Instant Pot Is in the House!

October 10, 2018/in Instant Pot, The Scoop! /by Delaina & Kris

Instant Pot Is In The House!

Guess who got herself an Instant Pot??

OK so this pot has been the BEST thing. We have had it for two weeks, and now that the weather is getting colder in the Midwest, it feels like the perfect time to go crazy with cooking and making meals ahead of time.

Enter the Instant Pot to the rescue!

I am not exactly sure WHY I have not purchased an Instant Pot sooner – my mistake!

Seriously, it has only been two weeks since the pot came home, and we have done SO MUCH cooking, it is almost comical.

Here is small list of the items we have cooked:

Bratwurst, carrots & potatoes (our first meal)
Roasted chicken (whole and parts)
Green Chili pork roast
Caramelized a heap of onions
Butternut squash
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
and a few different kinds of egg dishes, including egg cups and a crustless quiche type dish

I seriously could go on!

We are having so much fun, and cooking so many things that normally would have taken hours to prepare.

We look forward to sharing our Instant Pot adventures with you here!

Happy October Everyone!

Kristin & Delaina

Cuor Nocciola Cookies – Trader Giotto’s

November 19, 2016/in The Scoop! /by Delaina & Kris

Holiday Cookie Review – Cuor Nocciola Cookies

Have you tried the new

Cuor Nocciola Cookies / Trader Giotto’s at Trader Joes?

We have noticed these tempting boxes near the check out of our Trader Joe’s in Kansas City on the last 2 or 3 trips.

Sooo …. we investigated to see what they were all about.

The package has all the right words on the cover:

“Italian Biscuits with Hazelnut cocoa filling, covered in milk chocolate, topped with cartelized hazelnuts”

YUMMOOO!

The verdict? These are DELICIOUS cookies!

This is the box that tempted us …. watch out!

This is the surprise that was in the box. 9 individually wrapped cookies that reminded me of those wonderful amaretto cookies from long ago ….

When you open up each package, the cookie is actually wrapped up again – for freshness sure, but I felt “what more packaging” as I was unwrapping …

Ahhh …. at last! Coffee meet your new BEST Friend!

So give them a try if you are looking for something different.

I was thinking that all the packaging was kinda a PAIN, but then got to thinking that it might come in handy if you were using these cookies for a holiday display – sprinkled on the buffet table or maybe used for a gift for a co-worker (secret santa style) with a card?

I am sure you will come up with something yummy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes: The Easy Way

January 24, 2016/2 Comments/in Meatless Monday, Recipes, The Scoop! /by Delaina & Kris

* * Ultimate Roasted Sweet Potatoes * *

You will love this EASY & FAST Recipe!

Sweet Potatoes are wonderful – they add a delicious flavor – and color- to your meals. They team up with BBQ & perk up leftover night with their color and creamy- sweet flavor.

I love Roasted Sweet Potoates especially when I accidentally (or maybe not … ) burn them a little on the bottom- so they have a dark brown, almost black really, spot where they were sitting on the pan. This adds a wonderful flavor to the sweet, soft potatoes that we enjoy- and think you might too….

Yum!

You will love how simple & easy they are to make – and how delicious they are to eat. These are so good even a few days later – so you can make a BIG batch today (eat half) and then take some for lunch (if there are any left …)

A Pan of Roasted Sweet Potato Chunks – Note the dark brown spots- You want that!

HOW to make the Ultimate Roasted Sweet Potatoes

You will need:

Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt

Yes- That is all you need to make the most awesome tasting sweet potatoes!

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Wash your sweet potatoes (with a brush) and dry off with a kitchen towel.
Now cut into the same size pieces – This means try and keep them all the same -ish thickness. This is so all the pieces will cook at the same rate.
Toss the potato chunks in a little bit of Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt.
Spread out on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and pop into the oven.
Check every 5- 10 minutes or until they are soft and have some nice color on them.

Delicious!

Washed & Dried … the Sweet Potatoes await their fate …..

Cut your potatoes in half the long way, and place them cut side down (no rock-n-roll here!) then cut in half and into chunks.

Toss in Olive Oil, and sprinkle with salt

Pop them into your pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes – checking on them frequently.

The finished product – soft on the inside and crispy on the outside – make sure to save the browned pieces for yourself!

Finished!

So there you have it!

A wonderful side dish or main for a Meatless Monday type meal (great with a big green salad).

Easy-sweet-potatoes-living-trader-joes

Trader Joe’s Cheese Pizza Dip

January 15, 2015/in Recipes, The Scoop! /by Delaina & Kris

This was the sample last week at our Trader Joe’s in Kansas City.

I wanted to share it with you because even thought it is a bit different, I found myself thinking about it a few times. This is basically a warm dip that you can serve in the crock pot with little bread sticks- or at least that is what they did at Trader Joe’s.

It tastes just like a slice of cheese pizza!

I was brainstorming how I might use this (it makes a LOT of dip) are a few ideas like a fun addition to a super bowl party as a hot dip (love those on these cold days) but I found myself thinking … what else could we do with this tasty dip ….hmmmm

So here is a short list of ideas that I thought up:

Pour over steamed veggies
Pour over hot baked potatoes
Use as a pizza sauce on any kind of flat bread (a tortilla, english muffin, Nan etc..)
Use as a hot dip for cold veggies (carrots & celery)

I am sure that there are plenty more fabulous ideas out there- Please share yours in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

So without further ado…here is the recipe:

Trader Joe’s Cheese Pizza Dip

2 wedges of Trader Joe’s Fontina Cheese (shredded up)

1 Pint Half & Half

1 jar of Trader Joe’s Fat Free Pizza Sauce

1 Tub (8oz) Fresh shaved Parmesan /Asiago/ Romano cheese blend

In a crock pot, combine over medium heat (or start with high and then switch to low after everything is melted) the Fontana cheese and Half & Half until blended.

Next, add the pizza sauce and the tub of the Fresh Shaved Parmesan cheese and stir together until it is all combined.

Reduce heat to LOW to serve.

Use Trader Joe’s Italian Bread sticks for dipping (that is what they used at the store) OR use what ever makes sense to you… get creative….