@Stonyfield Greek Is a Win (and an inexact smoothie recipe) #meatlessmonday

I try to only buy Organic dairy products for my family, which can get pretty pricey so when Stonyfield offered me the chance to sample their new flavors of Greek yogurt I jumped at the chance…even though I’m not generally a fan of anything with 0% fat.

In the last year or two, Greek yogurt has gotten pretty trendy–with almost every yogurt company trying their hand at making this thicker, creamier yogurt.  I don’t know of any other company that makes a fully Organic product free of GMOs.  But would the taste stand up?

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I figured that I’d get to try a container or two…but, as you can see, the folks at Stonyfield wanted to make sure that I could really get my taste on! I got to sample the new flavors: Cafe Latte and Black Cherry, in addition to already established flavors of  Blueberry, Super Fruits and Strawberry.

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Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes for Summer Fun!

**Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.”

I am one of *those* moms.

The ones who decorate complicated cakes for every birthday.  The ones who trot out batches upon batches of freshly baked and decadently iced cupcakes at the first sign of a cupcake-less preschool event.  I own not one, but two, of those crazy double decker cupcake carriers which, of course, I use to store the 12 zillion colors of food coloring, icing tips, colored sugar, sprinkles and cupcake wrappers that I keep on hand for a cupcake emergency.

The need to frost consumes me.

I tried once, a couple of years ago, to make a batch of those cutesy Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes that I’ve seen pictures of in various magazines and on other people’s blogs.  It was a huge fail of soggy cone and over-baked cupcake.

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A peek Into My Kitchen: My Mom’s Baked Spaghetti (mostly)

After posting the picture on Instagram and Facebook, I’ve owed the recipe to a number of people for quite a while. Somehow creating a casserole out of your spaghetti and sauce turns it into a much more exciting and satisfying dinner than just boiling noodles…not much additional work, trust me!

Baked Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

1 lb box spaghetti, linguini or cappellini

2 bunches fresh raw spinach, washed well and chopped coarsely (optional)

2-3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 stick unsalted butter

I 16 oz jar of your favorite sauce (homemade could work too, but I promised little work!)

½ cup cornflake crumbs

DIRECTIONS

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Hunkering Down for Hurricane Sandy with Coffee Ice Cubes

I can’t say that I’m terribly panicked about Hurricane Sandy. I live in uptown Manhattan, and though there seems to be a good chance that we will lose power and that my husband and I may have to work hard not to completely lose our minds while stuck inside with two stir-crazy kids, we should be relatively safe.

I have an empty cooler and a whole bunch of ice cubes ready, so that if power goes out I can keep perishables cold for a while. I have plenty of food, art projects and games, a fully charged DVD player and iPad, an Eton hand crank radio/flashlight/cellphone charger, candles, matches, flashlights, glow sticks and batteries.

The piece de resistance?

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Help Improve the Global Food System Using the GROW Method #wfd2012

The statistics are shocking:

•    Our planet produces enough food for everyone, yet 1 in every 7 people still go to bed hungry.

•    1/3 of the food produced for our plates ends up lost or wasted between farm and fork.

•    One lb of ground beef for your family uses more than 28,000 cups of water to produce—enough to overflow 20 bathtubs!

It’s so simple to help.

Use less meat. Buy produce in season.  Try not to waste.

You’ll probably even save yourself some hard earned cash–and who can argue with that?

Check out some Grow Method recipes on Pinterest or on Facebook .

Join the World Food Day Conversation!

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A peek Into My Kitchen: Sweet Potato, Corn and Wild Rice Chowder

I had some dental work done this afternoon, so I made a big pot of this soup this morning. With a whole grain loaf of bread, some good cheese and a side of roasted asparagus, it made a nice dinner for a gloomy day.

Sweet Potato, Corn and Wild Rice Chowder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

I large or 2 small onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 cups water

1 cup wild rice

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

generous pinch salt

4 cups diced sweet potatoes (about 3)

2 1/2-3 cups corn kernels–fresh, frozen or really good canned ones (if using canned, rinse well)

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