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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

Valentine’s Day Inspired Treats

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As a periodic TV contributor, the folks at WFAA ABC-8 Good Morning Texas invite me on to highlight some of the best (and the worse) that Pinterest has to offer. This time we’re talking Valentine’s Day Inspired Treats!  

Affiliate links included in this post.

No matter the topic, whether’s it’s been Peppermint, Pumpkin or (melted) Margarita Pie, I have try to show viewers how they too can look like they spent four hours to whip up a delectable dessert or delicious dinner with no more than a couple of minutes, $5 dollars and a roll of twine (or maybe that was MacGyver.)

And while Pinterest has given many of us some amazing ideas, I’m sure we’ve all come across a few of those that didn’t quite work out like the picture says it will. That’s where I come in! I mean nobody’s got time for wasting time and money on a project that isn’t going to be nothing less than perfect!


With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it means mom’s arsenal of everything fun, adorable and cute and thoughtful better be stocked with good ideas that will get your points across the board. So I’ve selected some of the most creative ideas on Pinterest I thought were so cool, but didn’t know exactly if they would be fabulous or a total flop.

Heart-shaped Cinnamon Rolls 
Probably one of the easiest and quickest of my Pinterest finds were heart-shaped cinnamon rolls! Using your own recipe or my “homemade recipe” (read: Pillsbury), you can make a heartfelt sweet treat for breakfast in less than 15 minutes! 

Ingredients

Favorite Cinnamon Roll brand (just make sure your preference is in a spiral shape)

 
Directions
Just unroll the cinnamon roll into one long piece of dough and then begin rolling them back up on both ends. Then place them in a pan and pinch the center into a point to create a heart! Cook them as directed. Once they come out of the oven allow them to cool. Then add a little red food coloring to the icing to create the ultimate Valentine’s breakfast!

Mini-Apple Pies
My husband loves pie, but I don’t like to make a big pie as we will both end up eating on it all week, and I’ll gain three pounds from “tasting it.” So instead we prefer just a little pie so he gets all the best part of the pie without making enough to feed an army. When I found the cutest heart-shaped pie press online and came across the most amazing apple pie filling from Mr. Wittle’s Fine Foods, I knew there was a pie in the making! 

Ingredients

Directions
Unroll the pie dough and cut out two hearts of the same size with the cookie cutter. Fill one side of the heart with a little bit of filling without over-filling. Lay the other heart over the top and use a fork to pinch the two hearts together to form a crust. Lightly brush the egg wash on top of the crust. Place in the oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden. 

To download this graphic, click here for the free downloadable PDF. 

And since I wanted to make him feel special, I even made a little Valentine’s Day card to go with it so he will always be the “apple to my pie.” (Now you can have pie and a Valentine’s card made in less than 25 minutes and a few ingredients. 

Bacon Roses
Roses may be the way to my heart, but if I ordered a dozen roses to his job on the Big V, I don’t think he’d be a happy camper. But bacon roses are a whole other ballgame!  I’d seen several photos for bacon roses, but they seemed so tedious. 

I was SO wrong. 

In less than an hour I had a beautiful dozen bacon roses for my honey and he (and the kids) loved them!

Ingredients

  • Package of Bacon (I got a large package for my project!) 
  • Mini-muffin pan (everyone should have at least one of these! So useful! for so many things!) 
  • 2-3 fake-flower bundles (Dollar stores or craft stores have these for around $1) 
  • Toothpicks
  • Vase
Directions
Roll bacon into a tight spiral like a rose and place into a mini-muffin pan fatty-side down.) 
Cook bacon for 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees in the oven. Half-way through cooking taking the pan out and drain the grease. When the bacon is cooked (nice and dark), allow it to cool so you can handle. 
 
In the meantime, remove all the petals from the rose bundles. Take a tooth pick and poke into the flower stem to create a pointed end for the bacon rose to be secured. When you’ve finished place a rose on each stem, place in a vase for giving! 

And don’t miss my favorite featured Pinterest challenge with the heart pound cake! 
 

And there’s so much more, so make sure you follow me on Pinterest for lots more Mama Challenge fun! 

 

Lasagna: The Perfect Recipe for New Moms {Recipe}

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Note: I received my own Lasagna kit from Red Gold and you can too, just keep reading to find out more.  

When I gave birth the first go-around, I remember a friend who was kind enough to bring me over a lasagna to help with dinner. I can still remember not only how delicious it was, but how it kept me fed for almost a week – especially late at night when my little one decided he needed to get us both up for a few hours. 


Now it’s my turn to bring a meal to one of my friends who just had a baby. However, it’s not just because lasagna is delicious and as Anelle would say “freezes beautifully,” but that this recips is full of several nutrient-rich foods that are needed for a new mom, especially when she has a little one that she’s feeding, too. 


According to WebMd, there are 12 Super-Foods for New Moms including: 

  1. Leafy greens like Spinach
  2. Low-fat Dairy: Cottage Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese
  3. Whole-Wheat Grains like Pasta
  4. Lean Protein like Turkey 

So my Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups are like the super food for new moms – and all in one dish! And did I mention there was less than 20 minutes required to whip these up?  Which makes it my go-to meal for taking over to friends along with a bag of salad, and a loaf of garlic bread!


SPINACH LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

Ingredients

1 (28 ounce) can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, or 2 (15 ounce) cans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes With Basil, Garlic & Oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt to taste
1 (16 ounce) box lasagna noodles, traditional, uncooked
1 (6 ounce) package fresh spinach, washed and patted dry
1 (15 ounce) carton low fat cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions

  • Preheat over to 350o F. 
  • In a large bowl combine water, RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES, RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES with BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO and Italian seasoning.
  • Boil the lasagna noodles making sure they don’t stick. Once cooked, lay each noodle on a sheet of wax paper until ready to roll. 
  • Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1½ cups of sauce mixture. Take one noodle and then add a layer of cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and then a handful of spinach leaves.  Tightly roll up the noodle into a roll and place seem-side down. Continue until the dish is full. Then add the rest of the sauce. Next layer the top with mozzarrella cheese. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1½ hours; until noodles are cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
  • The recipe makes 12 servings, but you could divide the recipe into two 9×9 inch baking dishes and freeze one! 



Red Gold Premium Tomatoes is having a Lasagna Party Sweepstakes on Facebook – until Wednesday, Feb. 5! You can win some great stuff including gift cards, lasagna kit, and other fun prizes! So check out http://www.facebook.com/RedGold.




Touchdown! Healthy Party Pleasers from Zoe’s Mediterranean {Recipes}

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I have a confession. 

I could care less about this year’s “BIG GAME.” 

Zoe'sPartyPleasers
 
However, it does give me an opportunity to catch up with friends and partake in another reason for a party. 
 
While I have no gripes about parties, I am worried about the partaking part — and totally ruining all that great work I’ve been doing trying to lose weight with the MamaChallenge DietBet. However, I don’t want to be left out to eat nothing but raw vegetables and ice water. 
 
What’s a girl to do? 
 
Thankfully my latest food fettish, Zoe’s Kitchen, has shared some of their top-secret recipes for a few quick, clean, and easy recipes that are healthy (they were curated by dieticians, moms and culinary folks) and totally delicious. And if you need help trying to make a dish – they even have an easy-to-follow video available to show you how. 

Havent’ heard of Zoe’s? You are missing out. There are several here in DFW with the newest one in Richardson. And best of all their food AND their service is top notch! And you can actually go there for several healthy food combinations and not just one boring plate you have to eat every time you go. 
 
So even this mama can make them – and you’ll want to as well because they are fantastic. 
 
Believe me, no one will choose that sack of chips when they have Turkey and Hummus Pizza, Pimiento-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms and Sangria at the party. 
 
All photos courtesy of Zoe’s Kitchen

Turkey and Hummus Pizza


Serves 8
Ingredients
1 pint Zoës Hummus
1 lb lean ground turkey
1.5 tbsp Zoës
Spice of Life seasoning
8 whole wheat pitas
4 tbsp sliced Kalamata olives
8 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
8 tbsp roasted red pepper strips
4 tbsp chopped scallions (green parts only)
8 tbsp chopped tomatoes

directions

Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and seasoning and cook thoroughly until turkey is no longer pink. Drain any excess grease from the pan.

Heat the pitas on a microwave-safe plate in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Place pitas on individual plates. Top each pita with 2 heaping tablespoons of Zoës hummus and spread evenly over pita.

Then top each pita with 2-3 tablespoons cooked ground turkey, 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese, 1⁄2 tablespoon Kalamata olives, 1 tablespoon roasted red pepper strips, 1 tablespoon chopped tomatoes and 1⁄2 tablespoon chopped scallions.

Using a pizza cutter, slice each pita into 4 wedge-shaped pieces and enjoy!

serves 8 to 12

ingredients

1 pint Zoës Potato Salad
1 red pepper, cut into cubes
1 large yellow squash, thinly sliced
1⁄2 large onion, cut into 1″ pieces
1 can artichokes, chopped and squeezed to drain
6 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 cup shredded cheese (such as Gruyere or Swiss)
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp pepper
1 clove pressed garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare crust by mashing Zoës Potato Salad in the bottom of a glass quiche dish. Using your hands press potatoes into bottom of the dish and up the sides to form the crust. Place dish into the oven for 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile place peppers, squash, onions and garlic on baking pan. Add olive oil and 1⁄2 of the salt and pepper, toss to coat, spread vegetables in a single layer. Roast vegetables for about 8 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly in the bottom of the quiche crust, add roasted vegetables.

In a small bowl beat together eggs, milk and remaining salt and pepper. Pour eggs carefully into quiche dish. Dust the top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is puffed and beginning to brown.

Let stand 5 minutes before slicing to serve.

Ingredients

1 gallon Zoës Limeade
Fill pitcher halfway with Ice (4 cups)
1 bottle red wine (choose your favorite!)
2-3 cups fresh fruit (we like grapes, strawberries, oranges and apples)

Directions

Fill a large pitcher with 1 gallon of Zoës fresh-squeezed limeade. Fill with ice.

Add a bottle of your favorite red wine.

Chop 2-3 cups of your favorite fresh fruit and add it to the pitcher.

Stir and serve!

Now it’s Game Time! 









DIY Healthy “Drive-Thru” Makes Breakfast Delightful with Jimmy Dean Delights {Free Printable}

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Jimmy Dean, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BreakfastDelight  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Mornings are madness for most families, especially at our house. 

With Dad trying to get out the door for work, the two kiddos to school/daycare and for me whatever appointments or errands I have lined up in the power-packed day, from the moment I open my eyes, we are in a marathon to get dressed, fed, packed up and out the door — ideally, on time. Unfortunately, with all I’m doing to get everyone ready, breakfast Monday through Friday isn’t something isn’t as healthy as I’d prefer, but there’s has to be a compromise, right?

Actually, there doesn’t have to be anymore with Jimmy Dean Delights. 


For months I’ve felt like these were my little secret as I would sneak a box just for me in the cart at Walmart and store them in the back of the freezer for those mornings when I was short on time, but wanted to splurge on flavor like with my Egg White with Spinach & Mozzarella on Honey Wheat Flatbread. It was more convenient than going through the drive-thru, less expensive, loaded with protein, and frankly tasted better. (And did I mention less than 200 calories!?!) All of a sudden, I was actually getting to eat breakfast and not just cook it for the kids! 


However, one morning the kids refused to eat the boring breakfast I’d made. I had to admit, I couldn’t blame them. They begin whining why we couldn’t go to Chick-Fil-A or McDonalds for breakfast. While there’s totally a time and a place for either, this was not the morning. There was no time, we didn’t need to spend the money and frankly, starting this routine could only mean trouble for all of us. 

So, I busted out my stash of Delights, wrapped them in a paper towel and threw them in the microwave for 1:45 minutes – and voila – breakfast, kids! I couldn’t send them to school hungry and looking at the calorie count compared to their normal breakfast, my Jimmy Dean Delights were healthier than anything I was giving to the kids every morning. Now, hopefully, they liked them.  


Oh, yes they did! They told me it was like going through the drive-thru…at home, but better. And for my kids, that’s a pretty good compliment. There was no reason I needed to tell them at this junction that Jimmy Dean Delights are a healthy option loaded with protein and low calorie, too. And with so many options, we weren’t going to have to worry about another boring breakfast for a LONG time.

Jimmy Dean Delights are available in nine varieties all under 300 calories: 

  • Delights Bacon, Egg & Cheese Honey Wheat Flatbread (Boy’s favorite)
  • Delights Turkey Sausage, Egg White & Cheese English Muffin (Girl’s favorite)
  • Delights Turkey Sausage, Egg & Cheese Honey Wheat Flatbread
  • Delights Canadian Bacon, Egg White & Cheese Honey Wheat English Muffin
  • Delights Turkey Sausage, Egg White & Cheese Croissant
  • Delights Egg White With Spinach & Mozzarella-Style Cheese Product Honey Wheat Flatbread (my favorite)
  • Delights Turkey Sausage, Egg White & Cheese Whole Grain Bagel
  • Delights Maple Pancakes & Turkey Sausage Griddlers
  • Delights Cinnamon Glazed French Toast & Turkey Sausage Griddlers

Now if I can just get my hands on those JD Maple Pancakes & Turkey Sausage Griddlers or Cinnamon Glazed French Toast & Turkey Sausage Griddlers, I’d probably be the best. mom. ever.

And to make it really fun for those mornings when we are really running late, I decided we’d take that “drive-thru” concept to heart with our own specially labeled bags! 

Click here to download this sticker printable – perfect for Avery 9-up stickers templates. 

Making a cute little sticker, I just warm up the Jimmy Dean Delights and either throw a sticker on the napkin with the kiddo’s name or on days when we might be in the car for a long stretch, this “McMom” puts in an orange juice, fruit or box of raisins and a Jimmy Dean Delights in the specially branded “bag” (sticker) and we head out ready for our day. I feel like a rockstar and they feel like they got a special treat of going “out” for breakfast.

It makes my mornings a DELIGHT and theirs, too!

You can can find Jimmy Dean Delights at your local Walmart. And I’d get two boxes at least, because the first box won’t last you long!







Dallas Gets a Little Sweeter with See’s Candies at NorthPark

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There’s mothing more symbolic of Valentine’s Day than a beautiful box of chocolates. 

However, no matter its presentation, it’s what inside the box that counts. And there’s definitely a difference in well-made morsels and those other kinds of sugar mess that you’ll probably still eat, but wonder why you let yourself use up those extra Weight Watchers points later. Or even worse, the chocolate you know that’s been there for a long while in that box before finding its way to you. 

And just in time for Valentine’s Day, you have a new option in Dallas for chocolate. While the See’s Candies isn’t new since they’ve been making chocolate and other candy the same way since 1921, the store is at NorthPark Center is (it opened just around Christmas!)

Ironically, this candymaker purposely let’s the chocolate age before selling it. It’s part of its signature recipe. See’s Candies is one of the few remaining candy makers that still ages their chocolate, a process that imparts a smooth, mellow flavor profile and elevates the taste of the chocolate overall. And while See’s owned by one of America’s most well-known tycoons Warren Buffett, there’s been no new machines and new techniques for getting See’s to the masses. He’s left it just the way he found it. 


Recently, my son (the real chocolate expert) and I had a chance to visit the new store for a special media event. Designed to look like the crisp, clean black-and-white checkered motif inspired by Mary’s original kitchen, the shelves were stocked with candy of every flavor, size and occasion. Also like her kitchen the say, I was met instantly with a warm smile and asked to try a candy. While that tradition actually costs See’s one million pounds of candy each year, but looks like Warren said it was worth the effort since 26 million pounds is what they sold in 2013. 

Hairnets are the newest trend. At least the night of the See’s Candies event. Featured here is Cynthia from Oh, So Cynthia and Josh Hart from 102.1 The Edge. 

And while just trying See’s was a new experience in itself, to really appreciate the art of creating a custom box of chocolate the See’s way, we were challenged to a contest to see who could fill a box quicker among the guests. Hairnet, gloves and all. 


Does the image sound familiar? It should – apparently Lucy and Ethel did it on one of The Lucy Show episodes. And this contest was almost as funny. 

You can see my son joined me in the fun and he loved it. 

We’ll I think it was all the chocolate he kept putting in his month that he really loved. 

And you will, too. Make sure to taste one while you’re picking out your perfect Valentine’s Day box. Or make it easy and one of the pre-made ones. 

Don’t worry, Jackson says they are all good. 



#GoGoPlayfully with Go Go squeeZ Play Day, January 11 at 1:11 p.m.

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With just one week in the 2014 hopper, many of us are working to be: 

 Better at being active 
Better at healthy eating 
Better at quality time enjoying life – living playfully!


 This Saturday on January 11, Go Go squeeZ is launching its first GoGo Play Day to jumpstart the new year across the U.S. including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Aspen, Boston, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, San Francisco, DALLAS, and the Bay Area! We are celebrating with free products and exciting surprises at fun events of how people are choosing to live playfully and capture it with photos, videos, and storytelling. Plus, we’re calling 1:11 p.m., the official kick-off to a playful year. That’s when we’ll be unleashing coast-to-coast playful experiences showing the world what being playful really means.

As an ambassador for Go Go squeeZ, I’d love to invite you to celebrate with us! 

 We’d love you to be involved with our Play Day campaign!  We are looking for fun and unique events and activities going on Saturday, January 11.

  • Join us in participating in a Play Day event or host your own event – even if it’s your sports activity, playing at the park or just having fun with Go Go squeeZ
  • Play with us on January 11 at 1:11pm by sharing something fun 1-11 on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! with @Gogoplayfully @squeezsquad #Texas
  • Get your own Go Go squeeZ redeemable for discounted GoGosqueeZ redeemable on Jan. 11 only.
With Go Go squeeZ, there are 10 flavors to enjoy whenever and wherever you GoGo, including: AppleCinnamon, AppleStrawberry, ApplePear and AppleBerry and many more. Our innovative, re-sealable packaging allows kids, big and small, to snack spoon-free and get their play on. And every pouch is gluten, nut, and dairy-free!


Looking for some fun ideas to starting celebrating? 

 Here’s 7 Ways to Have the Most Playful Week Ever from Go Go squeeZ

 It might cold outside, so considering cooking up some Go Go squeeZ fun for a great way for the family to involved with delicious Apple Cinnamon Muffins from 7 on a Shoestring! 

Or see how to make some colorful Apple Cinnamon pancakes from ME, Mama Challenge, on Good Morning Texas! 

 


 Valentine’s Day is just around the corner? Get moving on those Valentines for the classroom with this BERRY adorable idea from A Nerd’s Wife!

So how do you #GoGoPlayfully? 
Let us know this Saturday at 1:11 p.m!

Organize and Digitize Handwritten Recipes to Your Own Online Cookbook

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Note: I was provided complimentary services for purposes of this review. 

Over the hustle and bustle of holiday cooking I became nostalgic for smells and tastes for Grandma’s banana bread and other recipes that made up my childhood. While I had written down many of them over the years, calling her at the last minute for her recipe for meatloaf or the special ingredient she put in her macaroni and cheese, I realized that most of her recipes as well as other handed-down family recipes, were all still captured in a small red metal box. 


When I had the chance to look in the box, I loved looking at the handwriting, the fragile personalized recipes cards women used before the days of home printers or even typewriters, and the other little notes on the recipes that reminded her of how grandpa liked it or that special touch that had made it her own. For a family engrained in food as much as ours, this little box was more like a piece of history over Christmases and family long gone than utility. 

As wonderful as the box was, I wanted to use recipes, too. But if I used these recipes while I cooked they would be covered in grease and flour in no time, so I needed to record them for my own use and protect their original source. And even more so, I wanted to be able to share them with the rest of my family. However, the time it would take to transcribe, input and format the recipes wasn’t something I had a lot of time for, much less where I would upload them and be searchable.



With Dish Dish, members can digitize their recipes in an online cookbook – easily accessible from any computer or mobile device (using their iPad/iPhone App – and Android app to follow soon). This allows you to store recipes, search, add photos, add notes, keep private when preferred or search other Dish Dish members’ recipes, make shopping lists, plan menus, print, share over social media or email, and access all of this while at home or on the go.


Dish Dish offers a free account that includes many great features. However, the Pro account for only $19/year includes access to the menu planner, special printing options, decorative printing templates, embedding videos with recipes (you can be your own Food Network star), adding multiple photos with recipes, and the opportunity to have 20 recipes transcribed/uploaded for the member by scanning, mailing, faxing or emailing. And Dish Dish is also including a free trial to the Dish Dish recipe importer tool so take the time out of uploading your own recipes! 

Take a look at my family cookbook here. I can’t wait to try the Greek Chicken with Pine Nut Dressing and the Bohemian Coffee Cake! I’m planning to make each of these dishes this year and upload a photo to accompany the recipe! 



What a great way to organize those recipes and then have the opportunity to share them with your family members as an online cookbook throughout the year! And even better, you could download your online cookbook as a PDF so you could print out the recipes once they’ve been uploaded for useful and thought cookbook gift for Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving or next Christmas. 

Check out http://dishdish.us to begin organizing and creating your online cookbook today! 

Bake and Thank with Peppermint Holiday Gift Ideas {TV}

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The holidays get everyone in the mood to bake and thank your neighbors, friends and family, especially ME!  I’m slightly obsessed with PEPPERMINT, so I’ve researched Pinterest and created some of my own favorite peppermint recipes for this year’s round of holiday giving!  I even found a how-to to create  tray serving tray made of peppermints to make and give goodies for the perfect holiday gift! 

Here are a few of the best recipes that feature Peppermint! 

 EASY PEPPERMINT FUDGE
Inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction

 Ingredients

 3 cups white chocolate chips
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract 
8 crushed candy canes (2/3 – 3/4 cup)
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Instructions

 Line 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

 Combine the white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint extract and candy canes.

 Spread evenly into prepared baking pan. Top with chocolate chips and gently swirl them into the fudge with a knife. Top with a few more crushed candy cane pieces. Chill for 3 hours, then cut into squares. 

 PEPPERMINT TRUFFLES
Insprired by Your Cup of Cake 

 Ingredients

 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/3 cup crushed candy canes (approximately 4-5 candy canes)

 Instructions 

 Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Either by microwave or over a double boiler, melt white chocolate chips. 

 Add white chocolate and peppermint extract to cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth and well combined.

 Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

 Spray hands with cooking spray. Then make small 1-inch balls with chocolate and roll in peppermint mixture. 

 Wanna see these babies in action? Check out my segment on WFAA Good Morning Texas! 

Other recipes featured on WFAA’s Good Morning Texas and more can be found on my Peppermint Pinterest page! 

I frequently feature recipes, products, and ideas on TV. Check out my past TV segments!

Bring Joy to the Holiday Table with Christmas Eve Lasagna {Recipe}

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Barilla, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #JoytotheTable  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.


During the holidays my family gets to do the HOLIDAY HOP – meaning we spend most of it traveling from one family’s home to another to celebrate Christmas. Since we are either in commute or opening gifts, there’s not a lot of spare time for me to cook up delicious favorites or even help create dinner with my family members at their homes. However, I don’t want to come empty handed, either. 

Easy to make, delicious to eat, there’s nothing better to freeze, quick to cook and good to travel than lasagna. Depending on my schedule I can plan to make it well in advance, freeze and then take out to bring where ever we are going so we are bringing some joy to the table! While you can enjoy Christmas Eve lasagna any day of the year, since the “main event” is normally on Christmas Day, we try to make things easy for everyone on Christmas Eve with a little taste of Italy. We serve lasagna, open up a bag of salad and throw a few loaves of garlic bread in the oven for a delicious meal that everyone loves. 

And of course, since it is Christmas, I couldn’t help but make it a true “Christmas Eve Lasagna” by adding a special kick with Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes on the inside and a little holiday decoration on the top with pepperoni and fresh basil leaves from the back yard!) 


While I consider lasagna to be easy to make, depending on your number of savory ingredients like a red sauce, pasta and my favorite, cheese, can take some time. Everyone in my family has a different spin on what makes the perfect lasagna, so in this recipe, I put them all together to create our Christmas Eve Lasagna. Since it takes more than an hour to set the ingredients up for layering the lasagna, I take a shortcut with Barilla’s All-Natural Marinara sauce and Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagne noodles (I get mine at Tom Thumb/Safeway stores). 

One of the best parts about lasagna is its versatility. You really can customize it with any ingredients you want to make it your own. And with the help of Barilla All-Natural Marinara sauce and Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagne noodles to cut down on the time of preparation, you can personalize your lasagna to suit your family’s preferences and diet needs. Just check out Barilla’s “The Art of Lasagna” for more recipes to inspire you to create new and exciting ways to enjoy lasagna! 

And right now, you can get $1 off the purchase of ONE (1) box of Barilla® Lasagne and ONE (1) Barilla® Sauce at your local Tom Thumb/Safeway store!



To make my boys happy when I make Christmas Eve Lasagna, I actually use three different meats with Pepperoni, Italian Sausage and Turkey Meatballs.  


Next taking a hint from Christmas’ color scheme, I created a “pesto” with spinach and sun-tried tomatoes, which also adds a little helping of veggies to the dish.  Then to ensure that the lasagna doesn’t get dry from the freezer, the car, to the oven and to the table, I use cottage cheese (shhh!) in place of the ricotta!

CHRISTMAS EVE LASAGNA

Ingredients
1 box Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagne
1 Jar Barilla Marinara Sauce (depending on your family’s preference use 2)
5 Italian sausage links (normally sold in a package)
1 package of Pepperoni (pre-sliced makes it easy and fun for the kids to help)
1 lb. Turkey Meat (85/20 works great, but any will do. Also, I used the Italian-seasoned meat to make it easier on me!)
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 slices of bread (I used sandwich loaf) 
1/4 cup of milk
1 cup Parmesan Cheese (divided into 1/2 cup servings)
1/4 Italian bread crumbs
Italian seasonings (optional) 
1 bag of fresh Spinach 
7-8 Sun-dried Tomatoes (I used dried, but you could use store-bought in oil)
2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 container of Fat-Free Cottage Cheese
1 package of fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
1 package of Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Instructions

Make building your lasagna a snap but preparing all the layers in advance. 

1.  Meatballs (can be done ahead of time): 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, tear bread into pieces and 1/4 cup of milk mixed together until it turns to a paste. Then add turkey meat, onions and seasonings and mix with your hands until it dry enough to form into 1/2 inch – 1 inch balls, but not so dry it doesn’t have any moisture. On a separate plate, roll each ball in parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture.  

Place meatballs in a greased mini muffin pan for 30 minutes until browned. Once cooled, slice into halves. 

2. In a skillet, cook the Italian sausages (in their casings) until they are browned on all sizes. Allow them to cool and then slice them until into 1/4-1/2 inch circles. 

3.  To make the spinach pesto, combine a bag of fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in mixer until a fine paste. (If needed, add remaining olive oil to mixture if it seems to dry.) 

4. For cottage cheese layer, mix cottage cheese with parmesan cheese until a paste. 

[Now it’s time to build your lasagna!]

5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

6. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. 

7. For the bottom layer, pour 1/2 the sauce into the pan and spread evenly. 

8. Top sauce with 3 sheets of  Oven-Ready Lasagne. (It’s ok if it doesn’t cover the whole pan, it will expand while cooking.) Spread cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles. Add sliced Italian sausage. 

9. Cover with three more sheet of the Oven-Ready Lasagne. Spread Spinach pesto across the noodles. Now layer slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and cover with meatball halves (you will have some left over to nibble!) 

10. Cover layer with three more sheets of Oven-Ready Lasagne. Then add pepperoni slices on top until covered. Add remaining sauce and spread over pepperonis. 

11. Then add shredded mozzarella cheese until covered. (Optional: For fun, I added a basil leaf and pepperoni to make it festive.) 

12. Cover pan with foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until gold and bubly. 

13. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving! 

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 Barilla continues to bring joy to the table this month with their “30 Days of Joy” contest on Facebook. Each day you can discover tips, new recipes and have a chance to win amazing prizes like an espresso machine or a $1,500 gift card to Williams-Sonoma. You can enter everyday for the rest of the month, so make sure to set a reminder to head over to their Facebook daily. 

No matter what type of lasagna you make this Christmas or any day of the week, bring Joy to the Table with Barilla. 


Happy Holidays! 




Make it a Moment to Remember with Mimi’s NEW Menu

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Disclaimer: I was invited as a special guest to enjoy new menu items at Mimi’s Cafe. And enjoy them, yes, I did. Read on to find out what I liked most! (All the words here are completely my own!) 

Do you remember your first brunch? 


I was in college I had my first “real brunch” upon a friend’s invitation. Beginning sometime after normal lunch was supposed to happen, we enjoyed 2+ hours of mimosas, muffins and omelets at Mimi’s Cafe. The friend’s treat soon became a weekend ritual, as it was a great time to catch up with each other while we devoured all the cinnamon muffins we could handle – sometimes in our slacks and many times in last-night’s blue jeans and a pony tail. Either way, our Mimi’s moments became my benchmark for what brunching was meant to be – friends, fabulous food and fun. 


Fast forward ten years: things, of course, have changed.  While weekend to-dos have transitioned from brunches to babies, I still remember the fun, comfort and joy I had at Mimi’s. While I hadn’t been to Mimi’s in a long time, I was excited a few weeks ago when I received an invitation to re-experience Mimi’s.  I could only hope it would take me back to what I remembered before life was as complex as a decade of being an “adult” could be. 

Just like my life had changed, I learned Mimi’s had also changed over the last decade. As with any great restaurant, it had transitioned with the times and with it, so had the experience (and not necessarily for the better). So when its new owner, Le Duff America, Inc. purchased the french casual concept this year, they felt it was time to get back to the basics of what Mimi’s Cafe had been for me and many other fans years ago – an inviting, classic French bistro.  
And after months of work, dedication and tracking down many of the recipes to hard copies in the back of the file cabinet, the whole team including the very charming executive chef Executive Chef Katie Sutton (a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and previous Executive Chef at Hess Collection Winery in Napa), was ready to dust them off. 


Like a good champagne, I was anxious to uncork this baby. Let the trip down memory lane commence! 

First of all, the roasted tomato basil is exactly what you want on a cold day – or any day where you feel like you need a pick-me-up, this rich bisque will do the trick (and the bacon doesn’t hurt either.) I enjoyed other classic French dishes like Mimi’s Signature Bouillabaisse, Grilled Salmon Salade Niçoise, Coq au Vin and Spinach Crepe. But the Le Burger de Madame, crowned with a fried egg, was magnifique. 
I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the menu tasting as good in the past as it did that night – especially this baked brie with tart apples and apricot chutney (gush). 

Perhaps it was the company I was keeping (as they were all friends). 

Perhaps it was the staff that seemed like they had been my friends my whole life with their pure passion and generosity. 

Or perhaps it was surpassing my month’s quota of heavy cream in one sitting that made it just seem so buttery rich and perfect. 

Either way, I was not only taken back to those fun days of college, but actually advanced to a new experience that still could include mimosas. However, it also reminded me that life can take you many places but at Mimi’s, you’ll always have a little bit of Paris you can revisit again and again. And even if for no other reason than for those chocolate croissants. 

Just in time for the holidays: 
No time for a Mimi’s moment of your own? Then bring it home with you. Or better yet, let Mimi’s create a memorable holiday experience at home with their Holiday Feast To-Go that can feed all your holiday guests – for both brunch and dinner! 

Or are you looking for a personalized gift to give, but think gift cards don’t show your thoughtfulness? Mimi’s Cafe has gotten really creative with gift cards you can personalize for the holidays with voice messages and photos to really give it that personal touch!


For the nearest Mimi’s Cafe to you, visit their online locator.

Bon Appetit! 




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