February 2012
Doritos Dinamita: Chile Limon
Substituting Spaghetti Squash for Pasta
When I was in Florida, my mom substituted the normal pasta used to make spaghetti and meatballs with spaghetti squash. I was surprised at how much my kids enjoyed eating it. I was determined to serve this for dinner at my house when I got back home.
Spaghetti squash takes a lot longer to cook than pasta, so you’ll have to keep that in mind when you are ready to prepare dinner. I like to place mild sausage links in my crock pot with Prego pasta sauce. I do this first thing in the morning and turn the heat setting to low.
The Atkins Diet: Bacon and Eggs for Breakfast
A few years ago everyone in the northwestern part of the United States over the age of 47 was on the protein diet; people loved the Atkins Diet. Why wouldn’t they? The basic diet consisted of a bacon and eggs breakfast, hamburgers without buns for lunch, and steak minus the potatoes for dinner.
I think the fad ended when Dr. Atkins died. Not necessarily because of the Atkins diet, but it did tend to make people wary of the diet. (Read this article from Snopes for the complete scoop on whether or not Dr. Atkins’ death was tied to a heart attack or not.)
McDonald’s Brings Back the Shamrock Shake
I still remember being a kid and wishing that McDonalds would have shamrock shakes year round, but alas they are only available for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. This year, however, McDonalds decided to take the shamrock shake to a whole new level. They introduced the green milkshake nationwide.
Over 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants now serve the holiday shake, whereas only select restaurants had it available before this year. According to CNN Money, the shamrock shake was first introduced in 1970, and even had its own mascot-Uncle O-Grimacey.
(Don't) Become A Guerilla Chef
How To Make A Basic Salad At Home
Tea Hoarding?
National Pancake Day Means Free Pancakes
I never knew there was such a thing as National Pancake Day. Since I love pancakes, however, I was very excited to make that discovery. Apparently, Tuesday, February 28th is National Pancake Day. This year IHOP is celebrating by offering free pancakes to its customers.
Here is how the deal works. You show up at your local IHOP restaurant on February 28th between the hours of 7 am and 10 pm and order a short stack of the restaurant’s famous buttermilk pancakes. You will not be charged for the pancakes at all. Instead, IHOP hopes you will find it in your heart to donate any dollar amount to the Children’s Miracle Network of hospitals.
A Soup, Even The Scale, Will Enjoy
Although many of us are still anticipating spring time and the shift to warmer weather, reality is that winter is still upon us and cool/cold weather continues nipping at more than our nose. On these cool days, nothing sounds better than a nice, hot bowl of soup to take the edge off. Yet, finding a delicious, healthy soup can be a challenge for those of us, wanting to ensure we continue watching our waistlines.
Often times, soup is packed with sodium…which we all know, in excess, is not the healthiest option for us. I live in a city where all four seasons make their presence. Winter involves snow and fall involves cool weather and changing leaves. With that being said, I consistently keep my eyes peeled for healthy soup recipes.
Go-Go Juice: The Secret Recipe Revealed
Foods You Can Turn Into a Heart Shape
Try challenging yourself this Valentine’s Day to see how many foods you can turn into a heart shape. Here are a few ideas to get you started, but I am confident you can come up with many more.
Breakfast
Pancakes: Pancakes are easy to turn into heart shapes. You can carefully spoon the dough onto the pan to create a heart shape, or carve the shape out with a knife.
Eggs: Scramble a few eggs and pour them inside a heart-shaped cookie cutter that has been set over a small frying pan.
Spice Is the Variety of Tea
Please forgive me for trying to be clever with the title. While I have not done a scientific survey, anecdotal evidence that I have collected from family and friends suggests most tea drinkers like to keep a variety of teas on hand, rather than drinking only one type.