I love meal planning. Every weekend, I make out a list of new recipes I have found, created and/or modified and list out all of the ingredients to make my grocery trips easier. New recipes are fun to try, and your family will certainly appreciate the extra effort and variety you bring to their bellies :)
I've had quite a few people asking me to help them with meal planning, so I have decided to start offering this service. If you are interested, email me at neetarenner@gmail.com!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Mixed Berry Cheesecake Dip
I have a sweet tooth. I love all things sugar: pudding, cereal, candy, cookies, cupcakes muffins...you name it! And I absolutely ADORE cheesecake. Andy doesn't love that I'm a sugar junkie, but I'm perfectly fine with it :) Lol.
The other day, I was surfing my new favorite blog, pink-parsley.com, and I stumbled across a recipe that would not only satisfy my cheesecake craving, but also would use up some leftover ingredients in the fridge and pantry. Double score!
Mixed Berry Cheesecake Dip
Recipe loosely adapted from pinkparsley.com~
adapted from Ina Garten
-1 pound of room temperature cream cheese
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup sour cream
-1 tablespoon lemon zest
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
-2 cups mixed berries (diced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
Place the cream cheese and sugar at medium-high speed in a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or use a hand mixer to mix until light and fluffy for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla, and heavy cream. Beat mixture until well combined. If the consistency is too thick, add a bit more heavy cream. Pour into a 9 inch pie plate. Use a spatula to spread and smooth over top of the dip.
Cover and place in fridge to chill for a few hours. Serve this with graham crackers or pretzels.
Enjoy!
The other day, I was surfing my new favorite blog, pink-parsley.com, and I stumbled across a recipe that would not only satisfy my cheesecake craving, but also would use up some leftover ingredients in the fridge and pantry. Double score!
Mixed Berry Cheesecake Dip
Recipe loosely adapted from pinkparsley.com~
adapted from Ina Garten
-1 pound of room temperature cream cheese
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup sour cream
-1 tablespoon lemon zest
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
-2 cups mixed berries (diced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
Place the cream cheese and sugar at medium-high speed in a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or use a hand mixer to mix until light and fluffy for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla, and heavy cream. Beat mixture until well combined. If the consistency is too thick, add a bit more heavy cream. Pour into a 9 inch pie plate. Use a spatula to spread and smooth over top of the dip.
Cover and place in fridge to chill for a few hours. Serve this with graham crackers or pretzels.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Incredible Sandwich Factory in Alpharetta, Georgia
Last week, Andy and I visited a little sandwich shop our friend Wayne recommended off of McFarland Road in Alpharetta, Georgia. It is called "The Incredible Sandwich Factory."
This place was awesome! The owner, Julio, is not only a delight to talk to, but has done a great job of giving his delicious sandwiches a lot of character; they are all themed around movies, like "The Porkfather," and "Top Turkey."
The food here was scrumptious! Julio puts a lot of time into the meats, making it tender and succulent. You can add anything from grilled avocado (Julio says that he grills it because it tastes like avocado butter :) to jalapenos to your sandwich. Andy and I shared "The Mariachi," with pork with grilled avocado, American and Swiss cheese, red and tomatillo sauces and lettuce and tomato. Yum! We also shared "The Great Roast." WOW! This one has fat free mayo, whole round eye pot roast, spicy onion salad, red sauce, and of course, we added the grilled avocado. Let me tell you, that spicy onion salad and red sauce were TO DIE FOR! Andy isn't even a fan of red meat, and he DEVOURED his half of this one. It was unbelievable.
All his bread comes in fresh, which makes the sandwiches even more enjoyable. Julio believes in using all local ingredients as well- something we can all appreciate.
The restaurant is open from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, so definitely go by on your lunch hour or visit after work for dinner. They are located at 1545 McFarland Parkway, Alpharetta, 30005, and their website address is incrediblesandwich.com. You can also like the "The Incredible Sandwich Factory" on Facebook.
Drop by for an "Incredible" sandwich today, and tell Julio that Neeta sent you :)
This place was awesome! The owner, Julio, is not only a delight to talk to, but has done a great job of giving his delicious sandwiches a lot of character; they are all themed around movies, like "The Porkfather," and "Top Turkey."
The food here was scrumptious! Julio puts a lot of time into the meats, making it tender and succulent. You can add anything from grilled avocado (Julio says that he grills it because it tastes like avocado butter :) to jalapenos to your sandwich. Andy and I shared "The Mariachi," with pork with grilled avocado, American and Swiss cheese, red and tomatillo sauces and lettuce and tomato. Yum! We also shared "The Great Roast." WOW! This one has fat free mayo, whole round eye pot roast, spicy onion salad, red sauce, and of course, we added the grilled avocado. Let me tell you, that spicy onion salad and red sauce were TO DIE FOR! Andy isn't even a fan of red meat, and he DEVOURED his half of this one. It was unbelievable.
All his bread comes in fresh, which makes the sandwiches even more enjoyable. Julio believes in using all local ingredients as well- something we can all appreciate.
The restaurant is open from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, so definitely go by on your lunch hour or visit after work for dinner. They are located at 1545 McFarland Parkway, Alpharetta, 30005, and their website address is incrediblesandwich.com. You can also like the "The Incredible Sandwich Factory" on Facebook.
Drop by for an "Incredible" sandwich today, and tell Julio that Neeta sent you :)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Barbecue Bean Pizza and Amish Pasta Salad
Mondays were traditionally vegetarian in my household growing up. My Mom would always make something Indian, which was awesome, but tough for me to continue since I don't do much Indian cooking.
I tried to get creative. Since we love naan pizza (individual pizzas made on Indian naan bread), I came up with this little spin on barbecue chicken pizza and served it with my favorite pasta salad, which is a recipe I loosely adapted from allrecipes.com.
Sorry for the poor picture quality. We were between houses moving, so we didn't have our cameras readily available.
Barbecue Bean Pizza
-Store bought garlic naan bread (available at most grocery stores or your local Indian grocer)
-A can of kidney or great northern beans, rinsed
-Your favorite barbecue sauce
-Mozzarella cheese
-Sliced red onions
-Chopped cilantro
-Chopped tomatoes
-Lime wedges
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place greased foil on a baking tray. Lay your naan breads down and spread about a tablespoon of barbecue sauce on each.
Slice up the mozzarella cheese and distribute among the pizzas.
Toss the beans with barbecue sauce (There is really no portioning with this, do as much or as little as you want. Just get the beans coated in the sauce).
Spread the pizza with the bean mixture, then top with onions.
Place the pizzas in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until crispy.
While the pizzas cook, mix the cilantro and tomatoes together.
Once done, top each pizza with the cilantro-tomato mixture, then cut into four. Serve with lime wedges. Delicious!
Amish Pasta Salad
Recipe loosely adapted from allrecipes.com
-1 lb wheat elbow macaroni (white is fine, we try to be healthy!)
-2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
-1-1 1/2 cup Miracle Whip (to your taste)
-3 tablespoons yellow mustard
-1/3 cup white sugar
-2 1/4 teaspoons white vinegar
-3/4 teaspoon celery seed
-Sliced green olives (with or without pimento is fine)
Cook elbow macaroni until al dente. Drain. Allow pasta to cool for 10 minutes.
Toss macaroni with last 7 ingredients. Refrigerate until very cold.
Enjoy!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions :) Happy Eating!!!
I tried to get creative. Since we love naan pizza (individual pizzas made on Indian naan bread), I came up with this little spin on barbecue chicken pizza and served it with my favorite pasta salad, which is a recipe I loosely adapted from allrecipes.com.
Sorry for the poor picture quality. We were between houses moving, so we didn't have our cameras readily available.
Barbecue Bean Pizza
-Store bought garlic naan bread (available at most grocery stores or your local Indian grocer)
-A can of kidney or great northern beans, rinsed
-Your favorite barbecue sauce
-Mozzarella cheese
-Sliced red onions
-Chopped cilantro
-Chopped tomatoes
-Lime wedges
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place greased foil on a baking tray. Lay your naan breads down and spread about a tablespoon of barbecue sauce on each.
Slice up the mozzarella cheese and distribute among the pizzas.
Toss the beans with barbecue sauce (There is really no portioning with this, do as much or as little as you want. Just get the beans coated in the sauce).
Spread the pizza with the bean mixture, then top with onions.
Place the pizzas in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until crispy.
While the pizzas cook, mix the cilantro and tomatoes together.
Once done, top each pizza with the cilantro-tomato mixture, then cut into four. Serve with lime wedges. Delicious!
Amish Pasta Salad
Recipe loosely adapted from allrecipes.com
-1 lb wheat elbow macaroni (white is fine, we try to be healthy!)
-2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
-1-1 1/2 cup Miracle Whip (to your taste)
-3 tablespoons yellow mustard
-1/3 cup white sugar
-2 1/4 teaspoons white vinegar
-3/4 teaspoon celery seed
-Sliced green olives (with or without pimento is fine)
Cook elbow macaroni until al dente. Drain. Allow pasta to cool for 10 minutes.
Toss macaroni with last 7 ingredients. Refrigerate until very cold.
Enjoy!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions :) Happy Eating!!!
I'm Back!!!
Happy March Everyone!
I'm back. I have lots of recipes to share with you, too, so stay tuned!
I must now introduce you to the newest member of my family. This is our handsome son, Naveen:
Of course, Mommy is going to do everything she can to teach him about cooking :) I am so excited to share with my little man!
I will be back to share VERY SOON, my friends!!!
I'm back. I have lots of recipes to share with you, too, so stay tuned!
I must now introduce you to the newest member of my family. This is our handsome son, Naveen:
Of course, Mommy is going to do everything she can to teach him about cooking :) I am so excited to share with my little man!
I will be back to share VERY SOON, my friends!!!
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