Good Enough 2 Eat Rice Salad

I am always looking for quick and easy recipes that are healthy and appealing . I think this is one of them . Rice Salad. Check out their website for more easy tasty recipes. i.e: Banana Ice Cream tastes just like ice cream and all you need is frozen bananas and a food processor . How easy is that! and so yummy .

Pina “Greena” Colada Smoothie

1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 cups pineapple juice (or crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks)
1 banana (sliced and then frozen is ideal, but not necessary)
1/2 cup shredded coconut/coconut flakes
several ice cubes
handful of baby spinach leaves (about 1/2 cup, packed)

Blend first five ingredients together until smooth. … add your last ingredient—a handful of baby spinach leaves—to your blender/Vitamix/Blendtec container. Blend a bit more on high until spinach is incorporated.

If you want more green smoothie recipes check out the gmoms blog where participants contribute gluten free juices, smoothies and soups everyday in January. Cool huh?

I'd love to be able to contribute . I don't though , this is just the badge participants can put on their blog/website


Here is my green smoothie recipe from the 3-Day green smoothie practicum 2010

Sweet Smoothie Mango
Jackie Briere
(makes about 36 ounces)

4 handfuls of baby spinach
1 mango
1/4 cantaloupe (2 slices)
water (as needed)

Blend

Juice

These will come in handy when I'm ready for juicing

20 Simple Juice Recipes

Carrot/Apple Juice
6 carrots
2 apples

Liver Mover
2-3 carrots
½ beet

Bromeiain Special
pineapple (skin & all)
unscrew top and throw away

Orange or Grapefruit
3 oranges (peeled)
or 1 grapefruit (peeled)

Evening Regulator
2 apples
1 pear

Digestive Special
handful of spinach
6 carrots

Holiday Cocktail
2 apples
1 large bunch of grapes
1 slice lemon with peel

Body Cleanser
4 carrots
½ cucumber
1 beet

Rejuvenator
handful of parsley
3 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cloves of garlic

Cantaloupe Juice
cut into strips and juice
(rind and all)

The Waldorf
1 stalk celery
2 apples

Sunshine Cocktail
2 apples
4-6 strawberries

Energy Shake
handful of parsley
6 carrots

Watermelon Juice

cut into strips and juice
(rind and all)

Potassium Broth
1 handful of spinach
1 handful of parsley
2 stalks of celery
4-6 carrots

AAA Juice
6 carrots
1 apple
2 stalks of celery
½ handful of wheatgrass
½ handful of parsley
½ beet

Passion Cocktail
4 strawberries
1 large chuck pineapple
1 bunch black grapes

Morning Tonic
1 apple
1 grapefruit (peeled)

Digestive Cocktail
¼ lemon with peel
½ grapefruit (peeled)
2 oranges

Alkaline Special
¼ head cabbage (red or green)
3 stalks of celery

The Great Hospitality Link Up

Link your favourite recipes here .


This week mine is last minute Thanksgiving recipes from the Amateur Gourmet
Dawn Farias started this meme but she has decided she won't be blogging anymore so if you wish you can link your hospitality recipe in the mclinky I provided here but you can still link up to her site until whenever she decides to expire it.

Menu for the Week Contest

This recipe was made for Family Day and is brought to you by www.menufortheweek.com . It looks like a good thing to make for your kids anyday of the week.

I also am linking up with the great hospitality link-up  Please come and share your meal menus there by clicking the image below. Thanks

Crock Pot Meatball Subs

Makes 4 servings Active Prep: 25 minutes Cook Time: 6 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 onion – chopped finely
• 1/2 sleeve saltine crackers – crushed
• 1 egg
• 2 jars spaghetti sauce
• 1 package hoagie buns
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1) Combine ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, milk, onion, crackers and egg. Roll into 1 1/2 inch meatballs – 1 lb should make about 13 balls.

2) Place meatballs flat in the bottom of the crock pot in a single layer. Pour spaghetti sauce over meatballs and cook for 6 – 8 hours (ideally closer to 6.)

3) Broil hoagie buns open face under broiler for 2 minutes. Place 2 – 3 meatballs on each sandwich. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and place back under broiler for an additional minute – just long enough to melt cheese.

Now for the Contest. click

Enter to win a 6 Month membership to Menu for the week 

@pinkdandy chatter

I like Menu of the week

1. for their delicious recipes and you can get one free week of recipes .

2. I do not like to cook but these recipes look terribly easy to make.

3. I also like the fact they plan out your grocery list , so you don't have to.

4. It helps if you don't know what to make for dinner and when you go grocery shopping .

5. you can get 6 months worth of recipes if you enter this giveaway.

The Easiest Pasta Dinner in the World

Dawn Farias is hosting this link up . Come and share your hospitality {without sounding redundant}

I thought it was a good time with Christmas coming soon to have your meals planned out ahead a time.

I never know what to make so here I can just pick something for every day of the week providing it's reasonable and tastes delicious .

I am one who doesn't like to cook and if I do I have to be able to understand what I am doing lol also the simpler it is the better , so I am sharing this recipe hoping everyone likes it . I know I do .

It sounds real easy , and I am going to make it tomorrow .

recipe by the Amateur Gourmet

Penne with Brown Butter, Nutmeg and Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 pound penne pasta (preferably with ridges)

6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (in stick form; use at least 6 tablespoons for one pound of pasta)

3 sage leaves, chiffonaded [optional!] (I only added this because I had them on hand and, frankly, you don't need them)

Lots of freshly ground nutmeg (you can find whole nutmeg at Whole Foods or other high-end grocery stores) (at least 1 teaspoon)

Lots of freshly ground pepper (about 1 teaspoon)

Lots and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (don't buy pre-grated stuff, it won't be worth it!) I'd say 1/2 to 1 cup's worth

Now here's what you do....

1. Bring a big pot of water to a RAPID boil (this happens faster if you cover it while you're heating it.)

2. When it's boiling like crazy, add a big pour of salt (enough to make the water salty; be brave, dip your pinky in and taste it). Add your box of penne and half-cover it with the lid to bring it back to that rapid boil. Then remove the lid so it doesn't bubble over.

3. While all of that's happening, add your butter to a skillet (non-stick or regular, doesn't matter) and begin melting it on medium heat.

4. Eventually, the butter will melt and start sizzling. Here's where you let it brown. It's easier to see it brown if you're using a regular metal skillet (one reason not to use non-stick) but if you're using non-stick, just use your nose. When it browns, it'll start to smell nutty (should take 5 minutes or so on medium heat). One thing: don't let it burn!

5. Around the point when it starts to brown, add the sage if you're using it (but really, you don't need it), the nutmeg and some of the pepper.

Then ladle in one cup of the starchy, salty pasta cooking water straight from the pot with the pasta. The butter pan will sizzle and steam; look down: there's your sauce!

6. Now you let that sauce simmer while your pasta continues cooking. If it reduces too much, add more pasta cooking water. Lower the heat. Eventually, ti'll be time to start testing your pasta: lift out a noodle, run it under cold water and taste. Is it just al dente? Not raw but not 100% cooked-through? Then the time has come!

7. Using a spider, lift the pasta into the pan with the butter, sage, nutmeg and pepper. [Note: if you don't have a spider, you can just strain the pasta in the sink, but whatever you do don't rinse it! Oh and save some of that pasta cooking water.] Look at the pan with the pasta in it...

...is it wet on the bottom? There should be some liquid in there. If there's not, add another ladleful of pasta cooking water. Then crank up the heat and toss it all around, adding salt, pepper and more and more fresh nutmeg as it goes, tasting all the while, until most of the liquid's gone and the pasta is perfectly cooked and it tastes very delicious. Now you're going to make it even more delicious.

Take it off the heat and add all of that Parmesan:

Whoah, daddy.

Stir that through, taste, taste, taste and see if needs more nutmeg or pepper.

Spoon into a bowl, top with more pepper and Parmesan and serve with whatever wine you have already open and fermenting in your fridge. There you go: the easiest pasta dinner in the world! You have no excuse not to make it.

‘eyeballs’ in your 'ighballs

What's a monster's favorite cocktail? An 'ighball.

I want to make these .

How to make a Bloody Eyeball Martini

per eyeball:
1 radish
1 pimiento stuffed green olive

per drink:
1 shot gin or vodka
1/4 shot dry vermouth (more or less to taste)

Prepare ice "eyeballs" at least a day before your plan to use them.






Peel radishes, leaving thin streaks of red skin on to represent blood vessels (see pictures below).






Using the tip of the vegetable peeler or a small, knife, carefully scoop out a small hole in each radish, roughly the size of an olive.
Stuff a green olive, pimiento side out, in each hole.





Place 1 radish eyeball in each section of an empty ice cube tray. Pare the radishes down a bit to fit, if necessarry. Fill the tray with water and freeze overnight.

To make drink, fill a tall cocktail glass with 3-4 eyeball ice cubes, add ingredients in the order given. Shake or stir, as is your preference.

You're My Honeybunch Cuppycake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

with Cookie Dough Buttercream Frosting- by Kevinandamanda.com

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips


For the cupcakes:
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract


For the frosting:
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Directions:
To make the cookie dough, combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a 1.5 tbsp scoop, shape the dough into balls or tubes. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla.
Using a 3 tbsp scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.
Bake at 350 for 16-18 mins.

To make the frosting, combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips!
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Cookie dough adapted from Picky Palate. Cupcake and frosting adapted from Annie’s Eats.

Amy Castle is famous for the 'Cuppycake Song' . Listen to her sing .

You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie
You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop
Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye
And I love you so and I want you to know
That I'll always be right here
And I love to sing sweet songs to you
Because you are so dear

She is all grown up now , visit her on cuppycake.com.