T-1 week

Until I'm on a plane to San Francisco for the Foodbuzz festival!!! It's also T-1 week from when I can tell you about this AMAZING side project/business I've been working on. Seriously it's like foodie heaven and I know you are all going to want to be part of it!!! I'm bursting to tell you all the details but alas I must wait one more week... you can hold out can't you? The real question is can I?!

Foodbuzz was wicked fun last year and I can't wait to go and meet up with old and new friends, spread the word about this new company and of course my blog :) Anyone going?

Actually this fun new company is the reason I haven't been able to blog in as much detail as I normally do. Working a full time day job and then doing stuff on my nights and evenings kinda kills my free time to bake... hmmm don't worry though, I'm still cooking along for you all!

Anyone have a special request of something they'd like to see next week? I need to get some baking love in this weekend!

Oh and speaking of other things taking up my free time... I've been taking part in this really cool photo scavenger hunt... check out my interpretations of the hunt words below :)

words of wisdom

the center of it all

restraint

hidden in plain site

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Gingerbread Cookies

So you may have noticed some things changing around here look and feel wise. Don't be scared off though it's still the same fun ::steph chows:: just with a little face lift! My mom isn't a huge fan of the flying muffin...(yup mom I'm calling you out- still love you though!) but I really like it so I went against her normally wise judgment and used it anyway. Maybe I'm entering the "I want to be a rebel and get a tattoo" phase of my life or something... Although it's kinda pathetic to think me changing my blog header is my entering into a rebellious stage *sigh*... anyway, onto gingerbread cookies!


These may not be your typical gingerbread men and women but they are far easier to whip together for an impromptu meet up.


Soft Gingerbread Cookies
makes 1.5 dozen cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup white sugar (or splenda)
1/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons turbine sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the apple sauce, oil, and sugars. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and place them 2 inches apart onto a silicon baking mat on a cookie sheet, press them flat and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

These can dry out wicked quick if you cook them too long, so I'd check on them often so they aren't all gross and dried out.


So people... do you like the new look? Or nahhh not so much?

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World Pasta Day

Did you know that today is world pasta day? Seriously! Of course I had to take part and help celebrate :)


John and I had turkey lasagna last night with mushrooms and zucchini mixed in, perfect! This is my go to recipe I made up forever ago. Perfect if you ask me :)


So what will you be making to celebrate?
Need some ideas? How about some homemade pumpkin gnocchi!?

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Bruschetta

John makes wicked good bruschetta. He made this at some point this summer and said he would write a post about it... since it's been a good 2 months and he hasn't posted yet... I'm going to. Because this is just too tasty looking not to post!

Whole wheat baguette, fresh tomatoes from a friend's garden, basil from a pot out on our porch, fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss it in the oven to broil and toast up for a bit... heaven.

What's your favorite way to make bruschetta?

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Cooking Under Pressure and winners!

First off the winners of the Sokenbicha giveaway!! Picked by random.org in the following order:

Tshirt -Terri
Tshirt - Marty
Eco Bag and Tea - Montclair State Chick
Eco Bag and Tea - The actors Diet
Wellness Journal - Jogging with Fiction
Wellness Journal - erl6286

If you are a winner please email me at stephchows at gmail.com with your name and address so I can pass it onto Sokenbicha!


Now lets bring on the pressure! A fellow member of my annual jam exchange has started a blog about cooking with pressure cookers! Here's what she has to say about it!

In our attempt to eat better we discovered pressure cooking; it's a gadget that we found to be very fun and helpful especially when we are busy and cramped for time. We also found that there really isn't much in the ways of recipes and information out there, especially written for a younger audience, so we decided to start learning and sharing.

We've started a site called Pressure Cooker Diaries devoted to learning about pressure cooking. To celebrate the launch we are giving away new pressure cookers and cookbooks.

For information about the giveaway you can check them out here! Wishing you the best of luck Leslie in your new endeavor!

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Sokenbicha Giveaway

This review is long overdue. Project Food blog kinda took over things for awhile but now I'm BACK!! I received a fabulous package of Sokenbicha to test drive and I'm so excited to tell you about them!


First here's a little background about the company and their products. Sokenbicha: The perfect blend of ancient wisdom and modern taste.
Each of the 5 teas are based on the elements of the earth. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. It is believed that each element is interrelated with the others and only proper balance between all the elements will result in health and well being. The science behind the teas is based on Kampo, a traditional Japanese herbal approach. To learn more visit their website.

The first tea I tried is Revive. It has floral undertones and is made with a blend of oolong tea and contains natural botanicals. It has a very slightly sweet flavor even though it contains no sugar.

The next is Defend. It contains ginseng for a natural immunity boost and has a slightly stronger taste than revive. It is also a oolong tea blend

Purify smells like citrus and has a slight citrusy flavor. This one is an aromatic green tea blend. Each of the flavors is more intense than the last (probably why they had me taste them in this order!) I'm actually surprised I don't like this one the best since I drink green tea every day. So far Defend is my favorite flavor.

Shape is a bold barley tea blend. This one has a bite to it. People who enjoy strong tea would be a fan of this one.

Skin smells spicy and is made with a full bodied barley tea blend. This is the strongest of the varieties and contains cinnamon and ginger.

Sokenbicha is a new line being offered exclusively at Whole Foods. I would definitely check them out and would buy Revive and Defend for sure!

Another great thing to know about the company is their bottles are 30% plant based and 100% recyclable. Production waste created in making their products is recycled as mulch. They also support growers corporate social responsibility.( This gives workers housing and health care, child care and mandatory schooling, and CSR customer partnership projects.) All of their tea leaves are 100% hand plucked so there are no pollutants generated from harvesting machines, and hydroelectricity is used at their facilities.

Now onto the giveaway, if you'd like to be entered to win, comment to let me know which variety you think you'd like to try! They are giving away 2 t-shirts, 2 eco friendly shopping bags with samples of the tea, and 2 wellness journals! That's right, Sokenbicha is allowing me to pick SIX winners!!
You have until Tuesday October 19th at 12 noon EST to enter to win!

So tell me, which flavor do you think would be your favorite?

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Lactaid Smoothie and a donation

A few weeks ago I entered a contest with Lactaid and I made it to the next round! If I win, my recipe will be featured during the tasting pavilion at the foodbuzz festival!!! Exciting right!! Full disclosure: Lactaid sent me a coupon to pick up some of their fabulous lactose free milk. Lactaid also wants to spread the word about lactose intolerance along with the health benefits of consuming dairy products. To find out more you can learn with a splash of fun at moovision.com.

In all truth our fridge is always stocked with Lactaid since John is lactose intolerant. John is actually the whole reason behind my proposed smoothie!!


You see John and I met at the gym... yeah we're gym rats. He won me over with a chocolate peanut butter protein shake. Apparently the way to my heart is through food (who would have guessed). So this smoothie is the reason we're married... yup I married him for his smoothie making abilities :)

Using a blender older than you are makes the best smoothies if you ask John

PB and chocolate protein ice cream shake
recipe by John aka steph chows better half
makes enough for 2 people

2 scoops of chocolate protein powder (60 g)
2 cups Lactaid fat free milk (plus calcium) - the yellow top container!
1 tbs all natural peanut butter
1 cup vanilla lactose free ice cream

Dump everything into a blender
Blend for about 60 seconds or until smooth
Pour into 2 tall glasses
Clink glasses to celebrate
Drink up!


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On another note. Last night I donated my hair again! A few years ago I donated to Locks of Love, which takes the donated hair and makes wigs for kids going through cancer treatments. This time I donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, same concept except they make wigs for women of all ages!

Tada!

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Special K with fiber

Through the foodbuzz tastemaker program I was recently able to try some of the new Special K strawberry cereal with fiber!!

(image taken from specialk.com)

I love fiber packed cereals... but sometimes they can taste like they are fiber packed. Not the case with this one. It tastes exactly the same as your normal every day special K... just with an added bonus!!

Luckily they sent us 2 boxes since John polished off the first one before I even had a chance to have a full bowl of it. Unlucky for him, I hid the second box so he can't eat it all :D

Have you tried the new special k yet?? If you're looking for ways to get some more fiber in your life I'd highly recommend it!

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whomp whomp

So I didn't make it to the next round of Project Food Blog... whomp whomp. Guess that frees up my weekends again though :) John says I didn't cook anything this weekend. This is not true I baked:

Banana Bread


The best granola ever



Apparently when I only bake 2 things that means I didn't bake anything. HA! So what did you all bake this weekend?

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Fig and Camembert Cheese Pizzelle Sandwich

Long title right? I had some pumpkin pizzelles left over from my luxury dinner party (today is the last day to vote so go vote!!) and was looking around to see what I could have as a snack. After spotting the also leftover figs and Camembert (compliments of Ile De France) I couldn't resist making a little sandwich.

Grossed out by the combination? Don't be, I was a little worried it would be weird... but it was simply delicious. I think these will have to be on the menu for the next dinner party :)


What do you think? Like it? Grossed out? Running to the store to buy some Camembert??

What you'll need:
Pumpkin pizzelles
Camembert Cheese
Dried Figs - sliced

YUM!

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Luxury Dinner Party

We've made it to round 3 of project food blog!! Thank you everyone for voting us on through! Now it's onto a luxury dinner party, would you like to join us? Voting opens Monday and you can vote here(click on the red heart to vote! you need to sign up with Foodbuzz to vote). Or by clicking the vote button in the top of the left hand column.

Here are a few steps on how to throw an amazing dinner party without any crazy stress.

Step 1: Figure out who you are inviting. This will determine the tone of the party. If you are inviting your friends who will only eat pizza and wings... don't make sushi. Even if you want to make sushi, make sure everyone is happy and comfortable, picky eaters and all!


We invited the in-laws over, they aren't picky eaters by any means so we had plenty of options.

Step 2: Now that you know who's coming, plan your menu. Write it all out by course and make a grocery list. Keep your meal plan handy, that way you wont forget to put something out only to remember once everyone has left. (not like that's ever happened to me before or anything...)

Butternut squash and leek soup is easy to prepare and freeze. (recipe to come) Keep a few containers in your freezer and you have an easy first course always on hand.

I decided to go with a fall flavors theme, pumpkins, squash, apples. Check out our menu.

Greens with honey crisp apple slices, walnuts, apple cider white wine reduction, and balsamic honey dressing

Step 3: Ask for help if you need it. Have a friend who lives next to the best bakery in town? Ask them to stop and pick up a loaf of bread on the way. A sister who makes the best chocolate cake? Ask her! It really is OK to ask for help! In my book it's preferred. When I'm asked somewhere and they refuse to let me bring anything I always feel bummed out (and end up showing up with something anyway).

Pumpkin gnocchi sounds crazy complicated but it's really easy to make. The best part is they freeze perfectly. Make them the day or week ahead of time, then all you have to do the day of is boil water and toss them in.

Step 4: Sit back and have a good time! Don't try to clean up the dishes while everyone is still there. They can wait until later. Enjoy your friends and relax!

Pumpkin pizzelles with pumpkin ice cream compliments of a cute homemade ice cream shop in town

Hope you enjoyed our dinner party! If you liked it vote here.

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