Posted under
Recipes by The Blonde Diaries on August 12th, 2008 11:02 am
I had this thought just last night. You see, in an effort to be budget conscious and to help clean out the pantry, I pulled out my box of Tony Chachere’s Red Bean and Rice mix and a pound of sausage and went to town making my favorite cajun meal - red beans and rice. Immediately thought I could tell I was in for disappointment. For starters I think there was in total a half cup of red beans and from what I could see absolutely no parts of my beloved trinity - onions, celery, or green bell pepper. So luckily I had the trinity to add myself but no extra beans so I will be going to Kroger on the way home tonight to pick up an extra can to drop in. Then once I tasted it, well it was very bland. There wasn’t much seasoning which surprised me, especially since this is the Tony Chachere’s brand. I mean they are the ones that have their own seasoning blend found on store shelves all over the place down here and in most restaurants. I found myself saying once I was done eating that this would be the last box of mix I would buy as I would just go back to my dad’s recipe. It’s quick and easy and has more flavor to it. I am glad the mix was just $1 but it is a mix made for the masses not for people like me.
Am I a Cajun Food Snob?
Posted under
Recipes,
diet,
health by The Blonde Diaries on August 6th, 2008 12:18 am
During my sorting/cleaning today I came across one of my old food journals from my weight watchers meetings last fall. I had 2 recipes written down and both were about making a low point cake that is weight watchers friendly. I have to admit I am really skeptical about allowing cake/sweets into my weight watchers program because I have no self control when it comes to things like cake. Plus how good can these cakes really be if they are weight watchers approved?? Well I’m here to tell you the recipes are pretty simple and I bet they are tasty because I have seen these recipes all over the place. I have not tried them yet but I am going to have Mike make one for my birthday next month so I can try one. I have a feeling that Cake + Weight Watchers Will NOT = disaster.
Pineapple Cake
- Angel Food cake mix
- 1 can crushed pineapple
- mix the two ingredients together and DO NOT follow the directions on the box
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Yields 12 servings at 3 points each
Dump Cake
- 1 can diet sprite or sprite zero
- 1 2 pound bag of frozen fruit
- 1 box low fat cake mix
- Place the fruit on the bottom, then cover with the cake mix (again do not follow directions on box), and then pour sprite all over the top.
- This recipe will cook longer than the box states so throw the box out once you dump the cake mix! Bake at 350 degrees covered in tin foil for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 40 minutes
Hope you enjoy! If you have tried either of these recipes please let me know how they turned out and which one I should make for my birthday.
Posted under
Recipes by The Blonde Diaries on July 31st, 2008 3:49 pm
Growing up in South Louisiana, I always had fresh, domestic seafood at my fingertips. I absolutely loved fresh shrimp and fresh crawfish but the restaurants and my friends around there tended to fry everything which isn’t so good for the waistline. Well after some searching both online and in the grocery store I learned that I could barbecue shrimp and have a tasty, non-fried shrimp dish. The recipe I created with cajun spices, seasonings, butter, and shrimp was absolutely delicious but Mike had an allergic reaction so I am looking for a new barbecue shrimp dish/recipe. I think the problem was in one of the spices I used but I’m not 100% sure and don’t want to continue experimenting with his health. I’m not too sure how to make a barbecue sauce from scratch that would blend with shrimp so I am looking for ideas from my readers. :)
Continuing on the BBQ shrimp recipe I did make, I would love to submit it to the Great American Seafood Cook off contest. Not sure if you have ever heard of this event so I’ll tell you a little about it. The Great American Seafood Cook Off contest is taking place this weekend, August 2-3, 2008 in New Orleans. The cook off is featuring 5 chefs who are showcasing their favorite domestic, sustainable seafood recipes. It is actually a great way to see some of the top chefs in action and gather some great new recipes to try at home. Additionally, the idea of pointing out quality, domestic seafood is really exciting because you don’t have to worry about how long it has been frozen or what was dumped in the water where it was living. With domestically sustainable seafood since it is fresh and local, there are no worries! I am really excited to see what recipes are showcased and who wins the contest this year. Each of the recipes will be posted on the official cook off site for everyone to try at home. Yummy!
I loved this tip the other day. I think it came from Shape magazine but I cannot totally remember. I love going to happy hour with my friend Beth - flavored martinis & sushi - but the calories, oh the calories always kill me. So I think I will start using this tip so that I can figure out the best drink for my calorie buck. Hope this helps you too!
Love going to happy hour but hate the calories you consume while being there? Well check out Skinnychef.com! This is a site that give you tips on what to order while at Happy Hour so that you can keep your diet and calorie intake in check.
Posted under
Recipes,
diet by The Blonde Diaries on July 24th, 2008 10:06 pm
I love nothing more than a really quick and easy dinner when I am cooking. I like simple recipes that are easy to throw together either on the stove or in the crockpot. Don’t get me wrong I love some of the more complex recipes from the Food Network but sometimes, especially after work, I just don’t want to deal with a large number of ingredients and lots of instructions on how to make a meal. Tonight was one of those night so I took the easy route: Manwich! I basically defrosted some precooked ground beef from when I was making another recipe and had too much, a little extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup of my favorite veggie blend (onions, bell pepper, and celery), and 1 can of manwhich. I sauteed the veggies in the oil until they were defrosted/soft and then mixed in the ground beef until it heated up. After that I dumped in the can of manwich and mixed everything together and within 5 minutes I was able to serve open face on a slice of bread. We added cheese tonight to get a little extra calcium into our diet. Very tasty and very quick and easy.
Next time you are in the mood for something quick and easy don’t forget Manwich! Another good tip I learned from this experience is that precooked beef freezes and defrosts really well so next time I am cooking for the crock pot I’m going to cook extra and freeze for times like this.
