Life of Pi Oscar Party with Bigelow Tea-tinis!

Alison:  So, the Oscars are a great excuse to throw a party.  Some glamour and glitz always pairs well with some good food and drinks.

Susie:  You speak the truth!  Any excuse to get together is a good one and why not celebrate some good movies like the Life of Pi.

Alison:  Luckily, I had a few new recipes I wanted to try out.  Including mixing some of our favorite Bigelow Teas into delicious cocktails.

Susie:  Off to Walmart we went to pick up party ingredients.  I'm betting they have a good selection of Bigelow Tea.

Alison:  They didn't have as large a selection of tea as I'd hoped.  For such a large retailer I was surprised to see only a few varieties of Bigelow tea on the shelf.  Also so poorly stocked.  :(

Susie:  But Walmart did have everything else we needed for our party.  Check out the rest of our trip on Google+.

Alison:  Since we recently saw the Life of Pi, we decided to go for a tropical menu.  It was nominated for quite a few categories and we loved the movie.

Susie:  So, we gathered up a few healthy choices with some lean meats and lots of tropical fruit.

Alison:  The Life of Pi is about survival on the open sea.  Not a bad way to structure a meal working to a full nutritional meal.  Pi and Richard Parker are limited to mostly fish for food.  Living in the Midwest, we opted for some crab.  We don't get a large variety of freshly caught fish this far away from the ocean.

Susie:  We paired our shrimp with coconut.  A magical food with all kinds of health benefits.  Not to mention a flavor we love.

Alison: We made some other island inspired foods with pulled pork sandwiches, crab rangoon and fruit salad.

Susie:  Basically, we had all the major food groups with pork, chicken, crab, and beef.  We had fruits, mushrooms, grains, dairy.

Alison:  Of course, all those dishes took time.  We had only two days to create everything from scratch.

Susie:  Luckily, we went simple and focused on flavors rather than fancy cooking techniques.

Alison:  We stayed away from the lure of oils and fats.  We opted to bake everything in the oven rather than fry it in oils.  It takes a little longer but it's a whole lot healthier.

Susie:  Not to mention that it's a lot safer.  Being spattered by hot oil is never fun.  Plus, it's almost entirely unavoidable.

Alison:  After two entire days in the kitchen it was time to set up for our Bigelow Tea Life of Pi Oscar party.  

Susie:  We love Bigelow Tea because of their variety of flavors.  They are always making new ones for us to try out.  There is no way that we could ever have too much of it.

Alison: With Bigelow we can get our caffeine fix without getting an overload.  We found their newest flavor White Chocolate.  Plus their Pomegranate Green allowed us some perfect drink flavors.

Susie:  We decorated with blues and greens to match our island themed food.  Then we set out to mix and set out all of our food.

Alison:  Our guests loved our Tea-tinis.  They even got a full meal while thinking they were only eating party food!

Susie:  We spent some time watching the pre-show while we talked about who would win what.

Alison:  Our bets weren't far off as we thought the Life of Pi would be a big winner this year.

Susie:  We even tried to take some ideas from the movie to play I-Spy but we were much too busy filling our plates.

Alison:  Right.  I-Spy something with coconut!

Susie: Is it the shrimp?  Or the the brownies?  Or the cheese ball?

Alison:  No, it's the white chocolate coconut tea-tini!

Susie: Luckily, we still have some more tea so we can mix up some more!

Alison:  Our party was definitely a hit!

Susie: We were able to spread some good nutrition and culture.


Alison:  Not to mention an amazing array of laughs.

Susie: No party is complete without some laughter!

Did you know that Bigelow Tea is having a Life of Pi contest?  You can enter up till March 20th!  Don't forget to watch for Life of Pi coming out on Blu-ray and DVD March 12th at your local Walmart!

We'll have recipes from our party to share soon!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Bigelow Tea #CBias #SocialFabric #AmericasTea All opinions are my own.

Church Street Brewery Co. Brimstone IPA Bread

Are you ready for our second beer bread recipe?  We used Church Street's Brimstone IPA to make a fantastic sandwich bread.  This beer has a definite spicy note to it.  It definitely comes through in the finished baked bread.  The bitterness in the beer also lends a sourdough like quality to the bread.  This recipe makes an absolutely awesome sandwich bread or piece of toast.  Even 4 days after baking the bread tastes like its freshly baked.

Again, this is an extremely wet dough.  Don't add extra flour!  It really doesn't need it.  Remember, that beer bread takes longer to rise than regular yeasted breads.  Make sure to allow extra time for rising.

If you like the bitterness after finishing an IPA, then you may be surprised with this bread.  It still has that same extra kick.  You may find yourself reaching for a glass of beer.  :)  There is that same quality of moistness and density, but this bread recipe is for anyone that loves an extremely sour sourdough.

Brimstone IPA Beer Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3/4 cup spent grains
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 egg yolk
1 (12 oz) Church Street Brewing Co. Brimstone IPA beer
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a mixer add: flours, yeast, salt and sugar; mix well.  Add beer, melted butter, spent grains and egg yolk.  Mix on low until dough comes together.  Change to a dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes.  Dough will be extremely wet.  Don't worry.  :)

Form dough into a ball and place in a well oiled container or bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise till double in size.  Punch down dough and shape into a loaf to fit in a greased 9x5 inch pan.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until double.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until loaf reaches 180 degrees.  Remove from oven, remove from pan and allow to cool on rack.

L'Oreal BB Cream Review

Recently I got the chance to try L'Oreal's BB cream.  I thought I'd give it a try as I rarely wear a lot of makeup.  I thought this would be a great way to even out my skin tone quickly.  This product does exactly that.  It lightly, and I emphasize lightly, provides coverage.  This actually is more like a primer than foundation.

In trying this off and on over the past few weeks, I've found L'Oreal's BB cream works great as a base coat for my foundation.  Using it under my foundation keeps my face shine-free for most of the day.  This is something I typically have a problem with as I've got combination skin.  I typically pick up some shine in my T-zone throughout the day.  L'Oreal's BB cream is the perfect solution to this problem.  If you're looking for a cheaper primer, definitely pick some of this up to try.  :)

I received a complimentary product from SheSpeaks/L'Oréal to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own.

Mariano's Recipes make Impressive Meals Easy

Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have a Mariano's practically in my backyard?  Alright, maybe it's more of a skip, a hop and a jump into the car, but it's still close.  Since I'm in Arlington Heights, I live by the first Mariano's in the area.  Mine has been open over two years now and has been crazy busy since opening.  The Arlington Police still direct traffic to and from the parking lot at times.  That's how busy this store is.  I love being so close because I can always pop over to find something special for dinner.

I was on the lookout to make something new and different for Saturday night.  I decided to check Mariano's huge recipe database on their website for a dish to make.  Instead of one dish, I found an entire meal to make.  I decided to tackle the Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs, the Spinach with Roasted Sesame Seeds and Hazelnut Chocolate Decadence for dessert.  If you're ever stumped on what to make for dinner, definitely check out this database.  I guarantee you'll find something.  Another awesome feature is the ability to save recipes you like to your recipe box.  This way you'll easily be able to find your favorites whenever you want.

The produce at Mariano's is always crazy fresh and so well stocked.  There always seem to be 3-4 employees working in the produce department.  They have a large variety of organic and non-organic produce along with things like fresh daikon radishes.  Today I needed some spinach to make the spinach with roasted sesame seeds.

Next it was off to the butcher counter to see if they had some short ribs.  They didn't have any at the counter, but there were some pre-packaged on the shelf.  I was slightly disappointed as I love getting things from the butcher counter, but it did make my trip quicker.  :)

While in the meat department, I saw this sign advertising the ham rewards program for the holidays.  When you shop between 1/27/13 - 3/24/13 for every $10 you spend you get a point, if you rack up 85 points you can then purchase a Roundy's Select Fire Glazed Ham or Organic frozen turkey for $.99 a pound.  If you do a lot of shopping at Mariano's, this is an awesome deal!

I didn't realize that hazelnuts were a seasonal item, so I had to make a substitution in my Hazelnut Chocolate Decadence recipe.  Mariano's carries a variety of dry goods in bins by their produce department.  I thought macadamia nuts would work great instead.  They do taste awesome.  If you decide to use them in your tart, definitely place a pan underneath it.  Macadamia nuts have a higher fat content and that will leak right out of your springform pan.  Live and learn.

Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs are pretty easy to make.  You take a dutch oven and add all the ingredients except for the sesame oil.  Add enough water to cover the ribs and bring the water to a boil.  Simmer, skimming off the fat for about two hours or until the meat is tender.  Then cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Easy-peasy.

The spinach with roasted sesame seeds is just as easy.  After cleaning your spinach, place it all in a large saucepan.  Cook with a cover on for 3-4 minutes until wilted.  Drain and squeeze out the moisture.  Roughly chop and toss with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

This meal was a little richer than something we'd normally have for dinner.  But its nice to have something special from time to time.  Mariano's is a great place to find all your favorite fresh ingredients for your family. I know its one of my favorite places to pick up everything I need for a special meal.

Seriously, it's easy to go to Mariano's for everything on my list.  With their large and fresh produce section, I can easily pick out meals and ingredients to help my family, eat well, live well and shop well.  If anyone thinks grocery shopping is a chore, then they haven't stopped by a Mariano's.

Check out the rest of my shopping trip on Google+.  You can also connect with Mariano's on Twitter and Facebook.

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Mariano’s #cbias #SocialFabric All opinions are my own.

Wholesome Wednesday: Chocolate Chai

Winter finally arrived in Chicago.  I was really hoping it wouldn't come this year, before the past couple of weeks there's been fairly warm weather and no snow.  Which is my absolute favorite kind of winter.  :)  I am not what you'd call a snow bunny by any means.  I absolutely hate being cold!

It's 23 degrees today in Chicago as I write this bundled up on the couch with a large orange cat next to me under my flannel quilt.  I wish I had the camera because I'd show you the cat lump sitting next to me.  :)  The only one who truly doesn't mind the cold is Miss Rosie.  I swear she'd just hang out it the yard if I let her.  She already dawdles more than I'd like when I take her out during the day.

To combat the icky cold I've been on the lookout for something warm to sip on.  While coffee is my absolute favorite thing to drink, the caffeine doesn't agree with me.  Don't get me started on decaf!  The taste just isn't quite the same.  Tea has its place too.  If I'm drinking tea I'll typically choose an herbal fruity one that I don't need to add anything too.  Now, chai is in a class all its own.  Chai has great flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.

This recipe comes from the cookbook Primal Cuisine Cooking for the Paleo Diet.  I love the chocolate in this drink.  It blends perfectly with the other spices.  Using almond milk though, I found the drink separated far faster than a dairy drink would have.  The chai still tasted great, but you could see the separation almost after I poured it.

Chocolate Chai

1 black tea bag
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
sugar to taste (you'll need 2-3 tablespoons if you use unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 teaspoons micro planed ginger
2 cups organic almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Steep the tea bag in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.  You want a stronger steep to give your chai flavor.  When done, remove tea bag and prepare rest of recipe.

In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon and ginger.  Whisk to combine.  Pour in a little hot tea, enough to make a thick paste.  Then add rest of tea and almond milk.  Whisk to combine and heat till not quite boiling.  Remove from the heat and add a teaspoon of vanilla.  Pour into 2 mugs and serve.

Church Street Brewery Co. Red Rye Lager Bread

We're starting our beer bread journey with Church Street's Red Rye Lager.  When we tasted this, it just screamed rye bread.  No, seriously it did.  :)  It just has that rye taste to it.  Rye is one of my favorite types of bread, but even those that don't enjoyed this loaf.  It's a light rye, not a solid pumpernickel.  This bread has a full bodied tang.

I've learned that yeasted beer bread doesn't really act the same as regular yeasted breads.  They are extremely slow to rise.  We're talking double the amount of time it would take for a regular loaf of bread.  Please, please, please make sure you have 5-6 hours to make this bread.  I started mine at about 11 am this morning and its just now in the oven at 4 pm.  Another thing I've learned about beer breads is that the dough is extremely wet.  So incredibly wet that its almost impossible to knead by hand.  I recommend using either your mixer with a dough hook or your bread machine to mix the dough.  You'll also be tempted to add extra flour.  Don't add extra flour!

It is beyond worth the trouble and time.  The loaf (what's left of it) is still moist after days of sitting loosely wrapped on the counter.  For breakfast, it's the perfect choice as this dense bread made with beer will leave you full.  This bread toasted completely defeats any other.  

Red Rye Lager Bread

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

3 tablespoons raw sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg yolk

1 (12 oz.) Church Street Red Rye Lager

1 cup flour

1 cup bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup rye flour

3/4 cup Church Street spent grains

2 teaspoons salt

In mixer add flours, grain, salt, sugar and yeast.  Mix well.  Add beer, egg yolk and melted butter.  Mix until dough comes together.  Stop mixer and change to dough hook.  Mix with dough hook 8-10 minutes until dough appears smooth and elastic.  

Place dough in large greased bowl.  Cover with a towel and allow to sit in a warm draft free place until doubled in size.  Punch down dough, turn out onto floured surface and shape into either one large round or two smaller rounds.  Place on a baking sheet either lined with parchment paper or with a silicon baking mat.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise again, until doubled in size.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees.  When you turn on the oven, thoroughly spritz the dough with water.  Right before baking slash the dough twice with a very sharp knife and then spritz again with water.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until temperature of loaf is 180 degrees.  Remove from oven and immediately place loaf on a cooling rack.

Wholesome Wednesday: Chicken with Smashed Potatoes, Pot Pie Style

I've got another awesome recipe to share from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook Bridal Edition 2013.  Didn't I tell you Bridal Editions were the best?  This chicken dish is very reminiscent of chicken pot pie, but its a lot easier to make.  A perfect alternative if you're short on time.

The only changes I've made is to cut the chicken breasts on the diagonal to get wider slices to make it cook faster and changing the tarragon to sage.  I don't think I've ever owned tarragon and we absolutely love sage.

Chicken with Smashed Potatoes, Pot Pie Style

1 1/2 lb red potatoes, cut in half
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/4 lb chicken breast, cut on a diagonal in wide strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 cup peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, combine potatoes and enough water to cover; heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until tender, 12 minutes.

Heat oil in a non stick skillet.  Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cook 6 minutes.  Turn chicken and reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 8 minutes longer.  Transfer to a plate.

To the same skillet, add carrots, broth, cream and sage; cover and cook over medium-high heat, until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in peas.

Drain potatoes and return to pot.  Coarsely mash with butter and salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon potatoes onto a large serving platter; top with chicken and spoon the veggie mixture over all of it.  Serve.