Ore Ida Totchos Recipe and Review-Influenster Jingle VoxBox

Last month I received the Jingle VoxBox from Influenster. It featured a lot of nice products in it and one of them was a coupon to pick up some Ore Ida tater tots. And they challenged up to come up with our own version of totchos (tater tot nachos). You can check out the Ore Ida Totchos Hub for more recipe ideas. I decided to go with a Greek theme for my version of totchos-tater tots, chicken, feta, cucumber, tomato and tzatziki. Here's the recipe so you can enjoy them too.

1 1/2lbs. chicken breast - seasoned with greek seasoning and sautéed and chopped
tomatoes - chopped
cucumber - chopped
tzatziki sauce
feta cheese crumbles

Cook the tater tots and top with chopped chicken, tzatziki sauce, cucumber, tomato and feta cheese.

I thought the tater tots were nice and crispy when I deep fried them. They have a nice texture to them and I like how versatile they are.

*Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary to test from Influenster. The above thoughts are my own honest ones.*

Blue Diamond Artisan Nut Thins Review and Pairings (Sponsored)

Recently I was given the opportunity to try a couple new varieties of Blue Diamond Nut Thins. This time from their new artisan nut thins line-one with flax seeds and a multi-seed one too. Even though I was sent two boxes of nut thins to test and review for free threw Blue Diamond Tastemakers-the following review is my own honest thoughts about the products.

As I mentioned previously these are a great cracker for people who can't tolerate wheat and/or gluten in their diet. They have a nice crispy texture to them and I enjoyed the addition of seeds. I like both the flax seed and multi seed crackers. They both have a nice overall flavor to them. And they pair well with a variety of cheeses, meats, dips, ect.

One dip that pairs well with the Artisan Nut Thins is this pan fried onion dip I found on The Brown-eyed Baker's blog. I did modify it a little because I didn't have all the ingredients on hand and don't like cayenne pepper. I think I will try it sometime as written and use garlic instead of cayenne. I also really liked these crackers with chocolate fondue and cookie butter.

Blue Diamond Nut Thins Review and Pairings (Sponsored)

Recently I got the opportunity to try Blue Diamonds Nut Thins since I am a Blue Diamond Taste Maker I was sent two boxes of Nut Thins for free for testing and review purposes. The following review is my own honest thoughts. I decided it would also be great to share a couple pairings.

 

I like the crispy texture of these crackers and the slightly nutty taste. They are made with nuts and rice and they are gluten free. So, they are great for anyone with a gluten allergy. I also like that they don't contain anything artificial. 16 crackers contain 130 calories. I would definitely recommend them. While they are tasty straight out of the box, they also tasty nice paired with a variety of other foods. I thought I would share two pairings with you- one sweet and one savory.

Nut Thins with Strawberries, Cream Cheese, and Honey

Nut Thins with Blue Cheese, Baby Arugula, and Balsamic Glaze

Cooking with Blue Diamond -New Honey Roasted Flavors (Sponsored)

*We received 2 free cans of Blue Diamond Almonds because I am a Blue Diamond Taste Maker. The following thoughts and opinions are my own honest ones.*

 Recently we had the opportunity to sample some more Blue Diamond almonds from their honey roasted line-honey roasted vanilla almonds and honey roasted chipotle almonds.  I was most excited to try the honey roasted vanilla ones because I don't generally care for spicy flavored nuts. That being said all 4 of us enjoyed both the honey roasted vanilla flavor and the  roasted chipotle flavor. They aren't nearly as spicy as I thought they would be. I think adding honey to these flavors really gives them a great overall flavor. They are definitely quite tasty on there own for snacking.

Next we decided to get creative with them and try them in some recipes. For the honey roasted chipotle flavor we decided to use them as part of a coating for chicken tenders. So we took panko breadcrumbs, flour, salt and almonds and then coated chicken tenders with it. It was pretty good but it would have worked out better if we used an egg wash. I also think it needed a bit more salt. One other thing we would have done different ones used half seasoned bread crumbs and half plain breadcrumbs.

For the honey roasted vanilla flavor we decided to make a peach crisp and add the nuts in with the crisp part. I think the nuts added a nice crunch to the topping. The peach turned out pretty tasty. Here's the recipe that we used.

Mom's Peach Crisp from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
4 cups slice fresh peaches
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of cold butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats

Edited:
2 tablespoons of bourbon
1/4 cup of almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange peaches evenly in an 8x8-inch baking dish.
3. Mix flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl using a pastry cutter until evenly crumbled. Fold oats into flour mixture; sprinkle and press topping into peaches.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.  

 Hope everyone had a great summer. There will be more great sponsored content and regular content soon. :)
 

Summer Fun with Blue Diamond

Recently I had the opportunity to join the Blue Diamond Taste Makers. While I received a can of almonds and a bag of almonds for free for testing and review purposes the following opinions are my own honest ones. Almonds are a great on the go snack and Blue Diamond offers a wide variety of flavor options.

I had a chance to try the toasted coconut almonds and the blueberry ones. We decided to try the toasted coconut almonds in an ambrosia salad. We have made ambrosia many times but never with an nuts in it. And I decided to add the blueberry almonds to some homemade granola and ate it on top of some strawberry yogurt. I really like the crunchy texture that the coconut almonds added to the ambrosia. I liked the coconut almonds more than the blueberry ones. The blueberry almonds did taste nice in my yogurt. I would definitely purchase the toasted coconut almonds but probably not the blueberry ones. Here our version of ambrosia salad with blue diamond toasted coconut almonds-You should definitely give it a try.

Ambrosia Fruit Salad with Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
2 T sugar
1 C sour cream
1 20oz can of pineapple tidbits - drained
1 10oz can of mandarin oranges - drained
1 10oz jar of maraschino cherries - drained and chopped
3/4 C shredded coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 C chopped Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

Whip the heavy cream and sugar until it forms stiff peaks - whisk in the sour cream.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together.  Put in the refrigerator and chill for a couple hours before serving.

Ambrosia with Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds

Strawberry Yogurt with Granola and Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds

BzzAgent Kashi Hummus Crisps Campaign

Recently, I received an invite on BzzAgent to try Kashi Hummus Crisps for free. We eat a lot of hummus so I was excited to try out this product. When my bzzkit arrived I couldn't wait to try them. I was sent a bag of the sea salt and olive oil flavor as well as coupons to share with friends and family. They also have caramelized onion and sundried tomato, basil, and feta flavors. I was able to sample both of these flavors too-I got a bag of the sundried tomato, basil, and feta in my October Goodies Company box and we picked up a bag of the caramelized onion at the Christmas Tree shops.

These chips are great because they contain no partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. They also contain 6g of whole grains, 4g fiber, and 4g of protein. These crisps have a nice crisp and texture to them. The amount of flavoring on them is just right and not to over powering. I found the texture to be a bit different than other crisps but pleasant. I also found them to be highly addictive and all 3 flavors were enjoyable. They don't really taste like hummus but they have similar ingredients except for the tahini. Overall I really enjoyed these and can see myself picking up another bag soon.

Lifeway Frozen Strawberry Kefir-Influenster Campaign

*I was given the opportunity to try out the following product to test for free from Influenster and the company mentioned below. The following opinions are my own honest ones and I was not compensated for them in any way.

This summer I was given the opportunity to try Kefir for the first time. A website called Influenster sent me a free coupon to try any Lifeway Kefir product. I was excited to try this product. So, I took my coupon to Wegmans and decided to try the Frozen Strawberry Kefir. If you are not familiar with kefir it is fermented milk product that has more probiotics than yogurt.

Here's an explanation from Lifeway's website-"A fermented milk product, Lifeway Kefir is similar to drinkable yogurt but far more probiotic. While yogurt contains only two to three strains of “live and active” cultures, Lifeway is packed with a unique blend of 12 probiotic cultures."

They also sell some Greek versions of their products. I enjoyed being given the opportunity to be able to try a new product that I hadn't heard of before. The Frozen Strawberry Kefir I tried was a bit tart and slightly tangy. It was also a very refreshing and creamy Summer time treat. A half a cup serving is only 90 calories and it is 99% lactose free. Which is great since I have a slight dairy sensitivity. The probiotics rev-up your immunity and aid your digestion.

Flavors of The Season (Sponsored by Torani and SheSpeaks)

Recently I was sent two bottles of Torani syrup to test through the SheSpeaks panel blogger society. *Note: While this is a sponsored post the following oppinions are my own completely honest thoughts and I didn't recieve any compensation for them.* I recieved two bottles of syrup towards the end of last month and I was excited to see which seasonal flavors I would be sent. I decided to have Torani send me one sugar free and one regular. They sent me a bottle of sugar free salted caramel and a bottle of gingerbread syrup.

We decided to try them first in Italian sodas. I am not usually a fan of sugar free syrups but since my mom drinks them and so does my diabetic brother who was home for Thanksgiving I requested one sugar free bottle. After trying them in Italian soda we quickly decided these flavors are not well suited for this type of beverage.

After that we mulled over some more ideas in our head for a while and finally got the opportunity today to try out a couple of our ideas. We decided to try making a salted caramel whipped cream to top hot cocoa and other seasonal drinks. And we also added some gingerbread syrup to our sugar cookie batter. The hot cocoa with whipped cream as well as the gingerbread sugar cookies are quite tasty! I think if I was a coffee drinker I would enjoy these two syrup in lattes. I really enjoyed this program and can't wait to try out more recipes using the great syrup Torani sent us.

 

Plum Kuchen

I decided to try out a recipe from Cooking Light the other day. I have quite a sweet tooth so any time I see a dessert recipe that while satisfy my sweet tooth but doesn't have as many calories in it-I am willing to give it a try. I think that it turned out pretty taste and looks good too!

Here's a link to the recipe incase your interested in trying it out. I think it would make a great cake for a special occassion. Plum Kuchen recipe from Cooking Light.

Mushroom Growing Kit

Last month I entered an earth day contest on twitter with @TheMushroomChannel and won an oyster mushroom growing kit.  The kit is made by a company called Back to The Roots, you can find more info here: Mushroom Kit Info . 

The first step was to soak the mixture in water for 12 hours and then after that all you have to do is mist it twice a day and after 10 days you harvest the mushrooms. I am on day 2 of mushroom growing. I can't wait to see the mushrooms pop out of my box. :) Plus, after that I can turned the box around and open that side up and get a 2nd harvest. Here's what my kit looks like right now. I will keep you updated as my mushrooms start growing.

Raspberry Cream Pie

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delay in blogging-I am going to try and blog more often during the rest of 2012. :) Basically I was in a bit of a creative rut for a while and I also had a cold for a few weeks. I am feeling better now and I wanted to share the recipe for the raspberry cream pie my mom made for my birthday (feb 24th) this year. It was pretty tasty. Here's the link: Raspberry Cream Pie from Taste of Home

Homemade Marshmallows

Yesterday evening we finally got around to making some homemade marshmallows. We decided to make mexican vanilla marshmallows for out first attempt at them. They were fairly easy to make and I think they turned out well. They are definitely tasty! We used the recipe from smitten kitchen's blog that was adapted from Gourmet magazine. Which can be found here-Marshmallows Recipe. What flavor do you think we should try next? I was thinking perhaps a raspberry or a strawberry.

Afternoon Tea at The Hershey Pantry

Last Thursday my mom and I went to The Hershey Pantry for tea to celebrate my birthday. You can order the afternoon tea from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. You get an assortment of tea packets to use-Bigelow and Tetley Tea. I would have liked a little more variety in the tea bag selections. First they serve you the soup of your choice from the daily choices. We chose the chicken noodle soup-it is pretty tasty! The rest of our food came out on the three tiered tray pictured here:

1st tier: Raspberry Scones and Whipped Cream Cheese, 2nd tier: Grilled Ham and American Cheese-served on a pretzel roll with cucumbers, sprouts and herb sauce, Pantry Club-grilled turkey and bacon with brie, lettuce, tomatoes, and herb sauce; served on grilled multigrain bread. 3rd tier: Raspberry Tarts, Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars, Strawberry Napoleons, and Mini Creme Brulee's. Everything was very good. And we can't wait to go back and try some more of The Hershey Pantry's yummy food. :)

Toasted Almond and Cherry Nougats

A few days ago I decided that I really wanted to try making homemade nougat. So, I started looking through some info and recipes online. I finally decided on Emeril's Toasted Almond and Cherry Nougats on food network's website. I couldn't wait to try out the recipe and I was excited when my mom brought all the ingredients home yesterday. Until we realized that she had forgotten the candy thermometer. lol! After we got that straightened out we were ready to make our nougats.
Pictures (top to bottom) : Sugar Mixture, Whipped Mixture, Killer Nougat, Finished Nougats

These are very tasty-although weird as it may seem I think I prefer nougat plain. We had a fun time making them even though we got pretty sticky. Since we have so much nougat, we will probably share some.

Black Raspberry Swirled Muffins

I was going to try out another recipe from my muffin book but then I stumbled onto a recipe for Jam Swirled Muffins. I found it on a lovely blog called Technicolor Kitchen-here's the recipe. They are very tasty and I can't wait to try it again with other types of jam. The recipe calls for lemon juice if you need to thin the jam but I used some apple cider. Next time I will go back to my muffin book unless of course I stumble upon another recipe on the net.

Ashcombe's Farm and Green Houses

We took a drive the other day over to Ashcombe's Farm and Green Houses. I wanted to get one of their pecan pies. mmmm! We had a good time looking at all the plants, nic-nacs, and food. Here's some pictures from our trip.

Dragon Bones

Mango Cake
Plus we also stopped at some thrift stores to look at the old suitcases. My mom is making pet beds out of them. We found 2 blue ones and a pink one which should work. :)

Scallion and Goat Cheese Muffins!

Today I decided to try out another one of the recipes in my muffin book. I decided to try out the Scallion and Goat Cheese Muffins. They aren't bad but I think they need some herbs. I am thinking perhaps some of Penzey's sandwich sprinkle. Or you could use the goat cheese that already has herbs on it. I think I may try a sweet muffin recipe next. Here's the recipe in case you want to try it. *Note: Muffins pictured only have 4 oz of goat cheese in them and a little less scallions than the recipe called for. *

Scallion and Goat Cheese Muffins
adapted from: 1 Mix, 100 Muffins by: Susanna Tee
Makes about a dozen

Ingredients:
oil or melted butter, for greasing (if using on muffin pan)
2 cups of flour
1 tbsp. of baking powder
1/8 of salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper (didn't use)
1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
5 1/2 oz of goat cheese, finely diced or crumbled
2 large eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
6 tbsp. of oil or melted, cooled butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (200 degrees Celsius) Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with a dozen paper liners. Sift together the baking powder, flour, salt, and pepper to taste into a large bowl. Stir in the goat cheese and scallions.

Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl or pitcher, then beat in the oil and buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Stir gently until just combined, be careful not to over mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake in a preheated oven for about twenty minutes, until well risen, golden brown, and firm to the touch.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for approximately 5 minutes. Then serve them warm.

Vacation

Hello Readers,

I just got back yesterday from a trip to the Adirondacks with my grand parents. They have a permanent site in a camp ground there. I had a good time and I thought I would share some of my pictures.

~Banana Cream Pie from Buffalo Head Restaurant, This slice of pie is huge-3 of us shared this piece.

Cheese Fritters!

I decided to try out a recipe from my "Tapas" book the other day. I have wanted to try some of these recipes for a while now and finally got around to trying one out. These are pretty good but for some reason the fritter mixture was a bit to sticky. Also, the gorgonzola cheese didn't taste that strong for some reason, next time I think I will use more or perhaps try a hard cheese instead. Or perhaps some ham would be good too. The recipe makes a lot more than I thought. I ate a few earlier today that I heated up in the oven and they still tasted good. :)

Cheese Fritters
adapted from "Tapas" by Tomas Garcia

yields approximately 25

2 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes
1/2 stick of butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of blue cheese or hard cheese (used gorgonzola)
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
1 tsp mustard powder
3-4 Tbsp flour
2 large eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp seasoned panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups oil for deep frying

Boil the potatoes, then drain and mash with the butter. Mix in the eggs and cheese. Season with salt and pepper, adding the parsley, grated nutmeg, and mustard powder. This should be a firm but not overly smooth mixture. Let it cool.

Take about a tablespo0n of the mixture and form into fritters. Roll the fritters in the flour then coat in the beaten egg and lastly roll in the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-duty saucepan until the temperature reaches 350 degrees F. Fry in small batches for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.

Frazzini/Fracini

Last week we decided to make Fracini(just guessing at the spelling here) - I had been asking Mom to make it for a while now and we finally got around to it. We had to order the anise seeds from Penzeys because none of the stores in the area had any, how weird is that? I suppose you must be asking yourself what the heck is Fracini? Fracini is an Italian twice baked, really hard piece of bread made with anise seeds that you dip in your coffee or tea. When it is done it looks like a really stale donut. This is the only thing I will eat with anise seed in it. I eat them with margarine instead of dipping them in coffee as I don't drink coffee. Here are some pictures of the process followed by the recipe. :)

Fracini

Ingredients:

3 lbs. of flour (about 12 cups)(or maybe more...)

6 eggs

2 yeast packs (dry or fresh)

1/2 cup of shortening (or oil)

2 Tbsp. of salt

3 Tbsp. of sugar

1 quart milk or water (2 cups scalded milk/2 cups water)

1 to 2 Tbsp crushed anise seed(I went with 2, could even use more if you like)

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs; add the sugar, salt, and shortening. Add the 2 cups of hot milk; stir until the shortening is disolved. Then, add the remainder 2 cups of water. If it feels lukewarm to the touch add the flour a little at a time, then the yeast. Continue adding the flour until the dough doesn't stick to your hands. Put in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth and set aside, away from drafts for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Form dough in the shape of buns, some with holes and place on a cookie sheet for about 1 hr to raise. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, split with a fork and re-bake the halves for about 15 minutes till toasted at 375 degrees.