Giveaway #2 of 5! Relished Foods

Did you already enter yesterday’s giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Premier Designs Jewelry? You did? Good, now onto giveaway #2!  The winner will receive one free box of fresh ingredients and recipes delivered to your door to make three delicious meals {two servings of each meal} courtesy of Relished Foods. That’s a $60 value!

Relished is a Chicago-based fresh ingredient delivery service that takes the time and stress out of shopping and planning for a restaurant quality meal at home. They send you all of the fresh ingredients and instructions needed to cook three tasty dishes in the comfort of your own kitchen. Their executive chef creates three new seasonal meals for you every week with ingredients sourced from local suppliers. You learn how to cook delicious food using their step-by-step recipe cards and quality fresh meats, seafood and produce, handpicked and portioned by them. 

Recently, I received a box of fresh local ingredients accompanied by three recipes crafted by an experienced executive chef. After creating each meal, I can certainly vouch for the deliciousness that will come out of that box and your kitchen!  My particular delivery included fish, pork, and chicken – I love that there was a variety and each protein was accompanied with healthy vegetables. I definitely don't incorporate enough veggies in my normal meal planning. If you haven’t yet, you can read my complete review here. But basically, with everyone’s busy lives, leave the grocery shopping and searching for a recipe up to Relished Foods. All you have to do is follow the instructions in your kitchen. Before you know it, you’ll have made a fresh, healthy, chef worthy meal! Here's a few dishes that have been on their past menus:

{Steak Salad}                                       {Chicken Vesuvio}                           {Shrimp Linguine}

This giveaway is open to anyone in the Relished Foods delivery area - a 100 mile radius of Chicago. That’s huge!

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter (or click the Rafflecopter link if the box doesn't show up) to win one box delivery of Relished Foods to make three delicious meals {two servings of each meal}. Giveaway ends Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 11:59 CST. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday. a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Healthy Menu Planning with Fresh Ingredient and Recipe Delivery Service

Recently Doug's coworker invited us to try Relished - a new fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service in Chicago. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to obtain a box full of food prepped by an experienced Executive Chef!

Who should try it?
Relished would be ideal for a wide variety of Chicagoans...
Is it hard to find time to go grocery shopping regularly?
Do you have no idea where to start when it comes to meal planning, finding recipes and certain ingredients? 
Are you bored of your usual go to meals that you cook at home?
Are you sick of spending money on going out to eat and ordering take out when your fridge is empty?
Do you enjoy trying and cooking new foods but don't know where to start? I was able to cook fish (which I almost never do), kale (which I've never purchased in my life), and ginger (which I used to think I didn't like).

How does it work?
As a subscriber, one box of fresh produce and protein is delivered to you each week with recipe cards. This one {insulated} box contains nearly all of the ingredients and instructions you need to cook three meals at home!

What'd I think?
My meals consisted of Rainbow Trout with heirloom carrots and cous cous, Peach Glazed Pork Chops with rosemary potatoes and kale and Asian Chicken with kimchi, snow peas and peppers. 
+ All three meals had a few ingredients I don't normally use (fish, kale and ginger) which made it all the more interesting to try! Having the ingredients and recipes provided to me makes working with new ingredients less intimidating (where do I find it at the store, how do I cook it, etc). And now I won't mind buying fish or kale and know how to incorporate them into my meals.
+ Everything I needed was perfectly portioned out in labeled containers, making prep a breeze.
+ I also liked how the meals didn't require too many pots/pans/dishes. I try to avoid recipes that result in excessive amounts of dirty pots, pans, bowls, etc that leaves my kitchen looking like a disaster.
+ The recipes were easy to follow and the meals were prepared in my usual dinner prep time, between 30-45 minutes.
+ Most importantly, all three meals were delicious! {I was too hungry to take a picture of the Asian Chicken.}

Now what?
Would you be interested in a service like this? As part of the test group, I gave Relished my honest feedback. I'd love to hear what you think about this whole concept. Relished is now accepting orders - Be sure to check out their website for more information!

 

Easy Homemade Popsicle Recipes

When my Amazon package of Zoku Popsicle Molds came in, I told my neighbor (who creepily coincidentally has the same name. and birthday as me) that I was going to make popsicles. She gave me a weird look saying, "Who has time for that!?!" But let me assure you friends, homemade popsicles take all of 5 minutes to make (not including freezing time of course). Here's a few simple, healthy homemade popsicle "recipes" that I like to make with whatever fruit I have on hand and the help of my three year old. She gets to put fruit in the blender, press the button when I give her the ok and put the sticks in.

Typically I just eyeball the amounts and a little goes a long way. Popsicle molds don't hold much - just a few ounces each! My new Zoku pop molds make six regular sized popsicles. My 25 year old popsicle molds from when I was a kid make eight small popsicles, perfect size for kids. Or you can use wooden popsicle sticks and dixie cups, but I don't like the short/fat/round shape with this method. It's just not as lickable as a regular shaped popsicle.

Just wash and cut fruit, blend, pour, and freeze!
Watermelon: 2 cups cubed seedless watermelon + squeeze of lime (optional) + sugar (optional)
Mixed Berry Yogurt: 1 cup of any combination of berries (hulled strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or blueberries) + 6 heaping tablespoons of vanilla yogurt + few tablespoons of sugar depending on natural sweetness of fruit (optional)
Mango: 1 mango, cubed + 1/2 cup of orange juice + a few cubes of ice + squeeze of lime (optional) + sugar (optional)

The mango is my favorite. I can't wait to try other combinations like peaches + yogurt, pineapple + OJ, lemonade + berries, and mimosa pops for the adults. Fresh fruit popsicles are the perfect treat for hot summer days!

And you may have to clean your toddler's clothes right after. That berry face looks like one satisfied customer!

 

linked up with Home Stories AtoZ

BBQ Chicken Wings & Oven Baked French Fries Recipes

I haven't shared a recipe in awhile, so here's what we had for dinner last week... 

Martha's Brown Sugar Barbecue Drumettes and Oven Baked Parmesan French Fries

I love when recipes (1) call for ingredients I normally have on hand, (2) use minimal pots/pans and (3) both entree and side dish have the same oven temperature and cook time. I had yet to find an oven baked french fry recipe that yielded crispy fries, but finally this is it!

I slightly adapted each recipe, so here's my version of Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Wings and Oven Baked French Fries:
Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
(Serves 2-3 people)
Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB vinegar
2 packages chicken drumettes/wings
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
3. Season chicken drumettes with salt, pepper and cayenne.
4. In a medium bowl, add 1/4 of chicken wings and a few spoons of sauce. Toss to coat, place wings on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wings, reserving a few spoons to toss chicken after it is baked.
5. Bake chicken 20 minutes. Flip wings and bake another 20 minutes.
6. Toss baked chicken wings in reserved sauce.

Oven Baked French Fries
(Serves 2 people)
Ingredients:
2 Russet potatoes
1 TB extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/8 tsp each: dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder
2 TB grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly coat with EVOO.
2. Wash and cut potatoes into same size (for even cooking) french fry pieces.
3. In a small bowl, mix EVOO, herbs and cheese. Place into large (gallon size) Ziplock bag.
4. Add potatoes and toss/rub to coat.
5. Place potatoes on cookie sheets, leaving space in between each fry. Don't over crowd them, they need room to crisp up!
6. Bake potatoes for 20 minutes. Flip and bake another ~20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don't get burnt too crispy!
7. Season with salt, pepper and enjoy!

At this time last year, we were playing outside, grilling, and enjoying time outside on the balcony. But this year, with temperatures STILL in the 20s (!) in mid-March (!)...an all oven meal is welcome! What's the weather like where you are?

Holiday Party Recipes

I love all the gatherings this time of year with good food, friends and family. After ringing in the New Year, the holiday parties are coming to an end, but I wanted to share what recipes I've been using lately to feed a crowd.

Appetizers -
Sugared Cranberries, Chutney and Brie - the sugared cranberries remind me of glistening snow, sooo prettty! I had WAY too many leftover cranberries though.  Next time I would only use half a bag of fresh cranberries. I picked up a jar of cranberry chutney at a Honey Baked Ham store.  This recipe makes the typical pre-party snack of cheese and crackers way more interesting and is so delicious!

Source: yummymummykitchen.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms - there are never any leftovers when I bring these babies to our Secret Santa exchange.

Mini Pepperoni Puffs {or cupcakes as my friend called them}- with basic ingredients and minimal steps (grease pan, mix, pour in pan, bake), this recipe is easy to whip up before you have to head out. Instead of fresh herbs at the end, I added dried herbs to the mixture before baking. I wish I doubled this recipe!

Source: blogs.babble.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Salad - To accompany our Christmas ham dinner, we started with Pioneer Woman's Apple, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad with Dried Cherries. People seem to either love or hate blue cheese. I am definitely a fan.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Mindy on Pinterest

What holiday season is complete without cookies? I made these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. 

To add a little taste of the holidays, I added one package of chopped up Andes mints. Yummy yummy in my tummy! Unwrapping chocolates is an easy, safe, keep them quietly busy for a long time task for eager toddlers.

We also left a few cookies out for Santa...I He gobbled them up, drank his milk and left a note and some donuts for breakfast!

Later that week, Agatha hosted a small dinner where Sweet Vermouth Chicken was the shining star. The sauce, mushrooms, cranberries, nuts and pearl onions were a delicious compliment to normally boring chicken breasts. I made  Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes to go along with the other sides of carrots and Brussels sprouts.

Source: myrecipes.com via Mindy on Pinterest

And for football Sunday, I made French Dip Roast Beef Sandwiches to fill big bellies before the end of the Bears underwhelming season. Definitely add two sliced jalapenos to the crock pot for au jous with a kick.

What are your go-to recipes for holiday parties??

Thanksgiving 2012 Recap

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win customized art for a child's room!**

Coordinating family schedules with siblings, siblings' spouses, and siblings' spouses' families is always a challenge. We managed to fit it all in this year by...

Hosting Thanksgiving lunch Thursday afternoon. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I successfully got everything on the table by 1pm. Good ol' grocery store flowers rearranged...{wire basket from Target's $1 spot}

Mia liked helping with everything from throwing ingredients into the brining bag...

 ...to mixing the herb butter...Turkey Tom was 13 pounds this year and we're still working on leftovers...

...washing cranberries, mashing potatoes, licking the masher clean, and whisking ingredients for dessert...

Oh yes these curlers are from my tight, bouncy, heavily hairsprayed ponytail cheerleading competition days....

Love her hair curled, even if it doesn't last very long.

On my menu {click links for recipes}, we had:
Turkey - not a fan of the gravy though. I'll try a different recipe next year.
Cranberry Sauce - Its definitely chunky with the minimal liquid in this recipe. My mom preferred it thinned out.
Apple, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad with Dried Cherries - definitely making this PW salad again.
Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits - a little too dry. Maybe I'll try again but mix it less to keep it lighter.
Roasted Vegetables- I also throw in green beans, zuchini and squash and use regular mushrooms and onions. Definitely cut the oil down from his recipe.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes - a stick of butter and a stick of cream cheese. What's not to love??
Corn
Blackberry Cobbler - this was so SO easy, light and delicious! I'm usually skeptical of recipes with just a few ingredients (only 5!) and minimal steps, but this was very good, especially for those who don't care for rich sweets.  Definitely saving this recipe!

Click here for my 2010 Thanksgiving recap. With my terrible memory, these recaps help me plan next year's menu!

But the feasting was just getting started. Friday we had Lou Malnati's for Halmani's birthday with a cake from Sweet Mandy B's. Their cake/icing is very rich, too much for Umma. Same time {two years ago} comparison!

Saturday we brought Grandma her last requests before she leaves for Thailand. Randomly paired, but still delicious - Great Seas chicken wings and Art of Pizza (yes, more stuffed pizza). We'll miss you sooo much Grandma!

Then to top it all off, I saw Breaking Dawn with my girlfriends and ended the weekend at RPM Italian to celebrate a 30th birthday. A lot of people mention the small portions at this trendy new spot, but I thought the pasta dishes were sized just right, especially with having appetizers and dessert. The buffalo mozzarella in the lobster caprese was soo nice and creamy. I wasn't a fan of the lemon in the fritto misto {fried calamari, shrimp and lemon} and the batter was very light, almost like tempura. My spicy king crab with squid ink spaghetti did have a spicy kick to it, but other than that, this dish wasn't too notable.

Ooooeee! That was filling! Can't wait for all the holiday get togethers this month!

 

Easy Buffalo Wing Recipe

With football season inching closer, why not get started on some tailgate food? How about tasty buffalo wings? 

My momma taught me how to make these and I tweaked it a bit. Here's what you'll need:

Serves: 2-3 people (approximately 24 pieces)

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 packages of chicken drumettes (or wings)

Salt, pepper and cayenne

Flour

Oil for frying

Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Optional: Paprika and garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Season both sides with salt, pepper and cayenne.

2. Mix ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder and ½  tsp cayenne into 1 cup of flour.

3. On medium high heat, heat oil (enough to cover the bottom of your pan plus the depth of half a chicken wing, about ½  inch to 1 inch).

4. Dredge (cover) each chicken wing in flour mixture and tap to shake off excess.

5. Once oil is hot, place a batch of wings into oil and fry for 6 minutes. I worked with batches of 6 wings at a time in a standard size frying pan.

6. Flip wings and fry for another 6 minutes. If they are still bloody or not quite brown, give it another minute or two and flip again if necessary.

7. Remove wings from oil, letting excess oil drip off and place into an empty small pot/bowl. Shake enough dashes of hot sauce to partially cover wings and toss. I am terrible with tossing and have not mastered the wrist flick. One wing always jumps out of the pot!

8. Pile on a plate, repeat steps 5-7 and dig in for some finger licking good wings! If they aren't spicy enough, add more hot sauce in step 7.

 

9. Keep toddler occupied by ignoring the huge mess she is making. As long as she's quiet, happy and out of the oil splattering kitchen, I'm ok with it!

10. Serve with rice if you're asian. Or ranch and celery works too J

How do you make your buffalo wings?

linked up with Cassie's "In about an hour" projects and:

Balsamic Vinaigrette Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe

Just like last year, Doug's firm provided free lawn tickets to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the ever popular Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. We left the city at 615pm, got to the 'burbs by 645pm, but had to wait in a slow moving line for $10 parking. After parking and cleaning up Mia's potty accident, we were settled onto our blankie by 7pm...as were hundreds of other people.

Same time last year comparison!

In the hour before showtime, we snacked on plenty of cheese and crackers, grapes and nuts, salami and prosciutto and pasta salad with balsamic vinaigrette, grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

I made this pasta salad for a recent family party as well and my sister in law asked for the recipe. So here it is!

Ingredients:

- Grilled Chicken Breasts, sliced (I just discovered thin cut chicken breasts, huge time saver with just 3 minutes per side!)

- Pasta (penne, rotini or bow tie), cooked according to package directions

- Grape Tomatoes, halved

- Basil, chopped

- Mozzarella, cut into bite size pieces

For the vinaigrette (double if making a whole box of pasta):

- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

- 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional

- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 3/4 cup olive oil (I usually only use 1/2 this amount.)

Instructions:
Prepare the vinaigrette, according to Emeril's recipe. Combine all ingredients. Toss until coated. Enjoy!

The vinaigrette also tastes great on mixed greens for a light salad.

While the concert started at 8pm, intermission was around 845pm, right at Mia's bedtime. Having finished our bottle of wine and it almost being dark, it was the perfect time to head home after a wonderful (and cheap!) summer evening out. There's not much more I love than cheese, crackers, wine and laying on a blankie with my shoes off. Summer is quickly slipping away!

linked up with Cassie's "In about an hour" projects and:

PW's Bruschetta Chicken and Shrimp Taco Recipes

I tried two of Pioneer Woman's recipes this week and they are keepers! Both use basic ingredients and are super simple, quick and delicious! Which is exactly what I need with a toddler in the kitchen and hungry bellies. I have to get food on the table and in our mouths fast! Which is why I don't have any of my own pictures to show you. Both meals were also nice and light which is perfect with the 80 degree weather we've been having lately. And no, my 2 year old did not eat either of these.

Go on and get PW's recipes for Bruschetta Chicken

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Mindy on Pinterest

{Note: I only used red grape tomatoes because that's all I could find. Still delish!}

and Shrimp Tacos and Spicy Slaw

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Mindy on Pinterest

{Note: Instead of Mexican tomato sauce or enchilada sauce, I used leftover BBQ sauce from my go to BBQ spot, Pork Shoppe.}

Get your BBQ on this holiday weekend! We'd like to head to the lake in the 90 degree weather, but hopefully we don't encounter Memorial Day madness like last year.

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

For Mia's party, I made M&M cookies. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is my go-to cookie recipe. Simple, easy and delicious. 

I don't like re-posting other people's content, but I can't remember where I got the recipe from, more than 2 years ago now. An email from the Tribune maybe?

For the party, I just swapped out chocolate chips and replaced it with pink and white M&Ms. I usually also halve the recipe.

After-school Chip Cookies
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes per batch
Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chips

Mix: Whisk together flour, salt and soda in a medium bowl.
Cream: Beat butter soft with an electric mixer on medium, 1 minute. Add sugars and vanilla; beat fluffy, 1 minute. Add eggs, beating 1 minute after each. Switch to low speed; briefly mix in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips with a spoon.
Bake: Heap 1 tablespoon mounds of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Slide into the center of a 350 degree oven; bake until cookies turn golden at edges and soft in the center, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Sometimes less is more!

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