SheSpeaks and Macy’s Twitter Party

One other note:

Twitter Party Details:
When: 11/9 @ 8PM ET
TweetGrid Dashboard: http://bit.ly/tn7IQR
Follow: #RecipeShare
RSVP bitly.com/sYftgI

Stop by and we’ll talk holiday cooking.

Macy’s and SheSpeaks Recipe Share Program

Got a favorite holiday recipe?  Wanna win $1,000?  (I do!)

If so, great!  Because SheSpeaks has teamed up with Macy’s to offer the Recipe Share Contest which will award one lucky winner $1,000 and the chance to get their recipe featured in Food Republic!  Not too shabby, right?

(Oh, and if you are a regular reader and remember the SheSpeaks Aetna Healthy Food Fight contest…um…yeah…those rules don’t apply here.  This is holiday cooking.  It’s about comfort and chocolate and butter, which is okay because no one gains weight off holiday cooking.  Trust me.  I’m a food writer. )

What do you need to do?

Well from November 1st to November 30th, all you need to do is:

1. Head to www.facebook.com/macys
2. Click the Recipe Share tab (it's on the side bar)
3. Submit your recipe
4. Share the contest via Facebook and Twitter

Really, it’s that’s easy.

So…what recipe you’re going to submit?  I’m thinking holiday punch, maybe my mom’s Christmas noodle soup, maybe a new family creation.

Who knows…but let the best recipe win!

FCC Disclosure: SheSpeaks and Macy’s provided incentive for this post.  With that said, I still am working up a recipe for the content.  I could use $1,000 this Christmas.

About Macy’s:

Established in 1858, Macy’s is the Great American Department Store – an iconic retail brand with over 800 stores across the country and online at macys.com. Macy’s offers an incredible selection and the best brands, tailored to each and every customer, while providing an experience that transcends ordinary shopping.

A big part of Macy’s unique heritage includes our special events?the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Fourth of July Fireworks, flower shows, fashion extravaganzas, celebrity appearances and holiday traditions that range from the arrival of Santa Claus to tree lightings and festive window displays. But beyond our signature events, Macy’s delivers magical moments every day through our shopping environment, service and merchandise – a great deal of which is sold exclusively through our stores. It’s all part of the excitement we’ve been creating for 151 years, and it’s all part of the magic of Macy’s!

This is so cool.  I’m officially listed on Alltop Food! 

If you click that link you’ll be taken to a listing of the best blogs on every topic in the world.  And my little site is listed!!  Yay me!

When no one was looking, I snuck a bite of this thing and chipped a tooth.  Not cool guys.  Not cool.

Jasper’s Restaurant Announces

To celebrate Jasper’s National Cannoli Month, local baker and jeweler collaborate to make
 
The Golden Cannoli; Jasper’s sells a 24k gold cannoli.

Kansas City, MO (Sept. 12, 2011) – Kansas City’s King of Locavore and an intrepid traveler on the mythical
Cannoli Trail, celebrated Master Italian Chef Jasper Mirabile Jr., has declared the month of September
“National Cannoli Month.” By decree of Chef Jasper, master cannoli maker, dessert lovers in Kansas City
will be able to enjoy a massive show of cannoli power during September.
 
To commemorate National Cannoli Month, Chef Jasper has enlisted the expertise of famous Kansas City
jeweler, Tom Tivol, and award-winning Sprinkled with Sugar owner, Carey Iennaccaro, to create the World’s Most Expensive Cannoli. Tivol discovered a 20th Century Italian Diamond Necklace, valued at $26,000, which he is pairing with the cannoli created by Iennaccaro. This special star-power cannoli features edible gold and is paired with a bottle of Louis Roederer 1999 Cristal Champagne, making it the World’s Most Expensive Cannoli.
 
The cannoli can be ordered, with 24 hours notice, through December 2011. A replica gold leaf Cannoli is on display in the lobby of Jasper’s Ristorante. For those who don’t want to spend $26,453.25 but still want to enjoy a Golden Cannoli, Jasper’s is selling a 24k gold cannoli-dusted with real gold-for only $12.
 
“I’m obsessed with finding the perfect cannoli,” says Chef Jasper. “I even invented a Cannoli Therapy Patch for people who need a cannoli fix. I dressed up last year as a cannoli for Halloween. The last story in my most recent cookbook is On the Cannoli Trail’ that recounts my search for the greatest cannoli in Sicily. Two years ago I traveled to 15 cities in Sicily searching for the greatest cannoli ever. I finally found it, but you have to read my cookbook, The Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook, to discover where!”
 
Chef Jasper claims the cannoli originated in Palermo and its surrounding areas. The dessert, which is a sweet shell filled with a ricotta cheese mixture, was originally made for Carnival, a festival occurring before Lent. The cannoli takes its name from its long tubular shape and dates back to the time when the Arabs occupied Sicily during the 9th century.
 
Jasper’s offers melt-in-your-mouth cannolis that satisfy any craving. The local, award-winning institution has served cannolis for nearly 58 years and uses an old Sicilian recipe passed down from Jasper’s greatgrandmother in Gibellina, Sicily. The shells are crisp and flaky and are filled with fresh ricotta cheese, chocolate bits, candied orange and lemon peel, along with a hint of cinnamon. Jasper’s cannoli recipe can be found in The Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook published by Andrews McMeel.
 
Join Chef Jasper “On the Cannoli Trail” in Kansas City at Jasper’s Ristorante and around town, as he appears at festivals and farmers’ markets around the Kansas City metropolitan area in his custom Cannoli Mobile. He’ll also make live appearances in the Cannoli Mobile from Hen House Markets on his weekly radio show, LIVE! From Jasper’s Kitchen/KCMO Talk Radio 710. Jasper’s Ristorante will offer daily specials and dozens of specialty cannoli flavors and unique cannoli creations to celebrate “National Cannoli Month.”

For more information contact:
Chef Jasper Mirabile, (816) 941-6600
jasperjr@aol.com

#SSFoodFight is On!!

Hey everyone, just a quick note to tell you that from 1-2 Eastern tomorrow I will be doing a Twitter panel on everyone’s favorite topic–healthy eating!!! Just look for the Twitter hashtag #SSFoodFight!!!!

Okay, maybe healthy eating is not everyone’s favorite topic BUT it is important, especially as kids are going back to school, lives are getting school-year-hectic (instead of summer-hectic), and it’s getting a lot harder to find time to eat healthy. That’s where Aetna Healthy Food Fight, the subject of tomorrow’s panel, comes in.

Aetna’s HealthyFoodFight.com is two things. First, it’s a great source of recipes, videos, cooking tips, and glimpses of food personality Bobby Flay, who still won’t take me on in a Throwdown. Okay, in all seriousness, it’s a great website with lots of healthy food tips.

However, it’s even more than that!

Healthy Food Fight Recipe Contest

Aetna wants to make their site gets even better…with your recipes! All you have to do is enter a recipe at: http://www.healthyfoodfight.com/recipe-contest.aspx in one of four regions. (Hello Dallas, here I come!!)

If your recipe makes the grade (for nutritional standards…sadly fried butter with mayo won’t cut it), you will be entered in the Healthy Food Fight semi-finals. Then it goes to the vote. The top three vote getters in each region will compete head-to-head in their region’s city for the chance to move to the finals.

Each Finalist will be flown by American Airlines to cook for Chef Flay (if it’s not me, whoever gets to the finals, slip Bobby Flay my Next Food Network Star video!) for the chance to win $10,000 in groceries from Recipe.com!

To summarize: eat healthy. Eat well. Post a recipe. Win $10,000!

Why not, right?

So, if you’re interested, post your recipe. If you want to know more or if you just want to say hi, I’ll see you at the #SSFoodFight Twitter Party! Nothing is required, just point your Internet browser to Twitter and look for the #SSFoodFight hashtag!

Oh, and if you are wondering what SS means, it stands for SheSpeaks.com, who is putting on the Twitter party to get people aware of the contest.

See you then! Enjoy!

(Oh, and per FTC rules, I should let you know I’m being compensated to be on the panel.)

Creamed Spinach and Beef Calzones

Before I get started, I want to give you a preview of what’s coming up.  In about a month I’ll be driving around Southeastern Kansas with terrific chefs from Missouri and Kansas.  It’s all part of a Chef’s Tour to increase knowledge of beef production in the Heartland.  (And, of course, to make things nice and strange, I’m being sponosored as a visiting chef by the Missouri Beef Council even though I’m in Kansas.  Fun, huh?)

Anyway, the two day event includes a Pasture to Plate Culinary Challenge, where I’ll work with beef producers to prepare an unforgettable beef meal.  I plan to own said competition and so I’ve been thinking a lot of beef cooking and will be writing about it a ton.  The good news is that in most culinary challenges, there’s only about an hour or so to cook.  That really narrows down the range of meats to the steaks, which cook quick.

I can do steak cookery.  But what I want to do is blow the judges and competitors away with my sides and how I turn simple steak into something delicious.  That’s where this dish came from.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea: Sweet, Spicy, and Very Dark

Chai is one of those things I always thought I would drink like there’s no tomorrow.  I really like Indian food.  I really like cinnamon and cardamom.  I am even learning to get along with ginger.

Chai on the other hand…yeah, not so much.  For some reason, I just couldn’t get behind it unti recently and I think I know why.  Dairy…thou art the enemy.

Seriously.  I have never taken cream in my coffee.  I drink Thai iced teas without the evaporated milk.  Still, every chai I have ever drank has tasted (and sometimes had a mouth feel) of pure heavy cream.  Not good.

Still, this discovery (and a few bags of Masala tea) have sparked an interest in different chai blends I can make myself and skip the cream entirely.  Blends like this Stash Chai Spice Black Tea

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea’s Ingredients

According to the website, Stash Chai Spice Black Tea blends “rich, flavorful Indian black teas and cinnamon, clove, ginger and cardamom.”  While those ingredients blend into a fine tasting tea, it’s also nice to know Stash is committed to healthy, 100% natural teas and that they position themselves as a healthy tea line.  As I review more Stash teas (as there are several I am interested in), we’ll see how they deliver on the healthy promise.

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea’s Aroma

About like how you would expect a blend of black tea, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and cardamom to smell… a little like a rich, spicy dessert!  However, given the strength of those ingredients, the smell isn’t as strong as you might expect.  Therefore, it’s pleasant, but not overpowering.

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea’s Taste

It pains me to say it, but Stash did not convert me into a chai tea fan.  It was good and I’ll finish the box, but at the same time, it didn’t bring on the fandom 

Certainly anyone who likes chai should adore Stash Chai Spice Black Tea mix.  It has all the hallmarks of chai flavor including the sharp ginger and clove finish that is heralded by the sweetness of cinnamon and the pungent taste of cardamom.  I’ve had chai in Indian restaruants that tasted very similar to Stash Chai Spice Black Tea, it just wasn’t for me.

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea’s Effects

I got a little caffeine buzz going.  Other than that…sadly… nothing.

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea Overall

Stash Chai Spice Black Tea is not a repeat purchaser for me, but that certainly doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be for you.  I just am not sure I can become a chai fan. 

Still, Stash treated its tea with respect and used ingredients I think I can be proud of, so I will definitely be drinking more of it.

However, this tea still rated 2 cups out of five.

Thanks to doegox.

Enjoy!

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante: Drink Your Pomegrante

I had my first pomegrante years ago.  It was a pain in the [bleep] to open, it got juice everywhere, and it was sour.  I decided that I would be more than happy to never have one again.

Fast forward about 15 years and suddenly, pomegrantes are super fruits and they are everywhere.  Of course, they’re still a pain to open and they still lead to staining, but they are less sour or my tastes have changed.  Either way, I am actually looking for some ways to get more pomegrantes into my diet again because I like the taste.  (And I hear they do lots of good stuff inside me.)

One way is this tea.

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante’s Ingredients

Yeah, I don’t know what to think.  According to Bigelow’s package, the tea is flavored with “natural pomegrante flavors with other natural flavors (soy lectithin).”  Hrmm…

So what does that mean?  Well, I find it telling in the description that there’s no talk of pomegrante’s antioxidants in its health benefits.  Just the flavor of the tea.  Then again, I’m not entirely sure how else you flavor something with pomegrantes naturally except with pomegrante.  So, I’m guessing pomegrante is in there.

So, ultimately, I’m not standing up and cheering about what I am drinking like I do when I drink Yogi tea.  On the other hand, I’m not really worried like I am when the tea has like 10 ingredients and the list is written in kanji…

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante’s Aroma

Very nice.  Very, very nice in fact.  I really like the sweet smell of pomegrante that wafts up from the tea, even after it has cooled down.  The smell is almost as refreshing as the flavor.

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante’s Taste

If you like pomegrante, you will like Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante.  And if you don’t like pomegrante, you might still like the taste of Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante.

I like the tea because it is sweet.  Not sugary, but the green tea is mild and the “natural pomegrante  (and other) flavors” really give this tea just enough oomph to wake up the sweet taste buds in my mouth and let me enjoy this tea on a couple of levels.

Really, the folks at Bigelow did a good thing by mixing pomegrante with green tea.  The green tea is mild enough that the pomegrante flavor is the star, however, it wasn’t like drinking pomegrante juice because the green tea had just the enough impact so that you knew it was there.

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante’s Effects

I am told that green tea is full of antioxidants.  I am sure this is true.  It’s hard for me to tell.
Still, there wasn’t a clear effect other than the 25-50 mg of caffeine.  Which was nice, don’t get me wrong!

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante Overall

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegrante is good tea.  I enjoy drinking it even though I wish it was a little more Organically-minded like some of the other teas I have reviewed.  Plus, I wish I knew why the lecithin was there. 

Oh well, 3.5 cups out of five.

Thanks youngthousands to for the pic.

Enjoy!

Sriracha Steak with Citrus Vinaigrette and Cheesy Croutons

Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to give a short presentation on organic foods and to do a cooking demo at MRIGlobal.  I had a great time and I hope everyone who came did, too.

Anyway, this is the full recipe for the salad I prepared.

This is an easy salad to make and it’s a leftover magnet. Throw together any veggies you have laying around the fridge, sauté some meat, bake the croutons, dress, and serve!

The recipe for this salad has been broken into its component pieces: the croutons, the steak, the dressing, and the salad itself.

Sriracha Steak

Making sriracha steak is so very easy, but tastes so very good. Just a little sauce adds a tremendous flavor to the steak, but be careful not to stand too close to the skillet while it’s cooking. Sriracha sauce is hot and odoriferous.

Ingredients

• 1 ribeye or sirloin steak (1/2 inch thick)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sriracha

Directions
Take the steaks out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as they are warming.

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and let it get very hot. Gently lay the steak in the skillet and spread the sriracha over the meat. Cook 3 minutes, then flip and cook the meat another 3 minutes. Finish in the oven for 6 minutes.

Cut into slices and serve.

Cheesy Croutons

The croutons take a little while to make, but it’s mostly just baking time. All you have to do is slice the bread and, basically, the oven does the rest.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of French bread, preferably day old
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Cut the loaf of French bread into roughly 1 inch squares. Place them in a plastic bag with olive oil and garlic powder. Shake to coat.

Lay the sliced bread flat on a cookie sheet 1 layer thick. Bake the French bread for 20 minutes, then cover with both types of cheese, and cook until the cheese is melted.

Citrus Vinaigrette

This simple dressing is just a template. Start with the basics: vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and lemon juice and then feel free to explore with whatever flavors you love.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil

Directions
Mix the sugar, rice wine vinegar, and lemon juice in a bowl.

Slowly whisk in the olive oil until it has reached your preferred consistency. Shake again before serving.

Salad

Romaine hearts are the engine that makes this salad go. They are slightly sweet and hold the citrus dressing very well. Add the Romaine to a mix of carrots, pepperdew (aka sweet) peppers, and red onion.

Ingredients

• 2 carrots, sliced then
• 2 pepperdews, sliced
• 1 Romaine heart, sliced
• 1 Red onion, sliced

Directions
Toss the ingredients of the salad with the dressing. Rest the croutons and meat on top. Serve and enjoy!

Yogi Peach DeTox: Good for the Body

Part of my resolution since about 2009 has been to live more healthy.  It’s a resolution that I have struggled with for a number of reasons, but I am slowly starting to make small changes.  One of the places this has lead me is studying the medicinal values of herbs and other ingredients.

Now I know how that sounds… and yes, I still go the doctor.  I’m not attending sweat lodges or trying leeches (which I hear some doctors are actually trying again…)  It’s just modern science is finding that there is soemthing behind some of the ancient world’s medicinal remedies.  Peppermint does help with a tummy ache (as does turmeric.)  Willow bark soup was used by Native American tribes for pain…turns out when heated, chemicals in willow bark have the some composition as aspirin.

So, it’s not all hocus pocus.  One of my big areas of concern has been taking care of the parts of my body that take care of me, such as my immune system, my liver and my kidneys.  So, when I saw

Yogi Peach DeTox, I figured I had to try it.

Yogi Peach DeTox’s Ingredients

I said it last week, I’ll say it again.  Yogi…thank you for making tea out of things I feel good about drinking.  Yogi’s teas are made from ingredients that have been certified organic and the only thing in them is tea and flavorings.  Nothing weird.

For Yogi Peach DeTox, Yogi blended a trio of DeToxing ingredients: trikatu (a blend of ginger, black pepper, and long pepper), Organic dandelion leaf, and fo-ti, a Chinese herb.  And some peach, for it’s fruity flavor.

Yogi Peach DeTox’s Aroma

Of all the Yogi teas, this one has the most pleasing aroma.  The scent is very mild, but it is definitely has its soft, creamy peach notes.  I rather enjoy it, even though I wish it was much stronger.  (Maybe I’ll try Yogi Rooibos Sweet Peach.)

Yogi Peach DeTox’s Taste

Well, it’s good for me.  Can I start there?

Yogi Peach DeTox starts off with a nice bouqet of peach.  Really pleasant, sweet without needing sweetner, just a nice peach flavor.  Then you start to swallow and all of the sudden it’s like… “There it is…Okay,  now I know I’m drinking something good form me…”

It’s almost a tale of two teas and I wish it was a tale of one.  I wish I could have all that peach taste and none of the medicinal aftertaste.  But alas, I cannot.

Still, it’s not like the medicinal taste is horribly unpleasant.  It’s just very noticeable on the first drink.

Yogi Peach DeTox’s Effects

It’s hard to say.  Maybe I could have taken a test of some sort to gauge whether my liver and kidneys were working better or not.  (Maybe they need to add asparagus extract to the tea.  That would be a sure sign something was up.)  If anyone knows a test you can take to see whether a detox is working short of getting blood drawn, let me know.

Yogi Peach DeTox’s Overall

All in all, I drink Peach DeTox for the little bit of peach and the hope I am doing my body good.  In fact, I try to drink it every time I’ve over indulged the night before.

Still, overall, I give this tea 2 cups out of five.  As a detox agent, I’d like to think it’s working.  As a taste experience, I’d rather try a different tea.

Thanks to xcxsxvx.