Nutella for Breakfast!

As many families including my own rush around in the morning, breakfast may be viewed as yet another distraction. A good morning meal is a "must-have" for kids of all ages even myself! If the "battle at breakfast" is a common feud in your home, I encourage you to try Nutella hazelnut spread as a quick and easy alternative! Nutella can be great on toast, muffins waffles and even bagels. It doesn't stop at breakfast either, there are many ways in baking you can use Nutella  for example desserts.

I had the opportunity to try Nutella which I was very excited about because believe it or not I've never tried it before, ever.  I recieved a bunch of Nutella goodies like recipe cards, coffee mugs and more to host a Nutella breakfast bar in my home!  How cool is that?  I admit I just couldn't wait and tried one of the samples right away on some toast! YUM.  I loved it and will definitely be putting Nutella on my list for when I get those chocolate cravings at breakfast!  In my opinion it has a similar consistency as peanut butter does but without the nutty taste.  It has just a hint of hazelnut flavor and chocolate.

photo credit

So what did everyone think?  I wasn't the only one who had not tried Nutella yet and eveyone's feedback was very positive.  Some oven suggested it tasted like frosting! I'm really glad I got to try this as I'm the kind of girl who can just eat straight peanut butter with a spoon and now I have a new spread to eat by the spoonful....well all in moderation of course!   Have you tried Nutella?  If so I'd love to hear your thoughts!


Disclosure - I received the Nutella party pack and information to facilitate this post.  No compensation was received and the opinions are 100% my own.

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Jumbo Meatballs - Recipe Swap Meet

 

I'm joining a recipe swap over at Xmasdolly so come link up yours or explore new recipes to make tonight!

This is a real simple meatball recipe.  You can add to it easily if you prefer onion, parsley or other Italian type flavors.  I just love the baked taste since it makes for very moist meatballs and less mess. And meatballs are pretty hard to screw up so it's fun to just experiment.


Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 lb mild ground sausage
3/4 -1 cup Italian breadcrumbs 
2 eggs

Cook your garlic in olive oil until caramel color and soft.  Remove the garlic and smash with a fork.  In a bowl combine your beef, sausage, garlic, breadcrumbs (you want your mixture slightly wet) and eggs.  Mix well.  Form into tennis size balls. Cook in olive oil  until nicely browned.

 Place in a baking dish with a lid, cover and cook on 350 for about an hour or until cooked through. 

I served these over egg noodles (that I melted 1 stick of butter on - gasp!) and a sauce I made that I'll share below.  But these would be excellent for Meatball Subs!

Enjoy!  Mine made about 8 meatballs or so.

Sauce - starts with chopped onion cooked in olive oil until soft (leftover oil from the meatballs), then add 1 can cream of mushroom soup w/garlic, and about 1/2 block of cream cheese cubed (room temp), 8 oz sour cream and cook on low until nice and creamy.

Happy Thursday Everyone!  Weekend is almost here.........

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Scrubs for Foodies

 

Wouldn't it be nice to see this nifty lobster scrub hat versus the usual when you visit the doctor's office? It certainly beats the regular blue's that can make you feel bluer!  If you work in any field where you are required to wear scrubs, finding cool looking scrubs and even foodie themes may not always be easy.

 

 

You may want to check out blue sky scrubs.   After spending a lot of time on their site and checking them out I found a bunch that I think are really awesome.  Some I would even wear!  Keep in mind that they also carry lab coats, shirts, cotton scrubs, hot color schemes and more.

Not only do they sell a foodie scrub hat but they have very pretty colors for spring in medical nursing scrubs. These are perfect for visiting ill relatives in the hospital.  For me personally I think it's always nice to see a cheery scrub on a nurse when you are feeling ill, especially for the kids.   What scrub colors do you like best for spring?  Are you digging the lobster hat?

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Kim and Scott's Gourmet Pretzels - Review

Have you heard of Kim & Scott's Gourmet Stuffed Pretzels?  They strive and are committed to creating  gourmet soft pretzels snacks.  They even have a cafe called Cafe Twist where they serve pretzel sandwiches.

Since 1995, Kim and Scott Holstein, co-founders of Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels, have grown their business from the kitchen in Kim’s studio apartment to a national presence selling millions of pretzels each week at many different grocery store chains like Albertsons, Target, Walmart and Whole Foods.  In addition, their pretzels can be found at Barnes & Noble, and via regular appearances on QVC, where they sold more than 150,000 pretzels in just 12 minutes when they debuted on the network.

- Grilled Cheese

- Pizza

                           - Apple Cinnamon                           

- Chocolate Crumb

- Cheddar Jalapeño

- Spinach Feta

 (pictured above - they also sell many more varieties)

I actually found my pretzels at my local Giant Eagle (you can also buy online at their store).  Each box is packed with two stuffed pretzels.You can keep these in your refrigerator or in your freezer.  I was surprised that when I nuked them in the microwave (or you can bake in oven) for only 45 seconds and they were warm all over, not cold in the middle nor did they burn my tongue. My family thought these were a nice snack to have when you want to escape the ordinary.  They are fast, easy and very convenient. I've even ate them for lunch.

Out of all the flavors we tried we all had our favorites.  Mine was the chocolate crumb!!  If you love chocolate and get cravings like I do then this will be a treat to try.  I ate mine with a tall glass of milk.  I was really surprised at the assortment in these pretzels and how nice and soft they were.  I was also impressed that they actually are stuffed with filling and not skimpy.  I really enjoyed trying these pretzels and I'm sure you will too! 

Each one of the pretzels is twisted by hand and made from scratch. They use ALL-NATURAL and PREMIUM ingredients, like freshly shredded cheeses, hearty spices, unbleached flour and whole grains.  They even have gluten free pretzels!

Learn more on their website: http://www.kimandscotts.com

Check out Kim & Scott's!

http://www.kimandscotts.com

http://www.facebook.com/Kimandscotts

http://twitter.com/kimandscotts

http://kimandscotts.wordpress.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/kimandscotts

There was no compensation for this review. The opinions expressed are my own and I was not swayed by the items mentioned above.

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Gnarly Green Eggs and Ham (Recipe Swap Meet)

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  This isn't a "recipe" per say but this is what I made this morning and it looks gross!  But it's the ever popular green eggs n ham.  I first had this in like first or second grade and so did my little one.  I forgot how gross it looks.  I scrambled my eggs instead of frying them and just added a few drops of green food coloring.  What's on your St. Patty's Day menu?

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Green Foods for St. Patricks Day

Image via Wikipedia

Green food ideas for festive St. Patrick's Day dishs:

Bell peppers
basil
lime
green grapes
celery
spinach
green apples
alfalfa
cabbage
green beans
green lima beans
broccoli
avocado
most lettuce's
snow peas
asparagus
cucumbers
green tomatoes
cilantro and other herbs
pears
jalapeno's and other peppers
pistachios
kiwi
honeydew melon
artichokes
watermelon
arugula
brussels sprouts
kale and other leafy greens
zuchinni
pickles
green olives
okra
green onions
star fruit (light green)
papaya
mango

Other ideas - spinach noodles, mint flavored ice cream, green m&m's, green skittles and other candies, green jellies, pesto, green lime jello, green tea, green beer, green frosting, and for things that aren't green just add a little food coloring!

Did I miss one?

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Ragu - "Mom's the Word on Dinner"

"I don't feel like eating dinner now!", "I want ice cream!" , "I don't like that"  For most Moms, these are all too familiar-- and all too frequent -- demands heard by kids everywhere around 5:30 pm even at my house. Yes, as Moms we face a set of dinnertime challenges nearly every night- challenges that only another mom can understand. That's why Ragú is launching "Mom's the Word on Dinner," an online community for moms to laugh, learn and share their take on what really happens at dinnertime.  How cool is that?!
 
Ragú is teaming up with some familiar faces, including some of the fabulous ladies of Momversation, to bring moms together to share stories and tips, celebrate the small wins and laugh about situations that only other moms can relate to.  Each month, this online community will be tackling topics from how to deal with picky eaters (I'm all over this one), to getting them to eat their veggies to what's being discussed at the dinner table, with some tips from parenting expert and author, Dr. Michele Borba, and Registered Dietician, Dr. Felicia Stoler.

In addition to the ongoing fun and conversation, the Mom's the Word on Dinner community will feature videos, photos, polls, quizzes and dinner ideas with quick and easy recipes. With two full servings of veggies in every half cup of Ragú Old World Style Traditional pasta sauce, Ragú provides nutritious meal options for parents to help them on their mission to feed their kids well. This wouldn't be a true community without interaction and Ragú wants to hear what happens at dinnertime in kitchens and homes across the country!  Moms like YOU can join the conversation and tell their story for a chance to be featured in a Ragú ad in PEOPLE magazine at Facebook.com/ragusauce. 



"Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Ragú® prize package in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place."

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Chicken Primavera Pasta with Video

I use Swagbucks everyday to earn points for searching the web.  I'm not sure if any of you have heard of it or not but you can trade in your points for Amazon gift cards, iTunes gift cards etc.  Now you can watch videos and one of the ones I watched for points was a Kraft Philly Cooking Creme video for Chicken Primavera Pasta.  I must have been hungry or very impressed with how fast this recipe could be done for busy weeknights that I decided to make it!

The first time I made this I didn't have the Philly Cooking Creme on hand so I just used regular creme cheese and for some reason it just wasn't a hit.  Finally I found the Philly Cooking Creme (Italian Cheese and Herb) at my grocery store and decided I would give it another whirl.  It actually is quite a filling  meal and great for busy weeknights.  Check out the video yourself and below is what I did differently.

Serves 4

What did you think?  Not bad, huh! This recipe was also on my cream cheese package so no need to print (unless you want to you can here at the Kraft website) because it's real easy.  I ended up using about 2 lbs of chicken cooked in olive oil, and I used about 2 cups fresh vegetables like mushrooms, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes with about 8 oz fettucini noodles.

Here's the finished product!

Have you tried the new cheeses yet?  They are a lot creamier than the blocks and melt very nicely.

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Cooking With "The Barefoot Contessa"

This guest post from Werner Rogers



I watch a lot of the Food Network channel and one of my favorite baking shows is “Barefoot Contessa”. The host of the show is Ina Garten and the recipes that she makes are incredible. Ina cooks an entire meal including a salad, or appetizer, an entré and dessert.

Last week she made a spinach salad that looked fresh and tasty. Then she made a hearty beef stew that came together very quickly. She marinated the beef in red wine overnight and browned it, and then she added the vegetables. When all of the ingredients melded together she poured the stew into a casserole dish and baked it. I love beef Stew, so this recipe looked especially delicious. For dessert Ina made home-made espresso ice cream. She used fresh cream, vanilla and flavoring. The dessert was cooked for about 10 minutes and then she used her ice cream maker to thicken it.

I've treated my family to several of her recipes and they often ask me to cook them again. Ina's recipes are easy to follow and she gives me tips on how to accomplish difficult cooking tasks. Her show has made me more likely to experiment with complicated dishes than I would normally cook. I set my continuous record for the “Barefoot Contessa” on my home DVR and watch the show on satellite TV from BestChoiceTV.com.

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Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

I made this the other day initially wanting to try out a copy cat Olive Garden Stuffed Mushroom recipe.  However, since I didn't have all the ingredients on hand I just went ahead and created my own twist based on what I had at home.  I substituted the clams for pepperoni and just omitted any juice all together.  These turned out very flavorful and yummy!

Ingredients
1 8oz pack of whole mushrooms (washed and dried, stems removed)
6 pieces of sliced pepperoni (cut in pieces like bacon bits)
1 small onion chopped (about 2-3 tbsp - I used frozen onions)
1 small clove garlic minced ( I chop then smash mine with a fork)
dash of garlic powder
dash of dried oregano
some salt
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg  (beaten)
1-2 tbsp melted butter
2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese grated
2 tbsp mozzarella cheese shredded
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
Parsley (optional for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a baking dish.  Combine and mix pepperoni, onion, garlic powder, salt, garlic, 1-2 tbsp butter and oregano in a bowl.  Then add your bread crumbs and egg, parmesan, and 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese, combine well. 

Stuff your mushroom's cavity, mound them  (by hand is easier to mound them) and place in a lightly oiled dish for baking.  Pour your 1/4 cup of butter over the tops and bake for about 35 minutes covered.  Remove from oven and top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

YUM YUM!

Save your stems for another recipe like spaghetti!

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Smothered Chicken (Recipe Swap Meet)

This is NOT a secret recipe or anything out of the ordinary but it's one of my favorite ways to do chicken.  I am also a massive cheese lover so anytime I can incorporate that into my meals I do!  Plus I love the onions and mushrooms combo too!!

Basically I start off by seasoning my chicken breasts (any old seasoning will do).  I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, chicken seasoning etc.  I cook in olive oil on each side until my meat thermometer says they are Okay!  

While your chicken is cooking you can saute your mushroom and onions in a pan with butter until nicely soft and brown.

At the end of your chicken cooking time you can either add your cheese on top of your chicken to melt it while it's still in the pan or just nuke in microwave to melt your cheese (I did).

Top your onions and mushrooms over your cheese and you are set.  Cheesy, gooey goodness right there!

(Not much measuring needed for this recipe it's really all up to taste.  I used about 1 medium onion and about half a pack of 8 oz mushrooms, olive oil to coat pan (few tbsp), 2-3 tbsp butter to saute onions and mushrooms and maybe about 4 oz of mozzarella cheese for my 3 chicken breasts.)

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Who Does That?!

 

An empty bottle of Fanta (Grandma's Treat) on top of the refrigerator is just as bad as putting a milk container back in the refrigerator with one sip left in it OR putting the strawberry jelly (after opening) in the cabinet instead of the refrigerator so it can get molded OR eating something (like leftovers) and not covering it back up so it can get nice and crunchy while sitting in the refrigerator OR .........SIGH.  The joys of my kitchen.  Do you have any moments like this in your kitchen if so please share!

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