Blisstree » family meal planning

Basic latkes

Cyndi Lavin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:00:20 +0000

There are so many variations that you can make on the basic latke, or potato cake. They can be baked instead of fried, but we really love the crispness that you can only get with pan frying. You don’t have to use tons of oil…just a smidge of olive oil will do the trick.

Potatoes can be joined by many other vegetables, and I suggest that you experiment to see what you like best, but try the basics first! Carrots, parsnips, green onions, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, leeks, and many other veggies make good latke companions. Additionally, many folks add some matzo meal, or flour and leavening ingredients to make them more pancakey. We like them that way too, but our favorite is still the stripped down potato and vegetable version.

Basic Potato Latkes

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, shredded
Large yellow onion, shredded
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Optional for serving: applesauce, sour cream

Mix potatoes through salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Dip out by 1/3 cup measures and fry in olive oil until golden brown, turning once. Turn them carefully, as they fall apart easily. Serve immediately as they are finished; they lose their crispness quickly.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Basic latkes

Healthy snacking with popcorn

Cyndi Lavin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:00:18 +0000

One of the biggest challenges to healthy eating is between-meal snacking. Popcorn, a whole grain food that’s low in calories, is a great snack food that’s economical and also fun to eat.

One cup of popped popcorn, eaten plain, contains:
24 calories
1 gram of protein
6 grams carbohydrates
1 gram fiber
“Popcorn is one of the best snack foods around. It’s low in calories and high in fiber which makes it a healthy, nutritious choice for between-meal snacking for kids and adults,” says Elizabeth M. Ward, registered dietitian and author of The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to the New Food Pyramids. Sprinkling popcorn with herbs or other seasonings is a fun way to add flavor without adding extra fat and calories. Children love to mix and match a variety of flavors to create their own healthy popcorn creations.

Ideas include:
• Spray popcorn with low-fat cooking oil such as Kernel Season’s Popcorn Spritzer, sprinkle with Kernel Season’s toppings such as flavors as White Cheddar, Nacho Chedder, Butter, Ranch and Kettle Corn.
• Add raisins and dried fruits for variation on trail mix.
• Sprinkle popcorn with Kernel Season’s Chocolate Marshmallow flavor to enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate.
• Consider popcorn as a healthy alternative to more fattening desserts by adding Kernel Season’s Apple Cinnamon, Caramel or Kettle Corn flavors.

Kernel Season’s, headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL, is the number one popcorn seasoning in the country. The flavors are all natural blends made with real cheese and are offered at more than 20,000 movie theater screens nationwide as a free shake-on topping. They may be purchased for home use at more than 18,000 grocery stores across America including Wal-Mart, Target, K Mart, Blockbuster Video, Safeway and Food Lion. Kernel Season’s products and popcorn accessories can be purchased at NoMoreNakedPopcorn.com.

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Healthy snacking with popcorn

Fabulous slow cooked favorites

Cyndi Lavin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:15:36 +0000

Cooking Light has a special feature on their website with the recipes for seven amazing reader-tested slow cooked dishes. I’m particularly looking forward to trying the recipe for the Char Siu Pork, shown below.

Char siu is a Chinese version of barbecue. Serve with sticky or long-grain white rice and a steamed or stir-fried medley of bell peppers, carrots, snow peas, sliced baby corn, and water chestnuts.
Yield

8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 1/4 cup sauce)
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
* 3 tablespoons ketchup
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
* 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
* 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
* 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
* 2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
* 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.

Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Image: CookingLight.com

Post from: Blisstree

Fabulous slow cooked favorites

Foodie blogging round-up!

Cyndi Lavin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:00:29 +0000

A Homemade Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
Use fresh or frozen fruit to make a midwinter healthy treat.

Butterfinger Buzz
A review of Nestle’s new caffeinated candy bar — a twist on an old favorite!

Cooking Gadgets
Cyndi has two Smith’s Edge knife sharpeners to give away this weekend!

Mardi Gras Cocktail Recipe
A delicious recipe for your Mardi Gras celebration

Quilled Pastry Hearts with Key Lime Curd
You can make quilled hearts out of paper or get really creative and make them from frozen puff pastry for a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.

School Lunch Variations
Mary Emma at Country Kitchen chats about school lunches past and present and gives you a recipe for Mayonnaise Cake.

Valentine’s Treat: Strawberry Cheesecake
Tangy, homemade strawberry cheesecake

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Foodie blogging round-up!

The Pillsbury 44th Bake-Off Contest

Cyndi Lavin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:00:36 +0000

Lots of you out there are excellent cooks and bakers! So come on, don’t be shy…show the world, and maybe win some well-deserved bucks too!

The Pillsbury 44th Bake-Off Contest has all the rules and details available online. The deadline is April 20, 2009, so don’t delay working up your prize winning recipes.

Read the rules carefully: “Your entry needs to be your original recipe, fit into one of the four recipe categories, and use at least two different eligible products.” The four categories are Breakfast and Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy and Sweet Treats. Eligible products are listed on the site.

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The Pillsbury 44th Bake-Off Contest

Master the classics with Food & Wine

Cyndi Lavin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:00:54 +0000

Twelve delicious “classics” for you to master this year! Food and Wine has a slide show with links to the recipes and techniques that you’ll learn in making these tempting dishes. They’re not all quick and easy, but they all look worth the effort, especially the Beef Stew, shown above!

Image: Food & Wine

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Master the classics with Food & Wine

Foodie blogging round-up!

Cyndi Lavin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:05 +0000

40 Fun and Fabulous Valentine’s Day Party Treats Cupcakes and Cookies
Are you looking for a recipe to make for your child’s Valentine’s Day party, girls movie night, or February book club meeting?

Cooking Gadgets
Check out some eco-friendly cooking gadgets from Preserve Kitchen!

Jean’s Picks of Low Cal, Low/No-Carb Snacks for Nighttime Snacking
Jean created table of low-carb and no carb snacks which is now posted on her fridge in her struggle to get rid of the extra pounds that crept up on her last year.

Korean-style Short Ribs
Easy, delicious, tender ribs made in a slow cooker

What are you getting your Valentine?
Delicious chocolate Valentine’s Day Ideas

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Foodie blogging round-up!

Maple chicken wings

Cyndi Lavin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:00:11 +0000

These are knock-your-socks-off good! The recipe below is for a large batch, but I have successfully divided it to make smaller batches as well. The main trick is to keep turning the wings as they cook, and have them spread out enough that the syrup thickens during the final high heat phase.

I recommend using disposable aluminum baking pans for this, not that you’re necessarily going to dispose of them, but because the syrup really becomes a sticky icky mess! It’s up to you how much you want to scrub. If you let them soak for a long time, it’s much easier

Maple Chicken Wings

6 lbs chicken wings
1/3 c teriyaki sauce
1/2 c soy sauce
2T garlic, minced
1 T onion powder
1-1/2 t pepper
1 t red pepper flakes
2 c maple syrup

Place wings in the pan, mix all the other ingredients and pour over wings. Toss to coat. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, turning every 15 to 20 minutes. Increase the temperature to 425 and cook for 45 minutes more, turning as before.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Maple chicken wings

Fresh start for a new year

Cyndi Lavin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:00:08 +0000

Fresh start for a new year? Let’s begin in the kitchen. This is the title of Mark Bittman’s article from early January. I have to say that he has a lot of good advice and humor packed into this piece, and I recommend that you give it a look. He caught me right away, because he started out with spinning my fantasy life: shopping daily in my small Umbrian village, while my reality is trying to put quick and delicious dinners on the table that satisfy many different tastes

While I would take issue with Mark over tomato paste and canned beans, otherwise I think he’s pretty much spot on. Now, where did I leave my map to Italy?

Image: StockXchng

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Fresh start for a new year

Tasty tuna fish sandwich

Cyndi Lavin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:00:16 +0000

Hot or cold, this one works either way. I loaded up thick slices of whole wheat bread, wrapped them in foil, and heated them, but they are really good cold too

I’ve never measured the proportions, just mixed the ingredients together until it seemed right.

Tasty Tuna Fish

Tuna
Soy sauce
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Mint, chopped
Sesame seeds
Greens, preferably dark like arugula

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Tasty tuna fish sandwich