In Our Kitchen

Halloween Goodies

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Here are a few of the Halloween goodies my daughters made last weekend for their friends. I didn't have to lift a finger! I did have to wash a few dishes they left behind though. But that's ok, they had a great time with their friends.

There's no secret recipe for these goodies. Just some boxed cake mix and cream cheese frosting. I offered to buy the canned frosting too, but that was pushing their limits. lol! They vehemently said "NO WAY!" they think the frosting in tubs that you buy at the store is too sweet.

So, they made their own cream cheese frosting: two bars of cream cheese, one stick of butter and just enough confectioner's sugar to suit your sweet tooth.

The great thing about making the cream cheese frosting is, they could then color batches of it with different colors to get the desired result. They also used some of those cookie decorating gels that come in small tubes. That's how they got the pretty spider web design. Cute, huh?

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Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
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A Cook's Wish List

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:18:00 +0000

A cook's wish list is always evolving and expanding so if you have a cook on your Christmas list, make sure to get them the latest gadget but you've got to get good quality. Most cooks are particular about the utensils they use in the kitchen. They want high quality stuff even if they have to wait for years to get them.

One place to get some of the best quality cooking utensils at discount prices is Cooking.com. They carry some of the best brands like the Calphalon pots and pans pictured above, Forschner Victorinox, Viking, Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart and Swiss Diamond to name a few. They carry everything a kitchen could need from cookware, silverware, china to just about every kitchen gadget imaginable.

When you shop online, you now can find all sorts of deals including Cooking.com coupons. So start shopping early and save even more by avoiding high shipping costs.

Lenox & Twitter Moms Drinks of the Season

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:28:00 +0000

Lenox & TwitterMoms Drinks of the Season More Drinks of the Season Recipes

Lenox & Twittermoms - Winter Drinksgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Ever since the Harry Potter hoopla hit our house, and it's been going on over five years now, my girls have been obsessed with anything to do with Harry Potter. They've had the Bertie Bott's every flavored beans, for example. So you know that the butter beer experiment is not far behind. Ever since we've tried it, this has become a tradition of sorts in our house. They just have to have butter beer the night before Christmas. Here's the best recipe we've found so far. It's a cholesterol attack waiting to happen, but what the heck, you only have it once a year! That is if they don't ask for it on New Year's Eve :)

Ingredients:
1 pint vanilla ice cream (softened)
1/2 stick butter (softened)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 quart apple cider

Directions:
Cream butter, sugar and spices together. Beat in the vanilla ice cream. Re-freeze the mixture. Scoop out the frozen mixture into a glass. Pour hot Apple cider over the ice cream mixture.

Optional: add an ounce of rum for an adult treat.

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Awesome Halloween Ideas on Friends Eat

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:25:00 +0000

If you're still looking for cool Halloween treats ideas, Check out these Halloween Recipes for Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins on Friends Eat.

I think the finger cookies are cool but they are getting kind of old. Everyone has done them over and over again, same thing with the worm stuff. But these cute little tombstone brownies got my attention this time.

They look simple enough to make and who can resist brownies!

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Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Amazing Hotel Rates Across Asia Pacific

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Planning on an Asian Pacific vacation over the holidays? Accor, one of the leading hotel groups in the world is holding the Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific for hotel stays between December 9, 2009 to April 10, 2010. This campaign will run run for only 3 days, from Oct 27, 2009 to Oct 29, 2009.

If you book online before October 30. 2009, you can book luxury hotel rooms for as low as $30 per night. Accor has hotels in Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, HK, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, and Bali. Some of the hotel names under the Accor umbrella and therefore are all offering this 3-day Super Sale Asia Pacific are: Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons and Ibis hotels.

If you love Chinese food as much as I do (and what better reason to travel than to sample a country's cuisine and culture, right?), there is a China gastronome package where you can experience the rich and varied cuisine of China while staying in luxurious hotels such as the Sofitel Shanghai, Novotel Shanghai Atlantis or the Ibis Shanghai Lianyang. All these fine hotels are in the best neighborhoods to discover all the gastronomic finds in China.

A New Way of Cooking Sweet Potato Leaves

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:21:00 +0000

Wondering what kamote (sweet potato) leaves is? It's the tender tops from a sweet potato plant. Not many people realize that sweet potato 'greens' are edible and are actually very good for you. They are full of antioxidants that are supposed to be good for combating heart disease, diabetes, infections and some types of cancer. Whatever their health benefits are, there is no denying that the unique flavor of sweet potato leaves is delicious.

Normally, we prepare sweet potato leaves by simply blanching them and making what we call a Kamote salad by adding tomatoes and onions. I think that's the optimal way to prepare kamote leaves, but just for a change, I decided to make something else with the sweet potato leaves.

You can cook sweet potato leaves in every way you normally cook other greens. You can use it in soups and you can also stirfry it. The later is what we did with the last batch of sweet potato leaves we got from our garden. It's almost time to dig up the tubers so we're harvesting as much of the tender greens while we can.

Click here for the recipe for this stir fried sweet potato leaves.

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Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

POM Coffee

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:26:00 +0000

My daughters are teenagers now, 16 and 17 years old. They think they're grown and they think they're old enough to drink coffee. For a while, they had a love affair going with the mermaid's coffee shop until I told them they will have to start paying for their own. That's when they decided, "hey! there's other coffee out there that's just as good and doesn't cost my whole week's allowance!"

And since we're big coffee drinkers at home, they've also taken to drinking OUR home brewed coffee. Yeah, they think they're grown...

Now they have a new obsession. Ever since we were sent samples of these POM iced coffees to try out, they have been getting a supply of them every time we go to the grocery store. At first, they thought it was pomegranate juice. When they saw it was iced coffee, their first reaction was, "Ewe, coffee and POMegranate juice?" Luckily, there's no juice in this POM, just coffee and other good-for-you stuff like milk and POMx an extract derived from pomegranates which contains caffeine and polyphenol antioxidants.

They liked these iced coffees so much that they've taken to carrying them for their lunch. The great thing about these is that they don't have to be refrigerated so they can just keep them in their lunch bag along with the usual ice block they take to cool stuff down. No refrigeration required.

POM iced coffees come in three flavors, cafe' au lait, chocolate and vanilla. My girls liked all of them and now get a variety each time we go to the market. They can be found in the same area as the POM juices, btw.

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Bruschetta

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Bruschetta is one of those recipes that sound fancy and complicated but turns out to be so simple, you're left wondering, "That's it?"

All you have to do to make good bruschetta is to have a good roll of French baguette or similar type of bread. Crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside. Slice up the bread and brush it with olive oil and lay on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until the edges are browned slightly.

In the meantime, in a bowl mix together: chopped tomatoes, basil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil. You can modify the seasoning to suit your taste but that's all there is to it, pretty much.

You can add a layer of hummus too, like we did here, but just the tomatoes alone, especially if they are fresh and sweet from your garden, will be enough of a flavor sensation.

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Sun-Bird Seasonings - Blu-Ray Giveaway

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:01:00 +0000

I'm Asian so I love Asian food! Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Filipino, Indian, you name it, we love it! I like cooking them at home too and I think I do a pretty good job if I do say so myself; but there are elements in Asian cooking that are just hard to duplicate at home.

While I do love to stirfry because you can put them together so quickly, I also have had the biggest problem with getting my wok to heat right. If your wok isn't hot enough, you sometimes end up with something soggy and soupy, very unlike the dishes you'd get at your favorite restaurant. Then there's the prep time. I have to plan ahead for my quick stir fries because most of the prep time is in the chopping and getting all your ingredients ready.

As I've said before, I'm not averse to using mixes or packaged foods so long as they are good. One of the brands I have used before is Sun-Bird. I am sure you've seen their seasoning packs on the grocery aisles before. These are time savers that provide you with a pack full of flavor. My favorite one to get is the sweet and sour pack because I never could get the balance between sweet and sour just right. When you use their seasoning pack, it's just right.

Next time you're at the store, look in the seasonings aisle and get a pack to try out. While you're there, also check out their Blu-RayTM Disc Players giveaway. Entry forms can be found at the grocery stores with the Sun-Bird seasoning packs. The contest runs through October 31, 2009 so make sure to get your entry in!

Thai Cucumber Shrimp Salad

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:45:00 +0000

If you're like me, you probably have some last of the season cucumbers creeping out of your garden, right? Well, if you don't, this is a great salad to celebrate the waning of the summer months. This salad will make it pop right back up. Really!

I had a few pre-cooked shrimps left (the kind you get in a bag from the grocery store) that needed to be used up so I thought this would be a perfect way to use them up. Not only did we use cucumbers from the garden, all the herbs were too. It was delicious!

Click here for the recipe for Cucumber Shrimp Salad.

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms - Giveaway!

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:39:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to review the cookbook, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron, on Cooked from the Heart and it is my pleasure to share a copy with you. Compliments of the author, I am giving away a copy of the cookbook to one lucky reader. So hurry on up over there and sign up!

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

The Butcher, The Baker and The Kitchen Makeover

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

My Canadian friends, you are the luckiest bunch ever to have The Maple Leaf Market (www.mapleleaf.com) in your midst. Not only do they carry some awesome products, they also sound like very cool people. Imagine them holding an awesome sweepstakes just to celebrate the launching of their new site!

Make sure you go and check out the whole Maple Leaf Market experience online by visiting their website. They have fun sections like the Butcher, the baker and the pasta maker, featuring guess what in each section. :)

The site also offers valuable tips, recipes and coupons in addition to the contests like this one for a kitchen makeover. My favorite section on the site is the Meals Made Easy section where you can get tips and ideas on getting dinner on the table within minutes.

Residents of Canada, you just have to join this Sweepstakes. Here are some amazing prizes that you could win:

Grand Prize: $32,000 Kitchen Makeover
You could win 1 of 12 Frigidaire® fridges stocked with new Maple Leaf® Prime™ Premium frozen chicken*!
As a bonus, every entrant into this contest will be eligible for a $500 rebate offer from Frigidaire®**

You can enter everyday until December 15, 2009. Entering is easy, all you have to do is submit your email address daily for a chance to win!

5 Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Samsung Appliances, via TwitterMoms, is having a contest where bloggers answer the question, "With Our Busy Schedules, What Are Your 3 Valid Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash?”

I am a mom to three teenage girls and I also work full time outside the home. On most days, we don't get home until way past six in the evening and it is usually up to me to get dinner ready in under an hour. That's why I love quick and easy meals and stir fried dishes are one of them. I can have dinner ready in under an hour and it is, for the most part, a healthy and balanced meal.

Here's a few tips that I've found to work for me.
1. Plan Ahead - when you plan your meals ahead of time, you can have elements of it prepared ahead and ready to go. For instance, you can cook a roast on the weekend and plan to make two or three dishes with it during the week. Whatever meat you cook on the weekend, you can plan on making a pasta dish with it one night, you can have a Mexican meal night with tacos, burritos or enchiladas another night, and on the third night, you can make soup with all the tidbits leftover.

2. With planning ahead, you can also prepare your ingredients ahead of time. I can't afford to buy pre-cut meats and vegetables so I try to do most of these myself. If you're planning on a stirfry meal, for instance, the largest bulk of work and time is in the preparation. What I do is, I chop up my vegetables and meats on the weekend, put them in ziploc bags and put them in the freezer. BTW, for added flavor, you can marinade your meats and put them in the freezer. Then when it's time to cook, just start tossing them in the wok and you'll have dinner ready in the time it takes to cook rice.

3. FROZEN MEALS. I'm not talking about the frozen meals in the box that you buy at the grocery store. I'm talking about freezing pre-cooked meals that you can just warm up. If you make chili, soups or spaghetti sauce, for instance, make a big batch and freeze half of it. You can freeze them either in family portions or in individual portions. This comes in handy when the kids come home from school hungry. Instead of snacking on sugary and unhealthy snacks, they can heat up a bowl of soup or chili. Sometimes, when my girls have a hearty 'snack' like this in the afternoon they are usually sated for the rest of the night. Having individual portions is also great for their lunches. They can either warm them up before packing them in their lunch boxes or they can warm them up at school if they have microwaves.

4. Have a repertoire of Quick & Easy Dishes. Learn a handful of quick and easy recipes that you can tweak every now and then, and you'll have a steady stream of ideas that will keep your meals varied and not boring for the family. That's why I love stir fried dishes, for instance, because it always involves lots of vegetables and it's quick to fix. I can alternate meats and types of vegetables so the it doesn't seem like the family is eating beef and broccoli all the time. Mexican dishes like burritos and tacos are also easily adaptable to the type of ingredients you have on hand and they're easy and quick to make.

5. Menu Collection. When all else fails, call for take out. Yep, as much as I like preparing healthy home cooked meals for my girls, there are days when you just don't feel like it, or don't have time or don't have anything prepared. I have a file folder full of places near our house that either deliver or make great tasting and healthy for you food. You can also save coupons in the folder so it's on hand when you call in your order.

Do you have any tips for getting dinner ready in a flash? Would you like to win a brand new refrigerator? Visit Twitter Moms for details on the Samsung Blogging Sweepstakes.

CONTEST DETAILS:
Entries must be received by October 16, 2009.

Prizes:
• One lucky blogger with a qualifying entry will win a free Samsung Refrigerator (RFG297AARS) http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/appliances/refrigerators/frenchd...

About Samsung Home Appliances:
"Need Home Appliances that help run your home? Bring It On. Whether it’s one of the largest French Door Refrigerators, or the quietest Washer in its class,* you’ll discover that Samsung Home Appliances bring the perfect balance of innovation, convenience, and savings to your home."

No purchase necessary to enter or win. You must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, have a personal blog and be a registered user of the www.twittermoms.com and www.twitter.com websites to enter and at least 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Entries must be received by 11:59 PM ET on 10/16/09. Click here for Official Rules.

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Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Last Day to WIN! Virgin Coconut Oil

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +0000

This is the last day to enter the Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway on my review blog, Found Not Lost. I cooked up a couple of original recipes using the oil that you may enjoy. So make sure you check it out!

Years ago when I first started blogging, I blogged mostly about the kids and food. While searching online for Filipino recipes, I ran across an interesting blog about coconuts. I was there mostly for the recipes which I printed out and have referred to since, when making Filipino rice cakes. I riffled through the other pages of that site and found out that they have a small farm in the Philippines and that they produce coconut products with an emphasis on what they termed ‘virgin coconut oil’.

Coconut oil was not so foreign to me. I grew up in the Philippines with a grandmother who swore by the benefits of coconut oil and even made her own. She used it for everything from cooking to personal hygiene. It’s a great moisturizer, she used it as body oil and hair oil.

Continue reading my review...

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Cooking School Weekend!

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:01:00 +0000

Branson, Missouri has a lot to offer but I never thought that a Cooking School would be one of them. Sure, I've thought of going to Branson for a romantic getaway or a family vacation. They do after all have panoramic vistas, terrific sightseeing packages and a wide variety of activities are offered. But cooking school? Who knew!

On the weekend on October 16th and 17th, the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel will be hosting the a premier Cooking School Weekend. Guests will first be welcomed with a wine tasting reception then they will participate in a cooking demonstration by the hotel's own, Chef Nathan Read where he will prepare appetizers that are served at wine tastings. Guests will also be treated to a deluxe four-course dinner with wine pairings. The perfect weekend for anyone who loves food!

This Cooking School Weekend, which includes accommodations at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, costs only $398 for two people for two nights. That's an awesome deal! Considering there are also other activities and attractions around Branson that you can take advantage of. Branson is home to championship golf courses, lakes, museums and live entertainment theaters. You know, Branson has been called the new home of country music outside of Nashville!

If food and cooking is not your thing, check out the list of other packages offered by the Hilton Branson. They have packages such as: The Moon River, Silver Dollar City, and Romance.

Banana-Cardamom Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Cardamom in cupcakes sounds so foreign and exotic that I just could not resist. They turned out to be great!

Now you all know how much I love to use up old bananas by making banana bread, banana cake and banana muffins. So when I saw cardamom as an ingredient for these cupcakes, I just had to try it out.

Click here to see the recipe for Cardamom Cupcakes...

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Sugar, Sugar, Honey, Honey, Are You a Candy Girl?

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:20:00 +0000

I was recently diagnosed with diabetes so I have been reading articles about Diabetes online. Here is a short and succinct article that gives a good overview of the disease. I thought you may find it interesting too, whether or not you have this disease.

Definition of Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism, the process by which the body uses digested food for energy and growth. Most of the foods we eat are broken down into glucose, a form of sugar in the bloodstream that is used as the body's main fuel source. Insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, works together with glucose to help it enter the body's cells to be burned for energy. When people have diabetes, the pancreas either produces too little insulin, or the insulin produced cannot be used by the body. This prevents glucose from entering the cells, which ultimately denies the body of its main source of fuel.

Two Main Types of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs because the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which prevents glucose from entering the cells and causes high blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but is most common among people younger than 20 years old and must be managed by taking daily injections of insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, a condition in which the body cannot use the insulin produced by the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is most common in people over age 45 and is usually associated with obesity (approximately 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight), a family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity and ethnicity.

Signs and Symptoms
When the body isn't processing enough glucose, the buildup is secreted into the urine, which passes out of the body. As a result, a person with diabetes will experience the following symptoms:
Excessive thirst and appetite
Increased urination
Dry mouth
Unusual weight loss or gain
Weak, tired feeling
Frequent yeast infections
Blurred vision
Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet
Irritability
Nausea, perhaps vomiting
Itchiness, especially around the groin
Slow-healing sores or cuts

People with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms within days or weeks, while people with type 2 diabetes often don't experience symptoms for years. Signs of diabetes may seem harmless and are often overlooked, but studies show early detection and treatment can greatly reduce the chance of complications.

Risk Factors of Diabetes
Doctors do not know why people develop RA, but it is believed to be the body's immune system attacking the tissue that lines a person's joints. More than 2 million people in the U.S. have RA. It is two to three times more common in women than men and typically develops between the ages of 20 and 50.

The following factors increase a person's chance of developing diabetes:

Family history of diabetes
Smoking
Age (older than 45)
Race or ethnic background
Poor diet
Diabetes during a previous pregnancy
Being overweight, especially around the waist
Years of heavy alcohol abuse
History of hypertension (high blood pressure)
Low activity level
Abnormal blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels
Certain drugs (these might increase blood sugar)
History of gestational diabetes
Delivery of a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Managing Diabetes
While the cure for diabetes is still unknown, the goal of treatment is to keep blood sugars at a relatively even level. The main treatment for people with type 1 diabetes is exercise, a diabetic diet and daily injections of insulin. Insulin injections need to be balanced with meals and exercise, and blood sugar levels must be frequently tested.

When treating type 2 diabetes, doctors will first suggest lifestyle changes such as losing weight, following a diabetic diet and getting regular exercise. Once these measures become less effective in controlling glucose levels, oral medications are often prescribed. If oral medications are still unsuccessful, doctors may recommend insulin treatments.

Glucose levels that are excessively high or low can be extremely dangerous, even life-threatening. When blood sugar levels drop too low, a condition called hypoglycemia can occur, which causes a person to become nervous, shaky and confused. In severe cases the person may eventually lose consciousness. However, this condition can be reversed by eating or drinking something sugary, like a candy bar or glass of orange juice.

If you or someone you know has diabetes, making healthy lifestyle choices about diet, exercise and other health-related habits can improve glycemic (blood sugar) control and help prevent or minimize complications of diabetes.

Source: Community Health Talk

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Pork and Long Beans Stirfry

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:02:00 +0000

One of the things we always plant in the garden is long beans or snake beans (sitaw). This year, we have been enjoying a steady harvest. Here's one recipe that I used them in. I cooked this on a weekday when time to get dinner on the table is short. I called this the lazy stirfry because I did away with various steps usually involved in stirfrying. This way, I got dinner on the table in less than an hour and still served up something healthy and delicious.

Click here for the recipe for my version of Pork and Sitaw (long beans) Stirfry - the lazy way

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Everything in a Kitchen Sink

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:39:00 +0000

When asked what is the most important feature in a kitchen, them most popular answer will most likely be the stove. Few will mention the kitchen sink. It is the step child of the kitchen, often taken for granted and ignored. But think about how often you use it and how important it is that you have just the right type of sink to accommodate your needs.

Me, I have always been partial to double sinks. I like the divided sink rather than the one wide tub. I also prefer porcelain to stainless steel; but I never thought to even consider a Granite Kitchen Sink. Who knew! It just seemed like such an extravagant idea to even consider.

That is, until I ran across the MR Direct website which sells kitchen sinks at affordable wholesale prices. They recently added granite sinks to their product line and they are serious about their claim of having 'affordable wholesale prices'. I could not believe you could buy a granite sink for under $300 dollars!

According to their website, the granite sinks are made using natural and environmentally friendly materials. They are manufactured so that they repel most bacteria on their surfaces, and as most granite fans know, granite is stain proof and scratch resistant. MR direct also offers a lifetime warranty and they can ship on the same day.

I think a feel a kitchen re-do coming on. Don't you?

Swiss Chard Pie

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:25:00 +0000

“Photo credit: One Fork, One Spoon”

Earlier in the summer we had an abundant harvest of Swiss Chard from our spring planting and that was when I discovered this recipe for making them into the pie or to put it more fancy like, a tart :)

Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's time for the second round of Swiss chard. We expect to be able to get another bounty as the Swiss chard is starting to perk up again in our garden. We'll be making this again for sure. The girls all loved this for lunch in one sitting! Now you know it's gotta be good!

Click here for the recipe for Swiss Chard Tart.

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Bargain Glasses

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:58:00 +0000

My youngest daughter started wearing prescription eye glasses this year. So that makes two of my kids wearing glasses. On top of it, I decided to cancel our vision plan this year. Duh! I thought I'd only be paying for one person's glasses. But now there's two of them and I may have to get them too. I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist in a couple of weeks.

Thank goodness I've known about Zenni Optical for a while. If you've never heard of them before, they are where you can order eyeglasses like the one below for $8.

I know, unbelievable, right? That was my first reaction too but more and more people that I know have tried their service and are very happy with it.

If you're still skeptical, just do a search of Zenni Optical and you will find that they have been investigated by news magazines on Fox and CBS and they've all given positive reviews of the glasses ordered from Zenni.

Web Hosting Geeks

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:13:00 +0000

I've noticed that more and more bloggers are switching from free blogging platforms to one that is self hosted. They are slowly realizing the benefits of having your own domain and hosting, especially if they are really serious about blogging. It this is something that you are considering, getting your own domain and webhosting, then you should check out the Web Hosting Geeks.

Whether you know just a little or a lot about websites and domains, you will find useful information from the Web Hosting Geeks.

For instance, did you know that depending on the intended purpose of your website, there are also different hosting sites that would be best to provide you service? The Web Hosting Geeks have rated these sites according to your need: The Best Budget Hosting, The Best Forum Hosting, The Best Multiple Domain Hosting, The Best Blog Hosting, The Best PHP Hosting and many more.

I found the customer reviews most useful. I like hearing from people who have actually used the service rather than just the dry description from the company. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the pages to see the reviews.

Most importantly, do your homework. Check out the Web Hosting Geeks then go get a second opinion too. I'm sure you've heard that advice before, right?

Yoplait Whips! Giveaway

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Summer may be officially over but summer time treats are definitely out of the picture just yet. WIN this cool gift pack from Yoplait Whips! by simply leaving a comment on Cooked From the Heart.

For a great deal on Yoplait Whips!, download a coupon here and get $0.60 off your next purchase; OR get free Yoplait Whips coupon just by signing up to subscribe to the Betty Crocker’s Newsletter via email which is also free!

OR

Get this “Summer Cool Down” gift which includes two free coupons for Yoplait Whips!, cooler tote, popsicle molds and a set of 12 color-changing spoons (see image above)

Click here to sign up for the Yoplait Whips! Giveaway.

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

Nakano Sesoned Rice Vinegar

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:16:00 +0000

While some, like my husband, can't understand why there's five different kinds of vinegar in our cupboard, any cook will tell you that you need all the different types of vinegar for varying purposes. One of the staples in our cupboard is rice vinegar. I use this mainly for making sushi rice and making the delicate types of salad dressings.

One of the best brands for rice vinegar is Nakano. NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar is all natural, fat free, low calorie, gluten free and contains 50% less sodium than other rice vinegars. It is made from whole grain rice and naturally brewed in a traditional manufacturing process that began in Japan more than 200 years ago. Check their website for great information about the history and manufacture of rice vinegar. NAKANO’s web site also has recipes and fun to try splash tips.

As you'll see on the website, you can use seasoned vinegar for almost anything, not just salads. For a person like me who lives for the dipping sauce, rice vinegar is a must. Why I even dip green apples in rice vinegar when the mood strikes me!

Another great benefit for using Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar as your condiment of choice is that it is also healthy. For instance, see how it compares to mayonnaise:
1 Tablespoon of NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar = 20 calories, 0 fat
1 Tablespoon of mayo = 90 calories, 10g of fat

0 grams of fat! You can't get any lower than than. Besides it being good tasting and good for you, Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegars are also available in a variety of flavors: Original Seasoned, Roasted Garlic, Basil & Oregano, Red Pepper, Balsamic Blend and Italian Herb.

If you're like me and just won't take someone's word for anything, I suggest giving Nakano rice vinegars a try yourself. Right now there is a $1.00 off coupon for NAKANO online. You can join the NAKANO Splash Recipe Club too. They send out really cool newsletters that have great cooking themes. The last one was all about Caribbean flavors.

Curried Chicken Over Rice Noodles

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:16:00 +0000

My daughter said, "You can sell this!" And we probably can! It was so good, it was gone in no time at all. We all loved having curry over noodles for a change. Usually, we eat our curry dishes over rice but while bloghopping one day, I saw a post on curried noodles. Now why didn't I make that connection before!

Most of the vegetables we used when we made this were from our garden but any kind of vegetable of your choice would be fine too. Here's the recipe for Curried Chicken Over Rice Noodles.

Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about