Role Mommy Recipes
The Help Recipes & a Giveaway
Now that we've seen The Help and absolutely loved it, we've got some more great nuggets for our readers...including some great southern recipes courtesy of AllRecipes.com and a giveaway for fans that includes an adult female sized t-shirt, pocket jotter & pen, fan and a nail file/mirror!
First, check out this interactive featurette from the film where you can add your own comments along the way.
Next, if you're hosting a book club get together for "The Help," here's a pecan pie recipe from AllRecipes.com that'll have everyone clamoring for more...and no worries, there won't be any hidden surprises baked inside!
Now for the giveaway. Comment below with your email address and your take on the book and film (if you've seen it) and you'll be entered to win. One winner will be selected via random.org. It's that simple.
Posted in: Role Mommy Movies, Role Mommy Recipes on 08/11/2011
Pineapple Chicken Sausage Recipe: Leftover Central
Here at Role Mommy, we try to make the lives of moms easier by showing you that if we can cook meals that taste delicious, then honestly, anyone can.
Typically, I don't like to cook anything that takes more than 60 minutes, unless it's chicken since I would prefer not to poison my family at dinner time. Tonight, I wasn't in the mood to cook a whole chicken but instead, opted for chicken sausages with mango salsa, peppers and pineapples. How did I come up with that concoction? Simple, I searched my refrigerator for the perfect ingredients that would compliment my chicken sausages I had picked up from Trader Joe's. So here's how I did it:
Mango Pineapple Chicken Sausage
Slice green and yellow peppers
Add olive oil to a skillet
Add mango salsa
Add pineapple chunks and just enough juice to soak vegetables and sausages
Defrost chicken apple sausage and then slice sausage links and add them to the skillet.
Cover the skillet, lower the flame and let it simmer.
Cook time: 15 minutes
Pineapple Rice
Steam 1 cup of white rice
Add pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
1 dash of thyme
1 dash of salt and pepper
Cook on low heat for five minutes (after the rice is already steamed).
Total cooking time - less than 30 minutes.
So there you have it. Turning leftovers into a mouthwatering meal for my family. Now, the only thing that's missing is DESSERT!
Posted in: Leftover Central, Role Mommy Recipes on 05/15/2011
Cooking with Chips
I recently got the chance to cross off an item on my bucket list:
Stand on top of a Times Square Billboard.
While I may not have actually had that particular life experience on my bucket list, when the PR team for Frito Lay invited me to watch Frito Lay's executive chef Stephen Kalil, prepare a meal on top of a billboard, they definitely piqued my interest and I decided it was time to add that to my list.
At the time, I thought that the chips would be featured as a snack that would go along side whatever dish was being created. Little did I know that they would actually serve as the breading for a mango crusted tilapia that was out of this world.
But let's start at the beginning. I arrived at the event at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square and was escorted to a green room where some of my favorite parenting bloggers, Amy from Selfish Mom and Mitch from GayNYCDad were already there sampling some of Frito Lay's latest creations. In lieu of lunch, I savored jalapeno ranch sun chips, kettle chips with a parmesan ranch flavoring and garden tomato basil Lays potato chips which, as a snack maven, are incredibly addictive.
We were then escorted to the billboard/Frito Lay's Times Square Flavor Kitchen. If you were thinking I'd be standing on a narrow billboard high a top the city, then think again. This billboard looked like a platform or roof deck with views of Times Square and ABC News Studios. Once we arrived, we were greeted by chef Stephen Kalil who had been hosting a live webcast where he was cooking up his latest creation - mango flavored tilapia coated with tomato basil chips. We had arrived just in time for a taste taste and trust me when I tell you, it was delicious.
After the tilapia, we got the chance to sample two dips that Frito Lay is considering placing in their latest chip creations - they actually have focus groups who taste chips with dip for them and then share their opinions (somebody better sign up my husband or kids for that one). Who needs dip when the chip is covered in tasty flavorings that incidentally, are all natural? Plus, if you look at the ingredients of the chips, you will also find that you'll be able to read and understand the name of every single item. No more red dyes or mono sodium glutamate, sorbitol or other chemicals I can't pronounce. Frito Lay is committed to creating snacks that are all natural, delicious and healthy.
What was amazing (aside from the food) was the fact that the platform we were standing on came equipped with a state of the art kitchen provided by Electrolux. As part of the Frito-Lay/Electrolux partnership, fans who visit and "like" the Frito-Lay Facebook page between April 11 and April 15 can enter for a chance to win an Electrolux appliance each day; at the end of the week, one grand prize winner will receive an entire suite of Electrolux kitchen appliances including an induction cooktop that boils water in 90 seconds[1]. Official sweepstakes rules and more information can be found at www.facebook.com/fritolay.
Following our Frito Lay Flavor Kitchen experience, we got the chance to bring home a stash for our families and I have to say, I put them in front of the ultimate focus group. I took all three bags of chips to the ballfield and during my daughter's softball game last night, her friends and parents found themselves munching away. In fact, after the game, one of my daughter's friends commented about how tasty the chips were and another mom said she couldn't wait to purchase the garden tomato Lays chips at the supermarket.
As I sit her savoring the garden tomato basil chips, I have to say, Frito Lay has done it again - chips you can snack with, cook with and share with friends and family - a priceless combination!
For more information visit www.fritolay.com or www.facebook.com/fritolay.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for my post but was given three bags of potato chips and sun chips that have since been devoured by my family, friends and a few kids on my daughter's softball team.
Posted in: Role Mommy Recipes, Role Mommy Recommends on 04/14/2011
Alma's Goat Cheese Casserole
What better way to start the day than with this easy and delicious crustless egg dish. Save the calories for the coffee cake later.....
Leek and Goat Cheese Casserole:
1 leek, chopped finely-white part and a little of green
1 TBS butter
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
6 eggs
2 cups milk
salt
pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese
crust of 4 pieces bread, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees :
Saute chopped leeks in butter until they wilt, about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms and cook 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat
In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper
Add in chopped bread crusts and sprinkle in goat cheese
Pour mixture into a 9"X13" casserole dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes
Serves 6-8 people
25 minutes-30 minutes
For more great recipes from Alma Schneider, visit her at Take Back the Kitchen.
Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Role Mommy Recipes on 01/13/2011
Ladies Night In Margarita Recipes
Chef Marcela's Tequila Lime Shrimp from beth Feldman on Vimeo.
Want to find out how you can throw the ultimate Ladies Night In party? Well, check out these fabulous recipes compliments of Chef Marcela Valladolid!
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Citrus Cooler Margarita
Serves 6
The perfect way to combine tequila and wine. The wine makes the tequila taste so fruity. It is irresistible!
Ingredients:
1/2 part white wine
1 part limeade
1 part lemon lime soda
1/2 part Sauza Tequila Blanco
Method of Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Mix well. Serve cold or iced.
MARCELA MARGARITA
This drink is sweet and tangy and pairs perfectly with tequila. It is great for a hot summer day.
Yield-4 servings
Ingredients
6oz Sauza Blanco Tequila
32 oz Club Soda
4 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 grapefruits (juice only) or 12 -18 oz grapefruit juice
Method of Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Mix well. Serve cold.
Mint Berry Margarita
The raspberry in this drink makes it a bit sweet and sour with the tequila. The mint simply makes it perfectly refreshing.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
16 oz of cranberry/ raspberry juice
8 mint leaves for garnish
8 oz. cup lemon soda
6 oz of Sauza Tequila Blanco
Method of Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except mint leaves in a pitcher. Serve each glass with 2 mint leaves. Serve cold or iced.
Warm Winter Margarita
Serves 4
Perfect for a cold day. This drink is full of flavor and makes the tequila blend smoothly.
Ingredients:
28 oz apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups dried fruit of your choice
2 tbs granulated sugar
6 oz Sauza Tequila Blanco
Method of Preparation:
Combine apple juice and cinnamon in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick carefully. Add sugar, dried fruit, and tequila. Mix well. Serve warm.
For more of Chef Marcela's great recipes, visit the Sauza fan page on Facebook.
Posted in: Role Mommy Recipes, TV on 09/18/2010
Save Money with These Yummy Memorial Day Recipes
While I may not be the mom who cooks dinner every single night for my family, what I do quite well is entertain. From Thanksgiving, to Passover to birthday parties, to holiday barbecues, when it comes to festive occasions, I'm usually the one who nods her head and shrugs her shoulders when my husband has decided to invite 25 people over for a barbecue. The problem is, over the years, I have spent a bundle ordering pre-made items that I could have actually prepared myself!
Thanks to Chef Kim, of the Daymon Resource Center and her colleague Andrew Woltmann, I got the chance to sample a delectable gourmet spread of Private Brand food at the recent SVMoms blogger event held at Tribeca Cinemas in NYC. On the menu: stuffed small red potatoes topped with shrimp; beef tenderloin tartlets with plum sauce; mini Napoleons with eggplant cream, and spinach and feta mini soufflés, crudite with dip and baked brie with rosemary, almonds and cherries. And where did all these mouth watering items come from...Stop & Shop and Costco!
Plus, we were also treated to snacks provided by 7 Eleven. My personal fave: the chocolate covered pretzels, smoked almonds, and the Swiss trail mix - all easy and inexpensive items to add to any party menu!
So now that you know the inside secret on saving money this Memorial Day - here are Chef Kim's incredible recipes that'll knock the socks off all your guests...unless of course they're wearing sandals!
Baked Brie with Rosemary, Almond & Cherries
Serves 4-6
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
2 T chopped slivered almonds
2 T honey
1 brie cheese round
8 fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
crackers (of your choice)
Preheat oven to 400F. In a small bowl, combine rosemary and almonds. With a pastry brush (or knife), coat the sides of the brie with honey and dip into rosemary-almond mixture, pressing. Place brie on a sheet pan. Brush the top with honey and sprinkle with the remaining herb mixture. Place in oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove brie from oven and top with chopped cherries. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes until brie is soft when cut. Serve with crackers.
Beef Tenderloin Tartlets w/Plum Sauce
Yields 24
12 slices of thin white bread
Butter or spray for mini-muffin pans
4 tbsp of chicken pate
1 tsp thyme
1/3 cup rare deli beef slices cut into small pieces
2 tbsp plum sauce
Remove the crust from the bread and roll out each slice very thin. Cut two 3-inch circles from each slice, press into prepared mini-muffin tins. Bake @ 370° for 7 minutes for until golden brown. ( Can be kept at room temp for 2 days)
Fill each baked tartlet with ½ tsp of chicken pate, sprinkle with dried thyme, drape with a small piece of beef tenderloin over the top and spoon on ¼ tsp of plum sauce.
Miniature Napoleons with Eggplant Crème
Yields: 12 Miniature Napoleons
Roasted Vegetables
4 Plum Tomatoes, sliced thickly (between 1/4″ and 1/2″)
1 Zucchini, sliced thickly
12 Cremini or Button Mushroom Caps, de-stemmed and brushed clean
Tamari or Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Basil
Oregano
Parsley & Garlic Powder
Spray Oil
Eggplant Crème
2 Eggplants
2/3 Cup Raw
Unsalted Cashews
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Basil
Oregano & Garlic Powder
2ish Tbs Oil
Garnish
Basil
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Slice the tomatoes and zucchini and place them on baking sheet.
Spray or brush vegetables with oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and herbs. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the veggies almost look dehydrated.
Place the mushrooms on the same baking sheet, upside-down. Fill the centers with a little tamari, no more than 1 tsp.
Spray them thoroughly with spray-oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender, at 300º F. Remove and let cool with the other veggies.
While the vegetables are baking peel & cube the eggplant and place them on top of a towel or paper plate. You can microwave the eggplant on high for about 8 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and the paper towels or plate have absorbed a lot of the moisture this will prevent the eggplant from absorbing so much oil while cooking. Or just roast until most of the moisture is absorbed.
Sauté eggplant for 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat, until very soft and browned. Pure the eggplant with the salt, cashews, herbs and garlic and process for several minutes until VERY smooth. You may need to add a little liquid if you over prepared the eggplant. You can use heavy cream if you are not vegan or a little veggie stock. The texture should be smooth, not liquidy.
Season to taste, if needed, then place the eggplant crème in a piping bag or a plastic baggie with one of the corners cut off.
To Assemble
Pipe a little dab of eggplant crème on the plate where you want the napoleon to be. This will act as an anchor.
Place a tomato on top of the anchor, and pipe a small dab of eggplant crème on the top.
Add a slice of zucchini, then another layer of eggplant cream. Top with an upside-down mushroom cap, and place a dab of eggplant crème where the stem was.
For garnish, add a s basil-leaf crown. Put a thin layer of olive oil in the bottom of the dish, surrounding the napoleons and dribble a few drops of balsamic vinegar on the olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Stuffed Small Red Potatoes topped w/Shrimp
Yields 40
1 ½ lb Small red bliss potatoes, about 20
40 cooked shrimp, w/tails
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
½ c Cream Cheese
½ c Sour Cream
4 slices of crispy crumbled bacon
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tsp chives, minced
Green onions, tops, sliced thin
Boil red bliss potatoes just until tender, do not overcook. Shock in ice water bath. Slice potatoes in ½ using a melon baller leaving a thin lining. Cut a slice off the bottom of the potato so it can stand on its own.
Marinate shrimp for at least 3 hours or overnight in oil, salt, pepper & thyme.
Combine Cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, salt, pepper & chives and spoon into potatoes and top w/ shrimp, tail up. Garnish with onion tops.
Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recipes on 05/18/2010
Take Back the Kitchen with an Edamame Dip
Introducing our latest contributor, Alma Schneider, founder of Take Back the Kitchen!
Getting your kid to eat something besides chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese might be a challenge-until now. This easy, delicious AND nutritious edamame dip may solve some of your how-do-I-get-protein-into-my- kid? blues. Yes, chicken nuggets are easy but so is this dip if you take a moment at the supermarket to pick up some frozen, organic, shelled edamame beans. You probably have the rest of the ingredients at home so whip out the food processor, make a big batch, and freeze it in 1 cup servings for easy defrosting whenever you are strapped for dinner. Whole wheat pretzels, carrot sticks or celery can make a dip dinner a lot of fun. It freezes really well and you'll be all set at 5PM . Be careful-it is so good, you may eat it all before your kid does!
Edamame dip:
1 lb bag of frozen, shelled edamame beans (sold in most supermarkets but definitely in Whole Foods and Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar (can get in any supermarket)
1 TBS sugar (if rice vinegar is seasoned-which means it has sugar in it, you may not need any sugar)
1 tsp salt
Boil water in a med. sized sauce pan. Add beans and when the water starts boiling again, cook for another 5 minutes. Drain beans and let cool until warm.
In a blender or cuisinart, add beans, rice vinegar, salt, sugar and oil. Blend until pureed to a creamy texture.
Kids love this and it is a beautiful light green color.
Want to hear more from Alma? Then listen in to our recent interview with her!
Alma Schneider, LCSW, is founder of Take Back the Kitchen. Like TBK, this blog is dedicated to helping people recognize and overcome the common and unique obstacles to being everything they hope to be in the kitchen. She is a featured Kitchen Coach Expert on http://www.realsavvymoms.com and healthy food sponsor for BabyLovesdisco.com. Alma is also a frequent recipe contributor to www.suzysaid.com. Alma is a native New Yorker, transplanted to the suburbs, where she lives with her husband and four children. She is also the founder and President of Parents Who Rock, a non-profit organization which raises money for charity through concerts performed by parents seeking to reconnect with their musical pasts.
Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Role Mommy Recipes on 03/10/2010
Check out These Great Oscar Desserts!
As the Oscars are quickly approaching, Hyundai, one of the main sponsors for the awards telecast, has some really clever and mouthwatering dessert ideas of this year's nominated films including "Up in the Eclair" and "Inglorious Custards." Check it out...
If you're in the midst of planning a party, check out Hyundai's fan page on Facebook - they even have a personality test to show what kind of party thrower you are - incidentally, according to my answers, I'm a docu-geek.
*This post was brought to you by Media Needle.
Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recipes on 03/06/2010
Having my Kugel and Eating it Too
Well, Yom Kippur has come and gone and while I was feeling quite hungry most of the day, I figured it could help with my weight loss efforts. You see, I'm down more than 5 pounds with 10 more to go and I'm determined this time around to lose weight for good! I even made another low calorie "break the fast" recipe. One of my favorite dishes that my mom makes every year is the noodle pudding that's been passed down to my family from generation to generation.
So even though noodle pudding (aka Kugel) should be pretty high in calories, I managed to figure out a way to keep it low cal with my handy dandy splenda sugar substitute. So how did I make my fantabulous dish? Well, take a look and then start cooking!
Grandma Dora's Low Calorie Noodle Pudding:
Ingredients:
1 Package egg noodles
2 eggs (or egg beaters)
1/2 cup of splenda
1 cup of raisins
Directions:
Boil egg noodles
Drain and return to pot.
Add eggs, splenda and raisins to egg noodles
Spray pam in a frying pan (or use vegetable oil)
Pour noodle mixture into frying pan
Make sure the pan is the size of a dinner plate (not bigger)
Keep on medium flame and watch the bottom of the pan - once the noodles become crispy, put a dinner plate on top of the pan and flip it over. Then place the uncooked noodles on the bottom of the pan.
Cook 10 minutes or until golden brown on the other side.
Voila, you have Grandma Dora's famous noodle pudding (with Splenda)
Now if you're me, you have to improvise because otherwise, you won't be able to flip the noodles. Instead, I started out by putting the mixture in a pan and then put it in a casserole dish, pre-heated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and baked for 25 minutes. The dish still came out crispy and I received the ultimate compliment from my mother-in-law..."It's just as good as your moms' noodle pudding."
Woo hoo. So I did it. And it's low in calories! More tasty dishes to come. In the meantime, I'm bringing my kugel with me to lunch tomorrow. Nothing like a little noodle pudding to put a little spring in your step.
Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Role Mommy Recipes on 09/28/2009
Memorial Day Recipes
It's been a while since we've shared some stellar recipes with our readers and since it's the holiday, I figured I'd share some of our favorite dishes that are Weight Watcher friendly. So before you bite into that 4 million calorie burger, here are some good tips for eating what you love and not bursting any buttons.
Tuna Sliders Anyone?
The first time I ever tasted a tuna slider was at a party thrown by CBS that kicked off the launch of the Rachel Ray Show. So I have to admit, this is not an original recipe, it's actually Rachel Ray's recipe for Asian Tuna Sliders. So stay away from those Bubba Burgers and fire up the tuna steak!
Lenore's Famous Ambrosia
This one's a classic that my mom has been whipping up since I was a kid spending my summers in the poconos. The ingredients for this one are simple. Throw in all your favorite summer fruit along with bananas, mini marshmallows, coconut shavings and a dollop of cool whip on top. You can also replace the cool whip with vanilla yogurt, but personally, I'm a Cool Whip fan all the way.
Lenore's Patriotic Strawberry Shortcake Extravaganza
Here's another simple recipe. You can either purchase an angel food cake mix and a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple in its own juice.
Mix the two ingredients together, take a fork and make sure the cake batter is moist and mixed thoroughly.
In an ungreased pan, 10.5x 8.5 bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. When ready to serve take cool whip, cover the top and make the flag. For stripes on the flag use strawberries. For stars use blueberries.
Happy Memorial Day! Here's to great food, conversation and a relaxing holiday!
Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recipes on 05/24/2009
Older Entries
05/13/2009: Family Fun for Father's Day
04/19/2009: Side Dish of the Week...Baked Polenta Fries
04/08/2009: Passover Recipes that Aim to Please
01/12/2009: Mango Salsa Swordfish for Dummies
