Sandwich Showdown- New York Food and Wine with @udisglutenfree @I_LOVE_NY

October 24, 2012 by 18 Comments

Come one, come all to one of the most fun you can have with two slices of bread. This past Sunday The Whole Foods Market’s Sandwich Showdown was held with Jeff Mauro. Jeff Mauro is the sandwich king from Food Network, and can make one awesome sandwich. This event was held to help raise money for various charities. This event was all about the sandwiches. There were more then fifteen sandwiches to try, with just about every ingredient imaginable, from Turkey to Pastrami, to Porchetta and even gluten free cookies from Udi’s Gluten free, and three varieties of ice cream sandwiches, all of which were delicious.

Upon walking in, each guest is given a wooden chip to cast their vote for the best sandwich available. The only sad point was when realizing the event was over, not because of a timer running down, but because of a lack of space in your stomach. With all the sandwich crafters available, we could talk for hours about every sandwich available and the wonderful wine bar as well, but instead we will highlight some of the stand-out sandwiches.

The afternoon began with an incredible Kobe Patty Melt, by Marble Lane. These little beauties were absolutely mouth watering. A burger made of Kobe beef melting in your mouth with caramelized onions, mushrooms and cheese. Starting with this sandwich set [Read more…]

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Tropical Coconut Bars

October 19, 2012 by 4 Comments

My kids love it when I make granola bars. They never come out the same so I’m always coming up with new variations and this one was a hit! Such a hit that they never even completely cool off . You can sub out the pineapple for other dried fruit, you can leave out the almonds, as well as the coconut but I hope you all try this version, my kids really enjoyed them! Perfect for after school or even breakfast for a busy on the go morning.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups uncooked old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup Butter, softened
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup dried pineapple (you can sub in other fruits)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional
1/4 cup coconut

Directions
Prepare your pan. 8×8 baking pan and line with [Read more…]

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Roast Pork with Sage and Cracked Peppercorns

October 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I don’t know why Fall makes me think of pork, or roasts, but I cook them more often and this is one that uses apple cider. Apple cider is Fall all the way! Easy recipe to throw together the night before , or the morning even. The pork needs to marinate for at least 12 hours and you could serve it with applesauce.

Ingredients

2 quarts apple cider

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup fresh sage, chopped up and divided

2 tablespoons freshly ground cracked peppercorns.

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 lbs boneless pork loin

Directions

Combine cider, salt and sage. Stir together in a bowl until the salt dissolved. I just stir and leave it for five minutes. Take the pork loin and place in a plastic bag. Pour your mixture over the [Read more…]

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Milkmakers Review and Giveaway #Cookies

October 8, 2012 by 22 Comments

 

I’m sure that you’ve at least heard of Milk Makers. They are an absolutely amazing company. Which is why I’m thrilled to do a review for you as well as to offer you a giveaway of their great product.

About Milk Makers

Milk Makers is a company that makes wonderful nutrient filled cookies for breastfeeding mothers. The founder of the company, Emily Kane started it as a means to find a solution to her new issues when trying to balance going back to work and nursing her daughter. Milk Makers are packed with great flavors and fresh ingredients, as well as supplements that help boost a milk supply for a breastfeeding mother. Some of the supplements that are added are brewer’s yeast, oats, and flax seeds. For about $1.50 a day, a mother can boost her milk supply by eating a great cookie!

My Thoughts

I was very excited to give Milk Makers a try. I was able to successfully breastfeed my other daughter up to a year. I am not going to say that it was easy, as I am also a working mother! I It did get very tricky to be able to pump enough at work to compensate what [Read more…]

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Homemade Coffee Creamer

October 3, 2012 by 14 Comments

Coffee, let’s face it. It’s a must! What goes better with coffee than a cookie? No this isn’t going to be a cookie recipe, it’s Homemade Coffee Creamer! You’ll have to add the cookie in afterwards if you really want it 🙂

I used to run out of creamer all the time but skimmed through a frugal cookbook to come across the easiest ever recipe. Why didn’t I think of making it myself before? No clue, now though I have fresh cream to my own liking.

You can add different flavors, like caramel or french vanilla, add some mint in there if it floats your boat! Use skim, half or whole milk. You decide what goes into your creamer and be happy with it. On with the recipe!
[Read more…]

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Food Myths Debunked

October 1, 2012 by 1 Comment

Over the years we have all heard advice related to food safety and preparation, much of it from word of mouth, or a simple Google search online. But how much of what we hear and read is actually true?
To help consumers protect themselves and their families from food poisoning, the Ad Council, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, FDA and CDC and their Food Safe Families campaign as well as the Partnership for Food Safety Education are setting the record straight on food safety to save you time, money and most importantly, peace of mind, that your food is safe for [Read more…]

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National Coffee Day with Eight O’Clock Coffee

September 29, 2012 by 2 Comments

In honor of National Coffee Day on September 29th, Eight O’Clock Coffee, America’s Original Gourmet Coffee,is demystifying coffee jargon—and explaining how to make a great-tasting specialty coffee drink at home, no fancy machines needed. Behold, your guide to creating a cafécoffee experience right in your own kitchen, courtesy of Eight O’Clock Coffee!


 Latte- Traditionally, this is made using espresso and foamed milk. The milk to coffee ratio is 3:1.

  • Make It At Home! Use a strong coffee, like Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, and brew regularly. Pour some milk into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk milk as it heats to make it frothy. Pour some of the coffee into a mug, add some hot liquid milk and spoon the foamed milk on top.


Café Mocha- This is simply a latte with some type of chocolate flavor added in.

  • Make It At Home! Prepare using the latte instructions. Before adding the coffee and milk, pour 2/3 cup of hot chocolate mix into the bottom of the mug, add coffee and milk and stir until the mix has dissolved.


Café au Lait- Similar to a latte, but usually uses strong brewed coffee instead of espresso and has a 1:1 ratio of coffee to milk.

  • Make It At Home! Brew Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Dark Italian Roast, steam the milk and add equal parts milk (add this first) and coffee to your mug.


Cappuccino- Usually made with equal parts espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk.

  • Make It At Home! Follow the same instructions as the latte, but pour equal parts coffee and steamed milk into the mug and top with frothed milk. It’s great with cinnamon or chocolate sprinkled on.


Macchiato- A traditional macchiato is a shot of espresso with a bit of milk foam. We usually think of the caramel macchiato, which is very popular at coffee [Read more…]

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Baked Fingerling Potatoes

September 26, 2012 by 9 Comments

My family loves these tasty fingerling potatoes! Fingerling potatoes are so easy to deal with, and I’ve found they are just about the only ones my kids will eat that don’t have to be made into mashed potatoes. Why, I have no clue, don’t bother asking at this point. You can lightly season these, grill, bake, steam you name it and they will come out perfectly each time.

Ingredients

1 lb fingerling potatoes

1/3 cup parsley chopped (should be fresh)

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 tbsp butter

1 garlic glove minced finely

1/2 tbsp chopped thyme

1/2 cup virgin olive oil

1-3 tablespoons water (or even chicken broth if you have it)

 

Directions

Preheat Oven to 350F

Line baking pan with foil and drip some of the oil onto the bottom . Wash and scrub the potatoes. Line the pan with the potatoes and drizzle [Read more…]

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