Cheese Stuffed Breadsticks

Comfort Food... addicting and worse than potato chips!

As this recipe from the kitchn.com warns, be sure to have plenty of people around to help you eat these!

Click here to get the recipe and see the demo

You will find a lot of great recipes on their site... and, as always, be sure to give them some Facebook love while you're there by hitting the LIKE button on Facebook.

Balsamic Honey Pulled Pork Sliders

Looking for an easy and delicious sandwich recipe you can prepare ahead of time?

Take your 2.5 - 3 pound boneless pork shoulder roast out of the oven and make these easy and delicious pork sliders!

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pork/balsamic-honey-pulled-pork-sliders/

Homemade Oatmeal 10 Ways

Now that we've had our first hard frost and the mornings are chilly ... and will stay that way for a long time...oatmeal is a great way to start the day and fill your belly.

In addition to the 9 ways to make homemade oatmeal listed on the link below, I'm adding my son's favorite recipe, "BROWN BEAR OATMEAL"... a recipe he fell in love with 20 years ago and it still is comfort food to him.

Put your cooked oatmeal in your bowl.
Top with brown sugar
Add a generous helping of roasted walnuts or pecans
Add a generous helping of raisins
Add milk
A dollop of whipped cream
Sprinkle with cinnamon

Yum!

Click here to see the other 9 recipes

Classic-style Carolina BBQ Rub

 Try this rub next time you want to make a traditional Carolina Pulled Pork.Pick up a pork butt and give it a rub.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup paprika

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well; use as a dry rub on beef, chicken, lamb or pork.

Banana Cream Brownie Squares

Easy Refreshing Punch Recipe

I'm passing this recipe along. Not only is it a keeper, it's easy, refreshing and delicious!

I made it for my future daughter-in-law's bridal shower.

1/2 gallon orange sherbet
6 oz of thawed orange juice concentrate
2 Liter bottle of Ginger Ale

Ice

Combine all together in a large punch bowl... allow 15 - 20 minutes for the sherbet to soften - stir all together and serve.

Food as Medicine for Older Adults

Source: http://www.extension.org/pages/The_Question_of_Food_as_Medicine

By Linnette Mizer Goard, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Lorain County.

As people age they typically need less food (fewer calories), but about the same amount of most vitamins and minerals. This means that older adults need to focus on eating nutrient-dense foods—those high in vitamins and minerals—at a lower calorie “cost.” Nutrient-dense foods include most fruits and vegetables, low fat or fat-free dairy foods, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains. As one eighty-five year old put it, “I need more carrots and less coconut cake.”


Increasingly, research is finding that specific foods—typically the more colorful, plant-based foods—have disease-fighting capabilities. Blue, purple, and red foods, such as berries, are rich in phytochemicals that may reduce risk for some cancers.

Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, may be beneficial in preventing or slowing the disease of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in aging adults.

Buying nutrient-dense foods means shopping with color in mind. Upon entering the grocery store, start with the produce section and select a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those in season. Buying produce in season is important for taste and nutrition, and it is economical. Spend as little time as possible in the aisles with processed or canned foods. Those generally contain ingredients like sugar, salt, and fat, which add calories but few or no micronutrients that are important for good health.

Start slowly and select one or two appealing vegetable items, then identify a variety of simple, tasty ways to prepare them. The options abound.

Even something less well known, such as kale (the curly-edged, dark green, leafy vegetable often used as garnish in restaurants), has tasty possibilities. Consider making “kale chips” by washing and thoroughly drying the kale and cutting it into chip-size pieces with kitchen shears. Be sure to remove the middle rib on each leaf of kale. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle the pieces with a little olive oil and sprinkle them with a seasoning (such as turmeric, nutmeg, or a salt-substitute). Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Another approach might be to place cut-up, well washed, and dried kale leaves in a blender or food processor and turn them into flakes. Store those flakes in the freezer in a sealable bag. Regularly add a spoonful of kale flakes to soups or sprinkle on salads. Those are just a few of the type of ideas found on Oregon State University’s recipe web site http://healthyrecipes.oregonstate.edu/.

The question of food as medicine? Deliciously so.

What's the BEST Way to fix Corn on the Cob?

I think we all agree that Americans love sweet corn but it seems when it comes to discussing the best way to prepare sweet corn, we can't agree.

Some people say the only way to prepare it is boiling it - others only microwave it while another group insists that the only way to cook it is on the grill - and even then the methods differs as much as the type of butter to use!


This article from the Huffington Post discusses corn on the cob techniques and includes recipes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/grilled-corn-on-the-cob-r_b_654572.html#comment
 
So, how do YOU prepare sweet corn?

Easy Summer Recipes

Ranch Dressing... who doesn't love it? Seems it is America's favorite dressing. Not only do I use it for salad dressing, I cook with it - use it for dips, entrees, appetizers and bread. I prefer the dry mix over the ready made ranch dressing and I've watched the cost climb over the years.

Here is a recipe to make your own (dry) homemade buttermilk ranch dressing mix  and keep a few nickles in your pocket.

"http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2010/06/homemade-buttermilk-ranch-dry-mix.html"

The video below has some quick summer recipes with things most of us have on hand.

Lighter Lemon Squares - Mother's Day Dessert Idea

Who doesn’t like lemon squares? They have always been a very popular dessert and make a great ending to any meal. As we are all trying to eat healthier, this recipe is for a lighter lemon square and it comes from Ingredients, Inc. one of my favorite recipes sites.


Lighter Lemon Squares

Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Yield: 16 servings


¾ cup crushed reduced-fat vanilla wafers (about 20)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons lemon zest, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons confectioners sugar




1. Preheat oven to 350F.


2. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil with ends extending over the sides. Combine wafer crumbs, ½ cup flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.


3. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with a mixer until blended. Add eggs and 2 tablespoons flour, mixing well. Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest, lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.


4. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining lemon zest just before serving.

Dr. Gourmet

This web site has FREE software and recipes for those on restricted diets or on medications like Coumadin - where the food you eat can have an impact on the effectiveness of your medication.

Click here for Dr. Gourmet