That’s when I make this delicious feta stuffed hamburger recipe.  They are quick and easy to make, only requiring one extra ingredient: feta cheese.  And as my boys say, “Feta makes everything betta’.” 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs of ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• salt & pepper
• cumin
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta

Luau Party
Make a typical pool party a luau with just the right touches of the tropics. Consider purchasing large palm house plants to help outline the party area. You can get them for about $10 a piece. Put two or three at the corners of the pool, or to flank the food table to create an authentic tropical look. Grass skirts and leis are great to hand out at the door and add to the theme, use any extras as table skirts or to twist amongst food dishes. Some hot dogs on the grill, a tropical fruit salad, and some sparkling fruit punch and you’ve got yourself a party! Use upbeat “beachy” tunes during the day time and transition into some dance music as the evening goes on.

This Means War
Everyone from I know from 3 to 93 enjoys a good Nerf gun war. Turn a typical scavenger hunt birthday into an all out war! As the kids are guided around town by scavenger hunt clues, they better keep a look out so they don’t get ambushed by the other team’s Nerf guns. This element will add a challenge and excitement to the competition to a summer themed birthday teens will love.

First I’m going to share my easy pancake recipe with you, then I’ll tell you how to freeze and re-heat your pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat white flour
• 4 tbs sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk (possibly a little more or less depending on desired thickness)
• 4 tbs unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp vinegar

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl, making a little well in the center and set aside.

Add the vinegar to the milk in a jug (for easy pouring) and set aside. Lightly whisk the eggs.  Add about half of the milk, the butter, and the vanilla and mix.  Pour the mixture into the well of the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon.  Continue adding milk until the pancake mixture has reached the desired consistency.  Some people like theirs thinner, others prefer thicker, so you may want to add a little more or less milk depending on how you like yours.

It’s one of those salads that I enjoy for lunch regularly whether made at home or eaten at a restaurant. I was at Olive Garden recently and loved their salad so much I decided to try to make it at home.  It was delicious, even our picky teenager who normally won’t eat salads loved it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Romaine Lettuce
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups Grilled Chicken (sliced)
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups Seasoned Croutons
• 1 cup shaved Parmesan Cheese
• 1/3 cup Ranch Dressing
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard (not seeded)

Roughly chop the romaine lettuce and place in a large salad bowl. 

When I think of springtime, I immediately think of green.

Every living thing gets that bright green color of new life. It’s a rebirth and a time to start a new year of growth.

It’s also the beginning of the gardening season. So, it’s time to fill those diets with loads of vegetables and get bikini ready for the summer!

May is also known as National Asparagus Month and today we’re celebrating with a healthy asparagus soup. It’s rich and creamy without an ounce of cream!

Must Have Kitchen Tools

All kitchen gadgets aside, there are two motorized tools essential to a cook - a good blender, and a food processor.

1. Farberware has released a fantastic 10-speed blender with a sleek, stainless base and glass pitcher. We gave this blender the ultimate test with an apple, carrot, banana & mango smoothie. Toss in the ingredients and press the smoothie button – then walk away. It effortlessly purees the fruits & vegetables into a pleasant smooth drink without even one lump. Even the carrots were pulsed to a refreshing drink – no chewing required. Priced under $60, this machine rivals $400 models in ease of use and durability. The best part – when you’re finished, just fill the pitcher with hot water and one drop of dish soap. Then press the easy clean button and watch the blender clean itself.

2. The Farberware 12-cup food processor gave an amazing performance mixing up a batch of blueberry and oat banana muffins. The 4-cup nested work bowl made it easy to grind up the oats. Then in the main work bowl, the flour, bananas and other ingredients were blended with the dough blade. And unlike some other processors we tried, this one was easy to use right out of the box. For about $65 – its something from a baking mom’s dreams.

Gourmet Cookware

3. Looking for another way to spoil mom? Give her a set of Villeroy & Boch Ceramicplus baking dishes. They’re nonstick and safe for oven, microwave and dishwasher use. You barely have to dust the bottom of the bread pan with flour and your loaves will slide out easier than pork ribs off a greasy platter. All of the Ceramicplus patterns have a vintage look and feel to them, emitting a bit more charm than some modern pieces. Priced from around $40 – the posh bakeware isn’t likely to bust your budget either.

4. If your mom is still cooking on chipped teflon and needs a little upgrade, we’ve got a great gift idea for her. Mario Batali has a beautiful selection of cast iron cookware that’s coated with a hand-detailed enamel, giving it non-stick properties and eliminating the need to season the pans. All that and they come in bright bold colors to give the countertop a little panache.

Lazy Day Goodies

5. Nuts.com has a plethora of Mother’s Day goodies for the mom who deserves a treat. The Sugar Free Tin of Indulgent Treats for a mom who loves chocolate, but is watching her carb intake. For around $30, she’ll get a sturdy tin stocked with nearly three pounds of goodies – sugar free dark chocolate espresso beans, milk chocolate peanuts, dark chocolate almonds and yogurt raisins. This isn’t the kind of sugar free chocolate that tastes like artificial sweetener either. It’s the melt-in-your-mouth, I-can’t-believe-this-is-sugar-free kind. She’ll love this and you’ll love gifting her a decadent treat that she can enjoy guilt free.

6. They’ve also got a selection called,  Box of Love, Mom. It’s a gorgeous box full of salted & shelled pistachios, honey cashews, pastel chocolate blueberries, mixed nuts, fruits and a truly mouthwatering butter crunch mix. It’s around $50 and sure to make your mother forget all the gray hairs you ever gave her.

Pamper the foodie mom in your life this year – and give her a Mother’s Day to remember.

It always helps (them and your kitchen) to have a few kid-friendly recipes ready for them to choose from.

Here are some great options:

Eggs in a Mug

Ingredients:

• 1 T butter
• 1 T milk
• 1-2 eggs
• Bacon bits
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place butter in a 12 oz. microwave-safe mug.
2. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or until butter is melted.
3. Add eggs, milk, salt and pepper and stir.
4. Microwave on high 35-45 seconds; two eggs 1 1/2 -2 minutes or until eggs begin to set.  Stop and break eggs apart inside after half of the time.
5. Remove eggs and let stand about 2 minutes.
6. While standing, add bacon bits and shredded cheese.
7. Once firm, serve with a glass of orange juice and the morning paper.

Photo Credit to Clearly Ambiguous on Flickr

Photo Credit to Clarly Ambiguous on Flickr

Spring harvests are rolling in, and you might be wondering how many more ways to make asparagus and peas. Instead of wearing out their welcome, try canning spring vegetables for later on this summer when you are missing the fresh taste of spring.

Because botulism is only killed off under very high temperatures, use a pressure canner when you are canning spring vegetables, even if you just plan to can them for summer use. Follow the instructions for your particular canner, and try preserving these veggies this spring. For safety, remember to carefully sterilize the jars and lids before use.

Canning Asparagus

A flexible spring vegetable for canning has got to be asparagus, which is a good thing considering how many your asparagus patch can produce! Whether raw packing or pickling, make sure you trim them so that they are not bent or crushed to fit in your jar. Fill the hot, clean jars to within ½ inch headspace. For raw packing, cover with boiling water. For pickling, cover with the hot pickling mixture – vinegar, dill, pickling salt, water, and any other flavorings your recipe calls for. Cover and can according to your canner’s directions.

Roasted Baby Artichokes with Black Quinoa. Gorgeous! (Credit- SummerTomato on Flickr)

Preserved Baby Artichokes

Baby artichokes are good candidates for canning to use in pasta sauces or as a quick antipasto. Six pounds of baby artichokes will yield roughly four pints. Peel the outer leaves away until you have light green, tear drop shaped artichokes. Trim the base, cut the artichokes in half, and wipe out any fuzzy interior leaves. Before putting the artichokes into the jar, boil for ten minutes in your recipe’s combination – likely something like lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and bay leaves. Now fill your jars, cover with water, and can as normal. !–nextpage–>

Canning Method for Radishes

Radish Relish (Photo Credit - Roman Petruniak on Flickr)

Refrigerator pickles are done well with radishes, but have you ever tried canned radish relish? Better yet, have you ever tried to say “radish relish” five times fast? Making the relish will be easier than that, don’t worry. Run three cups of radishes, two ribs of celery and a red onion through the food processor. Mix in two teaspoons of salt, a tablespoon of mustard seed, two teaspoons of dill seed, ½ teaspoon celery seed, two tablespoons horseradish, a cup of vinegar and a cup of sugar. Let it stand for a few hours, then boil in a large pan for 10 minutes. Pour the cooked relish into jars and can as normal.

Canned Peas

Choose young peas, well before they begin to limp. The pods toward the bottom of the stalk will ripen faster than the others, so keep an eye on those first. When picked younger, peas will be firmer and sweeter, so they will retain flavor better during canning.

A handy guide for picking peas is that 9 lbs should yield 9 pints. Get a big pot of water boiling while you hull your peas. To raw pack the jars – canning them raw rather than cooked – you will use this water to fill the jars. Use a funnel to fill the jars with the hulled peas, packed fairly tightly to within 1 inch of the top. Then carefully add in boiling water, leaving that same headspace. Can accordingly.

There are plenty of other methods for canning spring vegetables. What is your garden overflowing with this year?

Getting started with invitations and decorations sets the tone of your party. Invitations and decorations should be festive. If you can’t hire a mariachi band to travel and serenade your guests to your party, a simple tag, completed with party details, tied to the handle of a beautiful maraca makes a great invite! Many store decorations consist of red, green and white, the colors of the Mexican Flag. However, bright colors of yellow, pink, turquoise, and orange are also appropriate colors when hosting a Cinco de Mayo party. Using dishes and tablecloths of brightly colored hues, as well as, hanging streamers, balloons, and piñatas will give your Cinco de Mayo Party a festive atmosphere.

So why is it such a popular holiday in America? That’s simple; it’s a great reason to indulge in food and drink! Just like non-Irish Americans are fond of celebrating St. Patrick’s day with pint of Guinness and a plate of corned beef and cabbage, non-Mexican Americans relish the opportunity to nosh on tacos and drink Coronas or margaritas.

And why not? NPR’s All Things Considered recently ran a story about America’s love affair with the taco. And as Wikipedia states, “the holiday crossed over into the United States in the 1950s and 1960s but didn’t gain popularity until the 1980s when marketers, especially beer companies, capitalized on the celebratory nature of the day and began to promote it.”

Cinco de Mayo is in just a few days! Let’s celebrate!

All throughout my schooling, I took Spanish. Every year all of us kids would look forward to Cinco de Mayo parties. There would be loads of tacos, burritos, virgin margaritas, fried ice cream, and of course, flan!

Usually I just serve it with butter, but whenever we have a saucy sort of dish, like this yummy pasta casserole, I like to throw a little caution to the wind and perk up our tastebuds by making homemade garlic bread.

The garlic bread that I make is super simple, I don’t know if you can really call this a recipe, but in case you need some guidelines for homemade garlic bread; here’s a great jumping off point.

All you need is:

• 1 loaf French bread
• butter, softened
• garlic powder
• grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Slice bread and butter
2. Sprinkle with garlic powder and cheese
3. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown

If I want to put a spin on this super easy and traditional garlic bread 

Here is the recipe for the quick and easy Shrimp Salad that I whipped up for dinner one night.  The best part is that you can cook the orzo salad ahead of time and then grill the shrimp right before serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Shrimp (large, fully cooked)
• 1 box Orzo
• 1 jar Pesto
• 1 small bag of Pine Nuts
• 1 can Pineapple (diced)
• 1/2 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
• Salad greens

Combine the defrosted shrimp with the sweet chili sauce in a shallow dish.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Note: I defrosted the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight, rinsed, then about 2 hours before grilling I added the sweet chili sauce, and popped the dish back into the refrigerator until we were ready.

If you’re one of the many parents out there who have picky eaters, you have my empathy – and PediaSure’s attention.

PediaSure did a survey and found out that : “Nearly six in ten moms (58%) consider their biggest daily challenge to be making sure their child eats healthy and nutritious meals every day. “ and that “more than 2/3 of the mom surveyed have a picky eater”

This past February, while at BlissDom, I had the pleasure of meeting the folks from PediaSure.  They were one of the wonderful sponsors and they had a great booth with shakes and samples and lots of fun facts and Q&A for us about their product and their PediaSure Mom Brigade.

We love to picnic as a family, whether it be at the park, the lake, the beach, outdoor concerts, or in our own backyard.

I have some tips for you to make your outdoor family meal picnic perfect.

Picnic Essentials:

Let’s start with the essential items such as a picnic blanket, basket, cooler, and other items to make your picnic more enjoyable.  Look for eco-friendly options when shopping for items such as napkins, plates, serving-ware, insect repellant, and wipes .  We have been using a fabulous roll-up table for years, it helps to keep the bugs at bay with the food being up higher, as well as providing a stable surface for beverages and plates.

According to a 2008 survey conducted by Schwan’s (makers of Mrs. Smith’s pies), blueberry pie is the 7th favorite pie according to 21% of the survey population.  Blueberry pie certainly has it’s place in the hearts of pie lovers!

• Blueberry pie (made with wild, Maine blueberries) is the official dessert of Maine
• Blueberry pie (along with other popular fruit pies) in America dates back to colonial times.
• Blueberries are high in antioxidents and are considered a “super food”. They certainly do make super pies!

As much I as love an ooey-gooey, sweet-tart, flaky crust blueberry pie, I don’t always have the time to make one. And while nothing can really take it’s place, alternatives, such as this Frozen Blueberry Pie, are still quite satisfying.

Thankfully, my husband is always up to the challenge of cooking a special Mother’s Day meal, and making me feel extra special with six little “helping” hands every step of the way.
If you are looking for a few special Mother’s Day meals to cook up this Mother’s Day, you have come to the right place.  Any Mom will be sure to appreciate these Mother’s Day meals, no matter how many helping hands there are!

Easy Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole, accompanied with a nice spring fruit salad, and the wonderful aroma of fresh brewed coffee will get Mother’s Day off to a great start!

Tortilla Wrap Sandwich - Photo Credit: WordRidden

One of the best things about Spring and Summer is the readily available fresh produce. In the garden, at the store, at the farmer’s market or from a roadside booth, fresh fruits and veggies abound. A quick and easy way to get your veggies is to wrap them up in a tortilla wrap sandwich. In fact, you can wrap just about anything up in a tortilla!

Choose Your Tortilla Wisely

I do.

Growing up, I was lucky enough to experience the joy and unmatched taste that comes from picking vegetables straight from my grandfather’s huge garden, seeing it go from farm to kitchen to my plate.

When we weren’t visiting their Kentucky farm, my mom made sure that as much of our fruits and vegetables as possible came from our local farmer’s market or her own small garden.

If you’ve ever had a tomato fresh off the vine, you’ll know why this is such a big deal.

If you’ve ever had a tomato (any veggie, really) that is straight from the garden you know the rich earthy smell and the absolutely unmatched taste that no mass produced tomato can even begin to touch.

There’s just something about homegrown and locally grown food that not only tastes better, but also gives a sense of peace to your heart knowing you’re supporting your community and because you know exactly where (and often whom) your food comes from.

Happy National Picnic Day!

Picnics are one of my favorite things this time of year. I love when it’s just me, my husband, my dog, and a lot of delicious food!

We’ll spend a few hours in the park just talking, eating, reading, and/or napping. Well, I guess until our little dog, Leland, starts to get on impatient and we’ll play fetch for a while…then it’s back to napping for the three of us.

Picnics are also a great way to spring clean your marriage and connect with your young children too. So, go on a picnic!

Our Picnic Menu:

• pimento cheese sandwiches
• lemonade in jars
• fruit salad

You will want to start off your Earth Day Party by using an invitation that sings to the occasion, so think Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Hand delivered invites are great for adding a personal touch, but they all so add some extra room for creativity. Start your invites by saving your tin cans, or glass jars, you will need one for each invite.

Fill the cleaned containers with a bit of potting soil and a few discounted bed plants from your local nursery or a little water and pretty posies from your own flower garden. With a ribbon or a strip of leftover fabric, attach party details. Instantly your guests have a touch of nature in their home, a party invite, and a party reminder!

The average school child generates 67 lbs of lunch packaging waste a year!  

Can you imagine how much waste that is per school?  Per state?  That statistic is what originally earned my interest in bento boxes and greener, more earth-friendly lunchboxes.   Plus, you save a fortune by not having to purchase individually packaged snacks and juices.  They’re cheaper and you get more when you buy in bulk.

Here are three more fun bento box ideas for you in honor of Earth Day! 

They’re simple to make and the kids will love them.  The best thing about making bento box lunches is that the possibilities are endless and all you really need are some fun cookie cutters and a little imagination!

Pineapple Basil Chutney

(This made enough to cover a small 1.5 pound ham. For larger hams, or if serving as a condiment, consider adjusting the amounts to make more.)

Ingredients

• 1 – 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
• 3 Tbs packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper
• zest from one lemon
• several basil leaves

Since I’ve been working on the Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up campaign, I’ve been looking forward to trying some of their picky-eater favorites.  I decided to try the Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers.  Panteleimon is a fan of cornflakes,  honey, and chicken, so I was hoping he’d enjoy this recipe.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At first, he wouldn’t try it.  So I left the dish on the table and told him he couldn’t get up until he at least took one bite.  Of course, he refused.  I got up and started doing the dishes.  While I was away from the table, I saw him pull a few cornflakes off and eat them.  Then, before I knew it he had eaten three chicken fingers.  Not nearly enough to fill a normal belly, I know, but this is definitely progress!

I am so excited to have been a part of Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up because it gave me the opportunity to discover and try out some really fantastic recipes.  I’ve become better at planning budget friendly meals, found a few favorites that whip up in less than 20 minutes and even found something even my picky eater loved!  How awesome it is to have companies understand what moms today need!

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN FINGERS

 Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Light Mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Honey Mustard
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1-1/2 cups finely crushed corn flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Combine Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Light Mayonnaise, Creamy Dijon Mustard and honey in medium bowl; reserve 1/2 for dipping.
2. Add chicken to remaining mayonnaise mixture; stir to coat.  Mix corn flakes with Parmesan Cheese, then roll chicken in crumbs.
3. Arrange on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with reserved honey mustard sauce.

We ate ours with the dipping sauce, but I gave Panteleimon a small bowl of plain honey, and that tasted great too!

To thank you for following along with us during Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up, we’re offering one reader a terrific Picky Eaters Prize Pack!

To Enter: 

1. Mandatory Entry: Simply leave a comment telling me which of the three Hellmann’s recipes I’ve posted during this campaign you’re going to try!  Click here to read the previous posts.  Be sure to leave your email in the comment. 
2. Tweet this giveaway and leave the link along with your email in a comment
3. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with all the Blissfully Domestic news and tell us that you’ve subscribed (or are already a subscriber) in a comment along with your email address.

Don’t Forget to visit our Blissfully Domestic Facebook page for more fun and information!

*Giveaway open to US residents, 21 years of age and over. Ends April 20, 11:59pm.*

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post.  Hellmann’s product and additional incentives were provided to me.  However, all opinions stated are my own.  And Hellmann’s rocks…just sayin’.

Flickr User WhitneyInChicago shows off her scrumptious, CSA-made meal!

“Eat Local.”

The Earth Day mantra sounds so simple. Small time grocery stores, avoid chains, maybe grow some tomatoes? But how hard is it, really, to find locally grown food?

Think about this: Even when you buy your groceries at the local supermarket, you aren’t necessarily getting local food. In fact, even when the label says local it might not mean it. I have seen sneaky little labels tell me “Grown Locally!” with “in Bakersfield, California” in tiny print beneath it. As I’m standing in the midwest. There is something wrong with this picture.

What’s more, is that even if I were in Bakersfield, that item could have traveled up to (or beyond?) 10,000 miles for various processing steps before coming right back home to the shelves of my neighborhood market.