The Nifty Foodie

You may not know this, but in real life, I’m a fairly shy person. I love blogging because my voice comes across in my writing, however, the subject of vlogging has always made me nervous.

I will say, though, I really do love watching vlogs from bloggers I’ve followed for a while. I always have an idea in my head about how people’s voices sound, and usually I’m wrong. It’s always a fun surprise to actually hear a blogger for the first time, you know?

Well, I definitely had to bite the bullet when Foodbuzz informed me that a recipe idea I submitted for their Tastemaker’s Program was accepted! The criteria was to make a vlog featuring my simple (30 minute or less) recipe that uses Newman’s Own products. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the package at my door!! It included quite a few salad dressings, pasta sauces, and ::gasp:: a FLIP CAMERA!! So, thank you so much Foodbuzz and Newman’s Own for this amazing opportunity. You helped me take the giant leap into vlogging.

Hope y’all don’t laugh at me too much. I stumbled on my words a few times, but I think I actually want to do this again!

FTC disclosure: I was supplied Newman’s Own products and a Flip camera for free, but my opinions of this recipe are completely my own.

For our party, we knew we wanted to do something summery and fun. Skewers/kabobs were our main meats and ended up a hit! We had shrimp skewers, because we knew that shrimp prices would be shooting up any day now, because of the oil “spill”, and wanted to make sure we enjoyed Gulf shrimp at least one more time. This shrimp skewer was delicious and very easy to put together.

Spicy BBQ Shrimp Skewers
Source: Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus more, for garnish
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled

Directions:

If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about an hour before starting on the recipe.

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the shrimp and the relish mix well to combine. Add the shrimp to the seasoning paste, and toss to thoroughly coat with the seasoning mixture. Let the shrimp sit in the seasoning mixture while you prepare the grill.
2. Prepare a grill and thread the shrimp onto 4 or 6 skewers, depending on their size. Place shrimp skewers on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp turn pink and are lightly charred on both sides. Do not overcook!

Oh yes, the classic burger and fries. It reminds me so much of when I was a kid. Dad would grill the burgers and Mom would fry the fries. Mom would always make sure we had a good TV show playing since we liked to usually run around the house and accidents were normal during those times. Mom didn’t want grease burn accidents, so it was either Nickelodeon or our favorite Disney movie. It kept us 4 kids quiet long enough.

When dinner was ready, we used to race to the plates and get our fix. Burger night was awesome!

Now that the hubs and I are trying to eat better, burgers and fries just weren’t on our mind. I’ve tried the whole oven fries thing before, but with tasty but mushed up results. After reading a few raves about a recipe that Annie of Annie’s Eats featured, I decided to try this technique. What would it hurt, right?

The results? The crispy flavorful fries that I remember, except, well Ore-Ida didn’t make these. This recipe was easy and just plain delicious. Best of all? Only 5 tablespoons of oil are used for the whole recipe! Awesome. Definitely Weight Watchers friendly.

Another great thing about this meal? The burger buns. These were provided to me for free by Nature’s Pride and Foodbuzz as a part of the Tastemaker program. My husband and I were sent a pack of these to sample, and we were thrilled to get something whole wheat. They were delicious!

Baked Oven Fries
Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats (originally by Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:

• 3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
• 5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp. cajun seasoning, plus more to taste (like Tony Chachere’s)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl.  Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.  Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet.  Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this).  Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper.  Set aside.
2. Drain the potatoes.  Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels.  Pat dry with additional towels.  Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry.  Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer.  Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes.  Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.
3. When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease.  Season with the cajun seasoning, to taste.  Serve warm.

I love the idea of food on a stick. It’s so amazingly convenient to not get your hands or utensils dirty. Popsicles, corn dogs, roasted marshmallows…and now, kabobs. I’ve never had a kabob before, and it’s not because I was intimidated, it’s just something I don’t think much about. I’m more of a comfort food gal.

Nowadays though, my husband and I have a friendly bet going on. We’re challenging ourselves to lose as much weight as we can in 6 months. The motivation? A $300 prize. We each put in $150 of our own “fun” money for this, and now it’s time to bring on the competition. So, because of the bet (and the need to eat healthier), we are looking for better food options to help with the weight loss. Bye bye comfort food!

I saw this recipe on Annie’s Eats, and knew this would be a good dinner to cook since it’s light, involves garlic and is something new to try (kabobs). This chicken turned out flavorful and moist. The marinade is so simple to put together too! I think this would be a great weeknight dinner, especially for the summer. I served the chicken with onion/bell pepper kabobs too as a side, although, for next time, I’m gonna need a better, more filling side dish. If anyone has suggestions, please give me some ideas!

Garlic Lemon Chicken Kabobs
Source: Annie’s Eats (adapted from Williams Sonoma)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix to coat with the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
2. Prepare a medium fire in a grill.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before use.
3. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and discard the excess marinade.  Lightly oil the grill grates.  Place the kabobs on the grill, cover, and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking.  Transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

When I was a cashier in high school, we had to learn PLU (product look up) codes to ring up produce. The first code I knew was bananas (it is 4011 in case you are wondering…type that code in at a self check-out and see what happens). Why? Because almost every shopping cart has bananas. They are delicious, cheap and very nutritious.

Every week, I buy my husband and I a bunch of bananas. Most of the time, we finish them, but sometimes, I forget about them. Of course when I forget about them, they become this unappetizing brown color from overriping, but fear not, when they are that overripe, they are PERFECT for baking!

This past week, we had 3 bananas that got too ripe for snacking on, and I decided to made some banana bread. I’ve made it before, but decided to give Baking Illustrated’s version a shot, since they never steer me wrong. This was the winner. If you want to try a banana bread recipe from this blog, make this one first! It’s so unbelievably moist, flavorful and light (since I subbed the butter out for applesauce). Plus, this is another recipe that you don’t need the KA for. A simple wooden spoon and 2 bowls will suffice. Your breakfast will never be the same either.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl; set aside.
3. Mix the bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Do NOT overmix! Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)