It’s Monday again, I feel like I write this often!  Hope everyone had a nice weekend.  We are enjoying my family visiting from AZ this week for their spring break.  We’ll be running around about town, should be fun!

I came up with this fun idea last week that I think you and the kids will just LOVE!  We do peanut butter and jelly combos so much around here, that I love coming up with new PB&J creations.  This is a no brainer recipe that is fun, delicious and one that the kids can get in the kitchen to help with.

This recipe only contains 4 ingredients, so you can whip up these babies in about 10 minutes flat!  Take a peek, I know you’ll enjoy these

1.  Crush your package of granola bars with a rolling pin.

2.  Add your ingredients to a bowl and mix.

3.  Add powdered sugar, mix and roll your truffles.  That’s it!

Aren’t they pretty?  Who would guess 10 minutes?  Not me

Peanut Butter and Jelly Crunch Truffles

1/2 Cup creamy or crunchy Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup strawberry preserves, or your favorite jam or jelly

1 package Nature Valley Oats and Honey Crunchy Granola bars (1 package, 2 bars)

3/4 Cup powdered sugar plus 1/4 cup for rolling truffles

1.  Place peanut butter and jelly into a mixing.  Crush granola bars with a rolling pin while still in package.  Open and pour into peanut butter and jelly bowl.  Mix until well combined then slowly stir in 3/4 Cup powdered sugar until combined.  Take 1 inch pieces of mixture and roll into balls.  Roll each ball into remaining 1/4 Cup powdered sugar then place into paper cups. Refrigerate or serve room temperature.

about 16 truffles

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Watched the sunset last night at Corona Del Mar Beach with my family.  Gorgeous night!

Another shot I am in LOVE with.  Might have to frame this one of the boys too!

If you’d like to see more of my sunset pics from last night click HERE, it’s my new “life in OC” tab

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Have a great new week!  Come back soon for more good eatin’!

Just posted the most adorable “Easter” themed giveaway today, check it out HERE.

Also going on is the GoGo Squeeze Applesauce on the Go Giveaway HERE.  Both giveaways end Sunday night, 8pm PST, Good LUCK!!

Have a great WEEKEND!!

Trendy Tikes is offering one Picky Palate Reader a tie of your choice from her Etsy Page.  She has so many cute ties to choose from, you will love them all! Here are the ties I picked and my boys to model them

My personal favorite!

Here’s how to enter:

1.  Visit Trendy Tike’s Etsy Page HERE and leave a comment below telling us which tie you would pick out for your little guy

2.  For 3 additional entries follow me on Twitter HERE.  Leave 3 additional comments for this.

3.  For an additional entry become a fan of Picky Palate on Facebook HERE. Leave a separate comment for this.

4.  For an additional entry follow Picky Palate under “Foodie Friends” Google friend connect, right sidebar.  Leave a separate comment for this.

5.  Contest ends Sunday March 14th, 8pm PST.  Giveaway and Ties provided by Trendy Tikes.

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Good Luck, happy shopping!

Almost Friday, wahoo!!  To get our “almost” weekend off to a good start, I’ve made one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve had in a LONG time, in my humble opinion

While I was strolling the baking isle a couple weeks ago I stopped at this almond paste that often catches my eye.  I quickly bought myself a box and created these “Almond Lover’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.”  Now, I will tell you, the almond flavor is not immediately noticeable, but the texture of these cookies is near perfect!  I’m talking perfectly crispy on the outside and ultra chewy on the inside.  The kids gobbled them up as well as the adults!

Alright, enough talking from me, go pick up a box of almond paste to try these out for yourselves!!

Almond Lovers Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

3 oz Odense Pure Almond Paste (package is 6 oz, I just cut in right in half)

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 oz bag chocolate chips

3/4 Cup chopped almonds (opt. I didn’t add them, but they would be great!)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined, light and fluffy.  Add the almond paste in pieces until well combined.  Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2.  In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips.  Mix until just combined.  Scoop onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet with a medium cookie scoop.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just golden crisp on the outside.  Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

about 3 dozen cookies

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Have a great weekend!! Come back soon

Ok, I LOVE this applesauce on the go!  It is just a genius idea, wish I would have thought of it.  

GoGo Squeeze/Materne is a France based company with an incredible product I know you will love.  The good folks at Materne are giving 2 Picky Palate Readers 4 boxes each of their applesauce on the go!  That’s 16 pouches.

My boys LOVED this applesauce on the go.  I put it in their lunches and they devoured it for after school snack too.   They really couldn’t keep their hands off of it.  Check out GoGo Squeeze/Materne website to see where you can pick some up near you!!

You’ll see by the pictures below, I had no problem getting the boys to sample this product

Here’s How To Enter:

1.  Leave a comment here telling us any killer tips you have to get the kids to eat healthier snacks, what snacks works for you?

2.  For 3 extra entries follow Picky Palate on Twitter HERE.  Leave 3 separate comments for this

3.  For an extra entry become a fan of Picky Palate on Facebook HERE.  Leave a separate comment for this.

4.  For an extra entry, become a “foodie Friend” in google reader.  Top right sidebar.  Leave a separate comment for this.

5.  Contest ends Sunday March 14th, 8pm PST.  Winner will be notified by email, so please be sure email is correct.  Winner will have 48 hours to email me back or another winner will be chosen.  Winners are chosen by Random.org.  Giveaway is provided by Materne/GoGo Squeeze

Good Luck

It’s Monday again!  What a great weekend we had!  My husband’s family came in from AZ for a Kidney Wise walk to support my brother in law in Santa Monica.  The weather was beautiful and we all walked for a good cause.  My little guy was straggling the last 15 minutes, but we all made it!  I also had the opportunity to attend Helen/Tartelette’s food photography and food styling class in Woodland Hills Saturday afternoon.  It was so much fun meeting other LA bloggers and coming home with some great tips from Helen, she is so unbelievably talented! Needless to say, the weekend flew.

To start our week off, I thought I’d share a simple weeknight dinner that is a sure pleaser for the whole family.   So basically, this dinner is like an upside down chicken tostada, casserole style.  It really is so easy to whip up and has everyone coming back for seconds

Hope you all enjoy!

Here are the main ingredients in this recipe.  It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t forget something….I left out the cilantro and cheese

Quick and easy dinners are a must for crazy weeknights, this one is just that.  Everything in a pot, transfer to a baking dish, bake and EAT.

I think it’s safe to say I use Lawry’s Garlic Salt on just about every savory dish I create.  If you don’t own it yet, do yourself a favor and pick some up!!

Bake, add cheese……and mmmmmm!

Chicken Tostada Upside Down Bake

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

4 small or 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

1 can diced tomatoes, fire roasted is great with this recipe

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can black olives, chopped

1 packet ranch dressing seasoning packet (optional, but really tasty)

1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin

Pinch of kosher salt and pepper

1/2 Cup fresh chopped cilantro

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, in the sheet form if possible

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat.  Saute onions for 5 minutes then add in garlic; cook for an additional 1 minute.  Add chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, olives, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes, until heated through, then stir in cilantro.  Pour into a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.  Place Crescent Roll sheet over top of chicken mixture, brush lightly with olive oil and season with garlic salt.  (If you are using the regular crescent rolls, unroll then and press perforations together with fingers then place over chicken).  Bake for 20 minutes, until just starting to brown.  Top with cheese and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and crescent dough is cooked through.  Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

2.  Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream if desired (not pictured, but really good!)

8 servings

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Here’s our crew (Team Sweetness) that walked, we had such a great time in Santa Monica

Have a great Monday, come back soon for another sweet treat!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  CONGRATS TO ENTRY #24 Freda who has won! I have sent you an email Freda!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

24

Timestamp: 2010-03-10 23:11:43 UTC

Good Morning!!  How great are Saturdays?  I seriously look forward to them all week.  Kids are still asleep, so let me tell you about this great giveaway quickly while I have 2 more minutes!!

Jane Doiron has offered one Picky Palate Reader a copy of her beautiful new cookbook!  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms is practical and so needed for busy families   Jane was so kind to send one to me so I could flip through it.  It features 140 recipes for meals and sides that can be prepared in advance and frozen or refrigerated until you’re ready for mealtime. Y’all will really enjoy it!

If you’d like to BUY IT: You can purchase Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms online at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com (ARV $16.15). You can also purchase the e-book on Jane’s website. (ARV $12)  Thanks for the giveaway Jane!!

Here’s How to Enter:

1.  Leave a comment Here, telling us… what is your “go to dinner” when nights are crazy and the family is hungry!

2.  For an extra entry follow Jane’s Blog HERE, and become a member of Picky Palate’s “Foodie Friends”.  leave a separate comment for this.

3.  For 3 extra entries follow Jane and I on Twitter…HERE and HERE.  Leave 3 separate comments for this

4.  Contest ends Monday March 8th, 8pm PST.  Cookbook is provided by Jane Doiron, this is not a compensated review.

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There you have it, 5 possible entries for this beautiful cookbook   Have a great weekend!!

Good Thursday Morning!  With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to make ridiculously easy “green” dessert this week.

For some reason my 4 year old is really nervous about St Patty’s Day this year being in preschool.  He has been reminding me almost daily for a couple weeks now NOT to forget to have him wear GREEN on St. Patrick’s Day!  I think his older brother must have scared him with the whole pinching thing

So, I had to get a few things from Sur La Table yesterday and came home with this AWESOME decorating bottle from Kuhn Rikon.  It has 2 separate places to add frosting which makes a cute 2 colored swirl when used.  See my pics below.  I really am going to have fun with this purchase!  It’s what I used for these cupcakes.

Hope you enjoy, these are miniature and oh so tasty!

Found these liners at Michaels last year, they always have great holiday baking stuff

My 4 year old showcasing this Decorating Paste that I purchased at William Sonoma.  I’m sure other baking stores have the same thing.  It comes in a 5 pack of colors and totally worth splurging on.  Makes beautiful colors.

Here’s my 4 year old squirting the paste in and mixing it all up, his favorite part!

Fill 3/4 way full

Here’s that awesome decorating bottle, some really pretty gold decorating dust to sprinkle on top or in the frosting and gold sprinkles (No worries if you don’t have these things, they are great just frosted too!)

I didn’t even know it divided until I got home, I was grinning ear to ear filling each side up with frosting.   Can’t wait to play around more with this!

Here you have them.  Cute and green as can be

The gold looks much prettier and shiny in person, gives the frosting a sparkly touch

Lucky Green Velvet Baby Cakes

1 Box yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 Cup water

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 Cup plain yogurt or sour cream

5-8 drops Green decorating paste (food coloring will work, just won’t be as bright green)

Frosting

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 stick softened butter

1 lb powdered sugar

Yellow food coloring or decorating paste is what I used

Gold Pearl Dust or Sprinkles if desired

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, add cake mix, eggs, water, oil, pudding, and yogurt.  Beat on medium for 1 1/2 minutes.  Slowly beat in 5-8 drops of green decorating paste until you get desired color of green.  Scoop batter into paper lined mini cupcake tins.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through.  Let cool completely.

2.  To prepare frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Slowly add powdered sugar until creamy and thick.  Divide frosting into 2 bowls then add in a few drops of yellow food coloring or decorating paste into one.

3.  Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with gold pearl dust or sprinkles if desired.

36 mini cupcakes

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My little stinker in the kitchen

Have a great rest of your week and weekend!  See you soon

Also, there’s still time to send those virtual cakes to help support Ovarian Cancer Research.  Check it out HERE.

I’ll leave you with another one of my favorite photos from our weekend in AZ, love this face

Happy Wednesday, come back tomorrow for a new recipe!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  CONGRATS TO ENTRY #46, Lane who has won the gift card! I’ve sent you an email Lane!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

46

Timestamp: 2010-03-10 23:14:53 UTC

Hi everyone, I’ve got a fun little midweek giveaway for you.  Stride Rite has really adorable shoes for kids and they have offered one Picky Palate Reader a $50 Gift Card that you can use to pick out some cute kicks for your little ones!

I made a collage below of all of my favorites from their website.  Talk about choices!  Make sure you check out all of their cute shoes online

Here’s How To Enter:

1.  After visiting Stride Rite’s Website HERE, come back and leave a comment here telling us which shoes you would pick out for your bugaboo, grandchild, neice, nephew….you get the idea

2.  For 2 extra entries Follow me on Twitter HERE.  Leave 2 separate comments for this.

3. For an extra entry become a fan of Picky Palate on Facebook HERE.  Leave an extra comment for this.

4. For an extra entry follow my blog under google reader “foodie friends.”  Right sidebar, leave a comment for this.

5.  Contest ends Sunday March 7th 8pm PST.  Gift Card provided by Stride Rite.

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Good Luck, happy shoe shopping