Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 5: Easy 5-Minute Salsa

By bobbi
June 10, 2013
2 Comments

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, did, or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards.

Not on Pinterest? No problem. Link-up your own creation to inspire us so we can pin in to our own boards. It can be a recipe, sewing project, Catholic craft, homeschool project, organizing/ homemaking tip, themed birthday party, whatever you’d like.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for a week so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately.

Don’t have a blog? No problem. Post your photo and a description on the RoL Facebook page. 🙂

* * * * *

Here is what I made this week…

I have often made chunky salsa but I have never tried making one in the blender. I was excited when I saw the recipe for Chili’s Copycat Salsa from the Six Sister’s because it looked so easy. I know there are other recipes that use only fresh ingredients but when you need to make a quick salsa in five minutes, this is perfect. I changed the recipe a little to suit our taste – less heat, more lime and added fresh cilantro – and the family loooves it. Here’s what I used.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained (The original recipe called for whole tomatoes but I found that diced tomatoes makes a much better consistency.)
1 small can of jalapenos (I had a can of diced jalapenos and used only about a teaspoon of it to keep the salsa mild.)
1 onion, quartered
1 lime
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, stems removed (I like a lot of cilantro and used about 1/2 of what you see in the photo.)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin

Mix the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. See? Super easy.

Yum! Pass the chips. 😉

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along. Here is the html code:

4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

You have a week to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 4: Pineapple Mango Salsa

By bobbi
May 27, 2013
5 Comments

Welcome to the new RoL Pinterest Party (formerly Making It Count.) Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, did, or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards.

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for a week so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately.

Don’t have a blog? No problem. Post your photo and a description on the RoL Favebook page. 🙂

* * * * *

At the beginning of the month I posted about How to Choose Ripe Fruit. I experimented with buying a kiwi, mango and watermelon. I made a comment about only eating canned pineapple and Andrea encouraged me to try a fresh one. I read her post about cutting a pineapple and went for it. I had a mango that was really ripe and needed to be eaten so I decided to make Six Sister’s Pineapple Mango Salsa.

I started with cutting my fruit then I followed the recipe.

Six Sisters Stuff: Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced (or 1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained)
1 roma tomato, diced
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (or 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro)
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice (Note: I actually left of the lemon.)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced very small

Directions:
“Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Store covered in the fridge. If you let this sit for a couple of hours before you eat it, the flavors really meld together and taste amazing!”

* * * * *

I followed the directions and it really was tasty! I served it with teriyaki chicken and the combination of sweet from the fruit and heat from the pepper was delicious. I didn’t use the seeds of the pepper so it was not too hot for the kids.

My tip for de-seeding chilies? Use a pair of gloves! I keep a box of latex type gloves in the kitchen and always use them when I cook with chili to keep the juice from getting on my fingers because that would be no bueno!

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along. Here is the html code:

4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

You have a week to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

The Pinishers – Food: How to Choose Ripe Fruit

By bobbi
May 3, 2013
3 Comments

It’s the last day of The Pinisher link-up but I made it. I’d say that was appropriate for a link-up catering to procrastinators. 😉

Okay, here is some back ground info first. Last week I got an email from the infamous but sweet Dorian Speed (I’ll admit I was a little star struck.) She was apologizing because she started a Pinterest link-up without realizing that I was already doing the Pinterest Party on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays. I was touched that she’d even give me the time of day. LOL. I told her not to worry since she does hers every week I only do mine twice a month. Readers of the blog could always link on both to share their post with more people if they’d like. I was also excited that I’d have the opportunity to link up with Dorian on my off weeks as well. This week’s Pinisher topic if food. Perfect. 🙂

I was shopping at Trader Joes yesterday and I wanted to try a few new fruits, or rather, fruit I’ve eaten at a restaurant or a friend’s house but I never bought myself. I had in mind kiwi and mangoes. However, I wasn’t sure how to figure out which ones were ripe. I wrested my iPhone out of Matthew’s hands, who was none too pleased that I paused his Blue’s Clues, and searched Pinterest for a “ripe fruit guide.” I found a pin of this article – How to Choose the Best Fruit in the Produce Section: A Guide for 15 Common Fruits.

The three products I was concerned about at that moment were…

“Kiwi: A kiwi is ripe when it gives slightly when pressed. Those that are too hard will not be sweet, while those that are too soft or shriveled are spoiled.”

“Mangoes: Finding a ripe mango can be tricky because they can be yellow, red, green or orange in color. Those that are ready to eat will usually have a yellow hue and should be slightly soft to the touch. Ripe mangoes also have a sweet aroma near the stem end.”

“Watermelon – Choose a firm, heavy watermelon with a smooth skin — and be sure it has a well-defined yellow area on one side. This is the spot where the watermelon has been resting while ripening, and if it’s not there it means it may have been harvested too soon.”

I followed the guide and brought my chosen fruit home. I haven’t opened the mango yet but I did sample the watermelon and the kiwi.

The watermelon was easy to cut open and was tasty, although not as sweet as they will be in another month or so.

I wasn’t quite sure how to peel the kiwi so I googled around and found this link and video at HowToPeelAKiwi.com/. (I’m serious. That is the actual web address.) Anyway, I did as they instructed: cut off the ends, made a slit, then worked a spoon underneath the skin and removed the peel. Viola! It’s funny how such a small, simple thing can make me feel accomplished. One day I may even tackle a pineapple that doesn’t come from a can. Baby steps. 😉

Okay, get your creative mojo flowing because Tuesday is the next Pinterest Party Link-up here at RoL. Dorian’s Pinisher link-up is the same day and the theme is “Home.” I’ll work on something homey this weekend so I can link with her too. Wait, am I allowed to link-up a link-up? Maybe not. Either way, see you back here on Tuesday! 🙂

Oh and you can follow me in Pinterest here – http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. Leave your link or handle in the comment box so I can make sure I’m following you too. 🙂

Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 1: Strawberry Coconut Cake

By bobbi
April 8, 2013
4 Comments

Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for a week so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. 🙂

* * * * *

For my contribution this week I wanted to make the family a dessert where I wasn’t worried about calories or fat content. I wanted to make something to celebrate Easter and the warmth of spring and give them a special treat. My father-in-law always goes to to the Farmer’s Market on the weekend and brings us back a big bag of fruit and veggies. This weekend he brought us three containers of fresh strawberries and I knew which pinned recipe I would try to make. It was the Strawberry Coconut Cake I had on my “What’s Baking” Board. The recipe is originally from Candy Jammies and I followed Michele’s recipe, except that I did not have any coconut extract so I just used extra vanilla.

Michelle lists the following Ingredients & Directions.

1 (18.5 ounce) box white cake mix
4 T. strawberry gelatin powder
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
2 T. granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. pureed strawberries
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. coconut extract
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced
1 c. coconut, finely shredded in food processor
several strawberries to fill cake and garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl and stir together. Beat in oil, eggs, water, strawberry puree, vanilla, and coconut extract. Mix well. Stir in diced strawberries and coconut. Pour into two 8- or 9-inch round pans, greased and floured. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pans.

Put pans on wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and leave on racks to cool completely. While cooling, make icing.

Spread some icing on first layer, then top with sliced strawberries. Place second layer on top and ice the rest of the cake. Cover entire cake in shredded coconut and garnish with fresh strawberries. I don’t tint my coconut pink like in the original recipe, because I think it’s so pretty to cut into the white cake and have the surprise of bright pink inside. I like the contrast of the white icing/coconut and pink cake.

The first time I made this, I did cupcakes. They’re really pretty with a small strawberry on each one.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
2 16-oz. boxes powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Add a tablespoon or so of milk if icing is too thick.

* * * * *

Originally I was going to make a sheet cake or cupcakes like Michelle mentioned because the one time I tried a two layer cake it was so bad, I had to erase it from my memory. I didn’t want my debut post to be a total flop but I figured heck, go big or go home. So I went big. I got my first layer done.

And my second layer done.

It was very amateur, somewhat sloppy and looked nothing like Michelle’s fabulous photo but if you took a few steps back and squinted it didn’t look half bad for a rookie. Best of all, it tasted delicious.

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

3. Add a link back here so others can play along. Here is the html code:

4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

You have a week to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

Making It Count (Vol 13) & Meatless Meal: Katie’s TJ Chili Cornbread (& Vegetarian Chili)

By bobbi
March 12, 2013
4 Comments

AND

Today we have a Making It Count Tuesday (Now known as The RoL Pinterest Party & Link-up) and Meatless Meal Mash-Up! If you are new to Making it Count, you simply start with any one of those fabulous ideas you’ve found online. Then, do it. Make it. Cook it. Create it. Take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world. When you’re done, snap a photo, write about it and share it with us. Make your time online count! (*NOTE: This is the last Making It Count I will be hosting. Starting in April I will be doing a new Pinterest Party link-up. Details below.)

I am also linking up with Beth Anne’s Best and Tales from Astoria for Meatless Mondays.

Katie’s Trader Joe Chili Cornbread

A couple weeks ago I went to a Mom’s Night Out at my friend Katie’s house. She made a delicious spread of food and my favorite dish was a chili cornbread. I asked for the recipe with pen and paper in hand ready to write down all the ingredients. I laughed when she said all I needed was a box of Trader Joe Cornbread Mix and a can of Trader Joe Vegetarian Chili. (For the cornbread you will also need milk, oil and an egg.) Wow, it tasted a lot more complicated than that!

I mixed together the cornbread mix with the milk, egg and oil. I then added the can of chili.

Katie recommended that I use a cast-iron skillet (or stone wear.) I popped it into the oven according to the box directions and about a half hour later this is what I got.

To round out the meal I tried one of my Pinterest chili recipes I had pinned.

Vegetarian Chili from The Curvy Carrot.com

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine ( about 1 cup)
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder (I used 3 tsp so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids.)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups canned beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can of red kidney beans and 1 can of pinto beans)
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (I used fresh corn I had leftover.)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I ran out of cilantro. Grr.)
1 tablespoon lime juice
Cheese, optional
Sour cream, optional (I’m not a big sour cream fan so I left it off.)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until about shimmering.

2. Add the onion and cook until translucent and slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the red pepper and cook until it and the onion are soft and slightly browned around the edges, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

5. Push the vegetables to the perimeter of the pot so that the center of the pot is clear.

6. Sprinkle the cumin seeds (or ground cumin) into the center of pot and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

7. Stir the cumin and vegetables together and let cook until the cumin is fragrant, about 1 minute.

8. Add the chili powder and cayenne pepper and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

9. Add 2 cups water and stir well to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

10. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

11. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, and brown sugar, and bring back to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 25 minutes.

12. Add the beans and corn and stir gently to incorporate.

13. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in salt, cilantro, and lime juice immediately before serving.

Here is the finished product.

The photo is not great but the end result was yummy!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose a tutorial, recipe, or idea that has inspired you. Do it and blog a little about it. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — we just want to see what you’ve been up to!
2. In your post, rather than linking to your Pinterest pin, link back the original idea/blogger. We want to be sure that cool idea credit is given to the proper person. 🙂
3. Link back here so others can play along.
4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address. And please use your own original photo (not someone else’s!) as your thumbnail image. Copyright issues, you know. 😉

Since this is the last Making It Count for March I will leave it up the rest of the month.

Save the date! On April 9 we debut the new RoL Pinterest Party Link-Up where you can showcase a pin you brought to life or link up your own project/creation to inspire others to pin it to their boards. More info coming soon!

Have fun!

* * * * *

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Category Archives: food

Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 5: Easy 5-Minute Salsa

Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 4: Pineapple Mango Salsa

The Pinishers – Food: How to Choose Ripe Fruit

Pinterest Party & Link-up, Vol 1: Strawberry Coconut Cake

Making It Count (Vol 13) & Meatless Meal: Katie’s TJ Chili Cornbread (& Vegetarian Chili)

Katie’s Trader Joe Chili Cornbread

Vegetarian Chili from The Curvy Carrot.com