Sunday, March 27, 2011
Fluffy girls like treats!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Anti Candida Food Plan - Yummy Breakfast Treat With Chocolate Rice Dream
I have received a mail from someone telling me about her daily anti candida food plan. As the mom of 3 kids with a home business, she doesn't have much time to fuss with foods. She is looking for products that make her life easier. She has discovered Annie's Green Garlic dressing. It is a great vinegar free dressing that is good on salads. She has also poured it on chicken before baking it and mixed it with Rice and vegetables.
Yesterday, she bought some Bragg's Liquid Amino (soy protein) in the spray bottle and sprayed it on some chicken breasts before baking. She cooked some wide Japanese Rice noodles and then mixed the baked chicken, snow peas, garlic, onion, and noodles in the wok with a few more squirts of Braggs. It was really good, she said.
She has been using liquid Stevia mixed with lemon and water to make homemade lemonade, and would love any other ideas and uses for Stevia. Also, she has found a yummy breakfast treat, which is Rice puffs with chocolate Rice Dream. She said that it is surprisingly good and really curbs her sweet tooth sometimes.
When she changed her diet, she realized that for the last few years, practically every dish she has made had cheese in it as she was using cheese as a spice! She has gone back to actually using spices now, anyway. She wants my opinion about what she has been doing.
I wish I could remember where I heard this, but I think heating Bragg's would kill the enzymes. But, if you are just using it for flavor, it is still a good and amazingly cheaper alternative to fermented soy sauce. I am not a big fan of Stevia, but you could look into the archives and see if you find some things to do with it.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
8 Easy Kids' Party Food Ideas
1) Choose your menu - What you choose to serve will be dictated by the time of day of your party. For example if you are having an early afternoon party then snacks will be fine; if you are having a late afternoon party to early evening then heartier fare would be appropriate such as pizza. Keep in mind if you are having a slumber party then you will need to provide dinner, snacks and breakfast.
2) Prepare ahead - Prepare as much food as possible prior to the day of the party. There is plenty of kids party food items that can be prepared a day or two in advance and stored such as Rice krispie treats, snack mix and cookies to name a few.
3) What to serve - Ask the birthday boy or girl what food they would like to have at the party. Be sure to have a few of his/her suggestions as a special treat. With that said, finger foods work best at kids parties. Finger foods are easy to set out and easy for kids to eat. The rest of the menu should be simple, kids are not fussy and so the tried and true favorites still work great such as hotdogs, pizza, nachos, sandwiches and chicken nuggets.
4) Store bought or homemade - Whether to serve store bought food or make everything from scratch is up to you. Consider how much time you have to prepare the food, your budget and your cooking skills. Don't feel guilty about buying store bought food, remember kids are not picky and truthfully most kids prefer the store bought food they recognize over homemade food. I typically do a mixture of both. Buy food that has a long shelf life or can be frozen until the party and prepare the items that should be fresh the day of.
5) Food fun - Any food items that look like something else are going to be a hit regardless of the food. For
example, Hotdog worms: cut hotdogs into strips then boil them, they will curl. Serve the curled hotdogs and call them worms. 2) Serve pizza with toppings designed to look like faces, monsters, animals, etc. You can get creative with the toppings. 3) Ants: serve celery sticks with cream cheese, put raisins on top of the cream cheese and tell the kids it's ants.
6) Presentation - Tailor your presentation to the theme of the party. Food is a great way to pull your theme together. For example: serve chips in a cowboy hat (clean and lined with paper or plastic) at a Cowboy party, serve punch in a hollowed out pumpkin at a Halloween party or put plastic bugs on a serving tray at a bug party or Halloween party.
7) Extras - It's a smart course of action to keep extra snacks and ingredients just in case you have a few extra people. Sometimes more parents will stay then expected or parents will bring siblings of the invited guest.
8) Moms and Dads - If you are planning to have moms and dads at your party it's nice to have at least 1 item they would enjoy. If you're serving pizza then no need to provide something extra but if you're serving hotdog worms then possibly sub sandwiches for the adults would be nice.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Simple And Easy Mexican Rice Pudding
Mexican Rice pudding is a sweet, sticky dessert. In Mexico, they call this Arroz Con Leche. When it involves a sweet and tasty comfort food, this is one dessert that has been around for a long time. Many people enjoy eating it. Although, you can find Rice puddings in precooked packages or cans, they will never be able to stand toe to toe with the delicious flavors and aromas of real homemade foods.
Rice pudding can be served as a breakfast food, as a quick and simple meal or as a dessert. Many people eat it for breakfast; it is delicious and is a meal that will stay with you. It is not something you can eat and then find yourself hungry within a short time. As a dessert, it makes for a great after meal treat. In addition, of course, when you have leftover rice pudding in the refrigerator you can reheat it or eat it cold.
Add a little variety by including other ingredients to enhance the flavors you are craving. For instance, some families enjoy adding raisins, bananas, or oranges to this recipe. Another delicious idea is adding various garnishes or sauces to the top of the rice pudding before serving.
Recipe for Mexican Rice Pudding
What You Need
1 quart whole milk
1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup rice
1 can condensed milk
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring or extract
How to Make It
Heat 1 quart whole milk in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and freshly grated nutmeg to the milk and bring it to a boil.
After reaching a boil, add rice and then allow it to simmer, while stirring the mixture occasionally to prevent sticking for approximately 30 minutes or until the grains become soft.
After doing so, remove the cinnamon stick and then stir in the condensed milk, the ½ cup sugar, and the ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Allow this to simmer a bit longer to help reduce the liquid. As this happens, the mixture will gain the consistency of pudding.
Add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix until thoroughly blended.
Pour the rice pudding into a decorative container and cover with the lid or while using plastic wrap, since this will prevent a thick crust from forming over the top of the pudding. Set in the refrigerator and allow the pudding to chill for approximately 4 to 5 hours before serving.
This is a simple and basic pudding that is easy to make and everyone seems to enjoy it. It is very popular with the children. Since it is easy to make do not be surprised if your children want to learn how to prepare this dish on his or her own. Learning to cook is a natural ambition for just about anyone. Learning to cook delicious meals, snacks, and treats is much easier when you have great recipes to follow.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Dessert-Only Reception
Do you love sweets almost as much as you love your fiance? Are you looking for ideas for a reception that is both unique and affordable? If so, a dessert only wedding reception may be just what you have been looking for.
The name pretty much says it all: instead of having a cocktail hour followed by dinner and then cake, cut right to the best part: dessert! This is an idea that can work for a guest list of any size in virtually any type of venue. Your guests will love the novel and delicious concept, and you will love having a wedding that is much less expensive than one with a full menu.
The first thing that I would suggest for a dessert only reception is to make note of it on your invitation. Guests need to know that they will not be served a full dinner, so that they can plan to eat something before the ceremony. Or if they are anything like my family, so that they will know not to eat beforehand to save room for all of those glorious desserts! On your invitations, simply change the phrase "Reception immediately following the ceremony." to "Dessert reception immediately following the ceremony."
Now, to the fun part: the desserts themselves. Depending on the size of your guest list, you will want to have an array of easy to eat desserts followed by wedding cake. Ideas include things like: mini cheesecakes, key lime tortes, petit fours, tiny crème brules, bon bons, lemon squares, and opera bars. For a large reception, the desserts can be both elegantly displayed in stations (perhaps one that is chocolatey, another for fruit tarts, one for homemade favorites like Rice Krispie treats, etc.), and have single bite treats such as chocolate covered strawberries passed by waitstaff for an elegant touch.
If you really want to make a splash, you can take the dessert theme even further. A chocolate fountain is always a crowd pleaser. Another fun idea would be to have a build-your-own ice cream sundae station with all of the toppings. You may also want to have a chef making dessert crepes to order. It would also be nice to round things out with some less sugary complements to the desserts, such as a display of fresh fruit and cheese.
As at any wedding reception, having Champagne on hand for toasts is a good idea. Beyond that, it is up to you. A full bar will not be as expensive as at a seated dinner reception, because the dessert only party will not last as long. Alternatively, you could offer one or two signature cocktails, along with ample soft drinks. One thing that always goes with dessert is coffee, and it would be terrific to set up a coffee station serving coffee, decaf, espresso, and cappuccino.
A dessert only reception will not require a seat for every guest, as they will be circulating and mingling, not all sitting down to eat simultaneously. Do be sure to have some seating and small tables available for those who want to relax. Since you will not have place settings at this type of wedding, yo will need to set up a separate table for the wedding favors, usually by the entrance.
You should also give special consideration to the wedding cake, which at a dessert only reception will certainly be the star of the evening. Many brides like to decorate their cake with accents to match their wedding jewelry. For instance, if you will be wearing crystal wedding jewelry, a sparkling crystal monogram would make a spectacular cake topper. Brides who favor pearls can have each tier of their cake trimmed with frosting "pearls" for a classic and pretty cake.
The dessert only reception is a very fun idea that your guests are sure to enjoy. After all, everyone loves sweets! It can be an enjoyable and unique experience that you will find more pleasant to plan than a traditional dinner reception, and even more fun to attend.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Rice Krispies Fourth of July Recipe #3
Thursday, March 10, 2011
100 Hundred Grand Crispy Crunchy Bar Unwrapping And Taste Test Review
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
1994 - COLORFUL, WEIRD KID'S COMMERCIALS
Monday, March 7, 2011
RICE KRISPIE MONSTER! (8/2/09-151)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cereal Marshmallows with Oatmeal Sweet Dehydrated Tini Mini Marshmallow Candy
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Packing For Your Sanibel Island Vacation
So you're going to Sanibel Island, Florida on vacation! Congratulations! It will be a fun and relaxing vacation with many happy memories. But first, you need to pack all your stuff so you are prepared for your journey to paradise.
Most likely you are staying in a resort, cottage or condo which will be larger than a regular hotel room. Most of these units have a small kitchen area for your use. So let's start with meals and snacks and what to bring regarding food and drinks.
I like to bring snacks and drinks with me so I don't have to make a visit to the grocery store. Nothing says drudgery more than having to go to the grocery store while on vacation. So, I pack a box with breakfast items such as Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispie Treats! I also bring small individually wrapped snacks to munch on during the week. Examples are bring potato chips, cookies, peanuts etc. I like the food to be individually wrapped because it makes it easier to put the snacks in your beach bag. Also, south Florida is well known for having small black ants that like your food! Keeping your food sealed (I recommend zip-lock bags) will prevent food loss after an ant invasion!
I also bring a large quantity of water, juices and diet drinks. Place the drinks in the refrigerator as soon as you arrive and then you are set for the week.
Next, you need to think of what you need for the beach! Items to remember are your favorite chair, lounger, umbrella, sand digger and straw mats. Most of the hotels, condos and resorts provide chairs for you (some do not, so check beforehand). So many are not comfortable thus I prefer to bring my own chair with me. Remember to bring your beach bag with all the essentials, such as beach towels, visor, suntan lotion, water spray bottle, sunglasses, cover-up and a book or a magazine.
Next, what do to you pack to wear for a week on Sanibel Island? The best thing to remember is that the temperature will be comfortable most of the year, so heavy clothing is not needed. In the summer it can be hot, so think cool cottons. Shorts and short sleeve shirts are a must. Shorts and tops are fine for every restaurant. The restaurants are all casual (but no cut offs, flip flops or tee-shirts for the nicer places). Leave your suit, tie and dress at home. You probably will wear your swim suit most of the day. And I have gone to many restaurants wearing my swim suit under a cover-up for lunch (but don't do it for dinner). It's a resort-like atmosphere all over the island. Be comfortable and enjoy your vacation!
I would bring a light jacket for when it rains. It will help keep you dry as you dash to the vehicle. During the summer months, be prepared for monsoon-like rains during the afternoon and early evening hours. The storms usually don't last long but can come at inconvenient times, like right when you're ready to leave for dinner! Keep a beach or bath towel in the car so you can dry off after the mad dash to the vehicle. Don't forget the umbrella!
Sandals and flip flops are the norm for the day. If your intent is to rent a bicycle while on the Sanibel I would recommend bringing athletic shoes for that kind of activity. The athletic shoes tend to get dirty and greasy, so bring an older pair if possible. Also if you get caught in the rain, having a dry pair of shoes back at your resort will be a good thing!
Most importantly don't forget the camera. You want to be able to catch all those great memories for your scrapbook.
I hope this list of ideas assists you when packing for your vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. It's a little bit of paradise and I hope you have a wonderful time!