I know I have confessed to my diet coke addiction to you all in the past. However, I have never really thought of it as a "real" problem. As a result, I haven't really made much effort to kick the habit to the curb. However, my good friend (who also shares my love for diet coke) sent this article to me the other day at work. After reading it, the only thoughts that consumed my mind were "Wow. I have a problem."
- Miss J
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/01/diet.soda.health/index.html?hpt=T2
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Andersons Store - One Stop Shopping
Andersons Store is probably not where you'd think to look for your entertaining and household needs. However, I quickly learned that this is a great place to go for one stop shopping. When Moe and I were remodeling our house four years ago, we had to buy all new blinds for our house. Our old blinds were all royal blue and falling apart. I had to change my clothes in closets because otherwise our entire neighborhood would get a peep show. We priced getting our blinds from Lowes, Home Depot, Budget Blinds, and various online places. Someone told us to check out Andersons. To our surprise, they were high quality and relatively inexpensive. The ordering process was easy and the delivery and installation was quick. We were 100% satisfied!
While we were there, we checked out the bakery and the deli and found an assortment of options. I had always heard that my cousins and aunt used Andersons for when they entertained large parties, but I didn't realize how much variety the store offered.
For my mom's 60th birthday party, I decided to order chicken salad and ham salad from the deli at Andersons. I ordered 1 lb of cranberry walnut chicken salad, 2 lbs of dill chicken salad, and 2 lbs of ham salad. It was so easy to place the order ahead of time and they had it ready the day before the party. I then went out and bought trays of Hawaiian rolls from Kroger's to make my sandwiches out of. One pound of salad made about 12 sandwiches. Everyone was ranting and raving about how good they were. I have to confess, I hardly had to do any work besides the assembly (which my sister was in charge of the day of the party). I also ordered cream puffs and cannollis from the deli which were delightful. They made a beautiful presentation on a three tier glass tower at my coffee station. If you are hosting a large event and want to delegate some of the work out, I strongly recommend looking into ordering your food from Andersons. It was inexpensive, quick, and easy.
http://www.andersonsstore.com/
While we were there, we checked out the bakery and the deli and found an assortment of options. I had always heard that my cousins and aunt used Andersons for when they entertained large parties, but I didn't realize how much variety the store offered.
For my mom's 60th birthday party, I decided to order chicken salad and ham salad from the deli at Andersons. I ordered 1 lb of cranberry walnut chicken salad, 2 lbs of dill chicken salad, and 2 lbs of ham salad. It was so easy to place the order ahead of time and they had it ready the day before the party. I then went out and bought trays of Hawaiian rolls from Kroger's to make my sandwiches out of. One pound of salad made about 12 sandwiches. Everyone was ranting and raving about how good they were. I have to confess, I hardly had to do any work besides the assembly (which my sister was in charge of the day of the party). I also ordered cream puffs and cannollis from the deli which were delightful. They made a beautiful presentation on a three tier glass tower at my coffee station. If you are hosting a large event and want to delegate some of the work out, I strongly recommend looking into ordering your food from Andersons. It was inexpensive, quick, and easy.
http://www.andersonsstore.com/
Monday, March 21, 2011
Tri-Color Pasta Salad
This pasta salad recipe has been around the block and back! On my dad's side of the family, you can't host an event without this pasta salad making an appearance. It is relatively easy and you can alter the recipe to include your favorite vegetables. Additionally, any left overs keep really well.
1 lb box tri-color rotini pasta
green olives
carrots
broccoli
cauliflower
green onions
tomatoes
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup sour cream
1 T mustard
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Chop up vegetables into bite sized pieces and set aside. Mix mayo, Italian dressing, sour cream, mustard, and Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl. Cook pasta according to packaging. You want it to be al dente so that it won't fall apart when you mix the sauce in. Once pasta is done, strain and run cold water over pasta through the strainer. This will stop the pasta from continuing to cook. Once pasta is 100% cooled, mix vegetables and sauce together in a large bowl. Reserve a bit of the sauce to toss with right before serving. Place in fridge for 1 hour to allow to set. Before serving mix in remaining sauce and serve immediately. If you are out of sauce, mix in some extra sour cream to create some moisture in the pasta salad.
Notes: This is a great recipe to make the night before. Additionally, you can switch up the vegetables that you include. I hate olives so peas and red bell peppers are good substitutions.
Ratings:
Miss J, 10 out of 10
Moe, 8 out of 10
- Miss J
1 lb box tri-color rotini pasta
green olives
carrots
broccoli
cauliflower
green onions
tomatoes
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup sour cream
1 T mustard
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Chop up vegetables into bite sized pieces and set aside. Mix mayo, Italian dressing, sour cream, mustard, and Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl. Cook pasta according to packaging. You want it to be al dente so that it won't fall apart when you mix the sauce in. Once pasta is done, strain and run cold water over pasta through the strainer. This will stop the pasta from continuing to cook. Once pasta is 100% cooled, mix vegetables and sauce together in a large bowl. Reserve a bit of the sauce to toss with right before serving. Place in fridge for 1 hour to allow to set. Before serving mix in remaining sauce and serve immediately. If you are out of sauce, mix in some extra sour cream to create some moisture in the pasta salad.
Notes: This is a great recipe to make the night before. Additionally, you can switch up the vegetables that you include. I hate olives so peas and red bell peppers are good substitutions.
Ratings:
Miss J, 10 out of 10
Moe, 8 out of 10
- Miss J
Friday, March 18, 2011
Cocktail Meatballs
A friend of mine at work gave me this recipe last weekend. I generally don't like meatballs because they taste like a "round" version of meatloaf. However, this recipe's sauce is sweeter than most and is followed by a nice kick from the chili powder.
Cocktail Meatballs
Source: Michelle P.
Serves: 60-70 meatballs depending on size
Meatballs:
3 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups Quaker old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
3 eggs
Sauce:
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tbsp worchester sauce
Mix meatball ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Roll meatballs into small balls using your hands. Heat a skillet on the stove and warm 1 tsp of olive oil. Brown meatballs. Mix the sauce and pour over meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are fully cooked.
Notes: If I am in a crunch, I sometimes cheat and use frozen party or mini meatballs. I mixed the sauce the night before and then put the frozen meatballs and sauce in a crock pot. I let them heat up for several hours until hot and bubbly. I then keep it on warm or low until I'm ready to serve. My friend told me to double the sauce as it is always better to have extra sauce when you are ready to serve. I had a bit of extra sauce at the end, but I just threw it in the freezer for backup in the future.
- Miss J
Cocktail Meatballs
Source: Michelle P.
Serves: 60-70 meatballs depending on size
Meatballs:
3 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups Quaker old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
3 eggs
Sauce:
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tbsp worchester sauce
Mix meatball ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Roll meatballs into small balls using your hands. Heat a skillet on the stove and warm 1 tsp of olive oil. Brown meatballs. Mix the sauce and pour over meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are fully cooked.
Notes: If I am in a crunch, I sometimes cheat and use frozen party or mini meatballs. I mixed the sauce the night before and then put the frozen meatballs and sauce in a crock pot. I let them heat up for several hours until hot and bubbly. I then keep it on warm or low until I'm ready to serve. My friend told me to double the sauce as it is always better to have extra sauce when you are ready to serve. I had a bit of extra sauce at the end, but I just threw it in the freezer for backup in the future.
- Miss J
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Match Day 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is the day that Moe and I have been waiting to arrive for what feels like FOREVER.................
MATCH DAY 2011
This is the day that all the fourth year medical students find out where they matched for residency. Every school has a different ritual, but here is what on the agenda for Moe and I today.
At 11:30 am, we all the medical students will huddle in the Ohio Union Ballroom on campus. At the strike of noon, we all open up the envelopes together to see where we will be spending the next 5-7 years of our lives! A short receptions follows. From this point on, the day consists of celebration (well hopefully)! With Match day falling on St. Patrick's Day this year, I am sure that there will be some green beer involved in the festivities :) Some of the hot spots of the day will include.....
Gateway Film Center at South Campus Gateway, 2 to 5 PM - Here Moe will put a pin up on the large map of the US where he matched along with the rest of the medical students.
The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar, 5 to 8 PM - Pretty sure some singing, dancing, and celebrating will be going on at this location!
Big Woody's Bar (Formerly the Lodge Bar), 8 PM to 1 AM - Late night food, music, and dancing (hopefully I am still standing)!
By this point in the evening... I am pretty sure my bed is the only place that I"m going to want to be!
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY & MATCH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!
- Miss J
MATCH DAY 2011
This is the day that all the fourth year medical students find out where they matched for residency. Every school has a different ritual, but here is what on the agenda for Moe and I today.
At 11:30 am, we all the medical students will huddle in the Ohio Union Ballroom on campus. At the strike of noon, we all open up the envelopes together to see where we will be spending the next 5-7 years of our lives! A short receptions follows. From this point on, the day consists of celebration (well hopefully)! With Match day falling on St. Patrick's Day this year, I am sure that there will be some green beer involved in the festivities :) Some of the hot spots of the day will include.....
Gateway Film Center at South Campus Gateway, 2 to 5 PM - Here Moe will put a pin up on the large map of the US where he matched along with the rest of the medical students.
The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar, 5 to 8 PM - Pretty sure some singing, dancing, and celebrating will be going on at this location!
Big Woody's Bar (Formerly the Lodge Bar), 8 PM to 1 AM - Late night food, music, and dancing (hopefully I am still standing)!
By this point in the evening... I am pretty sure my bed is the only place that I"m going to want to be!
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY & MATCH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!
- Miss J
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Jazzing up a Vegetable Tray
Almost every party has a veggie tray. As a result, they tend to be a generic go-to appetizer that is rarely the talking point of the menu. However, there are simple ways to jazz it up when you want to dazzle your guests. Here are several tips that I use ...
- Create levels. Place a block under a section of the vegetables to create some depth in the display.
- Use vegetables as bowls. Hollow out several bell peppers of different colors. Scoop out the loose membrane and seeds to create a "bowl". Fill them with carrot sticks, celery sticks, different colored bell peppers, or veggie dip.
- Variety is key in both type of vegetables and color.
- Use toothpicks to help hold your presentation together.
- Miss J
- Create levels. Place a block under a section of the vegetables to create some depth in the display.
- Use vegetables as bowls. Hollow out several bell peppers of different colors. Scoop out the loose membrane and seeds to create a "bowl". Fill them with carrot sticks, celery sticks, different colored bell peppers, or veggie dip.
- Variety is key in both type of vegetables and color.
- Use toothpicks to help hold your presentation together.
- Miss J
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Cream Cheese with Hot Pepper Jelly
My aunt introduced me to this SUPER EASY appetizer during OSU football season. I now always keep red pepper jam in my fridge as a back up in case I need to pull something together quickly!
Cream Cheese with Hot Pepper Jelly
Source: Aunt Becky
Serves: 12
Cream Cheese
Hot Pepper Jelly
Assorted Crackers
Let cream cheese soften to room temperature. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a round quiche dish. Spread a layer of hot pepper jelly on top of cream cheese. Place in fridge for a half hour before serving to chill.
Notes: The North Market sells a fabulous hot pepper jelly at the salsa station on the weekends.
- Miss J
Cream Cheese with Hot Pepper Jelly
Source: Aunt Becky
Serves: 12
Cream Cheese
Hot Pepper Jelly
Assorted Crackers
Let cream cheese soften to room temperature. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a round quiche dish. Spread a layer of hot pepper jelly on top of cream cheese. Place in fridge for a half hour before serving to chill.
Notes: The North Market sells a fabulous hot pepper jelly at the salsa station on the weekends.
- Miss J
Monday, March 14, 2011
Restaurant Review: Basil
This week is Dine Originals in Columbus. It is similar to restaurant week where you can order a three or four course meal for $15-35 per person depending on the restaurant. Generally there is a preset menu you can select from. Since I love food, I always use these events as an excuse to go and try a new restaurant. Moe and I went to Basil in the Short North this past weekend. I have been dying to try it for some time so I was so excited when I called and found out they had a cancellation and could fit us in!
Soup: Moe got the Tom Ka soup (a full flavored soup made with your choice of chicken or vegetables; stewed in rich broth of coconut milk, galingale root, citrus leaves, lemon grass, mushrooms, green onions and cilantro*) and I got the vegetable soup (spiced chicken broth with ground chicken, vermicelli & mixed vegetables*). Both the soups were full of flavor; however, my preference was the Tom Ka. It was so unique and I wasn't a fan of how much garlic was used in the vegetable soup.
Appetizer: Moe got the vegetable tempura which was deep fried and heavy (as expected). I got the crispy rolls (crispy rice wrapper stuffed with ground chicken, vermicelli, egg & bean sprouts; topped with tart plum sauce & ground peanuts*). It was heavy as well but because it was a small portion it didn't leave me with a overwhelmingly full feeling.
Main Course: We ordered the yellow curry and the Key Mow. Yellow curry was a traditional chicken with red skin potatoes in a yellow curry sauce. The Key Mow was a wide rice noodles tossed with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, bean sprouts, and Thai basil. Since Moe and I are just venturing into the Thai world and tolerating spicy foods, we ordered everything medium (which we were super proud of ourselves for)! To my surprise, I thought they had the perfect amount of heat (Moe thought the Key Mow was a bit hot but he wasn't sure if it was because he burned his tongue on the soup or if it really was hot). Both entrees were outstanding; however, I would say the yellow curry chicken was my favorite!
Dessert: The restaurant gave us a voucher to the attic to get a cupcake. The Attic was a vintage store next to Basil that I had never seen before. Moe ended up buying a tie and tie clip in addition to getting a red velvet cupcake to go! The store was relatively inexpensive so whenever I am in need of some good costume jewelry or vintage clothing, I will definitely keep this place in mind.
All in all, I would DEFINITELY recommend this to any of my friends and family. Moe and will be making another dinner reservation there in the near future!
- Miss J
http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/
http://www.basilshortnorth.com/
*Dish discriptions from the Basil menu.
Soup: Moe got the Tom Ka soup (a full flavored soup made with your choice of chicken or vegetables; stewed in rich broth of coconut milk, galingale root, citrus leaves, lemon grass, mushrooms, green onions and cilantro*) and I got the vegetable soup (spiced chicken broth with ground chicken, vermicelli & mixed vegetables*). Both the soups were full of flavor; however, my preference was the Tom Ka. It was so unique and I wasn't a fan of how much garlic was used in the vegetable soup.
Appetizer: Moe got the vegetable tempura which was deep fried and heavy (as expected). I got the crispy rolls (crispy rice wrapper stuffed with ground chicken, vermicelli, egg & bean sprouts; topped with tart plum sauce & ground peanuts*). It was heavy as well but because it was a small portion it didn't leave me with a overwhelmingly full feeling.
Main Course: We ordered the yellow curry and the Key Mow. Yellow curry was a traditional chicken with red skin potatoes in a yellow curry sauce. The Key Mow was a wide rice noodles tossed with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, bean sprouts, and Thai basil. Since Moe and I are just venturing into the Thai world and tolerating spicy foods, we ordered everything medium (which we were super proud of ourselves for)! To my surprise, I thought they had the perfect amount of heat (Moe thought the Key Mow was a bit hot but he wasn't sure if it was because he burned his tongue on the soup or if it really was hot). Both entrees were outstanding; however, I would say the yellow curry chicken was my favorite!
Dessert: The restaurant gave us a voucher to the attic to get a cupcake. The Attic was a vintage store next to Basil that I had never seen before. Moe ended up buying a tie and tie clip in addition to getting a red velvet cupcake to go! The store was relatively inexpensive so whenever I am in need of some good costume jewelry or vintage clothing, I will definitely keep this place in mind.
All in all, I would DEFINITELY recommend this to any of my friends and family. Moe and will be making another dinner reservation there in the near future!
- Miss J
http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/
http://www.basilshortnorth.com/
*Dish discriptions from the Basil menu.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Cucumber Mint Sandwiches
These sandwiches are a great vegetarian option when you are trying to create diversity on a party menu. They are refreshing, light, and easy to make. You can't ask for more than that!
Cucumber Mint Sandwiches
Source: Epicurious.com
Serves: 12 sandwiches
2 tablespoons of Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
6 slices of Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich bread
24 thin slices of cucumber (seedless) - about 3 inches in length
1/4 cup of fresh loose leaf Mint
Dice up mint leaves. Let butter and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Combine cream cheese, butter, and mint in a mixing dish. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture on both sides of bread. Arrange cucumber slices on sandwich and make a sandwich. With a knife, remove crusts and slice diagonally to make two triangles. Serve immediately.
- Miss J
Cucumber Mint Sandwiches
Source: Epicurious.com
Serves: 12 sandwiches
2 tablespoons of Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
6 slices of Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich bread
24 thin slices of cucumber (seedless) - about 3 inches in length
1/4 cup of fresh loose leaf Mint
Dice up mint leaves. Let butter and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Combine cream cheese, butter, and mint in a mixing dish. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture on both sides of bread. Arrange cucumber slices on sandwich and make a sandwich. With a knife, remove crusts and slice diagonally to make two triangles. Serve immediately.
- Miss J
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Pretzel Rolos
This past weekend, Moe and I hosted a 60th surprise birthday party for my mom at our house. The guest list slowly grew to over 35 people and the fear took over as I tried to imagine all these people crammed in our little home. We have hosted parties in the past, but this one was a bit more upscale than getting a keg and setting up beer pong in the garage :) However, after an entire week of running around with our heads cut off, the party came together perfectly. The look on my mom's face was priceless and made all the hard work pay off in the end.
Pretzel Rolos
Source: Jill C.
Serves: Approximately 100 (50 rolos in each bag)
1 large bag of tiny pretzels
2 bags of rolos
1 bag of peanut MMs (or regular)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a baking sheet, arrange pretzels. Place one rolo on top of each pretzel. Bake for 5 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and press a MM in the top. Allow pretzel rolo to cool and chocolate to set before removing from cooking sheet. This may take up to 4 hours.
Notes: You can also use reese cups instead of rolos or cashews instead of MMs.
- Miss J
Pretzel Rolos
Source: Jill C.
Serves: Approximately 100 (50 rolos in each bag)
1 large bag of tiny pretzels
2 bags of rolos
1 bag of peanut MMs (or regular)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a baking sheet, arrange pretzels. Place one rolo on top of each pretzel. Bake for 5 minutes in the oven. Remove from oven and press a MM in the top. Allow pretzel rolo to cool and chocolate to set before removing from cooking sheet. This may take up to 4 hours.
Notes: You can also use reese cups instead of rolos or cashews instead of MMs.
- Miss J
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