Sunday, January 27, 2013

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ala Mamma - Guest Post from Mamma Maria's La Cucina

I've always made Cabbage Rolls just the way my grandma taught me, but thanks to Mamma Maria, I'm going to have to venture out!  These look absolutely delicious!!!!!

A little bit about Mamma Maria......At the age of 10, Maria began cooking with her father and quickly developed a love for it!  She enjoys mix-matching different spices and ingredients in different combinations to make unique tastes. Maria is a work at home mommy who LOVES to cook!  Lucky for us, Mamma Maria has agreed to share several of her slow cooker recipes with us over the next few months!  I'm excited to share the first one with you!

Once you make this, please come back and let me know how it was!  And go give her facebook page a "like" and let her know I sent you!!!! ;)

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ala Mamma

Ingredients:
1 Head of Cabbage, core cut out we prefer Savoy Cabbage 
1 package of ground turkey 
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, shredded 
8ounces, mushrooms, chopped 
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely 
2 cans of your favorite pasta sauce ( short cut method ) 
1-2 cups rice ( precooked ) 

seasonings I used : garlic powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, onion powder & oregano ( you may use what you want to suit your own taste ) 

Directions:
Boil your water in a pot large enough to fit the head of cabbage, then start your ground turkey cooking in a large fry pan, about 3-4 minutes, when 1/2 way done add the garlic, onion, parsley and other veggies, & seasonings, cook approximately 5-7 minutes with the lid on over medium high heat. Stir well to blend all the flavors. 
Turn off the heat and mix in your rice. Cover and then drain your cabbage. ( This should only take about 10 minutes from start to finish) 

Remove the leaves, lay flat and scoop about 1 1/2 to 2 scoops of mixture in the middle of the leaves and fold. ( i fold sides in then roll to the end leaving the harder stem of the leaf on the outside * Set aside as you assemble the roll. Once done, then to your slow cooker add 1/2 can sauce, then later the cabbage leaves, you want to cross lay them so that they are easy to remove. Add the remaining sauce over top. 

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 !!!! Serve with a side of ricotta cheese. * my choice for flavorful goodness ! Or just sprinkle some grated locatelli or parmesan cheese on top !!! 

Amazing flavor and deliciousness. 

Also if you choose to skip the rice you can use couscous or quinoa instead. Also you can use ground beef if you prefer. This is just our choice, cooking times will vary, so adjust accordingly when prepping the beef mixture. 

For the original recipe, with step-by-step pictures, please click here.

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken - Guest Post from Mamma Maria's La Cucina

I have a brilliant new recipe for you from my good friend Maria at Mamma Maria's La Cucina!  I first met Mamma Maria when I believe I reached 100 facebook fans.  She won a box of Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners from me.  Fast forward 3 years and here we are.....11,000 facebook fans later, and our friendship has grown.  We've discovered we're both Italian and Maria loves to cook very similarly to me!

At the age of 10, Maria began cooking with her father and quickly developed a love for it!  She enjoys mix-matching different spices and ingredients in different combinations to make unique tastes. Maria is a work at home mommy who LOVES to cook!  Lucky for us, Mamma Maria has agreed to share several of her slow cooker recipes with us over the next few months!  I'm excited to share the first one with you!

Once you make this, please come back and let me know how it was!  And go give her facebook page a "like" and let her know I sent you!!!! ;)

Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root , if you dont have fresh, just used dried but cut amount in half 
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Steamed rice, my suggestion as a side 
Spinach, my suggestion as a side 

Directions:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken thighs just until evenly browned on all sides. Place thighs in a slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, and reserved pineapple juice. Pour into the slow cooker.
Cover, and cook 4 hours on High. Stir in pineapple tidbits just before serving.
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Remove thighs from slow cooker. Blend the cornstarch mixture into remaining sauce in the slow cooker to thicken. Serve sauce over the chicken.
Serve over rice and enjoy with a side of spinach.

For the orignal post, with step-by-step pictures, please click here.


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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Chocolate and Peanut Clusters - Hamilton Beach Recipe

Even though I don't have an image to share with you, I think these sound delicious!!!!  You can't really go wrong with Chocolate and Peanuts!



To get this EASY recipe for Chocolate and Peanut Clusters, just click here!  You can also click here to see all of Hamilton Beach's Slow Cooker Recipes!

*Disclaimer: I am being compensated for this post.  All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may differ from others. Print Friendly and PDF

Monday, January 14, 2013

Beef Stroganoff - Guest Post from "Just Short of Crazy"

Since I am busy writing cookbooks for all of you, I've invited some fellow bloggers and fans like you to help me out!  So, here is my first Guest Post from Deb Thompson of "Just Short of Crazy."

Deb is a professional travel and lifestyle blogger that calls northern Michigan home. Over a year ago she decided to pursue the things she loves and quit being a cog in a corporate wheel. To date, it has been one of her best decisions and she hasn’t looked back.When she’s not on a road trip, you’ll find her at home cooking, creating and enjoying the things she loves; social media, wine, reading, and photography. She has been married for 20+ years and has two teens (hence the semi-crazy). There is also 1 adorable dog and 1 fat cat living in this almost crazy house.  One thing is certain, life keeps her on her toes and she knows that change is inevitable. 

Deb has given me permission to share her recipe for Beef Stroganoff!  I can't wait to for you all to try it, so come back and comment and let me know what you think!


Looks good, huh?!  You can find the recipe by clicking here!

You can follow Deb's blog, "Just Short of Crazy" on Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter as well. 
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Sunday, January 13, 2013

January Movies on Demand Giveaway Winner Announced

Congratulations to the January Movies on Demand Giveaway Winner:
Laura Jacobson

The winner will receive:
(1) $25 Giftcard
(2) $5 Cable Cash

The winner has 48 hours to claim her prize, or a new winner will be chosen.

Congratulations!

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Monday, January 7, 2013

Music With Ms. Carissa CD #Review





I recently had the pleasure of reviewing Carissa Knowles' CD, "Music with Ms. Carissa Not So Elementary."  What a FUN CD!  The instant I started the CD, my kids began to dance immediately!  My 1.5 year old actually promptly went to the toy drawer and pulled out instruments for him and his sister!  I LOVE that! (They are their mothers' children, you know!  I'm an Elementary Music Teacher in case you didn't know that!) Here are my kids dancing to Ms. Carissa!




The songs are all upbeat and extremely positive.  Not only are they fun, but they all have a good meaning.  The songs also teach your kids how to express themselves, rhyming and even how to go to sleep when they're tired!

Carissa has a fantastic website, where you can learn more about her and all the events she has going on!  She also has a facebook page, where she will keep you up to date on all her latest activities.  You can purchase one of her awesome CDs for $15 directly on her website through paypal.

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a CD in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may differ from others'.

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Friday, January 4, 2013

Big, Exciting Announcement!

Many of you have asked....."Do you have a cookbook?" "When are you going to release a cookbook?"

After waiting, being offered a cookbook from a publisher (which definitely wasn't the right deal for me) and speaking with a good and encouraging friend yesterday, I've decided to SELF-PUBLISH MY OWN COOKBOOK.....or 3....or more! I've actually decided to start by releasing about 3 small cookbooks on Amazon.com that you all will be able to read from your Kindles or Kindle Apps. I will be able to offer printed copies as well to sell at a cheaper price since they will be mini-cookbooks. Eventually, I will be able to offer these cookbooks on iTunes and BarnesandNoble.com, but Amazon is going to be the best place for me to start.  

I will do some book signings.......I'm dreaming big folks!!! The possibilities are endless!

I would like to thank my friend Jocelyn, for giving me the encouragement and support I needed to take this leap! I would also like to thank my husband in advance for his PATIENCE, love and complete support! :)

Because I'm taking on this endeavor, this means I will not be posting many new recipes in the coming months, as some will be exclusive to the cookbooks. I hope you can understand. 

I appreciate all of you and your incredible support and encouragement as well! This should be an interesting adventure, but I'm happy to take it!!!!

So.....what kind of cookbook would YOU like to see me release?!  Leave your comment below!  I can't wait to hear from you! Print Friendly and PDF

Movies on Demand January #Giveaway!

I'm telling you, the option to be able to rent movies from the comfort of my couch is such an awesome thing!  My daughter and I love to have movie nights.  We pop some popcorn, she sets us up with her little princess chairs in front of the TV, gets us a cozy blanket to share, we watch a movie, then as a special treat, I sleep in her bed for the evening.  It's our "thing!"  It's great quality time!  You see, when we watch movies, we don't sit in silence!  LOL Oh no!  Not with my kid!  We discuss the entire movie the entire way through!  LOL  Trust me, we socialize plenty during movie nights!  :)  I actually love to hear what she has to say!


Award Season is upon the movie community.  Movies on Demand on Cable has a quite the line-up the next few months!  My daughter will watch Brave as many times as I rent it, LOL!  I'm looking forward to finally seeing The Hunger Games and Hitchcock.  Paranorman looks cute too!





Now, for the Giveaway!  Enter the Giveaway widget below to win:
(1) $25 Giftcard
(2) $5 Cable Cash


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*Disclaimer: I am being minimally compensated for hosting this giveaway.  All opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may differ from others.
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