Ma's Double Decker Sandwich

It's hotter than hell outside (well here in MI at least) so come inside, cool down, and read your favorite blog recipe. Howdy all, Dinah here back again for your blog recipe enjoyment bringing you what's served up for tonight's dish. Now, with it being like a sauna outside we opted to stay indoors and make a recipe that involves absolutely NO COOKING. Wait! come back, I swear this one's good. Aw, come on trust me. I have yet to let you down. :D. It's nice not to turn on the oven every once in a while. Right? Ma's pick is going down the sandwich route. It's the kind of sandwich that has something for everyone. Now, I know those are words that may have you wondering because not everyone's sandwich styles are the same but I think this one truly is open to anyone's taste buds. Maybe it'll become your new fave sandwich?

Intrigued? Follow me:

Ma's double decker sandwich
Serves 4

4 bread bowls
package of pepperoni, turkey breast, salami, & roast beef
2 packages of white cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
2 tomato's (sliced)
head of lettuce (washed and chopped)
1 container of pre-made pesto sauce



*Slice bread rolls into 3 slices. Spray with veggie spray and toast up in electric skillet or skillet until golden brown. Once golden brown lather your bread sliced with the pesto sauce and then proceed with layering meat and cheese followed by lettuce and tomato. Plate and enjoy!



Now that is a pretty sandwich!

This is honestly one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. I loved everything on it (minus the roast beef, bleh) and I am hard to please in the sandwich department well except for Subway ;]. Definite keeper!


Tid Bits:
*Bread bowls don't tickle your fancy? Try any type of bread you like.
*Try any meats and cheese's you like
*PLEASE do not ever leave off the pesto sauce. It is epic, ha!
*Make sure you put your pesto on the buns while their warm, it helps infusion the pesto flavor on the bread slices.


Ma's Spot: As I was looking through my recipes I didn't really feel anything that caught my eye so I made up this one myself. I am a big sandwich fan anyways, especially for the summertime. So I came up with this dish for those hot days for when you don't want to cook or grill. To save a few calories you can get the low fat cheese and lunch meat. I didn't use any butter to grill the bread slices, just spray. I feel it makes the bread too soggy. The spray makes it more crisp. They are big sandwiches so if you like to half it and share with someone else, go for it.

*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:




Dinah: This week's snack comes to us from the healthy good people of Nature Valley. Aw, come on guys, it's nice to go healthy! Give it a chance. So Ma picked the Dark Chocolate Granola Thins (they also have peanut butter flavor if you dig the nutty goodness over chocolate) and I gotta say I love them. Thin granola, creamy chocolate, and healthy for you? I'm sold! The box comes with 10 squares for a really decent price. Definite buy, pick up for a nice snack or even breakfast.


Ma: This snack is not new to me for I have been buying them for a while now. I bought the chocolate backing for tonight due to Dinah's peanut allergy but I encourage you trying the peanut butter thins because it's also just as delicious. I love granola anyways so this is a low cal snack you will enjoy.



And so ends another week's blog entry. I know, I get sad too. We'll be back next Tuesday with another recipe and snack. Have a great week guys!



Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Welcome back dolls! It's Tuesday which means your blog mistresses are back with another recipe for you. This week I have to admit I am on the sore side. This weekend I headed to Irish Hills for a little beach time with my hubby and side kick Mel. We had a wonderful time...until I got home and realized how sunburned I was. I'm now at the blistering stage but fear not faithful blog readers my fingers weren't burned and are just fine for some blog typing goodness! Let's get this rolling, now it was yours truly's pick this week and I went out of the box. As always, trying to spice things up and try something new. I found it in the form on homemade PIEROGIES! Yes, those little pillows of potato and cheese yumminess that are amazing on their own but with sour cream take the taste of them out of this world. I (Dinah) have never met a pierogie that I didn't like. I'm betting you haven't either...oh come on! pierogies are amazing. Alright, alright still not going to admit it. That's fine...I know the real truth ;D.

Want the recipe? Follow me:

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

Prep Time: 2 Hrs
Cook Time: 10 Min
Ready In: 2 Hrs 10 Min

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
water as needed

5 pounds potatoes, peeled
1 pound processed cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste
onion salt to taste

Directions

*Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain.
*Combine flour, eggs and salt. Mix in a little water at a time until dough is somewhat stiff. Roll dough in small sections about 1/4 inch thick. Using a large biscuit cutter or drinking glass, make circle cuts.
*To make filling: Mix together potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper and onion salt. Fill each with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture, fold over and seal edges. To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, carefully dropping in one at a time; stir once. They are done when they float to the top.




So did I pick a great recipe? Absolutely! and I'm not just saying that ;] My only complaints were they seemed to be a bit bland for me so next time I'll be adding a bit more seasoning. Oh and this recipe is for the patient kind. I sadly lack that quality so for me this took a little too long to make on a dinner night during the week.



Tid Bits:
*We highly suggest that you make the pierogies a few days before (or whenever you have a chance), place them in freezer bags, and freeze until you're ready to cook and serve.

*Not a fan of boiling them only? Try saute them in a bit of olive oil or placing them in the oven on 400 degrees until golden brown.

*Potato and cheese make you cringe? Try using your favorite mashed potato recipe for the filling.


Ma's Spot: This dinner was a lot of work but well worth it as fresh pierogies beat frozen boxed pierogies anyday. I will never make them on the night I'm having them for dinner again It takes up way too much time. I'm a big fan of pre-making stuff and placing them in the freezer. So on a day off I would make a bunch of these and freeze them so that next time I want them I'll have them ready to serve. The next time I'm going to try feta and spinach. Make them and enjoy them as we did.


*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: This week's pick comes to us from the good people at Crystal Light. I myself was never a fan of the drink until they started making cocktail flavors. That makes me sound like such a lush lol. Something about them make them amazing and have made me a lover of Crystal Light. Tonight we tried the Appletini and Margarita and both were yummy and they both taste very close to the real cocktails. They also don't break the bank which is nice so they are a definite buy. P.S. I've had the Mojito (that was the one that turned me on to them all) and it is fabulous as well.

Ma: Who says your snack has to be food? I enjoyed these very much but I'm a big fan (unlike Dinah) of the Crystal Light brand. I liked them because you can add your own alcohol to them and make yourself a nice little cocktail without all the syrup calories of a normal cocktail but punch up your drink. On a nice hot summer day and a pitcher of ice with these make a perfect summer treat! I would definitely buy these again.



So remember me saying last week about how we had something new up our sleeves? Well, here at Tuesday Cookers wanted to include you guys in the mix. So we decided to start up something new called "Recipe Reach Out". What's that all about? We want to make your family recipes. If you have a recipe you want to have spotlighted send it our way! We always give full credit (no stealing here, this is not a Slugworth situation lol) and we would be super happy to make your favorite dish. Interested? Send us your best recipes at: tuesdaycookers@yahoo.com and once a month we'll highlight your fave dishes. Oh and have more than one you wanna showcase? No probs, send as many as you'd like!


That's it guys for this week. Never fear your blog mistresses will be back here (<---hey that rhymed!) next Tuesday to bring you our best recipes (and hopefully yours, send your recipes in!). Next week is Ma's pick and it's something that requires no cooking. WHAT! Insane. Come back to find out all about it. Have a great week guys!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Slow-Cooked Orange Chicken Recipe

*RUSHES IN*
Phew! sorry about the delay but I was in Frankenmuth with my hubby for the past 4 days and I'm finally home! It was a wonderful trip (minus the bit of heat exhaustion, burnt skin, and aches) filled with a lot of shopping, walking, and yummy food! If you have never been to Frankenmuth, MI or even Birch Run, MI I have to wonder what are you waiting for!? lol it's a great place to stay and take in the German atmosphere and let's be real the stores there are stellar, ha! and with that we're back to the real world. So fear not, your loyal blog mistress is here to bring you this week's recipe. It's Ma's pick and she went with a recipe that goes into your good ole slow cooker. What is it exactly? Follow me:



Slow-Cooked Orange Chicken Recipe

4 Servings
Prep: 10 min. Cook: 4-1/2 hours

Ingredients
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 pounds), cut up and skin removed
3 cups orange juice
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
4 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked rice, optional
Additional minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

*In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until chicken juices run clear.
*Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking liquid. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until thickened.
*Serve with rice and sprinkle with parsley if desired. Yield: 4 servings.





So how did this one turn out? Well it was split down the middle. Ma and Aunt Jane loved it and Geoff and I weren't fans. The orange tasted nice but it had a weird after taste (for us) and Geoff compared the consistency to that of snot but again just because he felt that way and I didn't like it much doesn't mean you guys shouldn't whip this up and give it a try yourselves. Ma and Aunt Jane loved it after all.


Tid Bits:
*I never serve plain rice, I always flavor my rice. I place butter in a bowl with italics seasoning or basil/parsley then mix the rice with the butter mixture. This gives your rice a nice taste for anyone who likes plain rice and it happened to work well with this dish.



Ma's spot: I loved this dish. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts cause that's the part I love the most but feel free to use any part of the chicken you prefer. At first when I heard the only juice used in this dish was orange juice I thought "wow, that will be overpowering orange taste" while you can taste the orange juice it actually turned out to be not so overpowering. It made a lot of servings. The 4 of us had the dish and there was leftovers for later. I encourage you to make it and whatever is leftover place in freezer bags to freezer for another night's dinner.



*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:





Dinah: This week's product is Ma's pick and she went into the savory category with this treat. It's New Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Cracker Chips. They currently come in two flavors: cheddar and multi-grain. While Ma would love the multi-grain over the cheddar she took one for the food team and went with the cheddar since the rest of us like cheddar over multi-grain any day. These cracker chips were light, well seasoned, and crispy. My only complaint was they gave me heartburn a few hours after eating them. I think it had to do with my gastric reflux disease and the crackers overpowering it. So sadly for that reason I won't be buying them for myself personally again but I definitely will encourage you guys to pick these up. They taste fantastic!


Ma: I LOVE THESE CRACKERS! As you guys know I'm not a cheddar cheese fan but it did have 3 of my favorite cheeses which made me intrigued to try it. I had a coupon for these but even without it I would buy these on their own right simply because they taste amazing.



That's it kiddies for this week's entry. We'll be back next Tuesday (on time lol) with an all new recipe (which is my pick) and we're going with something we have NEVER done before as well as something else new for the blog. Wanna know what they are? Meet us back here then.

Have a great week guys!


Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Hamburger Stew

It's Tuesday, so get out your recipe boxes and join your favorite blog mistresses for another yumtastic night!

Evening guys and dolls! Dinah here, well in the typing sense but Ma's here as well in the background sense, ha! Back to fill your tummy's and those empty recipe box cards. It's super nice to be able to take a break from filling up my droid phone with all my tune age to write the blog. It's been 2 weeks and I'm still working on it. We're off to Frankenmuth on Sunday so I need some definite music therapy. Geoff and I are not equals on which bands rule our hearts. He's more Slipknot while I'm a lover of The Weepies and Amy Winehouse. So this is a nice breath of internet air for a bit. Let's get to this week's recipe. My pick, and as always kiddies I'm looking to change up the game on a weekly basis and this week I went in a different direction. Let's be honest, I'm always off in a different direction than everyone else but that's what makes me...me. HA! With my different direction in mind I went a tad out of my food comfort zone and stumbled across this:

Hamburger Stew


Ingredients:
Servings:
4-6

1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1/2 tablespoon instant minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 potatoes, cubed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can carrots, undrained
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 ounce) can green beans, undrained
1 (14 ounce) can corn, undrained
1 (14 ounce) can peas, undrained
1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions:
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

1 Brown hamburger, garlic, salt, black pepper, and oregano in a Dutch oven over medium heat; drain.

2 Return meat to pot.

3 Add Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, corn, peas and tomato sauce.

4 Stir to combine.

5 Over medium-high heat bring to a slight boil; reduce heat to low; cover.

6 Continue simmering stew, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

7 This stew can easily be tweaked to your family's tastes. I have added cabbage, okra, zucchini and various spices.





So how did this come out? It was surprising good. Nice little walk out of the comfort zone. My only complaint was the peas. I LOATHE PEAS! They're like little unflavorful pests. I'm sorry for the hatred on this mini veggie for anyone who is a lover of these things but they need to be put in their untasty place. Besides those annoying little green bits this recipe is a definite keeper. I can't wait to make it again and mix it up.


Tid Bits:

*In this recipe we went with no salt added tomato's and no salt added tomato sauce and you can too.

*If you click on the name of this recipe it'll take you to (SAFE! Virus free, for those who were wondering lol) the website I got this recipe from. A lot of people wrote amazing ways to change it up, check out their comments on how to make this a few different ways.



Ma's Spot: Tonight was Dinah's pick and I was totally surprised when she picked this recipe. She doesn't really like vegetables and this seems more like I recipe I would fix usually but I loved it. I did add a little more Worcestershire sauce because I think Worcestershire sauce in any kind of tomato based dish is delicious. For those of you who watch your sodium intake (like myself) I recommend you purchase no salt added veggies and sauce. The next time I make it I'm going to try it with some beef but this dinner was a definite keeper for me. I made enough to put in freezer bags so I can pop it in the microwave the next time I'm in the mood for this dish.




*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: This week's product was a request from my hunny. At his store they sell these cookies that look amazing but are on the tad expensive side. They come 9 in a box for $3.99. So here at Tuesday's With Dinah and Ma we aim to please. He wanted to know if they were worth it. So I picked up a box of Simply Indulgent Gourmet Ultimate Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Geoff wanted to try the carrot cake cookies they sell but carrot cake and myself are not friends so I opted for the chocolate chunk flavor and he didn't mind. While these cookies are on the expensive side I gotta say they were an extreme hit for me. I loved the chocolate layer on the bottom of the cookie as well as the chocolate chunks hanging out on the top. I thought for a second how could I justify spending so much cash on such a small amount of cookies and I found it! Whenever you buy Pepperidge Farms Milano (or any other kind of Pepperidge Farm Cookie) cookies you usually pay around $4 to $5 for 9 or so cookies and these cookies were bigger than say a milano based cookie. So blog readers for me this was a nice treat and I could see buying it again. So hunny this is a definite buy!


Ma: These cookies were good but for the price and what you get I have to disagree with Dinah. I think the taste was excellent but you can find better cookies for a cheaper price.


That's it guys for this week, aw no sad faces we'll miss you all too! No worries though, we'll be back next Tuesday same time and same channel and next week's Ma's recipe and it involves orange and chicken? WHAT! Are we nuts? haha. Come back and see what we are up to next. Have a great week guys!


Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Summer Spiral Salad

Evening guys, it's Tuesday which means we have another yumtastic recipe for you. This week's recipe is Ma's pick and it's a summertime dish. It's that time of year where grilling is 2nd nature and side dishes served cold are what's normal for week nights. So with that mind set we bring you an antipasti from Ma's "Taste Of Home: One Dish Meals" book. Most people think "Bleh, it's probably like a macaroni salad type thing" and trust me no mayo is in this dish. I swear on my blog mistress heart. So keep your Miracle Whip in the fridge for this one.

Here's what you need:

Summer Spiral Salad
8 servings

4 cups cooked spiral pasta
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans/chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into thin strips
2 ounces turkey salami, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup tarragon vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano OR 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh basil OR 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Combine oil, vinegar, and seasonings; shake well. Pour over pasta mixed and toss to coat. Cover, refrigerate for several hours or overnight.




So how was this? It was fantastic! It was even better (in my opinion) than last week's recipe. I am even guilty of going back a few hours after dinner and having a small bowl while I was watching "Switched At Birth" (If you haven't seen it you're missing out!) Aw come on, it was only a small bowl and I couldn't help it that's how good this dish is. It was light & tangy. This one is a definite keeper for us. :D.



Tid Bits:
*This recipe calls for the cheese to be cut into strips and placed in the pasta. We didn't do that because when you put cheese in a salad like that for a long period of time it becomes slimy. Slimy cheese = gross blog recipe. So may we suggest that you buy shredded mozzarella to sprinkle on top when you are ready to serve.

*Please do as the recipe says and keep this in the fridge for as long as you can because the colder the pasta the better it tastes but only by fridge standards. No freezing, that would make it...well gross. ha.

*It calls for cherry tomatoes, I really suggest you stick with cherry tomatoes because it has a different taste and texture. When you slice your tomatoes hollow out the seeds because leaving that part in will always make your salad slimy.



Ma's Spot: Now that the weather is warmer we're trying to do a lot more cooler dishes and I think this one is perfect for the summer. It's also perfect to take out on an outing because there is no mayo (Dinah: LIKE I PROMISED! See, ha!). So I cooked it ahead and put it in the fridge overnight. When I got home from work on this hot Tuesday it was a nice cold dish to have. I also buttered up some pita bread and grilled it up and it made a wonderful companion to this dish. So have this dish with a nice tall glass of cool lemonade and enjoy!




*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: This week we are putting the spotlight on Nestle's Skinny Cow Dreamy Clusters. Being a fan of the Weight Watchers plan I've become very familiar with Skinny Cow. Her and myself have become good friends. I can already hear the diet haters booing at this item but I beg of your diet hating hearts give this one a chance cause it's quite a treat. The chocolate is creamy, the caramel is salty, and they come in a package with just enough to give you your fill of chocolate without all the guilt later. 120 calories? Sign me up! Also, I left the price in the picture. Tacky? Yes, but I wanted to show you can get healthy snacks for not a lot of money. I picked those up at Kroger's checkout (next to the candy bars). They also sell them in the box form but I haven't picked those up yet so I don't want to give out a price or quantity without the actual knowledge of it. So these are a definite good buy.


Ma: I have been buying this Skinny Cow items for quite a while now. I absolutely love them. I even buy them when I don't have a coupon. Let me tell you ladies for me to buy something without a coupon or even a sale tag means I like it a lot. I also encourage you to pick up their peanut butter bars. They also have Skinny Cow ice cream which I'm addicted to as well. With these I loved the caramel and I like the bite size feel about them. You can just pop them in your mouth and enjoy.



Another week over guys, aw no sad faces. We'll be back here same time same channel next week. It'll be my pick and I'm fresh out of ideas but fear not blog readers I'm on the hunt for something different. Have a great week guys!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Caesar Chicken Wraps

Evening guys and dolls from all around this lovely internet world! Your food blog diva's are back to bring you another yummy dish and chit chat with you about food. Let's take a moment and check out the new layout. New for summer with a sky and bee theme. Cute eh? It was done by yours truly, *round of applause!* Aw, you guys are too kind ;D.
It's been beautiful outside lately, well here it has been (here as in Michigan) so I'm guessing it's been pretty awesome all around weather wise for everyone reading this blog? With that in mind this week I took my recipe to the grill and we made something on the healthy side. It's got romaine lettuce and lemon pita bites and we dusted off that grill and placed a boneless skinless chicken breasts on it to become reacquainted with it's old friend. Let's get this week's party started!


Caesar Chicken Wraps

Prep Time: 10 Min
Total Time: 10 Min
Makes: 4 wraps

1 bag (7.5 oz) complete Caesar salad mix
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
4 garden vegetable-flavor flour tortillas (8 to 9 inch)
2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese (1/2 oz)


DIRECTIONS

1) Crush croutons from salad mix; set aside. In large bowl, combine remaining Caesar salad mix ingredients and chicken; mix well.
2) Wrap tortillas in moist microwavable paper towels. Microwave on High 15 to 20 seconds or until warm.
3) Spoon salad mixture evenly onto center of warm tortillas; spread to within 1 inch of edges. Sprinkle each with shredded cheese and crushed croutons. Fold bottom of each tortilla up over filling; fold sides over.



You can use any type of flour tortillas--plain, whole wheat or flavored--in place of the garden vegetable tortillas.
Secure the wraps with picks and olives.
Use chopped cooked chicken from the freezer section or leftover chicken from your refrigerator to speed this recipe along. Or try chopped cooked breaded or grilled chicken.




This was good, I wasn't knocked off of my feet by it (I've had better chicken wraps) but honestly it was super filling and it was tasty. Enough for me to make it again? Absolutely BUT we have to come clean on this one. It wasn't cheap. It turned into this over $20 fiasco and it put our wallet's on life support as far as groceries go. Honestly, who has the cash or want to spend on this dinner for one night only? It's a tad on the expensive side. I dunno who invited Donald Trump or Vince McMahon but fellas this blog isn't for you guys but this dish sure may be with the price tag that came with it. We even broke it down, we could've got gourmet wraps for the same amount and saved the time outside as well as inside on making these things. So, we decided to show you how to get it for a tad cheaper than we did. The main expensive item was the Hidden Valley Caesar Salad Kit. It's nice for a small lunch but we thought it would save money and time with this dish. It ended up only having a tiny amount of the items we needed with this big price tag. Not good times.



Tid Bits:
*So wanna make this dish without handing over all your hard earned money to your local grocery store? You're in luck! Here's how:
First buy just a head of romaine lettuce, store brand Caesar salad dressing, croutons, chicken (Doesn't have to be breasts. You honestly can get whatever cut of the chicken you prefer), Parmesan cheese, & tortilla's. Simple, and no bagged salad kits needed.

*You can go really healthy and choose whole wheat tortilla's


Ma's Spot: I really enjoyed this dish. The chicken needed for this recipe, you can make a few different ways. You can put it in your slow cooker, grill it, or oven bake it just to name a few. I used the whole wheat tortilla's and really found it delicious. It's filling, we had fries with ours. It wasn't needed but I didn't know how filing the wraps would end up being. Like we said earlier I prefer to omit the salad kit so you can control how much dressing you put on these wraps. As for me, I'll definitely making these again. Great summer dish! What I would like to do is on one of my days off from work put a bag of chicken in the slow cooker, season it up, let it cool, put it in freezer bags, and then next time you want wraps you have chicken already prepared.




*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:



Dinah: This week was also my pick for snack corner and we went with 2 of the new flavors courtesy of my fave ice cream duo Ben & Jerry. We chose "Last Night Snack" (inspired by one adorable, late night host Mr. Jimmy Fallon) and "Red Velvet Cake". Now, Ben and Jerry's can be a tad on the expensive side not only high on the calorie side but it's cool to splurge every once in a while. How did these play out? They were pretty awesome! Especially the Late Night Snack. The chunks of chocolate covered potato chips were odd but a freaking amazing kinda odd lol. I'm not a fan of red velvet cake. Yeah, I know the baker chick isn't a fan of a type of cake? Hey, it happens. I just don't think it has much flavor to it but good ol' Ben and Jerry have changed my mind...well at least on the ice cream part. The cream cheese frosting swirled in really makes this pint. So for me it was huge thumbs up. Try both!


Ma: I'm with Dinah, I never really liked red velvet cake but I have to say in their ice cream version it is DELICIOUS! I enjoyed both of them but my fave was the Late Night Snack. Anytime you put chocolate, Carmel, and vanilla ice cream together I'm there. So with or without a coupon I would definitely buy them both again.




And that's all she wrote guys, HA! get it? That's all she wrote....no? Aw, come on it was funny! Alright, that one was for the cheap seats in the back then lol. We'll be here next Tuesday with Ma's pick and it's another summer dish. Gear up guys, it's that time of year. We'll see you back here. Same time, same station. Have a great week guys!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma

Skillet Beef & Macaroni (With Cornbread)

It's hotter than hell outside! So why not come into the nice cool central air and read this weeks blog entry?

Hello hello hello good people of the blog universe! Dinah here, back for another week of treats for your tummy. As I mentioned above it's like Hell's sauna outside this evening so we decided to hang out in the cool house and make something in the kitchen. No booing! We'll be hitting the grill soon enough but we have to pace ourselves guys. Summer is a pretty long season.

Before we get into the hoopla of tonight's recipe we here at Tuesday's cookers.(Okie I totally just made that sound like we're a huge group or corporation)...meaning Ma and I (ha, that's better) are always looking to spice things up and change the game. So Ma had an idea to dabble into something else for this blog. Granted we are no experts nor neither of us have an culinary training (well unless you want to count the Italian women in our family whom showed us the right food path) but we like to think we're pretty savvy chicks so each week we're going to start a new segment called....*DRUMROLL* "Snack Corner". Ah, yes. Snack corner. What is that all about?

Well have you ever been at the grocery store and saw something amazing (snack wise that is) but either A: It was way too expensive (cause grocery store prices are now made for people like Donald Trump) or B: You just don't do snacks on a weekly basis?

No fear, the snack corner diva's are here to save the food day. We'll be buying a new item each week to test out and give you the good and the not so good feed back on what you should spend your cash on and what you should just turn up a snob nose to in the grocery store. So stick around at the end of this week's recipe for the first "Snack Corner" segment!

Now, that I have written a page on the upcoming fun it's now time to bring on this week's recipe. It's Ma's pick and we're going with something hearty. The recipe is in the Taste of Home's: Meals in Minutes book.

Let's get started follow me:



Skillet Beef and Macaroni

Prep time: 30 Minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 package (7 ounces) macaroni
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

*In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.
*Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes or until macaroni is tender stirring occasionally. Add additional water if needed.
*Cornbread is a perfect complement to this tasty dish. Make either a pan of corn bread or corn bread muffins from a mix.




We ended up making my famous cornbread. What! Dinah has a recipe of her own??? Yeah, it's my recipe and even I am shocked a bit.

Now, there are two groups out there. One is the side who loves cornbread and the other side who isn't a fan.

Dinah's cornbread:

Prep time: 5 minutes...I guess? I don't really count lol
Servings: 4 - 6

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

*Preheat oven to 400
*Spray 8X8 pan with nonstick cooking spray
*In a medium size bowl mix by fork (yes fork lol) all the above ingrediants together until no lumps are left.
*Pour into greased pan and place in oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.










So how did these two do? Did they marry in the food world?? It was a beautiful wedding! haha
These two were amazing. Absolute keepers! :D.


Tid Bits:

* We used half turkey and half ground chuck so if you fancy that, give it a whirl

* We cooked the macaroni separately than the recipe calls for because when it cooks with the ingredients it can become too starchy.

* Take the simple way out and buy the frozen onion & pepper mix. Put them in a bowl and chop them up with kitchen scissors.



Ma's Spot: Tonight's dish was really simple and let's face it after a day of work simple is what I'm all about. I like this recipe

because you have most of the items in your refrigerator or cabinet. The cornbread Dinah Jane made actually complimented the meal deliciously. I enjoyed the meal so it's a keeper for me.

Ladies & Gents....It's time for.......

*SNACK CORNER:*

It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get started:

This week's snack is Edy's Smoothies. I had the Strawberry and Ma had the Sunrise Blend. Which you can find in the freezer section of your local grocery store.







Dinah: I was a bit worried when I saw this. I thought "What the heck is this? Smoothie is a small carton...okie." Once I added the milk and it was ready to enjoy I was totally into it. Very smooth and creamy. The strawberry taste was excellent. Not too strong and when it was gone I wanted more, ha! So my verdict is it's a definite buy.

Ma: When I first bought these, I didn't realize you were supposed to add milk. I added it and this product was delish. Very smooth and well worth money. I got them on sale at Kroger's 4 for $5. So anybody who knows me knows I love ice cream and think it should be it's own food group. So next time you're in your freezer section pick up the Edy's Smoothies.


That's it guys, we have kept your eyes moving long enough for tonight so meet us back here in 7 days for more eats and treats. Next week is yours truly pick and we're going with veggies and wraps. AHHHH! I know right? Awesomeness! Have a great week guys!


Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma