Reblogged from Let's Spice Things Up in Vegas:

I’m soo excited to share this with you! It’s probably the easiest chicken recipe ever! And you only need 5 ingredients -that’s it. Just put everything in your crockpot and forget about it And speaking of the crockpot it’s the best invention ever, if you don’t have one you really don’t know what you are missing. I dumped all the ingredients in it, went to work and when I came home I had this awesome chicken waiting for me! Amazing! This chicken is soo tender, packed with flavor, ridiculously easy …

You have to love these one pot meals. I used Kraft/Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit/Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac. The dinner kit includes: Pasta, Velveeta Cheese Sauce, and Seasoning pack. All I had to do was add the 2 cups of water and 1lb. of Ground Turkey. I used Jennie – O Extra Lean Ground Turkey. Using the Extra Lean Ground Turkey instead of the Ground Beef you can lower the calorie count by anywhere from 60 – 80 calories! As I browned the Turkey I added Sea Salt, Pepper, and Ground Smoked Cumin for seasoning. It’s ready in about 10 minutes. I then add 2 cups of water, the seasoning and pasta. Simmer for 11 – 13 minutes and add the Velveeta Cheese and your ready for dinner.  I’ll leave the instructions at the end of the post. It’s 350 calories and 27 carbs but you can lower the calorie count by using the Ground Turkey as stated above. I had a side of Pillsbury Rustic French Bread. For dessert a Jello Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding topped with Cool Whip Free.

Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac

Ingredients:
* 1 LB. Ground Beef or Ground Turkey (Extra Lean)
* Sea Salt, Pepper, Cilantro, Ground Smoked Cumin to taste; Optional
* 2 Cups Water
* 1 Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Dinner Kit/Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac
Instructions:
* Brown and season 1 LB. Ground Turkey in large skillet. Drain
* Add 2 cups water, seasoning and pasta. Bring to a boil. Reduce Heat.
* Cover, Simmer and stir often until most of water is gone about 11-13 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Add Cheese from Velveeta Cheese Pouch. Stir in Cheese Sauce and serve

Abbaye de Belloc Cheese

Abbaye de Belloc (in France, Abbaye de Bellocq, but both names are used in English) is a French, traditional farmhouse, hard cheese from the Pays Basque region, made from unpasteurized sheep milk. The cheese was first made by the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Belloc from milk from the local flocks of sheep. Abbaye de Belloc is made in a 5 kg fat wheel with a natural, crusty, brownish colored rind with patches of red, orange and yellow. The cheese was founded by Benedictine monks. For centuries they have made their cheese from milk, produced in the locality. The cheese has a firm, dense, rich and creamy texture. The taste resembles burnt caramel and there is a distinctive lanolin aroma.

Texture – Semi hard

Milk – Ewe

Country – France

Fat Content – 60%

Made a batch of the 3Bean Turkey Chili! Love this stuff. Not only is it delicious and healthy it’s easy to make and it’s a 1 pot meal! Just “Set it and forget it”, my favorite info commercial saying. About 5-6 hours on low in your crock pot and you’ll have some great tasting chili! This is great to freeze so you can have it anytime. I left the recipe at the end of the post. I topped the chili with some fresh grated Smoked Dutch Gouda Cheese and a side of Oyster Crackers.
Ingredients

1 lb. Ground turkey
1 Packet McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix
2 Cans (6 oz.) Hunt’s Tomato Paste
1 Can (15 oz.) Chili Beans
1 Can (15 oz.) Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 Can (15 oz.) Great Northern Beans, rinsed
1/2 Cup of Water
1 Tbs Ground Cocoa Chili Blend (McCormick)
1/2 Tsp Ground Chipotle Chili Pepper (McCormick)
1 Tsp. Chili powder
1 Tsp. Ground cumin
1 Tbs of Cilantro Leaves
5 Dashes of Frank’s Hot Sauce or to taste.
1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Oyster Crackers

*COOK turkey in large saucepan on medium-high heat 10 min. or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Add all remaining ingredients except the cheese and crackers.

*ADD to slow cooker

*COVER with lid. Cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours (or on LOW 5 to 6 hours).

*Serve in bowl or mug with cheese and the oyster crackers, or serve with some home made cornbread ears.

PLANO, Texas, Feb 21, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Snapple today officially launches Diet Half ‘n Half Lemonade Iced Tea, joining the ranks of such great combinations as the spork, labradoodle and the keyboard guitar. The half lemonade, half iced tea blend is made from healthy green tea, tasty black tea and has only ten calories per 16oz bottle. While some may argue that one half may be better than the other, Snapple has brought the two together to create a low calorie option of this perfect combination.

“Some combinations are too perfect to pass up,” said Regan Ebert, vice president of marketing for Snapple. “Snapple is always looking to make the Best Stuff even better and the new Diet Half ‘n Half offers our fans a tasty low calorie combination of two classic flavors that is sure to please, whichever side you’re rooting for.”

To settle the score between Lemonade and Iced Tea lovers everywhere, Snapple is challenging fans to battle it out and vote for which side reigns supreme as the blend’s better half. Fans can vote for their favorite flavor on Twitter by using the #Lemonade@Snapple and #Tea@Snapple hashtags, as seen in the new drink’s advertising spot; via Snapple’s Facebook page; and on Snapple.com.

By participating, fans can enter for a chance to win daily Snapple prizes. A few lucky winners will also receive $1,000 prizes, half for them to keep and half for their charity of choice. For additional details, go to Snapple.com. Fans can also visit Snapple on Facebook for one of the 250,000 coupons for $1.00 off of a Snapple 6-pack that the brand will give away in celebration of the new beverage.

Snapple Diet Half ‘n Half is now available at participating retailers nationwide in individual 16-ounce bottles for $1.39 and 6-packs for $5.99. It is also available in 32oz, 64oz and 16oz 12-Packs. For full details and a list of participating retailers, visit www.Snapple.com .

About Snapple

Snapple, a brand of Dr Pepper Snapple Group DPS -0.71% , is a leader in great-tasting premium beverages. Founded in 1972 by three childhood friends, Snapple got its start in Greenwich Village, New York, and is now available throughout the United States and numerous countries worldwide. Snapple prides itself on developing, producing and marketing a wide variety of premium beverages, including ready-to-drink iced teas, juice drinks, 100% juices and water. Known for its down-to-earth approach to marketing, Snapple continues to delight fans across the world. DPS is a leading producer of flavored soft drinks, marketing Snapple and 50-plus other brands across North America and the Caribbean. For more information on Snapple, visit www.snapple.com or www.drpeppersnapple.com .

SOURCE: Snapple

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/snapple-officially-launches-diet-half-n-half-lemonade-iced-tea-2012-02-21

A large pecan tree in downtown Abilene, Texas

the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and western Tennessee, south through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Florida, and west into New Mexico.

“Pecan” is from an Algonquian word, meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack.

The pecan tree is a large deciduous tree, growing to 66–130 ft in height, rarely to144 ft; taller trees to 160–180 ft have been claimed but not verified. It typically has a spread of 39–75 ft with a trunk up to 6.6 ft diameter. A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 16 ft tall. The leaves are alternate, 12–18 in long, and pinnate with 9–17 leaflets, each leaflet 2.0–4.7 in long and  0.79–2.4 in broad. The flowers are wind-pollinated, and monoecious, with staminate and pistillate catkins on the same tree; the male catkins are pendulous, up to 7.1 in long; the female catkins are small, with three to six flowers clustered together.

A pecan, like the fruit of all other members of the hickory genus, is not truly a nut, but is technically a drupe, a fruit with a single stone or pit, surrounded by a husk. The husks are produced from the exocarp tissue of the flower, while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp and contains the seed. The nut itself is dark brown, oval to oblong, 1.0–2.4 in long and 0.59–1.2 in broad. The outer husk is 0.12–0.16 in thick, starts out green and turns brown at maturity, at which time it splits off in four sections to release the

Ripe pecan nuts on tree

thin-shelled nut.

The nuts of the pecan are edible, with a rich, buttery flavor. They can be eaten fresh or used in cooking, particularly in sweet desserts, but also in some savory dishes. One of the most common desserts with the pecan as a central ingredient is the pecan pie, a traditional southern U.S. recipe. Pecans are also a major ingredient in praline candy, most often associated with New Orleans.

In addition to the pecan nut, the wood is also used in making furniture and wood flooring, as well as flavoring fuel for smoking meats.

Pecans were one of the most recently domesticated major crops. Although wild pecans were well-known among the colonial Americans as a delicacy, the commercial growing of pecans in the United States did not begin until the 1880s. Today, the U.S. produces between 80% and 95% of the world’s pecans, with an annual crop of 150–200 thousand tons  from more than 10 million trees. The nut harvest for growers is typically around mid-October. Historically, the leading pecan-producing state in the U.S. has been Georgia, followed by Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma; they are also grown in Arizona, South Carolina and Hawaii. Outside the United States, pecans are grown in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Peru and South Africa. They can be grown approximately from USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9, provided summers are also hot and humid.

Pecan trees may live and bear edible nuts for more than 300 years. They are mostly self-incompatible, because most cultivars, being clones derived from wild trees, show incomplete dichogamy. Generally, two or more trees of different cultivars must be present to pollinate each other.

Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. Like walnuts (which pecans resemble), pecans are rich in omega-6 fatty

Pecans with and without shells

acids, although pecans contain about half as much omega-6 as walnuts.

A diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstones in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans reduce high cholesterol by reducing the “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.

Clinical research published in the Journal of Nutrition (September 2001) found that eating about a handful of pecans each day may help lower cholesterol levels similar to what is often seen with cholesterol-lowering medications. Research conducted at the University of Georgia has also confirmed that pecans contain plant sterols, which are known for their cholesterol-lowering ability. Pecans may also play a role in neurological health. Eating pecans daily may delay age-related muscle nerve degeneration, according to a study conducted at the University of Massachusetts and published in Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research.

The Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company from Kiln, Mississippi has produced a variety of beer using pecans rather than hops.

Ingredients

1 unbaked pie shells
1 (1 g) packet plain gelatin
1⁄3; cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons very strong coffee (prepared, not grounds) or 2 tablespoons brewed espresso ( prepared, not grounds)
24 pecan halves
fruit sweetener
½ cup frozen apple juice concentrate ( thawed)
½ cup granular fructose ( or diabetic sugar)

Directions

1) Make fruit sweetener: mix together 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed) PLUS 1/2 cup granulated fructose or diabetic sugar.).
2) Prepare pastry and place in 9-inch pie pan. In large bowl, combine fruit sweetener, gelatin and apple sauce. Beat with electric mixer.
3) In small bowl, blend water and cornstarch until smooth. Add cornstarch to fruit sweetener mixture and blend. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and coffee. Pour mixture into pie shell. Decorate top with pecan halves. Bake 30-40 minutes (until custard is set) at 375°F Cool slightly before cutting.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (83 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 10

Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 208.2

Calories from Fat 89
43%

Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Total Fat 9.9g
15%
Saturated Fat 2.1g
10%
Cholesterol 63.4mg
21%
Sugars 14.9 g
Sodium 119.9mg
4%
Total Carbohydrate 26.8g
8%
Dietary Fiber 1.1g
4%
Sugars 14.9 g
59%
Protein 3.4g
6%

Reblogged from Foodimentary:

Many celebrate today with rolled thin pancakes topped with caster sugar(powdered) a dash of lemon juice and a dollop of jelly or jam  Five Food Facts about Shrove Tuesday 1. Throughout Europe most people celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes – 2. Pancakes are associated with the day before lent because it was a way to use up “rich foods” such as eggs, milk, & sugar, before the 40 days fast begins – 3. The word ‘shrove’ refers to an old English word shrive meaning ‘confess’ – 4. Most people call today …

Excellent dinner tonight! Not to mention low calorie and low carb. I a Tilapia fillet that I seasoned with McCormick Grinder Sea Salt and Black Peppercorn along with Parsley. I then rolled the fillet in Italian Style Bread Crumbs and Parm Shredded Cheese. Baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turning once half way through the baking time. Came moist and flakey, delicious!

Along with the Tilapia I had sides of Roasted Asparagus, Simply Potatoes Hash Browns, and Healthy Life Whole Grain Bread. I’ll leave the recipe for the Roasted Asparagus at the end of the post. For dessert later a bowl of Breyer’s Carb Smart Ice Cream topped with Del Monte No Sugar Sliced Peaches.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

2 bunches medium asparagus
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated or shaved Parmesan, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus, usually about 1 1/2 inches. Lightly peel the remaining stalks (not always necessary, but more of a personal preference). Spread the spears in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and roll to coat thoroughly.

Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through to turn the asparagus. Arrange the roasted asparagus on a serving platter and top with some Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1/2 a head of cabbage
1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 limes
2 bison New York strip steaks
Black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt
1 stalk lemongrass
1 serrano chili
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup of mint
1/4 cup cilantro

*First, shred the cabbage and combine with the shredded red cabbage to add some color.
*Now add 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and juice from half of the lime.
*Toss to mix all the flavors and set aside to marinate.
*Next, season the strip steaks with pepper, garlic, and salt-make sure to get both sides.
*Place the steaks on a preheated grill and cook on each side for 3 minutes. When the steaks are done, let them rest for 8 to 10 minutes so that the juices redistribute.
*Now, cut off the stem and root end of the lemongrass, remove the tough outer leaf and mince. Add the serrano chili, the green onions, and the shallots.
*To the ingredients, add the other tablespoon of the fish sauce and the juice from one and a half limes.
*Continue chopping to mix all the flavors and then add the mint and cilantro and give it a rough chop.
*Add this marinade to a bowl.
*Thinly slice the bison steaks against the grain to make sure the meat stays moist and tender and add to the bowl. Toss to coat.
*To plate this exotic dish, add the marinating cabbage salad and top with the bison.

Makes 2 servings.