Taste and Tell Blog

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

April 29, 2013 // 27 Comments

Someone please tell me that the calendar is wrong and that it isn’t already the last week of April. Because, seriously. It can’t be.

I can’t believe it’s the end of National Grilled Cheese Month, and I haven’t even shared one single grilled cheese sandwich this month. It’s a travesty.

Thank goodness we still have a few days left, and I’ve got 2 grilled cheese sandwich recipes up my sleeve. I almost forgot about them, because I created them a little while back for Grate. Pair. Share. – an amazing online magazine put out by my friends at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. This sandwich, along with another that I will share with you tomorrow, are in this online issue that is stuffed full of amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. Seriously – the creativity is off the charts.

And this sandwich – well, I could probably eat it every day and still get excited about it. It really was the perfect combination of flavors. Kind of like spinach artichoke dip, but warmed in between two slices of buttered, toasted bread. Pure heaven, I tell ya.

So excuse me while I go off and make myself a sandwich for lunch. Grilled. With cheese. All in the name of celebrating!

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Blogger Spotlight – I Wash You Dry

April 26, 2013 // 9 Comments

I first met today’s Blogger Spotlight – Shawn from I Wash…You Dry – last summer at a blogging conference in Park City, UT. She is seriously as sweet as can be. And I totally admire her because she came by herself but was so outgoing and friendly – I wish I was more like that!! Her blog is so much fun with great recipes (like Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites and Easy Shrimp Pad Thai). I’m so glad that she is here today to give us a glimpse into her blog and into her life!

My name is Shawn {I know… it’s a boy’s name, but I love the unique-ness of it!} (thanks Mom!).

I am absolutely obsessed with food! Cleaning up? Now that’s a different story… My main objective here is to create delicious recipes that are easily prepared with as few dishes as possible.

I am still grasping onto my 20′s, and surviving with 4 beautiful children and handsome husband in the dessert of Arizona. I have a weakness for sweets, but it’s gotta be simple. I love fresh fruits and vegetables and serve them gladly to my family. I am always willing to try something at least once. I really enjoy sewing and making fun crafty things, and if I can ever find the time I make a few for you in my Crafty Kitchen posts. But seriously, with 4 kids, I am just trying to juggle what life throws at me, and I’ll be lucky to get a shower today.

So that’s me in a nut-shell. Hope you enjoy reading, cooking, and exploring!

What inspired you to first start writing your blog?
I started writing my blog, I Wash You Dry, because a lot of my friends and family would ask me for my recipes. I thought it would be an easy way to share the recipes with everyone.

What kinds of posts are your favorite to write? What do your readers seem to like the most?
My favorite posts to write are definitely dessert posts. Sweets always seem to bring a smile to my face, and I love knowing that they bring a smile to other people’s faces too.

Where do most of your recipes come from?
Everywhere! Some of the best recipe posts on my blog are “Copy-Cat” versions of famous restaurants that I tried my best to recreate. I have several family favorites, and some that have come to me in a dream {which I stupidly admitted to on TV, only to make me look like a crazy person even more}. But mostly I am inspired by other bloggers, magazines {Cooking Light is one of my favorites}, and of course Pinterest!

Do you plan a weekly menu? If so, what inspires your menu?
I do plan a weekly menu at home! What usually inspires the menu is what is on sale at the stores that week. With 4 kids, it’s all about budgeting! I sit down once a week and pour over the ads, make a menu and a shopping list at the same time and then head to the store.

What is your favorite kind of food to make?
All time favorite – Mexican Food! I love anything spicy, really.

What is your favorite recipe posted on your blog?

Oreo Birthday Cake Blondies

Such a difficult question!! I think a lot of what makes a post a “favorite recipe” to me are the pictures attached to it. I love all of my recipes, otherwise I wouldn’t post them. So I am going to have to go with my Oreo Birthday Cake Blondies. I love these pictures so much that I put the picture of the lit candle on the lock screen of my iPad mini, and the pic of the blown out candle for the home screen. So when you swipe your finger across to unlock the iPad it blows out the candle!! {ok, I am a huge nerd}

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Taste and Tell Thursdays – Banana Split Bars

April 25, 2013 // 35 Comments

My mom has loved cooking ever since I can remember. For the most part, we were like most families in the 70s/80s – aka pre-internet – where my mom would have a rotation of meals that she would go through. She did have a nice collection of cookbooks, though, and would choose something new every now and again. Through the years, she has gotten rid of many of those cookbooks that I liked to flip through, but one thing has remained.

Her recipe box.

Seriously – I’m guessing this thing is close to my age. It’s worn and falling apart, kept together at the seams with tape, but it is full of love. And recipes, of course, but if I had to choose something to save from my parent’s house, that recipe box would be high on the list.

It’s full of hand written recipes and cut outs from magazines and packages. But these are my mom’s tried and true recipes, and I know that if it makes it into “the box”, I can bet on it that it’s a good one.

I was looking through the box the other day, in search of another recipe, when I came across the recipe for these bars. Not only did I have a bunch of quickly browning bananas, but I had 2 nearly full jars of maraschino cherries in my fridge. (How in the world did I end up with 2 jars of cherries???) I would say that it was destiny that I make these bars.

Now, I know that I’ve been going crazy on the ripe banana recipes lately, but this is another you need to add to your list (or Pinterest board!) for when you have overripe bananas. Sure, they only use up one of those overripe bananas, but they are goo-ood. Totally worth saving aside one of the bananas to purposefully let it go overripe!!

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Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes

April 24, 2013 // 23 Comments

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I seem to go in spurts with my menu planning. One week it will be all about the chicken. The next week, I find myself buying pounds of beef. I haven’t had a seafood spurt in quite some time (I really need to change that), but lately, I keep finding pork on my menu plan. I feel like I went quite a few months there without ever really buying pork (except bacon. You must always have bacon.) But lately, I have been going crazy.

Most of the recipes I’ve been making have been from my archives, but a time or two a new recipe has made the cut. And today is one of those days.

This is a spin off of a popular slow cooker recipe that most our moms have probably made. But instead of cans of condensed soup, a from scratch sauce is made. I’m not a food snob – I promise – but making your own sauce not only tastes 100x better, but it really is super simple. It takes a little bit longer than opening up a can, but believe me – it’s worth it!!

And since I love it when the side dish comes with the main dish, this one is cooked with some potatoes. The sauce not only coats the pork chops, but the potatoes as well, making for a delicious meal. Throw some easy fresh veggies on the side, and dinner is done!!

Now, let’s talk slow cookers. If you have been reading Taste and Tell, you’ll know that I haven’t always been the biggest slow cooker fan. And I’m now starting to wonder if one reason is because I haven’t had a good one. My friends at KitchenAid recently sent me this 6-quart Slow Cooker with the Easy Serve Lid, and let me tell you. I didn’t think these words would ever leave my lips, but – I’m in love with my slow cooker. My old slow cooker cooked really hot, so things were always done too quickly. This one cooked perfectly. Some other things I love about this slow cooker? It has 4 temperature settings – warm, low, medium and high. I love that it has a medium setting – I’ve never seen that before! I also love the hinged lid design. This way, if you take it somewhere or if you are entertaining with it, you don’t have to take the lid off. The sides lift up for easy serving. And this may seem like something little or insignificant, but I love that you can wind the cord on the bottom for easy storage. Seriously – I don’t know if you could find a better slow cooker!

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Tortilla Crusted Chicken Tenders | Recipe Girl Cookbook Review

April 22, 2013 // 23 Comments

Have you ever anticipated a cookbook that you just knew was going to be good?

I have been so excited for the release of Lori Lange’s cookbook – The Recipe Girl Cookbook. I have been reading her blog for years now, and was so excited when she announced that she was writing a cookbook. And I was even more excited when I had the cookbook in my hands!! Lori’s recipes are the kind of recipes that I’m always drawn to – family friendly recipes, but often with a twist. And her cookbook follows in line with her blog – great everyday recipes, with some great entertaining recipes and tips thrown in.

This cookbook really does have something for everyone. From breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes to a wide variety of desserts, delicious salads and plenty of sides. And if you are following a gluten-free, dairy-free or vegetarian diet, there are icons on each recipe so you can easily see if the recipe is adaptable for your special diet. And if you are an entertainer, there is a whole chapter of menu ideas and tips and tricks. See – something for everyone!!

Number of Photos: Many
The photos in the book are gorgeous – done by one of my favorite food photographers Matt Armendariz. There isn’t a photo of every recipe, but the quality of the photos is amazing.

Difficulty Level of Recipes: Easy to Medium
The majority of the recipes are on the easy side of the scale. But she does throw in a few recipes that are a little more advanced – or at least take a little more effort. I love that there is such a variety of recipes in the cookbook.

Availability of Ingredients: Easy
No crazy ingredients here! In fact, I’m sure I could find a few recipes that could be made of all pantry staples.

Here’s what I made:

Cilantro Rice

If it wasn’t for my inability to cook something as simple as rice, this would have been perfect. No fault of the recipe, (seriously – why can I not cook rice?), but the flavor of this rice was perfect. A great side to any Mexican or Tex-Mex meal!

Butterfinger Brownies

Not even kidding – my 4-year old daughter came up to me after eating one of these and told me that they were the best brownies that she had ever had. And if you know how picky my daughter is, you’ll know that these have to be pretty darn good to get that kind of praise!

Tortilla Crusted Chicken Tenders

As a food blogger, it’s hard to admit that my kids don’t eat. Seriously – dinnertime is a struggle pretty much every night. And it’s basically impossible to get either of my kids to eat chicken unless we go out and have chicken nuggets. But these chicken tenders? A miracle. Not only did both of my kids eat them, but they cleaned their plates. This, my friends, is a miracle food!! Recipe Below

Overall thoughts:

I definitely think this cookbook is a winner. I cannot wait to try the Apple-Bacon Waffles, the Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta and Sage, and the Snickers Bar Cheesecake Pie. I would not hesitate at all in recommending this cookbook!

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Fridays with Rachael Ray – Grainy Mustard Chicken {Giveaway}

April 19, 2013 // 19 Comments

**Don’t miss the giveaway below!!**

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Ok, ok – it’s true. My favorite condiment is mustard. And I guess I really like mustard with chicken, because this isn’t the first time I’ve made a chicken dish that was covered in a mustard sauce! But what can I say – I like what I like!!

Truly, though, I was drawn to this recipe from the moment I saw it. One of those reasons is that I’m horrible with side dishes. I know we need to eat more veggies, but coming up with side dishes every night gets difficult for me. But with this dish, you don’t even have to think about it, because the side is included in the meal!! You cook potatoes and green beans, you cook your chicken, and the you coat them all in a delicious grainy mustard sauce. This was a no-brainer for me!

And it doesn’t hurt that it’s done in half and hour, and it’s a pretty budget friendly meal as well. I think it’s a winner!!