I spend a good chunk of my time thinking about food and recipes. I do all of the cooking in my house so I am constantly thinking about what to cook and eat next. So today, I am sharing a couple of recipes and recent food reviews of a couple of things I’ve tried recently. Hope you enjoy reading about them!
Food Reviews:
- Lays Ketchup Chips
Full disclosure: I LOVE KETCHUP. I’m that person that needs roughly 10 ketchup packets for a small fry at McDonald’s. So needless to say, I’ve been waiting years for these chips to be made! So I was REALLY excited to see these in my local grocery store AND on sale. Seconds after I put away all of my groceries, I ripped the bag open to try these and I was actually shocked to find that I did not love the first bite! Totally let down! I was overwhelmed by this intense taste of tomato, vinegar, and what seemed to be paprika. (A quick flip of the bag to view the back and scan the ingredients did confirm that paprika is in the chips.) I was so saddened about not loving them immediately that I kept eating my feelings and then strangely enough, as I kept tasting them, I realized that I was beginning to really enjoy them. After about 3-4 bites, the taste no longer felt intense but most enjoyable and flavorful and several handfuls later I told myself to get out the chip clip and put them away. It took me less than week to polish off this bag and I will definitely be repurchasing, but I think this is probably a chip you would only like if you already enjoy ketchup.
2. Thomas’ Maple French Toast English Muffins
English Muffins are a staple in my house and Thomas’ is definitely my favorite brand of them – I think the nooks and crannies are delightful. I also love all things maple flavored, so when I spotted these in Target, I snapped them up to try. For my first time trying these, I simply toasted and added butter. Although it was good, I would say they were maybe a tad too sweet for me to just eat for breakfast. It hit me later in the day that I should have used it as the bread of an egg sandwich. The next day I made an egg and cheese sandwich on it and it was delicious – the combination of the sweetness of the muffin and savory in the egg and cheese was a win-win in my book. I’m certain it would be even better with bacon or sausage added to it, because what isn’t?
I would definitely buy these again. The only downside to Thomas’ english muffins is the price. I have NO IDEA why they charge $4.50 for ONE PACK of english muffins. Even though generic english muffins are not good, I only buy Thomas’ when on sale. These were good but not good enough for me to pay full price. (However, I did recently see these at Walmart for the low price of $2.28!)
Recipes:
Next, I’m sharing two of my favorite meal and dessert recipes. I’ve made both of these recipes countless times and they are always crowd pleasers! The first one is from the Food Network website by the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Her recipes are always really tasty so I frequently browse her recipes and bookmark them.
This Summer Garden Pasta recipe is absolutely delicious and really easy to make. The only hard part is that you need to remember to cut and soak the tomatoes for 4 hours before putting the rest of the dish together. I try to plan my meals out for the week and then just set myself a phone reminder to soak these tomatoes by early afternoon on the day that I want to make this meal. This recipe also calls for fresh basil leaves, but when basil isn’t in season (or I’m feeling lazy) I just use about half a tube of this Basil Stir In Paste (you can find in the produce section in your local grocery store.) It tastes just as good and it’s much less work!
I make this for dinner but it would also be a great side dish. I honestly can’t stop eating it once I make it so I just use this as a whole meal and serve it with some Texas Toast. Make sure to follow all the recipe’s directions, including adding a lot of salt to the pasta water, as it really does enhance the end flavor of the dish.
Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Just before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package (be careful – it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!). Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.
*****************************************************************************
This second recipe is one of my favorite desserts to make. First, I try to always keep packaged chocolate chip cookie dough in my fridge all the time. I just find it is always handy to have because eventually I will either a) want cookies and not want to leave the house, b) want cookie dough and not want leave the house, or c) need it to make a dessert for some cookout, party, etc. It lasts a couple of months unopened in the fridge and I try to make a mental note to remember the date and use it before hand.
A few weeks ago I realized I had some in my fridge that I hadn’t yet used and decided to make my favorite thing out of it – chocolate chip cheesecake bars. This is a Pillsbury recipe and I find that Pillsbury.com always has really quick and easy recipes. This one has got to be the best dessert one in terms of taste and simplicity. It is literally 4 ingredients and only requires the use of hand mixer! The hardest part is remembering beforehand to thaw out the cream cheese, but you could always zap it in the microwave if you had to. These are super easy to make and always go quickly. I like to chill them all the way up until right before serving because they become gooey easily if it is hot out. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do 🙂
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars by Pillsbury
Ingredients
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 roll (16.5 oz.) chocolate chip cookie dough
*The Pillsbury recipe says that you can add coconut if desired. I love coconut, but I have never tried adding it in because I think it tastes so good as is. Why change perfection??
Steps
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth.
3. In greased, 9- or 8-inch square pan, break up half of cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of dough over cream cheese mixture.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store in refrigerator.
In the original recipe, it says to leave the pan ungreased. I NEVER do this. Every time I try to follow recipe directions and leave the pan ungreased, I am left cursing under my breath as I scrap the sides of the pan while trying cut out said baked good. So, I always grease the pan using this Pam Baking Spray With Flour which smells like heaven (re: freshly baked cake) and I am a huge fan of.
Bon Appétit!! It’s time to eat 🙂
Comments are closed.