Whatever Works

Tired of the same old thing for dinner? Try these recipes for your spring veg

My friend Punk Rock Mike always has the most beautiful food on his Facebook page...  

Warm salad: cremini & oyster mushrooms, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, wilted arugula.

 ...See what I mean?  

No, he's not a professional chef -he just loves food and likes to cook it for his family.  I have always admired his style so I asked if he would like to share some of his recipes here.  Thankfully he agreed!

Punk Rock Mike and his family are part of a farmshare and get a big box of fresh, seasonal produce every week. He says:

"We always have to figure out how to use it all up...and we'll often get some of the same things for several weeks straight. It's challenging to find ways to use the ingredients differently each week, and maintain enough variety to keep it interesting.

Lately we've been getting alot of asparagus, lettuces, cilantro, radishes, chives, green onions, and some early tomatoes from the greenhouse. 

I always wonder what other people are doing with this stuff week after week, and whether they have ideas or if they get sick of it... and I'm sure others feel the same challenge I do. So, I thought it might be cool to offer up some of the ideas to feature these ingredients.

There are also some consistent 'standbys' that I make with the spring ingredients... green onion risotto, radish top soup -yes, using the radish greens.  I have to really load it up with other herbs like anise hyssop, mint, etc., but it works.

Last night I felt like being outside and grilling, and threw together the two recipes below to use the asparagus, cilantro, and tomato."

Grilled Asparagus with Fried Sage, Lemon, Parmesan

1 bunch asparagus
2 TBS lemon juice
4 TBS sage leaves
sliced parmesan cheese
salt + pepper
olive oil

1. Preheat grill to high heat.
2. Break each asparagus stalk at its natural breaking point, leaving pieces of consistent length and thickness. In bowl or sheet pan, toss asparagus with olive oil, and seasonings to taste.
3. Grill asparagus for appx. 5 minutes, turning often. Grill to the point of being tender, with a slight crunch still left in the asparagus.
4. Heat seasoned olive oil in saute pan to medium-high heat. Add sage leaves and fry for 1-2 minutes, until crisped and fragrant.
5. Plate asparagus, garnish with fried sage leaves and slices of parmesan. Pour lemon juice over the plate. Adjust seasonings to taste.

=======================

Smoky Caprese

1 large heirloom tomato
chipotle chile powder
3 TBS goat cheese
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, plus 1 TBS additional cilantro leaves
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 TBS champagne vinegar
salt + pepper
olive oil

1. Preheat grill to high heat.
2. To make cilantro-lime vinaigrette, add 1/2 cup cilantro, lime juice, champagne vinegar, and salt/pepper to taste (generally about 1 tbs salt) to blender. With blender running, add olive oil (roughly 3x the volume of the lime/vinegar) until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Slice tomato into 4 large slices. Brush each on both sides with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and chipotle. Grill tomato slices for appx. 5 minutes on each side.
4. Chop grilled tomato slices into strips, and remove skin from bottom of the two end slices.
5. Plate grilled tomato strips (2 plates/2 services). Top with crumbled goat cheese, cilantro-lime vinaigrette, and additional cilantro.

Can't wait to try these gorgeous looking treats.  Thanks, Punk Rock Mike!  

Free burgers for Burgers at Smashburger on National Burger Day May 28th AND a giveaway!

 

Classic Smash at Smashburger.  Man, that looks good. Photo courtesy of Smashburger

Smashburger, America’s fastest growing, fast casual “better burger” restaurant, today announced that in celebration of National Burger Day on May 28 it will give away a FREE Classic Smash™ nationwide to anyone with the last name “Burger,” or variations thereof.

 WHAT?! That is so cool!  

According to WhitePages.com, there are approximately 21,687 people in the United States with the last name “Burger” and 1,530 named “Hamburger.”  Either way, burger lovers with variations of “Burger” – or Berger, Weinberger, Rosenberger, etc. – in their names will receive one FREE Classic Smash™ in recognition of the holiday that celebrates America’s favorite food.  This offer is valid for redemption at all Smashburger locations in the United States. Proof of last name is required (i.e. valid driver’s license, passport or picture ID). Limit one Classic Smash per ID.

 So, if you have the last name of Burger or some type of Burger-esque name like Weinburger, Steinburger, Burgermeister, Frankenburger, Whateverburger you can get yourself a free Classic Smash at any Smashburger location this Tuesday.  

“Burgers are an iconic American food.  We’ve been eating them for generations and burgers are America’s favorite food,” said Tom Ryan, Founder of Smashburger.  “But just in the last five years or so, we have seen an explosion in people’s interest to eat higher quality burgers than the typical fast food fare. And with the average person eating 43 hamburgers per year, there is cause for celebration of a national holiday or “National Burger Day.”

 But hey, if you have a last name that's not even close to sounding like Burger you can still celebrate National Burger Day at Smashburger.  With 13 locations in New Jersey including Clifton, East Brunswick, North Brunswick, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hackensack, Montclair/Glen Ridge, Morris Plains, Newark Liberty International Airport (Terminal C), New Providence, Paramus, Parsippany and Ramsey, you can get that burger fix pretty easily.  

To help make that experience even better, I've been given $20 in Smashburger giftcards to giveaway!  I'd love for you to win.  Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and complete the tasks as explained to enter.  Giveaway ends 6/3 at 12:00AM.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information on Smashburger, or to join its e-club for news, promotions and offers, visit www.smashburger.com.  

Disclosure: While this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.  All italicized writing on this post was taken from a press release made by Smashburger.

Remembering the truth

When I was a kid, I thought I would be dead before the age of 27.  That seemed to be the magical age that I never thought I would get past.  I don't know why I picked 27.  Maybe it was because of Jim Morrison's death at age 27.  He seemed so mysterious and important back then.  

I wasn't happy as a child.  There, I said it.  

I tried.  I wanted to be happy.  

The thing is I didn't have a traumatic childhood.  My family is/was loving and caring.  I had friends.  I joined groups.  I played sports.  I went through the motions. 

I did all the things that happy kids do, but I felt alone in them.  I would always come back to my own thoughts and wonder if that feeling of being slightly off would ever go away.  I wondered if everyone else felt the same way. Does playing a sport truly give a rush of happiness?  Or is everyone else faking it like I am? Does everyone else go home and watch TV in their beds until 4AM and then go to school exhausted just praying for it to end?  

When I was 17, my friend Bryan committed suicide.  It was unexpected and terrible.  Apparently, I was one of the last people to ever hear his voice.  He called that night to talk with my sister.  She wasn't home. He and I talked for a few minutes and then we hung up.  

And then he checked out.

Gone.  

It was the day after Christmas.

I was mad.  I was sad. I was everything you think a pubescent teenager should be.  I stumbled through the viewing line which ran for miles down the road and had to excuse myself 3xs before I was finally able to go to his casket.  Later at home I cried.  My mom hugged me.  My sister cried in her room.  We didn't know how to handle it.

I went to college a year later and couldn't shake that feeling that the end was near.  My dreary outlook on life stayed with me thoroughout my 2 1/2 year stay at school.  I thought of Bryan often.  I felt closer with him after his death than I did in his life.  

But then something happened.  Something changed.  A light turned on.  I suddenly didn't feel down; I felt up.  I felt the world growing around me... flowers blooming, trees swaying, smiles.  The world just changed.  There is no explanation. It just...clicked.

And just like that, I was happy.

Looking back on those dark times makes me sad.  I have tried writing about them before, but never really get it right.  I just write about them so I will remember them when my kids go through rough times.  So that I can remember I was there once, too.  

Even without any particular pinpointed issue (like bullying, abuse, etc) childhood can be hard.  Yes we all have to go through it, but it does suck sometimes.

I look at my younger years in a different light now, from a different perspective.  What did my mom think?  Did she know?  I think so.  She has always been there for me.  I just didn't think I needed her.  I walked away from her and into my dark room looking for something else...even though she was right there.  I need to remember that when I try to open my own kids' doors and they say no.  

I will pay attention like my mom did and pray and hope they get through any tough times with a smile on the other side of them.  And of course I will be there when they reach for me.  Every time.

Fun times at the Tuckerton Seaport: A recap of the Bluegrass & BBQ festival

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but all my thoughts, opinions, and love for my day at the Tuckerton Seaport are truly my own.

Tucker's Island Lighthouse

 This weekend my family & I were fortunate enough to be guests of Real Mom Media at the Tuckerton Seaport's Bluegrass and BBQ Festival.  We were able to enjoy the festival with several of my blogging buddies who came in from the Philadelphia area to check out all the Tuckerton Seaport has to offer. 

I have to confess something: I've been to the Tuckerton Seaport probably 30 times since they opened, but I've never actually taken a guided tour.  Because I live within walking distance, my family & I always stop in to play mini golf or play on their huge wooden pirate ship.  Sometimes we take a walk to the top of the lighthouse and see if we can see our house from way up there.  We always check out the NJ Surf Museum and brag that their Hansen 50/50 is the same make our brother-in-law surfs.  

Every Friday evening in the summertime, we pack up our beach chairs and a cooler and head to the Seaport for their free Friday Night Concert events.

We love the Seaport.  But we've never actually walked with a guide.

bluegrass under the tent

 Between listening to awesome bluegrass music by both the staged bands and the vendors plucking cigar box banjos and eating barbeque like ribs, fried catfish, and collard greens, we were able to take a walk around the 46 acres to find out a little more about my town's history.

Fried catfish and BBQ chicken from Blossom's Catering

 We looked at duck decoys and sneakboxes that lined the Hunting Shanty and marveled at the names underneath.  My daughter thought it was super-cool to learn that a few of her friends are related to famous award winning decoy carvers and boat builders like Rube Corliss and Gus Heinrichs.  

 

Checking out the decoys in the Hunting Shanty

 We also got to play about a million different musical instruments including this awesome washboard necktie at Todd's Musical Petting Zoo which was there for the festival: 

 

Wrote a song about it. Like ta hear it? Here it go!

 I was also very happy to be there for the world premiere of Jersey Shore United a film by Jimmy Ward -a local favorite here on the Jersey Shore since Hurricane Sandy.  Jimmy has been making these fantastic videos of himself running through our shore towns after Hurricane Sandy to help show our progress in bebuilding.  But moreso they show our strength as a large community.  It warmed my heart to see him in person and to be able to tell him how great he is for doing what he does. 

 

Southern Regional HS sophomore Jimmy Ward

 We ended our day by making a really cute wooden duck magnet which now adorns my fridge.  The kids did a great job!

Quack!

 Our day at the Tuckerton Seaport was so great.  The kids are eager to go back and learn more and I'm eager to attend more of their awesome festivals.  Up next: the Privateers & Pirates Festival on June 8th 2013! Looking forward to it.  Hope to see you there!

 

Breadless Cheesy Garlic Bread

Just wanted to share a quick recipe that came to me during one of my cravings for good garlic bread only to find that we were out of the main ingredient: Bread.

Instead of putting on real pants and going to the store or bribing my husband in some way to go for me, I thought, "Hmmm, I really only want the cheesy goodness that's on top.  To heck with the bread!"  

I decided to skip the middle man (AKA: the bread) and just put the cheese itself directly under the broiler. The result was fantastic.  Here's how you do it:

 

Breadless Cheesy Garlic Bread

About 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1/8 tsp garlic powder

sprinkling of oregano

1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese

Sprinkle the mozzarella (similar to how you would put cheese on a pizza) into a pan that can be put in the broiler.  Then sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on top making sure they are evenly dispersed.  Stick in under a broiler until it is bubbly and brownish.  Let it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then remove it in one big sheet.  To easily cut it, use a pizza cutter.

 

 OK, so I know my blog is sorta all over the place. One day it's recipes, another day it's a giveaway, and another day it's a story about my family... I hope it's not too hard to follow.  One of these days I'll organize myself.  Until then it's just Whatever Works. :-)   

This post falls under the category of Weird Stuff I Do. It's about oil pulling.

 

Oil Pulling face!

I have always had sinus problems and never had any problem taking medication to treat them.  However, as we all know most sinus medications are not recommended when you are pregnant.  

So when I got all knocked up with my daughter, my sinuses started laughing at me.  Sinuses are jerks.

I looked everywhere for a good homeopathic remedy that could relieve my sinus pain and pressure and not cause my baby to come out resembling a Mucinex bottle or something.  Among other remedies like eating whole garlic cloves and doing shots of apple cider vinegar, I found the ancient Ayurveda practice of oil pulling.

Oil pulling is kinda gross when you think of it.  Basically, you take about 10ml of your favorite oil (I like safflower oil) and swish it around in your mouth for about 15 minutes.  Yes, the same 10ml of oil swishes around in your mouth for 15 minutes.  Then you spit it out and go on your merry way.  

When I read about it, I thought it was so silly it HAD to work.  Guess what?  It did.  After the first few days of oil pulling, I was blowing things out of my nose I never knew could fit in there.  But it did so much more than just that.

See, you are supposed to do your oil pulling first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything.  I'm not sure on the science of that aspect (or the science of ANY of it, to be honest) but the process goes beyond science for me.  Those first 15 minutes of the day are the calmest of the entire day.

My kids wake up and see me swishing, so they go about their business without asking me for anything.  If they do need something, we find creative ways to communicate with each other while I can't speak.  Today, my son and I had a great silent conversation about tea and his fluffy blanket using just our eyes and a sort of sign language.

I've been oil pulling for almost 10 years now.  I don't know if it has really helped me physically or if it's just in my head.  Maybe a little of both?  But I do know that it helps start my day off on the right foot most of the time.  Just thought I'd share it with you. 

 

 

What to write..?

 

My beautiful daughter at 1 year-old...about 8 years ago

I haven't written here in a while.  In fact, I am one day shy of a full month since my last post.  Sure, I have been busy doing other things, but truthfully the main reason I haven't written here is because I have been struggling with topics.  

See, my daughter is getting older.  She has asked me to stop writing about her publicly.  Even posting a picture of her on Facebook now requires her permission.  I completely understand and will abide by her request because I love her and respect her decision.  But it sort of leaves me with less writing material.  She is one funny and amazing girl.  I am so proud of her and all her accomplishments.  I want to scream it from the rooftops!  Alas, I can't and I won't.

My son, on the other hand is a hambone.  He loves the attention and thinks it's hilarious when people comment about his pictures or funny stories.  So what do I do?  Only write about my son?  Sure that seems like an easy solution, but I feel it's not fair.

Both my kids are remarkable in their own way.  While I would know the reason behind my seemingly one-sided posts that only tell tales of my son's adventures and exclude my daughter, I just don't want them to look back on it later in life and think I was favoring one over the other.

So it brings me back to my main purpose for writing this post: What do I write about when the main topic of my life is no longer a viable option?  It will be a work in progress.  I hope you'll stick around. 

Rose Romano's Italian Peppers: A Gourmet Topping - Review and giveaway!

One of the awesome perks of working in social media is that I am often given the opportunity to try new things and write reviews about them.  Sometimes, I am even afforded the luxury of offering a giveaway to you all.  I am happy to report that today is one of those awesome days!

The other day I received this gorgeous package in the mail from Rose Romano's: 

 

Beautiful presentation, don't you think?

 I was so excited to open it and give the topping a try.  Unlike typical pasta sauces, Rose Romano's is more of a topping to be used as an enhancement to your meal.  You don't need to pour a whole jar on your dish to make it taste good.  A few spoonfuls is all your need to make any dish delicious.  There are both red and green pepper varieties - all locally-sourced, gluten-free and low calorie.  

I'll tell you, I've been putting it on EVERYthing since opening the first jar.  Omelets, sausage & pepper sandwiches... so far my favorite has been using it to make this Italian hot dog (recipe below):   

Italian hot dog using Rose Romano's Italian Topping

 

Italian Hot Dogs

 8 of your favorite hot dogs

8 hot dog buns

1 small onion sliced thin

1 large russet potato diced

1/4 cup water

3 Tablespoons butter & 2 Tablespoons canola oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt & pepper

Rose Romano's Italian Pepper topping to taste

Place potatoes and water in pan on high heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cover for about 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked through.  Drain any excess water.  Add butter & oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper.  Cook a few minutes over medium heat and then add sliced onions.  Cook until potatoes get crispy and onions are slightly brown.

Grill hot dogs to the desired doneness and assemble them on a plate.  Put a hot dog in each bun.  Add a spoonful of the potato onion mixture and a dollop of Rose Romano's Italian Peppers on top.  Delicious! (Serves four- 2 hot dogs apiece)

 

I'd love for you to try Rose Romano's Italian Topping, too.  So I am giving away one of the beautiful jars from my stash.  All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me how you would like to use Rose Romano's Italian Topping.  I will randomly choose a winner on Friday 4/12/13 at 5:00 PM EST.

And don't worry...if you don't win you can still order Rose Romano's online at roseromanos.com or through their Facebook Page: Rose Romano's .  You can also find Rose Romano's at a few Whole Foods locations.  Keep an eye out for them!

Best of luck! Hope you win.

 

Sarah's story about preeclampsia

Until last year right around this time, I knew nothing about preeclampsia.  Sure, when I was pregnant, the doctors talked about it.  But since I was not diagnosed with it I let the information go in one ear and out the other.  There were too many other thing I needed to think about before becoming a new mother.  One of my friends went through it right after my daughter was born and I regrettably still did not fully understand the magnitude of it all.  She and her newborn daughter were in the hospital suffering from a life threatening problem, and I still did not understand.

Then I met Sarah Hughes...

Sarah and my husband went to college together.  The magic of Facebook made us friends.  Sarah is an advocate for the Preeclampsia Foundation and the coordinator of the Philadelphia Promise Walk for Preeclampsia.  She became fully aware of preeclampsia and its horrors after the birth of her daughter Hayley.  She shares her story here:

Sarah and her daughter Hayley

 

We mothers are so used to be the nurturers and caregivers that very often we make light of what we are feeling in order to continue on with the routine.  So when I woke up 6 days after my c-section unable to catch my breath, with blurry vision and a dull headache I thought I was just tired. I had a newborn and a toddler, I didn’t have time to think something was wrong with me or what I could do to fix it, but my husband Rob insisted I call my OBGYN. 

Hayley was my second baby.  She arrived full term via scheduled c-section on October 25^th.  Our little princess had arrived and even my son Derek, at just 26 months old, was thrilled for our family.  I was released from the hospital and spent two days in that post baby honeymoon phase. When I agreed to called my OBGYN I was surprised at the stern immediacy in her voice when she insisted I get to the hospital right away.

Derek meeting Hayley for the first time

My in-laws rushed over and I kissed my babies good-bye trying to be strong but unable to hold back the tears. Derek was going to be a fireman for Halloween that day, plus my brand new Hayley Jane, I needed to be home and dress Hayley in pink and cuddle her…would she forget me? Would we never bond? I didn’t realize then that it would be 3 hellish days till I saw them again.

Preeclampsia.  I heard the word, I knew it had to do with pregnancy and headaches and blood pressure (mine was 220/110)……but I wasn’t pregnant!!!!  There I was, a mother of two, about to be hooked up to a Magnesium IV so I wouldn’t have a seizure or stroke due to preeclampsia and I had NEVER even heard of having preeclampsia postpartum!

A very sweet nurse sat down next to me and grabbed my hand firmly. She asked me to tell her what I was thinking.  I told her, “I’m scared, I just want to be home with my babies and I’m nervous what will happen to me and I’m afraid that I might die”.  That was the honest truth, I was petrified that I would seize and die.

The first night I was on the magnesium I saw 5 of everything. I had to wear an oxygen tube because my oxygen saturation levels kept dropping so low that every time I would drift into sleep I would wake up gasping for my breath. I was pumping every two hours, unable to get out of bed and hooked up to a catheter.

I felt so sick, oh so sick. The magnesium makes you so so so sickly feeling.  After I came off the Magnesium I felt “better”. My blood pressure was still high but low enough that I could go home eventually.

It took a few weeks for my BP and me to get back to normal. I feel so lucky that my preeclampsia story only involves me and that Hayley was unharmed by it all.  Most people aren’t so lucky since Preeclampsia is the leading known cause of prematurity.  

Thousands of women and babies die or get very sick each year from this dangerous condition called preeclampsia, a life-threatening disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Affecting at least 5-8% of all pregnancies, preeclampsia and related disorders such as HELLP syndrome and eclampsia are most often characterized by the presence of protein in the urine and a rapid rise in blood pressure that can lead to seizure, stroke, multiple organ failure and death of the mother and/or baby. Swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision are important symptoms; however, some women with rapidly advancing disease report few symptoms.

Typically, preeclampsia occurs after 20 weeks gestation (in the late 2nd or 3rd trimesters or middle to late pregnancy), though it can occur earlier. Proper prenatal care is essential to diagnose and manage preeclampsia. Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) and toxemia are outdated terms for preeclampsia. Globally, preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. The Preeclampsia Foundation www.preeclampsia.org the only non-profit in the US devoted to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, serving the 10 million women worldwide who develop preeclampsia each year.

In the 5-15 years after having had preeclampsia I am now twice as likely to develop heart disease. According to the Preeclampsia Foundation there are an estimated 4.5M US women alive today who are at risk to die from Cardio Vascular Disease or stroke because of their preeclampsia history.  Both Hayley and Derek’s future wife are at a higher risk for developing preeclampsia because yes it is hereditary.  I have hope that one day we will find a cause and a cure for preeclampsia.  I will forever be trying to help in the education of preeclampsia and raise money for The Preeclampsia Foundation.  I am the volunteer walk coordinator for the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Philadelphia/South Jersey.  May is officially Preeclampsia Awareness Month.  Won’t you join our walk on Saturday, May 11^th, 2013 at Challenge Grove Park in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  We walk on Mother’s Day Weekend to celebrate Mothers and Babies!! If you aren’t local to the Philadelphia area you can find a walk closer to you at www.promisewalk.org We can’t do it alone!

We walked with Sarah last year and will be there again this year.  It is a really fun event that helps raise money - but better yet it helps bring preeclampsia survivors, friends and family together in a bright sunny light.  I hope you will join us.

 

About Sarah Hughes…I grew up in Staten Island, New York.  When I escaped working in New York City for a new life in Philadelphia I started dating my now husband Rob. We have two children, Derek is 4 and Hayley is 2. Finnegan is our 5 year old Australian Shepherd and really more like a third child than a dog. All of our children love to sleep in our bed!! I am a Shot@Life Champion and a Preeclampsia Foundation Walk Coordinator.  I blog over at www.finneganandthehughes.com

Congratulations Michelle N. for winning our Woolzies Dryer Balls giveaway! And thank you everyone for participating!