Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ground Pork Pesto Burger w/ Green Beans

Today’s Menu: Ground Pork Pesto Burger w/ Green Beans



Love these Ground Pork Burgers the taste is fantastic, the pesto mixed in with the Pork is a perfect match! I fried the Burger in Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 4 minutes per side. Comes out moist and juicy bursting with flavor. I topped it with some reduced Kraft Mayo and a slice of Smoked Gouda Cheese and served it on a Healthy Life Whole Grain Bun. I left the recipe at the end of the post.  As a side I had Green Beans. A bit different for a side for a Burger but it just sounded good! Green Beans are my favorite Veggie.  i also had a bottle of the new Snapple Drink, Half and Half Iced Tea & Lemonade Diet Snapple. Really liked it, has a fantastic flavor. Plus it's only 10 calories and 0 carbs! For dessert later a Yoplait Delight 100 Calorie Chocolate Eclair Parfait.

Ground Pork Burgers
(Makes 4 Burgers)
Ingredients:

1 LB. Ground Pork (I used a 93/7 Blend)
1/4 Cup Basil Pesto (You can add more or less to taste)
1/4 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste
4 Slices of Smoked Gouda Cheese, Optional
Lettuce, sliced Tomato optional

Instructions:

* In a mixing bowl add your bread crumbs, pesto, and ground pork. Mix together and form into 4 Burgers
* Spray a large skillet and heat on medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Fry the Burgers to your liking, I fried these for about 4 minutes per side.
* Serve on a Bun of your choice (I used Healthy Life Whole Grain Buns). Add Reduced or Lite Mayo and Slice of Smoked Gouda Cheese.

Chili Vegetarian-Style

Chili Vegetarian-Style

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, fine chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/3 cups red & yellow peppers, chopped
6 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon ground (cayenne) red pepper
1/3 cup Splenda Granular or choice of Sugar substitute
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with thick tomato puree
2 (15-ounce) can black beans (Do Not Drain!)
2 (15-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans (Do Not Drain!)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (Do Not Drain!)
1 (10-ounce) box Corn kernels, frozen
Salt to taste (optional)
*For added heat you can add 2 Adobe Peppers and a tablespoon of the Adobe Sauce, 1 Can

Directions:

    In a large, non stick, stock pot heat olive oil. Sauté jalapeno, onions, and red & yellow peppers over medium heat until onions are translucent (5 to 8 minutes).
    Add the remaining ingredients and slowly bring to a boil. Cover pot and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Serve hot.*

Makes 16 servings.

Note: If spicier chile is preferred, increase the ground cayenne red pepper to 1 teaspoon, & increase the chili powder to 7 teaspoons. If sweeter chili is preferred, increase Splenda Granular to 2/3 cup.

* This chile, like most chiles, tastes best the day after it is made. Refrigerate chile in covered pot overnight. Bring to a boil over a low heat, stirring constantly.

* You can top the chili with cheese and sour cream before serving

Nutritional Facts Per Serving (1/16 of recipe): Calories 160, Carbohydrates 30 g, Protein 9 g, Total Fat 1.5 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 480 mg.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Ramen Noodle w/ Shrimp, Carrots, and Mushrooms

Dinner Tonight: Ramen Noodle w/ Shrimp, Carrots, and Mushrooms



Wasn't real sure on what I wanted for dinner so it was a last minute pot luck dinner of Ramen Noodle w/ Shrimp, Carrots, and Mushrooms, and it turned out great! I always keep packs of Chow Mein or Ramen Noodles in stock just in case of these last minute dinner ideas. Easy to fix, easy on the calories and carbs, and can go with about any type of meat or veggie. I used Maruchan Ramen Shrimp Flavored Noodles. To prepare the Noodles I used a medium size skillet and boiled one cup of water then added the Noodles. When all the water had been absorbed I added Mini Carrots, Shrimp, Mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of Cilantro Leaves, and 1 tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce.

 Before I boiled the Noodles I prepared my 3 add on ingredients. I used Large Shrimp 19 - 25 Count that I boiled for 3 minutes, seasoned with Sea Salt. The Carrots were the Mini Carrots that I boiled also until the were fork tender and for the Mushrooms I used Baby Bella Mushrooms that I sauteed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned with Sea Salt, Ground Smoked Cumin, and Parsley. It all came together for a healthy low calorie and low carb dinner! Love it when something unplanned comes together. For dessert later a bowl of Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream topped with Dole Crushed Pineapple.

Cheese of the Week - Abertam

Abertam

Abertam Cheese
Traditional, farmhouse, hard cheese made from sheep's milk. It has a shape of irregular ball with thin, yellow to orange, natural rind. It is used as a table cheese or for melting. Abertam is made in Karlovy Vary, the famous spa town. The natural pastures of this mountainous part of Bohemia provide the sheep with a rich diet that is revealed in the robust flavor of the hard, pressed cheese. The cheese ripens in two months.

Abertam is considered an excellent cheese for melting and is substituted in a wide range of recipes to add flavor. One of the best known fondues is made by combining the cheese with milk butter, flour, sour cream and spices. The cheese is also used in grilled preparations and does not burn when grilled. The cheese has a slight tangy flavor which makes it a popular ingredient in cakes and dip prepared with apples. It is also used as a sandwich spread.

With a fat content of 45%, not considered a very healthy ingredient, especially for people who suffer from heart disease, high cholesterol and/or obesity, abertam  is, however, advisably consumed  in controlled quantities.


Country: Czech Republic

Milk: ewe milk

Texture: hard

Fat content: 45 %

Producer: Karlovy%20Vary

I'm on a roll!

I've been a member in Foodie Blogroll for a while now. They are always giving away different food and food related items. Well I was informed that I was the winner of  a copy of Healing Powers of Honey by Cal Orey plus a 7 ounce bag of Intentional Chocolate samples! I never win anything but later yesterday after being informed that I won this I had purchased 3 scratch off Ohio Lottery Tickets and won $50! When your hot your hot! Anyway when you get time check out http://www.foodieblogroll.com/

It's a great site full of food blogs, recipes, and great giveaway's for members. So check it out. I have a link on my blogs or the link above will get you there. I left a copy of my winning notification below.


Hello Mark!

We are happy to let you know that your blog was selected as this week's winner for the Foodie Blogroll "Spread the word to win a copy of 'The Healing Powers of Honey' Book" contest!

You will receive a receive a copy of Healing Powers of Honey by Cal Orey plus a 7 ounce bag of Intentional Chocolate samples!

Leap year

A leap year (or intercalary or bissextile year) is a year containing one additional day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year that is not a leap year is called a common year.

For example, in the Gregorian calendar (a common solar calendar), February in a leap year has 29 days instead of the usual 28, so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 365. Similarly, in the Hebrew calendar (a lunisolar calendar), a 13th lunar month is added seven times every 19 years to the twelve lunar months in its common years to keep its calendar year from drifting through the seasons too rapidly.

A leap year is a year with an extra day (most commonly referred to as a "leap day") in February, making it 29 days instead of 28 days. Leap years generally occur once every four years, the last being 2008 and the next being 2012.

The current system is:

    Every 4th year starting with year 0 is a leap year
    Except every 100th year, when it is not observed
    Except every 400th year, when it is.

So 1900 was not a leap year, although the years 1896 and 1904 were. 2000, due to the "back in again" every 400 years, was a leap year

The system above was adopted in various countries at irregular intervals

In the British Isles, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been claimed that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, this is dubious, as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century. Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow. In some places the tradition was tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, February 29, or to the medieval (bissextile) leap day, February 24.

According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat—fair warning, if you will."

In Denmark, the tradition is that women may propose on the bissextile leap day, February 24, and that refusal must be compensated with 12 pairs of gloves.

In Finland, the tradition is that if a man refuses a woman's proposal on leap day, he should buy her the fabrics for a skirt.

In Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky. One in five engaged couples in Greece will plan to avoid getting married in a leap year.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Baked Tilapia w/ Whole Grain Rotni & Cheese and Whole Grain Bread

Dinner Tonight: Baked Tilapia w/ Whole Grain Rotni & Cheese and Whole Grain Bread



Kroger had some monster size Tilapia fillets on sale last week. I purchased 4 fillets freezing 3 of them. I seasoned the Tilapia with Parsley, McCormick Grinder Sea Salt and Black Peppercorn then rolled it in a Italian Bread Crumb and Whole Wheat Flour mix. I baked it at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. What a huge and great tasting fillet! I cut the fillet in half and I'll have it tomorrow for lunch. I'll be using one of the other ones to make Fish Tacos with. Tilapia tastes great no matter how you fix it or use it.

For sides I had Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread and Kraft/Velveeta Whole Grain Rotini & Cheese. Love this kind of Kraft Mac! For dessert/snack later a bag of Jolly Time 100 Calorie Mini Bag of Pop Corn.

Green tea business grows in India amid health awareness

Green tea business grows in India amid health awareness

Article on the health benifits of one of my favorite drinks, Green Tea. Click on the link at the bottom of the post to read the entire article.

Mithun Dasgupta | 27 Feb, 2012
More and more tea makers are adding green tea in their portfolio as consumers in India are developing a taste for the beverage for its many health-promoting effects.

Green tea consumption in India is rising at a rate of more than 10 percent annually. According to J Thomas & Company, the world's largest tea auctioneer, consumption of green tea, considered very urbane and sophisticated, is rising from a very tiny base.

"From a small consumption base, demand for green tea is increasing. There will be growth in consumption. Traditionally, people here drink black tea with sugar and milk. But green tea consumption will grow in the future because of its health benefits and awareness," said Krishan Katyal, J Thomas & Co director.

Katyal said India, the world's second biggest producer of tea, on an average produces 9-11 million kg of green tea annually and half of that was currently being consumed domestically.

"It (consumption) will grow. I, however, do not think that it will grow by leaps and bounds," he observed.....

Click on the link below to read the entire article:

http://www.smetimes.in/smetimes/news/industry/2012/Feb/27/green-tea-business-grows-India-amid-health-awareness70615.html

Nut of the Week - Pine Nut

Shelled European pine nuts
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus Pinus). About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food.

In Asia, two species are widely harvested, Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis) in northeast Asia (the most important species in international trade), and Chilgoza Pine (Pinus gerardiana) in the western Himalaya. Four other species, Siberian Pine (Pinus sibirica), Siberian Dwarf Pine (Pinus pumila), Chinese White Pine (Pinus armandii) and Lacebark Pine (Pinus bungeana), are also used to a lesser extent. Afghanistan is an important source of pine nuts.

Pine nuts produced in Europe mostly come from the Stone Pine (Pinus pinea), which has been cultivated for its nuts for over 6,000 years, and harvested from wild trees for far longer. The Swiss Pine (Pinus cembra) is also used to a very small extent.

In North America, the main species are three of the pinyon pines, Colorado Pinyon (Pinus edulis), Single-leaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla), and Mexican Pinyon (Pinus cembroides). The other eight pinyon species are used to a small extent, as are Gray Pine (Pinus sabineana), Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana), Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) and Parry Pinyon (Pinus quadrifolia).

In the United States, pine nuts are mainly harvested by Native Americans, particularly the Uto-Aztecan: Shoshone, Paiute and Hopi, and Washoe tribes. Certain treaties negotiated by tribes and laws in Nevada guarantee Native Americans' right to harvest pine nuts.

Pine nuts contain, depending on species, 10–34% protein, with Stone Pine having the highest content. They are also a source of dietary fiber. When first extracted from the pine cone, they are covered with a hard shell (seed coat), thin in some species, thick in others. The nutrition is stored in the embryo (sporophyte) in the centre. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense pine nuts are seeds; being a gymnosperm, they lack a carpel (fruit) outside.

The shell must be removed before the pine nut can be eaten. Unshelled pine nuts have a long shelf life if kept dry and refrigerated (−5 °C (23 °F) to 2 °C (36 °F)); shelled nuts (and unshelled nuts in warm conditions) deteriorate rapidly, becoming rancid within a few weeks or even days in warm humid conditions. Pine nuts are commercially available in shelled form, but due to poor storage, can have poor flavour and may be already rancid at the time of purchase. Consequently, pine nuts are often frozen to preserve their flavor.

European pine nuts may be distinguished from Asian ones by their greater length in comparison to girth; Asian pine nuts are stubbier, shaped somewhat like long kernels of corn. The American pinyon nuts are known for their large size and ease of shelling. In the United States, P. edulis, the hard shell or New Mexico and Colorado, became a sought-after species due to the Trading Post System and the Navajo people who used the nuts as a means of commerce. The Italian pine nut, (P. pinea) was brought to the United States by immigrants, and became a favored treat along the East Coast until the early 1930s, when bumper crops of American pine nuts were readily available at low prices.

Pine nuts have been eaten in Europe and Asia since the Paleolithic period. They are frequently added to meat, fish, salads and vegetable dishes or baked into bread. In Italian they are called pinoli (in the U.S. they are often called "pignoli" but in Italy "pignolo" is actually a word far more commonly used to describe a fussy, overly fastidious or extremely meticulous person) and are an essential component of Italian pesto sauce. Pignoli cookies, an Italian American specialty confection (in Italy these would be called "biscotti ai pinoli"), are made of almond flour formed into a dough similar to that of a macaroon and then topped with pine nuts. In Spain, a sweet is made of small marzipan balls covered with pine nuts, painted with egg and lightly cooked. Pine nuts are also featured in the salade landaise of southwestern France. Pine nut coffee, known as piñón (Spanish for pine nut), is a speciality found in the southwest United States, especially New Mexico, and is typically a dark roast coffee having a deep, nutty flavour; roasted and lightly salted pine nuts can often be found sold on the side of the road in cities across New Mexico to be used for this purpose, as well as a snack. The Nevada, or Great Basin, pine nut has a sweet fruity flavor and is relished for its large size, sweet flavor and ease of peeling. Pine nuts are also widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine, reflected in a diverse range of dishes such as kibbeh, sambusek, desserts such as baklava, and many others.

Throughout Europe and Middle East the pine nuts used are from Pinus pinea (Stone Pine). They are easily distinguished from the Asian pine nuts by their more slender shape and more homogeneous flesh. Due to the lower price, Asian pine nuts are also often used, especially in cheaper preparations. Pine nuts contain thiamine (vitamin B1) and protein.

Nutritional information

100g of dried pine nuts contains:

    Calories :673
    Carbohydrates(g): 13.08
    Fibers(g): 3.7
    Protein(g): 13.69
    Cholesterol(mg): 0

Pine Nut Cookies Recipe

Pine Nut Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

    1 package (7 ounces) almond paste, grated
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
    2 egg whites
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    Pinch salt
    1/2 cup pine nuts

Directions

    In a large bowl, beat the almond paste and sugars until crumbly. Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to almond mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
    Place pine nuts in a shallow bowl. Working one at a time, with greased hands, drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into pine nuts. Place cookies nut side up 2 in. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
    Bake at 325° for 15-17 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool completely on baking sheets before carefully removing to wire racks. Store in an airtight container with waxed paper between layers. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Nutritional Facts 1 cookie equals 68 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 9 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

There are several sites with the same or similar recipe.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pine-Nut-Cookies

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Leftover Sunday - Velveeta Cheesy Skillet Turkey Mac

Dinner Tonight: Leftover's Velveeta Cheesy Skillet Turkey Mac w/ Whole Grain Bread


Some meals are just as good as the second time around! I had Kraft/Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac leftovers. I had used Lean Ground Turkey instead of Ground Hamburger, to cut the calories and carbs. Leftovers what a great invention. Just warm and serve! I had Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread to go along with the Mac. For dessert later a bowl of Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream topped with Dole's Sliced Mango.

Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac

Ingredients:
* 1 LB. Ground Beef or Ground Turkey (Extra Lean)
* Sea Salt, Pepper, Cilantro, Ground Smoked Cumin to taste; Optional
* 2 Cups Water
* 1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit/Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac
Instructions:
* Brown and season 1 LB. Ground Turkey in large skillet. Drain
* Add 2 cups water, seasoning and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce Heat.
* Cover, Simmer and stir often until most of water is gone about 11-13 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Add Cheese from Velveeta Cheese Pouch. Stir in Cheese Sauce and serve

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs w/ Kicked Up Chili Beans, Au Gratin Potatoes, and...

Dinner Tonight:: Crock Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs w/ Kicked Up Chili Beans, Au Gratin Potatoes, and Whole Grain Bread



It's a cold and windy winter's day around here today but it's warm and cozy inside with the aroma of ribs in the air! I had purchased some Pork Loin Back Ribs at Kroger earlier this week and decided to have them today. I seasoned the Ribs with JB’s Fat Boy Premium Rub and then brushed a half a bottle of JB’s Fat Boy Haugwaush Bar B Cue Sauce. I cooked the ribs for 8 hours on low in the crock pot. After 5 hours I applied the other half of Haugwaush to the Ribs.  The ribs came out perfect! Tender fall off the bone delicious. No knife needed as the bones could be removed by just pulling on them. This is my favorite way to fix ribs.

For the Beans I used Joan of Arc Spicy Chili Beans and added Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce, Crumbled Turkey Bacon Bits, Splenda Brown Sugar, and a few dashes of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. I left the recipe at the end of the post. I used Idaohan Potatoes Au Gratin which are very easy to fix and are just as good as homemade but with less calories and carbs. You can prepare them on the stove or by baking which is what I did. I also left the product description for the Potatoes below. We also had Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread. For dessert later a Jello Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding topped with Cool Whip Free.

Kicked Up Chili Beans

Ingredients:

1 Can Spicy Chili Beans, Brand your choice. I use Joan of Arc
3 Pieces Crumbled Turkey Bacon. You can use Turkey or Turkey Bacon Crumbles
4 Shakes Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/2 Cup Jack Daniel’s Honey Smokehouse BBQ Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar or to taste
1 Teaspoon Ground Mustard

Directions:

Empty can of Beans into a medium sauce pan
Add Turkey Crumbles, Brown Sugar, Ground Mustard, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Honey BBQ Sauce, stir and mix.
Heat until desired temperature, and serve


Idahoan Potatoes Au Gratin Casserole

Product Description

There’s no better way to start a savory Au Gratin homestyle casserole than with world-famous Idaho® potatoes, which is why you’ll taste only 100% grown-in-Idaho potatoes in this rich & cheesy side. For family meals or for special occasions, this cheesy, delicious dish is sure to please.

Preparation Instruction
Oven Directions

Best for Golden Browning

    *PREHEAT oven to 450°F. COMBINE potatoes and sauce mix in 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
    *STIR in 1 1/2 cups boiling water, 3/4 cup milk, and 1 1/2 Tbsp. margarine or butter with whisk.
    *BAKE uncovered for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender (sauce will thicken slightly when cooling).
    *Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes before serving.
    BAKING NOTES: To prepare 2 casseroles at once, double all ingredients, increase baking dish size accordingly, and bake about 30 min. To bake potatoes and roast meat at the same time, bake at 375°F for about 45 min; 350°F for about 50 min; or 325°F for about 60 min.

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving     Unprepared     Prepared
Calories     100     160
Calories from fat     10     60
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g*     2%     9%
Saturated Fat 0g     0%     8%
Trans Fat 0g          
Cholesterol 0mg     0%     2%
Sodium 590mg     25%     28%
Total Carbohydrates 20g     7%     8%
Dietary Fiber 1g     4%     4%
Sugars 2g          
Protein 2g

    

Taste-Tested and Diabetes-Friendly

Taste-Tested and Diabetes-Friendly

Good article on Breakfast Cereal from www.diabeticlivingonline.com. You can read all the results by clicking the link at the bottom of the post.

With options ranging from colorful sugar bombs to bland fiber buds, cold cereal choices may seem either tasty-but-bad-for-you or boring-but-healthful. We're here to show you there's a happy medium for your breakfast bowl!

Through a series of dietitian approvals for nutritional requirements and taste tests with more than 100 people, including people with diabetes, we narrowed 70 qualifying cereals down to six winners and 12 tasty finalists. These "best of the bowl" cereals were awarded our Diabetic Living What to Eat™ seal of approval. Pour one to taste how yummy healthful options can be!

Nutritional Guidelines

Every cereal tested had to meet these health requirements per serving (without milk):

-- 150 calories or less

-- Less than 30 percent of calories from fat

-- 1 g saturated fat or less

-- 0 g trans fat

-- 30 g carb or less

-- Less than 8 g sugars

-- At least 3 g fiber

Flavored Flakes Finalists

After analyzing the nutrition content of hundreds of cereals, we were surprised to find some brands that were previously thought to be too high in sugar and calories that actually qualified for our taste test. Kellogg's Frosted Flakes was one such example. Its new formula for a reduced-sugar cereal with added fiber makes it one of several healthful options.

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes with Fiber, Less Sugar

Per serving (3/4 cup): 110 cal., 0 g total fat, 0 mg chol., 160 mg sodium, 26 g carb. (3 g fiber, 8 g sugars), 2 g pro.

Kellogg's Special K Cinnamon Pecan

Per serving (3/4 cup): 120 cal., 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 180 mg sodium, 24 g carb. (3 g fiber, 7 g sugars), 2 g pro.

http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/food-to-eat/what-to-eat/best-cereals-to-eat-with-diabetes/?sssdmh=dm17.581108&esrc=nwdlo022112&email=2933188293

Friday, February 24, 2012

Bleu & 'Shroom Bison Burger w/ Baked Crinkle Fries

Dinner Tonight: Bleu & 'Shroom Bison Burger w/ Baked Crinkle Fries








I had a Ground Bison Sirloin Burger that I seasoned with McCormick Grinder Steakhouse Seasoning. It was fried in Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 4 minutes per side. Always watch Bison when your cooking it as it will get done quicker due to it's very lean. I topped it with Sauteed Baby Bella Mushrooms and Murray Bros. Maytag Bleu Cheese and served on a Healthy Life Whole Grain Bun. I also had a side of Ore - Ida Baked Crinkle Fries. For dessert later a slice of the Pillsbury Sugarless Devil's Food Cake that I baked yesterday with a scoop of Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream.

Maple Syrup Festival @ Hueston Woods

Maple Syrup Festival @ Hueston Woods
   
Dates:    Saturday, March 03, 2012 - Sunday, March 04, 2012
Title:    Maple Syrup Festival @ Hueston Woods
Description:    At the main beach parking area • Explore the process of maple s
Times:    ALL DAY EVENT

At the main beach parking area • Explore the process of maple sugaring from the methods used by Indians to modern methods • Pancake breakfast offered from 7 AM to 1 PM for a fee • Tour the sugar bush from Noon - 4 PM • For more information call 513-523-6347

Hueston Woods State Park

6301 Park Office Road
College Corner, OH 45003
Park Office     513-523-6347
Golf Course     513-523-8081
Campground (seasonal)     513-523-1060
Camping & Getaway Rental Reservations     866-644-6727

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Pulled Chicken Sandwich w/ Tomato Soup

Dinner Tonight: Pulled Chicken Sandwich w/ Tomato Soup






A simple, filling, healthy dinner tonight! Earlier I had a bought a Rotisserie Chicken and pulled all the meat. For dinner I then slightly warmed the Chicken meat and toasted 2 slices of Healthy Life Whole Grain. Making the sandwich I put Kraft Reduced Fat Mayo on the bottom slice of bread, then the Chicken, then J B's Fat Boy Sticky Stuff Sauce, Lettuce, and the top slice of bread. An excellent Chicken Sandwich! For a side I had Campbell's Creamy Tomato Soup that I topped with a tablespoon of Daisy Lite Sour Cream. For dessert/snack later some Triscut Reduced Wheat Crackers topped with slices of Cracker Barrel 2% Sharp Cheese and Hormel Turkey Pepperoni.

Pillsbury Sugar Free Devil's Food Cake

It had been a while since I had baked a cake and Mom and Dad had been wanting one. Plus Mom's been down with the flu so what better time than now to make the cake to cheer her up a bit. I used  Pillsbury Sugar Free Devil's Food Cake and Pillsbury Sugar free Chocolate Fudge Icing. In preparing the cake I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil as my Oil and instead of 3 Eggs I used Egg Beaters instead, 3 - 1/4 cups equal 3 Eggs. I also added a Jello Sugar free Chocolate Pudding Cup to the Cake Batter. Adding Pudding to any type of cake, brownie or any other baked item will give you a very moist cake, always use Sugar Free Pudding.


The cake bakes at 325 degrees for about 36 minutes. Before icing make sure your cake is completely cooled down before icing your cake, goes on very smoothly when cooled. The Sugar Free Icing is delicious, a nice smooth and thick icing. The Pillsbury Cake along with the Icing makes a fantastic delicious cake. The cake itself is 220 calories and 29 carbs and the icing is 100 calories and 16 carbs per serving. I always slice my pieces to half serving size. Goes great with a scoop of Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream!  


Pillsbury Sugar Free Devil's Food Premium Cake Mix

Nutrition Facts

        Serv Size 1/12 package (38g mix)
        Servings Per Container 12
        Calories 120
        Calories from Fat 30
        Calcium 4%
        Iron 10%
        Thiamin 8%
        Riboflavin 4%
        Niacin 4%
        Folic Acid 6%

    Amount/Serving     % Daily Value
Total Fat     3.5g     5%
Saturated Fat     1.5g     8%
Trans Fat     0g    
Cholesterol     0mg     0%
Sodium     250mg     11%
Total Carbohydrate     29g     10%
Dietary Fiber     1g     6%
Sugars     0g    
SugarAlcohol     14g    
Protein     2g

Ingredients:

ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), MALTITOL, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOESTERS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT, XANTHAN GUM, CELLULOSE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS, CELLULOSE GUM, SODIUM CASEINATE, POLYSORBATE 60, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NON NUTRITIVE SWEETENER), SODIUM STEARATE, SUCRALOSE (NON NUTRITIVE SWEETENER), DATEM, RED 40, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS).

Kosher Information:  D



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Velveeta Cheesy Skillet Turkey Mac w/ French Bread

Dinner Tonight: Velveeta Cheesy Turkey Mac w/ Rustic French Bread


You have to love these one pot meals. I used Kraft/Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit/Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac. The dinner kit includes: Pasta, Velveeta Cheese Sauce, and Seasoning pack. All I had to do was add the 2 cups of water and 1lb. of Ground Turkey. I used Jennie – O Extra Lean Ground Turkey. Using the Extra Lean Ground Turkey instead of the Ground Beef you can lower the calorie count by anywhere from 60 – 80 calories! As I browned the Turkey I added Sea Salt, Pepper, and Ground Smoked Cumin for seasoning. It’s ready in about 10 minutes. I then add 2 cups of water, the seasoning and pasta. Simmer for 11 – 13 minutes and add the Velveeta Cheese and your ready for dinner.  I’ll leave the instructions at the end of the post. It’s 350 calories and 27 carbs but you can lower the calorie count by using the Ground Turkey as stated above. I had a side of Pillsbury Rustic French Bread. For dessert a Jello Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding topped with Cool Whip Free.



Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac

Ingredients:
* 1 LB. Ground Beef or Ground Turkey (Extra Lean)
* Sea Salt, Pepper, Cilantro, Ground Smoked Cumin to taste; Optional
* 2 Cups Water
* 1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit/Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac
Instructions:
* Brown and season 1 LB. Ground Turkey in large skillet. Drain
* Add 2 cups water, seasoning and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce Heat.
* Cover, Simmer and stir often until most of water is gone about 11-13 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Add Cheese from Velveeta Cheese Pouch. Stir in Cheese Sauce and serve

Abbaye de Belloc Cheese

Abbaye de Belloc Cheese
Following up last weeks look at the history of Cheese I'll be posting all the different types of cheese out there. After reading about all the different types I've found out that I never even heard of a lot of them. The first one - Abbaye de Belloc


Abbaye de Belloc (in France, Abbaye de Bellocq, but both names are used in English) is a French, traditional farmhouse, hard cheese from the Pays Basque region, made from unpasteurized sheep milk. The cheese was first made by the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Belloc from milk from the local flocks of sheep. Abbaye de Belloc is made in a 5 kg fat wheel with a natural, crusty, brownish colored rind with patches of red, orange and yellow. The cheese was founded by Benedictine monks. For centuries they have made their cheese from milk, produced in the locality. The cheese has a firm, dense, rich and creamy texture. The taste resembles burnt caramel and there is a distinctive lanolin aroma.

Texture - Semi hard

Milk - Ewe

Country - France

Fat Content - 60%

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

3 Bean Turkey Chili

Dinner Tonight: 3 Bean Turkey Chili


Made a batch of the 3 Bean Turkey Chili! Love this stuff. Not only is it delicious and healthy it's easy to make and it's a 1 pot meal! Just "Set it and forget it", my favorite info commercial saying. About 5-6 hours on low in your crock pot and you'll have some great tasting chili! This is great to freeze so you can have it anytime. I left the recipe at the end of the post. I topped the chili with some fresh grated Smoked Dutch Gouda Cheese and a side of Oyster Crackers.


Ingredients

1 lb. Ground turkey
1 Packet McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix
2 Cans (6 oz.) Hunt’s Tomato Paste
1 Can (15 oz.) Chili Beans
1 Can (15 oz.) Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 Can (15 oz.) Great Northern Beans, rinsed
1/2 Cup of Water
1 Tbs Ground Cocoa Chili Blend (McCormick)
1/2 Tsp Ground Chipotle Chili Pepper (McCormick)
1 Tsp. Chili powder
1 Tsp. Ground cumin
1 Tbs of Cilantro Leaves
5 Dashes of Frank’s Hot Sauce or to taste.
1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Oyster Crackers

*COOK turkey in large saucepan on medium-high heat 10 min. or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Add all remaining ingredients except the cheese and crackers.

*ADD to slow cooker

*COVER with lid. Cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours (or on LOW 5 to 6 hours).

*Serve in bowl or mug with cheese and the oyster crackers, or serve with some home made cornbread ears.

Snapple Officially Launches Diet Half 'n Half Lemonade Iced Tea

Snapple Officially Launches Diet Half 'n Half Lemonade Iced Tea

PLANO, Texas, Feb 21, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Snapple today officially launches Diet Half 'n Half Lemonade Iced Tea, joining the ranks of such great combinations as the spork, labradoodle and the keyboard guitar. The half lemonade, half iced tea blend is made from healthy green tea, tasty black tea and has only ten calories per 16oz bottle. While some may argue that one half may be better than the other, Snapple has brought the two together to create a low calorie option of this perfect combination.

"Some combinations are too perfect to pass up," said Regan Ebert, vice president of marketing for Snapple. "Snapple is always looking to make the Best Stuff even better and the new Diet Half 'n Half offers our fans a tasty low calorie combination of two classic flavors that is sure to please, whichever side you're rooting for."

To settle the score between Lemonade and Iced Tea lovers everywhere, Snapple is challenging fans to battle it out and vote for which side reigns supreme as the blend's better half. Fans can vote for their favorite flavor on Twitter by using the #Lemonade@Snapple and #Tea@Snapple hashtags, as seen in the new drink's advertising spot; via Snapple's Facebook page; and on Snapple.com.

By participating, fans can enter for a chance to win daily Snapple prizes. A few lucky winners will also receive $1,000 prizes, half for them to keep and half for their charity of choice. For additional details, go to Snapple.com. Fans can also visit Snapple on Facebook for one of the 250,000 coupons for $1.00 off of a Snapple 6-pack that the brand will give away in celebration of the new beverage.

Snapple Diet Half 'n Half is now available at participating retailers nationwide in individual 16-ounce bottles for $1.39 and 6-packs for $5.99. It is also available in 32oz, 64oz and 16oz 12-Packs. For full details and a list of participating retailers, visit www.Snapple.com .

About Snapple

Snapple, a brand of Dr Pepper Snapple Group DPS -0.71% , is a leader in great-tasting premium beverages. Founded in 1972 by three childhood friends, Snapple got its start in Greenwich Village, New York, and is now available throughout the United States and numerous countries worldwide. Snapple prides itself on developing, producing and marketing a wide variety of premium beverages, including ready-to-drink iced teas, juice drinks, 100% juices and water. Known for its down-to-earth approach to marketing, Snapple continues to delight fans across the world. DPS is a leading producer of flavored soft drinks, marketing Snapple and 50-plus other brands across North America and the Caribbean. For more information on Snapple, visit www.snapple.com or www.drpeppersnapple.com .

SOURCE: Snapple

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/snapple-officially-launches-diet-half-n-half-lemonade-iced-tea-2012-02-21

Nut of the Week - Pecans

Ripe pecan nuts on tree
The pecan is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and western Tennessee, south through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Florida, and west into New Mexico.

"Pecan" is from an Algonquian word, meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack.

The pecan tree is a large deciduous tree, growing to 66–130 ft in height, rarely to144 ft; taller trees to 160–180 ft have been claimed but not verified. It typically has a spread of 39–75 ft with a trunk up to 6.6 ft diameter. A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 16 ft tall. The leaves are alternate, 12–18 in long, and pinnate with 9–17 leaflets, each leaflet 2.0–4.7 in long and  0.79–2.4 in broad. The flowers are wind-pollinated, and monoecious, with staminate and pistillate catkins on the same tree; the male catkins are pendulous, up to 7.1 in long; the female catkins are small, with three to six flowers clustered together.

A pecan, like the fruit of all other members of the hickory genus, is not truly a nut, but is technically a drupe, a fruit with a single stone or pit, surrounded by a husk. The husks are produced from the exocarp tissue of the flower, while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp and contains the seed. The nut itself is dark brown, oval to oblong, 1.0–2.4 in long and 0.59–1.2 in broad. The outer husk is 0.12–0.16 in thick, starts out green and turns brown at maturity, at which time it splits off in four sections to release the thin-shelled nut.

The nuts of the pecan are edible, with a rich, buttery flavor. They can be eaten fresh or used in cooking, particularly in sweet desserts, but also in some savory dishes. One of the most common desserts with the pecan as a central ingredient is the pecan pie, a traditional southern U.S. recipe. Pecans are also a major ingredient in praline candy, most often associated with New Orleans.

In addition to the pecan nut, the wood is also used in making furniture and wood flooring, as well as flavoring fuel for smoking meats.

Pecans were one of the most recently domesticated major crops. Although wild pecans were well-known among the colonial Americans as a delicacy, the commercial growing of pecans in the United States did not begin until the 1880s. Today, the U.S. produces between 80% and 95% of the world's pecans, with an annual crop of 150–200 thousand tons  from more than 10 million trees. The nut harvest for growers is typically around mid-October. Historically, the leading pecan-producing state in the U.S. has been Georgia, followed by Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma; they are also grown in Arizona, South Carolina and Hawaii. Outside the United States, pecans are grown in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Peru and South Africa. They can be grown approximately from USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9, provided summers are also hot and humid.

Pecan trees may live and bear edible nuts for more than 300 years. They are mostly self-incompatible, because most cultivars, being clones derived from wild trees, show incomplete dichogamy. Generally, two or more trees of different cultivars must be present to pollinate each other.

Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. Like walnuts (which pecans resemble), pecans are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, although pecans contain about half as much omega-6 as walnuts.

A diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstones in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans reduce high cholesterol by reducing the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.

Clinical research published in the Journal of Nutrition (September 2001) found that eating about a handful of pecans each day may help lower cholesterol levels similar to what is often seen with cholesterol-lowering medications. Research conducted at the University of Georgia has also confirmed that pecans contain plant sterols, which are known for their cholesterol-lowering ability. Pecans may also play a role in neurological health. Eating pecans daily may delay age-related muscle nerve degeneration, according to a study conducted at the University of Massachusetts and published in Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research.

The Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company from Kiln, Mississippi has produced a variety of beer using pecans rather than hops.

Pecans with and without shells

Diabetic Pecan Pie

Diabetic Pecan Pie

Ingredients

        1 unbaked pie shells
        1 (1 g) packet plain gelatin
        1⁄3; cup unsweetened applesauce
        3 tablespoons water
        2 tablespoons cornstarch
        3 eggs
        2 teaspoons vanilla
        2 tablespoons very strong coffee (prepared, not grounds) or 2 tablespoons brewed espresso ( prepared, not grounds)
        24 pecan halves
    fruit sweetener
        ½ cup frozen apple juice concentrate ( thawed)
        ½ cup granular fructose ( or diabetic sugar)

Directions

    1) Make fruit sweetener: mix together 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed) PLUS 1/2 cup granulated fructose or diabetic sugar.).
    2) Prepare pastry and place in 9-inch pie pan. In large bowl, combine fruit sweetener, gelatin and apple sauce. Beat with electric mixer.
    3) In small bowl, blend water and cornstarch until smooth. Add cornstarch to fruit sweetener mixture and blend. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and coffee. Pour mixture into pie shell. Decorate top with pecan halves. Bake 30-40 minutes (until custard is set) at 375°F Cool slightly before cutting.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (83 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 10

Amount Per Serving
    % Daily Value
Calories 208.2
   
Calories from Fat 89
    43%

Amount Per Serving
    % Daily Value
Total Fat 9.9g
    15%
Saturated Fat 2.1g
    10%
Cholesterol 63.4mg
    21%
Sugars 14.9 g
Sodium 119.9mg
    4%
Total Carbohydrate 26.8g
    8%
Dietary Fiber 1.1g
    4%
Sugars 14.9 g
    59%
Protein 3.4g
    6%

Monday, February 20, 2012

Baked Tilapia w/ Roasted Asparagus, Hash Browns, and...

Dinner Tonight: Baked Tilapia w/ Roasted Asparagus, Hash Browns, and Whole Grain Bread



Excellent dinner tonight! Not to mention low calorie and low carb. I had a Tilapia fillet that I seasoned with McCormick Grinder Sea Salt and Black Peppercorn along with Parsley. I then rolled the fillet in Italian Style Bread Crumbs and Parm Shredded Cheese. Baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turning once half way through the baking time. Came moist and flaky, delicious!

Along with the Tilapia I had sides of Roasted Asparagus, Simply Potatoes Hash Browns, and Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread. I'll leave the recipe for the Roasted Asparagus at the end of the post. For dessert later a bowl of Breyer's Carb Smart Ice Cream topped with Del Monte No Sugar Sliced Peaches.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

    2 bunches medium asparagus
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    Grated or shaved Parmesan, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus, usually about 1 1/2 inches. Lightly peel the remaining stalks (not always necessary, but more of a personal preference). Spread the spears in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and roll to coat thoroughly.

Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through to turn the asparagus. Arrange the roasted asparagus on a serving platter and top with some Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.   

Bison Thai Salad

Bison Thai Salad

1/2 a head of cabbage
1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 limes
2 bison New York strip steaks
Black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt
1 stalk lemongrass
1 serrano chili
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup of mint
1/4 cup cilantro

    *First, shred the cabbage and combine with the shredded red cabbage to add some color.
    *Now add 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and juice from half of the lime.
    *Toss to mix all the flavors and set aside to marinate.
    *Next, season the strip steaks with pepper, garlic, and salt-make sure to get both sides.
    *Place the steaks on a preheated grill and cook on each side for 3 minutes. When the steaks are done, let them rest for 8 to 10 minutes so that the juices redistribute.
    *Now, cut off the stem and root end of the lemongrass, remove the tough outer leaf and mince. Add the serrano chili, the green onions, and the shallots.
    *To the ingredients, add the other tablespoon of the fish sauce and the juice from one and a half limes.
    *Continue chopping to mix all the flavors and then add the mint and cilantro and give it a rough chop.
    *Add this marinade to a bowl.
    *Thinly slice the bison steaks against the grain to make sure the meat stays moist and tender and add to the bowl. Toss to coat.
    *To plate this exotic dish, add the marinating cabbage salad and top with the bison.

Makes 2 servings.

Cooking with Buffalo

I was surfing around looking to purchase some Bison Meat and for some Bison Recipes and came across this site which had everything! Full variety of Bison Products and plenty of recipes and info on Bison. If your a Bison fan check this site out: 
http://www.cooking-buffalo.com/about.html


About Us
About Cooking with Buffalo

Cooking with Buffalo is a blog supported by American Gourmet and the Sayersbrook Bison Ranch. This blog is intended as a way to share information about the bison industry, give tips on cooking with bison and offer ways that eating bison can help improve your general quality of life.
About American Gourmet

American Gourmet was founded in 1976 by Skip Sayers. As one of the leading producers of buffalo meat in the world, American Gourmet offers an extensive selection of SayersBrook’s award winning buffalo steaks, buffalo burgers and other exotic meats through their catalog and online store. American Gourmet uses all natural methods to develop flavorful bison meat. The bison herd at SayersBrook Bison Ranch roams on a 3,000 acre ranch near Potosi, Mo. With a secret, special blend of all natural grains, American Gourmet brings bison’s unique flavor and tenderness into American homes. For more information about American Gourmet, please visit www.americangourmet.net or call 1-888-472-9377.

http://www.cooking-buffalo.com/about.html

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Ground Pork Pesto Burger w/ Crinkle Fries

Dinner Tonight: Ground Pork Pesto Burger w/ Crinkle Fries



I made up a new batch of the Ground Pork Burgers and froze all but one of them. Love these Ground Pork Burgers the taste is fantastic, the pesto with the Pork is a perfect match! I fried the Burger in Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 4 minutes per side. Comes out moist and juicy bursting with flavor. I topped it with some reduced Kraft Mayo, a teaspoon of Basil Pesto, a slice of Smoked Gouda Cheese and served it on a Healthy Life Whole Grain Bun. I left the recipe at the end of the post.  As a side I had Ore Ida Crinkle Fries with Heinz 57 Sauce on the side for dipping. For dessert later a bowl of Breyer’s Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream topped with Smucker’s Sugar Free Hot Fudge Topping.

Ground Pork Burgers
(Makes 4 Burgers)
Ingredients:

1 LB. Ground Pork (I used a 93/7 Blend)
1/4 Cup Basil Pesto (You can add more or less to taste)
1/4 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste
4 Slices of Smoked Gouda Cheese, Optional
Lettuce, sliced Tomato optional

Instructions:

* In a mixing bowl add your bread crumbs, pesto, and ground pork. Mix together and form into 4 Burgers
* Spray a large skillet and heat on medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Fry the Burgers to your liking, I fried these for about 4 minutes per side.
* Serve on a Bun of your choice (I used Healthy Life Whole Grain Buns). Add Reduced or Lite Mayo and Slice of Smoked Gouda Cheese.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Gorton’s Home Style Baked Shrimp w/ Rice

Dinner Tonight: Gorton’s Home Style Baked Shrimp w/ Rice



It was a quick & easy delicious dinner tonight using Gorton’s Home Style Shrimp and Uncle Ben's Roasted Chicken Flavored Rice With Carrots & Herbs. The Gorton's Shrimp is very easy to make just bake at 425 degrees for 16 – 20 minutes and you have a great tasting Shrimp dinner. These were the best boxed Shrimp I ever had! Good size, breaded and seasoned just right. They’re 240 calories and only 19 carbs. I left the product description at the bottom of the post. Along with the Shrimp I had Uncle Ben's Roasted Chicken Flavored Rice With Carrots & Herbs. Another easy fixing it comes in a microwavable cup. Just heat for 60 seconds and serve. For dessert later this evening a Pillsbury Apple Turnover topped  with a scoop of Breyer's Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream.


















Gorton’s Home Style Shrimp

Gorton’s Home Style Shrimp is made with plump, tender tail-on shrimp for a big shrimp taste. Gorton’s homestyle breading is made with fresh cracker meal and real buttermilk.
Gorton’s Home Style Shrimp:

Seasoned with classic herbs and spices
A natural source of omega-3

Gorton’s HomeStyle Shrimp
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 3 (99g)

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 130
Calories 240

% Daily Values*
Total Fat 14g     22%
Saturated Fat 3.5g     18%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 70mg     23%
Sodium 720mg     30%
Potassium 100mg
Total Carbohydrate 19g     6%
Dietary Fiber 1g     4%
Sugars 2g
Protein 10g

Friday, February 17, 2012

BBQ Chicken Pizza and Ham & Pineapple Pizza!

Dinner Tonight: BBQ Chicken Pizza and  Ham & Pineapple Pizza!


It was all home made Pizzas around here tonight! Two delicious and different Pizzas.The Chicken was made with Roasted Chicken, Gouda Cheese, 2% Mozzarella Cheese, Mushrooms, Black Olives, J B‘s Fat Boy Sticky Stuff Sauce, and Wheat Pita Bread. The Ham and Pineapple was made with Oscar Mayer Carver Board Ham, Dole Crushed Pineapple, Gouda Cheese, 2% Mozzarella Cheese, Mushrooms, Black Olives, J B‘s Fat Boy HaugWaush Sauce, and Wheat Pita Bread. After preparing bake at 375 degrees until hot and Cheese is melted. We've had the BBQ Chicken several times now and the first time we've had the Ham and Pineapple, it won't be the last! The Ham and Pineapple along with the BBQ Sauce makes one fantastic tasting Pizza. I love using the Meijer Wheat Pita bread. It's perfect for making Pizza and a lot lower in calories and carbs. I left the recipe for the BBQ Chicken below, the Ham and Pineapple is made the same way. For dessert/snack later a bag of Jolly Time 100 Calorie Mini Bag of Pop Corn.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Rotissiaire Chicken
1 Cup Barbecue Sauce (recommended: Fat Boy Sticky Stuff Sauce)
2 Wheat or Whole Wheat Pita Bread
4 Medium Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced thin
1 Can Sliced Black Olives, 1 Tablespoon on each Pizza
1 Cup Shredded Gouda
3/4 Cup Shredded 2% Mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the skin and pull and shred all the meat from the Rotissiaire  Chicken and store in a bowl or plastic container. After pulling all the meat add 1/2 cup of the BBQ Sauce and mix until the Chicken is coated.

Build the Pizza. Brush Pita Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add remaining 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce and brush on Pita Breads. Add layer of the shredded Chicken, Black Olives, Sliced Mushrooms, Shredded Mozzarella and Shredded Gouda Cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees until Cheese is melted and pizza is warmed and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras 2010 celebrants in the French Quarter of New Orleans
The terms "Mardi Gras" (play /ˈmɑrdiɡrɑː/), "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi gras is French for Fat Tuesday, referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday; in English the day is sometimes referred to as Shrove Tuesday, from the word shrive, meaning "confess." Related popular practices are associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.

In many areas, the term "Mardi Gras" has come to mean the whole period of activity related to the celebratory events, beyond just the single day. In some US cities, it is now called "Mardi Gras Day" or "Fat Tuesday". The festival season varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras the entire period between Epiphany or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras-associated social events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving, then New Year's Eve, followed by parades and balls in January and February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday. In earlier times parades were held on New Year's Day. Other cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Barranquilla, Colombia, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Quebec City, Canada; Mazatlán, Sinaloa in Mexico; and New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Carnival is an important celebration in Anglican and Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called "shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

While not observed nationally throughout the United States, a number of traditionally ethnic French cities and regions in the country have notable celebrations. Mardi Gras arrived in North America as a French Catholic tradition with the Le Moyne brothers, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, in the late 17th century, when King Louis XIV sent the pair to defend France's claim on the territory of Louisiane, which included what are now the U.S. states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

The expedition, led by Iberville, entered the mouth of the Mississippi River on the evening of March 2, 1699, Lundi Gras. They did not yet know it was the river explored and claimed for France by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1683. The party proceeded upstream to a place on the west bank about 60 miles downriver from where New Orleans is today, and made camp. This was on March 3, 1699, Mardi Gras, so in honor of this holiday, Iberville named the spot Point du Mardi Gras (French: "Mardi Gras Point") and called the nearby tributary Bayou Mardi Gras. Bienville went on to found the settlement of Mobile, Alabama in 1702 as the first capital of French Louisiana. In 1703 French settlers in Mobile began the Mardi Gras celebration tradition. By 1720, Biloxi had been made capital of Louisiana. The French customs had already accompanied colonists who settled there.

In 1723, the capital of Louisiana was moved to New Orleans, founded in 1718. The tradition has expanded to the point that it became strongly associated with the city in popular perception, and embraced by residents of New Orleans beyond those of French or Catholic heritage. Mardi Gras celebrations are part of the basis of the slogan, Laissez les bons temps rouler, (Let the good times roll) and the nickname "Big Easy". Mobile, Alabama, the former capital of New France, also has a long tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras. Other cities along the Gulf Coast formerly occupied and owned by the French from Pensacola, Florida, and its suburbs to Lafayette, Louisiana, have active Mardi Gras celebrations. In the rural Acadiana area, many Cajuns celebrate with the Courir de Mardi Gras, a tradition that dates to medieval celebrations in France.

King Cake

Louisiana-style King Cake:
King cake
This oval-shaped, sugary pastry is served up with a surprise: a small plastic doll baked inside. Tradition holds that whoever gets the piece with the doll is expected to host next year's party.


King Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

    Brioche Dough:
    1/2 cup lukewarm water, 110 to 115 degrees
    2 packages dry yeast
    4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups sifted flour
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    2 teaspoons salt
    1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
    1/2 cup lukewarm milk
    3 eggs
    4 egg yolks
    1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
    1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
    1 dried bean, a coin, or tiny china baby doll
    .
    Vanilla Glaze:
    1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
    2 teaspoons milk
    1/4 teaspoon vanilla
    colored sugars, purple, yellow, and green
    candied cherries and other fruits for garnish, as desired

Preparation:
Soften yeast in water. Combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt in mixing bowl. Stir in lemon peel. Make a well in center and pour into it the yeast mixture and milk. Add eggs and egg yolks, and with a large wooden spoon gradually incorporate dry ingredients into liquid ones. Beat in butter and continute beating until dough forms ball. (Mixing of the dough can be done in a food processor.) Place ball on floured board and incorporate more flour if necessary, by sprinkling it over ball by the tablespoon. Knead until smooth and elastic. Brush inside of large bowl with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Set dough in bowl and turn it so as to butter entire surface. Cover bowl and set aside for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Brush a large baking sheet with remaining butter. Punch dough down on lightly floured surface. Knead, then pat and shape dough into a long roll about 14 inches long. Place on baking sheet and form into a circle. Press bean or doll into dough so that it is hidden. Set aside again to rise.

Bake King's Cake in middle of oven at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown wherever the cake shows through. Parts of the cake with sugar covering should look crusty. Slide cake onto wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Glaze: In a small mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar with 2 teaspoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir glaze until smooth; drizzle over cake. Sprinkle cake generously with the colored sugars then embed the candied fruit "jewels" in the King's "crown."

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Baked Pork Chop w/ Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Brown Gravy, ...

Today's Menu: Baked Pork Chop w/ Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Brown Gravy, Green Beans, and Whole Grain Bread


Chops, Taters, and Beans Oh My! Makes a mighty tasty dinner. I had a Pork Loin Chop that I marinated in
 J B's Fat Boy HaugWaush Barbque Sauce for about 3 hours in the fridge. I then seasoned it with McCormick Grinder Sea Salt and McCormick Grillmates Applewood Rub and baked at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and then flipping it over and baked another 20 minutes,  or until it's at 165 degrees. The baking time will vary according to how thick your chop is. Comes out moist and tender bursting with great flavor! J B's Fat Boy Sauces and Rubs are the best on the market as far as I'm concerned.

For sides I had Mashed Potatoes topped with Heinz Mushroom Brown Gravy, Green Beans, and Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread. For dessert later a Jello Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding topped with Cool Whip Free Whip Cream.

Cheese

Cheese factory in Holland
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms.

Cheese consists of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into final form. Some cheeses have molds on the rind or throughout. Most cheeses melt at cooking temperature.

Hundreds of types of cheese are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether they have been pasteurized, the butterfat content, the bacteria and mold, the processing, and aging. Herbs, spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents. The yellow to red color of many cheeses is from adding annatto.

For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice. Most cheeses are acidified to a lesser degree by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid, then the addition of rennet completes the curdling. Vegetarian alternatives to rennet are available; most are produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei, but others have been extracted from various species of the Cynara thistle family.

Cheese is valued for its portability, long life, and high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Cheese is more compact and has a longer shelf life than milk. Cheesemakers near a dairy region may benefit from fresher, lower-priced milk, and lower shipping costs. The long storage life of some cheese, especially if it is encased in a protective rind, allows selling when markets are favorable.

Cheese is an ancient food whose origins predate recorded history. There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, either in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East, but the practice had spread within Europe prior to Roman times and, according to Pliny the Elder, had become a sophisticated enterprise by the time the Roman Empire came into being.

Proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE (when sheep were first domesticated) to around 3000 BCE. The first cheese may have been made by people in the Middle East or by nomadic Turkic tribes in Central Asia. Since animal skins and inflated internal organs have, since ancient times, provided storage vessels for a range of foodstuffs, it is probable that the process of cheese making was discovered accidentally by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal, resulting in the milk being turned to curd and whey by the rennet from the stomach. There is a legend with variations about the discovery of cheese by an Arab trader who used this method of storing milk.

Cheesemaking may have begun independently of this by the pressing and salting of curdled milk to preserve it. Observation that the effect of making milk in an animal stomach gave more solid and better-textured curds, may have led to the deliberate addition of rennet.

The earliest archeological evidence of cheesemaking has been found in Egyptian tomb murals, dating to about 2000 BCE. The earliest cheeses were likely to have been quite sour and salty, similar in texture to rustic cottage cheese or feta, a crumbly, flavorful Greek cheese.

Cheese produced in Europe, where climates are cooler than the Middle East, required less salt for preservation. With less salt and acidity, the cheese became a suitable environment for useful microbes and molds, giving aged cheeses their respective flavors.

Until its modern spread along with European culture, cheese was nearly unheard of in oriental cultures, in the pre-Columbian Americas, and only had limited use in sub-Mediterranean Africa, mainly being widespread and popular only in Europe and areas influenced strongly by its cultures. But with the spread, first of European imperialism, and later of Euro-American culture and food, cheese has gradually become known and increasingly popular worldwide, though still rarely considered a part of local ethnic cuisines outside Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

The first factory for the industrial production of cheese opened in Switzerland in 1815, but it was in the United States where large-scale production first found real success. Credit usually goes to Jesse Williams, a dairy farmer from Rome, New York, who in 1851 started making cheese in an assembly-line fashion using the milk from neighboring farms. Within decades hundreds of such dairy associations existed.

The 1860s saw the beginnings of mass-produced rennet, and by the turn of the century scientists were producing pure microbial cultures. Before then, bacteria in cheesemaking had come from the environment or from recycling an earlier batch's whey; the pure cultures meant a more standardized cheese could be produced.

Factory-made cheese overtook traditional cheesemaking in the World War II era, and factories have been the source of most cheese in America and Europe ever since. Today, Americans buy more processed cheese than "real", factory-made or not.

A required step in cheesemaking is separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey. Usually this is done by acidifying (souring) the milk and adding rennet. The acidification can be accomplished directly by the addition of an acid like vinegar in a few cases (paneer, queso fresco), but usually starter bacteria are employed instead. These starter bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid. The same bacteria (and the enzymes they produce) also play a large role in the eventual flavor of aged cheeses. Most cheeses are made with starter bacteria from the Lactococci, Lactobacilli, or Streptococci families. Swiss starter cultures also include Propionibacter shermani, which produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles during aging, giving Swiss cheese or Emmental its holes (called eyes").

Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by acidity, but most cheeses also use rennet. Rennet sets the cheese into a strong and rubbery gel compared to the fragile curds produced by acidic coagulation alone. It also allows curdling at a lower acidity—important because flavor-making bacteria are inhibited in high-acidity environments. In general, softer, smaller, fresher cheeses are curdled with a greater proportion of acid to rennet than harder, larger, longer-aged varieties.

At this point, the cheese has set into a very moist gel. Some soft cheeses are now essentially complete: they are drained, salted, and packaged. For most of the rest, the curd is cut into small cubes. This allows water to drain from the individual pieces of curd.

Some hard cheeses are then heated to temperatures in the range of 35–55 °C (95–131 °F). This forces more whey from the cut curd. It also changes the taste of the finished cheese, affecting both the bacterial culture and the milk chemistry. Cheeses that are heated to the higher temperatures are usually made with thermophilic starter bacteria that survive this step—either Lactobacilli or Streptococci.

Salt has roles in cheese besides adding a salty flavor. It preserves cheese from spoiling, draws moisture from the curd, and firms cheese’s texture in an interaction with its proteins. Some cheeses are salted from the outside with dry salt or brine washes. Most cheeses have the salt mixed directly into the curds.
Cheese factory in Holland

Other techniques influence a cheese's texture and flavor. Some examples:

    Stretching: (Mozzarella, Provolone) The curd is stretched and kneaded in hot water, developing a stringy, fibrous body.
    Cheddaring: (Cheddar, other English cheeses) The cut curd is repeatedly piled up, pushing more moisture away. The curd is also mixed (or milled) for a long time, taking the sharp edges off the cut curd pieces and influencing the final product's texture.
    Washing: (Edam, Gouda, Colby) The curd is washed in warm water, lowering its acidity and making for a milder-tasting cheese.

Most cheeses achieve their final shape when the curds are pressed into a mold or form. The harder the cheese, the more pressure is applied. The pressure drives out moisture—the molds are designed to allow water to escape—and unifies the curds into a single solid body.

A newborn cheese is usually salty yet bland in flavor and, for harder varieties, rubbery in texture. These qualities are sometimes enjoyed—cheese curds are eaten on their own—but normally cheeses are left to rest under controlled conditions. This aging period (also called ripening, or, from the French, affinage) lasts from a few days to several years. As a cheese ages, microbes and enzymes transform texture and intensify flavor. This transformation is largely a result of the breakdown of casein proteins and milkfat into a complex mix of amino acids, amines, and fatty acids.

Some cheeses have additional bacteria or molds intentionally introduced before or during aging. In traditional cheesemaking, these microbes might be already present in the aging room; they are simply allowed to settle and grow on the stored cheeses. More often today, prepared cultures are used, giving more consistent results and putting fewer constraints on the environment where the cheese ages. These cheeses include soft ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, and rind-washed cheeses such as Limburger.

There are several types of cheese, with around 500 different varieties recognised by the International Dairy Federation, over 400 identified by Walter and Hargrove, over 500 by Burkhalter, and over 1,000 by Sandine and Elliker. The varieties may be grouped or classified into types according to criteria such as length of ageing, texture, methods of making, fat content, animal milk, country or region of origin, etc. – with these criteria either being used singly or in combination, but with no single method being universally used. The method most commonly and traditionally used is based on moisture content, which is then further discriminated by fat content and curing or ripening methods. Some attempts have been made to rationalise the classification of cheese – a scheme was proposed by Pieter Walstra which uses the primary and secondary starter combined with moisture content, and Walter and Hargrove suggested classifying by production methods which produces 18 types, which are then further grouped by moisture content.

At refrigerator temperatures, the fat in a piece of cheese is as hard as unsoftened butter, and its protein structure is stiff as well. Flavor and odor compounds are less easily liberated when cold. For improvements in flavor and texture, it is widely advised that cheeses be allowed to warm up to room temperature before eating. If the cheese is further warmed, to 26–32 °C (79–90 °F), the fats will begin to "sweat out" as they go beyond soft to fully liquid.

Above room temperatures, most hard cheeses melt. Rennet-curdled cheeses have a gel-like protein matrix that is broken down by heat. When enough protein bonds are broken, the cheese itself turns from a solid to a viscous liquid. Soft, high-moisture cheeses will melt at around 55 °C (131 °F), while hard, low-moisture cheeses such as Parmesan remain solid until they reach about 82 °C (180 °F). Acid-set cheeses, including halloumi, paneer, some whey cheeses and many varieties of fresh goat cheese, have a protein structure that remains intact at high temperatures. When cooked, these cheeses just get firmer as water evaporates.

Some cheeses, like raclette, melt smoothly; many tend to become stringy or suffer from a separation of their fats. Many of these can be coaxed into melting smoothly in the presence of acids or starch. Fondue, with wine providing the acidity, is a good example of a smoothly melted cheese dish. Elastic stringiness is a quality that is sometimes enjoyed, in dishes including pizza and Welsh rarebit. Even a melted cheese eventually turns solid again, after enough moisture is cooked off. The saying "you can't melt cheese twice" (meaning "some things can only be done once") refers to the fact that oils leach out during the first melting and are gone, leaving the non-meltable solids behind.

As its temperature continues to rise, cheese will brown and eventually burn. Browned, partially burned cheese has a particular distinct flavor of its own and is frequently used in cooking (e.g., sprinkling atop items before baking them).

In general, cheese supplies a great deal of calcium, protein, phosphorus and fat. A 30-gram (1.1 oz) serving of Cheddar cheese contains about 7 grams (0.25 oz) of protein and 200 milligrams of calcium. Nutritionally, cheese is essentially concentrated milk: it takes about 200 grams (7.1 oz) of milk to provide that much protein, and 150 grams (5.3 oz) to equal the calcium.

Cheese is often avoided by those who are lactose intolerant, but ripened cheeses like Cheddar contain only about 5% of the lactose found in whole milk, and aged cheeses contain almost none. Nevertheless, people with severe lactose intolerance should avoid eating dairy cheese. As a natural product, the same kind of cheese may contain different amounts of lactose on different occasions, causing unexpected painful reactions.

A 2009 study at the Curtin University of Technology compared individuals who consumed three servings per day to those who consumed five per day. The researchers concluded that increased consumption resulted in a reduction of abdominal fat, blood pressure and blood sugar.