T.G.I. FRiDAY'S NEW "Entree for One"

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of T.G.I. FRiDAY'S for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sure from time to time you've seen T.G.I. FRiDAY's products in the freezer section in your grocery store.  I typically see them by the frozen snacks or in the bags by frozen family dinners.  Now there's a new line of T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One” which consists of nine new entrées inspired by the bold and fun flavors of the famed T.G.I. FRiDAY’S restaurants. From Sizzling Steak Fajitas to Cajun-Style Chicken Alfredo, the new varieties infuse a fresh new flavor and shake things up in the frozen food category.

I found the "Entrees for One" near the single serve frozen entree section and not with your usual T.G.I. FRiDAY's products.  Out of the different varieties, I chose to try the Sizzling Steak Fajitas.  Hubs is a steak kind of guy so I thought he'd prefer that over some of the chicken entrees. 

I was excited to get home and have him try this new product as it did look tasty and I wanted to see if it indeed tasted anything like the restaurant.  So, next came heating and tasting time. 

I made the Sizzling Steak Fajitas in the microwave as suggested which only takes about 4 minutes and 45 seconds total.  This is how it looked right out of the microwave.

I went ahead and stuffed the tortillas with the filling and set the rice on the side. 

Hubs liked it and suggested I have these on hand for when I go on strike.  Yes, I have my moments when I just don't feel like cooking and it's a "fend for yourself" kind of night.  My mother-n-law and I also go on shopping trips where we may be gone most of the day and he is quite hungry (if leftovers don't appeal to him or he hasn't raided the cookie stash) by the time we get back.  So something fast, easy, with little to no preparation is appealing to him.    I  was also able to sneak a bite or two and I thought it was pretty good.  It does have the T.G.I  FRiDAY signature taste even if it isn't at a restaurant.  Have you tried the new "Entrees for One" yet? 

What's cool is that there is a Fun Freezer contest going on at the T.G.I FRiDAY's facebook page where you can take a shot at winning some great prizes.  Make your freezers at home a bit more fun by decorating them with your own unique flair, and uploading a picture to Facebook for not only a chance to win cool prizes but also  new home theater makeover!

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Bang Bang Shrimp - copy cat recipe

My first trip to a Bone Fish Grill was down in Myrtle Beach and I was in love at first bite.  It was our first experience there (many years ago) so we asked our waiter what was the best appetizer to try and he suggested Bang Bang Shrimp.  I thought cool, I like shrimp and this sounds neat so bring it on.  Now every trip we make to Bone Fish Grill we always get the Bang Bang Shrimp.  In fact I'm not sure if we've ever veered off the path and tried another appetizer off the menu.  Crazy.

By the way their chocolate martini is my go-to cocktail when I visit!  It's divine.

Now that I don't live as close to a Bone Fish as I'd like I've been experimenting with different copy cat recipes I find online to try to have that flare anytime I desire.  Some of the recipes were okay and some were better.  Overall, thus far I've settled on this one which had 4 stars from people who tried it from Food.com.

It's not to shabby.  If your a fan of Bang Bang Shrimp throw it down in the kitchen and tell me what you thought!


Ingredients

Shrimp 1 lb Cleaned, Deveined and Shelled

Sauce
1/2 cup mayo
6 tsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3-5 drops of Hot Chili Sauce
Dash of Soy Sauce or Lemon Juice optional

For Frying
1/2-3/4 cup of cornstarch
 oil

Lettuce (optional) and chopped scallions for serving.

Directions
Mix mayo and sauces in a bowl and set aside.  Taste if you want to and see if it hits all the right notes.  Some times I add a little more of this or that.  Bread your shrimp in the cornstarch and deep fry until lightly browned and drain on paper towel.  Afterwards coat in the sauce and serve over lettuce which is totally optional and top with the scallions.

If you make this and do something different let me know! I'd love to try it.

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Candy Corn and Peanuts - Candy Dish Fun

This may actually be old school to some of you but it's new to me.  My mother-in-law first turned me onto this from one of her co-workers.  I didn't believe her at first until I tried it.  Wow.  Who would of thought that mixing candy corn and peanuts would taste like a Pay Day candy bar?

It's fun and festive to place this mix in your candy dish.  For the Pay Day flavor I take about 4 peanuts with 1 candy corn.  Give it a whirl!

Ingredients
11 ounce bag of Candy Corn
1lb can of cocktail peanuts

Mix these together and there you have the Pay Day taste.  

Nummers!

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Fresh Snap Beans and Red Potatoes

Since my grandparents had a farm while I was growing up I've had the pleasure to experience different things that others may have not.  One of them was snapping beans.  They would be freshly picked from the field and we'd all sit around on a Summer's Day and snap away.  Then my Grandparents would go inside and start preparing them for dinner.  The rest were taken home by relatives or canned.  It's really easy to snap beans and the fresher they are the better they snap for you.  The ones below were bought at a local farm and were already a few days old so they weren't the greatest to snap but was still good eatin'. 

I paid $1.59 for the two pounds.  

There are many different variations as to how to prepare and cook different foods.  As far as snapping beans I just do what I was taught as a child and below sort of illustrates the basics of how I snap mine.  I take off the ends and snap the remaining into about 2 inch size beans.  If you have strings when you do this just pull them off going down the bean.  With this batch there weren't too many at all that needed that done.  Th

Ingredients
2 lb fresh green beans washed, trimmed, snapped
4 slices of bacon, cut up
 or ham hock/ham bone
Few TBSP of bacon grease if you have it
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 TBSP distilled vinegar
Water (or chicken broth)
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart or about 14 small red potatoes washed first
1/2 to1 stick butter

Directions
Place all of your ingredients in a large pot with just enough water to cover them except for the butter.  Start off with a boil for about 15 minutes then reduce and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.  About an hour or two or until tender. When they are ready I melt the stick of butter in them, season to taste accordingly and serve. 

I eat these just as they are and sometimes over white rice.  The potatoes are delicious this way!

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Straight Talk over Dinner

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk. All opinions are 100% mine.
As I browsed the web in search of a new phone I came across a few bloggers who already have and use Straight Talk.  Seems it's not just the folks on the commercials who are saving money.  I can totally see how appealing it would be with no contracts and still have Everything you need.

While we ended up buying a new phone with our provider and even changing up our plan a bit, this Straight Talk idea is still enticing.  I like to send pictures or even take pictures of food from my phone every now and then so I like that you can use trusty phone manufacturers (ex. Motorola and Samsung) with Straight Talks service.

You could probably go on a few date night dinners with some of the money you could save.  The plans seem pretty basic and here's the Hook, line and sinker - you don't need a contract, credit check and they'll be no shockingly high bills to surprise you.  Below is a snapshot of what Straight Talk has to offer:

Monthly Plans:
• The “All You Need Plan” meets even the needs of heavy phone users with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data.
• Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web.
• Imagine unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for a whole year, for only $499.00!
• 411 calls are included at no extra charge.
• Free from activation, reactivation, or termination fees

International Long Distance:
• Straight Talk International Long Distance Service is a flexible prepaid calling service that enables you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates.

Phone Selection:
• Reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. Great for young users!  You can even use Android on Straight Talk.
• Amazing smart phones so you can; touch screen phones, and app capable phones with features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging, and Bluetooth®

Call a friend over for dinner and pick their brain on what they think of Straight Talk.  For more information on what these phones offer, check out this YouTube videos:

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Hellmann's Chicken Challenge

For so many moms, back-to-school season means back to the same old dinner routines or at least the ones we can get out on the table fast. A lot of us have our usual tried and true weeknight go-to recipes and we rely on them to carry us through, week-in and week-out. Well, Hellmann's wants that to change! Hellman's is on a mission to help moms everywhere break out of the dinner menu monotony!

To help you spice-up your dinner routine, Hellmann's and Best Foods mayonnaise are launching the first-ever Chicken Challenge, a series of head-to-head chicken dish challenges that will help moms diversify their weekly recipe repertoire.

Each week on Hellmanns.com, two chicken dish "challenger" recipes from Chipotle Lime Crusted Chicken to Baked Buffalo Chicken will go up against one of the most popular recipes on Hellmanns.com, Parmesan Crusted Chicken.  You can try out one of the featured Hellmann's chicken recipes each week and cast your vote for your favorite.



From the site (Hellmanns.com), you can also enter into a weekly sweepstakes for a chance to win one of four $250 grocery gift cards. And if Hellmann's receives more than 10,000 entries, the value of the grocery gift cards will double to $500 (visit Hellmanns site for details)! Think of how many great recipes you can make with that!


With so many delicious recipes to try out at Hellmanns.com, you're sure to find dishes the whole family will love.  I'm looking forward to this because I'm a big Hellmann's kind of girl, at least since moving up North (since Dukes's isn't sold up here).  Anyway, despite not being a huge "chicken" nut, I'm going to try this challenge on for size.  How about you?




Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann's prize package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place. All opinions are my own.

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Home Made Kitchen Air Freshener

This is a wonderful smelling air freshener that I use around the holidays and whenever I want the sweet smell of cinnamon to fill my kitchen.  It beats sprays and candles!

Ingredients
Cinnamon Sticks
Cloves
Orange sliced

I throw the ingredients in a pot with water and bring to a boil.  Once it starts to boil, I lower it to a simmer and let it sit all day.  I check it here and there to see if the water has evaportated and add more if needed. 
You could even use it again the next day.

Go ahead give it a try, I think you'll like it ;)

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Kick Off with Hass Avocados - Recipe Contest

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hass Avocado Board featuring Hass Avocados. All opinions are 100% mine.

With football season among us what better way to share you love of Hass Avocados than by entering a sweet contest?

 

Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest

 

There are 2 ways to participate:

o (1) A weekly sweepstakes where they will give away a box of avocados for 14 consecutive weeks!
o (2) A Recipe Contest where the winner will win a trip to the Rose Bowl Game® !  Be sure to enter your great avocado recipes!

 

Grand Prize package, which includes the following for 4 people: 

o Round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, participation in a Rose Bowl Game® Welcome Reception, admission to the “behind-the-scene” Rose Bowl Parade decorating site, sightseeing tour of Pasadena, admission to the Rose Bowl Game® on January 2. 2012 + more!

o For more information on how the winner is chosen be sure to check out the official rules on their Facebook Page.

 

I love avocados and here is my guacamole dip recipe!

 

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
1 tsp lime juice
1 small onion chopped
1 small clove of garlic chopped
1 tsp chopped jalapeno
1 small to medium tomato chopped
about 1/2 tsp of sea salt
pepper to taste

Directions

Cut your avocado in half then scoop out seed.  Take a spoon and spoon out your avocado pulp and place in a  medium bowl.  Mash your avocado pulp with a fork then simply fold in all your remaining ingredients together.  Best served fresh.

Enjoy - I served mine with some Tortilla Strip Chips! Want more?  Check out these yummy avocado recipes!

 

Still want more?  Check out tailgating tips and recipes for your next game day feast. 

You can also sign up to receive free emails with recipe ideas and nutrition information.  You'll get loaded up with great ideas once per month! 

 

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Cherry Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake

One thing I love about the Fall/Winter season are all the spectacular desserts!!  From pies to cookies, to special breads there's a never ending variety at your fingertips.  My hubby's downfall is cheesecake so I knew when I received Lucky Leaf's pie filling in the mail and was asked to try their award winning recipes that the Cherry Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake  was going to be a hit!

Cherry Chocolate-Brownie Cheesecake

Ingredients
*One Package 8 oz brownie mix or 1 2/3 cup brownie mix
*1 egg
* 3 tbsp oil
*1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate pieces
*3 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, at room temp
*3/4 cup sugar
*3 eggs
* one can (21 oz) Lucy Leaf Cherry Pie Filling
*Frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch springform pan ( I used a pie plate) with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together brownie mix, one egg and oil until combined.  Stir in chocolate pieces.  Spread batter in prepared pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until brownie is just set.  (It will not be completely done at this point.)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until well combined and smooth.  Add in the eggs on low speed and set the mixture aside.  Carefully spoon 1/2 can (1 cup) of pie filling into center of brownie, leaving a 2-inch brownie border along sides of pan.  Dollop cream cheese mixture over surface; carefully spread to edges of pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is set, but jiggles when the pan is lightly tapped. 

Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour.  Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.  Top cheesecake with remaining cherry pie filling.

Garnish with whipped topping, if desired.

Serves 10
Cooking time 45 min

Keep this in mind around the Holidays!  I'm thinking Christmas or Valentine's Day with the red cherries.   This recipe is easy to bake and rich. You've got to try it!

I received Lucky Leaf Pie Filling to try award winning recipes using the brands pie filling.  The opinions expressed are100%  my own.

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Rocky Mountain Oysters

Written by Sherri Hicks


On our last trip out West, we stayed at an awesome dude ranch. The ranch was at the foot of the Rockies. The weather was great and we felt like we had traveled a century back in time. The owners of the ranch tried to keep the setting very authentic with the exception of modern amenities in the cabins and common areas. Everyone staying on the ranch would convene in the main dining room and share dinner and drinks. The food was great and gourmet. One night, we had a house specialty called “Rocky Mountain Oyster Stew”. Everyone enjoyed the stew and many asked for seconds. It wasn’t until after we got home that we realized what we had eaten. I had recently gone to http://Satellite911.com and updated our television package. We get awesome food and travel channels. We were watching one food program when we heard “Rocky Mountain Oysters” we perked up, interested to see how the stew was prepared. I almost lost my lunch when I learned that “Rocky Mountain Oysters” were cow testicles! How embarrassing!

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Chili - Just in Time for Fall!

I was looking at the calendar yesterday and noticed that the official day of Fall is approaching. (Friday,  September 23) It already feels like Fall in my neck of the woods, mostly at night, so I wanted to share with a chili recipe to kick start Fall (and some good ole football)!  We have evenings in the 50s, brrrr.  It's awful cold when you are used to 80s on up mostly.

Ingredients

1/2 large onion chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
2 hot peppers chopped
worchestershire sauce/hot sauce optional
1 1/2 pd hamburger
1 small can of tomato sauce
3 medium to large tomatoes chopped
garlic powder
40 oz can of kidney beans drained
1 packet of Chili Kit

I've been using this exact Chili kit since I was in my early 20s and brewed up my first pot of chili.  You can of course do up your own concoction of chili spices but I really dig the convenience of this packet and well it's delicious!  I'm hooked.  It comes with all that you see below:

Big Chili pouch Spice packet, Cayenne pepper, salt, and a mesa flour packet.  

Directions

First I start browning my hamburger.  I add in my onions while it is doing so.

Then the bellpeppers....

Then the hot peppers... throw the seeds in to if you like heat!

Let your meat brown up some then add in your tomatoes....

Give your pot a stir and then add in a can of tomato sauce and your spice packet, salt, and cayenne pepper(if desired for heat).

I let mine simmer for just a bit (around 10-15 minutes or so).

Then I add in the Kidney Beans and continue to let it simmer.  At this point I give it a taste test.  I usually add worchestershire sauce and Texas Pete to it.  The flour packet is optional as well.  I don't normally add it because it's plenty thick and chunky to me.  I keep it covered at a simmer on low while stirring occasionally until we are ready to eat it! 

We serve ours up with sour cream and cheddar cheese!  YUMMMM.  Plus it helps take the heat off a bit for those who aren't as fond of spice.  ENJOY!!

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