May 22, 2009

In past years, I would normally cook a big ole Texas size brisket for our Memorial Day get together with family and friends. Most holidays are very different for us now since we're way out here in California while the rest of the family is either in Texas or Illinois.

Since living out here, we've definitely had to reinvent how we celebrate some holidays. This past year we've met some great people down at the Harbor, so this year for Memorial Day, we'll be attending a huge Kabob Party on our dock this Sunday. Everyone who participates will bring their favorite Kabobs to share.

I've gotta admit, though, I don't really have a favorite Kabob. I've made Kabobs on several occasions and I'm never that happy with how traditional kabobs turn out. I don't want to make the standard beef, peppers, tomato, and onion kabob because I've found that the meat and the veggies just don't cook at the same rate.  The meat is always done before the veggies, especially the peppers.  So, you either end up with dried out meat or hard vegetables. I know there are many marinades that probably help prevent the meat from drying out, but I'm trying to cook less beef anyway, so I'm not going that route.

I've done veggies on a separate skewer and am more happy with how that turns out except that if you add mushrooms and tomatoes, those are still done before peppers and onions.

So, I want to do something different. I'm thinking shrimp. Even though it isn't a traditional kabob, I've been wanting to make this Guy Fieri recipe, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle Barbeque Sauce that I saw in the February/March 2009 Food Network Magazine. These look pretty amazing to me.

And one of my favorite “go to” cookbooks for anything to do with grilling is always “How To Grill” by Steven Raichlen. He has a fantastic Bacon Basil Shrimp on a Stick recipe that I'm also considering.

This Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabob recipe from All Recipes also sounds interesting because the chicken is wrapped in the bacon, which would probably keep it from drying out, plus there are no peppers.

I know the variations are endless with Kabobs. I would like to use shrimp or chicken instead of beef. I would REALLY love to hear from you if you have a favorite kabob recipe. Pretty please? 🙂

~LilSis

April 1, 2009

Remember when I went on and on about the cool OXO Good Grips Pop Containers that I used to organize my baking ingredients?  Well, guess who else is using them?  Food Network!  I've noticed the containers on episodes of Iron Chef America and on Chopped.  Pretty cool, huh?  I figure Food Network could choose any food storage system they wanted to, so if they opted for the Pop Containers, then it's a pretty credible confirmation of my choice, me thinks.

I worked in advertising for a long time, so the concept of product placement is not lost on me.  For example, could Glad possibly feature their products any more than they do on Top Chef?  It seems like every other shot focuses on a box of Glad bags.  Perhaps OXO has a sponsorship deal with Food Network (aren't we suspicious!), but I haven't noticed any mention of it, and the Pop Containers' appearances have been pretty subtle.  I just happened to notice them because I'm crazy mad for these things!

OXO Good Grips Pop Container

Keep your eyes peeled for these little beauties the next time you're on the Food Network.  And watch for the Bed Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons so you can get your own!

~BigSis

March 7, 2009

It's Girl Scout cookie season! But, where are all the Girl Scouts? I haven't seen any outside my local grocery store where they normally camp out nor have I had one come door to door.  So, these Samoa-inspired coconut treats from Food Network will have to tide me over until I can get my hands on some Girl Scout Samoa cookies. You can find the recipe for the Samoa Tartlets here.

Bo is in town visiting from Chicago and we were looking for a sweet treat to make. She actually suggested the Samoa Tartlets from the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. She had already made this recipe and gave them rave reviews. (I think hers turned out better than mine.)

Okay, you all know that I am not a baker. I'm really trying though! Just don't compare my photo too closely with the photo in the Food Network Magazine!  I wouldn't say that the cookies were burnt, but they are definitely darker than the ones in the magazine. I purposely set my timer for 18 minutes instead of 20 minutes and they still came out a bit overdone.

We did make one change in the recipe that made the cookies even better, I think.  I found the Edy's Girl Scouts Samoas ice cream, so I had to buy that instead of the plain coconut. It's REALLY GOOD!

If you like the Girl Scout Samoas, you've gotta try these. They're quick and easy. Enjoy!

~LilSis

November 4, 2008

November 4, 2008. After a long, grueling presidential race, this historic election day is finally here! I'm sure it's going to be an intense couple of days while we wait to hear who will be our next President of the United States of America.

BigSis and I have agreed that we won't be discussing our political views on this blog.  There are plenty of other sites where you can discuss and/or debate those issues.  We've just decided that we don't want to do it here.

Instead, let's talk about food!  While we are sitting around glued to CNN watching the results come in, I thought it might be fun to lighten the mood a little and try some new burger recipes. I have to admit that I haven't yet had time to make these burgers, but I know that they'll be great since they're exclusive online recipes from Food Network Magazine.

In one corner, we have the John McCain Chicken Queso Burger.

John McCain Chicken Queso Burger

This John McCain Chicken Queso Burger is right up my alley!  It's got a little chili pepper, olive oil and the zest and juice of a lemon, lime and an orange in the marinade for the chicken.  You top the chicken breast with salsa and a slice of pepper jack cheese, and add a few slices of avocado. Yummy!

In the other corner, we have the Barack Obama Pizza Burger.

Barack Obama Pizza Burger

The Barack Obama Pizza Burger is also made with some of my favorite ingredients.  The angus beef burgers are grilled, then topped with some marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and chopped basil. The garlic butter, made from an entire head of roasted garlic, butter, parsley, and vinegar is spread on the rolls and toasted on the grill.

Both of these sound fantastic!!  Unfortunately, we can't say that about both of our candidates.  (Oops, that's probably more than I should have said.)

We all know that the voting taking place today is very serious, but we can still try to have a little fun!  If you happen to try either of these recipes, leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it!

~LilSis

October 24, 2008

Well, I certainly hope you're happy, LilSis!  You just had to dangle that Food Network Magazine carrot in front of me, didn't you?  You know that I have a magazine addiction, and that I've been in recovery for a couple of years now and that I'm still vulnerable.  You'd probably take a platter of brownies to a Weight Watcher's meeting, wouldn't you?  Ok, maybe that's a little harsh.  I'm sorry.  But you DID just MAKE me subscribe to another ding dang magazine!  Drats!  At least I get a trial issue, and if I don't LOVE it more than Kettle Chips and Helluva Good French Onion Dip, I'm canceling the whole thing.  I'm not kidding, I'll do it.  I mean it this time!  I'm serious!

Stop me before the whole bag is gone!

Hello, My Darling!

I did have a little problem with magazines piling up a while back.  I was taking Natural Health, Allure, InStyle and maybe one other.  Could have been Vegetarian Times or Real Simple. Just like you said, if you get behind on reading and tossing them every month, they accumulate and become a huge source of stress.  You don't want to throw them away if you haven't even looked at them yet… that's wasting money!  So they go into a stack that gets bigger, and bigger and bigger until it's the size of a middle school child.

So, when I moved from the condo in Arlington a couple of years ago, I had 3 weeks notice to move out and there was zero time for packing.  I had to get ruthless, and I did.  I took that Eiffel Tower of magazines to the dumpster and didn't look back.  Now, I'm taking Bon Appetit (not loving it like I used to so this one won't get renewed), Domino ( ditto), and More (loving it).  Since I just moved again and have been super busy the last few months, I must admit I have a little pile of magazines on my end table.  But I refuse to allow my past sins to be repeated, and I promise that this weekend I WILL go through them.  By Monday the little pile will be no more.  Since I'm still recuperating from the Nasty Virus, this will be a great productive project for me!

So by the time my new Food Network Magazine gets here, I won't feel guilty.  Woo hoo!  And anyway, it's the end of October.  It's time to start buying all the holiday baking magazines!  😉

~BigSis

October 24, 2008

Ding Dang Darnit!! I can't believe I just did that! I CANNOT believe that I just subscribed to another magazine! I was on Food Network researching something and just saw this premier issue of Food Network Magazine advertised. Ten issues for only $15.00! How could I resist? BigSis, check it out. You might want to enter one of your recipes into their contest. Winner takes a prize of $500.00.

Food Network Magazine

Here's one of the recipes from this month's premier issue.  This Broccoli Chowder with Cheddar Toasts looks so yummy! Now that it's cooling off here a little bit in the evenings, I'm getting in the mood to make some soup. I'll probably have to triple this recipe to feed the “hungry men” in my house.

Broccoli Chowder with Cheddar Toasts

A couple of years ago, I intentionally stopped subscribing to several magazines that I had subscribed to for years.  I stopped InStyle, Food & Wine, Fit, Domino, Self, and a couple others that I can't even remember.  There's not enough time to read that many magazines and it would actually stress me out if the unread magazines started to stack up.

I had my current magazine subscriptions down to my absolute favorites, whole living body+soul,  FitYoga, Heart Healthy and Sculptural Pursuit. A couple of months ago, I received an offer to subscribe to Food & Wine for only $2.00 for the year, so I've added that one back to my monthly subscriptions. Heart Healthy and Sculptural Pursuit only come out every quarter, so I don't really receive all five magazines every month.

BigSis, you've got some stories to tell about magazines stacking up, right?  Literally, stacking up! Wanna share?

Inquiring minds want to know. Just how many magazines are too many? Six sounds like a lot to me, but maybe it's really not.  I'd love to hear from everyone on this topic. What are your favorite magazines?  How many subscriptions do you have?

~LilSis