I’m excited to write this post today and tell you about this amazing cookbook collection.

For a limited time, I am offering 20 cookbooks on a CD-Rom with
Free Shipping!

THE ULTIMATE COOKBOOK COLLECTION ON CD

Every order also includes some exciting bonuses.

For only $20, I will ship you a CD with 20 cookbooks including:

Amazing Appetizers, 300 Chicken Recipes, Tried & True Beef Recipes,
Cakes +, Chili Cookbook, Chinese Style Cooking, Ultimate Salad
Recipe Collection, Cookies & Bars, Dessert Recipes, 101 Deep Fryer
Recipes, Marinade Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Pressure Cooker Recipes,
Quick & Easy Recipes, Complete Soup Cookbook, Thanksgiving Recipes,
Low Fat Recipes, Vodka Drink Recipes, Cranberry Cookbook, 21 Summer
Drink Recipes

Learn more about this collection and order now:
http://www.20cookbooks.com

***I must warn you, these will sell out quickly. I only have
93 available.***

ORDER NOW: http://www.20cookbooks.com

Kind Regards,

Tom

This weekend, Katie and I had a wonderful tropical cocktail down at the beach hut by our apartment. A perfect drink for sitting in the sun on these last Summer days we have left. The lava flow is a combination of fresh strawberry puree, fresh banana, pineapple juice and rum.

1 1/2oz. Light Rum
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
1/2 Banana
1/4 cup Strawberry Puree (recipe below)
1/2 cup crushed ice

Combine all ingredients in an electric blender with the a cup ice. Blend 20 – 30 seconds. Pour strawberry puree into a hurricane or Tom Collins glass. Top with the blended mixture.

Serves 1

Strawberry Puree

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
water as needed

Mash strawberries and sugar together and heat in a sauce pan over medium heat. stir until blended and syrupy, add water if it is too stiff. Let cool.

1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt
pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon honey

Gravy:
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Wondra Flour
1/2 cup water

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes
6 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cream

To prepare the chicken, first rinse the chicken inside and out and pat it dry. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. In the bottom of a roasting pan, add the onion, celery, carrots and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Place the chicken on a rack over the vegetables in the roasting pan. Place in a 350 degrees F oven. Cook for about an hour or until cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, baste it with the pan juices periodically. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, take the other 1/2 cup of chicken broth and mix it with the honey and brush it over the chicken. When cooked through, remove from oven, let stand a few minutes before carving and serving.

To prepare the gravy, place the roasting pan over a burner set to medium heat. Add one cup chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Strain the liquid into a saucepan and discard the veggies. Mix together the water and Wondra flour in a separate bowl, then add it to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the gravy thickens.

To prepare the potatoes, start by boiling the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, take the garlic cloves and toss them with the olive oil then wrap them in foil. Place the foil packet in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the butter, cream, salt, pepper and roasted garlic and then smash the potatoes with a potato masher or large fork/spoon. You want it to be smooth but with some chunks in it still.

Serves 6

It has been awhile since I ran a giveaway on here and since I was recently given a few non-stick skillets to try out, I figured I would offer it to my readers. I have been using one of these skillets for the past week and I have been very happy with how my food doesn’t stick which allows me to use less butter and oil. The non-stick pan also makes for easy clean up.

It is super easy to enter into this giveaway. Just visit the contest page.

One lucky winner will receive a 10-inch Non-Stick Teflon Skillet.

The winner will be selected at random on Monday, September 6, 2010.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER NOW

Katie gave me the night off on Tuesday and she prepared a delicious tortellini salad. It came out perfect! While I do love to cook, it’s always nice to sit back now and again and enjoy someone else cooking.

12 oz frozen tri-color cheese tortellini
6 oz tri-color Fiori pasta
1 cup diced cooked ham
1/2 red onion, diced fine
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups diced Jarlsberg cheese
1/2 cup Good Seasons Italian Dressing

Cook the pastas according to package directions. Drain and rinse to cool off. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well until evenly coated with the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8-10

Last Friday after work, Katie and I decided to make a batch of Hummus with pita bread. As we got to work we decided to add a couple twists to the standard recipe. We ended up with 3 different kinds of hummus along with fried and un-fried pita wedges.

4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Variations:
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
or
1/2 cup roasted red pepper

Pita bread
oil, for frying

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If it is too thick, you can add a little extra water. You can also add in artichokes or roasted red pepper for even more flavor.

We made the whole batch and then divided it into 3. We then blended roasted red pepper into one and then the artichokes in another. We left the third one plain.

To make the pita wedges, take a round pita and use a knife to cut them into wedges. Place half of the wedges on a serving dish. The other half, fry in oil for about 30-40 seconds on each side or until lightly browned. Let drain on paper towels and then add them to the serving dish.

Many times I’ve walked the produce section of the supermarket and seen these large, round and yellow squash called Spaghetti Squash, but having never eating it, I always overlooked it. I love all kinds of squash, so why not this one ? Well this past week Katie and I picked up a spaghetti squash and yesterday we finally made it. I must say, it was pretty good. I sauteed the spaghetti squash in some butter and fresh herbs and it was quite nice. Next time I want to try it with tomato sauce. Seems like a great way to get kids to eat veggies.

1 spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Use a sharp knife and carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place the cut side down, in a baking dish. Add enough water to cover 1/2-inch up the sides, cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 45 minutes. Turn squash over and cover again and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Using a fork, carefully pull the strands of squash away from the peel and place into a bowl.
Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter, spaghetti squash, basil, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and toss to heat and combine. Serve immediately.

I’ve had a surplus of fresh veggies in my refrigerator, so I decided to use them all today in my fried rice recipe. Of course you can use frozen vegetables, but nothing compares to the taste of fresh ingredients. I didn’t use any egg in this fried rice recipe, so it is perfect for you vegetarians out there.

3 cups white rice (cooked)
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup carrots, chopped
3/4 cup green beans, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small red chili pepper, chopped
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Cook your rice ahead of time according to the package directions and set aside. In a wok heat sesame oil. Add carrots, onions, chili pepper and garlic and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes or until the carrots begin to become tender. Add in the green beans and squash and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the rice and soy sauce and stir fry for another minute or until heated thoroughly.

Serves 4-6

I have too many blueberries! I froze a bunch of them, but decided to make a blueberry pie with the rest since it wasn’t uncomfortably hot out today.

1 9-inch frozen pie crust
4 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup water

Place half of the blueberries in the pie crust. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt and water. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add butter. Pour over the berries in the pie crust. Let cool and then serve with whipped cream.

Today I have a guest post from Laura Soderberg at Find Nutrition Supplements.

IBS Background Check

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder that mainly affects people with bad eating habits. There’s no certain cause of IBS but a person is diagnosed with IBS due to acute gastrointestinal infection that occasionally occurs in a bad case of food poisoning. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain that is relieved by a quick bowel movement and a bloated stomach. Basically, a person affected by IBS will not feel normal and will make more than needed trips to the bathroom.

Types of IBS Patients

* Diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D)
* Constipation-predominant (IBS-C)
* IBS with a regular stool pattern (IBS-A or pain-predominant)

The Fight against IBS

In a research conducted by the health organization, it has been found that IBS affects more women than men. The fight against IBS is often harder for a woman especially during her menstrual periods. IBS is basically the silent enemy attacking us when we least expect it. If not properly taken care of, IB patients may find themselves with a permanent back pain and other health problems.

For now, there’s no permanent cure for IBS but in cases where patients have no control over this disease, they are prescribed several medications by doctors such as stool softeners and laxatives to help reduce IBS symptoms. But medications alone won’t solve the problem. The problem can only be overcome with a good and healthy diet.

Healthy IBS Diet

Since there’s no cure for IBS, patients are advised to keep a healthy diet so as not to trigger the symptoms. Several IBS sufferers may find it hard to stick to the diet but there’s no other initiative to take when it comes to this. A healthy diet is the only option to keep IBS patients healthy, period! When observing a healthy IBS diet, patients of irritable bowel syndrome will be able to let the walls of their intestines grow stronger again. IBS patients are advised to note down their food intake in a diary so that they will be able to track down and know what food triggered their symptoms. Though the diet might go on for a long period of time, IBS patients will come to realize that it was a worthy sacrifice when they are able to live normal again.

Don’ts in an IBS Healthy Diet

It’s not possible to list down what are the foods that trigger the IBS symptoms as the reactions experienced from the IBS patients differ when it comes to consuming these foods. This is where the IBS food diary comes in hand.

Nevertheless, here are a few important instructions to follow for IBS patients on the road to a healthy diet. It is not necessary for every IBS patient to have the same reaction to the following foods.

Avoid

* Gassy Foods

It is important to avoid eating too much of food that will cause intestinal gas. The following forms part of the gassy food criteria:

* Vegetables (broccoli, artichokes, beans, cauliflower, green peppers, lentils, etc)
* Fruits (oranges, apples, raisins, prunes, bananas, etc)
* Milk Products (milk, cheese and anything containing milk)
* Whole Grains (barley, oat bran and wheat)
* Snack Foods (candies and gums with sorbitol, nuts and seeds)
* Caffeinated Drinks (coffee and sodas with caffeine)
* Carbonated Drinks (sodas)
* Fruit Juices (fructose, sucrose and sorbitol)

The foods mentioned here do not mean that IBS patients can’t take them but they should be able to know based on their experience on what they can or cannot take. If they are able to consume certain foods, they should do so moderately but if their system is not strong enough to take some of them then they should eliminate the intake of these foods in their diet until they are fit and strong enough to consume them.

Important Reminder

In order for a healthy diet to be effective on an IBS patient, certain daily habits such as chewing gum, smoking and heavy intake of alcohol should no longer be continued. Other than that, if a person affected by IBS is not confident of creating his/her own diet then he/she should consult a registered dietician for a proper suggestion.

Find Nutrition Supplements: http://www.findnutritionsupplements.com/