German Chocolate Balls

German-Chocolate Balls

(Makes 10-14 balls)

• 1 package pitted dates (I like Sunmaid, because they are softer.) 
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 T cocoa powder (use really good cocoa)
• 2 T shredded coconut
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup raw pecans
• optional: feel free to add some chocolate chips

Blend all ingredients together very well. (I recommend using a food processor.) Squish the dough together.  Roll into balls, cookie-cuttered shapes, or bars… or you can even use it for a pie crust!  Chill.

Veggie Snacks

Stephanie recently visited Trader Joe's in Fort Worth and here is what she said about their Veggie Crisps:

Found these Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips there! In the same bag are Carrot & Tomato, Spinach & Garlic; Red Beet & Onion. They have 500 mg of omega 3’s per serving and good source of fiber. I can actually taste the veggies a little bit.

Has anyone else had any other veggie snacks they have found?

forgot to add something to quest. 3

..to add to question 3.
-I also subscribe to different stores to get their online coupons like: michael's, hobby lobby, auntie anne's pretzels, benihana's, etc. and also, a friend of mine in the neighborhood decided to challenge herself and see how much she could save with coupons and deals and started subscribing to differeent sites online and printed out tons of coupons for all of us to use.

answers to questions

So sorry, may not be much of help with these questions...

1. No, I do not have a subscription to Purewow blog.

2. I had not looked on the AARP website for coupons or deals until 5 minutes ago.
My parents are visiting me right now and I asked my mom if she had ever looked
at AARP and her response was no. But I was curious and went on the site to see
what they offer...did see a dunkin donuts/coffee deal. Told my mom about it, but
since my dad is diabetic that wouldn't help. She said McDonald's gives senior
citizen coffee for .40 cents a cup and it's refillable.

3. Lately, most of my purchases or places for online deals are : Groupon,
Mamasource, and Living Social. This week, I purchase 3 deals from one of those
sites.

:-)

My New Obsession....

I am in love with these! They have a nice light corn flavor mixed in with a rich garlic, sour cream and onion flavor. Truly AMAZING!!!

Did I mention that you get 68 of them per serving? 68 pieces for 160 calories, 9 g of fat, zero trans fat and only 2 g of sugar.

I found mine at Tom Thumb. They were located on an end cap of the chip aisle. This week Tom Thumb has a coupon for Smartfood Selects for $1.99. I am headed back today....

We Need Your Help!

Can you please answer the questions below?

1. Do you have an online subscription to the PureWow blog?

2. Have you ever visited the AARP website for promotions or coupons?

3 If not on thsese sites, what sites would you go to find your online promotions?

Thanks!

Cookies worth making

I tried these cookies from the Martha Stewart Living magazine and I had to give them away to stop eating them. If you don't like coconut you can skip that part, but it is such an embellishment.

Makes 54 cookies
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs beaten
12 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
44 small soft caramel candies (12 oz.)
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Flaky Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter and sugar with mixer on medium speed until it is pale and fluffy, then add vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour a little at a time 1/2 tsp salt and beat to combine. Using plastic wrap, press dough together to make it a bit flat, and roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Using a spoon, dip each ball into the beaten egg, let excess egg drip off, and then roll in coconut.
Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheet and press an indentation of your thumb into each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove sheet from oven and re-press indentations. After that, put the sheet back in the oven and bake for another 9-10 minutes or until golden. Let cool on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.
For caramel: Place unwrapped caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirry constantly, until the caramels have melted and the mixture is smooth, 4-6 minutes. Spoon caramel into the indentations of each cookie and sprinkle with sea salt. If the caramel starts to harden, rewarm it on low heat!

Cold Day Hot Food

It is a wet cold, bone chilling day in January in north Texas. Days like these make we want to cook. And bake. And eat.

For lunch today I made a bean and grain soup. First I cooked diced pancetta with a little olive oil and a whole diced onion. When the onion was transparent I added 2 cloves of chopped garlic, salt and pepper. I had leftover turkey stock from Christmas so I added that and a little water so I had about 5 cups of liquid. I then added dried kidney beans, dried pinto beans, wheat berries, barley, lentils and brown rice and 2 chopped carrots. Sometimes I add cumin or curry to season.

While the soup simmered I made a almond roll. Over simmering water beat 3 eggs and 1/3c. sugar for about 10 minutes till tripled in volume, and thick like a ribbon. Sift in 1/2 c. almond flour (almonds that have been on the food processor-fine) and 2 Tbs flour. Butter a piece of parchment paper and pour batter on. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. While baking place a damp towel over a cutting board and whip 2/3c. heavy cream with a little cinnamon and vanilla. When the cake comes out, invert it onto the towel and immediately roll up. Let cool about 5-8 minutes to room temperature. Unroll and spread whipped cream over and roll again. Trim edges and dust with powdered sugar.

Tonight, four cheese lasagna!

convenience

We did stop in to a few convenience stores and purchase snacks this Christmas while we were caravaning with all the family members during our travels to different cities in Texas. We already had packed snacks in the car, but when we stopped for a bathroom break, the kiddos were tempted to grab another salty or sweet snack on the way out. Hmmm...what were some of our purchases? Check mix, Mustard flavored pretzels, Twizzlers, and of course a Cocoa Cocoa Cherry Slurpee! Come to think of it, whenever hubby is out with the kids and they have to stop off for gas, they might grab a hot dog and a slurpee. It may not be accurate, but I have this impression in my mind that the snacks in the convenience store may have dust on them, are expired, or alittle bit more expensive than outside. These are just my thoughts :-) But it is "convenient" to grab something and go!

Convenience Stores

So what is your thought about convenience stores? Do you go? If so how often. If you don't go, why not? Do your husband/wife or significant others go? If so, what are they buying?

What do you think about the snacks and food items sold there?

Please be as descriptive as possible about the products, the stores themselves and the overall experience.

Thanks!

New Year - New Dinner Ideas

I am so sick of making the same dinner things week after week! Anyone have any good dinner ideas?

A Hate Love Realtionship

Growing up my mom unfortunately ruined me on many vegetables. Maybe in order to get a quick meal on the table, she often boiled, or over boiled broccoli, cauliflower, lima beans and brussels sprouts. They were often served with a bright colored cheese sauce. Thus began my dislike of these vegetables.

At Christmas I like to try new and different recipes for dinner. This year it was a twist on the classic turkey, stuffing and potatoes. Looking for a green vegetable to serve, I went through a culinary textbook and decided on an old nemesis- brussels sprouts, sans cheese sauce.

I have to save I have fallen in love with these brussels sprouts. I had 3 helpings for dinner. Try them, try them, you may like them.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook brussels sprouts till three-fourths done. Then promptly removed and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Trim ends and slice in half. In a large skillet render 3 slices of chopped bacon. Add sprouts and 2-3 tablespoons butter. Cook sprouts till golden and browned. Add 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts. Drizzle with a little more butter if needed.

First Post

To Debbie and the LUGs!
I thought that a space for postings and assignment stuff makes some sense. Feel free to add anything that strikes you as interesting or fun as you go about your "food life".

John