Cabot Crisps for the Chicago Food Swap

This past weekend we attended our second Chicago Food Swap and we made something delectable.  Cabot Cheese sponsored the food swap and picked two bloggers to make something with their products.  We lucked out and got picked!!  I've worked with Cabot Cheeses before and absolutely love their products.  A branch of my family actually lives in Barre, VT where Cabot is based.

I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to make, but knew I wanted it to be something with cheese.  There were two things I was debating either crackers or a farm loaf studded with cheddar.  I went with crackers.  I thought they'd be cute if I used the electric cookie press to make holiday shapes.  If I'd been able to find the electric cookie press, that is.  It's lost somewhere in the depths of the basement.  If you've ever seen my basement, you'd understand.  

So I tried to make cute holiday cheese-y crackers with the manual cookie press....lets just say it was a dismal failure.  They came out huge and way too thick.  That left me with hand rolling and cutting the cracker dough.  Let's just say there is a reason most people don't make crackers at home.  It's a lot of work!  Ours turned out great, I mean you really can't go wrong when you use Cabot Cheese, but I don't know that I'd make them again.  Or at least not enough to share!  They were easy until about the third batch when you want to just get them all baked, but you can only peel one cracker off the sheet at a time!  Next time, we will definitely try parchment paper instead.  The best part about this recipe is that you really get the cheesy goodness because the main ingredient is cheese!  No overly complicated recipe with loads of add-ins.  We like our cheese straight up with a slight crisp! We hope you enjoy our recipe for Cabot Crisps!  

Cabot Crisps

8 ounces Cabot Cheese of your choice, shredded

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons water

After much trial and error, I used the food processor for the entire dough making process.

First using the shredding blade, shred your cheese.  Change out to the chopping blade.  Add butter, salt and flour to the shredded cheese.  Pulse until it forms a crumbly mixture. Remove top, sprinkle in water (you'll need 2 tablespoons for full fat cheeses and 3 tablespoons for low-fat cheeses) and pulse until a dough forms.

Now comes the fun part!  Get two good sized sheets of waxed paper.  Take a third of the dough, roll it out to between 1/8th-1/16th of an inch thick and cut with a pizza cutter.  Move each cracker by hand to an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Crackers will puff and turn golden.

Super Mario 3D Land Bowser's Castle Building Set

K'Nex sets are relatively new to us.  I suppose because we were always pushed towards doing our own thing.  While it's nice to be able to build whatever you want sometimes you need the extra push from a pro.  The handy detailed blueprints to build a tower any evil doer would want to inhabit.  Of course, this one is reserved for my arch-nemesis Bowser.

Complete with Princess Peach to rescue Mario from yet another kidnapping plot.  What do you mean it's the other way around?  Excuse me, this is my story I'm telling because I built this castle and I can kidnap whomever I like! Ahem, where was I?  Oh yes, while Mario was kidnapped again by Bowser, honestly he needs to stop asking for directions.  Doesn't everyone have GPS on their phones these days?

I followed him to this castle, what like you don't have child safety features set up for your kids? Mario just needs some extra care, it's not stalking I assure you.  Besides, he ended up needing my help after all.  What with those rotating flames? And the evil giant dragon who can fly?  Plus all of those elevators and floors?  He was bound to get lost the poor thing.  I mean, really, he has no GPS.  He probably got lost on account of him being tied up and all.  How would he have found his way out of that elaborate maze?  Luckily, Princess Peach was there to rescue him.

She sails in to save the day with jumping action.  She glides across the ramp with ease avoiding deadly traps and earthquake panels.  She is a skilled pink dervish and races to the top of the tower to battle Bowser.  Finally, using all of her might to earn that star!  Mario was grateful to be found yet again.  Maybe next time he'll listen to Princess Peach and plan his route ahead of time.  I doubt he'll find such an elaborately decked out castle next time.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Thwomps Building Set Review

There is little I have done with building blocks.  Honestly, as the girl child, I stayed away from them.  Or more accurately was told hands off by my older brothers.  The building was their domain and that was fine by me.  Mostly...I mean building is fun for all.

So, I was little smug when we got some K'nex sets a few weeks ago.  I decided to start with the New Super Mario Bros. 2 Thwomps Building Set.  The building started and I got a little carried away in the same sense.  I love puzzles and this was a giant 3-D puzzle only with Mario for the theme.  I know you may not believe me but being able to make your own level for a Mario game is pretty amazing.

In about three hours, with I must say the worst assistants ever.  I mean, really how hard is it to hand me the red stick? It's red and a stick! Not hard to figure out.  Anyhow, they were easy to build.  The instructions don't even have words just pictures so you know that an eight year old could do it.  Only, I bet they'd have an easier time without my awful assistants.  The cat is not helpful.  He only wants to eat the pieces.

So, why not bring a little Nintendo cheer to your builder?  You will be impressed with the awesome display you find on your table!

Sassy City Chicks Sunday, Dec.15th from 12-5 pm

Are you in need of a girls-only event this weekend?  Have I got a treat for you! The Chicago Blogger Network was kind enough to set me up with a slew of VIP tickets to share with y'all.  

Here's a quick rundown of the event:  Shopping, cocktails, beauty and a giveaway....doesn't it sound like the PERFECT girls day out? Sassy City Chicks is coming back to Chicago for their holiday show on Sunday, December 15th, from 12-5PM at the Double Tree Magnificent Mile!  The event will be featuring top local designers and boutiques with INSANE discounts, so you can get that last minute shopping in, and of course a little something for yourself.  There will also be complimentary hair styling, threading, and more in their exclusive spa lounge.  And they'll be giving away a Kate Spade leather bag at the event! You can learn more about the girls only, 21+ event here.

To get free VIP tickets, enter the code "rosiesparkles" in the promo code box.  I hope to see you there!

First World Problems: Help the Oven Is OVERFLOWING

It's true that our job as food bloggers means quite a lot of time spent in our kitchen.  We are cooking and then baking and mixing.  All for the sake of those few perfect shots and of course the excellent taste.

As such we have found ourselves on a winding path of food.  We recently started attending the Chicago Food Swap.  We'd been considering going for months but never had the time.  Since we finally went last month, we decided from our good haul that we would go again.  Only we didn't learn from experience quite yet.  Never ever plan an event the day before a food swap.  Even if we have our recipes selected, generally they are new and untested.

Not that they are going to go horribly wrong, just that sometimes we don't realize just how ambitious making seven different flavors of cheddar crackers by hand is.  It is a lot of work.  A lot of hours in the kitchen with lots of slicing and rolling and peeling and placing.  Detailed work, which while the recipe is extremely simple in terms of ingredients: flour, butter, water and cheese; the process is time consuming.  Especially when your plan falls through and you don't find your electric cookie press and the handheld one turns out to be unreliable crafting giant cookie crackers.  We opted to do them by hand.

This was better in terms of sizing our crackers.  For the most part they are squares or you can tell that they were the sad corners which just got the short end of the dough.  The next fiasco was in cooking all of these.  We had our oven on for hours non-stop.  We'd mix a batch, roll and cut and just manage to get all of the little squares peeled off the wax paper and onto the waiting pan.  Which meant that we were going on pan at a time in our oven.  The crackers would cool perfectly on the rack in the time it took to make a new batch, by then we were finally fast enough to keep with our pan rotations.

Only by this time, we were hysterical.  Two of us in the kitchen, dashing from oven to counter to slicer.  It was madness as we tried to peel without breaking the pieces even smaller.  We were just saying words in front of cheese or crackers and laughing out of control.  Our sanity was pushed to the limits as the crackers took control of all we thought we knew about the world.  We had an oven which overflowed with cracker bounty.  Granted, they are delicious and cheesy.  Truly, they have more cheese than your average cheese cracker, but there were too many.   It was as if they multiplied in the oven as we moved them to the rack to cool.  For the longest time it seemed as if the amount of cheese we had yet to use was not changing.  We had a stack of cheese to use and the hours just ticked away and we despaired.  We were going to be cracker bakers.  Our family business had taken hold and I could see my children apprenticing in the cracker arts.  How to peel perfectly with your fingers.  How the spacing was necessary and precise.  How the timing was immaculate.  Everything flashed before our eyes as the crackers kept baking.

Then, this morning to our horror, we realized that our crackers had lost their crisp.  We had to start again the cracker baking.  We had to recrisp our crackers, this was much easier than an initial baking process, but it was still time consuming.  As our thousands of tiny crackers went back into the oven.  Finally, we were done and could manage to parcel them out into bags.  Hoping with all of our might that someone would want our cracker wares in seven different flavors in exchange for anything else because we are all cracked up.  No more crackers for us.  Too much of a good thing is enough to last us through the holidays.

Citrus Shrimp Fettuccine with Egg Sauce

There is one place we can always go when we want something good for dinner.  While we didn't pick up the What's for Dinner? which included Rosemary Salmon and Butternut Squash Risotto, something we'll keep in mind, we did find all the ingredients for our own recipe.  We fall into the same habits as I assume most of you do, making a marina sauce to go over pasta.  We wanted a change and so we took our usual pasta and altered our course towards the ocean.

We already know that Sunset Foods always has a miraculous large and freshly filled seafood counter.  While this time we didn't go for fish, we did pick out some tasty raw shrimp.  Sure there is a little work involved in cleaning them, but it's worth the flavors.  Especially when we procured some fresh produce to create a tasty marinade.  Our marinade kicked it up a notch to make our shrimp beyond delicious.  We went the egg sauce route to add richness without all of the calories of a traditional cream sauce.  The citrus also boosts the flavor while keeping it healthy.

The kale and mushrooms are a personal touch.  You could substitute them with any leafy green or even nuts of your choosing.  We like them best and so we knew it would seal the deal.  As we predicted the dish was a slam dunk.  The best part is that it was a one dish meal so we didn't need to cook anything else to go with it.

While this recipe has a lot of ingredients, don't let that intimidate you.  More than half of them are for the marinade and the rest of the dish is easy, peasy to throw together.  This ends up being a one dish meal, which are my favorite to make!

Citrus Shrimp Fettuccine With Egg Sauce
1 lb shrimp

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4-5 sprigs fresh parsley
1 bunch of fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 one-inch piece ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz bella mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg (5 oz.) kale
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup grated parmesan
zest of 1 lime
1 pound fettuccine

In a blender or food processor combine: oregano, parsley, basil, olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, ginger, salt, pepper and garlic pulse to combine.  Toss with shrimp in a bowl and marinade for 30 minutes.

When shrimp are ready, bring water to a boil and start cooking pasta.  In a large skillet over medium high heat add olive oil and mushrooms, cook mushrooms until they start to release their liquid; 5-6 minutes.  Drain shrimp and discard rest of marinade.  Add shrimp to skillet and cook, 2-3 minutes until they start to turn pink.  Add kale and cook until it wilts.  Remove from heat.

While all this is happening, trust me you'll have time in between, whisk together egg yolks, lime zest, milk and 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.

Here's where things come together.  Before you drain the pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.  You'll need this to loosen the egg sauce if it gets too thick.  Drain the pasta and add it to the pot with the shrimp.  Pour in the egg sauce and toss until sauce thickens.  Don't worry about the raw egg, the heat from the pasta and shrimp will cook it.  Add a 1/2 cup of pasta water and toss, if it isn't saucy enough add more pasta water.  Serve immediately.

Celebrate "Firsts"with Pampers + Giveaway!

As a new parent there are so many special moments or "firsts" that happen with your child.  First tooth, first word and first steps are only a few of the amazing moments you want to remember.  Along with all these notable firsts there are many more to cherish.  Like the first time your baby gets a present and goes straight for the box because that is where the value truly lies.  As with this toy we got where the toy sat out in the open but the box caught his eye.

Boxes of course are notoriously under rated.  They can provide hours of fun, yet that is not enough without a good diaper.  Between playing with his new box or finally his new toys, Pampers can keep him moving and dry.  He can easily crawl around in comfort and we don't have to worry about any diaper troubles.  Finally, we have the time to absorb all of the other firsts.  Like his first time pushing a grocery cart or showing off his spectacular dance moves.

There is more to love as the baby spends the whole night asleep with his new Pampers.  He can get all the rest he needs because he is dry and comfortable so the next day he has even more energy to show off how clever he is.  We get more firsts because we spend more time with a happy baby which means more memories to share.

Pampers sent me this amazing package of treats to celebrate Peanuts firsts.  I'm saving most of them for a Christmas surprise.  He's especially going to love the shopping cart push toy, not only does it fold out into a kitchen but it plays 13 different songs along with being interactive!

Pampers Swaddlers are Pampers softest diaper and up till now have only been available to newborns.  Until now that is, Pampers has now extended them up to size 5 so baby can stay in the diapers you love!  To celebrate Swaddlers sizes 4 and 5, Pampers has 30 days of incredible giveaways and a grand prize of Free Swaddlers diapers and wipes for a year.  Join the celebration and enter their 30 days of sweeps on the Pampers Facebook page where you can win daily prize bundles, plus the grand prize!

You can also join the #SwaddlersFirsts twitter party on Thursday December 5th at 9pm EST.  Make sure you RSVP  to enter to win some awesome prizes!  There will be (3) Celebrating Firsts Gift Packs which include:

• Baby's First Friend Plush Doll
• Baby's First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box
• Baby's First Words Book
• Baby's First Steps Push Toy
• $50 Shutterfly Gift Card to celebrate all "firsts" moments
• Baby's First Bath Robe
• Pampers Swaddlers

The grand prize is a Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera worth $450!  Make sure to follow @BridgetteLA, @CeceliaMecca, @AngieKcom, @WhatMommiesNeed, @RamblingChick and our sponsor @Pampers.

Not only is Pampers giving away these awesome prizes during the twitter party, they are also allowing me to giveaway a special "firsts" prize package to one of my readers!!  Use the rafflecopter form below to enter to win:

• Baby's First Friend Plush Doll
• Baby's First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box
• Baby's First Words Book
• Baby's First Steps Push Toy 
• Pampers Swaddlers

Contest is open to US readers 18 years or older.  Winner must respond to winning email within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway