Food and Drink

Homemade with Marie Callender's Pot Pies #MCPotPies

May 13, 2011 By speppel 3 Comments

Have you ever noticed that life seems to get busier and busier? When I find a frozen dinner that I can make quick that still looks and tastes like someone made it at home, I am all over it. And if it tastes better than homemade, I am doubly all over it. This week, I received a coupon to buy and try a Marie Callender's Pot Pie which claims to offer exactly what my busy-mom ears need to hear:

Marie Callender creates each pot pie from scratch with juicy meat, tender vegetables and Marie’s signature golden, flaky crust. The Marie Callender’s goal is to offer busy individuals the luxury of a homemade meal without all the stress and time it takes to prepare one.

Woohoo! Bring it on. So, I needed a taste test. I bought one small chicken pot pie at the discount grocers. Then, I found a Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie at the local grocery store. {Spoiler Alert: Yes, the Marie Callender's version WAS better than homemade since I would never attempt such a feat; BUT, I had to try it versus an alternative brand. . . . . Drum Roll, please. . . . }

Here are the two pies waiting to be cooked. They both required 400 degrees but the smaller one didn't need as much cooking time because, DUH, it's smaller.

And, then I had to wrap the crusts in tin foil so they wouldn't burn:

And, so, they cooked and they cooked (45 min for the small one, 60 min for the big one):

And, here is the Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie ready to eat: (Check out the chicken chunks)

Results:

The smaller one had chewy chicken and the crust got kinda, well, rubbery. The Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie got the combination right: yummo, light chunks of chicken, crisp vegetables, truly flaky crust, and YES, ladies and gentlemen, kid approved. My daughter ate the whole other half that I didn't eat. I truly didn't think she would eat it since my kids aren't big casserole eaters but this one did the trick! I was so very happy.

And, I will keep buying Marie Callender's!

{Disclosure: For this review, I received a coupon for one free Marie Callender's Pot Pie and additional compensation from Marie Callender's and TheMotherhood; BUT all opinions are my own.}

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: marie callendar's chicken pot pies, reviews,, the motherhood

What a week: A Royal Wedding, Osama Dead and Gluten-Free Rice Krispies!

May 3, 2011 By speppel 1 Comment

What a crazy week! First, the world is entranced by the Royal Wedding of the lovely Kate Middleton and the debonair future king, Prince William, whom you may now address the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, should the occasion arise. And, if you want to commerate the special occasion, feel free to take advantage of any number of offers for plates, fancy cut-out teabags, PEZ dispensers and more. The list continues to grow on these silly mementos.

(Wedding Photo by photographer Hugo Burnand)

THEN, President Obama trumps the wedding with his own announcement that captures the hearts and minds of ALL Americans – Osama Bin Laden is not only found but killed and buried at sea! And, of course, more than one reporter made the terrible gaffe of calling the dead terrorist — "Obama Bin Laden." Not that hard, unfortunately. And, of course, Twitter was all ablaze (and continues to be) with all the recent happenings.

And, in the midst of it all, I received two boxes of the yet unreleased Gluten-Free Rice Krispies! Resisting all temptation, I did not attempt to mold Rice Krispies Treats into minature royal figures, a tiara or a dead terrorist for this post.

I did however, try the cereal first with milk. Note, these Rice Krispies are made with brown rice which, like the rice itself, comes a little more crunchy than white rice Rice Krispies. Other than that aspect, I enojyed the cereal about the same that I do the original.

After that, I made Rice Krispies Treats with Gluten-Free and Original Recipe Rice Krispies, following the standard recipe I found online: 3 T butter, 4 cups mini-marshmallows, 6 cups of Rice Krispies.

One of these things is not like the other . . . .

Which one do you think is gluten-free?

{The suspense grows . . . .}

The right side! The brown rice used to make the gluten-free Rice Krispies turned the treats slightly darker.

Time for a taste test! Just like I found when eating the cereal, the gluten-free Rice Krispies treats with the brown rice are slightly crunchier – when you eat them immediately following the 15 minutes cooling period. The next morning, however, when both dried out slightly, they tasted almost exactly the same.

And, of course, my kids loved the experiment! We aren't not a gluten-free household but I want to have yummy treats when people come over who have allergies and sensitivities to gluten (since I have a number of friends who fit that category) and this totally fits the bill! I'm excited.

{Disclosure: I did receive two boxes of Gluten-Free Rice Krispies to sample. I am not being paid for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}

Filed Under: blogging, Food and Drink Tagged With: gluten-free, osama, rice krispies, the royal wedding, treats

A Three Hour Tour On the Philadephia Belle

March 14, 2011 By speppel Leave a Comment

Move over, Gilligan, there's a new three hour tour in town. Last Saturday, I was invited to bring a guest to a special Blogger's Night on the Philadelphia Belle, a humongo boat that cruises up and down the Delaware, giving customers a delicious menu, live music and a lovely view of Philadelphia from the water.

While my husband took my eldest daughter to an NRA banquet, my youngest and I headed down to Penn's Landing where we parked in Pier 3 before boarding the BIG boat. My daughter, Laura, dressed in her lovely little maroon cocktail dress that we spent hours picking out at Macy's before the Valentine's dance at school. We were both grateful she would get a second time to wear it before growing out of it. This is the year she and all her friends are springing up like weeds.

We arrived a little early and took this snapshot with my Droid (which is why I don't use my phone camera very often. Too hard to keep it still for big scene shots.)

For appetizers, we were brought a sampler platter of several tasty hors d'oeuvres.

Then, Laura ordered the salad and I enjoyed the Duck Confit. Interesting. I don't think I've had duck before. A bit tough.

After that, my center-cut filet with roasted asparagus and melt-in-your-mouth potato gratin and Laura's salmon over orzo arrived. Very delish. My filet was incredibly juicy and tender. Loved it. I was dying to tweet about it but somehow my "network" on my phone was turned off which I didn't realize until later when my husband looked at the settings; so, hey, I got to enjoy the night and tweet about it later. Not a bad deal.

In between dinner and dessert, my daughter and I headed to the top of the boat where it was a bit chilly but quite lovely.

"Hey, mom, what's that in the water? A body?" asked my innocent 12-yr-old jokingly. I think maybe we've allowed her to watch one toooo many CSI and NCIS episodes. The "thing" floating in the water was a tree log. It didn't help when another blogger's husband mentioned the things that rise to the surface after a storm. But, I couldn't help taking a peek into the churning water myself.

We went back inside in time to see a party of sweet 16 girls take over the dance floor as our dessert plate arrived at our places. My daughter wished she had a few friends to "party" with her. I'm like, "Excuse me? What do you know about partying?" Oh, the teen years are going to be interesting.

Now, this picture below was also taken by my camera phone, after my regular camera batteries died. Amazing that my phone could totally focus on yummy desserts and nothing else. A phone after my heart. {More pictures are coming from my regular digital camera later – maybe in time for Wordless Wednesday's snapshot mania.}

Because of my camera challenges, I am sorry to say that I didn't get pictures with other bloggers. Maybe next time.

But, what a fun night! Thank you, Philadelphia Belle!

{Disclosure: I did receive two dinner cruise tickets for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: bloggers on the water, dinner cruise, philadelphia, the philadelphia belle

God forgive my materialistic, CSN lovin' heart!

February 7, 2011 By speppel 1 Comment

This has been one heck of a fun week. Over the last couple of months, I accrued a bit of credit over CSN stores through several promotions, including the giveaway over at DIYFrugal that just ended. And, because I had to spend my credit in one shot, I've had boxes arriving every day loaded with all the goodies I picked out on the cookware site.

First thing I ordered (and the last to arrive today) was a Stack & Steamer pot so I can steam my veggies to perfection.

Second thing, I really did need a new teapot. Isn't this one fun?

Next, we needed some good, solid drinking glasses for juice and cold tea, etc. Ours were a hodgepodge of leftovers and I hope these good ones will hold up longer!

Next, I needed a solid cookpot for my cabin where the thin pot I used for years finally sprang a hole. And so, when you shop online, you don't always realize what you are getting. When I saw the handle on this pot, I was thinking how nice it would be to carry this to the well where we draw fresh water. I somehow missed the words "Cast Iron." It's seriously heavy but I can tell you it won't spring a leak in my lifetime.

And finally, I needed a new butter dish but when I couldn't decide how to spend the last of my credit, my daughters picked out the mugs and plates to match the butter dish. How fun are these?!! Let's go Kon Tiki!

Anyhoo. . . enough fun for now. Time to settle back into the world of working and writing and working and writing. . . .

{Disclosure: As a CSN preferred blogger, I did get credit to buy these items for free. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}

Filed Under: Family Issues, Food and Drink Tagged With: csn, preferred blogger

Joining The Motherhood and ConAgra Foods in "We Heart Tomatoes"

December 5, 2010 By speppel 1 Comment

This week I am joining The Motherhood, ConAgra Foods and Hunt's to promote heart health awareness and share some interesting facts about the mega benefits of tomatoes in keeping the heart strong and kickin' for a long time. For starters, think fiber, Vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene. You can't go wrong with more of those in your diet.

Here are some more great facts about Hunt's tomatoes:

According to a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, lycopene absorption is 2-3 times greater in canned tomato products than raw tomatoes.
"Tomatoes not only contain high levels of carotenoid antioxidants such as lycopene, but also serve as a significant source of vitamin C, fiber and potassium in the American diet," said Kristin Reimers, Ph.D., nutrition manager, ConAgra Foods. "Calorie for calorie, tomatoes contain more than twice the potassium of other common sources such as bananas, potatoes, milk and orange juice." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997:66, 116-22.
Hunt's tomatoes are flash-steamed to help them keep their backyard-garden-fresh taste, are 100 percent natural and contain no artificial preservatives or ingredients.

Personally, I am motivated to keep my heart healthy for my two growing girls, one of whom is already a teenager and the other about to become one. They need their mom and dad and I am going to do what I can to be around for them as long as they need me. I know the Lord's timing is the ultimate deciding factor but there are foods I can eat and exercise I can do to feel better and look better while I am here roaming God's green earth.

My dad always grew and ate tomatoes, even fried green ones, and his heart is still going strong despite having an athlete's heart his whole life (or an irregular heartbeat). My mom would tell us how she grew up eating tomatoes on sandwiches with mayonnaise. My husband taught my youngest to eat raw tomatoes wedges with sugar on them. That's going overboard. I would gross out over any kind of tomatoes until I got older and realized how much I like tomatoes – especially in soups and sauces.

***********

My favorite recipe for using Hunt's tomatoes is a good ole' basic beefy chili, which includes:

2 lbs of cooked & drained ground beef

1 or 2 packets of chili mix (amount depends on packet instructions)

1- 28 oz. can of Hunt's whole tomatoes

1- 12 oz. can of Hunt's tomato paste

1- 15 oz. can of Hunt's tomato sauce

2 small cans or 1 large can dark kidney beans

Pour tomato products, beans and chili packets (which may require a small amount of water depending on packet instructions) into a big skillet or cook pot with drained & cooked ground beef. Heat on medium high for at least 30 minutes for tomatoes to cook down and spices to blend.

{If you buy one of the Hunt's tomatoes products with other additives like basil, garlic and oregano, never fear. It adds to the flavor. The above recipe may seem like overkill on the Hunt's products but I like my chili rich, tomatoey and meaty!}

**********

Enjoy and keep warm!

For more information about Hunt's tomatoes and the FlashSteam process, some recipe inspiration and the latest news and promotions, visit www.hunts.com

{Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a partnership with Hunt's, ConAgra Foods and The Motherhood. My thoughts and opinions are my own.}

Filed Under: blogging, Food and Drink Tagged With: conagra foods, hunt's tomatoes, the motherhood

When the sun shone bright . . .

November 10, 2010 By speppel 1 Comment

"When the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home. . . "

Oh yes, do you know the song – the state song of Kentucky? My father grew up there and so I am well acquainted with the words that came to my mind just this morning as the bright sun streamed in my windows and brightened the whole house, shedding light on every ounce of grim and dust I've neglected.

And so my day has been filled with cleaning, deep cleaning and I have plenty more to do. It feels good to get rid of the nasties lurking, collecting, taking over. But, then that ah-ha moment comes as you enter a room that is clean, sparkling and smelling good with fresh whiffs of furniture polish and carpet freshener. Ah . . .

After spending time in the depths of dusty despair, I find myself filled with such gratitude for the creative people in the world, the people with a vision for beauty, with a vision for clean simple design and who pursue that passion to bring you the delicate, clever items that come in a brown cardboard box from a brown rectangle truck by a man in a full brown suit.

People ask me why I blog? I blog so that I can experience the creativity of others in the world – to connect our passions. Sometimes we connect over the mutual experience of writing, sometimes it's motherhood or some shared life experience and sometimes that connection comes from the creators of a product who are ever so grateful when you can use your influence and excitement to share their wonderful things.

This week's beautiful muse came from Villeroy and Boch*, a manufacturer of high quality ceramic pieces that range from metropolitan to classic to country. They also make unique washbasins and elegantly functional pieces for the bathoom and kitchen. They kindly sent me the most lovely white serving bridge – a unique, clean, modern looking piece, not the ornate look of some of their more traditional pieces but I like variety and this one is a very nice serving piece.

After cleaning up kid debris – (picking up clothing strewn across floors, snatching up little slivers of Halloween candy wrappers from every corner of the house as they carry their bottomless sugar-filled treasure with them to watch TV or play Zoo Tycoon on the computer, and yanking dregs of long hair out of a clogged tub drain), what a pleasing rest to the eye to walk past my clean dining room and glance on this unique piece that I really don't need but I love. We all need resting places – places where the eye and soul can rest and it becomes something bigger than the thing itself.

As, "touch my serving bridge, you die. Put anything else on that table, you die." Okay, that's a little extreme but a mom gets to the point of being overwhelmed by the constancy of life, the constancy of grime and dirt and the sheer tendency of nature to breakdown into chaos at the slightest inclining of giving in to it.

I need beautiful things – beautiful moments that fill the soul with joy and love. I am not advocating a love of things but an appreciation of sheer creative beauty from the minds of lovely people. My mom likes to call these things you buy for yourself in a moment of need for inspiration: "flowers for the soul."

{Thank you, Villeroy and Boch, for giving me a flower for my soul this week!}

What one thing in your house stirs your heart (a picture, a vase from an beloved aunt, a unique platter filled with memories of special events)? What makes your spirit move past the dirt and grime and rejoice in the sunshine and light that makes everything more clear and sharp? In what do you rejoice?

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!” Psalm 70:4

*Villeroy & Boch offers a great selection of modern and classic dinnerware place settings, accessories, crystal stemware and gifts- perfect for celebrating casual or traditional occasions. The company is 260 years old and still family owned. Its dinnerware sets the tables of the Pope, crowned royalty, and households of the rich and famous as well as renowned restaurants on every continent.

Isabelle von Boch is currently blogging at www.villeroyandboch-blog.com. She wants to inspire people to use their good china every day, and she’s offering a variety of simple recipes as well as decorating ideas.

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: serving bridge, villeroy and boch

Talking about Frugal Holiday Spending and Eating over at DIYFrugal

November 4, 2010 By speppel Leave a Comment

Head over to DIYFrugal today where we are talking about the decision making process of frugal spending and eating over the holidays!

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Frugal Living, Frugal Living Links

Getting Saucy with Ragu and Registered Dietician Felicia Stoler

October 27, 2010 By speppel 7 Comments

Last night I hopped in a Black Cadillac Escalade SUV with Julie and Shannon as we were swept away (and I mean swept away – the dude was seriously making good time) to the Unilever Test Kitchens in NJ. Arriving an hour early, we were met by representatives of Ragu who were excited to share with us the new formula for Ragu which will include TWO servings of veggies.

Our invitation said, "How do you Ragu?" And, so, after general introductions, we were turned in the direction of an entire counter of groceries and told to cook something at one of cooking stations in a vast center room.

"Ah, ya, ya. . ." Where's my Italian brother-in-law when I need him?

I totally bombed at bringing a recipe (as in, I didn't do it at all) . . . soooooo, I was VERY grateful to have as my wing-man, registered dietician Felicia Stoler.

We also met Unilever Test Kitchen chef Sarah Page and other Unilever chefs who made their rounds to make sure we had knives, cutting boards, pots, pans and serving dishes.

What a selection! Anything you could imagine for cooking or serving!

So, I'm looking at all this food and wondering what in the world! With some inspiration and guidance from Felicia (who really knows how to make a dish pretty), we came up with our own Jambalaya pasta (since there were many different kinds of pasta on hand and Orzo looked like rice which you typically find in Jambalaya).

We loaded our arms with chicken, sausage, shrimp, Orzo, garlic, onion, tomato, olive oil, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper and red pepper flakes. Once the pot of water was set to boiling and the pan filled with olive oil set to medium heat, we pulled out the cutting boards and knives and started chopping.

First went in the chopped chicken and hot sausage to cook before adding the shrimp, onions, red pepper flakes and garlic. After all of the meats cooked up and delicious smells were wafting through air, in went the veggies and tomato and, OF COURSE, a jar of Ragu! Somewhere in there we put the Orzo in a separate pot to cook up (though Felicia noted that it could probably be done in the same pot.)

Felicia also mentioned that you could probably use chopped frozen veggies if you are trying to make this dish quickly at home. Other than the chopping, it actually came together quite easily and would be very versatile depending on your taste (like without or without one of the meats.)

When the Orzo was ready, we strained it and poured it into the skillet filled with delicious meats, veggies and sauce. Ahh, delish!

Here are Shannon and Julie cooking up some goodies! (Good job on the fried eggplant and saucy pasta, ladies!)

Finally, the dishes were put out for everyone to try but not before a brief taste test of classic Ragu and veggie packed Ragu. You could definitely tell that the new one is thicker and still tastes like good ole' Ragu everyone knows and loves.

And, so another lovely night was had with some lovely blogging ladies and some inspirational bloggy food, filling our heads with ideas for future meals our families will enjoy.

Thank you, Ragu!

Stay tuned for an update on my visit to the holistic doctor for the results of the food sensitivity studies my daughter and I had done. Another coming update is all about the awesome salmon I got in my recent shipment of Rastelli's meats! Loving their quick and easy meals that are healthy too. Just tried the burgers tonight. Yummo!

Filed Under: blogging, Food and Drink Tagged With: felicia stoler, ragu, rastelli, unilever test kitchens

7 Things You Gotta Know about Fish Oil

October 19, 2010 By speppel 5 Comments

I got on the scales this week and just about fell off. {Rubbing eyes and blinking several times.} Down TEN pounds. TEN.

For several weeks, I've avoided the scales since they hit an all time high a couple of weeks back. But, by popular demand, I am blogging about this because the only major change in my diet was taking a tsp. of pure refined fish oil daily. When I posted it on Facebook and Twitter, the reaction was enormous.

So, here's what I've learned to make it all clear to you:

1. In his new book "Toxic Fat" (which you can read about HERE), Dr. Sears RAVES about taking fish oil. So, I became intrigued.

2. WHY? Because fish has critical Omega 3 fatty acids that balance oh so much in the body.

3. BUT, you don't get enough by just eating fish (which the holistic doctor I just visited contradicted and yet she still sold me the pure refined fish oil I wanted to try — for which I am very grateful.)

4. And generic fish oil pills in the drug stores ARE NOT good for you and can actually do harm.

5. WHY? Because generic fish oil pills are apparently made from small fish and are full of fillers that do NOT help your body.

6. What I was sold at the local doctor's office (and I found it cheaper on Amazon) was Pharmax Finest Pure Fish Oil with essential oil of Orange, 200 mL (and the slight orange taste definitely helps the pure teaspoon of it I drink go down much easier.)

7. Do I know if this is the only reason I just lost 10 lbs eating worse than I have in months and exercising less? I don't know. I do know that I feel much more confident and happy now that I've lost this weight and I want it to keep coming off. I can tell my metabolism is ramping back up and I want to exercise and put healthy things in my body. Mabye it's a placebo effect, maybe not. Maybe Dr. Sears knows his stuff after YEARS of research. I'm siding with him from now on.

ONE MINOR SIDE EFFECT: Constipation. Okay, now that's more than you wanted to hear. Prune juice works great to counteract this -just limit your serving size. Lord, have mercy. One day I poured myself a big glass. Whew. 'Nuf said.

Well, that's all for today. I'll let you know how it goes! I would love to hear your experience if you try it. I was at an all time high in my weight so I really don't know what would happen to someone starting off smaller.

(And, I am going back to the doctor this Friday to find out the results of a food allergy blood test they took. Should be interesting to learn what foods my body reacts positively or negatively to. More on that later.)

Added to this week's Works for Me Wednesday! Head over to We Are THAT Family to see more!