Wrap and enjoy!

If you’re packing this, place plastic wrap on the counter first then add your wrap, it will make it easier to fold

2) Load up on some cut fruit (strawberries, kiwis, apples, blueberries, melons – yum!)
3) How about some edamame? Quick and easy treat! Find some ready to go at your local grocer’s produce section, or if
you are a Trader Joe’s fan, they have bags in the frozen section
4) Bottled water – You have to stay hydrated, so don’t forget the water!

Have a great Saturday all!

Oh the joys of moving…

So, I’ve been M.I.A. the past couple of weeks because we have been in the middle of relocation chaos.  Ugh!
I’m still in the middle of it, but thought I’d update my blog to let everyone know I’m still alive.  I’m doing my
best to stay sane (the jury’s out on that one, lol!).

I haven’t had much time to prepare meals for the fam, so we’ve been having some oh!-so-not-fabulous quick
fix meals.

On a positive note, we’ve relocated to SoCal near the beach, so that’s been nice! I think my next blog will
include some oceanside yummies. Oysters on the half-shell… Love love love it!

But if I can’t do that soon, I may just write a bit about some of my yummy food spots or new found fave shopping
spots

It’s late, I can’t sleep. We’re in the middle of unpacking, painting, cleaning, documenting damages the movers made,
and all the while trying to keep the boys on track with their home schooling! Let me tell you… I am one pooped mama!!!

Happy Sunday all!

Ciao for now!!!

Summer Fiesta!!!

It’s Friday again which gives us some time to breathe & relax from the week’s stress…
Thinking about a last minute get together with friends?  How about a little Summer Fiesta potluck?

Here’s a main dish that will keep them coming back for more!

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

2lbs. tilapia
olive oil
1 lime
4 tbsp. chili pepper
1 jalapeno, diced
cilantro, finely chopped
12 flour taco sized tortillas

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together oil, juice from lime, chili pepper, jalapeno & cilantro.
Pour over fish & marinate for 1-3 hours

Grill fish, approx. 7 minutes per side.  Remove from grill, flake & serve in warm tortillas with desired toppings
(i.e., cabbage or lettuce, cheddar cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, etc).

Happy Friday!!!  Ole!

Happy August 1st! Be Inspired!

It’s Sunday all!

Hope you’re having a great day so far!  I’m an amateur photographer (or so I’d like to think)…  Here’s an idea!  Try getting up early morning on a Sunday and taking the kids out to the local farmer’s market or downtown area… It’s a great time to capture some awesome pictures and spend some quality time with the kiddies, like in my pic here…

I haven’t done it lately but waking up this morning to the sun just about ready to peak through inspired me.

Meal tip for the day… Try something light… How about a nice salad for lunch?

Cranberry & Feta Summer Salad

Ingredients:

Baby salad Greens
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1 Green Apple – sliced thinly and chopped to small squares
1/2 cup Feta Cheese
1/4 cup candied walnuts
Girard’s Raspberry dressing

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix salad greens, cranberries, apple pieces & feta cheese.  Toss with Girard’s Rasperry dressing.  Top with candied walnuts

If you’d like, you can grill some salmon or chicken breast on the side! 

Well, I’m off!  Have a wonderful Sunday… And… Be Inspired!

The Anatomy of a Knife

Knives… The backbone of a good chef

Have you ever found yourself in the store looking for a new knife or knife set and then hit with the question… What’s the difference?  You’ve got a set for $30. and another set for $900, what’s the deal?  Well…  I was watching Alton Brown’s Good Eats: American Slicer episode on the Food Network last night and learned quite a bit!  If you’re wondering, but never looked it up… I looked it up for you!  So, here it is…  How to Buy a Knife, courtesy of my favorite TV network… The Food Network

How to Buy a Knife

A good knife is a worthwhile investment. If you buy a quality one and take care of it, you will have it for a lifetime. A good knife will pay for itself over time. Cooking will be much more enjoyable, so you’ll spend less money on restaurants and takeouts. A good knife is also safer, so you’ll spend less on bandages.

Before you buy knives, learn their anatomy. Knives are made up of four parts: the blade, the handle, the bolster, and the tang.

The blade can be made of stainless steel, carbon steel, high-carbon steel or ceramic. Metal blades can either be stamped (pressed out of metal) or forged (molded under high heat). Forged knives are heftier and tend to last longer, though stamped blades are useful for lighter work like filleting.

• Stainless steel knives are inexpensive, but cannot be sharpened once they lose their edge.
• Carbon steel knives hold their edges remarkably well, require careful cleaning and drying, and will eventually discolor, turning black over time. There’s nothing bad about the discoloration; it’s a matter of preference.
• High-carbon steel gives you the sharpen-ability of carbon steel without the discoloration. Most professional knives are made of this material.
• Ceramic knives stay sharp the longest but can break easily.

The handle can be made of wood, plastic, rubber or metal. Though wood can be beautiful, the other materials are more durable. The handle can either be riveted to the blade or molded around it. Riveted ones are believed to be the strongest, but the most important thing about a handle is that it feels good in your hand and you feel comfortable holding it.

The bolster is the thick ridge between the blade and the handle. It’s standard on forged knives and rare on stamped knives. It’s usually ground down towards the bottom to make sharpening easier.

The tang is the part of the blade that extends into the handle. “Full-tang” knives are made out of one piece of metal that extends all the way back to the handle. This is the heftiest and priciest option, but the tang shouldn’t be a deciding factor unless you plan on regularly using the knife for heavy-duty chopping (say, bones).

Happy Saturday all & happy cooking!!!

It’s Friday… What’s on the menu?

If you’re anything like me… Meal planning is always a task.  I remember when I used to work… That made it even harder…
So… It’s Friday today… Hmm… It’s just a little past 8:00am… I’m thinking… What’s for dinner???  (before my kids can even start in on that question).

So… Let’s see…

I’m thinking homemade Mac & Cheese with grilled chicken breast for the protein…

Here are my recipes:

Homemade Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
1/2 bag – macaroni elbows (or shells)
1 stick – butter (cut into tbsp. sized portions for better melting)
1/2 cup – half & half
1 cup – shredded white cheddar cheese (or regular yellow cheddar is fine as well)
1 cup – shredded fontina (or jack cheese if you can’t find it)
1/2 cup – shredded parmesan
1 tsp – pepper (optional)
Instructions:
Cook pasta as directed on package, drain & return to stove.
On med-low heat, add butter and allow to melt a bit.  Add 1/2 cup of half & half.  Slowly add all cheeses.  And gently stir constantly to allow for even melting.  When cheeses have blended and melted, you can add pepper if desired.

Serve

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients
McCormick’s  Grill Mates Chicken Rub
4 chicken breasts
PAM Grill Spray
Instructions:
Pat dry your chicken breasts.  Rub McCormick’s Grill Mates chicken rub onto each side.
Spray your grill with PAM Grill spray
Heat your grill to 350
Place breasts on grill – approximately 7 minutes per side.
Remove from grill, cut up into bite sized chunks and serve.

Voila!  Dinner is served!

PS – If you have leftovers, put them into small tupperware or disposable lunch containers… Small containers makes it easier for the family to pull out of the fridge and pop into the microwave for a great left-over meal the next day!

Hello world!

Welcome welcome welcome!  This is my first attempt at blogging   (Well, for myself anyway)… So here goes!!!

I decided to start this blog because

1) I love my family
2) I love to cook
3) I love to eat AWESOME food
4) I love to cook
5) I needed to figure out a fun way to keep track of my recipes and SAVE them for future use
6) Did I say that I love to cook?

So… With that being said…  Let’s learn a little bit more about me & my life.

I’m a stay at home mom (wife & mother to 2 boys, ages 13 & 7).  I’d like to say we lead a quiet life… But, with boys running amuck around my home… Quiet is not exactly an option.  We’re actually quite busy, especially now that football season has started.  (Our boys both play football).  I also home-school the kids as well.  So, my days are pretty full!

I know there are lots of moms out there just like me… If you’re one of them, or even if you’re not, feel free to drop by & say Hi!!! I look forward to speaking with you!