Moving to My Personal Website

My personal website is now ready so I have moved by blogging to my website.
I do hope you will follow me to continue reading my posts and if you’ve stumbled upon my blog for the first time, do take the time to visit my site.

Follow me: www.getyvonne.com

fresh herbs,veggies and Chardonnay

Fresh sliced garlic, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and Chardonnay combined together with pasta creates an aroma and taste at home as if you were sitting in an upscale Italian restaurant.

A delicious recipe with the ingredients above shared with me follows. Bon Appetite!

Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco

4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3 cups uncooked mezze penne pasta
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay
1/2 tsp each salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, divided
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup packed)
2 cups diced grilled chicken breasts
Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Spray Deep Covered Baker with olive oil. Slice garlic into baker using a Garlic Slicer. Add tomatoes. Cover; microwave on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after 2 minutes. Cut up tomatoes using a salad chopper. Add the pasta, broth, wine, salt and black pepper.

Return the baker to the microwave covered and microwave on HIGH 16-18 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely cut basil with a Chef’s Knife or Santoku Knife.
Grate cheese using the Rotary Grater.

Carefully remove the baker from the microwave and remove lid, lifting the lid away from you. Add the basil, parmesan cheese and grilled chicken cubes to the baker; mix thoroughly. Add additional Parmesan cheese and black pepper, if desired.

Yields: 8 servings
Nutrients per serving: Light (about 1 cup): Calories 240, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat .5 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 17 g, Sodium 450 mg, Fiber 2 g

Strawberries…..

It’s Strawberry Season! In Eastern North Carolina, along many of the roads, you see vegetable and fruit stands with signs reading, “Strawberries Sold Here”. Or along some rural roads you may see signs such as “You Pick, We Pick”. Regardless, the strawberries are now in season and should be found fresh in Eastern North Carolina through May.

Strawberries are delicious! I normally use a core and more to cap the berries and then slice them using an egg slicer plus.

A recipe shared with me by Tony Blackmon, an engineer with NBC 17, sounds delicious! I haven’t tried it but it looked great in the broadcast. His recipe is below as well as another recipe using fresh strawberries, a favorite of mine–an apple berry salsa. I enjoy serving the apple berry salsa over a slice of frozen Sara Lee’s pound cake. Although tasty served over cake, it’s a great fruit medley to eat as a fruit dish so I normally double the recipe. Enjoy them both!
Bon appetite!

Tony’s Strawberry Pie
Mix together: 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, 3 Tbsp of Cornstarch, and 2 Tbsp of White Corn Syrup.

Bring to a boil and stir the mixture until it becomes clear and thick–sorta looks milky.

(While waiting for the mixture to boil, wash, cap and slice fresh strawberries.

Once the mixture becomes thick, remove from heat and stir in 1 small box of Strawberry Jello= the strawberry jello mixture.

Fill the very bottom of the graham cracker pie crust with a small layer of the strawberry jello mixture.

Then fill the graham cracker crust with the sliced strawberries. Pour the remaining strawberry jello mixture over the strawberries until it is even with the top of the pan.

Refrigerate overnight and add whip cream just before serving.

Apple Berry Salsa
ingredients
2 medium apples, 1 pints of strawberries, 2 kiwi (peeled and diced), 1 small orange, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons apple jelly
(If doubling the recipe, normally one orange is enough)

1. Using the apple corer, core the apple and divide into slices.
2. Peel the apple wedges using the forged cutlery.
3. Coarsely chop the apple slices using the cutting board and the food chopper.
4. Slice strawberries using the egg slicer plus and dice Kiwi using forged cutlery.
Place the fruit in Small Batter Bowl.
5. Zest orange using a microplane. Measure 1 teaspoons of zest.
6. Juice orange using the citrus press. You need to measure out 2 tablespoons of juice.
Add the orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, and jelly to the fruit mixture.
Mix gently.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be served as is or over a sliced of frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake with a dollop of cool whip on the side.

Vegetable Mediterranean and Herb Medley By Tony Tomeo

This recipe was shared with me and sounds delicious, heathy, and perfect for the vegetarian or meat lover. A recipe you can prepare using your choice of  veggies from your own garden. 

Bon Appetite!

 

This is such a wonderful recipe for your garden vegetables. Chef Roessler prepares a wonderful recipe here. The flavor is out of this world and it’s hard to believe it’s coming from just the ingredients below.

 

 

Vegetables: To make the following garden dish, you can use any seasonal vegetables such as squash (any variety),tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, onions and garlic.

 

Herbs: There are some days your senses are attracted to Thyme and Oregano. The other day maybe to Rosemary and Basil. Whatever your taste buds tell you, use it. It is fun to play around with different herbs on the daily basis, and it is also healthy for you to use variety in your cooking. It makes me feel good, knowing there are no pesticides in the vegetables that I use because they are from my garden.

                                  

Use 4 to 5 vegetables of different variety (Zuccini, eggplant, tomatoe, crookneck)

1 large onion

8 garlic cloves

1 bell pepper

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Oil

3 cups chicken broth

Thyme, Oregano, Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Cut onion and garlic in small cubes, sauté them in olive oil, until soft, but not brown.

Add the bell pepper, cut in small cubes, add all the vegetables, you have prepared and

cut into small cubes. Add the broth and herbs, stir well and let simmer on medium heat, until tender. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

 

You can eat it as Vegetarian dish, but also you can add if you like some good chicken, sausage, steak cubes or Canadian bacon to it. You can serve with: Rice, Pasta, or boiled Potatoes.

 

Recipe from: 

Gordana Roessler

Auburn, California USA

Good Appetite !!!

 

Other great articles from gardening expert,Tony:   http://www.asktonythegardener.com

MONEY Trumps Almost Everything for Women

An interesting article/press release showing women who responded to a poll, their concern about the economy and its direction. This press release explains why the direct sales companies are answering the needs of women today.  Direct  Sales offers women and men the flexibility needed to earn more yet maintain a home, tend to children, and work a full time job.  If you need a little extra, you work a little; if you need more, you work more.  You decided on additional income wanted, divide the average show total and come up with how much you need to work to meet that goal. With direct sales, you can work morning, noon, or evening…just a couple hours, a few times a week can make a huge difference in a family’s lifestyle. It can be the difference in swim teams, dance troupes, gymnastic, traveling ball teams, college education, family vacations, the size of one’s home or type of car they drive.  It could just mean for a nurse, top administrator, doctor, pharmacist, business owner or CEO, etc be a fun interactive night out with other adults and an income to go to a party. Whether you are one who wants or loves the products, need extra income for a short or long period of time, or just want to have “fun” or “me” time, direct sales is calling.  

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Francine Gani 650.949.9400 (office) 650.465.8060 (mobile) press@bettyconfidential.com

 

MONEY Trumps Almost Everything for Women
BettyConfidential.com polls show women would rather be rich than thin

Palo Alto, CA, April 22, 2009. More powerful than freedom from dieting, more important than having your husband remain faithful is … never having to worry about money again. That’s part of what women revealed to BettyConfidential.com last week in a series of polls on their priorities.

“With the current state of the economy, there’s a lot of anxiety about money, and it seems women would give up most anything to stop worrying,” said Myrna Blyth, editor–in–chief of BettyConfidential.com. “I doubt there are many people who would tell you that they’d rather have their husband cheat than have to worry about their finances, but when given the anonymity of our polls, women reveal their true priorities, and it seems money is the big one.”

Thin Wins
In the first question posed: Would you rather never have to diet again or have an orgasm every time? food beat sex hands down.

• Never have to diet again: 86%
• Orgasm every time: 14%

 

Money, Money, Money, Money
But freedom from dieting was no match for the mighty dollar.

• Never have to worry about money again: 83%
• Never have to diet again: 17%

 

Forget Fidelity
Money also trumped women’s desire for their partner to be faithful.

• Never have to worry about money again: 52%
• Have your partner always be faithful: 48%

 

Children By A Nose 
In the end, though, women’s love for their children triumphed over their love for money … though not by as much as we’d have expected.

• Be certain that your children will live happy, successful lives: 60%
• Never have to worry about money again: 40%

 About BettyConfidential.com

Launched in March 2008, BettyConfidential.com is already recognized as one of the fastest growing women’s Web sites with original content.BettyConfidential.com offers an interactive presentation of content, social networking, and advice in a “roomful of women” setting, targeted to women ages 18–49. Editor–in–Chief Myrna Blyth, author, tv commentator and award–winning editor in chief of Ladies’ Home Journal, and founding editor in chief of More Magazine has assembled a considerable network of writers and contributors throughout the country, bringing unique perspectives to the forefront. BettyConfidential.com was co–founded by best–selling author and television commentator Deborah Perry Piscione and Internet entrepreneur Shaun Marsh in March 2008. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board.

Stones and Pizza’s

Whether you are interested in a pizza completely from scratch or if you’re okay with a quick veggie pizza or chicken clubhouse pizza,  the stone will cook a pizza you will not mind serving to family or friends.  Pizza brought home from dining out will taste so much better and not soggy or mushy tasting if reheated on a stone.  With people trying to spend money more wisely, a pizza stone will offer a delicious and cost saving option to dining out or the pizza delivery service. Leftovers taste so much better when reheated on a stone.

ANDREA WEIGL, of the News and Observer, wrote about her experiences with homemade pizza’s before properly using stones.  Read her article and see three of her favorite pizzas dough recipes.

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1428005.html

Herbs

Recipes using fresh herbs instead of dried herbs give more flavor to your dishes regardless of the cuisine.  Fresh herbs can be purchased or grown at home.  A great article on growing your own herbs was just shared with me through a newsletter. Rather than repeat the information here, I am going to provide a link to the article below “Growing Herbs in Containers”.  Once you grow the herbs you need to store them properly.  Properly storing them, keeping them in an upright position with their leaves out of water and air circulating around them is the key to keeping them longer and fresher.

An herb keeper that has a base water fill line is great to have because you do keep the leaves out of water.  If the herb should be refrigerated, keep it in the door of the refrigerator.  Basil and cilantro will do better if stored without a lid at room temperature.

If buying fresh herbs, buy those which are crisp and bright in color. For freshness, trim approximately a half inch of  the stems, snipping them in a diagonal direction, taking off any dead leaves, and washing them by swishing in cold water, and patting or blotting the leaves dry before storing them. To maintain freshness, change your water daily in the herb keeper.

For quality kitchen tools for both snipping and storing your herbs, contact me through email and I will be happy to share with you tools that will not only do the job but make it easier to do so.

“Growing Herbs in Containers” by Mary Alward.            

http://www.anypresentations.com/enl/article.php?aid=8499&id=742&sid=e5c7&NID=43

Stoneware

Not all stones are created equal.  

If a stone says, pizza stone on the packaging, it means to use the stone for the sole purpose of cooking a pizza. 

If the stone says round  or rectangular stone, it is okay to cook raw meat or other items on the stone.

I cook all types of meat on my stones and cleaning up is so easy; clean with hot water–no soap.  It’s the hot water that cleans your cookware not soaps.  

Stoneware and frozen foods.  

Placing a frozen pizza on a stone and placing it in a hot oven causes thermal shock and will cause the stone to break.

When purchasing a frozen pizza, nuggets or fries, take them out of freezer for about 5-10 minutes.  Then place the pizza on the stone and place the stone in a COLD oven, then turn the oven on.  This allows the stoneware, the oven, and the frozen food to heat up at the same time.  It is also recommended you choose the stone to fix the amount of food you are cooking.  A large bar pan for one small piece of food could cause thermal shock too. For one small item of food, I would use a small bar pan.

“To get the most for your buck”, choose stones that are guaranteed for microwave use.

 When company drops in unexpectedly, it’s nice to be able to cook a cake in the microwave and be ready to serve it in about 15 minutes.  It’s also great to be able to cook a pork tenderloin in about 8 minutes per pound or 6 pork chops in 10 minutes without heating up the house in the summer. A covered stone is like having a crock pot on steroids.  It’s a great addition to everyone’s kitchen.

Garlic tips

A clove, not a bulb, can improve your overall health while 2-3 cloves a day can help ward off colds.  You can add garlic to your yogurt or cottage cheese to help cover the taste of garlic. You can  eliminate garlic breath by eating a small piece of fresh parsley, eating a lemon, drinking lemon juice, or eating a crushed clove in olive oil. If you have Parmesan-Garlic oil dipping seasoning, add a clove to it when you add the olive oil–great for bread dipping.

The two main ingredients in garlic which promotes these healthy benefits is Allicin and Diallyl Sulphides.  Allicin isn’t produced until you finely chop or crush it. The finer you chop it or press it, the better because more allicins are generated and the stronger its health effects.  “Allow 10 minutes before adding the chopped or pressed garlic to your recipes to allow the allicin to develop fully.”  So press or chop the garlic before beginning the cooking process. It begins to decompose quickly; therefore its health benefits decreases over time. Cooking speeds up the decomposition process and is destroyed when microwaving.  ”Add the garlic about five minutes before the end of cooking – this way you apply just enough heat to convert the allicin into medically active compounds.”

For the best results add pressed garlic toward the end of the cooking process.  By adding it to the end of the recipe you will also keep most of the flavor. And remember if a little is good, more is better, does not apply to garlic!  Too much raw garlic can produce irritation of and/or damage to your digestive system.

Diallyl sulphides do not decompose as quickly as allicin when cooking. These help lower the bad cholesterol and boosts the immune system. For the health benefits to be produced, garlic does have to be chopped or crushed.  ”If garlic is not crushed or chopped there are relatively no health benefits to eating garlic.”  The breakdown process of these in the body is just a couple hours so again more at one time is not better.  To receive the benefits of garlic it is better to add it often to your meals rather than an overdose at one meal.

 I often add 2-4 cloves of pressed garlic toward the end of the recipe and reduce salt in meal preparation. The garlic replaces salt for me in the preparation.  When using salt I use sea salt which has so much more health benefits than table salt. Again, its much healthier to use.

As a kitchen specialist if you email me I can help you locate the sea salt, the  oil dripping seasoning, a garlic press, a garlic peeler and garlic slicer which are not only easy to use but comes with a guarantee.  This means no more handling the smelly garlic yet still being able to add it to our meals so we can reap the many health benefits of adding garlic to our meals.  Eating healthier, easier and quicker preparation of meals means not only a healthier you, but a healthier family.

 

Chocolate cooking tips

Chocolate melts quicker when it is chopped up. Use the food chopper to chop your chocolate, before melting. 

Melting chocolate in the microwave is wonderful in a micro cookers. It melts smoothly, it doesn’t stain, and the cooker isn’t hot to touch. Microwave 1 minute on 50% power, then in 20-second increments until melted. Don’t overcook.

Be very careful when using chocolate, even the smallest amount of water droplets, can cause the melted chocolate to become lumpy and grainy.  If this should happen, add more water–lots of water can normally help the chocolate to relax again and be smooth.  

When working with chocolate, store the leftovers in a cool dry place.  If it is stored improperly or becomes too warm, it will develop a film on it called bloom.  If bloom should occur it will not taste as good as it normally does but it is still good when baking.