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Let me make this emphatic disclaimer, from the outset. THIS is decadently creamy, richly delicious and soul-satisfying, once-in-a-blue-moon dessert. It is NOT what we eat everyday, (but, oh Baby, you will be tempted. :) ) and no one is more aware than myself, that it has no redeeming health properties, whatsoever. Please don’t send me [...]
Let me make this emphatic disclaimer, from the outset. THIS is decadently creamy, richly delicious and soul-satisfying, once-in-a-blue-moon dessert. It is NOT what we eat everyday, (but, oh Baby, you will be tempted. :) ) and no one is more aware than myself, that it has no redeeming health properties, whatsoever. Please don’t send me email. I’ll be forever grateful. :) That being said, proceed with great delight and prepare to enjoy a little slice of heaven! When you make this for guests, they will swoon. Your kitchen will become hallowed ground and people will travel to pay homage to your cast iron skillet. Well…maybe not travel…but they WILL tell people. And, they’ll want seconds!
As is often the case for me, a recipe first jumps out at me from a photo on Pinterest and this yummy pie did exactly that. It led me to a recipe called Mamaw Pie over at I Should Be Mopping the Floor. I could tell, right away, that Kristi and I have the same love of cooking and the photos on her blog just sort of sucked me into this dazed pinning frenzy, which delayed my preparing this recipe for a day or two. As always, I put my own spin on things, using ingredients my family enjoys or that I had on hand, but Kristi’s Mamaw is my hero and most definitely the inspiration for this new special occasion family recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 graham cracker crusts
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
- 1 (16 oz) Cool Whip, (that is the LARGE tub)
- 1 T. vanilla
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 1/2 cups coconut
- 2 cups caramel topping
- 2 cups fudge topping
Instructions
- In a heavy skillet, toast coconut and pecans in the butter. Stir frequently and remove from heat when coconut has lightly browned.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese and vanilla,
- I was able to use a fork and blend it until it was smooth, but a hand mixer would work well, also.
- Fold the entire tub of Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture, blending only long enough to be sure everything is combined, but the filling is still fluffy.
- Layer 1/4 of the cream cheese filling mixture into the bottom of each of the graham cracker crusts. (You will still have half a batch of cream cheese filling in your bowl.)
- Drizzle 1/2 cup of caramel topping over the filling in each pie.
- Drizzle 1/2 cup of fudge topping over the caramel layer in each pie.
- Sprinkle 1/4 of the toasted coconut and pecans onto the top of each pie.
- Now repeat the layers, a second time, with the last half of your ingredients, until both pies are full and topped with the coconut and pecans.
- Place the pies on a sheet tray and place them in the freezer. Once they have hardened, you can cover them with plastic wrap and then foil, to keep them in the freezer for awhile.
- Or, if you're like us, they won't make it past the evening. Remove them from the freezer and allow them to thaw, slightly, for about 15 minutes. Slice and serve to your delighted guests and/or family.
- I actually doubled this recipe recently, to have two pies for a get-together and two in the freezer, so I already have a quick, delicious dessert prepared if unexpected company arrives or I need to prep a meal for a new mom, etc.
- We also left the few uneaten slices of the pie that were left over, in the refrigerator, instead of refreezing. It stayed set-up, but soft and creamy, (instead of firm, like when it was slightly frozen) which was equally delicious. I could see it being served either way, depending on your preferences.
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When you need a quick snack that everyone will love and doesn’t involve tons of dirty dishes, this hot crusty Italian loaf with drippy, melty Jack cheese, bacon and green onions will drive your family wild! It’s deliciously simple, but definitely party-worthy. It will be the hit of any hor d’oeuvres table you contribute to. At [...]
When you need a quick snack that everyone will love and doesn’t involve tons of dirty dishes, this hot crusty Italian loaf with drippy, melty Jack cheese, bacon and green onions will drive your family wild! It’s deliciously simple, but definitely party-worthy. It will be the hit of any hor d’oeuvres table you contribute to. At any party where you arrive carrying it, you’ll be going home empty-handed and it will be the MOST requested recipe of the night. Some time ago, I pinned a recipe from keyingredient.com and when I recently had time to test it out, you know I had to put my own spin on it. The basic premise is ingenious and there are so many different ways you could take this by changing up the cheese, the toppings, etc. I’m envisioning a pizza pull apart or a nacho pull apart or maybe even a cinnamon roll pull apart that wouldn’t use cheese at all. Go crazy! This recipe will make you famous in your neighborhood! lol Yes, ma’am, it’s THAT good! You’re only five ingredients away from YUM! So here’s my twist on a great idea. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1/2 cup chopped bacon, cooked and drained (Use real bacon, you won't regret it!)
- 3 - 4 green onions, sliced thinly
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Slice your Italian loaf diagonally, but don't slice all the way through. You want to leave the bottom crust intact.
- Turn the loaf and slice diagonally in the other direction. It will create a diamond pattern on the bread and the loaf will start to open up or "bloom".
- Be smarter than me and at this point, transfer your loaf to a foil covered baking sheet. (I assembled mine and then made the transfer, which worked, but it would have been so much easier to build it on the baking sheet, to begin with.)
- Drizzle melted butter over the top of your loaf and be sure to let it drip down into all your diagonal cut marks.
- Sprinkle your pieces of chopped bacon over the melted butter.
- Next distribute the green onion slices and then cover the entire loaf with cheese.
- Bake it on a foil-covered baking sheet, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 15 -20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to lightly brown, in places.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm. Take my word for it. You won't have to call the family to let them know it's done. The smell of the toasting bread and bacon, wafting from your kitchen, will have had them waiting at the counter for you to pull it out of the oven.
- To serve, simply allow guests to pull the pre-sliced chunks from the loaf. This is most definitely finger-food! Enjoy!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/cheesy-bacon-onion-pull-apart-bread-delish/I received a bottle of Pompeian Grape Seed Oil in order to test it in my own kitchen and gather information for this post. My recipes, below, are entered in a contest and I could win an all-expense paid trip to BlogHer Food ’13. No monetary compensation was received for this post and a positive review [...]
I received a bottle of Pompeian Grape Seed Oil in order to test it in my own kitchen and gather information for this post. My recipes, below, are entered in a contest and I could win an all-expense paid trip to BlogHer Food ’13. No monetary compensation was received for this post and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own.
I’ve apparently been living under a rock somewhere, with no access to the most vital outside information. How could I have missed this? Do you know about grape seed oil? I’m ashamed to admit, until last week, I had never heard of it. So, I did a little online investigating and was shocked to see that, apparently, EVERYONE except me already knows about it and is excited about the potential health benefits, as well as using it to replace butter in their favorite recipes.
Pompeian Grape Seed Oil – I substituted this for butter in two of my recipes, one savory, one sweet. The results were quite surprising.
Grape seed oil is made by pressing the discarded seeds of grapes, left after wine making. Some of the articles I read, suggest that grape seed oil has some pretty impressive health benefits since it is rich in Vitamin E, flavonoids, Vitamin C, antioxidants and beta carotene. It may be helpful in regulating blood sugar and protecting the body from health problems caused by free radicals. Because grape seed oil can suppress the production of histamine, there are even studies being conducted to see if it might be helpful in reducing the effects of allergies and asthma. It is also used in many skin care products, since it has astringent properties that help to tighten skin. Some people have found it helpful in treating acne and that it may protect skin from the sun. It’s easily absorbed by the skin, since it is so light and many believe it is particularly good for skin around the eyes.
When it comes to cooking, I had no difficulty discerning grape seed oil’s benefits, on my own. It’s a very light oil and I found that whether I was making sweet or savory dishes, the oil did not overpower or change the flavor in my recipes, at all. It has a very high smoke point, higher than butter or olive oil, and that means it may also work as an alternative to butter for frying, stir frying and even deep-fat frying. I haven’t had a chance to use it in any dressings or vinaigrettes, yet, but because it is such a light oil, without any overpowering flavors to compete with other ingredients, I think it would be a delicious complement in most salad dressing recipes.
I’m not going to lie. When it comes to replacing butter in my recipes, I’m a hard sell. I love what butter does for flavor and texture, when I’m cooking or baking. And if you’ve been around the blog for very long, you know that from my recipes. So, to really put Pompeian Grape Seed Oil to the test, I decided it was not going to be enough to try it in just one recipe. I wanted to replace butter in both a savory and a sweet recipe, to see the results. My two recipes that I believe are most dependent on the butter for the reasons, mentioned above, are Chocolate Butter Cake and my Better than Cream of Chicken Sauce. I altered both recipes to substitute grape seed oil for the butter. No one was more surprised than me! Texture and flavor were virtually unchanged in both recipes. The cake was not quite as moist as when we make it with butter, but the flavor was spot on and the whole family loved it. There was no detectable difference in the sauce. It was absolutely perfect. I think you will love BOTH these recipes; and when it comes to savings, ounce for ounce, grape seed oil is slightly less expensive than butter. Money savings AND good for both baking and stove-top cooking –it’s hard to argue with success! 
Enjoy!
TIP: When substituting oils for butter, in baking, I use a ratio of ¾:1. For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup of softened butter, substitute 3/4 cup of oil. Otherwise your baked goods may be too “soupy” and not set up correctly. For stove top cooking, I use a 1:1 ratio (equal amounts of oil substituted for butter).
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Pompeian Grape Seed Oil
- 2 cups Morena sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
your favorite Chocolate Buttercream Icing
Instructions
- Blend oil and sugar.
- (You can use any sugar that you prefer. I find Morena sugar in the ethnic food aisle at Walmart. It is with the Mexican foods. It is 100% pure cane sugar, non-GMO, and it doesn't go through the bleaching and chemical processing that white sugar does. You use it cup for cup just like white sugar. The only difference we have found is that you can't get pure white coloring in your baked goods. They have more of a caramely color. For us, that's a non-issue. Morena sugar is also less expensive than the heavily processed white sugar you will find in the baking aisle.)
- Mix in the eggs.
- Add the milk and mix well. (We use raw, whole milk. Use the type you are most comfortable with.)
- Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Mix in the boiling water.
- Pour cake batter into a greased 9x13 cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. The toothpick test will not work for testing doneness on this cake. Center will be set, but soft and the edges of the cake will be pulling away from the pan, when it is done.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan, on a cooling rack. Center will sink somewhat as it cools. This is normal and happens even if I use butter, instead of oil.
- Frost with your favorite icing when cake has completely cooled.
- This delicious cake is best served ice cold from the fridge. It is moist, dense and delicious!
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Pompeian Grape Seed Oil
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups sour cream
Instructions
- Mix oil and flour in a saucepan. Cook for about one minute on medium-high heat.
- The mixture will bubble and start to get "dry" around the edges of the pan.
- Add the chicken stock and whisk it into your oil and flour roux. Lower heat to med and allow to cook until it thickens. Continue stirring constantly. (I use homemade chicken stock. You can use canned or cartons if you like. We like ours to have lots of good chicken flavor, so I taste as I go and will add a tub of Knorr Stock concentrate or bouillon if I feel like the sauce needs a boost of flavor.)
- When sauce has thickened, remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
- This sauce is fantastic as a gravy or as the creamy base for a casserole. It's perfect for creamy chicken enchiladas, too. You can use it as is, or add flavors that will complement the dish you are making.
- I add jalapeno and cheese to create my Southwest Chicken Meatball Casserole. Be sure to check out that tasty recipe, too!
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This post is linked up with Tasty Tuesday and the Make, Bake, Create Party #5.
We love Mexican food in this house. We’ve discovered, though, that we probably prefer an Americanized version of it. The few times we have had the opportunity to sit down in an “authentic” Mexican restaurant, we have left disappointed in the flavors and go back to our favorites. The problem is that, with the Americanized [...]
We love Mexican food in this house. We’ve discovered, though, that we probably prefer an Americanized version of it. The few times we have had the opportunity to sit down in an “authentic” Mexican restaurant, we have left disappointed in the flavors and go back to our favorites. The problem is that, with the Americanized versions, you never know exactly what you’re getting. We are so conditioned to processed foods, in the United States, that we hardly recognize them and their dangers, anymore, as we’re eating. The beauty of the authentic Mexican food is that it is cooked with whole food ingredients, from scratch, and you know exactly what is going into it. That’s what I’m trying to do, more and more, in my own kitchen. (With the exception of tortillas. Oy! I still haven’t mastered them, yet.)
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Once you make these from scratch, you’ll never buy canned again. They are flavor-packed, easy to make in your slow cooker, economical and infinitely more healthy than store-bought. SOOOOO GOOD!
So, refried beans are a staple in our house. My kids will eat them for a quick snack, spread on a tortilla like peanut butter, then cover the beans in grated cheddar, roll the tortilla and pop it in the microwave to melt the cheese and heat the beans. These have been fondly dubbed, “Cheesies”, after a similar dish in a local restaurant. We also like them in beef and bean burritos, bean burritos or in tacos. They make a fabulous beginning layer in our favorite layered Taco Dip recipe and there are tons of other uses.
I used to buy refried beans, canned, but I never will, again; and it won’t be for the reasons you’re thinking. I’m not opposed to fat in our diet. I never bought the so-called low-fat or vegetarian beans. Our bodies are crying out for healthy fats — whole food fats that can nourish our immune and nervous systems, create strong cell membranes, aid in digestion, provide energy and work to help detoxify the liver. The politically correct demonization of saturated fats in America has not led to a healthier, stronger, less obese population. It has turned the unknowing public to fake fats, artificially created and hydrogenated, that our bodies don’t know how to utilize and it has introduced toxins and free-radicals into our systems. Free radicals are cancer-causers, and wreak havoc on our bodies, at a cellular level. Look around you at the large number of Americans who struggle with their weight. Most of them are drinking diet sodas, eating fat-free bagels, lowfat yogurt, reduced-fat milk and dairy products, and unwittingly, continuing to support a billion dollar food industry lie, because they’ve been told it’s good for them. The foods they are putting in their bodies are mixtures of chemicals, genetically modified foods and “enriched” ingredients. Do we look like it’s been good for us? Heart disease, cancers, and diabetes aren’t “going away” with the use of these products, obesity is on the rise and more and more of our children have allergies, diabetes and weight issues. Clearly there has to be a better way. I’m not a scientist, but I inherently know that food in the form God created it for our nourishment, and in balanced and common-sense serving sizes, must be the answer we’re missing. That doesn’t sell products, though. And the money created in this toxic industry has created something we never anticipated — powerful, conglomerates that have the money to pass legislation that protects them from the truth and limits our ability to know what they are trying to feed us. It’s madness. And it’s definitely time to take control of your own food supply, again.
I use our homemade refried beans in all our families favorite Mexican dishes. You will find the flavor of your favorite recipes to be so much richer and delicious when you prepare the refried beans from scratch with this simple method. Your family is going to love them!
The problem is that now, even though we recognize what’s happening, it’s difficult to change, because the majority of the food available in local grocery stores and markets is laden with genetically modified corn and soybean products, sugar, polyunsaturated oils, hydrogenated fats and tons of chemicals we can’t even pronounce. Those are the cheap, affordable products that tempt and woo us, from the shelves. It costs more to purchase whole, untainted foods, in the short-term, but what you’ll save in medical bills and time lost from work due to illness, over the long-term, will more than make up for it. Plus, with careful planning, buying local and seasonal whole foods and watching sales and coupons, many are surprised to find that these healthier foods don’t have to increase their grocery budgets. Be informed, buy smart, eat normal portions, not super-sized, and consume the flavor-dense, whole and natural foods that build health and vitality. You can do this! It’s never been more critical to know what we’re feeding our families. It’s hard to know who to trust and where to get the truth, but I have been studying a fantastic book, backed up by a lot of science and common sense, that debunks what we’ve been “taught” about food and health. I would recommend Nourishing Traditions as a must-read for your family’s health and to help you navigate the sea of myths, lies and misconceptions about our food supply, as well as what is critically necessary to properly nourish our families. Plus, it’s full of delicious and nutritious recipes.
688 pages packed with practical, do-able whole foods nutrition info that you will never get in the mainstream media. You’ll love the recipes and you’ll have the tools at your fingertips to make wise food choices for your family, debunking the latest politically correct food fads. This picture is my affiliate link, where Amazon has Nourishing Traditions for only $15.68 – a 42% savings!
And you thought this was just going to be a recipe for beans, didn’t you? lol The last can of refried beans I purchased had the following list of ingredients: cooked beans, water, salt, tomato paste (no mention of the ingredients in the tomato paste, but it is likely more salt and sugar), partially hydrogenated lard (Lard in its pure form is NOT hydrogenated. That is an “improvement”, by the powers that be, and that the human body cannot metabolize properly.), chili pepper, sugar (Really? Sugar? Do we need sugar in refried beans? And what kind of sugar? Corn, beet, cane, honey? How was it processed? is it GMO like most sugar beets and sugar cane?), natural flavors (What does that mean? Do the flavorings occur naturally, in nature, or are they chemically processed flavorings that mimic the flavor of naturally occurring ingredients?) and yeast extract (Again, do I need this in my beans? Typically it is added to products as a flavor enhancer.). My refried bean recipe only contains five whole food ingredients that we all recognize, costs a fraction of the price you would pay for canned beans, makes a large quantity that you can divide up and freeze in portions for future use, so you’re not tempted to just “grab a can at the store” and they only take a few minutes of your time to prepare. Simple, delicious, cost effective and nutritious. Isn’t that what you want your family’s food to be?
You are going to love this recipe! I got the idea to make these delicious beans when I was pinning all the fabulous recipes over at Chef in Training. Nikki loves to cook as much as I do and her pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I can tell her family’s tastes and favorites must be similar to our own. I modified the recipe, somewhat, to make it fit my family’s taste buds and my whole food, not-so-processed goals. It’s a keeper and we’ll make it over and over, again. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs. dry pinto beans
- 1 large onion, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
- 12 cups of homemade chicken stock (could substitute water, but your homemade chicken stock does indescribably delicious things to these beans)
- 1/2 cup butter (not margarine)
Instructions
- Sift through your dry beans and look for pebbles or pieces of grass. Beans are a natural product, grown in the soil, and even the best brands can have shriveled beans or non-edible bits and be a little dusty.
- Put the beans in a strainer and rinse them with cool water to wash away any dust.
- After rinsing, place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover them with cool water. Usually 3 cups for every cup of beans is a good ratio. Just be sure the beans are covered with at least two extra inches of water over the top of them. Cover them and let them sit on the counter overnight.
- If you're in a hurry and you don't have time to give your beans an overnight soak, you can place them in a large pot with the water, bring the pot to a boil, cover it and shut off the heat. Let the beans set for one hour.
- (Why soak dry beans before cooking? First of all, it helps to release the enzymes that start breaking down the indigestible complex sugars in the bean coating, making them easier to digest, and cutting down on gas. Secondly, it helps to insure they are clean. And thirdly, they will cook more quickly, which means less loss of nutrients and protein.)
- Drain your soaked and rehydrated beans and give them one more good rinse.
- Pour drained beans into your slow cooker.
- Add the minced onion, minced garlic and chicken stock.
- Put the lid on your crock pot and set it to high.
- Cook the beans until they are soft.
- If most of the chicken stock seems to be being absorbed, you can add a little water to the pot, to keep the beans cooking. They should always have a small head of liquid over the top of the surface of the beans.
- When the beans are soft, drain off any remaining liquid, reserving it for a time.
- Mash one stick of butter into the cooked beans. I used a potato masher and it's the perfect tool to get the chunky/smooth texture that makes these beans so delicious. If your beans still seem a little thick, you can add small amounts of the reserved liquid to achieve the desired consistency. We like our beans thick, so I don't use very much of the reserved liquid.
- Dry beans, onion, garlic, chicken stock and butter. Natural, wholesome ingredients to create a delicious and healthy pantry staple.
- When the beans are cool, I measure two cups into each quart-size freezer bag and seal them up to freeze. Use the beans just as you always do, in your favorite recipes. I use one two-cup bag in place of a typical 14-16 oz. can.
- We made these yummy beef and bean burritos with them. Doesn't it look amazing!!??
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/easy-flavor-packed-and-nutritious-homemade-refried-beans-in-the-slow-cooker/When it comes to lunch, whether I’m at work or at home, I like things simple and quick. That’s not really too tough, but when you factor in the requirements of uber-delicous and meaningful nutritional value, those recipes are a little harder to come by. I recently pinned this wonderful formulation from Bon Appetit because it [...]
When it comes to lunch, whether I’m at work or at home, I like things simple and quick. That’s not really too tough, but when you factor in the requirements of uber-delicous and meaningful nutritional value, those recipes are a little harder to come by. I recently pinned this wonderful formulation from Bon Appetit because it seemed to meet those standards on every count, plus it simply made my mouth water to read the list of ingredients. For me, there’s nothing better than cold salads for warm weather lunches. Add citrus and the fact that it is a completely nutritious and hearty meal in one bowl and I’m definitely intrigued.
This recipe did not disappoint. Of course, I altered it slightly, to fit what I had in my own kitchen. The results are, nonetheless, extraordinary. I make it in the evening and have lunch for the next several days, as the flavors only get better and better, as it sits. Check out the original on Bon Appetit. The recipe, below, is the way I made it in my own kitchen. It’s light and packed with flavor, and the addition of quinoa provides that perfectly complete protein that leaves you satisfied and energized. The fresh lemon juice makes the veggies in this salad *POP*. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. Enjoy!
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Delicious tabbouleh salad of veggies and quinoa with a flavor-packed citrus and olive oil dressing.
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Ingredients
- -1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
- -1 1/2 cups chicken stock (could substitute water or veggie stock)
- -juice of 2 large lemons
- -1/4 cup white wine vinegar (I used champagne vinegar, because it was what I had on hand.)
- -1 teaspoon minced garlic
- -1/2 cup olive oil, (I used Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, but any good EVOO will work.)
- -1 large English hothouse cucumber, diced
- -1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- -1/3 cup red onion, minced
- -2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- -1 teaspoon dried mint
- -salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse quinoa, to remove the bitter saponin layer.
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions. You can use water, but I almost always cook mine in chicken broth, because I like the added flavor and I usually make large batches that I divide and use in several different recipes. Whichever you select, use about 1 1/2 cups of liquid for each cup of quinoa.
- Once the quinoa is cooked and tender, fluff it with a fork and let it cool. I usually spread it in a thin layer on a cutting board to speed up the cooling time.
- While the quinoa cools, dice and slice your veggies -- cucumber, onion, and tomatoes.
- Mix the veggies, parsley and mint.
- Mix lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Whisk together, briskly, as you drizzle in the olive oil to make the dressing for your salad. Continue mixing until the oil is completely emulsified into the juice and vinegar. Set aside.
- In salad bowl, mix the veggies and quinoa.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to chill and to allow flavors to marry.
- Enjoy!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/quinoa-tabbouleh-salad-nutritious-delicious-and-simple-lunch-youll-look-forward-to/Celebrations are the perfect time to serve cupcakes. They’re portable, individual servings of dessert that are enjoyed by young and old alike. Cupcakes are easy to bake and decorate, quickly. You know I’m a HUGE fan of homemade, made-from-scratch desserts that showcase the best ingredients and beautiful serving ideas. Our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations will certainly [...]
Celebrations are the perfect time to serve cupcakes. They’re portable, individual servings of dessert that are enjoyed by young and old alike. Cupcakes are easy to bake and decorate, quickly. You know I’m a HUGE fan of homemade, made-from-scratch desserts that showcase the best ingredients and beautiful serving ideas. Our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations will certainly include some; but like you, my time is at a premium, this time of year and their are occasions and events where I will need a quick dessert to contribute to the festivities.
Fast and easy cupcake decorations will satisfy the sweet tooth of all your guests and get you out the door quickly to a holiday celebration. Even without sprinkles, this icing technique makes beautiful cupcakes.
Cupcakes can be mixed up and baked in 30 minutes or less, using a cake mix. They cool much more quickly than large cakes, so within 20 or 30 minutes, they are ready to be frosted. Decorating them, simply, with canned icing, piped on with a simple swirl technique and then sprinkled with colored sugar or candy sprinkles will net you an easy-to-make, decorated dessert that will delight kids (and grown-ups) wherever you share them. Fast, easy and I promise, (even if not homemade), they’ll be a hit on any dessert table. I’ve even solved the problem of transporting and then serving them, without mussing up your pretty decorations!
I used a large decorator tip in a disposable plastic bag, but you can create the same gorgeous swirl-topped cupcakes, by putting icing in a plastic sandwich bag and snipping off the corner. Start at the outside edge of the cupcake and pipe icing around the circumference of the cupcake. As you reach the spot where you began, just keep going, but move inside the ring you just created and continue in this fashion, until your reach the center of the cupcake and the entire surface has been covered. At this point, you can choose to leave them plain, or add sprinkles or colored sugar for color and texture. Simple, but pretty!
The UPTake Cupcake Pan/Carrier, from Chicago Metallic, is a truly ingenious invention. The day it arrived, I have to admit I was skeptical, looking at the bottomless cups in the tin. It only took a couple minutes of reading the package to understand the true genius behind the design. If you’ve ever had to transport cupcakes to a party or event, you know the options available all have their drawbacks. You can arrange them on a flat tray, but it’s easy for them to slide around and smudge the frosting and decorations, in transit, plus covering them without messing up your creativity is another challenge. Plastic cupcake carriers are better, since they have tall lids to prevent crushing and marring your decorative handiwork, but the cupcakes are still able to slide and bump into each other while “traveling”. The best option for carrying cupcakes, and keeping them separated, is to place them back in the tin in which they were baked; but trying to remove a beautifully decorated cupcake from a typical baking tin, again, mars the icing and decorations. The same challenge also presents, as with flat trays or cookie sheets – covering the cupcakes with foil or plastic wrap, the covering will come in contact with the icing and spoil the decorative elements.
This uniquely designed cupcake pan has bottomless cups. No worries, though. Your paper liners will hold the batter and the holes in the bottom of the tin, make this unique UPTake Cupcake Baker/Carrier/Server one of my favorite kitchen tools!
The UPTake lid is designed to snap snugly onto the cupcake tin, leaving lots of "head room" for icing and decorations. It's ingenious design also makes removing the cupcakes, without messing up the frosting, a cinch!
The UpTake is the true solution to not only the transportation of your cupcake creations, but also to easily removing them from storage without damaging their beauty. The tall, plastic lid snaps snugly into place, atop the muffin tin, providing stability and separation of the cupcakes, plus a cover that doesn’t come in contact with the icing and decor. Then, when you need to remove the yummy desserts from the tin, without smudging the icing, simply remove the lid and place it “peg-side” up on the counter. Now, you see the reason for the bottomless cups on the tin. Set the tin atop the lid, lining up the pegs with the holes in the bottom of your pan. Your elegant and tasty cupcakes will immediately be elevated above the top of the cupcake pan, so you can remove them without touching the frosting. Love! Love! Love! I need to add two or three more to my kitchen!
This is a super, simple way to transport cupcakes safely, with the special lid included with the UPTake, but look at it closely. You and I both know that removing them from the pan is going to mess up the frosting and decorations. This is where the fabulous design of the UPTake lid, sets this cupcake carrier apart from any other you have ever seen. Check out the simple solution, below.
Because of the bottomless cups in the UPTake tin, the pegs built into the carrier's lid fit easily through the bottom of the pan and lift the cupcakes up to be removed without a mess. Yay!
If it seems like I’m excited, it’s because I am. This is an excellent solution to a long-term problem and I anticipate using it over and over, again. The UPTake will be a staple in the Busy-at-Home kitchen. I’m sure once you’ve tried it out, you’ll find it as indispensable as I have.
Here's a closeup to show you how easy it will be to lift the cupcakes from the tin.
My cupcakes are decorated and snug inside the UPTake carrier, ready to be transported to a holiday celebration.
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GIVEAWAY: One Busy-at-Home reader will have the great good fortune of winning a Chicago Metallic UPTake for their own kitchen! Entry in the drawing will be super simple. Visit the Chicago Metallic website and look through all the fabulous tools they offer for your kitchen. Leave a comment on this post, telling me which product you would most love to try and leave the link to it in your comment. Once your comment is submitted, you MUST use the Rafflecopter form, below, to register your entry and unlock additional, optional entries. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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I received a Chicago Metallic UPTake to test and review in my own kitchen and to gather data for this post. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the vies and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the products.
.Kitchen Play and Oreo are encouraging us to “play up dessert” for the holidays. Their “Playing Up Dessert” Thanksgiving sweepstakes should inspire you to enter your own delicious OREO creations for a chance to win one of two fabulous Thanksgiving Gift Packs, containing a Crate and Barrel serving platter and pie server, as well as an [...]
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Kitchen Play and Oreo are encouraging us to “play up dessert” for the holidays. Their “Playing Up Dessert” Thanksgiving sweepstakes should inspire you to enter your own delicious OREO creations for a chance to win one of two fabulous Thanksgiving Gift Packs, containing a Crate and Barrel serving platter and pie server, as well as an exclusive OREO cookbook and other great surprises! Each prize is valued at $70 and will be a welcome addition to any busy kitchen. Of course, you know they wouldn’t just leave you hanging with no ideas or inspiration to get you started; and that’s where I, and five other bloggers come in. We’re going to share our own OREO dessert recipes, to get you motivated to whip up your own Thanksgiving OREO creations. You’ll be able to see photos of all six of our desserts, rolled out from the 14th – the 16th, at the “Playing Up Dessert” Sweepstakes page; and each dessert will be linked to it’s recipe. I actually prepared two desserts, one for the grown-up table and one to stir up some excitement at the kids’ table. I’m sharing them both, below. So, get inspired and break out that stash of OREO’s. Enter your best OREO recipe in the “Playing Up Dessert” Sweepstakes and you may celebrate the holidays with a fabulous gift, just for you!
This scrumptious OREO Cheesecake will be the hit of your holiday celebrations! It's creamy, luscious interior is studded with OREO chunks and nestled under a dark AND white chocolate drizzled shell. Break through it to cheesecake heaven! Beautiful to look at and delectable to taste!
My inspiration for this recipe came from Mel’s Oreo Cheesecake Bites, over at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. You can pop over and see her original. I only changed a couple things, most notably, that I doubled this recipe to have enough for a Thanksgiving banquet. I also served them as full desserts, as opposed to bite-sized appetizers, though I definitely intend to do that sometime, as well. :) I increased the sugar, slightly, and used much more vanilla than the original recipe, because I feel it lends a richness that puts the recipe over the top. I used two full bags of OREOS, since there would have only been 5 left in the last bag. I simply added them to the chunks in the filling batter. I also increased the amount of white chocolate used, substituted dark chocolate for semi-sweet and again, increased the amount. The recipe, below, is exactly the way I made it for our party. Enjoy!
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This is a truly party-worthy dessert, that will leave your guests satisfied and asking for the recipe! This recipe can easily be halved if you're not preparing for a large gathering, as I was. If you halve it, bake it in a 9x13 pan.
Ingredients
- 48 Oreo Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 8 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla (I use Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla.)
- 8 large eggs
- 24-30 OREOS, broken into small chunks
- 1 (12 oz) bag Hershey's Premiere Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 (12 oz) bag Hershey's White Chocolate Chips
- 4 Tablespoons butter
For Crust
For Cheesecake Filling
For Drizzle Shell
Instructions
- Line a sheet cake pan (18x13x2) with foil, leaving an overhang over each edge of the pan. If you don't have sheet cake pans, you can definitely divide this into two 9x13 cake pans.
- For the cheesecake crust you will need 48 regular OREOs and 1/2 cup of melted butter.
- Crush the OREOs, very fine. I used my blender, but a rolling pin could work just as well.
- Mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter.
- Press the crumbs and butter mixture into an even layer in the bottom of your foil-lined pan. This is not a thick crust, so don't panic and think you did something wrong. It's perfect for this dessert!
- Cream the sugar and cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate between each one. Your batter will be smooth and creamy, when you're done.
- Break 24-30 OREOs into small chunks. The easiest way for me to do that is to put them in a zip top bag and pound on them with the heel of my hand or a rolling pin. Add the cookie chunks to the batter and gently fold them in BY HAND. Don't use the mixer for this step or you will break up all your lovely chunks.
- Your creamy cheesecake batter will be studded with OREO goodness!
- Pour the batter over the cookie crust pressed into your prepared sheet pan.
- Bake your cheesecake at 325 degrees for 45-55 minutes. The outside edges of the cheesecake will be completely set and the center nearly set, when you take it out. The center will finish setting as it cools.
- Cool the cheesecake, in the pan, on a wire rack. At this point, you could transfer your cheesecake to the refrigerator to chill for several hours, (at least 2). I actually covered it with plastic wrap and transferred it to the freezer, since I wasn't going to be serving it until the next day.
- The next morning I transferred it from the freezer to the fridge and allowed it to thaw while I was at church. When I arrived home, I used the foil overhangs around the edges of my baking pan to lift the entire cheesecake out of the pan.
- I peeled back the foil and cut the cheesecake into 24 equal pieces. These are VERY generous servings, so you could cut them smaller if you prefer. I placed the individual squares on two trays with space between each one, so they could be individually decorated. I forgot to grab my camera and take pictures of the drizzling process, but it's super simple! You can totally do this!
- You're going to be melting half a bag of chips at a time, because it's easier to handle that amount as you decorate the squares. I used a plastic sandwich bag with a small tip of the corner snipped off to pipe the drizzle, so grab a plastic bag or decorator bag and have it ready.
- Melt 1/2 bag of dark chocolate chips in a bowl with 1 Tablespoon of butter. I melted it on high power in my microwave, stirring about half way through. In my microwave it took about 1 minute. Pour the melted chocolate into the bag you selected and use it to pipe a back and forth design across each individual cheesecake square. That will get you through 12 squares. Repeat this process for the remaining 12.
- Melt 1/2 bag of white chocolate chips in a clean bowl with 1 Tablespoon of butter. I melted it on high power in my microwave, stirring about half way through. In my microwave it took a little less than 1 minute. Pour the melted chocolate into a clean bag and use it to pipe a back and forth design across each individual cheesecake square, in the opposite direction or at a diagonal to the dark chocolate you've already piped. That will get you through 12 squares. Repeat this process for the remaining 12.
- Place the trays with decorated cheesecake squares into the fridge and refrigerate until serving time. The drizzle will harden and form a delicious hard shell that your guests will break through to get to the creamy cheesecake, underneath.
- This is excruciatingly delicious cheesecake! I've never had one quite like it and I'll be making this again, and again. Enjoy!
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For the kids’ table at Thanksgiving dinner, you can turn up the excitement by prepping this simple, fun, OREO dessert for your smallest guests! They’re OREO Turkey Pops and my inspiration came from a treat I found on Pinterest. It pointed me to Amy’s blog, The Idea Room. Her adorable turkey cookies made me excited to try and make turkey pops for the kids at our banquet.
The flock of OREO Turkey Pops I made for our Thanksgiving Banquet. Each one is just a little different and their faces crack me up. They seem to have their own comical personalities and they were a HUGE hit with the children.
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Ingredients Instructions
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This flock of OREO Turkey Pops will be a welcome site on the "kids table" at your Thanksgiving gatherings.
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This is a promotional post, compensated by OREO, through Kitchen Play. As with all Busy-at-Home posts, the views and opinions, as well as the content, are wholly my own.
.It’s been a grey sort of day, one of those fall days where the wind and the sky let you know that it truly IS about to be winter. On days like these, if I can’t just curl up in a blanket for a nap with a good book, then I bake. The oven warms [...]
.It’s been a grey sort of day, one of those fall days where the wind and the sky let you know that it truly IS about to be winter. On days like these, if I can’t just curl up in a blanket for a nap with a good book, then I bake. The oven warms the house, and just smelling fresh baked goods makes everyone feel cheery and well…warmer. I received a lovely box of pie fillings from Lucky Leaf, last week, to get me all stirred up and inspired for holiday baking. I loved their theme for this campaign, “Good Things Come to Those Who Bake”.
Anyway, today being the perfect day to bake something delicious, I tested out a recipe for Blueberry Crisp with Pecans. It’s the easy, can-throw-it-together-in-five-minutes-if-unexpected-company-shows-up, kind of baking. But, go for it anyway, they will never have to know that. Really. My lips are sealed!
Warm Blueberry Pecan Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream! Mmm
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Mmmm hmmm … and now, here’s how easy it is for you to make it for your very own, “singin’-the-blues-’cause-it’s-cold-and-dreary-and-grey” family. You’re getting BIG mom points for this one!
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Ingredients
- 2 (21 oz) cans Lucky Leaf Premium Blueberry Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Thoroughly grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- Pour both cans of blueberry pie filling into the baking pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle blueberries with brown sugar and then cinnamon.
- Layer the dry cake mix, and then the pecans, over the top of the blueberries, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Drizzle melted butter over the whole thing.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The blueberry sauce will be bubbly and the batter will have set and browned.
- Serve plain...
- or even better, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Enjoy!
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We’ve talked about Lucky Leaf pie fillings, before. These are not just syrup with a few pieces of broken fruit floating around. I love that Lucky Leaf pie fillings are chock full of fruit or berries and dripping with delicious fruity glaze. The quality has been consistent, every time I have opened a can and the flavor is terrific! Lucky Leaf Pie Filling comes in ELEVEN different fruit flavors, plus 2 light varieties and seven cream pie flavors. There truly is something to satisfy every sweet tooth. Your holiday baking couldn’t get any easier. Just check out all the great recipes and video tips at the Lucky Leaf website.
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GIVEAWAY
One lucky Busy-at-Home reader is going to get a head start on their holiday baking. Lucky Leaf will ship a seasonal kitchen towel and can of Lucky Leaf Pie Filling to the winner of our drawing, so be sure to enter.
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Lucky Leaf giveaway prize for a Busy-at-Home reader!
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MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Lucky Leaf and pick a recipe you would like to try. Leave a comment on this post telling me what it is. Register your entry on the Rafflecopter form below. That’s it! Happy Baking!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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I received Lucky Leaf Pie Filling and a Hot Dish Carrier to test in my own kitchen and to collect information for this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the products.
.Well, I did it! Saturday, I used my Blendtec to mill fresh, organic, whole wheat flour, right here in my own kitchen! Am I just a LITTLE bit excited? Yes…and then some! :) It was so easy and in less than 5 minutes I had all the flour I needed for the delicious recipe I’m [...]
.Well, I did it! Saturday, I used my Blendtec to mill fresh, organic, whole wheat flour, right here in my own kitchen! Am I just a LITTLE bit excited? Yes…and then some! :) It was so easy and in less than 5 minutes I had all the flour I needed for the delicious recipe I’m about to share with you. All I had to do was add two cups of organic hard white wheat berries to the WildSide jar (If you have a four side, that works, too.) of my Blendtec blender.
Wheatberries in my Blendtec. I used organic hard white wheat, but you could definitely use red wheat, if you prefer it.
Use the POWER up (the up arrow) button to Speed 9 and let it run it’s full cycle (50 seconds). That’s all there is to it! Two cups of wheat berries will net you around 2 2/3 cups of flour.
A swirling vortex of power brings the wheat against the blade and pushes it back up as fresh flour. Fabulous!
I have one more trick, up my sleeve, though. I have a husband who thinks he doesn’t care for “healthy bread”. It’s a texture thing. He doesn’t want any. lol We are on opposite spectrums of that issue, for sure. But, to make sure he does eat healthy bread, but still enjoys the texture he prefers, I ran my flour through the cycle a second time. It milled up so fine that I think I could use it in cakes and cookies, without throwing the earth out of orbit. That’s what I’ll try next, but in the meantime, I want to share some yummy whole wheat dinner rolls with you.
Less than five minutes and I had nearly six cups of gorgeously fine milled, organic whole wheat flour!
I found this dinner roll recipe on Pinterest, posted from An Oregon Cottage. I didn’t change a single thing about Jamie’s recipe, except I needed a little more flour. That probably had more to do with the humidity, than anything else. The other thing I want to note is that this dough does not shape up the way we all would normally be used to. There’s much less gluten development. It’s pretty wet and definitely doesn’t start out as a smooth ball. So, don’t freak out and think you’ve done something wrong. It’s all good. This will truly become your go-to dinner roll recipe. It’s so simple and takes very few ingredients.
These rolls are soft, tender and simple to make. They should freeze well, too, if you cool them completely before freezing. Thaw and reheat wrapped in foil. Yum!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk or milk
- 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Add the yeast to the warm water. Stir it in and set it aside.
- Cream butter and honey together.
- Add eggs.
- Add milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk.) and the yeast mixture. Mix hard, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. This will not be a perfect amalgamation of ingredients. See, there were still small chunks of butter, floating in my buttermilk. It's okay. Trust me. :)
- Now add 4 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. Mix until blended. You're going to knead this for about two minutes, with the dough hook in your mixer and you will only add more flour (a Tablespoon at a time) until the dough is no longer tacky. The dough-cleaning-the-sides-of-the-bowl trick does not apply here. Though it was hard for me to resist adding more flour than necessary, here, (I ended up using about 5 1/2 cups), I relented and it's a great thing. You're not looking for a nice smooth ball of kneaded dough with good gluten development. It's going to be more loose and jaggedy.
- I just pulled the dough hook out of my bowl, covered the bowl and left the dough to rise for 1 hour.
- I put the dough out on a lightly floured countertop and flattened it into a rectangle. Then cut it into 24 equal pieces. "Equal" is a relative term. :) You can see they aren't perfectly equal, but moving a little dough from a too big one, to a too small one, worked fine.
- Take each piece and shape it into a smooth ball. My picture isn't great for showing this, but it's actually not to hard and Jami uses the same technique my mom taught me, growing up. Form a circle by putting the index finger and thumb on your left-hand together (if you're right handed). With your right hand, push one of the pieces of dough through the hole you made, by pushing up through the center of it with the index and middle fingers on your right hand. That will form a smooth round top on your dinner rolls. Just pinch the ends together on the bottom.
- Place the shaped rolls into a well-greased, 9x13 baking pan to rise. They will be touching. That's good. You want those soft, delicious edges on every roll.
- Cover the rolls and let them rise for 1 hour. They'll look something like this.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Brush the tops with softened butter, when they come out of the oven.
- You will be able to separate and serve the rolls after they have cooled for only a few minutes. They are soft and delicious! Enjoy!
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If you haven’t entered my Blendtec giveaway, there’s still time. It ends at midnight on Sunday, November 4th, 2012. You’ll be able to read about everything that this amazing kitchen appliance can accomplish, when you check out that post! Keep your eyes peeled for another recipe you won’t want to miss. I also made ground chicken with the Blendtec, yesterday, and the Chicken Veggie Meatballs I made are stupendous!!! They’ll be in an upcoming post, very soon.
.Have you tried all of the Lipton Tea and Honey varieties? They come in premeasured single-serve (to go), or pitcher-sized packets. I am typically not a sweet tea person, but these are actually SOOOO good for making DELISH alcohol-free hot toddies — mock toddies. And here’s a secret that surprised even me. As much as [...]
.Have you tried all of the Lipton Tea and Honey varieties? They come in premeasured single-serve (to go), or pitcher-sized packets. I am typically not a sweet tea person, but these are actually SOOOO good for making DELISH alcohol-free hot toddies — mock toddies. And here’s a secret that surprised even me. As much as I am not a sweet tea person, I am even less of a GREEN tea person. I just can’t take it. I like my tea black and unsweetened. But, shocking as it sounds, I cannot get enough of Lipton’s Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea. I know, I’m reeling from the shock of it, too. :) There’s just no way around it. Iced, or hot in a toddy, it’s the bomb!
Lipton Tea & Honey are available in several delicious flavors and come in single serving (To Go) sticks or Pitcher Packets.
Lipton To Go Packets come 10 to a box and in six different flavor combinations: Black Currant Raspberry Black Tea, Lemon Iced Black Tea, Peach Apricot Black Tea, Mango Pineapple Green Tea, Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea, and Strawberry Acai Decaf Green Tea. The Pitcher Packets make a quart at a time, come 6 packets to a box and are available in four flavors: Lemon Iced Black Tea, Peach Apricot Black Tea, Mango Pineapple Green Tea and Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea. Each flavor is sweetened with honey and there are only 5 calories in an 8 oz. serving of these flavorful teas. They are great, as they are, or used as an ingredient in a recipe.
My challenge with this new product was to create a recipe for a Tea and Honey “mocktail”. That SO works for me, since we don’t usually keep alcohol around the house. I love the idea of special drinks, in beautiful glassware, rimmed with sugar or salt or fruit! They’re so festive and perfect for holiday celebrations. But, now that cooler weather has set in, here, the cocktail that comes to mind is a hot toddy – also perfect for holiday celebrations, but equally as welcome watching a ball game, sitting around a fire or curled up with a blanket in your favorite chair. Toddies are soothing for sore throats and their warmth encourages sleep, even without the alcohol, so they’re perfect for relieving the symptoms of a nagging cold. There are so many variations in toddy recipes and it seems that everybody’s Grandma had a secret formula, but there are a few things that tend to be consistent – tea or water, some sort of citrus, honey, warm spices and alcohol (usually brandy). Whether you make a single serving, or large entire pitcher, the sense of home, warmth and comfort will wrap around anyone you serve it to.
I used two "To Go" packets of the Lipton Tea & Honey Blackberry Pomegranate Green tea in a quart of water. I loved the gorgeous ruby color and the fragrant scent of this tea!! It was delicious over ice, too!
For my “mocktail” I wanted to have a distinct, rich, fruitiness that you would normally get from a good peach brandy, without actually adding alcohol, creating warmth through the aroma of cinnamon, and maybe even cloves. I would also need honey. The tea I selected solved both the fruitiness and honey ingredients. I chose the deep, rich flavor of Lipton’s Blackberry Pomegranate Black Tea “To Go” Packets. I opted for orange as the citrus and since I didn’t have whole cloves on hand, used only cinnamon sticks as my spice. NOTE: You could use ground spices in this recipe, if you want, however, you will want to strain the finished drink through a cheesecloth before serving, since they don’t dissolve into the beverage, well, and will rise, leaving a thick layer of spice at the top of the pitcher or glass. Steeping the tea with the whole spices and then removing them before serving, provides the flavor and fragrance, without the extra work.
This recipe could easily be tripled, quadrupled or more, and kept warm in a crock pot to serve at parties and potlucks. If doing that, I would heat the whole batch in a pot on the stove, instead of in the microwave. You could also experiment with different flavors of tea (I think the Peach Apricot would be excellent) and substitute lemon slices for the orange. It's a versatile and simple recipe that you will be able to make your own.
Ingredients
- 2 "To Go" (single serving) packets Lipton Tea & Honey Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea
- 4 cups water
- 1 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Mix the tea and water in a one quart canning jar.
- Cut the orange into thick slices. Cut one slice in half and add both halves to the canning jar.
- Add the cinnamon stick to the jar.
- Heat in the microwave, on full power, for 3-4 minutes.
- Pour your warm, delicious Blackberry Pomegranate mock toddies into mugs and garnish with remaining orange slices and a cinnamon stick, if desired. Serve.
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I found Lipton Tea & Honey packets at our local Walmart, in the tea and coffee aisle. You can see my entire shopping trip by viewing my Google+ album. You can also learn more about Lipton’s new Tea & Honey varieties by following them on Twitter and liking them on Facebook. You’ll want to keep up-to-date on any specials, coupons or new recipes they post there. With the holidays just around the corner, the possibilities for some delicious “mocktails”, for your own parties, are only limited by your imagination!
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I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Lipton. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. #CBias #SocialFabric #FamilyTeaTime
