Recipe: Parmesan Garlic Potatoes with Dorot Pop In Flavor

The kids absolutely love to have flavored mashed potatoes. When I have time, I make them from scratch. We had these last night and they turned out fantastic. Super easy to make but they were loaded with flavor.

Parmesan Garlic Potatoes

6 potatoes, peeled, boiled & mashed
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Dorot parsley cubes
1 Dorot garlic cube
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Peel, boil and mash potatoes.

Add in butter & Dorot Pop In Flavor Cubes. Mash well. Add heavy cream and Parmesan and mash until smooth and creamy. Serve hot.

Definitely delicious! Very easy to make and healthier for you than packaged flavored potatoes.

Win FREE Welch's Coupon & Recipe: Tangy Grape BBQ Meatballs

I love the taste of grape! PBJ sandwiches with grape jelly are one of my fondest memories from my childhood. I'd eat PBJ on anything from bread to waffles to English muffins to bagels. Didn't matter what it was. I knew that it was going to taste amazing!

I don't eat PBJ all that much any more but what I do enjoy now is Grape Juice. Welch's 100% Grape Juice is a fantastic choice because the polyphenols found in grape juice may play a role in supporting heart health. Welch's 100% Grape Juice is exactly that. It's 100% juice with no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Each 4 ounce glass is 1/2 cup of fruit which is one serving. It's also an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin C to help support a healthy immune system.

As part of its second annual Harvest Grants program, Welch’s Foods Inc. announced the 100 elementary schools nationwide who will receive gardening grants.  The program is a partnership between Welch’s®, Scholastic Parent & Child® magazine and the National Gardening Association and provides children the opportunity to learn the importance of incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet and gain a heightened awareness of what they eat and where it comes from by planting, tending, and eventually harvesting their own fruits and vegetables at school.

To date, 200 schools have been recognized as Welch’s Harvest Grants award winners. The top-five winning schools receiving $1,000 Harvest Grants in 2011 include:

·         Doris Henderson Newcomers School, Greensboro, NC

·         Sonoma Charter School, Sonoma, CA

·         PS 107, Brooklyn, NY

·         Goldsboro Elementary School, Sanford, FL

·         Louise A. Conley Elementary School, Whitman, MA

For complete details and official rules for the Harvest Grants and Welch’s, visit:

·          www.scholastic.com/harvest
·         www.welchs.com

I decided to do something a little bit different and try some Welch's 100% Grape Juice in a recipe for dinner. We made the Tangy Grape BBQ Meatballs for dinner. Here's the recipe we used:

Meatballs
1 pound lean ground hamburger
1 large egg
1/12 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup very finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup Welch's 100% Grape Juice made with Concord Grapes
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Sauce
3/4 cup Welch's 100% Grape Juice made with Concord Grapes
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon minced onion

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 10x17 in jelly roll pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix the hamburger, egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, grape juice and mustard until blended.

3. Shape the hamburger mixture into 1 inch balls. Place the meatballs on the prepared pan so that they don't touch.

4. Bake the meatballs for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through.

5. In a large skillet, combine the grape juice, ketchup, mustard and onion. Bring to a simmer. Add the cooked meatballs and stir gently until the meatballs are coated with the sauce. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve warm.

This was absolutely delicious! Definitely a fun way to use Welch's 100% Grape Juice. Welch's has a whole bunch of other recipes on their website.  Connect with Welch's on Facebook & Twitter for all the latest product news.

One of my lucky readers is going to win a coupon for a FREE Welch's 100% Grape Juice or 100% Juice Blend.  Here's what you can do for a chance to win:

To enter you must follow my blog & visit the sponsor’s site.  Leave a comment telling me what your favorite recipe is.

For extra entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter @scentednights & tweet about the contest. +1 daily

Win a FREE Welch's 100% Grape Juice or Juice Blend coupon @scentednights #giveaway #win @welchs http://tinyurl.com/5rcofdq

2. Be my friend on Facebook & post this contest on your wall. +1

3. Follow the sponsor on Twitter +2
4. Like the sponsor on Facebook.  Please tell them I sent you (optional)! +2
5. Blog about this giveaway on your blog AND leave a link back to my site. +5
6. Leave a comment on a non-contest post on this blog. +1

7. Put my button or text link on your blog side bar. +1

8. Enter another of my current contests. +1 for each contest

9. Subscribe to my blog. +1

Remember, to please leave a separate comment for each entry. And please enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.  You must be 18+ years old & live in the USA. The last day to enter is 5/16/2011.

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Please note that  I am not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize but ultimately I am not responsible if they do not fulfill your prize win.

Get all your veggies from Allens & Recipe: Praline Yams with Sugary Sam Sweet Potatoes

I love getting fresh veggies from the garden but that only works for me for a few months a year. For the rest of the year, I need to rely on what I can get from the grocery store. I'd love to be able to walk out to my garden 12 months a year and pick fresh vegetables to feed the family but that just isn't realistic for me in rural Vermont. Winters are long and there's nothing that grows in three feet of snow.

While I like fresh vegetables, there are times when my grocery budget or my limited dinner preparation time doesn't allow me to start from fresh. When that's the case, I turn to frozen or canned vegetables to feed my family quickly while still providing a healthy dinner.


Allens is the leader in canned and frozen vegetables, producing brands including Popeye’s Spinach, Freshlike, Veg-All and of course their Allens brand. I recently had the chance to try several of the Allens brands veggies and was very impressed with them. Not all canned veggies taste good. I've tried a few where the veggies were more bits than actual whole pieces of vegetable but the Allens brand isn't like that.  I had a chance to try the Veg-All, canned carrots and Popeye spinach and was pleased with each of the vegetables I tried.

My garden isn't quite up and running yet & I've never had any luck growing sweet potatoes or yams. I recently had the opportunity to try Sugary Sam Sweet Potatoes distributed by Allen's Inc. I decided to try the recipe for Praline Yams that was printed on their can.

Praline Yams

15 oz can Sugary Sam Cut Yams, drained
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
3 tablespoons coconut
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

Put drained yams or sweet potatoes in one quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 350F. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Blend Well. Sprinkle over yams. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

This was delicious! The sweet potatoes from Sugary Sam were in big chunks not tiny pieces which was a pleasant surprise.  Some canned veggies aren't that great quality and I was pleased to see that Sugary Sam Sweet Potatoes was a canned vegetable I could trust for quality.

My thanks to Allens for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Black & Decker Ultimate Sandwich Creation (Healthified Tuna Melt)

I was thrilled to be chosen to participate in the Black & Decker Ultimate Sandwich Campaign. I am always searching for new recipes to try out and I'm a huge sandwich fan.

Prior to dieting, my favorite sandwich was always a tuna melt. I'd take two pieces of white bread, slather them with butter and in between add tuna salad made with mayonnaise and several slices of Swiss cheese. Then I'd fry both sides until it was golden brown and the cheese was melted. Like I said, that was prior to dieting. I don't even want to think about how many calories that sandwich contains. Now that I'm watching my weight, I decided that my Tuna Melt needed to be healthified a little bit.

When I was asked by Black & Decker to be part of the Ultimate Sandwich Creation team, I was thrilled and decided that now was the time to create that Healthified Tuna Melt. Here's my recipe.

Healthified Tuna Melt

1 can solid Albacore white tuna (use half a can, drained)
2 tablespoons non-fat plain yogurt
2 slices of Weight Watchers whole grain bread
1 slice low fat Swiss cheese
lettuce & tomato
salt & pepper to taste

Mix half a can of the drained tuna fish with the non-fat plain yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the bread into a toaster oven. I used the Black & Decker convection countertop toaster oven.

Carefully scoop the tuna fish mixture onto one half of the bread. Place a slice of the low fat Swiss cheese on the other slice.

Toast in the toaster oven until you see the cheese start to melt. Mine took about 4 minutes. Carefully remove from the toaster oven.

 Add lettuce & tomato and assemble your sandwich.

This version is very low in fat and contains whole grain bread and veggies which makes it a great choice for those watching their weight.

This post was written for Family Review Network & Black & Decker who provided the complimentary product for participation in this contest.

Day #10 ~ Silk to Milk Challenge & Strawberry Banana Smothie recipe

Well today is Day #10 of my Silk to Milk 10 Day Challenge. I decided to stay with the Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk and make a Strawberry Banana Smoothie for breakfast.

 

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk

Put all in blender & process until smooth.

This is fantastic!  The slight sweetness of the Sillk Light Vanilla soy milk means I don't need to add any extra sweetener to the smoothie.  Great breakfast with very few calories!

Get your coupon & take the challenge with me!

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Day #7 ~ Silk to Milk Challenge & Creamy Oatmeal with Apples recipe

Well today is Day #7 of my Silk to Milk 10 Day Challenge. I decided to stay with the Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk and use some in my oatmeal to make it nice and creamy.

Creamy Oatmeal with Apples

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk

1/2 cup water

1 apple chopped

1 packet stevia

Combine all in small sauce pan on stove. Heat over low heat until the oatmeal looks creamy.  Pour into bowl & sprinkle stevia on top. Delicious!

I've never cooked my oatmeal is any kind of milk before but I really do like it this way.  It comes out much creamier than cooking it only in water.  I'm definitely doing this again.

Get your coupon & take the challenge with me!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win five FREE Silk product coupons!

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Day #4 - Silk to Milk Challenge & Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe #switchtosilk

Well today is Day #4 of my Silk to Milk 10 Day Challenge. I decided to stick with the Silk Light Chocolate Soy Milk and make a cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate to relax with tonight.  It's a cold, rainy night out so hot chocolate sounds like just the thing to warm me up.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

2 cups of Silk Light Chocolate Soy Milk
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of ceyenne (optional)
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

In a small saucepan bring Silk to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in chocolate and continue to cook until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from heat and whisk in cinnamon, vanilla and cayenne. Pour into two warm mugs. Top with cinnamon or chocolate sprinkles. Serves 2

This is the perfect treat. I really like the way the cinnamon and vanilla mix with the chocolate flavor. I've never tried it like this before. Definitely going to make this again.

Get your coupon & take the challenge with me!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win five FREE Silk product coupons!

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Day #2 - Silk to Milk Challenge & French Toast Recipe

Well today is Day #2 of my Silk to Milk 10 Day Challenge. I decided to continue with the Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk. I love that Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk has only 70 calories per serving and it's sweetened with 0 calorie Stevia.  This afternoon for lunch, I decided to make French Toast. 

 French Toast with Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk

6 slices of day old bread
2 large eggs
1/2 cup Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk
a touch of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of butter or Pam to spray the pan with

Melt the butter in a frying pan or spray pan with Pam. Scramble the eggs & Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk. Dip each piece of bread in the egg/soy milk mixture.  Fry on each side until golden brown.

I love the way these came out.  The Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk gives the French Toast a slightly sweet taste making it totally unnecessary to put maple syrup on it! Love the calorie savings! Yummy!

Get your coupon & take the challenge with me!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win five FREE Silk product coupons!

My thanks to the sponsor for allowing me to review this product.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Recipe: Bow Tie Chicken

1 box (14.5 oz) farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 jar (14 oz) pasta sauce (Alfredo)
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

In a large bowl, add the sauce and 1/2 the dressing and mix until well blended. Fold in the pasta and mix until well coated.

In an oiled 11x9x2 inch baking dish, layer half the pasta, then half the chicken, half the peas, half the corn and repeat with remaining pasta, chicken, peas and corn. Evenly sprinkle the top with the feta cheese. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the casserole, and top with bread crumbs.

Bake 30 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Come check out the video of me preparing this dish!

I received a product sample in order to prepare this recipe.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Peepster Cookies

36 Peeps Chocolate Peepster Candies
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the foil from 36 Peeps Chocolate Peepster candies.

Cream the shortening and peanut butter.

Add in 2/3 cup granulated sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour, baking soda & salt and mix well.

Using a cookie baller or a teaspoon, drop by rounded balls onto the cookie sheet.

 Baking for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven & immediately press one Peeps Chocolate Peepster candy into the top.

Allow it to cool on the cookie sheet slightly & remove to wire rack to cool. Let the cookies sit somewhere cool until the chocolate gets solid again. Makes 36 cookies.

My thanks to the sponsor for providing the candy for these cookies.

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

Recipe: Nutella No Bake Cookies

Nutella No Bake Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 & 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup Nutella
3 cups rolled oats

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.Reduce heat and continue to boil for 3 minutes, still stirring. Remove from heat and add Vanilla. Add Nutella. Add oats and mix well. Drop quickly onto waxed paper and allow cookies to cool and set.

Yummy!

Ideal Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies use Ideal No Calorie Sweetener instead of sugar.

1 cup Ideal No Calorie Sweetener
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, cream together Ideal and butter; beat in egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture. Blend well until ball is formed; cover dough and refrigerate 2 hours. Temper dough until soft enough to roll; roll out in between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/8" thickness. (Or do like me & drop by teaspoonfuls.) Cut into desired shapes; set cookies on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool slightly on pans then remove to racks to cool completely.

Recipe: Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

One of the first things I learned to make was homemade macaroni and cheese. It's one of my favorite comfort foods to this day. Here's the recipe I use.

1 pound dried macaroni or other short pasta (I use elbows)

Cheese sauce:

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
6 tablespoons of flour
2 teaspoons of dried mustard powder
4 cups of milk
3 cups grated Gruyere or other Swiss cheese
2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper

Topping:

2 cups breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the macaroni & cook to the package directions. Drain macaroni & set aside.

3. While the macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a 2 to 3 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Cook onion until translucent and very tender, but not brown. Add the flour and mustard powder and stir, cooking for two minutes. Whisk in the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring sauce to boil. Once it has boiled and thickened, remove from heat & stir in cheeses, salt and pepper.

 4. In large casserole dish, combine macaroni and cheese sauce. Combine topping ingredients and spread mixture on top of the macaroni. Cook at 350F for 30 minutes.

Being the frugal mom that I am, I make a few changes to the original recipe. I use whatever cheeses I happen to have in the house. This time I used Grana Padano which is a hard Italian cheese, Parmesan and Velveeta (yes I know!). In the summer when my herb garden is not under two feet of snow, I use fresh herbs. In the winter, I use dried.

This is an amazingly tasty version of macaroni and cheese. I just cannot stand that boxed stuff.