While it's true that free stuff is fun, that doesn't mean it's always tasty. However, the free samples of Nabisco Fruit Crisps I received as a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher were quite nommable!
I wouldn't equate these exactly to a cookie, and they're not so thin that I think they're like a crispy flatbread. The best summation I can give is that these taste and feel like animal crackers for grownups. Remember those delicious, vanilla-y bites that came in the cardboard box (shaped like a railcar? #datingmyself)? Yep, these are quite snackable, with chewy, sweet-tart bits of dried cranberries in them.
I shared these with a friend and we both agreed they were tasty, not too high in calories (a serving size, 3 cookies, is only 140 calories), and are great on their own or with a shmear of low-fat yogurt, cream cheese, or cheddar! Add a handful of grapes or sliced apples and you have a yummy snack.
The cranberry version was good, but in a quick search of the web I see they have other flavors, including fig & honey--gotta find some of those. I would definitely pick up another bag or two--these are great to keep on hand when you want something crunchy and tasty, but don't want to raid the candy bar section at the office vending machine.
I actually hadn't noticed any commercials or print ads for Nabisco Fruit Thins before the tasting, but now I see them everywhere--even in magazines I'd leafed through already! I wouldn't have expected these to be so tasty, and would never have tried them on my own, so I'm glad Foodbuzz came to the rescue!
The voting is on for another 2 days--thank you to everyone who has taken the time to click on the heart in my profile box on Foodbuzz.com. It's very unnatural for me to ask for help or assistance like this--but I appreciate it so, so much! I want to take this blog up another notch--or three!! Ooh look--pizza!
Cheers, dear readers! It's time to click this link to vote for me in Foodbuzz.com's newest challenge: Project Food Blog! Would you kindly take a second and vote for yours truly?? Look for the yellow 'vote' sign under "My Trophies!" I'm looking at this contest as a way to breathe new life and new direction into this blog that I have so loved creating.
Feel free to send the link to my profile page to anyone else you might know who has a spare second to cast a crucial vote. I so appreciate it--and stay tuned! Lots of delicious stuff coming to this space soon! And quick shot of yummy food coming in three...two....
The folks at Foodbuzz.com have issued a delicious new challenge to their Featured Publishers: Project Food Blog. Thousands of bloggers (including me!) will compete through several rounds of challenges--they'll need enough votes to advance to the next round, and the ultimate winner gets ten grand and a feature on Foodbuzz.com for a year. All I need is for my readers (yes, you!) to vote, vote, vote for me! I'll let you know when ;) My first assignment: explain what makes me the foodie I am. This will not be a short answer! The simple theme at first: My approach is to make food approachable, whether it's finding affordable and delicious deals here in NYC, or putting together simple yet scrumptious recipes that just about anyone can do.
My main inspiration has been and always will be my mother. That woman can COOK. No, seriously. Ask anyone she's ever cooked for--decades later they will remember every bite. It's a good thing she's so great at it, because when my sister and I were growing up, cooking at home was almost always more affordable, and as I learned along the way, usually healther and tastier. Of course, back then I was an insufferably picky eater, and would turn my freckled nose up at Mom's homemade Hollandaise(!), anything with seafood, and God help us all if she tried to get me to eat salad. I was smart enough to gobble up her biscuits (heaven!), Boston Cream Pie, and my favorite dish, Chicken Tarragon. I'm sure she's relieved, maybe surprised, I developed a love for cooking myself, and this blog has morphed into a fun and wonderful way for me to share that with even more people. As I've mentioned before, there's something empowering about being able to take raw ingredients and feed yourself, and others, well. It's also usually so much healthier. Except when it isn't. And even then it's worth it. :) Working with Foodbuzz has also let me have even more opportunities to share food and friendship with the people I love--and I feel I can and will do so much more!
I've been doing this blog for quite some time now--I started it quietly, not even telling any of my friends and family at first, not sure, I guess, if I was up to scrutiny or sticking with it. But I managed both, and I'm so glad I stuck with it! I hope it comes through that I think cooking does not have to be complicated or difficult--making good food is usually a simple process, and I love hearing when people try a recipe on my blog and love it, or when someone tries snazzing up their usual menu with something exotic, simply because something I wrote (cooked/ate/baked) inspired them to do it. I also love it when people who don't even like to cook take the time to stop by and check in on me! Whether I'm trying out a new recipe, reviewing a local restaurant (or those far away), or just swooning over a gorgeous creation, I enjoy the camaradarie that's developed through having regular readers, friends, family, and new peeps, visit me here.
I'm definitely not a food snob--there's room in my life for Froot Loops AND foie gras (okay, not foie gras--I can't really stomach the stuff). I find value in both childhood favorites and daring, newer ventures. It's all part of our lives, and sometimes crunching on a bowl of artificially flavored loops of Froot is just the cure for a bleary Monday morning. Other times, my tastes might sway more toward the 'grown-up' arena. I'll try local favorites, like Montreal's smoked meats and eeek--poutine! (better than it looks), shockingly good Mexican in Martha's Vineyard (no really, I swear!), but I'll always come back to my love, the world cuisine of NYC. Crispy pig's ear? Yes please. Any cuisine you want? Oh yeah, we got that, too. I think I usually do a good job of capturing beautiful food on camera, but an upgrade to my pretty little Canon point-and-shoot sure wouldn't hurt! Neither would a PC that takes fewer than 20 minutes to start up each time. ;)
I've weathered layoff after layoff, the recession biting me right in the wallet, ups and downs in general, but I've always managed to find a way to make life delicious and share it with others. I'd like to go even further with this delicious little hobby o' mine, and I'll need your help to do it! Thanks for all of the support, comments, encouraging emails, and other fabulous feedback you've given me over the years! It means everything!
Foodbuzz.com's theme this month is smart snacking, and I knew exactly which recipe I'd share. It's not heavy on the pictures, but trust me--this is deeeeelicious!
All you need are fresh raspberries, strained plain yogurt (I took Greek yogurt and strained it overnight anyway), honey, and gingersnaps. I bought the gingersnaps at Trader Joe's (oh, I love thee....)
While you do drain the yogurt overnight, this is an otherwise quick dish. Mix in the raspberries and honey to the yogurt, spread on zingy gingersnaps, and just try to control the urge to eat the entire bowl! Then it's not so much snacking as snarfing. But still, enjoy!
Foodbuzz.com's special product today is the mandoline, which they're offering at 60 percent off!* I bought mine last year at the Williams-Sonoma outlet (how I heart that store!) and I love it! It's the perfect way to slice uniformly ribbon-thin or super-chunky pieces of food, from zucchini ribbons (like in my lasagna) to waffle-cut fries.
If you're someone who worries about cutting yourself with a knife, you might want to consider a mandoline. The blades are safely contained in the mandoline, and it comes with a food guard that attaches to the food itself, keeping your fingers far away from the razor-sharpness.
I sliced up the rest of my zucchini today for dinner. I decided to see just how thin I could get the veggies. These slices were so thin, I almost had to double up the pieces so the camera could focus on them. Sweet.
Do you have a mandoline? If so, what is your favorite food to dice, slice, or julienne?
*You do not have to be a food blogger to enjoy foodbuzz.com, just someone who loves food! :)
One of my philosophies in eating, baking, cooking is to use real stuff! I use real butter, whole foods (as much as I can) and REAL vanilla extract. None of that artificially-flavored junk for me! It's not a snob thing (I eat Twinkies, I am NOT a food snob!), it's just that this ingredient REALLY makes a different to my taste buds.
The folks at Foodbuzz.com are offering one of my favorite vanillas, Nielsen-Massey, at a 14% discount today. This is definitely my favorite type of vanilla--from Madagascar. Tahitian is nice, too, and Mexican vanilla is a distant third. I used to LOOOOVE Mexican vanilla, but now I find the flavor far too strong. Hands down, the Madagascar type wins with me. If you don't have some already in your pantry, why don't you stop on by their site?
And while we're chatting, what's the one ingredient you won't compromise? Butter? Flavorings? Chocolate? Do share!
The fabulous foods at Foodbuzz.com are offering 25 percent off of today's special tool--grilling baskets! I have to say, grilling is probably my weakest area (yes, even more than baking!) ABF & I plan to do a lot of grilling this summer. Has anyone used this basket, either this brand or another one? Let's hear your feedback--what do you think? What is your favorite food on the grill?
Okay, I admit it. I'm a salsa snob. I make my own, working off a recipe my mother learned from a friend of ours from Mexico. Yes, it's a state secret, and yes, I'm pretty sure my mom would cut me if I gave it to you. So when Foodbuzz.com sent me 2 complimentary jars of the 'new and improved' Pace Picante Sauce (part of the Tastemaker program I signed up for), this salsa snob scoffed. I rolled my eyes. And I let the jars sit on my pantry shelf for a good long while. One night, making my weekly batch of tuna fish for lunch, I glance up and saw the jar of Pace. Hmmm...how would tuna mixed with Pace taste? I decided to give it a try, but I wasn't ready to commit to blog about it unless I really, really liked it. I know there are critics who relish eviscerating a dish, but I'd much rather extol the virtues of a perfectly-executed plate than waste time and calories on some not-so-good grub.
Here's all you need: a jar of Pace Picante Sauce (I used the mild in this case), a little bit of sour cream, a can of tuna and some Pepper Jack cheese. PJ Cheese makes EVERYTHING better. I figured even if this turned out awful, I wasn't out that much money (the sour cream was already in my fridge, the Pepper Jack cheese and the tuna fish were on sale at FreshDirect.com, and the salsa was FREE!).
I mixed the tuna and the salsa together. It smelled pretty decent, even if it didn't look so pretty. I took a bite, and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. It could only get better from here!
Next step, a thin but smooth layer of sour cream. You could certainly use plain Greek yogurt here if you want. I popped this under the broiler for 3 minutes, just to warm it through and get it ready for the cheesy, delicious topping.
I sprinkled a scant cup of shredded Pepper Jack and popped it back under the heat for another 3 minutes, standing guard because I know how quickly it can go from broiled to burned! I opened the door as soon as the timer went off and let out a low, victorious chuckle...oh, this was gonna be good. Ooey, gooey, cheesy, salsa-y goodness.
I doled out a healthy helping on top of some crumbled tortilla chips and went to town. This might be my new favorite snack dip! It's ready in under 10 minutes, it cost me less than five dollars, and it is delicious! The tuna isn't fishy, and it gives the dip some heft. The pepper jack gives it some heat (I wish I'd remembered the Medium-Spicy jar of Pace was already in my fridge before I made this!), and the sour cream cools it all down again. And to my surprise, the veggies really ARE still crunchy! So help me, I swear they were STILL. CRUNCHY. I'm actually impressed.
That's all for now from this salsa snob: stripped of her skepticism (and in the most delicious way). Thanks again to the awesome people at Foodbuzz.com and from Pace Picante Sauce for the free food and the chance to share it with my visitors!
**NOTE: If you've stumbled upon this blog by way of Foodbuzz.com, welcome! I hope you'll add me to your regular sites and visit often!!!! Feel free to comment, browse through old postings, make yourself at home!!**
Last night's Recession Recipes party was a blast! I proposed to Foodbuzz.com that I do a bunch of recipes that were wallet-friendly without tasting like it. I was even more delighted when FreshDirect.com put nearly half of my needed ingredients on sale---serendipitous savings!!! I made homemade salsa, black bean salsa, white bean dip, fajitas, pork medallions, and cappuccino panna cottas (my first try)! The real star of the show, however, was the asparagus gruyere tart. I found the recipe a few months ago in a Martha Stewart email and filed it away for future use.
As the tart was almost finished, I stepped outside with the BF to make sure his parking spot was legit (it was). While I was gone, my fabulous friends made sure the tart came out of the oven at exactly the right time. They were also lovely enough to help me eat it all. I should have made two of these! The recession-recipe part was even moreso, as FreshDirect.com had asparagus on sale this week--woo hoo! The tart looks quite impressive, but is sooo easy to put together. You bake the puff pastry a bit, add the cheese & asparagus, a splashing of olive oil, salt and pepper, cook another 20 min, and ta-daaaaah!
I made sure to bring some pickled garlic from Sahadi's (post coming later this week), which is an addictive snack I discovered through meeting Yoga Jen! It's not at all garlicky--it's more pickly. The garlic is crunchy and salty--it WON'T give you garlic breath, and you can eat all you want and not wake up the next day reeking of garlic. I think we probably all knocked about 20 points off our cholesterol just by popping a few of these babies. ;)
Earlier this week, I used about 2 dollars' worth of fresh watermelon and canteloupe to infuse a cheap bottle of tequila (about 20 bucks). For the price of 3-4 drinks at a New York City bar, I had enough for about 5 times that! My friend Carlota was our bartender for the evening, and she kept the fresh and tart drinks flowing--we were quite happy! The watermelon gave it a fresh sweetness, and the infusing part couldn't have been easier! I definitely will be trying this again. To make the drinks even more fun, Carlota brought CRAZY STRAWS!!! Everyone had one, and it made the evening even more fun. We reminisced about how our parents used them to get us to drink our milk when we were younger (a feat even easier if said milk was chocolate!), and now, here we were, sipping grown-up drinks and still having fun.
I had a test run for the white bean dip earlier this week, but found the raw garlic was too sharp, so earlier in the day on Saturday, I tried my hand at roasting garlic for the first time (yeah, I took a lot of chances that day!) It came out beautifully (if a bit messily), and it really made all the difference in this dip. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of the roasted garlic, but I used nearly the whole head of it! It's quite healthy for you, too, and as I had olive oil, lemon juice, and salt already on hand, the only out of pocket cost for me was 2 dollars for the cans of cannellini beans! CHEAP! TASTY! PERFECTION! That was all gone by night's end, too.
I made the black bean dip the day before, as that needs an overnight chill to really get kicking. 2 cans of black beans (99 cents each), some canned corn (1.29), a .75 cent red onion, and a healthy helping of freshly-squeezed lime juice are the main components of this tasty dish, which was even more scrumptious this morning as leftovers for breakfast.
I hope my friends had as much fun as I did last night. I had friends from different areas of my life gelling with others, and we seemed to be mixing quite well. We were laughing, eating, taking pictures of us laughing and eating (thought not everyone approved their photos for blog use, a right which I fully respect!), and before I knew it, the night was over and everyone left stuffed. That meant my work was done. ;) People didn't even have room for my panna cottas, but I gave one a try and HA! I did it!! I used a recipe I saw earlier this week on Brian Boitano's new cooking show. I can't believe I pulled these off on my very first try! The coffee flavor was strong but not overpowering, and they were sweet but not too sweet. I have a few leftover panna cottas in the fridge, and they definitely won't last long!
And I can't forget what the BF brought: a perfect summery end to the night: a summer fruit tart! For the price of two desserts at your average restaurant (15 dollars), he brought enough tart for everyone! The fruit was fresh and flavorful, and the custard wasn't too sweet--this tart was a winner! Holly P was also a photographer/videographer for the evening: she captured a clip of me using my awesome Shun Santoku knife to cut a slice of tart before she left! (my don't discriminate quote was referring to how she shouldn't have to choose one dessert over another!)
Thanks again to everyone for coming out on that hot, humid August night, and helping me eat the fruits of my (money-saving) labor! Having company is always fun, and it was great to have a night in without breaking the bank. Just because we're all pinching pennies these days doesn't mean we have to live on bland, boring food! You can eat good, healthy, delicious food, and our Recession Recipes night proved it! I'm quite proud of myself for trying new things and succeeding, and quite blessed to have great friends who came out and encouraged me to go for it! Thanks also to Foodbuzz.com for selecting my proposal!!
Eternal Optimist living in NYC. From awesome restaurants to home-cooked meals, I'm living a life I love, one bite at a time! Not all posts are NYC-centric, though--I spread the love on vaca and other jaunts!(PS: I abuse parentheses often and without remorse)
