Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wordless Wednesday-Pretty Girl


Sneak peak of a review and a beautiful picture of my four year old.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Making Tuesday Tasty-French Onion Soup

Here's one of my favorite soups! It's not very difficult to make and it's so so yummy! Enjoy

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Directions

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

*recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence foodnetwork.com*

Girls Fairy Costume Review



I was pretty excited when I was approached to check out some really cute costumes online. Of course as a mommy, I decided that my daughter and I needed to pick out a special one for her to play in since she is four and LOVES to dress up!

We went through the girls costumes, checking out pretty ones, princess themed, different colors and styles, and fairy costumes. My daughter had a really difficult time choosing and of course, I was having a difficult time directing her to something that I thought would be a good price and appropriate for all the things she would be doing in the costume.

We found a plum pixie costume that she really loved and had a few accessories to go with it. I liked that it had a size range where she could grow into it a bit, I liked the colors, and that it was whimsical. She loved the color and flowers on the costume. When we received it, she was even more excited that it had a scepter and a little crown of flowers to wear too. The material the costume is made of is a basic synthetic, thin, costume style material. This isn't meant for long term use probably as it's not lined and is very thin. It will be fun for a time though and your child can wear it by itself or over their regular clothing and have a lot of fun!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Giveaways!

Mommy Review blog is giving away a beautiful Cocalo Couture Baby bedding set in Bali! Hurry to enter, ends January 20, 2011.

Wordless Wednesday-Four Years Old!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Making Tuesday Tasty-Crispy Baked "fried" Chicken

It's the new year so I'm trying to post some interesting, tasty, healthy choices! Enjoy

Ingredients

8 chicken pieces (preferably 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs and 2 wings)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups cornflakes
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground sage

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet.

Rinse the chicken in cold water; pat dry. In a wide bowl or on a plate, season the flour with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge each chicken piece through the flour so it's fully coated, tap against the bowl to shake off excess flour and set aside. Discard the flour.

Here comes the part kids like best: Crush the cornflakes by placing them in a big resealable plastic bag, carefully pressing the bag to push out the air. Seal up the bag (with as little air inside as possible) and run over the flakes with a rolling pin. Open the bag and pour the crushed flakes into a wide bowl or onto a plate.

In a large bowl (big enough to dredge the chicken pieces), mix the buttermilk, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika and sage. Give each floured chicken piece a good buttermilk bath and then roll in the cornflake crumbs.

Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and place in the hot oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. The juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife. Serve with Easy Greens.

Per serving: Calories 520; Fat 22 g (Sat. 6 g; Mono. 9 g; Poly. 5 g); Cholesterol 136 mg; Sodium 1,040 mg; Carbohydrate 41 g; Fiber 1.5 g; Protein 40 g

*recipe courtesy of Foodnetwork.com*

Monday, January 3, 2011

Making Tuesday Tasty-Fettuccine Alfredo-HEALTHY


It's January right? That means that most of us would like to lose a few or a lot of pounds and would like to do it in a tasty way! Here's a recipe I found on Food Network that gives the creaminess of the Alfredo without the tremendous amount of fat!

Website notes: The key to a tasty fettuccine Alfredo is a creamy sauce. By cooking and blending cauliflower to a smooth puree, you get the creamy mouth feel of butter and cream without the high calories and fat.

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower florets, about 8-ounces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces whole grain fettuccine pasta
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed, (4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1. Put the cauliflower, broth, and 1 cup water in a small pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool 5 minutes. Carefully puree cauliflower and all the liquid in a blender until very smooth; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, 8 minutes. Drain well, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking water.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower puree and evaporated milk and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the peas until heated through, 2 minutes. Toss in the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese and about 1/2 cup of pasta water until the noodles are coated but the sauce is still loose. Remove from the heat and toss in the butter, chopped parsley and lemon zest. (If the sauce seems thick, adjust the consistency with the remaining pasta water). Serve immediately sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Calories 324; Total Fat 7g (Sat Fat 3.5g, Mono Fat 2.5g, Poly Fat .5g) ; Protein 16g; Carb 53g; Fiber 10g; Cholesterol 17mg; Sodium 326mg

*recipe and photo courtesy of Foodnetwork.com*