Garden Recipe : Squash Sauce

serve this over pasta or rice for a delicious dinner

◦1 med squash, cooked

◦2 tbsp. butter
◦2 tbsp. olive oil
◦1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
◦3/4 tsp. ground coriander
◦1/8 tsp. ground ginger
◦1/8 tsp. allspice
◦Salt and white pepper to taste
◦1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
◦Zest of 1 orange

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil then stir in spices, except salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute. Stir in squash and sauté until well coated, adding white pepper and salt to taste. Remove to serving dish. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and orange zest just before serving.
 
recipe source : My Daily Moment

Rustic Peach Crisp

1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface


1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

8 peaches, sliced (peeled, if desired)

1 refrigerated piecrust (such as Pillsbury)

Heat oven to 425° F. Rinse the peaches and pat dry. Do not peel them. Cut each one in half, discarding the pits. Slice the fruit into wedges about 1/2 inch thick. In a large bowl, combine the flour, ginger, nutmeg, and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Add the peaches and toss. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Arrange the peaches in the center of the dough. Fold the outer edge of the dough over the peaches, allowing it to fall into pleats, leaving the center of the tart uncovered. Lightly brush the dough with water and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 350° F and bake until the juices bubble and thicken, about 30 minutes more. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing

recipe source : real simple

shared at melt in your mouth monday

TruKid Review

I love to find great products for my family. We are a large diverse family that includes my nephews that are growing up in our home as well as my grandchildren that we love very much. We recently were able to review some great products from TruKid. The brain child line up of wonderful all natural products for care was created by Jennifer Adams Bunkers  A mom herself Jennifer desired to create a line of children's skincare products. Realizing that all children are different and that many products that she found were unhealthy chemical filled products or ones that smelled "yucky Using only natural ingredients, and essential oils to make scents that children love, she created an easy system, made up of products accompanied with fun songs and poems, that kids would want to use themselves.
Jennifer plans to launch the TruKid Foundation an organization for kids by kids focusing on charity work around the Bay area. Outreach activities, product donations, and educational projects all of which will help children learn to care for themselves, each other and the world around them.

 TruKid Products are always Cruelty Free as well as are free of paba, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, petroleums, chemicals, sulfates, and gluten. Families can feel good about TruKids products because they are certified organic For great tips and fun contest visit the TruKid blog at http://trukid.wordpress.com/

Our Review:

TruKid Silly Shampoo  is in my opinion awesome. While the color of the bottle is blue it contains a clear product that smells great and is very gentle. I love this product because when my nephew used it to wash his hair there were no tears which often occured with his head washing. There was only one thing that I wish would be possible it would be so cool to have a blue color as we got really excited when we saw the bottle.

Another great product that we recieved is one that we could all use more of protection from the sun. The product Sunny Days Sport is one that is perfect for all children those that are super active and those that are more subdued. As a mother of six children I know that some of mine loved to play sports and run about and others are satisfied lounging about. TruKid helps our children to stay safe in the sun by protecting them from the suns harmful rays. Water resistant and unscented making it the perfect lotion for water safe fun in the sun and the perfect summer product for the family

Not only do I feel that the products are great products for children but I also feel that their prices are great as well. For the knowledge of knowing that the products our children not only work but are safe for them is an added bonus for TruKid products.

Buy: Check out the full line of TruKid products at http://trukid.3dcartstores.com/ You can like TruKid on facebook and follow them on twitter as well to keep up on the latest news.

In order to share my true thoughts and opinions we were supplied with sample products from TruKids. We would like to thank them for supplying the products we mentioned in this post

I am participating in Aloha Friday where the going is easy Bloggers post a question on their blog that other bloggers can easily answer. This is a great way to make friends and have lots of fun. Thanks for the blog An Island Life for hosting the meme

I have two great friends having special days this week. One will be getting married and the second a year old with a celebration for life. What advice do you have for my friends on the special day>

Kiwi Summer Limeade Pie

6 Tbsp. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts


1 9-inch baked pastry shell

1 6-oz. can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

1 4-serving-size pkg. vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

3 medium kiwifruit, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 6-oz. carton lime low-fat yogurt

1-1/2 cups frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the macadamia nuts in the bottom of the pastry shell. In a small bowl, whisk together limeade concentrate and vanilla pudding mix. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Beat in powdered sugar. Add limeade mixture and beat well. Transfer 3/4 cup of the mixture to another medium bowl; set aside. Spoon remaining mixture into the pastry shell. Top with two of the kiwifruit. Beat yogurt into the reserved 3/4 cup cream cheese mixture until combined. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon over filling in pastry shell. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Garnish with remaining kiwifruit and nuts. Makes 8 servings.

recipe source: midwest living
 

Microwave Recipe : Cheese Pie with Hamburger Crust Recipe

As it gets hotter and hotter outside many of us will be finding ways to cool off and stay cool. One way to do this is not to heat the kitchen up by finding alternative ways such as the grill and microwave to cook. This is a recipe that would please the family but keep the kitchen cool.

1 egg


1/2 cup milk

2 cups fresh bread, cubed (3 slices)

1/2 lb. ground chuck beef

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1 1/4 cups sliced green onions, including tops, divided

3 eggs

1 cup (4-oz.) shredded swiss cheese

3 to 4 drops liquid pepper seasoning (tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

Paprika

In large mixing bowl beat egg slightly. Add milk and bread. Toss lightly, then let stand few minutes, until most of liquid is absorbed. To bread mixture add beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, parsley and 1/4 cup onions. Mix lightly until combined. Spoon into 9-in. pie plate and spread to line bottom and sides of plate. Sprinkle remaining green onions over crust. In same bowl beat eggs until foamy. Stir in cheese, liquid pepper seasoning, salt and milk. Pour over green onions in meat crust. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Microwave at High 5 Minutes, then rotate dish 1/4 turn. Microwave at Medium 9 to 11 Minutes, rotating dish 1/4 turn after 5 Minutes. Center will be soft but set when done. Makes 6 to 8 servings.



Recipe Source: Microwave Recipe Cookbook
 
shared at Get Your Brag OnIts A Keeper Thursday

My blog and recipe for Strawberry Twinkie Cake was featured

find the recipe for this delicious summer dessert here and don't forget to add your own brag item to the link here

Diabitic Summer Recipe : Deviled Eggs

1 dozen large eggs
1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
2 tbsp. mayonnaise, low-fat
2 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 dash of paprika, for garnish


Place the eggs in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes (start the timer as soon as the water bubbles). Drain and set the pan under cold running water for 2 minutes. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. With a small spoon, carefully remove the yolks, reserving 6 yolks for another use. In a blender, puree the cottage cheese until smooth; set aside.In a medium bowl, mix the remaining 6 egg yolks with the cottage cheese mixture, mayonnaise, relish, and mustard; spoon the mixture back into the hollowed-out egg whites. Arrange the eggs on a platter and sprinkle with paprika. Serves 12.

Recipe Source: Diabetic Connect

Ultimate Recipe Swap

Jakes BBQ Sauce Review

Summer time means more to me than hot weather and days without school. It means a whole new grilling season has began. Yes I am the type of person that loves to barbq all year round but it is summer time that sees me doing it even more than usual. My mother was the individual who set my love for grilled food early in life. Every chance she got she would be outside by the grill fixing delicious goodies for the family. Jake's BBQ Sauce would be a product that my mom would have loved to have in her arsenal of goodies.

Recently we were able to try some of Jake's amazing products. When the lovely package from Jakes BBQ sauce arrived it contained 3 sauces each with different heats, a season salt and a dry rub mix. The next thing I knew we were out grilling testing out some of the goodies we received. Not only did we use the great products for grilling but thus far has used the season salt to flavor the ground beef to use in goulash, the barbq has been used to help barbq chicken that we baked in the oven. While grilling season is great Jake's BBQ Sauce and products can be used in many great ways.

What We Received for Review

One of the products we received was Jake's Original Mild BBQ sauce. A combination of fresh natural ingredients. One bright point is that this bbq sauce contains no corn syrup. A super secret blend of spices, salts, mustards and more are blended into the sauce mix. The sauce mix to us was tasty, smooth, with a mild taste of heat that leant a flavorful taste to the chicken that we used it on that left us all wanting more. Not only is there no corn syrup in the sauce it was also made with no artificial sweeteners or preservatives as well as no ketchup. The true taste of the sauce shined through on the chicken and I trust it to be great on other dishes as well.

Just in case you want a bit more heat in your sauce you are in luck because Jakes BBQ sauce comes in a medium hot style as well. The medium hot style offers a exceptionally smoky flavor that is combined with jalapeno, habanero and ginger. If you are around hot foods at all then you know that the peppers in this sauce are known to give off intense heat and the ginger nicely blends in as well. Opening the jar offered an aroma that pleased all of us including myself all though I am not truly a lover of great heat. A closer look at the sauce gave me a quick idea that my family (lovers of heat) would love this sauce. The wonderfully blended heat of this sauce allowed me to get applause and smiles from my family as their taste buds were well pleased with the sauce. 

Oh boy are you a lover of heat? The word inferno seems to give a nod to those that both love heat and those that like it even hotter. Inferno will either scare you away or offer you an invitation to a world that you really enjoy. Made from a family recipe and using all natural ingredients to blend up a spicy bar b que that even "Chileheads" will love the Inferno sauce is sure to please. Earning awards for being a unique sauce that delivers flavors rich and enticing that leads to levels of head spinning heat in every bite. Offering a consistent level of heat the aromas of habanero and jalapeno and the flavored molasses, garlic and spices the Inferno sauce offers taste buds even more to love. This Barbecue Sauce contains No MSG, No, Corn Syrup, No Ketchup, No Artificial Sweeteners or flavorings, No Gluten and No Trans Fats, just pure natural BBQ Sauce.


Buy: want to check out Jakes BBQ sauce and other great products visit their website at http://www.jakesbbqsauce.com/

 
we love the great bbq products we recieved to review from Jakes and would love to thank them. Thoughts and opinions shared in this post are those of mine alone

Help

Guest post by Gerard Mcdaniel




There’ nothing wrong with asking for help if you need it when the weather gets like this. My old neighbor, Ms. Kranston, apparently was having a really hard time affording her AC bill and never asked me about it – I would have told her to go to http://www.newyorkenergyrates.com/ ! Instead she sat in her house until it got so hot it passed out…totally not okay. Now she comes to my place for a few hours each afternoon to cool off and shoot the breeze, no pun intended! I wish I had known her better before all this happened but I’m glad I’m here for her in case she needs me when the weather continues to be rough outside. It’s the least I can do since she’s such a great, quiet neighbor and all of her kids have moved far away from home! If she were my mother I sure would be happy knowing someone was watching out for her safety so I guess I’m just paying it forward.

I love the fact that someone is watching out for others and paying it forward. My mother has shared many stories with me about the elderly not being able to pay to stay cool in the summer or warm in the winter. Thank goodness there is somone watching out for those unable to care for their selves because of economics.

This is a guest post assigned to me from Blogsvertise

Summer Going Away Fast

Can you believe that summer is passing so quickly. Wow it is all ready the end of July and August will be here soon. It is important now to plan and do those things that you wanted to do before summer is gone. There is a great place where you can find lots of summer goods. Visit Canada Post and see what is available to you.

Follow this link http://www.canadapost.ca/shopper/barbecues-grills-smokers-coolers-accessories/pc/39 to many summer goods like smokers and grills that will make you life more enjoyable during the summer heat. There are still many great dishes to be grilled and many great times to have this summer. The holiday season of Labor Day and what my family considers to be one of the last times to have the gang over for a grill out in the summer season will fast approach. Are you ready? Do you have the needed items to have that big picnic or barbq for the summer? If not check out this great website.

This blog was written as a sponsored post from blogsvertise

Giveaways I entered

School will be back in session in many areas before too long and that means that little feet will want to go back in style. Umi Shoes have many styles available and after taking a look I fell in love with many different pairs of shoes. Both boys and girls will be pleased and moms we will be as well. Umi is sponsoring a giveaway on the blog MomStart where some lucky winner will win a pair of Umi Shoes. Giveaway ends August 15, 2011

Summer is here and so is the fun. Sprite is wanting to help you have lots of fun this summer by doing two things. One they are wanting to spruce up some of your favorite parks and two they are hosting a giveaway at the blog MomStart where the lucky winner will get all the items pictured above. Awesome and so much fun including a $25 AMEX card. Be sure to head over and enter the giveaway by August 15, 2011

Put SOme Veggies In Your Diet

With summer time here veggies in many areas can easily be found in gardens, farmers markets and often more supply in the grocery stores as well. Do you love veggies and want to have more recipes and ideas on how to use them then check out this cool website

Coffee Milkshake

Coffee Milkshake


3 cups coffee ice cream

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in container of an electric blender; blend mixture until smooth. Serve immediately.
NOTE: 3 cups vanilla ice cream and 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules may be substituted for coffee ice cream, if desired.

recipe source









Cast Party Wednesday

Creole Beef Casserole

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted


2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 package (30 ounces) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes

1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, onion and pepper. Stir in potatoes and cheese; transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish.
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar and seasonings; spread over potatoes. Combine cornflakes and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

recipe source: Taste of Home These Chicks Cook

Snowballs in July

1 pint vanilla ice cream


2 cups toppings (such as shredded coconut, toasted sliced almonds, crushed ice cream cones, chopped toffee candy bars, and chopped chocolate cream sandwich cookies)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the ice cream into 8 balls, place on the sheet, and freeze until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Place the desired toppings in separate shallow bowls. Roll the ice cream in the toppings, pressing gently to help them adhere. Serve immediately or freeze, loosely covered, for up to 3 days.

Recipe Source: Real Simple  a Southern Fairytale 

Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday

Stone Fruit Cobbler

Have you ever heard of stone soup? Well this recipe for Stone Pie from My Recipes is delicious and allows you to have a mixture of flavors in one pie. Hope you enjoy

Crust:

9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

 Filling:

1 1/4 cups sugar
 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 1/2 pounds red plums, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 peaches (about 1 pound), pitted and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter, melted

 Remaining ingredients:

 Cooking spray
2 teaspoons fat-free milk
1 tablespoon sugar

Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl; cut in 6 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle surface with juice and ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball). Gently press two-thirds of dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap, and cover. Press remaining dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap, and cover. Chill 3 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 425°. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on middle rack.

 To prepare filling, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar and next 4 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine plums and peaches in a large bowl; sprinkle flour mixture over plum mixture. Drizzle with vanilla and melted butter; toss gently. Working with large portion, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Fit into a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon plum mixture into crust. Roll the remaining portion of dough into an 11 x 7-inch rectangle. Cut dough lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips; arrange strips in a lattice design over plum mixture. Seal dough strips around edges of crust. Lightly brush strips with milk; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Place baking dish on preheated pan; bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove cobbler from oven). Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool at least 1 hour.






My Sweet and Savory Meatless Monday     Monday Mania