Foodie City Mom

12 Memorial Day Recipes

Kimberly Coleman — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:13:11 +0000

Do you have any fun plans to celebrate Memorial Day 2012? While the day is traditionally a time to think about those who have died in service to our country, food plays a huge part in the celebrations surrounding the day. This year, Memorial Day falls on my father-in-law’s birthday, so we will be celebrating with him. (When my husband asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he replied that he only wanted me to cook for him…specifically requesting my sweet potato pie as his birthday dessert. How sweet is that?!) Just in case you need to bring something to a picnic or cookout this weekend, below are 12 of my favorite Foodie City Mom recipes. Enjoy!

Appetizer, Dip & Salsa
1. Simple Deviled Eggs Recipe

2.Pico de gallo Guacamole
3. Mango Peach Salsa “with a kick”

Salads & Sides
4. Watermelon Feta Salad

5. Healthy Coleslaw

6. Pesto Pasta

7. Summer Salad with Mint Peach Dressing

Burgers

8. Hidden Valley Ranch Turkey Burgers Recipe

9. The best homemade turkey burgers (and second best beef burgers*)

Desserts
10. “Best Apple Pie Ever” recipe

11. Blueberry Cobbler Recipe

12. Red, White and Blue Cupcakes

How to cook black beans in a crockpot

Kimberly Coleman — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:47:15 +0000

We eat black beans at our home pretty frequently. I use them in my “everything but the kitchen sink” chili and now that we are doing “Mexican Tuesdays”, we eat them practically every Tuesday. Canned black beans are fine, but I love cooking them in the crockpot best of all. It’s simple and quick (in regards to the actual amount of time that you are handling the beans). Black beans also freeze well, so one pot lasts a couple of weeks. Since I usually use Goya black beans, I only add water and salt…like the ingredients of the canned Goya black beans. They come out tasting great and I can always add extra seasonings (seasoned salt, pepper, garlic, onions, cilantro, etc.) to smaller batches of the beans if I want to eat them alone/not in a chili, salsa or burrito.

Basic Crockpot Black Beans

Ingredients:

1 lb bag of dry black beans
2 tsp of salt
4 cups water

Directions:

Pick out any foreign items (small stones, etc.) from the beans and place them in a large bowl or pot filled with 4 cups of cold water overnight.
The next morning, drain the beans and rinse them with fresh cold water.
Place the beans in the crockpot along with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the beans in the crockpot on a low setting for 8 hours. (At the 4-hour point, add the other teaspoon of salt.)

That’s it. Enjoy!

The paparazzi don’t have anything on the parentrazzi

Kimberly Coleman — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:53:28 +0000

I’ll admit it…I have shaken my head at some of the stunts pulled by the paparazzi in the past. Hiding in bushes, camping out across the street from celebrity homes and such in order to get “candid” photos all seem to be pretty silly, annoying actions. I take back my entire mean “get your life” themed thoughts. At least the paparazzi have the hope of possibly getting paid for the photos that they take. I’m worse…along with the other parentrazzi, I realize that I do ridiculous things to capture “candid” shots of my kids! Yesterday, was the perfect example…

It was Spirit Day at Michael’s school. Each year, the kids wear their school tees or hats and participate in relay style games in the outdoor courtyard on this day. We parents are allowed to come and witness this behind the fence that encloses the school play area. (Behind the fence…it’s such a city thing!) Anyway, it has been raining most of the week, so we were not sure if Spirit Day was actually going to take place outside after all, but it did. Sean had finished pre-k for the day, so I took him along with me to stand behind the gates.

Sure enough, it started raining during the games. You would think that would be the end of it…but no. The kids were having a blast, so younger siblings and we parents stayed out in the rain, cheering them on. Several of us parents were taking photos through the holes in the fence, in the rain. It’s official: having kids makes you insane…even if they do look super cute running around cones !

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Ice Pack Kid

Kimberly Coleman — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:02:05 +0000

I don’t know what is going on with Sean this week. He is a little accident magnet. When I came home from my birthday dinner on Monday night, Reggie casually mentioned that he had fallen off the bed after playing around. The next morning I realized that he had fallen on his head – because there was a dark red bruise on his forehead and the side of his face. THEN, he hit his head on a metal box at the edge of the sidewalk on our way home after picking Michael up from karate class yesterday. That led to a little knot on the top of his head! He fell asleep last night with an ice pack on his head. Two accidents in two days…he just needs to sit his little self down today!

Recommended: Alpha Fusion NYC

Kimberly Coleman — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:02:24 +0000

Last night, several girlfriends took me out for a surprise birthday dinner at Alpha Fusion in Manhattan. The location is central (34th Street and 8th Avenue). The food (Thai, Chinese and Japanese Fusion) was delicious and reasonable, so I’m sharing some of the highlight photos with you. I’ll be going back…

Pairing Cheese with Food and Wine

Kimberly Coleman — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:21:18 +0000

Last Friday, I attended a media preview of the Cheeses of France pop-up cafe down on Bleecker street in Manhattan. While there, I was able to sample some amazing dishes with a French “flair”. My favorite was the macaroni and cheese and I will be sharing that recipe (along with a video of Top Chef contestant Ash Fulk preparing it at the event) later this week. After sampling a variety of cheeses, watching a food sculptor named Krai create cheese “art” and seeing a demo of a cheese dish, I left channelling Steve Urkelish by the end of the night: “Got any cheese?”

In any event, I picked up some great tips on cheese pairings courtesy of the Cheeses of France….

Pairing Cheese with Food

Include figs, blackberries, golden raisins, and dried apricots for a sweet, exotic complement.
Add a healthy crunch with a variety of nuts.
Go gourmet with quince paste, plum butter, or chutney on the side.
Drizzle a little honey on pungent cheeses for a dash of sweetness.
Offer toast points, fruit and nut crostini, or thin slices from a baguette.
If serving crackers, select mild styles that won’t compete with the cheese.
Slice apples or pears into thin wedges and arrange with selected cheeses.

Pairing Cheese with Wines

French wines, red and white, from the same region as your cheeses are a natural choice. But there are many options from other countries, so experiment!
In general, pair a mild cheese with a lighter, milder wine and a more robust, stronger cheese with a bolder wine.
With triple-crèmes, sparkling wines work well, or light to medium reds made with Gamay or Pinot Noir; and whites made with Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay.
Coated-rind cheeses like Camembert and Brie pair well with light to medium reds.
Wash-rind cheeses like Epoisses, Livarots, and Munsters pair well with medium-bodied, sweeter whites; and reds such as Grenache blends.
Firmer pressed cheese like Tomme de Savoie goes well with medium to full-bodied whites or light to medium reds. Sweeter wines can pair well too.
With bleus, sweeter wines work best. Ports, Madeiras, Sauternes, and sherries made with Moscatel or Ximenez work well, or for red try Cabernet Sauvignon. Even some Chardonnays can be successful.
Beer, cider, coffee, and liqueurs can also complement French cheese.

Free Slurpee Day is tomorrow (May 23rd)

Kimberly Coleman — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:04:18 +0000

{Post image courtesy of 7-Eleven.com}

An Extraordinary Life: Thoughts on Turning 39

Kimberly Coleman — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:40:40 +0000

“To live an extraordinary life, you must resist the ordinary.”
-Frank McKinney

“What does an extraordinary life look like to you?” This is one of the questions that mentor/coach/advisor Carrie Wilkerson asks in her audiobook, The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss and Achieving Financial Freedom. I have been listening to her book for the last couple of weeks to gain inspiration for the next “chapter” of my life. While I still don’t know exactly what I want to do, I’m much clearer on what I don’t want to do. That’s half of the battle right? The one thing that I love the most about this book is that it has helped me to appreciate even more how extraordinary my life is. I am already experiencing the things that make life extraordinary to me.

It’s not that my life is “perfect”. It’s not even that there are not areas that I both want and need to grow in (i.e. fitness and finances, the two areas of growth that I will especially be focusing on this 39^th year of life). Rather, it’s that I’m grateful for the life that I have. I get to love and be loved by God, my husband, my kids, family and friends every day. I get to wake up and go to sleep next to a husband who is my best friend, confidante, dream sharer…and many other things. I get to start most days walking my bright, funny boys to school. This is one of my favorite things to do (not so much on rainy days like today, but usually!) before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Most nights of the week, I get to eat and laugh over dinner with “my guys” and any other friend or family member who happens to stop by. I get to serve the women in the Singles ministry of my church. (The post image is of a small group of the ladies who surprised me with a delicious dinner tonight. As they went around sharing sweet things about me, my heart was full. They inspire me to actually become that woman whom they were talking about !)

On top of all that goodness, I have been so fortunate to be able to build a career based on my dreams at every stage of my life. Investment banking was a fun challenge in my single days. Business analysis and sales development were great when I was married without kids. However, the most fulfilling “work” role – the only one that I haven’t gotten bored of after 2 years – has been “Michael and Sean’s mom”. (That’s what my sons’ little school friends call me.) The icing on the cake has been the fact that I have been able to make parenting my business with paid writing assignments, brand work and such. Best of all, I have purposefully been able to work around my family’s schedule. We really like spending as much time together as possible, so this has been a special gift. It’s a joy, not a chore, to be around my husband and kids…well, 95%+ of the time anyway!

You might have noticed that I use the phrase “get to” a lot. What is a “get to” for me might be a burdensome “have to” for someone else. That is why having an “extraordinary life” is such a subjective thing. However, I love my current reality and can honestly say that I wouldn’t trade places with anyone else. (Better the crazy that I know than the crazy that I don’t!) I’m living an extraordinary life and I hope that you feel the same about your life too!

My Little Avengers

Kimberly Coleman — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:48:04 +0000

My entire family enjoyed Marvel’s The Avengers when we went to see it with a group of friends during its opening weekend. That is why I couldn’t resist buying these cute little shirts while shopping online at Children’s Place. (They were only $8.50, down from $12.95.) The kids LOVED them. They promptly tossed aside everything else that was in the box and begged to wear their new tees immediately. If you have or know anyone who has a kid that liked the movie, this would make an inexpensive gift even at full retail price….

Too bad that the tees don’t come in sizes for men…Reggie wants one . Now, I am looking for a cool Captain America (the character that Reggie identifies with the most in the movie) tee to buy for part of Reggie’s Father’s Day gift. If you see, a super cool (not “cute”) one that is reasonably priced, please let me know. Thanks!

How to make pico de gallo guacamole

Kimberly Coleman — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:31:23 +0000

I have had guacamole on the brain for the last couple of weeks. Since we have started Taco/Mexican Tuesday night dinners at our home, I have been learning such delicious new recipes. (I have a recipe for simple crockpot black bean and a super-easy, super-delicious 4-ingredient salsa that I have made. I will share them by the end of the month.) Today, I want to share a guacamole recipe…and my process for coming up with foods that both my family and I enjoy. (Cooking really isn’t that complicated!)

As you may know, I have a somewhat obsessive personality. Once something gets “stuck” in my mind, I just have to figure it out. That’s what happened with my desire for a great, homemade guacamole. I didn’t grow up eating guacamole, so I went to my local grocery store and looked at the ingredients on the pre-packaged guacamoles. (When I can’t pronounce the ingredients, I move on!) I was pleasantly surprised to find Calavo’s guacamole with 8 real ingredients: Hass Avocados, Tomato, Onion, Jalapeno Pepper, Salt, Cilantro, and Garlic. Since I had (and enjoy!) 6 of the 8 ingredients in my home already, I decided that this was the type of guacamole that I would make. So, I bought a couple of Mexican avocadoes (since Chef Aarón Sanchez said that they are the best to use) and some jalapeno peppers. I was all set. Well almost…avocadoes are hard when you buy them. You need to keep them in a brown bag for 5 days or so before they are ready to be used.

Finally, the avocadoes were ripe enough for me to make guacamole yesterday. I knew what I wanted to put into my guacamole, but I still needed to figure out the amounts to use. I put all of the ingredients into my google search bar to see which recipes popped up. (I usually look at the first 5 to see what commonalities they have and start experimenting from there.) This time, I couldn’t find any recipe with all of the ingredients, but a Martha Stewart one came close. I have changed several things including adding an extra half of an avocado (the flavors were too strong with just 1) and garlic; including all of the tomato; and the preparation (I’m simple – no special tools, besides the back of a spoon, are needed to mix this guacamole together. Also, I like my guacamole to be a little more substantial, so I don’t finely chop anything…except for the jalapeno and garlic!) In any event, I loved, loved, loved the final result. Michael (the only other avocado eater in my home) did too. It’s the second best guacamole that I have tasted. Chef Aarón Sanchez‘s guacamole at Centrico is still the best. Oh, well…here you go:

Pico De Gallo Guacamole
Adapted from Classic Mexican Guacamole from Martha Stewart Recipes
Yield: Approximately 1½ cup

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ ripe Mexican Hass avocado, peeled, pitted and lightly mashed
• 3 tbsp tomato, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 1/4 tsp jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

2. Use immediately or as another option, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the guacamole for 30 minutes before serving.