On the 3rd Day of Christmas
...My Pampered Chef Consultant Gave to Me A Sauce It Up Set for FREE!!   NEW!  #2386 Sauce It Up — $35.00 Instant flavor! Our Sweet & Sour Sauce, Spicy Pineapple Rum Sauce and Raspberry Habanero Sauce tucked in a muslin gift bag. You know the drill. The first guest to comment that they would like to host a Pampered Chef Catalog show via Facebook, Twitter or the old-fashioned wa...
On the 2nd Day of Christmas
... My Pampered Chef Consultant gave to me... A Great Grilling Set ABSOLUTELY FREE!  Great Grilling! Seasoning and Recipe Collection - Give your grill master a gift that really sizzles: Chili Lime Rub, Smoky Applewood Rub, Smoky Barbecue Rub and The Pampered Chef® Grill it Quick! in a muslin gift bag. Your FREE GIFT as well as tons of other free and discounted items are only a comment aw...
The 1st Day of Christmas
This month I will be hosting a Pampered Chef 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway.  Starting December 1st I will be listing 12 different gifts you can win for hosting a Pampered Chef Facebook, Twitter or Catalog Show. Look for a photos of gifts in these location. Facebook Catalog Shows are FREE & EASY! I will send catalogs to anyone you like or I can send you the packet in the mail and you can p...
A Great Day For the Farmer’s Market
 May 22nd was a beautifully sunny Saturday day and so we rose early and headed out to hit the local farmer's markets. Though the Mt. Laurel Farmer's Market doesn't officially begin until June 4th, there were a few vendors out this weekend selling garden fresh vegetables, knit & crocheted items and one of my favorites, cheeses and jellies. As a matter of fact, while I was working at the CMMS...
Cooking & Crafting with Brandy & Friends – Newsletter Vol. 2
Italian Sausage & Potato Soup
Tonight I pulled some Italian sausage out to defrost without really knowing what I planned to make. I just started cooking the first few steps below and then decided to go with the soup dish. My mom had actually just mentioned the Italian Wedding Soup from Olive Garden early today so I suppose that is kind of where the idea originated. I first browned some diced bacon while I boiled some diced ...
Market Bags Now on Sale!
I am loving these new market bags that my wonderful mother has made. She has crocheted some beautiful bags for you to take with you to the farmer's market or craft fair. I'm a lucky girl because I was able to pick out my own colors for my bag. Check out the current market bags we have in inventory and keep your eye out for new colors and designs coming soon. Pick out your one-of-a-kind, gorgeo...
Cooking & Crafting with Brandy & Friends–Biweekly Newsletter–Volume 1
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Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa
This past weekend, I spent the day at Oak Mountain Middle School's Expo and Fair in my wonderful Pampered Chef booth cooking for guest and making new friends. The hit recipe was the Mango Confetti Salsa from page 5 in our new 2011 spring catalogs. Tonight, I needed to make something fast for dinner and since I had some leftover ingredients I thought it would be great to try the salsa on some fresh...
Basic Crepes
This morning my lovely husband, Adam, had what he called on his twitter feed a #RandomBreakfastCraving for #tinypancakes – in other words, crepes.  He searched online and found a great Basic Crepe recipe at AllRecipes.com.  By the time I made it downstairs he had already fired off most of the crepes and was pulling out ingredients for the filling.  I had some left over mascarpon...

Kitchen Sink Chicken Sausage Soup

My sister, Danielle made this up the other night and she said it was AWESOME! The idea is to use up any and all of the veggies in your fridge. Fresh, frozen, canned or even leftovers will work. There is no wrong way to make this! Just remember to add frozen veggies first and canned veggies last.

Serves 12-16

  • 2 12-oz pkgs any flavor chicken sausage without casing or casings removed
  • 1 cup any kind of onions chopped or 2 leeks cut lengthwise and then sliced on bias
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3-4 cups of any root or squash-like vegetables on hand: celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, green beans, squash, zucchini; slice or cube into small, equal sizes so that they cook in about the the same amount of time
  • 2 cups leafy vegetable like kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
  • 1 can beans like red kidney, garbanzo, cannellini or northern beans
  • 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley (If you have very flavorful sausage, you could even skip this ingredient)
  • Salt and pepper

Break up chicken sausage with hands or back of spoon and add to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Add stock, root/squash vegetables and herbs to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and squash are almost done (should be able to easily pierce with a fork or knife). Then add leafy vegetables and canned beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Carbonara alla Courgette

Posted By: Brandy on August 13, 2010 in Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Pork, Uncategorized, Vegetables - Comments: 2 Comments »

The new Cooking channel has started and I am feeling completely nostalgic watching Two Fat Ladies, Sara’s Secrets and Jamie at Home. Last week I saw an episode on Jamie at Home called Carbonara alla Courgette that looks easy and delicious. I made the dinner for the family and it was so flavorful with the cream sauce, full of fresh zucchini and squash and don’t forget the bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon?

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/beautiful-courgette-carbonara

Bacon, Spinach, Carrot and Pecan Sauté

Posted By: Brandy on January 4, 2010 in Comfort Food, Side Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegetables, Vegetables - Comments: 3 Comments »

While I was making the Fast & Easy Lemon Chicken last night, I decided we needed a succulent vegetable to accompany the savory lemon sauce and I thought baby spinach would be a good pairing.  However, while watching The Next Iron Chef on Food Network a few weeks ago I heard Jeffrey Steingarten mention that raw spinach does not have nearly the nutrition value that cooked spinach does. This intrigued me since I enjoy a spinach salad a couple times a week over traditional lettuce.  I knew that spinach was high in fiber and great for your eyes but I wanted to know more.  I called Popeye but he wasn’t unavailable so I plundered through the world wide web instead.

I did little research on NutritionalData.com and found that when comparing 1 cup of raw spinach to 1 cup of cooked spinach with no salt added the nutritional value of the cooked spinach is significantly higher. For instance, the Vitamin A in uncooked spinach is around 56% compared to the 377% in cooked spinach. Both versions are low in saturated fat and very low in Cholesterol.  That is not to negate the nutritional values of eating spinach raw.  It contains high quantities of vitamin C and other phytonutrients (nutrients that fight against disease). The Healthy Foodie,  Doug DiPasquale stated on the website ThatsFit that “raw spinach contains a substance which blocks the absorption of many minerals, including iodine, a mineral critical to the proper functioning of the thyroid. It also contains oxalic acid, a substance that interferes with the absorption of calcium, but which is destroyed in cooking. Raw spinach should therefore be avoided by those with thyroid issues, or those at high risk for osteoporosis, and should only be enjoyed on occasion by the rest of us (one spinach salad per week shouldn’t be an issue).”

Now – on to the nom, nom food.  This recipe combines the flavors of spinach and carrots with a dash of lemon zest that will help break down the iron for easier absorption into the body.  The pecans and bacon are just added flare.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 carrot peeled
  • 12 ounces baby spinach, washed
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup of pecans
  • 2 tbsp. crumbled bacon pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste

Using a potato peeler, shave the carrot into thin, one-inch long pieces.  Zest the lemon to make 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, warm the pecans for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Remove pecans from pan and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the shredded carrot and the spinach leaves along with a dash of salt and pepper.  Toss spinach and carrots in pan until the spinach leaves are wilted and the shredded carrots are just al dente. Remove from heat and add the lemon zest and the crumbled bacon and toss to incorporate.  Plate and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Brie Mushroom Caps Appetizers

Posted By: Brandy on July 13, 2009 in Appetizers, Side Dishes, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetables, Vegetarian - Comments: 1 Comment »

My sister, Danielle, created this simple but elegant mushroom dish.  She loved it so much that she immediately picked up the phone to share it with me and the readers of Cooking with Brandy. The recipe serves 2-3 people.

SONY DSC

  • 12 large white button mushrooms (stems removed and dirt wiped off)
  • 12 slices of brie cheese from a 1 ½ inch round log (1/4” slices)
  • 12 small basil leaves
  • 3 tbsp of melted butter
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil and turn up the edges to form two shallow bowl. Place mushrooms in foil bowls with tops down. Top with brie slice and basil leaf. Drizzle butter over mushrooms and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in over for 5-10 minutes until brie starts to melt and mushrooms firm, dark and juicy.

Dani

www.danielledesigns.com

Asparagus with lemon dill sauce

Posted By: Brandy on January 17, 2009 in Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetables - Comments: No Comments »

Asparagus is one of my go-to vegetables when I need a healthy side dish to fish or chicken.  I make it many different ways but typically I use a lemon dill sauce that takes seconds.

First I remove the ends of the asparagus with snap.  Then I chop the stalks to  1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces.Asparagus Lemon Dill 017 Next I add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes.Asparagus Lemon Dill 041 After 3 minutes, I remove the asparagus and place it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.Asparagus Lemon Dill 047

In the emptied cooking pot, I toss the asparagus back in on medium heat.  I add about a 1/4 tsp of dried dill, a pat of butter (or olive oil) and a squirt or two of lemon juice. Toss together and serve immediately. Easy as pie… I mean Easy of Veggie!Brandy Cooking 050

Last Week’s Menu – June 8th – 14th, 2008

June 8th – 14th, 2008

Well, another wonderful week has passed.  Coupons clipped, groceries shopped, food prepped, and bellies bursting.  This week’s menu had quite the variety but enjoyed by many.  Most of the recipes are from cookbooks and other resources, but I threw in my “twist” when I could. From semi-homemade pizzas to slow-cooker recipes and on to luscious desserts, I recommend these dishes to the food lover in you. 

Sunday, June 8th: After venturing through my cookbooks and then visiting the local super market to pick up the ingredients for this week’s concoctions, I returned home to endulge my kitchen obsession for, sad to say, seven hours.  Sometimes, I get so caught up playing around in the kitchen, with my little tv tuned to the food network, that I lose track of time.  Baby Zoey was in my belly just dancing away and other than a little ache in my feet, I was tickled pink to be making these creations. 

Mango & Orange Salsa

Posted By: Brandy on April 20, 2008 in Appetizers, Mediterranean, Side Dishes, Vegetables - Comments: No Comments »

I was working on a Rachel Ray 30-minute meal recipe called Jerky Turkey Burgers with Papaya Salsa and realized I didn’t have the ingredients to make the salsa portion of the dish. I started improvising and come out with a great recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup frozen mango, cubed (fresh or canned is fine as well)
  • 3 medium oranges (peeled and diced, reserving the juices)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • salt

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