Food for Thought

Food for Thought

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Four Bean Salad

Four Bean Salad

 
Preparation Time: 6 minutes
Microwave Time: 3-6 minutes depending on microwave
12 oz frozen green beans, thawed and drained of any excess water
1 10 oz can baked beans (not drained) (*12 oz can will work too)
1 10 oz can lima beans (drained) (*12 oz can will work too)
1 10 oz can dark red kidney beans (not drained) (*12 oz can will work too)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs olive oil
1 (1 lb.) can kidney beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste
In a microwave safe bowl, combine chopped onion and olive oil, and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until onion becomes soft and translucent. Combine the onion, and remaining ingredients until fully mixed, in a microwave-safe casserole dish.  Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes at a time until warmed all the way through.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Best Bacon Cheese Dip prepared in a microwave!

World's Best Bacon Cheese Dip
 
recipe image
"Served warm, this dreamy, creamy cracker dip combines Swiss and cream cheeses with bacon, green onions, and mayo."
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 buttery round crackers, crushed
Directions:
1. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in Swiss cheese, onions, and bacon. Place bowl in microwave, and cook 2 minutes. Remove, and stir well. Return to microwave, and cook 2 to 4 minutes more. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top. Serve warm with crackers.

Friday, February 10, 2012

A few fun food facts...

-The first carrot grown was purple. In the 16th century, the Dutch made orange carrots by breeding pale
yellow ones with red ones.
-The largest head of lettuce on record weighed 25 pounds! Americans eat about 30 pounds of lettuce every
year.
-The largest apple on record weighed over 4 pounds, as much as a half gallon of milk. Apples are 25% air, which is why they float in water. Apples are more efficient than caffeine at waking you up in the morning.
-Lollipops were first made in New Haven, Connecticut in 1908 by George Smith.  They were named after a race horse of the time, Lolly Pop.
-Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

It's all about Chicken...

Answer these 4 questions below correctly and win a free CJ's combo in the Cave!


Boneless, skinless breasts, shallots or scallions, chicken stock, lemon juice, capers and butter...are collectively the essential ingredients of which chicken recipe?
parmigiana
tagine
piccata
tandoori

Boneless, skinless breast halves
Sliced ham or prosciutto
Cottage or ricotta cheese
Swiss or Gruyere cheese


Moscow
Warsaw
Prague
Kiev

Piccata
Scallopine
Parmigiana
Cacciatore

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Introducing Bready!! Gluten-free breads freshly baked in Mather!

Introducing Bready®, the first and only gluten-free bread machine specially designed for people with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. At long last, bread lovers who can't tolerate gluten can enjoy delicious breads and cakes fresh and warm from our own kitchen—without mixing, mess, or a scavenger hunt for hard-to-find ingredients.
Bready uses gourmet bread and cake mixes formulated from the finest all-natural ingredients. All you have to do is slice and enjoy the comforting goodness of the best homemade, gluten-free bread available. We started using this machine in Mather today and hope our gluten-free friends enjoy the product. Stop by Mather and get a slice of heaven in our YOUR SPACE section of Mather.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Pork Ramen Alfredo via Robert Irvine!

 Ingredients

  • 2 packages pork ramen noodles
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
  • 1 teaspoon minced parsley leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the ramen noodles according to package directions. Drain the excess liquid from noodles and set aside. In a medium saute pan, over medium-high heat, add the cream and butter, and heat until the liquid begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, allowing the liquid to reduce by a little more than half. This should take 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, Parmesan, mascarpone cheese and parsley. Fold in the cooked ramen noodles, reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to thicken for 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Enjoy!!