Recipes | A Mom Less Ordinary

Wholly Guacamole HUNGRY Channel | Chef Event Recap, Review & Giveaway

wholly guacamole wholly salsa prize package

Last month, while attending the BlissDom conference in Dallas, I enjoyed an exclusive Chef Event sponsored by Wholly Guacamole that featured chefs from their HUNGRY Channel on YouTube and a wealthy of delicious eats, both savory and sweet, made with Wholly Guacaomle and Wholly Salsa. I'm pleased to share with you some of these foods, created by chef Alex Thomopoulos, host of HUNGRY Channel's "Bites & Booze: Gluten Free" episodes, as well as offer a giveaway of a cooler full of Wholly Guacamole products! These are just some highlights of the fun we had. Click this image to enlarge the photos. My fellow bloggers and I joined Wholly Guacamole and chef Alex T at the Culinary Focus Research and Science Center in Irving, Texas, where we tried our hand at specially created recipes that, as Chef Alex says, just happen to be "gluten-free." We were all split into groups and worked alongside Alex and in-house chefs to create delicious and nutritious dishes, as pictured above. My team made … [Read more...]

April 4, 2013 39 Comments

Join Me at the Live Facebook Chat with “Roots” Cookbook Author Diane Morgan + Prize Pack Giveaway

How many of you used some kind of root vegetable last week? I went through nearly 10 pounds of potatoes myself in 7 days! From a delicious potato soup I made for Thanksgiving Eve, to the essential mashed potatoes we had at our actual Thanksgiving dinner, these vegetables really make the meal. That's why I'm going to the live Facebook chat with Diane Morgan, author of the new "Roots" cookbook. Even though potatoes are pretty classic holiday fare, Diane Morgan will be sharing som eof her new recipes and do-ahead appetizer ideas for all your holiday events, from family get-togethers to potlucks. Diane’s newest cookbook Roots: The Definitive Compendium is on store shelves now and has already been hailed as one of epicurious.com's 10 Best Cookbooks of 2012! As a “Real Mom” of two, Diane knows the challenge of preparing healthy fare during the holiday season, so she’ll also be offering a few tips for cooking nutritious but festive meals. To join the chat, simply … [Read more...]

November 25, 2012

Cupcakes for Breakfast! Or, How I Learned to Make My Family Smile in the Morning #CoolWhipFrosting #CBias

So, the other morning I woke up to these grumpy faces: Noone wanted to get out of bed, let alone start their day. When we all did finally get out of bed, it was evident we got out on the wrong side. After a trying morning, and finally getting everyone off to school (my husband included), I decided I wanted to do something special for those sour faces. My brainstorm settled on surprising my family cupcakes for breakfast the next morning. I justified this choice in that it wouldn't be any worse than having a bowl of sugary cereal, in fact, why not just make the cupcakes with the cereal? Breakfast cupcakes... I was thrilled just thinking about it. I mean, hey, we all have to wake up each and every morning. And it's a fact of life that some mornings are just better than others. But, my goal was to make this one memorable in a good way... getting up before we really want to and having breakfast is something we do everyday, but this day will be the one to remember. I pictured my daughter … [Read more...]

October 18, 2012

Renuzit Tempting Indulgences Inspired Dessert | Chocolate-Covered Red Velvet Cake Cookies #TemptYourSenses

Make Every Day Sweeter, Tempting Indulgences, Renuzit, Red Velvet Cake, Air Freshener, Scent, Dessert, #TemptYourSenses, Fragrance

Our home has been smelling like the sweetest bakery these last few days thanks to the new Renuzit Tempting Indulgences home air freshener. In fact, my husband I were discussing how long it's been since we've had red velvet cake when we saw a certain pancake house commercial that had red velvet pancakes. We looked at each other and I knew exactly what had to be done next. I needed to head over to the grocery store to get what we needed for a delicious dessert. Since I like to keep things as simple as possible, I decided I wanted to make red velvet cheesecake cookies, using a box cake mix and pre-made cheesecake filling. I just needed a few additional ingredients to those, like eggs, butter, and sugar, to make our dessert dream a reality. My little Abigail and I headed over to Walmart yesterday morning to pick up all the ingredients. I was really pretty excited to make these cookies! As we were going along, we were able to get the box cake mix and eggs (I already had the butter and … [Read more...]

July 24, 2012

Hodgson Mills Summer Pastabilities | Giveaway

Quick! Name me one of your favorite things about summertime! I'd place a good bet that the majority of you would say the food! From barbecues to picnics and potlucks, there's a flavor and pace of summertime meals that makes them stand apart from the rest of the year. Hodgson Mill, known for their quality whole wheat pasta varieties, knows that summer meals are full of "pasta"bilities and they want to know the how you would create the best summer pasta salad. As for me, I absolutely adore pasta salad in all shapes and forms, but I wanted to make a special recipe for Hodgson Mill and their Summer Pastabilities Pinterest Contest that represented the cool textures and flavors of summer. So, I made my very favorite lunch sandwich into a salad! I call it the Summertime BLTA Pasta Salad :) It's got Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Bowtie Pasta instead of bread, bacon that is cooked in the oven instead of fried on the stove (healthier!), cherry tomatoes, chunks of avocado, a homemade buttermilk … [Read more...]

June 25, 2012

Healthy Snacking with Pretzels (and a recipe!)

I don't mind admitting (bragging?) that I pride myself on my ability to get my kids to eat (and enjoy) healthy snacks. One of the staples in our pantry is a big bag of pretzels, and my oldest daughter will always remind me to get more when the bag is getting low. I'm really happy, though, that my two-year-old loves them, too. I appreciate that they're a filling snack, they're low-fat, they don't melt(!), and, most importantly, they taste good for all the different palettes in my home. One afternoon my youngest got exceptionally excited about having pretzels for a snack! The easiest thing to do for us to encourage healthy eating is by keeping the healthy stuff within reach and keeping the sweet treats out of reach and only for special occasions. Don't get me wrong, I'm not that kid of mom - believe me, we love treats! - but I've learned that if you have the "munchies" and you've got a choice of chocolate cookies or slices of apples, you're going to choose the chocolate … [Read more...]

January 14, 2012

The Night Before Thanksgiving: A Quick Dinner to the Rescue #TysonGoodness #CBias

'twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through our home the countertops were clean and the dishes were done, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but three sweet angels wanting some dinner... Now I didn't want to make a big meal production - that would be for the 'morrow - so to the freezer I went in search of a solution.... Thanksgiving dinner requires a lot of time and preparation. The night before Thanksgiving I had the house all ready for our guests and my day of cooking all planned out. The last thing I wanted to do was slave over dinner the night before! It was definitely a call for a quick dinner idea, and new Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches came to the rescue. We have four very different palettes in our home, but I knew that a chicken sandwich was something we all would enjoy, and I was glad to almost have the night off of cooking. Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches come in two varieties - plain and Cheddar Cheese. I made a couple of both so that we could all … [Read more...]

November 27, 2011

my favorite family recipe

Food, in all its various forms, has created a lot of memories in my family, and there are staples to be had at our dinnertables or dessertables. At Thanksgiving, I think everyone in my family can agree, Grandma Jukes' rolls make the meal complete. At other gatherings, there's got to be Banana Crush served. My mom had a Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake that to this day my dad's mouth melts for. And no other family can make toast quite so many ways as ours (am I right, my cousins?). Over 30 years ago, a recipe book was even compiled by our family, and I feel pretty special that I have a copy that has stood the test of time (despite being burnt on the stove a few times!). A conversation featuring Coca-Cola over at Socialmoms.com has prompted me to share one of our favorite family recipes, from the Jukes Family Cookbook. No-Bake Cookies are not only fun to make and delicious to eat, but it's so uncomplicated that children can do it and do it well. Submitted to the family cookbook by Ruth Jukes … [Read more...]

April 13, 2011

Chex Mix | Holiday Recipes + Giveaway!

"Christmastime is here...." The Charlie Brown song has been in my head all week! The next week is going to be busy with get-togethers and visiting friends, good food and even better desserts. One of the staples at most holiday gatherings I've ever been to is Chex Mix. Did you know, though, there are so many more recipes than the traditional flavors? Bringing a special blend of Chex Mix to a party is a sure way to stand out from the crowd and get your taste buds going creatively! Recently I made Cranberry-Orange Chex Mix for some goodie bags and I thought it turned out so well! It was a perfect blend of those special holiday flavors, and it was really easy to make (although, I modified it a bit from the "official" recipe, as I don't care for almonds). There's recipes and flavor selections for nearly every taste bud and every situation, whether you're in a hurry or can take your time experimenting, you can check out all the options available at Chex.com. I also thought it might be … [Read more...]

December 18, 2010

Old El Paso’s Family Taco Night | Say “Feliz Navidad” for Dinner!

Christmas Eve dinner is somewhat it's own holiday meal tradition. Some people I know enjoy soup together, and in our home we order pizza every year. What do you do for Christmas Eve dinner? If you are looking to "spice up" your holiday dinners, then may I suggest a less ordinary idea for a new tradition ~ Family Taco Night with Old El Paso! My husband has a "secret family recipe" for tacos, which I'm not able to share, but let's just say they have been called the taco version of the Big Mac. Part of the "special sauce" for these tacos is taco seasoning, and Old El Paso taco seasoning works perfectly! We love it when Michael makes these for us and I really think it doesn't happen often enough (hint, hint)! I will share, though, my personal favorite Mexican-inspired recipe - which is perfect for busy families because it's a crock-pot recipe! It is so easy and so yummy! TEX-MEX SLOW COOKER CHICKEN 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide … [Read more...]

December 7, 2010

End of Summer Treats with POM Wonderful

There are all sorts of healthy benefits to eating pomegranates, from cardiovascular health to prostate and erectile function, hundreds of scientific tests have shown that pomegranate juice, and specifically POM Wonderful, to be a superior source of antioxidants. And there are plenty of ways to get creative and garner those health benefits. POM Wonderful has a vast variety of pomegranate juice and blends, so the recipe possibilities are nearly endless. From mock-tails to muffins, to syrups and sauces, there isn't much you can't do with pomegranate juice! I decided to get a little creative and pulled out my canning supplies to make POM Blueberry Jelly! I thought it would be a nice treat for these summer afternoons! The Ball Blue Book of Canning had a Pomegranate Jelly recipe, and I modified it slightly so I could add some fresh blueberries and a little bit of lemon juice. End of Summer POM Blueberry Jelly 3 1/2 Cups POM Wonderful Pomegranate Blueberry Juice 1 Tbsp Freshly … [Read more...]

August 29, 2010