web analytics
You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for December 2009

Alouette Cheese Review and Appetizer Recipe

13 Dec posted by

Alouette-Goat-Cheese-Crumbles

I recently received a free product coupon from SheSpeaks, to try the new Alouette Freshly Crumbled  line of cheeses.  It took me a little while to find this product in a local grocer, but I located it at a Stop & Shop this week.   Alouette Crumbled cheeses are available in 7 varieties, but the store only carried the Feta, Goat or Blue Cheese.  I selected the goat cheese, since I love the tang it has.

The cheese was competitively priced at $3.49, for a 4 oz. container.  This is about average for goat cheese, but might be a little high for feta.   I found the packaging to be well designed.  A flap lifts opening about a third of the top of the container.  This would be especially effective for sprinkling on salads., and decreases the likelihood of an improperly secured top spilling out all contents if dropped.  The cheese itself had the firm texture I was expecting  and mild tang.

I decided to try this on a baked item and had some thawed puff pastry dough on hand, so I whipped together a simple appetizer.  The results were quite tasty, so I will be likely to pick this cheese up again when on sale. You can check out the recipe here:  Spinach and Goat Cheese Pastries

In addition to the new line of Crumbled cheeses, Alouette has also upgraded their spreadable line to “all natural” and is now offering their Baby Brie in a convenient wedge form.  Very recently they also introduced a new spreadable variety,  Sweet & Spicy Pepper Medley.   It has a mix of peppadew and roasted red peppers with herbs, and sounds wonderful.


Filed Under: Food, Food & Beverage, Reviews & Giveaways

Spinach & Goat Cheese Pastries: Recipe

13 Dec posted by

This recipe was developed because I had some thawed out frozen puff pastry on hand, when I was tasting some Alouette Crumble Goat cheese, for a review.  I only had about a half hour to spare, so I kept preparation simple.

spinach_goat_cheese_pastries

Spinach Goat Cheese Pastries

frozen puff pastry (pre-thawed)

frozen loose leaf spinach

Alouette Crumbled goat cheese

garlic

powdered chicken bouillon

2 eggs

Mrs. Dash (table blend)

tbs. milk

salt & pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Saute spinach with a little oil and garlic.  Season to taste with the bouillon, pepper and salt (salt last as bouillon is salty).  Set aside to cool a bit.
  3. Cut pastry dough in squares (a bit larger than the circumfrence of your muffin/tart tins.
  4. Push the squares down into the tins, to form shells.
  5. Fill the shells about 1/3 full with the spinach.
  6. Beat the eggs and eggs with a whisk.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and about a 1/2 tsp. of Mrs Dash table blend.
  7. Spoon some egg over the spinach in each each pastry.  Roughly a tbs. for the 3″ tarts I made was just enough.  Goal is to coat the spinach and just have a little leak in.
  8. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
  9. Bake on middle rack for 10 minutes.  (time will vary by tart size)  Once egg is just set and pastry is just starting to show color.
  10. Serve warm.
2 Comments
Filed Under: Recipes

Now I’m in the Christmas Spirit

12 Dec posted by

santa_sock_thumbnail

O.K. I’ve finally pulled out the Santa socks.  Now I’m ready for holiday business.  My shopping for the Toddler Queen is almost done.  Tree goes up today (going to use the white fake one again this year), and we are planning on taking her to the see the lights, at La Salette Shrine tonight.  On Thursday, she has a Christmas party at school.  I better start making cookies SOON!

How are your holiday plans progressing?

2 Comments
Filed Under: Family

Pineapple Pie Recipe

10 Dec posted by

pineapple pie

Pineapple pie is a family favorite around here.  It has always been my mother’s favorite, and growing up we all loved it.  When I met my husband I was surprised to find it was one of his favorites, as well (along with blueberry and cherry).  Although my mother baked frequently, for this particular type of pie, we usually had Table Talk, store bought pies.  None of the better bakeries made this pie.  Although eating a Table Talk pie, brings back childhood memories, it leaves something to be desired.  A few years back I decided to make my own recipe.  I’ve never had a mass produced pineapple pie again.  I usually make individual double crust mini-pies, which I bake in tart pans  (shallow muffin tins could also work).

Pineapple Pie Recipe

small_fillingPineapple Pie Filling:

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple w/ juice

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbs. cornstarch

  1. Mix all ingredients in saucepan
  2. Over med/high heat, keep stirring while you bring filling to a boil.
  3. After about a minute of boiling the filling should be thick enough.
  4. Take it off burner and set aside.

Pie Crust (see my Ultimate Pie Crust Recipe)

  1. Half of rolled out crust should be gently placed in pie plate.  It is better to nestle the dough then shape it, than to pull the dough down to the shape of the plate. (if making individual pies cut the bottom crust about figuring about an extra inch on all sides, larger than the size of each tin)
  2. Fill close to the top, but leave a little space so filling won’t bubble over.
  3. Dampen edge of crust with a damp cloth (so top crust will stick better.
  4. Place top crust on and press edges down .
  5. Trim off excess dough , and crimp edges.
  6. Cut a small slit in the top crust, to allow steam to escape.
  7. Bake at 425 degrees for approx. 30 minutes (mini pies will only take about half that time.
  8. Serve once cooled.
13 Comments
Filed Under: Recipes

How do You Give Back During the Holidays?

9 Dec posted by

christmas_angelGiving back to those in need especially during the holiday season, isn’t just helpful to the  community, it also teaches our children good values.   It can be humbling to remember, that no matter how bad your own situation looks this year, there are families far worse off.  We often get caught up in our own difficulties.  It can be therapeutic to remember, that if your family has a roof over it’s head, food on the table and everyone is generally healthy, you have much to be grateful for.  Even when we are tight on funds ourselves, there are many ways we can contribute.

  • Go through your family’s clothing.  Lightly used items which don’t fit, or just never get worn, should promptly be gathered and donated. 
  • I just went through my daughter’s toys.  Some never seemed to appeal to her, and are practically new.  I will be donating these this week.
  • If you are a savvy shopper.  You’ve found that by matching coupons to sales, some items can be obtained for free, or close to it.  If it isn’t something your family will use, you can always pass it along to charity.  Don’t overlook health and beauty items. 
  • Bake double of your holiday favorite, and gift it to a family in your area who you know is struggling this year.  Every little bit helps.
  • Donate your time.  Food pantries, toy drives and a host of other charitable organizations can use help.  If you are one of the many, who have found yourself out of work this year, make good use of some of that extra time, by helping others.
  • Little things online.  Make and extra effort to help out charitable promotions.  Retweet, blog about, or post on your FaceBook account links to charity drives or events.  Just spreading the word can help.
4 Comments
Filed Under: Family, Shopping

Getting Kids to Sleep

7 Dec posted by

sleeping_child

Getting my 2 1/2 year old daughter to bed at a reasonable hour, and getting her to stay in her own bed without wailing and waking the whole house, has been quite the ordeal.  She has Sensory Integration Disorder, and kids who have this are often not big sleepers.  We have had improvement in her sleep patterns, especially over the last month or so. 

Here are some of the things that have helped.

  1.  Make bedtime a “wind-down routine”.  I tell my daughter “Let’s go have relaxing time.”, and we chill out and snuggle for awhile.  It is important to have some consistency and not to “spring” bedtime on kids.
  2. Decide for yourself, what will relax your child.  Many frequently suggested “calming” activities don’t work for everyone.  (example: bath time is too exciting for some kids, and should be done at another time)
  3. Make sure your child is comfortable.  PJs that are too warm or itchy are sure bedtime disasters.
  4. If a child is having a hard time getting to sleep or wakes cranky in the middle of the night.  A small bland snack may help.  I give my daughter a slice of whole wheat bread and a small cup of milk. 
  5. While, you should be helping your child to wind-down before bedtime, some vigorous activity earlier in the evening will help them burn off excess energy.  Better to plan on wild play after dinner than having a restless child at bedtime.

If you are still having trouble getting your children to sleep, check out your favorite influential mom blogger, and see what she has to say.

6 Comments
Filed Under: Family

Peppery Swedish Meatballs Recipe

6 Dec posted by

My husband requested I make him Swedish Meatballs soon, so I dug out my recipe notes. This recipe is skewed specifically for his tastes, and is a bit heavy on the black pepper in my opinion. If you aren’t a black pepper nut like him, half of the quantity of pepper in this recipe would be more than sufficient.

swedish_meatballs

Peppery Swedish Meatballs Recipe

The Meatballs:

1/2 cup minced sweet onion

1 tbs. butter/margarine

1/4 tsp. salt

2 lb. of Meatloaf Mixture (ground beef, pork &veal)

3/4  cup bread crumbs

1 lg. egg

1/4 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground black pepper (1/2 tsp for less peppery)

1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash (table blend)

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1. Sweat the onions with the butter and margarine, then set aside.

2. In a large bowl hand mix all ingredients, including the onions once they have cooled enough to handle.

3. Roll into small balls.  Approx. the size of a walnut.

4. Brown the balls over med/high heat, just enough to put a light sear on the outside.

5. Drain grease from pan.

The Gravy:

1 cup of milk (2 % is fine)

1 tbs. butter/margarine

1 tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash (table blend)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (1/4 tsp. for less peppery)

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. salt

12 oz. jar of beef gravy

1/2  cup of water

1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs. sour cream

1. Add milk, butter &  flour together in saucepan and whisk over med/high heat intil sauce starts to thicken.

2. Add the reamining ingredients, mix well.

3. Pour the gravy over the meatballs. Add stir enough to ensure all the balls are thoroughly covered.

4. Simmer for approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Ready to serve.  I usually put them over buttered noodles, but sometimes serve them a la cart as an appetizer as shown in the picture above.

4 Comments
Filed Under: Recipes
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »
Email Feed Twitter Facebook