Disclosure: I was given an assortment of free Pereg® Natural Gourmet Food samples to review. I get no additional benefits for talking about this product or company. All opinions about this product are 100% my own.
Nothing comforts more when the weather turns colder than a hot bowl of soup. I rarely make soup from scratch. I’m not sure why because it’s so simple. I used a package of Pereg Basmati Rice with Vegetables as my inspiration.
I grabbed some chicken broth and some chicken sausage links and headed to the stove. In a medium sauce pan, I heated up the entire container of broth (32 ounces) over high heat until it boiled. Then I added the Pereg Basmati Rice with Vegetables mixture and lowered the temperature to medium-high to let the ingredients simmer.
While it was cooking, I sliced the chicken sausage links and added them to the pot. After about 15 minutes, I had this intoxicating Chicken Sausage & Basmati Rice Soup that was just about the best chicken soup I’ve ever made. I had two bowls, with enough left over to freeze two single-serving containers so I have soup on hand for the next time I need some comfort food with great fall flavors.
Disclosure: I was given an assortment of free Pereg® Natural Gourmet Food samples to review. I get no additional benefits for talking about this product or company. All opinions about this product are 100% my own.
This fall it’s been difficult to find Honeycrisp apples at my local grocery. For some reason, there’s been a shortage of quality product. So when I do find them I try to stock up a bit; thankfully Honeycrisp apples store well in the refrigerator for weeks.
Bite for bite, Honeycrisp apples are so naturally sweet and juicy that I crave eating them all year round. I even share my beloved Honeycrisp apples with my four pugs as a special daytime treat. I slice an apple up and they line up (very well behaved, of course, because they love them so) to take turns chomping down on a juicy slice of heaven. It’s such a joy to watch their faces light up.
For an easy any-night-of-the-week dessert, I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart’s Pretzel Crumbles recipe from 2011. I added peanut butter to the pretzel crumble topping, and I think Martha would agree that was genius of me. Thanks, Martha!
Baked Honeycrisp Apples with Peanut Butter & Pretzel Topping
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
4 T butter, cold
1 T ground cinnamon
4 T all-purpose flour
4 T dark brown sugar
4 T crushed pretzels
4 T crunchy peanut butter
2 Honeycrisp apples, halved and cored
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, blend butter with the cinnamon, flour, and brown sugar. Stir in crushed pretzels and set aside.
Place the apple halves in the prepared baking pan. Scoop 1 tablespoon of peanut butter inside the well of each apple half. Scatter the pretzel mixture over the apple halves.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until apples are soft and the topping is crisp. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before serving warm.
Notes
This recipe is lightly adapted from Martha Stewart's Pretzel Crumbles recipe http://www.marthastewart.com/355997/pretzel-crumbles
The cheeseburger is as American as food gets. It’s truly iconic. But when you ask a group of people to visualize what’s on (or in) their favorite cheeseburgers, there are no two descriptions exactly the same. That versatility is one of the exciting things about the cheeseburger – and why I like to experiment with new variations of ingredients in a never-ending quest for the perfect cheeseburger. A recent cheeseburger experiment that has come the closest to burger nirvana is my Ranch Patty Melt.
The patty melt itself is deceptively simple. Aside from the seasonings and butter, there are only four primary ingredients: meat, onion, cheese and bread. It’s the preparation and how these ingredients are combined that give the patty melt its sizzle.
The patty melt will usually be served with onions and Thousand Island dressing. That tangy, creamy flavor of the Thousand Island dressing is a great pairing with the sautéed onions. But for my Ranch Patty Melt recipe, I’m substituting the Thousand Island dressing with a classic ranch dressing as a topping and with extra on the side for dipping.
Ranch Patty Melt
With all of your ingredients en place, mix together the ground turkey, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Don’t skimp on the Worcestershire! Form four oval patties with the meat, matching the relative shape of the crusty rye bread. Set the patties aside as you prepare the onions.
Slice up a yellow onion and sautée it in a skillet with butter over medium-low heat. It takes about 25 minutes to properly brown the onions, but be patient. Don’t rush the process; the onions could easily burn. Can you see the buttery steam rising from the pan in the photo below? It smells so, so, so, so good.
Cook the patties in a skillet over medium heat until done in the middle and browned on the outside. When the patties are cooked, you’re ready to start the final assembly. In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
You’re going to assemble each Ranch Patty Melt as follows:
slice of crusty rye bread
slice of Swiss cheese
turkey burger patty
one-fourth of the sautéed onions
two tablespoons ranch dressing
another slice of Swiss cheese
another slice of crusty rye bread
Grill the sandwiches in the skillet until golden brown on one side. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and flip the Ranch Patty Melt sandwiches over. Cook until golden brown and crisp. The cheese should be all melted and gooey. Cut in half and serve immediately.
Doesn’t this look like absolute cheeseburger perfection? How can it get any better? That’s my challenge for my next cheeseburger adventure…
Organize your ingredients and cooking instruments. You'll need a medium bowl and three skillets (one small, one medium and one large) to prepare the onions, burgers and the completed patty melts.
In a medium bowl, mix together ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Form into 4 oval-shaped patties, similar to the size of the rye bread slices. Put patties on a plate; set aside.
In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Toss in the onions and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Onions are done when they are golden brown and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook the turkey burger patties on both sides, until done in the middle and browned on the outside. Set aside.
In the medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Assemble the patty melts first with a slice of rye bread topped with a slice of Swiss cheese. Add the turkey burger patty and one-fourth of the cooked onions. Cover the patty with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing followed by another slice of Swiss cheese. Top with another slice of rye bread, and grill the sandwiches until golden brown.
Repeat until all 4 sandwiches are in the skillet. When browned on one side, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Carefully flip each sandwich over, and cook until golden brown, crisp and cheese has melted.
Cut in half and serve immediately. Serve with additional ranch dressing on the side for dipping.
Mediterranean, Sweet Sriracha or Chipotle: Which ProSticks™ Chicken Skewer flavor would you pick?
Thank you to Expresco for providing five (5) coupons for the online random drawing.
I love discovering new products, so I’m excited to share information about ProSticks by Expresco. They’re grilled chicken breast on a stick, and come in three flavors: Sweet Sriracha, Mediterranean, and Chipotle. Each ProSticks product has/is:
23 grams of protein per serving
Fully cooked and ready to eat
Real grill marks
No preservatives
You’ve probably noticed there has been an explosion of high-protein on the go snack products. Some of those products include nuts or cheese. But ProSticks is all about the chicken breast skewer. So not only is it a convenient protein-packed snack, it’s also a convenient meal component for quick protein-rich lunch or dinner.
For example, any of these ProSticks grilled chicken breast flavors would be great chopped up with a quick-cooking brown rice for a high-protein meal option. Or diced with some tomato, lettuce and cheese wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla wrap. The convenient meal options are only limited by what’s in your pantry.
Enter below to win a coupon for one (1) free ProSticks Grilled Chicken Skewers product (up to $3.99 value). Online random drawing ends September 23, and winners will be notified with redemption instructions. Good luck!
Summer’s end is always bittersweet. While I love fall, I know it means we’re one step closer to winter’s bitter cold. So it’s important to savor the flavors of summer as long as possible.
For me, a classic summertime flavor is the s’more. This no-bonfire-required recipe was inspired by the new stackable, flat marshmallows I found at my local grocery.
All you need is three ingredients (chocolate chips, graham crackers and marshmallows) and 90 seconds in the microwave to feed that childhood craving for a sweet treat.
Start by melting a cup of Hershey’s milk chocolate chips in a microwavable ramekin. After 90 seconds, stir the chocolate chips to facilitate the melting. If needed, heat in additional 30-second increments and stir until melted and smooth.
You could use your fingers, but I’ve found that to be really messy. So I recommend taking a small fork and piercing a marshmallow, then dipping it in the chocolate until the bottom is coated.
Then dip the marshmallow, chocolate side down, in the graham cracker crumbs.
Shake off the excess crumbs, and set the s’mores marshmallow pop’ms on a plate with the chocolate side facing up. Repeat the process with remaining marshmallows.
Before you know it, you’ve got 2 dozen bite-sized portions of s’mores goodness to share with your family. Or not. That’s totally your call.
Pour the graham cracker crumbs in a ramekin or small plate for dredging. Set aside.
Pour the chocolate chips in a microwavable ramekin. Cook on HIGH for 90 seconds in the microwave. Stir the chocolate chips to facilitate the melting process.
If needed, cook in additional 30-second increments, followed by stirring, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Using a fork, pierce a marshmallow on one side. Then dip the other side of the marshmallow in the chocolate, followed by dredging in graham cracker crumbs. Shake off loose crumbs, and put on a plate.
Repeat with remaining marshmallows to make 24 s'mores marshmallow pop'ms.
Animal crackers were a childhood favorite of mine, so when I came across some at the grocery store they became the inspiration for my next brownies creation that I call Marshmallow Cookie Crunch Brownies. You can use whatever cookies you have in your pantry.
Marshmallow Cookie Crunch Brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups animal crackers cookies (or substitute your favorite sandwich cookie, chopped)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Whisk together dry ingredients (cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt) in a medium bowl; set aside.
In a large sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Add granulated sugar, stirring until completely blended with butter. Stir in the flour mixture. When combined, remove from heat and set aside. The mixture will be very dry at this point.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Incorporate the egg mixture into the brownie batter in the sauce pan. Stir until well blended. Fold in the animal cracker cookies, marshmallows and chocolate chips.
Pour into the prepared baking pan. Spread the batter evenly to promote even baking. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until set.
Let brownies cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 brownies.
The key to Mediterranean food is fresh ingredients. And these Fish Tacos are filled to the gills with fresh veggies, like baby spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, red onion and black olives. It’s like a mini farmer’s market in every flour tortilla!
In a mixing bowl, combine all the prepared fresh vegetables. Drizzle generously with Italian Dressing, and gently toss to coat. You want the onions, sweet peppers, cucumber, black olives, and tomatoes to absorb all the savory herbs while you prepare the fish tenders. Cover the vegetable mixture with plastic wrap or put in a resealable container and refrigerate.
Then bake your fish tenders (I like to use tilapia, but any white fish would be equally delish) according to package directions. About 5 minutes before the fish is done, start warming your flour tortillas according to package directions.
Now you’re ready to assemble. This is an easy weeknight dinner that allows everybody to customize their own fish tacos (make mine with extra cheese, please!).
Place a fish tender in the center of the tortilla. Pile on heaping spoonfuls of veggies with Zesty Italian dressing. Sprinkle with cheese. And top it with a dollop of Classic Ranch-sour cream.
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are plug-and-play, which means use whatever fresh vegetables you’ve got in stock and your favorite shredded cheese blend.
14 ounces frozen breaded white fish tenders, about 6 servings (e.g. tilapia or cod)
8 8-inch flour tortillas
Instructions
Mix together ranch dressing and sour cream in a resealable container. Refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, combine cucumber, black olives, sweet peppers, red onion, baby spinach, and tomatoes. Drizzle with Italian dressing and gently toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let vegetables marinate in the refrigerator while cooking fish tenders, according to package directions.
Heat six flour tortillas, according to package directions. Place one fish tender on each tortilla and top with Zesty Italian vegetable mixture and a generous dollop of the Ranch dressing-sour cream mixture. Serve immediately.
When summer arrives, I get very excited. Excited because summer means fresh fruits and vegetables.
There’s a lot to love about this recipe. It has only four ingredients. And the key to its refreshing, sophisticated taste is quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh mint. Seriously. A quality olive oil can make all the ingredients of a dish work together beautifully.
Gather your ingredients. Slice the tomatoes. Cut the cantaloupe. Chop the mint.
Put the tomatoes and cantaloupe in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, add chopped mint and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.
Making pasta salads, which taste great warm or chilled, are a great meal option especially in the summer when you don’t want to have a heavy meal. And when the vegetables are fresh from the garden or local farmer’s market, it’s time for some pasta primavera.
I adore albacore tuna, especially when it’s packed in olive oil. Because there’s garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil coating the pasta and vegetables in this pasta primavera salad, it blends beautifully with the tuna.
Doesn’t it look absolutely delish!?! And it’s beyond simple to make.
To get started all you need is some of your favorite pasta, two of your favorite fresh, in-season vegetables, albacore tuna, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. These eight ingredients will come together in less than 15 minutes of cooking time (all in the microwave, so you get to stay cool in the kitchen!).
To make garlic-infused olive oil couldn’t be simpler. Take some minced garlic (about 1 teaspoon) and put in a small bowl. Cover with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let it steep while you prepare the vegetables and pasta.
I chose to use sugar snap peas and baby lima beans, but you can use any fresh vegetables you love. I blanched them in the microwave by putting them in a glass bowl and lightly submerging in cold water. Cook them on high for 5 minutes and voila! Drain the water and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking, which can cause them to lose color, nutrients. Set aside the vegetables while you cook the pasta.
The pasta cooks in the microwave on high in about 10 minutes (for 2 servings). Drain the water and put the pasta in a large mixing bowl.
Combine pasta with the vegetables and add the albacore tuna. Drizzle with the garlic-infused olive oil and toss to coat.
Season with salt and pepper and you’ve got a classic summer salad that’s perfect for a light lunch to enjoy at home or at the office. And for when you don’t have even 15 minutes to make lunch, you can still enjoy savory albacore tuna with sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil.
Yield: 2 - 4 servings (2 as entree or 4 as side dish)
Ingredients
15 ounces baby lima beans
4 ounces sugar snap peas
1/2 pound uncooked mini farfalle pasta
5 ounces (2 packages) Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Albacore Tuna with Sundried Tomatoes & Olive Oil
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, season to taste
Instructions
Put the minced garlic in a small condiment cup or bowl. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil and set aside. The garlic will infuse itself in the olive oil while you prepare the vegetables and pasta.
Blanch the lima beans and sugar snap peas in a microwavable bowl. Add enough water to cover vegetables; microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and drain. Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.
Using a pasta cooker for the microwave, follow pasta package directions to prepare. For 1/2 pound of mini farfalle pasta, cook on high for 10 minutes. If you don't have a microwave pasta cooker, use a glass or microwave safe bowl. Put pasta in bowl and cover with water. Do not overfill; all pasta should be lightly submerged. Do NOT put a cover on the bowl; that will cause it to boil over before it's done cooking.
Drain the cooked pasta. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the vegetables. Add the Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Albacore Tuna. Drizzle the garlic-infused olive oil over the pasta and vegetables. Stir until all ingredients are well coated. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Notes
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Pasta Primavera Salad, 2003.
Pound cakes are not hard to make. Like any recipe, it’s always easier to execute by getting all of your ingredients organized first.
Then measure out each ingredient and sort by the order you’re going to use the ingredient in executing the recipe. This process, called ‘mise en place’ – which means everything in its place, will save you so much time and possible heartache. It’s like the law of gravity. It just works, so you gotta do it! Let’s get started.
You’re going to preheat your oven and preparing your baking pan. You can go traditional and grease-flour your pan but I’ve found that non-stick cooking spray, when applied correctly, works just as well and is much easier.
Sift together your dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Next you’ll cream the butter with the brown sugar and peanut butter. Be sure to incorporate lots of air into this mixture; it will help the pound cakes rise properly.
Add your eggs, as instructed, followed by the mashed banana and vanilla.Then add the flour mixture and sour cream, alternately. Then you’ll fold in the pistachios by hand with a spatula. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth out the top with the spatula.
Bake for 50 to 65 minutes. I recommend checking at the 45-minute mark, because the baking process accelerates toward the end. It is very easy to over bake a pound cake, unless you are monitoring closely. The top should be golden brown and an inserted toothpick should come out clean.
After cooling in the pan for about 10 minutes, remove and let cool complete on a wire rack. You can freeze a whole loaf for up to 2 months in an airtight container. But I recommend enjoying it warm fresh out of the oven!
1/2 cup ripe banana, mashed (about 2 small or 1 large banana)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees. Generously coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy (at least 5 minutes).
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, between additions. Add the mashed banana and vanilla.
Continuing on low speed, add the sifted flour mixture and sour cream, alternately; begin and end with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Fold in the pistachios with a spatula by hand.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top with your spatula.
Bake for about 50 to 65 minutes. The top should be gold brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. I recommend checking your pound cake at the 45-minute mark. The baking process accelerates toward the end and it can be easy to over bake your cake.
Cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before removing. The sides should start to come away from the pan to make removal easier. Then remove the loaf and cool completely on a wire rack.
Slice while still warm and enjoy with butter on top. Store any remaining slices in the refrigerator. The whole loaf may be frozen for up to 2 months.
Nothing wakes you up like a delicious breakfast. Recently, I was inspired to try something totally different after seeing a TV chef slice up some fresh mango. Thankfully, my local grocery store has a great variety of fresh fruits like mangos, plantains and papaya. I even discovered a new fruit (at least it was new to me!) called pummelos. Amazing!
I got all my ingredients organized, including non-dairy coconut milk and orange-mango juice, to use in the recipe. I’ll also serve these beverages along with the Coconut-Mango Upside Down Baked French Toast.
Toasting coconut flakes in a skillet takes only a few minutes, and the aroma is intoxicating.
If you’ve never done it before, slicing a mango can be a bit confusing. This video from the National Mango Board shows you how to cube or slice a mango. It’s surprisingly easy.
http://youtu.be/WkCYV7v7P3M
This is what all of the ingredients will look like inside the prepared pan before you pop it in the oven.
And here’s what Coconut-Mango Upside Down Baked French Toast looks like on your plate! Topped with the toasted coconut flakes, sliced mango, and honey, the dish is plenty sweet without any additional condiments for me. But you may wish to dust it with some confectioners’ sugar. Any way you serve it up, it is soooooo good.
Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Generously grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Set aside.
Place the flaked coconut in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the flakes are mostly golden brown. Do not overcook.
In a small microwavable bowl, melt the butter. Then mix in the cinnamon, honey and toasted coconut. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan, spreading it to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Space the sliced mango evenly over the coconut mixture.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, salt, juice and milk. Dip both sides of the French bread into the egg mixture, letting it soak up the liquid. Then place it in the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving platter and serve immediately.
The coconut-mango upside down baked French toast is mildly sweet without any garnishes, but you may prefer to sprinkle confectioners' sugar on top or use your favorite syrup.
Notes
You could also prepare this the night before, all the way up through placing the French bread slices dipped in egg batter into the prepared pan. Securely wrap with plastic wrap overnight. Remove from the refrigerator while you're preheating the oven. Continue cooking as directed.
DISCLOSURE: POPSUGAR sent me this Must Have Box to try.
The December #MustHaveBox from POPSUGAR had one item that really caught my eye on a wintery day like today: Baker’s Dozen Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix from Sisters Gourmet. I simply added eggs and butter and within 13 short minutes I had a pan of fresh-baked cookies ready to devour.
