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Home TM Kitchen Advertise TM Shop Mom Gallery Nomination Form Photo of the Week January 29th, 2010 Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Posted in Photo of the Week | No Comments » Salmon with Bow Tie Pasta and Peas January 28th, 2010 In my Blog Talk Radio interview yesterday, I emphasized being able to improvise with what you have in your fridge or pantry and creating something delicious for dinner. I mentioned the Salmon and Bow Tie Pasta with peas that I had made the night before, so here it is. Since I didn’t write it down that evening (that’s the most difficult part), and its basically a “no recipe” creation, I’ll do my best to recall it here. 1 lb. wild salmon fillet 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon dill 1 tablespoon sweet onion, finely chopped 8 oz. Barilla multi-grain bow tie pasta 8 oz. frozen young peas ½ c. prepared pesto sauce ? c. lowfat milk 2 tablespoons cream cheese, or Neufchatel* Serves 4. *Neufchatel is slightly lower calorie than cream cheese and is sold in the same section of the market. Prepare pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. You can use the pasta pot that has been lightly sprayed with oil to keep the pasta warm. Preheat broiler on high. Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with a paper towel. Dot with butter, sprinkle with dill and chopped onion. Place on baking pan lined with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed with oil. Broil for 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness, until salmon is lightly browned and crisped on top and flakes with a fork. Do not overcook – it’s better to be underdone – the fish continues to cook after its removed from the oven, plus it will be cooked again when mixed with the pasta. Allow the fish to cool and use a fork to flake off bite size pieces. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over med-high heat, mix the pesto and milk, bring to a gentle boil, whisk in the cream cheese or neufchatel to thicken. Feel free to increase these quantities if you prefer lots of sauce. Microwave the frozen peas for 2½ minutes, drain. Combine all the ingredients with the pasta in the large pot. Mix well to coat with sauce. I topped with carmelized onions (half an onion, sliced onions and sautéed in a little butter until browned) but this is optional. Enjoy Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: pasta recipes, salmon recipes, salmon with bow tie pasta and peas, wild salmonPosted in TM Kitchen, main dish, meatless | No Comments » Blog Crush at Haven Gastropub January 27th, 2010 More check-ins at haven gastropub Powered by Whrrl Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: BlogCrush, Haven Gastropub, OC bloggers, OrangePosted in Restaurants | 3 Comments » Stir-Fried Pork with Hoisin Sauce January 26th, 2010 You don’t need a wok to throw together a quick stir fry for dinner. And, if you’ve avoided stir fries because you don’t want to chop all those veggies, prep time can be minimized by purchasing packaged coleslaw or broccoli mixes. Always, looking out for you – cooking a homemade meal does not have to be labor intensive. In case you’re wondering: what exactly is Hoisin sauce? Hoisin sauce, also known as Peking sauce, is a Chinese sauce that is salty and smoky, sweet and savory. At Chinese restaurants, it’s the sauce they put on mu shu pancakes. What is hoisin sauce made of? Traditional hoisin sauce is made of wheat flour, soybeans, water, sugar, and salt. Vinegar, garlic, chili, other spices, and (unfortunately) food coloring are often added. Stir-Fried Pork with Hoisin Sauce 4 thin-cut boneless pork chops, thinly sliced into strips 1 pkg. brocooli slaw 1 onion, sliced 2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal 2 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal 1 T. canola or vegetable oil 1 T. sesame oil red pepper flakes 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce* Heat the two canola and sesame oil over high heat in a large skillet or wok. Sauté the pork strips with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes for two minutes until lightly browned. Set aside. Meanwhile, precook the carrots in the microwave in a microwave safe container for 2 minutes. Then, add the carrots, celery, and onion to the oil and sauté for about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add the broccoli slaw, cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the hoisin sauce and serve with white or brown rice. Serves 4. Enjoy! *Hoisin sauce is heavy on sodium, I bought Sun Luck brand because it had the least amount of sodium. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: Stir-Fried Pork with Hoisin Sauce, stir-fried vegetables, week night dinnersPosted in TM Kitchen, main dish | No Comments » Marketing 101 January 24th, 2010 First order of business this week is to introduce you to the new TopMom (TM) Shopping page. Even though it goes against my nonconformist spirit, the time has come to “monetize” my blog in an attempt to earn a half penny to support my efforts. If you have a blog you know that those checks for $2.00 go a long way towards design, domain name, hosting, and customization costs, but every little bit helps : ) In my sidebar you’ll find an Amazon search widget that will take you directly to Amazon and your account (if you have one). You can order anything you desire at the same savings you would normally receive and I receive a small commission because you went to Amazon from my website. The TM Shop page (on the Navigation bar) features cook books that are my current faves, blog-related and social media books that I refer to, and cooking utensils and kitchen items that no kitchen should be without. If you click on any of the items you will be whisked away to Amazon.com and you can login to your account, if you have one. Also, on the TM Shop page, you’ll find links to online stores that carry merchandise that I have personally selected because they help you live and eat well and their mission and business philosophy is in line with what I believe, AND they are all U.S. companies. Coffees of Hawaii (Kualapuu,HI) We are the premier online source of 100% Hawaiian coffees. From our 500 acre plantation on the tiny island of Moloka‘i in the Hawaiian archipelago we accomplish an amazing amount of things. We grow, roast and ship premium coffees to customers around the world. Why Hawaii? The word “Hawaii” always brings a fond memory, an envious look, or a smile to a person’s face. Aside from the quality of our coffees, it’s the Hawaiian origin that brings customers to our website. People love to drink a cup of coffee every morning with an aroma and taste that brings them “aloha” memories. On a daily basis. Equal Exchange, Inc. (Bridgewater, MA) Equal Exchange is a leader in Fair Trade and Organic special coffee, tea, chocolate and snack products. Equal Exchange has created Big Change since 1986. Our founders envisioned a food system that empowers farmers and consumers, supports small farmer co-ops, and uses sustainable farming methods. They started with fairly traded coffee from Nicaragua and didn’t look back. Today, we continue to find new and powerful ways to build a better food system. We partner with co-operatives of farmers who provide high-quality organic coffees, teas, chocolates and snacks from all over the world, including here in the United States. We invite you to join us. Together we can create stronger local communities, a more just food system and a healthier planet. Peapod, Inc. (Skokie, IL) Peapod was founded in 1989 and is America’s largest online internet grocery shopping and delivery service. We service Chicagoland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia. Save Time! Save Money! Save Hassles! Greensburg Market Gaithersburg, MD Market specializes in the highest quality USDA certified organic beef, chicken, pork, and grass-fed beef. Our farm was recently featured on Oprah and Jon & Kate Plus 8. Our average order VALUE is over $100! Our four “meat guys” travel all over the U.S. to find meats that are not only organic, but tender, juicy, and delicious, too. Kitchen Universe Miami, FL Professional chefs and skilled amateur cooks, as well as homemakers and design professionals, love everything that Kitchen Universe has to offer. From kitchen furniture to kitchen utensils, stemware to cookware, kitchen appliances to bakeware, cutlery to barware Kitchen Universe is your kitchen store. Kitchen Universe focus its product catalog on high-end cooking tools, specialties, kitchen carts and blocks as well as small appliances. Our main brands are as follows: KitchenAid, Krups, Cuisinart, Rosle, Wusthoff, Capresso, Saeco. We are constantly updating our product catalog with more then 5000 high end products from your kitchen. You’ll find many consumer promotions as well as the every day FREE Ground shipping for all orders above $79.00 I hope you enjoy the stores that I have selected and the merchandise that they carry. Thanks so much for being a reader and supporter of TopMomBlog and She’s Cookin’. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Posted in TM Kitchen | No Comments » Eggplant Parmesan “My Way” January 23rd, 2010 I love eggplant parmesan but detest the deep-fried, heavily breaded kind that you get in a lot of restaurants. I’ve experimented over the years and this is about as low calorie as you can make this traditional Italian dish without sacrificing taste. Eggplant soaks up a lot of oil in the traditional preparation, so I brush them with olive oil and bake them instead! Eggplant Parmesan “My Way” 2 med. eggplants, cut into ½” rounds 2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil ½ t. Cajun spice (optional) Italian-style bread crumbs Purchased spaghetti sauce 8 oz. thinly sliced mozzarella ½ c. grated parmesan Sprinkle both sides with salt and place between paper towels. This draws out the moisture and any bitterness – leave them for about 30 min. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of the eggplant rounds with olive oil. (I put a dash of Cajun spice because I like a little more zip in about everything.) Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake, turning once, until the eggplant is softened and golden brown, about 30 minutes total. (Remember, they get baked again.) In a 9½” x 13” baking dish, spread spaghetti sauce to cover bottom of dish, cover with first layer of eggplant, then layer mozzarella on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Dot cheese with sauce and repeat with another layer of eggplant, mozzarella, grated parmesan and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly. (You may put it under the broiler to brown, but watch carefully!) Do as the Italians do and enjoy with a bottle of Chianti Classico. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: comfort food, eggplant parmesan, meatless recipes, vegetarian recipesPosted in TM Kitchen, family favorites, main dish, meatless | 1 Comment » Photo of the Week January 21st, 2010 Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: Baskin-Robbins, celebrations, custom birthday cakes, photo cakePosted in Photo of the Week, TM Kitchen | No Comments » Sassy Sausage & Peppers January 20th, 2010 Sausage and peppers is a classic comfort food and it’s so easy to make. Sometimes I add chopped tomatoes to have more juice that soaks into the roll, mmmm. This time I added tiny portabella mushrooms because I had them in the fridge and they add a “meatier” taste – you know, cuz I’m trying to go meatless. All the ingredients are from Trader Joe’s – they need to hire me – don’t you think? I’m one of their best customers and promoters, yet Sprouts is opening in Huntington Beach on January 29th, so I might defect – hear that Trader Joes? Sassy Sausage & Peppers (Vegan style) 1 pkg. Trader Joe’s Sausage-less Italian Sausage*, sliced on the diagonal 1 red pepper, cored and sliced 1 green pepper, cored and sliced 1 red onion, peeled and sliced 1 pkg. mini portabella mushrooms, sliced 2 T. olive oil, divided 1 t. butter red pepper flakes 4 Panne Rustique Rolls (it’s all about the roll, folks) Serves 4. * Of course, you may use real Italian sausage if you’re not vegan. I’ve had it both ways and its delicious either way! Preheat toaster oven to 400 degrees. Cover toaster oven tray with aluminum foil and spray with oil so sausages don’t stick. Brown sausages in toaster oven turning once. Slice on the diagonal and set aside. Heat 1 t. olive oil in large skillet, sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Add the peppers and onions and sauté, stirring every few minutes to evenly brown. Add more olive oil as needed to prevent vegetables from sticking. Meanwhile, in a smaller skillet heat 1 T. olive oil plus 1 t. butter over med-high heat and sauté mushrooms, stirring to brown evenly, about 5 minutes or until the juices have cooked off. (I do this in a separate pan because the juices from the mushrooms can make the pepper mixture mushy.) Add mushrooms and sausages to pepper mixture. Warm the rolls in the toaster oven, slice in half and fill with sausage and pepper mixture. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: comfort food, sausage and peppers, Trader Joes, vegan, vegan recipes, vegetarian, vegetarian recipesPosted in TM Kitchen, family favorites, football fare, main dish | 1 Comment » An Evening at the Spa January 19th, 2010 What is your favorite spa treatment? Is it an other-worldly hot stone massage or a hurt-so-good deep tissue massage? Perhaps you prefer a soothing facial or rejuvenating sauna, steam, and whirlpool. Orange County has a number of spas but if you’ve never visited Pacific Waters Spa, overlooking the beach in Huntington Beach, you simply must make the time. One benefit of being a blogger, besides being able to write about whatever you want and not getting paid for it, is that sometimes you’re invited to amazing events such as being treated to a glorious evening of pampering and camraderie at the Pacific Waters Spa at the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach. Last week, the Hyatt and their PR group, Purry Communications, invited the incredible group of bloggers at OCFamily.com for an evening at the spa. Our group was greeted and given the VIP treatment by: (from left): Carol McIntire, Spa Manager; Cheryl Phelps, Hyatt HB General Manager; Toni Purry, CEO of Purry Communications; Lauren LeBeu and Jessica Ayers also of Purry Communications We were divided into groups and circulated through centers that included demonstrations on making at-home spa treatments, touring the spa, and three 20 minute spa treatments: a manicure, moisturizing facial and choice of a shoulder/neck or back massage. It was simply divine! Here Laura shows us how to prepare the Mocha Latte Wrap. There are only 3 ingredients: 2 Tablespoons ground coffee, 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons coconut butter. You also need plastic wrap to wrap the area you want to treat – wrap the desired area (we tried it on my forearm), leave it on for 10 minutes, remove the wrap, rinse off with a warm shower. She explained that coffee is an exfoliant as well as an anti-oxidant with cleansing, deodorant, and detoxifying properties. She warned us that this is NOT to be used as a self-tanner; it leaves the wrapped area a tan color – but that will come off when you shower. Besides a Camp Hyatt tee shirt and coloring book for kiddies at home, the swag bag we received had samples of the Mocha Latte scrub and the Peppermint Foot treatment as well as recipes for the Strawberry Toner, Sweet Honey Milk Mask and Inside-Out Scrub. Carol, who’s passionate about healing and wellness, concocted these remedies made from all-natural ingredients to emphasize that what goes ON your body, also goes INTO your body and that you can create inexpensive, natural, results- driven spa treatments at home. Check back with me next week when I’ll share the recipes for the other treatments, courtesy of the Hyatt Regency, Pacific Waters Spa. The evening ended with in a private room of the Red Chair Lounge where we indulged in Mammatinis, an assortment of cheeses, beef sliders with carmelized onions, and french fries with garlic aioli. I leave you with these words to live by: “Civility is Beauty of Behavior“, as seen on one of the treatment rooms. Click here to read reviews on Pacific Waters Spa. They offer a full range of services for men and women, as well as 3-month and 6-month packages, and remember Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. But wait, until January 31st, become a Facebook fan of Pacific Waters and write “I became a fan of Pacific Waters Spa after reading TopMomBlog” on their wall and receive 20% off a 60 minute treatment! woohoo! Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: at-home spa treatments, Hyatt Regency Resort Huntington Beach, natural spa treatments, OC Family, Pacific Waters Spa, Purry CommunicationsPosted in Huntington Beach | 2 Comments » Mission Meatless: Two-Bean Tostada January 18th, 2010 As my Tweet Deck pinged and drew me in and out and away from the work I was trying to do on Saturday, I was glad to see that one of Twitter’s power women, was tweeting about the PBS show with Robert Kenner, director of ”Food Inc.” and Michael Pollan which aired in November, 2008. It must have been a rerun but, nevertheless, it was relief from the usual tweets about everything you ever wanted to know and more about SM (social media). You may have seen Food Inc., the documentary movie that takes a harsh look at everything we should know, but that giant food companies don’t want us to know about the journey that our food takes from the processing plant to the grocery stores of America. Michael Pollan is the author of, most recently, In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto, and his previous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by the New York Times and Washington Post and was the recipient of the California Book Award and the James Beard award for best food writing, to name a few. He is the Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley and “few people reflect and report more astutely on the state of American food production and consumption than Michael Pollan”. If you read these books, as I have, they will change the way in which you view food forever. Anyway, that’s an intellectual introduction to a very simple recipe for my Mission Meatless series which I’ve launched in support of the initiative known as Meatless Monday. Meatless Monday stems from the idea that YOU can change our food system and one way is to go without meat one day a week. How does this help? According to this list of 10 things YOU can do to change our food system by the website Hungry for Change, an estimated 70% of all the antibiotics produced in the US are given to farm animals which are then consumed by us. If the entire population went meatless for just one day a week. think of how many fewer injected animals would have to enter the food chain and how much less secondary hormones and antibiotics you would be ingesting. Two-Bean Taco Salad *Easy *Vegan *Vegetarian *Gluten-free This takes about 15 minutes to prepare. I keep these tostada shells stocked in my pantry. Then all you have to do is heat the refried beans, drain the black beans, and prepare the veggies. Tostada shells, warmed in the toaster oven 1 can vegetarian refried beans 1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained 1 pkg. prepared romaine lettuce 2 carrots, peeled and grated 1 avocado, sliced 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced Spread the refried beans on the tostada shells. Top with romaine lettuce and arrange veggies on top, arrange cucumbers around the plate. Serve with purchased salsa. Add cheese if desired (not vegan). Note: On second thought, the blustery weather we’re experiencing this week in SoCal calls for a warm, tasty, and satisfying bowl of Vegetarian Minestrone. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this to a friend? Subscribe to the comments for this post? Tags: easy vegetarian recipes, Food Inc., gluten-free, meatless recipes, Michael Pollan, two-bean tostada, vegan, vegetarianPosted in TM Kitchen, meatless | No Comments » « Older Entries       Amazon.com Widgets               TopMomBlog on Facebook   Want to share Top Mom Blog? 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