Month: February 2015

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World Nutella Day: Nutella-Stuffed Baked French Toast Casserole

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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Today is World Nutella Day.  A day dedicated to the Italian sweetened hazelnut spread that we all love and enjoy.  It’s become a staple in our house where sometimes breakfast consists of a bagel with Nutella spread.  To celebrate this special day I am sharing Nutella-Stuffed Baked French Toast.  My kids LOVE breakfast food.  We were talking about giving things up for Lent and I reminded him that it has to be something that he really likes.  His response was breakfast!  No, I had to tell him, you can’t give up breakfast for Lent!  In the midst of our eating less meat, the kids have thus far been really great sports about it.  Even if I make a meal that they may not enjoy, they’ve been really great about eating some of it and giving it a try.  Each week I try to make a recipe that I know will be a definite hit with them.  I have lots of breakfast recipes bookmarked and know that breakfast for dinner will always be a win.  Well with this recipe, you mix French toast, already a big hit with the kids, with some Nutella?!!  To say they loved this would be an understatement.  A benefit of working at home is that I was able to prep this French toast in the morning and let it sit all day.  For busy families, you can prep this the night before and then bake in the oven the next day.  I call this a casserole since it’s cooked in a baking dish.  However, we cut pieces like those picture above to serve it.

Nutella-Stuffed Baked French Toast Casserole
Recipe adapted from the little kitchen

**Note:  You can pre-make this French toast the night before and bake in the oven the next day.

Ingredients:

  • 6 teaspoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 14 slices white bread
  • approximately 1/2 cup nutella hazelnut chocolate spread
  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 2/3 cup almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Original Bisquick™ mix

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with baking spray and set aside.
2. Spread Nutella on 7 slices of white bread and cover each with the remaining slices, so you have 7 sandwiches.3.  In a large bowl, mix the eggs and milk together. Add vanilla  extract and continue mixing. Mix in Bisquick® mix and melted butter, using a whisk if necessary to break up any clumps. Add sandwiches to the baking dish, overlapping so they fit in the pan. Pour Bisquick mixture over the bread, making sure all of the bread is covered. Allow to soak for 15 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator).
4.  Bake  in the oven for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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Tortellini Soup with Artichokes

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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Soup. It’s what’s for dinner.  Nothing beats soup on a cold day, and here in New York we’ve been experiencing lots of cold weather!  In honor of National Homemade Soup Day, we are sharing this recipe for Tortellini Soup with Artichokes.  To be honest, the kids did not enjoy this soup.  We think there were too many ingredients in it that they didn’t like.  We were happy enough with them eating the tortellini and the accompanying bread.  Since the adults enjoyed it a lot, we thought it was worth sharing!

Tortellini Soup with Artichokes
Recipe adapted from foodiecrush

Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable broth
16 oz. package frozen tortellini
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
15 oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups baby spinach

Directions:
1.  Pour broth into a Dutch oven or stock pot and bring to a boil.

2.  Add the tortellini and sun dried tomatoes, cooking until the tortellini float to the top, approximately 3-4 minutes.

3.  Reduce the heat to low and add the chick peas through red pepper flakes, cooking for 2-3 minutes.

4.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted.

February is National Chocolate Lover’s Month!

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Chocolate

Are you a chocolate lover?  If you are, February is your month.  To celebrate National Chocolate Lover’s Month (and just a reminder that Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching!) I have rounded up a collection of gift ideas for you or the chocolate lovers in your life!

How about joining a chocolate of the month club? Godiva, The Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club, Lake Champlain Chocolates and many other companies offer monthly subscriptions.

If you want something on a smaller scale, gourmet candy bars are always a hit.  Chocolate bars are being made with all types of ingredients including  chilies, ginger, quinoa, wasabi, espresso beans, bacon, berries, and much more!  We recently reviewed the Prestat Pink Equatorial Dark Chocolate with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt bar here.

Many people love chocolate covered strawberries.  They can be ordered online from companies like Edible Arrangements and Shari’s Berries.  Or they can be easily made at home.  Check out Martha Stewart’s recipe for Chocolate Covered Strawberries here.

For those who like to cook how about silicone chocolate molds to make your own chocolates?  And maybe a chocolate dessert cookbook to go along with it?

Do you like wine?  How about the best of both worlds with a chocolate-infused wine?  Blog Chocolate Wine gives a comprehensive review of the chocolate wine market, explaining the different types of chocolate wines and descriptions of the different wines available.

For edible, non-candy chocolate food items, maybe try some chocolate pasta, dark chocolate infused balsamic vinegar or chocolate and fruit jelly?

For those who want to be pampered, there are chocolate face masks, chocolate body scrubs, chocolate hair conditioner, chocolate lip balm and even chocolate perfumes!

And finally, there are tons of kitschy, as well as classy, chocolate lover themed aprons, shirts, mugs, wine glasses, etc. with quotes like “Just hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt” and “Chocolate:  it’s cheaper than THERAPY and you don’t need an appointment.”  Are you looking for a chocolate bar key chain calculator or messenger bag?  They make it!

Amazon.com sells all of the items mentioned above and more!  Specialty and gourmet stores may sell many of these products as well.

Please share some of your favorite chocolate gift recommendations! 

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Carrot Cake Muffins

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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Today is National Carrot Cake Day!  To celebrate, I am sharing some carrot cake muffins.  The Mr. says muffins are an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.  Well, so be it!  They are easy to make and easy to eat!  I have not had great success with carrots.  The kids constantly remind me of my big carrot soup fail from several years ago.  On rare occasions the kids will snack on carrot sticks with salad dressing.  For my daughter, who will eat just about anything, carrots rank high up on her least favorite vegetables list.  However,  they didn’t seem to mind eating these carrot cake muffins!  These were moist and flavorful.  I did not make the icing that the original recipe had called for, because then I’d have to call it a cupcake!  I did make a cinnamon sugar topping for the muffins but only sprinkled it on half of them, as seen in the picture.  I’m glad that I only sugared half of the muffins, as they were great without, and definitely did not need the extra sugar!

Carrot Cake Muffins
Recipe adapted from Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrot

Optional:  Cinnamon Sugar Topping
Combine 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease or paper line 12 cup muffin tin.  In a large bowl combine flour through sugar.  Add in eggs, oil and vanilla, stirring until combined.  Fold in shredded carrots.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar topping, if desired.

2.  Fill muffin cups with 2/3 cup of batter.   Bake in pre-heated oven for 22-25 minutes (insert toothpick into the center of a muffin to check for doneness).   Let muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove and place on cooling racks.

 

Sharing at Tasty Tuesday @ Lean Lena and Tasty Tuesday new mrs. adventures.

February Food Festivals

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

 February 2015 Food Festivals
New York is filled with lots of good eating and drinking!  Here’s a list of this month’s food and beverage festivals going on around the state.  Please check the websites for additional information.  Please note that this listing is for informational purposes only.  We are not affiliated with any of these festivals, nor have we attended any of them.

February 6, 2015 – Oswego County Wing Fest (Oswego County)
6 PM – Lake Ontario Conference Center, Oswego, New York
Benefitting the Child Advocacy Center of Oswego County, restaurants will be offering samples of their signature wings.  Eagle Beverages of Oswego will be offering a selection of micro-brews as well.
Price:  SOLD OUT
Check the official site here for additional information.

February 8, 2015 – Hudson Valley Wine & Chocolate Festival (Putnam County)
11 AM – 5 PM, Putnam Golf Course, Mahopac, New York
Hosted by Putnam ARC (PARC), this event will feature wineries and distilleries throughout the Hudson Valley and more as well as chocolate tastings and craft vendors.
Price:  $25 pre-event, $30 day of, $10 designated driver
Check the official site here for additional information and to purchase tickets.

February 12, 2015 – French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF) Truffles and Bubbles (New York City)
7 PM at FIAF, Le Skyroom New York, New York
Part of their “Talk & Wine Tasting” series, guests will taste some of the world’s greatest champagnes and sample chocolates from chocolatier Jacques Torres
Price:  $95 for FIAF members, $115 for non-members
Check the official site here for additional information and to purchase tickets.

February 15, 2015 – Revolving Dansk’s Winter Hot Dog Championship (New York City)
1-5 PM, Jimmy’s No. 43, New York, New York
Revolving Dank’s mission is to bring Copenhagen street food to New York.  Ticket includes three gourmet hot dog creations, the classic rode polse hot dog and the opportunity to vote for the ultimate hot dog creation.  Beverages are not included in the ticket price.
Price:  $15-$20 pre-event,  $25 day of
Check the official site here for additional information and to purchase tickets.

February 20 – March 1, 2015 – New York City Beer Week (New York City)
10 day celebration of craft beer throughout New York City.  Check out the website here for a listing of all events.

February 20- 21, 2015 – Binghamton On Tap (Broome County)
Friday:  6-9 PM, Saturday: 1-4 PM/5-8 PM, DoubleTree Hilton, Binghamton, New York
Enjoy unlimited sampling from over 100 different releases from craft breweries throughout the country while listening to live music.
Price: Saturday sessions SOLD OUT, Friday session available $35
Check the official site here for additional information and to purchase tickets.

February 25, 2015 – Whiskey Live (New York City)
6:30 -10 PM, Pier 60 Chelsea Piers,  New York, New York
Sample more than 300 scotches, bourbons and whiskies from around the world.
Price:  $119 which includes souvenir tasting glass, buffet dinner from 6-9 pm, live entertainment, access to whiskey tasting
$149 for VIP tickets which include 5:30 entrance
Check the NYC official site here for additional information and to purchase tickets.

February 26-28 – New York Farm Show (Syracuse)
New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, New York
Over 400 exhibitors showcasing beef, dairy, goat, ham, and cheese related products.
Price:  $5 at the door, children under 18 free.
Check the official site here for additional information.

February 28-March 1 – Kids Food Festival (New York City)
10 AM – 4 PM, Bryant Park, New York, New York
Learn about food and healthy eating while participating in hands-on activities, sampling snacks and listening to a variety of live entertainment.
Price:  Admission is free; tickets to cooking classes are available for $25 a ticket
Check the official site here for additional information and to purchase cooking class tickets.

Please share any additional food festivals that are taking place in New York State in February!

Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake

Posted on by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

 

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Winter is all about comfort food and nothing says comfort like some homemade mac and cheese.  As we try to eat less meat we are always looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into our dishes.  Since mac and cheese is a favorite among the kids we knew they’d eat this.  We cooked the cauliflower to a point where it wasn’t too crunchy or too mushy.  The sour cream gave the dish an extra creaminess.  And we were correct, the kids did indeed eat all of their dinner!

Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Recipe adapted from The Art of Food adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Food Revolution

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
8 oz. shredded cheddar
4 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1 pound macaroni
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Grease 9×13 inch baking pan.

2. Cook macaroni according to package, adding cauliflower to the same pot of boiling water.

3. Place heat-proof bowl over the boiling pasta pot and add cheeses and sour cream.

4. Stir mixture until smooth and melted.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove bowl from pot, setting aside.

6. Drain macaroni and cauliflower in colander and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

7.  Pour pasta and cauliflower back into the pot.  Add cheese mixture stirring to combine.  Add reserved cooking water in small amounts as needed, if too thick.

8.  Pour mixture into greased baking pan.  Place pan under broiler until golden.