Archives for July 2012

Bread Pudding

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

Bread Pudding
Recipe Type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Bourbon Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey
  • Bread Pudding:
  • 1 loaf French bread, at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6-7 cups)
  • 1 qt milk
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in 1/4 cup bourbon)
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Bourbon Sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and egg, whisking to blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. (Do not allow to simmer, or it may curdle.) Whisk in bourbon to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.
  2. Bread Pudding: Preheat oven to 350°F.
  3. Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Press with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Gently stir the raisins into the mixture.
  4. Pour butter into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour in the bread mix and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Can also make in individual ramekins.
  5. Serve with bourbon whiskey sauce on the side; pour on to taste. Best fresh and eaten the day it is made.

Recipe Source

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes

Onion Potato Gratin

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

Onion Potato Gratin
Recipe Type: Side Dish
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • Salt
  • 2 teaspoons herbes de provence, or dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup (packed) grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)
  • 8 Tbsp (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz)
  • 2/3 cup half-and-half (half cream, half milk)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (unless preparing in advance).
  2. Boil the potatoes for 4 minutes in salted water. Drain and set aside.
  3. Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and the herbes de provence. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  4. Spread half of the sliced potatoes over the bottom of an 11×7-inch baking dish (Pyrex works well). Sprinkle well with salt and white pepper. Sprinkle with about a third of the Gruyure and Parmesan cheeses. Top with the onions, the nutmeg and another 1/3 of the cheeses. Layer the remaining sliced potatoes on top of the cheeses. Pour the half and half over everything. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining one-third of the cheeses over everything. (At this point you can make a day ahead, just cover and refrigerate until time to cook.)
  5. Bake uncovered in 400°F oven until cream thickens and everything is nicely browned, about 25-30 minutes.

 Recipe Source

Filed Under: Recipes, Sides

Crab Dip

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

Crab Dip
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup cooked crab meat
  • 2 Tbsp minced shallots (or green onions or red onions)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, shallots, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Fold in the crab meat. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers or carrots and celery.

Recipe Source

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

Olive Garden Baked Pasta Romana With Beef – Replica Recipe

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

Olive Garden Baked Pasta Romana With Beef – Replica Recipe
Recipe Type: Entree
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 20 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 5 pound flat brisket
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 16 – 32 ounces of beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 12 ounces of lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
  • 1/2 cup Fontina cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Additional Asiago, Fontina, and Parmesan cheese for garnish
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a dutch oven heat saute sliced onions in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt to the onions. Saute onions until they are translucent. Remove onions from pan. Sprinkle both sides of the brisket with salt and pepper. Place brisket into pan brown on both sides. Once brisket is browned on both sides, remove brisket from pan. Pour in 1 cup of beef broth into pan, scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add two tablespoons of tomato paste, and whisk together well. Place onions, and then the brisket back into the pan, add enough broth to the pan to cover the brisket half way. Bake brisket for approximately 3 1/2 hours. The brisket is done when a fork slides into the meat easily. If the meat is still tough after the initial baking bake for an additional 30 minutes. Once the brisket is removed from the oven, let rest for approximately 20 minutes before slicing.
  2. Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on the package. To use the noodles for the baked pasta dish, once the noodles are done, they need to be cut in half vertically, and horizontally. This way you don’t have to eat a whole lasagna noodle in one bite.
  3. For the sauce combine heavy cream and butter in a sauce pan over medium to medium high heat. Once the butter and cream just begin to simmer, whisk in all cheeses. The sauce will thicken, remove pan from heat. Place noodles into a 2 quart casserole dish. Arrange the noodles by folding them over so they make nice curls. Pour sauce over the noodles. Toss spinach with olive olive, and then place the spinach around the sides of the casserole dish. Place 6 to 8 ounces of beef over the noodles. You may want to spoon a little of the cooking gravy from the brisket over the beef. Top with a little Asiago and Fontina cheese and place back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese melts on the top of the pasta.

Recipe Source

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes, Restaurant Replica Recipes

Buy in Bulk

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

Regardless of whether you’re feeding a family of 4+ or shop for yourself – Buy in Bulk! Many times stores have tremendous discounts on meat and poultry as lures to get the customer into the store for the last minute “sucker buy”.  If you stick to your list and only buy what you went to the store for, you’ll come out a guaranteed winner.  Buy a couple of trays of the super sale chicken breasts for $.99 a pound or fresh Atlantic Salmon for $4.99 a pound and get yourself a Foodsaver.  Here you can individually freeze portions or store enough appropriate for your family without the freezer burn.  Buy that huge pork or beef roast without fear of not using it.  My favorite cooking device is the Crock pot – you can put the whole roast in, cook it and freeze the unused portions to make a completely different meal at a later date.

Take advantage of those pizza deals you see advertised on television.  Recently I saw an ad for $9.99 large pizzas with 2 toppings.  This is perfect for singles or families!  If you’re single, don’t be afraid to take advantage of the offer.  Never be intimidated by a bargain.  Simply freeze what you don’t eat and save it for a later date.  I went to a local pizza parlor the other day and looked over their menu.  They offered an 8? individual pizza for $6.00.  I asked the gentleman behind the counter if they had any specials, and he informed me of a large 12? pizza for $5.99.  Naturally I couldn’t eat a large pizza by myself, but I also couldn’t refuse the bargain.  I purchased the 12? pizza for $5.99, ate a couple of slices in the store and took the rest home for dinner the next day, lunch the following day and froze the rest.  Fresh pizza for that price is hard to come by, but definitely a take advantage opportunity!

 

Filed Under: Advice Column

Romano’s Macaroni Grill ~ Save $7 Off!! Expires today!

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

Romano’s Macaroni Grill is offering this coupon valid for $7 off of any new spring menu item! Coupon valid on Lobster Stuffed Clams, Chicken Julia, Clam & Sweet Corn Fettucine, and Chianti BBQ Steak – through July 1, 2012!

Filed Under: Daily Restaurant Deals, Expired

Enter to Win Karina Smirnoff’s (of Dancing With The Stars) own Fendi Spy Bag!

July 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Spread the love

 

Welcome to Week #1 of
Win This Bag
sponsored by HipSwap
hosted by Sidetracked Mom’s Blog

“Win This Bag” is a 6-week event that will feature 6 weekly giveaways.There will be one designer handbag given away every week!Each bag will be an authentic, recognizable designer brand such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach, or Fendi.Our 6th week will feature a highly coveted designer handbag and you will have the option to claim bonus entries for each of the 5 weekly “Win This Bag” giveaways you entered leading up to this grand finale!So, enter each weekly giveaway to increase your odds of winning!

Here’s what really separates this event from any other handbag giveaway you may have seen before… some of these handbags will come to you directly from a celebrity’s closet! That’s right –


Thanks to HipSwap, you have the opportunity to win the exact bag that may have been on the arm of a famous celebrity! PhotobucketAbout our Sponsor:

HipSwap is a mobile and web marketplace that connects buyers and sellers locally and nationally. It enables people to discover what’s inside the most fabulous closets, homes, and shops in neighborhoods and cities across America. HipSwap currently offers delivery service in Los Angeles and New York with its iconic pink delivery van.

This week’s prize:

Photobucket
We are SO excited to be a part of this fabulous opportunity where our fans can win an Original Fendi Spy Bag… and for those of you who are Dancing With the Stars Fans, this prize comes directly from the closet of Karina Smirnoff who is one of the top stars of the show!  Enter to win so you can brag BIG about your super hot original Fendi accessory! 

How to Enter:

1.Create a HipSwap account.You will be asked to enter your name, email and zip code.If you do not live in the United States, please enter your City and Country in the Zip Code field.

2.Once registered, you can earn additional entries by:

a.Pinning your favorite HipSwap bag on Pinterest

b.“Liking” HipSwap on Facebook

c.Following @HipSwap on Twitter

d.Tweet with the hashtag #winthisbag for daily bonus entries

e.Following the blogs who are bringing you this awesome giveaway

To be credited, all entries must be completed using the Rafflecopter form below.You can complete as many or as few entries as you’d like but remember, the more you do, the better your odds of winning!Plus, once you are following all of your hosts, entering each subsequent weekly Win This Bag Giveaway will be even faster & easier!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to entrants worldwide 18 years of age or older, except where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. This promotion is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook and is Facebook-compliant. To qualify to win, you must complete, at minimum, the mandatory entry on the Rafflecopter form. All entries will be forwarded to our sponsor for the purpose of randomly selecting a winner. Winners will be notified by email from a HipSwap representative. Winners will have 72 hours to respond or risk forfeiting their prize. Prize may re-awarded solely by the Sponsor’s discretion. Prize fulfillment is the sole responsibliity of the sponsor. This blog may not be held liable for Sponsors who do not fulfill prize shipments. The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We reserve the right to publicly publish winners’ names and/or likeness. By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

Filed Under: Freebies & Samples
« Previous Page