Recipes

November Loves

November 22, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 4 Comments

I LOVE cinnamon in my chocolate and I’m not sure why I have never tried Abuelita before. I’m in love. I’ve always felt like instant hot chocolates just totally miss the mark and are bland. But this! This has flavor. I’ve also put the powder in my coffee to make a half-assed mocha. Also delicious. Have you ever tried it? I had come up with a cool holiday craft using glass etching. Turns out the craft totally failed but now I’m obsessed with etching cream. Watch out glasses everywhere! I’m coming for you!

My husband and I did some light reorganizing of the garage a few weekends ago and I moved my cookbooks to a plastic tote to keep them a little more protected than the cardboard box they had been in. I don’t have anywhere to keep them in the house but this way they are a little easier to get to. I came across my grandmother’s recipe cards that I got when she passed away. I haven’t sat down to go through them all yet but I just feel so blessed that I get to keep this special piece of her in my home. I don’t want to get all sappy on you but I can’t wait to copy them and pass them down to my nieces when they are old enough.

And you guys! I’m totally a winner. I won this rad Ted Baker handbag from a contest on I Can Style U. It’s gorgeous! I die for this bow and little gold details. It also comes with a detachable strap so I can wear this cross body.

And could the lining be any cuter!?

This past week my family got to preview the holiday features that Disneyland and California adventures has right now. While I will be doing a full post to recap I simply had to mention Haunted Mansion Holiday in this November Loves post. You guys! The old Haunted Mansion has been decked out in Jack Skellington’s version of the holidays. And the prints, patterns and colors are freaking amazing! This was the best photo I could grab while the ride was moving and while I was also snuggling my 5-year-old who had been a little apprehensive to be on the ride in the first place. If you are local you HAVE to ride this! And I am going to subtly start coaxing my husband in to letting me decorate our house like this year round…Wish me luck. See my post on all the rad holiday features at The Disneyland Resort over on Savvy Sassy Moms.

Filed Under: Things I Love Tagged With: crafts, fashion, hot chocolate, Recipes, Things I love

Two Pork Chop Recipes for National Pork Month and a Giveaway!

October 7, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 36 Comments

The giveaway is now closed!

*Mmmm, pork. This is a sponsored post from One2One Network and The National Pork Board. All opinions stated are my own.

I’m so excited to share two of my favorite pork chops recipes with you guys today! I love to cook and eat pork chops and I make them at least once a week. This first recipe for Relleno Style Pork Chops is ridiculous! It is something that my mom used to make for us growing up that I absolutely loved! She always made them in an electric frying pan and they would simmer away filling the house with this amazing aroma and I knew that they were going to be moist, cheesey, delicious and soul satisfying. They don’t photograph all that pretty but trust me, you need to make these for your family. I think it is one of those perfect fall recipes.

Did you know that October is also known as Porktober? And to celebrate Costco has weekly deals on specific pork products throughout the month. When One2One Network reached out to me to help promote this event I jumped at the chance to showcase pork chops and roasts. Chops are so versatile and this might sound funny to say, can be dressed up or dressed down. I’m not taking about adding earrings and pumps, I’m just saying you can make these fancy for guests or as comfort food for your family. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the chops you are using. I also like to cook with pork roasts which are super easy to roast or barbecue on indirect heat. I usually swap cuts of meat pretty interchangeably in recipes, probably because I just don’t know any better, but the recipes I am sharing today work best with the chops. Roasts tend to fall apart when cooked with moist heat so they wouldn’t hold up with the ingredients and methods I am using. You can see all kinds of great info on cuts of pork, cooking times and even recipes from the National Pork Board.

I love to buy meat at Costco. The quality of their meat is amazing but you don’t feel like you are paying top dollar for it. It is the only place I buy my short ribs and after using the pork chops it looks like it is now my go-to pork product location too. With my family of 4, I only need to pick up one pack of chops and I can get two meals out of it, with a little bit of leftovers even! For National Pork Month, Costco is offering weekly savings of up to $2.50 per package. Don’t miss out on these deals!

Deals run from Monday until the following Sunday:

October 7 – 13 : Boneless Pork Chops and Roasts

October 14 – 20 : Boneless Sirloin Tip Roasts (this cut is only available at Costco!)

October 21 – 27 : Whole Boneless Loins

And now the recipes! It is amazing that you only need a few ingredients but you get so much flavor out of them. Those are my favorite kinds of recipes.

Brown the chops and remove from the pan. Add the garlic and onion and saute until softened and browned.

Homemade Cinnamon Coffee Creamer Recipe

September 13, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 15 Comments

This is the recipe for the Homemade Cinnamon Coffee Creamer that Kristin made for the geometric brunch I shared yesterday. As I type this I am drinking my coffee with this creamer in it. I feel warm and fuzzy. I feel inspired. I feel nice. I feel pretty. Yes. This creamer makes me feel all those things. OK, maybe not but it IS really good.

Kristin followed this recipe for the base and then modified it a little more to suit her taste. There really are an endless varieties that you can make following this basic recipe. I intend to make a ton. Except that I will probably gain, like a million pounds (I don’t blame the creamer – I have a terrible diet in general, I love me a bag of Trader Joe’s Kettle Corn). The key here is good quality ingredients to really let the flavors come through.

First you will add the condensed milk and Half & Half to a blender to combine. I have used condensed milk before but never really paid attention to it. I was surprised by the smell. I figured it would smell sweeter or something. But it is a milk based product after all and it smelled, well, milky. I don’t know why I am telling you that.

Next add the spices and vanilla to the milks and blend again until well combined. At this point inhale deeply. It smells amazing. And imagine you are swimming in it.

Pour your finished creamer in to whatever jar you want to store it in. If you put it in one of these super fancy mason jars it is also ready to gift. Take some to the neighbor. Take some to a teacher. Or hoard it for yourself like I did. I won’t judge.

I am so in love with this recipe. I am almost out and plan on making some more tomorrow. It takes next to no time at all and is crazy good and so worth the calories in my opinion. And when I used it in my iced coffee at the geometric brunch photo shoot, it tasted just like my fave Mocha Cappuccino Blast from Baskin Robbins!!! YUM!

Homemade Cinnamon Coffee Creamer Recipe

Ingredients

14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1 3/4 cup Half and Half (you can really use whatever dairy you like)

1 TBSP vanilla

1 heaping tsp good quality cinnamon

1 TBSP white sugar

Add condensed milk and half and half to blender and combine. To the milk mixture, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and white sugar. Blend until well mixed and cinnamon is fully incorporated. Store air-tight in refrigerator.

That’s it. Easy. Kristin suggested adding 1/2 tsp of butter extract (did you know that was a thing?!) to make it taste more like a cinnamon roll!!! Just be sure to shake it up really well before you use it. The cinnamon tends to settle at the bottom of the jar.

Thank you, Kristin for sharing this recipe with us! And a very special thank you to my mother-in-law, Marie, for helping me shoot this recipe. I paid her in coffee creamer. See how the creamers were used in the geometric brunch with Paper and Cake.

Filed Under: Food, Recipes Tagged With: cinnamon, coffee, creamer, gift idea, Meringue Bake Shop, Recipes, Tutorials, Vanilla, Watkins Naturals

S’mores Pie and Huge Mess

August 2, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 3 Comments

I was looking on Pinterest one day and read one of the titles out loud. S’mores Pie. My oldest son just about started crying he was so excited. So I knew I was going to have to make it.

The recipe was fairly easy. I only make easy. Although I totally forgot that they sell graham crackers crumbs so I made my own. An extra step that I will surely not do next time.

Our neighbors invited us over for dinner that night so I planned on taking it over for dessert. This is how it looks before it gets put in the oven. It baked for 20 minutes and got all golden brown and delicious looking. Marshmallow was oozing out on the sides. And because I’m crazy and didn’t want to get my oven mitts messy, I decided the smart thing to do would be to slide it out on to a cookie sheet.

And then this happened. I was apparently feeling over-confident about my wrist strength. The minute the pie pan hit the cookie sheet it was like a domino affect. It tipped the front of the cookie sheet down and the pie went sliding back in to the oven. This photo above was my documentation from Instagram. But it was quickly followed up with a little of this.

I was able to salvage most of it. And it was pretty darn tasty too. I will totally be making this again. But next time I will place it on the cookie sheet before I put it in to the oven. Now when I use my oven there is this odd mix of sweet, burnt and cleaner. It’s not that cool.

Find the S’mores Pie Recipe here. Are you following my pin board ‘Get in my Belly?”

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: dessert, food, Recipes

Smirnoff Sorbet Light Cocktails for Memorial Day and Beyond

May 22, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 16 Comments

This is a sponsored post by Smirnoff Sorbet Light. All reviews/opinions expressed in this post are unbiased and based on my personal view. And yes I did want my title to sound like Buzz Lightyear was saying it.

Memorial Day is this weekend! Will you be barbecuing? Our family, along with probably everyone else in my neighborhood, will be outside, grilling food and sipping cold drinks. When the weather warms up, I like to try to find a new “go-to” drink. Since this summer I will be vacationing where temperatures reach well over 100 degrees (which means I will be forced to wear a swimsuit), I need something that is delicious and refreshing but without a ton of calories or sugars. Smirnoff sent me their new line of infused vodkas, Smirnoff Sorbet Light, to try and they are exactly what I was looking for. They have only 78 calories per 1.5 ounce serving which makes them light so I don’t feel super guilty about having a cocktail. The best part is they taste natural and do not have any sort of diet-y aftertaste.

I love to barbecue when the weather gets warmer but the menu can get pretty boring if you aren’t careful. It is usually just steak and corn, or at least at my house it is. I invited a few friends over for a little lunch barbecue to try out something a little different. My amazing friend, Amy (who used to write the most delicious food blog) put together this awesome grilled lunch to show us how we can change-up our menu. This grilled shrimp and hearts of romaine salad was insanely good and super easy since it was paired with a store-bought cilantro dressing. And remember shrimp grill up super fast so you won’t be stuck over the hot grill for long. Nothing is better than sweet grilled onions, am I right? The grilled tomato skewers are a fun take on a caprese appetizer and are sweet and juicy. And while I have never met a loaf of bread that I didn’t like, this grilled crostini is what dreams are made of. I will be recreating this menu on Memorial Day for sure.

The Smirnoff Sorbet Light Vodkas come in three, perfect for summer flavors, Lemon, Raspberry Pomegranate and Mango Passion Fruit.

I’m an iced tea lover so this black tea based cocktail had to be tried:

Smirnoff Sorbet Light Lemon Tea

1.5 oz Lemon Smirnoff Sorbet Light

3 oz Unsweetened Black Tea

.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.25 oz Agave Nectar

Mix well and serve over ice.

YUM! And totally refreshing.

Hosting a barbecue is a good time to invite friends to try something new. Most of us get stuck in a rut and it doesn’t take much to push us out of it again. Set out some simple recipes and ingredients and have everyone pour their own cocktails. Chances are, they will give something new a shot. Or maybe they’ll just have a shot. And that is when the party gets really fun. (Please drink responsibly).

I’m pretty sure I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth. If you haven’t tried grilled pound cake yet you better get on it! Amazing! Like Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch amazing. And just that quick grill on the bread adds a whole new depth of flavor to a simple berries and cream dessert. I’d like to also note that this creme fraiche had honey in it which made me want to sing love songs to it. So simple, but SO delightful.

Passion fruit is one of my favorite flavors ever so I really enjoyed the Mango Passion Fizz but the big winner was the Raspberry Lemon Punch. Total crowd pleaser.

Smirnoff Sorbet Light Mango Passion Fizz

1.5 oz Mango Passion Fruit Smirnoff Sorbet Light

.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.5 oz Agave Nectar

2 oz Club Soda

Shake up first 3 ingredients and top with Club Soda.

Smirnoff Sorbet Light Raspberry Lemon Punch

1.5 oz Raspberry Pomegranate Smirnoff Sorbet Light

4 oz Lemonade

4 raspberries muddled

Muddle 4 raspberries in a glass and add cold lemonade and Smirnoff Sorbet Light.

Huge thank you to Lauren and Amy for helping me out with my little lunch barbecue (Lauren did all my floral styling and Amy did all the food) I know testing cocktails and eating delicious food can be such hard work. Wink. And thank you Smirnoff for introducing me to your delicious new product. While this was a sponsored post by Smirnoff Sorbet Light all opinions are my own.

What are your favorite summer drink flavors?

Filed Under: Family Life, Food, Holidays, Party Inspiration, Recipes, Sip it Tagged With: barbecues, bbq, cocktails, dessert, food, grilled, Memorial Day, Recipes, summer

November Loves

Two Pork Chop Recipes for National Pork Month and a Giveaway!

Homemade Cinnamon Coffee Creamer Recipe

S’mores Pie and Huge Mess

Smirnoff Sorbet Light Cocktails for Memorial Day and Beyond

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For Like Ever Themed Bridal Shower

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