15 Ice Cream Recipes to Cool Down With...

We're experiencing a slight heat wave here in Chicago and that means it's time to crank the ice cream machine! With so many flavors to choose from, I'm having a hard time deciding what to make this time around. If you're craving ice cream as well but don't know what flavor to churn up during these hot summer days, here are 15 Ice Cream Recipes to Cool Down With...

Jucy Lucy Burgers & World's Easiest French Fries

Article first published as Juicy Lucy Burgers and the World's Easiest French Fries on Blogcritics.

I'm a burger girl. I'd pick a burger any day over any sausage, hot dog or bratwurst. However, my husband is just the opposite since he doesn't eat beef very often due to health reasons. So when I do make burgers at home, I have to make sure they meet my expectations. Nothing's worse than a bland, dry, burger with no flavor. Thankfully these Jucy Lucy Burgers met my expectation and then some. These burgers had a delicious cheesy surprise in the middle that will have any cheeseburger fan raving. Even better was pairing them with the World's Easiest French Fries! It was a wonderful meal that we washed down with Black Cherry Milkshakes.

S'Mores Cookie Bars

Article first published as S'Mores Cookie Bars on Blogcritics.

Chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. If you haven't already paired these ingredients together, you should! Growing up, s'mores were a favorite summertime treat we'd enjoy. It wasn't exactly the easiest or neatest thing to eat but it didn't matter. The combination of melted chocolate, warm and gooey marshmallows and a sweet crispy cracker was just so good in any which way you could eat it! Now with summer just around the corner, you can combine these three ingredients with the same great flavor and without the mess. These S'Mores Cookie Bars takes all the things you love about s'mores and makes it portable and easy to enjoy...

Sunday Fun Day Giveaway: 125 Best Blender Recipes Bookazine!

Happy Sunday! Hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day Holiday weekend and are looking forward to a good week ahead! First off, I have to apologize for the delay in announcing winners for the recent giveaways. Apparently my posts were eaten up somehow, therefore it didn't post as scheduled. Going forward, I'll announce the winners each Sunday within the next giveaway post. Now, here's a big Congratulations! to the winners for the recent giveaways! Please shoot me an email at itsjoelen@gmail.com to claim your prize...

Dealavue $25 Gift Certificate Winner: Comment #4!

Saucy Mama Condiment Kit Winner: Comment #37

We're on the cusp of June... which means summer will officially be here soon. (Or maybe, not soon enough...) With summer in mind, one of the best things I enjoy on a hot summer day is a cool, icy drink. I'll take it on the rocks or better yet, blended and sipped through a straw... which is why I tend to use my blender quite a bit during the summer months!

A blender is one small appliance that I need in my kitchen. In fact, it's probably one of the most under-estimated tools in the kitchen. With it, I love making drinks, smoothies, sauces, dips, dressings, etc. The list could go on and on! So if you need some inspiration or encouragement to use your blender, then this week's Sunday Fun Day Giveaway is just for you...

This week, I'm giving away this 'bookazine' (like a thick magazine that reads like a cookbook) dedicated to blender recipes... just in time for summer entertaining!..

The 125 Best Blender Recipes, a special 116-page bookazine is filled with quick and easy ideas for hot weather staples, from fresh smoothies and shakes to cool and creamy desserts to blended cocktails, all from the editors of Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Country Living.  The 125 Best Blender Recipes also includes recipes for speedy hors d’oeuvres, light entrées and no-stress party menus, complete with entertaining tips, plus a blender buying guide. A detailed recipe index divides dishes by category, with appetizers like Speedy Hummus (pg. 39) and Arugula Pizza (pg. 36), salads such as the Mediterranean Shrimp Caesar Salad (pg. 55), soups like the Chilled Cucumber-Melon (pg. 57) and entrées including Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Sauce (pg. 78) and Whole Wheat Rotini with Walnut Pesto (pg. 77), making it easy to plan new meal ideas and party menus.

The folks of Hearst Magazine were so kind to send me a copy and one to a lucky reader. From this bookazine, I've made a few  recipes which I'll be featuring soon. Ones I've tried include the Frozen Peach Bellini, Frozen Strawberry Pina Colada and a couple of smoothies. The bookazine is full of so many recipes that span across drinks, dressings, soups, entrees, and even a few desserts! Surely, you'll find something you'll like in this bookazine... and if you don't win, no worries! You can find this on newsstands nationwide!

Some guidelines:

- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States - my apologies to my non-United States readers!

- You must have a valid email address (within your comment or blog link) so that you can be contacted if you win.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering: 

What's the last thing you made using your blender?

Deadline: Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 12 midnight CST.

One winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Sunday, June 5, 2011, within next week's Sunday Fun Day Giveaway. Good luck!

Full Disclosure: The giveaways are sponsored by the same company that provided me with the food related product to review. Products I review and offer as a giveaway are ones I personally recommend and would use/enjoy myself.

Foodbuzz 24x24: Grilled Cheese, Please! Party

A grilled cheese sandwich is such a simple thing... or is it?! At first thought, it may be simple enough. With two slices of bread and some cheese, how much simpler could it get? Well, I think there's much more to a grilled cheese sandwich so I hosted a special Grilled Cheese, Please! Party with family and friends. This party was all about taking the very simple grilled cheese sandwich and elevating it to something even more special. With an assortment of both sweet and savory fillings, we all gave the traditional grilled cheese sandwich a tasty makeover.

To make our event even more special, FoodBuzz is featuring our Grilled Cheese, Please! Party for their May 24x24 Food Event. The FoodBuzz's 24x24 Food Event showcases food blog posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers of 24 unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period. I was thrilled to be featured this month!

 

Smashed Potatoes

Article first published as Smashed Potatoes on Blogcritics.

As much as I love rice, there are just some dishes that are better paired with potatoes. With the recent Batter Fried Chicken I made, I accompanied them with these Smashed Potatoes. These potatoes are rich, slightly creamy and one of the first things finished off during dinner. It couldn't be any simpler to make as well! If you need a differed potato recipe to try, these Smashed Potatoes is a definitely winner!

10 Recipes to Get Your Grill On...

This upcoming Memorial Day weekend, we plan on grilling up a feast to celebrate. What are your plans? It's definitely grill season and with that, I've been scouring cookbooks and websites for some great recipes to try. There's something about grilled dishes that really makes summer more fun. It might be the fact of being outdoors cooking, the smoky flavor imparted by grilling or just the overall ease in grilling all together. If you're looking for some things to throw on the grill, here are 10 Recipes to Get Your Grill On...

Batter Fried Chicken

Article first published as Batter Fried Chicken on Blogcritics.

I've been inspired by Southern food lately. Perhaps it's because the South reminds me of sunny days and warm weather... something that Chicago isn't getting enough of lately. On the top of my Southern food list is fried chicken. It's a staple to the cuisine where it seems as though everyone has their own special secret recipe on how it's done. This time around I was intrigued when I came across a recipe for Batter Fried Chicken. This may not be the most healthy meal but it sure hit the spot. Succulent chicken is dipped in a seasoned batter and fried to a golden brown. It's so good, I'm still craving it nearly a week or so later!...

Jarritos Tasting & Review

Not too long ago, friends came over for a Mexican inspired dinner. We enjoyed quite a feast of chicken tacos, black beans & rice, chips, guacamole and mango sorbet. (Recipes coming soon!) To add some fun to our dinner, I also included Jarritos soft drinks and had a tasting of quite a few flavors. If you're not familiar with Jarritos, it's a soft drink largely popular within Mexican culture.

More than fifty years ago, Jarritos was introduced as Mexico’s first national soft drink. Today, Jarritos is the leading brand in the US in the Mexican soft drink category and has become a Mexican cultural icon. Whether it is the distinctive glass bottle or the 12 unique and great fruit flavors, Jarritos can be found throughout the US in major and independent grocery stores, Mexican restaurants, taquerias, catering trucks and convenience stores. Jarritos flavors are a reflection of Mexico in its array of traditional Mexican flavors made with 100% natural sugar including: Tamarind, Mandarin, Fruit Punch, Jamaica, Lime, Grapefruit, Guava, Pineapple, Strawberry, Mango, Watermelon, and Lemon-Lime.

Jarritos was kind enough to provide me with a large sampling above including:

Guava
Fruit Punch
Strawberry
Jamaica (Hibiscus flower)
Mango
Tamarind
Mexican Cola
Pineapple

Lime
Grapefruit

What makes Jarritos unique is that these sodas are more carbonated than the usual soft drinks here in the United States but more importantly, they are sweetened with natural sugar cane instead of high fructose corn syrup... something I definitely appreciate. The sodas really tasted like the flavors they were named. Here's how we described each of the sodas:

Guava - A subtle sweetness with a light refreshing aftertaste.
Fruit Punch - Sweet and candy like!
Strawberry - Tastes just like liquid strawberry hard candies.
Jamaica (Hibiscus flower) - A floral aroma with a unique flavor... almost like a sweet floral tea.
Mango - Unmistakeable mango flavor that's not too sweet.
Tamarind - An acquired taste... if you like tamarind candy, you'll love this!
Mexican Cola - Just like cola soda but better without HFCS!
Pineapple - Another favorite of the group with a light and refreshing flavor.

Lime - True lime flavor without being too sweet.
Grapefruit - Refreshing and a nice blend of citrus notes.


This summer, there will be quite a few grilling parties... some of which I plan on hosting with a Mexican theme. You can be sure I'll have Jarritos on hand to wash things down! I love that they come in a variety of flavors where everyone can find one they like. So if you're looking for something different than the usual beer and sodas for summer gatherings, give Jarritos a try and make your next party a little more colorful and tastier!

Full Disclosure: Jarritos provided me with a sampling of their products in exchange for this review. Though this review was sponsored, all of the opinions expressed above are mine alone.

Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

Quiche is simply under-appreciated in my opinion. I've been into quiche lately because it's a great foundation to build up a recipe using random ingredients you have on hand. I had an excess of spinach and mushrooms recently and by preparing this Spinach & Mushroom Quiche, I was able to use it all up without any leftovers to be seen! The hearty spinach and mushroom mixture pairs up with a smooth and creamy egg base, with a sprinkling of crumbled bacon. It's filling, delicious and makes for a nice light dinner with a side salad...

14 Burger Recipes to Grill Up!

This weekend will be when many folks will dust off their grill and start grilling! If there's one thing that I love to grill, it's burgers. It doesn't matter if it's beef, chicken, turkey or even veal... there's something about grilling these patties and enjoying them in between a soft bun topped with various ingredients. If you're looking for some new ways to prepare some burgers, here are 14 Burger Recipes to Grill Up!...

Ham & Cheese Croquettes

Article first published as Ham & Cheese Croquettes on Blogcritics.

Not too long ago, friends came over for a Spanish themed dinner I prepared. When creating dinner menus, especially for guests, I like thinking about restaurant menus and what I'd order. For Spanish tapas, a must-order dish are croquettes. The most popular ones I've seen at restaurants are like these Ham & Cheese Croquettes. I came across a recipe and it worked like a charm. These crunchy coated pillows were filled with a creamy ham and cheese middle. The contrast in texture definitely makes it more enticing....

8 Kabob Recipes for Summer Fun

Ah... the joys of eating things on a stick! Now that I have my grill out of storage, I'm looking forward to the coming months of kabobs on the grill. What would a summer be without kabobs anyway? Whether you tend to skewer on chicken, beef, pork or even shrimp, it's great to enjoy them on a stick and move about. If you're looking for some new or different kabob recipes to try out this season, here are 8 Kabob Recipes for Summer Fun...

Icebox Strawberry Pie

 Article first published as Icebox Strawberry Pie on Blogcritics.

Ah, my husband. He has these small little food aversions that I just will never understand. First off, there's his aversion to peanut butter. (Gasp! Yes... I know.) Another is eggplant. (Oh, how I long to make an eggplant parmesan!) And one that blows my mind is strawberries. Yeah. How is that possible? It's sad, I tell you. Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits to play with in the kitchen and if I make something with it, I need to have friends and family lined up to call over to help me eat it or package them up to give as food gifts. Such was the case for this Icebox Strawberry Pie. I loved this pie and I'm anxious to make it again this summer for cookouts! Bursting with strawberries and topped with a creamy whipped topping, it's a sweet taste of summer in a slice of pie...

Sunday Fun Day Giveaway: Saucy Mama Condiment Kit

Happy Sunday! Hope you are enjoying the weekend and are looking forward to a good week ahead!  Somehow my previous text was erased and so I'm having to recall what I initially wrote. Blah! Saucy Mama recently had a recipe contest among 50 bloggers and I was chosen to participate. Of course, the folks at Saucy Mama didn't make it so easy. We were to use only 5 ingredients, one being a selection of Saucy Mama ingredients to create an easy recipe. 'Free ingredients' included salt, black better, and cooking oil. To kick things off, Saucy Mama sent me a package with the following condiments to play with...

Apricot Ginger Mustard

Tarragon Lemon Mustard

Dijon Mustard

Sweet Heat Marinade

Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Given this challenge, I came up with an original recipe for Tarragon Lemon Chicken, using Saucy Mama's Tarragon Lemon Mustard...

Tarragon Lemon Chicken

original Joelen recipe

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place chicken in a zip top storage bag with the mustard and minced garlic. Marinade at least 1 hour up to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a skillet over medium high heat with oil.

Remove chicken from zip top storage bag and season with salt and pepper to your tastes. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.

When oil in skillet is hot, add coated chicken and pan fry until browned. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear.

I served this over a wild rice pilaf and side salad.

As a result of this contest, Saucy Mama was also generous to provide a set of Saucy Mama Condiment Kit to one lucky reader! The kit includes:

Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade

Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon Mustard

Saucy Mama Pacific Rim Ginger Dressing

Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States - my apologies to my non-United States readers!
- You must have a valid email address (within your comment or blog link) so that you can be contacted if you win.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:

What condiment can you not live without?

Deadline: Saturday, May 27, 2011 at 12 midnight CST.

One winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Sunday, May 28, 2011, within next week's Sunday Fun Day Giveaway. Good luck!

Full Disclosure: The giveaways are sponsored by the same company that provided me with the food related product to review. Products I review and offer as a giveaway are ones I personally recommend and would use/enjoy myself.

Kitchen Playdate: Milk & Cookies Party

Today was a super fun day for both Joel and I. Both of us hosted our first playdate party with friends and it was a great success. Our theme was Milk & Cookies where moms brought homemade cookies to swap while the kids had a playdate. It was a full house and it was great to have some kids for Joel to play with and other moms I could chat with.

For the party, I prepared a simple lunch spread of turkey sliders and all the fixings, chips, baby carrots with ranch dressing, bananas and strawberries. Dessert was a lovely spread of cookies that everyone brought to share... and an added bonus was a milkshake bar for folks to have fun with.

The cookies were all fantastic! I've already had more than I should and I'll be posting recipes of each soon. Here's a quick preview of what our cookie swap included...

Brazilian Coconut Cookies

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Earthquake Cookies

M&M Cookies

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Red Sugar Cookie

S'mores Cookie Bars

Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

So let's talk about the Milkshake Bar! It was a great treat for everyone to play with various ingredients to make their own custom milkshake. On the bar, I had fresh strawberries, bananas, cut up mango, toasted peanuts, chocolate mint chips and maraschino cherries. I also included peanut butter, hot fudge sauce and strawberry sauce. Folks had the choice between chocolate and vanilla ice cream, any of the toppings/mix-ins and sauces. Milk was on hand (as any household with kids is) along with whipped cream to top the shakes off...

Joel loved playing with all the kiddies. There was a whole range of ages... from 3 1/2 months up to 9 years old. There was definitely a split of itty bitty babies (less than 6 months old), totaling up to 5 I believe... and toddlers (11 -24 months old), totaling up to 7... and lastly, a 3.5 year old and 9 year old. That's 14 kids at one time... eek!

Here are some pictures we took at the very end. We certainly didn't get everyone since you can only imagine how hectic everything was with 14 kids and 10 moms. But hopefully at our next playdate party, we'll be sure to take more pics of everyone! (It's funny how Joel is just gnawing away at his cookie while things are going on around him lol...)

10 Finger Lickin' Good Dishes with BBQ Sauce...

For many folks, grilling and BBQ season is around the corner. Although, I envy those who have the luxury to be able to grill and BBQ all year round! BBQ sauce will definitely make it's way onto the summer tables and if you're like me, you'd prefer to make BBQ sauce from scratch instead of buying it at the store. It's easier than you think and you just might have all the ingredients already in your pantry. Aside from using as a condiment, BBQ sauce is great on ribs, chicken and pork. It's a sauce I enjoy cooking and grilling with and if you need some inspiration on how to use it, here are 10 Finger Lickin' Good Dishes with BBQ Sauce...

Skillet BBQ Pork Chops

The weather is starting to come around and I'm yearning to use my grill! It's still in storage but we plan on picking it up soon - I can't wait. So in the meantime, I have to make do with preparing grilled favorites indoors and on the stovertop or oven. These Skillet BBQ Pork Chops are a delicious alternative to the seasonal grilled version. What I love most is the sweet and smoky homemade bbq sauce that this is glazed with! It really enhances the pork chops and makes this truly finger lickin' good...

10 Muffin Recipes to Wake Up To...

Mornings at our house are probably the most involved time of day for us. My husband's getting ready for work, I'm juggling getting my little guy dressed for the day and preparing breakfast for everyone. There are definitely moments when I wish breakfast could be easier to put together. The good thing is, there is a way! Muffins are a time (and sanity!) saver, especially if made in advance the night before. You could even bake up a batch, cool, individually wrap and freeze. that way, you can take what you want, pop it in the microwave or just let it come to room temp before enjoying.  My little guy is also a fan of muffins, especially when baked up in a mini muffin pan. So if you're looking for an easy breakfast, here are 10 Muffin Recipes to Wake Up To...

Strawberry Buckle Muffins

Article first published as Strawberry Buckle Muffins on Blogcritics.

One of my favorite summer ingredients is strawberries. They've always been my favorite since I was young and part of the reason was due to my childhood visits to a nearby strawberry farm. Everywhere I look these days, strawberries are on sale and it's hard to pass them up! With a fridge full of these delightful berries, I wanted to try out something different. These Strawberry Buckle Muffins were the perfect choice and oh so good! Plump strawberries are folded into a sweet muffin batter and topped with a crunchy oatmeal and cinnamon sugar topping - yum!

15 Ways to Rice It Up...

There's no question that we are definitely a rice loving family. Growing up, we ate rice three times a day at every meal. In fact, a necessity in my mom's kitchen was a large rice dispenser that would automatically measure out 1 cup, 3 cups and 5 cups of rice. Man, I could use one of those in my kitchen now. But I digress. Rice is one of those ingredients that can be found in pretty much any cuisine and can really take on any flavor. And these days, you can find all sorts of rice varieties (white, brown, red, black, etc) and sizes (short, medium, long, sticky, etc.) If you're tired of the usual pasta and potato side dishes, here are 15 Ways to Rice It Up...

Chicken & Chorizo Paella

Article first published as Chicken and Chorizo Paella on Blogcritics.

The other night, I had friends over for dinner and decided on a Spanish dinner theme. One reason for this theme was because I scored a really awesome cast iron paella pan at a thrift store for $3! I've been anxious to use it and having a Spanish dinner night was the perfect reason. Come to find out, my guests haven't had Spanish food before so I was happy to provide a slight introduction. Although traditional paella involves seafood, I made this Chicken & Chorizo Paella instead because of allergies. It came out so delicious and certainly made quite a presentation at the table...

10 Savory Lemon Recipes to Pucker Up To...

Lemon is one ingredients I tend to have on hand all throughout the year, even moreso during the spring and summer months. Now that local grocery stores are bursting with lemons these days, I love making both sweet and savory dishes to use them in. I recently posted sweet lemon recipes so now, here are 10 Savory Lemon Recipes to Pucker Up To...