Tall Papa Bread Crumbs!

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Jamie

You know what I love the most about Tall Papa Bread Crumbs?  The fact that they are indeed Gluten Free.  I was given three varieties to try out.

They included:

Italian Style

Cajun Style

Citrus Lime

I really had to think about what to make with the bread crumbs.  I know they’re great in meatballs, coating on chicken and fish, and also as a topping for casseroles.

So, the first night we tried the Citrus Lime with our chicken.  I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the coating.  It was very flavorful and did add a lot to the chicken.

We made it very simple with just coating the chicken with the bread crumbs and adding a side of corn.  But we were very happy with the way it turned out.

Our second night of utilizing the bread crumbs we decided to make some chicken wings.  We utilized the Cajun Style.

The spices that they add into the bread crumbs make the recipes really stand out, and make a nice complement to the meal you want to make.

So, for those of you that are Gluten Free out there, this is a GREAT way for you to coat your chicken and make your favorite recipes you’ve always wanted to, but couldn’t in the past because of gluten.

Disclosure: I was given samples of Tall Papa Bread Crumbs to try out and review.  All opinions are my own.


Categories: Cooking, Fun Stuff | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review of Progresso Recipe Starters

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Jamie

Fall was always my favorite season.  From the pumpkin pies to the apple picking to the baking, it encompassed everything that I loved.

But one of my favorite things was turning around from the grill, and beginning to go back to home made meals cooked right out of the oven.  I loved those casseroles, lasagnas, chicken bakes and more.

So when Progresso (A Minnesota Company) approached me to review their new recipe starters I couldn’t wait to try them out.

Think Pre-Made Sauces in a can ready for you to use within great home cooked meals!  This was totally up my alley, and reminded me of those fall days back in Minnesota when we cooked these warmer meals to warm up what was cooling down outside.

 

When I first received my package I was so impressed with the box it came in.  They even gave me a wooden spoon with it which I have utilized with every recipe I’ve made with these.

They come in 5 different varieties:

Creamy Roasted Garlic with Chicken Stock

Fire Roasted Tomato

Creamy Parmesan Basil

Creamy Portobella Mushroom

Creamy Three Cheese

On the back of each can there is a recipe in which you can utilize the recipe starter with.  For most recipes you only need a couple more ingredients to create that meal.  But because they are recipe starters, there really needs to be ingredients added to them.  The sauces have a very subtle taste to them, so they need those extra ingredients.

Progresso has created 80 different recipes utilizing these recipe starter cooking sauces.  Each can comes with their own recipe as well as a QR code unlocking 30 more recipe ideas.  All the recipes are listed on www.progresso.com.

And now the fun we had creating our recipes:

For the first meal we created (my SO made this!) we decided on infusing chicken in with the sauce and topping it with rice.  It was a GREAT meal, and the sauce added a lot of substance to the meal.

For the second meal I decided to try out one of the Progresso Recipes with their Bacon Mac n’ Cheese.  This utilized the Three Cheese Sauce mixed with bacon, penne pasta, bell pepper, and shredded sharp cheese.  And this is being added to my recipe list!

And the third recipe we created was with the Creamy Parmesan Basil recipe starter.  We just combined garlic, salt, and butter to the sauce to make it the topping of our pasta that evening, and I must say I went back for second helpings!

There’s still two more cans we have left to utilize, but ideas are already in my head with what to do with them.  I must say I’m very happy with these recipe starters, it gave me a new way of thinking in the kitchen, and gave us some new recipes to add to our collection.

My SO’s thoughts on them:  At 40 I have a lot of experience with cooking in the kitchen, however, I never really mastered the sauce element, so I really enjoyed these recipe starters because it allowed me to bring sauces into the kitchen.

We highly recommend these Progresso Recipe Starters for your fall and winter cooking up ahead.  Have you tried them yet, what are your thoughts?

Disclosure: I was provided with samples of the Progresso Recipe Starters to try out.  We are very happy with the product and are happy to recommend it.  All thoughts are our own.

 
Gluten Free Basket
 


Categories: Life | 4 Comments

The Outlets at Orange #oaofalltweetup

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Jamie

Last Thursday evening I was invited out to the Outlets at Orange for a fun night of exploring fall fashions.  And let me tell you, it was one night I truly needed.

Back in high school I was a huge shopper.  Whenever I had a day off from work I’d hop on the bus then head to the Mall of America and shop my heart out.  I was always looking for the latest fashions, and always looking for that perfect outfit that would stand out from the rest.

Years have past since that time, and I admit I haven’t been following fashion for years, but this year, more and more, I’m truly beginning to get back into.

The Outlets at Orange hosted a wonderful tweetup for a lot of us women influencers on twitter and in the blogosphere, and they truly opened my eyes as to what was in for fashion this season.

When we first arrived we signed in and were given a bag of swag which included coupons and gift cards to local stores within the Outlets of Orange.  We were then greeted with tables of food to check out:

One such booth that grabbed everyone’s attention was from “Sweets From Heaven.”  Festive candy party wear, and with those fun colors and candy flavors how can you resist taking pictures?

They also had Jamba Juice which was Pumpkin Flavor, Lasagna and Pasta from Lascari’s Italian, Fuze was on hand giving away samples, and Cafe Tu Tu Tango was on hand (people loved them!)

After a brief introduction we were then seperated into two groups, and were taken to three different stores: Nordstrom Rack, Saks off 5th, and Last Call Neiman Marcus.  Each store had a different way of introducing us to the fall fashions.

Nordstrom Rack gave us a little fashion show:

They showcased some of the fall fashions.  Glitter sweaters are in this season, and Nordstrom Racks had some GREAT deals to check out.

We were then taken to Last Call Neiman Marcus where we were taken on a fun scavenger hunt.  Throughout the store there were 10 fall fashion trends to keep an eye out on.  Our way of finding them were with the “What’s Hot” signs found around the store.  I had fun going throughout the store looking for these trends.

When I finished I turned my card in, and lo and behold, because I was one of the first five to finish I was given a 50 dollar gift card, and I got to choose a personal gift:

I have something to confess here.  This is the first clutch I have ever owned, and lo and behold, it’s also my first designer bag.  So thank you Last Call Neiman Marcus, I won’t forget this.

We were then taken to Saks off 5th.  They gave us the challenge of finding a pair of shoes then pairing those shoes with an outfit in the next section of the store.   We had 5 minutes to do this, and also tweet out the picture in the 5 minutes time.  What did I come up with?

Afterwards they pulled us back to the event space where they held a raffle and handed out some fabulous prizes.  But, they gave us one last task to do.  To stop in Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Calvin Klein, and Banana Republic and find one item out of those stores that was your fall essential item.  My favorite from those stores came from Banana Republic with this gorgeous top:

This top above won me a 30 dollar giftcard to Off Broadway Shoes!!

It was a GREAT night, and even after all the fun I still found time to do a bit of shopping afterwards:

I’m ready for a night out! Also, check out this fun video created by OCTV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4MxZqSqHk

You may just happen to see me in it 😉

Disclosure: I was invited out for an Outlets at Orange Tweetup!  This is my recap of the evening, and it was a ton of fun. 

 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Life, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments