February 19, 2008
Shoe Leather
Earlier this morning, I bought a package of turkey bacon. It was hard to decide which package to purchase - ready made or a full pound of uncooked. I decided on the ready made. Since I am attempting to lose some weight, I have been following my WW points and drinking a ton of water.
'Scuse me whilst I run to the bathroom
While preparing the family's dinner tonight of sausage and sauce (I'm eating a WW meal and a salad), I figured what the hell and nuked up 2 pieces of turkey bacon. Two slices are only one Weight Watchers point.
Taking a bite, I chewed and waited. I came to this conclusion. Turkey bacon tastes a lot like I think shoe leather would taste if I ever decided to eat shoe leather. Awful doesn't begin to describe the taste or the texture. It was just bad.
::sigh::
I wonder...how many points would it be for just the shoe leather?
Posted by Cate at 01:08 PM | Comments (5)
October 19, 2007
AWESOME recipes
Ok - so I am hosting a Lia Sophia party on Sunday and I needed some easy (and yummy!) appetizer recipes. This site - Recipes From Friends has an excellent collection of appetizer recipes (3 pages!). I must ask, why do all the best appetizers have bacon, spinach, or some form cheese in them. Yum! In fact, the BEST appetizers have all three of those ingredients! Go browse through the recipes but don't do it on an empty stomach.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted by Cate at 07:57 AM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
FDA Food Recalls
I just heard on the news this morning that there is a nationwide recall of Veggie Booty ::link:: and Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks ::link:: produced by Robert's American Gourmet Food, Inc. Apparently, there is possible Salmonella contamination.
Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks are packed in a flexible, plastic foil bag in a 6 oz. size, and has UPC 15665-10356. The brand name is Robert’s American Gourmet and all codes and expiration dates of Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks are being recalled.
Veggie Booty is sold in a flexible plastic foil bag in a 4 oz., 1 oz., and l/2 oz. package. The brand name is Robert's American Gourmet, and all codes and expiration dates of Veggie Booty are being recalled.
This is pretty frightening since we purchase Tings from this company. Luckily, there is no contamination but I think I will be tossing out the bag, just in case. Better safe than sorry.
Posted by Cate at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2007
Tonight's Meal
It's too hot to run the oven and my BBQ is on the fritz, thanks to some of my little gray fuzzy neighbors who manages to chew a two inch hole in the gas line to my grill. Goddamn squirrels. I could have blown myself up when I tried to light the damn grill. Check out this video clip of the Squirrel CataHusbandt. The person who created it is brilliant and I would love to place on order for one. Those little bastards chewed up too much of my stuff already and I am sick of it!
ANYWAY - here's my dinnertime solution to set it and forget it!
Slow Cooker Barbeque
Original recipe yield:
8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 (3 pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
DIRECTIONS
Place roast into slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic powder and onion powder, and season with salt and pepper. Pour barbeque sauce over meat. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove meat from slow cooker, shred, and return to slow cooker. Cook for 1 more hour. Serve hot on rolls. Yum.
Posted by Cate at 09:24 AM | Comments (2)
July 25, 2006
Mother Nature!
I picked this tomato tonight from my mother's garden. It's the same tomato with two completely different views!
Click to embiggen.
Posted by Cate at 10:26 PM | Comments (2)
July 18, 2006
Another yummy recipe
I saw this on the Today show this morning and it looked fantastic!
Grilled Eggplant (Melanzane alla Griglia)
Giuliano Hazan
Serves 6 as a side dish
Not only is eggplant easy to prepare on the grill, it is a delicious accompaniment to any grilled meat. Serve the eggplant half in one piece. Usually the skin is too tough to eat so you scrape the flesh out with your knife and fork.
Total time from start to finish: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon flat leaf Italian parsley
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggplant
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill.
2. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the parsley and put it with the garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and mix well with a spoon.
3. Cut off the tops of the eggplant and cut them in half lengthwise. Score the cut side with half a dozen diagonal cuts about 1/2” deep (do not cut all the way down to the skin). Sprinkle with salt and drizzle the remaining olive oil.
4. Grill the eggplant cut side down until they have grill marks, 2-3 minutes. Turn over and spread the garlic and parsley mixture over each eggplant half. Grill covered until the flesh of the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve hot or lukewarm.
Posted by Cate at 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
Easy Peasy
I found this Chicken and Rice Pilaf recipe in the paper the other day and tried it out on the family on Thursday. It went over pretty well. It's super easy to make and hey, I am ALL about one pot cooking!
EASY CHICKEN-RICE PILAF
Bone-in chicken will cook more evenly and add lots of flavor to this skillet supper. You may substitute boneless chicken breast halves, but add to the rice after 10 minutes of cooking.
1 onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large green or red pepper
1 1/2 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (freshly ground) black pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or combination of broth and water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
Peel and dice onion. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a wide, deep pot (like a Dutch oven), and add onion. Dice pepper, and add it to the pot.
Cook vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they have softened and shrunk a little. Scrape them onto a plate.
Cut chicken breasts in half to make 2 short pieces. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Add remaining oil to pan, and heat over high heat. Add chicken, meat side down, and brown very well, about 5 minutes. Remove to plate with vegetables.
Add rice, liquid, bay leaf and thyme, and bring liquid to a boil. Add chicken and vegetables to pan, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Serve with green beans.
Serves 4.
Posted by Cate at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2006
Kudos
Thank you Rutgers University!
Check out this great website full of food allergy information.
Posted by Cate at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)
In Harm's Way
My local paper featured an article in Sunday's paper discussing food allergies. Here is the direct link. An ironic moment, while reading the story, it was continued to another page. As I turn to the correct page, I immediately notice that the continued article is right next to a recipe for Spicy Almond Pesto made with nut butter.
Wha..??
Anywho, I emailed the paper and thanked them for educating people about food allergies. I didn't bring up the oddly strange placement of the almond pesto recipe.
Posted by Cate at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2006
Gotta have a Wawa
Youngestand I were leaving WalMart this morning when a guy bounced right over to me and asked me if I'd like a free cup of coffee. SURE!
What a nice way to start my way! Thank you Wawa!
Posted by Cate at 10:45 AM | Comments (1)
December 12, 2005
It pays to write
As most of you may know (or not), I've switched to drinking decaffeinated coffee and tea over a year ago, ever since Husband was diagnosed with his ulcer.
Several weeks ago I wrote a letter an email to Bromley Tea Company. I had purchased a large box of their tea in the local supermarket. When I opened the box, I discovered many teabags that were not completely closed, lots of loose tea in the bottom of the box, and even teabags that were somehow attached to another tea bag. So, I did what any normal person would do - bitched and complained about it for about a week. Then, I decided to send an email to the company, informing them about the item I had purchased. I wasn't in it for money or to be pissy. I just thought, as a large company, that they should know if their product has a significant problem. I received an email back from a customer service representative saying that she would pass this on to quality assurance, thank you very much. I didn't think twice about it.
Today, I opened my front door and discovered a box that must have been delivered and left on my doorstep. I opened the box and found, to my total surprise, two boxes of tea! Thank you Bromley! You now have a dedicated customer for life.
Posted by Cate at 02:09 PM | Comments (5)
May 11, 2005
Baking Day
I am going to make Youngestsafe doughnuts. I've found a very yummy mix from Miss Roben (a great allergy grocer. I highly recommend them!) I've got the dough all prepped and cooling in the fridge. I also decided to make a batch of polenta. So, that's all whipped up and cooling in one of my casserole dishes. Man, my arm is sore from whisking for six minutes. I am going to cut the polenta into squares and fry them up later. Mmmm!
I was curious about polenta and if it was the same thing as grits. I found a great website: Grits.com. They explain how grits become, well, grits. There is also a recipe for sweet tea which I think I am going to try. I also found this site: What is the difference between polenta and grits?. They are some very tasty looking recipes there too.
Yum.
Posted by Cate at 10:25 AM | Comments (5)
May 05, 2005
Shopping
Youngestand I are heading to the supermarket and butcher shop. Oh, and also the post office too. Puffy and Susan - keep an eye out on your mail!
Posted by Cate at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2005
Coke with Lime - Verdict
Pretty tasty indeed! I think I would purchase this drink again.
Posted by Cate at 02:07 PM | Comments (10)
February 10, 2005
Dad's cooking tonight
The girls love when Husband cooks - it's Mickey Dee's tonight. I'm having a salad and then going to lay down.
I scored an appointment with the allergist for Youngesttomorrow at 1240pm. I called all the troop parents and cancelled the meeting. Tomorrow will be my day of rest.
Posted by Cate at 05:13 PM | Comments (4)
White Castle and Candlelight?
Personally, I think it's an awesome idea. I wish they did this in the Jersey White Castles! Romantic doesn't always mean expensive. Husband and I have eaten at many many different restaurants, both expensive and inexpensive, and all that mattered to me was the company. Sure, it's a bonus if the food is good too but we've had awesome meals at the diner and crappy meals at a very pricy restaurant. My moral - spend the evening with the person you love.
Got a steamy night planned for St. Valentine's Day? White Castle offers customers the opportunity to crave some love while they love the crave at eight Indianapolis area locations on Monday, February 14.
Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., cravers will be greeted at the door by a host and taken to their own candle-lit table with decorations and table covers. They will receive table service complete with wait staff. Reservations are required.
"We hear many stories from married cravers for whom White Castle is a special part of their lives together, be it because they met at a White Castle or because when they were young it was a fun place to go that they could afford and it has remained so for them. With this history of 'royal' love affairs, a special Valentine's Day dinner at White Castle is a natural fit," said Sandy Miller, area supervisor in Indianapolis. "This is the first year we have offered reserved seating for Valentine's Day dinners. It is our pleasure to offer this fun event for our loyal customers."
Posted by Cate at 07:51 AM | Comments (4)
December 22, 2004
Deeee-licious!
I am baking 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies. Yum. My house smells Oh.So.Yummy. I am giving some to my chiro today for his Christmas present.
He is one lucky man. Heh.
Posted by Cate at 12:18 PM | Comments (1)
December 12, 2004
Yummmy
On the way home from Mom's place, I stopped at the St*rbucks in Wall Township and treated myself to a peppermint hot chocolate. A venti peppermint hot chocolate. Goodness gracious - I swear those things are laced with crack. I am not a St*rbucks fan at all but I had to have one.
Just one.
Posted by Cate at 04:56 PM | Comments (2)
September 26, 2004
Damn jingle
What the hell is a riblet? And why is Applebee's so excited about it? Why is that commercial jingle stuck in my head??
Arrgghh!
Posted by Cate at 06:51 PM | Comments (3)
July 08, 2004
Pre-dinner post
I just realized that I am out of sloppy joe mix. DUH! P is going to the store for me now.
M got a bunch of stuff from my Mom and Dan. A lot of horse things - books, a beach towel, magnets and a horse facts game. Oy - I am sick of horses! P and I got her a Kim Possible game boy game, two Bratz dolls (yeah - I hate 'em too but she loves them), two My Little Ponies, a SpongeBob t-shirt and a couple other little things.
My Blue Man Group dvd showed up today. The girls LOVED it - jumping all around and dancing. It was so funny to watch them really enjoy the music. There is one song - So In Love that the girls really like. A lot. The video is on the BlueMan website and we watched several times. So, when it appeared in the video, the kids flipped out and started singing along with Annette Strean of <a href="http://www.venushum.com/venushum/home/"target=_blank>Venus Hum</a>. She has one kickass voice.
Well, off to finish cooking the beef while I am waiting for P to come back home.
Posted by Cate at 06:01 PM | Comments (2)
June 16, 2004
Dinner of Champions
P's getting a steak dinner .. as soon as he gets here!
Yum.
Posted by Cate at 05:37 PM | Comments (2)
April 14, 2004
Grape Nuts
They are neither grapes or nuts. So, why call them Grape Nuts?
Posted by Cate at 09:07 AM | Comments (7)
March 02, 2004
Interesting
I am getting my crockpot set up for dinner tonight (sauce and meatballs). I pulled some frozen tomato sauce and sausages out of my freezer, opened up the plastic container and find this:
I guess I filled the container so full that, while in the freezing process, the lid must have been pressing against the sauce. Weird!
Posted by Cate at 09:00 AM | Comments (1)
February 18, 2004
Lemon Extract
My kingdom for lemon extract.
M wants to make a particular kind of sugar cookie for the troop cookie bake-off this Friday. I am still half out of with a slight fever and not wanting to drag two kids to the supermarket with me. Gee, can you blame me? Luckily, P called me a few minutes ago and is graciously stopping at the store for me.
He just rocks my socks.
Posted by Cate at 04:33 PM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2004
Picky
M at dinner:
<i>"I don't mind if the chicken touches my rice if I am making room for my condiments"</i>
Posted by Cate at 06:11 PM | Comments (2)
February 11, 2004
Batch one finished
Well - two dozen cupcakes down. Two dozen more to go!
Posted by Cate at 02:29 PM | Comments (5)
Cupcakes
I volunteered to make cupcakes for O's class party tomorrow. All of the other food that was going to be at the party is completely unsafe for her. I have this great chocolate cake recipe that can be adapted to cupcakes. Yummy. I ma glad I found a good recipe since I can't just buy the instant mixes anymore. They have too many things that she can't eat. Besides, those mixes suck. ::grin::
Posted by Cate at 09:36 AM | Comments (3)
January 10, 2004
I'm cookin'!
Ok - the two 9" cakes were done last night. I baked 16 cupcakes and four mini-cakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head. I'll dust that with powdered sugar and I am going to make a double batch of icing. I found a great recipe for it and it looks yummy.
Baking without dairy products, eggs or nuts is not hard. It just takes some research and the willingness to try some different ingredients mixed together. I can guarantee that my cakes and cookies do NOT taste like crap. Sure - I wish I could make cakes with three eggs and a load of buttercream or real whipped cream icing. I would love to let O eat one of those ice cream cakes. But, right now, we can't. No big deal.
I am off to finish baking.
Posted by Cate at 10:49 AM | Comments (2)
December 24, 2003
C is for cookie
Mmmm - I am almost done with the cookies. Pumpkin pie is next and I am going to make a couple loaves of bread too.
Yum.
Posted by Cate at 01:55 PM | Comments (3)
December 23, 2003
Done for now
I'm back from the butcher shop. I have my Christmas meat ::grin:: It was pretty crowded so I was pretty glad I am able to phone in my order. They rock. The kids conned me into buying them each a small bag of chips and a bottle of soda. Why not? They were thrilled. I usually tell them no. I also grabbed four pounds of fresh sweet sausage (no fennel) for the kids and Husband. I always put it in my sauce - the flavorings are so good! Yum.
Speaking of sauce, Youngestrequested spaghetti, meatballs and sausage for her birthday dinner (12/30). I was also told to make garlic bread too. LOL. Silly kid.
I can't believe my baby is going to be FOUR ::sniffle:: in just a few days.
Posted by Cate at 01:42 PM | Comments (3)
December 22, 2003
Yikes!
The girls and I went food shopping today. Good LORD! The supermarket was PACKED!! When we finally finished and in line to check out, M pipes up "MOM! We forgot to pick up the cheese from the deli!"
::note - our deli has those electronic order machines so you don't have to wait in line to place your deli order:: ARGH! I was so annoyed but there was NO way I was getting out of line for cheese. So, I will order it from the butcher tomorrow when I order all the cold cuts for Christmas Day. My Mom, her boyfriend, my brother and his girlfriend are coming down Christmas Day. We usually do an all day lunch - deli, cakes, cookies, veggies, etc. Mom is bringing shrimp (EWEWEW) and apple pie. Mmmm. Pie. I am making pumpkin pie too. Plus we will have pumpkin bread and other yummies.
Eldest has tae kwon do today and next Monday. The place will be closed this Wednesday and also on New Year's Eve. Speaking of New Year's Eve, anyone have any plans?? We are going to let Eldest stay up again this year. Heck - she barely made it last year. I will make a HUGE bucket o'popcorn and we can snack all night long. LOL.
Posted by Cate at 02:45 PM | Comments (4)
December 17, 2003
Bakin' cookies
Mmmm - chocolate chips....
Posted by Cate at 10:46 PM | Comments (7)
December 11, 2003
Onions
I hate cutting up onions. I always cry - the chemicals causes my eyes to tear up BIG time. Some tricks as to how to avoid those pesky tears:
<a href="http://saramoulton.com/ks_082102.htm">Sara Moulton - the Kitchen Shrink</a>
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2153308.stm">The "No More Tears" Onion</a>
OR
read these:
<a href="http://www.theonion.com/index.php?show_p=2">The Onion</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0688118623/qid=1071167778//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i0_xgl14/103-8252253-1281462?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Onion Tears</a> instead.
Posted by Cate at 01:37 PM | Comments (1)
December 02, 2003
Lunch
Mmmm - stuffing and a garden salad. Yummy.
Posted by Cate at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2003
Mmmm - pie
Well - my two pumpkin pies are in the oven. The girls are drooling already. They want to eat them tonight.
I caved in and put on Christmas music. The girls love "Dominic the Donkey". Umm - ok.
Posted by Cate at 03:26 PM | Comments (5)
November 25, 2003
Food
Mmmm - I just pulled out a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I also made my tomato sauce and it's simmering on the stove now. My house smells yummy!
Posted by Cate at 02:52 PM | Comments (8)
November 06, 2003
Flashback
We gave the girls poprocks tonight. M flipped - didn't like them at all. O, on the other hand, LOVED them. LOL! I had some too. I was thinking about washing them down with a Coke but I didn't <a href="http://www.poprockscandy.com/history.html">want to explode.</a>
Heh.
Posted by Cate at 08:37 PM | Comments (6)
September 30, 2003
Cuppa tea
I decided to make myself a cup of tea this morning. It <i>felt</i> like a tea kind of day. Earl Grey. Hot.
<i>yes - I was too lazy to make a pot of coffee</i>
Posted by Cate at 09:37 AM | Comments (1)
August 28, 2003
Mmm - cake
<img alt="birthday cake" src="http://sugar-plum.net/kate/archives/P8280198.JPG" width="416" height="411" border="0" />
Posted by Cate at 12:30 PM | Comments (10)
Recipe
<a href="http://javamama.net">Allison</a> asked me about the recipe so I thought I would share it here.
recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970278500/qid%3D1062085067/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-3868046-8037713"target=_blank>What's to Eat? by Linda Marienhoff Coss</a>
Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips - divided use
(the rest of the recipe is in the extended entry)
Preheat oven to 350F. Using shortening, grease and then flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.
Place flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add water, vinegar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; beat with wire whisk until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, Gently stir in remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Bake an additional 45 minutes, until cake is golden brown and wooden pick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto serving dish. Cool until room temperature.
Posted by Cate at 11:35 AM | Comments (2)
Cake in the oven
Well - the cake is baking. In ten minutes, I have to add a half cup of chocolate chips to the recipe. Yum.
<i>update - the chips have been added</i>
Posted by Cate at 11:06 AM | Comments (1)
July 12, 2003
Baking
Mmmmm. My house smells delicious. Chocolate cake anyone?
Posted by Cate at 12:28 AM | Comments (6)
March 20, 2003
I love these!
<img alt="Smiles" src="http://sugar-plum.net/kate/P3200003.JPG" width="384" height="288" border="0" />
Aren't they the <i>cutest</i>???
Posted by Cate at 06:35 PM | Comments (8)