Source: Influenster VoxBox Review!
Tag: food
Influenster VoxBox Review!
Were you Naughty or Nice?
As you all know, I am a part of an online program called Influenster. If you are not sure what influenster is, please refer to the tab above to find out more about the program. This past Christmas, they were nice enough to send me their Jingle VoxBox for review. The box contains 9 products ranging from food to beauty products. These products were received complimentary of influenster for testing purposes. If you are interested in joining, click this link: www.influenster.com/r/698914
Just your friendly neighborhood Spider Man!…
The first very obvious product that you see when opening the box is a Spiderman Itty bitty. If you are not aware of what an itty bitty is, if you recall ever hearing, seeing or owning beanie babies, they are practically the same thing, just a different name. You can find them in all different characters such as Star Wars, Barbie, DC Comics, Rainbow Brite, Inside Out and many more. So pick your poison! These start at $6.95 and are available at any Hallmark Gold Crown store and Hallmark.com. They make great stocking stuffers and can be given as a gift all year round.
Feeling a bit Dry? Then Moisturize!
The next item is a small sample of Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is a rich, quickly absorbing, non-greasy cream that provides long-lasting relief for even severely dry skin. This unique formula attracts water to skin and helps prevent moisture loss. I have friends that live by this cream. I was so excited to see this. I have a newborn at home and she has been struggling with some baby rash that just does not seem to want to go away. Her doctor since recommended using Cetaphil to help and since receiving this product I’ve been using it and seeing a lot of improvement. This product ranges from $8.99-$15.99. Now I know that is a bit pricey but I would say that this item is worth the price. It is as good as they say.
Pumpkin Waffles & Watermelon Smoothie.
Double the Dose!
It has been a very busy year for my family. I just started a new teaching job as a literarcy teacher for K-3rd graders, and believe me when I tell you, they are so precious but they do have thier moments, if you know what I mean! On top of that, we have other events outside of work that we in charge of and we also have workshops that we are required to attend. So with that said, it’s been a busy year already. Since I have been away from you guys for so long, I will be bringing to you to recipes.
I am currently working on getting over the nasty stomach flu (I’ve never had it before!) and since I was loosing all of my insides and my precious nutrients I came across this recipe that I thought was great.
Not only was it fast to make, it tasted great too!
Ingredients:
1 cup(s) watermelon chunks, frozen
1/2 cup(s) coconut water
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) lime juice, from 1/2 a lime
4 mint leaves
4 ice cubes
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Waffles
Who could pass up Waffles, especially these kind of waffles.
I am not a big breakfast eater but I will definately not pass up waffles. Especially tasty ones such as this!
Ingredients
1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup(s) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup(s) wheat germ
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
1 teaspoon(s) coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground ginger
5 tablespoon(s) brown sugar
3/4 cup(s) pumpkin puree
5 tablespoon(s) (1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 cup(s) milk
For Serving:
Plain Greek-style yogurt
Maple syrup
Chopped nuts
Directions
Heat waffle iron. In a small bowl, mix flours, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, butter, eggs, vanilla, and 1/2 cup milk until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients and mix to form a smooth batter. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup milk until batter is thin enough to pour into waffle iron.
Spoon about 1/2 cup batter into iron and cook according to iron instructions.
Serve with yogurt, syrup, nuts, and fruit.
Enjoy!
Courtesy of delish.com
Cilantro Lime Turkey Breast
Turkey does not have to be eaten just once a year!
Ingredients:
2lbs turkey breast
One bunch of cilantro (cut into strings)
One lime and its zest
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. honey (raw)
Poultry seasoning
½ of a red bell pepper (thick cut length wise)
½ of a green bell pepper (thick cut length wise)
2 carrots (thick cut length wise)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 spring onions
1 sprig of thyme
¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tsp. for sautéing
Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette:
In a small mason jar combine one handful of cilantro, one whole lime and zest, honey, black pepper, salt and olive oil. Shake jar until all ingredients are combined.
Method:
Pre-heat your oven at 345 degrees. Wash turkey breast, pat dry and place into baking dish of your choice. Season with poultry seasoning, black pepper, salt and cilantro-lime vinaigrette and place in oven to bake for 40 minutes or until juice runs clear. In a medium sauce pan, add 1 tsp. of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add bell peppers, spring onions, carrots, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sautee until your veggies are coated and almost translucent. Serve with white rice and your favorite drinks.
Transform your Turkey from boring to Exciting!
Jamaican Curry Goat
No need to be afraid…….it’s just the other red meat!
Ingredients:
3 lb. Goat Meat (cut up in bite size pieces)
1 Large Onion (chopped)
2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (chopped and seeded)
4 oz. Jamaican Curry Powder
1 oz. Cooking Oil
1 oz. Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp. Salt
4 sprig. Thyme
1/2 oz. Vinegar
6 Pimento Seeds (Allspice)
Goat can be cooked in many different ways. You can stew it, barbecue it, roast it, pot roast it, etc., etc., etc., but the one popular style of cooking goat in the Caribbean for any occasion is… you guessed it… Curry!
Method:
Wash goat meat with vinegar and water. If you do not have vinegar, you can always use lemon juice as a substitue. Rub in all the season with goat meat and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight. The longer the meat sits, the more it marinates and the better the taste once cooked.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and then remove the seasoning from the goat meat.
In a saucepan, heat the oil on high until it smells. Add 1 oz. curry powder to the hot oil. Stir curry powder in oil until the color starts to change.
Put the goat meat in the saucepan now. Stir the meat in the hot oil for two minutes; be careful not to burn the meat.
Add 1 oz. water to the pot, keep stirring until the meat looks like the muscles are tightening up.
Now turn down the heat to medium and add 2 cups of water or beef broth (adds more flavor) to the meat in the saucepan. Cover the pot and let this stew simmer for 20 minutes. Check on the meat in the pot, stir again and add water to cover the meat.
Simmer for another 20 minutes, and then check to see if the meat is medium soft.
If it is so, add the seasoning you removed earlier to the pot. Let the stew simmer for another 15 minutes on a slightly lower heat (between medium and low).
(Optional) You can add potatoes and carrots to the pot the same time you add the seasoning. You can also add a cornstarch and water mix to thicken.
Note : Although this is a stew, it should not be dominated by watery type gravy. You should make this stew cook until most of the water is evaporated, and let the fat from the goat flavor the stew.
It takes practice and trial and error sometimes to get a perfect Curry Goat, so don’t give up on your first try.
Jamaican Oxtail Stew
Sometimes you just have to go back home for Comfort!
What You Need:
3 pounds Oxtails, cut into segments by a butcher
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 Spanish onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole
3 sprigs fresh thyme
12 allspice berries
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 cup butter beans, or a 10.5-ounce can butter beans, rinsed and drained
Note: There are many ways to cook oxtail. One way that I found that was really great was switching out the water for Beef Broth instead. It makes a richer sauce.
What to do:
1. Season oxtails aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke — about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.
2. Add the oxtails to the pot, working in batches, stirring each time to cover them with blackened sugar, then allowing them to cook, turning occasionally, until they are well browned. Remove oxtails to a bowl and keep warm.
3. Add half of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with the pepper, the thyme, the allspice and a third of the scallions, and stir to combine. Allow to cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
4. Return the oxtails to the pot along with any accumulated juices and put water into the pot so that the oxtails are almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook, covered, approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
5. Add remaining onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with another third of the scallions. Add sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the meat is yielding and loose on the bone, approximately one hour longer. Remove approximately one cup of liquid from pot and place in a small bowl. Add flour to this liquid and stir to combine, working out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add this slurry to the pot along with ketchup, then stir to combine and allow to cook a further 15 minutes or so. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Fold butter beans into the stew and allow these to heat through. Scatter remaining scallions over the top. Serve with white rice or rice and peas.
Serves 4.
Adapted from Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill.
The Happy Smoothie
Great way to start your day AND if you have kids, they will enjoy this smoothie recipe as well!
Green:
1/2 cup kale
3/4 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup ice cubes
optional: a pinch of freshly grated ginger
Pink/Red:
1/2 cup fresh beet juice
1/4 cup coconut water
2-3 fresh strawberries, stem removed
1/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
Gold:
1/2 cup fresh mango cubes
1/2 cup frozen peaches
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 banana
Blend well. Serve
Makes 2-3 Smoothies
Courtesy of Mbele TV
Beautiful, pleasing to the eyes and oh so tasty!
Jamaican Curry Chicken
What’s for dinner!
What you will need:
1/2 chicken (cleaned, with skin removed)
4 stems fresh thyme
1 onion
1 tbsp. curry
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. all purpose seasoning
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chicken seasoning (less if it contains salt)
3 white potatoes (peeled, cut in cubes)
1 lemon
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. water
1/2 Scotch bonnet pepper
How to prepare:
Wash chicken with lemon and cut into bite size pieces. Season with all dry ingredients. Chop all herbs and add to chicken (use hands to rub in seasonings, and let sit in refrigerator for 1/2 hour). Place chicken, water and oil in a pot, stir, and cook on high till it comes to a boil, stir, lower heat until chicken is almost cooked. Add potatoes and butter. Cook until water is reduced and potatoes are tender. Serve over steamed white rice.
Serves 4.
Enjoy!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, quick to make friends. But rich or poor, quick or slow, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Happy St. Patty’s day everyone. I hope everyone had a fun-filled, happy and safe day. I know I did. After having a week filled with ups and down, today was a great and beautiful day to just go out with my hubby and my nieces and nephew and just take everything in.
We made our way out to Birchwood Cafe in South Minneapolis. It is a small, yet beautiful cafe that is tucked away from the busy thru and thru traffic of Lake Street. This place has so much to offer, ranging from the food, the people and their oh so rich culture. My husband and I fell upon this restaurant a couple of years ago in one of our random adventures and fell in love with it ever since. The only set back…price!
Yes, it is all natural and organic BUT…. you would never know by the taste and richness of their food.
My husband and I order their pulled pork shoulder sandwich with a pear glaze sauce, lettuce bib, grilled onions, cheese, a slightly pickled cucumber slice and a side of fresh salsa and chips. For drinks I had their homemade lemonade and my husband had a cup of their house chai. It was so good. Trust me, I do not eat onions, but today, I ate every bit of it! I further indulged in their pure vanilla bean ice cream.
Since I have been sick, I have not been able to eat the way I would like to. I would get full too quickly and feel sick to my stomach in the sight of food almost immediately. It sucked! So, to have come from all of that and a few other challenges, to being able to eat like this today…..that is a big accomplishment and praise God for that!
Time is a great story-teller.
Miss Yemisi Thompson
After lunch we decided to go and visit one of our close friends at work. She works at Caribou Coffee on 5th and Washington in Minneapolis, MN. If you are ever in need of some good pick me up or even just a little smile, go and visit her. We had a great, long visit with her. We had a lot of fun watching everyone go by in their green fits. It was more fun when the people we were watching were also getting into a little mischief. They offered free green whipped cream in celebration of St. Patrick’s day. After visiting with her, we then made our way to my parents house. Do I even have to explain what goes on at my parents house?…..Enough said! lol.
All in all it was a very long, fun-filled and adventurous day. I thought I was worn out until I looked over at my husband and looked into his eyes that he was fighting to keep open. What better way to finish off the day, except with my love cuddled up and watching the Boondock Saints.
May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields and, Until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Peanut & Banana Smoothie
Challenge Accepted!
So, my youngest brother-in-law called me last night and presented me with a challenge. Here it is. Upload a simple recipe with step by step directions, something simple enough that can be followed by anyone. The challenge? It has to all be in french.
Ha!…I laughed and thought, this should be interesting, but fun. Well, here goes it.
What you need:
1/2 Organic Frozen Banana
2 tbs. Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 tbs. Condensed Milk
1 Cup of Organic Milk (we use whole milk)
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
A small pinch of Nutmeg
A small pinch of Cinnamon
4-6 cubes of Ice
What to do:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour in a fancy glass and enjoy. Garnish with crushed peanuts on top.
This recipe can be adjusted to your liking. You can add chocolate or you can use almond milk, etc. Whatever makes your tastebuds dance. You will love it either way.
**For the french translation, click on my “Essence” page above located next to “About Me.”
Protein and deliciousness all in one glass, who could ever forget a recipe like this!
Meats Treats & More 