OVEN BAKED ZUCHINNI CHIPS

May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

Ingredients

1 (large) zucchini, cut into 1/8″ – 1/4″ slices
1/3 cup whole grain breadcrumbs, optional Panko (homemade breadcrumb recipe)
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, reduced fat
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Kosher or sea salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons low-fat milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine in a small mixing bowl, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Dip zucchini slices into milk and dredge into bread crumbs to coat both sides. Note: It may be necessary to press crumbs onto zucchini slices to ensure the crumbs stick.

Arrange zucchini on a non-stick cookie sheet and lightly mist with a non-stick cooking spray. We use Cassio Oil Spray Pump. Or, place zucchini on a wire rack sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

If using a rack, place rack on a cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turn over and continue baking until golden, approximately 10-15 minutes (being careful not to burn). Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.

NOTE: Zucchini Chips will continue to get crispier while cooling.

NOTE: For gluten free chips, use gluten-free bread crumbs.

QUESO TACO BOMBS

May 16, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

Ingredients

2: cups taco-flavored tortilla chips

1: can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits

16: cubes (1 inch) Mexican prepared cheese product with jalapeño peppers (about half of 16-oz loaf)

: Canola oil for deep frying

Directions

Using food processor or resealable plastic bag and rolling pin, crush tortilla chips into fine crumbs. Set aside.
Separate dough into 8 biscuits; cut each in half. Gently stretch each biscuit half around 1 cube of cheese; pinch to seal well.
Coat each stuffed biscuit evenly and completely with crushed chips.
In deep fryer or 3-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil to 350°F. Fry 2 stuffed biscuits at a time until golden brown on all sides. Remove from oil to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly before serving.

ROAST BEEF & GREEN CHILI GRILLED CHEESE

May 16, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles (about 4)
4 onion rolls
About 2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 pound pepper jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 pound thinly sliced rare roast beef
4 canned mild green chiles, seeded, split, and dried with paper towels

Preparation

1. Stir together mayonnaise and chipotles and set aside.

2. Preheat a panini press* to 350° (medium heat). Brush the outsides of rolls with oil. Split rolls. Spread bottom halves with 1 1/2 tsp. chipotle mayo each, then top each with 2 slices cheese; 2 or 3 slices roast beef; 1 chile, opened up flat; and 2 more slices cheese.

3. Spread top halves of rolls with 1 1/2 tsp. chipotle mayo each and place on tops of sandwiches. Grill sandwiches 2 at a time until crisp and bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 sandwiches. Let sandwiches cool slightly, then slice with a serrated knife and serve.

*If you don’t have a panini press, use two pans to achieve the same effect: Cook your sandwiches in a frying pan or cast iron skillet and weight them with a heated cast iron skillet.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per sandwich.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories 597
Caloriesfromfat 56 %
Protein 33 g
Fat 37 g
Satfat 14 g
Carbohydrate 33 g
Fiber 1.4 g
Sodium 1167 mg
Cholesterol 89 mg

GOLDEN GATE GRILLED CHEESE

May 16, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
4 freshly cut slices from a sourdough loaf
6 ounces thinly sliced turkey
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 slices muenster cheese

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, and chile flakes. In a medium bowl, whisk egg and milk. Spread parmesan on a plate.

2. In a large frying pan, melt half the seasoned butter over medium heat. Dip 1 bread slice in egg mixture, coating one side only. Dip coated side into parmesan. Place to one side in frying pan, cheese side down. Repeat with 1 of remaining bread slices. Arrange turkey, avocado, cilantro, and muenster on slices, dividing evenly.

3. Dip remaining bread into egg and then into parmesan. Arrange on sandwiches, cheese side up, and cook over medium heat until undersides are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Lift sandwiches and add remaining butter to pan; flip and cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per sandwich.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories 866
Caloriesfromfat 54 %
Protein 62 g
Fat 52 g
Satfat 26 g
Carbohydrate 38 g
Fiber 2.7 g
Sodium 1668 mg
Cholesterol 272 mg

EASY HOMEMADE BODY SCRUB

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

This recipe is one of the easiest ones for sugar scrubs and one of the most versatile. You can use any body wash you like. Dove brand has wonderful choices: pomegranate & lemon verbena; Cucumber & Green Tea; Blue-Fig–Orange-Blossom; nectarine–white-ginger; Pistachio Cream; Plum & Sakura Blossom; Cherry Blossom & Almond; Grapefruit & Lemongrass…..

The possibilities are endless!

Don’t forget the man in your life, he will love the way this exfoliating scrub feels after a long day, and you can use his favorite, (or your favorite :)) body wash.

I like Axe’s “Dark Temptation”. That’s the one I made for my dad and he really likes it and uses it, which reminds me, mom said the jar is nearly empty so I better get busy!

I hope you make several for yourself and to give to friends. Remember Father’s Day is just around the corner!

Here’s what I put in the jar:

3 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup baby oil

1/4 cup body wash

mix and enjoy 🙂

keeps for a couple weeks, a couple months in the frig.

My Body Scrubs for the Christmas Bazaar.

Me selling my wares at the Christmas Bazaar. The Body Scrubs were a favorite. Watch for my scrubs, coming soon to Arabella Ave!

DIY Wednesday: Homemade Whipped Body Butter

May 15, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

This looks wonderful. I must try this too!

Makeup & Macaroni

This past weekend was Mother’s Day, and along with a few other items, I gifted my mom and grandma with a rich, homemade body butter. I love giving homemade gifts and think they really make the recipient feel special. Follow these easy steps and you, too, can enjoy this simple, but luxurious body butter!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Mango Butter (cocoa or shea work too, but the mango butter has NO smell)
1/2 cup Coconut Oil (I used my Dr. Bronner’s Unrefined)
1/4 Cup + 1 TSP Sweet Almond Oil (Castor or Grapeseed work well, too)
Essential Oils of your choosing (Some personal faves: peppermint, lemon & lavender, grapefruit & sweet orange)

Start by adding all ingredients (except essential oils) into a double boiler and melt over medium heat. You’ll notice the coconut oil will liquify nearly immediately, but the mango butter takes a little more time.

Once the mixture is…

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Spiced Apple Pie Sugar Scrub

May 14, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

This scrub smells so delicious, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep from eating it! You could eat it, I suppose, as it is non-toxic and all natural, but I recommend rubbing it all over yourself instead 🙂

I made-up this recipe, if you can call it a recipe at all, when I was getting ready for the Christmas Bazaar last Fall.

This is what I put in the jar:

Equal amounts of White & Brown Sugar, say about 1 cup each.

Celestial Seasonings, Cinnamon Apple Spice Herbal Tea, about 6 packets. Open the tea bags and add the dried tea to the sugar mixture.

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Add your favorite oil, or a mixture of two. I like Coconut and Cottonseed. Coconut because is smells so good and is wonderful to the skin, and cottonseed, because it doesn’t change the scent of your scrub since it is odorless.

Not only that, but Coconut Oil solidifies when cool and can be difficult to scoop out of the jar, so adding a liquid oil help it stay a nice consistency. Put enough oil to where the scrub won’t drip thru your fingers. Keep the lid on tight and avoid getting water in the jar while your in the shower. This will keep for months in the refrigerator, and a couple weeks on the shelf.

This scrub smells like your mum’s apple pie!

Spiced Apple Pie Scrub

Brown Sugar Body Polish

May 14, 2015May 14, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

….so my daughter was scraping the bottom of the jar of Brown Sugar Body Polish that I had made for her, and decided to make her own. It didn’t quite turn out, so she called me to ask what she had forgotten.

Here’s what I put in the jar:

2 cups Brown Sugar

1 cup Granulated Sugar

2 Tbsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp Almond Oil (optional)

1 cup of your favorite oil, Sunflower, Cottonseed, Coconut, Olive (light)

Stir all ingredients together till all the lumps are gone. You want the consistency of soft playdough so it won’t run through your fingers and down the drain.

She forgot the granulated sugar 🙂

This feels and smells wonderful!

I sold my Body Scrubs at the Christmas Bazaar last Fall. I have more recipes to share!

The Right Shade of Beige

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 / meemsbling / Leave a comment

Coffee is yummy. I like it very much. In the morning, in the afternoon or in the evening 🙂

The coffee cup I keep at work is a tall, clear glass mug with a gold maple leaf on the side. I got it at the airport in Edmonton, Alberta, many years ago. Those of you who’ve been in my office in the morning, you’ve probably seen it and know what I mean by “beige”! lol Ok, so I like a little coffee with my cream ❤

Coffee is yummy, inside and out! I made a body scrub from coffee grounds & brown sugar that felt so good on my legs after a long day, I want to share it with you. This scrub exfoliates while it moisturizes your skin.

I’ve read a little about caffeine and cellulite , but I’m not going to make any claims of that nature. I do know this, after an afternoon of yard work, pulling weeds and the such, this scrub feels wonderful on your body.

Here’s what I put in the jar:

1 cup coffee grounds. (I like “The Taste of Texas”:))

1 cup of brown sugar. (I also like this in my coffee to drink!)

4 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp vanilla extract

a dash of cinnamon

Coconut oil, till you have the consistency you like. I don’t like a scrub that runs through your fingers and down the drain, kinda defeats the purpose! I like it sort of chunky, so you can hold onto it.

Enjoy!