UK - Holland and Barrett Health Food/Vitamin Needs

It's always nice to find healthier eating options available especially online for those who may not be able to physically hunt for their specific diet needs.  If you live in the UK and are on the hunt for health food, 5htp vitamins, gluten free, dried fruit etc then check out Holland and Barrett.  This is a UK based company that is the leading retailer in vitamins, herbal supplements, minerals.   They specialize in quality assurance and is even a "green" store.   I've been considering reintroducing vitamins in my life and have found not only product on their site but information, ingredients and more.  I like the idea of knowing exactly what I'd be getting.  They also have quite a wide product range whether you're looking for nuts, teas, cereals or even simple advice which I find very convenient.  

Under their Current Offers section you can check out the best current deals that are available.  Right now they have a penny sale which is where you buy one item and get the second for a penny. You don't have to be on a special diet like gluten free or be taking vitamin supplements for instance to take advantage of the site, in fact I was actually surprised to see deodorant, hair color, and even body creams.  It's always nice to find more stores specializing in alternatives with variety even in the UK.   It just goes to show you that the need is growing for alternatives in food, supplements and vitamins.

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Santé Nuts Review

Like nuts?  If so you're in for a treat!  My new favorite nuts are  Santé nuts.  I haven't had fresh, quality nuts like  Santé's since I lived down South.  I initially thought I might use one of their recipes from the site since I had four different flavors to try but decided they were too good!  I had to eat them just as they are.

I waited to serve ours up for Football Sunday.  Everyone tried them and I left the bags near hubs along with some salsa and chips.  Next thing I know he'd demolished the whole bag of candied walnuts!  That's how good they are.  We also tried the garlic almonds which isn't a nut that I eat that often but these were exceptionally tasty with just a bit of zing. 

My personal favorite was the pecans; regular roasted (salted and savory) and candied (sweet, buttery and light).  I can't describe how good these are other than you'll have a soft, crunch, tasty, and fantastic treat with every bite.  My grandparents had a pecan tree when I was growing up so I know what good pecans taste like!  I was even more intrigued by the  Santé story of how it all began. 

A single mom started  Santé nuts out of her own kitchen sometimes sleeping by the oven.  Now her company has taken flight!  Sara  Tidhar (the founder) applies a hand roasting technique she learned from her grandmother that is still used today plus she hand picks her growers.  I think that's what really makes her nuts stand out from all the rest! 



Disclosure - I was provided samples of the nuts to facilitate this post. My
participation is voluntary and my opinions, as always, are my own.

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Kitchen Talk

Sometimes I guess you don't know how old or how properly your kitchen appliances work until you get a newer model.  This happened to us recently.  I'm sure I shared in one post a time or two about our needing a newer refrigerator.  Our older one was small and had us on our toes in the event that it would go out on us and spoil everything.

Our stove on the other was a little on the vintage/antique side but it actually worked good or so I thought.  I just assumed that when the kitchen got warm when I cooked that it was just because maybe the kitchen is on the small side.  The main issue I had was with the burner grates all being one small size.  So any big pan or pot I would cook on the stove top would sit unevenly.

Hubs found a really great buy on Craigslist for a newer set and we immediately jumped the gun.  Normally, I like to think through purchases like these but it was such a steal that we really didn't want to let it go.  We actually had been inactively looking on Craigslist for months but just didn't find one we liked or at the right price. We called the people selling the set and met up that day, with cash in hand, loaded them up (took two trips) and made our way home.  The only problem was that these were disgusting!  It took my mother-n-law and I darn near four hours to clean them up.

I'm actually quite happy with our purchases!  The oven and refrigerator is an upgrade for us.   I'm also pleasantly surprised at how precise the oven cooks!  I'm not used to that at all.  It's also nice to go to the grocery store and actually have some room for food rather than shoving it all in.

On the flip side, it's been over a week since we put them in and while we are donating the stove, someone wanted our refrigerator (beers - just about all it's good for) for a garage.  Now we are patiently awaiting a pick up of this appliance so now I have two refrigerators sitting in my kitchen!

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Fried Potatoes and Onions with Cabbage

I am not a huge cabbage fan per say but I do love me some fried potatoes and onions!  This is one of my comfort foods.  My mom used to make this a lot when I was growing up and it's one of those dishes you can smell outside walking up to the front door of the home.  I started adding the cabbage after I was married which is just as satisfying. 

Ingredients
Russet Potatoes
Yellow Onion chopped
Cabbage Chopped (about 1/2 a head)
Vegetable Oil for Frying
salt and pepper to taste

Start off by washing and cubing your Russet potatoes (skin on or off as desired).  I usually do about one potato per person as well as a small/medium onion per person.  (If you have rather small Russets then sometimes I do about 5 potatoes to one large onion.  I like a lot of onion in mine so I eyeball it usually.) 

I start off by adding my potatoes in about an inch of hot oil (about medium high) in a relatively deep pot or pan.  Cover and stir occasionally.  Once they start getting slightly soft, I add in the onion and allow that to fry until soft.  Once the potatoes and onions are softened nicely I add in the cabbage and cook (keeping covered and stirring occasionally) until the potatoes and onions are slightly browned and cabbage is softened. 

Once they are done, take out and drain on a paper towel.  These will be greasy (I like them that way).  Add salt/pepper as desired for taste. 

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Chili Cheese Stuffed Omelets

Need a breakfast for a brisk chilly morning?  Then this might be right up your alley.  Full of chili and cheese yum!  I was looking for a way to use up some of my leftover chilli since I tend to make way to much and I really don't like freezing it.  I found this recipe inspiration from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 2which turned out to be a hit!  Her recipe calls for canned chili and sausage so by all means use that if you wish but I prefer using leftover chili since it already has meat in it which in turn, these whip up a bit faster.

Here's what you will need for each omelet...

1/4 cup of leftover chili
1 tbsp butter
3 eggs
1 tbsp of fresh chives
1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese or Cheddar

sour cream and extra chives for topping

Directions
Over medium-low heat, melt butter.  Whisk your eggs and chives then pour in skillet and cook just until eggs are firm.  Be sure to lift edges to let uncooked egg run underneath. This helps make a great omelet that's fully cooked through.
Then top with your chili and cheese (melt cheese for a sec or two) and gently slide the omelet onto your plate.  Top with sour cream and sprinkle with chives if desired.



Dig in! This is good stuff!

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Double-Yolk Eggs

 So big, they had to tape the carton

A little while back my mother-in-law and I went to a few farmers stands, markets, and orchards just to get a hold of some local fresh product.  Plus, sometimes they have better prices too.  Anyway, at one place we found huge eggs that held double yolks in them. I personally don't recall ever having eggs like this before so I bought a dozen.

(yea, sometimes I throw the eggs on there before the pan is hot..don't tell the kitchen police)

In comparison, they are definitely bigger than your average egg.  Below is a large egg versus a double yolk egg.

When I make breakfast I usually fry up two eggs for each person. I love fried eggs and the yolk is my favorite part (even in boiled eggs). So I couldn't resist with these.

Because I'm such a weirdo when it comes to food, I had to do some research too.  What I found is that they are particularly rare in commercial based eggs (about 1 in 1000).  It has to do with the hen (first year laying eggs maybe), ovulation and other goodies.  Some even say it's a sign of good luck if you find one in your dozen.  There is even a Facebook page dedicated to Double Yolk Eggs! 

Have you picked up any double yolk eggs before?  And in case your wondering, I didn't find any taste difference although farm fresh eggs do taste better to me than store bought commercial eggs. I think the yolk is creamier and richer. 

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Freschetta Proud to Support PINK Giveaway CLOSED

I am very happy to announce that Freschetta supports PINK!  As most of us know already, October is National Breast Cancer awareness month.  They are doing many great things to support the research of breast cancer.  Here's how you can help too...

From now until October 31st, when you purchase specialty marked-packages of Freschetta pizzas and Artisan Pizza Crusts, you will be helping them reach their goal of a $50,000 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  There will be specially marked packages with printed codes that you can enter at www.ProudToSupportPink.com.  There is also a place on this site for people to share their breast cancer journey or the journey of a friend or loved one.  These stories will be displayed on the Proud to Support Pink website as well as on their Facebook page to inspire all those who read them!

They are also giving away 50 pink iPod shuffle players each week in October as part of a giveaway on the site to encourage participation and sharing of the program.  Additionally, 50 iPod Shuffle players will be donated each week in October to four cancer centers around America to be enjoyed by breast cancer patients during treatments.

These guys rock, don't they?!  That's not all either.  They will also be giving one lucky reader of Time 2 Eat Yall, 2 pairs of Proud to Support Pink earphones and a coupon for a Free Freschetta Pizza, 12 oz or larger!


GIVEAWAY ENDED

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Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Biscuits with Gravy

It may not always be easy to find recipes for kids or at least not in my household.  When it comes to specifics like onions, bell peppers, etc I often have to omit them or I get the big "ew" and refusal of eating. Now I'm a lot more lenient than my parents were because I couldn't leave the table until I ate everything on my plate and/or tried everything offered at the table whether I liked it or not.  The truth is, I still don't like those very foods today so if anything, it taught me to try things.

Here's a recipe that I get asked to make fairly often at my house not just by the kiddo but also by hubs as well.  It's very good and fun.  I found my inspiration in one of Sandra Lee's cookbooks.  With this recipe and many like hers you can easily swap ingredients to suit your need.  So for the biscuit part you can whip up a batch of homemade or use a bisquick mix like she does.  I on the other hand cheated and simply used canned biscuits.   This is one of our kid approved recipes at our house although I will say for the little one, the gravy is omitted on that plate!  Can't win at everything, right?

Here's the basics
6 sausage patties
1 6 count package of canned biscuits
6 tbsp of sharp cheddar cheese

milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper for gravy

Preheat oven to 450.  Spray a 6 count muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.  In a skillet brown and cook your sausage.  Reserve skillet dripping for gravy.  Set sausage aside.

Take your biscuits and gently peel them in half.

Set a piece of sausage on one side of a biscuit then 1 tbsp of cheese over the top of the sausage.

Then wrap it with the other biscuit half and seal the edges by pinching.  Place in muffin tin and brush the tops with milk prior to baking.

Bake in oven for about 11 minutes or until golden brown on top.

For your gravy take a few tbsp of flour and whisk the flour in the sausage drippings over medium heat until slightly browned. Then add about 1 cup of milk or buttermilk and continue to whisk until desired consistency.  Add more milk if necessary.  I add in garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Serve the gravy over the hot biscuits.

Nummm.

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