Girl Scout Cookies Voluntarily Recalled

On Friday, February 26, 2010, the Girl Scout organization announced a voluntary recall of their Lemon Chalet Cremes™ Cookies made by Little Brownie Bakers. You can read their press release here. The cookies reportedly have a bad taste and odor. While the cookies are safe to eat, some apparently are not very appetizing.

We often hear about food recalls on the news, but I have found that there are many more food recalls that we never hear about. Today, I went to the United State Department of Agricultural web page which handles all the food recalls and found some that I had never heard anything about. That is scary. Click out the link I have provided to the USDA site to see the recall list. You can even sign up for email updates so not to miss any food recall notices.

Carol

Smoothies

I've recently got on a health kick. Not just with food, but I've started exercising. It's amazing how much better I feel after I've walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I can wait until the weather gets warmer and the snow melts so I can walk outside.

I've also tried something new that I have never fixed before, Smoothies. I've been looking for something that will take care of my cravings for sweets and drinking a smoothie does help a little. Normally, you wouldn't want to put sweetener in this drink because it is supposed to be healthy, but the ones that I have made need a little boost to help me with my craving.

A Smoothie can be made with just about any fruit and I have put a basic recipe below with three other recipes I have tried.

Basic Smoothie Recipe

1/4 C. fruit, chopped
1/4 C. liquid
1/2 C. thickener

The liquid can be regular or low-fat milk, fruit juices, or flavored water. Start with 1/4 C. and add more to desired consistency. For the thickener, you can choose from low-fat yogurt, low-fat frozen yogurt, frozen fruit concentrate, frozen fruit, or a cup of ice. Optional ingredients can include any flavor inhancer, such as sweentener, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, or instant coffee.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

1 banana
1 T. chocolate syrup
1 C. low-fat milk
1 C. of crushed ice

Chop banana into four pieces and put into a blender. Add the chocolate syrup, milk, and crushed ice. Blend until smooth and pour into glasses. Makes two servings.

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

1 large banana
1 C. low-fat milk
1 C. low-fat vanilla yogurt
5 strawberries, cut into halves

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Makes two servings.

Tropical Smoothie

1 banana
1 mango, peeled and cubed
8 oz. pineapple juice
4 oz. low-fat peach yogurt
1/2 t. lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 C. crushed ice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish the glasses with orange or lime wedges. This makes at least two servings.

BlogTalkRadio interview on Sunday

I will be interviewed on Sunday, Feb 21 at 2:00 pm EST at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/redroseauthors about my recent novel, "Love, Lies & Deceit." Everyone is welcome to log in and listen, or call in. Thanks.

Carol

Chocolate Mousse for Valentine's Day

I really like snow, I do. But, three weekends in a row is just too much for me. They are predicting snow for tomorrow, Valentine's Day. I didn't have anything special planned since my husband has to work all day, so it's not like the snow is going to ruin anything. Except, if he has to drive home in a snow storm, he will not be a happy camper when he finally does get here. Oh well, I'll have a beer ready for him when he walks in the door to calm his nerves from the drive and all will be right again. lol

Today, I have a recipe from my cookbook, Masters & Disasters of Cooking, sold on the right side of this page. The first time I made this, I used the first recipe I found in a cookbook and it turned out terrible. Everything needed to be done quickly and I wasn't quick enough. I ended up with little balls of chocolate in my mousse instead of having a smooth and creamy dessert. I have since figured out a much easier way to make chocolate mousse and hope you will like it, too.

Have a great Valentine's Day.

Enjoy,
Carol

Chocolate Mousse

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
7 egg yolks, beaten
2 T. sugar
1 pinch of salt
7 egg whites
1 1/4 C. heavy cream

Place chocolate in a double-boiler on the stove to melt. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until smooth. Set aside to let it cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until medium stiff peaks form, but don't allow it to become grainy. Set that aside.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue whipping until medium peaks form. Fold in the eggs yolks. Then add the melted chocolate until completely mixed. Add the whipped cream until evenly blended. Spoon into dessert cups and chill until firm, about an hour. Serve. This makes about 10 servings.

Super Bowl Party Food - Pizza

It's the day before the big game and I hope that most people who are hosting a Super Bowl party already have their menus set and ingredients purchased. I especially hope the folks around Washington, DC have all their supplies in. Wow, 30 inches of snow is unbelievable. We only got about 3 inches last night. So, for those last minute shoppers, I have a couple ideas for you with a pizza theme. My first recipe is for Pizza Sticks. They are easy to make and can be done in no time. I have listed the ingredients, but any kind of pizza toppings could be used. The second recipe today is a Crockpot Pizza, also easy to make and can be done in about 4 hours. Enjoy the game tomorrow and, as everyone knows, I'm an Indianapolis Colts fan so you know who I'll be cheering for.

No matter who you are cheering for, enjoy the game,
Carol

Pizza Sticks

1 can refrigerated bread sticks
Pepperoni slices
Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 jar Pizza Sauce

Preheat oven to 350° f. Separate the bread sticks and lay out flat on wax paper. Place pepperoni slices on the top half of the bread stick. Sprinkle a little Mozzarella cheese on the pepperoni. Fold the bottom half of the bread stick on the top half and pinch the sides to seal as best you can. Sprinkle with seasoning and Parmesan cheese and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Crockpot Pizza

1 1/2 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
16 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 chopped onion
1 pkg sliced pepperoni
2/3 box rigatoni noodles, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can sliced mushrooms
2 jars pizza sauce

Place the following in layers in the slow cooker in this order: hamburger, noodles, cheese, soup, mushrooms, onions, pizza sauce, and pepperoni. Cook on low for about 4 hours and serve.

GO COLTS!!!!