Friday Favorites

This was a three-hour delay and two snow day kind of week in these parts.  I’ve discovered how difficult it can be to try to get work done with the kids home all day!  We are ending things off with a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby tonight and a visit to the in-laws on Sunday.  Anything exciting plans for you this weekend?  Here are this week’s family favorites:

1.  Favorite new food product tried this week:    If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen this picture the other night.  While we recently tried the Spectacular Speculoos cookie core, we (meaning the Mr. and I) weren’t huge fans of the ice cream.  But we had the Boom Chocolatta! cookie core and we liked it!  I pretty much enjoy anything mocha…because coffee and chocolate…..do I have to say anything else?  But then you add in chocolate cookie pieces and a chocolate cookie core and yes…..it’s pretty good.

2.  Favorite recipe bookmarked to try:  This Reuben Casserole from blog Melanie Makes.  I normally make Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day because it’s tradition….not because it’s my favorite.  Now this casserole sounds so much more tasty!

3.  Favorite Netflix Binge Watch:  This one is all mine….the Mr. has not been watching this with me.  I don’t know why I started Season 1 of the 187 episode show on Netflix.  It has sucked me in!  I tried to figure out how I missed this when it first came out in 2003, but the Mr. reminded me that we were watching the O.C. I guess I could only handle one high school drama at a time!

4.  Favorite Kids Read:  My six year old son has been reading through this series non-stop.  Every week when we go to the library he takes several of these or the sister series, Thea Stilton, out to read.  The book series is about a mouse who works as a journalist for the newspaper The Rodent Gazette.  The books are fun to look at, with different colors and fonts.  There are also maps, diagrams and colorful illustrations.  These are chapter books with over 150 pages and a lot of text and are aimed more towards 3rd graders and up.  I admit that I haven’t read any of these books, although there’s always a bunch lying around the house.  My almost nine year old daughter will pick them up and read them as well…..so maybe they’re worth checking out?!!

5. Favorite Healthy Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats are a much tastier alternative to packets of flavored instant oatmeal. It is typically sold in tins or canisters and require a bit of effort before it is edible. Unlike quick or instant oats, there is minimal processing on the raw oats. They are only broken into small pieces with steel cutters, hence the name. So they need to be simmered and stirred in water for about 30 minutes. The Mr. makes enough for the week because it’s a bit of a pain effortwise. The reward is a much nuttier and richer oatmeal that goes well with brown sugar, dried fruit like raisins and maybe some chopped nuts. Try it once, you won’t go back to packets!

Have a great weekend!

Linking up with Amanda @ Meet @ the Barre,  Andrea @ Momfessionals, Tif @ Bright on a Budget, and Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm.

Not much exciting happened this week.  The kids finally had a full week of school.  With work and the kids’ activities, it was another busy week around here.  Here are some of this week’s favorites.  Most of them this week are food-related, but some aren’t.

1.  Favorite Book –  If you liked Gone Girl, you will probably enjoy this book.  I read this book in two days and then gave it to the Mr. to read.  It’s a page-turner!  The Mr. was a bit disappointed with the ending but he, who rarely reads, also finished the book in two days.

2.  Family Favorite Show – We don’t have cable anymore, which I’m starting to miss, since I’m not able to get my fill of trashy reality television from Netflix!  Does Hulu air the Real Housewives and The Bachelor?!!!  So only having Netflix, there’s not a lot of shows that we can all watch and enjoy together as a family.  I don’t really enjoy watching Pokémon and Good Luck Charlie.  We’ve all been happy watching episodes from the Man v. Food collection on Netflix though!

3.  Favorite Bookmarked Recipe of the Week – This Shrimp and Scallop Stroganoff from blog Penny’s Passion.  I’ve made the traditional beef stroganoff and even chicken stroganoff.  But shrimp and scallop stroganoff is different! Looking forward to cooking this soon!

4.   We love Jimmy Fallon!  Check out this ice cream prank he pulled in honor of the debut of Ben & Jerry’s Tonight Dough.

5.   These Chicken Avocado Enchiladas that I made for dinner this week.  I adapted the recipe from Dinners Dishes & Dessert, which had used leftover turkey.   I ended up snapping this photo before cooking.  Lighting was so bad when they were ready and I was planning to take a pic of leftovers the next day…..but leftovers do not photo well!  They were really good though and highly recommend.  The kids ate them even after telling me that they don’t like avocados (they didn’t even taste them, since they get blended in the sauce!).  The Mr. commented that these tasted like something you’d get in a restaurant!

Linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals, Jennie @ The Diary of a Real Housewife, Tif @ Bright on a Budget and Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Did everyone have a great week?!  The kids spent the week with their grandparents in Rhode Island, while the Mr. and I were working.  We managed to get in a couple of date night dinners in their absence.  I’m tired of complaining about the weather but first there was all the snow and now it’s been absolutely freezing!  The poor kids couldn’t even play outside in the snow while up in RI it was so cold!  Here are some of this week’s favorites!

1.   Beard Papa Cream Puffs – It was Japan Week at Grand Central Terminal in NYC this week.  On my way into the city to meet the Mr. for dinner I stopped to check it out.  The line at the Beard Papa stand was crazy long.  I didn’t even know what I was getting in line for, but if everyone was waiting in line, it had to be good, right?!!!  I ordered the Doraemon (named after the popular, blue Japanese character) “Yummy Bun” and yes I was embarrassed ordering it by that name.  But for $3.25, this was one of the best cream puffs I’ve had.  They fill the cream puff when you order, so you know you’re getting a fresh pastry.  The Doreamon “Yummy Bun” was filled with the original custard cream mixed with red bean and chestnuts.  This cream puff made its debut this week and is allegedly going to be offered at Beard Papa stores.  Check out the official Beard Papa site here for more information.

2. Free Chipotle Burrito – The Mr. tried the Sofritas burrito bowl during Chipotle’s promotion and thus earned a free item with the receipt.  Over the weekend we took a trip to the Palisades mall and got our free burrito.  We ended up splitting a chicken burrito…..and then a Yogen Fruz frozen yogurt!

3.  Favorite Bookmarked Recipe of the Week – This Banana Stuffed French Toast from blog Damn Delicious.  I’m always looking for recipes to use up the ripened bananas that we always seem to have.  Plus, this is a no-brainer, the kids will love it, breakfast for dinner!

4.  This video of American kids trying breakfast foods from around the world!

5. This Goat Cheese Cheesecake – We ate dinner this week at a new, local restaurant Hopscotch.  The food was delicious and this goat cheese cheesecake was so memorable!

Linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals, Jennie @ The Diary of a Real Housewife, Tif @ Bright on a Budget and Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm.

Have a great weekend!

Phew!  We survived another long week of cold, snow and another snow day!  We’re not sure of the last time our kids attended school on a Monday and we’re kind of sick of all this snow!  On to our favorites of the week!

1.  Kettle Brand Buffalo Bleu Crinkle Cut Potato Chips – We had picked these up at the grocery store intending them to be for the adults.  Of course once we opened them the kids had to try them (since they take after their mother and can’t pass up a potato chip!).  Who would have guessed that they would love them?!  These chips are thick and crunchy.  The buffalo flavor was noticeable more than a bleu cheese flavor.  They were obviously not too hot for the kids.  Needless to say, these chips didn’t last long!

2.  Favorite Bookmarked Recipe – This week I didn’t bookmark that many recipes, but I am most looking forward to making this Thai Yellow Curry with Beef and Potatoes from Pinch of Yum.  I love Thai food and don’t make it that much.  Beef and potatoes sound like the perfect comfort food combo right about now!

3.  Emile Henry Pizza Stone – My brother first got us this Emile Henry pizza stone two Christmases ago.  We were in need of another pizza stone since at the time we only had one hand-me down pizza stone.  Since we make homemade pizza often and we always make two pizzas at a time, we wanted a second stone to speed up dinner preparation.  My brother got us this stone and we fell in love!  This past Christmas we asked him to get us another one and got rid of the hand-me down.  The pizza stone, like all Emile Henry products, is made in France.  It is made to withstand extremely high temperatures and gives pizza a nice crispy crust.  These retail for approximately $50.

4.  Johnny Appleseed Hard Apple Cider – I am not a big drinker, but when I do want a drink, my beverage of choice is a hard cider.  Back in the good ‘ole college days, the only cider I was lucky to find was Woodchuck cider.  Now, there’s a ton of ciders on the market.  My recent go-to was Angry Orchard ciders.  They are great and I highly recommend.  However, with all the new ciders on the market, I feel the need to try out different ones.  Johnny Appleseed Hard Apple Cider is produced by Anheuser Busch, right here in the state of New York (Baldwinsville, to be more specific!).  I found this cider to be comparable to Angry Orchard ciders.  It is sweet but I prefer sweet over dry and has a 5.5% alcohol level compared to the Angry Orchard 5%.

5. Chobani Kids Greek Yogurt Sticks – Our kids LOVE yogurt.  In trying to eat healthier, I was happy to find these Greek yogurt sticks.  We like that they have no artificial flavors or sweeteners, are non-GMO and contain no preservatives.  The kids like them, which I wasn’t sure they would, since Greek yogurt has a distinct tang.  They are a great on-the-go snack or lunchbox addition!

Linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals Tif at Bright on a Budget Amanda at Meet at the Barre and Michael at Rattlebridge Farm.

We have started a weekly feature showcasing some of our favorite food related favorites of the week!

1. halos – The kids have been tired of eating apples.  During our weekly shopping trip, our daughter saw these halos and requested we buy them.  Not on sale, but a 3lb. bag for $5.99 plus a coupon from the Sunday circular and we did it.  We’ve had clementines before, but we don’t remember if we’ve had halos.  These clementines were amazing!  Super easy to peel and so sweet.  The Mr. was eating these two at a time…..and they didn’t last the week!  We are hoping we can expect the same great taste and quality in future halos purchases and are looking forward to buying some more next week!

2. Himalayan Pink Salt – The Mr. bought The Mrs. a bag of coarse Himalayan pink salt for her Christmas stocking this year. There is ongoing suspicion that he really wanted it for himself. Pink salt is not an everyday salt, as we use kosher style salt for daily use. This would be great for the tops of salted caramels and other special duties.  There are alleged benefits of pink salt including 84 minerals, minimal processing, and the balancing of the body’s pH. We don’t know if science supports any real benefit, but we like the color and perceived fanciness of using it.

3. Fage Fruyo Yogurt:  Blackberry Lime -Full fat, blackberry lime greek yogurt.  The Mrs. isn’t a huge fan of greek yogurt, but she absolutely LOVED this yogurt!  These were an in-store special at Shoprite for only 57 cents.  So sorry we only bought two!

4. Favorite Bookmarked Recipe of the Week:  Closet Cooking‘s Korean Bulgogi and Kimchi Nachos.  The kids will not eat these with the kimchi, but I feel like the kimchi needs to stay in the recipe……we shall see…….

5. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Broth Starter –  The Mr. saw this on the shelf at the supermarket when shopping for bullion. We had recently been using powdered chicken bullion which you use by the teaspoon full instead of the standard cube. It’s much faster to use than waiting for the cube to melt in hot water. He figured liquid bullion would be even easier. The jar of “Better Than Bullion” Vegetable Base makes 9.5 quarts (roughly 38 8 oz. cans) of broth. The thick liquid is easy to use, is USDA Organic and Certified Vegan. It retails for about $5.99.

What’s one of your favorite food items from this week?

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you here Monday!  Linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals, Tif at Bright on a Budget and Michael at Rattlebridge Farm.