Last summer in Paris I saw croissants in every pâtisserie and boulangerie I visited-- and I visited many! I’d remembered savoring their flaky, buttery goodness in college days and on subsequent visits to the city of lights. But this time around I noticed that the ones I consumed tasted just like the kind I buy in a bag at the local grocery store. In talking with one of the friendlier shop owners (and friendly Parisians can be hard to come by) I learned that many shops now bake premade frozen croissants and put them into their cases each day.  Still, they tasted good and I was pleased to know that we in The States are eating just as well as the Parisians in the croissant department.

You may be surprised to know that croissants are actually the French version of an older Austrian pastry called Kipferl. The French version is a little lighter and flakier, and named for its crescent shape.

Today is National Croissant Day. Croissants are readily available everywhere from drive-thru breakfast sandwiches, to the coffee shops on every corner, to our local groceries. You can even make them from scratch. The recipe isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming, so I tend to buy mine at the supermarket. But when I want to make a quick and easy dish using croissants I buy a tube of crescent rolls from the grocery refrigerator case, and roll my desired fillings inside of each triangular piece of dough. I stuff them full enough that the fillings become the star of the meal. The process is fast and the result satisfying, though unlikely to win any food awards.

I’m using this quick process to make the Ham and Cheese Croissants from Easy Weekly Meals for College Students pictured here. Give it a try if you’d like a fast, yummy, and inexpensive way to enjoy “home-baked” croissants for National Croissant Day. Or, like our Facebook Page today to receive a free copy of that recipe.

Enjoy!

Marshmallows? Butter? Brown sugar? I don’t need any of those additives to enjoy my sweet potatoes. They are already sweet enough for me.

But, are they sweet potatoes or are they yams? What’s the difference? You may be surprised to learn that both are kin to flowers.

Yams, native to Africa and Asia, are closely related to lilies and grasses and have a starchier, drier flesh. Sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory family. Their skin color ranges from white to yellow, red, purple, and brown. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, and orange-red. The most familiar sweet potatoes have brownish or reddish skin with inside flesh that is yellow-orange to bright orange.

Not only are the tubers naturally sweet, they’re good for you. Sweet potatoes have made the lists of many well-known health diets, including one that I have used to combat inflammation. One medium sweet potato is only 150 calories, contains 15% of your daily fiber, and large amounts of Vitamin A, C, B-6, and potassium. They’re also high in antioxidants, good for your digestive tract, and fat-free.

Baking is the simplest way to prepare sweet potatoes. Scrub the potatoes and place them in a 450-degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until the middles are soft. Many people serve them with a pat of butter, and some like to use a little thyme or nutmeg for flavor. I prefer to use a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, dash of pepper, and a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg.

You can also grate them and prepare as hash browns by sautéing in a little olive oil until crispy. Or grill sliced rounds brushed with oil until tender, about 5 minutes per side. The other day I used a vegetable peeler to turn a couple of sweet potatoes into long ribbon-like scrapings. I thought I could boil them as if they were long pasta. That plan didn’t pan out quite as I’d expected because the long ribbons broke into smaller pieces in the boiling and draining process. But the shorter sweet potato pieces tasted great when I added a mixture of olive oil, oranges juice and basil paste, and then seasoned them with salt and pepper.

Making the Scary Sweet Potatoes recipe in the Easy Weekly Meals for College Students cookbook is a quick, easy, and delicious way to add a splash of color to your meal. Give it a try and let us know what you think. 

Chocolate!

What else needs to be said? 

According to a recent TLC survey chocolate treats occupy the top 4 slots of America’s 10 most popular desserts:





#1 Fudge

#2 Chocolate Cake

#3 Chocolate Chip Cookies

#4 Brownies

Chocolate has been around for a few millennia originating in the Americas and first used in chocolate beverages. Ground nibs from fermented and dried beans of the cacao tree make pure chocolate, the base for the forms of chocolate used to make the treats we love so well. Unsweetened chocolate is also used in many savory foods from the Americas. Europeans tend to confine their chocolate to sweets. I love European cuisines, but all forms of chocolate appeal to me.

The most common types of chocolate are dark, milk, and white. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants which has lead to speculation that it may help reduce the risk of heart attack and cancers. Milk chocolate is what its name implies—sweetened chocolate with milk added. White chocolate contains only the cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids.

One of my favorite chocolate desserts is flourless chocolate cake. It gives me a rich blast of flavor without the gluten, to which I’ve developed a sensitivity. You can find a great recipe for the flourless chocolate cake pictured here in Easy Weekly Meals for Moms on the Go. And, the first 15 readers to like the Easy Weekly Meals Facebook Page will receive a free recipe to make this delicious dessert for National Chocolate Cake Day, celebrated today.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal and honey are heart smart products, loaded with nutrients and devoid of harmful side effects. They are also low on the inflammation-meter making them desirable ingredients in many diets especially with inflammation-based health problems like arthritis and other auto-immune conditions on the rise.  

Lots of people know that, but did you know that oatmeal and honey are skin smart, too? Makers of beauty products are well aware of this fact. That’s why so many beauty products contain those ingredients.

January is National Oatmeal Month. We can celebrate with a healthy breakfast of oatmeal--I like mine with nuts, honey, and blueberries--make some oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies like the ones pictured below and featured in Easy Weekly Meals for Moms on the Go, or by beautifying ourselves with oatmeal-based skin-care treatments. Spa appointments and store-bought products can be expensive though. If you’d like to try an easy and inexpensive facial mask of oatmeal and honey, you can do it with ingredients found in your cupboard or pantry.

Easy and budget-friendly things are always perfect for me, so I recommend you try this Honey and Oatmeal Facial Mask contributed by an EWM subscriber.

Soothing Face Mask

Ingredients

·      1/4 cup plain oatmeal (soothes dry itchy skin, natural exfoliant)

·      1/8 cup baking soda (natural exfoliant, helps with rosacea and acne)

·      2 tsp honey (helps absorb and retain moisture in skin)

·      Warm water

Procedure

·      Grind the oatmeal to a fine powder using a coffee grinder, food processor or blender.

·      Mix together oatmeal and baking sodas and add water a little bit at a time until you have paste (not too thick or too thin).

·      Add the honey and mix well. Apply a thin layer of the paste to your face with a clean paint brush.

·      Let it dry completely (approximately 10 minutes).

·      Rinse face and moisturize well.

Enjoy this inexpensive and easy facial treatment for National Oatmeal Month.

It’s Not All About the Food

Dinner is a time to relax. To shed the worries of the day and sit down and enjoy a meal with friends or family. Food is a critical ingredient, but food isn’t the only thing that makes for a good experience.

Think of the last time you went out to a nice restaurant. What did you see, hear, or feel? Was there music playing in the background? A comfy chair to sink into? Candles on the table? What about fancy dishes, sparkling crystal, colored napkins?

Each of those items plays a part in setting the mood that invites you to relax and enjoy. If you’re feeding a family of four, you’re probably not thinking of romance. And you don’t have to go expensive. Here are some ideas to make dinner more festive.

·      Get printed paper napkins from your grocery store. You don’t have to worry about staining them and their colors will brighten the meal.


·      Add flowers to the table. A bowl of fresh daisies will perk you up in no time. 

·      Whip out your cloth napkins and wow your family with some fancy napkin folding. 

·      Turn on some music. Save the rock and roll and heavy metal for another time. You want something soothing and easy on the ears.

·      Light a candle, or two, or three, then turn down the lights and pretend you’re at a fancy restaurant.

Any one of these suggestions will make a difference. Keep it Easy, and have fun!

Have you ever heard the expression, “as American as apple pie?” Well, it turns out there is good reason for the saying. According to a recent survey by Schwan’s, the makers of the Mrs. Smith Dessert brands, apple pie is America’s favorite. The survey results revealed America’s top 10 pies to be:





·      Apple

·      Pumpkin

·      Chocolate Cream

·      Cherry

·      Apple Crumb

·      Pecan

·      Lemon Meringue

·      Blueberry

·      Key Lime

·      Peach

Since today is National Pie Day it stands to reason that many Americans will celebrate with apple pie. Although I live by the motto, “If it doesn’t have chocolate don’t waste my time,” I enjoy a good fruit pie, too. A recipe for the blueberry pie shown to the above appears in Easy Weekly Meals for Moms on the Go.

When most of us think of pie, we think of desserts. But savory pies can be delicious, too. After all, who doesn’t love a good quiche, tasty chicken pot pie, or a gooey, cheesy pizza? Quick and easy recipes for all of those dishes, and shepherds’ pie, too, can be found in Easy Weekly Meals smart cookbooks.

There are historical grounds for us to enjoy both. Evidence found in Egyptian tombs shows the first pies were probably sweet “galettes” made with a crust of ground grains like oats, barley, or rye wrapped around honey. But a recipe for a chicken pie was found on a tablet written before 2000 BC in Mesopotamia. As usual the Ancient Greeks and Romans got in on a good thing, too. Roman gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius is believed to have been a lover of pies. They are mentioned in the 4th century cookbook, Apicius, which is generally thought to have been named for him.

Do you prefer sweet or savory pies? Or do you love both types? I’m celebrating National Pie Day with a slice of quiche for breakfast, chicken pot pie for lunch, and some pizza for dinner. And for dessert? I’m grabbing all the gusto and serving apple pie with double dark chocolate ice cream a la mode.

Happy National Pie Day!

If you like broccoli and cabbage, chances are good that you’ll like cauliflower. Those white, crunchy florets make for excellent dipping material in chili sauce, melted cheese, even guacamole. And if you have kids to feed, a little melted cheese can make it easier to get the veggies past their lips.

Broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower are cruciferous vegetables, originally named for the four equal-sized flower petals that formed a cross-shape. Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, watercress, and arugula also belong to this family of plants. But in addition to their interesting label, they’re incredibly nutritious, with high amounts of Vitamin A, C, and K, folic acid, and fiber. They also have surprising amounts of protein and omega-3 fats.

And it’s such a versatile vegetable that can be enjoyed in many ways. I like raw cauliflower, but I love it cooked. Steam it and season it with a little salt, pepper, and butter, or a few spoonfuls of pesto. Make a soup with some onions, chicken stock, a potato for body, and spices. Or for a quick and delicious version, use the Crispy CauliFlowers recipe from Easy Weekly Meals for Moms on the Go. Roasting with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper makes for a crispy yet tender treat that’s just a little bit sweet.

Of course, this is my favorite cauliflower recipe, by you may want to cross your t’s and dot your i’s by trying them all!

Runway Tea Project

Day 10 of 10 Days of Tea

When you’re in the mood for a blast from the past why not consider making yourself a garment that looks like it just stepped out of a sepia photograph? One of the best ways to give light-colored cloth an antique look is to soak it in tea. A good rule of thumb for making a chemical-free antiquing dye is to use a 3 tea-bag to 2 cups of water ratio. Be sure to make enough liquid to cover the fabric or garment you’ve chosen to dye. And don’t forget to let the liquid cool before placing the item into it to ensure it doesn’t shrink.

Once you’ve started the dying process monitor it regularly to get the shade you’re shooting for. The longer you leave the fabric in the tea mixture, the darker it will be.

Home-dying or antiquing a fabric may be the least expensive way to score a new fashion look.

For other ways to save time and money by using the contents of your kitchen cabinets and fridge, check out the Easy Weekly Meals series of smart cookbooks. 

And if you’re just joining our series take a look at the other posts in The 10 Days of Tea for National Hot Tea Month.    


Image courtesy of sumetho / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Day 9 of 10 Days of Tea

A great way to keep your food costs down is to use less-expensive, and therefore tougher, cuts of meat. This strategy has its downside though since tougher cuts can require a lot of chewing to break them down for swallowing. It’s usually worth your while to intervene with meat tenderizing additives or techniques so meat melts in your mouth. My food mallet has helped me to improve many a piece of meat. But I also like to use additives because they can enhance the meat’s flavor, too.

Many people think of MSG (monosodium glutamate) when they hear the term “meat tenderizer” as it’s been widely used to keep costs down in restaurants and even in our home kitchens.  But MSG has been tied to adverse side effects in recent years, so many restaurants now advertise “no msg” on their menus.

If you’ve followed our 10 Days of Tea series, you won’t be surprised to read that one of the most effective substances for tenderizing meat is tea. Here’s a marinade I’ve used to tenderize a 2-lb flank steak before grilling it.

Mix together and place the following into a Ziploc bag with your meat:

2 cups of cooled black tea

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon Honey

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons peeled ginger root, minced

It’s best to marinate the meat for several hours or overnight if possible. The longer it soaks the easier it will be to chew.

If my creation doesn’t sound like your cup of tea (I couldn’t resist) scores of recipes for tea-based marinades will arrive at your fingertips by conducting an internet search. I encourage you to find one that sounds good to you.

For more ways to eat delicious food and keep your costs down check out the Easy Weekly Meals cookbooks for smart devices. If you like what you see, give our Facebook page a “Like” so we can keep you up-to-date on creative food ideas. 

Drop in tomorrow to see the final post in our 10 Days of Tea for National Hot Tea Month.

Day 8 of the 10 Days of Tea
Is your child due for a vaccination or other medical injection soon? Or are you getting a booster or other shot from the doctor? Sometimes the spot where the needle goes in becomes sore or puffy a few hours later. If this happens to you or your child, here’s an easy and inexpensive way to bring down the soreness and the swelling.

Tea’s tannic acid relieves soreness. Dampen a teabag and hold it over the injection site for a few minutes. You’ll be surprised how quickly comfort is restored.

And if a boil should appear on your body, the tannic acid in tea can help to drain it. Just cover it up with a wet tea bag before you go to bed and let the tea work it’s magic over night.

These easy, homemade remedies can help as much as over-the-counter products, and they save money and time, too.

For other ways to save time and money by using the contents of your kitchen cabinets and fridge, check out the Easy Weekly Meals series of smart cookbooks. 

And be sure to stop in tomorrow for Day 9 of The 10 Days of Tea for National Hot Tea Month.



Featured Image courtesy of Baitong333 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net