Ah.. the annual Memorial Day BBQ! Family, friends and fun; a potluck buffet for appetizers to desserts.

When at a bbq you want food that easy to eat. Even when it comes to dessert, how about a classic sweet treat made petite?

Chocolate brownie!! Bite sized for your convenience, baked in mini cupcake wrappers makes for easy clean up too.

You could always bake from scratch, but you’ve committed to bring other dishes as well. But you hesitate to grab the usual boxed mix at the store, you’ve stumbled on the long list of ingredients….

But wait…. there’s another box brand, and it’s organic! It’s Miss Jones Baking Co., no this I can do.

I’ve got two boxes, it’s a big party and I want everyone to have the opportunity to have seconds.

All I need is eggs, water and vegetable oil.

Stir it all up, and add the brownie mix

I’ve spooned the mix into the cups, couldn’t resist to give it a little color with M&Ms

They’re done!! Super easy!

Being Memorial Day, I needed more red, white, and blue

Off we go to the party!

And wouldn’t you know, it began to rain….

No worries, even indoors Miss Jones Baking Co brownies shared top ranking on the dessert table by the other organic favorite

Is it me or does that plate look a little empty in some spots?

Seems they are too hard to resist!

Check out their other irresistible products on:

http://www.missjonesbakingco.com

The sun is finally here!! Time to put the down blankets and warm fuzzy sweaters away until next winter!

Along with the fuzzy sweaters go the warm soup and chili recipes of Fall and Winter. Time for some lighter fare!

Lighter, healthy, satisfying, and quick to make. I’m thinking something fresh and classic- salmon and pasta!!

You’ve heard me talk about this brand and use this brand’s other products. Wild Planet Foods!!

Yes, Wild Planet Foods has salmon!!! Oh my!

Let’s make Garlic Salmon Linguine!!

Let’s start with a couple of cans of the Wild Sockeye salmon ( I feed a family of 5, but with an 18yr. old it becomes 7), EVOO and garlic.

I’ve decided to use a wok just to be able to get everything in there, no spilling. Starting with about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, warming up the pan…. once warm I put in the tuna. As I mix it in the pan it’s a great way to stir it into small chunks . Once I have it in the small sizes I like, I toss in the garlic. Don’t leave it too long or the garlic will burn.

Time for fresh parsley because of the amount of salmon I used, I put a tablespoon

Next comes the chicken broth, one cup goes in, I did use low sodium since it’s easier to add a smidge of salt if needed.

I’m sure your looking for the linguine… it’s been cooking on the next burner over. I am going to give this salmon a squeeze from half a lemon for a boost of sunshine.

In goes the pasta!

This is the perfect time of the year to take advantage of all the great fresh produce around us. While at the store I saw asparagus, yum!

Quick clean and chop, into the wok it goes

So, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I haven’t put any salt. I’m going to put a healthy sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, which is where I’m going to get my salty seasoning from.

Final few stirs and it’s ready for playing, family style of course.

My all in one, fantastic quality salmon, fresh asparagus and a little pasta for a “starch”.

More recipes to come using Wild Plant Foods salmon (www.wildplanetfoods.com) in wild sockeye and pink.

Ok, so it’s not super new, and it’s unfortunately gotten a bad rep in the past.

That was then….. this .. is …now- “re”- presenting Malaysia Palm Oil!!

We’ve mostly seen palm oil on commercial/ retail food products. At its height commercially, some took shortcuts which led to less than quality palm oil.

Not anymore! Malaysia is now the supplier and first country to produce sustainable palm oil that is recognized internationally.

A little information about Malaysia palm oil; it is non-GMO and it comes naturally from the fruit of a special species of palm trees. So it is harvest and produced similar to that of olive oil. No trans fat, but contains natural carotene and a potent form of vitamin E.

How about when you cook with it? You can cook popcorn with it! Get this, it’s smoking point is 455 degrees Fahrenheit!!

So, aprons on! My daughter and I might just have a cook off!

Because if it’s high heat capabilities, I’m going to test the palm oil making potato chips! I recently purchased purple potatoes, I’ll throw in a regular potato for contrast. And I have a fun seasoning on my shelf.

Sliced it up, and marinated it with my seasoning for a bit .

Have the oil in the pot just about ready

In go the potatoes

Finished product with an extra sprinkle of the seasoning. Came out crispy, and didn’t burn. I will admit that the regular potatoes came out prettier than the purple- but tasty nonetheless

With dinner time coming up on the clock, my daughter Angela decided on cooking a side dish for tonight’s chicken dinner. She choose potato pancakes, mainly because we haven’t had them in quite a while !!

She’s got the batter going-

Her very shallow abomination of Malaysia palm oil is ready in the pan. She gently places the batter carefully in the oil.

Careful when you flip them!

Each size gets better as she goes through the bowl.

Her end product:

Not bad for her first try. They may not be magazine camera ready but they tasted great. Crispy on the outside, with great rich middle. You almost don’t need the mini dollop of sour cream.

So, where did I learn about all of this?

Go to : http://www.palmoilhealth.org

Here’s a closeup of what I used

Want to give it a try? Make sure the palm oil you purchase is made in Malaysia!

Happy cooking!!

Chocolate had its own character and personality per say- and I don’t mean the Red and Yellow M&Ms!! It can be bold, mild fruity and fun, and even calming. When do you see all of this come together? When it is done right by a true chocolatier.

Now I’m not saying that your favorite bar or mini bag of goodies is a waste of time. But when you have the opportunity to find exactly what you crave in a piece (or two) of flavors you could only dream of wouldn’t you “go for it”?

Fortunately, the chocolate angels have been looking out for “chocoholics ” like me! And have brought Chocolates by Kelly to my area!

Now you may be thinking, “yeah, more truffles”. But it’s more than these little pieces of joy!

These lovely creations are done in house- can’t get fresher than that! Clean ingredients, their cocoa beans are roasted locally. YES, the chocolate creations are made from the bean itself!!!

Who’s making it? Miss Kelly of course! A fifth generation chocolatier!!

Here’s a small sample I purchased. The flavors range from coffee to raspberry mojito, oh and the blueberry lemonade! Surprisingly this little box made it home- and it just an empty box!

CBK has so much to offer: Italian sodas, gift ideas, membership club, classes…..

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Stop by and see for yourself! And yes, you can get just a piece or two.

Stay tuned for upcoming events!!

Don’t you just love watching all the beauty around begin to bloom?

The birds are singing their beautiful songs as the bees buzz by. Along with all of this comes pollen and dust. For some the thought of pollen is more like this

How do you battles those forces? With an air purifier from Winix America

Why Winix? Because they have an air purifier for every household. And you won’t have to spend a fortune to have something effective!!

I have one in my family room- it’s the room that experiences the MOST traffic in my house!! How do I know it works? When the indicator light is red!! But when it’s green it’s all clean!! And their “smart”, too! I can check the conditions in my room from my phone, I can control whether the setting needs to be on high or moderate.

Remember I mentioned you don’t have to spend a fortune?

You can find these great deals at Bed, Bath and Beyond. For those who are Costco members, you can find them there as well at great prices.

Here is a small sample of the models they have:

Want to learn more and see their other fabulous products go to:

http://www.winixamerica.com

You’ll breathe easy all year ’round!!

Got plans for Memorial Day “Weekend”? Grills will be fired up, and kids will be geared up for fun outdoor play!!

Great times to gather together with family, and friends for fun, and food! With the weather warming up no one wants to be sweltering over a hot stove.

I’ve got a quick and easy idea to share with you- and it doesn’t involve hours at the stove!

Some of the best dishes are the ones you can easy pick up with your hands. So, how about a puff pastry pocket? What to put into it?

I stumbled across a Mediterranean pocket recipe, easy to modify if needed- love that I can customize without risking quality and taste!

We’ll start with the filling- clean and fresh ingredients.

Chopped spinach- start with one and a half cups. You can go more or less depending on how many you are making

Fine diced black olives – I used one cup because I was making quite a few little pockets; a little goes a long way. You don’t want it too salty

Finely diced onions- about half a cup, you can also use about two tablespoons of the granulated or powdered onions since this will not be a precooked filling

Fine slivers of sun-dried tomatoes- about one half to three quarters cup

Granulated garlic- two to three tablespoons

Crumbled feta cheese- one to one and a half cups

The star of the dish is the protein- Wild Planet Foods Organic Chicken Breast. I started with one can, because you are going to “crumble” it. You can always add another can to balance it if you are making a large number of puff pockets.

A couple of tablespoons of olive oil will give moisture to the filling and help bind it all together. Mix all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl until well blended. You can add a sprinkle of black pepper, you might need to add just a small sprinkle of salt, remember the olives can be salty.

Time to create the pockets! I started with one box of puff pastry, use the brand you are comfortable with. Unfold your pastry sheet, one sheet at a time. You can also roll it out with a rolling pin to adjust the thickness what will now be your “crust”.

My only special tool is a little cookie cutter that folds in half to make little empanadas. Mine is pretty old, I’m pretty sure you can still find them in stores such as Walmart; or you can pinch the edges, too.

There’s my “special” tool. The box/ 2 sheets of puff pastry yielded about 2 dozen pockets.

I did an egg wash to help seal the pockets on the edges and then on the surface of the pockets before putting it in the oven. Since I was “winging” this I started at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, adding time until the pockets were golden brown.

Here’s the end result:

My taste panel, AKA my family liked that it wasn’t oily, light and enjoyed the taste. And I didn’t have to sweat it out at the stove!!

It surely helped having Wild Planet Foods Organic Chicken Breast in the pantry! Great and easy go to for healthy eating!!

Learn more about them at

http://www.wildplanefoods.com

The new work week is here- Yay (?)

I try to create something on Sundays that can be an easy grab and go type of lunch. Like everyone else we’ve got the jars of peanut butter and preserves at the ready.

Occasionally there are cold cuts in the fridge, but when you have an 18 year old son and a 12 year old daughter that’s in sports; cold cuts don’t last very long. There’s always leftovers, but that can get boring….

As I was going through a magazine that came in the mail, they had a picture of chicken salad. Haven’t had that in a while, but I wanted something different. Time to Google, yes, I said Google.

Flashes from the past are the thing now, and I found one! The Neiman Marcus chicken salad! I’m not sure if Neiman Marcus still have cafes now, I’ve eaten at one a few times and it’s fun and fancy!!

Now, the actual recipe that they used is by Helen Corbett of Texas- that’s the one you look for!!

Since I’m doing this all last minute, I have no defrosted chicken at hand. BUT, I do have Wild Planet Foods’ organic chicken breast

Putting everything together,

Love the grapes, couldn’t find any pecans or walnuts so almonds will have to do. The whipping creme was different, but wow does it make a difference.

There it is! I can definitely say, it’s nothing like chicken salad made with Greek yogurt!

All that’s left is some crackers … it’s a Neiman Marcus lunch on the go.

So pinky’s up!! It’s time to bring a little fancy to your work lunch!!

It seems year after year our lives get busier and busier, by the end of the day it can be a scramble for dinner.

Take out or drive thru feels like settling at times, and frozen meals are filled with ingredients we don’t need. Looking at the clock there’s just not enough time to cook.

So what do you have on your shelves? Here’s what I have, Wild Planet Foods Organic Roasted Chicken Breast!

Yes- chicken in a can!! And it’s amazing!! Just look at the top of the can.

Don’t be hesitant, when you open the can you will not find mush; but chicken that looks like it had just been cooked!

So let’s gather up the basics, onions and garlic are great, fresh starters.

A great starter is soup….. in the mood for some chicken corn chowder?

We’ve got our starters so let’s throw in some celery, followed by carrots once he onions and celery have cooked down a bit.

Don’t forget the corn…

There is chicken broth, it is a soup….with a few dashes of cream to become our chowder.Time to add the chicken! Give it a little time to meld together .Grab your bowl, maybe a few crackers….

Dinner is served!!

Curious? Check them out at:

http://www.wildplanetfoods.com

Certain things come to mind when you hear Tiffany’s; baby blue box, Audrey Hepburn, and of course, “breakfast at Tiffany’s “.

I recently have had the good fortune to have been invited to..

The breakfast was to launch their brand new collection “Paper Flowers”. The last collection was in 2014 entitled the Tiffany T Collection, born in New York which commemorates Tiffany’s 175th anniversary.

What a way to start the day, or the weekend for that matter, than with the infamous Tiffany & Co.

It’s bright and beautiful once you walk in. Don’t let the “look of it” intimidate you. All of the Tiffany associates are friendly and quite helpful. They don’t prejudge a person when they walk in, they listen and have such great ideas. They talk to you, not down to you!

All is glistening- but not overstated. The Classic beauty side of Tiffany is present all around.

But wait, this is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s “….

Complete with croissants, coffee, and juice…

Feeling a little like Audrey Hepburn, if only for a fleeting moment.

I won’t deny, there were a few pieces I absolutely fell in love with- too hard to decide which to add to my first Tiffany “piece”

What a fun morning!

Thanks for the invite! Until next time….