Family Fun and FOOD!! Tis the Holiday season! I've got a few recipes you can try using Dandies Mini Marshmallows.
ABOUT Dandies are the first Non-GMO Project Verified marshmallows on the market. Indistinguishable from their conventional counterparts, these light and fluffy air-puffed balls of fun are made with all-natural ingredients and completely free of gelatin, artificial ingredients, and high fructose corn syrup. Dandies Marshmallows are also free of wheat, gluten and corn, 100% vegan, and certified kosher by the Chicago Rabbinical Council.
Dandies & Caramel Bread Pudding
This bread pudding recipe is super easy and so comforting. Enjoyed on a lazy Holiday morning when you have decided to stay in PJ's all morning<--best way to enjoy the day!!
Ingredients
1 Baguette — Cut into cubes
1 Cup of Dandies Mini Marshmallows
8 Sea Salt Caramels — Unwrapped and chopped into chunks
2 Cup Milk
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Brown Sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan on medium heat combine milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour mixture of the cubed bread. Add the caramels and Dandies Marshmallows. Give an easy stir to make sure all the pieces of bread have absorbed the liquid. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!
Don't like to be in a crowed restaurant on Valentines Day try theses great dishes for a wonderful romantic meal at home. “There are so many advantages to dining in on that special night,” says Chef Blakely Trettenero, who writes about her culinary adventures on her blog, Everyday Gourmet with Blakely. “It’s more comfortable, less expensive and super exclusive, because you can have whatever you want ."
photo credit Everyday Gourmet with Blakely
Baked Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Artichokes & Capers
Ingredients
1. 2 pounds chicken thighs (about 4 thighs) 2. salt 3. pepper 4. drizzle of olive oil 5. 1 medium onion, diced small 6. 3 cloves garlic, minced 7. 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 8. 1 teaspoon brown sugar 9. 1 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes 10. 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained 11. 2 teaspoons drained capers 12. 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, then preheat a heavy-bottomed pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat 2. Use paper towel to soak up any extra moisture on the chicken. This prevents the chicken from getting golden brown when you sear it. Season both sides with salt and pepper and put the chicken in the preheated oil, skin side down 3. Cook the chicken until golden brown on one side, then flip to cook on the other side. You're not trying to cook the chicken through, only brown it! 4. Once the chicken is brown on both sides, take it out of the pan and put it on a plate and set it aside 5. If there is a lot of fat in the pan, drain most of it, leaving only about a teaspoon or so in the bottom 6. Add the diced onions with a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan and cook for a few minutes until opaque 7. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute 8. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan, scraping the bottom to get up any bits at the bottom. Add the brown sugar to the balsamic vinegar, stir to combine, and let it cook until slightly reduced, about 7-8 minutes 9. Add the can of tomatoes into the pan and turn off the heat. Use a knife to roughly cut up the tomatoes in the pan and then add the drained artichokes and capers. Give it a stir to mix everything together 10. Add the chicken thighs back into the pan, nestling them into the tomato mixture. Add the rosemary sprigs to the top and put the pan into the preheated oven uncovered 11. Let it cook for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through 12. Serve with a simple side and you have a gourmet dinner ready in no time.
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Herbed Savory Palmiers
Perfect for Valentine’s Day – this pastry is heart-shaped!
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees 2. In a bowl, add the finely chopped sundried tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped rosemary, chopped thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix until combined and set aside 3. On a lightly floured surface, slightly roll out your thawed puff pastry sheet and transfer to a cutting board 4. To the rolled out puff pastry add the sundried tomato and herb mixture evenly 5. Evenly sprinkle the top with the grated Parmesan and Gruyere cheese 6. Starting on one side, roll the puff pastry tightly, stopping at the middle 7. Roll the other side of the puff pastry tightly until you reach the middle 8. Cut into 1-inch pieces and place on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Put them into the oven and let them bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown 9. Once they're baked, serve them warm
This back-to-school season, Welch's Fruit Snacks has partnered with Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief and food rescue organization, to help fight child hunger.
In honor of the partnership, Welch's Fruit Snacks is challenging you to build the "perfect" lunchbox with a fun challenge.
My kids are old enough to help pack so we worked on our lunch boxes together-I think they look pretty YUMMY! Fruit & Cheese on a stick ALWAYS fun...homemade corn dogs with cheese dip, banana plus Welch's Apple Orchard Medley fruit snacks and favorite water bottle.
From now through October 2016, Welch's Fruit Snacks has a goal of providing1.6 million mealsto children in need. Buy a box then follow LINK to UPLOAD PHOTO HERE =) `
As the weather gets warmer, what better excuse is there to eat and sunbathe outside than National Picnic Month! Did you know July was National Picnic Month There are many great places to have a picnic. Just find what works for you- celebrate the open air, nature, and all it has to offer us.
your own backyard
beautiful zen garden
the beach
What most important is how you Pack your basket to get ready
for some fun in the sun. (just ask Yogi)
Try some of these National Picnic Month essentials. They are delicious and healthy too.
Sparkling Ice, an excellent soda alternative, is slightly carbonated with B-Vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants. This light and refreshing beverage contains Zero Calories, Zero Carbs, is Gluten Free, Caffeine Free, and Sodium Free. It also comes in over 20 different delicious flavors including a line of Teas and Lemonades and 8oz Slim Cans, perfect for on-the-go.
Gaea Olive Snack Packs come from the finest olive groves in Greece, using time honored, traditional farming techniques while they are harvested by hand. Available in three flavor options: 100% Kalamata, Green marinated with Chili & Black Peppers, Green marinated with Lemon & Oregano. Gaea's olive snack packs are a healthy and delicious.
Viki's Granola great tasting, GLUTEN-FREE, and made with 100% ALL NATURAL ingredients. Available in five flavors at retailers nationwide, available in snack-size packs too. Available in Original, Blueberry Almond, Maple Cranberry, (NEW!) Banana Walnut & (NEW!) Apple Cinnamon.
We must not forget dessert ... Bauli Mini Croissants are sure to turn your picnic European with their delightful, light taste. These mini treats are made in a REAL oven with no preservatives and naturally leavened dough and are available in two delicious flavor fillings: chocolate and vanilla custard. At just 50 calories a pop, these snacks are guilt-free. A MUST HAVE for your picnic basket!
I hope one or many of these products finds their way into your picnic baskets.
I've become quite addicted to the Sparkling ICE Tea drinks myself.
If you are anything like me even when your on a "DIET" you have one cheat day because there's just that one thing you cannot give up 100% For me it's Chocolate & Peanut Butter. I can say NO to plain chocolate without much of a fight but you put Chocolate & Peanut Butter in front of me-MY ACHILLES HEEL !!! Peanut + chocolate + snack cakes = wonderfully delicious wrapped treats NEW Peanut Butter Crème Filled Cakes from Sara Lee are deliciously rich and moist cakes are made with a light and fluffy peanut butter crème filling using real peanuts. Then wrapped in a smooth chocolate coating.
Now you can take along these fresh baked, individually –wrapped snack cakes wherever you go. Sara Lee products are baked by Bimbo Bakeries USA, a leader in the baking industry known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. WIN THIS PRIZE PACK
·Two boxes of Sara Lee Snacks Peanut Butter Crème Filled Cakes
·Five Sara Lee Snacks Coupons valued at $4.00 each
·One custom Sara Lee Snacks Travel Leisure Blanket valued at $15.00
Spring Time is a time for cleaning and this year one area that was in imminence need of some elbow grease are the pots and pans in my kitchen! I only have a few pan that I use daily so they look "WELL LOVED". Then the blogging gods blessed me with the opportunity to try a new set! Calphalon Hard-Anodized Nonstick 8 Piece Pan Set to be exact.
This is a great set for newly married (not me) or when it's time to re-stock because you've burned all your other pans beyond recolonization! (ME!) 8 piece set has just what you need starting at about $150 it is a great investment. 8 & 10" fry pans 1 1/2 qt sauce pan & cover 2 1/2 qt sauce pan & cover 5 qt dutch oven & cover Durable made, you feel like you are cooking in a 5 star luxury kitchen. The ergonomically stay cool handles are my most favorite part of the pans. The past two years I've experienced some crazy nerve damage in my hands-when I'm cooking I have grab hot handles and never felt a thing, then later wonder where I got a burn blister on my hand from. NOT WITH THIS SET! They cook at a high heat and go from stove top to oven very easily. They have tempered glass covers with over-sized stainless steel handle allow you to visibly monitor cooking. It is best to hand wash and use wooden or silicone utensils so you don't scratch the surfaced.
This is a wonderful set and I see myself making many wonderful meals with it. The only downside is there are no covers for the fry pans but I found the dutch oven cover fits nice over the 10" fry pan.
There is one food that is highly recommended for children and women pregnant or looking to become pregnant and it’s fish. Children and women who are pregnant are encouraged to eat 8-12 ounces of fish a week to help with infant and child growth. But high levels of mercury in the fish we eat can have damaging health defects on growth and brain development. Safe Catch, a new brand of tuna fish is setting new standards for the tuna industry.
Safe Catch tests ever fish for mercury levels before purchase, their mercury level is 90% lower than the FDA’s, there is 5 times the Omega 3s compared to leading brands and it has a fresher taste. I love that it is pack in only juice from the Tuna-No fillers, no GMOs, no gluten, no additives-NO OIL, NO WATER!! Just a full can of TUNA!!
Now I can feel great about making Tuna Wrap for my daughter snack. I made myself a Tuna Bean and Kale Soup.
How ever you like your Tuna - You'll enjoy it a little more knowing that your eating a pure piece of seafood. From a company that does it's best to protect the purity in the oceans. For more information on purchasing visit: HERE
